‘tcc a “'S esi ) SS) ; ‘ ) Be “aoa Pay . \ SN 0) is WB Sree é 4 ds ae Glass: Ae ae Booka: ‘TS = - = ru S [ Frontispiece. ] THE WILD TURKEY. See page 197. QUR OWN BIRDS A FAMILIAR NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF mee UNITED STATES. BY). WILLIAM L. BAILY. a REVISED AND EDITED BY EDWARD D. COPE, , CORRESPONDING SECRETARY OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENOES are toaniea y a. a Se NNG: "Pp, or Youre iM D 3 8) y f RS. \ ee < Pe vA ( pe cauhae “ON a aes Ase meg ay an) 18 8 1876, \ Gy eee OP £1) » Ty ee / ¥ Uv, Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. TRANSFER ® O, PUBLIc LIBRARY SHPT. 10, 1940 PREFACE. THE object of this book is not to treat the subject of Ornithology scientifically, but simply to present in a concise and familiar manner to the youthful reader, some interesting facts relating to the birds of our own country. Various works have been writ- ten and published upon this subject, containing, probably, all that the student or amateur could wish to know; but being both voluminous and expensive, they are quite beyond the reach of children. They also contain, in connection with a variety of interest- ing matter, an array of scientific details, which to most young persons are unintelligible, and which can only be appreciated by the more advanced student. We have, therefore, while adhering strictly to an approved systematic arrangement of the Genera and Species, endeavored to avoid, as much as possible, the use of all terms and expressions which would in any degree Cotifuse the reader, or detract from the L* (v) vi PREFACE. interest of the work, — hoping taerepy to excite in some a degree of love for a study, which they will find to be at once entertaining and instructive, as well as conducive to the health of body and mind. We have confined our descriptions chiefly to the Birds of the United States, but in a few instances have introduced others for the purpose of better illus- trating the subject, or increasing our information re- specting the peculiarities of any tribe. It is proper to observe that, while many of the cuts in the following pages are original, others are after Audubon. - —_——a CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION, Description of the Different Parts of Birds — Classifi- cation: Raptores, Insessores, Scansores, Rasores, Grallatores, Natatores — On the Flight of Birds — Their Plumage, Instinct, Migration, Nests, Eggs, REPENS PEVINGH Soc vonsss svtergesc a y > s & : y ——D il | / Y] Upper fig—Wood Pewee. THE KING BIRD. 103 bird, until one, more “lucky” than the rest, strikes the deadly blow. The writer still remembers with what sorrowful feelings, when a boy, he once held in his hand the body of a Pewee, which with a random toss of a stone he had deprived of life. Could all children feel as he then felt, how wrong it is wan- tonly to destroy that life which all have an equal right to enjoy, they would cease to make sport of it, and this charming little songster would possess to the full that security to which he is justly entitled. The Pewee often returns to a favorite summer re- sort for several successive years, occupying the same nest each season, merely repairing the injuries which it has received during the Winter. Audubon speaks of his having found the same pair of birds occupying a familiar nook in an old cavern which he had been accustomed to visit for a number of years. At one time he fastened to the legs of each of a brood of young birds, the offspring of this pair, a ring of sil- ver thread; these they carried about with them for some time, and in the following Spring two of them were seen in the same vicinity, still wearing the sil- ver ring. The King Bird, or Tyrant Fly-catcher, is also a familiar summer visitant. Although by no means a large bird, he is nevertheless gifted with a degree of courage that would do justice to the largest of our feathered race; and being remarkably quick and ac- tive upon the wing, he becomes a formidable enemy to such of his neighbors as have the temerity to en- eroach upon his dominions. In the early part of the 104 INSESSORES. Summer his jealous and quarrelsome disposition is most apparent. While his mate is occupied with her domestic concerns, he is ever watchful for the appear- ance of intruders, and any attempt to be sociable is repelled with little ceremony. The Eagle, the Hawk, and the Crow, although greatly his superiors in size and strength, are equally the objects of his animosity, and no sooner does one of them make his appearance, than our hero sallies forth to give him battle; and mounting above him, he darts down upon his back with the swiftness of an arrow, and by repeated pecks with his sharp, powerful bill, from which his less active foe finds it difficult to escape, he soon remains master of the field, having driven the intruder quite out of the neighborhood. There is, however, one bird, which, although no larger nor stronger than him- self, has often proved too much for him; this is the Purple Martin. His superior quickness upon the wing enables him to evade the sharp blows of the King Bird’s bill, and very frequently to get the mas- tery of him and drive him off; sometimes a long and obstinate contest between them ends in the death of the latter. Notwithstanding the fondness of the King Bird for bees and sometimes for fruit, he is among the best of the farmer’s friends. No Hawk will venture near a barn-yard while he is about, while the swarms of noxious insects which he daily destroys, together with other little services for which we are indebted to him, strongly recommend him to our special care and pro- tection. THE WRENS. 105 The extent of country over which he roams is very wide, reaching from Texas to Canada, and as far west as the Columbia river. In Florida his place is sup- plied by the Piping Fly-catcher, which he so nearly resembles that they might by some be mistaken for the same bird, being possessed of the same active and courageous disposition when intruded upon by a stranger. We have also 5 eee in our woods during the summer months the Great Crested Fly- ae and the Wood Pewee, the former a noisy, active fellow, often frequenting the orchard about cherry time, the latter a sprightly little bird about the size of a Spar- row, whose sweet notes of “ Powee! Powee! Peto- way !” prolonged with a mournful accent, may be heard from morning till evening; even during the heated hours of noon, when most other birds are silent, this little songster still utters his plaintive ditty with a sweet earnestness that cannot fail to attract attention. We will now take up the families of the more per- fect singing birds, though with regret that our limits will not permit a foray into the lands of sun and flowers, the tropical home of the lovely Cotingas, which are represented by a few species in the south- western regions of our country. We will first notice the Wrens and Titmice. With the former almost every one has some acquaintance. There are several very beautiful species inhabiting the country west of the Mississippi, but our know- ledge of them is but limited. Of those further east- onesies la iti hm nl cen Dc RM TR SL ESE C 106 INSESSORES. ward we shall take some notice. Who does not love the first sight of the House Wren, as he returns to us after his long winter rambles in the south? His sweet and sprightly song is the very key-note of Spring, speaking of cloudless skies and verdant fields, of balmy air and music from the groves, of frolics among the wild flowers and rambles with the butter- flies; it speaks of love and joy and happiness among the myriad hosts of merry choristers, who are wing- ing their way from tropical climes to join in the grand harmony of Nature. Let us read what Wilson says of the Wrens: ‘¢ This well-known and familiar bird arrives in Penn- sylvania about the middle of April, and about the 8th or 10th of May begins to build its nest, sometimes in the wooden cornice under the eaves, or in a hollow cherry- tree, but most com- monly in small box- es, fixed on the top of a pole, in or near the garden, to which House Wren. he is extremely par- tial, for the great number of caterpillars and other larvee with which it constantly supplies him. If all these conveniences are wanting, he will even put up with an old hat nailed on the weather-boards, with a small hole for entrance; and, if even this be denied THE HOUSE WREN. 107 him, he will find some hole, corner, or crevice about the house, barn, or stable, rather than abandon the dwellings of man. In the month of June, a mower hung up his coat under a shed, near a barn; two or three days elapsed before he had occasion to put it on again; thrusting his arm up the sleeve, he found it completely filled with some rubbish, as he expressed it, and, on extracting the whole mass, found it to be the nest of a Wren completely finished, and lined with a large quantity of feathers, In his retreat he was followed by the little forlorn proprietors, who scolded him with great vehemence for thus ruining the whole economy of their household affairs. “This little bird has a strong antipathy to cats ; for, having frequent occasion to glean among the cur- rant-bushes, and other shrubbery in the garden, those lurking enemies of the feathered race often prove fatal to him. A box fitted up in the window of the room where I slept, was taken possession of by a pair of Wrens. Already the nest was built, and two eggs laid, when one day, the window being open, as well as the reom door, the female Wren, venturing too far into the room to reconnoitre, was sprung upon by Grimalkin, who had planted herself there for the purpose, and, before relief could be given, was de- stroyed. Curious to see how the survivor would de- mean himself, I watched him carefully for several days. At first he sung with great vivacity for an hour or so, but, becoming uneasy, went off for half an hour; on his return, he chaunted again as before, went to the top of the house, stable, weeping willow, 108 INSESSORES. that she might hear him; but, seeing no appearance of her, he returned once more, visited the nest, ven- tured cautiously into the window, gazed about with suspicious looks, his voice sinking to a low, melan- choly note, as he stretched his little neck about in every direction. Returning to the box, he seemed for some minutes at a loss what to do, and soon after went off, as I thought, altogether; for I saw him no more that day. Toward the afternoon of the second day he again made his appearance, accompanied with a new female, who seemed exceedingly timorous and shy, and who, after great hesitation, entered the box. At this moment the little widower or bridegroom seemed as if he would warble out his very life with ecstacy of joy. After remaining about half a minute in, they both flew off, but returned in a few minutes, and instantly began to carry out the eggs, feathers, and some of the sticks, supplying the place of the two latter with materials of the same sort, and ulti- mately succeeded in raising a brood of seven young, all of which escaped in safety. “Its food is insects and caterpillars, and, while supplying the wants of its young, it destroys, on a moderate -calculation, many hundreds a day, and greatly circumscribes the ravages of these vermin. It is a bold and insolent bird against those of the Titmouse and Woodpecker kind that venture to build within its jurisdiction ; attacking them without hesi- tation, though twice its size, and generally forcing them to decamp. I have known him to drive a pair of Swallows from their newly formed nest, and take THE GREAT CAROLINA WREN. 109 immediate possession of the premises, in which his female also laid her eggs, and reared her young. Even the Bluebird, oie ee an equal and sort of hereditary right to the box in the garden, when at- tacked by this little impertinent, soon relinquishes the contest, the mild placidness of his disposition not being a match for the fiery impetuosity of his little antagonist. With those of his own species who settle and build near him, he has frequent squabbles; and when their respective females are sitting, each strains his whole powers of song to excel the other.” The Great Carolina Wren and the Win- ter Wren are also, both of them, lovely and interesting birds. The former frequents the banks of streams, shaded by thickly overhanging foliage, where it may be dis- tinguished by its clear, musical note, resembling the words Sweet William, Sweet William, uttered in rapid succession, with an occasional inter- Great Carolina Wren. lude of “ Chirr-up, Chirr-up.” It may also be found frequenting damp rocky caves, and among old piles of rotten timber, where it picks up the larve of many 10 nae enna 110 INSESSORES. a hurtful insect. The Winter Wren visits us in Pennsylvania from the north, just as the House Wren has left us for its tropical home. It sometimes passes the entire winter in the Middle States, where it may be seen hopping about the wood-piles and the fallen and decayed trunks of trees, with its tail erect, busy- ing itself in singing its musical ditty, and picking up the bugs that may be lurking in the crevices of the bark. It disappears again early in Spring, and passes to the northward in company with the Snow The Titmouse, like its cousin the Wren, is an active, cunning little creature, ever on the go, hop, skip, and jump, from branch to branch, head down or head up, as is most convenient, inces- santly prying into the - private affairs of the S insect world, often laying waste the pros- pects of a promising family with onestroke of its bill; and hunt- ing up the vermin with such untiring industry as fairly to win for him a conspicuous place among the farmer’s friends. There are two species H TH Hf fi Upper fig.—Crested Titmouse. Lower fig.—Black-capped Titmouse, THE TITMOUSE. 111 with which we are familiar; the Black-capped Tit mouse, or Chick-a-de-de, and the Crested Titmouse. They are both constant residents in the Middle States, Summer and Winter; but it is during the severity of Winter that we are most accustomed to their appear- anee. They then assemble in small troops with the Snow Birds and the little Spotted Woodpecker, and entering the orchard, or the trees around the house, they soon make themselves known by their incessant chatter, and great activity in chasing each other from tree to tree. The notes of the former, when thus engaged, are very rapid, and uttered with considera- ble energy, bearing some resemblance to the words “See, see, sweet, sevait, chick, chick-a-de-de.” The latter has, in addition to his lively twitter, a loud whistle, which may be heard: for hours together, re- peated at intervals as though calling a dog. These little birds are apt to build their nests in the de- serted hole of a Woodpecker; but frequently, when none such are to be found, they will work with great perseverance until they have made one for them- selves, even picking their way into the trunk or branches of some of our hardest wooded trees. As- sociated with them may often be seen the Brown Creeper, a plain, modest, unassuming little fellow, whose utmost ambition seems to be to fill its stomach with the dainty little morsels which it picks out from the crevices and holes in the trees with its long sharp bill INSESSORES. CHAPTER VI. INSESSORES: SYNDACTYLI. DESCRIPTION OF THE NIGHT HAWK — WHIP-POOR-WILL — CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOW— BARN AND CHIMNEY SWALLOWS — ANECDOTE BY AUDUBON—PURPLE MARTIN—EDIBLE SWAL- LOW’S NEST. Ir is extremely interesting, in the study of Birds, to notice the connection which exists between tribes as well as species. We have spoken of the Hawk Owl as possessing peculiarities of form and habits belonging to two distinct families; we will now no- tice other instances which are no less remarkable in this respect. In the Night Hawk, the Whip-poor- will, and the Chuck-wills-widow, we observe the soft downy plumage and the muffled wings of the Owl, as well as its nocturnal habits, combined in many prominent points with the general structure of the Swallow. The wide mouth, the small sharp bill, slightly hooked, the short legs and small feet, the long sharp wing and wide expanding tail. With the Owls ends the division Raptores, and with the Night Hawk, etc., commences the order of Insessores. The habits of*the three birds above-named are ex- tremely interesting. With the Night Hawk we are- most familiar, as it is quite abundant everywhere, from Maine to South Carolina, and westward to the THE NIGHT HAWK. 113 Rocky Mountains. The name of this bird is in singular disagreement with its most marked charac- teristics, it being generally seen upon the wing in broad day, often when the sun is shining brilliantly, and mostly retiring to rest soon after dusk. It may frequently be seen flying over the steeples and tall chimneys of our most densely populated cities, and sometimes builds its nest upon the house-top. Its food consists of large insects, which it procures upon the wing. When engaged in their pursuit, its motions are very graceful and interesting, and as it glides around in endless gyrations, flinging itself with the most careless ease upon the bosom of every gale, now rising, and now, like an arrow, dropping on its prey, at intervals uttering a shrill scream, then darting off in awild zigzag course, snapping up every insect that comes within its reach, its actions may be followed by the eye with no small degree of pleasure. In Louisiana it makes its appearance from the south early in the Spring; here it spends several weeks of the time occupied in its migrations, and is seen sailing over the cotton and sugar plantations, picking up here and there an unlucky beetle, or gambolling wildly over the prairies, lakes, and rivers from morning until evening. There is probably no other bird, except the Swal- low, which can rival the Night Hawk in the beauty and ease of its aérial motions, abounding as they do in feats of the most wonderful agility. Sometimes it will raise itself several hundred feet in the most careless manner, crying louder and louder as it as: 10 * H | 114 INSESSORES. cends, then instantly it will glide obliquely downward with astonishing rapidity, until within a few feet of the ground, when, with the quickness of thought, it expands its wings and tail to the utmost, thus check- ing its downward course, and darting off with won- derful swiftness for a short space, mounts again al- most perpendicularly. So great is the muscular power of its wing, that these evolutions are continued for hours almost without rest. While the Night Hawk seems to be very generally distributed over the territory of the United States lying north of Louisiana, the Whip-poor-will and Chuck-wills-widow are confined to much narrower limits, —the former not extending its migrations much north of New York and the southern parts of Maine, and the latter seldom being seen north of Virginia. By some the Whip-poor-will has been confounded with the Night Hawk, but the difference in their habits marks them as distinct speties; the fact that the latter retires to its roosting-place just as the for- mer is emerging from its seclusion, may have led some careless observers to conclude they were the same. The Whip-poor-will is strictly a nocturnal bird, never appearing abroad by daylight except when forced by circumstances; but no sooner has the sun disappeared behind the western hills, and the shades of evening have closed around the thicket which gives it cover by day, than it bestirs itself, and peeps out upon the dim landscape over which the pale moon is casting a feeble glare. It is then that its sweet THE CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOW. 115 and sprightly notes are heard echoing upon the still air, “ Whip-poor-will! whip-poor-will!” repeated in rapid succession for some minutes together. Then with a few wild sweeps through the air upon its noise- less wing, in pursuit of its insect prey, it alights per- haps upon the fence or wood-pile, or even upon the roof of the house, and again utters its soft but clear ery with great animation. Those who have listened to the song of this bird, flowing like a liquid stream of melody, can alone judge of the soothing and quieting influence which it possesses. \ \ \\\ ( Ys yam AN \ 5 ——_ ——— Chuck-wills-widow. The habits of the Chuck-wills-widow are very sim- ilar to those of the Whip-poor-will, and are equally interesting. In the pine forests of South Carolina it 116 INSESSORES. is abundant, where its familiar and oft-repeated ery of “ Chuck-wills-widow!” is kept up during a great part of the night. It is impossible to find language to convey a just idea of the impression which the notes of this bird produce upon the mind. Imagine ourselves in the midst of a southern forest ; tall pines, interspersed with oaks and other forest trees, occupy the ground for many miles around, covering it with a broad canopy of shade, with here and there a wide opening vista, through which the light may penetrate. The sultry air is beginning to feel the cooling effects of the falling dew, — the sun has long since sunk to his rest, — the tree-tops wave gently in the twilight gale,—the feathered songsters that have tenanted the air during the long day have retired to their nests,— the bee hums no more with her busy wing, and all Nature is seemingly gathered into a sweet repose, over which the quiet moon reigns with a serene ma- jesty. This lull, however, is but temporary, an in- terreenum between the dominion of day and the em- pire of night; soon the screams of the wild-cat are heard in the distance, as she sallies forth in quest of her evening meal; the hooting of some monstrous owl, that sails like a dim spectre overhead, salutes the ear ; frogs, lizards, and other reptiles are hopping, skipping, and jumping about our feet; the whole air becomes tenanted with a numerous insect life; and a mingled chorus of hum, buzz, and chirp, every- where prevails. We pause at one of the beautifully expanded vistas, through which the full-orbed moon gently darts her silvery beams, and gaze in silent THE SWALLOWS. 117 admiration upon the beauty of the scene; suddenly a swift-winged, noiseless phantom sails across our track, and alights upon a tree near by; it is then that we will listen to one of the most singular notes that is heard by night. Even the soft, full-toned, and richly varied song of the Mocking Bird, with which it is often blended, cannot drown the sweetly cadenced voice of this plain and unobtrusive bird, as he sits and “Chucks” and “ Chuck-wills-widow” away, during the live-long night. The unmeaning name of Goat-sucker has been ap- plied to various members of this family of birds, the ignorant inhabitants of the countries where they are found supposing that they sucked the milk from their flocks, which is not only improbable, but alto- gether absurd. There are many species found in various parts of the world, some of them being quite large, and some not less noisy. Upon these last has been bestowed the appropriate name of Night Jars. Of the myriads of winged visitors which annually flock to our shores from the south, there is perhaps no more interesting and familiar species than the Swallows. With what pleasant and happy recollec- tions is their arrival associated! Spring, with all its attendant beauty, follows hard in the track of these little aérial voyagers; and the bright flowers whose half-expanded buds have lain almost concealed be- neath the lingering snows, only await the gentle fan- ning of their wings to open into bloom. Every farmer’s child, and almost every school-boy in town or country, is at home among the Swallows; 118 INSESSORES. they are associated with his earliest recollections ; he may forget the dull pages that months of painful study have scarcely fixed upon his memory; but the appearance of the Barn Swallow, his easy, skimming, graceful flight, as he darts over the meadow, the lake, or the stream, his sprightly twittering note, and his nest under the barn roof, are things which he cannot forget. The Barn and Chimney Swallows are by some ignorant persons thought to be the same bird; but a wide difference exists between them, both as to their appear- ance and habits. The plumage of the for- mer is beautifully va- ried with a brilliant and glossy blue-black on the upper parts, and a rich fawn or drab color below; the tail being deeply Barn Swajiow. forked, with the two outer feathers nearly double the length of the others ; while the latter is wholly of a plain mouse or slate color, with the tail nearly even, and each feather ending in a sharp point.* * The differences between the Chimney and Barn Swal- sows are greater and more important than our author him- self appears to have been aware of. The Chimney Bird is a Swift, and belongs to a family of Syndactyli near the THE CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 119 The Chimney Swallows, when performing sheir migrations, often assemble to the number of several thousands, and take possession of the trunk of some venerable tree which has been hollowed out either by fire or by natural decay. Here they will continue to roost for many nights in succession before dis- persing to the various parts of the country where they are accustomed to breed. Audubon thus de- scribes a rendezvous of this kind which was tenanted by about 8000 or 9000 Swallows at one time: “Tmmediately after my arrival at Louisville in the State of Kentucky, I became acquainted with the late hospitable and amiable Major William Croghan and his family. While talking one day about birds, he asked me if I had seen the trees in which the Swallows were supposed to spend the winter, but which they only entered, he said, for the purpose of roosting. Answering in the affirmative, I was in- formed that on my way back to town, there was a tree remarkable on account of the immense numbers that resorted to it, and the place in which it stood was described to me. I found it to be a sycamore, nearly destitute of branches, sixty or seventy feet high, between seven and eight feet in diameter at the base, and about five for the distance of forty feet up, where the stump of a broken hollowed branch, about two feet in diameter, made out from the main Night Hawks. The true place of the Swallows is not in the present Chapter, but near the Tanagers, in ChapterIV. They belong to the singing division (Oscines) of the order Pas- seres, . B.D . 120 INSESSORES. stem. This was the place at which the Swallows en- tered. On closely examining the tree, I found it hard, but hollow to near the roots. It was now about four o’clock in the afternoon, in the month of July. Swallows were flying over Jeffersonville, Louisville, and the woods around, but there were none near the tree. I proceeded home, and shortly after returned on foot. The sun was going down behind the Silver Hills; the evening was beautiful; thousands of Swallows were flying closely above me; and three or four at a time were pitching into the hole, like bees hurrying into their hive. I remained, my head lean- ing on the tree, listening to the roaring noise made within by the birds as they settled and arranged themselves, until it was quite dark, when I left the place, although I was convinced that many more had to enter. I did not pretend to count them, for the number was too great, and the birds rushed to the entrance so thick as to baffle the attempt. “ Next morning I was early enough to reach the place long before the least appearance of daylight, and placed my head against the tree. All was silent within. I remained in that posture probably twenty minutes, when suddenly I thought the great tree was giving way, and coming down upon me. Instine- tively I sprung from it; but when I looked up to it again, what was my astonishment to see it standing as firm as ever. The Swallows were now pouring out in a black, continuous stream. Iran back to my post, _ and listened in amazement to the noise within, which T could compare to nothing else than the sound of a THE CHIMNEY SWALLOW. large wheel revolving under a powerful stream, It was yet dusky, so that I could hardly see the hour on my watch; but I estimated the time which they took in getting out at more than thirty minutes. After their departure, no noise was heard within, and they dispersed in every direction with the quick- ness of thought.” * * The Swallows are undoubtedly sociable creatures, seeming disposed at least to be neighborly, and often, when unmolested, manifesting an inclination to live upon terms of intimacy with us which are sometimes inconveniently familiar. Scarcely a farm-house exists but whose chimneys are appropriated to the summer occupancy of one or more families of Swifts. Some years ago, at a nobleman’s house in Scotland, a pair of Swallows built their nest upon the top bar of a clothes-screen which was hung against the wall in the por- ter’s lodge; the young were hatched and flew away. Upon the first appearance of the Swallows the following year, a male bird again entered the apartment and surveyed the premises. Having satisfied himself, he went off, but soon returned with a companion, which at first appeared very shy and timid, but in a short time acquired as much assur- ance asits mate. They both forthwith set about building a new nest on a small ledge which had been prepared for them as near as possible to the place where that on the clothes-screen had been built, and which had been de- stroyed; as, while it remained, the screen was of course useless to the family. In this nest three broods were reared as before, notwith- standing the almost constant presence of the porter and his wife, who lived and slept in the room. In the Spring of the third year, the male again made his appearance with an- other mate, evidently much younger than her predecessor. 11 122 INSESSORES. There are some species of Swallows which are re- markable for the beauty of their plumage, as well as for the gracefulness of their flight. The Violet Green Swallow and the White-bellied Swallow,—the former an inhabitant of the Rocky Mountains, and the latter quite an abundant species in the Kastern and Middle States, are both entitled to a high rank among our gay-plumaged birds. We have also the Purple Mar- tin, a very familiar and welcome bird in the Spring. When seen at a distance, it appears to be wholly black, but upon closer inspection it will be found to glisten all over. with the most pleasing metallic hues, changing from blue to green, and from violet to golden purple, according to the position in which it is seen. | The Swallows possess undoubtedly greater powers of wing than any other birds. The space passed over in a few minutes by one of these little fairies is as- tonishing. Take for instance the Barn Swallow, and endeavor to follow him with the eye through all his curves and zigzag lines, as he darts about over some new-mown field; so rapid are his movements, that the keenest and quickest vision is often baffled in the attempt to retain its hold upon him,—and yet he flits on untiringly, mounting and falling, skimming and sailing, until the eye tires of his endless circuit. The old nest on the ledge was examined, but the young partner possibly desiring a new home, the clothes-screen, which was hanging in the same position it had occupied the first year, was selected for the nest, and soon the process of hatching and rearing the first brood was in progress. THE NEST OF THE SWALLOW. 123 Wilson, upon whose accuracy of observation we can safely rely, considers one mile in a minute as a true estimate of the ordinary specd of this bird ; and upon this he bases a calculation to show over what extent of ground in a straight line our little friend would glide during his short life, allowing ten hours of each day as the time occupied by the bird in performing his evolutions. According to this estimate, he will, during the ten years of his existence, have passed over the incredible space of 2,190,000 miles, or 87 times the circumference of the globe. The form of the nest built by the different species of Swallow varies much. We are all familiar with the frail tenement of sticks in which the Chimney Bird deposits her snow-white eggs, and the neat and comfortable nest of the Barn Swallow, which it perches upon a projecting rafter near the peak of the barn. But the nest of the Cliff Swallow is of re- markable construction, being shaped like a gourd with a neck, and is composed of little pellets of mud, deposited by the bird one after another, until the required shape and size are attained. These nests are generally attached to the sides of a rock or pro- jecting cliff, or to the walls of a building, sometimes as many as hundreds together. Their thus congre- gating and living in flocks or families has given them in some localities the name of Republican Swallows. In the islands of Java and Ceylon, and many others adjacent, is found a species called the Edible 124 INSESSORES. Swallow, from the fact that their nests form an arti- cle of food very highly prized by the Chinese epi- cures. ‘These nests are regarded as a great delicacy, and are so much in esteem that the finest of them, it is said, will bring their weight in silver. They form a very important article of trade, as about thirty thousand tons of Chinese shipping are em- ployed in it. The income arising from this singular trafic is appropriated by the government as one of its revenues. The following interesting account of the habits of these birds, and the method of obtaining the nests, is from Stanley’s “Familiar History of Birds.” “The two bird-mountains [in the island of Java] are insulated rocks, hollow within and pierced with a great number of openings. Many of these open- ings are so wide, that a person can enter them with ease; others are attended with more difficulty, and some are too small to admit of intrusion; in these, therefore, the poor little birds are alone safe from robbery. To the walls of these caverns the birds affix their small nests in regular rows, and so close that for the most part they adhere together. They construct them at different heights, from fifty to sixty feet, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, according as they find room; and no hole or convenient place, if dry and clean, is left unoccupied; but if the walls be in the feast wet or moist, they immediately desert them. At daybreak these birds fly abroad from their holes, with a loud fluttering noise, and in the dry THE EDIBLE SWALLOW. 125 season rise so high into the atmosphere in a moment, as they have to seek their food in distant parts, that they are soon out of sight. In the rainy season, on the other hand, they never remove to a great distance from their breeding-places. *‘ About four in the afternoon they again return, and confine themselves so closely to their holes, that none of them are seen any more flying, either out or in, but those which are hatching. They feed on all sorts of insects which hover over stagnant waters, and these they easily catch, as they can extend their bills to a great width. They prepare their nests from the strongest remains of the food which they use, and not of the scum of the sea, or of sea plants, as some persons have supposed. They employ two months in preparing their nests; they then lay their eggs, on which they sit for fifteen or sixteen days. As soon as the young are fledged, people begin to collect their nests, which is done regularly every four months; and this forms the harvest of the proprie- tors of these rocks. “The business of taking them down from the rocky ledges on which they are placed, is performed by men who have been accustomed from their youth to climb among these dangerous places. They con- struct ladders of reeds and bamboos, by which they are enabled to ascend to the holes; but if the cav- erns are too deep they employ ship-ropes. When they have got to the bottom of a cavern, they place bamboos, with notches in them, against the wall, if LL 126 INSESSORES. these be sufficiently long to reach the nests, but if not they stand on the ladders, and pull the nests . down with poles of bamboo made for that purpose. This employment, which is very dangerous, sacrifices the lives of many men, and particularly of thieves, while attempting to rob the caverns at improper seasons.” THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 127 CHAPTER Vit. INSESSORES: SYNDACTYLI AND ZYGODAOTYLI. BELTED KINGFISHER—CALIFORNIA AND RED-HEADED WOOD=- PECKERS—A NARRATIVE OF THE CALIFORNIA WOODPECKER, BY ‘‘ KELLEY” — IVORY-BILLED, GOLDEN-WING, YELLOW- BELLIED, AND DOWNY WOODPECKERS—CUCKOO—PARROTS —ANECDOTE OF A PARROT, FROM GOSSE’S ‘‘ NATURAL HIS- TORY OF BIRDS.” By the banks of some quiet, running stream, or smooth and glassy mill-pond, where the Willow, Ha- zel and other shrubs dip their branches into the sleeping waters, may often be heard a shrill, chatter- ing note, much resembling the sound of the watch- man’s rattle, which falls with pleasing effect upon the ear, as it gently dies away in the distance. This is the note of the Belted Kingfisher, which our pres- ence has just started from his perch near by. He flies some distance up or down the stream, where he selects a fresh stand-point, from which he intently eyes the motions of the finny tribes below, until one suited to his taste comes within the range of his deadly aim, when with a sudden winding sweep he darts below the surface, and seizing it with his pow- erful bill, bears it away to his perch, and immediately swallows it whole. This singular and not inelegant bird is a lone rep- 128 _INSESSORES. resentative of its tribe in the United States ; but being abundant wherever fresh water and good fish- ing are to be found, it has become quite familiar, occupying as prominent a place in our Natural His- tory, as the pretty little European species does in the rural landscapes of Great Britain. The form and appearance of the Kingfisher are peculiar. A long, sharp, and powerful bill; a large head, surmounted by a crest that adds fierceness to its look; a thick neck and robust body, but rather small in proportion; wings ample; legs very short, and feet small. The upper parts of the plumage are bluish lead color, lower parts mostly white; in the male a band of black crosses the upper part of the breast; in the female the blue tint is not so perceptible, and the band across the breast is reddish brown, the belly being girted with a broad belt of the same color. Its favorite places of resort are near inland streams, a fy if Yi if ft ff Carolina Parrots or Parrakeets. (129) ’ 5 cae a t sae e : hes * ~ ows 3 Ge a r 7 See ak THE WOODPECKERS. dol Jakes, and mill-ponds, especially where a clayey or gravelly bank rises to some height above the water’s edge; here the male and female assist each other in digging out a hole, running horizontally to the depth of four or five feet, and about one or two feet below the surface of the ground. This hole, which is just large enough to admit the body of the bird, is widened toward the extremity into an oven-shaped apartment, of sufficient size to allow of the birds turning freely about; here the nest, which is composed of a few sticks and feathers, is placed. The female mostly lays six pure white eggs, which she hatches in about sixteen days, the male taking his turn with his mate in the process of incubation. To this hole the same pair will sometimes resort for many successive years. We will now endeavor briefly to describe some of the most prominent and familiar members of the in- teresting, numerous, and widely spread family of the Woodpeckers. With them commences the fourth order, Scansores or Zygodactyli, the Climbers, If we examine closely, we will find that the peculiarities of conformation of this order are very marked, and display in a wonderful degree the wisdom of the Crea- tor in supplying His creatures with means precisely adapted to their wants. The food of the Woodpecker consists principally of insects and their eggs, which are deposited beneath the bark of decayed trees. In order to obtain these, it is gifted with a large, heavy looking, hammer-shaped head, and rather a long, sharp-pointed, and powerful bill, with which it strips away the bark by repeated blows, until it has uncoy- 132 INSESSORES. ered the whject of its search. Sometimes the insects have hollowed out for themselves a cavity beneath the bark, extending for some distance into the wood of the tree. These it dislodges by means of its long tongue, which is barbed at the extremity, and capable of being protruded toa great distance beyond the point of the beak. The tongue is supported by a series of small bones and cartilages, which find their origin upon the forehead on each side of the base of the bill. At first they lie pretty close to- gether, but soon separate gradually, each passing round the back part of the head, and entering the mouth immediately below the ear, come together at a point near the base of the bill. That part of the tongue which lies between this point and the end of the bill, is of a fleshy, worm-like appearance, and ends in a slender, bony point, armed on either side with sharp prickles, directed backward, but not capa- ble of being moved forward. This barbed point is particularly serviceable in drawing out from their close concealment the heavy larvee, which sometimes measure two or three inches in length. The protrusion of the tongue is produced by the action of a pair of muscles, secured to the lower jaw near the base of the lower mandible, and running backward nearly the entire length of the bony pro- cess of the tongue. The position of the different parts, and the singular structure of this important member, will be better understood by reference to the figure on the next page. With the bill it also digs out of the solid wood a hole in which to raise THE WOODPECKERS. 133 its young; these holes vary in depth, according to circumstances, from six inches to nearly three feet. In its usually upright position against the body of the tree, it must necessarily lie pretty close in order to work to advantage ; hence the legs are short and muscular, and the toes, which are arranged two before and two behind, are well calculated to take a firm hold upon the bark and retain it for a long time. This upright position of the body is also more stead- ily maintained by the assistance of the tail, which is somewhat wedge-shaped, the more central feathers being more rigid, and having the shafts very thick, and stout, and sharp pointed, which, when placed against the trunk of the tree, serve as a support. The flight of the Woodpeckers is also singular, consisting of a frequent repetition of a few rapid and powerful strokes of the wings, which produce an undulating motion through the air, the body rising and falling with the alternate opening and closing of the wings. They are sprightly and active in their motions, alight- ing upon a tree and moving around the whole circum- ference, backward and forward, or ascending spirally 12 134 INSESSORES. by a series of short leaps, occasionally stopping to give a few raps, to discover the lurking-places of in- sects beneath the bark; then on he goes, here and there picking up a dainty morsel, until being satis- fied that he has done with the tree, he passes to another. The United States are particularly favored in pos- sessing a large number of species of this beautiful tribe. The Califor- nia Woodpecker is justly celebrated for the richness of its plumage, as well as for some of its sin- gular habits, We do not know of any other species that is so provident as to lay up stores for the winter. This propensity has been attributed to several others, but in the bird before us we pVcodpeekers: have positive evi- dence to that effect from those who have witnessed its operations. The following interesting narrative, taken from Kelley’s “Excursion to California,” will throw some light upon the subject: “Tn stripping off the bark of this tree, I observed it to be perforated with holes, larger than those which THE CALIFORNIA WOODPECKER. 135 a musket ball would make, shaped with the most ac- curate precision, as if bored under the guidance of a rule and compass, and many of them filled most neatly with acorns. LEarlier in the season I had re- marked such holes in most of all the soft timber, but imagining that they were caused by wood insects, I did not stop to examine or inquire; but now finding them studded with acorns, firmly fixed in, which I knew could not have been driven there by the wind, I sought for an explanation, which was practically given me by Captain S ’s pointing out a flock of Woodpeckers, busily and noisily employed in the provident task of securing the winter's provision. For it appears that this sagacious bird is not all the time thriftlessly engaged in ‘tapping the hollow beech tree’ for the mere idle purpose of empty sound, but spends its summer season in picking these holes, in which it lays its store of food for the winter, where the elements can neither affect nor place it beyond their reach; and it is regarded as a sure omen that the snowy period is approaching, when these birds commence stowing away their acorns, which other- wise might be covered by its fall. I have frequently paused from my chopping, to watch them in the neighborhood, with the acorns in their bills, half clawing, half flying around the tree, and have ad- mired the adroitness with which they tried it at dif- ferent holes until they found one of its exact calibre, when, inserting the pointed end, they tapped it home most artistically with the beak, and flew down for another. 136 INSESSORES. ‘‘ But the natural instinct of this bird is even more remarkable in the choice of the nuts, which are in- variably found to be sound, whereas it is an utter impossibility, in selecting them for roasting, to pick up a batch that will not have a large portion of them unfit for use, the most smooth and polished frequently containing a large grub generated within. Even the wily Digger Indian, with all his craft and experience, is unable to arrive at anything like an unerring selec- tion, while in a large bagful that we took from the bark of our log, there was not one containing the slightest germ of decay.” This Woodpecker appears to be very abundant, occupying a corresponding position with the well- known Red-headed species so common to the east- ward. They also somewhat resemble each other in their plumage, the preponderating colors in both be- ing black, white, and crimson. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is the largest species found within our territory, measuring twenty-one inches in length. It is an inhabitant of the Southern and Western States, and notwithstanding its some- what awkward look, is certainly a noble and majestie bird. Spurning the low occupation of seeking his food among stunted trees and bushes, or upon pros- trate logs and fence-rails, he leaves this humble game to the smaller fry of his tribe, and spreads his ample wings among the tall cypress and pines which cover vast areas of swampy ground in the Southern States. Here, amidst the security of these almost inaccessi- ble forests, he regales himself upon the myriads of THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 137 insects which ever infest those noble trees. Wilson says that, ““ Wherever he frequents, he leaves numer- ous monuments of his industry behind him. We there see enormous pine trees, with cart-loads of bark lying around their roots, and chips of the trunk it- self, in such quantities as to suggest the idca that half a dozen axe-men had been at work there for the whole morning.” The same author relates the following amusing ac- count of one of these birds which he had captured in a wounded condition, and carried with him for some distance. ‘ This bird was only wounded slightly in the wing, and on being caught, uttered a loudly reiterated and most piteous note, exactly resembling the violent crying of a young child, which terrified my horse so, as nearly to have cost me my life. It was distressing to hear it. I carried it with me in the chair, under cover, to Wilmington, N.C. In passing through the streets, its affecting cries sur- prised every one within hearing, particularly the females, who hurried to the doors and windows with looks of alarm and anxiety. J drove on, and on ar- riving at the piazza of the hotel where I intended to put up, the landlord came forward, and a number of other persons who happened to be there, all equally alarmed at what they heard. This was greatly in- creased by my asking whether he could furnish me with accommodations for myself and my baby. The man looked blank and foolish, while the others stared with still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for a minute or two at their expense, I drew i* 138 INSESSORES. my Woodpecker from under the cover, and a general laugh took place.” The head of this bird is ornamented with a crest of long flowing plumes, which, upon the forehead, are jetty black, while those of the hinder part are a brilliant crimson; the remainder cf the plumage is mostly black, with slight reflections of blue. A white stripe, commencing at the ear, runs down each side of the neck, and half way down the back. The sec- ondary quills in the wings, as well as a part of the primaries, are also white. Some of the most familiar species to the north and eastward are the Red-headed Woodpecker, Golden- winged Woodpecker, or Flicker, Yellow-bellied Wood- pecker, and the Downy Woodpecker, or Sap-sucker. Of these, the Red-headed Woodpecker may be con- sidered as the most richly colored, displaying in its plumage one of the finest contrasts that could well be formed. The whole head and upper part of the neck are of a deep crimson, set off below by pure white, and above by a glossy steel blue. The second- ary quills in the wings, and a broad band across the rump, are also white. The beauty of this bird ren- ders him an attractive mark for the sportsman, for which reason the species appears to be on the de- crease, and we fear that the day is not far distant when it will be numbered among our scarce birds. Although the Red-heads undoubtedly do great service to the farmer in ridding his orchard and forest trees of a great number of insects, yet we can- not conceal the fact that their indulging in a fond- THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 139 ness for fruit and green corn has given them a repu- tation anything but enviable. The finest and ripest of the fruit are generally selected to gratify their desires ; and so keen is their relish for the early pro- ductions of the orchard, that a well-loaded cherry- tree will sometimes be entirely stripped of its cher- ries before the owner has fairly tasted them. The pear and the apple-tree are equally the objects of their regard ; and should one be molested during his depredations upon these, he will coolly thrust his bill into as fine an apple or pear as he can, and bear it away in his flight to the woods. Much of the mis- chief which is done to the young corn, which is at- tributed to the Blackbirds, is undoubtedly the work of this Woodpecker, as he will strip off the husk from the ear almost in a twinkling, and regale himself at leisure with its juicy contents. These depreda- tions are, however, more the exception than the rule; his natural food is insects, and the amount of these which he annually destroys, will more than compen- sate for the fruit and corn with which he varies his diet. We would, therefore, recommend him to the protection of every one. He is a bright, sprightly, and attractive companion during our country strolls, and cannot fail to afford us pleasure wherever we meet him. The Golden-winged Woodpecker, or Flicker, as he is commonly called, although not so conspicuous for his beauty as the preceding, is nevertheless a handsome and showy bird. The upper parts of the plumage are dull bluish-grey upon the head, shading 140 INSESSORES. into drab on the back, where it is crossed by bars of black, caused by each feather having a crescent- shaped mark of that color near its extrem- ity; the rump and upper tail coverts are nearly white, a band of bright vermilion runs from ear to ear around the hinder part of the head. The throat and upper part of the neck are reddish - fawn, ex- tending to a broad band of black which crosses the breast; below this it is dull Golden-winged Woodpecker. fawn, shading gra- dually into white on the under tail coverts, and variously marked with spots and bars of black. But the chief beauty of the bird consists in the color of the under surface of the wings and tail, which is a rich golden-yellow. In consequence of this being mostly concealed, his general appearance is rather plain and homely. By some, the Woodpeckers have been regarded as dull, sleepy birds, possessed of but little animation or activity; but let such go to the woods and watch the motions of the Flicker as he gambols through the leafy bowers; see how he revels in the delight THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 14l of Spring, ever on the go, uttering at frequent inter- vals his loud, clear, and not unpleasant ery. See with what assiduous devotion he and his mate assist each other in picking a hole into the solid heart of some sturdy oak; listen to the strokes of their bills; see the chips how they fly, and then call them sleepy birds. And when the cares of a brood are devolving upon them, they ply their busy bills with renewed activity, searching every nook and cranny that comes in their way for the daintiest worms, which they bear away to their young. See one of these birds when pursued by a Hawk; just as he is almost within the talons of his rapacious foe, he suddenly dives into a hole near by, or in the absence of this, he alights upon a tree and plays bo-peep with his enemy around its trunk. It is truly laughable to see how he dodges his pursuer, and you would wonder at the Hawk for wasting his time over such nimble game. Westward of the Rocky Mountains there is a - Woodpecker found almost precisely similar to the above, except that the under surface of the wings and tail are orange-red, the shafts of each feather being bright vermilion. We must here reluctantly close our observations on this interesting group, leaving it to our readers to pursue the study, as inclination leads them, among the wild woods, where they will find some of the spe- cies abundant at all seasons of the year. The Cuckoo, although not strictly a climbing bird, belongs to the same order as the Woodpeckers, the arrangement of the toes and other characteristics 142 INSESSORES. assigning to it that position. We have several spe- cies in the United States, the most abundant being the Yellow. billed Cuckoo. This graceful and familiar bird, being of somewhat a quiet and retiring dispo- sition, frequents the most secluded and thickest part of the woods, where its low and simple notes of “‘Cowe, cowe, coo, coo, coo,” may be heard, uttered at first slowly, but gradually increasing in rapidity until the syllables run together. When it becomes more clamorous than usual, it is said to be a sign of approaching rain, which in some places has conferred [LZ Ue —— upon it the title of Rain Crow. The Cuckoos of America, unlike their European relative, invariably build their own nests and rear their own young, and do not seem to be lacking in the least degree in a strong affection for their progeny. The species now before us has been accused of sucking the eggs of THE PARROTS. 143 other birds, which we regret to say does not appear to be an unjust charge; in other respects he certainly bears a good character as a quiet and harmless bird, rendering good service to the farmer by the daily destruction of a great amount of noxious vermin. He often visits the orchard and garden, where he sometimes builds his nest. Being strictly a summer bird, he leaves the Northern and Middle States early in the Autumn, for a warmer climate, many passing the Winter in Florida. The next and last division of the Scansores which we have to notice is the Parrots, well known for their peculiar form, their singular habits, and the brilliant coloring of their plumage. Although many species of this group are found in various parts of the globe, yet the Equatorial Regions must be considered as the favorite resort for by far the greatest number. Here, among the wild and majestic forests of towering palms, or in the deep and tangled thickets of mimosa, where the face of Nature is clothed in perennial verdure, these gay-feathered birds make the air resound with their loud discordant cries. Hach country seems to be possessed of varieties or subdivisions of the group somewhat peculiar to itself. Thus, from the interior of South America we have the splendid Macaws, which are generally large birds, over three feet in length, of which the tail makes up twenty-four inches, and decked in the most glaring hues of scarlet, green, blue, and yellow. From India and the adjacent isl- ands come the superb Lories, arrayed in their coats of fiery red; while from Australia we welcome the eee 144 INSESSORES. snow-white or roseate plumage of the Cockatoos. It is almost impossible for us to form any adequate con- ception of the extreme gracefulness and beauty of these birds when enjoying the freedom of their na- tive forests; and although their colors may be con- sidered by many as too gaudy, and presenting too many abrupt and striking contrasts to yield to the eye that degree of pleasure which a softer blending is apt to convey, yet we think that few can gaze upon the multiplicity of their forms, and the richness and diversity of their gorgeous tints, without regarding them as one of the most wonderful and beautiful families of the whole feathered race. One of the most singular faculties of the Parrots, —which, however, does not belong to the whole tribe, —is that of imitating the human voice, and learning by rote, words and sentences, which they will sometimes repeat upon very appropriate occa- sions, giving the impression that they are really aware of their meaning. ‘This power is possessed principally by the short, even-tailed, and less gor- geously colored species. The following interesting account of a remarkable bird, probably the Grey African Parrot,which possesses the greatest imitative powers, is from Gosse’s “ Natu- ral History of Birds.” It is an extract from a letter to a gentleman from the sister of its owner: “As you wished me to write down whatever I could recollect about my sister’s wonderful Parrot, I pro- ceed to do so, only premising that I will tell you no- thing but what I can vouch for having myself heard. THE PARROTS. 145 Her laugh is quite extraordinary, and it is impossi- ble to help joining in it oneself, more especially when in the midst of it she cries out, ‘Don’t make me laugh so. I shall die, I shall die;’ and then con- tinues laughing more violently than before. Her erying and sobbing are curious; and if you say, ‘Poor Poll! what is the matter?’ she says, ‘So bad! so bad! got a bad cold!’ and after crying for some time will gradually cease, and making a noise like drawing a long breath, say, ‘ Better now!’ and begin to laugh. “The first time I ever heard her speak, was one day when I was talking to the maid at the bottom of the stairs, and heard what I then considered to be a child call out, ‘Payne! (the maid’s name) I am not well! I’m not well!’ and on my saying, ‘ What is the matter with that child?’ she replied, ‘It is only the Parrot; she always does so when [I leave her alone, to make me come back ;’ and so it proved ; for on her going into the room the Parrot stopped, and then began laughing, quite in a jeering way. “Tt is singular enough, that whenever she is affronted in any way, she begins to cry, and when pleased, to laugh. If any one happens to cough or sneeze, she says, ‘What a bad cold!’ One day when the chil- dren were playing with her, the maid came into the room, and on repeating to her several things which the Parrot had said, Poll looked up, and said quite plainly, ‘No I didn’t.’ Sometimes, when she is in- clined to be mischievous, the maid threatens to beat her, and she says, ‘No you won’t.’ She calls the 13 K 146 INSESSORES. eat very plainly, saying, ‘Puss! puss!’ and then answers, ‘Mew ;’ but the most amusing part is, that whenever I want to make her call it, and to that pur- pose say, ‘Puss! Puss!’ myself, she always answers ‘Mew,’ till I begin mewing, and then she begins call- ing puss as quick as possible. She imitates every kind of noise, and barks so naturally, that I have known her to set all the dogs on the parade at Hamp- ton Court barking ; and the consternation I have seen her cause in a party of cocks and hens, by her crow- ing and clucking, has been the most ludicrous thing possible. She sings just like a child, and I have more than once thought it was a human being; and it was ridiculous to hear her make what one should call a false note, and then say, ‘Oh, la!” and burst out laughing at herself, beginning again in quite an- other key. She is very fond of singing, ‘Buy a Broom,’ which she says quite plainly; but in the same spirit as in calling the cat, if we say, with a view to make her repeat it, ‘ Buy a Broom,’ she al- ways says, ‘ Buy a Brush,’ and then laughs, as a child might do when mischievous. She often performs a kind of exercise which I do not know how to de- scribe, except by saying it is like the lance exercise. She puts her claw behind her, first on one side and then on the other, then in front, and round over her head, and whilst doing so, keeps saying, ‘Come on! Come on!’ and, when finished, says, ‘ Bravo! beau- tiful!’ and draws herself up. Before I was as well acquainted with her as I am now, she would stare in my face for some time, and then say, ‘ How d’ye do, THE CAROLINA PARROT. 147 ma’am ?’ this she invariably does to strangers. One day I went into the room where she was, and said, to try her, ‘Poll, where is Payne gone?’ and, to my astonishment, and almost dismay, she said, ‘ Down stairs.’ I cannot at this moment recollect anything more that I can vouch for myself, and I do not choose to trust to what I am told; but, from what I have myself seen and heard, she has almost made me a believer in transmigration.” The only member of this large family found in the United States is the Carolina Parrot, or Parrakeet ; which, although not so brilliantly attired as some of the species, is nevertheless a very beautiful bird, the predominating color of the plumage being a light green, tinged with purple on the wings. The head and upper part of the neck are rich yellow, with a patch of orange-red upon the forehead. Many years ago, before the Southern and Western States became thickly settled, this Parrot was very abun- dant in those parts, but we believe that it is now seldom found much to the eastward of the Mississippi river. It is represented as an active, sprightly bird, and very graceful in its motions upon the wing. In the Autumn, when the Cockle Bur (a very noxious weed) has ripened its seed, they assemble in vast flocks, and, resorting to the fields where it grows, they alight upon the plants, and plucking the burs from the stem with their bills, they take them in one claw, while with the bill they open it and take out the fruit. In this way, a single flock will, in a few days, entirely rid a large field of the ripened seed; 148 INSESSORES. the root of the plant, however, being perennial, they do not exterminate it. Audubon says they do not confine themselves to the Cockle Bur exclusively, but attack all kinds of fruit indiscriminately, on which account they are al- ways unwelcome visitors to the planter. They are particularly destructive to the grain-stacks, upon which they alight in numbers sufficient almost to cover it, pulling out the straws and scattering it about, thus wasting as much as they eat. While thus occupied, the farmer has a good opportunity of taking vengeance upon them for their unwarrantable intru- sion. When once fired upon, all the survivors will rise, shriek, fly around a few minutes, and then alight again upon the same spot. The gun being kept vigorously at work, almost the entire flock is some- times destroyed. At each discharge, the living birds fly over their slain or wounded companions, shrieking as loudly as ever, but still returning to the stack to receive their measure of what the farmer would call retributive justice. These birds roost in companies, occupying the large cavities which are found in the sycamore trees, clinging to the sides of the hole as close together as they can crowd, hanging on with their bill and claws. They can scarcely be said to have any nests, their eggs being laid upon a few pieces of rotten wood at the bottom of the holes in which they roost. Alexander Wilson, that accurate and beautiful ornithological writer, gives such an interesting ac- count of one of these birds, which he kept for some THE CAROLINA PARROT. 149 time in confinement, throwing so much light upon their peculiar manners, that we cannot forbear in- serting it: “Anxious to try the effect of education on one of those which I procured at Big Bone Lick, and which was but slightly wounded in the wing, I fixed up a place for it in the stern of my boat, and presented it with some Cockle Burs, which it freely fed on in less than an hour after being on board. The inter- mediate time between eating and sleeping was occu- pied in gnawing the sticks that formed its place of confinement, in order to make a practicable breach, which it repeatedly effected. When I abandoned the river, and travelled by land, I wrapped it up closely in a silk handkerchief, tying it tightly around, and carried it in my pocket. When I stopped for refreshment, I unbound my prisoner, and gave it its allowance, which it generally despatched with great dexterity, unhusking the seeds from the bur in a twinkling; in doing which it always employed its left foot to hold the bur, as did several others that I kept for some time. In recommitting it to ‘durance vile,’ we generally had a quarrel, during which it frequently paid me in kind for the wound I had in- flicted, and for depriving it of liberty, by cutting and almost disabling several of my fingers with its sharp and powerful bill. The path through the wil- derness between Nashville and Natchez is in some places bad beyond description. There are dangerous creeks to swim, miles of morass to struggle through, rendered almost as gloomy as night by a prodigious f* 150 INSESSORES. prowth of timber, and an underwood of canes and other evergreens; while the descent into these slug- gish streams is often ten or fifteen feet perpendicu- lar, into a bed of deep clay. In some of the worst of these places, where I had, as it were, to fight my way through, the Paraquet frequently escaped from my pocket, obliging me to dismount and pursue it through the worst of the morass before I could re- gain it. On these occasions I was several times tempted to abandon it; but I persisted in bringing it along. When at night I encamped in the woods, I placed it on the baggage beside me, where it usually sat with great composure, dozing and gazing at the fire till morning. In this manner I carried it up- wards of a thousand miles in my pocket, where it was exposed all day to the jolting of the horse, but regularly liberated at meal times, and in the evening, at which it always expressed great satisfaction. In passing through the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations, the Indians, wherever I stopped to feed, collected around me, men, women, and children, laughing and seeming wonderfully amused with the novelty of my companion. ‘The Chickasaws called it in their lan- guage ‘kilinky;’ but when they heard me call it Poll, they soon repeated the name; and wherever I chanced to stop among these people, we soon became familiar with each other through the medium of Poll. On arriving at Mr. Dunbar’s, below Natchez, I pro- cured a cage and placed it under the piazza, where, by its call, it soon attracted the passing flocks ; such is the attachment they have for each other. Numer- THE CAROLINA PARROT. 151 ous parties frequently alighted on the trees imme- diately above, keeping up a constant conversation with the prisoner. One of these I wounded slightly in the wing, and the pleasure Poll expressed on meet- ing with this new companion was really amusing. She crept close up to it as it hung on the side of the cage; chattered to it in a low tone of voice, as if sympathizing in its misfortune; scratched about its head and neck with her bill; and both at night nestled as close as possible to each other; sometimes Poll’s head being thrust among the plumage of the other. On the death of this companion, she appeared restless and inconsolable for several days. On reach- ing New Orleans, I placed a looking-glass beside the place where she usually sat, and the instant she per- ceived her image, all her former fondness seemed to return, so that she could scarcely absent herself from ita moment. It was evident that she was completely deceived. Always when evening drew on, and often during the day, she laid her head close to that of the image in the glass, and began to doze with great composure and satisfaction. In this short space she had learned to know her name; to answer and come when called on; to climb up my clothes, sit on my shoulder, and eat from my mouth. I took her with me to sea, determined to persevere in her education ; but, destined to another fate, poor Poll, having one morning about daybreak wrought her way through the cage, while I was asleep, instantly flew overboard, and perished in the Gulf of Mexico.” INSESSORES CHAPTER VIII. INSESSORES: SYNDACTYLI. HUMMING BIRDS. THE number of species of Humming Birds known to Linnzeus, and other early naturalists, was compar- atively few; while, more recently, Lesson, who has been considered a great exponent of the family, has, in his works upon that subject, only figured and de- scribed about one hundred and ten. But through the means of various travellers who have given the subject their particular attention, the number has been gradually swelled, until at the present time it amounts to upwards of three hundred and twenty distinct and well-defined species. This result is in a great meas ure owing to the energetic exertions of John Gould of London and Charles Lucian Bonaparte, Prince of Canino, whose collectors have distributed themselves throughout the continents of North and South Amer- ica, making search among unexplored regions for new species. The warm and ever-glowing countries of the Trop- ics seem to be the most favorite resort of this lovely tribe, before the brilliant fire of whose sparkling plu- mage the gorgeous colorings of all other feathered races grow dull. There, revelling in the undying Ruby-throated Humming Bird. THE HUMMING BIRDS. 155 verdure of a perpetual Summer, these gems of the forest sport their charms amid the sweets of a thous- and flowers. Although by far the largest number of species of the Humming Birds are found in the West Indies, the Brazils, and those countries which lie adjacent to the Equator, yet these are by no means the lim- its to which they are confined: they enjoy probably the most extensive range of country, and experience the greatest variety of climate, of any known family. The continents of North and South America, from Nootka Sound on the northwest and Canada on the northeast, to Terra del Fuego on the south, can alone be given as the limits of their migrations. The beau- tiful and lovely little bird discovered by Captain Cook on the borders of Nootka Sound, and which inhabits the whole northwest coast, is a lonely representative of the genus in the ornithology of those parts; while in Canada and the United States, the little Ruby- throated Humming Bird is, during Summer, a wel- come delegate of the tribe. And although it does not, like the Wood Thrush, sit and regale us by its melodious song, yet we are none the less attracted by its tiny form, its activity and gracefulness as it flits from flower to flower, and gaze with admiration upon the sparkling of its jewelled breast. As we advance farther south the species become more numerous; in Mexico and Guatemala we find upwards of thirty or forty species; while in the West Indies and the vast expanse of Central America, there are comparatively few members of the family INSESSORES,. Black-headed Humming Bird. that may not be found at some season of the year. On the lone island of Juan Fernandez, in the vicin- ity of the very cave which tradition has dedicated to the memory of the renowned Robinson Crusoe, two elegant species have been obtained. In the Andes, whose lofty summits are capped with eternal snows; in the deep recesses of the craters of extinct volea- noes; and where Chimborazi and Cotopaxi poured forth their streams of liquid fire, — there these little — ee ee a . ——— THE HUMMING BIRDS. jewelled bands, with untiring wing, suck the sweet nectar from some favorite flower, or with the velocity of thought flash like meteors across the vision, in pursuit of their prey. The traveller who has visited the haunts of these birds, can alone possess an adequate idea of their surpassing loveliness. As they seldom live long in confinement, almost the only impression we can form of them is gained from the descriptions of those who have observed their habits in their native woods, and from the examination of the stuffed skins in our cab- inets. The varieties of form, size, and color are so many, and the general development of the organs is so various, that in viewing a collection of these lovely creatures, one cannot but wonder at so wide a differ. ence between them, while a general resemblance is constantly preserved. In the island of Jamaica, and peculiar to that lo- eality, is found a species familiarly known by the name of Polytmus, or Black-headed Humming Bird, — having two of the tail feathers lengthened to a degree quite disproportionate, being more than twice the length of the body; while in the Andes of Bo- gota there exists a variety (Sword-bill) with the bill protruded to such an astonishing extent, as almost to make one laugh at the magnitude of the supposed deformity. From Brazil and Guiana we receive specimens having crests on the head, and lateral tufts on the neck, capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure, and which, when fully expanded, give the bird the appearance of being possessed of two 14 INSESSORES. Sword-bill Humming Bird. pair of wings. Of these, the Chestnut-tufted Co- quette is the most beautiful. Others again with crests of various forms and dimensions; some, as in the Delalande Humming Bird, whose crest when elevated measures nearly as long as the body of the bird. But the most striking difference is in the various forms and peculiar development of the tail. The Polytmus, with its long, dangling plumes, has already THE HUMMING BIRDS. 159 been noticed. In the Racket-tail we have a tail deeply forked, with the two outer quills entirely bare of webbing in the centre, for about one-third their length, and at the outer extremities expanding sud- denly into a broad spathe, somewhat in the shape of a battledore. In the gorgeous Comet-tail the tail is forked, and composed of broad feathers, the outer pair about four and a half inches in length, all tip- ped with black, and glowing with a radiant lustre like highly polished brass, with a considerable tinge of red, which has given it with some the significant title of Flame-tail. A number of other species might be mentioned to show the vast variety of forms as- sumed by this important appendage, which adds to each species a peculiar grace, and no doubt exerts a considerable influence in regulating its motions upon the wing; but the limits of this article will not admit of more. The peculiar beauty of the Humming Bird con- sists in the metallic lustre of its coloring; and when seen in a strong light, some parts of the plumage exhibit a surface of the most exquisite polish, glit- tering with all the brilliancy of the ruby, the fiery lustre of the topaz, and the soft sparkling of the sapphire, the emerald, and the amethyst. Their voice consists mostly of a low twitter or chirp, although it is asserted that some species indulge in a low but not unmusical warble. Thus we see that Nature dis- tributes her gifts with an equal hand; for, while to these little creatures she has given a plumage of tha most unrivalled splendor, covering their feathers with 160 INSESSORES. burnished gold, and tinging them with the ever- changing hues of the most glittering gems, — upon others, arrayed in a plainer dress, she has bestowed that peculiarly fascinating and .delightful charm, a voice that rings through the woodlands like a heaven- born melody. It has been observed that the Humming Birds seldom live long in confinement; and although they have been kept during a period of several weeks, }