AGRIOTETURAL THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY OF ILLINOIS STATE LABORATORY OF NATURAL HISTORY STEPHEN A. FORBES. DIRECTOR THE ORNITHOLOGY OF ILLINOIS DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE BY ROBERT RIDGWAY in VOLUME II PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE 1895 REPRINT BY PANTAGRAPH PRINTING AND STATIONERY CO. BLOOMING-TON. ILLINOIS 1913 CONTENTS. PAGE Order GALLING— The Gallinaceous Birds 3 Suborder Phasiuna, 3.— Family Pha^ianidre (The Pheasants),"3.— Family Tetraonidae (The Grouse, Partridges, and Quails). 6. Order LIMICOL^E— The Shore Birds 18 Family Aphrizidae (The Turnstones), 20.— Family Charadriidae (The Plovers), 22.— Family Scolopacidae (The Snipe Family), 32.— Family Becurvirostridae (The Av- ocets and Stilts), 74.-Family PhalaropodidfE (The Phalaropes), 77. Order ALECTOBIDES— The Cranes. Courlans, Bails, Gallinules, and Cuots 82 Suborder Balli. 83. -Family Ballidae (The Bails, Gallinulos. and Ccots), 83. -Family Gtuidae (The Cranes), 98. Order HEBODIONES— The Herons. Storks, Ibises, etc 101* Suborder Ibides (The Spoonbills and ibises), Wi*.— Family Plataleidae (The Spoon- bills). 102*.-Family Ibididae (The Ibises). 106*. Suborder Ciconiaa (The Storks aad Wood Ibises), 113*.— Family Ciconiidae (The Storks and Wood Ibises), 113*. Suborder Herodii (The Herons and Boatbills). 116*.— Family Ardeidse (The Herons). 117*. Order ANSKBES— The Lamellirostral Swimmers 102 Family Anatidse (The Swans. Geese, and Ducks). 103. Order STEOANOPODES— The Totipalm&te Swimmers 19$ Family Pelecanidae (The Pelicans). 195.-Family Phalacrocoracidse (The Cormorants), 202. -Family Anhingidae (The Anhiugas), 2«7. Order LONGIPENNES— The Long-winged Swimmers 210 Family Stercorariidae (The Skuas and Jaegers). 211.— Family Laridas (The Gulls and Terns). 219. Order PTGOPODES— The Diving Birds 2U Family Urmatoridae (The Loons'. 252,-Family Podioipidae (The Grebes). 258. PART I. (CONCLUDED.) A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE BIRDS OF ILLINOIS BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. ORDER GALLINJi— THE GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. ORDER GALLINJE.— THE GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. The following families of Gfallince are represented in Illinois: A» Tarsi spurred, and head partly naked. 1. Ptiasianidae, B. Tarsi without spurs, and head entirely feathered, except, sometimes, a bare space over eyes. 2. Tetraonidse. SUBORDER PHASIANI. FAMILY PHASIANTD-ffi.— THE PHEASANTS. CHAB. Hind toe short and elevated, as in Tetraonidx. Tarsi spurred. Head partly naked. Tail often vaulted or arched. Two subfamilies of Phasianidce are represented in the Illinois fauna, one of them (Phasianince) , however, only by introduced species. Their characters are as follows: Phasianinae. Head mostly feathered, except round eyes. Tail elongated, graduated, arched, or vaulted. Plumage of sexes widely different, the female much smaller than the male and without brilliant coloring. (Introduced species only.) Meleagrinse. Head entirely naked, or else with only small hair-like feathers or short tufts of imperfect feathers. Tail moderate as to length, flat, rounded, the feathers broad and nearly truncated at tips. Sexes essentially alike in plumage but females duller in color than males. SUBFAMILY MELEAGRIN2E.— THE TURKEYS. CHAB. Head unfeathered, the skin wrinkled and often warted, the forehead with a more or less developed extensile fleshy appendage (smaller in females). Nasal foss— THE GROUSE, ETC. 7 The subfamily is most numerously developed in North America, its other representatives belonging to the colder portions of Europe and Asia. Of the genera included in the following ana- lytical table all but one are to be found either within or very near to the geographical field of the present work. A. Lees feathered to and on the basal membrane of the toes, which are bare. No ruff on the side of the neck, which, however, has an extensible bare space. Dendragapus. Tail broad, nearly even, or truncate, and rounded laterally, two thirds the wing. Nasal fossae scarcely half the culmen. Centrocercus. Tail excessively lengthened and cuneate ; longer than the wings, the feathers acuminate. Nasal fossae two thirds the culmen. Shafts of feathers on the lower throat very spinous in the male. Pediocaetes. Tail very short, but graduated, and with the two middle feathers (per- haps tail-coverts) lengthened beyond the rest, and two thirds as long as the wing ; the next longest half the wing. Nasal fossae not half the length of culmen. Shafts of throat feathers normal. B. Legs feathered to the lower end of tarsus. Tympanuchus. Tail very short, truncate, but laterally graduated; half as long as the wings. Sides of neck with long, narrow, and rather stiff feathers. Nasal fossae scarcely one third the culmen. C. Legs feathered to the claws. Lagopus. Tail about two thirds the wing, truncate, of sixteen to eighteen feathers. Most species becoming white in winter; none of the other genera exhibiting this peculiarity. D. Lower half of tarsi bare, with two rows of scutellae anteriorly. Bonasa. Sides of neck with ruff of broad, truncate, soft feathers. Tail very broad, square or slightly rounded, as long as the wings. GENUS BONASA STEPHENS. Bonasa STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool, xi. 1819,298. Type, Tetrao bonasia LINN. Tetrastes KEYS. & BLAS. Wirb. Europ. 1840, p. Ixiv. GEN. CHAR. Tail fan- shaped, its feathers very broad, soft, as long as the wings ; eighteen in number. Tarsi naked for the lower half ; covered with two rows of hexagonal scales anteriorly. Sides of toes strongly pectinated. Side of neck with a tuft of very broad soft feathers. Portion of culmen between the nasal fossae about one third the total length. Top of head with soft crest. Although but one species of this genus has been detected in North America, this has a very extensive range, embracing nearly the entire continent; all the wooded portions, in fact, excepting, perhaps, the extreme southern parts. As is often the case with birds whose range covers a large extent of territory, this species varies remarkably in color in the different portions of its habi- tat; northern specimens and those from the Rocky Mountains having almost invariably ash-gray tails, with the whole plumage of a decidedly grayish cast, while specimens from the grandly tim- bered and reekingly moist region of the northwest coast (Oregon to Sitka) have the tails dark ferruginous, while rich rusty OF ILLINOIS. and chestnut tints prevail in the plumage. Specimens from the more southern districts of the eastern United States, where the rainfall is abundant and the country (formerly at least) thickly forest-clad, are much like those from the last-mentioned region, having always rufous tails, but the general coloration is decid- edly paler. As we proceed northward (to New England and the British Provinces), and also in the mountain districts of the Middle States, the birds become gradually grayer (many New England specimens having distinctly gray tails) until finally, in the interior provinces of British America the extreme gray type (B. umbdloides Dougl.) is reached. A single species of this genus, the Hazel Grouse (B. lonasia), inhabits the northern portions of the Old World, from western Europe to Japan. It bears a general resemblance to B. umbel- lus, but is decidedly smaller, lacks the conspicuous neck-tufts (which, however, appear to be present in a rudimentary condi- tion), and has the throat black. Bonasa umbellus (Linn.) BUTTED GBOUSE. Popular synonyms. "Partridge" (in New England) ; "Pheasant" (in southern and western States) ; Ruffled Grouse ; Drumming Grouse. Tetrao umbellus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 275,-WiLS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 46. pL 49.-NUTT. Man. i. 1832, 657- AUD. Orn. Biog. i. 1831, 211; v. 1839, 560, pi. 41; Synop. 1839, 202; B. Am. v, 1842, 72, pL 293. Bonasa umbellus STEPH. Gen. ZooL xi, 1819, 300.— BAIBD. B. N. Am. 1858, 630; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 465.— CoUES, Key. 1872, 232; Check List. 1874. No. 385; 2d ed. 1882. Ttfo. 565; B. N. W. 1874. 420.-B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 448. pL 61. figs. 3. 9.-Bn>GW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 473; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 197.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 300. HAS. Eastern United States, south to the Gulf coast (?). [Replaced from Manitoba, northwestward, and also in the Rocky Mountains, by a gray race. B. umbellus umbelloides (Dougl.), and on coast of Oregon. Washington, and British Columbia by the dark rusty B. umbellus sabini (DougL)] 8p. CHAB. Above ochraceous-brown finely mottled with grayish: tho scapulars and wing-coverts with pale shaft-streaks, the rump and upper tail-coverts with median cordate spots of pale grayish. Tail ochraceous-rufous, narrowly barred with black, crossed termi- nally with a narrow band of pale ash; then a broader one of black, this preceded by another ashy one. (In specimens from the Alleghany Mountains and New England States, the tail usually more or less grayish to the base, sometimes entirely destitute of rufous tinge.) Throat and foreneck ochraceous. Lower parts white (ochraceous beneath the surface), with broad transverse bars of dilute brown, these mostly concealed on the abdomen. Low- er tail-coverts pale ochraceous, each with a terminal deltoid spot of white, bordered with dusky. Neck- tufts brown or black. Length. 18.00; wing. 7.20; tail, 7.00. Female smaller, and with the neck-tufts less developed, but colors similar. Young (No. 39.161. St Stephen's TETRAONID.E— THE GROUSE, *ETC. 9 N. B. ; G. A. Boardman) : Brown above, and dingy white beneath; a rufous tinge on the scapulars. Feathers of the jugulum, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts with broad median streaks of light ochraceous, and black spots on the webs ; jugulum with a strong buff tinge. Secondaries and wing coverts strongly mottled transversely. Head dingy buff, the upper part more rusty ; a postocular or auricular dusky patch, and a tuft of dusky feathers on the vertex. Chick: Above light rufous, beneath rusty white; uniform above and below; a dusky postocular streak inclining downwards across the auriculars. Bill whitish." (Hist. A'. Am. B.) The Ruffed Grouse or "Pheasant" as it is popularly known, is found throughout the State in wooded districts, becoming more rare southward. It is uncommon in the vicinity of Mount Carmel, and is growing less so as the woods become cleared. The Ruffed Grouse is a constant resident in the districts where it occurs, and, as a general rule, is in no sense migratory, though it is stated by Audubon that in some regions where they are very abundant they perform partial sorties at the ap- proach of autumn. These only occur in mountainous regions, in which during the winter months there is an insufficiency of food. "The flight of this Grouse is low, straightforward, and rarely protracted more than a few hundred yards at a time. It is somewhat stiff, and performed with frequent, almost continual, beatings of the wings. When it is flushed from the nest, or is suddenly startled from the ground by a dog, it rises with a long whirring sound, which noise, however, is not made when the bird rises of its own accord. Its movements on the ground are very stately and graceful, except when it is approached too near, when it runs in a rapid manner, lowers its head and spreads its tail, and either seeks shelter or takes to flight. When it hides in the bushes, it usually squats and remains close." (BREWER.) On few matters pertaining to our birds has there been greater difference of opinion than as to the manner in which the drum- ming sound of this species is produced. In the American Sports- man for February 21. 1874, the writer gave a general review of what had been published on the subject, supplemented by some original information received from Mr. H. W. Henshaw, which were to the effect that the sound was produced by hard strokes of the wings, both downward and forward, but without the body of the bird. —2 10 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS LAQOPUS BRISSON. Lagopus BEISS. Orn. i, 1760, 181. Type, Tetrao lag opus LINN. GEN. CHAB. Nasal groove densely clothed with feathers. Tail of sixteen or eighteen feathers. Legs closely feathered to the claws. Plumage snow-white in winter. The Ptarmigans inhabit the northern regions of both hemi- spheres, and with the Arctic fox and hares, the lemmings, and a few other species, characterize the Arctic zone. They are of rare occurrence within the limits of the United States, though farther north they become abundant. The species all change to white in winter, except Z. scoticus, which is permanently dark rusty brown, and inhabits the uplands of Scotland and England. Lagopus lagopus (Linn.) WILLOW PTAEMIGAN. Popular synonyms. White Ptarmigan; Willow Grouse. Tetrao lagopus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758 159. Lagopus lagopus STEJN. Proc. U. S. Nat Mus. viii. 1885. 20.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 301.-En>GW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 199. Tetrao albus GM. S. N. i, pt. ii, 1788. 750. Lagovus albus AUD. Synop. 1839. 207; B. Am. v, 1842, 114.— NUTT. Man. 2d ed. i, 1840, 816.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 467. — COUBS, Key, 1872, 235 ; Check List, 1874, No. 386; 2d ed. 1882, No. 568; B. N. W. 1874, 429.— B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 457, pL 62, figs, 1, 2, 3.— BIDOW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 474. Tetrao saliceti TEMM. Man. ii, 1820, 474.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834. 528, pi. 191. HAS. Northern North America, south, in winter, to northern border of United States (northern New York, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Illinois?, etc.). Also found in northern parts of the Old World. SP. CHAB. Bill very stout; high as the distance from the nasal groove to its tip. Tail always black, narrowly tipped with white; wing (except upper coverts) pure white. "Summer. Male (No. 43, 505, Fort Anderson, September 8 ; R. MacFarlane) : Head, neck , and jugulum deep cinnamon- rufous: whole upper parts (except wings) paler, more fulvous brown, broadly and closely barred with black. Top of head spotted with black, and the jugulum and neck with scattered bars of the same. Wing, 7.50; bill. .40 from nostril, and .35 deep. Female (No. 53, 526, Fort Anderson, June, 1865; B. MacFarlane) : Entire plumage (ex- cept wings, tail, and legs) fulvous-buff, heavily spotted and barred with black. Wing 7. 20; bill. .40 by .40. "Winter. Entire plumage, except the tail (which is black with white tip), immaculate snowy-white; shafts of primaries black. Male (No. 34.968, Northwest B., Labrador; D. Smith): Wing, 7.50; bill, .42 by .45. Female (No. 50,060, Nulato, Lower Yukon, April 12, 1867; W. H. Ball): Wing. 7.50; bill. .42 by. 42. " Chick (No. 2,648. Fort Anderson. July. 1864). Prevailing color greenish buff, tinged with sulphur-yellow on the throat and abdomen, and washed with fulvous on the upper parts. A large oval vertical patch of chestnut-rufous, bordered all round by a black lino, which, from the occiput, is continued down the nape in a broad distinct stripe of black. On the upper part of the back this stripe bifurcates, and continues in two broad parallel stripes }o the lower part of rump, where they again unite. A black stripe across the wing and one through the eye and auriculars." (Hist. N. Am. B.) ' TETRAONID.E— THE GROUSE, ETC. 11 The propriety of including this species in the fauna of Illinois, is exceedingly doubtful. Mr. Kennicott gave it in his list of the birds of Cook county, with the remark that it was "sometimes found in the timber along Lake Michigan"; but Mr. Nelson thinks that this note was based "upon the capture of two specimens, December, 1846, near Racine, [Wisconsin] as noted by Dr. Hoy (Wis. Agr. Rep., 1852)." GENUS TYMPANUCHUS GLOGER. Tympanuchus GLOGEE, Handb. Vog. Deutsohl., 1842. Type, Tetrao cupido LINN. Cupidonia REICH. Av. Syst. Nat. 1850. p. xxix. Same type. GEN. CHAR. Tail of eighteen feathers, short, half the length of wings ; the feathers stiffened and more or less graduated. Bare inflatable air-sac of the neck concealed by a tuft of long, stiff, lanceolate feathers ; an inconspicuous crest on the vertex. Tarsi feathered only to near the base, the lower joint scutellate. Culmen between the nasal fossaa scarcely one third the whole length. The genus, so far as known, is entirely peculiar to North America, where there are three species, all confined to the eastern water-shed of the United States. The two occurring west of the Alleghanies may be distinguished as follows: COMMON CHARACTERS. Ground-color above yellowish brown, tinged with grayish and reddish; beneath white; whole upper and lower parts variegated with transverse bands,— those beneath regular, broad, sharply defined, and plain grayish brown, or dusky, those above more broken, broader, and deep black. Head buff, with a broad vertical stripe, a broad one beneath the eye from bill to ears, and a patch on lower side of auriculars, brown- ish black. T. americanus. Tarsi clothed with long hair-like feathers, the bare posterior face entirely hidden. Dark bars above, .30 or more in width, deep black; those beneath, about .20 wide, and dark brown. Top of head nearly uniformly blackish; face-stripes dusky- black. Bill, .40 deep, .50 long; wing, 9.00. Hab. Prairies of the Mississippi Valley; south to Louisiana and eastern Texas. X. pallidicinctus. Tarsi clothed with short feathers, the bare posterior face conspicu- ously exposed. Dark bars above less than .20 in width, dark grayish brown; those beneath about .10 wide, and pale grayish brown. Top of head with only a slight spotting of black- ish; face-markings reddish brown. Bill, .35 deep, .55 long, from nostril; wing, 8.30. Hab. Southwestern prairies (middle and western Texas, etc.). Tympanuchus americanus (Reich.) PRAIEEEHEN. Popular synonymi. Prairie Chicken; Chicken (in prairie districts); Pinnated Grouse. Tetrao cupido WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 104, pi. 27 (nee LINN.)— NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 662.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 490; v. 1839, 559. pi. 186; Synop. 1839, 204; B. Am. v, 1842, 23, pi. 296. Cupidonia cupido BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1838, 628; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 464.-CouEs. Key, 1872, 234; Check List, 1874, No. 384; 2d ed. 1882, No. 563; B. N. W. 1874, 419.— B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 440, pi. 61, figs. 1, 7.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 477. Cupidonia americanus REICH. Syst. Av. 1852, p. xxix. Tympanuchus americanus RIDGW. Auk, Jan. 1886, 133; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 203.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 305. Cupidonia pinnata BEEWSTEB, Auk, ii, Jan. 1885, 82. 12 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. HAB. Prairies and open cultivated districts of the Mississippi Valley. "8p. CHAB. Male (No. 10,006, Tremont, Illinois ; W. I. Shaw): Ground-color above ochra- ceous- brown, tinged with grayish; beneath white, the feathers of the jugulum dark rusty- chestnut beneath the surface. Head mostly deep buff. Upper parts much broken by broad transverse spots, or irregular bars of deep black, this color predominating largely over the lighter tints. Primaries and tail plain dusky ; the former with roundish spots of pale ochra- ceous on outer webs, the latter very narrowly tipped with white. Lower parts with regular, continuous, sharply defined broad bars, or narrow bands, of clear dusky brown. A broad stripe of plain brownish black on side of head, beneath the eye. from rictus to end of auriculars; a blotch of the same beneath the middle of the auriculars, and the top of the head mostly blackish, leaving a broad superciliary and maxillary stripe, and the whole throat immaculate buff. Neok-tufts 3.50 inches long, deep black; the longer ones uniform, the shorter with only the edge black, the whole middle portion pale buff, shading into deep reddish rusty next to the black. Wing, 9.00; tail. 4.50; bill, .40 deep by .50 long, from nostril; tarsus. 2.10; middle toe, 1.85. Female similar, but with shorter and inconspicuous cervical tufts. Young (No. 25,998, Eockford, Illinois; Blackman): Above, including tail, yellowish brown; feathers with conspicuous white shaft-streaks and large blotches of deep black. Outer webs of primaries with whitish spots. Top of head rusty-brown with a black vertical and dusky auricular patch. Lower parts yellowish white, with irregularly defined transverse, grayish brown broad bars; anteriorly more spotted, the jugulum tinged with brown. "Chick (No. 25,989, Eockford, III). Bright lemon-buff, tinged on sides and jugulum with reddish; upper parts much washed with rusty. A narrow auricular streak, blotches on the vertex and occiput, a stripe across the shoulder, and blotches down the middle of the back and rump, deep black." (Hist. N. Am. B.) To describe in a work intended especially for Illinois readers the habits of the Prairie Chicken, seems almost as superfluous a proceeding as "carrying coals to Newcastle;" hence we omit further reference to this species than the following brief account of its nesting, from History of North American Birds. "This bird nests, according to the locality in which it is met with, from the beginning of April to the last of May. In Ken- tucky Audubon has found their nests with eggs early in April, but the average period there was the first of May. Their nests he describes as somewhat carelessly formed of dry leaves and grasses, interwoven in a tolerably neat manner, and always very carefully placed among the tall grass of some large tuft in the open ground of the prairies, or in barren lands at the foot of a small bush." GENUS PEDIOC-ffiTES BAIRD. Pediocaites BAIBD. B. N. Am. 1858. 025. Type. Tetrao phasianellus LINN. "GEN. CHAB. Tail short, graduated; exclusive of the much lengthened middle part, where are two feathers (perhaps tail-coverts) with parallel edges and truncated ends, half the full rounded wing. Tarsi densely feathered to the toes and between their bases. Neck without pecul^r feathers. Culmen between nasal foss» not half the total length." TETRAONID.E— THE GROUSE, ETC. Pediocaetes phasianellus campestris Ridgw. PRAIEIE SHABP-TAILED GBOUSE. Popular synonyms. Spike-tail. Pin-tail, or Sprig-tail Prairie Chicken. Pedioccetes columbianus ELLIOT. Proc. Phila.Acad. 1862. 403, and Monogr.Tetraon. (part). Pedioccetes phasianellus var. columbianus, part, AUCT. (all reference to specimens from east of the Rocky Mountains within the United States). Tetrao phasianellus (nee LINN.) AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 589, pi. 382; Synop. 1839, 205; B. Am. v, 1842, 110. pi. 2;!8. Pedioccetes phasianellus BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 626 (part). Pediocaetes phasianellus campestris RIDGW. Proc. Biol. So c. Wash, ii, Apr. 10,1884,93; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 204.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 308b. HAB. Plains of the United States, from eastern slope of Rocky Mountains, in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, to the prairies of the Missouri Valley, and more sparingly, into Wisconsin, southern Michigan, and northern Illinois, SUBSP. CHAB. Differing from P. phasianellus columbianus in rather lighter and much more ochi aceous coloration above, with the black bars narrower and less regular, and hav- ing the V-shaped markings of the lower parts much less distinct (never deep black). Types, Nos. 76,743, male ad., Illinois, and 19,173, female ad., Rosebud Creek, Montana. In the Bulletin of the Nutlall Ornithological Club for October, 1882, p. 233, Mr. Brewster alludes to differences between specimens of the Sharp-tailed Grouse from Fort Walla Walla, Washington, and others from eastern localities, but concludes that the differ- ences noted "probably have only a local significance." This was formerly my opinion also; but many additional specimens subsequently received at the National Museum show con- clusively that two very different styles of this bird inhabit the regions west and east of the Rocky Mountains, respectively. P. phasianellus columbianus is represented in the collec- tion by specimens from Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Nevada; and P. phasianellus campestris by examples from Montana (east of the mountains), eastern Wyoming and Colorado, Nebraska, Dakota, and Illinois. P. phasianellus campestris is the form described and figured by Audubon (B. Am. v, p. 112, pi. 298), under the name Tetrao phasianellus. This species, so much like the Prairie Chicken in its appear- ance and habits as to be quite generally confounded with it, is apparently confined to the northern portion of the State, where it seems to be of rather uncommon occurrence, at the present time at least. Mr. Nelson (p. 121 of his list) says : "If this species now occurs it is extremely rare. Mr. Kennicott notes it as 'not uncommon formerly.' At present it is re- stricted to the northwestern portion of the State. The last record of its occurrence in this vicinity is furnished by my friend Mr. T. H. Douglas, who informs me that in the fall of 18G3 or 1864, while two gentlemen were shooting prairie chickens near Waukegan, they found and secured a covey of these birds, num- bering fourteen individuals. These had, in all probability, been raised in the immediate vicinity." 1 4 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Regarding its former occurrence in considerable numbers, we find in Forest and Stream for October 9, 1879, p. 705, the fol- lowing confirmation of Mr. Kennicott's record: "HABITAT OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE.— Marietta, Ga., Septem- ber 29. Your correspondent in the issue of September 25, writ- ing of the sharp-tailed grouse, thinks that it has never been found south of latitude 43°. "In 1840-'45 this specie swas abundant in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois as far south as Chicago (latitude 42°), always frequenting the timber, which gave it the local name of burr-oak grouse. We used to consider its flesh of finer flavor than that of its congener, the prairie hen." SUBFAMILY PERDICIN.2E.— THE PARTRIDGES. CHA.B. Tarsi and toes entirely naked, nasal fossae unfeathered, protected by a naked scale. Sides of toes without pectinations at any season. Sides of neck without an inflatable air-sac, and no bare space over eyes. The Partridges differ from the Grouse in the bare legs, and naked nasal fossae. They are much smaller in size and more abundant in species. They are widely distributed over the sur- face of the globe, a large number belonging to America, where the subfamilies have no Old World representatives whatever. The head seldom, if ever, shows the naked space around and above the eye, so common in the TetraonincB; and the sides of the toes do not exhibit the peculiar pectination formed by a succession of small scales or points. GROUP Odontophoreae. CHAB. Bill stout, the lower mandible more or less bidentate on each side near the end. The OrtygincB of Bonaparte, or Odontophorince of other au- thors, are characterized as a group by the bidentation on either side of the edge of lower mandible, usually concealed in the closed mouth, and sometimes scarcely appreciable. The bill is short, and rather high at base ; stouter and shorter than what is usually seen in Old World Partridges. The culmen is curved from the base; the tip of the bill broad, and overlapping the end of the lower mandible. The nasal groove is short. The tail is usually rather broad and long. TETRAONIDJ3— THE GROUSE, ETC. 15 Four genera are found in the United States, but only one of these occurs east of the Mississippi River, the remainder belong- ing to the southwestern border and the Pacific coast. Some of the western species are strikingly elegant birds, especially the Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) and Valley Quail (Lophortyx californicus) of the Pacific coast. The genera Callipepla and Cyrtonyx belong to Mexico and contiguous border of the United States, each having a single species within our limits. GENUS COLINUS LESSON. Ortyx STEPHENS. Shaw's Gen. ZooL xl. 1819. Preoccupied. Type, Tetrao virginianus LINN. Colinus LESS. Man. ii, 1828, 190. Same type. GEN. CHAB. Bill stout Head without crest. Tail short, scarcely more than half the wing, composed of moderately soft feathers. Wings normal. Legs distinct, well developed, the toes reaching considerably beyond the tip of the tail; the lateral toes short, equal, their claws falling decidedly short of the base of the middle claw. The genus Colinus embraces numerous species, all more or less resembling the well-known Bob-white of the United States. They are chiefly confined to Mexico, Central America, and the Greater Antilles. North America and the West India Islands contain but one species, and this is so variable in plumage that it is only at extreme points of its range that differences acquire sufficient constancy to be considered worthy of special no- tice. The regions of its extremes of variation are the north- eastern, southeastern, and southwestern limits of its range; the modifications attaining in Cuba and in Texas sufficient value to have been deemed of specific importance. But comparing even the three extremes of plumage, the differences are found to consist only in a varying amount of the several colors, specimens from intervening regions forming the connecting links. Colinus virginianus (Linn.) BOB -WHITE. Popular synonyms. "Quail" (in New England and most portions of the Mississippi Val- ley); "Partridge" (in southern States and parts of the interior): American Quail; Virginia Quail; Partridge or Colin. Tetrao virginianus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758. 161; ed. 12, i. 1766, .277. Perdix vlrginiana LATH. ITM.— WILS. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 21, pL 47.— AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 388; v, 1839, 564, pL 76.— NUTT. Man. i, 1832. 646. 16 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ortyx virginianus JABD.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 199; B. Am. v, 1842. 59, pi. 289.— BATED. B. N. Am. 1858,640; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 471.— COUES, Key, 1872. 236; Check List, 1874, No. 389; 2d ed. 1882. No. 571; B. N. W. 1874, 431.— B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874, 468, pi. 63, figs. 1. 2,-BiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 480. Colinus virginianus STEJN. Auk, Jan. 1885. 45.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 289,— RIBGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 188. HAS. Eastern United States, north to Massachusetts and Ontario, south to Georgia, Ala- bama. Louisiana, and eastern Texas (?), west to the edge of the Great Plains. Beplaced in Morida by the smaller and much darker C. virginianus floridanus Coues, and in central Texas, north to western Indian Territory by the much lighter colored G. virginianus tex- aiius (Lawr.). BP. CHAB. Adult male: Pileum and stripe on side of head mixed black and rusty, the former prevailing; broad and distinct superciliary stripe, chin and throat white. Upper parte mottled rusty and grayish, the scapulars and tertials spotted with black, the latter with inner webs broadly edged with ochraceous. Jugulum mixed rusty, black, and white ; abdomen white, with irregular V-shaped bars of black; sides rusty, streaked with black and white. A dult female: Similar to the male, but superciliary stripe and throat ochraceous and pileum, together with stripe on side of head, mostly rusty. Young: Pileum and auricu- lars dull dark grayish; superciliary stripe and throat dull dirty whitish; jueulum and breast dull grayish brown, with whitish shaft-streaks, abdomen plain dull white. Back rusty brownish, with whitish shaft-streaks and black spots. Downy young: Head dingy buff, with an elongated dusky auricular spot; and on the crown an oblong patch of chestnut- rufous. Total length (fresh specimens) 9.50-10.50; extent, 14.00-15.50. The common Quail or Partridge, as this fine bird is variously known in our State, is a bird of very general distribution, and its habits are so familiar that any detailed description is here unnecessary. The farmer has no better friend than this species, which devours " bugs " of all sorts in large quantities, and is par- ticularly fond of the Colorado potato beetle. During severe win- ters farmers would do well, only their own interests being consid- ered, to feed the quail on their farms to prevent their dying of starvation. This species can be easily tamed, and breeds very readily in confinement. (See Forest and Stream, Vol. XIX., Nos. 9 and 10, September 28 and October 5, 1882, pp. 164, 1 65, 185, and 186.) In former publications we have given G. virginianus florid/mm as an inhabitant of southern Illinois, and Mr. Nelson, coincided in this opinion. Under this name, Mr. Nelson (in Bull. Essex Inst. IX., 1877, p. 43), says:] "The prevailing form in the bottoms, where the typical vir- ginianus is comparatively rare. The specimens obtained are typical of the variety, some having even larger bills than any Florida examples seen, while the other proportions are equally small, and the colors fully as dark. A remarkable characteristic TETRAONID.E— THE GROUSE, ETC. 17 of this form in southern Illinois is its arboreal habits. The males are repeatedly found uttering their song from the tops of tall trees in densely wooded portions of the bottoms, and when a flock becomes scattered its members would almost invariably take to the trees, and soon their call notes would resound through the forest. Mr. Ridgway's observations regarding the habits of this form in the vicinity of Mt. Carmel coincide with mine, and in his collection also are extremes of the var. flori- danus." Subsequent consideration of the matter, in the light of much new material, has convinced us that these small, deep-colored, and large-billed quail cannot properly be referred to the Florida form. It is true that some specimens are, as stated above, equally small, as dark colored, and with even larger bills than the typical Florida birds; but the latter are constantly differ- ent in their much less rusty color above, and some other minor particulars as regards plumage. Were the small, dark-colored birds the prevailing form in southern Illinois, they might with propriety be separated from both the typical virginianus and the floridanus type; bat the average style is apparently so nearly intermediate between the two that such separation seems quite unnecessary. 18 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ORDER LIMICOKffi.— THE SHORE-BIRDS. CHABACTEBS. Praecocial wading birds, usually of small size ; distinguished from the Hero- diones by praecocial habits and many striking differences of structure, and from the Pa ludi- colce (Cranes and Bails) by their lengthened, usually pointed, wings and small or rudimentary hind toe, the latter member being sometimes wanting. The Limicolse constitute the large assemblage of small waders known to sportsmen as "shore-birds", and include the different groups distinguished (or, rather, confused) in popular nomen- clature by the terms snipe, plover, curlew, etc. The clear definition of the several families composing the order is a matter of some difficulty, the variations of structure within each family being very great. The following, however, may answer for the separation of those occurring in North America. A. Bill much longer than tarsus, excessively compressed, deepest through the middle portion. Haematopodidae. No hind toe; a well- developed web between outer and middle toes at the base ; front of tarsus covered with hexagonal scales. Size very large. B. Bill about equal to or shorter than the tarsus, moderately compressed, deepest through the base. Aphrizidae. A well-developed hind toe, with claw; no trace of web between outer and middle toes; front of tarsus covered by a row of transverse scutellae. Size small. C. Bill variable, but never longer than the tarsus ; more or less depressed in the middle portion, the terminal portion of the culmen being more or less arched ; never ex- panded laterally to the end. Hind toe usually absent. Charadriidae. Size large to very small. Bill slender or small, straight, always shorter than 'the tarsus. D. Characters much the same as given for section "C," but toes, including the hallux, exceedingly lengthened, the claws also very much lengthened; scutellation of legs much as in the Rallidce. Jacanidae. Size medium or rather small Claws very long and compressed, nearly straight, that of the hailux equal to or longer than its digit, linear, and slightly recurved. Bend of the wing (head of metarcapus) armed with a sharp conical horny spur. E« Bill exceedingly variable,— shorter long, straight, slightly recurved or decidedly de- curved, but more or less expanded laterally at the endL which is more or less sensitive. Hind toe usually present, rarely absent. Scolopacidse, Tarsus rounded in front, where clothed with a single row of transverse LIMICOLjE — THE SHORE-BIRDS. 19 F. Bill subulate (except in Crymophilus). Toes either partly webbed, or fringed by a lateral, usually lobed, margin. Plumage peculiarly soft and compact for this order, resembling greatly in this respect that of the Longipennes. Tarsi compressed, the anterior edge sharp. Fhalaropodidae. Size small; tarsi and bill rather short, or but moderately lengthened; toes edged with a lateral, usually scalloped, margin. Recurvirostridae. Size large ; tarsi and bill very long ; toes partly webbed, and without scalloped margin. 20 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY APHRIZID.SJ.— THE TURNSTONES. CHAB. Bather small, plover-like birds, differing from the true Plovers (Oharadriidce) chiefly in the more robust feet, without trace of web between the toes, the well-developed hind toe, and the strong claws ; the toes with a lateral margin, forming a broad flat under- surface (especially in Aphriza); the bill of one genus (Arenaria) peculiar. The two genera may be distinguished by the following characters: Arenaria. Bill compressed and pointed terminally, somewhat upturned at the end, the cul- men straight or even slightly concave ; tarsus not longer than the bill ; tail slightly rounded. Aphriza. Bill slightly swollen terminally, the terminal portion of the culmen decidedly convex; tarsus decidedly longer than the bill; tail slightly emarginated. GENUS ARENARIA BRISSON. Arenaria BKISS. Orn. v, 1760, 132. Type, Tringa interpres LINN. Strepsilas ILLIGEB, Prodromus, 1811,263. Same type. CHAB. Form robust, the head small, neck short, wings long and pointed, feet stout. Bill straight along the culmen (or else slightly concave above), somewhat upturned termi- nally, compressed toward the end and pointed. Wings reaching beyond the tail, the first primary longest, the tertials not reaching to the end of the primaries. Tail slightly rounded. Tarsus decidedly longer than the middle toe, the latter shorter than the bill. Arenaria interpres (Linn.) TURNSTONE. Popular synonyms. Calico-back; Brant Bird; Chicaric (Plymouth Bay, Mass.). Tringa interpres LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 148; ed. 12, i, 1766, 248.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 32, pi. Ivii. Strepsilas interpres ILLIG. Prodr. 1811. 263.— SWAINS. P. B.-A. ii, 1831, 371.— NUTT. Man. Water Birds, 1834, 30.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1833, 31, pi. 304; Synop. 1839, 227; Birds Am. v, 1842, 331, pi. 323.— BAIKD. B. N. Am. 1858, 701; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 515.— COUES, Key, 1872. 246; Check List, 1874, No. 406; 2d ed. 1882, No. 598.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 509.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 119. Arenaria interpres VIEILL. GaL Ois. ii, 1834, 102.— A. 0. U. Check List, 1886, No. 283.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 180. Morinella interpres STEJN. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iv. 1882, 32. Trinoa morinellus LINN. S. N. i, 1766, 249 (young). Strepsilas collaris TEMM. Man. ii, 1820, 553. "Charadrius cinclus PALLAS" (BAIBD, 1. c.) HAB. Sea-coasts of nearly all countries; in America, from Greenland and Alaska to Chili and Brazil; in the interior, more or less common along the shores of the Great Lakes and larger rivers. APHRIZID^— THE TURNSTONES. 21 SP. CHAK. Adult: Chin and throat, a large loral patch, another covering terminal half of the auriculars, border of the pileum, and large transverse patch on each side of the jugu- lum, white; stripe from the frontlet to the eye, squarish patch beneath the eye, malar stripe, side of the neck, jugulum, and sides of the breast uniform black, all these markings confluent and sharply defined. Remainder of the lower parts, upper part of the rump, upper tail-coverts, and ends of secondaries, pure white. Breeding plumage: Upper parts dusky blackish, the wing-coverts lighter, more brownish gray, the feathers showing darker centres ; back and scapulars little, if at all, varied with rufous ; crown dusky, uniform, or streaked. Spring (or winter) plumage: Upper parts mixed black and bright rufous, the latter color occupying chiefly the middle of the back (longitudinally) and the wing-coverts; the scapulars and tertials mixed black and rufous. Pileum more streaked with white, and markings about the head and neck more sharply defined than in the summer dress. "Bill black; iris hazel; feet deep orange-red, claws black." (AUDUBON.) Young: Head chiefly mottled grayish, without well-defined markings; black of the jugulum and breast indicated by mottled dusky, occupying the same area, but not sharply defined; upper parts grayish dusky, the feathers bordered terminally with buff or whitish. Total length, about 9 inches; wing, 6.00; tail, 2.50; culmen, .80-.90; tarsus, 1.00; middle toe, .75. The Turnstone occurs in Illinois only as a migrant, and is chiefly confined to the shores of Lake Michigan. There, accord- ing to Mr. Nelson (pp. 123, 124 of his list), it arrives "May 15th in full breeding plumage and is found until the first week in June. Returns early in August, still in breeding plumage, which is exchanged for that of winter during the last of the month. Departs about the 20th of September. While here the}' are generally found in company with flocks of the smaller species of sandpipers." 22 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY CHARADRIID^E.— THE PLOVERS. CHAB. Small or medium-sized shore-birds (scarcely waders), with rather short, some- what [pigeon-like bill, large round head, short neck, long and pointed wings, and moder- ately lengthened legs, the hind toe usually absent. The Plovers are quite distinct in their structural characters from the Sandpipes and other Scolopacidce, being more nearly related to the Turnstones and Oyster-catchers, notwithstanding the fact that the latter are so different in appearance. Instead of wading about in the shallow ponds or the margins of streams, as is the custom of the Scolopacidce, they frequent meadows and sandy tracts, where they run swiftly along the ground, in a peculiarly graceful manner. The North American genera may be distinguished as follows : A. Size large (wing more than eight inches); head more or less crested; plumage more or less metallic above. Occiput with a slender recurved crest; a well-de- veloped hind toe, with claw; wing rounded, first quill shorter than fourth. 1. Vanellns. Wing unarmed, or with rudimentary spur; tarsus not more than twice as long as the middle toe. B. Size medium or small (wing less than eight inches) ; head without crest, and plumage without metallic gloss above. c. Wing more than six inches ; plumage much speckled or spotted above ; lower parts chiefly black in summer. 2. Charadrius. A well-developed hind toe, without claw Subgenus Squatarola. 3. No trace of hind toe ; otherwise very similar to Squatarola, but smaller and more slender Subgenus Charadrius. d. Wing less than six inches; plumage nearly or quite uniform grayish or brownish above (the rump ochraceous in subgenus Oxyechus], the lower parts chiefly or entirely white at all stages. 4. JEgialitis. e\ Tail very long (half as long as the wing, or more), extending half its length beyond tips of closed wings ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale rufous or ochraceous in the American species. Bill slender, about equal in length to the middle toe; tarsus decidedly less than twice as long as middle toe ; rump and upper tail-coverts rufous or ochraceous (except in 0. tricollaris) Subgenus Oxyechus. e*. Tail short (less than half as long as the wing), reaching little, if any. be- yond ends of closed wings : rump concolor with the back. Bill variable, but usually shorter than middle toe. or, if longer, very slender; tarsus less than twice as long as middle toe. Subgenus ^Egialltis. CHARADRIID.E— THE PLOVERS. 23 Bill very large (as long as, or longer than middle toe), the terminal hall of the culmen much arched, the base of the gonys forming a decided angle; tarsus about one and one half times to nearly twice as long as middle toe Subgenus Ochthodromus 13ill slender, wide at base, much longer than middle toe ; tarsus more than twice as long as middle toe Subgenus Podasocys. GENUS CHARADRITTS LINN^US. SUBGENUS Squatarola CUVIER. Squatarola CUVIEB, Beg. Anim. i, 1817, 467. Type, Tringa squatarola LINN. CHAR. A rudimentary hind toe. Legs reticulated with elongated hexagons anteriorly, of which there are five or six in a transverse row: fewer behind. First primary longest. Tail slightly rounded. .But a single species of this submenus is known, this being the well-known "Beetle-head" or "Bull-head" Plover of eastern gunners, a bird of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Charadrius squatarola (Linn.) BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER Popular synonyms. Beetle-head or Bull-head; Plover of eastern gunners and sportsmen ; Bottle-head; Black-breast. Tringa squatarola LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, 1758, 149; ed. 12. 1766, 252. Charadrius squatarola NAUM. Vog. Deutschl. vii. 1834, 250.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 270.-R.iDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 173. Tringa helvetica LINN. S. N. ed. 12, 1766. 250. Squatarola helvetica Guv.— CASS. in Ba'rd's B. N. Am. 1858, 697.— BAIRD, Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 510.— COUES, Key, 1872, 243; Check List, 1874, No. 395; 2ded. 1882, No. 580; Birds N. W. 1874, 448.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1831. No. 513.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 132. Charadrius helveticus LIGHT.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 26. AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 280, pL 334; Synop. 1839, 221 ; Birds Am. v, 1842 199, pi. 315. Charadrius apricarius WILSON. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 41. HAB. Nearly cosmopolitan, but chiefly the northern hemisphere; breeding in the ex- treme northern parts of its range, migrating in winter to southern portions, exf ending, in America, as far as Brazil and Colombia. Bermudas, and throughout the West Indies. SP. CHAR. Bill and legs strong; wings long; a very small rudimentary hind toe. Sum- mer plumage: Around the base of the bill to the eyes, neck before, and under parts of body, black; upper parts grayish white, nearly pure and unspotted on the forehead; sides of the neck and rump tinged with ashy, and having irregular transverse spots of brownish black on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts; the brownish black frequently predomi- nating on those parts, and the rump also frequently with transverse bars of the same. Lower part of the abdomen, tibia, and under tail-coverts, white. Quills brownish black, lighter on their inner webs, with a middle portion of their shafts white, and a narrow longi- tudinal stripe of white frequently on the shorter primaries and secondaries. Tail white, with transverse imperfect narrow bands of black. The black color of the under parts gen- erally with a faint bronzed or coppery lustre, and presenting a scale-like appearance; the brownish black of the upper parts with a greenish lustre. Bill and legs black; iris brown. Younger and winter plumage : Entire upper parts dark brown, with circular and irregular small spots of white, and frequently of yellow, most numerous on the wing-coverts; upper 24 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. tail-coverts white. Under parts white, with short longitudinal lines and spots of dark brownish cinereous on the neck and breast; quills brownish black, with a large longitudi- nal space of white on their inner webs and also on the outer webs of the shorter pri - maries. Young: Upper parts lighter, and with the white spots more irregular or scarcely assuming a circular shape ; narrow lines on the neck and breast more numerous. Total length about 11. 50 inches; wing, 7.50; tail, 3.00: culmen, about 1.10; tarsus, 1.95; middle toe, 1.15. In general coloration this species resembles very closely the Golden Plover (Charadrius dominicus), but, besides being much larger and stouter built, may always be distinguished by the blackish axillars, these feathers being smoky gray in the Golden Plover. This species, the largest of our Plovers, is more or less com- mon during the migrations. In Cook county, according to Mr. Nelson, it "arrives in full breeding plumage the last of May and after lingering a few days the majority pass north. A few re- main during the summer and undoubtedly breed. Eeturning early in September in fall plumage, they remain until well into October. While with us in the migrations this species is gen- erally solitary, sometimes a half dozen individuals joining com- pany, or a single specimen will be found leading a miscellaneous company of sandpipes and small plovers." SUBGENUS Charadrius LINN.EUS. Charadrlus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, 1758, 150; ed. 12, 1766, 253. Type, G. apricarius LINN. CHAE. Similar to Squataro la, but without any trace of hind toe. Plumage also very similar, but form rather more slender. Only two species of Charadrlus proper are known; one peculiar to the Palfearctic Region, but occurring accidentally in Greenland; the other spread over the remaining portions of the world, including the greater part of America, the islands throughout the Pacific, and the coasts of Asia. They differ chiefly in the color, of the axillary feathers and the lining of the wings, which are white in O. apricarius, smoky gray in C. dominicus. Charadrius dominicus (Mull.) AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER Popular synonyms. Green Plover; Squeeler (Plymouth Bay, Mass.). Charadrius dominicus MULLEB. Syst. Nat. Suppl. 1776, 116.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881 No. 515; Man. N. Am. B., 1887, 174.— COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 581.— B B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 139.— A. O. U., Check List, 1886, No. 272. Charadrius pluvialis WILSON, Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 71, pi. 50, fig. 6. (nee LINN.)— SWAINS. & RICH. P. B.-A. ii, 1831, 369.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 16.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 623. Charadrius virginicus "BOECKHAUSEN and BECHSTEIN," LIGHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823, No. 729.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 690.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 503. CHARADRIID.E— THE PLOVERS. 25 Charadrius fulvus var. virginicus COUES, Key, 1872, 243; Check List.1874.No. 326; Birds N. W. 1874, 449 (synonymy). Charadrius marrnoratus WAGL.— AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 575, pi. 300; Synop. 1839,222; Birds Am. v, 1842, 203. pi. 316. HAS. America in general, from the Arctic coast (including Greenland) to Paraguay and Chili; breeding in the arctic and subarctic districts, winter migrant to southern localities. "Sp. CHAB. Bill rather short, legs moderate, wings long, no hind toe, tarsus covered be- fore and behind with small circular or hexagonal scales. Summer plumage: Upper parts brownish black, with numerous small circular and irregular spots of golden yellow, most numerous on the back and rump, and on the upper tail- coverts assuming the form of trans- verse bands generally ; also with some spots of ashy white. Entire under parts black, with a brownish or bronzed lustre, under tail-coverts mixed or barred with white. Forehead, border of the black of the neck, under tail-coverts, and tibiae, white ; axillary feathers cinere- ous; quills dark brown; middle portion of the shafts white, frequently extending slightly to the webs and forming longitudinal stripes on the shorter quills; tail dark brown, with numerous irregular bands of ashy white, and frequently tinged with golden yellow; bill black; legs dark bluish brown. Winter plumage (young andadult): Under parts dull ashy, spotted with brownish on the neck and breast, frequently more or less mixed with black ; many spots of the upper parts dull ashy white; other spots, especially on the rump, golden yellow. " Total length, 9.50 inches; wing, 7.00; tail, 2.50; culmen, .92; tarsus, 1.70; middle toe, 90. " Specimens vary in the relative amount of the black and golden on the upper parts, in the width of the white on the forehead, and other details of coloration. Careful measure- ments of twenty-six specimens afford the iollowing results -.—Eleven specimens in summer plumage: Wing, 6.80-7.35, average, 7.11; culmen, .85-1.00, average, .91; tarsus, 1.60-1.85, average, 1.73; middle toe, .85-1.05, average, .91. Six adults in changing plumage: Wing, 6.90- 7.30, average, 7.12; culmen, .90-1.00, average, .96; tarsus, 1.65-1.82, average, 1.70; middle toe, .80-.95, average, .90. Seven specimens in winter plumage (mostly young): Wing, 6.80-7.20, average, 7.03; culmen, .80-1.00, average, .91; tarsus, 1.55-1.75, average, 1.66; middle toe, .8S-.95, average, .87. Average of the whole series: Wing, 7.09; culmen, .91; tarsus, 1.70; middle toe, .90." ( Water B. N. Am.) In Cook county, this species is, according to Mr. Nelson, "a very abundant migrant," arriving "in large flocks early in April, and at this time the black of the breeding plumage has just be- gun to mottle their white breasts. Frequents wet praries until the last of the month, when it generally departs. Sometimes a few remain as late as May 5, and are then in perfect breeding dress. Returning early in September, with the fall plumage just appearing, it remains until October." GENUS -SJGIALITIS BOIE. SUBGENUS Oxyechus REICHENBACH. Oxyechus BEICH., Av. Syst. 1853, Introd. p. xviii. Type, Charadrius vociferus LINN. CHAB. Bill small, slender, about equal to the middle toe (without nai!) ; tarsus nearly twice as long as middle toe; tail long (about two thirds as long as the wings), reaching half its length beyond the ends of the primaries, graduated, the lateral feathers about 75 shorter than the middle pair; rump different in color from the back. 26 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. The single North American species of this subgenus differs con- spicuously from the Plovers usually included together under ^Egialitis in the broad, lengthened tail, and, so far as coloration is concerned, in the ochraceous rump and the pair of black bands across the breast. It may be remarked, however, that coloration alone is of slight importance as a character in this group. The Old World species appear to belong here rather than with true JBgidlitis, namely, Cha/radri/us tricollaris VIEILL., of South Africa, and C. nigmfons CUVIER, of Australia. The former is much like a miniature Killdeer Plover, having two black pec- toral bands, like 0. vociferus (though their relative width is reversed, the posterior one being broader) ; the proportions and details of form are quite the same, but the rump and upper tail-coverts are concolor with the back. The Australian species agrees essentially with the above in size and proportions, but has broader and acuminate rectrices, and the tail is more nearly even, while the plumage is handsomer and more varied than in any other species of the group, the scapular region being adorned with a patch of rich maroon-chestnut, the upper tail-coverts rufous-chestnut, etc. -ZEgialitis vocifera (Linn.) KILLDEER. Popular synonyms. Kill-dee; Killdeer Plover. Gharadrius vociferus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 150; ed. 12, i, 1766, 253.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 73, pi. 59, fig. 6.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 22.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii. 1835, 191; v. 1839, 577, pi. 225; Synop. 1839. 222; B. Am. v, 1842, 207. pi. 317. jEgiahtis vociferus BONAP. 1838.— CABS, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 692. — BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 504.— COUBS. Key, 1872. 244; Check List. 1874, No. 397; 2d ed. 1882, No. 584. jEgialitis vocifera A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 273. EIDQW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 174. Oxyechus vociferus REICH.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 516.— B. B. &R. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 148. . HAS. The whole of temperate North America, migrating in winter into tropical Amer- ica as far as Colombia; West Indies in general; Bermudas: River Avon, England (fide SCL., Ibis, 1862, 275; one specimen taken April, 1857). SP. CHAB. Adult. Pileum and upper parts generally, grayish brown, inclining to umber; rump and upper tail-coverts ochraceous-rufous, lighter on the latter. Forehead and broad superciliary stripe, throat, nuchal collar, and lower parts, white. Fore part of the crown, loral stripe, continued toward occiput, collar round neck, and band across breast, black. Primaries dusky, the inner quills marked on outer webs with white. Tail chiefly pale ochraceous-rufous, variegated with white, dusky, and grayish, chiefly toward the end. Bill black; iris dark brown; eyelids (in life) orange-red or scarlet; legs and feet pale pinkish grayish, or pale grayish yellow. CHARADRIID,E— THE PLOVERS. 27 " Young. Similar to adult, but feathers of the upper parts more or less conspicuously margined with pale rusty or fulvous. "Downy Young. Upper parts generally, including pileum, light grayish brown, the two areas of this color bounded all around by black, a wide collar of which crosses the jugulum, and, extending across the nape beneath a broad white collar, completely encircles the neck ; a broad bar of velvety black down the middle of the humeral region, and a narrow, more interrupted stripe of the same down the rump. Forehead, throat, lower parts gener- ally, "hand-wing, " and posterior border of the humerus, pure white, the flanks and crissum more Isabella-color; a narrow black line running from the rictus to the eye. Total length, about 10 inches; extent of wings, 20.50; wing, 6.50; tail, 3.50. This common and well-known bird is found throughout the State, and is decidedly the most numerous member of its fam- ily except during the season of migration. It is a great nui- sance to the gunner, being usually the first to take alarm at his approach, and starting up all birds in the vicinity by its loud cries. "Like most of its race, this Plover passes much of its time on the ground, over which it moves with great rapidity. It can run with such swiftness that — according to Audubon — to run "like a Kildeer" has in some parts of the country passed into a proverbial phrase. The bird is also equally active on the wing, and mounts at pleasure to a great height in the air with a strong and rapid flight, which can be continued for a long distance. Sometimes it skims quite low over the ground, and at other times mounts to a great height; and during the love seasons it is said to perform various kinds of evolutions while on the wing. "Its note consists of two syllables, resembling in sound kill- dee^ rapidly enunciated ; and occasionally, when the bird is much excited, only the last syllable is repeated after the first utterance of the double note. Generally it is sounded in a loud, clear tone, and as a signal of alarm. It not unfrequentlv startles other birds and puts them on their guard, this habit rendering the Kildeer an object of dislike to the gunner. Dur- ing the summer — especially when it is breeding, and afterward, even when its young are fully grown — the Kildeer is a noisy and restless bird, and is disturbed by the near approach of man. It will often squat until one is close upon it, and will then suddenly fly up or run off, startling the unwary intruder by a loud and clear cry. According to Audubon, during the 28 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. winter it is an unusually silent bird. At this season it is found dispersed over the cultivated fields in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and other Southern States, diligently searching for food." (BREWER.) SUBGENUS 2Egialitis BOIE. JEgialitis BOIE, Isis, 1822, 568. Type, Charadrius hiaticula LINN. CHAE. Similar to Oxvechus, but the species of smaller size, with shorter and less gradu- ated tail (less than half as long as the wine), and rump concolor with the back (grayish). The numerous species of this subgenus vary greatly among themselves in the details of structure, although there is a general similarity of coloration throughout the group. The North American species may be distinguished as follows : A. Nape crossed by a more or less distinct white collar. a. Bill decidedly shorter than middle toe, very stout (except in JE. dubia), the basal half light colored (orange or yellow) in adults, except in JE. dubia. a'. A. distinct web between base of inner and middle toes. 1. JE. semipalmata. Above, grayish brown; forehead, ring round neck, and lower parts white. In summer, fore part of crown, lores, and broad pectoral collar (continued round back of neck, below the white nuchal collar) black or dusky In winter, these black markings replaced by grayish brown, like the back, etc. Young, like winter adults, but bill wholly black, and feathers of upper parts margined narrowly with buff. Wing, about 4.50-4.75; culmen, .45-.50; depth of bill at base, .20; tarsus, .95; middle toe, .65-.70. Hob. Nearly the whole of America. a". No web between base of inner and middle toes. 2. JE. hiaticula. Similar to JE. semipalmata, but pectoral band broader. Wing, about 5.00; cu'.men. .50-.55; depth of bill at base, .20-.22; tarsus, 1.00; middle toe, .60-.65. Hab. Pakearctic region and portions of Arctic America. 8. &., dubia.. Similar to .<£?. hiaticula, but smaller and much more slender, espe- cially the bill, which is entirely black ; middle of crown crossed by a more or less distinct whitish bar, immediately behind the black patch. Wing, 4.35-4.70; cul- men, .5(K52; depth of bill at base, .15-.18; tarsus. 1.00-1.05; middle toe, .55-.60. Hab. Palaearctic region generally; accidental in California and Alaska. 4. M. meloda. Above, pale brownish gray; forehead, lores, nuchal collar, and lower parts white. In summer, a band across fore part of crown, and one across each side of breast (the latter sometimes connected, so as to form a con- tinuous pectoral band), black or dusky. In winter, these black markings replaced by light brownkh gray, and the bill almost entirely, or wholly, black. Young, like the winter plumage, but feathers of upper surface with distinctly paler terminal margins. Wing, 4.50-4.80: culmen, .45-.50; depth of bill at base, .20-.22; tarsus, .85-1.00; middle toe. .55. a. meloda. Black pectoral band wholly or partially interrupted in the mid- dle portion. Hab. Atlantic coast of United States. /3. circumcincta. Black pectoral band continuous. Hab. Missouri River region of United States, straggling eastward. b. Bill much longer than the middle toe, very slender, wholly black. 5. .2L alexandrina. Above, light brownish gray ; forehead superciliaries, nuchal collar, and lower parts white. In summer, fore part of the crown, a transverse patch on each side of breast (and sometimes a loral streak), black or dusky ; pileum sometimes (especially in adult males) buffy or rufescent. Bill, legs, and feet, black or dusky. CHARADRIID.E— THE PLOVERS. 29 a. alexandrina. Lores always crossed by a dusky stripe. In summer, pileum brownish gray or dull buff. Wing, 4.40; culmen, .55-.60; tarsus, 1.02-1.12; middle toe, .55-.60. Hob. Europe, etc. /3. nivosa. Lores usually entirely white (never with a continuous or distinct dusky streak). In summer, pileum pale brownish gray or grayish buff. Wing, 4.20-4.30; culmen, .90; tarsus, .90-1.05; middle toe, .55-.60. Hab. V. estern America; Yucatan; Cuba. B. Nape without trace of white or dusky collar. a. Culmen eaual to or longer than the middle toe, the bill slender. 6. JE. mongola. In summer, whole breast and nape clear cinnamon-rufous, and top of head tinged with the same; lores, suborbital region, and auriculars black, the former bordered above by a white line, sometimes meeting over the forehead ; chin, throat, foreneck, belly, and crissum pure white ; upper parts brownish eray. In winter, the rufous entirely absent ; forehead and lower parts white, the breast crossed by a faint grayish brown bar, darkening into a dusky patch on each side; auriculars and 1 oral streak somewhat dusky. Wing, 5.15- 5.40. Hob. Asia in general, breeding northward ; Choris Peninsula, Alaska. -ZEgialitis semipalmata (Bonap.) SEMIPALMATED PLOVEB. Popular synonyms. Semipalmated Ring Plover; American Eing Plover; Ring-neck; Beach Bird. Tringa hiaticula WILSON, Orn. vii, 1813, 65, pL 59, f . 3 (nee LINN.). Charadrivs hiaticula OBD, ed. Wils. vii, 69. Charadrius semipalmatus BONAP. Comp. List. 1838, 45. ^Egialitis semipalmatus CAB. 1856.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 694.— BAIBD . Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 507.— COITES, Key, 1872, 214; Check List, 1874, No. 399; 2d ed. 1882, No. 586.— RZDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 517. jEgialitis semipalmata B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. I, 1884, 154.-A. 0. U. Check List, 1886, No. 274.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 176. HAB. North America in general, breeding in the arctic and subarctic districts, migrat- ing south in winter throughout the tropical regions, as far as Brazil and Peru. Bermudas ; whole of West Indies; Galapagos. "Sp. CHAB. Small; wings long; toes connected at base, especially the outer to the middle toe. Front, throat, ring around the neck, and entire under parts white; a band of cieep black across the breast, extending around the back of the neck below the white ring. Band from the base of the bill, under the eye, and wide frontal band above the wbite band, black. Upper parts ashy brown; auills brownish black, with their shafts white in middle portion, and occasionally a lanceolate white spot along the shafts of the shorter pri- maries; shorter tertiaries edged with white ; greater coverts tipped with white. Middle feathers of the tail ashy brown, with a wide subterminal band of brownish black, and nar- rowly tipped with white ; two outer tail feathers white, others intermediate, like the mid- dle, but widely tipped with white. Bill orange-yellow at base, black terminally ; legs pale flesh color. Female similar, but rather lighter colored. Young with the black replaced by ashy brown, the feathers of the upper parts bordered with paler. Downy young. Above, pale grayish brown, mottled with black; a frontal crescent, broad nuchal collar, and entire lower parts white. "Total length, about 7 inches; wing, 4.75; tail, 2.25." ''Common during the migrations, generally in small flocks. In spring the migrations extend from April 25th to May 30th, and in fall from July 31st to the last of October. The 2d of July, 1873, 1 obtained several specimens of this species near Chicago. 30 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. From the condition of the abdomen and ovaries of one speci- men, and the presence of several recently fledged young, I came to the conclusion that they had nested in the vicinity. It is barely possible however, that these birds were unusually early arrivals from more northern breeding grounds, although the arrivals from the north generally begin about the last of the month. My suspicions that the species either breed in this state, or at no far distant point, were strengthened the following sea- son when several females examined the last of May contained eggs which would have been deposited within a short time." (NELSON.) JEgialitis meloda circumcincta Ridgw. BELTED PIPING PLOVER Popular synonyms. Ringed Piping Plover; White Ring-neck. JEgialitis melodus var. circumcinctus RIDGW. Am. Nat viii, 1874, 109. jEgialitis meloda var. circumcincta COUES. Check List, 1874. App. p. 133, No. 400a; Birds N.W. 1874,465. JEgialitis melodus circumcinctus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 520a.— COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 588. jEgialitis meloda, b. var. circumcincta B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i.1884,160. jEgialitis meloda circumcincta A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 277 a.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 178. HAB. Chiefly the Missouri River region, but also contiguous parts of the interior of North America. "Sp. CHAB. About the size of J5. semipalmata; bill short, strong. Adult male: Fore- head, ring around the back of the neck, and entire under parts, white ; a band of black in front above the band of white ; band encircling the neck before and behind, black, imme- diately below the ring of white on the neck behind. Head above and upper parts of body light brownish cinereous ; rump and upper tail-coverts lighter, and often nearly white : quills dark brown, with a large portion of their inner webs and shafts white; shorter pri- maries with a large portion of their outer webs white ; tail at base white, and with the outer feathers white; middle feathers with a wide subterminal band of brownish black, and tipped with white. Bill orange at base, tipped with black; legs orange-yellow. Female' Similar to the male, but with the dark colors lighter and less in extent. Young: No black band in front; collar around the neck ashy brown. "Total length, about 7 inches; wing, 4.50; tail, 2 inches." (Water B. N. Am.) "Very common summer resident along the lake shore, breed- ing on the flat, pebbly beach between the sand dunes and shore. Arrives the middle of April and proceeds at once to breeding. "From a specimen shot the 24th of April, 1876, at Wauke- gan, I obtained a perfect egg, and the abdomen of several females obtained the same day exhibited unmistakable signs that they were already breeding, as did, also, the actions of the birds. Some thirty pairs were breeding along the beach at CHARADRIID.C— THE PLOVERS. 31 this place, within a space of two miles, and I afterwards fonnd the birds as numerous at several points along the shore. Every effort was made to discover their nests but without suc- cess, although the birds were continually circling about or standing at a short distance uttering an occasional note of alarm. The first of July, the year previous, Dr. Velie obtained young but a very few days old at this same locality, showing that there is considerable variation in the time of breeding. This was also shown by specimens obtained the last of May,— which I think were later arrivals than those found breeding in April,— having the ova just approaching maturity. "Departs the last of September. The larger portion of the specimens examined show the complete ring of eircumcwcta, while others exhibit but little more black than in meloda, or have the complete ring of the former indicated by faint black tips to the feathers across the breast." (NELSON.) 32 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY SCOLOPACIIXSJ.— THE SNIPE FAMILY. The characters of the family Scolopacidee having been given in sufficient detail on p. 18, in the analysis of the families of Limi- colee, it is unnecessary to repeat them here. The Scolopacidse are among the most widely dispersed of birds, a large propor- tion of the genera being nearly cosmopolitan. They embrace a very great variety of forms, from the diminutive " Peeps" (Actodromas and Ereunetes), smaller than a Sparrow, to the large Curlews, of Ibis-like stature and appearance. The bill may be either straight, bent upward, as in the Avocets (e. g. Limosa and Terekia), or strongly decurved like a sickle; nar- rowed at the end, or widely expanded into a paddle-shaped form (Eurynorhynchus) . The legs may be short and stout (as in Arquatella, Calidris, etc.), or of almost stilt-like length (as in Micropalama, Totanus, etc.). Between these wide extremes of form, however, there are others possessing characters interme- diate in almost every conceivable degree — so much so as to render it extremely difficult to tabulate the characters of the numerous genera. The following is an attempt at a diagnostic table of the North American genera,.* A. Bill longer than the tarsus and middle toe, straight. B. Bill shorter than the tarsus and middle toe, straight or slightly curved (either up or down); wing lengthened, pointed. C. Bill widely expanded laterally at the end. D. Bill much longer than tarsus, decidedly decurved or arched. A. (ScolopacincB.) a. Tibiae completely feathered. 1. Scolopax. Outer Quill longest, broad, like the others. 2. Philohela. Outer quill shorter than the sixth, the three outer primaries abruptly much narrower than the rest. b. Tibiae partly naked. 3. Gallinago. Toes all cleft to the base. 4. Macrorhamphns. A well-developed web between anterior toes, at base. B. (Tringince.) • a. Feathers of the forehead not reaching to the nostril; anterior 'toes all webbed at the base. * There are but two additional genera of this family in South America; viz., Phegornis Gray (type Leptopus mitchelli Fraser), and Shynchcea. SCOLOPACIDJE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 33 5. Micropalama. Bill and legs much elongated, the former much com- pressed, except at end; tarsus twice as long as middle toe; size medium; 6. Ereunetes. Bill and legs moderately elongated, or rather short, the former scarcely, if at all, compressed ; tarsus much less than twice the middle toe ; size small. Feathers on the forehead not reaching to the nostril; anterior toes all cleft §. A well-developed hind toe. 7. Tringa. Tarsus one third its length longer than the middle toe and claw; toes stout, the middle about half as long as the bill; bill stout, straight. Middle pair of rectrices not longer than the rest. Size rather large (wing more than 6.00) Subgenus Tringa. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe and claw; toes slender, the middle two thirds or three fourths as long as the bill; bill slender, much com- pressed, straight, or very slightly decurved at the end; size medium (wing less than 6. 00) Subgenus Arquatella Tarsus about equal to the bill; bill straight, moderately slender; toes slender, the middle one decidedly shorter than the tarsus; size medium to very small Subgenus Actodromas. Bill very long (nearly as long as the tarsus and the middle toe), decid- edly decurved terminally ; toes slender, the middle one decidedly shorter than the tarsus Subgenera Pelidna and Ancylocheilus . 55., No hind toe. 8. Calidris. Size rather small; bill short, straight, expanded at end. « Feathers of forehead not reaching to nostril; a web between outer and middle toes at base (between all in Symphemia). 1.' Gape not extending back of the culmen. 9. Limosa. Size large (wing 8. 00 or more) ; bill much longer than tarsus, tapering toward the end, where slightly but decidedly upturned, the - lateral groove extending nearly to the tip. 1." Gape extending decidedly back of the base of the culmen. 2. ' Lateral groove of the maxilla extending scarcely more than half way to end of bill. 3.' Back of tarsus covered with transverse scutellse, as in front. 10. Tetanus. No web between inner and middle toes; size medium to large (but wing always less than 8 inches). Middle toe not more than half as long as tarsus Subgenus Totanus. Middle toe nearly as long as tarsus Subgenus Helodromas. 11. Symphemia. A well-developed web between base of inner and middle toes ; a large white patch on base of primaries ; size large (wing more than 8 inches). 3. " Back of tarsus covered with small roundish scales. 12. Heteraetitis. No web between base of inner and middle toes; size medium (wing less than eight inches). 2." Lateral groove of maxilla extending nearly to tip of bill. 13. PavonceUa. Size large (wing 7 inches or more) ; tail short (less than half the wine), rounded. Adult male with the neck ruffed and anterior por- tion of head bare. 14. Bartramia, Size large (wing nearly 7 inches); tail lengthened (more than half the wing), graduated. Adult male without ruff, the anterior part of the head normally feathered. 15. Actitis. Size small (wing less than 4.50); tail rather lengthened (more than half the wing), graduated. Feathers of the forehead reaching to and partly enclosing the nostril ; an- terior toes all cleft at the base. 34 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 16. Tryngites. Size small (a little larger than A ctitis); bill small and slender (shortei than the head, about equal to the middle toe), the lateral groove reaching nearly to the tip; gape reaching back of the culmen; middle toe more than half as long as the tarsus ; inner webs of quills and under primary-coverts beautifully speckled. C. 17. Eurynorhynclras. Size small (among the smallest of the family) ; bill widely expanded laterally at the end; otherwise, much as in Acto- dromas. D. (Numeninas.) 18. Numenius. Size large to very large (wine 7 inches or more); bill long (much longer than tarsus), decidedly decurved or arched. Of the above, the following genera are not represented, so far as known, in the bird-fauna of Illinois: Scolopax, embracing the European Woodcock (S. rusticold), which is merely acci- dental in the Atlantic States; Heteractitis, which embraces two species of Wandering Tatler (H. incanus and H. brevipes), belonging to the shores and islands of the Pacific ; and Euryno- rhyncJius, including only the remarkable Spoonbill Sandpiper (E. pygmceus) , a bird of eastern Asia, which has occurred accidental- ly in Alaska. SUBFAMILY Scolopacinae. CHAB. Bill straight, longer than the tarsus and middle toe; back of tarsus with a con- tinuous row of transverse scutellae. Ears situated directly underneath the eyes ; tip of up- per mandible thickened, with cutting-edges brought near together; plumage the same at all stages and seasons. GENUS PHILOHELA GRAY. Philohela GHAT, List Genera, 1841. 90. Type, Scolopax minor GMEL. CHAB. Body very full, and head, bill, and eyes very large. Tibia short, feathered to joint. Toes cleft to base. Wings short, rounded, the three outer primaries very narrow and much attenuated; the fourth and fifth equal to the longest. Tarsi stout, shorter than the middle toe. Hind claw very short, conical, not extending beyond the toe. Tail of twelve feathers. The present genus, embracing a single species, the American Woodcock, is much like Scolopax, with the European Woodcock as type, in color and external appearance. The most striking difference is seen in the wings, which are short, rounded; the fourth and fifth primaries longest and the outer three abruptly attenuated; while in Scolopax the wings are long, the first primary longest, and none attenuated. Philohela minor Gmel. AMEEICAN WOODCOCK. Popular synonyms. Bog-sucker; Mud Snipe; Blind Snipe. Scolopax minor GMKL. S. N. i. 1788. 661.— Wn.s. Am. Orn. vi. 1812, 40, pi. 48. tig. 2.- AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835. 474. pL 268. SCOLOPACIDJE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 35 Busticola (Microptera) minor NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 194. Philohela minor GBAY, Genera B. 1841, 90.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 709.— BAIBD, Oat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 522 — COUES, Key, 1872, 251, fig. 162; Check List 187f. No. 412; 2d ed. 1882, No. 605; Birds N. W. 1874, 472.— KIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 525; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 150.-B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 183.-A. O. U. fiheek List. 1883. No. 228. Microptera americana AUD. Synop. 1839, 250; B. Am. vi, 1843. 15, pi. 352. HAS. Eastern Province of North America, north to the British Provinces and west to Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas; breeding throughout its known range; no extra- limital record, except the Bermudas. SP. CHAB. Bill long, compressed, punctulated near the end; upper mandible longer than the under, and fitted to it at the tip; wings moderate, three outer quills very narrow; tail short ; legs moderate : eyes inserted at an unusual distance from the bill. A dull: Occiput with three transverse bands of black, alternating with three much narrower ones of pale yellowish rufous; upper parts of body variegated with pale ashy, rufous, or yellowish red of various shades, and black; large space on front and throat reddish ashy; line from the eye to the bill, and another on the neck below the eye, brownish black; entire under parts pale grayish rufous, brighter on the sides and under wing-coverts. Quills ashy-brown; tail feathers brownish black, tipped with ashy, darker on the upper surface, paler and frequent- ly white on the under; bill light brown, paler and yellowish at base; legs pale brownish. Downy young: General color light reddish buff or Isabella- color, uniform on the lower surface. lane from bill to eye, a large, somewhat elliptical patch covering forehead and fore part of the crown, a patch on the occiput (connected with that on the crown by a nar- row isthmus), and a narrow mark behind the eye. with an oblique one below it, very dark chestnut; broad stripe down the rump, also dark chestnut; stripe down the nape, and vari- ous large blotches on the back, wings, etc., rather light snuff-brown. Total length about 11 inches; wing, 4.80-5.70; tail, 2.25; bill. 2.50 to nearly 3.00; tarsus,L25; middle toe, 1.37. The American Woodcock is found throughout the State, in suitable localities, and though known chiefly as a summer res- ident remains throughout the year in well-sheltered places es- pecially in the more southern districts. "In its habits the Woodcock is nocturnal. It never flies vol- untarily by day only when forced from its retreats, usually keeping in close and sheltered thickets, and resorting at twilight to its favorite feeding-places. It feeds almost exclusively dur- ing the night, as its sight is very imperfect by day. Its eye is remarkably large and handsome, but unfit to bear the glare of the sun, its full and almost amaurotic appearance plainly suggesting the crepuscular habits of the bird. During the greater portion of the day the Woodcock remains closely concealed in marshy thickets or in rank grass, but in the early morning or evening, and also on moonlight nights it seeks its food in open places, but during the day-time in dark and dense covert. "The favorite places of resort of this species are low marshy grounds, swamps, and meadows with soft bottoms. During very wet seasons it seeks higher land— generally corn-fields 36 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. —and searches for food in the soft ploughed ground, where its presence is indicated by the holes made by its bill. In seasons of excessive drought the Woodcock resorts in large numbers to tide-water creeks, and the banks of fresh-water rivers; but so averse is it to an excess of water, that after continued or very heavy rains it has been known suddenly to disappear over widely extended tracts of country." (BREWER.) A curious habit of the Woodcock, and one which is compara- tively little known, is that of carrying its young in order tore- move them from danger. This has been attested by so many reliable observers that there can be little doubt as to its truth. GENUS GALLINAGO LEACH. Gattinago LEACH, Cat. British Birds, 1816, 31. Type, Scolopax major LINN. CHAE. Lower portion of the tibia bare of feathers, scutellate before and behind, reticu- lated laterally, like the tarsi. Nail of hind toe slender, extending beyond the toe. Bill de- pressed at the tip. Middle toe longer than tarsus. Tail with twelve to twenty-six feathers Plumage the same in winter and summer; young like the adult in colors and markings. The more slender body, longer legs, partly naked tibia, and other features, distinguish this genus from Scolopax and Philofiela, and the cleft toes from Macrorhamphus. The spacies of Gallinago are quite numerous, about fifteen be ing recognized, this number nearly equally divided between Amer- ica and various portions of the Old World. Of the seven Ameri- can species, North America claims but two, the common Wilson's Snipe, or, as it is perhaps more popularly known, the "English Snipe," from its very close resemblance to the Common Snipe of Europe, and the latter species itself, which has been taken in Greenland. With a few exceptions, the various species resemble one another very closely in colors and markings,— in some cases so much so that it is necessary to resort to the rectrices in order to discover tangible points of difference. The single species peculiar to North America has usually six- teen rectrices, of which the outer is not notably narrower than the rest; its nearest relative, the European G. gallinago, has usually but fourteen tail-feathers, of which the outer pair are differently marked from those of Q. ddicata\ and the several South American species possess from fourteen to eighteen rec- trices, of which the outer pair are very narrow. SCOLOPACID^— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 37 Gallinago delicata (Ord). WILSON'S SNIPE. Popular synonyms. English Snipe ; American Snipe ; Gutter Snipe. Scolopax gallinago WILSON. Am. Orn. vi, 1812, 18, pi. 47, f. 1 (nee LINN.). Scolopax wilsoni TKMM. PL Col. v, 1824, livr. Ixviii (in text).— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831. 401.-NUTT. Man. ii. 1834. 185.-Am>. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835,322; v, 1839, 583, pi. 243; Synop. 1839, 248; B. Am. v, 1842, 339, pi. 350. Gallinago wilsoni BONAP. 1838.— CASS. inBaird's B. N. Am. 1858, 710.— BATBD, Cat N. Am. B. 1859. No. 523,-CouES, Key. 1872, 262; Check List, 1874. No. 414; 2d ed. 1882, No. 608; Birds N. W. 1874. 475.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 188. Gallinago media wilsoni RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 526. Scolopax drummondi Sw. & BICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831. 400.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 190.— AUD. Orn. Bioe. v, 1839, 319; Synop. 1839, 240; N. Am. vi, 1843. 9. Scolopax douglasii Sw. & BICH. F. B.-A, ii, 1831, 400.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 491. Scolopax levcarus Sw. & RICH. L c. 501.— NUTT. 1. c, 617. Scolopax delicata OED, Wils, Orn. ix, 1825. coxviiL Gallinago delicata Rn>GW. in A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 230; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 150. HAS. The whole of North and Middle America, breeding from northern United States northward, migrating south in winter as far as Colombia and throughout the West Indies ; Bermuda; accidental in England. SP. CHAE. Bill long, compressed, flattened and slightly expanded toward the tip, punc- tulated in its terminal half; wings rather long; legs moderate; tail short. Entire upper parts brownish black, every feather spotted and widely edged with light rufous, yellowish brown, or ashy white ; back and rump transversely barred and spotted with the same ; a brownish white or pale buffy line from the base of the bill over the top of the head. Throat and neck before, dull reddish ashy; wing- feathers marked with dull brownish black; other under parts white, with transverse bars of brownish black on the sides, axillary feathers, under wing-coverts, and under tail-coverts ; Quills brownish black; outer edge of first pri- mary white ; tail glossy, brownish black, widely tipped with bright rufous, paler at the tip, and with a subterminal narrow band of black. Bill brown (greenish gray in life), paler at base and darker toward the end ; legs dark brown (light greenish gray In life). Total length, about 10.50 to 11.50 inches; extent, 16.50 to 17.00; wing, 5.00 to 5. 60; tail. 2.60; bill. 2.50 to 2.70; tarsus. 1.25. In a very large series of specimens from all parts of the con- tinent north of Panama, no variations are noticeable other than what appear to be of a purely individual character, and these are seldom very pronounced. This well-known bird is abundant, at the proper seasons, throughout the State. In Cook county, according to Mr. Nel- son, it is "abundant during the migration and not a very rare summer resident. Arrives the first of April and nearly all are gone by the first of May. Keturns in fall the first of September and departs by the first of November. Mr. T. H. Douglas has obtained its eggs near Waukegan, and while there in the spring of 1876, I found several pairs during the breeding season, in various portions of the marsh near that place. 38 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. "Morning and evening and throughout cloudy days in the early part of the breeding season the male has a curious habit of mounting high overhead, then descending obliquely for some distance, and as it turns upwards strikes rapidly with its wings, producing a loud whistling sound with each stroke. This ma- noeuvre is repeated again and again, and appears to be per- formed for the same purpose as is the "booming" of the night hawk. Besides this sound the Wilson's 'Snipe has a peculiar, sharp cry during the season, which is uttered when the bird is disturbed. I first became acquainted with the note in May, 1876, when, while walking along a marshy strip of land, I was sur- prised to hear a loud ka-ku-ka-karka, uttered with great force and in a rather loud, harsh tone. Turning quickly I was still more astonished to find the author to be one of these birds. It was flying restlessly from post to post along a fence and showed the greatest uneasiness at my presence, the notes being repeated at short intervals. Although its nest was probably near, I could not discover it." SUBFAMILY TRINGINJE. CHAB. Ears situated decidedly posterior to the eyes; tip of upper inaudible thin, with cutting edges far apart; plumage very different in winter and summer, and young different in color from adult. GENUS MACRORHAMPHTTS LEACH. Macrorhamphus LEACH, Cat Brit. Birds, 1816, 31. Type, Scolopax grisea GMEL. CHAB. General appearance of Gallinago. Tarsi longer than middle toe ; a short web be- tween the base of outer and middle toes. Plumage very different in winter and summer; young different from the adult. The membrane at the base of the toes will at once, distinguish this genus from Gallinago, though there are other characters involved. The two North American species of this genus* are character- ized as follows: COMMON CHABACTEBS. About the size of Gallinago delicata, or larger. Bill long, com- pressed, flattened and expanded toward the end, where (in dried specimens) puuctulated and corrugated. Shaft of first primary strong, pure white. Axillars, tail-coverts, and lower part of rump, white, barred, or transversely spotted, with slate-color; upper part of rump white, usually immaculate. Tail slaty or dusky, barred with white (or, in summer adult, with pale cinnamon on the middle feathers). Adult in summer: Head, neck, and lower parts light cinnamon (the abdomen sometimes whitish), the foreneek and sides of breast speckled, the sides and crissum barred or speckled with dusky. Upper parts mixed black, light cinnamon, and white, the former prevailing. Adult in winter: Belly and anal region white, \isually unspotted; rest of the plumage nearly uniform ash-gray, somewhat inter- *A third species, M. semipalmatus BLTTH, occurs in eastern and southern Asia It is much larger than its American relatives, and belongs to the subgenus Pseudoscolopax BLTTH. SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 39 mixed with white on the breast and sides; wing-coverts bordered with whitish; a whitish superciliary stripe. Young, first plumage: Back, scapulars, and tertials, variegated black and light clay-color, the latter chiefly on the edges of the feathers; lower parts dirty white, soiled with dull buff or pale clay color, especially across the breast; jugulum and sides us- ually indistinctly speckled with dusky. Total length, about 10 to 12.50 inches; extent, 17.50 to 20.25; wing, 5.30-6.00(5.73); cuhnen,2.00-3.00; tarsus 1.25-1. 75 (1.53); middle toe, 90-1.10 (1.00)- 1. M. griseus. Wing, 5.22-5.90 (5.65) ; culmen, 2.00-2.55 (2.30); tarsus, 1.20-1.55 (1.35 ; middle toe, .90-1.05 (.95).* Adult in summer. Abdomen whitish; breast and sides speckled with dusky. Hob. Eastern Province of North America. 2. M. seolopaceus. Wing, 5.40-6.00 (5.74) ; culmen, 2.10-3.00 (2.72) ; tarsus, 1.30-1.75 (1.58): mid- dle toe, .95-1.15 (1.01). t Adult in summer. Abdomen uniform cinnamon, without markings; breast speckled (usually scantily), and sides barred with dusky. Hob. Mississippi Valley and Western Province of North America, from Mexico to Alaska. Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmel.) DOWITCHEE. Popular synonyms. Gray Snipe; Gray-back; Dowitch; Driver (Plymouth Bay Mass.). Scolopax griseus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 658. Macrorhamphus griseus LEACH, Syst. Cat. Brit. Mam. & B. 1816, 31.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858,712.— BATED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859,No. 524.— COVES, Key, 1872, 253; Check List, 1874, No. 415; 2d ed. 1882, No. 609; Birds N. W. 1874, 476.— Rioow. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 527; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 151.- A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 231. Scolopax (Macrorhamphus) grisea BONAP. 1828.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1831. 181. Macrorhamphus griseus, a, griseus B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 196. Soolopax noveboracensis GMEL.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 45, pi. 68. fig. 1.— Sw. & RICH. P. B.-A. il. 1831. 398.-AUD. Orn. Biog.iv. 1838. 388. pi. 399; Synop. 1839. 249; B. Am. vi. 1843, 10. pi. 351. HAS. Eastern Province of North America (breeding in the region about Hudson's Bay ?). SP. CHAB. About the size of Gallinago delicata. Shaft of the first primary strong, pure white ; axillars, tail-coverts, and lower part of rump white, barred or transversely spotted with slate-color; upper part of rump white, usually immaculate; tail slate-colored or dusky, barred with white, (or, in summer adult, with a pale cinnamon on middle feathers). Adult in summer : Head, neck, and more or less of lower parts, light cinnamon, the abdo- men whitish, breast and sides speckled with dusky, the head and neck streaked with the same ; upper parts mixed black, light cinnamon and white, the first prevailing. Winter plumage : Belly and anal region white, usually unmarked ; rest of plumage nearly uniform ash-gray, somewhat mixed with white on breast and sides; a whitish superciliary stripe, and wing-coverts bordered with white. Young : Back, scapulars, and tertials, varied with black and light clay-brown, the latter chiefly on edges of the feathers: lower parts dull whitish, soiled with dull buff or clay-color, especially across breast, the jugulum and sides usually indistinctly speckled with dusky. "Bill dark olive; iris reddish hazel; feet light yellowish olive ; claws black." (AuousoN.) Wing. 5.25-5.90 (5.6-5); culmen, 2.00-2.55 (2.30 ; tarsus, 1.20-1.55 (1.35); middle toe, .90-1.05 (.95). Comparatively little is on record respecting the habits of this species. It is apparently more abundant along the Atlantic coast than in the interior, but its presence in Illinois is attested by specimens in the National Museum collection, received from Mr. H. K. Coale, and collected by him near Chicago. Along the * Extremes and average of eighteen fully adult specimens. t Extremes and average of forty fully adult specimens. 40 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. coast it is known to sportsmen as the Dowitcher, Dowitch, or Gray-back, and in the latter part of summer, when the immense flocks move southward, it is a favorite game bird. Macrorhamplms scolopaceus (Say). LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER Popular synonyms. Greater Long-beak; Greater Gray-back; Red-bellied Snipe. Limosa scolopacea SAT, Long's Exped. ii, 1823, 170. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus LAWS. Ann. Lye. N. Y. v, 1852, 4, pi. 1 (Long Island).— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 712.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 525.— A. 0. U. Check List, 1886, No. 232.— BIDQW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 151. Macrorhamphus griseus var. scolopaceus COUES, Check List, 1874, No. 415a. Macrorhamptius griseus scolopaceus BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 527a.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882. No. 610. Macrorhamphus griseus, b. scolopaceus B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i. 1881. 196. Scolopax longirostris BELL, Ann. Lye. N. Y. v, 1852, 3. Macrorhamphus griseus (part) COUES. Key, 1872, 253; B. N. W. 1874, 476. HAB. North America in general, but chiefly the western portions of the continent; east to the Mississippi Valley, north to Alaska, and south to South America and the West Indies. Occasional along the Atlantic coast of the United States during migrations. SP.CHAB. Adult in summer: Similarto 3f.0risefis,butabdomen pale cinnamon, like rest of lower parts, and without markings, the breast scantily speckled and the sides barred with dusky. Winter plumage and young: Distinguishable from the corresponding stages of M. griseus only (?) by larger size. Wing, 5.40-6.00 (5.74); culmen, 2.19-3.00 (2.72); tarsus. 1.35-1.75 (1.58); middle toe. .97- 1.15 (1.01). So far as known the habits of this species are essentially the same as those of the M. griseus. "We have at present no means of knowing which is the commoner form in Illinois, but in all probability the present one is that which predominates. It is rather a straggler along the Atlantic coast, where, however, many specimens have been taken. GENUS MICROPALAMA BAIRD. Micropalama BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 726. Type, Tringa himantopus BONAP. " CHAB. Form slender, the legs very long, the bill long and much compressed, the an- terior toes all webbed at the base. Tarsus nearly twice as long as the middle toe. which is a little shorter than the bare portion of the tibia, this scutellate before and behind, like the tarsus. Bill slender, straight, about equal to the tarsus, greatly compressed, except at the end, which is decidedly expanded laterally. Tail nearly even, but the central and exterior feathers usually perceptibly longer than the rest Wings long and pointed. "The present genus with a basal membrane to all the anterior toes, as in Ereunetes, has this a little more deeply emarginate; the bill and legs much longer; the former more curved. The bare portion of tibia is covered before and behind by transverse scutellae, like the tarsus. The tail is nearly even, with a double SCOLOPACIDjE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 41 emargination. The middle toe is not two thirds the length of the tarsus, and about equal to the bare portion of the tibia. The bill is much pitted at the end in the dry skin. "In many respects this genus approaches the Snipe, and its true place is probably very near Maerorkamphus. The legs, however, are much longer, and equal to the bill, instead of much shorter." ( Water B. N. Am.) Micropalama himantopus (Bonap.) STILT SANDPIPER. Popular synonyms. Long-legged Sandpiper; Frost Snipe (coast Connecticut). Tringa himantopus BONAP. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ii, 1826, 157.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. li, 1831, 380.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1838, 332, pi. 334; Synop. 1839, 235; B. Am. v, 1842, 271, pi. 334. Tringa (Hemipalama) himantopus BONAP. 1827.— NUTT. Man. li, 1834, 138. MicroDalama himantopus BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 726 ; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 536.— COUES. Key, 1872, 253; Check List, 1874. No. 416; 2d ed. 1882, No. 611; Birds N. W. 1874, 480.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 528; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 152.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 201.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 233. Tringa douglasii Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 379, pi. 66. Tringa (Hemipalama) douglasii NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 141. Tringa (Hemipalama) auduboni NUTT. 1. c. 141. HAB. Eastern Province of North America, Middle America, and greater part of South America; breeding north of the United States and visiting the southern localities in winter; Bermudas; West Indies, in general; Brazil; Peru. Not recorded from west of the Rocky Mountains. SP. CHAE. Adult, summer plumage: Above, variegated with black, whitish gray, and pale buff, the first prevailing on the back and scapulars; wings rather dark gray, the feathers edged with paler; primaries dusky slate; rump grayish, the feathers with darker centres; upper tail-covers white, the longer ones barred, the anterior ones longitudinally marked, with dusky. Middle tail-feathers light gray, the others varied longitudinally with white and pale gray. Pileum dusky, streaked with whitish; a dark brown loral stripe, from base of maxilla to the eyes; auriculars and patch on each side of the occiput, light cinna- mon-rufous. Lower parts dirty white, the throat and jugulum streaked, other portions transversely barred with dusky. Lining of the wing, and axillars, white, the latter slightly marked with gray. Adult in winter: Above, uniform ash-gray, the upper tail-coverts, tail and wings as in the summer plumage. Superciliary stripe and lower parts white, the jugulum, sides of neck, and crissum, streaked with gray. Young: Back and scapulars blackish, all the feathers widely bordered with buffy white; the middle of the back tinged with rusty ; wing-coverts bordered with pale buff and white ; upper tail-coverts nearly im- maculate white. Pileum streaked with dusky, pale buff, and grayish; nape nearly uniform ash gray. Lower parts soiled white, the breast and sides more or less strongly suffused with buff, the jugulum, sides of the neck, and flanks, indistinctly streaked with grayish. "Bill black: iris brown; feet dull yellowish green, claws black." (AUDUBON.) Wing about 5.00-5.25; cuLoaen, 1.50-1.75; tarsus, 1.50-1.75; middle toe, .80-.85. We have no data at hand regarding the abundance of this species in Illinois, but it is in all probability a more or less common migrant. "It moves in compact flocks, and often when about to alight, or after being disturbed, it inclines the body to either side, showing -6 42 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. alternately the upper and the lower parts. On foot it moves more like a Curlew than a Tringa, and is more sedate in its motions than the true Sandpiper. At times, on being approached, it will squat on the ground after the manner of the Esquimaux Curlew. Its flesh is said to be extremely delicate. In the stomachs of those he killed he [Audubon] found small worms, minute shell-fish, and vegetable substances, among which were hard seeds of some unknown plant. He found great differences in the color of the plumage of those he killed. He adds that its passage through the United States is very rapid, both in spring and in autumn. A few are said to spend the winter in lower Louisiana, but nearly all pass on southward beyond Texas." GENUS TRINGA LINN.EUS. SUBGENCS Tringa. Tringa LINN. S. N. ed. 10, 1758, 148; ed. 12, 1766, 247. Type. T. canutus LINN. CHAB. Body robust; bill and legs short, the former straight, widened terminally, and scarcely longer than the head; tarsus about equal to the bill; or a little shorter; middle toe about two-thirds the tarsus. Wings long and pointed, reaching beyond the end of the tail. The above characters separate at once this subgenus from Arquatella, the one most nearly related, bub which has the bill much more compressed, slightly but decidedly decurved toward the end, and much longer than the tarsus; the latter scarcely, if any, longer than the middle toe; the wings shorter, etc. The single species, T. canutits, is the largest of American Sand- pipers. Tringa canutus (Linn.) KNOT. Popular synonyms. Robin Snipe ; Knot Sandpiper ; Bed-breast(adult) ; Gray -back (young). Tringa canutus LINN. S. N. ed. 10, 1758, 149; ed. 12, 1766, 251.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 715.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 523.— COUES, Key, 1872, 256; Check List, 1874. No. 426 ; 2d ed. 1882, No. 626 ; Birds N. W. 1874, 490.-Rn>ow. Norn. N. A m. B. 1881 , 523 ; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 153.-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 211.— A. 0. U. Check List, 1886, No. 234. Tringa clnerea BEUNN. Orn. Bor. 1764, 53.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 36, pL 57, flg. 2.— . Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 387.-NUTT. Man. ii, 1834. 125. Tringa islandica GMKL. S. N. i, 1788, 682.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 130, pL 315; Synop. 1839, 232; B. Am. v, 1842, 254, pi. 328. Tringa rufa WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 43, pi. 57, flg. 5. HAB. Chiefly northern portion of the northern hemisphere, but occasionally visiting the southern hemisphere during winter migration; chiefly littoral, but occurring also on the larger inland waters. Brazil; Australia; New Zealand. SCOLOPACIDJi— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 43 Sp. CHAB. Largest of American Sandpipers (Tringince). Bill straight, rather longer than the head, widened terminally, slightly compressed basally ; tarsus about equal to the bill, or a little longer; middle toe about two thirds the tarsus: toes flattened beneath, with a rathor wide lateral margin; lower third of the tibia bare, but the tips of the feathers reach- ing to the joint. "Wings long and pointed, extending beyond the tail, which is short, and slightly graduated. Adult in summer: Above, mixed black, light gray, and pale rusty' ^hese colors varying in relative extent with the individual, but the grayish usually prevail- ing; rump and upper tail-coverts white, with narrow bars and spots of blackish. Lower parts, and a distinct superciliary stripe, uniform vinaceous-rufous, or pinkish cinnamon, paler on the middle of abdomen; crissum, flanks, axillars, and lining of the wing white, usually with spots and bars of dusky. Primaries dusky, with white shafts; tail-feathers plain grayish, edged with whitish, and sometimes with a sub-edging of dusky. Young: Above light ash-gray, darker on the back, each feather bordered with whitish and marked with a sub- edging of dusky; upper tail-coverts white, marked with dusky crescents. Lower parts whitish (nearly pure white on the abdomen), the neck and breast marked with streaks and flecks of dusky, the sides with dim crescentic and irregular spots of the same. An in- distinct whitish superciliary stripe. "Bill and feet, black; iris dark hazel" (AUDUBON). Total length, about 10 inches; wing, 6.50; tail, 2.50; bill, from gape, 1.50; tarsus, 1.25. Adult specimens vary individually in the relative extent of the black, gray, and reddish colors on the upper parts; gray usu- ally predominates in the spring, the black in midsummer. Sometimes there is no rufous whatever on the upper surface. The cinnamon-color of the lower parts also varies in intensity. So far as known, the occurrence of the Knot in Illinois is con- fined to the shores of Lake Michigan, but it no doubt some- times visits the shores of the larger rivers. Mr. Nelson says: "This is another of the so-called 'maritime species' which regularly visits its breeding grounds by way of the Great Lakes, as well as along the coast. It is not a common but a regular migrant, passing north during May. It returns early in September and remains until October. I have never observed it away from the vicinity of the lake shore, where it is generally found in company with one or two others of the same family" SUBGENUS Arquatella BAIRD. Arquatella BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 717. Type, Tringa maritima CHAB. Form very compact or robust, the legs especially. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe, with claw, the latter two thirds to three fourths as long as the bill, which is slender, much compressed, straight, or very slightly decurved at the end. Size medium (wing less than 6 inches). Although three species of this subgenus belong to North America, only one of them is known to visit the eastern United States, the other two occurring in the extreme northwest, one of them, (A. ptilocnemis Coues), confined mainly to the Prybilov Islands. 44 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Tringa maritima Brimn. FUBPLE SANDPIPER Popular synonyms. Winter Snipe (Maine); Eock Snipe. Tringa maritima BBUNN. Orn. Bor. 1764, 54.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 382.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 115.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 558, pi. 284; Synop. 1839, 233; B. Am. v, 1842, 261, pi. 330.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 717.— BAIBD, Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 528.— COUES, Key, 1872, 255; Check List, 1877, No. 423; B. N. W. 1874. 488.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 235.— Rn>GW.GW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 534.-B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 232. Tringa pectoralis SAT, Long's Exp. i, 1823, 171.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 111.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii.1835, 601; v. 1839. 582. pi. 294; Synop. 1839. 232; B. Am. v. 1842, 259, pL 323. SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 47 HAS. The whole of North and the greater part of South America, ranging south in winter to southern Brazil and Chili; West Indies in general; Bermudas; frequent in Europe ; North China? (SwiNH. Ibis, 1863, 97.) Sp. CHAB. Adult in summer: Above, light clay-color, the crown, back, scapulars, and tertials washed with light rufous or rusty orchraceous ; the feathers black centrally, pro- ducing conspicuous streaks, which widen into spots on the scapulars and back; rump and middle upper tail-coverts brownish black; lateral upper tail-coverts white, with dusky shaft-streaks. Middle tail-feathers dusky, edged with lighter ; other rectrices pale brown- ish gray, bordered with white. Wing-coverts light grayish brown, with paler borders and darker centres; a light superciliary stripe, and a darker loral one. Cheeks, sides of the neck, whole jugulum, and breast, pale clay-color or light grayish buff, streaked with dusky; sides sparsely streaked. Eemaining lower parts immaculate white. "Basal half of bill dull greenish yellow." (NELSON, MS.) Adult in winter: Similar to summer plumage, but therusty tint above almost or wholly absent, and the black markings less sharply defined. Young, first plumage: Quite similar to the summer adult, but the scapulars and outer interscapulars conspicuously tipped externally with white, the breast, etc., more distinctly buff, and rather more narrowly streaked. Total length, about 9.00 inches; wing, about 5.00; culmen, 1.10; tarsus, 1.00-1.10; middle toe. .90. This well-known Sandpiper is one of the most abundant spe- cies of its family during its migrations. In the northeastern portion of the State, it is, says Mr. Nelson, a very abundant migrant, "sometimes uniting into large flocks containing sev- eral hundred, and frequenting wet prairies or marshes. At other times it can only be found singly, scattered over the same ter- ritory. March 25th to May 10th, and the middle of Septem- ber to the first of November. A few remain through the sum- mer, but whether they breed or not I have been unable to decide." Tringa fuscicollis Vieill. BONAPARTE'S SANDPIPER Popular synonym. White-tail Stile (Plymouth Bay, Mass.). Tringa fusciollis VIEILL. Nouv. Diet, xxxiv. 1819, 461.— COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 487.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No, 240.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 157. Actodromas fuscicollis RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1882, No. 536.— B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 227. Tringa schinzii BONAP. Synop. 1828, 249; Am. Orn. iv, 1833, 69, pi. 24, fig. 2.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1831, 109.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831. 381.— A UD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1833, 529, pi. 278; Synop. 1839, 236; B. Am. v, 1842, 275, pi. 335. Tringa bonapartei SCHLEG. Rev. Grit. Ois. Eur. 1844, 89.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 722 (part).-BAiBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 533.-CouES, Key, 1872, 255; Check List, 1874, No. 421. Actodromas bonapartei COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 617. HAB. Eastern Province of North America, breeding far northward; in winter, the whole of Middle Ametica, South America, and the West Indies; Falkland Islands; occa- sional in Europe. SP. CHAB. Adult in summer: Above, light brownish gray, much tinered, particularly on the crown, back, and inner scapulars, with light rusty buff or ochraceous.all the feathers black centrally, these markings largest and somewhat V-shaped, or sagittate, on the 48 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. scapulars, streak-like elsewhere, the streaks broadest on the crown and back; rump dusky blackish, the feathers bordered with light gray ; upper tail-coverts pure white, in marked contrast, some of the feathers having irregular sagittate, mostly concealed, spots of dusky. Tail brownish gray, the middle feathers blackish, and all slightly edged with whitish. Wing- coverts and tertials brownish gray, lighter on edges and dusky centrally, the shafts nearly black. Superciliary stripe and entire lower parts pure white; auriculars light buff, indistinctly streaked: sides of head and neck, foreneck. jugulum, and upper part of breast> streaked or dashed with dusky; sides and flanks with larger irregular markings of the same. Adult in winter: Wings, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail as in summer plumage ; rest of upper parts continuous brownish gray, relieved by rather indistinct mesial streaks of black; streaks on jugulum, etc., less sharply defined than in the summer plumage. Young, first plumage : Back and scapulars black, the feathers bordered terminally with pure white, and laterally with ferruginous, those of the middle of the back also tipped with this color; feathers of the pileum and rump, as well as the tertiald, also bordered with rusty ; wing-coverts bordered with pale grayish buff. Otherwise as in the winter plumage, but breast, jugulum, etc., suffused with pale fulvous. Total length, about 7 inches; wing, 4.90; culmen, .90-1.00; middle toe, .70-.75. Specimens from South America are exactly like northern ones, among which there is the usual amount of individual variation. In midsummer the black of the back and scapulars increases in relative extent, partly by the wearing away of the rusty borders to the feathers, until, in some examples, the dorsal aspect is chiefly black. The habits of this species are, so far as known, so much like those of the Pectoral Sandpiper that we shall not enter into detail concerning them. It is comparatively a rare species in Illinois, Mr. Nelson referring to it as follows: "Rather uncom- mon migrant. Dr. Hoy writes 'that it was formerly abundant during the migrations, but is now rare,' (at Racine). June 9th, 1876, 1 obtained one specimen and saw quite a number of others upon the Lake shore near Waukegan. Mr. R. P. Clarke informs me that he has taken it late in autumn upon the Lake shore near Chicago." Tringa bairdii (Coues). BATHE'S SANDPIPER. Actodromas bairdii COUES. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1861, 194; Check List, 3d ed. 1882- No. 615.— RIDGW. Norn. Am. B. 1881, No. 637.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 230. Tringa bairdii SCL. P. Z. S. 1867. 332 (Chili).-CotJES, Key, 1872, 255; Check List. 1874. No. 419; Birds N. W. 1874, 484.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 241.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 157. HAB. America in general, but chiefly the interior of the northern and western portion of the southern continent ; ranging from Alaska to Chili and Argentine Republic ; rare in the Eastern Province, and not yet recorded from the Pacific coast of the United States; acci- dental in southern Africa. \ SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 49 SP. CHAB. Adult in summer: Above, variegated with black and grayish buff, the former prevailing, in the form of irregular, somewhat diamond-shaped spots on the back and scapulars, the buff occupying most of the border of the feathers, and sending indentations toward the shaft; elsewhere, the black forms distinct streaks, widest on the crown and anterior part of the back ; rump and upper tail-coverts dusky brownish black, feathers bor- dered with dull clay-color, the anterior ones of the latter chiefly white, with irregular U-shaped markings of dusky. Tail light brownish gray, the middle feather nearly black, all narrowly edged with whitish. Wing-coverts and tertials grayish brown, with lighter edges and darker centres ; remiges dull slate. Lower parts white, the sides of the head and neck, the jugulum, and anterior portion of the sides, streaked with dusky. Adult in winter: Above, continuous grayish clay-color, the feathers with darker mesial streaks: rump and middle upper tail-coverts dusky, the feathers bordered terminally with dull clay- color; lateral upper tail-coverts brownish white, Beneath, brownish white, the jugulum, breast, sides (anteriorly), and sides of the neck, deeply suffused with clay-color or buff. Young, first plumage: Above, grayish clay-color, the scapulars and interscapulars black- ish centrally, and conspicuously bordered with whitish terminally; the feathers of the crown and nape streaked with dusky. Wing-coverts, rump, etc., mujh as in the winter plumage ; sides of the head and neck, the jugulum, and breast, pale clay-color, rather indis- tinctly streaked with dusky. Other lower parts white. Total length, about 7.00 to 7.50 inches; extent, about 15.00; wing, about 4.75; culmen, usually less than 1.00 inch; tarsus, nearly 1.00; middle toe, about .70. Bill black; iris dark brown; legs and feet slate-black. This species, like Bonaparte's Sandpiper, is one of the less abundant of the Limicolae in Illinois. Mr. Nelson says that it is "a rather uncommon migrant during the middle of May, and the last of August and first of September. It is generally found in small parties or singly, with other species of Sandpipers, but it sometimes occurs in large flocks." Tringa minutilla Vieill. LEAST SANDPIPER Popular synonyms. Peep; Ox-eye; Bumble-bee; Wilson's Sandpiper. Tringa minutilla VIKELL. Nouv. Diet, xxxiv, 1819, 452.— COUES, Key, 1872, 254; Check List, 1874, No. 418; B. N. W. 1874, 482.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 212.— EIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 158. Actodromas minutilla BONAP. 1856.— EIDGW. Nom. N. Am, B. 1881, No. 538.— COUES. Check List. 2d ed. 1882. No. 614.-B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 236. Tringa pusilla WrLS. Am. Orn. v, 1813, 32, pi. 37, f. 4 (nee LINN.).— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831,386.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 180.pl. 320; Synop. 1839. 237; B. Am. v, 1842. 280, pi. 337. Tringa wilsonii NUTT. Man. ii, 1834. 121.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 721.— BAIRD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 532. HAB. The whole of America, but breeding (so far as known) only north of the United States ; accidental in Europe. SP. CHAB. Adult, summer plumage: Back and scapulars black, the feathers bordered and somewhat barred (not continuously, and mostly beneath the surface) with rusty ochra- ceous, the tips of some of the feathers often whitish ; rump and middle upper tail-coverts brownish black; lateral upper tail-coverts white, with wedge-shaped markings of grayish; middle tail-feathers dusky, with paler edges; 'other rectrices light brownish gray, with -7 50 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. white shafts. Crown light grayish fulvous or ochraceous. heavily streaked with black ; wing-coverts brownish gray, with darker centres and palor edges, the shafts blackish; ter- tials edged with ochraceous ; primaries dusky. A light superciliary stripe, and a darker one on side of the head ; neck and jugulum very pale grayish fulvous or fulvous-ashy streaked with dusky; sides and crissum narrowly streaked; other lower parts immaculate white. Adult in winter: Above, rather dark brownish-gray, the feathers with indistinctly darker centers; rump, etc., as in summer plumage. Superciliary stripe and lower parts white, the jugulum light ashy, indistinctly streaked. Young, first plumage: Very similar to the summer plumage of the adult, but many of the scapulars and interscapulars tipped with white, these feathers without any bars; wing-coverts bordered with ochraceous. Jugulum suffused with pale fulvous, and indistinctly streaked.* Total length, about 5.60 to 6.50 inches; extent 11 to 11.50; wing, about 3.50 to nearly 4; culmen. about .75 to .92; tarsus, .75; middle toe, .60. Bill dull black; iris dark brown; legs and toes dusky. This abundant and extensively diffused little species resembles very closely, both in its small size and in its colors, at all sea- sons, the equally common and widely distributed Semipalmated Sandpiper (Ereunetes pusillus}. It may be immediately distin- guished, however, by the completely cleft toes, the other species having all the anterior toes webbed at the base. Little need be said about the habits of so common a bird as the present species, especially since it so much resembles its con- geners in this respect. Mr. Nelson refers to its occurrence in Cook county as follows: "Common migrant. Not so numerous as the preceding \_Ereu- netes pusillus]. Arrives the 1st of May and remains until the last of the month ; returns with the preceding. The 5th of June, 1875, I found one of these birds building its nest near the Calumet River. When first observed it was busily at work in the midst of a small bunch of grass, but upon my approach it ran a few feet to one side and watched my movements. The nest was nearly finished, and was a shallow depression in the center of the tuft of grass, formed by the bird, which had just commenced lining it with small straws. Unfortunately work was not resumed upon the nest after my visit, but the birds were noticed several times in the vicinity, and they probably had a nest in some safer spot. Several Least Sandpipers were ob- served near Waukegan, the first of July, 1875, by Mr. Rice, who is certain they had nested in the vicinity." *Some young specimens in the collection, apparently of the same age and almost cer- tainly the same species, differ very strikingly from the above description in the less amount or total absence of rufous above, the feathers having merely narrow ochraceous borders, and scarcely any white on the ends of the feathers; the whole plumage being thus very much duller. SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 51 SUBGENUS Pelidna CUVIER. Pelidna Cuv. Reg. Anim. 1817, 490; ed. 2, 1829, 526. Type, Tringa alpina LiNN. CHAB. Bill slender, longer than the head, deep through the base, compressed, scarcely ji not at all expanded at the tip, and decidedly decurved terminally. Tarsus shorter than the bill, longer than the middle toe. Wings reaching beyond end of tail. The subgenus Pelidna includes two well-known Sandpipers, both of which are common to North America and Europe, although one of them, the Curlew Sandpiper, P. ferruginea, can scarcely be considered as more than a straggler here. The other is repre- sented in the two continents by distinguishable races. The char- acters of the species and races of Pelidna are as follows: 1. T. alpina. Upper tail-coverts dusky. Adult in summer: Belly black, other lower parts whitish. Winter plumage: No black beneath; above, uniform brownish gray. Young: Belly and breast spotted with black. a. alpina. Wing, 4.30-4.75; culmen, 1.15-1.40; tarsus, .85-1.00; middle toe, .70-.75. Hob. Europe, etc. /?. paciftca. Wing, 4.60-4.95; culmen, 1.40-1.75; tarsus, 1.00-1.15; middle toe, .70-.75. Hal>. North America and Eastern Asia. 2. T. ferruginea. Upper tail-coverts white. Adult in summer: Beneath, including belly, deep cinnamon-rufou •. Winter plumage: Beneath, white, indistinctly streaked on the jugulum; above, brownish gray. Young: Belly and breast unspotted. /finJ.. Palaearctie Eegion; occasional in northern and eastern North America. Tringa alpina pacifica (Coues). BED -BACKED SANDPIPER. Popular synonyms. Stile (Plymouth Bay, Mass.); American Dunlin. Tringa alpina WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 25, pi. 56, flg. 2 (nee LINN.).— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii. 1831, 383.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1831, 106.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 580, pi. 290. Synop. 1839, 231; B. Am. v, 18i2, 266. Tringa cinclus WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 39, pi. 57, fig. 3 (nee LINN.). Tringa alpina var. americana CASS. inBaird's B. N. Am. 1858, 719.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B, 1859, No. 530.— COUES. Key, 1872, 256; Check List, 1874, 424; Birds N. W. 1874, 489. Pelidna alpina americana RIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1881, 200; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 539a.— CODES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 624. Pelidna pacifica COUES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila: 1861, 189 (in text). Tringa alpina paciftca RIDGW. in A. O. U. Check List, 1886,JNo. 243a; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. ICO. Pelidna alpina, /?. pacifica B. B. & R, Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 242. HAB. North America in general; breeding far northward; eastern Asia. SP. CHAB. Adult in summer: Crown, back, scapulars, rump, and uppor tail-coverts, light rufous, the crown streaked, other parts spotted with black; wing-coverts brownish gray, the greater broadly tipped with white. Head (except crown), neck, jugulum. and breast, grayish white, streaked with dusky; abdomen black; sides, flanks, anal region, crissum, and lining of the wing, pure white, the sides, flanks, and crissum sparsely streaked. Adult and young in winter: Above, entirely plain ash-gray, sometimes with very indistinct dusky shaft-streaks; indistinct superciliary stripe and lower parts white. 52 "BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. the neck and jugulum indistinctly streaked with grayish, the sides, flanks, and crissum sometimes sparsely streaked. Young: Back and scapulars black, the feathers broadly bordered with rusty ochraceous, this becoming paler, or even white, on the ends of some of the feathers; lesser and middle- whig coverts bordered with buff; rump plain brownish slate; upper tail-coverts darker, tipped with rusty; crown light rusty, streaked with black. Head and neck (except crown and throat) dull dingy buff indistinctly streaked with dusky ; remaining lower parts, including throat, white, the breast and belly with numerous irreg- ularly cordate spots of black, the flanks, crissum, and lining of the wing immaculate. "Bill and feet black ; iris dark brown." (AUDUBON.) Total length about 8.50 inches; wing, 4.60-4.95; culmen, 1.40-1.75 tarsus. 1.00-1.15: middle toe, .70-.80. There is a considerable amount of individual variation in this species, especially noticeable in the extent and continuity of the black abdominal area, the distinctness of the black markings above, and the depth of the rufous tint; not unfrequently the latter is mixed with grayish. In the winter plumage some ex- amples have the sides and crissum narrowly streaked, while in others these parts are immaculate. The Red-backed Sandpiper is an abundant species during the spring and fall migrations. Mr. Nelson records it as "a very abundant migrant" in Cook county, and says that it "arrives in full breeding plumage the last of May, and is found about muddy pools and flats near the Lake until the 5th of June. Returning in winter dress during September it remains well into October. At this season it is generally found in small parties, while in spring the flocks often contain hundreds of individuals." GENUS EREUNETES ILLIGER. Ereunetes ILLIGEE, Prodromus, 1811, 262. Type, E. petrificatus ILLIG.,= Tringa pusilla LINN. CHAB. Size small; anterior toes webbed at the base; a well-developed hind toe. Bill about as long as or a little longer than the head, straight, somewhat expanded at the end, about as long as the tarsus ; middle toe more than half as long as the tarsus ; bare portion of tibia nearly eaual to the middle toe. The bill of Erewietes is quite stout and considerably expanded, by which it is really distinguished from Tringa minutUla inde- pendently of the semipalmated feet. The tarsus and middle toe are about equal; the tibia denuded anteriorly for about two thirds the length of tarsus. The basal membrane of toes is more scalloped out interiorly than exteriorly; the notch exter- nally not quite as deep as to the first joint, although the SCOLOPACIDJE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 53 membrane extends beyond the second. There is a tendency to hexagonal subdivision in the bare portion of tibiae anteriorly. The tail is doubly emarginate. Two species are known, the common Semipalmated Sand- piper or "Peep," and a northwestern relative. Ereunetes pusillus (Linn.) SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER Popular synonyms. Peep; Ox-eye; Bumble-bee. Tringa pusilla LINN. 8. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 252. Ereunetes pusillus CASS. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. xiii, 1860, 195.— CouES.Key, 1872, 254; Check List, 1874, No. 417; 2d ed. 1880, No. 612; Birds N. W. 1874, 481 (part).— KIDGW. Norn. N. A.m. B. 1881, No. 541; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 161.-A. O. U. Check List. 1886. No. 246. Ereunetes pusillus, a, pusillus B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 205. Ereunetes petrificatus ILLIG. Prodr. 1811, 262 (Bahia).— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 724 (part).— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 535. Tringa semipalmata WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 131, pi. 63, fig. 3.— Sw. & RICH. P. B.-A. ii, 1831, 381. -AUD. Orn. Biog. v, 1839. Ill, pi. 408; Synop. 1839, 236; B. Am. v. 1842, 277, pi. 336. Tringa (Heteropoda) semipalmata NUTT. Man. ii, 1834. 136. ^HAB. The whole of North and Middle, and a considerable portion of South America; throughout the West Indies, Bermuda; south to Colombia and Brazil; breeding chiefly, if not exclusively, north of the United States. SP. CHAB. Adult, breeding plumage: Upper surface light grayish brown, the sidesofthe pileum and edges of some of the scapulars and interscapulars tinged with pale buffy cinna- mon, but this sometimes almost wholly absent ; pileum heavily streaked, and dorsal region heavily spotted with black, the latter color occupying the central portion of each feather. A streaked white superciliary stripe, and dusky loral space, the latter usually very dis- tinctly defined along its upper edge, the lower part broken into streaks, which extend back- ward across the cheeks ; auriculars streaked grayish brown. Lower parts pure white, the jugulum and breast tinged with ashy and streaked with dusky. Winter plumage: Above brownish gray, relieved by dusky shaft- streaks; superciliary stripe and lower parts pure white, the jugulum faintly streaked. Young: Similar to the summer adult, but jugulum tinged with pale grayish buff, and without well-defined streaks or spots, the scapulars and interpcapulars bordered terminally with white, and the brown usually less rusty. Downy young: Forehead dingy white, divided by a mesial line of black; crown light chestnut, marbled posteriorly with black and white ; occiput mottled whitish. A distinct loral line of black, forking just before the eye, the upper branch running toward the anterior corner of the eye, the other inclining downward. Throat f ulvous- white ; other lower parts whitish, nearly pure on the abdomen. Upper parts pale fulvous-brown laterally, black centrally, the whole surface thickly bespangled with fine white tufts, terminating the down-filaments. Wing, 3,50-4.00 (3.88); eulmen, .6S-.92 (.77); tarsus, .80-.95 (.86); middle toe, ,55-.65 (.61). [Eighteen summer adults measured.] This is perhaps the most abundant of the Sandpipers during the migrations, when several hundred may sometimes be seen in a single flock. Its habits are so much like those of other species that no special description is required. » 54 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ereunetes occidentalis Lawr. WESTERN SANDPIPER. Ereunetes occidentalis LAWB. Proc. Phila. Acad. 1864, 107.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 247.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 162. Ereunetes pusillus var. occidentalis COUKS, Check List, 1874, No. 417 a. Ereunetes pusillus occidentalis EIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 541 a.— COUES. Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 713. Ereunetes pusillus, b, occidentalis B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 205. K-UU-. HAB. North America in general, except portion east of the Rocky Mountains north of the United States boundary. B> eeding along western coast of Alaska (Bering's Sea, Nor- ton Sound, etc.), and thence southward for an undetermined distance; migrating chiefly through the Western Province, but frequently straying to the Atlantic coast of the U. S. (Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, etc.); Cura<;oa, Venezuela, and some of the West Indies in winter. SP. CHAB. Adult, breeding plumage: Upper surface bright rusty cinnamon, the feathers spotted centrally with black, the cinnamon sometimes nearly uniform along the sides of the crown; a white superciliarly stripe streaked with dusky grayish, this bordered below by a stripe of light rufous or rusty on the side of the head, from the bill across the lores, and beneath the eyes across the auriculars ; remainder of the head white, streaked, ex- cept on the throat (where also sometimes finely flecked) with grayish dusky. Lower parts pure white, the jugulum and breast thickly marked with broad streaks of dusky, these broadest and of triangular form on the sides of the breast; sides marked with sagittate dusky spots. Adult, winter plumage: Not distinguishable from E. pusillus in the same stage, except by greater average length of bill and tarsus. Young: Similar to young of pusillus, but with rusty ochraceous prevailing on the dorsal region and pileum. Downy young: Similar to the same stage of E. pusillus, but the rusty areas of the upper parts more extended and more castaneous. Wing, 3.60-3.90 (3.74) ; culmen, .85-1.15 (.95); tarsus .85.-S5 (.89); middle toe, .55-.G5 (.60). [Eighteen summer adults measured.] This western species is not uncommon during the migrations, usually mixed in with flocks of the E. pusillus, but sometimes in small companies by itself. GENUS CALIDRIS CUVIER. Calidris CUVIEB, Anat. Comp. i, 1799-1800. tabl. ii. Type, Tringa arenaria LIKN. CHAB. General characters of Tringa, but hind toe entirely absent. Bill straight, rather longer than the head, slightly expanded or spoon-shaped at end. Toes short, the middle one scarcely two thirds the tarsus. BCOLOPACID^E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 55 Calidris arenaria (Linn.) SANDERLING. Popular synonyms. Skinner (Plymouth Bay, Mass.); White Snipe. Tringa arenaria LINN. S. N. ed. 12,1,1766,251.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii,1835,231; Synop. 1839,287; B. Am. v, 1842, 287, pi. 338. Oalidris arenaria LEACH, Syst. Cat. Brit. Mam. & B. 1816, 28.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.- A, ii, 1831, 3CG.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 4.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 723.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 534.— COUES, Key, 1872, 257, flg. 167; Check List. 1874, No. 427; 2d ed. 1882, No. 627; Birds N. W. 1874, 492.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 542; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 162. -B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 249.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 248. Charadrius calidris LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 255.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 68, pi. 59, flg 4. Charadrius rubidus GMEL. S. N. ed. 13, i, 1788, 688.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 129, pi. 58, flg. 3. HAS. Nearly cosmopolitan, but breeding only in the Arctic and Subarctic districts ; in America migrating south to Patagonia and Chili. Chiefly littoral, but frequenting also the larger inland waters. " SP. CHAB. No hind toe ; front toes moderate or rather long, flattened underneath, dis- tinctly margined with a membrane. Bill rather longer than the head, straight, rather thick; edge of upper mandible flattened; nasal groove deep and nearly as long as the upper man- dible, not so distinct in the lower; both mandibles widened and flattened at the tip; aper- ture of the nostril large and covered with a membrane. Wing long; tail short, with the middle feathers longest; under coverts long as the tail; legs moderate; lower third of the tibia naked. Lower parts white, immaculate on the belly, sides, flanks, axillars, anal region, andcrissum; greater wing-coverts broadly tipped with white, and inner primaries white at base of outer webs. Adult in summer: Above, light rufous, broken by large spots of black, the feathers mostly tipped with whitish. Head, neck, throat, and jugulum, pale cin- namon-rufous, speckled below and streaked above with blackish. A dull in winter: Above very pale pearl-gray (the lesser wing-coverts darker anteriorly), relieved only by faint darker shaft- streaks of the feathers. Throat and jugulum immaculate pure white. Adult in spring: Above, light grayish, with large black spots (streaks on the crown), here and there mixed with rufous; jugulum speckled with dusky on a white ground. Young: Above pale gray, spotted with black and whitish, the latter on tips of the feathers; jugulum im- maculate white, faintly tinged with dull buff. " Bill and feet black ; iris brown." ( AUDUBON.) "Total length, about 7. 75-8.00 inches; wing, 4.70-5.00; culmen, .95-1.00; tarsus, .90-1.05; middle toe, .55-60. (Water B. N. Am.) The Sanderling is not uncommon in Illinois during the migrat- ing seasons, but is chiefly confined to the shores of the larger bodies of water. Near Chicago, Mr. Nelson says that it is an "abundant migrant along the Lake shore," and adds the fol- lowing: "Arrives in full breeding plumage — which varies greatly with individuals— about the 20th of May, and is found in flocks, numbering from five to seventy-five, along the shore, until June lOfch. Returns the first of August, still wearing its breeding dress, which is changed the last of the month for the duller garb of winter. Departs for the south by the 20th of October. This species, with ^E. meloda, is found almost exclusively along the bare sandy beach, where it would seem an impossibility for it to obtain a living." 56 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS LIMOSA BRISSON. Limosa BEISSON, Orn. v, 1760, 261. Type, Scolopax limosa LINN. CHAB. Bill lengthened, exceeding the tarsus, slender, and curving gently upwards, grooved to near the tip, the latter not attenuated. Tarsus with transverse scutellae before and behind, reticulated laterally. A short basal membrane between the middle and outer toes. Bill much longer than head, nearly equaling tarsi and toes together, curving gently upwards from the base, where it is elevated and compressed, depressed, however, at the end. The grooves on sides of bill and beneath extend nearly to the tip ; the tip of the upper mandible is thickened, and extends a little below the lower. The gape is slight, not exceed- ing beyond the base of culmen; the feathers on the side of the bill reach forward to about the same point, those on the chin a little farther. Tarsus more than one and one half times the toes, twice the bare part of tibiae; hind toe lengthened; outer toe webbed as far as end of first joint, inner toe with only a short basal web. Tail short, even, two fifths the wings. In some respects the bill of this genus resembles that of Macro- rhamphus, the chief apparent difference being the upward curve of the one and its straightness in the other. But two species are known to occur in Illinois. Two others are included in the North American fauna, one, Z. limosa (Linn.)— the Black-tailed God wit— by reason of its accidental occurrence in Greenland, the other, L. lapponica baueri (Naum.) —the Pacific Godwit — occurring abundantly on the coasts and islands of Alaska. Since the occurrence of either of these species in Illinois is very unh'kely, it is not thought worth while to in- clude them in the following synopsis: 1. L. fedoa. Tail narrowly barred; axillars and lining of wing ochraceous. Prevailing color ochraceous, the head and neck streaked, the remaining upper parts barred with brown- ish dusky ; axillars and lining of the wing deep cinnamon-ochre. Wing, 8^0-9.00; culmen, 3.50-5.00; tarsus, 2.75-3.00; middle-toe. 1.40. 2. L. hsemastica. Tail black, with white base and tip; axillars uniform smoky blackish. Upper tail-coverts crossed by a wide band of pure white; longer upper tail-coverts, en- tire rump, and axillars, uniform dusky ; lining of wing dusky, spotted with white out- wardly. Summer plumage: Beneath, chestnut barred with dusky ; above, mottled black- ish. Winter plumage: Beneath, whitish, without markings, the breast and jugulum gray- ish; above, uniform brownish gray, except rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail. Young: Beneath, light grayish clay-color, darker on breast; above, brownish gray, feathers bordered with ochraceous, and somewhat spotted with dusky. Wing. 8.10-8.60; culmen, 2.85-8.45; tarsus, 2.25-2.50; middle-toe, 1.15-1.30. SCOLOPACIDjE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 57 Limosa fedoa (Linn.) MAEBLED GODWIT. Popular synonyms. Marlin; Straight-billed Curlew. Scolopax fedoa LINN. S. N. i, ed. 10, i, 1758. 146; ed. 12. 1766, 244,-WiLS. Am. Orn. vii. 1813, 30. pi. 56. f. 4. LimosafedoaQ-KD, ed. Wilson. vii, 1824,30.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831,335.— NuTT.ii, 1831, 173.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835. 287; v. 590. pi. 238; Synop. 1839. 246; B. Am. v. 1842. 331. pi. 348.— CABS, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 710.— BAIBD, Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 547.— COUES, Key. 1872. 257; Check List, 1874. No. 528; Birds N. W. 1874, 492.— B. B. &R. Water B. N. Am. i.1884. 255.— A. 0. U. Check List. 1886, No. 219.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 163. itmosa/cedaRiDGW.NomN.Am.B.1881,No.543.-CouBS.CheckList>2ded.l882,No.628. HAS. North America; breeding in the interior of the continent (Missouri region and northward), wintering southward to Yucatan and Guatemala; Cuba. SP. CHAR. Bill long, curved upwards; both mandibles grooved; wings long; tail short; legs long; tibia with its lower half naked; toes rather short, margined and flattened under- neath; the outer and middle toes united by a largo membrane. Entire upper parts varie- gated with brownish black and pale reddish, the former disposed in irregular and confluent bands, and the latter in spots and imperfect bands; in many specimens the black color pre- dominating on the back, and the pale reddish on the rump and upper tail-coverts. Under parts pale cinnamon, with transverse lines of brownish black on the breast and sides ; under wing-coverts and axillarles darker cinnamon; outer webs of primaries dark brown, inner webs light cinnamon; secondaries light cinnamon; tail light blackish brown ; iris brown; feet bluish gray. (AUDUBON.) Total length about 18. 00 inches; wing, 9.00; tail. 4.00-6.00; tarsus, 3.00 inches. * The plumage of this bird is in some stages wonderfully similar to that of Numenius longirostris; in fact the resemblance is so great that were it not for the conspicuous generic difference it would be rather difficult to distinguish them specifically. Both have precisely the same tints of color, and also a nearly identi- cal distribution of the markings. The main differences appear to be the following: In Numenius the black bars of the upper parts are connected by broad stripes along the middle of the feathers, while in Limosa these bars are all isolated and nar- rower, as well as of a less deep black. The longitudinal streaks on the head and neck are much less conspicuous in Limosa; in the latter there is also oftener a tendency to transverse bars on the crissum, and less often to streaks on the foreneck. This fine bird is a rather common migrant in Illinois, known to sportsmen by the names of Marlin, Godwit, and Straight- billed Curlew. We have nothing special to offer concerning its habits. * A series of ten specimens, including an equal number of males and females, shot by Mr. Franklin Benner, in Minnesota, between June 5th and 10th, was carefully measured, with the following results: Males. Total length, 16.50-17.62, average. 17.00; extent, 30.50- 31.50, average. 31.10; bill. 3.66-4.00, average, 3.84. Females. Total length, 18.12-19.62, aver- age. 19.10; extent. 32.00-33.87. average. 32.82; bill. 4.54-6.06. average. 4.77. (See "BulLNutt. Orn. Club," v, Jan. 1880. p. 18.) -8 58 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Limosa haemastica (Linn.) HUDSONIAN GODWIT. Scolopax hcemastica LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 147. Limosa hamastica COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 760; Bull. Nutt Orn. Club, 1880, 100; Check List, ed. 2, 1882. No. 629.-Rn>GW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 545; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 164.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 250.— A. 0. U. Check List, 1886. No. 251. Scolopax hudsonica LATH. lad. Orn. ii, 1790, 720. Limosa hudsonica Sw. &EICH. P. B.-A. ii. 1831. 396.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 175.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii. 1835, 426; Y.592, pi. 258; Synop. 1839, 217; B. Am. v, 1842, 335. pi. 349.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 741.-BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 548.-CouEs. Key. 1872, 258; Check List. 1874, No. 429; Birds N. W. 1874, 494. HAB. Eastern North America and the whole of Middle and South America. No West Indian localities recorded except Cuba. Breeds only northward. 8p. CHAB. Smaller than L. fedoa. Summer adult : Above, blackish brown, irregularly spotted and barred with pale ochraceous.the rump plain brownish black; upper tail-cove, ts immaculate white; wing-coverts and shorter quills plain dark brownish gray; primaries brownish black, their shafts white. Lower parts chestnut-rufous, narrowly barred with brownish black, the feathers of the belly, etc.. often tipped with white. Tail black, with the base and tip (narrowly) white. Lining of wings and axillars plain smoky black. Winter plumage: Above.plain dull brownish gray; beneath, white, the breast shaded with brown- ish gray. Other characters as in summer dress. Young : Somewhat like the winter plum- age, but each feather of dorsal region marked with a subterminal dusky crescent and a narrower terminal one of dull ochraceous ; beneath very pale drab, or dull light buff, the abdomen whitish, and the jugulum more grayish. " Bill grayish yellow, dark brown along the ridge of the upper mandible, and blackish towards the tips of both; iris brown; feet light grayish blue." (ATOUBON.) This species resembles somewhat the European L. limosa, having the tail marked much the same as in that species. The latter, however, has two white patches on the wing (which in the present bird has no white at all, except the shafts of the primaries), and the axillars pure white instead of brownish black. There are also other differences of coloration, while the proportions are quite different, L. limosa having the bill and legs much longer. South American specimens are quite identical with northern ones. This species is an abundant migrant in our State, making its appearance both in April and October. Like the Marbled God- wit it is fine eating, and on account of its size is, like that species, much sought by gunners. SCOLOPACIILE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 59 GENUS TOTANUS BECHSTEIN. - ""•• •-••',. ' •* -*r- .3 SUBGENUS Totanus. Totanus BECHST. Orn. Taschenb. 1803, 282. Type, Scolopax totanus LINN. CHAE. Bill usually slender, and slightly upturned terminally, the lateral groove of the maxilla extending about half way to the tip. No web between the middle and inner toes. Tarsus about twice as long as the middle toe. The submenus Totanus is very closely allied to Helodromas (see page 62), but differs as follows: Tetanus. Middle toe not more than half as long as the tarsus ; bill , decidedly shorter than tarsus. Helodromas. Middle toe nearly or quite as long as the tarsus; bill longer than tarsus. The two North American species of Totanus, while resembling each other minutely in coloration, are very different' in size and proportions, as the following comparative measurements will show : 1. T. melanoleucus. Size large— wing more than 7 inches. Terminal half of bill slightly recurved. Wing, 7.40-8.00; culmen, 2.05-2.40; tarsus, 2.35-2.70; middle toe, 1.25-1.50. 2. T. flavipes. Siz e small— wing less than 7 inches. Terminal half of bill not perceptibly recurved. Wing, 6.10-6.65 ; culmen, 1.30-1.55; tarsus, 2.00-2.15; middle toe, 1.00-1.15. Totanus melanoleucus (Gmel.) GREATER YELLOW-LEGS. Popular synonyms. Big Yellow-legs; Stone Snipe; Tell-tale; Big Cucu (Plymouth Bay, Mass.); Yelper. Scolopax melauoleuca GMEL. S. N. ed. 13, i, 1788, 659. Totanus melanoleucus VIEIUO. Nouv. Diet vi, 1816, 398. -Atro. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 68, pi. 308.-COUES, Key, 1872, 268; Check List, 1874, No. 432; 2d ed. 1882, No. 633; B. N. W. 1874, 496.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 548; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 165.— B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1881, 269.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 254. Gambetta melanoleuca BONAP. 1856.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am, 1858, 731.— BAIED, Oat. N. Am. B. No. 539. Scolovax vociferus WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 57, pi. 58, fig. 5. Totanus vociferus VIEILL. 1816.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831. 389.— AUD. Synop, 1839, 244; B. Am. V, 1842, 316, pL 345. HAB. America in general, but breeding only in cold-temperate and subarctic climates of the northern continent; in winter, south to Chili and Argentine Republic. SP. CHAB. Adult, summer plumage: Above, variegated with slate-black, pale gray, and white, the former predominating, the latter in the form of spots along the edge of the feath- ers, including the wing-coverts and the tertials ; crown and hind neck grayish white, widely streaked with dusky; upper tail-coverts white, irregularly barred with dusky ; primaries plain blackish slate; tail white, all the feathers barred with dusky, the middle feathers grayish, barred with dusky, the latter sometimes obsolete. Head, neck, and lower parts 60 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. white, only the abdomen and throat immaculate; lores, cheeks, malar region, auriculars, and neck (all round), sti eaked with dusky ; breast, sides, and flanks, barred or transversely spotted with dusky, the bars more sagittate on the crissum. Winter plumage: Above, rather light ash-gray, without the black, but with the white spotting of the summer dress ; foreneckand jugulummore narrowly streaked; breast nearly or quite immaculate, and sides and flanks faintly and irregularly marked with grayish. Young, first plumage: Simi- lar to the winter dress, but darker and more brownish above, the white spotting tinged with light brownish buff; lower parts as in winter adult. Bill black; iris brown; legs and feet deep yellow (tinged with olive in young). Total length, about 14 inches; wing, 7. 50-7. 75; culmen, 2.20-2.30 ; tarsus, 2.50-2.75; middle toe. 1.35-1.50. "A common migrant and regular summer resident. Breeds. Arrives about the middle of April, the larger portion passing north early in May. Returns September first, and remains until the last of October. In June, 1875, I found several pairs of these birds about the Calumet Marshes, \vhere, from their ac- tions, I was certain they were breeding, but was not fortunate enough to find their nests. The 10th of June, 1876, Mr. Rice observed a pair about a prairie slough, near Evanston. A few days later a set of four eggs were brought him from a similar situation a few miles northwest of that place, and from the description of the parent bird— driven from the nest— he decided they must belong to this species. I perfectly agree with Mr. Rice's decision, for the prominent characteristics noticed by the collector are obviously applicable to this bird. "The nest was situated in a slight depression at the base of a small hillock near the border of a prairie slough, and was composed of grass stems and blades. The eggs measure respect ively 1.70x1.30; 1.72x1.31; 1.74x1.32; 1.80x1.38 inches. The ground color is a deep grayish white, marked on three eggs with spots of dark brown, and on the other egg with spots and well-defined blotches of a considerably lighter shade of the same. In addition there are shell markings and obscure spots of lilac. The markings are disposed quite abundantly over the surface of the egg, but are more numerous about the larger end." (NELSON, Bull Essex Inst. VIII., 1876, pp. 128, 129.) SCOLOPACIDJ*— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 61 Totanus flavipes (Gmel.) YELLOW-LEGS. Popular synonyms. Yellow-leg Snipe; Little Cucu (Plymouth Bay. Mass.). Scolpax flavipes GMEL. 8. N. ed. 13. i, 1788, 659.— Wn.s. Am. Orn. vii. 1813. 56. pi. 58, flg. 4. Totanus flavipes VnmL. Nouv. Diet, vi, 1816, 410.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831. 390.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 152.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 573; v, 586, pi. 228; Synop. 1839. 243; B. Am. v, 1843, 313, pi. 344.— COUES, Key, 1872, 259; Check List, 1874, No. 433; 2d ed. 1882, No. 634; Birds N. W. 1874, 497.-EiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 549; Man. N. Am B. 1887, 166.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 273.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 255. Gambetta flavipes BONAP. 1856.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 732.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 540. "HAS. The whole of America, breeding in the cold-temperate and subarctic districts of the northern continent; migrating south in winter to Argentine Bepublic and Chili. Much rarer in the western than in the eastern province of North America. Accidental in Europe. "Sp. CHAE. Very similar to T. melanoleucus, but smaller and more slender. Bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender, compressed; wing long, pointed; tail short ; legs long, lower half of the tibias naked ; toes moderate, slender margined, the outer and middle united at base. "Adult, summer plumage. Above, ashv, mixed with ragged blotches of black, this hav- ing a tendency to form regular transverse bars on the secondaries and scapulars. Crown and nape with longitudinal streaks of black on a grayish white ground ; upper tail-coverts pure white, with transverse bars of dusky; tail white, the middle feathers ashy, and all with transverse, rather narrower, bars of ash. Primaries and their coverts plain dusky black, Lower parts white, the jugulum and breast densely streaked with blackish, and the sides marked with more transverse markings of the same color. "Winter plumage. Above, ashy, sometimes nearly unbroken, but generally slightly variegated, especially on the scapulars and wing-coverts, with transverse spots of dusky, and whitish edging and dots along the margins of the feathers. Streaks almost absent from the head, neck, and jugulum, which are nearly uniform light ashy; the chin, throat, and supraloral stripe white, In other respects like the summer plumage. Young. Like the winter adult, but the light markings above more or less tinged with pale brown or dull ochraceous. "Total length about 10.50-11. 00 inches; extent, 20.00-21.00 ; wing, 5.50-6.50; culmen, 1.30-1.55; tarsus, 2,00. Bill black; iris dark brown; legs and feet bright yellow." (Water B. N. Am.) This species is exceedingly similar to T. melanoleucus in plum- age, but differs in the following particulars: in the summer adult the upper parts are more transversely spotted, with a less amount of black, while the lower parts are without well-defined transverse spots or bars of black; in the winter plumage, the head, neck, and jugulum are nearly uniform ashy, instead of distinctly streaked. This species is essentially a "small edition" of the Greater Yel- low-legs, or Tell-tale (T. melcmoleucus) so far as appearance is concerned; and in its general habits is not conspicuously dif- ferent. 62 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. i Mr. Nelson refers to it as being much more numerous in northeastern Illinois than the T. melanoleucus. He adds that it "frequents the same localities. Arrives a few days later and departs earlier for the south. A few breed. I obtained the young, barely able to fly, near a prairie slough the first of July 1874, a few miles from Chicago, and have since observed several pairs during the breeding season about the Calumet marshes." SUBGENUS Helodromas KAUP. He.lodromas KAUP. Nat Syst 182), 144. Type, Tringa ochropus LINN. CHAE. Similar to Totanus, but smaller, and with middle toe ne irly as long as tarsus. There is but one American species of this subgenus, and this has a single Old World representative, — the T, ochropw (LiNN.), — which differs chiefly in larger size and pure white rump. Totanus solitarius (Wils.) SOLITAEY SANDPIPER Popular synonyms. Peet-weet; Wood Snipe or Sandpiper; Pond Peet-weet or Tiltup. Tringa solitaria WrLS. Am. Orn. vii. 1813, 53, pi. 58 flg. 3. Totanus solitarius BONAP. Jour. Aoad. Nat. Sei. Phila. v, 1825, 86.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 242; B. Am. v. 1842, 309, pi. 343.— COUES, Key, 1872, 259; Check List. 1874, No. 435; Birds N. W. 1874, 498.- A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 256.-Rn>GW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 166. Rhyacophilus solitarius CABS, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 733.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No.541.-RiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B, 1881, No. 550.-COUE8. Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 637.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 278. Totanus chloropygius VIEILL. Nouv. Diet vi, 1816, 40.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 393.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 159.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 576; v, 1839, 583, pi. 289. HAB. The whole of North and Middle America and the greater part of South America, ranging south to Brazil and Peru; breeding throughout temperate North America, but chiefly northward ; accidental in Europe. SP. CHAB. Adult in summer: Above olivaceous-slate, rather sparsely speckled with white, the crown and nape indistinctly streaked with the same; outer upper tail-coverts barred with white; primaries and primary coverts plain slate-black. Tail white (the mid- dle feathers dusky), all the feathers widely barred with dusky, these bars most numerous on outer webs, where extending to the base of the feathers. Eyelids, supraloral stripe, and lower parts white, the sides of the head, neck (all round), and jugulum streaked with brownish slate; remaining lower parts immaculate. Lining of wing and axillars slate- color, regularly barred with white. Winter plumage: Similar to the summer dress, but dark ashy above, less distinctly speckled, andforeneck very indistinctly streaked, or simply washed with ashy. Young: Above, grayish brown (lighter and more olivaceous than the adult), thickly speckled with buff ; crown and nape plain brownish gray ; cheeks and sides of neck nearly uniform gray; foreneck streaked, as in the adult SCOLOPACI1XE— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 63 Total length, about 8.00-8.50 inches; extent, 15.50-16.50; wing, 5.00-5.40; culmen, 1.15-1.30; tarsus, 1.25-1. 30; middle toe, 1.00. Bill greenish brown (in life), dusky terminally; iris brown; legs and feet olive-green in adult, more grayish in young. With the exception of the Spotted Sandpiper this is the only species of the smaller Scol&pacidm which breeds throughout the State. Yet, notwithstanding this fact, its eggs have never yet, so far as is known to the writer, been taken.* "In Long Island, according to Giraud, it is noti very abund- ant, yet by no means rare. It is distributed singly or in pairs along such creeks as are reached by the tide; and it is also ob- served about pools and rivulets more remote from the sea. It seldom visits the beach, and is very rarely met with in the salt- marshes on the bays. It often takes up its abode near the habitations of man, preferring his society to that of the numer- ous species of shore-birds frequenting the seaside. It is not con- sidered game, and is not hunted, and thus becomes quite famil- iar. When nearly approached it flies but a short distance before it re-alights, to resume its occupation of probing the soft mud for worms and minute shellfish, which abound in its favorite haunts. It also resorts to decayed logs for the purpose of pro- curing grubs, and from this peculiarity of habit it is by some known as the "Wood Tatler." When surprised it utters a sharp whistling note, raises its wings, and runs nimbly over the miry ground. If closely pursued, it retreats to the opposite side of the pond, arranges its feathers, and soon resumes its usual gentle manners. This bird is very active on the wing, and may sometimes be seen darting after winged insects, which it is very expert in catching ; and when flying, its long and gracefully curved wings add greatly to the effect of its neat plumage. It arrives on Long Island in May, and is not seen there after Sep- tember. "Wilson states that this species is found in the summer in damp meadows among our highest mountains, from Kentucky to New York, on the mossy margins of mountain springs. He found it unsuspicious, and permitting a near approach without appearing to be in the least alarmed; he had no doubt that these birds regularly bred on Pocono Mountain, near East on, *It is not improbable that this species, like its European relative, the Green Sandpiper (T. ochropus), deposits its eggs in deserted nests of other birds, such as the Wood Thrush and other species which nest in moist woodlands. 64 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. though he could never find their nests. He notes its resemblance, both in manners and markings, to the Totanus ochropus, or Green Sandpiper, of Europe. "Nuttall states that a pair frequented, very familiarly, the small fish-pond in the Botanic Garden in Cambridge, attracted by larva? that fed on the water-lily. They would trip over the sinking leaves with all the lightness and agility of the Rail." (BREWER.) In Cook county, Mr. Nelson says that it is a "common mi- grant," arris ing the first of May and remaining until about the 25th, when the majority go farther north. He says: "I have several times taken young of this species just able to fly, and have observed the adults throughout the breeding season. I do not think there is the slightest doubt of its breeding in this vicinity. Departs for the south in August and September." GENUS SYMPHEMIA RAFINESQUE. Symphemia RAFINESQUH, Jour, de Phys. vii, 1819, 418. Type, Scolopax semipalmata GMEL. CHAE. Bill compressed, very thick, the culmen rounded. The lower mandible scarcely grooved, the upper grooved to about the middle. Culmen slightly convex ; gonys ascend- ing. Bill cleft but little beyond base of culmen. Feathers of sides of both mandibles fall- ing short of the nostrils, the lower rather farther forward. Chin-feathers reaching to mid- dle of nostrils. Bill longer than head ; about equal to tarsus, which is more than one and one half times the middle toe. Both toes webbed; the emargination of inner web as far forward as the middle of basal joint of middle toe, the outer reaching nearly to the end. Bare portion of tibia rather less than middle toe without claw. Tail nearly even, or a little rounded, not half the wings. Symphemia semipalmata (Gmel.)* WLLLET. Scolopax semipalmata GMEL. 8. N. ed. 13, i, 1788, 659.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 27, pi. 56, flg.3. Totanus semipalmatus TEMM. 1828.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 388, pi. 67.— Atro. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 510; v,1839, 585, pi. 574; Synop. 1839, 245; B. Am. v. 1842,324, pi. 347.- COUKS, tfey, 1872, 258; Check List, 1874, No. 431; Birds N. W. 1874, 494. Totanus (Catoptrophorus) semipalmatus BONAP. 1827.— NTTTT. Man. ii, 1834, 144. Symphemia semipalmata HABTL. Rev. Zool. 1845. 342.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 729.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 537.— Rroow. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 552; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 167.-CouES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 632.-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 285.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 258. HAS. Temperate North America, south to Brazil; West Indies. Accidental in Europe. SP. CHAR. Largest of American Scolopacidae, except genera Numenins and Limosa. Primaries black, with nearly the basal half white, producing a very conspicuous patch on the spread wing Summer adult : Above, light brownish gray, streaked on head and neck, * The western birds have recently (Auk, iv, April 1887, p. 145,) been separated by Mr. Brewster as S. semipalmata inomata. This form occurs in Illinois, but whether the true 8. semipalmata does also, I am not at present able to state. SCOLOPACID.E — THE SNIPE FAMILY. 65 and spotted and barred on the back, etc.. with blackish ; beneath, white, tinged with ashy on foreneck and with buff along sides, the former, with jugulum, spotted with dusky, and the latter barred with the same ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail ashy, more or less distinctly mottled transversely with a deeper shade of the same; wing-coverts plain ash-gray; axil- lars and lining of wing plain sooty black. Winter plumage: Above, plain a^h-gray ; beneath, immaculate dull white, the foreneck shaded with grayish. Young: Above, brownish gray, the feathers margined with pale ochraceous: sides much tinged with the same, and finely mottled transversely with grayish. Bill black; legs and feet grayish. In life, "bill light blue, dusky toward end; iris brown; feet light blue, claws black." (AUDUBOH.) Total length, about 15.00-17.00 inches; extent, 25.00-30.00 ; wing. 8.00-9.00; culmen, 2.30-2. 60; tarsus. 2.40-2.85; middle toe, 1.35-1.48. "The Willet," says Dr. Brewer, "is one of the most extensively distributed of North American birds. It is not only found along the entire Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida, and along the entire Gulf coast, but is equally abundant on the Pacific and through nearly all the marshy regions of the in- terior; it also occurs throughout Central and South America as far south as the Pampas, where it breeds in large numbers." "Mr. Nelson refers to this species as being a rare summer resi- dent in the marshes and on the wet prairies of northwestern Illinois, where it arrives the last of April, leaving by the first of October. The same writer afterward found it abundant on the shores of Salt Lake, in company with Avocets/ where its clamor made it a perfect nuisance to the sportsman. Captain Bendire also noticed it as an abundant summer resident in southeastern Oregon, where he procured several sets of its eggs, which began to be laid about the 10th of May. These birds were quite as abundant in the higher mountain valleys, at an altitude of six thousand feet, as they were in the lower regions, apparently frequenting all marshy localities. Dr. Bryant found this to be an abundant species in the Bahamas, where it was also resident, breeding in all suitable localities, and being known as the 'Duck Snipe.'" (BREWER.) GENUS BARTRAMIA LESSON. Bartramia LESSON. Traite d'Orn. 1831, 553. Type, B. laticauda LESS., = 7Vtn0a longi- cauda BKCHST. CHAB. Upper mandible grooved laterally to within the terminal fourth, the lower not quite so far. Culmen concave to near the tip, where it is slightly deourved; gonys straight. Mouth deeply cleft, almost as far back as the anterior cauthus of the eye. The culmen only about two thirds the commissure, shorter than the head or tarsus, and about equal to middle toe, without claw. Feathers extending much farther forward on the upper jaw than on the lower, although those of chin reach nearly to end of nostrils. Tarsus one and one half times middle toe and claw; the bare part of tibia not quite equal to the middle toe above; outer toe united at base as far as first joint; web of inner toe very short Tail long, gradu- ated, more than half the wings. 66 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS Bartramia longicauda (Bechst.) BAETBAM'S SANDPIPER. Popular synonyms. Bartramian Tatler; Field Plover; Upland Plover; Prairie Plover. Tringa longicauda BECHST. Uebers. Lath. Ind. Orn. ii, 1812, 453. Bartramius longicaudus BONAP. Bev. et Mag. Zool. xx, 1857, 59. Bartramia longicauda COUES, Bull N. 0. C. Apr. 1880, 100; Check List, 2d ed. 1882. No. 640,-BiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1882, No. 555; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 169.-B.B.&R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 2%.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 2<51. Tringa Bartramia WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813. 63, pi. 59, flg. 2.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 231; B. Am. v, 1842, 248. pi. 827. Tringa (Euliga) bartramia NUTT. Man. ii, 1834. 168. Totanus bartramius TEMM. 182).— Sw. & RICH. P. B.-A. ii, 1831. 391.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv. 1838, 24, pi. 303. Actiturus bartramius BONAP. 1831.— CABS, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 737.— BAIBD, ' Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 545,-CouES, Key. 1872, 260; Check List. 1874, No. 438; Birds N. W. 1874. 502. HAB. Eastern Province of North America, migrating Bouth to Brazil and Peru, and ex- tending north to the interior of Alaska and to Nova Scotia. Breeds throughout its North A merican range. Occasional in Europe. SP. CHAB. Bill about as long as the head, rather wide and flattened at base, slightly curved at the tip; nostril with a large membrane; nasal groove long; wing long; tail long for this group; legs moderate or rather long; lower half of the tibia naked; toes moderate, the outer and middle united by a membrane, inner and middle free to the base, hind toe small. Adult: Above, grayish brown, the feathers paler and more ochraceous toward their edges, spotted and barred with black; head and neck (except throat) streaked with blackish; crown blackish, divided by a mesial line of buff; throat, belly, and crissum plain buff y white ; axillars pure white and clear dusky slate in regular bars of nearly equal width; tail feathers (except middle pair) creamy buff, broadly tipped with white, crossed by a broad subterminal black spot, and with a few irregular narrow bars anterior to this; outer webs of primaries plain dusky slate, the inner webs with wide transverse bars of white on the outer quill, on the others broken into a confused mottling. Bump and upper tail- coverts nearly uniform blackish, the lateral feathers of the latter with their outer webs partly white. Young: Similar to the adult, but the buff of the head, jugulum, wings, etc., much deeper, the streaks on the foreneck and jugulum much less distinct, and the back plain black, the feathers bordered with buff . "Bill yellowish green, the tip dusky, the edges toward the base yellow ; iris dark hazel; legs and tarsi light yellowish gray, toes rather darker, claws brownish black". Downy Young: Above coarsely and irregularly mottled with black on a grayish-white ground, tinged with light rusty. Lower parts buffy white, with about three blackish spots on the flanks, one beneath the eye, a smaller one on the lores, about half-way between the bill and the eye, and a large, nearly vertical, one back of the ears. Total length, about 12 inches; wing. 6.50-7. 00; culmen, 1.10-1.15; tarsus. 1.90—1.95; middle toe. .90-1.05. To the residents of the prairie districts of our State, the "Up- land Plover," or "Field Plover," as this bird is usually named, is as familiar a bird as the Prairie Chicken or Meadowlark. The following observations by Mr. Nelson, will apply to almost any portion of the State with reference to this species: SCOLOPACID/E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 67 "Very common summer resident. Arrives early in April and departs in September. Frequents in greatest abundance the borders of marshes and half wild prairies. Quite difficult to approach when it first arrives, but during the breeding season becomes perfectly reckless, and hovers over head or follows through the grass within a few yards until it has escorted the intruder well off its domain. The presence of a dog in the vicinity of its nesting place is the signal for a general onslaught by all the birds in the vicinity, which hover over the dog, and with loud cries endeavor to drive it away. Being but little ap- preciated as game it is seldom hunted in this vicinity." GENUS ACTITIS ILLIGER. Actitis ILLIGEB, Prodr. 1811, p. 262. Type, by elimination, Tringa hypoleuca LINN. Tringoides BONAP. Saggio di una dist., etc., 1831, 58. Same type. CHAB. Upper mandible grooved to the terminal fourth: the bill tapering and rather acute. Cleft of mouth only moderate; the culmen about five sixths the commissure. Feathers extending rather farther on side of lower jaw than upper, the former reaching as far as the beginning of the nostrils ; those of the chin to about their middle. Bill shorter than the head, straight, equal to the tarsus, which is of the length of middle toe and claw. Bare part of tibia half the tarsus. Outer toe webbed to first joint; inner cleft nearly or quite to the base. Tail much rounded, more than half the wing. Actitis macularia (Linn.) SPOTTED SANDPIPEE. Popular synonyms. Sand Snipe; Sand Lark; River Peet-weet or Tip-up; River Snipe. Tringa macularia LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1760, 249.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 60, pi. 59, fig. 1. Totanus macularius TEMM. 1815.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 162.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1839, 81, pi. 310; Synop. 1839. 242; B. Am. v. 1812. 303, pi. 342. Tringoides macularius GBAY, 1849.— CASS. in Baird's B: N. Am. 1858, 735.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 543.— CouEB, Key, 1872, 260; Check List, 1873, No. 346; 2d ed. 1882, No. 638; B. N. W. 1874, 501.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, 557.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 301. ctitis macularia Nwn. Vog. Deutschl. viii, 1836, 34.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 263.— PaDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 170. ' •>•- .-.- HAB. The whole of North and Middle America, and South America as far as Brazil; occasional in Europe; no Greenland record. Breeds throughout temperate North America. SP. CHAB. Small, bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender; long grooves in both mandibles ; wing rather long, pointed ; tail medium, rounded ; legs rather long ; lower third of the tibia naked ; toes long, margined, and flattened underneath, the outer con- nected with the middle toe by a large membrane, the inner very slightly connected to the middle toe. Adult: Upper parts greenish ashy, with a somewhat metallic or bronzed luster and with numerous sagittate, lanceolate, and irregular, mostly transverse, spots of brown- ish black, having the same lustre. Line over the eye and entire under parts white, with numerous circular and oval spots of brownish black over the whole surface, smaller on the 68 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. throat, largest on the abdomen. Primaries plain dusky; tail dark ashy, the outer feathers with dusky and white transverse spots on their terminal portion; axillars immaculate white. Young: Above, greenish ashy, the wings with narrow transverse bars of black and buffy most numerous on the coverts. Beneath, white, without any spots, and with an ashy suffusion across the jugulum. Downy chick: Above, yellowish gray, with a nar- row black dorsal stripe from the bill to the tail; a narrow black line through the eye. Be- neath, dull white. Total length, about 7.75 inches; extent. 13.00-14.00; wing, 4.05-4.30; culmen, .90-1.00; tarsus .90-1.05; middle toe, .70.-80. Mandib'e and edge of the maxilla pale wax-yellow tin life); rest of bill black; iris dark brown; tarsi and toes pale grayish olive. This is probably the most generally distributed species of the family, since it is to be found along the banks of nearly every stream, large or small, in the land. In Cook county, the Spotted Sandpiper is, according to Mr. Nelson, a "very common summer resident." Mr. Nelson's note concerning it continues as follows: "Arrives in April and departs late in autumn. Breeds in abundance among the small sand hills, along the Lake shore. Near Waukegan, the first of June, 1876, I saw Mr. T. H. Douglas secure over two dozen of their eggs in considerably less than an hour. The nests were generally placed under a small shrub or in a thin tuft of grass and the eggs could be seen several yards away." GENUS TRYNGITES CABANIS. Tryngites CAB. Journ. fur. Orn. 1856, 418. Type, Tringa rufescens VlEtLL.,= r. subru- flcollis VIETLL. CHAB. Upper mandible grooved to about the terminal fourth; the lower not quite so far. Culmen and gonys about straight. Mouth deeply cleft more than half way to the eye ; the culmen about two thirds the commissure. Culmen much shorter than the head, and about equal to middle toe without claw. Tarsus about one and one sixth as long as middle toe and claw. Bare part of tibia decidedly shorter than middle toe without claw. Toes cleft to the base, with only a very rudimentary web. Upper jaw feathered to the nostrils; the side of the lower, and beneath, feathered much farther, or to the end of the nostrils ; the interspace of the rami entirely filled. Tail somewhat graduated, not half the wing. Tryngites subruficollis (Vieill.) BUIT-BBEASTED SANDPIPER Tringa subruficollis ViErLL. Nouv. Diet, xxxiv, 1819, 465. Tryngites subruflcollis Rnmw. Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. viii, 1885,356; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 169-A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 262. Tringa rufescens VIEZLL. Nouv. Diet, xxxiv. 1819, 470 (Louisiana).— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 113.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 451, pi. 265; Synop. 1889, 235; B. Am. v, 1842, 264, pL 271. Tryngites rufescens CABAN. J. f. O. 1856, 418 (Cuba).— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 739.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 546.— COUES, Key, 1872, 260; Check List, 1873, No. 439; 2d ed. 1882, No. 641; B. N. W. 1W4, 506.-Rn>GW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 556.-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 805. Actidurus ncevius HEEBM. Proc. Acad. Nat. ScL Phila. vii, 1854, 178; Pacific R. R. Rep. x pt vi. 1859. 20. pi. 6 (Texas). SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 6& HAB. North America in general, especially the interior; breeding chiefly in the interior of British America and the Yukon district; migrating south to Peru and Uruguay. Fre- quent in Europe. No West Indian record, except Cuba. SP. CHAB. Bill shorter than the head, straight, compressed, narrow at the point; nasal groove long; wings very long, first quill longest, the tertials rather shorter; tail moder- ate or longer than usual in this group; legs rather long, lower third of the tibia naked; toes free at base, flattened underneath, and slightly margined ; hind toe small. Upper parts pale and dull ochraceous, with an ashy tinge; every feather with a large central, lanceolate, crescent-shaped, or oblong spot of black, frequently with a glossy ereen tinge, especially on the back and shorter tertials. Under parts light ochraceous or p le fawn-color, many feathers tipped with white, and paler on the flanks and abdomen, on the breast with par- tially concealed small spots of black; axillary feathers white. Quills white, their outer webs light brown, inner webs ashy white marbled with black and narrowly tipped with white; middle tail-feathers brownish black ; outer feathers lighter, with transverse waved lines of blacfc on the terminal half, and tipped with white; under primary- coverts beautifullr marbled with black. Bill greenish black; legs greenish yellow. Young. Generally simi- lar, but the upper parts with the black and fawn-color less sharply contrasted, and each feather with a conspicuous terminal border of white. Marbling on inner webs of primaries and on under primary-coverts much more minute and delicate than in the adult "Bill dull olive-green, dusky toward the point; iris hazel; feet dull yellowish green, claws dusky." (AUDUBON.) Total length, about 7.50-8.00 inches; wing, 5.10-5.50; culmen, .75-.80; tarsus, 1.15-1.30; middle toe, .75-. 85. This handsome species is, so far as we know, one of the rarer migrants in Illinois. Mr. Nelson mentions a single specimen "in the collection of Mr. R. P. Clarke, obtained upon the Lake shore, at Chicago, September 4th, 1873," and is inclined to doubt Dr. Hoy's statement (Wis. Agr. Rep. 1852) that it is "quite common" near Racine, Wis., from September 15th to October 10th. It may be, however, that it is not so rare as Mr. Nelson supposes, but has escaped his observation, since in other portions of the Mississippi Valley it is very abundant. SUBFAMILY NUMENIN-EJ. CHAB. Back of tarsus covered with small hexagonal scales ; bill much longer than tar- sus, decidedly decurved or arched. GENUS NUMENITJS BRISSON. Numenius BKISS. Orn. vi, 1760, 311. Type, Scolopax arquata LINN. CHAB. Legs covered anteriorly with transverse scuteEse, laterally and behind with small hexagonal scales. Bill very long, exceeding the tibia, and curved downward for the terminal half; the culmen rounded. Tip of bill expanded laterally and club-shaped. Grooves of bill not reaching beyond the middle. Tertials as long as primaries. Bill variable in length, always longer than tarsus, sometimes exceeding tarsus and toes. It is nearly straight at the base, then decurving quite rapidly to the tip, where the upper mandible is thickened downward beyond and over the lower. Lateral grooves occupying 7.0 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. only the basal half or third of the bill; under mandible not grooved beneath. Cleft of mouth extending but little beyond the base of culmen. Feathers of head extending about the same distance on both mandibles; those of chin to opposite the anterior extremity of the nostrils. Tarsi nearly twice as long as middle toe, rather more than twice the bare part of tibia. It is covered behind by hexagonal scales larger than the lateral ones. Outer toe webbed at its basal joint; inner for half this distance. Tail short, nearly even, not quite half the wings. Of the genus Numenius several species are found in North America, none of them occurring regularly in the Old World, as is the case with so many of the TringincB. The three species occurring in eastern North America may be distinguished as follows: 1. N. longirostris. Wing, 10.00-12.00; culmen. 3.80-6.90; tarsus. 2.25-3.50; middle toe. 1.30- 1.55. Lower parts pale cinnamon; axillars deep cinnamon, without distinct bars ; crown uniformly streaked, without median stripe. Hob. Temperate North America south to Guatemala, Cuba, Jamaica, and Brazil (?). 2. N. hadsonieus. Wing. 8.00-10.25; culmen. 3.(KM.OO; tarsus. 2.25-2.30; middle toe, 1.35- 1.40. Lower parts pale buff, the breast marked with linear streaks; inner webs of primaries spotted with buff toward edges ; axillars deeper buff, distinctly barred with dusky; crown uniform dusky, divided by a median stripe of pale buff. Hab. The whole of America, including West Indies, but breeding only in the colder regions; Greenland. 3. N. borealis. Wing, 8.00-8.50; culmen, 2.25-2.50; tarsus, 1.70-1.80; middle toe, 1.00. Very similar to N. hudsonicus, but breast with V-shaped dusky markings, axillars pale cinnamon, barred with dusky, inner webs of primaries uniform dusky, the whole crown streaked, and without distinct median stripe. Hab. Northern and eastern North America, and southern South America; no West Indian record; Greenland; occasional in Europe. Only two others are known to occur in the New World. One of these (J¥. femoralis), which has been taken in Alaska, is dis- tinguished by having the thighs ornamented by long bristles, the tail and its coverts ochraceous, the latter crossed by nar- row bands of dusky brown; the size and general coloration much as in N. hudsonicus. N. phceopus, an Old World species which occasionally visits Greenland, is still more like N. hud- sonicus, from which it differs chiefly in having the rump pure white. Numenius longirostis Wils. LONG-BILLED CITELEW. Popular synonyms. Sickle-bill or Sickle- bill Snipe or Curlew; Snipe (Salt Lake Val- ley); Big Curlew. Numenius longirostris WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 24, pi. 64, fig. 4.— Sw. & BICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 376.— NUTT. Man, ii. 1834, 94.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 240; v. 1839, 587, pi. 231; Synop. 1839, 254; B. Am. vi. 1843, 35. pi. 355.-CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 743.- SCOLOPACID.E— THE SNIPE FAMILY. 71 BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 549.— COUES, Key, 1872, 262; Check List, 1873, No. 441; 2ded. 1882, No. 643; Birds IN. W. 1874, 508.-Rn>GW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 558; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 170.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 311.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 264. Numenius occidentalis WOODH. Proo. Acad. Nat. 8ci.Phila.Ti, 1852, 194; Sitgreaves' Rep. 1853, 98, pi. 6 (= young; Albuquerque, N. M.). HAB. Temperate North America, migrating south to Guatemala. Cuba; Jamaica; Brazil (?). SP. CHAB. The largest American species of this genus. Bill very long, much curved; upper mandible longer than the under, somewhat knobbed at the tip; wing rather long: legs moderate ; toes united at base. Entire upper parts pale rufous, tinged with ashy; every feather with transverse and confluent bands of brownish black, most numerous and predominating on the back and scapulars; secondary quills, under wing-coverts, and axillars, cinnamon- ruf ous ; primaries with their outer webs brownish black and their inner webs rufous, with transverse bands of black. Under parts pale rufous, with longitudinal lines of black on the neck and sides; tail rufous, tinged with ashy, transversely barred with brownish black. Bill brownish black; base of under mandible reddish yellow; legs bluish brown. Specimens vary to some extentin the shade of the rufous color of the plum- age, and very much in the length of the bill The rufous color is probably more distinct in the young. Total length, about 25.00 inches; extent, about 40.00; wing, 10.00-11.00; tail. 4.00; bill, 2.30 (immature individual) to 8.50; tarsus. 235. Bill black, becoming dull light lilac- brown on basal half of the mandible; iris brown; legs and feet gray. Downy young. Very pale ochraceous with a tinge of sulphur-yellow, rather deeper be- low than above. Upper parts marbled coarsely and rather irregularly with black. Bill straight, about 1.40 inches long. This bird appears to vary in size quite materially, and in the length of bill in different specimens so much so as to be quite perplexing; in fact, the bills of scarcely any two specimens are of the same length. In color, also, there is considerable variety, but the species can readily be distinguished. There are in the National Museum collection specimens which are undoubtedly N. occidentalis, Woodhouse, as above cited. The clear rufous of the plumage and the shorter bill, as given by Dr. Woodhouse, are present in these specimens ; but the rufous color is very probably characteristic of young age, while in the col- lection almost any length of bill can be produced, the extremes being about 2.30 and 8.50. The Long-billed Curlew or "Sickle-bill" is more or less com- mon, according to the locality, during the migrations. Mr. Nelson refers to it in his list (p. 130) as follows: "Formerly very abundant during the migrations and a com- mon summer resident. Now rather uncommon in the migra- tions and a very rare summer resident. A pair nested on the Calumet Marshes the spring of 1873. More numerous on the large marshes in central Illinois, Arrives the last of April and departs in October." 72 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Numenius hudsonicus (Lath.) HUDSONIAN CTTBLEW. Popular synonyms. Jack Curlew; Short-billed Curlew. Scolopax borealis WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 22. pi. 56, fig. 1 (nee FOBSTKB 1772). Numenius borealis OBD, ed. WILSON, 1825.— BBEWEB, ed. WELSON, 1840, 473 (excl. syn.). Numenius hudsonicus LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790. 712.— Sw. & RICH. P. B.-A. ii, 1831. 377.— NUTT. Man. il, 1834. 97.— AUD. Orn. Biog. ill, 1835. 283; v. 1839. 589. pL 237; Synop. 1839. '654; B. Am. vi. 1843. 42. pi. 356.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. A. 1858, 744.— BAIBD, Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 550.-COUES, Key, 1872, 262; Check List. 1873, No. 442; 2d ed. 1882. No. 645; Birds N.W. 1874, 509.— EIDOW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 559; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 171.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 31&.— A. O. U. Check List, 188S, No. 265. Numenius intermedius NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 100. HAB. The whole of America, including the West Indies; breeds in the high north, and winters chiefly south of the United States. Greenland. SP. CHAB. Adult. Crown dark sooty brown, divided longitudinally by a mesial stripe of buff; a narrow dusky stripe on side of head, from bill to anterior angle of the eye, con- tinued back beneath the eye and along upper edge of auriculars, separated from the dusky of the crown by a wide, well-defined superciliary stripe of light buff, the chin, throat, and abdomen immaculate; other portions, including cheeks, entire neck, jugulum, and breast marked with linear streaks of dark brown; axillars pinkish buff or dilute cinnamon, barred with dark brown. Upper parts spotted with dark sooty brown and light buff, the latter pre- vailing on the wing-coverts, the former on the back; rump and upper tail-coverts similarly spotted ; primaries dusky, the inner quills spotted with buff. This species is much rarer than the Long-billed Curlew, and never remains within the State during the breeding season. We are unfortunately unable to present any information of partic- ular interest respecting its habits. Numenius borealis (Forst.) ESKIMO CTTBLEW. Popular synonyms. Little Curlew; Dough-bird; Futes (Long Island). Scolopax borealis FOBST. Phil. Trans. Ixii, 1772, 411. 431 (Albany Fort). Numenius borealis LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 712.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831. 378, pi. 65.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 101.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii. 1835. 69; v. 1839, 590, pi. 208; Synop. 1839, 255; B. Am. vi, 1843, 45, pi. 357.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 714.— BAIBD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 551.— COUES. Key, 1872. 262; Check List, 1873, No. 443; 2d ed. 1882. No. 646; B. N. W. 1874, SlO.-Rmow. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 560; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 171.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 318.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 266. HAB. Eastern Provin?e of North America; breeding in Arctic districts, where extend- ing from the Prybilof Islands (not breeding) to Greenland ; migrating south to extremity of South America (Falkland Islands, Patagonia, and Chili); no West Indian record, but noted from Bermuda and Trinidad (Leotaud). Occasional in Europe. Not recorded from western North America. SP. CHAB. Adult. Crown dusky, streaked with buff, but without distinct mesial stripe; a dusky stripe of aggregated streaks on side of head, from bill to and behind the eye ; rest of head, neck, and entire lower parts light buff, the cheeks and neck streaked, the breast, SCOLOPACID.E — THE SNIPE FAMILY. 73 sides, flanks, and crissmn with V-shaped markings of dusky brown; axillars and lining of the wing pale cinnamon, the former narrowly barred with dusky. Upper parts spotted dusky and buff, the wing-coverts more grayish brown, with dusky shaft-streaks ; primaries, including their inner webs, plain brownish dusky. Rump and upper tail-coverts spotted dusky and light buff. Tail brownish gray, barred with dusky. In plumage, this little Curlew closely resembles N. hudsonicus, but has the inner webs of the primaries either plain dusky or else finely and confusedly mottled, instead of being marked with very distinct and regular ochraceous spots; the breast with transverse V-shaped markings instead of linear, longitudinal streaks, while there are other differen- ces, besides the important one of size, which serve to readily distinguish them. The Little Curlew or "Dough Bird" is of rather common oc- currence in Illinois during the migrations, arriving, according to Mr. Nelson, a little later than N. hudsonicus, passing north with short delay, and returning the last of September and in October. While lingering with us it frequents chiefly the wet prairies, in company with the Golden Plover. —10 74 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY RECUR VIROSTRID-2E.— THE AVOCETS AND STILTS. The Recurvirostridce, in addition to the features already men- tioned (see p. 19), are characterized by the excessive length of the legs, with very long slender neck and subulate, elongated bill. The plumage has the same dense, soft character as that of the Plialaropodidce, Fulicinoz, and Longipennes. GENERA. A. Hind toe present. 1. Reeurvirostra. Anterior toes all webbed; bill recurved. B. Hind toe wanting. 2. Himantopus. No web between middle and inner toes, and web between outer and middle toes quite small; bill slightly upturned from the middle, cylindrical or scarcely depressed ; tarsus much longer than the bill. GENUS RECTJRVIROSTRA LINN^US. Reeurvirostra LINN. Syst. Nat. ed, 10, i, 1758, 151. Type, R. avosetta LINN. CHAB. Hind toe rudimentary, but distinct; anterior toes united by a much emarginated membrane. Bill depressed, decidedly recurved, extended into a fine point, which is slightly decurved. Tail covered by the wings. The species of Avocet are few in number, there being one pe- culiar to North America, South America, Australia, and Europe respectively. Reeurvirostra americana Gmel. AMERICAN AVOCET. Popular synonyms. White Snipe (Salt Lake Valley); Yelper; Lawyer; Scooper. Reeurvirostra americana GMEL. S. N. ed. 13, i, 1788, 693.— WILSON, Am. Orn.vii, 1813, 126, pi. 63, flg. 9.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 75.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 168, pi. 318; Synop. 1839,252; Birds Am. vi, 1843, 24. pi. 353.— BAIBD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 703; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 517.— COUES, Key, 1872, 147; Check List, 1873, No. 407; 2d ed. 1882, No. 600.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 566; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 146.-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 341.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 225. Reeurvirostra occidentalis VIG. ZooL Jour, iv, 1829, 356 ; ZooL Voy. Blossom, 1839. 28, pi 12.— CABS. Ulustr. B. CaL, Tex., etc.. 1855, 232, pi. 40 (=winter plumage!). v RECURVIROSTRID.E — THE AVOCETS AND STILTS. 75 HAB. Temperate North America; north to the Saskatchewan and Great Slave Lake, south (in winter) to Guatemala, Cuba, and Jamaica. Much rarer in the Eastern than in the Western Province. SP. CHAB. Wings (except secondaries, terminal half of greater coverts, and inner secondaries), inner scapulars, and adjoining feathers of the back, brownish black; lower parts, rump, outer scapulars, and middle of the back white; tail ashy white or pale ashy. A dull in summer: Head, neck, and breast, light cinnamon, becoming white around the bill andfading gradually into the white of the body. Tertials brownish gray. Adult (and young) in winter: Head, neck, and breast, white, more or less tinged with pale bluish gray, especi- ally on crown and nape. Toung: Primaries slightly tipped with whitish; scapulars and feathers of back tipped or transversely mottled with pale fulvous or buff. Crown dull gray- ish; nape tinged with light rufous. Total length, about 17.00 to 18.75 inches; extent, 30.00 to 36.00; wing, 8.50-9.00; culmen, 3.40-3.65; tarsus, 3.70-3.80; middle toe, 1.60-1.70. Bill deep black; iris, deep brown; legs and feet ashy blue. The intensity of the cinnamon-color on the head and neck varies with the individual; sometimes there is a dusky gray suffusion around the eye, this being especially characteristic of younger birds. Mr. Nelson says that in the northeastern portion of Illinois, the Avocet "generally occurs in small parties the last of April and first of May, and during September and the first of Oc- tober," and that it "frequents the borders of marshy pools." GENUS HIMANTOPUS BRISSON. Himantopus BBISS. Orn. vi, 1760, 33. Type, Charadrius himantopus LINN. CHAB. Hind toe wanting; outer and middle toes connected at the base by a short web ; the inner toe completely separated from the middle. Bill subulate, deeper than broad, slightly upturned toward the end. Legs excessively lengthened, the bare part of the tibia about half as long as the tarsus, which greatly exceeds the bill in length, the latter being nearly twice the length of the middle toe. The Stilts have much the same range as the Avocets, but the species are more numerous, there being at the present time about seven recognized by authorities. Like Recurvirostra, the genus Hinumtopus is represented in America by two very distinct spe- cies; one belonging to North, Central, and northern South America, the other peculiar to the southern portion of the southern continent. 76 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Himantopus mexicanus (Miill.) BLACK-NECKED STILT. Popular synonyms. Lawyer; Long-shanks; Pink-stockings. Charadrius mexicanus MULLEB, 8. N. Suppl. 1776, 117. Himantopus mexicanus OED, ed. WILSON, vii. 1821, 52.— BONAP. Comp. List, 1838, 54.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 567; Man.N. Am. B. 1887, 147.— COUES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. C01.—B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 345.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 226. Recurvirostra himantopus WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 48, pi. 58, flg. 2. Himantopus nigrwollis VIEH/L. 1817.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 8.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 247, pi. 328; Synop. 1839, 252; Birds Am. vi, 1843, 31, pi. 354.— BAIBD, Birds N. Am. 1851,704; Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 518.— COUES, Key, 1872, 247; Check List, 1874, No. 408; Birds N. W. 1874, 462. HAB. The whole of temperate North America, Middle America, and northern South America, south to Peru and Brazil; Galapagos; West Indies in general, and Bermudas; north, on the Atlantic coast, to Maine. More generally distributed and more abundant in the Western than in the Eastern Province. SP. CHAB. Adult male: Forehead, a large postocular spot, lores, entire lower parts, mmp, and upper tail-coverts white. Remainder of the head, whole nape, back, scapulars, and wings (both surfaces), glossy black, with a greenish blue reflection. Tail pale grayish' Bill black; iris crimson; legs and feet lake-red or beautiful pink in life, yellowish in the dried skin. Adult female: Similar to the male, but back and scapulars brownish slate, and the black of other portions duller. Young, first plumage: Similar to the adult female, but the feathers of the back, the scapulars, and tertials bordered with deep buff or whitish, the black of the head and v.ape finely mottled with the same. Downy young: Above light ful- vous-grayish, mottled with du?ky,the back and rump relieved by several large black blotches. Head, neck, and lower parts fulvous- whitish, the crown, occiput, and nape gray- ish, the crown with a mesial black streak, the occiput with coarse spots of the same. Total length, about 14-15.50 inches; extent, 27-30; wing, 8.50-9.00; culmen, about 2.50; tar- sus,4.00; middle toe, 1.37. Bill deep black; iris rosy carmine; legs and feet flne rose-pink or delicate pale lake-red (in life). Adult specimens in high breeding plumage sometimes have the white of the breast, etc., tinged with soft creamy pink. While on record only as a summer visitant to Illinois, the Stilt undoubtedly breeds in some portion of the State. Mr. Nel- son says that it is "an exceedingly rare visitant" to Cook county, and mentions the fact that there is in the collection of the Illi- nois Natural History Society, at Normal, a fine specimen taken in McLean County. He also says that Dr. P. R. Hoy, of Racine, Wisconsin, records the occurrence of a small flock near that place in April, 1847. PHALAROPODIDJi — THE PHALAROPES. 77 FAMILY PHALAROPODID-ffi.— THE PHALAROPES. CHAB. Small birds of Sandpiper- like appearance, but with very full, compact plumage like that of the Coots, Gulls, and Petrels; the tarsus greatly compressed, and the toe partly webbed as well as fringed by a lateral, sometimes scalloped, margin. The Phalaropes are small northern birds combining the habits, as well as to a certain extent the appearance, of the Waders and Swimmers. The two recognized genera may be distinguished as follows: Crymophilus. Bill flattened, broad, the nostrils sub-basal; web between outer and middle toe extending to beyond second joint of the latter; lateral membrane of all the toes deeply scalloped. Phalaropus. Bill subulate, the nostrils strictly basal. Subgenus Phalaropus. Feet as in Crvmoph lus. Subgenus Steganopus. Web between outer and middle toes not reaching to second joint of latter; lateral membrane to all the toes narrow and scarcely scalloped. GENUS CRYMOPHILUS VIEILLOT. Grymophilus VIEELL. Analyse, 1816, 62. Type, Tringa fulicaria LINN. CHAB. Bill flattened, broad, the nostrils sub-basal; web between outer and middle toes extending to beyond second joint of the latter; lateral membrane of the toes broad and deeply scalloped. Crymophilus fulicarius (Linn.) BED PHALAROPE, Tringa fulicaria LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 148; ed. 12. i, 1766, 249. Phalaropus fulicarius Sw. &BICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 407.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834,236.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 404, pi. 255; Synop. 1839, 239; B. Am. v. 1842. 291, pi. 339.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 707.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 521.— COUES, Key, 1872, 248; Check List, 1874, No. 411; 2d ed. 1882, No. 604; B. N. W. 1874, 471.-Rn>ow. Norn. N. Am. B. 1882, No. 563.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 326. Crymophilus fulicarius STEJN. Auk, ii. 1885.183.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 222- RIDOW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 144. HAB. Northern portions of the northern hemisphere, breeding in very high latitudes, and migrating southward In winter; chiefly maritime; in America, recorded from as far south as Ohio. Illinois, and Cape Bt. Lucas. 78 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SP. CHAB. A dull, summer plumage : Entire lower parts deep purplish cinnamon ; sides of head white. Back and scapulars light ochraceous or buff, striped with black; wing- coverts deep bluish plumbeous, the greater widely tipped with pure white ; remiges plum- beous-dusky. Lining of the wing white, bordered exteriorly with dusky grayish. Male: Crown and n;jpe streaked, like the back; white on side of head not well defined. Female : Crown uniform plumbeous-black or dark plumbeous, the white on side of the head sur- rounding the eyes, and abruptly defined, the nape unstreaked cinnamon and plumbeous. Adult and young in winter : Head, neck and lower parts pure white, the occiput and a space partly or completely surrounding the eyes dark plumbeous. Upper parts uniform fine pearl-gray or light bluish plumbeous, the remiges slate-color. Young, first plumage : Crown, nap*, back, and scapulars dull black, the feathers edged with ochraceous; wing- coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts plumbeous, the middle coverts bordered with pale buff, the tail-coverts with ochraceous. Head (except croAvn) and lower parts generally, white; the throat and jugulum suffused with brownish buff. Downy young : Above, bright tawny-buff, marked with broad irregular stripes of black; superciliary stripe bright tawny buff, the two of opposite sides separated only by a narrow and sometimes interrupted dusky streak; pileum bright raw-umber brown, bordered exteriorly with black; chin and throat light fulvous-buff, changing to smoky buff on jugulum; rest of lower parts dull whitish. Total length, about 7.50 inches; wing, about 5.25-6.50; culmen, .80-.95; tarsus, .80-.85; middle toe. .75-.80. The Red Phalarope occurs in Illinois as a rare migrant. Its summer home is in the Arctic regions, which it leaves after the assumption of its winter plumage, which is so unlike that of summer as to give the bird a totally different appearance. GENUS PHALAROPTTS BRISSON. SUBGENUS Phalaropus. Phalaropus Brass. Orn. vi, 1760, 12. Type, by elimination, Tringa lobata LINN. Lobipe.s " Cuv. Beg. Anim. 1817." Type, Tringa hyperborea LiNN.,= T lobata LINN. CHAB. Similar to Crymophilus, but bill subulate, and the nostrils strictly basal Phalaropus lobatus (Linn.) NORTHERN PHALABOPE. Tringa lobata LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 148; ed. 12. i, 1766. 24$. Lobipes lobatus B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 330. Phalaropus lobatus STEJN. Auk, ii. 1885, 183.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 223.-RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 145. Tringa hyperborealxs-s. 8. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 249 (based on Faun. Suec, 179; Edw. 143; Will. 270; Bay, 132.— Phalaropus cinereus BKISS. Orn. vi, 5). Phalaropus hyperboreus (male) LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 775 (excL syn. ; supposed female =(7. fulicarius).— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 239.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii. 1835. 118; v, 183J, 595, pi. 215.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 706.— BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 520. Lobipes hyperboreus Cuv. Beg. Anim. i,ed. 1829, 532.— AUD. Synop. 1839, 240 ; B. Am. v, 1842, 295, pi. 340.— COUKS, Key, 1872, 248; Check List, 1873. No. 410; 2d ed. 1882, No. 603; B. N. W. 1874, 469.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1882, No. 564. PHALAROPODIIXE — THE PBALAROPES. 79 HAS. Northern portions of the northern hemisphere ; breeding very far north, and not penetrating far within the tropics in winter ; chiefly, but not strictly, maritime. In America, recorded from the following southern localities: Bermudas; Duenas, Guatemala; Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Sp. CHAR. Adult: Above dark plumbeous, the back striped with ochraceous; wings dusky, the greater coverts widely tipped with white ; lower parts chiefly white, the neck with more or less rufous. Female, with the sides of the neck and jugulum uniform cinna- mon-rufous, the plumbeous above pure and continuous. Male, with the rufous confined chiefly to the sides of the neck, the jugulum being mixed white and grayish, tinged with rufous ; plumbeous above duller and less continuous than in the female. Young, first plum- age: Crown plumbeous-dusky, with or without streaks ; back and scapulars black, dis- tinctly streaked with buff or ochraceous; wings as in a 'ult, but middle coverts bordered with buff or whitish. Forehead, supra-auricular stripe, lores, and lower parts white, the jugulum and sides of breast sometimes suffused with dull brownish; auriculars dusky. Downy young : Above, bright tawny, the rump with three parallel stripes of black, enclos- ing two of lighter fulvous than the ground-color; crown covered by a triangular patch of mottled darker brown, bounded irregularly with blackish ; a black line over ears, not reach- ing to the eye; throat and rest of head light tawny -fulvous ; rest of lower parts white, be- coming grayish posteriorly. Total length, about 7.00 inches; wing, 4.00-4.45; culmen, .80-.90; tarsus, .75-.S5; middle toe, .6S-.75. This species, which is a rather rare migrant in Illinois, is es- sentially similar in its habits and distribution to the Red Phal- arope. Mr. Nelson's record concerning it is as follows: - "Rather rare migrant the first of May, and the last of Sep- tember and first of October. Frequents slow streams or marshy pools, where, swimming gracefully from one patch of floating weeds to another, it obtains its food. It is quite gentle and unsuspicious, and I have approached in a boat within five yards of one without its showing the least concern." SUBGENUS Steganopus VIEILLOT. Steganopus VIBILX,. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxxii.1819, 136. Type. S. tricolor VIEXLL. CHAB. Bill slender and subulate, with strictly basal nostrils, as in Phalaropus ; web be- tween outer and middle toes not reaching to second joint, the lateral membrane of all the toes narrow and scarcely scalloped. Phalaropus tricolor (Vieill.) WILSON'S PHALABOFE. Phalaropus lobatus WILS. Am. Orn. ix. 1825, 72. pi. 73, fig. 3 (nee Tringa lobata LINN). Phalaropus wilsoni SABINE, App. Frankl. Journ. 1823, 691.— 8w. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1832, 405, pi. 69.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 245.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1S35. 400, pi. 254.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858. 705.-BAIBD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 519. Phalaropus (Holopodius) wilsoni BONAP. Synop. 1828, 342.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 245. Lobipes wilsoni AUD. Synop. 1839, 241; B. Am. v. 1842, 299, pi. 341. 80 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Steganopus wilsoni COITES, Ibis, Apr. 1865, 158; Key, 1872, 248; Check List, 1874, No. 409; 2d ed. 1882, No. 602; B. N. W. 1874, 467.— BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 565.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 335. Steganopus tricolor YIEILL. Nouv. Diet, xxxii, 1819, 136. Phalaropus tricolor STEJN. AUK, ii, 1885, 183.— A. O.U.Cheek List, 1886, No. 224.— BIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 145. HAS. Temperate North America, chiefly inland ; north to eastern Oregon, Saskatche- wan, and Nova Scotia; south, in winter, to Brazil and Patagonia. (Not recorded from the Pacific coast of North America.) SP. CHAE. Adult female in summer: Forehead and crown pale pearl- gray, the former with a blackish line on each side; occiput and nape white, changing to plumbeous- gray on the back and scapulars. Stripe on side of head (chiefly bask of the eye), and con- tinued down sides of neck, deep black, changing on lower part of the neck into rich dark chestnut, which extends backward, somewhat interruptedly, on each side of the interscapu- lar region; outermost scapulars marked with a similar stripe. A short stripe above the lores and eyes (not reaching to the bill), cheeks, chin, and throat, pure white; foreneck and chest soft buffy-cinnamon, deepest laterally and posteriorly, and fading gradually into creamy buff on the breast; remaining lower parts white. Wings brownish gray, the coverts and tertials margined with paler; rump brownish gray; upper tail-coverts pure white. Adult male in summer: Smaller and much duller in color than the female, with the beautiful markings of the latter usually but faintly indicated. Adult and young in winter: Above plain light ash-gray; upper tail-coverts, superciliary stripe, and lower parts, white, the chest and sides of breast faintly tinged with pale ashy. Young: Crown, back, and scapulars blackish dusky, the feathers oonspicuously margined with buffy ; upper tail-coverts, superciliary stripe, and lower parts white, the neck tinged with buff. Downy young: General color bright tawny, or tawny-brown, paler beneath, the belly nearly white; occiput and nape with a distinct median streak of black, on the former branching laterally into two narrower, somewhat zig-zag lines; lower back and rump with three broad black stripes ; flanks with a black spot, and caudal region crossed by a wide sub- terminal bar of black. Female. Length, about 9. 40-10. 00 inches; wing, 5.20-5.30; culmen, 1.30-1.35; tarsus, 1.30- 1.35; middle toe, .90-1.00. Male. Length, about 8.25-9.00; wing, 4.75-4.80; culmen, 1.25; tarsus, 1.20-1.25; middle toe, .90. This beautiful bird, the adult female of which is by far the handsomest of our small Waders, is a common summer resi- dent in the prairie districts of Illinois. Mr. Nelson publishes an interesting account of the peculiari- ties, or characteristics, of this species, in his catalogue of the Birds of Northeastern Illinois (p. 124), which is as follows: "Very common summer resident in this vicinity. Found in abundance about damp prairies and on grassy marshes. Arrives about the middle of May and remains until into August. I have found its nest from the 25th of May to June 25th. The young usually appear about the middle of June and commence to fly the first of July. The breeding plumage of the female of this species is much brighter and richer than that of the male, as has been recently announced by Mr. A. L. Kumlein (Field and Forest* July, 1876). The male builds the nest and attends exclusively to the duties of incubation, it alone possessing the PHALAROPODID.E— THE PHALAROPES. 81 naked abdomen during the breeding season. The female always remains near, and shows great solicitude upon the nests' being approached. The first plumage of the young, described by Dr. Coues on page 467, "Birds of the Northwest," is retained until they depart for the south, the last of July or early in August. The adults assume the winter plumage during July. This plum- age is much like the breeding plumage of the male, except that there is a hoary cast over the back and neck caused by grayish tips to the feathers, and the female has a greater amount of dull chestnut on the sides of the neck. * * * "The nest is a simple structure of fine grass blades placed in a small saucer-shaped depression, generally in a perfectly open situation, where but slight concealment is afforded by the few surrounding grass blades. Sometimes the eggs are deposited directly upon the ground, without any nest other than the slight hollow. The eggs usually number four and are very dark. Their general appearance is much like that of a small killdeer's egg, with an unusual amount of dark markings." —11 82 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. ORDER ALECTORIDES.— THE CRANES, COTJRLANS, KAILS, GAL- LINULES, AND COOTS. The Alectorides are a tolerably well-defined group of birds, related somewhat closely to the Limicolce, but very distinct from the Herodiones, to which some of the forms (more es- pecially the Gruid<%) bear a teleological resemblance. Typical families of this Order are the Gfruidce (Cranes), Aramidce (Cour- lans), and Rallidce (Rails), all represented in North America. In addition to these families, South America possesses several others which have been placed here, but whether rightly or not, we cannot say. These extralimital families are the Eurypygidm (Sun Bitterns), Cariamidce (Cariamas), and Psophiidm (Trum- peters). The typical members of the group are praecocial and ptilopsedic. The North American families are the following: A. Size small or medium; head normally feathered or with a frontal shield; middle toe w»arlyas long as the tarsus; hallux well developed (nearly as long as the first joint of the middle toe), nearly incumbent. (Eatti.) Kallidae. Size medium to very small; outer primary longer than the sixth, very broad ; second nearly or quite equal to the longest. Beatrices almost rudimentary, soft, nearly hidden by the coverts. Bill not curved to one side at tip (usually shorter than the tarsus). Aramidse. Size medium or rather large ; outer primary shorter than seventh, the inner web very narrow, except at end ; second quill much shorter than the longest (fifth). Eectrices well developed, firm, twelve in number. Bill curved to one side at tip, equal to or longer than the tarsus ; inner secondaries broad, reaching to end of primaries, their webs partially decomposed. B. Size large; head partly-naked (except in young), or with ornamental plumes; middle toe less than half the tarsus ; hallux small, much elevated. (G-rugs.) Gruidae. [Characters as above.] RALLIDJv— THE RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS. 83 SUBORDER RALLI. FAMILY RALLID^aE.— THE RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS. CHAB. Small or medium- sized wading or swimming birds, with compressed body, very long toes, which are sometimes (in the Coots) lobed along the edges, short, rounded, concave wings, and very muscular thighs. The brief diagnosis given above is sufficient to distinguish the Rails, of whatever subfamily, from the Courlans and Cranes, their only near allies. The typical Rails (Rallince) are of very small to medium size, the typical genus, Eallus, being charac- terized particularly by a lengthened slender bill, while other gen- era, as Porzcma and Crex, have this member comparatively short and thick. The Coots and Gallinules have the base o? the culmen continued upon the forehead, where it widens out into a more or less gibbous or expanded plate or frontal shield. The Coots, however, are peculiar in having the toes fringed with scalloped flaps or lateral lobes. The three subfamilies occurring in North America may be thus distinguished : Rallinae. No frontal process ; toes without lateral lobes ; size variable ; bill sometimes much elongated. Gallinulinae. A frontal process, as in Fulicince ; toes without lateral lobes; size large. Folicinae. A frontal process, as in GallinulinGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 579; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 141.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 219. Gallinula chloropus BONAP. Synop. 1828, 336 (nee LATH.).— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 330, pi. 224; Synop. 1839, 210; B. Am. v, 1842, 132, pi. 304. HAB. The whole of tropical and temperate America, from Canada to Brazil and Chili. SP. CHAE. Adult: Frontal plate large, obovate, truncated or slightly convex posteri- orly, flat and smooth, or tumid and corrugated. Bill shorter than the head, rather thick, compressed. Head, neck, and entire lower parts dark plumbeous, with a bluish cinereous cast, frequently nearly black on the head and neck, and generally lighter (in autumnal and winter specimens quite white) on the abdomen. Crissum white, the middle feathers black ; feathers of the flanks widely edged with white, producing broad stripes ; edge of the wing and edge of outer primary white. Upper parts dark russet, or sepia-brown, darker on the rump. Bill and frontal shield bright vermilion in life, the end of the former greenish yellow or bright yellow: iris brown; legs and feet yellowish green, the joints ashy blue; upper RALLID.E— THE RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS. 87 part of the naked tibias scarlet. Young: Similar, but frontal shield rudimentary, the bill Drownish, paler at the tip ; the whole lower parts suffused with whitish, and the head mixed with th ^ same, particularly the throat, whi h is sometimes wholly white. Stripes on the flanks less distinct or nearly obsolete. Downy Young: Glossy black, the median lower parts fuliginous ; throat and cheeks interspersed with silvery white hairs ; bill yel- lowish (red in life?) crossed about the middle by a dusky bar. Total length, about 12.00-13.00 inches; extent, 20.00 to 21.00; wing, 6.85-7.25; culmen (to end of frontal shield) 1.70-1.85; tarsus, 2.10-2.30; middle toe, 2.50-2.60. This species much resembles the Moor-hen, Water-hen, or Gal- linule of Europe (G. cJdoropus), but is larger, has the frontal shield truncated instead of pointed posteriorly, and is other- wise different. It likewise resembles other exotic species, par- ticularly 6r. garmani of the Peruvian Andes, but is quite dis- tinct. Specimens vary a great deal in the size and shape of the frontal shield, and in the amount of white on the abdomen. These variations are by no means dependent on locality, how- ever, but upon the individual, having doubtless some connec- tion with age and season, the white on the abdomen being more marked on winter specimens. Although in most places less numerous than the Coot (Fu- lica americcma), the Florida Gallinule is, in favorable localities, a common summer resident throughout the State. Mr. Nelson bears witness to its abundance in Cook county, and in his ex- cellent list gives us the following information concerning it : "Abundant summer resident everywhere in marshes and the larger prairie sloughs. Arrives the last of April or the first of May. Generally has a full set of eggs, numbering from seven to twelve, the first week of June. Its nests are placed wherever fancy dictates; on low ridges a rod or more from the water; in perfectly bare situations on the borders of marshes, or in the midst of bulrushes or wild rice growing in several feet of water. The material used varies with the situation, from fine grasses to the coarsest rushes and fragments of wild rice stalks. In the latter case the nest often floats in the water and is held in place by the surrounding reeds. The young possess the usual black down and disproportionate feet of members of this family at an early age, but the basal two thirds of the bill is bright red, the tip only being yellow. I have placed eggs under a hen, but the young, unless removed as soon as hatched, would scramble out and manage to get away. At this age they have a clear metallic peep, quite unlike that of a chicken." 88 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. GENUS IONORN1S REICHENBACH. ? Porphyrula BLTTH, Cat. B. Asiat. Soc. 1849, 283. Type, P. chloronotus BLYTH. » lonornis KEICHENB. Syst. Av. 1853, p. xxi. Type, Fulica martinica LINN. CHAE. Similar to Gallinula but form more slender, nostrils small and oval, middle toe shorter than the tarsus, and the toes'without trace of lateral membrane. Colors very hand some (chiefly opaque blue, purple, and green). Whether the American species, to which the generic name adopted above is properly applicable, is congeneric with the old world species (Porphyrio chloronotus BLYTH, nee VIEILL.), which is the type of the genus Porphyrula BLYTH, is at present un- certain. \Cf. D. G. ELLIOT: "The Genus Porphyrio and its Species;" separate pamphlet, from "Stray Feathers," pp. 1-20.] lonornis martinica (Linn.) PURPLE GALLINULE. Popular synonyms. Blue Coot; Blue Peter; Blue Mud-hen. Fulica martinica LINN. S. N. i, 1766. 259. Gallinula martinica LATH. 1790.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 221.— AUD. O- n. Biog. iv. 1838, 37. pl. 305; Synop. 1839, 210; B. Am. v, 1842. 128, pi. 303.-CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 753.— BAIED, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 561. Porphyrio martinica GOSSE, Birds Jam. 1847, 377.— COUES, Key, 1872, 275; Check List, 1873, No. 473. lonornis martinica REICH. A v. Syst. 1853. 21.— RIDGW. Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus. iii. 1881. 202,227;Nom. N. Am. B.1881, No.578; Man.N.Am. B. 1887, 141.— COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 685; A. O. U. Check List 1886, No. 218. GaUinula porphyrio WiLS.Am. Orn. ix,1824, 69, pl. 73. HAB. The whole of tropical and warm-temperate America, south to Brazil; north, cas- ually, to Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri. Ber- mudas and throughout West Indies. Not recorded from any part of the United States west of the Bocky Mountains. SP. CHAE. Adult: Head, neck, and lower parts slaty bluish purple, darker (sometimes nearly black) on abdomen and tibiae; crissum pure white; upper parts bright olive-green, changing to bright verditer-blue toward the purple of the lower'parts, the sides and lining of wing also greenish blue ; wings brighter green than the back, and shaded with bright ver- diter-blue. Frontal shield bright blue in life (greenish or olivaceous in driem. Club, Vol. I., p. 43), and average 1.00 by .81 inches. They are nearly perfectly oval, and are thinly sprinkled with fine reddish-brown dots, which become larger and more numerous at one end. Minute shell markings in the form of dots are also visible. Owing to the small diameter of the nest, the eggs were in two layers." -13 98 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. FAMILY GRUID-ffi.— THE CRANES. The diagnosis of this family has already been given on page 82. The species are all of very large size, and inhabit grassy plains, as well as marshes. The bill is moderately long; the nostrils broad and pervious, the nasal groove extending but little beyond them. The legs are long, but the toes are short; the hind toe is very short and much elevated, the claw scarcely touching the ground. The genera are few in number, but one, Gras, belonging to North America. GENUS GRITS PALLAS. Orus PALL. Misc. Zool. 1766, 66. Type, Ardea grus LINN. CHAB. Bill lengthened, straight, the upper mandible only slightly decurved at the ex- treme tip ; the commissure and other outlines straight. Nasal groove very large and open, extending over the basal two thirds of the bill. Nostrils broadly open, pervious ; the ante- rior extremity hah* way from the tip of bill to eye. The upper half of the head naked, warty, but with short hairs. Legs much lengthened ; toes short, hardly more than one third the tarsus. Inner toe rather longer, its claw much larger than the outer. Hind toe elevated, short. Toes con- nected at base by membrane. Tarsi broadly scutellate anteriorly. Tertials longer than primaries, decurved: first quill not much shorter than second. Tail of twelve feathers. Adult plumage white, the primaries black ; cheeks naked. Bill very thick, the gonys strongly convex. 1. 0. americana. Adult plumage grayish or plumbeous, the primaries slate-color; cheeks always feath- ered. Bill slender, longer than middle toe ; gonys straight. 2. G. canadensis. Wing, 17.75-19.00 inches ; culmen, 2. 90-3.70 ; tarsus, 6,70-8.00 ; middle toe 2.80-2.95. Hob. Alaska to New Mexico and Texas, breeding (exclusively?) far northward. 3. G. mexicana. Wing, 22.00 inches; culmen, 5.00-6.00; tarsus, 10.00; middle toe, 3.50 or more. Hab. Western United States and Gulf States from Washington to Florida. GRUID.E— THE CRANES. 99 Grus americana (Linn.) WHOOPING CRANE. Popular synonym. Great White Crane. Ardea americana LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i. 1766, 234.— WrLS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 20, pi. 64. flg. 3. Grus americana Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 372.— NUTT. Man. 1834, 34.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 202, pi. 226; Synop. 1839, 219; B. Am. v, 1842, 188, pi. 313.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 654; Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 478.— COUES. Key, 1872, 271; Check List, 1873, No. 462; ed. 2, 1882, No. 668; Birds N. W. 1874, 530. RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 582; Man. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 582.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 204. Grus hoyanus, DUDLEY, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. vii, 1854. 64 (young).-STiMPSON, Mem. Chicago Acad. i, 1868, 129, pL 19. HAB. The interior of North America from Texas and Florida to the Fur Countries, and from Colorado to Ohio; south to Guanajuato, Central Mexico?1 Formerly found, casually, in the Atlantic States. SP. CHAK. Adult: Whole crown and occiput covered by a warty or granulated skin almost bare on the occiput, but covered anteriorly by black hair- like bristles; the color of this skin reddish in life. Lores and malar region, including a narrow angular strip extending from the latter down each side of the throat, also naked, and similarly bristled, the bristles denser anteriorly. Color entirely pure white, excepting the primaries and their coverts, which are uniform slate-black, and a patch of plumbeous on the upper part of the nape, adjoining the bare skin of the occiput and extending downward for the distance of about two inches. "Bill wax-yellow; iris gamboge- yellow; bare skin of head dull orange-color; legs blue-black." (Sw. & RICH. L c.) Young: Head completely feathered. General color white, with large patches here and there, especially above, of light cinnamon, the head and neck almost continuously of this color. The primaries and their coverts uniform dull black, as in the adult, Bill dull wax-yellow, the terminal portion blackish; legs and feet blackish. Immature: Bare portions of the head indicated by feathers of a harsher texture and darker color than elsewhere, occupying the areas which are naked in the fully adult. Plumage much stained with pale cinnamon, as in the first plumage. Total length, about 52.00 inches; extent, 92.00; wing, 24.00; culmen, 5.35; tarsus, 12.00; middle toe, 4.25. Once an abundant migrant, and in some localities a common summer resident, this grand bird is now rare in most parts of the State, and is becoming yearly more so. Mr. Nelson remarks of it: "Along the Illinois River and more thinly settled portions of the State it is still common during the migrations, and a few pairs breed upon the large marshes in central Illinois." Grus mexicana (Mull.) SAND HILL CRANE. Potralar synomym. Brown Crane. Ardea (grus) mexicana MULL. 8. N. SuppL 1776, 110 (ex BKISR. Orn. v, 380). Grus canadensis, ft. mexicana B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 407. Grus mexicana RIDOW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii, 1885, 356; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 135.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886. No. 206. 1 Fide Professor A. Duces, in eplst 100 BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. Ardea canadensis. var. ft. LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 676 (Mexico). Grus pratensis BABTB. Travels, 1791. 144, 218.— COTJKS, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 670. Grusfusca (part) VIEILL. Nouv. Diet, xiii, 1817, 568. Grus canadensis Nun. Man. ii, 1834, 38 (nee Ardea canadensis LINN.).— BAIBD. B. N. Am. 1858, 655 ; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 479.— COTTES, Key, 1872, 271 ; Check List, 1873, No. 463 ; B.N. W.1874.532.-HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 467. -Bn>G w. Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 611; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 583. Grus americana (supposed young) AUD. Orn. Biog. ill, 1835, 441, pi. 261; Synop. 1839, 219; B. Am. v. 1842, 188, pi. 314. HAB. Southern half of North America, but now very rare along Atlantic coast north of Georgia; south to central Mexico; breeding in Florida and Cuba, and from the States im- mediately west of the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast; winters in the Gulf States and in Mexico. SP. CHAB. Adult: Entire pileum, including lores, covered with a bare, granulated skin (reddish in life), interspersed with scattered fine blackish hairs ; the posterior margin of this bare skin divided medially, on the occiput, by an angular projection of the feathers on the upper part of the nape. General color of the plumage continuous and nearly uniform slaty gray, this frequently stained or overlaid in places by a rusty wash, the primaries slate-colored, with whitish shafts. Cheeks and throat sometimes distinctly whitish. Legs and feet blackish; bill blackish, paler at tip ; iris crimson? Young: Head entirely feath- ered. Plumage much as in the adult, but of a lighter and more brownish gray, and always conspicuously stained, especially on upper parts, with tawny-cinnamon or rusty. Sandhill Cranes usually arrive in Illinois on their way north- ward during the latter half of March, and return in October or November. Formerly, large numbers remained within the State to breed, but so thickly has the country become settled, that those which now do so are very few indeed — at least in com- parison with former years. As long ago as 1876, Mr. Nelson stated that, while formerly nesting abundantly on all the large marshes, but few then bred except on one or two large marshes in the central part of the State, where he was informed they were "still quite numerous". Just where the large marshes in question are located, Mr. Nelson has not told us. During their migrations they pass high in the air, often be- yond the limits of sight, but making their presence known by their sonorous, rattling, trumpet-like notes, which have been aptly compared to the sound "made by the blocks and ropes when hoisting sail on a vessel". Unlike the Great Blue Heron, which usually passes under the name of "crane" or "blue crane," the Sandhill Crane feeds more in meadows, prairies, and plowed fields than in marshes, and its food, instead of being chiefly frogs, crayfish, and fishes, con- sists largely of field-mice and other small mammals, grasshop- pers, succulent roots, seeds, etc., potatoes, and especially sweet GRUIIXE — THE CRANES. 101 potatoes, being greatly relished. In fact, it is practically om- nivorous; and when domesticated will devour almost anything eatable that is presented to it. Like the heron, however, it is extremely wary, and cautious indeed must be the hunter who approaches within gunshot. The nest of the Sandhill Crane is placed on the ground among vegetation, which conceals it, sometimes in a marsh, but often on dry spots. The eggs are usually two in number, their average size being about 3.98 by 2.44 inches, and their color some shade of pale olive-brown, or drab, spotted with darker brown, red- dish brown, and purplish gray. The young are at first covered with a soft dense down, bright rusty on the upper parts and pale grayish on the lower, and are said to be unable to fly until they become nearly as large at their parents, whom they follow about until able to take wing, before which time they elude pur- suit by swiftly running and then hiding among the grass and weeds. Taken when quite small, they are very easily domesti- cated and become most amusing pets; but are somewhat dan- gerous on account of their propensity to use their sharp bills, thus endangering the eyesight of persons who allow them to become too familiar. AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA CITRUS RESEARCH CENTER AND - 101* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ORDER HERODIONES.— THE HERONS, STORKS, IBISES, ETC. CHABACTEKS. Altricial ptilopaedic Grallatores, with the hallux lengthened and nearly or quite Incumbent; palate desmognathous: carotids double; habits more or less arboreal. The Order Herodiones includes several distinct groups, which may be defined as follows: a1. Sides of upper mandible with a deep narrow groove extending uninterruptedly from the nostrils to the tip Suborder Ibides. «*. Sides of upper mandible without any groove. 61. Hind toe inserted above the level of the anterior toes; claws broad and flat, resting on a heavy pad or shoe, the middle one not pectinated. Suborder Cico uae. 6*. Hind toe inserted on the same level as the anterior toes; claws narrow, arched, the under surface free, and the middle one with its inner edge pectinated, Suborder Herodii. SUBORDER IBIDES.— THE SPOONBILLS AND IBISES. Families. a*. Bill very broad and excessively flattened, greatly widened toward end, only the ex- treme tip decurved Plataleidse. •«. Bill slender, nearly cylindrical, or even narrower than deep toward end, gradually but decidedly decurved for nearly whole length Ibididse. PLATALEIDJG— THEJ3POONBILLS. 102' FAMILY PLATALEID^!.— THE SPOONBILLS. CHAB. Large-sized Ibis-like birds, with the bill greatly flattened and expanded term- inally. Bill deep through the base (the cuJmen ascending), but immediately flattened ; nar- rowe-t across the middle portion, the end widely expanded, the tip rounded and decurved. Nostrils superior, longitudinal, without surrounding or overhanging membrane; nasal fossae prolonged forward in a narrow, continuous groove to the extreme tip of the bill (as in the Ibises), its course nearly (or in some genera quite) parallel with the lateral outline of the maxilla; approximate surfaces of maxilla and mandible with one or two rows of more or less prominent tooth-like papillae along each side. Tarsus longer than middle toe, and with small longitudinal hexagonal scales in front; outer toe decidedly longer than inner, its claw reaching to the base of the middle claw; hallux nearly incumbent, about equal to the basal phalanx of the inner toe; bare portion of tibia longer than outer toe; web between inner and middle toes well developed. Wings ample, reaching about to the end of the tail, the primaries a little longer than the tertials. Tail short, even, of twelve stiil, broad, round-ended feathers. The Spoonbills are closely related to the Ibises, but differ con- spicuously in the flattened, paddle-shaped bill, as well as in some other minor characters. They belong chiefly to the east- ern hemisphere, where six or seven species, representing three genera, occur, the western hemisphere possessing but a single species, of different generic type from those of the Old World. GENUS AJAJA REICHENBACH. AJaja KEICHENB. Handb. 1851, xvi. Type, Platalea afaja Lnra. GEN. CHAB. Bill much expanded and excessively depressed terminally, the tip de- curved, much broader than deep at the base, the middle portion contracted to considerably less than one half the width of the terminal "disk." Nostrils sub-basal, superior, near to- gether, longitudinal, and without adjacent membrane. Head completely bald in the adult (feathered almost to the bill in the young). Legs comparatively short, the tarsus but little longer than the middle toe, covered in front, as well as all round, with small, longitudinal, hexagonal scales. Plumage of the neck short, downy.1 1 A special modification of the trachea further distinguishes the genus Ajaja from Platalea. according to Professor GAEBOD (P. Z. 8. 1875, p. 299, fig. 2), who describes this organ as "simple, straight, of uniform calibre, and peculiarly short, extending only two thirds the neck, where the uncomplicated syrinx is situated, and the bifurcation of the bronchi occurs." In Platalea. on the other hand, the trachea IB "convoluted within the thorax," etc. (See YABBELL. Hist. Brit. B. vol. ii, p. 504.) 1 03* BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. Ajaja ajaja (Linn.) ROSEATE SPOONBILL. Popular synonym. Pink Curlew (Florida). Platalea ajaja LINN. 8. N. ed. 10. 1758, 140 (ex SLOANH. B. Jam. 11. 316; MABCGB.; BAT); ed. 12, i, 1766, 231.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 123, pi. 62 (immature).— NUTT. Man. il,1834, 79.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838. 188: B.- Am. vi. 1843. 72. pi. 362 (adult).— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 686.— BAIKD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 501.— COUES, Key. 1872, 264; Check List. 1873, No. 448. Ajaja ajaja Bouc. Cat. Av. 1876. 54.— A. O. U. Chock List, 1886. No. 183.— Rn>GW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 123. Platea mexicana ("Wn/LOUGHBY") GAME. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. Ser. 2, 1, 1849, 222 ("San Francisco"). Ajaja rosea (ex Platea rosea BBISS.) REICH. "Nat. Syst. 16".— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 505.-COUES. 2d Check List, 1882. No. 653.-B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 102. HAB. Whole of tropical and subtropical America; north regularly to Gulf coast of the United States ; formerly ranging northward in Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois. SP. CHAB. A dult: Head entirely bare. Neck, back, and breast, white ; tail orange-buff, the shafts of the feathers deep pink, the inner webs inclining to pale pink. Rest of the plumage pale rose-pink, the lesser wing-coverts' region, and upper and lower tail-coverts, brilliant. Intense carmine. Chest with a tuft of light carmine, somewhat twisted, or curled, narrow plumes. Sides of the breast, at base of the wings (concealed by the latter), pale creamy buff. "Bill yellowish gray at the base, mottled with brownish black, in the rest of its extent pale greenish blue, light on the margins; base of margin of lower mandible greenish yellow; iris bright carmine; feet pale lake; claws brownish black; head yellowish green; space around the eye and the gular sac orpiment- orange; a band of black from the lower mandible to the occiput" (AUDUBON). Immature: Like the adult, but lacking the brilliant carmine of the lesser wing-coverts' region, tail coverts, etc., these portions being pale peach-blossom pink. Tail delicate peach-blossom pink, instead of orange-buff. Nuchal and pectoral colored tufts absent Young: Head completely feathered, except im- mediately around the base of the bill Head, neck, back, and anterior lower parts white, in some specimens more or less tinged, especially above, with orange-buff;1 wings, tail, and posterior part of the body delicate pale peach-blossom pink, the shafts of the remiges and rectrices deeper pink. Outer webs of alulae, outer primary-coverts, and wide borders to outer primaries (principally on outer webs), clear snuff- brown. t NOTE. We have not seen the young in down, nor when first feathered. The latter is described by Audubon as follows: "The young, . . . when able to fly, . . . are grayish white. The bill is then quite smooth, of a yellowish green color, as are the legs and feet, as well as the skin on part of the head. Young birds in their second year have the wings and the lower wing-coverts of a pale roseate tint, the bill more richly colored, and the legs and feet dark brownish red or purplish. At this age they are unadorned with the curling feathers on the breast; but in the third spring the bird is perfect, although it in- creases in size for several seasons after."] Length, about 28.00-35.00 inches: expanse of wings. 48.00-53.00; wing, 14.10-15.30; tail. 4.20-5.20; culmen, 6.20-7.15; width of bill, 2.00-2.20; tarsus, 3.75-4.65; middle toe, 2.95-3.35; bare portion of tibia. 2.80-3.20. Although, like the Carolina Parrakeet and Ivory-billed Wood- pecker, the Roseate Spoonbill may not now be found in Illinois, I was informed, in 1879, by a taxidermist2 whom I have every 1 Qu. An accidental stain? • Mr. Alexander Wolle. 8r.. of Baltimore. Md. (See Butt. Nutt. Orn. Club.v. Jan. 1880, p. 81.) FLATALEID2G— THE SPOONBILLS. 104" reason to believe reliable, that some twenty years previously, or about 1859, he shot several specimens about some ponds in the Mississippi Bottoms, below St. Louis. More recently, I have received a letter from Mr. R. E. Kirkman, of Richmond, Indiana, giving the information that a specimen was shot in Jay Co., that state, July 14th, 1889. "According to Audubon the Roseate Spoonbill is to be met with, for the most part, along the marshy or muddy borders of estuaries, the mouths of rivers, on sea islands, or keys par- tially overgrown with bushes, and still more abundantly along the shores of the salt-water bayous so common within a mile or two of the shore. There it can reside and breed, with almost complete security, in the midst of an abundance of food. It is said to be gregarious at all seasons, and that seldom less than half a dozen may be seen together, unless they have been dis- persed by a tempest, At the approach of the breeding-season these small flocks collect together, forming immense collections, after the manner of the Ibis, and resort to their former breed- ing-places, to which they almost invariably return. Their moult takes place late in May; during this time the young of the pre- vious year conceal themselves among the mangroves, there spending the day, and returning at night to their feeding- grounds, but keeping apart from the old birds, which last have passed through their spring moult early in March. Like the several species of Ibis, this bird is said occasionally to rise suddenly on the wing, and ascend gradually, in a spiral manner, to a great height. It flies with its neck stretched forward to its full length, and its legs and feet extended behind. It moves in the manner of a Heron, with easy flappings, until just as it is about to alight, when it sails over the spot with expanded wing, and comes gradually to the ground. It flies in a confused manner, except when on one of its extended movements. "It is usually found in the company of different Herons, whose vigilance apprises it of any danger. It can usually be ap- proached, when feeding, with proper care. When one is wounded in the wing it usually makes for deep water, and swims for some distance without attempting to dive. If the wing is un- injured, this bird, even though mortally wounded, will fly until it drops dead. It is as nocturnal as the Night Heron, and its 105* BIRDS OF IT.T.TXOTS. principal feeding time is from near sunset until daylight. In procuring its food the Spoonbill usually wades up to the tibae, immerses its bill in the soft mud, with the head, and even the whole neck, beneath the surface, moving its partially opened mandibles to and fro laterally, munching the small fry — insects or shell-fish — before it swallows them. Where many are together, one usually acts as a sentinel. He did not see it feeding in fresh water, though he was told that it does so occasionally. ''It can alight on a tree and walk on the large branches with all the facility of a Heron." ( Water Birds of North America, Vol. I., pp. 105, 106. IBIDHXE— THE IBISES. 108* FAMILY IBIDIDJE.— THE IBISES. CHAB. Wading birds of medium to rather large size, the bill much elongated, more or less attenuated toward the end, and bent downward, more or less decidedly, in sickle- fashion, like that of the Curlews (Numenius), Nostrils sub-basal, latero- superior, with more or less of a membrane above and behind; nasal fossae continued forward to the very extremity of the maxilla in the for m of a deep, narrow, continuous groove. Hallux almost incumbent; claws slender, projecting far beyond the ends of the toes. The true Ibises form an eminently natural group of wading birds, distinguished from their nearest allies by the above char- acters. The species are moderately numerous (about twenty-six being known), and are dispersed over the warmer regions of the the earth — America possessing a larger number than any other country (ten species, all but one of which are peculiar, or more than one third of those known). Of the exotic species, Africa possesses about nine (two of them in common with south- ern Europe), Asia five, and Australia two. A very great diver- sity of form and plumage is to be seen among the various species, some being trim and graceful in their build, and others uncouth, with Vulture-like head and neck— some plain in colors, while others are among the most brilliant of birds. The scarlet plumage of Guard rubra is not surpassed in nature for pureness and intensity of color, and the beautiful decomposed tertial plumes of Itis cBthiopica are scarcely excelled in gracefulness. The species of ^Molybdophanes, T/ieristicus, and Cercibis, however, possess but little beauty. The family is divisible into two well-defined sections, which may be termed subfamilies, distinguished mainly by the character of the tarsal scutellation. They may be defined as follows: Subfamily Ibidinse. Front of the tarsus covered with hexagonal scales. Subfamily Ouarinae. Front of the tarsus with largo transverse scutellse, arranged In a more or less continuous single series. 107* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Both of the above subfamilies are represented in America, but only the latter in the northern continent. The North American genera may be recognized by the following characters: SUBFAMILY GUARINJB. Gnara. Head of adult wholly naked anteriorly. Feathers of the pileum short, close, and blended, and those of the neck not distinctly lanceolate. Colors plain white or red, with black wing-tips, in adults; dull gray and white in young. Plejjad-'s. Head of adult wholly feathered, except the lores; feathers of the pileum distinctly lanceolate and slightly elongated, forming a slightly rounded crest when erected. Colors highly metallic, of varied tints; metallic greenish, bronzo or purple above; neck and under parts chestnut in adults; neck streaked with white and under parts grayish brown in young. GENUS GUARA REICHENBACH. JSudocimua WAGL. Isis, 1832. 1232 (nee Eudocimo, BILI/BERQ, 1820). Type. Soolopax rubra LINN. Guara REICH. Hyst. Av. 1852, p. xiv. Type, Scolopax rubra LINN. Leucibis REICH. Syst. Av. 1852, p. xiv. Type, Scolopax alba LINN. GEN. CHAB. Bill moderately slender, attenuated toward the end, strongly decurved; bare portion of the tibia equal to or rather shorter than the outer toe ; middle toe, with claw, shorter than the tarsus ; inner toe (without claw) reaching to or a little beyond the sub- terminal articulation of the middle toe ; outer toe reaching to or beyond the middle of the Bubterminal phalanx of the middle toe; hallux about equal to the basal phalanx of the inner toe; claws short, moderately curved, that of the middle toe more or less bent outwardly to- ward the tip, its inner projecting edge convex. Anterior half of the head bare (in the adult) including the forehead, lores, orbital and malar regions, chin, and more or less of the throat; in the young, this bare skin more restricted. Feathers of the head and neck dense but rather soft, with rather distinct outlines, but with somewhat truncated tips. Primaries ex- tending a little beyond the tertials, the second and third quills longest and nearly equal, first a little shorter than the fourth; inner webs of outer four slightly sinuated toward their ends. Adults with the plumage entirely uniform white or scarlet, except tips of the longer duills, which are;glossy blaok. Young, uniform dark brownish gray, the belly white. a*. Adult, pure intense scarlet, the tips of the longer primaries glossy blue-black. Young, dark brownish gray, with belly white G. rubra. a*. Adult, pure white (sometimes tinged with pink in the breeding season or in freshly killed specimens), the tips of longer primaries glossy greenish black. Young, gray- ish brown, the rump, tail-coverts, base of tail, and under parts white G. alba. Both the Scarlet and the White Ibises are peculiar to the warmer parts of America. They are in a measure complementary to one another in their distribution, for, while their respective ranges overlap in Central America the former is found chiefly in the northern parts of South America and the latter in the more southern United States and in Mexico. So similar are these spe- cies in size, proportions, and pattern of coloration, and to a cer- IBIDJD.E — THE IBISES. 10R* tain extent in color also, that the question has been raised,1 whether they are not really offshoots from a common ances- tral stock, which, like a species of eastern Asia (Ibis nippori) and certain herons, was at one time "dichromatic." Quara alba (Linn.) WHITE IBIS, Popular synonyms. White Curlew; Spanish Curlew (Florida); Gray Ibis, Brown Ibis (young) ; Coco (Cuba) ; Ibis bianco (Mexico). Scolopax alba LINN. 8. N. i, ed. 10, 1758. 145. Tantalus albus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 651.— WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 43, pi. 66. Ibis alba VIEILL. Nouv. Diet. xvi. 1817, !«.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 86.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 178; v, 1839, 693, pi. 222; Synop. 1839, 257; B. Am. vi, 1843, 54, pL 360.— CASH, in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 684.— BAIBD. Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 499.— COUKS, Check List, 1873, No. 446. Eudocimus albus WAGL. Isis. 1832. 1232.— BIDOW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No."501.— COUES. Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 651. Guara alba STEJN. Stand. Nat. Hist, iv, 18S5. 9.— A. 0. 0. Check List, 1886, No. 184.— BIDOW. Man. N. Am. B. 13. 1887, 123. Tantalus alber LINN. S. N. i. 17C6. 242. Tantalus coco JACQ. Beitr. 1784, 13. Tantalus griseus GMEL. S. N. i, 1788, 653 (young). Eudocimus longirostris WAGL. Isis, 1829, 760. HAS. Warm-temperate eastern North America, West Indies, Middle America, and tropical South America; north to Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Great Salt Lake, Utah; south to Brazil. SP. CHAB. Adult: Terminal portion (beyond the emargination) of three to five* outer primaries, glossy greenish black, with a bright metallic green lustre. Best of the plumage entirely pure white. Bill, bare skin of the head, legs and feet, bright carmine in the breed- ing season; at other times paler, or orange-red; iris fine pearly blue (AuDUBON).8 End of i See The Auk, vol. i, 1884, pp. 239, 240. * According to A udubon, ' 'There is a curious, though not altogether general, difference between the sexes of this species as to plumage,— the male has five of its primaries tipped with glossy black for several inches, while the female, which is very little smaller than the male, has only four marked in this manner. On examining more than a hundred individ- uals of each sex, I found only four exceptions, which occurred in females that were very old birds, and which, as happens in some other species, might perhaps have been under- going the curious change exhibited by Ducks, Pheasants, and some other birds, the females of which, when old, sometimes assume the livery of the males." This supposed sexual difference we have been unable to verify with the series before us, though it is very pos- sible that some specimens may not have the sex correctly determined. 3"Bare parts of the head [in the adult male] light orange-red; bill the same, but towards the tip dusky. Iris of a fine pearly blue. Legs and toes paler than the bill; claws dusky, tipped with horn color. "After the first moult, the bill is pale yellowish orange, toward the base greenish; the naked parts of the head are pale orange yellow, inclining to flesh-color; the eye dark brown; the feet pale blue. "The change in the coloring of the bill, legs, and feet of this bird, that takes place in the breeding season, is worthy of remark, the bill being then of a deep orange-red, and the legs and feet of a red nearly amounting to carmine. The males at this season have the gular pouch of a rich orange color, and somewhat resembling in shape that of the Frigate Pelican, although proportionally less. During winter these parts are of a dull flesh color. The irides also lose much of their clear blue, and resume in some degree the umber color of the young birds. I am thus particular in these matters, because it is doubtful If any one else has ever paid attention to them." (AUDUBON.) — B. 109* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. the bill sometimes blackish. Young: Uniform, rather dark, grayish brown, the rump, upper tail-coverts, basal half of tail, and entire lower part?, including axillars and lining of the wing, continuous white; head and nock streaked with dusky or grayish brown on a grayish or dull whitish ground-color. Feathering of the head extending forward almost to the bill. Length, about 24.00-26.00; expanse, about 40.00; wing. 10.30-11.75; tail. 4.00-5.00; culmen. 4.15-«.30; depth of bill. .60-.72; tarsus. 3.11M.OO; middle toe. 2.15-2.70; bare portion of tibia. 2.00-2.80. Downy young. ' 'Tho young birds are at first covered with a thick down of a dark gray COlor." (AUDUBON.) Immature specimens show, according to age, all possible stages of plumage intermediate between the pure white adult and gray young. I have very little information respecting the White Ibis in Illinois, having observed it but once, a flock of seven or eight examples, all in the gray plumage, having been seen by Mr. William firewater and myself about the 8th of May, 1878, fly- ing along the Wabash River, at Mt. Carinel. GENUS PLEGADIS KAUP. "Falcinellus BECHST." AUCT. (nee BECHSTEIN). Plegadis KAUP, Skizz. Entw. Gesch. 1829, 82. Type. Tantalus falcinellus LINK. Tantalides WAGL. Isis. 1832, 1231. Type. Tantalus falcinellus LINN. GEN. CHAB. Bill shallow through the base, moderately tapering, and gently curved; the base not turgid, and the basal outline of the maxilla deeply concave ; bare portion of tibia equal to or longer than outer toe; middle toe about three fourths the tarsus; inner toe reaching past the subterminal articulation of the middle toe; hallux about equal to the basal phalanx of the inner toe. Forehead and orbital, malar, and gular regions completely feathered, the lores and interramal space only being naked, the feathering on the chin forming an acute angle which advances to as far as the middle of the nostrils; feathers of the pileum elongated, lanceolate, and distinct, forming, when erected, a sort of full, round- od crest; those of the occiput and nape, and upper half of the neck all round, also distinct and lanceolate. Plumage chiefly metallic green above; the adults with head and upper part of neck chestnut, and lower parts chestnut (autumnalis and guarauna) or violet- blackish (ridgwayi) ; the young with head andlupper part of neck streaked grayish brown and white, the lower parts grayish brown (autumnalis and guarauna) or violet-dusky (ridgwayi). This genus differs conspicuously from Guara in the complete feathering of the head (excepting only the lores and tho space between the mandibular rami) and in the brilliantly metallic plumage. There are two species in North America, one, P. autumnalis, inhabiting the eastern portion, and identical, apparently, with the Old World species, the other, P. guarauna, replacing it in the western parts of the United States and southward through IBISES. 110* Mexico and Central America and over the greater part of South America. A third species, P. ridgwayi (ALLEN x) inhabits the highlands of Peru. The two North American species are almost exactly alike in plumage, and probably cannot be distinguished with certainty in the immature stage. When fully adult, however, they may readily be recognized by the following characters: a1. Feathers around base of bill blackish; lores greenish in life, and bill and legs green- ish, or at least not red P. autumnalis. a8. Feathers around base of bill white; lores lake-red in life; bill more or less reddish, and legs lake-red P. P. guarauna very likely occurs occasionally in Illinois, having been taken in Nebraska, Kansas, and other States immediately west of the Missouri River; but so far as I know it has not been detected within our limits. Plegadis autumnalis (Hasselq.) GLOSSY IBIS. Popular synomyms. Bay Ibis; Green Ibis (young); Black Curlew. Tringa autumnalis HASSELQ. Keise nach Palast. Deutsche Ausg. 1762, 806. Plegadis autumnalis STKJN. Stand. Nat. Hist, iv, 1885. 160.— A. 0. U. Check List, 1886, No. 186.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 124. Tantalus faloinellus LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i. 1766,241. Ibis falcincellus VIEILL. N. D. xiv, 1817, 23.— BONAP. Obs. WILS. 1825, No. 19».— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834.88.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838. 608, pi. 387; Synop. 1839.257; B. Am. vl. 1843, 50. pi. 358 (adult). Plegadis falcinellus "KAUP." FurrscH.Veg. Eur. 1869, Taf. 43, fig. 3, p.378.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 603.— COUES, 2d Chock List, 1882, No. 649.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 94. Tantalus castaneus MULL. 8. N. Suppl. 1766, 112 (adult). Tantalus viridis GMEL. S. Nl i, 1788, 648 (young). Tantalus igneus GMEL. 8. N. i, 1788, 649 (adult). Falcinellus igneus GRAY, Gen. B. ed. 2, 1841, 87.— ELLIOT, P. Z. S. 1S77. 503. Tantalus mexicanus (nee GMEL.) OBD., Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. i, 1817, 52. Ibis ordii BONAP. Comp. List, 1838, 49.— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 635 (part).— BAIBD. Cat. N. Am. 1859, No. 500. Ibisfalcinellus.v&c. ordii COUES, Key. 1872, 263; Check List. 1873, No. 445; B. N. W. 1874, 517. ^Falcinellus ridgwayl ALLEN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. iii. July, 1876, S55 (vicinity of Lake Titicaca, Peru).— Plegadis ridgwayi B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 94. *Scolopax guarauna LINN. 8. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 242.— Plegadis guarauna RIDGW. Proo. U. 8. Nat. Mus. i, Oct. 2, 1878. 163. 111* BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. Ibis guarauna (nee LINN.) CABOT. Proc. Bost. 800. II, 1850, 313. 333, Numenius longirostris (nee WILS.) GOSSK, B. Jam. 1847, 348. Tantalus bengalensis "LiCHT." BONAP. Consp. ii, 1855, 158. Ibis peregrina "MiJLL." BONAP. Consp. ii. 1855. 159. HAB. Warmer parts of the eastern hemisphere ; West Indies, and eastern United State*. Of irregular distribution and only locally abundant in America. SP. CHAB. Adult. Feathers bordering the base of the bill all round, blackish, Pileum, cheeks, and chin glossy greenish black, with purplish reflections. Hinder part of head, whole neck. anterior portion of back, and anterior half of lesser wing-covert tract rich reddish chestnut, darkest on back. Lower parts, except under tail-coverts, axillars, and under wing-coverts, uniform bright reddish chestnut, lighter, brighter, and less purplish than neck. Upper parts (except as described), under wing-coverts, axillars, and under tail- coverts, glossy metallic dark purple, green, and bronze; the posterior portion of back, pos- terior scapulars, wing-coverts, tertials, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail nearly uniform dull violet- purple, changing to bottle-green in certain lights; alulae, primary-coverts, pri- maries, and lower secondaries brighter bronze-green; upper secondaries more bronzy, with a purple shade in certain lights. Under surface of wings and tail more burnished, metallic green, bronze, and purple, the tint varying with the inclination to the light; axillars less shining, and more violaceous; crissum violet-purple and green, like the rump. Bill black; bare loral space greenish or bluish; legs and feet greenish blackish.1 Young (changing from first to second plumage): Head and neck distinctly streaked with dusky brown and white, the dusky streaks wider and more blackish on the pileum, the whitish streaks gradually becoming more indistinct below. Entire lower parts plain snuff-brown, with a soft purplish tinge, especially on the breast and tibiae; crissum, metal- lic green and violet Upper parts dark, metallic violet-purple, green and bronze, the first 'argely predominating, the last in traces ; the back darkest and most uniform, the rump in- terspersed with bright dark green feathers. A few dark chestnut feathers interspersed over the anterior portion of the lesser wing-covert region (No. 57,003, Greece). Young (changing from second to third plumage): In general appearance much like the p* eceding, but breast, abdomen, and tibiae mostly reddish chestnut, and the anterior portion of the back and scapulars mixed with many feathers of the same color ; head and neck much tinged with chestnut, the streaks indistinct (No. 17,493. female, Hungary). [NOTE. The Tantalus viridis of GMELIN (Syst. Nat, ii, pt i, p. 648, No. 8. based on Green Ibis of LATHAM, Synopsis, iii, pt i, p. 114, No. 13) seems to be this species in incomplete first plumage, or still retaining the downy covering of the head and neck.] Length, about 25 inches; expanse, 42: wing, 10.20-11.85; tail, 4.30-4.50; culmen, 4.30-5.45 ; depth of bill, .60-.60; tarsus. 2.90-4.30; middle toe, 2.10-2.80; bare portion of tibia, 1.70-3.10. The young of P. autumnalis closely resembles that of P. guarauna, but is rather darker colored, the upper parts being much more violaceous, and the lower parts less grayish. The Glossy Ibis, like its white relative, is an irregular sum- mer visitor to Illinois, and is not known to breed within our limits. Mr. Julius Hurter, of St, Louis, Mo., took one speci- 1 Audubon says: "Bill black; bare part of head grayish blue; iris hazel; feet grayish black, claws brown." IBIDID^E — THE IBISES. 112* men and saw two others at a small lake in Madison Co., seven miles from St. Louis, on February 27, 1880. 1 •See Bull. Nutt. Om. Club, vi, April. 1881. p. 124. This specimen was kindly sub- mitted to me for examination by Mr. Hurter, and I identified it as P. autumnalis in immature plumage, but I now fear that my identification is open to question. I have just re-read a letter from Air. Hurter (dated April 12. 1881), in which he describes the fresh colors of the soft parts as follows: "Iris reddish: bill slate-color vrith a very slight reddish tint; legs slate with also a reddish tint on the upper parts; bare skin in front of the eye brownish red." (Italics my own.) The presence of a reddish tint to the soft parts point rather to f. tuaruuna. and. the specimen should be carefully re-examined. 113* BIRDS OP ILLINOIS. SUBORDER CIC 0131.32.— THE STORKS AND WOOD IBISES. FAMILY CICOWHDJE.— THE STORKS AND WOOD IBISES. CHAB. Large. Heron-like birds, with bill mu.-h longer than the head, thick through the ba-e, and more or less elongate-conical; the nostrils sub- basal, more or less superior, and bored iato the bony substance of the bill, without overhanging or surrounding membrane; maxilla without any lateral groove. Legs covered with •mall, longitudinally hexagonal scales ; claws short, depressed, their ends broad and convex resting upon horny, erescentic "shoes:" hallux with Its base elevated decidedly above the ba e of the anterior toes. The above characters are sufficient to define this family, which is related to the Ibises (IbididcB) and Spoonbills (Plataleidce) as well as to the Herons. There are two well-marked subfamilies, with the following characters : Subfamily Ciconiinae. Bill elongate- conical, acute, compressed, the end not decurved. though sometimes recurved. Nostrils rather lateral than superior. Toes very short, the middle one much less than half the tarsus (only a little more than one third); lateral toes nearly equal; claws short, broad, nail-like. Subfamily Tantalinae. Bill elongated, subconical. subcylindrical. the end attenuated and decurved. with the tip rounded; nostrils decidedly superior; toes long, the middle toe one half or more the length of the tarsus; lateral toes unequal, the outer decidedly longer than the Inner; claws normal, moderately lengthened, rather narrow. SUBFAMILY TANTALIN^.— THE WOOD IBISES. GENUS TANTALUS LINNJSUS. Tantalus Lnw. 8. N. ed. 10. 1. 1758. 1»; ed. 12. 1, 1766. 2W. Type. T. loculator Lnm. Tantatides REICHENB. Hand-b. 1851, p. xiv. Same type. (Not of WAGLSB. lSSH.=PlegadU KAUP.) Tantalops COUES, Key, 2d ed. 1882. 653. Same type. GEN. CHAB. Large. Stork-like birds, with long legs, neck, and beak, the latter attenu- ated and decurved terminally, much as in the true Ibises. Bill much thickened at the base, both vertically and laterally, much attenuated terminally, where almost abruptly, but no greatly, decurved. Nostrils bored directly Into the bony substance of the bill, the maxilla destitute of any trace of a nasal groove. Legs covered with small longitudinally hexagonal scales. Toes long, very slender, the middle one about, or a little more than, half the length of the tarsus, the outer one reaching to the middle of the subterminal phalanx of the middle toe, the Inner much shorter, not reaching the subterminal articulation of the middle toe; CICONHDjE -THE STORKS AND WOOD IBISES. 114* hallux about equal to the inner toe and claw; bare portion of the tibia longer than the mid- dle toe, the upper third, or more, without scales, and smooth; web between inner and mid- dle toes well developed, but smaller than the outer web. Plumage compact above, loose below, the feathers of the neck small, their webs somewhat decomposed. Remiges well developed, the tertials reaching to the end of the primaries, the latter hard, concave be- neath, the outer four with their inner webs deeply sinuated at or anterior to the middle portion; second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal, or longest. Tail short (shorter than bill or tarsus), even, of 12 broad, stiff feathers. Adult, with the whole head and upper half of hind neck bare, covered with a hard, scurfy, and more, or less corrugated skin. Young. with the whole head and neck, except the chin and forehead,' feathered. Tantalus loculator Linn. WOOD IBIS. Popular synonyms. Wood Pelican; Gannet (Florida) ; Colorado Turkey (Arizona) ; Sowewles, Negroscopes (Brit. Guiana); Tagarote, Galambas, Garzon (Mexico). Tantalus loculator LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, i. 1758.140. No. 1 (ex KLEIN, 127; CATESBY.I.SI); ed. 12, 1766, i. 241, No. 1.— WILS. Am. Orn. viii. 1814,39, pi. 66. flg. 1.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834,82.- AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835. 128, pi. 216; Synop. 1839, 259; Birds Am. vi. 1843. 64, pi. 361 (adult).— CASS. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 682.— BAIBD. Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 497. COUES, Key. 1872. 262; Check List. 1873. No. 444; 2d ed. 1882, No. 648; Birds N. W. 1874. 513-RiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 600; Man. N. Am. B. 1887,125-A. 0. 0. Check List, 1880. No. 188. Tantalus plumicollis SPIX, Av. Bras. pi. 85 (young). "Ibis nandasson; I. nandapoa, YIEILL." (GRAY & BONAP.) Wood Pelican CATESBT. Carolina, pi. 81. Le Guriaca de Cayenne BUFF. PI. Enl. 1770-84, pi. 868 (adult). Wood Ibis PENN. Arct. Zool. ii, 1785. 458. No. 360. Tantaus ichthyophagus, the Gannet, BAETBAM, Travels, 1791.293. HAS. The whole of tropical and most of warm-temperate America: north to New York (casual). Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California; south to Ecua- dor and Argentine Republic. SP. CHAB. Adult: Head and upper half of the neck naked, and covered with a hard, scurfy skin, of a dusky color; the vertex covered by a some what shield-shaped horny plate, of a lighter color, the neck with transverse, somewhat ovate, bark-like, rugose scales. P. urn- age in general uniform white, the primary-coverts, remiges, and rectrices black, with me- tallic purple, bronze, and green reflections. Under wing-coverts pale rose-pink in breed- ing season. "Bill dusky yellowish brown, the edges yellow; sides of the head dark bluish purple, upper part of the head horn-color, or dull grayish yellow, the rest of the bare skin of the same tint, many of the scales anteriorly blue; iris deep brown, at a distance seeming blafik : tibia and tarsus Indigo-blue ; toes above black, on the lateral and hind toes, however, many of the scutellae bluish gray, the webs pale yellowish flesh-color; claws black" (Auou- BON). Young; Head and neck covered with rather scant, somewhat "woolly," feathers, ex- cepting the forehead, anterior part of the crown, lores, anterior portion of malar region, chin, and anterior part of throa^, which are covered with a smooth skin. Head and neck grayish brown, darkest on the occiput (where dark sooty), growing gradually paler below. Rest of the plumage as in the adult, but the black feathers of wings and tall less metallic.1 Immature: Head bare and corrugated, as in the adult; neck feathered, as in the young. T jtal length, about 35.00-45.00 inches; extent of wings. 62.00-70.00; .wing, 17.60-19.50; tail, 6.10- 7.30; culmen. 7.55-9.30; depth of bill through nostril. 1.55-1.90; tarsus. 7. 00-8.50; middle toe. 3.85-4.30; bare part of tibia.5.00-«.25;s weight 11% Ibs. 1 According to Audubon, "the young are dusky gray all over, the quills and tall brownish black; the head all covered with down, excepting just at the base of the bill. After the nrst moult, the bare space extends over the head and cheeks; the downy feathers of the hind head and neck are dusky; the general color of the plumage Is white, the quills and tall as in the adult, but with less gloss." 1 Ten adults measured. 115* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. This remarkable bird is an irregular summer visitor to Illi- nois, particularly the more southern counties, where it occurs, usually in small flocks, about the secluded, forest-hemmed ponds and sloughs. It probably breeds in the extreme southern portion, though oftenest seen during the latter part of summer, when small companies, composed chiefly of young birds, straggle northward. As described by Bartram, it may often be seen stand- ing listless and alone on the topmost limb of some tall dead cypress, its neck drawn in upon its shoulders, and its enormous bill resting, like a scythe, upon its breast. The writer has fre- quently seen it soaring majestically in broad circles over the Wabash River, at Mt. Carmel, its large size and pure white color rendering it at such times very conspicuous. Audubon describes its flight as heavy on rising from the ground; its neck is then deeply curved downward, its wings flap heavily, and its legs are not stretched out behind until it has proceeded several yards. It then ascends with great celerity, generally in a spiral direction, in silence unless alarmed; if frightened, it utters a rough guttural croaking note. It pro- ceeds in a direct flight, with alternate flapping and sailing, the latter being more prolonged. It alights on trees with more ease than the heron, and either stands erect, or crouches on the branch in the manner of a wild turkey. When at rest it places its bill against its breast, while the neck seems to shrink be- tween the shoulders. In this position one may sometimes see fifty on the same tree, li the spring months it collects in large flocks before returning to its breeding-place. When a breeding- place has been once chosen, it is resorted to for many years in succession, and the birds are with difficulty made to abandon it. The Wood Ibis feeds largely on fishes, but also devours frogs, young alligators, wood-rats, various kinds of young birds, crabs, snakes, turtles, and the like. It is very tenacious of life, and if wounded resists vigorously, and is dangerous to approach. It is very tough and oily, and unfit for food. Tfi£ HEBOKS A.\K BOATBLLJUJ. SUBORDER HERODIL— HERONS AND BOATBILLS. The Herodii contain two families, distinguished by the follow- characters : a.1 Bill lance- shaped, or compressed, narrow, and pointed, its lateral outlines nearly straight, the gonys several times longer than the width of the under mandi- ble Ardeidse. a.2 Bill shaped like a broad inverted boat; its lateral outlines much bowed, and the gonys not longer than width of under mandible Coehleariidae, The Cochleariidce are not represented in our fauna, being peculiar to tropical America. BIBBS OF ILJLLNUist. FAMILY ARDEIDJE.— THE HERONS. CHAB. Altricial waders having the bill compressed, pointed, all the outlines nearly straight; the tores and orbits naked: the rest of the head (except, sometimes, the malar region, or part of the throat) feathered, the occiput, also lower foreneek, back, or scapu- lars, frequently with ornamental plumes. Plumage generally handsome and variegated . Two to three pairs of powder-down tracts. Other characters variable. The Herons are among the most widely diffused of birds, oue species, the common Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) being nearly cosmopolitan. Many of the Old World forms have not been examined in the present connection, but there is good reason for believing that the number of subfamilies here recog- nized as represented in America can be consistently increased. Ardeinae. Tail-feathers 12, more lengthened, and decidedly more stiff than the coverts; outer toe as long as or decidedly longer than the inner; claws comparatively short and strongly curved. Botaurinae. Tail-feathers 10. very short, scarcely more stiff than the coverts; outer toe de- cidedly shorter than the inner; claws lengthened, slightly curved. SUBFAMILY ARDEIN^ZE.— THE TRUE HERONS AND EGRETS. ANALYSIS OF GENERA. a.1 Bill comparatively long and narrow, the culmen longer than the tarsus, and equal to at least five times the greatest depth of the bill ; plumage of the young not conspicu- ously different in pattern from that of the adult Ardea. a.* Bill comparatively short and thick, the etilmen not longer than the tarsus, and equal to not more than four times the greatest depth of the bill; plumage of the young con- spicuously different in pattern from that of the adult M ........ ....Nyeiieorax. ARDEIDJih— THE HERONS. 118* GENUS ARDEA LINNAEUS. Ardea Liss. 8. N. ed. 10. 1, 1758. 141. Type, by elimination. A. cinerta Lime. ANALYSIS OF SUBGENERA a1 Oalmen decidedly shorter than tarsus, the latter more than one and a half times as long as the middle toe, without claw. It1 Tarsus much less than twice as long as middle toe, without claw. cl Wing more than 13 inches. d1 Wing more than 17 inches. Adults with scapular plumes narrowly lanceolate, with compact webs: head crested, the occiput, during pairing season, with two or more long, slender, compactly webbed plumes; plumes of lower neck stiffened, narrowly lanceolate, or acicular Ardea. d1 Wing less than 17 inches. Adults in nuptial plumage with the scapular plumes excessively elongated, reaching far beyond the tail, their shafts thick and stiffened, their webs decomposed; head without crest or plumes, and feathers of lower neck (in American species) soft, broad, and not lengthened ; color, always wholly pure white Herodiaa. c* Wiag less than 11 inches. d1 Adults with occipital, jugular, and scapular plumes greatly developed, with much decomposed webs (occipital and jugular plumes with compact webs in exotic species); the scapular plumes extending to or beyond end of tail and recurved at tips; color of plumage always wholly pure white. Garzetta. «P Adults with jugular and scapular plumes much elongated ; the former nar- rowly lanceolate, with compact webs, the latter also narrow, but more loosely webbed, and often extending far beyond the tail; color of plumage varying from uniform dark slate-blue, with maroon-colored bead and neck (in most adults), to pure white with only the tips of some primaries bluish (in young); adults sometimes mixed white and bluish Florida. 6* Tarsus twice as long as middle toe, without claw. Adults with feathers of entire head and neck, except throat and upper foreneck, elongated and narrowly lanceolate, especially on occiput and lower foreneck; scapular plumes much elongated, extending beyond end of tail, with shafts straight and stiffened, and webs decomposed, but the hair-like flbrillae rather close together; color of plum- age uniform bluish and reddish, uniform white, or pied Dichromanassa. a* Cuhnen equal to or longer than tarsus, the latter less than one and a half times as long as middle toe without claw. b1 Wing more tlwji 8 inches ; culmen and tarsus more than S inches. Adults with an occipital tuft of several moderately lengthened, lanceolate, compactly webbed feathers; jugular plumes broadly lanceolate, with compact webs; scapular plumes greatly elongated, extending to beyond end of tail, straight, hair-like; color of plumage mixed grayish or bluish and white, never entirely white. Hydranassa. b* Wing not more than 8 inches; culmen and tarsus less than 3 inches. Adults with scapular plumes and feathers on top of head moderately lengthened, lanceolate, with compact webs; jugular plumes broad, soft, and blended; color of plumage more or less metallic, in adults, on upper parts, grayish or rusty beneath; never whlte~ — .Butorides. 119* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Seyeral of the above are unquestionably good genera; but having announced my determination to follow the A. 0. U. classification and nomenclature in this work I am obliged to do so in this case. With the exception of Dichromanassa and Hydranassa (which are related most nearly to Demiegretta, of south- eastern Asia, Polynesia, etc.) and Florida, all the groups are cosmopolitan, being represented in different regions by distinct species, all agreeing minutely in structural characters. Butorides, for example, has, besides the North American species, one in Cuba, another in South America, a third in the Galapagos Archi- pelago, and several others in various parts of the eastern hem- isphere. SUBGENUS Ardea LINNAEUS. Ardea LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, i, 1758. 141. Type, by elimination, A. cinerea Linn. SUBGEN. CHAR. Herons of largest size (of Stork-like stature), the adults distinguished by lengthened, narrowly-lanceolate, acut« jugular and scapular plumes (the former rather rigid, the latter overhanging the wings and rump) ; a tuft of broad feathers on each side the breast (having a different color from adjacent parts), and, in the breeding season, by the presence of two or three extremely lengthened, narrow, pendant, < ceipital plumes. Culmen almost straight; gonys ascending, slightly convex, about equal in length to the mandibular rami ; upper and lower outlines of the bill parallel for the basal half. Mental apex anterior to hah*- way between point of bill and anterior angle of the eye; frontal apex a little posterior to the nostrils and a little anterior to the malar apex.* Middle toe more than half the tarsus, and about equal to bare portion of tibia; outer toe reaching to abouc the middle of the penultimate phalanx of the middle toe; inner toe decidedly shorter, reaching only to the second articulation of the middle toe; hallux a little longer than the basal phalanx of the outer toe ; claws rather short, strongly curved. Front of tarsus with broad, transverse seutellee, in single series, for upper half. Pil^um crested, the feathers of the crown and occiput being elongated, lanceolate, and decurved. Primaries reaching de- cidedly beyond tertials. Second, third, and fourth quills nearly equal, and longest; first longer than fifth; inner webs of outer three slightly sinuated near ends. Synopsis of Species. a1. Color of plumage entirely pure white. Hob. Southern Florida A. occidentals. a*. Color of plumage chiefly bluish or grayish. &». Adult with head entirely white, except (usually) black or dusky streaks on fore- head, or (rarely), a blackish patch on sides of crown or occiput, beneath edge of crest; more white on under parts, edge of wing, etc. Hob. Southern Florida: accidental in southern Illinois A. WTierdemannii. 11*. Adult with top of head, including occipital plumes, black, with a large white patch covering forehead and center of crown; more black on lower parts and more rufous on edge of wing. c1. Larger, with legs and feet yellowish brown or olive-yellowish ; total length, about 48 to 64 inches; wing, 19.50-21.00; exposed culmen. 5.90-6.90; tarsus, 7. 85-8. 4«. Hob. Florida A, wardi. * Th« terms "mental apex", "malar apex", and "frontal apex" are here employed to de- note the apices, or points of the feathering of the head at the base of the bill AUDEIDJi— THE HERONS. 120* e*. Smaller, with legs and feet black or dusky, only the tibiae yellowish; total length about 40 to 48 inches; wing, 18.00-19.50; exposed culmen, 5.45-5.95; tarsus, 6.75- 7.85. Bab. Whole of temperate North America and parts of tropical Amer- ica A.herodias. The relationship between these four species or races is very puzzling, and no one, apparently, fully understands the case- While each of the four forms is easily recognized by the char- acter given above, and while a large majority of specimens are typically either one or the other of them, intermediate examples not unfrequently occur. The only apparent difference between A. herodias and A. wardi consists in general dimensions and in the color of the legs; but in both respects there seems to be a complete intergradation among Florida specimens. On the other hand, A. wardi, A. wuerdemannii, and A. occidentaUs agree minutely in measurements and in the color of the legs; and the first two unquestionably intergrade. The writer has already expressed the hypothesis that A. wuerdemannii and A. occidentals are merely dichromatic phases of one species, corresponding to the colored and white phases of the Reddish Egret (A. rufescens and A. "pealei"). This hypothesis he would now modify by sug- gesting that A. wardi is the perfect colored phase of A. occi- dentalis, and that A. wuerdemannii is merely an intermediate phase,— a suggestion prompted by the circumstance that A. wuerdemannii varies more in coloration than either of the others, the variations moreover tending toward both A. wardi and A. occidental-is. Whether the intergradation between A. wardi and A. herodias is the result of hybridization or an evidence of their specific identity remains to be determined, if it be possible to determine it. The whole question is indeed so complicated that much patient research will be necessary before we can hope to know more about it. Ardea wuerdemannii Baird. Of ''• WUl'KDEH ANN'S HEKON, Ardea wnrdemannii BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 669, ed. I860, atl. pi. 86; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 488.— COUES, Key, 1872, 267; Check List. 1873, No. 460.— N ELS. Bull. Essex Inst. Deo, 1876, 151. Ardea wuerdemannii A. O. U. Check List, 1886. 351 ( "Hypothetical List." No. 9).— BIDGW . Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 128. 583; Proo. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. 1887. 112-115 (critical). -Scorr. Auk. Jan. 1889, 16-17 (description, etc.). 121* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ardea occidentalis (supposed colored phase) Rroow. Bull. U. 8. Geol. & Gteog. Swv. Terr, iv, No.l, Feb. 5, 1881, 227-237 (descriptive and critical) ; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 486 (paiU-CouES, 2d Check List, 1882, No. 656; 2d Key. 1884. 658.-B. B. 4R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 6. HAB. Southern Florida; Cuba: Jamaica; accidental in southern Illinois. SP. CHAB. Adult: Entire head, including occipital crest, pure white; the forehead streaked with black (the feathers edged with black, the median stripe being white). Abdo- men and under tail- coverts pure white, the former sparsely streaked with black (these streaks on the inner edge of the feathers, and broader anteriorly), the latter immaculate. Neck deep violaceous-drab (darker aad more violaceous than in A. herodias.&nd. ending almost abruptly against the white of the head); the throat with a narrow series ef black and rufous dashes on a white ground ; plumes of the lower neck white, most of them edged with black, but the longer without grayish tinge. Lateral jugular tufts blue-black, with wide median stripes of pure white. Upper parts exactly as in A. herodias, except that the outermost wing-ooverts have conspicuous median streaks of white, while the edge of the wing from the carpus back is white, tinged with rufous, instead of wholly rufous. Tibial feathers paler rufous than in A. herodias, growing almost white next the body on the in- ner side Naked tibiae yellow; under side of toes yellow; rest of legs and feet yellowish olive. Young: Similar to young of A . herodias, but lesser wing-coverts widely tipped with bright ferruginous, producing thereby a conspicuous spotting of this color; all the more exterior wing-coverts, large and small, with a large, terminal, wedge-shaped spot of white. Forehead and crown dusky slate-color, most of the feathers with whitish shafts; occipital plumes all whitish at the base, only the ends being dusky. Total length, about 48 to 54 inches; wing, 18.75-21.00; tail. 6.25-8.00; exposed culmen, 5.75-6.70; tarsus, 7.30-8.75; middle toe, 4.20-5.20. The habits of this bird are essentially the same as those of the Great Blue Heron. Its right to a place in the Illinois fauna may seem questionable, in view of the southern location and restricted area of its proper range, but a single specimen was seen on several occasions by the writer from September 11 to 22, inclusive, in the Wabash River, at the Grand Rapids, near Mt. Carrael. Even at a distance which rendered it secure from gunshot, it could at once be distinguished, by its white head and greater size, from individuals of the common species, from which it kept aloof. Unfortunately it could not be secured. Ardea herodias Linn. TH£ GREAT BLUE HERON. Ardea herodias LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 143; ed. 12, i, 1766. 237.— WTLS. Am. Orn. viii. 1814, 28, pi. 65. fig. 5,-Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii. 1831, STS.-Nurr. Man. ii, 1834, 42.-Atn>. Orn. Biog. ii.1835, 87; v, 1839, 599, pi. 211; Synop. 1889, 265; B. Am. vi, 1843, 123, pi. 3C9.-BAIBD B. N. Am. 1858. 668; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 487.-CO0M, Key, 1872, 267; 2d ed. 1884; Check List, 1873, No. 449; 2d ed. 1882, No. 655; Birds N. W. 1874, «7.— Broow. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 487; Man. N. Am. B., 1887. 129.-B. B. A B, Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 13.-A. O. U. Check List. 1886. No. 194. Irdea hudsonias LINN. 8. N. ed. 12, i, 1766. 238. Ardea It.ssoni WA&L. Isis. 1851. 53L-REK3HBN. J. f. 0.. 1877, 265. ARDEIDJi— THE HEJIONS. 122* HAB. The whole of North and Middle America, excepting Arctic districts; north to Hudson's Bay. "Fur Countries," and Sitka; south to Colombia, Venezuela, and the Galapagos; Bermudas, and throughout the West Indies. SP. CHAE. Adult: Length, about 42.00-50.00; extent, 72.00; weight, 5 to 8 pounds. Forehead and central feathers of the crown pure white ; sides of crown and whole of the occiput, including the long plumes, blue-black. Chin, throat, and malar region pure white. Neck lavender-gray, fading gradually above into the white of cheeks and throat. Foreneck with a narrow median series of black and ferruginous dashes mixed with white ; lower neck- plumes pale lavender-gray. Lateral jugular tufts uniform blue-black; breast and abdomen b'ack, almost uniform laterally, but the middle feathers with broad median stripes of white. Under tail-coverts white, sometimes edged with rufous. Tibial leath- ers deep chestnut-rufous, not growing conspicuously paler toward the body. Upper parts fine slate-blue, the dorsal and scapular plumes paler, more pearl-gray— the lightness of the tint proportionate to the length of the plume ; remiges black, the inner secondaries growing gradually more slaty, so that the innermost are scarcely darker than the tertials. Tail deep slate-blue, a shade darker than the tertials. Entire border of the wing, from the armpit to the metacarpo-phalangeal joint, rich purplish rufous, scarcely mixed anywhere with white, and much the widest at the bend. Bill olive above, the culmen blackish; lower mandible wax-yellow, brighter terminally (sometimes wholly yelJow); iris bright yellow: bare loral space cobalt-blue in spring, olive-greenish or yellowish after breeding season. Legs and feet dusky-black, the tibiae paler, more olivaceous, sometimes tinged with yellow- ish. Young : Above slate-gray (less bluish than in the adult), destitute of any penicillate plumes; anterior lesser wing-coverts bordered terminally with light rufous; border of the wing (broadly) white, more or less tinged with rufous, especially at and near the bend, where this color prevails. Entire pileum, in.-luding all the occipital feathers, blackish- sla e, with a narrow median crest of more elongated darker-colored feathers, with pale ful- vous shaft-streaks. Cheeks dark grayish; malar region, chin, and throat only, pure white. Neck dull gray, sometimes tinged with rufous, some of the feathers with indistinctly lighter shaft-streaks ; foreneck with a narrow longitudinal series of black, rufous, and whitish dashes, much as in the adult. Breast and abdomen broadly striped with dark cinereous and white, in nearly equal amount (sometimes suffused with rufous'. Tibiae very pale rufous, sometimes almost white; crissum white. Upper mandible black, paler, or horn-color, along the tomium ; lower, pale pea-green, deepening into clear horn-yellow on terminal half; eyelids and horizontal space on lores light apple-green; iris gamboge yellow; tibiae and soles of toes, apple-green; rest of legs and feet black. Wing, 17.90-19.85; tail, 7. 30-8. 00; culmen, 4.30-6.00; depth of bill, through middle of nos- tril, 0.85-1.10; naked portion of tibiae, 3.50-5.00; tarsus, C.00-8.00; middle toe, 3.50-4.50. [Extremes of 17 adult specimens.] The Great Blue Heron is a common bird throughout the State, except in localities far removed from streams or ponds which furnish its food supply. It sometimes winters in the ex- treme southern counties, but it is usually a migrant, returning from the south in February, March, or early April, according to the latitude. Solitary and wary, this bird may be seen standing in shallow water, often in mid-stream, but it requires great caution and skill on the part of the person who, with gun in hand, can ap- proach within killing distance of an adult bird, the young being 123* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. more easily stalked. More often the heron first sees the in- truder, and startles him by its harsh squawking cries as it flies, from its feeding place. Breeding colonies of this species were formerly common in many parts of the state, but they are becoming scarce in con- sequence of wanton persecution by squirrel hunters and others. They usually select the largest trees and build their bulky nests of sticks on the highest branches, a dozen or more nests some- times being built in one tree. The food of this bird consists of fishes, frogs, crawfish, etc., large quantities of which must be sacrificed to appease its voracious appetite, as many as ten "good-sized" fishes having been disgorged at one time by a heron that was in haste to get away. JSuBGENUs Herodias BOIB. Eerodias BOIE. Isis, 1822. 559. Type, by elimination, Ardea cgretta Lnm. SUBGEN. CHA.B. White Herons of large size, and without plumes, except in the breed- ing season, when ornamented simply (in most species) by a long train of straight feathers, with thick shafts, and long, sparse, decomposed, slender barbs, which grow from the dorsal region and overhang the tail. Bill moderately slender, the upper and lower outlines al- most parallel to near the end, where gently curved, the culmen more abruptly so than the gonys, though the curve is quite gradual. Mental apex reaching a point about midway be- tween the tip of the bill and the eye : malar apex decidedly anterior to the frontal apex, and extending to beneath the posterior end of the nostrils. Toes very long, the middle one about two thirds the tarsus, the hallux much less than one half the former. Tibias bare for about one half their length, or for about the length of the middle toe. Anterior scutellae of tarsus large, distinct, and nearly quadrate. Nuptial plumes confined to the anterior part of the back, whence spring numerous lone, straight, and thick shafts, reaching, when fully developed, to considerably beyond the end of the tail, each stem having along each side very long, slender, and distant flbrillaB. Tail even, of twelve broad feathers. Lower hind neck well feathered. Plumage entirely pure white at all stages and seasons. This subgenus, like Ardea, Ga/rzetta, etc., is nearly cosmopoli- tan, being wanting only in the islands of the South Pacific and in the colder latitudes of other regions. It contains but a single American species, which has a more extensive range than any other of the American herons, excepting only the Night Heron, its regular habitat extending from the United States to Patagonia. AKDEID.E— THE HERONS. 124* Ardea egretta Gmel. THE AMEEICAN EGKET. Popolar synomyms. Great White Egret; White "Crane;" Garza blanca grande (Mexico). La Gmnde Aigrette d" A merique Buir. PL Enl. 1770-86, pi. 925. Great White Heron LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 91. Great Egret LATH. t. c. 89 (based on PL Enl. 925). Ardea egretta GMEL. 8. N. i, 1788, 629, No. 34 (based on PL Enl. 925, and Lath. t. c.).— WrLS Am. Orn. vii, 1813. 106, pi. 61, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834. 47.— Auu. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 600, pi. 386; Synop. 1839, 265; B. Am. vi, 1843, 132, pi. 370.— COUES, Key, 1872, 267; Cheek List. 1873, No. 452; Birds N. W. 1874,519.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 196.— BIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 130. Herodias egretta GBAT. Gen. B. iii, 1849.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858. 666; Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 486.— BIDGW. Orn. 40th par. 1877, .— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1881, 23.— COUES. Check List, ed. 2, 1882, No. 658. Herodias alba, var. egretta, BIDGW. Ann. Lye. N. Y. Jan. 1874, 386. Herodias alba egretta RIDGW. Bull. Essex Inst. Oct. 1874, 171; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 489. Berodias egretta, var. californica BAIBD. B. N. Am. 1858. 667; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 486 a. Ardea leuce "ILLIGEB," LIGHT. Verz. Doubl. 1823. No. 793. Ardea alba, subspec. galatea, REICHEHOW, J. f. O. 1877,272. HAS. The whole of temperate and tropical America, from Nova Scotia, Ontario, Minneuota, and Oregon, to Patagonia; throughout the West Indies. SP. CHAB. Length, aboiit 37.00-39.00; extent, about 55.00-57.00; wing, 14.10-16.80; tail. 5.60-7.30; culmen, 4.20-4.90; depth of bill, .70-.80; tarsus, 5.50-6.80; middle toe, 3.50-4.30; naked portion of tibia. 3.50-4.50; weight, about 2ii Ibs. Color entirely pure white at all seasons and at all ages. Bill and lores rich chrome-yellow (the latter sometimes tinged with light green), the eulmen usually black near the tip, sometimea nearly the entire maxilla black; iris naples-yellow; legs and feet entirely deep black. Having specimens before us from all parts of its range, we are unable to detect in this species any variations of a geograph- ical nature. The chief difference between individuals consists in the amount of black on the maxilla, this being sometimes al- most nil, while again the maxilla may be entirely black. That this variation has no relation to season is shown by the fact that in a considerable series shot from one "rookery" in Florida, and all bearing the nuptial train, the extremes are presented by different individuals, others being variously intermediate. The Great White Egret is either a summer resident or visitant in almost every portion of the State. While no doubt breeding in many localities it usually occurs as a visitor late in summer, in August and September, when it may be seen, either singly or in small groups, sometimes in large numbers, wading about in shoal places in the rivers or ponds. Professor Forbes informs me that it is abundant all summer on the Illinois River as far north as Peoria; but he does not state whether it is known to breed there. 125* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBGENUS Garzetta KAUP. Garzetta KAUP. Nat. Syst. Eur. Thierw. 1829, 76.— BONAP. Consp. ii, 1855, 118. Type, Ardea garzetta LINN. SUBGKN. CHAB. Small white Herons, crested at all ages and seasons, and in the nuptial season adorned with jugular and dorsal plumes. Bill slender, very little compressed, the culmen decidedly curved for the terminal half, somewhat depressed for the basal half, the gonys nearly straight, but ascending; the lower edge of the mandibular rami straight or appreciably concave. Mental apex falling far short of reaching half-way from the middle of the eye !<•• the point of the bill; malar apex reaching just as far as the frontal apex, and falling far short of the posterior end of the nostrils. Toes short, the middle one but little more than one half the tarsus, the hallux about one half its length; bare portion of tibia nearly three fourths as long as the tarsus. Tarsal scutellas as in Herodias. Nuptial plumes adorning the occiput, jugulum, and back; these, in the American species, all of similar structure, having decomposed webs ; but in the Old World species, those of the occiput and jugulum narrow and with compact webs. Dorsal plumes (in all species) reaching but little beyond the tail, and strongly recurved at ends. Ardea candidissima Gmel. THE SNOWY HEBON. Popular synonyms. Little Egret; White-crested Egret; White Poke; Black-legged Gaalta (Jamaica); Garza blanca chica (Mexico). Ardea nwea JACQ. Beitr. 1784, 18, No. 13 (not of 8. G. Gmel. 1770-1774).— LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790. 696 (part). Little White Heron LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 9S. Little Egret LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 90 (part; includes also G-. nivea). Ardea candidissima GMEL. S. N. i, pt.ii, 1788. 633, No. 45.— WILS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 120, pi 62. fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834. 49.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 317; v, 1839. 606, pi. 242; Synop. 1839, 267; Birds Am. vi, 1843, 163, pi. 374.— COUES, Key. 1872, 267; 2d ed. 1884; Check List, 1873, 89, No. 453; Birds N. W. 1874, 521.— BEICHENOW, J. f. O. 1877. 273.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886. No. 197.-Bn>aw. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 130. Garzetta. candidissima BONAP. Consp. ii, 1855, 119.— BAIBD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 665; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 485.— BIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 490.— COUBS. Check List. 2d ed. 1882, No. 659.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 28. Ardea oula GMEL. 8. N. i. pt ii, 1788, 633 (Chili). Ardea thula LATH. Ind. Orn. ii. 1791. 688. Ardea carolinensis OED, ed. Wils. vii, 1825. 125. Ardea lactea "Cuv." Less. Traite. i, 1831. 575 (Cayenne). HAS. The whole of temperate and tropical America, from the northern United States to Chill and Argentine Bepublic; summer or autumnal visitant only at the northern and southern extremes of its range. West Indies. 8p. CHAB. Plumage entirely pure white, at all ages and seasons. Bill black, th« basal portion of the under mandible (sometimes one half) yellow or otherwise pale-colored ; lores, iris, and eyelids yellow or orange- ye How; tibiae and tarsi black, the lower portion of the latter, with the toes, yellow; claws blackish. Nuptial plumes slender-shafted and loose-fibred, those of the back reaching to or slightly beyond the end of the tail, and, normally, recurved terminally ; those of the occiput sometimes exceeding the bill in length; those of the jugulum slightly less developed. In the young these are all absent, except on the occiput, where they are but slightly de- veloped; in the adults the occipital plumes appear to be permanent, the others assumed only during the breeding season. ARDEID.E— THE HERONS. 126* Total length, about 20.00-27.25; expanse of wings, about 36.00-40.00; wing, 8.20-10.50; tail, 3.00-4.80; culmen, 2.08-3.65; depth of bill, .40-.55; tarsus, 3.15-4.50; middle toe, 2.20-8.20; bare portion of tibia, 1.70-2.75; weight, about 10-14 ounces. This beautiful egret occurs during summer in various parts of the State, but probably not abundantly except in the more southern portions. SDBGENUS Dichromanassa RIDGWAY. Dickromanassa EIDGW. Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Survey, Terr, ir, No. 1, Feb. 5, 1878, »<6. Type, Ardea rufa Bodd., =4. rufescens GMKL. SUBGBN. CHAB. Medium-sized Herons, of uniform white or plumbeous plumage, wtth (adult) or without (young) cinnamon-colored head and neck; the form slender, the toes very short, and the legs very long; the adults with the entire head and neck (except throat and foreneck) covered with long, narrowly lanceolate, compactly webbed feathers, which on the occiput form an ample crest, the feathers of which are very narrowly lanceolate and decurved. Bill much longer than the middle toe (about two thirds the tarsus), the upper and lower outlines almost precisely similar in contour, being nearly parallel along the middle portion, where slightly approximated; the terminal portion of both culmen and gonys gently and about eaually curved. Mental apex extending to a little more than one third the distance from the middle of the eye to the tip of the bill, or to abbut even with the anterior end of the nostril; malar apex about even with that of the frontal feathers. Toes very short, the middle one less than half the tarsus, the hallux less than half the middle toe; bare portion of tibia more than half as long as tarsus; scutellation of tarsus, etc., as in Herodias. G&r- zetta, and allied subgenera. Plumes of the adult consisting of a more or less lengthened train of fastigiate, stiff- shafted feathers, with long, loose, and straight plumules, and extending beyond the tail; in addition to this train, the scapulars and the feathers of the whole head and neck, except the throat and foreneck, are long and narrow, distinctly lanceolate, and acuminate, with com- pact webs, and on the occiput are developed into an ample decurved crest. There is only one species belonging to this subgenus, the di- chromatic Ardea rufescens GMEL., the white phase of which was formerly considered a distinct species, under the name of Peale's Egret (Ardea pealei BONAP.). Ardea rufescens GmeL Popular synonyms. Russet Egret; Peale's Egret. a. Colored Phase, L' Aigrette rousse, de la. Louisiana BUFF. PI. Enl. 1777-1784, pi. 902 (adnlt), Ardea rufa BODD. (nee SCOP. 1769) Tabl. P. E. 1783, 54 (based on PL EnL 962).— Conss, Ba». 1872, 26g; Check List, 1873. No. 455.— REICHENOW. J. f. 0. 1877, 269.— A. O. U. Ctwek Li^t. 1886, No. 198.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 131. Demietjretta rufa, BAIBD. Birds N. Am. 1858,662; Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 483. 127* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Dichromanassa rufa RIDGW. Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Surv. Terr. iv. No. 1. 1^78. 236 (in text); Norn. N. Am.B. 1881, No. 491.-CouES,Check List.2d ed. 1882,No.661.-B.B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 33. Reddish Egret LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 88 (quotes PL Enl. 902). Areda rufescens GMEL. S. N. i, pt ii, 1788, 628. No. 33 (based on PL Enl. 902).— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 411: v, 1839. 604, pi. 256; Birds Am. vi. 1843, 139, pi. 371 (adult: both phases).— BIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 131. Ardea cubensis "Gu»DL. MSB." LEMB. Aves de Cuba, 1850. 84, pi. 13, flg. 1 (young). 6. White phase. Ardea pcalei BONAP. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ii, 1826, 154.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 49.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 131. Vemieorettapealei'BAiKD.'B. N. Am. 1858. 661; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 182. Ardea rufa, var. pealei. REICHENOW, J. f. 0. 1877. 270. Ardea (Dichromanassa) pealei A. O. U. Check List. 1886, 352 (hypothet list, No. 10). HAB. Warm-temperate and tropical North America, south to Guatemala; in the United States, apparently restricted to the Eastern Province, but in Mexico occurring on both >; north to southern Illinois ; Jamaica; Cuba. Colored phase. Adult. Plumage in general uniform slate-gray, darker on the ba<"k, a little lighter be- neath; entire head and neck rich vinaceous-cinnamon, ending abruptly below; the penicil- late tips of some of the longer feathers, particularly on the occiput, lighter; train similar to the back anteriorly, but passing into a more brownish tint towards the end, the tips some- times whitish. Terminal half of the bill black: basal half, including the lores and eyelids, pale flesh-color or pale grayi>h (according to season) ; iris yellow or white ; legs and feet black, or (in breeding season) ultramarine blue, the scutellae and claws black. (AUDUBON.) Young . No train on the back, and no lanceolate feathers on head or neck, except some- times (in older individuals) on the occiput or lower neck. Prevailing color dull bluish ashy, tineed here and there with reddish cinnamon, principally on the throat and lower Baek. White phase. Adult. Plumage entirely pure white, the plumes exactly as in the adult of the colored phase. Iris white; color of bill, lores, and eyelids in life also similar; but legs and feet sometimes "dark olive-green, the soles greenish yellow." (AUDUBON.) Yo -m. Entirely pure white, and destitute of the plumes and train of the adult. Total length, a ou '27.00-32.00; expanse, about 45.00-50.00; weight, about 1& pounds. (AuDUBO .. ng. ii.W-18.60; tail. 4. 10-5.00; culmen.3.30-4.00; depth of bill. .55-.70: tarsus, 4.SW-5.75; middle toe, 2.50-2.85; bare portion of tibia, 2.60-3.75. The inclusion of this southern species of heron in the Illinois fauna rests on the statement of Mr. E. W. Nelson, in his paper on the birds of southern Illinois,* that he found it "quite com- mon in the vicinity of Cairo during the last week in August, 1875," the unusually high water of that season having caused a much larger number of herons than usual to make their ap- pearance. He observed that "although Ardea egretta and A. cwndea— both of which were seen by the hundred daily— were quite unsuspicious, A. rufa was so exceedingly shy that it was almost impossible to get within gunshot of one." "Bulletin NuttaU Ornithological Club, i. 1876. p. 40. ARDEID.E— THE HERONS. 128* According to Dr. Brewer, the flight of this species is said to be more elevated and regular than that of the smaller herons. It is peculiarly graceful during the mating season, especially when one unmated male is pursuing another. It is said to pass through the air with great celerity, turning and cutting about in curious curves and zigzags, the pursuing bird frequently erecting its beautiful crest and uttering a cry at the moment it is about to give a thrust at the other. When travelling to and from their feeding-grounds, it propels itself with the usual regular napping, and in the customary manner of flight of other herons. On approaching a landing-place, it performs several circumvolutions, as if to satisfy itself that all is safe before alighting. It is much more shy and wary than the smaller herons; and after the breeding season is over it is almost im- possible to shoot one, except when it is taken by surprise, or when flying overhead among the mangroves. SUBGENUS Florida BAIRD. Florida BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 671. Type, Ardea ccerulea LINN. GEN. CHAE. Small Herons, dark plumbeous, with maroon-colored necks; pure white, with bluish tips to some of the primaries; or with the plumage variously intermediate be- tween these extremes. Bill slender, appreciably curved toward the tip, the culmen some- what depressed just above the anterior end of the nostril; lower edge of the mandibular rami slightly concave, the gonys nearly straight, but ascending; anterior point of the malar feathers reaching just about as far forward as that of the frontal feathers, and very far posterior to the posterior end of the nostril; anterior point of chin feathers almost di- rectly beneath the anterior end of the nostril, and a little over two thirds the distance from the middle of the eye to the point of the bill. Toes long, the middle one two thirds, or more, as long as the tarsus, the hallux a little less than half its length ; bare portion of tibia considerably less than middle toe. Tarsal scutellae as in Garzetta and Herodias. Nuptial plumes (occipital, jugular, and scapular) long, slenderly lanceolate, the webs rather compact, especially those of the dorsal region, the longer scapulars, however, loose- webbed, those of the back reaching, when fully developed, far beyond the tail. This subgenus also is peculiar to America, and contains a single species, the Little Blue Heron (Ardea ccerulea Linn.), the adults of which are usually dark slaty blue with maroon-chest- nut head and neck and the young pure white with bluish tips to some of the longer primary quills. BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Ardea cserulea Linn. LITTLE BLUE HERON. Popular synomyms. Blue Egret; Little White Heron (young); Booby (parts of Florida); Garza azul (Mexico). Ardea ccerulea CATEBBY, Carolina, i, 1731, pL76 (blue adult). Heron bleuatre de Cayenne BUFF. PL Enl, 1770-84, pi. 349 (blue adult). Ardea casrulea LINN. 8. N. ed. 10. i,1758, 143, No. 13 (ex Brown, Jam. 478; Catesby, I c.). 1. 1766, 238. No. 17,-WiLS. Am. Orn. vii, 1813, 117. pL 62.-NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 58.-AUD. Orn. Blog. iv, 1838, 58, pi. 307; Synop. 1839, 266; B. Am. vi, 1843, 148. pi. 372.— CoUES. Key, 1872, *68; Check List, 1873. No. 456.— A. 0. U. Check List, 1886, No. 200.— Rnmw. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 130. Florida ceerulea BAIED, Birds N. Am. 1858, 671; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 490.— RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 493.— COUES. Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 662.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884. 43. Blue Heron, var. A. LATH. Synop. iii. 1785. 79 (blue adult. Quotes PL Enl. 319). Ardea caerulescens LATH. Ind. Orn. ii. 1790. 690, No. 49 (based on the above). Le Crabier bleu d cou brun BUFF. Ois. vii. 399 (blue adult). Blue Heron LATH. Synop. iii, 1785. 78 (Quotes Ardea ccerulea. LINN.). ? Little White Heron, var. B. LATH. Synop. iii. 1785, 94 (Mexico. Probably young white bird). Ardea ardesiacea LESS. Traite, i, 1831,575 (Cayenne. Individual in pied plumage). Herodias poucheti BONAP. Consp. ii. 1855, 123 (blue adult). "Egretta nivea" GOSSE, Birds Jam. 1847, 334; Illustr. B. Jam. pi. 90 (young white bird). Ardea cosrulea, var. alba, BEICHENOW, J. f. O. July, 1877, 264 (white phase). Ardea ccerulea, var. cyanopus, BEICHENOW, 1. c. (intermediate, or pied, phase. Ex Ardea cvanopus GMEL. S. N. i. pt ii, 1788, 644). A rdea mexicana cinerea BEISS. Orn. v, 1760, 404 (intermediate phase). Ardea americana cinerea BEISS. t. c. 406. Ardea cancrophagus brasiliensis BEISS. t. c. 479. A rdea chalvbea STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi, il, 1819, 582. Ardea cristata MULL. 8. N. Suppl. 1766. Ill (based on PL Enl. 349). HAB. Warm-temperate eastern North America, the whole of the West Indies and Mid- dle America, and northern South America; north to Massachusetts (accidentally to Maine) , Illinois, Kansas, etc. ; south to Colombia and Guiana. Colored phase. Adult: Head and neck rich purplish maroon, with a glaucous cast, the feathers more chestnut beneath the surface; rest of the plumage uniform dark bluish plumbeous, the plumes with a glaucous cast, the maroon and plumbeous gradually blended. In breeding season, bill ultramarine-blue at the base, the end black; lores, eyelids, and base of bill, ultramarine-blue; iris pale yellow1; tibae, tarsi, and toes black (A.UDUBON). In autumn, bill light plumbeous on the basal half, the terminal half black ; lores and eyelids very pale dull greenish; iris sulphur-yellow; legs and feet uniform pea-green, darker at the joints*. Young: Similar in color to the adult, but with less developed plumes, or with none at all; the head and neck more plumbeous. 1 According to Mr. W. E. D. Scott (Bull. Nutt Orn. Club. vi. 1880, p. 20), the color of the iris in specimens collected March 20, when they had just begun to breed, at Clearwater, Florida, was "deep lead-color" in eleven and "brown or hazel" in another. 1 From a fresh specimen killed August 6, near Washington. D. 0. ARDEiDjE— THE HERONS. 130* White phase. A dult: Prevailing color white, with the ends of several outer primaries plumbeous, the plumage tinged here and there (in quantity varying with the individual) with delicate pale bluish pearl-gray. Colors of the soft parts as in the blue adult. Young: Similar to the adult, but with the plumes absent or but slightly developed. Bill pale lilaceous, becoming gradually black on terminal third, the lores, orbits, and base of under mandible pale apple- green; legs and feet uniform pea-green, lighter and brighter than in the blue phase; iris Naples yellow1. , Pied, or intermediate, phase. The plumage mixed white and plumbeous, in proportion varying with the individual, j-orming a series connecting unbrokenly the two extremes described above. Total length, about 26.00-25.00 inches; expanse, 40.00-42.00; wing, 9.00-10.60; tail. 5.60-4.70; culmen, 2.70-3.30; depth of bill, .4S-.55; tar BUS, 3.1 5-4.00; middle toe, 2.35-2.60; bare portion of tibia, 2.00-2.90. Weight, about 11-16 ounces. While there is evidently such a thing as an intermediate phase among fully adult birds, specimens representing it appear to be excessively rare. The young in blue plumage seems to be equally uncommon. It may be, however, that all birds become blue at some time of their existence, and it is quite certain that a very great majority of the young are white, only one unques- tionably young bird in blue plumage having come under my notice. The Little Blue Heron is a common bird during the latter part of summer, particularly during August, when (in 1875) Mr. E. W. Nelson found it exceedingly abundant near Cairo. Considerable numbers make their appearance along the Wabash River, at least as far north as Mt. Carmel, and doubtless it occurs generally throughout the State. SUBGENUS Butorides BLYTH Butorides "BLYTH. 1849," BONAP. Consp. ii, 1855, 128. Type, Arde a javanica HOBSP, Oniscus CABAN. J. f. O. iv, 1856. 343. Type, Ardea virescena LINN. GEN. OHAB. Small Herons, of darkish, more or less variegated, colors, the pileum and occiput crested. Bill rather stout, decidedly longer than the tarsus. Mental apex reach- ing to a little less than half-way (in B. brunnescens exactly half-way) from the middle of the eye to the point of the bill, and to decidedly beyond the anterior end of the nostril; malar apex about even with the frontal, and decidedly posterior to the hinder end of the nostril (in B. brunnescens this point falls considerably short of the frontal one). Middle toe very nearly or quite equal to the tarsus (equal to it in B. javanicus, a little shorter in the American forms, the difference being most marked in B. virescens) ; outer toe scarcely or aot at all longer than the inner (except in B. brunnescens) ; hallux about half the length of the middle toe; bare portion of tibia equal to or shorter than the hallux. 1 Fresh colors of a specimen killed August 6. near Washington, D. C. 131* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Pilenm with a full crest of broadly lanceolate, compactly webbed feathers, these longer and more aarrowly lanceolate on the occiput. Scapulars and interscapulars elongated and lanceolate in the adult, but not reaching the end of the tail (very much as in Ardea). Ardea virescens Linn. Popular synonyms. "Schytepoke:" "Squawk;" Fly-up-the- Creek; Booby (parts of Florida); Crab-catcher (Jamaica); Martinets cangrejero (Mexico). Ardea steUaris mimm*;CATB:sBY, Carolina, i, 1754, pi. 80 (adult). Ardea virescens LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, 1758, 144, No. 15 (based, in part, on the above); ed. 12, 1766, I, 238. No. 20.-Wn,s. Am. Orn. vii, 1813. 97. pL 61.-N0TT. Man. ii, 1834. 63.-AUD. Orn. Biog. iv. 1838, 247, pL 333; Synop. 1839, 264; Birds Am. vi, 1843. 105, pi. 367.— COUBS. Key. 1872, 268; Check List, 1873, No. 457; Birds N. W. 1874, 522.— BKCHENOW, J. f. O. 1877,255.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 201.— Broow. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 132. Bvtorides virescens BONAP. Consp. ii, 1855. 128.— BATBD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 676; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 493.-Bn>ow. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 494.-COUM. Check List, 2d. ed. 1882, No. 663.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 18S4, 50. Crabier, de la Louisiane BUFF. PL Enl. 1770-84. pi. 909 (adult). Crabier tachete, de la Martinique Burr. PL EnL 912 (young). Green Heron LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 68. Louisiana Heron LATH. t. c. 81. Ardea ludoviciana GMEL. S. N. i, pL ii, 1788, 630, No. 89 (based on PL Enl. 909). ? Blue Heron, var. B. LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 75 (Queen Charlotte's Sound). Ardea chloroptera BODD. Tabl. T. E. 1783. pi. 909. Cancroma maculata BODD. t. c. pL 912. ? Ardea virgata. GMSL 8. N. i, pL ii, 1788, 643. HAB. The whole of temperate North America, West Indies, Middle America, and northern South America, to Venezuela; north to Ontario and Oregon; abundant both in the Pacific States and Eastern Province, but apparently wanting in the Middle Province ; Ber- mudas. SP. CHAB. Adult: Entire pileum, including oocipital crest, glossy darfc metallic bottle- green; rest of the head and neck, except throat and foreneck. rich chestnut, varying from a cinnamon shade to a fine purplish maroon; bare orbital space bordered posteriorly with greenish black, from the lower part of which projects backward, from the rictus, a short stripe of the same; below this, along the upper edge of the malar region, a narrow stripe of white, the lower malar feathers being mixed black and rufous, forming another stripe ; th oat and foreneck, from chin to chest, white, marked with broad longitudinal dashes of dusky. Lower parts ash-gray, the lining of the wing somewhat spotted, and distinctly bordered, outwardly, with creamy white. Scapular plumes glaucous-plumbeous, with a green reflection in certain lights, the shafts white. Wing-coverts and rectrices brilliant metallic bottle-green, the former distinctly bordered, narrowly, with fulvous-white ; these borders on the lesser-coverts, more rusty or fulvous ; rectrices immaculate bottle-green; remiges and primary-coverts plumbeous, with a green reflection, the inner primaries and adjoining secondaries with narrow crescentic tips of white, the coverts with terminal del- toid spots of the same. Bill deep black, the lower mandible sometimes partly yellowish or greenish; lores and orbits varying from olive-green to bright yellow; iris gamboge-yellow; legs and feet olive-green or olive-yellow, the scutellae more greenish; claws horn-color. Young: Pileum, Including crest, as in the adult, but usually streaked with dark rusty an- teriorly; sides of the head and neck dull dark rusty, indistinctly streaked with light ochra- ceous, or buff; lower parts white, tinged with buff, and striped with dusky. Back, scapu- jars. and rump uniform dull dusky-green, some of the feathers indistinctly bordered with ARDEID.E— THE HERONS. 132* rusty; wings and tail as in the adult, but light borders to larger wing-eoverts more ochra- ceous.and the two or three middie rows marked with median wedge-shaped dashes of the same. Bill lighter colored than in the adult, dull greenish prevailing, only the culmen duslty, the lower mandible mostly pale yellowish; legs and feet dull greenish yellow or olivaceous. Length, about 15.00-22.50; expanse, 25.00-27.00. Weight. 6)6 ounces (A.UDUBON). Wing. 6.30-8.00; tail. 2.49-3.40; culmen, 2.00-2.55; depth of bill. .40-.60; tarsus, 1.75-2.15; middle toe, 1.65-1.95; bare portion of tibia, .70-.90. This email and very handsome heron is perhaps the most generally distributed species of the family, being found along all streams which pass through or near wo>ded tracts. It comes from the south in April, and departs in September or October. According to Mr. N. B. Moore (as quoted by Dr. Brewer in the Water Birds of North America), "this heron has its own pe- culiar manner of searching for its food, which, in some respects, differs from that of all the other kinds. It fishes from the shore or from a log, root, snag, or shelving rock, preferring not to wade into the water or to stand in it ; still, on seeing a tempt- ing morsel, it will quit its point of observation and walk into the water towards it. Its approach at such times is peculiar; though the Louisiana Heron seems occasionally to copy its style, except that the latter is constantly in the water at the time of fishing. The Green Heron, however, on seeing a fish, crouches low on its legs, draws back its head, crooks its neck, creeps slyly along, laying its tarsi almost down on the rock or the ground, carries the bill level with the top of the back, and, when near enough, darts the bill forward towards it, sometimes with such force as to topple forward a step or two. It seldom immerses its head in fishing, is always disposed to steal upon its prey in a sly, cat-like, crouching manner, remaining quite motionless for a long time, an 1 often advancing so slowly and stealthily that even a keen-eyed observer would hardly perceive the motion. Its antipathy to and jealousy of its own species at the feeding-grounds is decided." GENUS NYCTICORAX STEPHENS. Nvcticorax STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xi. 1819, 608. Type, Ardea nycticorax Lnnr. GEN. CHAR. Bill comparatively short and thick, the culmen not longer than the tarsus, and equal to not more than four times the greatest depth of the bill; plumage of the young Conspicuously different from 'hat of the adult — K. 133* BIRDS OF 1LL1&01S. There are two strongly marked subgenera, which may be dis- tinguished as follows: a1. Culmen about as long as the tarsus; gonys nearly straight, and lateral outlines of the bill slightly concave; tarsus but little longer than middle toe; scapulars normal (i. e. broad and blended) Hyctieorax. a1. Culmen much shorter than tarsus (only a little longer than middle toe); gonys convex, and lateral outlines of bill straight, or sometimes even perceptibly convex; tarsus much longer than middle toe; scapulars elongated, narrow (but not pointed), some- what loose-webbed Nyetanaita. SUBGENUS Nycticorax STEPHENS. Nycticorax STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. ZooL xi. 1819, 608. Type, Ardec nycMcrrat LINN. Nyctiardea SWAINS. Classif. B. ii, 1837, 354. Same type. SUBGEN. CHAB. Medium-sized Herons of very short thick build, large.'thicit heads, and short tarsi. The plumage exceedingly different in the adult and young, but the sexes sim- ilar. Adults with two or three exceedingly long, thread-like, white occipital plumes. Bill very stout, the depth through the base being more than on« fourth the culmen; the latter nearly straight for the basal two thirds, then gently curved to the tip; lower edge of the mandibular rami nearly straight; gonys nearly straight, very slightly ascending; tT: axillary tomium decidedly concave, with a very convex outline just forward of the rictus. Mental apex reaching more than half-way from the centre of the eye to the point of the bill, and to beyond the anterior end of the nostril; malar apex falling a little short of the frontal apex. Tarsi a little longer than the middle toe, its scutellce hexagonal in front; lateral toes nearly equal, but the outer the longer; hallux less than half the middle toe; bare portion of tibia shorter than the hallux. Inner webs of two outer primaries distinctly emarginated near the end. Tail of twelve broad, moderately hard, feathers, as in the typ- ical herons. Nycticorax nycticorax nsevius (Bodd.) BLACK-CBOWNED NIGHT HERON. Popular synonyms. Anae lean Black-crowned Night Heron; Quok; Quawk; Quak; Quft Bird; Inanite pinto elote (Mexico). Ardea nasvia BODD. TabL P. E. 1783, 56 (ex PL EnL 939). Nyctiardea grisea var. nasvia ALLEN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. iii, 1872. 182.— COUES, Key. 1872. 269; Check List. 1873. No. 458; B. N. W. 1874. SOS. Nyctiardea grisea /3 ncevia BIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877. Nyctiardea grisea nania BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 495.— Cou«8, 2d Check List. 1882. No. 664. Nycticorax griseus ncevius B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884.55. Nycticorax nycticorax ncevius ZELKD. Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. viii, 1885, 113.— A. O. U, Check List, 1886. No. 202.-Bn>GW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887,133. Ardea hoactle GMKL. 8. N. i. pt ii.1788, 630. Ardea cana GHEL. t. c. 643. Ardea gardeni GMEL. t. c. 645 (based on Gardenian Night Effron of PENNANT amd LATHAM). Nyctiardea gardeni BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 678; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 496. Ardea discolor NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 54. ARDEIDjE— THE HERONS. 134* Nyctlcorax americanus BONAP. Comp. List. 1838, 48. Nycticoraz vulgaris D'OBB. Ola. Cuba, 1839, 208. Nycticorax griseus (part) KEICHEN. J. f. 0. 1877, 237. HAS. The whole of temperate and tropical America, from British America to Chill and the Falkland Islands. Part of the West Indies ; Bermudas. SP. CHAB. Adult: Pileum. scapulars, and Intersoapulars. glossy blackish bottle-green; forehead, postocular, malar, and gular regions, and median lower parts, white; lateral lower parts and neck, except in front, pale ash-gray, with a slight lilaceous tinge; wings, rump, upper tail-coverts and tall, deeper ash-gray. Occipital plumes pure white. Bill tlaok; lores and orbits yellowish green; Iris bright red; legs and feet yellow, claws brown. (AucuBON.)1 Immature: Similar to the adult, but scapulars and interscapulars like the wings, and the white of the forehead obscured by the blackish of the crown; the colors generally more sombre, with neck and lower parts more decidedly ashy. Young: Above, grayish brown, with more or less of a cinnamon cast, especially on the remiges, each feather marked with a median tear-shaped or wedge shaped stripe of white, the remi-es with small white terminal spots; rectrlces plain ash-gray. Bides of the head and neck, and entire lower parts, striped longitudinally with grayish brown and dull white; chin and throat plain white medially. Bill light apple-green, the upper half of the maxilla blackif-h, the mandible with a tinge of the same near the end; lores light apple-green; eyelids simi- lar, but lighter, more yellowish, their inner edge black; iris dark chrome-yellow or dull orange; legs and feet light yellowish apple-green ;Iclaws grayish horn-color.* Length about 24.00-26.00; expanse, 44.00. Weight, 1 Ib. 14 oz. (AUDUBON). Wing. 11.00- 12-80; tail. 4.20-5.30; culmen, 2.80-3.10; de^th of bill .70.-85; tarsus, 3.10-3.40; middle toe. 2.65-3.10; bare portion of tibia. .90-1. 40. • SUBMENUS Nyctanassa STEJNEGER. Nyctherodius REICH. Syst. AT. 1852, p. xvl (nee Nycterodius MACGILLIV. 1842). Type, Ardea violacea LINN. Nuetanassa STBJN. Proc. U. B. Nat Mus.x.sig. 19. Aug. 3, 1887, 295, foot-note. Same type. SUBOIN. CHAB. Medium-sized Herons, of short, thick build; the bill extremely thick and stout, with both outlines strongly convex; the leg* long and slender; the dorsal plumes much elongated and very narrow, reaching beyond the tail ; the occiput (In adult) with several extremely long, linear white feathers. Bill short and very stout, the culmen curved regularly from the tase, the gonys de- cidedly convex and very much ascending;* maxillary tomium almost perfectly straight throughout, but appreciably concave anteriorly, with a barely perceptible convexity toward the base ; mandibular tomium nearly straight, but perceptibly concave anteriorly.* Mental 1 A captive specimen had the iris and legs colored as follows, from the last of March to June 30th, the only portion of the year when it was under observation: Iris, deep Chi- nese orange ; legs and feet uniform light buffy flesh-color or pale salmon, not very different from the (evanescent) color of sides of neck, without the slightest tinge of olive or yellow. 1 From a specimen killed August 13, 1879, near Washington, D. C. * Extremes of thirteen examples from North and Middle America. * The lower outline of the bill is, in fact, more decidedly convex than the upper. 6 We find considerable variation among individuals in respect to the outlines: thus, a specimen (female adult, No. 2759, Mus. R. R.) from Illinois has the mandibular tomium ex- actly straight to near the end, where it gradually ascends to the tip. thereby producing a very slight subterminal concavity ; in No. 2758, another adult female from the same locality, it is decidedly convex in the middle portion; while in an adult male, from Mazatlan (No. 58811), it is decidedly concave at the same place— so much so. in fact, that a space is left be- tween it and the upper tomium, on each side, when the bill is closed tight! These discrep- ancies, however, do not affect the general form of the bill, which is eminently character- 135* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. apex less than half-way from centre of eye to end of bill, and about even with anterior end of nostril; apex of malar region a little posterior to the frontal apex. Tarsi long and slender, exceeding the middle toe by more than half the length of the latter; outer toe de- cidedly longer than inner; hailux slightly longer than the first phalanx of the middle toe; bare portion of tibia as long as the outer toe ; tarsal scutellae with a tendency to form trans- verse p!ate« r.n the upper half, in front; claws exceedingly short, strongly curved, and blunt. Inne. we a of two outer primaries emarginated near the end; tail of twelve broad, moderately hard feathers ; interscapnlar plumes greatly elongated (extending beyond the tail), narrow, the plumulae thread-like and soft, and separated outwardly. Occipital plumes linear, flattened, longer than the head and bill, when fully developed, half a dozen or more in number, and graduated in length. Nycticorax violaceus (Linn.) YZLLOW-CBOWWED WIGHT HEBON. Popular synonyms. White-crowned Night Heron; Pedrete de marcara (Mexico). Ardea stellaris criitata americana CATBSBT. Carolina, 1754. pi. 79 (adult). Eihoreau de Cayenne Burr. PI. Enl. 1770-84, pi. 899 (adult). Ardea violacea LINN. 8. N. ed. 10. i. 1758. 143. No. 12 (ex Catesby. 1. c.); ed. 12. i. 1766, 238. No. 16.— WnLs. Am. Orn. viii, 1814. 86. pi. 65.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834. 52.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv. 1838. 290. pi. 336; Synop. 1839, 262; Birds Am. vi, 1843, 89, pi. 364 (adult and young). Nyctiardea violacea SWAINS. Clasait B. ii. 1837. 354,— COUES. Key, 1872, 269; Check List, 1873, No. 459. Nyctherodius violaceus REICHENB. Syst Av. 1851, p. xvi.— BAIBD. Birds N. Am. 1858,679; Cat N. Am. B. 1859. No. 496.— Broow. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 496.— COUES, Check Liflt, M ed. 1882, No. 665 (Nucterodius)-B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884. 61. Nacticorax violaceus Vio. Zool. Jour, iii.1827. 446.— A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 203.— BIDQW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 133. Cayenne Mght Heron LATH. Synop. iii. 1785, 56 (quotes PL Enl 899). yellow-crowned Night Heron LATH. t. c. 80. Ardea cayennensis GMEL. 8. N. i. pt. ii. 1788. 626, No. 31 (based on PL Enl. 899). Ardea sezsctacea VIHLL. Enc. Meth. iii. 1823, 1130 (Beichenow). Ardea callocephala WAOL. 8y»L Av. 1827. Ardea, sp. 34. HAS. Warm-temperate eastern North America, West Indies, Middle America, and northern South America, breeding north to southern Illinois and Indiana. On Atlantic coast north to Pennsylvania (rare). West to Colorado, south to western Ecuador and the Amazonian regions. Bermudas. SP. CHAK. A dult. Forehead, middle of the orown. long occipital plumes, and a large longitudinal patch from the rictus to the ears, pure white;1 rest of the head deep In living and freshly killed specimens the forehead is a delicate creamy sulphur- yellow color; but this fades perceptibly in a very short time after death, and finally disap- appears entirely. Audubon (Birds of America. VoL VL. p. 91) says, however, that this is characteristic of the breeding season, and "disappears at the approach of autumn, when the bird might with all propriety be named the White-crowned Heron." In view of the fact that this beautiful yellow color is seldom if ever to be Been in dried skins, the term "yellow- crowned" is a decided misnomer; and since it is thus calculated to mislead the student, we prefer the name "white-crowned," and have, on previous occasions, adopted the latter in this werk. In many skins the white of the forehead is tinged more or less with ochrace- ous, or cinnamon-brown; but this ia without much doubt an actual stain caused by contact with tae slimy coating of leaves of aquatic plants, ferruginous mud, etc. ARDEID.E— THE HERONS. 136* black. Plumage In general, clear bluish gray, or cinereous, lighter beneath (the de- gree of blueness probably depending on the age of the bird); all the feathers of the upper surface marked with a median stripe of black ; the secondaries and rectrices dark plumbe- ous, bordered with a lighter shade of the same; primaries plain bluish plumbeous. Bill deep black, the lower basal portion of the mandible, in some specimens, greenish yellow; lores and eyelids greenish yellow; iris pale orange; legs dull yellowish green, the large scutellae and the claws dusky.1 Young. Above, dark gooty grayish brown, sometimes of a slightly olive cast, the feathers of the pileum and wines (in youngest individuals the entire upper surface?) marked with median streaks of white or pale buff; these streaks assuming on the wing- coverts a narrowly cuneate form. Lower parts soiled whitish, striped with brownish gray. "Bill greenish black, the lower and basal part of the lower mandible greenish yellow, as are the eyelids and bare space before the eye. Iris pale orange. Legs and feet dull yellowish .green, the scutella and scales in front, as well as the claws, dusky." (AuDUBON.) Length, about 23.00-26.00; expanse, 40.00-45.00; weight, 1 Ib. 7 oz. to 1 Ib. 9 oz. (AUDUBON.) Wing, 10.50- 12.65; tail. 4.20-5.10; culmen, 2.50-8.00; depth of bill. .70-.92; tarsus, 3.10-4.20; middle toe, 2.20- 2.55; bare portion of tibia, 1.60-2.40. The Yellow-crowned Night Heron occurs during summer throughout at least the southern third of Illinois, though of course only in such localities as are suited to it. These consist of timbered swamps, where the principal food of the species, consisting of crawfish, frogs, and the smaller reptiles, is to be found in abundance. Ib first became known to the writer as an Illinois bird through Mr. Samuel Turner, of Mt. Carmel, who obtained specimens of the bird and its eggs in the Coffee Flats, a few miles south of that place. At Monteur's Pond, about eight miles east of Yincennes, Indiana, the writer found it to be much the most numerous species of heron, far outnumbering all other kinds together, during several visits there, in different years. Many nests were found, but all inaccessible except by special and in most cases extraordinary effort, being built not only high up in the tallest sweet gum and oak trees but far out upon the branches. 1 In an adult female shot from the nest, at Wheatland. Indiana, April 27. 1881, the bill and naked lores were wholly slate-black, the eyelids similar, but tinged with green anteriorly; iris Mars-orange; legs pale olive-buff, the large scutellas of tarsus and toes deep brownish. In the adult male in spring, according to Audubon, the unfeathered parts are colored as follows: "Bill black. Iris reddish-orange; margins of eyelids and bare space in front of the eye dull yellowish green. Tibia, upper part of the tarsus, its hind part and the soles, bright yellow; the scutollte and scales, the fore part of the tarsus, the toes, and the olawa. black." BiliDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBFAMILY BCTAURIN-ffi.— THE BITTERNS. GENUS BOTATJBTJS HERMANN. JSotaurus HEBMANN. TabL Affln. Anim. 1783. 135. Type. Ardea stellaris LINN. GEN. CHAB. Tail-feathers ten, very short and soft; outer toe shorter thanJnner ; claws lengthened, slightly curved. Two really distinct genera are comprised in the so-called genus Botaurus, as above defined, but iu order to be consistent in the classification and nomenclature of this work we are compelled to follow the A. O. U. Check List and call them subgenera. They may be distinguished by the following char- acters: a.1 Size large (wing more than 9.50 inches) ; sexes alike in coloration, and young not ob- viously diffe: ent in color from adults Botaurus. a.* Size very small (wing less than 6.00 inches); sexes more or less different In color, (in North American species, at least), and young obviously different from adults.... ....Ardetta. SUBGENUS Botaurus HERMANN. Botaurus HERMANN. Tab!. Affin. Anim. 1783, 135. Type, Ardea stellaris Linn. Sutor SWAINS. Classif. B. ii, 1837, 354. Same type. GEN. CHAB. Medium-sized, or rather large, Herons, with the plumage much mottled or striped with different shades of brown and ochrac^ous (the plumage essentially the same in both sexes and at all seasons); the plumage, particularly of the lower neck in front, exceedingly soft and full, and destitute of any ornamental plumes ; the bill comparatively small and short (shorter than the middle toe) ; the tibiae almost completely feathered, and the claws very long and but slightly curved. Tail, of ten short, soft feathers, slightly rounded or nearly even. Bill gradually tapering from the base to the point, the upper outline more convex than the lower, the gonys very slightly convex and gently ascending, the lower edge of the max- illary rami perfectly straight; mental apex extending forward about half-way from the centre of the eye to the point of the bill, and slightly in advance of the anterior end of the nostril; malar apex falliner far short of that of the frontal feathers. Toes very long, the middle one con?iderabl y exceeding the bill and almost eaualing the tarsus ; inner toe decid- edly longer than the outer; hallux about half the middle toe; claws very long (that of the hallux nearly equal to its digit), and but slightly curved; bare portion of the tibia shorter than the hallux. Tarsi with large regular scutellae in front. ARDEID.E— THE HERONS. 138* Botaurus lentig-inosus (Montag.) AMERICAN BITTEEN. Popular synonyms. Stake-driver; Post-driver; Thunder-pump: Water-belcher; Bog-bull; Bog- bumper; Mire-drum; Look-up; Indian hen; Indian pullet, etc. Ardea mugitans BABTB. Travels, 1792, (nomen nudum). Botaurus mugitans COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 666. Ardea lentiginosa MONTAGUE, Orn. Diet. Suppl. 1813.— Sw. & RICH. P. B.-A. li, 1831.374.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 60.— AUD. Synop. 1839. 263; Birds Am. vi, 1813, 94, pi. 365. Botaurus lentiginosus STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii, 1819, 596.— BAIBD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 674; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 492.— REICHENOW, J f. O. 1877, 218.— RIDGW. Norn. Am. B. 1881, No. 497; Man. 1887. 126..— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 190. Ardea hudsonias MBBBEM, Ersch. Grub. Ency. v, 1820. 175. Ardea minor WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 35, pi. 65, fig. 3. Botaurus minor BOIE. Isis. 1826, 979.— COUES, Key. 1872, 269; Check List. 1873. No. 460; Birds N. W. 1874, 523. Butor americanus SWAINS. Classif. B. ii, 1837, 354. Ardea mokoko VIEILL. Nouv. Diet, xiv, 1817, 440. Botaurus adspersus "CAB.," BONAP. Consp. ii, 1857, 156. Ardea stellaris canadensis EDWAKDS, Nat. Hist. pi. 136. Le Butor de la Baye de Hudson EDWABDS, L c. Botaurus Freti-Hudsonis BBISS. Orn. v, 1760, 450, pi. 37, fig. 1. Ardea stellaris Varietas FOBST. Philos. Trans. Isii, 1772, 410, No. 38 (Severn R.). Bittern Var. A. LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 58. Ardea stellaris B. LATH. Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 680, No. 18 B. (ex Edwards, pi. 136). HAS. The whole of temperate and tropical North America, north to latitude about 60°, south to Guatemala. Cuba; Jamaica; Bermudas. Occasional in Europe (18 British records). SP. CHAB. Adult; Ground-color of the plumage ochraceous-buff ; but this densly mot- tled and finely sprinkled above with reddish brown and blackish, the latter color prevailing on the dorsal and scapular regions, where the feathers have lighter edges, the buff prevail- ing on the wing-coverts, where the variegation consists of a finer and sparser sprinkling of the dusky and brown; on the tertials and ends of the secondaries, the reddish (a sort of cin- namon shade) forms the ground-color, and is thickly sprinkled with irregular dusky dot- tings and zigzags; pectoral tufts nearly uniform dark brown, the feathers with broad lateral borders of clear yellowish ochraceous. Pileum rusty brown, darker anteriorly, changing gradually backward into the greenish olive-gray of the nape; sides of the head and neck yellowish ochraceous; a malar stripe of dark rusty, changing posteriorly into a very conspicuous stripe of blue-black (or in some specimens dull grayish) down each side of the neck; chin and throat white, with a very narrow median dusky ntreak, suffused with ochra- ceoua ; foreneck pale buff, with sharply defined stripes of cinnamon-brown edged with a black line; lower parts pale buff, with narrower brownish stripes; tibia3 and crissum plain lightoreamy buff; primary-coverts and primaries dark slate, tipped with pale reddish ochraceous, finely, but not densely, sprinkled with dusky. Upper mandible olivaceous- black, the tomium (broadly) lemon-yellow; lower mandible pale lemon-yellow, deeper basally. with a stripe of dusky brownish along the posterior part of the tomium; lores and eyelids lemon-yellow, the former divided longitudinally by a median stripe of dusky olive, from the eye to the base of the upper mandible ; iris clear, light sulphur-yellow next the pupil, shading exteriorly into orange-brownish, this encircled narrowly with black; legs and feet bright yellowish green; claws pale brown, dusky toward points.1 Young: Similar to the adult, but more reddish, the mottling coarser, and with a tendency to form ragged transverse bars, especially on the posterior upper parts. 1 Colors of fresh specimens (male and female) killed along the Truckee River. Nevada. Nov. 18. and Dec. 11, 1867. 139* BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Length, about 24.00-28. 00; expanse, 37.00-45.00; weightaboutl^ Ibs. (AuDUBON); wing. 9.80- 12.00; tail, 3.10-4.40; cuimen. 2.50-3.20; depth of biU .50-.65; tarsus, 3.10-3.85; middle toe. 2.90-3.60; bare portion of tibia. 1.00-1.35.1 SUBGENUS Ardetta GRAY. ArdeoJa, BONAP. Synopsis, 1828 (teste GBAT, Gen. & Subg. 1855, 113). Type. Ardea exilis GMEL. (Not of Boie, 1822!) Ardetta GBAT, List of Genera, App. 1842, 13. Type. Ardea minuta LINN. Erodiscus GLOGEB. Handb. i. 1842, 410. Same type. "Ardeiralla" (1855) YEBBEAUX (teste HABTL. Orn. Westafr. p. 224). Type, Ardea sturmi WAGL. BUBGEN CHAB. Extremely small (the smallest of) herons, or miniature bitterns ; dif- fering from the true bitterns chiefly in their diminutive size, and in the fact that the sexes differ in color.' Although only two species of Ardetta are known to occur in North America (with one additional species in South America), there are various species in other parts of the world. The two North American species differ as follows: a1. Primaries tipped with cinnamon- rufous or pale cinnamon; adults with a distinct nar- row stripe of buff along each side of back B. exilig. a8. Primaries without rufous or cinnamon tips; adults without trace of lighter stripe along sides of back B. neoxenus.3 This species, which was originally discovered in southern Florida, has also been taken in Ontario, Canada, and may possibly occur in Illinois. It is very different in color from B. exilis, the prevailing colors being black and rich chestnut. Botaurus exilis (Gmel.) LEAST BITTERN. Popular synonyms. American Least Bittern; Tortoise-shell Bird, or Tortoise-shell Bittern (Jamaica); Little Yellow Bittern; Ardeola and Pescadora (Mexico). Little Bittern PENN. Arct. Zoo!, ii, 1785, 453. No. 359 (part). Minute Bittern LATH. Synop. iii, 1785, 66 (Jamaica); = female ad.). Ardea exilis GMEL. 8. N. i. pt ii, 1788, 645. No. 83 (based on the Minute Bittern of LATH. t. c.).— WILS. Am. Orn. viii. 1814, 37, pi. 65, fig. 4.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 66.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii. 1835, 77; v, 1839, 606. pi. 210; Synop. 1839, 263; Birds Am. vi. 1813. 100, pi. 366. Ardetta exilis GUNDL. J. f. O. 1856,345.— BAIBD. B. N. Am. 1858, 673; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 491,-RiDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 498,-CouES. Check List 2d ed. 1882. No. 667. Botaurus exilis RKICHEN. J. f. 0. 1877, 244.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 134.— RIDGW. Man. 1887, 127. ? Ardea spadicea GMEL. t. c. 641 (Reichenow). 1 From measurements of twenty-five adult specimens. 8 We can find no other difference in form or proportion between Botaurus and Ardetta. In the sexed specimens of A. involucris which we have been able to examine there is no sexual difference of plumage. The sex of the single supposed female, however, may have been incorrectly determined. • Ardetta neoxena GOBY, Auk, ill. Apr. 1886. 262.— Botaurut neoxenus RIDGW. Man. N Am. B. 1887. 127. ARCEULE— THE HERONS. 140* HAB. The whole of temperate North America, north to the British Provinces: West Indies. Middle America, and northern South America, to Brazil. Bermudas. SP. CHAR. Adult male: Pileum, Including slight occipital crest, with entire back, scapu- lars, rump and tail, glossy greenish black, the outer webs of the outermost row of scapu- lars edged with pale buff, forming a narrow longitudinal stripe. Sides of the head and neck bright ochraceous, deepening into reddish chestnut on the nape; chin, throat, and foreneck paler, the first sometimes whitish, with a median series of dusky and yellowish buff dashes; the foreneck and chest faintly striped with white and pale orange-buff, the latter pre- dominating; on each side the breast a patch of maroon-dusky, the feathers tipped with paler and suffused with blackish, forming tufts of large loose feathers, partly concealed by the large feathers of the chest; lower parts whitish, washed with pale creamy-buff. Carpal region, greater wing-coverts, lower webs of tertials and tips of primary-coverts, second- aries, and innermost primaries, rich cinnamon- rufous; large area covering middle wing- covert region, pale ochraceous or buff; remiges and primary-coverts blackish slate, except at tips. "Bill dark olive-brown above, edge of upper mandible and bare frontal space yel- low; lower mandible pale yellow, inclining to flesh color; iris yellow; feet dull greenish yel- low; claws brown." (AtJDUBON.) Adult female: Similar to adult male, but the greenish- black replaced by brown (varying from umber-drab to cinnamon; the pileum darker, usu- ally quite dusky) ; the buff stripe along outer edge of scapular region much broader, and the stripes on the foreneck usually more distinct. Young: Similar to the adult female, but feathers of the back and scapulars tipped with buff, and stripes on foreneck usually still more distinct. Downy young: Above uniform buff, or brownish buff, beneath dull white. Total length, about 12.00-13.50 inches; extent of wings, 17.00-18.00; wing. 4.80-5.25; tail. 1.60- 2.10; culmen, 1.60-1.90; depth of bill at base. .2S-.35; tarsus, 1.50-1.75; middle toe. 1.40-1.60; bare portion of tibia, .45-.50. The Least Bittern, although comparatively seldom seen, is an abundant summer resident in marshy localities throughout Illinois, but keeps well hidden among the tall sedges, cat-tails, and other aquatic plants among which it dwells, often permit- ting itself to be almost brushed against before it will take wing. Mr. Nelson says it breeds abundantly in the marshes and sloughs of the northeastern counties, where it arrives about May 1, and breeds in June. He always found its nest sup- ported, at from two to three feet above the water, by the surrounding rushes, and describes it as a very frail structure— a thin platform from one to three inches thick, with scarcely de- pression enough in the center to prevent the eggs from rolling out. Small dry pieces of reeds are used in building it. The eggs are usually from two to six in number. If approached while on the nest, the female generally steps quietly to one side; but if suddenly surprised, takes to flight. Each nest is usually placed by itself, but sometimes six or eight may be found in close proximity. — F. 102 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. ORDER ANSERES.— THE LA.MELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS. CHABACTEBS. Lamellirostral swimming birds, with straight bills, short legs (always shorter than the wing), the tibiae usually completely feathered, and scarcely free from the body ; hallux well developed, though usually small, never absent, Reproduction prascocial. and youngptilopaedic; eggs numerous and unmarked, with a hard, usually very smooth, shell. Bill flattened terminally, and provided at the tip with a more or less hooked nail or "unguis", and along the edges with distinct vertical lamellae or strainers (more tooth-like in the subfamily Mergince). The Order Anseres is composed mainly of a single family (Anat- idce),1 which, however, includes very numerous genera and species. The order is represented in every portion of the globe, but most numerously in the northern hemisphere. It is allied most nearly to the orders Phcenieopteri ( Flamingoes ) and Palamedem (Screamers), the former Tropicopolitan, the latter confined to the central portion of the Neotropical Region. •Extralimital families are (1) Anserantidas (Semipalmated Geese), and (2) Cereopsidce (Cape Barren Geese), both peculiar to Australia. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 103 FAMILY ANATID2E.— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. CHABACTEES. The same as those of the Order. (See Volume I, page 45.) The family Anatidce, which includes all the North American Anseres, constitutes so well-marked and natural a group of birds as to need no further definition than has already been given. The species, being very numerous, naturally fall into several more or less well-defined groups, which have been accorded the rank of subfamilies. These, however, grade so insensibly into one another that it is extremely doubtful whether this rank can be maintained for them.1 Birds of this family are found in every known part of the world; but they abound most in the northern hemisphere, particularly in boreal regions. The North American representatives may, for convenience of classification, be divided into four tolerably well-defined groups, as follows: Cygninae. Neck extremely long (as long as or longer than the body); size very large; bill long as or longer than the head, the edges parallel, the nail small ; tarsi shorter than middle toe ;lores naked; tail-feathers 20-24; color chiefly or entirely white (except in Chenopis atrata, the Black Swan, of Australia). Anserinae. Neck moderately long (shorter than the body); size variable (usually medi- um, never very large); bill not longer than the head, tapering to the end, which is chiefly occupied by the large, broad nail; tarsus longer than the middle toe; lores feathered; tail-feathers 14-20; color extremely variable. Anatinae. Neck moderately long (shorter than the body); sizo variable (usually small or medium); bill extremely variable; tarsus shorter than the middle toe; lores usually feathered; tail-feathers 14-18; color extremely variable. Merginae. Similar to the Anatince, but bill narrow, with tooth-like processes instead of fine lamellae. The genera which have representatives within our limits may be distinguished by the following characters: i"The whole family Anatidce forms, as to structural features, a very homogeneous group, and intermediate links are everywhere to be found. Thus it is very difficult to de- fine the subfamilies anatomically, and to give the structural differences by which they are to be separated, so that I 2nd it not improbable that an exact investigation, based on a more abundant material than I can at present procure, will reduce the subfamilies to groupg of lower rank." STEJNEGEB, in Proc. U. 8. Nat Mus., Vol. 5, 1882, pp. 174, 175. 104: BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBFAMILY CYGNINJE.— THE SWANS. 1. Olor. iThellargest of the American Anatidce (total length more than three feet) ; color of the plumage entirely pure white in adults, grayish in young. (Page 105.) SUBFAMILY ANSERIN^E.— THE GEESE. A. Serrations on cutting- edge of upper mandible visible from the outside through a con- spicuous "grinning space;" bill and feet light colored. 2. Chen. Bill very stout, its depth through the base equal to much more than half the length of the culmen ; color of adults white, with blackish primaries, or else with head and rart of neck white, the wing-coverts bluish gray. (Page 110.) 3. Anser. Bill weaker and more depressed, its depth through the base less than half the length of the culmen; color never white, nor with white head, nor with bluish gray wing-coverts. (Page 115.) B. Serrations on edge of upper mandible visible only near the angle of the mouth, the sides of the bill without "grinning space ;" bill and feet blackish. 4. Branta. Head partly or wholly black; upper and under tail-coverts white. (Page 118.) SUBFAMILY ANATIN-33.— THE DUCKS. A. Lores densely feathered, a. Tail normal. 6. Hind toe without a distinct membranous lobe or "flap.* c. Bill not spatulate. d. Tail-feathers narrow and pointed at tip. e. Tail graduated for less than one third its total length (or else consist- ing of only 14 feathers) and culmen shorter than middle toe without claw. 5. Anas. (Page 126.) e1. Tail graduated for more than one third its total length, consisting of 16 feathers, and culmen longer than middle toe, without claw. 6. Dafila. (Page 146.) d1. Tail-feathers broad and rounded at tips. 7. Aix. (Page 152.) c1. Bill spatulate (much widened toward the end). 8. Spatula. (Page 150.) 61. Hind toe with a broad membranous lobe or "flap." c. Feathering on lores or forehead not reaching beyond posterior border of nostril. d. Graduation of tail less than length of bill from nostril. 9. Aythya. (Page 156.) d1. Graduation of tail much more than length of bill from nostril. e. Distance from tip of bill to loral feathering less than graduation of tail. /. Distance from anterior end of nostril to loral feathers equal to or greater than width of bill at base. g. Distance from anterior end of nostril to tip of bill much less than from same point to loral feathers ; tail less than twice as long as tarsus. 10. Glaucionetta. (Page 165.) ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 105 g l . Distance from anterior end of nostril to tip of bill much greater than from same point to loral feathers ; tail more than twice as long as tarsus. 11. Charitonetta. (Page 170.) f1. Distance from anterior end of nostril to loral feathering much less than width of bill at base. 0. Distance from posterior end of nostril to loral feathers equal to or greater than length of nostril; anterior outline of loral feathering strongly convex. 12. Histrionieus. (Page 171.) pl. Distance from ante, ior end of nostril to loral feathers less than half the length of the nostril; anterior outline of loral feather- ing forming a nearly straight line, running obliquely backward and downward from near nostril to corner of mouth. 13. Clangula. (Page 178.) e1. Distance from tip of bill to loral feathers greater than graduation of tail 14. Oidemia. (Page 179.) e1. Feathering of forehead or lores reaching anteriorly to or beyond posterior end of nostril. 15. Somateria. (Page 175.) a1. Tail abnormal, its feathers narrow, with very stiff shafts, their base scarcely hidden by the very short coverts. 16. Erismatnra. (Page 184.) SUBFAMILY MERGIKL2E.— THE MERGANSERS. A. Serrations of mandible conspicuously tooth-like, and strongly inclined backward at tips. 17. Merganser. (Page 187.) B, Serrations of mandible short, blunt, and not distinctly inclined backward at tips. 18. Lophodytes. (Page 190.) SUBFAMILY CYGNINJE.— THE SWANS. GENUS OLOB, WAGLER. Olor WAGU Isis, 1832, 1234. Type, Anas cygnus LINN. GEN. CHAB. Neck very long (longer than the body); bill longer than the head (com- missure longer than the tarsus), widening slightly to the end, the edges straight; basal por- tion of the bill covered by a soft skin extending over the lores to the eye, the upper outline running nearly straight back from the forehead to the upper eyelid, the lower running from the eye obliquely downward, in a nearly straight line, to the rictus. Nostrils situated a little posterior to the middle of the maxilla, and quite near the culmen; no trace of a knob or caruncle at base of the bill. Lower portion of the tibia bare ; tarsus much shorter than the middle toe (but little longer than the inner), much compressed, covered with hexagonal scales which become smaller on the sides and behind. Hind toe small, much elevated, the lobe narrow. Tail very short, rounded or graduated, of 20 to 24 feathers. Wings rounded, the second and third quills longest; primaries scarcely reaching beyond the ends of the secondaries. Color entirely white, the sexes alike ; young pale grayish. The two North American species of Olor may be readily dis- tinguished by the following characters: —14 106 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. COMMON CHABACTEBS. Adults with whole plumage puro white, the head ofton stained with rusty; bill either entirely black, or black and yellow; iris dark brown; feet blacki'-h. Young ashy, sometimes tinged with brownish, the bill flesh-color (or at least partly of this color) and feet grayish or whitish. 1. 0. columbianus. Tail-feathers usually 20 ; bill not longer than the head, the anterior end of the nostrils considerably anterior to the middle of the maxilla; naked loral skin usually with a yellowish oblong spot. 2. 0. buccinator. Tail-feathers usually 24; bill longer than the head, the anterior end of the nostrils reaching to about the middle of the maxilla; naked loral skin entirely black. Size considerably larger. They are both found, at one time or another, entirely across the continent, though O. buccinator is rare on the Atlantic coast. Olor buccinator (Rich.) TSUMPETEB SWAN. Cygnus buccinator RICH. P. B.-A. ii. 1831, 464 (Hudson Bay).— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 370.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 536; y, 1839,114, pis. 406, 37G; Synop. 1839, 74; B. Am. vi, 1843. 219, pi. 382. 383.-BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858. 758; Cat N. Am. B. 1859. No. 562.-COUES, Key. 1872,281; Check List, 1873, No. 476; 2d ed. 1882, No. 688; Birds N. W. 1874.544.— BIDOW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877. 619. Olor buccinator WAGL. Isis, 1732, 1234.— BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 589; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 120; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii, 1882, 216.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i 1884. 430,- A. O. U. Check List, 1886. No. 181. Ci/anwspasmoreiHiNCKs.Proc.Linn. Soc.viii, 1864,1 (Toronto); P. Z. S. 1868,211.— MOOBE, P. Z. S. 1867, 8 (critical). HAB. Chiefly the interior of North America, from the Gulf coast to the Fur Countries, breeding from Iowa and Dakota northward; west to the Pacific coast, but rare or casual on the Atlantic. Accidental in England. SP. CHAB. Tail usually of 24 feathers; bill longer than the head. Adult: Plumage entirely pure white, the head, sometimes the neck also, or even the entire lower parts, tinged with rusty. Bill, naked lores, legs, and feet, uniform deep black, the "outer lamel- late edges of the lower mandible and the inside of the mouth flesh color," (AUDUBON); iris brown. Yovng: "In the winter the young has the bill black, with the middle portion of the ridge, to the length of an inch and a half, light flesh-color, and a large elongated patch of light dull purple on each side ; the edge of the lower mandible and the tongue dull yellowish flesh-color. The eye is dark brown. The feet are dull yellowish brown, tinged with olive; the claws brownish black, the webs blackish brown. The upper part of the head and the cheeks are light reddish brown, each feather having toward its ex- tremity a small oblong whitish spot, narrowly margined with dusky ; the throat nearly white, as well as the edge of the lower eyelid. The general color of the upper parts is grayish white, slightly tinged with yellow ; the upper part of the neck marked with spots simi'ar to those on the head." (AUDUBON.) Total length, about 58.50 to 68.00 inches ; extent, about 8.00 to nearly 10.00 feet ; wing, 21.00-27.25 inches ; culmen (from frontal feathers) 4.34-4.70 ; tarsus. 4.54-4.92 ; middle toe 6.00-6.50 ; weight, of adults, about 28 to nearly 40 Ibs. The arrangement of the trachea in this species is very different from that in 0. columoianus. in having, besides the horizontal bend, a vertical flexure, occupying a prominent protuberance on the anterior portion of the dorsal aspect of the sternum. The Trumpeter Swan is chiefly a transient visitor to Illi- nois, but undoubtedly once bred within the State, since it ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 107 is now known to do so in Iowa. It is said to occasionally winter in the southern counties, where migrating flocks arrive from the South about, or a little after, the middle of March, and return from the North about the last of October. It is a grand bird, weighing often as much as thirty pounds and sometimes nearly forty, with a spread of wings of eight to nearly ten feet — much greater than any other American bird excepting only the Condor and the California Vulture, both of which are considerably inferior in weight. Its eggs, averag- ing about 4.46 by nearly 3.00 inches in size, are so large that one of them is said to be a sufficient meal for a moderate man. Although so large, it is very swift of wing, and Hearne states that in his opinion it is more difficult to shoot when flying than any other bird. The name "Trumpeter" is derived from its ringing note, much more sonorous than that of the common species (0. Uanus], and said to resemble a blast upon a French horn. Olor columbianus (Ord). WHISTLING SWAN. Popular synomym. American Swan. Cygnus musicus BONAP. Synop. 1828, 379 (nee BECHST. 1809). Cygnus bewickiSw. &EICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 465 (nee YABB.).— NUTT. Man. tt, 1834, 372. Cygnus ferus NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 366 (nee LEACH, 1816). Cygnus americanus SHABPLESS, Doughty's Cab. N. H. i. 1830, 185, pi. 16.— Aud. Orn. Biog. v, 1839.133, pi. 411; Synop. 1839, 274; B. Am. vi, 1843, 226, pi. 384.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858,758; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 561a.— COUES, Key, 1872, 281; Check List. 1873, No. 477; B. N. W. 1874,545. Olor americanus G-&A.-S, Cat. Brit. Mus. 1844, 131.— BONAP. Compt. Eend. xliii, 1856.— EIDOW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 558. Anas columbianus OBD, Guthrie's Geog. 2d Am. ed. 1815.319. Cygnus columbianus COUES, Bull. U. 8. Geol. andGeogr. Surv. Terr. 2d series, No. 6, 1876, 444; Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 689. Olor columbianus STEJN. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. v, 1882. 210.— B. B.&B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 425.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 180.— EIDGW. Man.N. Am. B. 1887, 120. HAS. The whole of North America, breeding far north; accidental in Scotland. SP. CHAB. Tail usually of twenty feathers; bill not longer than the head. Adult: En- tire plumage pure white, the head, sometimes the neck, or eved entire under parts, tinged with rusty. Bill, and bare loral space black, the latter usually marked by an oblong spot of orange or yellow (dull pale reddish, yellowish, or whitish in the skin); iris brown; legs and feet slate-black or dark slate-color. Young: Light ashy gray, paler beneath, the fore part and top of the head tinged with reddish brown. Bill reddish flesh-color, dusky at the tip ; feet dull yellowish flesh color, or grayish. Total length, about 53.00-55.50 Inches; extent about 7.00 feet; wing. 21.50-22.00 inches; culmen. 3.82-4.20; tarsus, 4.06-4.32; middle toe. 5.40-6.90. Weight of adults about 18 to 25 Ibs. 108 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The common American or Whistling Swan is a more northern species, as to its breeding range, than the Trumpeter, but at the same time it is a more abundant or at least more widely distributed species, and therefore better known. It does not, apparently, breed within the limits of the United States, but betakes itself during summer to the desolate lands near and beyond the Arctic circle, where it rears its young in compara- tive security. It is said to occasionally winter in southern Illinois, but ordinarily its principal winter residence is the Gulf and south Atlantic coasts, including their various bays and estuaries. The best account of the habits of this species is that furnished by Dr. Sharpless, of Philadelphia, to Mr. Audubon, supple- mented by articles, presumably of the same writer, in "Doughty 's Cabinet." Dr. Sharpless states that in its migrations south- ward it collects in flocks of twenty or thirty, and moves only when the wind is not opposed to the direction of its flight. It mounts high in the air, forms an elongated wedge, and utters loud screams as it departs, these cries being occasionally re- peated as the bird moves on its way. When flying, the wings seem almost without movement, and their sweep is very unlike the semicircular movements of geese. He estimates that this bird travels at the rate of at least a hundred miles an hour when at a high elevation and with a moderate wind in its favor. Its flight is estimated to be twica as rapid as that of the Wild Goose. In traveling from its summer abode to its winter resi- dence it keeps far inland, mounted above the highest peaks of the Alleghany, and rarely follows the watercourses. It usually arrives at its regular feeding-grounds at night, and signalizes its coming by loud and vociferous screaming, with which the shores ring for several hours. In the spring these birds again assemble, as early as March, and after many preparations by incessant washings and dressings, meanwhile disturbing the neighborhood with their noise, they depart for the north with a general clamor of unmusical screams. In the Chesapeake they collect in flocks of from one to five hundred on the flats near the western shores, from the mouth of the Susquehanna almost to the Rip Raps. When alarmed they become instantly silent, and they depend much more on swimming than on flying for effect- ANATID^E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 109 ing an escape. When feeding, or dressing their plumage, this Swan is usually very noisy, and at night these clamors may be heard to the distance of several miles. Their notes are varied, some resembling the lower ones made by the common tin horn, others running through the various modulations of the notes of the clarionet. The differences are presumed to be dependent upon age. Regarding the edible qualities of the swan there is great di- versity of opinion among persons who have eaten its flesh, but it is probable that due allowance has not been made for the remarkable difference which exists between the tender, juicy flesh of a young bird, and the tough, dry meat of a very old one. A writer in "Doughty's Cabinet," above mentioned, (probably Dr. Sharpless), referring to swans on Chesapeake Bay, says that this bird, when less than five years old, is by far the finest eat- ing of any of the waterfowl found on that bay. It possesses the flavor of the finest goose, and is far more tender. The length of time that its flesh can be preserved untainted is also mentioned as remarkable, this same writer having seen one still perfectly sweet four weeks after its death, no other method of preservation than an exposure to air having been employed. The age of this swan may be known by the color of the feathers, the yearling being of a deep leaden tint, with a deli- cate red bill. In the second year it has a lighter color, and a white bill. In the third season the bill has become jet black, and about one third of the plumage is still tipped with gray; and until it is fully five years old an occasional feather will pre- sent this tint of youth. This bird is supposed to live to a great age, and its flesh becomes exceedingly tough and tasteless. In consequence of this, the more experienced hunters of the Chesa- peake usually allow the patriarchs of the flock, who lead in their flight, to pass unharmed. These old leaders have a note thought to resemble in a remarkable degree the sound of a common tin horn; and the unmusical character of their cries increases in in- tensity with their age. 110 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. SUBFAMILY ANSERINE.— THE GEESE. GENUS CHEN BOIE. Chen BOIE, Isls, 1822, 563, Type, Anser hyperboreus PALLAS. Exanthemofs ELLIOT, Proc. Phila. Acad. 1868, Type, Anser rossii BAIED. Of the three North American species of this genus, two, C. hyperborea, the type, and C. ccerulescens, are precisely alike in the details of form, the only difference being the coloration, which is very distinct in the two; the third species, C. rossii, while agreeing strictly with C. hyperborea in plumage, both in the adult and young stages, differs decidedly in the form of the bill, which is quite peculiar. It seems unnecessary, however, to adopt the generic term Exanthemops, proposed for it by Mr. D. G. Elliot, since the difference in the character of the bill from that of the typical species of the genus is hardly of generic value. The species may be distinguished as follows: Synopsis of Species. COMMON CHABACTEBS. Adult with whole head and at least part of the neck white (in two of the three species the plumage entirely white, except quills, which are blackish); the bill dull purplish red (in life) with whitish nail, and feet purplish red. Young with head and neck grayish, the rest of the plumage either chiefly grayish brown or else striped with grayish on a whitish ground; bill and feet dusky. A. Plumage never chiefly white; the adult mainly grayish brown, with bluish-gray rump and wing-coverts, the head and part of the neck white. Young almost wholly grayish brown, including head and neck. 1. C. caerulescens. Bill very robust, the posterior lateral outline of the maxilla de- cidedly concave; commissure widely gaping, and lower outline of the mandible decidedly convex. (Page 110.) B. Plumage of the adult pure white, the primaries black, more grayish toward the base; young grayish white, the centres of the feathers darker gray. 2. C, hyperborea. Bill robust, and shaped like that of C. caerulescena. 13. C. rossii. Bill small, the posterior lateral outline of the maxilla almost perfectly straight, the tomia closely approximated, and the lower outline of the mandible scarcely convex; in older specimens the base of the maxilla corrugated or warty. Wing. 13.75-15.50 inches; culmen, 1.50-1.70; depth maxilla at base. .85-.9S; tarsus. £30-3.00; middle toe. 1.80-2.05. Hab. Northwestern North America.] Chen caerulescens (Linn.) BLUE-WINGED GOOSE. Popular synonyms. Blue Brant; Blue Goose; White-head; White-hea'led Brant, or Goose; Bald Brant;"JBlue Wavey (Hudson Bay). Anas caerulescens LINN. 8. N. ed. 10. i. 1758. 124; ed. 12. i, 1766, 198.-GMEL. S. N. i. 1788. 513.-LATH, Ind. Orn. ii. 1790, 836. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. Ill Anser ccerulescens VIEILL. Ene. Meth. 1. 1823, 115.— BAIBD. Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 564.-COUES, Key. 1872, 282; Check List, 1873, No. 479; Birds N. W. 1874, 553. Chen ccerulescens RIDGW. Proc. U. S.Nat. Mus.. iii, 1880. 202; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 590;Man. N. Am B. 1887, 115.— COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 694.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 188», 436.-A. O. U. Check List. 1886, p. 351, hypthet. list, No. 8. Anser hyperboreus (supposed young) STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii, ii, 1824, 33.— BAiED.B.N.Am. 1858, 760. HAS, Interior of North America, east of Rocky Mountains, breeding in the interior of Labrador ; migrating south, in winter through the Mississippi Valley, occasionally along the Atlantic coast also. Sp. CHAB. Adult: Head and upper half of the neck white, or mostly white, the former frequently washed with orange-rufous anteriorly; lower neck and body grayish brown, the feathers bordered terminally with paler, these pale edgings, however, nearly obsolete on the neck, where the tint is darker, and joins irregularly against the white above it. Bump and wings plain pearl-gray or bluish cinereous (the former sometimes white), in striking contrast to the deep grayish brown of the scapulars, sides, etc. ; that of the rump fading into white on the upper tail-coverts, and that of the greater coverts edged externally with the same. Primaries black, fading basally into hoary gray; secondaries deep black, nar- rowly edged with white; tail deep ash-gray, the feathers distinctly bordered wi h white Bill reddish, the commissural space black; feet reddish, Young: Very similar, but the chin, only, white, the rest of the head and neck being uniform dark grayish brown or brown- ish slate, like the breast, only daiker in shi.de; body more cinereous than in the adult, the pale tips to the nearly truncated contour feathers being obsolete. Bump, wings, and tail as in the adult. Bill and feet blackish. Downy young, not seen. Total length, about 30.00 inches; wing, 15.00-17.00; culmen, 2.10-2.30: tarsus, 3.00-3.30; mid- dle toe, 2.15-2.50. The chief variation in the plumage of adults of this species consists in the extent and continuity of the white of the neck. This is usually more or less broken, the dusky of the lower por- tion running upwards in irregular spots or projections; it ex- tends highest on the nape, where it sometimes reaches to the crown. The bright orange-rufous tinge to the anterior portion of the head, being an adventitious stain, is frequently entirely ab- sent. The color of the abdomen also varies from nearly pure white to a tint hardly paler than the breast ; the rump is also sometimes, but rarely, entirely white, while occasionally white feathers are irregularly interspersed among the dark feathers of the body. In both the adult and young stages of this goose the plumage is so very distinct from that of C. hyperborea that there is no occasion for confounding the two when the points of distinction are understood. We are unable, however, to find the slightest difference in the details of form or in proportions — a fact which suggests the mere possibility of their being white and colored phases of the same species, as in some Herons; but we do not 112 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. consider this as at all probable, although in view of their sim- ilarity of form and size, and the fact that the chief variations are a tendency toward partial albinism, the possibility of such a relationship should be borne in mind. A specimen figured in the ''Transactions" of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Vol. I., 1869, pi. 18, has the whole under parts, posterior to the chest, pure white. We have also seen examples in which not only the abdomen, but also the rump, was white ; while, as noted above, white feathers are sometimes interspersed irregularly in the dark plumage of the body. There is also something very "unsatisfactory" or suspicious in the irregular, variable, and undecided way in which the white of the neck joins upon the dark color below it. Mr. E. W. Nelson, of Chicago, who has enjoyed the advantage of inspecting very numerous specimens in the markets of that great game center, writes as follows (Butt. Nutt. Orn. Club, VIII., 1876, p. 137) with regard to the changes of plumage in this species: "The adults of this species invariably possess the white head and upper part of the neck, which in the younger specimens is more or less variegated with dark feathers. These disappear as the bird becomes older; and in many the head is a pure snowy white, in sharp contrast to the dark plumage of the rest of the upper parts. The young would appear at first sight to be a distinct species, so different is the pattern of coloration. The white of the head, neck, abdomen, and tail-coverts is entirely absent, and the bird is of an almost uniform ashy plumbeous, slightly darker about the head, and lighter on the abdomen. This plumage is retained until the second year at least, as many specimens are procured in the spring with the dark head, neck and abdomen still immaculate ; and these, I think, are young of the preceding year. At the same time specimens are found with the dark feathers about the head well mixed with white, repre- senting the second year. In birds of the third year the white predominates; but not until the fourth or fifth year does the plumage become perfect." The Blue Goose is a common species in Illinois during the migrations, sometimes mixed in with flocks of the Snow Goose, but often in flocks composed entirely of its own species. In his ANATIDJS— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 113 paper on the birds of northern Dakota, Dr. McChesney, referring to its migrations, mentions as a singular fact that he never observed this goose during the spring migrations when the Snow Goose is so abundant, and with which it makes its ap- pearance in the fall — being afterwards constantly found mixed with the flocks of that goose, and associating with it on terms of such familiarity as to suggest the query whether there may not be a doubt as to its distinctness from that species, and whether it may not in reality be the young, or a semi-melanotic condi- tion. He saw flocks of the Snow Goose covering acres of ground, with here and there a Blue Goose scattered through the flock, and he also saw them associated on the wing. "The case of this goose and that of the Black-bellied Plover" says he, "constitute the only exceptions falling under my notice of a migratory bird appearing in the fall that does not pass this region during the spring migrations. This goose departs with the preceding about the end of October." On the other hand, Prof. Cooke says that it migrates through the Mississippi Valley, and winters along the Gulf coast, in mild winters extending up to northern Mississippi and southern Illinois;" and that "during migration it was noticed at Burling- ton, Iowa, where bulk arrived March 20, 1884" — thus showing that, nearer the Mississippi River at least, it does pass north- ward in the spring. The breeding ground of the Blue Goose is not known with cer- tainty, but, according to Mr. Barnston, the Indians of the Hud- son's Bay district report that it is the country lying in the interior from the northeast point of Labrador, where extensive swamps and impenetrable bogs prevail, and where these geese nest on the more solid tufts interspersed through the morass, safe from man or any other than winged enemies. Chen hyperborea (Pall.) LESSEE SNOW GOOSE. Pounlar synonyms. Lesser Snow Goose; White Brant. Anser hyperb reus PAJLL. Spio. Zool. viii. 1767, 25, pi. 65 (Eastern Siberia); Zoog. Rosso- As. ii, 1826, 227.— Sw. & RICH. P. B.-A. ii, 1831, 467.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834,344.— Axro. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 562, pi. 381; Synop. 1839, 273; B. Am. vi, 1843, 212, pi. 381.— BAIBD. B. N. Am. 1858, 760; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 563-CouES. Key, 1872, 282; Check List, 1873, No. 480; Birds N. W. 1874, 548.-HBNSH. ZooL Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 470. —15 114 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Anas hyperboreus GMEL. S. N. i, pt. ii, 1788, 501.— WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814. 76, pi. 68, f. 3. Chen hyperboreus RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 591.— COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 695.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 489. Chen hyperborea BOIE, Isis, 1822, 563.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 169.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 115. A user albatus CASS. Proo. Phi!a. Acad. 1856, 41.— BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 925; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 563a.— RIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 619. Chen albatus ELLIOT, Illust. Am. B. ii, 1869, pi. 42. Anser hyperboreus, var. a'batus COUES, Key, 1872, 282; Check List, 1873, No. 480a. Anser hyperboreus, b. albatus COUES, Birds N. W. 1874. 549. Chen hyperboreus albatus EIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1880. 202; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 591a.-CouES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 696. Snow Goose PENN. Arct. Zool. ii, 1790, 479.— LATH. Synop. vi, 1885, 445. HAB. Northern Asia (as far west as European Russia) and western North America, breeding in the Arctic districts (Alaska, etc.), migrating south in winter to southern Cali- fornia, Mexico, and the Gulf coast; occasional on the Atlantic coast during migrations, in Asia, as far south as Japan in winter; casual in various parts of Europe, including Ireland. SP, CHAK. Adult: Entire plumage, except the primaries, snow-white, the head some- times stained with orange-rufous anteriorly; primaries deep black, fading basally into grayish, the primary coverts and alula being hoary ash. Bill purplish red or flesh-color, the nail whitish, and the intertomial space black; iris dark brown; eyelids whitish or flesh- color; feet purple- or orange-red, the soles dingy yellowish. Young: Above, including the head and neck, pale ashy, the feathers of the dorsal region more whitish on their edges ; wing coverts and tertials dark ashy or slate-grayish centrally, their edges broadly pure white; secondaries mottled ashy, edged with white; primaries as in the adult Rump, upper tail-coverts, tail, and lower parts, immaculate pure white, the tail and breast tinged with pale ash. Head usually more or less tinged with orange-rufous, this deepest anteriorly. Bill and feet dusky. Downy young not seen. Total length, about 23,00 to 28.00 inches; wing, 14.50-17.00 (average, 16.36); culmen 1.95- 2.30 (2.15); tarsus. 2.80-3.25 (3.01); middle toe. 2.00-2.50 (2.34). The Snow Goose, more commonly known as the "White Brant," is an abundant migrant in Illinois, coming south in October and returning in January to March, according to the character of the season. According to Mr. Nelson it visits us in large flocks, either composed entirely of its own species or mixed with indi- viduals of the larger race ( Chen hyperborea nivalis) and the Blue Goose, and in the central portion of the State frequents corn- fields. The summer home of the Snow Goose includes the vast extent of territory stretching from the "barren-grounds" of middle Arctic America to Bering's Strait, and also a considerable por- tion of northern Asia, which it traverses until the eastern portion of European Russia is reached. Chen hyperborea nivalis (Forst.) GHEATZR SNOW GOOSE. Popular svnonyms. Wavey, or Common Wavey (Hudson's Bay); Mexican Goose (Rhode Island): Red Goose (New Jersey); Texas Goose (New Jersey). Anas nivalis FOBST. Philos. Trans. Ixii. 1772, 413 (Severn R.). ANATIDJE — THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS.' 115 Chen hyperborea nivalis KIDOW. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash, ii, 1884, 107; Man. N. Am. B. 1887. 115.-A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 169a. Tadorna nivea BBEHM, Yog. Deutschl. 1831, 854. HAB. Eastern North America; breeding grounds unknown, but probably region be- tween McKenzie Eiver and Hudson's Bay; migrating south in winter through eastern United States, including Mississippi Valley, to the Gulf coast, even reaching Cuba; occa- sional or accidental in the Bermudas. SDISSP. CHAE. Entirely similar to G. hyperborea except in size, being considerably larger; youug somewhat darker in color than in true C. hyperborea? Total length, about 30.00-38.00; wing, 17.35-17.50 (17.42) ; culmen, 2.55-2.70(2.63); tarsus, 3.15- 3,50 (3.28); middle toe, 2.60-2.80 (2.70). This is simply a larger race of the Snow Goose, and occurs with the smaller form throughout the Mississippi Valley during its migrations. Mr. Nelson is of the opinion that in Illinois the two occur in about equal numbers. Farther eastward, however, particularly along the Atlantic coast, the larger form is decidedly the prevailing one, while west of the Rocky Mountains it prob- ably does not occur at all, though the smaller race is abundant there. According to Mr. Boardman, it is common during migration in eastern Maine, and it is said to be more or less common, according to the locality and other circumstances, at various points along the coast farther south. GENUS ANSEB, BRISSON. Anser BBISS. Orn. i, 1760, 261. Type, Anas anser LiNN..=J.. cinereus METEB. GEN. CHAB. Bill much weaker or less swollen than in Chen (depth through base less than half the length of the culmen); plumage never white,* nor with white head, nor bluish wing- coverts. This genus differs from Chen chiefly in the form of the bill, which is much less robust, more depressed terminally, the nails thinner and less arched, the tomia less divergent, etc. In fact, the bill of some species is quite identical in form with that of larger species of Branta (ccmadensis and hutchinsii). The type of the genus, however, A. (emereus MEYER), has the bill decid- edly approximating to that of Chen, the commissure gaping quite widely. Only one species occurs in America, the common White-fronted Goose (Anser gambeli HARTLAUB). The same species occurs also in Europe in a representative form— the A. albifrons GMEL. The difference between them is chiefly one of size, the American bird being decidedly the larger. Another 'Except sometimes in species which have been long domesticated. 116 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. European species or race resembling A. dCbifrons, but much smaller, seems to bear to the latter about the same relation which Branta hutchin#ii or B. minima do to B. canadensis. Anser albifrons gambeli (Hartl.) AMEBICAN WHTTE-FEONTED GOOSE. Popular synonyms. Brant; Speckle-belly: Laughing Goose; Pied Brant; Speckled Brant; Gray Brant; Harlequin Brant; Prairie Brant or Goose; Yellow-legged Brant or Goose; Ansar salvage (Mexico). Anser albifrons BONAP. Synop. 1828, 376.— Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii. 1831, 466.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 346.-AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 568, pi. 236; Synop. 1839, 2T2; B. Am. vi, 1843. 209, Anser gambeli HABTLAUB, Rev. et Mag. Zool.1852, 7.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 761; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 565. Anser albifrons, var. gambeli COUKS, Key, 1872, 282; Check List, 1873. No. 487; B. N. W. 1874, 546. Anser albijrons b. gambeli B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i. 1884, 448. Anser albifrons gambeli RIDOW. Proc. U. S. Nat Mus. 1880,203; Nora. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 593 a; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 116.-Couns, Check List. 2d ed, 1882. No. 693.-A. O. U. Check List. 1886, No. 171 o. Anser erythropus BAIBD, Stansbury's Rep. 1852, 321 ;nec Lnra.). Anser frontalis BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 562 (= young; New Mexico) ; Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 566. HAB. The whole of North America, breeding far northward; Cuba. SP. CHAB. Adult: Prevailing color brownish gray, this uniform on the head and neck, and becoming much darker on the flanks; feathers of mantle, wings, sides, and flanks dis- tinctly bordered terminally with pale brownish gray (sometimes approaching grayish white) ; upper edges of the upper layer of flank-feathers pure white, producing a conspicu- ous white stripe when the feathers are properly adjusted. Breast and abdomen grayish white, mixed more or less with irregular spots and patches of black, sometimes scattered and Isolated, but often more or less confluent. Anal region, crissum. and upper tail-coverts immaculate pure white ; rump brownish slate ; greater wing-coverts glaucous gray tipped with white ; secondaries black, their edges narrowly white ; primaries slaty black, growing ashy basally; primary-coverts glaucous- gray. Tail brownish slate, broadly tipped with white, the feathers narrowly edged with the same. Front of the head, from the base of the bill to about half way across the lores and forehead, including the anterior border of the chin, white, bordered behind by brownish black, which gradually fades into the grayish brdwn of the head and neck. Bill reddish (waxy-yellow, flde NELSON), the nail white ; feet reddish.* Young (=A. fronlalis BATED): Nearly similar to the adult, but the anterior portion of the head dark brown, instead of white; wing-coverts less glaucous; black blotches of the under surface absent. Nail of the bill black. Downy young: Above, olive- green; beneath, dingy greenish yellow, deepest yellow on the abdomen. (Hardly distin- guishable trom young of Branta canadensis, but apparently more deeply colored, and with greater contrast between color of upper and lower surfaces). Total length, about 27.00-30.00 inches; extent, about 60.00; wing, 14.25—17.50 ; culmen, 1.40— 2.35; tarsus. 2.60-8.20; middle toe, 2.35—2.70. Tail-feathers 16 to 18, usually the former. The principal variation among individuals of this species is in the amount of the black blotching on the lower parts. In '"Color of bill varying with different specimens, from flesh-color and yellowish, to darker and more reddish tint; the nail at end white or nearly so. Legs and feet orange, the webs lighter, and claws white." (GUBDOH TBUMBUUU Names and Portraits of Birds, p. 11. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 117 some specimens (as No. 10,463, Frontera, Texas), there are only two or three small spots, while in others (as No. 16,788, Hudson's Bay Territory) the black predominates over the lower parts, being continuous on the abdomen, and only broken on the breast by the admixture of a few pale grayish feathers. In No. 4,517, Washington, D. C., the whitish gray of the lower parts is strongly tinged with ochraceous-rufous — without doubt merely an adventitious stain from ferruginous matter. There is also a slight, range of variation in the shade of the brownish tints of the body, some specimens inclining to ashy and others ap- proaching a decided brownish hue. The smallest specimen (see measurements above) is No. 10,463, Frontera, Texas; the larg- est is No. 16,788, Washington, D. C. In No. 20,138, Fort Reso- lution, the white of the forehead is more extended than in any others, reaching as far as the middle of the eye, and sending back a stripe over the eye to its posterior angle, and another on each side the throat. The variations of plumage in this species are thus discussed by Mr. E. W. Nelson, in the "Bulletin of the Essex Institute," Vol. VIII. (1876), pp. 136, 137: "The individual variation in this species is very great. A large majority have the ordinary white frontal band and the under parts plentifully mottled with black. In others the black grad- ually decreases, until some specimens do not show the least trace of dark on the abdomen; in such instances the frontal white band is usually present. The young exhibited a dark brown frontal band in place of white, but with more or less dark spots on the abdomen. In very high plumage the abdomen becomes almost entirely black, only a few rusty-colored feathers being interspersed through the black. The white nail on the bill is generally crossed by one or more longitudinal stripes of dark horn-color. In spring, as the breeding season approaches, the bill becomes a clear waxy yellow. There is also much varia- tion in size among adults of this species. I have examined a number of specimens, which by correct comparison were at least one fourth smaller than the average." The White-fronted Goose is another species which visits Illi- nois only during its migrations, coming some time in October or early in November, and returning in March or April. 118 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. During its sojourn in this State it frequents chiefly open prairies, or wheat fields, where it nibbles the young and tender blades, and corn-fields, where it feeds upon the scattered grains. In California, it is so numerous in winter as to be very destruc- tive to the growing wheat crop, and it is said that in the Sac- ramento and San Joaquin valleys farmers often find it neces- sary to employ men by the month to hunt and drive them from the fields. This is most successfully accomplished by means of brush hiding-places, or "blinds/'5 or by approaching the flocks on horseback, by the side of an ox which has been trained for the purpose. The present species is greatly esteemed for the excellent qual- ity of its flesh, which, by those who have learned to appreciate it, is generally considered superior to that of any other goose. GENUS BRANT A SCOPOLI. Branta SCOP. Ann. i, Hist. Nat. 1769. 67. Type, Anas bemicla LINN. Bernicla STEPHENS, Gen. Zool. xii, ii, 1824, 45. Type, Anas bernicla LINK. Leucovareia REICH. Syst. Av. 1853, pL ix. Type, Anser leucopsis BECHST. Leucoblepharon BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 763. Type, Anas canadensis LINN. GEN. CHAB. Serrations on edge of upper mandible visible (from the outside) only near angle of the mouth, the edge (tomium) itself very slightly or not at all sinuated; otherwise much like Anser, but bill and feet always black, and the head and neck also chiefly black. With much the same form throughout as the species of Anser, \}\Q birds belonging to the genus Branta are distinguished by the darker plumage, with the head and neck chiefly black, and the bill and feet entirely deep black, at all ages. All the known species occur in North America, and all but two of them in Illinois : Our species may be distinguished by the following characters : A. Head and neck black, with a somewhat triangular patch of white on each cheek, usu- ally confluent underneath the head, but sometimes separated by a black stripe or "isthmus" along the throat ; in some specimens a white collar around the lower neck. Tail, rump, and primaries brownish black ; upper tail-coverts, crissum, and anal region white ; rest of the plumage grayish brown, lighter below, the feathers tipped with paler. a. Lower parts light brownish gray: white cheek-patches usually confluent on the throat; white collar round lower neck usually wanting, rarely distinct 1. B. canadensis (proper). Larger (wing usually more than 16.00 inches, culmen more than 1.75); tail-feathers usually 18-20; length about 35.00-43.00; wing 15.60- 21.00; culmen 1.55-2.70; tarsus 2.45-3.70. 2. B. canadensia hutchinsii. Smaller (wing usually less than 16.00 inches ; culmen less than 1.75); tail-feathers usually 14-16; length about 25.00-34.00; wing 14.75-17.75; culmen 1.20-1.90; tarsus 2.25-3.20. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 119 b. Lower parts deep grayish brown or brownish gray (often but little paler than up- per parts), abruptly contrasted with white of anal region; white cheek-patches usually separated by a black throat-stripe; white collar round lower neck usually very distinct. 3. B. canadcnsis minima. Smallest (wing less than 16. 00 inches, culmen less than 1.35) ; tail-feathers 14-16; length about 23.00-25.00; wing 13.60-14.50; culmen 0.95-1.15; tarsus 2. 40-2. 75. B. Head, neck, and chest black, the middle of the neck with a white patch on eajh side, or a wide collar of the same, interrupted behind. 4. B. bernicla. Wing. 12.30-13.60 inches; culmen, 1.20-1.50; tarsus, 2.10-2.40; middle toe 1.70-2. 10. White of the neck confined to two broken (streaked) patches on each side. Above, brownish gray, the feathers narrowly tipped with grayish white; wing-coverts nearly uniform, more bluish gray; remiges, rump, middle upper tail-coverts, and rectrices, brownish black;- terminal and lateral upper tail-coverts, crissum, and anal region white; lower parts pale gray, the feathers tipped with grayish white, ubrubtly and strongly contrasted with the black of the chest and fading insensibly into the white of the anal region. There is probably no more perplexing problem in North American ornithology than the relationship of the three forms which are named above as races of J3. canadensis. Comparing a very large true J2. canadensis with a small B. minima, no one probably would for a moment think of considering them the same species ; yet in a large series of specimens so many exam- ples occur which seem to connect both these extremes with the middle-sized B. hutchins-ii, that the chain appears to be com- plete; not only is the size thus variable, but every character of coloration also appears to be unreliable. It may be that these intermediate specimens are hybrids, but whether such is the true explanation or not cannot now be determined. Branta canadensis (Linn.) CANADA GOOSE. Popular synonyms. Common Wild Goose; Big Wild Goose; Honker; Beef Goose (North Carolina) ; Bay Goose (Texas) ; Cravat Goose. Anas canadensis LINN. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758,125; ed. 12, i, 1766, 198.— WILS. Am. Orn. viii. 1814, 52, C7, f. 4. Anser canadensis VIKILL. Euc. Meth. 1823, 114.— Sw. & EICH. F. B.-A. ii. 1831, 468.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 349.-AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835, 1 ; v, 1839, 607, pi, 201 ; Synop. 1839, 270 ; B. Am. vi. 1843, 178. pi. 376. Bernicla canadensis BOIE. Isis,1826.921.-Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, xlix. 764; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 567.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 594.-CouES, Key, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 702. Branta canadensis BANNIST. Proc. Acaow. Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 620; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 117. 120 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Bernicla canadensis a. canadensis B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 455, 457. ? Bernicla barnstoni ttoss. Canad. Nat. vli. Apr. 1862, 152. HA.B. Temperate North America in general, breeding chiefly within the United States, Canada. Newfoundland, etc. SP. CHAR. Adult: Head and neck deep black, the former with a white patch covering the throat and extending up over the cheeks to behind the eyes, growing gradually nar- rower above, the upper outline usually more or less truncated; this white patch, however, sometimes interrupted on the throat by a narrow black stripe or isthmus. Very rarely, a broad white band, more or less distinctly indicated, crosses the forehead between the eyes. Black of neck frequently bordered below by a white collar, more or If ss distinct. Upper surface grayish brown, each feather bordered terminally by a paler shade ; lower parts with the exposed surface of about the same shade as the tips of the feathers of the upper parts, the concealed portion of the feathers of the shade of the prevailing color above— this much exposed along the sides and on the flanks. Primaries and their coverts plain dusky, the former growing nearly black terminally. Anal region, crissum, and lower tail-coverts im- maculate white. Tail plain deep black; rump plain blackish slate. Bill and feet deep black. Young: Similar to the adult, but the colors duller, the markings less sharply defined; black of the neck passing gradually below into the grayish of the chest; white cheek- patches usually finely speckled with dusky; light-colored tips to the contour-feathers broader. Downy young: Above, including an occipital patch, golden olive- green; beneath pale greenish ochre, the head rather deeper. Totallength.about35.0fr-43.00 inches; wing, 15. 60-21. 00; cul men, 1.55-2. 70; tarsus, 2. 45-3. 70 / According to Professor Cooke,* the Canada Goose "winters in the southern half of the United States, and breeds on both sides of our northern boundary. It breeds regularly at Heron Lake, Minn., and has been known to breed in southern Illinois (Nel- son)." This statement of course applies to the present time, its former breeding range being undoubtedly far more exten- sive, and including a large portion of the United States to the southward, where the settlement of the country has driven it to more secluded haunts. Even yet a few pairs seem to linger in the more retired spots of its former range. Mr. Nelson's rec- ord for Union Co., Illinois (vicinity of Anna), is one case in point, while the more recent record of its breeding at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee (L. 0. Pindar, in The Auk, for October, 1886, p. 481) is another. The general habits of this species are so well known that it is scarcely necessary to speak of them here at any length. It maybe mentioned, however, that in certain portions of the "North- west," especially in parts of Montana and Dakota, the Canada Goose is said to sometimes nest in trees, possession being taken of a deserted nest of a Fish Hawk or some other large bird of prey. * Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley, p. 75. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS- 121 This circumstance, mentioned by Dr. Coues and Dr. Merrill has, however, been discredited by Dr. Agersborg, who says* that he has "several times been shown nests in trees, claimed by the settlers to be the nests of geese; but the "geese" have invari- ably turned out to be cormorants (Pkalawocorax dilophus). Of the few nests of the Canada Geese found, the majority have been far away from any- water, far out on the prairie; but one nest was built among some large boulders, two feet from the water's edge * * * May not many, if not all of the nests seen in trees by other observers have belonged to the shag?" The following interesting notes on domesticated Canada Geese are given by Mr. Win. Dutcher, in The Auk, for January, 1885, p. Ill: During the last week in May, 1879, I saw some goslings, just hatched, belonging to Capt. Lane, of Shinnecock Bay, Long Island, N. Y. August 16, I saw them again and was unable to distinguish them from the rest of the flock by their size or plumage. The present season Capt. Lane raised nineteen geese. I saw the flock daily from June 26 to July 25, and during the latter part of the time the young birds were hardly distinguish- able from the old ones, except by the solicitude the parents dis- played for the safety of their progeny. Capt. Lane has had re- markable success in breeding Canada Geese in confinement, and has kindly furnished me with the following information regard- ing their habits during the incubating season : "They make their nests of dried grass, raising them about twelve inches from the ground. They feather them when they begin to lay, which is about May 1. None lay until three years old; the first season four eggs are laid, five the second season, and when older six and seven. A goose never has more than one mate. The gander never sits on the nest, bvt;£vhile the goose is sitting never leaves her. The time of incubation is four weeks. The young when hatched are strong enough to take care of themselves, that is, they eat grass and walk and swim as soon as they get dry. They will eat meal on the second day. They are in the down four weeks, and are fully grown in six weeks, When swimming, the gander goes ahead, the young next, and the goose follows, invariably." * The Auk. II. 1885, pp. 287-288. —1C 122 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. Branta canadensis hutchinsii (S\v. & Rich.) HTTTCHINS'S GOOSE. Popular synonyms. Lesser Canada Goose; Small Gray Goose; Little Wild Go ose; Eskimo Goose; Mud Goose (Long Island); Marsh Goose (North Carolina); Prairie Goose; Bay Goose (Texas). Anas bernicla, var. 6. RICH. App. Parry's Voy. 3C8. Anser hutchinsii 8w. & RICH. F. B.-A, ii, 1831, 470.— NUTT. Man. ii. 1834, 362.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835,226, pi. 277; Synop. 1839,271; B. Am. vi, 1843, 198, pi. 377. Bernicla hutchinsii WOODH. Sitgr. Exp. 1853, 102.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, pp. xlix, 766; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 569. Branta hutchinsii BANNIST. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1870, 131.— RIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877,620. Branta canadensis, var. hutchinsii COUES, Key, 1872, 2>s4; Check List, 1873, No. 4856. Branta canadensis, c. hutchinsii COUES, B .N. W. 1874, 554. Bernicla canadensis hutchinsii, RIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mil*, iii, 1880, 203; Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 594a.— COUES, Check List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 704. Bernicla canadensis y. hutchinsi B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 455, 458. Branta canadensis hntchinsii A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No, 172a.— RIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 117. Anser leucopareius BEANDT, Bull. Sc. Ac. St. Petersb. i, 1836, 37. H.AB. North America in general, breeding in the Arctic districts, and migrating south in winter, chiefly through the western United States and Mississippi Valley; northeastern Asia. SUBSP. CHAR. Exactly like B. canadensis in plumage, but considerably smaller, and tail-feathers usually 14 or 16. Total length about 25.00-35.00 inches; wing, 14.75-17.75; culmen, 1.20-1.90; tarsus, 2.25-3.20. In a large series of specimens, the following variations are noted : The ashy beneath varies from a pale tint of canadensiv to the dark shades of minima and occidentalis, but is usually about intermediate between the two extremes; the white collar round the neck, at the lower edge of the black, is seen only in autumnal or winter specimens. The white of the head is usually uninterrupted on the throat, even in very dark-plum aged ex- amples, but occasionally is separated into two patches by a black fchroat-stripe, as in minima and occwfcntatis, the plumage other- wise being light colored. This small form of the Canada (Joose is abundant in Illinois during its migrations, and has little to distinguish it from the larger kind beyond its smaller size, proportionally smaller bill, and the possession, ordinarily, of fewer tail-feathers (one or two pairs less). ANATIDJS— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 123 Branta canadensis minima Ridgw. CACKLING OOOSE. Popular synonyms. Little Cackling Goose; Little White-cheeked Goose; Chornie Goose (Prybilov Islands). Bernicla leucopareia CASS. Illustr. B. Cal. Tex., etc., 1853, 272, pi. 45. nee Anser leucopareius BRANDT. (California.) Branta canadensis var. leucopareia COUES, in Elliott's "Affairs in Alaska," 1875, 190; not of Key. 1872, p. 284, which = B. occidentalis BAIBD. (Prybilov Islands.) Bernicla canadensis leucopareia BIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 5946.— COUES, 2d Check List. 1882, No. 703: 2d Key, 1884, No. 689. Bernicla canadensis, 6. leucopareia B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 456, 459. Branta hutchinsi. ft. leucoparia BIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. i. 1878, 445. (Stockton, Cal.) Branta canadensis, b. leucopareia COUES, B. N. W. 1874, 554. Branta minima BIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii, Apr. 20, 1885, 23.— STEJN. Orn. Expl. Kamtsch. 1885, 147 (in text). Branta canadensis minima EIDGW. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii, 1885, 355; Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 117.— TUENEB, Contr. Nat Hist Alaska, 1886, 139 (habits).— A. 0. U. Check List, 1887, No. 172c.— NELSON, Rep. Nat Hist Alaska, 1887, 86 (habits). Branta canadensis ELLIOTT, Monog. Seal Islands, 1882, 130. HAB. Pacific coast of North America, breeding abundantly about the Yukon delta and contiguous shores of Norton Sound, and migrating south in winter to California; occasional migrant to Mississippi Valley (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, etc.). SUBSP. CHAR. Similar to B. canadensis occidentalis, Baird, but very much smaller. Differing from B. canadensis hutchinsii in smaller size, especially the bill, and much darker coloration. White cheek-patches usually separated by a black stripe or spotting on the throat, and lower part of neck encircled by a more or less distinct white collar. Lower parts dark grayish brown, abruptly denned against the white of the anal region. Total length, about 22.00-25.00 inches; wing. 13.60-14.50; culmen, 0.95-1.35; depth of bill at base, .60- .75; width, .52-.60; tarsus. 2,40-2.75; middle toe, 1.90-2.30; tail-feathers, 14 or 16. Adult (No. 62,526, male ad.. St. Paul's Island, Alaska, May 14, 1872: H. W. ELLIOTT). Throat with a black "isthmus" .75 of an inch broad, separating widely the white cheek- patches. A distinct white collar between the black of the neck and dark brownish gray of the chest, this about .75 of an inch wide in front, and extending completely around, though much narrower, and some- what interrupted, behind. Lower parts dark brownish gray, abruptly defined against the white of the crissum. Wing, 14.25 inches; culmen, 1.30; depth of maxilla at base, .75; width, .65; tarsus. 2.55; middle toe, 2.30; tail-feathers, 14. Other specimens in the collection are chiefly in summer plumage, having paler lower parts and less conspicuous white collar; but nearly all have the two cheek-patches com- pletely separated by a broad black isthmus on the throat. With only two exceptions, the specimens are from the Pacific coast chiefly the northern portion. Young (No. 9,956, North Bed Biver. Manitoba, September: B. Kennicott). Much like the adult but the black of the neck fades gradually into the smoky gray of the chest, with- out being separated by the usual white collar; the white cheek-patches are thickly, though minutely, speckled with black; the feathers of the lower parts, and also the upper tail- coverts, have blackish shafts. It measures as follows: Wing, 13.70; culmen, 1.25; tarsus. 2.60; middle toe. 2.10. BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. The smallest examples seen are the following: $ O a ^ 3 g & 5' •n SI ® d c~ g n-§ !— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 131 STJBGENUS Querquedula STEPHENS. Queryuedula STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. ZooL xii, pt ii, 1824,142. Typo, Anas querq.uedv.la LINN. Oyanopterus ETTON, Mon. Anat 1838, 38. Type? (Not of Halliday, 1835.) Pterocyanea BONAP. Cat. Met 1842, 71. Type? SUBGEN. CHAB. Size small (wing less than 8 inches). Bill slightly longer than the head, the edges nearly parallel, the maxillary tomium sinuated, so as to distinctly ex- pose the lamellae for the basal half, and the terminal half of the culmen slightly but dis- tinctly arched. Otherwise much like Nettion. The two North American species of Querquedula agree very closely in the details of form, in which respect they scarcely differ from the type of the genus, the Q. querquedula of Europe. The coloration of the wing, which is almost exactly that of Spatula, is also essentially the same in these three species. The females are very different from the males, except in the colors of the wing, being much duller. The following are the main differential characteristics of the North American species: 1. A. diseors. Adult male: Head and neck dull plumbeous, with a faint lavender- purple gloss on the sides of the occiput; pileum blackish; a large white, some- what crescent-shaped, mark before the eye, entirely across fore part of the head ; loiver parts pale reddish, spotted with black. 2. A. cyanoptera. Adult male: Head, neck, and lower parts rich uniform chestnut, the abdomen duller (sometimes dusky), the pileum blackish. Anas diseors Linn. THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL. Popular synonyms. Blue- wing; White-face, or White-faced Teal; Summer Teal; Cer- eeta comun (Mexico). Anas diseors LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i. 1766, 205.— Wn,s. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 74, pL 68, fig. 4.— AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 111, pi. 313; Synop. 1839, 282; B. Am. vi, 1843, 287, pi. 393.— A, O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 140.— KIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 93. Anas (Bosc?ias) diseors Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii. 1831, 444.— NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 397. Querquedula diseors STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii, pt ii,1824. 149.— BA-!BD,B. N. Am. 1858, 779; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 581.— COUES, Key, 1872, 287; Cheek List, 1873, No, 4%; 3d ed. 1882, No. 716; Birds N. W. 1874, 566— HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 476.-BIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 623; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 609.— B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 531. Sarcella male de Cayenne, dlte le Soucrourou, BUFF. PL Enl. 966 (male ad.). HAB. North America in general, bat chiefly the .Eastern Province; north to Alaska, south in winter throughout West Indies, Central America, and northern South America as far as Ecuador. Accidental in Europe. SP. CHAB. Adult male: Head and neek dull plumbeous, slightly glossed with laven- der-purple on the side of the occiput and nape, and marked in front of the eyes by a large, somewhat ereseentic, patch of white, extending entirely across the anterior por- tion of the head; pileum, chin, and feathers bordering the white patches, blackish; kxwer parts pate ehestnut, or reddish buffy, thickly spotted with black, the erissum uni- form black. Back and anterior scapulars dusky, marked with concentric or U-shaped bars of pale reddish buff; lesser wing-coverts and outer webs of some of the longer scapulars pale bine; middle eoverts white for the exposed portion, forming a bar across the wing; sp«c«him bronzy green, dusky terminally, with a very narrow white tip; ter- "182 BIBDS OP ILLINOIS. tials black, with a central stripe of buff; a white patch at the base of the tail on each side; axfllars immaculate pure white. Bill uniform black; iris brown; feet yellowish, with dusky web3. Adult female: Wings, only, as in the male; upper parts dusky, the feathers bordered with dull buff, the pileum and nape finely streaked; rest of head and neck, and lower parts generally, brownish white, the head and neck streaked with dusky, except on the chin and upper part of the throat, the streaks more dense immediately before and behind the eye; thus forming an indistinct stripe on the side of the head; feathers of the lower parts generally with dusky grayish brown centres, forming spots when exposed, less distinct on the abdomen, where sometimes obsolete. Total length, aboat 16 inches; extent, about 25; wing, 7.00-7.50; oolmen, 1.49-1.65; tar- sus, 1.20-1.30; middle toe. 1.40-1.45. The Blue-winged Teal is probably the most numerous of our smaller ducks, and, though by far the larger number occur only during the migrations, individuals may be found at all times of the year under favorable circumstances of locality and weather. The bulk of the species, however, winter in the Gulf States and southward, white the breeding range is difficult to make out, owing to the fact that it is not gregarious during the breeding season, but occurs scatteringly in isolated localities where it is most likely to escape observation. "The flight of this duck is extremely rapid, fully as swift as that of the Passenger Pigeon. When advancing against a stiff breeze it shows alternately its upper and lower surface. During its flight it utters a soft, lisping note, which it also emits when apprehensive of danger. It swims buoyantly, and when in a flock so closely together that the individuals nearly touch each other. In consequence of this habit hunters are able to make a frightful havoc among these birds on their first appearance in the fall, when they are easily approached. Audubon has seen as many as eighty-four killed by a single discharge of a double- barelled gun. "It may readily be kept in confinement, soon becomes very docile, feeds readily on coarse corn-meal, and might easily be domesticated. Professor Kumlien, however, has made several unsuccessful attempts to raise this duck by placing its eggs under a domestic hen. He informs me that this species is the latest duck to arrive in the spring. It is very common, and breeds abundantly, in southern Wisconsin, especially on the borders of Lake Koehkonong. It nests on the ground among the reeds and coarse herbage, generally near the water, but he has met with its nest at least half a mile from the nearest water, though always on low land. The aest is simply an accumula- ANATI3XE — THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 133 tion of reeds and rushes lined in the middle with down and feathers. This duck prefers the dryer marshes near creeks. He has always found its nests well lined with down, and when the female leaves her nest she always covers her eggs with down, and draws the grass, of which the outside of the nest is com- posed, over the top. He does not think that she ever lays more than twelve eggs, the usual number being eight to twelve. These are of a clear ivory white, without even the slightest tinge of green. They range from 1.80 to 1.95 inches in length, and 1.25 to 1.35 in breadth." ( Water Birds of North America.) Anas cyanoptera Vieill. CINNAMON TEAL. Popular synonyms. Bed- breasted Teal; Bed Teal; Bed Duck; Cerceta cafe (Mexico). Anas cyanoptera VIBELL. Nouv. Diet. v. 1816, 104.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 141.— BJDOTKT. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 93. Querquedula cyanoptera CASS. U. 8. N. Astr. Exp. ii, 1855, 202 (Chili); Illustr. B. Cal. Tex. etc. 1855, 82, pi. 15.— BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 780; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 582.-COUES, Key, 1872, 288; Check List. 1873, No. 497; 2d ed. 1882, No. 717; B. N. W. 1874, 567.— HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 477.— Broow. Orn. 40th Par. 1877, 623; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 610.— B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884.535. Anas rafflesi KING, Zool. Jour, iv, 1828, 87; Suppl. pi. 29 (Straits of Magellan). Pterocyanea casruleata "LIGHT." QBAY, Gen. B. iii. 1849, 617. HAS. Western America, from tho Columbia Biver to Chili, the Argentine Bepublic.and Falkland Islands. Casual in Eastern North America (Louisiana, Illinois, Florida?). SP. CHAB. Adult male: Head, neck, and lower parts rich purplish chestnut, duller —sometimes quite dusky— on the abdomen; pileum and crissum black; scapulars and part of the back chestnut, marked with U-shaped bars of black, the middle of the back more dusky; tertials black, with a central stripe of buff; longer scapulars similar, the outermost feathers with the outer webs light blue; lesser wing-coverts plain light blue; middle coverts dusky, tipped with white ; speculum uniform green, varying from metallic grass-green to bronze ; primaries and primary-coverts dusky ; upper tail-coverts dusky, edged with pale fulvous; rectrices dusky, edged with brownish white or pale brownish gray; axillars immaculate pure white. Bill deep black; iris orange; feet orange, joints and webs blackish. Adult female: Similar to that of A. discors, but larger and deeper colored, only the upper part of the throat (sometimes only the chin) unstreaked. the ab- domen usually distinctly spotted; chest deeply tinged with light brown. Bill dusky, paler beneath and along edge; iris brown; tegs and feet ochreous-drab. Young male: Similar to the adult female, but markings on the lower parts all distinctly longitudinal or streak-like. Downy young: Above dark olivaceous, relieved by a longitudinal ob- long oblique spot of deep greenish buff on each side the back (behind the wings), and a simflar spot of clearer yellowish on each side of the base of the tail; tho anterior spots confluent with the yellow of the sides, the posterior ones isolated by the exten- sion beneath them of the olivaceous erf the tail. Pileum and hind neck similar to the back, but darker; forehead, broad superciliary stripe, and rest of the head and neck, except as described, with entire lower parts, deep yellowish buff, the side of the head marked with a distinct narrow stripe of dark brown extending from the upper base of the max- illa to the eye, and thenee back to the occiput, 134 BIKDS OF ILLINOIS. Total length (adult), about 15.50-16.50 inches; extent, 24.00-24.50; wing, 7.20-7.75; cnl- men, 1.65-1.85; tarsus, 1.25-1.35; middle toe, 1.40-1.50. Examples from Chili and the Argentine Republic are larger and more richly colored than those from the United States ; the white bar across the end of the middle coverts narrower, and nearly con- cealed by the overlying last row of lesser coverts. The differ- ences, however, may not prove constant. The female of this species is very difficult to distinguish from that of A. discors, and it is probably not possible always to separate them with certainty. The present species averages considerably larger, however; the wings in the adult female ranging from 7.20 to 7.50 inches, the culinen 1.70 to 1.75, against 6.70 to 7.00, and 1.40 to 1.50, as in A. discvrs. The colors are also deeper, nearly the whole throat being streaked, the breast deeply tinged with light browrn, and the abdomen almost always distinctly spotted. This western representation of the Blue-winged Teal, is com- mon as far east as middle Kansas, where, according to Col. N. S. Goss, it probably breeds, but nearer the Mississippi River it is of irregular and uncertain occurrence, having been only once or twice taken in Illinois. Its habits are very similar to those of the Blue-wing. SUBGENUS Nettion Kaup. Nettion KAUP, Entw. Ear. Thierw. 1829, 95, 196. Type, Anas crecca LINN. SUBGEN. CHAB. Bill shorter than head, narrow, depressed (except at base), the edges parallel; tarsus shorter than bill or middle toe; nape with a small mane-like tuft; reo- trices more or less acuminate, the middle pair longest. This subgenus is very readily distinguished from Queryuecfrula by the conspicuously different form of the bill, which is far more like that of Dqfila, though much smaller, being conspicuously more depressed terminally and proportionally deeper through the base than in Querquedula, while the lower edge or maxillary tomium is either gently convex throughout (as in the southern species), or straight anteriorly and decidedly convex posteriorly (as in the northern forms), the lamellae being thus completely hidden. In Querqitedula, on the other hand, the terminal portion of the tomium is strongly convex, and the posterior half cut away, as ANATID^ — THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 135 it were, so as to fully expose the lamellae. Through the forms occurring; in the southern hemisphere, this genus leads directly to PcBcttonetta, which in turn is intermediate between Nettion and Dafila. The two species of Nettion occurring in the northern hemi- sphere are much alike, the males being very handsome in plumage. They may be distinguished as follows: COMMON CHABACTERS. Adult males: Head and upper half of the neck chestnut-rufous, marked with a large patch of metallic green on each side of the head, behind the eye; chin and upper part of throat dull black; nuchal tuft blue-black; lower part of the neck, upper part of the back, scapulars, and lateral parts of the body beneath, undulated with blajk and white; outer scapulars marked with black and white; speculum bright metallic green, the lower feathers black, tipped with white ; crissum black centrally, creamy buff laterally. Adult females: Wing, only, as in the males; elsewhere varied with dusky and brownish white, the former prevailing above, the latter beneath; the abdomen nearly or quite immaculate. 1. A. carolinensis. A broad white bar across side of breast, before the wing; inner webs of outer scapulars vermieulated with dusky and brownish white, the outer webs marked with a longitudinal lanceolate spot of black, bordered internally with a white line. [2. A crecca. No white bar on side of breast; inner web of outer scapulars wholly, and outer web partly, white, the exposed surface of outer webs almost entirely black: undulations of sides, etc., much coarser than in A. carolinensis. Hob. Pafcearctic Region, occasional in eastern North America.] A. crecca, the common teal of Europe, has several times been taken in the Atlantic States, but has not yet been detected in Illinois. Anas carolinensis Gmel. GBEEN-WINGED TEAL. Popular synonyms. Green-wing; American Green- winged Teal; Red-headed Teal ; Mud Teal (Maine); Winter Teal (Long Island); Cereeta de listo verde (Mexico). Anas crecca, var. FOBST. Philos. Trans, rxii, 1772. 383, 419. Anas (Boschas) crecca, var. Sw. & RICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 443,— Norr. Man. ii, 1835, 400. Anas crecca WELS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 101, pL 60, flg. 1 (not of LINN.).— AUD. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835. 218; v, 1839, 616, pL 228. Anas caroUnensis GMEL. 8. N. i, pt. ii, 1878, 533.— AUD. Synop. 1839. 281; B. Am. vi. 1843, 281, pL 392.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 139.— Rn>aw. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 94. Querqtteduldcarolinensis STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zo6Lxii.pt. ii. 1824, 128.— CouES.Key. 1872, 287; Check List. 1873, No. 495; 2d ed. 1882, No. 715; B. N. W. 1874, 565.-HEN- SHAW. ZooL Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 475. Kettitm. carolinensis BATBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 777; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 579.— BIIXJW. Orn. 4ttth Par. 1877, 623; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 612.-B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. U, 1884, 2. Anaa omericana VIETLL. Enc. Meth. 1823, 155. "Anas sylvatica YIEELL. ?" 136 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. HAB. North America in general, breeding chiefly north of the United States, migrat- ing south as far as Honduras and Cuba. Greenland. SP. CHAB. Adidt malt: Head and neck rich chestnut-rufous, inclosing a broad patch of soft dark metallic green on each side of the occiput, from the eye (which it sur- rounds) down the sides of the nape, where the two areas of the opposite sides touch a short nuchal crest of bluish-black. The green patch bordered anteriorly and beneath by a yellowish white line, and a less distinct line of the same bordering the base of the upper mandible, extending thence back to, and indistinctly following, for a short dis- tance, the upper anterior portion of the green patch. Chin and upper part of the throat dull black. Front of the chest deep pinkish cream-color, with roundish and transverse- ly ovate spots of black. Collar round the lower neck, sides of the chest, sides, and flanka, very delicately and beautifully waved with black upon a white ground; outer scap- ulars similarly waved. Sides of the breast with a large transverse bar of plain white. Cris- sum rich deep cream-color, bounded anteriorly, and divided medially, with velvety black: post-femoral region waved like the flanks; rest of lower parts plain white, sometimes tinged with cream-color. Back, scapulars, rump, wing-coverts, primaries, and tail, plain slate- grayish. Outer row of scapulars with their outer webs about half velvety black bordered interiorly with a white line. Last row of coverts broadly tipped with deep ochraeeous ; speculum opaque black, narrowly tipped with white, the four or five upper feathers with their outer webs richly brilliant soft metallic green, varying from golden to violaceous, ac- cording to the light. Bill black ; iris brown ; feet light fleshy (horn-color when dried). Adult female: Wing as in the male, but duller. Above grayish dusky, variegated with edgings and transverse bars of ochraeeous- white. Ground-color of the head, neck, and lower parts, dingy whitish, more or less tinged with ochraeeous ; head and neck speckled with dusky, the spots enlarged and aggregated on the pileum, so as to form the prevailing color, and also along the upper border of the ear-coverts, producing a stripe behind the eye. Chest, sides, and flanks more heavily spotted with dusky. Abdomen sometimes plain, but usually speckled. Bill brownish ; iris brown ; feet pale brown (fleshy in life) Young male: Similar to the adult female, but entire abdomen and sides immaculate white. Downy young: Above grayish brown, with a light grayish-buff spot on each side the back, and a similar pair on the rump; wings crossed near the end by a light grayish- buff bar. Head, neck, and lower parts light dull buff ; crown and occiput covered by an elongated patch of grayish brown (darker than the back), this scarcely reaching the fore- head, but continued down the hind neck to the brown of the back ; a dusky streak behind the eye, not reaching to the occiput ; below the posterior end of this, an oblong spot of grayish brown. Total length, about 14 inches; extent 20.00-24J9; wing, 6.25-7.40; culmen, L40-1.60; tarsus, 1.25; middle toe, 1.30-L36. Many specimens, both males and females, have the lower parts tinged with orange-rusty like the stain on the head of the swans and white geese. Sometimes this tinge pervades the whole under surface, and is occasionally so deep as to give the lower parts a uniform rusty or almost chestnut aspect. Adult females usually have the abdomen and sides thickly spotted or necked with brown, being thereby readily distinguished from the young males, which have the whole abdomen, etc., immac- ulate white. This beautiful little duck is a common species during migra- tions, and sometimes passes the winter in the southern portions of the State. Although stated by Kennicott to breed in the ANATID.E — THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 137 northern part, there appears to be no recent record of its doing so. Professor Cooke says that it "breeds in Manitoba and along our northern border." "Mr. Robert Kennicott, in his notes on this species, states that it is very rare on the upper Yukon River, although he found it abundant in Oregon and in Washington Territory, and throughout British America as far north as latitude 70°; but he did not see it anywhere in the Mackenzie Region in any considerable abundance. As it is more common in the Atlantic States than in the valley of the Mississippi, the main body breed more toward the northeast, beyond the limits of the United States in the region of Hudson's Bay. Though arriv- ing in this country among the earliest of the migrating ducks, this species is quite late in leaving the Yukon and the Mackenzie. Mr. Kennicott saw it October 2 at Fort Liard. The nests found by him were in nearly open ground, among moss, and generally far from water. In one instance he saw the nest of this duck at the foot of a small spruce in a mossy, half-barren, small dry plain, and at least forty rods from water. This nest was a simple depression in the moss, but thickly lined with down, and well protected by the overhanging branches of the spruce. The female fluttered slowly off along the ground at his approach, and the nest was found to contain eight eggs. According to Mr. Call nests of this species frequently have from sixteen to eighteen eggs. "Audubon says that the food of the Green-winged Teal con- sists principally of the seeds of grasses— which are collected when floating, or while still adhering to their stalk— small acorns, fallen grapes or berries, as well as aquatic insects, worms, and small snails. It is much more particular in the selection of its food than are most ducks, and its flesh is there- fore delicious, and probably better that that of any other of the duck tribe. Audubon adds that when this bird has fed on wild oats at Green Bay, or soaked rice in the fields of Georgia or Carolina, it is much superior to the Canvas-back in tender- ness, juiciness, and flavor. "On land it moves with more grace and ease than any other species except the Wood Duck, and it can nm with considerable -18 138 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. speed without its feet becoming entangled. In the water also it moves with great ease and rapidity, and on the wing it is one of the swiftest of its tribe. It rises from the water with a single spring, and so swiftly that it can only be hit by a very expert marksman; and it also dives readily when wounded. This is a fresh-water bird, and it is very rarely met writh near the sea. Its migrations are over the land, and not along the sea-shore." ( Water Birds of North America.} A nest containing ten eggs was found by Mr. H. W. Henshaw, near Ft. Garland, Colorado, under a sage-bush, perhaps thirty feet from the water's edge. A. deep hollow had been scooped in the sand, and lined warmly with fine grass and down, evidently taken from the bird's own breast, which was plucked nearly bare. The eggs were of a pale yellowish color, and averaged 1.81 in length by 1.31 in diameter. SUBGENTJS Chaulelasmus GRAY. Chaulflasmus GEAT, 1838, 56. Type. Anas strepera LnfN. Chatdiodus SWAINS, F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 440. Type, Anas strepera LINN. (Not of BLOCH. 1801) Chauliodes EYTON. Mon. Anat. 1838. 43. Same type. (Not of LATBEILLE, 1798.) SUBGEN. CHAB. Culmen shorter than middle toe, without claw; distance from an- terior border of nostril to tip of upper mandible more t nan three times the distance from the same point to the nearest loral feathers; lamellae very fine and numerous, more than 30 being visible from the outside; tail- feathers 16. But two species of this subgenus are known ; the common and widely diffused A. strepera and the more recently discovered A. oouesi (STREETS) of Washington Island, in the South Pacific Ocean. The latter is very similar to A. strepera, having the same form and essentially the same coloration, but is much smaller, with several differences in plumage. The sides are white, coarsely spotted with grayish, instead of finely undulated with the same, as is the case with the adult male of A. strepcra; but this may be owing to a difference of age, the type of A. cauesi being an immature bird. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS, 139 Anas strepera Linn. GADWALL. Popular synonyms. Gray Duck ; Gray Widgeon (Savannah, Ga.) ; Speckle-belly ; Creek Duck (Long Island) ; Blaten Duck (coast of New Jersey) ; Pato pardo de Grupo (Mexico). Anas strepera LINN. 8. N. ed. 10, i. 1758,125; ed. 12,1,1766,200.— WILS. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 120, pi. TI.-NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 383.-AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838. 353, pL 348; Synop. 1839. 378; K, Am.,yi, 1813, 254, pi. 388.— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 135.— BIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887,95. Anas (Chcmliodus) streperus Sw. & BICH. F. B.-A. ii, 1831, 440. Ohaulelasmus streperus "GRAY. 1838;" List B. Br. Mus. 1844, 139.— BAIRB, B. N. Am. 1858. 782; Cat N. Am. B. 1859, No. 584.— COUES, Key, 1872, 286; Check List. 1873, No. 491; 2d ed. 1882,No. 711; Birds N. W. 1874, 563.— HENSH. Zool. Wheeler's Exp. 1875, 474.— RIDGW. Orn. 40th Par. 1877. 622; Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 604.-B. B. & E. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884, 506. Anas strepera americana, MAX. Jour, fur Orn. ii, 1842, 169. "Chaulelasmus americana, Br." (GBAT). "Anas cinerea et subuiata, S. G. GMELIN." (GRAY). Anas kekuschka GMEL. S. N. i, pt. ii, 1788, 531. "Anas mail, HODGSON" (GRAY). "Anas capensis, SWAINSON" (GRAY). HAB. Nearly cosmopolitan (Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America). Temperate North America in general, breeding chiefly within the United States; West Indies. SP. CHAR. Adult maletnfatt, iirinter, and spring: Ground-color of the head and neck pale brown, or brownish white, thickly speckled with black; on the pileum the brown more uniform, and the specks obsolete ; on the occiput, when present, they incline to the form of transverse bars. Chest marked with horseshoe-like bars, or crescents, of white and black, the bars of the latter wider. Lateral portions of the body beneath, back, and scapulars finely waved, in curved transverse lines, with slate-color and white. Many of the longer scapulars plain brownish gray, broadly edged with a lighter, more fulvous tint. Bump plain dull slate. Tail-coverts, above and below, intense opaque velvety black. Tat! ashy, faintly edged with white. Middle rows of wing-coverts bright chestnut, the anterior coverts brownish gray, and the posterior ones deep black; last row deep velvety black. Speculum immaculate pure white, the lower feathers ashy (some with black on outer webs, ) narrowly tipped with white; tertials plain pale ash, the primaries a darker shade of the same. "Bill bluish black. Iris reddish hazeL Feet dull orange- yellow, claws brownish black, webs dusky" (AuDtTBON). Adult male, in summer: "Crown brownish black, with a greenish tinge; an indistinct streak through the eye, dark brown; rest of the head and neck dull brownish white, marked with blackish brown, as in the previously described bird [adult male in spring]; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts dark blackish brown, each feather margined with rusty red; wings and tail as in the bird above described; breast dull rusty red, each feather with a central black spot ; flanks dark brown, broadly marked and margined with dull rufous ; the rest of the under parts dull white, each feather having a central blackish brown drop-shaped mark". (SHARPS & DRESSER.) Adult female: Colors chiefly brownish dusky and brownish white, in longitudinal streaks on the head and neck, and in irregular transverse spots and bars on other portions. On the upper surface the dusky prevails, and on the lower parts the whitish predominates. Wing nearly as in the male, but the chestnut usually absent, the black less extended, and the gray of the coverts generally more or less barred and tipped with white. Abdomen and lower part of the breast pure white ; throat finely streaked with dusky. Downy young : "Covered with soft short down; head, nape, back, and rump, dark dull brown, on each side of the rump and back of each wing-joint a sulphur-yellow spot, the wing-joints being marked with that color; forehead, space round the eye, throat, and chest pale sulphur- yellow; abdomen white, shaded with sulphur- yellow, on the lower part sooty gray." (SHARPE & DRESSER.) 140 BIRDS OF ILLINOW. Male. Wing, 10.25-11.00 inches; culmen, 1.69-L75; width of bill .60-.7S; tarsus, l.^LTO; middle toe, 1.80-1.90. Female. Wing, 10.00-10.10; eulmen, L55-L65; width of bill, .60-.70; tarsus, 1.60; middle toe, 1.75-L80. Although one of the above diagnoses will fit almost any ex- ample of this species, there is yet a very considerable extent of individual variation noticeable in a large series. Thus, No. 17,040 (Washington, D. C., Feb. 25, 1860; C. DREXLER) has the uniform brown of the pileum coming down over the side of the head to a line on a level with the lower eyelid, the whole upper half of the head being thus nearly free from specks; while that portion behind the eye has a faint, but very perceptible, rose- purple reflection— this part of the head calling strongly to mind the head-pattern of A. carolinensis and A. americana. On the other hand, an adult male from Philadelphia (No. 46,658, J. KRTDER) has even the top of the head spotted. No. 9,791, adult male, Fort Steilacoom, Washington (DR. GEORGE SUCK- LEY), has the pileum almost chestnut, the brown having there so deep a reddish cast; the lower neck is nearly plain pale ochraceous, abruptly defined against the darkly colored jugulum. Specimens from Cape St. Lucas and Utah present no unusaal features. All American specimens differ uniformly from the single Euro- pean pair before us, in several very tangible respects. The European male has the neck quite deeply ochraceous, while in the American ones there is seldom more than a mere tinge of this color; the chest is pervaded by a wash of a more pinkish tinge of ochraceous, while there is appreciably less regu- larity and clearness in the markings of that region. The longer scapulars are more deeply tinged with fulvous, and the finely undulated portions are pervaded with a brownish wash, entirely wanting in the American series. The measurements of this specimen (No. 57,187, Europe; Schluter Collection) are as fol- lows: Wing, 10.80 inches; culmen, 1.65; width of bill, .70; tarsus, 1.55; middle toe, 1.85. The female specimen from Eu- rope is very similar to North American examples, but is rather more deeply colored, the dark centres to the feathers being nearly deep black. The whole throat is immaculate white. The measurements are as follows: Wing, 9. 50 inches; culmen, 1.50; tarsus, 1.35 ; middle toe, 1.60. ANATID.E— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 141 According to Professor Cooke,* the Gadwell "winters abun- dantly in the Gulf States and sometimes in Illinois in mild win- ters; it is also known to winter near a warm spring in Wyo- ming. It breeds locally throughout most of its range." SUBGENUS Mareca STEPHENS. Mareca STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii, pt. ii, 1824, 130, Type, Anas penelope LINN. SUBGEN. CHAR. Bill small, shorter than the head, rather narrow, the edges parallel to near the end, where they gradually converge to a rounded tip; culmen gently concave; lamellae of the maxillae almost concealed ; feet small the tarsus about as long as the bill. Adult male in winter with the scapulars and tertials (in the North American species the tail-coverts and rectrices also) lanceolate. The two North American species of the subgenus Mareca may be distinguished as follows: COMMON CHABACTEKS (adult males in winter dress). Forehead white; posterior half of the middle wing- covert region white, forming a large patch of this color; abdo- men immaculate white; speculum velvety black, with or without green. 1. A. penelope. Head and neck plain rufous, the forehead and part of the crown white; ground-color of the dorsal region, sides, and flanks, whitish. 2. A. americana. Head and neck whitish, speckled with black, and with a dark metal- lic-green space on the side of the occiput (sometimes continued down the nape); irround-color of the dorsal region, sides, and flanks, vinaeeous or pinkish cinna- mon. Anas penelope Linn. WIDGEON. Popular synonyms. Europeon Widgeon; Bed-headed Widgeon. Anas penelope LINN. S. N. ed. 10. i, 1758. 126; ed. 12, i, 1766, 202. — NATTM. V6«. Deutschl. xi. 1842. 724, pi. 305.-BEINH. Ibis, Hi, 1861, 12 (Greenland). -A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 136.— Broow. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 96. Mareca penelope SELBY, Br. Orn. ii, 324.— BAIED, B. N. Am. 1858, 784; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 586.— COUES, Proc. Essex Inst. v, 1868, 299 (New England) ; Key, 1872, 268 ; Check List, 1878, No, 492; 2d ed. 1882, No. 712; B. N. W. 1874, 564 (foot-note).— EIBOW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 606,-B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. i, 1884,517. Anas coQolca, 8. G. GMEL. Beise i, 1770, 77. Mareca ftstularis STEPHENS, Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiif