THE LIBRARY

OF
THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

Biology library

BEQUEST OF

Theodore S. Palmer

A REVIEW

OP THE

BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT.

BY

O. HART ^MERRIAM

NEW HAVEN :

TUTTLE, MOREHOUSE & TAYLOR, PRINTERS.

1877.

UBBAKY

[FROM THE TRANSACTIONS OP THE CONNECTICUT ACADEMY, VOL. TV, 1877].

A REVIEW OF THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT, WITH REMARKS ON
THEIR HABITS. BY C. HART MERRIAM.

Read June 20, 1877.

THE little State of Connecticut, forming, as it does, the southwest-
ern corner of New England, and lying between the forty-first and
forty-second parallels (exactly 41° to 42° 3' N.), and extending, in an
east and west direction, from the meridian 71° 55' to 73° 50' west lon-
gitude, contains an area of but 4,674 square miles. Nevertheless it is
highly probable, so favorably is it situated, that no equal area in the
country can boast a greater number of species of birds than may be
found within its limits. Indeed, nearly half the total number of
species in the United States have already been detected inside its
borders, and it is certain that future investigation will decidedly
increase this number.

Zoologically speaking, Connecticut belongs to that division of
country known as the Alleghanian Fauna. Still, as Mr. Purdie has
said,* its southern border has an evident tinge of the Carolinian, and
I may add that this " tinge" runs up the valley of the Connecticut
River, extending completely through the State, and even into Massa-
chusetts.

Some years ago Prof. A. E. Verrill stated that whenever such
birds as the Crossbills, the Spruce Partridge and the Canada Jay
u breed abundantly in any region, it may safely be considered as
belonging to the Canadian Fauna."f With equal truth it may be
said that whenever such birds as the Worm-eating, Blue-winged Yel-
low, and Hooded Warblers, together with the Large-billed Water
Thrush and Yellow breasted Chat, breed regularly and in considerable
numbers, the region may safely be included in the Carolinian Fauna.
That these species are so found in southern Connecticut — notably
about the mouth of the Connecticut River — is now too well known
to need further confirmation.

The dividing lines between the several faunae are always more or
less irregular, and never very sharply defined. The distribution

* Am. Nat, vol. vii, No. 11, p. 693, Nov., 1873.
f Proceed. Essex Inst., vol. iii, p. 138. 1863.
TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IV. 1 JULY, 1877.

544

2 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

of those species by which the different faunae are distinguished, is
unquestionably governed, in great measure (as shown by Professor Ver-
rill),* by the temperature during the breeding season, of the. regions
in which they commonly breed. Hence the dividing lines between
faunae do not follow, when placed on the chart, such smooth, regular
curves as serve to represent the isothermal lines (which show the
average temperature for the entire year), but more nearly coincide
with lines drawn to indicate the average temperature during the
months of April, May, and June, — the period in which the great
majority of singing birds breed. It has been stated by Professor
Verrill that " a line drawn upon the map of Eastern North America
representing the mean temperature of 50° F., during these three
months, will coincide with the southern boundary of the Canadian
Fauna, as previously determined from the examination of the birds
breeding in that sub-division. Another line representing the tem-
perature of 65° will represent the southern boundary of the Allegha-
nian Fauna,"* as distinguished from the Carolinian.

The fact that, during the thirty-four years that have elapsed since
the publication of Linsley's " Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut"
no enumeration of the birds of this State has appeared, is sufficient
excuse for the present attempt. Moreover, the Connecticut Acad-
emy resolved, some time since, to publish a series of papers on the
fauna of this State, and Professor Verrill did me the honor to request
that I should prepare, as the first of this series, " A Review of the
Birds of Connecticut," which I have done as well as the limited
time at my disposal would permit.

In the year 1861, Dr. William Wood, of East Windsor Hill, Conn.,
published, in the Hartford Times, a series of twenty-one admirable
and most interesting articles on our " Birds of Prey," and it is much
to be regretted that he did not, in like manner, take up the remaining
groups. A few brief notices of the occurrence of some of the rarer
species within our limits have, from time to time, appeared in the
American Naturalist and Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,
but nothing like a systematic list of the birds of the State has been
attempted.

My object has not been to give the largest possible number of
species, but to represent faithfully our true knowledge of the Avi-
fauna of Connecticut. An acknowledged fault with most local lists
is that their authors include, not only those species which have
actually been detected, but also those which, from their occurrence

* Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xli, p. 249, (Second Series,) 1866.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 3

in neighboring districts, may, at some future time, be looked for
with a degree of success directly proportionate to the ornitho-distri-
butional knowledge of the writer. In the preparation of the follow-
ing list I have scrupulously examined the evidence on which each
species stands, and have rigorously excluded all those whose occur-
rence rests on insufficient proof.

In a note, under each genus or family, will be found those species
which should, and probably do, occur, but which, owing to the small
number of collectors in this State, have not as yet been detected.
Information has been solicited from all, so far as I have been able to
ascertain, who are familiar with our birds — whether active collectors
or not — and I take this means of expressing my thanks and gratitude
for the many favors received, believing, at the same time, that they
should not be regarded as mere personal favors, but as real contribu-
tions to science, for in preparing this list I act but as the exponent
of the present state of our knowledge concerning the birds of Connec-
ticut. I am indebted to my friends, Mr. George Bird Grinnell, Mr.
A. J. Dayan, Prof. Wm. D. Whitney, Dr. Wm. H. Hotchkiss, Mr.
Thomas B. Osborne, Mr. E. B. Wilson, Dr. F. W. Hall, Walter R.
Nichols, the Stadtmtiller Brothers, Robert F. Morris, and Fred. Sum-
ner Smith, for information relating to species found in the immediate
vicinity of New Haven ; to Capt. O. N. Brooks, of Faulkner's Island
Light, for a list of the water birds of that portion of the Sound ;
to Messrs. W. W. Coe and John H. Sage, of Portland, Erwin
I. Shores, of Suffield, and J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., for notes
on the species observed in the Connecticut V alley ; to Dr. William
Wood, of Enst Windsor Hill, Conn., for valuable information on the
time of occurrence and relative abundance of many of the rarer
species — especially in regard to the Hawks and Owls ; to Prof. G.
Brown Goode, of Middletown, Conn., not only for throwing open for
my inspection the cases of birds contained in the Museum of Wesleyan
University, but also for laboriously searching the Museum Catalogue
for records of the capture of the rarer species within the State ; to
Josiah G. Ely, Esq., for notes on the rarer species found about Lyme,
New London County, Conn. ; and to Drs. D. Crary and D. Crary, Jr.,
of Hartford, Conn., for information concerning the less common birds
of that vicinity. To each of these gentlemen due credit is given under
the species to which their notes pertain. I am also under obligations
to Mr. Robert Rid g way, of the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Thomas
M. Brewer, of Boston, and Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, for
the identification of birds and eggs, and for other information.

4 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

My thanks are especially due to W. W. Coe, John H. Sage, Erwin
I. Shores, Thomas B. Osborne, Capt. O. N. Brooks, and the Stadt-
mtlller Brothers, for placing their manuscript notes at my disposal ;
also, to Professors A. E. Verrill, Sidney I. Smith, and Franklin
B. Dexter, for the use of books not in the College Library ; and
to Dr. William H. Hotchkiss for aid in the preparation of the special
lists appended to this paper, as well as for much kindly assistance
rendered from time to time during the progress of the work.

Numerous references have been made to the writings of others,
and I hold myself responsible for all dates and statements of any
kind, where the contrary is not expressly stated. Neither have
quotations been omitted, when they seemed desirable, either for the
value of the facts they contain, or for their antiquity; and, as a
rule, I have taken pains to refer to the older and less accessible
works, rather than to those with which we are all familiar.

Although Ornithology, as a science, is, in this country, of compara-
tively recent date, still that the birds of New England early attracted
the attention of our forefathers is evident from their writings. In
the year 1616, Capt. John Smith said that there were, in New Eng-
land, " Eagles, Gripes, diuers sorts of Haukes, Cranes, Geese, Brants,
Cormorants, Ducks, Sheldrakes, Teale, Meawes, Guls, Turkies, Diue-
doppers, and many other sorts, whose names I knowe not."* And a
few years later (1622) one William Hilton writes that the land
" affoords beasts of diuers sorts, and great flocks of Turkies, Quailes '
Pigeons and Patriges : many great lakes abounding with fish, fowls,
Beuers and Otters. The sea affoords us as great plenty of all excellent
sorts of sea-fish, as the riuers and lies doth varietie of wild fowle of
most vseful sorts."1^ And there are numerous others of a like nature,
some of which have been reproduced under the species to which they
refer.

It is worthy of note that many birds once common along the coast,
and some throughout the greater part of New England, are now
either extremely rare or not to be met with at all within its limits,
while a few species have unquestionably increased in numbers since
the country has become settled. Among the former class may be
mentioned the Great Auk (Alca impennis), the Crane (Grus Cana-
densis, and perhaps G-. Americana also), the Swan (Cygnus Ameri-
canus, and perhaps C. buccinator), the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallo-
pavo), the Pinnated Grouse or Prairie Chicken (Cupidonia cupido),

* A Description of New England, by Capt. John Smith, p. 16. 1616;
f New England's Trials, p. 14. 1622.

C. H. Merriam — JSirds of Connecticut. 5

the Swallow-tailed Kite (Nauderus forficatus), the Raven (Corvm
corax) now common only in northern New England, the Mocking-
bird (Mimus polyglottus], and many others. That these birds were
common here two or three hundred years ago is clear from the
numerous references to them in the writings of the time. And during
this period many others have greatly decreased in numbers — such as
the Pigeon (JZctopistes migratoria), Pileated Woodpecker (Hyloto-
mi(s pileatus), black-birds, water fowl, and waders of all descriptions.*
The disappearance of some of these birds is readily accounted for by
the advance of civilization with its concomitant evils — destruction
of forests, increased use of fire arms, etc. — but in other cases the
cause is less easily explained.

Few people, living away from the coast, have any idea that hun-
dreds of thousands of birds are killed each year, during migrations,
by flying against lighthouse towers. Capt. O. N. Brooks, of Faulk-
ner's Island Light, tells me that between two and three hundred dead
birds were picked up at the foot of the tower on the morning of May
16th, 1877, and that at the same time thousands of living ones
stopped at the Island, devouring all the tender plants and newly
sown seeds in his garden. During the same night about three hun-
dred birds killed themselves against the light at the entrance of New
Haven Bay, and the daily papers stated that over seven hundred
were picked up on the decks of one of the New York steamers.
When we take into consideration the number of light-houses and
steamships along our whole coast it becomes clear that the number
of birds that perish annually by this means is simply immense.
Nearly all our common, and many rare, migrants are found among
the dead, but the Maryland Yellow-throats (Geothlypis trichas)
greatly predominate, constituting full one third of the total number
examined. It is lamentable that this wholesale slaughter of our
song-birds seems to be unavoidable.

The nomenclature and arrangement of species adopted in the pres-
ent paper is that given in Cones' " Key to North American Birds,"
with such corrections as have since appeared in his " Birds of the
Northwest" and elsewhere.

* See also an interesting article by J. A. Allen in Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i,
No. 3. Sept. 1876.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

A. General List, giving times of occurrence and relative abundance
of the species ; together with notes on the habits and distribution
of some of the less common forms.

Family, TUBDID^E.

1 . Turdus migratorius Linne. Eobin.

An abundant summer resident; breeds abundantly, and several
times during the season. A few winter. The summer residents
arrive during the middle and latter part of February (Feb. 18, 1876 ;
Feb. 27, 1875), and remain in considerable numbers till near the close
of November.

2. TurdUS muStelillUS Gmelin. Wood Thrush.

A common summer resident; breeds. Arrives about May 3d
(common before the 10th), remaining till October. Mr. John H. Sage, '
of Portland, Conn., informs me that he and Mr. J. N. Clark, and
also Mr. W. W. Coe, have found its eggs " covered with fine black
specks." Mr. Fred. Sumner Smith, of this city, has recently shown
me a large egg of this species which is marked with a few small,
brownish-red spots. On sending the egg to Dr. Brewer, I received
the following : " The spots I never noticed before, but any egg,
always excepting a woodpecker's, is liable to be marked by minute
effusions of colored lymph of the parent, in its exclusion." Mr.
Smith tells me that the nest, which contained these speckled eggs,
was placed on a railway bridge, and within six inches of the rail.
A number of trains pass daily over this bridge.

3. TurdUS Pallasi Cabanis. Hermit Thrush.

Common during its migrations, particularly so in the fall. Arrives
from the South before the middle of April (April 7, 1877, Coe; April
0, 1875, Sage; April 13, 1874, Sage; April 14, 1876, Osborne; April
16, 1877, April 19, 1875), remaining till early in May; on their
return are with us from early in October till the latter part of Novem-
ber (Nov. L4, 18, 20, 1875). The woods abound with them during
the middle and latter part of October.

4. TurdUS S wains oni Cabanis. Olive-backed Thrush.

Common during its migrations, but never so abundant as the last.
It is met with in spring from May 10th to 26th, and in autumn from

C. IT. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 7

Sept. 4th (1874, Hall) to Oct. 13th. In the fall it is not uncommonly
found in flocks of a dozen or fifteen in low swampy woods where
there is an abundance of undergrowth.

4a. Turdus Swainsoni, var. Alicise (Baird) Coues. Gray-cheeked Thrush.

Occurs, during migrations, with the foregoing, and is more common
in the vicinity of New Haven — judging from the proportionate num-
ber of skins in private collections about here. Near Portland, Conn.,
on the contrary, the true Sioainsoni type seems to predominate — as
shown by specimens in the cabinets of W. W. Coe and John H. Sage.

5. TurdllS fuscescens Stephens. Wilson's Thrush.

A summer resident; breeds. Arrives early in May (May 8). Com-
mon in the immediate vicinity of New Haven, especially during the
spring migrations.

6. MiniUS pOlyglottUS (Linne) Boie. Mocking-bird.

A rare summer visitant ; used to breed here and may occasionally*
do so now. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell has taken it near Milford, Conn.
Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me, on the authority of Milton Lester,
that it has been killed at Suffield, Conn. Mr. J. N. Clark thinks that
it bred pretty regularly at Saybrook, Conn., many years ago ; and I
am informed by Mr. Osborne that he saw one above the Whitney
Lakes, near New Haven, May 30th, 1877. Also taken late in the fall
of 1874, by Mr. William Brewster, near Concord, Mass.f " Stratford
and New Haven," Linsley.

There can be little doubt but that Mocking-birds were once com-
mon in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, if not still
farther north. In an appendix to the Mass. Agricultural Report for
1863, Samuels gives it as a "rare summer visitant," stating that it
"occasionally breeds;" and in 1864 Allen says that they "have been
known to breed in Springfield several times within five years, and in
1860 two pairs nested here. June 20th, 1860, I found a nest contain-
ing three freshly laid eggs Locality, a sandy field growing

up to pitch pines, in one of which the nest was placed, about three
feet from the ground.''^

* A Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut, arranged according to their natural
families ; by Kev. James H. Linsley, published in Am. Jour, of Sci. and Arts,
vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 255. April, 1843.

f Rod and Gun, vol. v, No. 24, p. 370, Mar. 13, 1875.

\ Catalogue of the Birds found at Springfield, Mass., by J. A. Allen, pp. 67-8. 1864.

8 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

7. Mimus Carolinensis (Linne) Gray. Cat-bird.

An abundant summer resident, arriving early in May (May 4, 1877,
Portland; May 5, 1874, Sage; May 6, 1876, C. H. M., and 6, 1877,
E. B. Wilson), and remaining till November (Nov. 4, 1874 and
1875) ; breeds.

8. Harporhynchus rufllS (Linne) Cabanis. Brown Thrush; "Thrasher."
A common summer resident ; breeds. Arrives during the last of

April or first of May (April 30, 1876, Osborne; May 1, 1877) depart-
ing early in October (Oct. 2).

Family, SAXICOLID^.

9. Sialia Stalls (Linne) Haldeman. Common Bluebird.

Resident ; abundant during summer ; breeds in holes in trees and
posts, etc. They arrive early in February (Feb. 8, 1876), remaining
till about the middle of November (Nov. 13, 1876). Have found it
singing as early as March 5th. Though generally evenly distributed
and everywhere a common species, Mr. Shores " could not find it in
1872" about Suffield, Conn.* A few small flocks frequently winter
in secluded spots.

Family, SYLVIID^E.

1 0. Regulus Calendula (Linne) Licht. Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Common during its migrations. Arrives about the middle of April

(April 11, 1875, Sage); remaining till the middle of May (16,
Osborne). Have taken it in the fall from Oct. 13th to Nov. 24th.

1 1 . Regulus Satrapa Liechtenstein. Golden-crested Kinglet.

A winter resident ; have seen it at repeated intervals from Oct. 13th
till spring (May). Commonly found, with the preceding, associated
with small flocks of chickadees (Pams atricapillus), and frequently ac-
companied by a few nuthatches of both species (Sitta Carolinensis
and S. Canadensis).

1 2. Polioptila Caerulea (Linne) Sclater. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

A rare summer visitant. " Stratford," Linsley. " Two were shot
at Wauregan (Windham County), Conn., by Mr. C. M. Carpenter, —
a male in 1874 and a female in 1876. Three or four were seen by me

* MS. notes of Krwin I. Shores, Esq.

C. H, Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 9

at Providence, R. I., May 23d, 1875."* Mr. Jencks writes me that
the Connecticut record is a mistake, as all the specimens were taken
near Providence, R. I.

Mr. William Brewster thus speaks of their habits and appearance
in the south : " When seen one hundred feet or more above the earth
they remind one more of insects than of birds, so active, and so very
frail and slender do they seem. In motions, they bear, perhaps, a
greater resemblance to the Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) than to
any other bird, like him launching out frequently after insects and
alighting with spread tail and drooping wings. They have withal
an impertinent, quizzical air, savoring strongly of Cat-bird ways;
the song is indeed quite that of the latter bird, but in miniature (if I
may apply such an expression to sound), a quaint mocking little
strain, continued half a minute or more at a time, and full of mewings
and harsh chatters, with an occasional full round note, but altogether
so feeble as scarcely to be audible at twenty yards' distance. The
note used by both sexes is a harsh but rather faint lisp."f

Family, PARID^E.

13. Lophophanes bicolor (Linne) Bonaparte. Tufted Titmouse.

A rare visitor from the south. "New Haven," Linsley. Josiah G.
Ely, Esq., writes me from Lyme, New London Co., Conn., that he
shot a Tufted Titmouse, Feb. 27th, 1872, in that vicinity (the ground
being covered to a considerable depth with snow), and saw another
in Jan., 1874. They were found flitting about among dense hemlocks
in a very wild portion of country. It has also been taken near Hart-
ford, Conn., by Dr. D. Crary, but must be regarded as accidental,
though a common resident in northern New Jersey (Elizabeth,
1871-72). Also breeds on Long Island "seeking retirement in the
lonely part of the woods among the heavy timber."J It has been
found as far north as New Hampshire.§

14. Paras atricapillus Linne. Black-capped Chickadee.

A common resident ; breeds in holes in trees. Gregarious except
during the breeding season.

*Mr. Jencks to H. A. Purdie, see Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,
vol. ii, pp. 20 and 21. Jan. 1877.

f Annals Lyceum Nat. Hist. N..Y., vol. xi, p. 132, June, 1875.

\ Birds of Long Island, J. P. Giraud, Jr. p. 78. 1844.

§ Belknap's History of New Hampshire, vol. iii, p. 173. 1792.

TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 2 JULY, 1877.

] 0 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

1 5. PaniS HudsonicUS Forster. Hudsonian Chickadee.

A rare accidental visitor from the north. In the July (1876) num-
ber of the Bulletin Nuttall Ornith. Club, I called attention to the first
instance of the capture of this northern chickadee in Connecticut :
"On Nov. 13, 1875, Mr. Robert Morris, while shooting in a wooded
ravine a few miles from town [New Haven], killed a female Hudsonian
Titmouse (Parus Hudsonicus]. The specimen is now in the collec-
tion of Mr. Thomas Osborne of this city." Its occurrence so far south
must be regarded as purely accidental. Mr. Wm. Brewster took a
specimen at Concord, Mass., Oct. 30, 1870.* This was supposed to be
the most southern, and only Massachussetts, record, but as long ago
as 1839, Peabody tells us that it " has been found by S. Eliot Greene,
Esq., near his house in Brookline."f

Family, SITTIDJE.

1 6. Sitta CarolinensiS (Gmelin) Latham. White-bellied Nuthatch.

Resident ; breeds. Not particularly abundant immediately about
New Haven, especially in summer. Its nest, however, has been
taken within city limits by the Stadtmtiller Brothers.

17. Sitta Canadensis Linne. Red-bellied Nuthatch.

A tolerably common winter resident, arriving about the middle of
October (Oct. 13, 1875, abundant), and remaining till after the middle
of April (April 19, 1876, Osborne).

Family, CEBTHIIDJE.

1 8. Certhia familiaris Linne. Brown Creeper.

A rather common resident; breeds. Particularly abundant in win-
ter, when it may frequently be seen running about on the elms in the
heart of the city.

Family, TROG-LODYTID^.

1 9. Troglodytes ae'don Vieillot. House Wren.

A summer resident ; breeds. Not abundant. Arrives late in April
or early in May (Apr. 27, 1869, Hartford; 27, 1877, Portland; May

* Am. Nat., vol. vi, No. 5. p. 306. May, 1872.

f A Report on the Ornithology of Massachusetts, by Wm. B. 0. Peabody. p. 402.
1839.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 1 1

2, 1863; 3, 187G; 4, 1861, 1873, all Portland, Conn., Jno. H. Sage),
remaining till late in October (Oct. 26 and 30, 1875).

20. Anorthura troglodytes, var. hyemalis (Vieiii.) Coues. Winter

Wren.

A winter resident ; rather common during migrations. Have seen
it early in October (Oct. 2d), and secured a specimen on the 24th of
November, 1875. Mr. Grinnell has taken it every month during
winter.

2 1 . Telmatodytes palustris (Wilson) Baird. Long-billed Marsh Wren.

A common summer resident ; breeds abundantly in the brackish
water marshes bordering the Quinnipiac river, near New Haven.
Mr. A. J. Dayan and myself found dozens of completed nests, a few
of which contained from 1 to 5 eggs each, on the 7th of June, 1876.
Also breeds in suitable fresh water marshes throughout the State.

22. Cistothorus Stellaris (Licht.) Cabanis. Short-billed Marsh Wren.

A rather rare summer resident; breeding in suitable localities along
our southern border and in the Connecticut Valley. " New Haven,"
Linsley. Dr. Wood tells me that it is not common about Hartford,
Conn. ; and Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me that it breeds in a marsh
near Southwick (or Congannick) Ponds, in the town of Suffield,
Hartford Co., Conn, (close to the Massachusetts border). Mr. J. G.
Ely, of Lyme, Conn., writes me that the Short-billed Marsh Wren
breeds abundantly in that vicinity.

NOTE. — The Great Carolina Wren, Thryothorus T^udovicianus
(Latham) Bonap., has been known to breed in Massachusetts* and on
Long Island, and doubtless occurs, as a rare summer resident from
the South, in the Connecticut Valley, and along our southern border.

Family, ALAUDIDJE.

23. Eremophila alpestris (Porst.) Boie. Horned Lark.

A winter resident, occurring along the shore, and also in barren,
sandy, tracts, throughout the State. Mr. Dayan, Mr. Osborne, Mr.
Grinnell, and myself, have seen it here in fall (Nov. 18, 1874, C. H.
M.) and winter, and Mr. W. W. Coe has found it at Portland, Conn.,
as late as March 26, (1875).

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 3, p. 76. Sept. 1876.

12 C. If. Merriam — JBirds of Connecticut.

Family, MOTACILLIDJE.

24. AnthTIS LudOVicianuS (Gmelin) Licht. Titlark.

Common along the coast during migrations. Have taken it as late
as Nov. 14. It passes north in the month of May (Dr. Wood). Dr.
Brewer says that he has " found it, sometimes in large flocks, in open
country near the coast, in Massachusetts, in midwinter."*

Family, SYLVICOLID^E.

25. Mniotilta varia (Linne) Vieillot. Black-and-white Creeper.

A summer resident ; breeds. Particularly abundant during migra-
tions. Arrives late in April or early in May (April 30, 1877, May 2,
1876), remaining till October (Oct. 2). Mr. J. H. Sage writes that,
in company with Mr. J. N. Clark, he took a nest containing five eggs
of this species, at Saybrook, Conn., May 30, 1877. I shot it at New
Haven on June 23, and have seen several others during the breeding
season. Mr. Sage also took another nest containing five eggs
(" young well developed"), at Portland, Conn., June 12, 1875.

26. Parula Americana (Linne) Bonap. Blue Yellow-backed Warbler.-

A summer resident; breeds. One of our commonest migrants.
Arrives early in May (May 2d, Osborne). In the fall it is very abun-
dant during the middle and latter part of September, and I have taken
it as late as Oct. 13th. Mr. W. W. Coe showed me a number of their
beautiful hanging nests, composed entirely of Usnea, which he had
found about Portland, Conn. It has also been found breeding near
New Haven (Maltby Park— Stadtmuller Brothers).

27. HelmitherilS vermivorus (Gmelin) Bonap. Worm-eating Warbler.

A rare summer resident ; breeds. As long ago as the year 1843, Dr.
J. D. Whelpley observed this species at New Haven (Linsley), and it
has since been taken in this vicinity by several collectors. In the
"Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club," (vol. ii, No. 1, Jan., 1877, p. 21), Mr.
H. A. Purdie states that " Mr. Shores shot a male at Suifield (Hart-
ford County), Conn., August 22, 1874. This is, I think, its most
northerly record in the Atlantic States yet noted." Also, in the
American Naturalist for Nov., 1873 (vol. vii, No. 2, p. 692), the same
author remarks that Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., writes him
that he has taken " in the nesting season, Helmitherus vermivorus,

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 4, p. 92. Nov. 1876.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 1 3

but as yet has failed to find the nest." Mr. Clark tells me he has
seen as many as five individuals in a single day. Mr. Thomas
Osborne, of New Haven, has a mounted specimen in his cabinet, pro-
cured May 17, 1875. Two or three others specimens were shot near
here in May, 1875, and Mr. George Bird Grinnell tells me that he
has known of the capture of several in this vicinity.

So little is really known concerning the habits of this rare warbler ,
that I take great pleasure in quoting the following interesting account
of it from the observations of my friend, Mr. William Brewster, of
Cambridge, " On the Birds of Ritchie County, West Virginia." Mr.
Brewster writes that it is " most partial to the retired thickets in the
woods, along water courses, and is seldom or never found in the high
open groves. They keep much on the ground, and walk about rather
slowly, searching for food among the dried leaves. In general
appearance they are quite unique, and I rarely failed to identify one
with an instant's glance, so very peculiar are all their attitudes and
motions. The tail is habitually carried at an elevation considerably
above the line of the back, which gives them quite a smart, jaunty,
air, and if the dorsal aspect be exposed, in a clear light, the peculiar
marking of the crown is quite conspicuous. Seen as they usually are,
however, dimly flitting ahead through the gloom and shadow of the
thickets, the impression received is that of a dark little bird which
vanishes unaccountably before your very eyes, leaving you quite
uncertain where to look for it next : indeed, I hardly know a more
difficult bird to procure, for the slightest noise sends it darting off
through the woods at once. Occasionally you will come upon one
winding around the trunk of some tree, exactly in the manner of
Mniotilta varia, running out along the branches with nimble motion,
peering alternately under the bark on either side, and anon returning
to the main stem, perhaps the next instant, to hop back to the ground
again. On such occasions they rarely ascend to the height of more
than eight or ten feet. The males are very quarrelsome, chasing one
another through the woods with loud, sharp, chirpings, careering
with almost inconceivable velocity up among the tops of the highest
oaks, or darting among the thickets with interminable doublings until
the pursuer, growing tired of the chase, alights on some low twig or
mossy log, and, in token of his victory, utters a warble so feeble that
you must be very near to catch it at all, a sound like that produced
by striking two pebbles very quickly and gently together, or the
song of Spizella socialis heard at a distance, and altogether a very
indifferent performance."*

* Annals Lyceum Nat. Hist. N. Y., vol. xi, pp. 134-5. June, 1875.

14 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

28. Helminthophaga pinus (Linne) Baird. Blue-winged Yellow Warbler.
A summer resident in southern Connecticut and in the Connecticut

Valley; breeds. Not common at New Haven. Mr. L. C. Brag£
took a female May 12, and I captured a male on the 24th, 1876. Mr.
J. N. Clark finds it breeding regularly, and in considerable numbers,
at Saybrook, Conn.* Mr. W. R. Nichols shot one at Branford, Conn.,
May 12th, 1877. On the 23d of June last (1877) while collecting with
Mr. Wm. H. Taylor, in a piece of woods within a mile of the city of
New Haven, I succeeded in shooting a fine adult male of this species,
which Prof. Wm. D. Whitney was kind enough to mount for the
collection of New England birds now on exhibition in the Peabody
Museum of Yale College. The bird kept flitting about so actively in
the dense undergrowth that it was with difficulty secured. It unques-
tionably had a nest in the immediate vicinity.

29. Helminthophaga Chrysoptera (Linne) Cabanis. Blue Golden-
winged "Warbler.

A rather rare summer resident ; breeds in the northern part of the
State. Mr. Walter R. Nichols shot one near New Haven August, 24,
1876, and Mr. Osborne tells me that he saw one in May, 1875, killed
by a friend of his. I have not yet met with it. The finest specimens
of this beautiful warbler that I have ever seen are in the cabinets of
Mr. Coe and Mr. Sage, of Portland, Conn. They were taken in that
vicinity. Mr. Sage informs me that he has seen it from May llth,
(May 11 and 27, 1876) to the 30th, (May, 30, 1877, Saybrook).
Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., tells me that he has seen but one
specimen there. Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me from Suffield, Conn. :
"Not common ; breeds. On July 7th, 1876, I obtained a female and
three young just able to fly. Have taken it at two other times."
Dr. Crary has taken it near Hartford.

30. Helminthophaga mficapilla (Wilson) Baird. Nashville Warbler.

A summer resident; abundant spring and autumn migrant. Arrives
early in May. Breeds sparingly throughout the State.

31. Helminthophaga peregrina (Wilson) Cabanis. Tennessee Warbler.

A rather rare migrant. Two specimens were taken near New
Haven during the latter part of May, 1876 (May 24, Osborne; May
26, Bragg). Mr. Erwin I. Shores shot one near Suffield, Conn., June 8,

* Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. II, p. 692. Nov. 1873.

C. II. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 15

1 875, which is so late one might almost suspect it of breeding within
our limits. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, has a specimen in his
cabinet in unusually high plumage ; it is a rare bird there. I am told
by Mr. Clark and others that its note is peculiarly loud and clear,
serving to distinguish the species when some distance away.

NOTE. — The Orange-crowned Warbler, Helminthophaga celata
(Say) Baird, has been taken both in Massachusetts* and Rhode
Island,! and also in New York State (by Mr. E. P. Bicknell, and but
a few miles from our western border)J and unquestionably occurs
within our limits.

32. Dendrceca aestiva (Gmeliu) Baird. Yellow Warbler.

A common summer resident; breeds. Arrives about the first of
May (May 7, Osborne ; May 4, 1874, and May 5, 1873, Portland,
Conn., Sage).

33. Dendrceca virens (Gmelin) Baird. Black-throated Green Warbler.

A summer resident; very abundant during its migrations. Arrives
about May 1st, remaining through the month (May 23) ; have taken
them in the fall, from September 15th to October 18th. Mr. W. W.
Coe tells me that they remain through the entire summer in dense
swamps about Portland, Conn., and doubtless breed, though he has
not yet taken the nest. I am also informed by Mr. J. N. Clark that a
few breed at Saybrook, where he has found two nests after the young
had hatched. I am surprised at this, for it is the last place in the
State where they ought, theoretically, to breed.

34. Dendrceca Caerulescens (Linne) Baird. Black-throated Blue Warbler.

A summer resident. Common spring migrant ; Mr. Osborne and
myself have also taken it here in autumn (October 7, 12, and 19).
Arrives about May 10th; breeds sparingly in the northeastern part
of the State (Eastford), where two nests were found in June (8 and
13, 1874,) by the Rev. C. M. Jones. §

35. Dendrceca caemlea (Wilson) Baird. Caerulean Warbler.

A very rare summer visitant from the Southern and Central States.
This rare warbler was observed at Stratford, Conn., by Linsley, as

* Bull. Nutt. Ornithol. Club, vol. i, No. 4, p. 95. Nov. 1876.

f Ibid, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 21. Jan. 1877.

\ In letter from E. P. Bicknell.

§ Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 1, p. 11. April, 1876.

16 C. II. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

long ago as April, 1841. H. A. Purdie says, "a male was obtained
by Mr. Shores at Suffield, June 12, 1875."* Mr. Shores writes me
that he " obtained it purely by accident while trying to shoot a
Warbling Vireo ( Vireo gilvus)." So far as I am aware these two are
the only instances of its capture within the State.

36. Dendroeca COronata (Linne) Gray. Yellow-mmped Warbler.

Very common during migrations. Have taken it as early as April
18th (1875). In the fall it may be seen from the last of September
till the first of November, some remaining still later (Nov. 15), and
Mr. Grinnell informs me that he has taken it every month during the
entire winter.

37. Dendrceca Blackbumiae (Gmelin) Baird. Blackburnian Warbler.

Common during the migrations, being particularly abundant in
spring. A few sometimes breed. Arrives about May 9th, remaining
till the last of the month (May 27). Also occurs from the middle of
September till early in October (Oct. 3). In the spring great num-
bers of them frequent the elms in the heart of the town. Mr. Josiah G.
Ely writes me, from Lyme, Conn., that he " shot a female Black-
burnian Warbler in July, 1873, with its belly minus of feathers. It
evidently had a nest somewhere in that vicinity."

38. Dendroeca Striata (Forster) Baird. Black-poll Warbler.

One of our most abundant migrants. Arrives from the south about
May 13th, remaining till the last of the month (May 30 ; June 2, 1872,
Portland, Conn., Sage). In the autumn they are quite numerous by
Sept. 10th, and their number does not decrease much till after the
middle of October — some staying till the last of the month (Oct. 26).

39. Dendroeca castanea (Wilson) Baird. Bay-breasted Warbler.

Sometimes quite abundant during the spring migration (1876, for
example) ; at other times extremely rare, if occurring at all. Arrives
about the middle of May, remaining till the last of the month. Mr-
Osborne has seen it in fall (Sept. 30 and Oct. 17, 1876). Mr. Shores
gives it as " rare," never having taken " but two specimens," at
Suffield, Conn.f

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 21. January, 1877.
f MS. notes of Erwiu I. Shores.

G. H. Merriant — Birds of Connecticut. 17

40. Dendroeca Pennsylvania (Linne) Baird. Chestnut-sided Warbler.
A summer resident ; breeds. Very abundant during migrations.

Arrives early in May (7), the greater number passing north before
the first of June.

41. Dendrceca maculosa (Gmelin) Baird. Black-and-yellow Warbler.

A common spring and auiumn migrant. Arrives about May 12th,
remaining till June 1st. Have taken it in the fall, from the middle
of September to October 1st, and it probably remains still later.*

42. Dendroeca tigrina (Gmelin) Baird. Cape May Warbler.

A rather rare migrant, though a few are taken every season. Have
known of its occurrence from May 10th, (Osborne) to the 25th. Mr.
Shores writes me that it is generally rare about Suffield, Conn., but
that it was not uncommon there in the spring of 1876.

43. Dendroeca discolor (Vieillot) Baird. Prairie Warbler.

A summer resident ; not common about New Haven. Breeds spar-
ingly. Mr. Dayan has taken it on May 13th and Sept. 15th. Mr. W.
W. Coe tells me that it breeds near Portland, Conn., but is rather rare.
I shot one near New Haven, May 14th, 1877. I am informed by Mr.
E. I. Shores, of Suffield, that it is not rare about Enfield, Conn. Mr.
J. N. Clark tells me that it breeds plentifully about Saybrook, Conn.

44. Dendroeca dominica (Linne) Baird. Yellow-throated Warbler.

A rare accidental visitor from the south Dr. Daniel Crary, of Hart-
ford, Conn., writes me that during fifteen years of bird collecting in
that vicinity (in the Connecticut Valley) he has secured several speci-
mens of this rare species. Dr. E. L. R. Thompson also assures me that
he has seen it about New Haven. Coues, in his " List of the Birds
of New England," states, and very properly too, that " there is no
good evidence," that this species " ever straggles as far north as
New England,"f but, for some unaccountable reason, in his " Birds
of the Northwest" (p. 66) disregards his former correct statement
and says that the bird occurs "north to Connecticut (Linsley)." A
glance at Linsley's catalogue shows that he did not know of its
occurrence in this State.

* For an interesting account of the habits of this bird, see an article by William
Brewster, in Bull. Nutt Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, pp. 1-7. Jan., 1877.
f Proceed. Essex. Inst., vol. v, p. 270.
TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IV. 3 JULY, 1877.

18 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

45. Dendroeca palmarum (Gmelin) Baird. Redpoll Warbler.

A common spring and autumn migrant. Arrives, in spring, about
the middle of April (13, 1877; 18, 1875), usually remaining but a few
days ; in fall I have taken it from Oct. 18th to Nov. 4th. But few were
seen this spring (1877), and they straggled along in the most unaccount-
able manner. I shot one as late as May 5th ! Along with D. pinus and
D. coronata it may be seen, in spring, long before the hosts of other
warblers make their appearance. It is also one of the last to depart
in the fall, at which time it is found along fences, and among low
bushes, by the road-side, and in open fields. In early spring, before
the snow has quite all disappeared, large numbers of them may some-
times be seen, in company with the English Sparrows, running about
on the plots of bare ground, and the roots of the elm trees, in the
CityG-reen, in the heart of New Haven. In fact they seem to pay but
little attention to the weather, as may be seen from the circumstance
that they were really abundant on the 18th of April, 1875, at a time
when the ground was covered with snow nearly a foot deep, with
only here and there a bare spot ; while none were seen this season
(1877) till April 13th, notwithstanding the fact that the ground had
been bare since the latter part of March, a'nd the weather unusually
mild. Apparently in great haste to reach the breeding grounds,
their stay with us, in spring, is generally brief — a few days and all
are gone. During the autumnal migrations, however, the case is
quite different. Having safely accomplished a long and perilous
journey to the far north, and having successfully struggled with the
elements and the hungry animate world in rearing and providing for
a family of children, its anxiety is over, and now it lingers, for two
or three weeks, in its favorite haunts by the road-side, before taking
its final departure for Cuba or the Bahamas ; or, perchance, it may
not pass beyond our own limits, but, finding some suitable spot in
the Gulf States, concludes to go no farther, and winters there.

The abundance of this species during its migrations varies con-
siderably in different years. Thus in the spring of 1875 they were
very numerous, while this season (1877) less than half a dozen
were seen. This remark applies with equal force to D. pimts and
several other species.

46. Dendroeca pimiS (Wilson) Baird. Pine-creeping Warbler.

A summer resident ; tolerably common during migrations. It
breeds in pines, and is more often heard than seen. Arrives before the

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 1 9

middle of April* (April 14, and probably earlier) and departs in Sep-
tember (Sept. 29, 1875, Sage). They are so partial to the tree whose
name they bear that, in speaking of their habits in the " Pine-barrens"
of South Carolina and Georgia, I remarked that " it was very appro-
priately named the jt> awe-creeping warbler, as I never, except on one
occasion, saw it alight, even for an instant, on anything but a pine
tree; here it would sit by the hour and warble out its sweet song."f
I might also state that at such times it is generally so concealed
among the branches that one may not unfrequently spend half an
hour in vainly endeavoring to " get a shot " — the bird, meanwhile,
uttering, at intervals, its characteristic note,' which is not unlike a
certain strain in the pleasant and perplexing song of the common
field-sparrow (SpizeUa pusilld). On referring to my MS. notes on
the birds of Central Massachusetts, I find the following : "Seldom
found except in pine woods, where a few were found breeding on
June 25th, 1874." Here, however, though evidently preferring sim-
ilar tracts, they may be met with, especially during the migrations,
in a variety of situations. In the spring of 1875, for example, they
were frequently seen in the City Green hopping about on the ground
in company with D. palmarum and the English Sparrows, and run-
ning up and down on the trunks of the large elms searching for
insects. Mr. C. J. Maynard, in his beautiful, but lamentably incom-
plete, work on the " Birds of Florida," says : " While walking in
the piny woods of Florida one will suddenly observe that the trees
over his head are filled with birds, where but a moment before not a
living thing was to be seen ; and his ears will be saluted by a variety
of sounds. Beside the loud, harsh notes of the woodpeckers and
nuthatches, and the mellow whistle of the bluebirds, the slowly
given trill of the pine warblers will occasionally be heard. There
are hundreds of these little birds in every passing flock, yet but few
of them ever sing. They are extremely active, now searching for
insects among the swaying foliage of the pines high overhead, then
clinging to the brown trunks to peer into the crevices of the bark, or

alighting on the ground Of all the thousands of this species

which spend the colder season in Florida but few remain to breed,
and by the middle of March the greater portion leave for the North.
They arrive in New England in early April, and by the first of May

* Dr. J. A. Allen stated, in the "New England Farmer" for 1861 (p. 540): "The
present year [1861] I observed them the 4th of April, at which time a recent snow
covered the ground to the depth of several inches."

f Am. Nat., vol. viii, No. 1, p. 7. Jan. 1874.

20 G. H. Merriam. — Hirds of Connecticut.

begin t:> construct their nests, which are commonly placed in a fork
of the topmost limb of a pine tree."*

47. Slums aurlcaplllus (Linne) Swainson. Golden-crowned Thrush;

" Oven Bird."

A common summer resident, arriving early in May (May 3), and
remaining till the latter part of September. Breeds abundantly. Its
characteristic loud, but not particularly pleasing, note frequently
annoys one while listening for the softer tones of some of the rarer
warblers.

48. Shims naBVlUS (Boddaert) Coues.f (Noveboracensis of Authors.) "Water-

Wagtail ; Water Thrush.

Rather common during migrations. Possibly a few occasionally
remain and breed. Arrives early in May. Have taken it in spring
from May 5th to 27th ; and in fall from Sept. 28th to Oct. 18th. Mr.
Gentry, in his late work on the " Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania," says
that it " cannot be considered either abundant or rare." The same
remark applies here in spring, when they frequent their favorite haunts
near some small stream or swampy place in woodland. In the fall,
however, they sometimes congregate in rather large flocks arid may
then be seen on hill-sides away from water.

49. Slums motacllla (Vieillot) Coues. (Ludovitianus of Authors.) Large-

billed Water Thrush.

Not rare in southern Connecticut, where it breeds regularly, and
probably in considerable numbers. Arrives earlier than either of the
other species. I shot a fine male on the 27th of April, 1877. That
they also breed very early is shown by the fact that a female, con-
taining an egg ready for the nest, was shot by my friend, Mr. Dayan,
on the 17th of May, 1876; and Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn.,
tells me that the young are generally hatched before May 25th. The
fact of its breeding regularly in southern New England has now
become so well established that it would be superfluous to cite the
numerous published records of its capture.

In habits it seems to agree with S. ncevius — at least in its fondness
for shaded streams. Its note is peculiarly loud and clear, and does

* The Birds of Florida. By. C. J. Maynard. Part II, p. 49. Salem, 1873.
\ For the nomenclature of this genus, see Coues, in Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornith.
Club, vol. ii, No. 2. April, 1877.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 21

not resemble that of any other bird I have ever heard. Dr. F. W.
Hall shot a pair in Maltby Park (near New Haven) June 10th, 1874;
they had evidently bred there. W. R. Nichols and Thos. B. Osborne
saw several specimens on the 2d of May, one of which they secured ;
and on the 15th I saw still another. I am informed by Mr. ,T. N.
Clark, of Saybrook, that a favorite site for their nests is among the
upturned roots of a fallen tree.

In writing of the habits of this species in West Virginia, Mr*
Brewster says : " While the northern Water Thrush [S. ncemus] was
confined to the muddy banks of the creek — and I will remark en
passant that I never saw one other than in a muddy locality — this
species seemed to delight in the pebbly streams of the hills ; just such
streams as in the New England mountains would be called good
trout brooks, overshadowed by mighty forest trees, frequently choked
up by fallen logs, and abounding in beautiful cascades, still, deep
pools, and wild rocky ravines. In the deepest, darkest retreats you
were most likely to find him, and here, on several occasions, I was
fortunate enough to hear his song. It is somewhat like that of S.
N'oveboracensis [# ncevius], being quite as loud, almost as rapid, and
commencing in nearly the same way, but lacking the beautiful cres-
cendo termination, and, altogether, a less fine performance. Repre-
sented by words, it would be nearly as follows : pseur,pseur,perseeser.
This is usually uttered several times in succession from some shelving
rock, or fallen log overhanging the stream ; the bird in the inter-
vals between each repetition tilting its body incessantly, and looking
nervously about, as if he didn't half like your appearance and had a
good mind to be off, and this expression, in the majority of cases,
soon finds vent in action, for he is a very shy little fellow the moment
he begins to suspect that he is wanted to grace your cabinet. Come
upon him suddenly, however, as he is running nimbly along the mar-
gin of some quiet pool or rippling eddy, and at times he will seem to
pay little regnrd to your presence, and you may have a fine chance
to observe his motions and sandpiper-like ways, as he wades knee
deep into the water, or splashes through it in hot pursuit of some
aquatic insects."*

50. Oporomis agilis (Wilson) Baird. Connecticut Warbler. x

A rare spring and autumn migrant. The only specimen that I have
ever seen alive was a female, which I shot near New Haven, Oct. 2d,

* Annals Lyceum Nat. Hist. N. Y., vol. xi, pp. 136-37. June, 1875.

22 O. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

1875. Nearly four years ago Mr. H. A. Purdie called attention to
the fact that it had been obtained, in September, at Saybrook, Conn.,
by Mr. ,T. N. Clark ;* and Mr. Clark has recently informed me that
he has taken several specimens there in fall, and one " full-plumaged
male in spring." This last is the finest specimen I have ever seen,
and, at first sight, I mistook it for the Mourning Warbler ( Geothlypis
Philadelphia), the male of which it closely resembles, both in the
deep ash of the throat and breast (which is almost black where it
joins the yellow below), and in 'the shade and limited extent of the
yellow of the belly. The ring around the eye, however, is well
marked, and pure white.

As its name indicates, this species was first discovered in Connecti-
cut, and by the distinguished Ornithologist, Alexander Wilson. He
met with it but once in this State, but afterwards found it in
Pennsylvania, and says, " It was found, in every case, among low
thickets, but seemed more than commonly active, not remaining for a
moment in the same position."! Its habits are such as to render it
unlikely to be observed unless present in considerable numbers.

51. OpororniS formOSUS (Wilson) Baird. Kentucky Warbler.

A rare summer visitor from the South. Mr. Erwin I. Shores, who
has favored me with so many valuable notes concerning our rarer
birds, writes that he " obtained .a male of this species at Suffield,
Conn., Aug. 16th, 1876,"J thus adding another bird, not only to the
Avi-fauna of Connecticut, but also to New England. I am aware that
Dr. Coues, in his " Birds of the Northwest" (p. 73), states that the
species occurs " north to the Connecticut Valley," but on what
authority I am unable to surmise. Perhaps the learned Doctor's
knowledge of the distribution of birds, and of that something in their
hearts which ofttimes causes those inexplicable peregrinations, together
with his marvelous power of intuition, told him that it did occur in
the Connecticut Valley, and had long been waiting to be discovered
by Mr. Shores. Indeed, nearly ten years ago, Dr. Coues prophesied
that " the occurrence of this species as a rare or casual summer visitor
in southern New England is to be confidently anticipated,"§ and it
is an old saying that probabilities become facts if only given time
enough.

* Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 2, p. 693, Nov. 1873.

f American Ornithology. Vol. ii, p. 160. Edinburgh. 1831.

\ MS. notes of Erwin I. Shores.

§ Proceed. Essex Inst, vol. v, p. 269. 1868.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 23

Its nest was found at Sing Sing, Westcheter Co., N. Y., in June,-
1875, by Mr. A. K. Fisher,* and Mr. E. P. Bicknell writes me that
he secured a male at Riverdale, in the same county, May 30, 1876.
Giraud found it on Long Island many years ago.f Wilson says, " This
species is seldom seen among the high branches, but loves to frequent
low bushes and cane swamps, and is an active, sprightly bird. Its
notes are loud, and in threes, resembling tweedle, tweedle, tweedle. . .
... It appeared to me to be a restless, lighting species, almost
always engaged in pursuing some of its fellows ; though this might
have been occasioned by its numbers, and the particular season of
spring, when love and jealousy rage with violence in the breasts of
the feathered tenants of the grove ; who experience all the ardency of
those passions no less than their lord and sovereign man."J

Since writing the above I learn from Mr. J. G. Ely of Lyme, Conn.,
that he has "shot one Kentucky Warbler."

52. G-eothlypis trichas (Linne) Oabanis. Maryland Yellow-throat.

A common summer resident, breeding plentifully. Arrives early in
May (May 5), remaining till late in the fall (Nov. 1st, 1876).

53. G-eothlypis Philadelphia (Wilson) Baird. Mourning Warbler.

A rather rare migrant, but probably more abundant than commonly
supposed — not coining till after most of the warblers are gone. Have
only seen it in spring. Mr. Bragg shot a male on May 24th, 1876, in low
bushes. On the following day Mr. Dayan secured two males ; and I
saw several on the morning of the 27th. Mr. Thomas Osborne has
seen it as early as May 15th (May 15 and 17, 1876). I shot a beautiful
male near Savin Rock, Conn., May 25th, 1877. Mr. Grinnell tells me
that he killed a pair ( $ and 9 ) late in May, 1875, near Milford, Conn.
Mr. J. N. Clark, also, has killed it, late in May, at Saybrook, Conn.
At Easthampton, Mass., in the spring of 1874, I shot two specimens :
" The first, May 27th, in a brush-heap ; and the other, May 28th, on a
large birch tree." Large numbers of them breed regularly, in suitable
localities, in Lewis and Herkimer Counties, in northern New York.
It also breeds abundantly about Umbagog Lake, Oxford Co., Maine
(Brewster), and in Minnesota (T. Martin Trippe), even as far west as
"the Red River, between Dakota and Minnesota" (Coues).

* Am. Nat., vol. ix, No. 10, p. 573. Oct., 1875.

f Birds of Long Island. By J. P. Giraud. Jr., p. 50. 1844.

\ Wilson's American Ornithology. Vol. ii, p. 151-2. 1831.

24 C. II. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Regarding its song, Samuels, in bis " Birds of New England," says,
" Its note was a simple chirp, with a warbling termination like the
syllables chirpchree, chirpchree, uttered in a soft, pensive tone" (p.
207). I am perfectly familiar with the song of the bird in question,
but never heard it utter a note that could, by any legitimate stretch
of the imagination, be construed into Samuels' " chirpchree." Its
common song consists of a simple, clear, warbling whistle, resembling
the syllables 'trtie, 'trtie, 'trtie, 'tfra, Voo, the voice rising on the
first three syllables and falling on the last two. Sometimes, when
otherwise occupied, the first, or first two, syllables are omitted. All
through the breeding season, and till late in July, they have a very
characteristic habit of perching, at frequent intervals during the day,
on some branch, generally a dead one, and commonly ten or fifteen
feet from the ground, and singing for half an hour at a time.

54. Icteria virens (Linne) Baird. Yellow-breasted Chat.

A common summer resident, breeding in dense undergrowth.
Arrives before the middle of May (May 13, 1876, Osborne; 14, 1877).
Extends up the Connecticut Valley to Massachusetts (" not rare" at
Suffield).* Given by Eminons, in 1833, as an "occasional visitant"
in Massachusetts. f Their loud, ringing, notes surpass those of the
Catbird and almost equal the richly varied song of the Brown
Thrush (Harporhynchus rufus}. Its habits so closely resemble those
of its western congener (var. longicauda) that I take the liberty to
quote the following brief extract, relating to some of the peculiari-
ties of that bird, from my report on the Mammals and Birds collected
by the U. S. Geol. Survey of the Territories in the year 1872 : "They
are shy, suspicious creatures, and, although when disturbed they flit
about in a scolding, angry manner, generally manage to keep out of
sight. You hear them in the bushes imitating the mewing of a cat,
the shrill notes of the Jay, sometimes singing like a Catbird, and
again they sing sweetly in their own peculiar manner. They have a
strange habit of elevating themselves in the air to the height of
thirty or forty feet, then, poising for a moment, descend again to the
bushes. During the descent they jerk themselves about in the air,
at the same time uttering clear, ejaculated notes, which can be heard
for quite a distance, and are not altogether unpleasant to the ear."|

* MS. notes of Erwin I. Shores, Esq.
f See Hitchcock's Report, p. 547. 1833.
\ See Hayden's Report for 1872, p. 675.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 25

Wm. Brewster, Esq., speaking of its habits in West Virginia,
remarks that they arrived there about May 1 st, " and for a few days
were silent, but soon became very noisy, especially when their
retreats were invaded. Their notes are so varied as almost to defy
description. What I took to be the song of the male was a series of
about eight very loud bell-like whistles, commencing quickly, and
becoming slower and more emphatic toward the end, then, after an
interval of a few seconds, would follow a scolding chatter, to be
immediately succeeded by a single very clear note, then the series of
whistles again, but all these notes were varied to an almost infinite
extent. All this time the bird would be dodging through the bushes
ahead, keeping always in the thickest places, and perhaps, after a
moment of silence, would suddenly strike up directly behind you.
In this way I have frequently pursued one for fifteen or twenty
minutes without so much as getting a glimpse at him. Several times,
however, when I came upon him suddenly, he would put on a very
innocent and injured air and vociferate his notes directly at me, as if
to dispel any possible suspicion, on my part, that he had been running,
or, to speak more literally, flying away."*

55. Myiodioctes mitratUS (Gmelin) Audubon. Hooded Warbler.

A summer resident, breeding in the Connecticut valley and along
our southern border. Although breeding abundantly at Saybrook,
Conn., according to Mr. J. N. Clark (recorded by H. A. Purdie),f I have,
as yet, seen but a single specimen from this vicinity. An adult female
was shot at Hamden (near New Haven) June 2, 1874, by Dr. F. W.
HalL It was evidently breeding. Still it was found here in June,
by Dr. Whelpley, as long ago as 1842.J Mr. Clark writes me from
Saybrook : "" The Hooded Warbler is very abundant here in dense
woods," breeding everywhere in suitable places, always in a low
Laurel (Kalmia) bush." Mr. E. I. Shores has taken it at Sufiield,
Conn., near the Massachusetts border, but in the Connecticut Valley.

My friends, Messrs. John H. Sage of Portland, Conn., and Eugene
P. Bicknell of Riverdale, Westchester Co., N. Y., have recently
called my attention to an interesting state of plumage, in the female
of this species, which was alluded to by Wilson§ and Nuttall,|| but

* Aun. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., vol. xi, pp. 137-8. June, 1875.
f Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 11, p. 692. Nov., 1873.
$ Linsley's Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut, p. 257. 1843.
§ American Ornithology, vol. ii, p. 136. 1831.
|| Manual of Ornithology. Vol. i, p. 374. 1832.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 4 JULY, 1877.

26 C. n. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

has since been denied by both Coues* and Baird,f who positively,
assert that the female has no black on the head. Concerning it, Mr.
Sage favors me with the following note : " When collecting at Say-
brook, Conn., with Mr. J. N. Clark, May 30th, 1877, he shot a female
M. mitratus in a plumage not mentioned in our Ornithological works,
and thinking a description would be interesting, I send the following :
Bill black. Feet flesh-color. Head and fore part of breast black (but
not so pure as in the adult male), with slight indications of black on
the throat. A broad patch on the forehead, extending down on the
cheeks, with the under parts bright yellow. Ear-coverts tinged with
olive. Upper parts olive-green. Wings unmarked. Greater part of
inner webs of outer three tail feathers white. The ova of this speci-
men were large. We took the nest with four eggs."

I have lately seen, in the cabinet of Mr. Sage, the bird from which
the above description was taken, and have now before me another
female (killed by Dr. F. W. Hall, near New Haven, June 2, 1874)
which agrees well with the description of Mr. Sage's specimen, but
has the crown of the head, or " hood," deep black — as rich as in the
male. The lores also, in this specimen, are black, and the auriculars
lack the olive tinge, being bright yellow. Since the birds from
which Prof. Baird and Mr. Ridgway, and Dr. Coues, took their
descriptions were dried skins, and not " in the flesh," it is not so
surprising that the mature females were mistaken for young males.
From the limited amount of material I have been able to examine,
and from the notes given me by Mr. Sage and Mr. Bicknell, I am
inclined to believe that the female bird, like the male, is several
years — at least three — in attaining its full plumage ; and that the two
sexes, when fully adult, can only be distinguished by the fact that,
in the female, the throat, though strongly tinged with black, is never
pure black as in the male.

56. MyiodlOCtes pusillus (Wilson) Bonaparte. Green Black-capped

Fly-catching "Warbler.

A tolerably common spring migrant, arriving about the middle of
May. Have not taken it later than the 25th. This species is by no
means so common here as it seems to have been formerly.

\ Coues' Key to N. Am. Birds, p. 109. 1872.

§ Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, History N. Am. Birds, vol. i, p. 314. 1874.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 27

57. MyiodiOCtes Canadensis (Linne) Audubon. Canadian Fly-catching

Warbler.

Common during the migrations. Arrives early in May. Have
taken it from the 6th to the 29th. Mr. W. W. Coe informs me that
it doubtless breeds about Portland, Conn., as he has seen it there
throughout the summer.

58. Setophaga ruticilla (Linne) Swainson. Redstart.

A common summer resident ; breeds. Arrives early in May. Have
taken it from May 8th to September 22d. Mr. Stadtmiiller has a
very beautiful nest of this species which "was placed in the fork of
an oak tree about fifteen feet from the ground. It was built of grass
and bits of paper, and covered with cotton all over outside, and lined
with a few horse hairs."* It contained four eggs, June 10, 1874.

Family, TANAG-RIDuE.

59. Pyranga rilbra (Linne) Vieillot. Scarlet Tanager.

A summer resident ; not uncommon. Most frequent during the
spring migrations; breeds. Arrives about May 10th, after which
date they are common till the first of June. Took a female Sept.
llth, 1875.

60. Pyranga aestiva (Linne) Vieillot. Summer Redbird.

A rare summer visitant from the South. " Stratford and New
Haven, Linsley," and in a foot-note he further states that "The Sum-
mer Redbird is more rare than the Scarlet Tanager, though I have
taken both here [Stratford] during the season of cherry blossoms."f
In the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club for Jan., 1877
(vol. ii, No. 1, p. 21), Mr. Purdie says, " Mr. Jencks informs me that
a male was shot, a few years since, on Ten-mile River, six or eight
miles northeast of Providence," R. I. I have never met with it except
in Florida, where it has a very pleasant song. Dr. Thompson, of this
city, informs me that he shot one near New Haven, in summer, about
five years ago ; and I am told by Prof. Wm. T). Whitney that a
friend of his, who was perfectly familar with the species, saw two
individuals, at different seasons, in Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven.

* MS. notes of the Stadtmiiller Brothers.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 261. April, 1843.

28 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me that he killed one at Suffield, Conn,
(in the Connecticut Valley) July 21st, 1876. Does it not sometimes
breed here ?

Family, HIRUNDINIDJE.

61. HimndO horreomm (Barton.) Barn Swallow.

A common summer resident, breeding abundantly under the roofs
of barns. Arrives during the latter part of April (April 21, 1877),
remaining till September. Under the head of this species, Peter
Kalm wrote, from Raccoon, New Jersey, in 1750 : " I observed them
for the first time on the 10th of April [new style) ; the next day in
the morning, I saw great numbers of them sitting on posts and planks,
and they were as wet as if they had been just come out of the sea,"
and the translator of his " Travels," John Reinhold Forster, F.A.S.,
puts in a foot-note, saying : " It has been a subject of contest among

naturalists, to determine the winter-retreat of Swallows The

question must therefore be decided by facts ; nor are they wanting
here: Dr. Wallerius, the celebrated Swedish Chemist, wrote in 1748,
September the 6th, O. S., to the late Mr. Klein, Secretary of the City
of Dantzick : ' That he has seen more than once Swallows assembling
on a reed, till they were all immersed and went to the bottom ; this
being preceded by a dirge of a quarter of an hour's length. He
attests likewise, that he had seen a Swallow caught during winter
out of a lake with a net, drawn, as is common in northern countries,
under the ice : this bird was brought into a warm room, revived,
fluttered about, and soon after died. Mr. Klein applied to many
Fermiers generaux of the King of Prussia's domains, who had great
lakes in their districts All the people questioned made affi-
davits upon oath before the magistrates."

" First, The mother of the Countess Lehndorf said, that she had
seen a bundle of Swallows brought from the Fritli-Haff (a lake com-
municating with the Baltic at Pillait) which when brought into a
moderately wrarm room, revived and fluttered about. Secondly,
Count Schlieben gave an instrument on stamped paper, importing,
that by fishing on the lake belonging to his estate of Gerdauen in
winter, he saw several Swallows caught in the ret, one of which he
took up with his hand, brought it into a warm room, where it lay
about an hour, when it began to stir, and half an hour after it flew
about in the room. Thirdly, Fermier general (Amtman] Witkowski
made affidavit, that in the year 1740, three Swallows were brought

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 29

up with the net in the great pond at Didlacken; in the year 1741, he
got two Swallows from another part of the pond, and took them home,
(they all being caught in his presence) ; after an hour's space they
revived all in a warm room, fluttered about, and died three hours
after. kthly, Amtman JBonke says, that having had the estate
.Kleskow in farm, he had seen nine Swallows brought up in the net
from under the ice, all which he took into a warm room, where he
distinctly observed how they gradually revived ; but a few hours
after they all died. Another time his people got likewise some Swal-
lows in a net, but he ordered them again to be thrown into the water.
bthly, Andrew Rutta, a master fisherman, at Oletsko, made affi-
davit, 1747, that 22 years ago, two Swalloios were taken up, by
him, in a net, under the ice, and being brought into a warm room,
they flew about. §thly, Jacob Kosiulo, a master fisherman, at
Stradauen, made affidavit, that in 1736, he brought up in winter, in
a net, from under the ice of the lake at Raski, a seemingly dead
/Swallow, which revived in half an hour's time, in a warm room, and
he saw, a quarter of an hour after, the bird grow weaker, and soon
after dying. *lthly, I can reckon myself among the eye-witnesses
of this paradoxon of natural history. In the year 1735, being a
little boy, I saw several Swallows brought in winter by fishermen,
from the river Vistula, to my father's house, where two of them were
brought into a warm room, revived, and flew about. I saw them
several times settling on the warm stove (which the Northern nations
have in their rooms) and I recollect well that the same forenoon they

died, and I had them, when dead, in my hand In January

[1754] the lake of Lybshau, belonging to these estates, being covered
with ice, I ordered the fishermen to fish therein, and in my presence
several Swallows were taken ; which the fishermen threw in again ;
but one I took up myself, brought it home, which was five miles from
thence, and it revived, but died about an hour after its reviving.

These are facts, attested by people of the highest quality It

is therefore highly probable, or rather incontestibly true, that Swal-
lows retire in the Northern countries during winter, into the water,
and stay there in a torpid state, till the return of warmth revives
them again in spring."*

Not many years ago 1 brought upon myself the everlasting
odium of an old lady, in the northern part of New York State,
by presuming to question her statement that she had seen, " with

* Peter Kalm's Travels into North America, vol. ii, pp. 140-i4. 1771.

30 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

her own eyes," a number of Swallows that had been exhumed,
in a torpid state, from the muddy bottom of a pond in the neigh-
borhood of her dwelling. She further stated that, on taking
them into the kitchen, " they soon came to life and flew about the
room," but whether this premature "thawing out" was followed, like
the cases above recorded by Forster, by an equally speedy death, I
do not remember.

62. Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot) Cabanis. White-bellied Swallow.

A common summer resident, breeding in holes in trees (generally
standing in or about ponds). The earliest to arrive and last to depart.
Mr. Grinnell has observed it as early as April 7th, and I have found
it quite common by the 1 3th.

In looking over Mr. W. W. Coe's note book I find the following
interesting item : " While collecting in the vicinity of Portland, Conn.,
June 14th, 1873, I found, in the same tree, three Bluebird's eggs and
four White-bellied Swallow's eggs, and thereby hangs a tale : in cut-
ting away the hole to take out the Bluebird's eggs, I noticed a white
feather sticking up through the nest. Never having seen feathers in
a Bluebird's nest, and knowing that the White-bellied Swallows
build theirs almost entirely of them, I thought the Bluebirds might
have driven off the Swallows and appropriated the nest to their own
use. On removing the Bluebird's nest I found this to be the case,
for, underneath it was the nest of the White-bellied Swallow complete
and containing four fresh eggs — the eggs of both are now in my
cabinet."*

63. Petrochelidon hinifroriS (Say) Sclater. Cliff Swallow; Eave Swallow.

A common summer resident, breeding abundantly under the eaves
of barns. Arrives about April 20th (April 15, 1877, Osborne; 21,
1877, A. J. Dayan), remaining till September. Professor Verrill, some
years since, showed conclusively that the Cliff Swallow had not, as
formerly supposed, immigrated from the West, but was actually
known in New England as long ago as the year 1800 — long before
its discovery in the West. He also states that a large colony of
them was known to breed at Windsor, Conn., in 1830.f

* MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

f Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist, vol. ix, p. 276, July 1, 1863.

C. if. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 31

64. Cotyle riparia (Linne) Boie. Bank Swallow.

A common summer resident, breeding in colonies in holes in
banks, generally near some pond or river. Arrives early in May
(April 21, 1877, A. J. Dayan). Williams, writing of the Swallows
of Vermont, in 1794, relates the following, which I transcribe for
what it is worth : " The usual times of the appearance and disappear-
ance of these birds, serve to mark the temperature of the climate,
with as much precision, as any of the phenomena of nature. But
they do not seem to be properly birds of passage. At Danby in this
State, the inhabitants report, that some of them were taken out of a
pond in that town, some years ago. A man was employed in the
winter, to procure the roots of the pond lily, for medicinal purposes.
Among the mud and roots which he threw out, several swallows were

found enclosed in the mud ; alive, but in a torpid state It has

been doubted by some able naturalists, whether it is possible for the
Swallow to live in such a situation. I saw an instance which puts
the possibility of the fact beyond all room for doubt. About the
year 1760, two men were digging in the salt marsh, at Cambridge, in
Massachusetts : on the bank of the Charles River, about two feet
below the surface of the ground, they dug up a Swallow, wholly sur-
rounded and covered with mud. The Swallow was in a torpid state,
but being held in their hands, it revived in about half an hour. The
place where this Swallow was dug up was every day covered with
the salt water, which at every high tide, was four or five feet deep.
The time when this Swallow was found was the latter part of the
month of February."*

65. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon) Baird. Rough- winged

Swallow.

A rare summer visitant. " A female of this species was shot at
Suffield, Conn., by Mr. Shores, June 6th, 1874."f My friend, Mr.
Eugene P. Bicknell, informs me that he has found it in numbers at
Riverdale, N. Y., within a few miles of the Connecticut line, and that
it breeds there — sometimes placing its nest " under a bridge."

66. Progne purpurea (Linne) Boie. Purple Martin.

A summer resident, breeding in " Martin Boxes" in villages.
Arrives during the middle or latter part of April (April 17, 20, 25,

* The Natural and Civil History of Vermont. By Samuel Williams, pp. 115-16.
Printed at Walpole, N. H. 1*794.

f Purdie in " Nuttall Ornith. Bulletin, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 21. Jan. 1877.

32 C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

1877). A large colony of them is located over the First National Bank,
in the center of New Haven. They are abundant at Guilford, Conn.,
and a single pair breeds on Faulkner's Island, occupying a house
erected for them by Capt. Brooks.

Family, AMPELIDJE.

67. Ampelis garrulus Linne. Bohemian Waxwing.

A rare, almost accidental, winter visitant. On the llth of
February, 1875, Prof. S. I. Smith saw a large Ampelis which he
thinks was, without doubt, A. garrulus. It was in the old wooded
cemetery in New Haven. Prof. Smith is familiar with the bird in
question, having seen it in Maine. A number of cases of its occur-
rence in Massachusetts have been recorded, but the only instance
of its capture in this State is that given by J.' A. Allen. " It has
been taken in Connecticut [near Hartford] by Dr. Wood,"* and the
Doctor tells me that he shot them by accident, when firing into a
flock of Cedar Birds. " Several were shot on Long Island in 1830
and 1832."f

68. Ampelis Cedrorum (Linne) Sclater. Cedar Bird; Cherry Bird.

A resident, (generally common. Breeds in orchards and low
thickets. Gregarious. Almost the only bird that feeds, to any great
extent, on canker worms.

Family, VIREONID^E.

69. Vireo Olivaceus (Linne) Vieillot. Red-eyed Vireo.

An abundant summer resident, breeding chiefly in high woodland.
Arrives during the first week in May (May 6), remaining as late as
the first of October (Oct. 2). Superfluously noisy.

70. Vireo gilvus (Vieillot) Bonaparte. Warbling Vireo.

A common summer resident, breeding in orchards. Arrives before
the middle of May (May 7, 1876, Osborne ; 12, 13, 14. 1877.) Coues
thus briefly alludes to the habits of this pleasing little songster : " Not
born to ' waste its sweetness on the desert air,' the Warbling Vireo
forsakes the depths of the woodland for the park and orchard and

* Notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Massachusetts, p. 25. 1869.
f Giraud's Birds of Long Island, p. 165. 1844.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 33

shady street, where it glides through the foliage of the tallest trees,
the unseen messenger of rest and peace to the busy, dusty haunts of

71. Vireo flavifrons Vieillot. Yellow-throated Vireo.

A tolerably common summer resident ; particularly abundant in
spring and fall. Arrives early in May (May 6), remaining till after
the middle of September (Sept. 15, 17, 1875).

72. Vireo SOlitariuS (Wilson) Vieillot. Blue-headed, or Solitary Vireo.

Not uncommon during the migrations. A few breed. Arrives
during the first week in May (May 2, 1876, Osborne ; 6, 1875,
C. H. M. ; May 5, 1877, Nichols). Have taken it as late as
Oct. 13th. A nest of this species, found June 18th, 1875, near New
Haven (Beaver Swamp), by the Stadtmtillers, "was out on the limb
of a Chestnut tree about 30 feet from the ground, and was constructed
of the bark of different kinds of trees, lined with grass. Moss and
caterpillars' silk were plastered outside. It contained four eggs,
which were two-thirds hatched."*

73. Vireo NoveboracensiS (Gmelin) Bonaparte. White-eyed Vireo.

A summer resident, but not particularly common except along
southern Connecticut, and in the Connecticut Valley, where it is
common all the way up to the Massachusetts line (Suffield, E. I.
Shores). Arrives before May 10th (May 7, Osborne).

NOTE. — Vireo Philadelphicus Cassin, undoubtedly occurs within
our limits, as a rare, or accidental, visitant, but as yet no record of
its capture has appeared. On Sept. 7th, 1875, Mr. William Brewster
" shot a female of this beautiful little species in Cambridge, Mass."f

Family, LANIID^E.

74. Collurio borealis (Vieillot) Baird. Butcher Bird ; Shrike.

A somewhat irregular winter resident. Arrives in October or
November (Oct. 29, 1876, Sage;) remaining till the latter part of
March (March 24, 1876, Osborne). Very abundant some years, and
equally scarce in others. Mr. Maynard says, " when the Lesser Red-

* MS. notes of the Stadtmiiller Brothers.
fBull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 1, p. 19. April, 1876.
TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IV. 5 JULY, 1877.

34 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

polls or the Pine Finches are common, the Shrikes follow them and
prey upon them." During the winters of 1874-5 and 1875-6, when
the Red-polls (^Egiothus linarid) and the Pine Finches (Ghrysomitris
pimis) were here, Butcher Birds were notably scarce ; while during
the past winter (1876-7) Shrikes have been uncommonly plenty, but
neither of the other birds were seen at all. It is but fair to state,
however, that during the first two winters mentioned neither the
Linnets nor Finches were here in large enough numbers to have afforded
the Butcher Birds a reliable source of diet. Last winter the English
Sparrows supplied all deficiencies and it was no uncommon thing to
see a Butcher Bird flying across the street with one in its talons.
The " poor sparrows," unused to danger of any sort, were utterly
helpless, and at one time it seemed as if we were actually going to be
rid of the little pests, but warm weather came to their relief, driving
the intruders back to their boreal homes, and now the sparrows are
apparently as numerous as ever they were. Mr. Nichols shot one
Jan. 13th, 1876, whose stomach contained grasshoppers! Where
could it have found them at that season ?

75. Collurio LlldOVicianuS (Linne) Baird. Loggerhead Shrike.

A rare visitor from the iSouth and West. Mr. W. W. Coe has a
fine specimen of this species in his cabinet, which he shot near Port-
land, Conn., in Nov., 1876. Franklin Benner, Esq., writes me that he
" saw a Shrike of some species at Mt. Carmel [near New Haven] May
24th, 1873," which, if he was not mistaken in the bird, could hardly
have been the northern Butcher Bird, and might have been this
species.

Family, FRING-ILLID^E.

76. PiniCOla enucleator (Linne) Cabanis. Pine Grosbeak.

An irregular winter visitant. They were here through the months
of Feb. and Dec., 1875, and during Jan. and Feb., 1876, but none
were seen last winter. Messrs. Coe and Sage, of Portland, Conn.,
tell me that it is found there regularly every winter, though the red
males are not always seen, and that they have observed it as late as
March 12th (1873), and as early as Nov. 24th (1875, and 25, 1874).

77. CarpodaCUS purpureus (Gmelin) Gray. Purple Finch.

Resident, breeding abundantly. Gregarious. Mr. Grinnell in-
forms me that he has taken it during every month of the year. Dr.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 35

Wood, of East Windsor Hill, tells me that they were almost unknown
here twenty years ago, and have gradually become common since.
I am likewise informed by Mr. Clark, of Saybrook, that the bird has
only recently become a common species in that vicinity.

78. Loxia leucoptera Gmelin. White- winged Crossbill.

An irregular winter visitant. They were not uncommon during
the months of Jan., Feb. and March, 1875.

79. Loxia curvirostra, var. Americana (Wilson) Coues. Red Crossbill.

An irregular winter visitant, like the last, and more frequently seen.
Linsley gave it in his list, stating that it had " been repeatedly seen
in Trumbull, in this [Fairfield] county, by a Mr. Beers." Mr. W. W.
Coe has taken a number of this, as well as the preceding species,
about Portland, Conn. A few were seen about New Haven early in
Dec., 1876. It has been known to breed near New York City.*

80. ^Egiothus linaria (Linne) Cabanis. Red-poll Linnet.

Also an irregular winter visitant. They were quite common here
during the month of March, 1875 (and Mr. Sage saw a flock at Port-
land, Conn., March 31), but none were seen in the winters of 1875-6
and 1876-7. Mr. W. W. Coe took it at Portland, Conn., March
22d, 1873, and saw there large flocks of them (including many highly
plumaged males) in March, 1875.f

81. Chrysomitris pinUS (Wilson) Bonaparte. Pine Finch; Pine Linnet.

An irregular fall and winter visitant. Quite common from Oct.,
1874, till March, 1875. Also seen in Oct., 1875. Linsley says : "I
took one specimen from a large flock, which was here in my yard
[Stratford, Conn.] as late as Nov. 7th, 1840." In March and April,
1873, I found them extremely abundant near the boundary line
between Georgia and South Carolina, notwithstanding the statement,
in Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway's great work, that : " according to
Dr. Coues, this species occasionally strays as far to the South as the
Carolinas, but it is not common there," (p. 481). This case simply
affords another example of their irregular migrations.

* Am. Nat., vol. x, No. 4, p. 237. April, 1876.
f MS. notes of W. W. Coe, Esq.

36 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

82. Chrysomitris tristis (Linne) Bonaparte. Common Yellowbird.

An abundant resident, breeding late. Common everywhere, and is
gregarious.

83. Plectrophanes nivalis (Linne) Meyer. Snow Bunting.

A common winter visitor, generally seen during snow-storms.
Linsley, in his " Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut," so frequently
cited, says, " Large flocks of the Snow Bunting were repeatedly seen
here in the winters of 1840, 1841 and 1842. Previous to that period,
I had not seen one here in eighteen years" (p. 261, foot-note).

84. Plectrophanes Lapponicus (Linne) Selley. Lapland Longspur.
Occurs as a winter visitant, along with P. nivalis, though no

record of its capture has yet been published. My friend, Mr. Geo.
B. Grinnell informs me that he has seen half a dozen specimens,
killed near the Connecticut River (Portland, Conn.), by Mr. W. W.
Coe. Mr. Walter P. Nichols has taken it near New Haven, and Mr.
Erwin I. Shores " obtained a male out of a flock of P. nivalis, in Nov.,
1874" at Suffield, Conn. Mr. Coe has taken it as late as March 16th,
(1875).

85. PaSSerculTIS princeps Maynard. Maynard's Sparrow.

Probably occurs quite regularly along the coast in Nov. and Dec.
(and perhaps also in March) in such sparing numbers as to escape notice.
The only specimen of this beautiful bird yet taken in this State, so far as
I am aware, is the one shot by myself while collecting invertebrates,
at low water, with my friend, Mr. S. F. Clark. " On Nov. 4th, 1875,
while collecting along the beach at ' South End,' a few miles below
New Haven, I was fortunate enough to secure a fine specimen of the
Ipswich Sparrow (Passerculus princeps Maynard). The specimen
was a female, and in excellent condition. Its mate was seen, but
escaped capture."* The day was cold and chilly, with occasional
flurries of snow.

86. Passerculus Savanna (Wilson) Bonaparte. Savanna Sparrow.

An abundant summer resident, breeding in open fields and pastures.
Arrives early in April, remaining, in large numbers, till after the
middle of November.

* Bull. Nntt. Ornithol. Club, vol. i, No. 2, p. 52. July, 1876.

C. IT. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 37

87. PooeceteS gramineUS (Gmelin) Baird. Bay-winged Bunting ; Grass
Finch.

A common summer resident, breeding abundantly, like the last, in
open fields. Arrives early in April (April 6, 1875 and same date
1877, Sage) ; remaining till about the middle of November.

88. CotTirniculllS passerimiS (Wilson) Bonaparte. Yellow-winged
Sparrow.

A common summer resident in some parts of Connecticut (notably
in the Connecticut Valley and along our southern border) ; not found
at all in others. Arrives early in May. Frequents dry, sandy, treeless
wastes. Linsley found it breeding here and at Stratford. " In the
vicinity of Hartford, Conn., this bird appears also to be a not uncom-
mon summer resident."* Mr. Purdie states that " at Saybrook,
Conn., its notes were to be heard in every field/'f I have taken it
near Savin Rock (May 29, 1877), and Mr. Grinnell tells me it is not
uncommon about Milford, Conn. It also breeds about Portland,
Conn. (Coe and Sage). I am informed by Messrs. Grinnell and Clark
that it builds a beautiful covered nest, not unlike that of the Oven
Bird (Siurus auricapillus). Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me that he
has taken it at Enfield, Conn., in the northern part of the State, but
in the Connecticut Valley, in July (July 6, 1874).

89. CotumiCTlhlS Henslowi (Audubon) Bonaparte. Henslow's Sparrow.

A rare summer resident. I am very glad to be able to include this
species on the strength of a specimen just received from my friend
Dr. F. W. Hall. He shot it at Killingworth, Middlesex Co., Conn.,
July 18th, 1873, and it is in the worn breeding plumage. I had
searched in vain for it in the many collections of the birds of this
State to which I have had access, and had really despaired of finding
it at all. Many specimens have been taken in Massachusetts and it
doubtless occurs regularly in the Connecticut Valley, if not in other
parts of the State. Giraud says that on Long Island '• it is not so
rare as is generally supposed. In general, it frequents the low, wet
meadows, and passes most of its time on the ground among the tall
grass, and is exceedingly difficult to flush, even when pursued with
dogs ; it will not fly until nearly within their reach, when it starts
from the ground, moves on only a few yards, and again drops among
the grass."J

* Baird, Brewer and Bidgway, vol. i, p. 554.

f Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 17. January, 1877.

t Giraud's Birds of Long Island, p. 104. 1844.

38 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

90. Ammodromus maritimilS (Wilson) Swainson. Seaside Finch.

A common summer resident, breeding abundantly in the salt and
brackish water marshes near the coast. Remains into September.

91. Ammodromus caildacutus (Gmelin) Swainson. Sharp-tailed Finch.
A common summer resident, like the last, and breeds in the

same situations. Arrives about the middle of April (Apr. 14, Os-
borne). Their eggs are laid during the last of May and first of June.
Mr. Dayan found a nest containing four fresh eggs on May 31, 1876,
at Savin Hock, and on the 7th of June both species were breeding
abundantly. We found great numbers of both along the Quinnipiac
River, and so far inland that the water was almost, if not quite, fresh.
In some particular spots the maritimus outnumbers the caudacutus,
but on the whole the latter greatly predominates.

92. Melospiza pahistris (Wilson) Baird. Swamp Sparrow.

A common summer resident, breeding plentifully. Arrives early
in April, remaining till late in November (Nov. 20).

93. Melospiza melodia (Wilson) Baird. Song Sparrow.

An abundant resident ; particularly numerous from February to
December, but not uncommon all through December and January.
In the winter season they frequent old fences alongside which a
copious growth of brushwood has sprung up ; also found in back-
yards in the city. Mr. W. W. Coe, of Portland, Conn., found a
Song Sparrow's nest in a hole in a tree ten feet from the ground
(early June, 1873).*

94. Melospiza Lincolni (Audubon) Baird. Lincoln's Finch.

A rather rare summer resident. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn.,
showed me a mounted specimen of this species which he had shot in
a brush heap in his garden in the spring of 1875. He thinks he saw
another a few days before, but it was very shy and he did not kill it.
Mr. Erwin I. Shores, of Suffield, Conn., writes me that it is "not
rare" in that vicinity, where he took one specimen in 1874, and three
more this spring (1877). Mr. Shores says that on May 23, and again
on June 2d, he "saw one with small twigs in its bill," hence,
although he did not actually find the nest, there can be no reasonable

* MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 39

doubt of its breeding. He further states : " There is a small piece of
woodland in this place where surely they cannot be considered rare.
Have seen several that I've not been able to shoot. They are very
shy. You just barely get a glimpse of one and have just time to get
an idea of what it is, when down he goes into the thick shrubbery,
and no amount of patient waiting will tempt him to come in sight
again. Provoked, you determine to kill every one that comes in
sight, and after the slaughter of half a dozen innocent Song or Swamp
Sparrows, you conclude that that won't do. Then, perhaps, almost
the first bird you leave will be Lincoln's Sparrow. T think they are
much more common than generally supposed, but are so shy, and
inhabit such bushy pastures, that they are hard to find."* J. G.
Ely, of Lyme, Conn., "took three this spring" (1877).

95. JlinCO hyemalis (Linne) Sclater. Slate-colored Snowbird.

A common winter resident, arriving, from the north before the
middle of October (Oct. 8, 1876, Osborne), and remaining till the
first week in May (last seen May 2, 1877, Osborne ; May 3, 1876).

96. Spizella monticola (Gmelin) Baird. Tree Sparrow.

A common winter resident, but more numerous in spring and fall.
Arrives from the north about the last of October (Oct. 28, 1875),
and remains till near the middle of April (Apr. 12, Osborne).

97. Spizella SOCialis (Wilson) Bonaparte. Chipping Sparrow.

An abundant summer resident, arriving as early as the latter part
of February (Feb. 23, 1877, G. B. Grinnell), and remaining, in num-
bers, till the last cf November. Sometimes places its frail nest on
the ground, as well as on trees and bushes (Coe). A few sometimes
spend the winter with the English Sparrows about town. They
often awake in the night, sing once, and go to sleep again. Scarcely
a night passes (in June and early July) but that I hear one sing
several times — generally about midnight.

98. Spizella pusilla (Wilson) Bonaparte. Field Sparrow.

An abundant summer resident, generally breeding in open fields.
Arrives early in April (Apr. 6, 1877, Portland, Conn., Sage), remain-
ing till December (have taken it all through November and on Dec.

* MS. notes of Erwin I. Shores.

40 G. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

2, 1875). They are untiring songsters, particularly in early spring,
and may be found everywhere except in dense woods. The song of
the Field Sparrow is loud, clear, and pleasing, and he may consider
himself fortunate, who has mastered its numerous variations. Minot
says of it, " No sounds are more refreshing, on a warm afternoon of
early summer, than those which they produce." It nests both on the
ground and in low bushes.

99. Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmelin) Bonaparte. White-throated Sparrow.

Abundant during the migrations, sometimes remaining all winter.
Arrives from the north about Sept. 22d, remaining through Novem-
ber. Returns in April and departs about May 20, at which date it
was last seen, both in 1876 and 1877. During the winter of 1874-5
they were very numerous all about the city, as well as in the sur-
rounding country. Mr. Erwin I. Shores, of Sufneld, Conn., writes me
that on May 15, 1877, they were extremely abundant in the woods
in his vicinity — outnumbering all the other species together.

1 00. Zonotrichia leucophrys (Forst.) Sw. White-crowned Sparrow.

An irregular migrant; sometimes quite common. (Nov. 28 and
Dec. 5, 1874; Oct. 25, 1877, common.) Mr. Dayan shot a beautiful
specimen May 10, 1876. Mr. Osborne saw it on May 15, 1877.
Mr. W. W. Coe shot one at Portland, Conn., March 20, 1875.

101. Passer domestlCUS Brisson. English Sparrow ; House Sparrow.

Introduced. An abundant resident in all the larger, and most of the
smaller, towns throughout the State. The opening sentence, under
the head of this species, in H. E. Dresser's magnificent work on " The
Birds of Europe," shows that its habits have remained unchanged, in
one respect at least, notwithstanding the great distance it has been
carried, and the varied conditions to which it has been subjected :
" Throughout Europe the House Sparrow is very generally distri-
buted almost wherever there are human habitations (except in the
extreme north) ; for it follows the footsteps of man almost like a
domestic animal, and where he fixes his habitation there the Sparrow
also takes up its abode." Their pugnacity seems to vary in different
parts of the country and at different times of the year. In New
Haven their attitude toward other species is not generally offensive,
and they are commonly seen on the friendliest terms with the Chip-
ping Sparrows, throughout the entire season, In early spring I have

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 41

observed them feeding quietly with the Red-poll Warblers (Dendrceca
palmarum) on the City Green, and in fall it is no uncommon thing to
find them associated with Passer ella iliaca, Zonotrichia albicollis,
Melospiza melodia, and Spizella socialis and pusilla^ without showing
the slightest sign of animosity. In New York and other cities, how-
ever, they are sometimes quite belligerent, attacking and driving off
the birds that once occupied the same ground. This is especially
noticeable in spring, when they appropriate the houses put up for
Bluebirds, Wrens, and other species. That they do some good in
destroying injurious insects is certain. " In open places where there
are a few trees in the towns, such as the gardens in the squares or in
the parks, it is eminently useful in ridding the foliage of the insects

which would otherwise destroy the leaves and tender shoots ;

and destroys myriads of the small smooth caterpillers and larvae
which feed on the buds of the trees, and is one of the best guardians
of the orchard."* A few days ago my attention was attracted by
the peculiar actions of one of these Sparrows. It was hopping along
on the uppermost rod of a fence, and whenever it came to a post
(into which the fence rods were inserted) it would stand on tip-toe
and peep up under the ornamental top-board of the post, as if look-
ing for something. On coming nearer I discovered that the bird
was searching for moths, of which it secured one or more at each
post, and, after proceeding in this manner for several rods, it flew
away, evidently having had enough for one meal. In passing the
fence since, I have, on several occasions, seen a Sparrow, apparently
and probably the same individual, going through with precisely the
same procedure, and with the same result. Do not cases like the
above go far to prove that many birds are highly intelligent and pos-
sess a good degree of memory ? The Sparrow in question discovered
a moth, doubtless by accident, concealed beneath the overlaping edge
of the top-board of a fence-post. Was he content with simply gob-
bling- this one up ? By no means ; if there is one there may be
more, and sure enough he soon spies another, and, going to the next
post, still another, and so on till he is satisfied. Next day, when
searching for breakfast, does he forget yesterday's experience ? Not
at all; he returns to the fence-posts and readily secures another
meal. The chance finding of the first moth has led to the knowledge
that similar insects take refuge, by day, in certain places ; and in the

* A History of the Birds of Europe, including all the species inhabiting the West-
ern Palsearctic Region. By H. E. Dresser. Part XLVIII, March. 1876.
TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IV. 6 JULY, IS1?1?.

42 C. S. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

establishment of a regular habit of searching for them. In spring,
when the trees are in flower, and the swollen buds give place to tender
green leaves, the House Sparrows join the early Warblers in running
about among the branches in pursuit of one another as well as of the
small beetles that come there to feed upon the fresh foliage. But so
far as the accomplishment of the object for which they were im-
ported, viz., the extermination of the canker worm (Anisopteryx
vernata and A. pometaria) in our larger towns and cities, they have
most signally failed. That they occasionally devour the full-grown
moth can not be doubted ; neither do I feel justified in denying that
they sometimes eat the worms themselves, though I have never seen
them touch one — not even when hopping about in the midst of
hundreds of canker worms. They seem to prefer the small beetles
and seeds abounding in the horse droppings about the streets. It is
true that there was a great diminution in the ranks of the canker
worms soon after the introduction of the House Sparrows, but I am
informed that this was due to a parasite (Platyg aster] which preyed
upon and destroyed great numbers of the worms by depositing its
eggs in the eggs of the canker worm moth, and not, as generally
supposed, to the Sparrows. It may, perhaps, be considered as some-
what of a digression in a mere local list like this, to devote so much
space to the biography of a species, but I believe that notes record-
ing actual observations on the habits of any bird should always
prove acceptable, especially when there is difference of opinion, result-
ing in controversy, regarding the merits of a species, for in this way
the possibility that individuals, or colonies, may differ in habits in
different localities, or at different seasons, is suggested, and warns us
not to be too dogmatic in our statements, or too hasty in drawing
conclusions.

For abundant and unquestionable evidence of the pugnacity and
disagreeable qualities of this bird, in some sections, see the writings
of Coues, Gentry, and others. Velmont de Bomare, writing in 1791,
says: " In Brandebourg, in order to diminish the ravages committed
by Sparrows, a price is set on their heads, and the peasants are com-
pelled by law to bring in a certain number yearly; in each village
there are Sparrow hunters who sell the birds to the peasants to ena-
ble them to pay their tribute. ... It follows the farmer while sow-
ing, harvesting, threshing, or feeding his poultry ; it enters the Dove-
cot, and with its bill pierces the throats of young pigeons, to obtain
the grain in their craw."*

* Quoted by Charles Pickering in Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. xi, p. 158,
April 17, 1867.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 43

The English House Sparrow was first introduced into New Eng-
land, so far as I am aware, in the fall of 1858, when " Six birds were
set at liberty in a large garden" in the city of Portland, Maine.
"They were introduced into Boston by the city government in
1868,"* and have since spread over the greater part of New England.

102. Passerella iliaca (Merrem) Swainson. Fox-colored Sparrow.

Common during the migrations, arriving from the North during
the middle or latter part of October (Oct. 10, 1876, Osborne; 23,
1877), and remaining about a month (Nov. 20). Have taken it, in
spring, from March 6th to April 1 9th. Gregarious. The largest and
surely one of the handsomest of our Sparrows. Speaking of its song,
Dr. Brewer says : "His voice is loud, clear, and melodious; his notes
full, rich, and varied ; and his song is unequalled by any of this
family that I have ever heard."

103. Euspiza Americana (Gmelin) Bonaparte. Black -throated Bunting.

Dr. Linsley, in his *' Catalogue" takes particular pains to state
that this species was "very common" at New Haven (p. 261), but I
have never seen it here and can find no other record of its capture in
this State. It must be regarded as very rare in New England,
although several have been taken, breeding, in Massachusetts. Its
former abundance and present scarcity in this section affords another
excellent example of the irregular migrations of birds. Giraud gave
it as breeding commonly on Long Island,f but says the eggs are
" white, speckled with black," whereas they are blue, unmarked.

1 04. GrOIliaphea Llldoviciana (Linne) Bowditch. Rose-breasted Gros-

beak.

A common summer resident, breeding in dense undergrowth.
Arrives before the middle of May (May 11, 1874, Portland, Conn.,
Sage), and I shot a female as late as Nov. 25th, (1874), in the city.
I am informed by Prof. G. Brown Goode, of Middletown, Conn., that
he knew an individual of this species to live eighteen years in confine-
ment. Mr. J. Hammond Trumbull tells me that it was almost
unknown about Hartford, Conn., thirty-five years ago.

NOTE. — 6r. ccerulea probably occurs as an accidental visitant from
the South. It has been taken on the Island of Grand MenanJ and

* Birds of North America, Baird, Brewer & Kidgway, vol. i, p. 526, 1874.

f Birds of Long Island, p. 100. 1 844.

\ Herrick's Partial Catalogue of the Birds of Grand Menan, p. 8. 1873.

44 G. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Mr. Boardman states that it was " common in the spring of 1861" in
the vicinity of Calais, Maine !*

105. Cyanospiza Cyanea (Linne) Baird. Indigo Bird.

A common summer resident, breeding, like the last, in thick patches
of bushes. Arrives before the middle of May (May 14, 1874, J. H.
Sage; 14, 1876, Osborne ; 14, 1877, C. H. M. ; also May 9, 1875,
Sage), remaining into September.

106. Cardinalis VirginiailUS (Brisson) Bonaparte. Cardinal Grosbeak.

A rare and accidental summer visitor from the South. Mr. Thomas
Bostwick of this city found one lying dead during the summer of
1874, and Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell, who examined the specimen, tells
me that its bill and feet, as well as the plumage, proved it to be a
wild bird. Numerous specimens have, from time to time, been taken
or seen along the Connecticut Valley, and it is highly improbable
that they were all escaped cage birds. My friend, Mr. E. P. Bicknell,
has taken a number of individuals about Riverdale, Westchester Co.,
N. Y., and it is certain that most, if not all, of them were wild.

Regarding the age to which our small birds attain, it is worthy of
mention that my grandmother kept a Cardinal Bird caged for twenty-
one years — it was noisy to the last. Its colors began to fade several
years before its death, till finally it looked very like a worn female.

It winters as far north as southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania
(Turnbull).f

107. Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linne) Vieillot. Chewink; Townee

Bunting.

A common summer resident, breeding on the ground, in under-
growth, and in the woods. Arrives early in May (May 1, 1876,
Osborne ; 4, 1877), remaining till November (Oct. 28, Nov. 8.) Mr.
J. H. Sage has a fine male in his cabinet which was shot near Port-
land, Conn., Jan. 22d, 1876 ! A characteristic nest, found May 24th,
1874, "under a Virginia Juniper," by the Stadtmtiller Brothers,
" was composed externally of cedar bark, lined with grass and horse
hair."t

* Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. ix, p. 127. 1862.

\ The Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By Win. P. Turnbull, LL.D.
p. 24. 1869.

\ MS. notes of the Stadtmiiller Brothers.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 45

Family, ICTERIDJE.

108. DoliGhonyx oryzivoniS (Linne) Swainson. Bobolink; Reed-bird,

Rice-bird.

A common summer resident, breeding in meadows. Arrives before
the middle of May (May 7, 1876, Osborne; same date at Portland,

Sage; May 12, 1877).

109. Molothms pecoris (Gmelin) Swainson. Cow-bird.

An abundant summer resident, arriving in March or early in April
and remaining till November (Nov. 4, 1874). Sometimes winters.
Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell writes me that he took it twice in mid-winter
(Jan. 15, 1874, and Jan. 16, 1875).

110. Agelseus phceniceus (Linne) Vieillot. Red-winged Blackbird.

A common summer resident, breeding abundantly in swampy
places. Sometimes winters. Arrives during the latter part of Febru-
ary or early in March (March 4), remaining till late in the fall.
Though generally choosing clumps of bushes for their characteristic
nests, they sometimes place them on the ground. On the 6th of
June, 1876, Mr. Dayan and myself, while collecting on a part of the
Quinnipiac marshes where there were no bushes, found several nests
containing fresh eggs. The nests were extremely shallow — very
unlike those commonly found in bushes — and were placed on the
bare ground, in the grass, with no attempt at concealment. I am
informed by Mr. Grinnell that he has taken it in January (Jan. 15,
1874, and Jan. 16, 1875). This is the bird concerning which Josselyn
wrote (in 1675) that there were, in New England, " Starlings black
as Ravens with scarlet pinions."* Mr. W. W. Coe once wounded
one of these birds (probably striking it in the head) which " started
into the air and kept going up — up —up — sailing in larger circles —
still ascending till lost to sight."f

111. Stumella magna (Linne) Baird. Meadow-lark.

Resident, but particularly abundant from early spring till late in
the fall. A few small flocks winter along the coast. The Rev. Mr.
Peabody observes that this bird " has few enemies excepting Hawks,
snakes, and young sportsmen."

* An Account of two Voyages to New England, p. 100. 1675.
f MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

46 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

112. Icterus SptirillS (Linne) Bonaparte. Orchard Oriole.

A common summer resident, breeding chiefly in orchards. Arrives
during the first week in May (May 7, 1876, Osborne).

113. Icterus Baltimore (Linne) Daudin. Baltimore Oriole.

A common summer resident, breeding plentifully in the city as
well as country throughout the State. Arrives about May 10th.
Have taken it on the 8th, and Mr. Osborne saw one as early as the
6th (1876), while this year (1877) it did not come, in any numbers,
till the 13th, when the whole country was literally " alive with them."
Mr. J. H. Sage saw it at Hartford. May 6th, 1868 and 7th, 1872 ; also at
Portland, Conn., May 7th, 1876, and May 10th, 1874 and 1875.

114. ScoleCOphagUS ferrugineus (Gmelin) Swainson. Rusty Grackle.

Abundant during the migrations, sometimes wintering. Arrives
before the middle of February (Grinnell) remaining through March
into April (April 19, Osborne). In the fall it returns before the
middle of September (Sept. 11, 1875 several flocks seen), remaining
into November. Mr. Grinnell informs me that he took it, at Milford,
Conn., Jan. 16th and 29th, and Feb. 6th, 1875.

115. Quiscalus purpureus (Linne) Licht. Crow Blackbird.

A common summer resident, breeding in evergreen trees in the
city, as well as outside. Arrives about March 1st, though a few are
generally seen in February (Feb. 13, 1876). Departs in November.

Such was the abundance, in early colonial times, of some of our
commoner, and at present harmless, birds, that " premiums were paid
by the local governments for the destruction of many of these species,
and not without cause."* The town of Lynn, on March 8th, 1697,
voted " that every householder in the town, should, sometime before
the fifteenth day of May next, kill or cause to be killed, twelve black-
birds, and bring the heads of them, at or before the time aforesaid, to
Ebenezer Stocker's, or Samuel Collins's, or Thomas Burrage's, or
John Gowing's, who are appointed and chose by the town to receive
and take account of the same, and take care this order be duly prose-
cuted ; and if any householder as aforesaid shall refuse or neglect to
kill and bring in the heads of twelve blackbirds, as aforesaid, every

* J. i. Allen in Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 3, p. 54. Sept., 1876.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 47

such person shall pay three pence for every blackbird that is wanting,
as aforesaid, for the use of the town."*

Peter Kalra, in his " Travels into North America," thus speaks of
their depredations : " A species of birds, called by the Swedes, maize-
thieves, do the greatest mischief in this country. They have given
them that name, because they eat maize, both publicly and secretly,
just after it is sown and covered with ground, and when it is ripe.
The English call them blackbirds. There are two species of them,
both described and drawn by Catesby.f Though they are very dif-
ferent in species, yet there is so great a friendship between them, that
they frequently accompany each other in mixed flocks. However, in
Pennsylvania, the first sort are more obvious, and often fly together

without any of the red-winged stares Their chief and most

agreeable food is maize. They come in great swarms in spring, soon
after the maize is put under ground. They scratch up the grains of
maize and eat them. As soon as the leaf comes out, they take hold
of it with their bills, and pluck it up, together with the corn or grain ;
and thus they give a great deal of trouble to the country people,
even so early in spring. To lessen their greediness of maize, some
people dip the grains of that plant in a decoct of the root of the
veratrum album, or white hellebore, (of which I shall speak in the
sequel), and plant them afterwards. When the maize-thief eats a
grain or two, which are so prepared, his head is disordered, and he
falls down : this frightens his companions, and they dare not venture
to the place again. But they repay themselves amply towards
autumn, when the maize grows ripe ; for at that time they are con-
tinually feeding. They assemble by thousands in the maize-fields,
and live at discretion. They are very bold ; for when they are dis-
turbed, they only go and settle in another part of the field. In that
manner, they always go from one end of the field to the other, and
do not leave it till they are quite satisfied. They fly in incredible
swarms in autumn ; and it can hardly be conceived whence such
immense numbers of them should come. When they rise in the air
they darken the sky, and make it look quite black. They are then
in such great numbers, and so close together, that it is suprising how
they find room to move their wings. I have known a person shoot a
great number of them on one side of a maize-field, which was far
from frightening the rest; for they only just took flight, and dropped

* History of Lynn, by Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall, p. 298.
f See Catesby's Nat. Hist, of Carolina, vol. i, tabs. 12 and 13.

48 C. FT. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

at about the distance of a musket-shot in another part of the field,
and always changed their place when their enemy approached. They
tired the sportsman, before he could drive them off the maize, though
he killed a great many of them at every shot. They likewise eat the
seeds of the aquatic tare-grass (Zizania aquatica) commonly late in
autumn, after the maize is got in. I am told, they likewise eat buck-
wheat, and oats. Some people say, that they even eat wheat, barley,
and rye, when pressed by hunger ; yet, from the best information I
could obtain, they have not been found to do any damage to these species
of corn. In spring, they sit in numbers on the trees, near the farms ;
and their note is pretty agreeable. As they are so destructive to
maize, the odium of the inhabitants against them is carried so far,
that the laws of Pennsylvania and New Jersey have settled a pre-
mium of three pence a dozen for dead maize-thieves. In New Eng-
land^ the people are still greater enemies to them ; for Dr. Franklin
told me, in the spring of the year 1750, that, by means of the pre-
miums which have been settled for killing them in New England, they
have been so extirpated, that they are very rarely 'seen, and in a few
places only. But as, in the sumnier of the year 1749, an immense
quantity of worms appeared on the meadows, which devoured the
grass, and did great damage, the people have abated their enmity
against the maize-thieves ; for they thought they had observed that
those birds lived chiefly on these worms before the maize is ripe, and
consequently extirpated them, or at least prevented their spreading
too much. They seem therefore to be entitled, as it were, to a
reward for their trouble."f

NOTE. — The Boat-tailed Grackle ( Quiscalus major, Vieillot) has
been accredited to New England by Linsley and others, but an
unusually large Crow Blackbird was probably mistaken for it.*

Family, CORVIDJE.

116. CorvUS AmericamiS Audubon. Common Crow.

An abundant resident ; generally lays five eggs and sometimes six
(Coe). On the 25th of January, 1875, I saw a flock of several hun-
dred Crows near New Haven. " It is related of a certain ancient
philosopher, walking along the sea-shore to gather shells, that one of

r Kalm's Travels into North America, vol. ii, pp. 73-78. 1771.
See Coues' Birds of the Northwest, p. 204. 1874.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 49

these unlucky birds, mistaking his bald head for a stone, dropped a
shell-fish upon it, and thus killed at once a philosopher and an
oyster."*

117. CorvUS OSSifragUS Wilson. Fish Crow.

This species must be regarded as a rare summer visitor so far
north as this State, although it has been seen in Massachusetts by
Mr. William Brewster, who writes: " On the morning of March 16th,
1875, I saw a bird of this species flying swiftly over our place in
Cambridge. It was pursued by at least twenty-five or thirty of our
common species (Gorvus Americanus), and at each renewal of their
attacks gave utterance to its peculiar and unmistakable notes."f
Linsley gave it as occurring at " Stratford," Conn.J

118. Cyaimrus cristatUS (Linne) Swainson. Blue Jay.
An abundant resident ; frequently seen about the city.

Family, TYRANNID^E.

119. TyranmiS Carolinensis (Linne) Temminck. King-bird; Bee-bird.

A common summer resident, arriving early in May (Mr. Day an
informs me that he saw one as early as April 13, 1877). Departs
about the middle of September (Sept. 15) or later. Mr. Sage has
twice seen it at Portland, Conn., as early as May 7th (1864 and 1876)
and once on the first (1877), but it generally comes on the 10th.

The habit, so characteristic of this species, of attacking, and driving
away from the vicinity of its nest, Hawks, Crows, and other large
birds, early attracted attention, for we find, in Josselyn's Voyages to
New England (published in 1675, p. 96), the following account of it :
"There is a small Ash-color Bird that is shaped like a Hawke with
talons and beak that falleth upon Crowes, mounting up into the air
after them, and will beat them till they make them cry."§ The
description of the bird would fit a Shrike even better than the one in
question were it not that it "falleth upon Crows" which pastime this
bird is not supposed to indulge in; still I have seen a Northern

* Nuttall's Manual of Ornithology, vol. i, p. 211. 1832.
f Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 1, p. 19. April, 1876.
J Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 260. April, 1843.
§ Reprinted in Collections of the Mass. Historical Society, vol. iii, 3d series, p. 275.
1833.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 7 JULY. 1877.

50 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Butcher Bird chase a Barred Owl for the space of half an hour,
closely following him to and fro through the woods, till I put an end
to his misery by shooting both.

1 20. MilvilhlS forficatUS (GTmelin) Sw. Swallow-tailed Flycatcher.

An extremely rare accidental visitor. The only record of its
capture in this State is that recently published by Mr. H. A. Purdie :
" Mr. Jencks informs me that a specimen of this species was shot by
Mr. Carpenter, at Wauregan, Conn., about April 27, 1876. The
bird first attracted Mr. Carpenter's attention by its opening and
closing the tail while flying about a small sheet of water in quest of
insects. The only other Eastern United States capture of this spe-
cies, is a male taken at Trenton, New Jersey, a few years ago, as
recorded by Dr. C. C. Abbott."* Dr. Abbott's specimen was shot
on the 15th of April, 1872, and " when captured, was busily engaged
in picking semi-dormant insects from the bark of the trees ; creeping
about very much as is the custom of Certhia familiaris, and all the
while opening and shutting the long scissor-like tail."f Its proper
habitat is the lower part of the Mississippi Valley and Texas, thence
southward into South America.

121. MyiarchllS CrinitUS (Linne) Cabanis. Great-crested Flycatcher.

A common summer resident, generally placing its well-known
snake-skin-lined nest in the hollow limb of some old apple tree, or
rotten fence-post. Arrives early in May (May 8, 1873, Hartford,
Sage), and Mr. W. W. Coe has taken its nest (four eggs) as late as
June. 13th, (1873). The history of this bird affords us a remarkably
good example of the change in habitat of a species during a compara-
tively brief period of years.

Mr. T. Martin Trippe, in one of his interesting articles on " The
Irregular Migrations of Birds,"J thus details his experience with the
bird in question : " In a series of several years close observation at
Orange, New Jersey, I searched for the Great-crested Flycatcher
(Myiarchus crinitus), year after year, but all in vain; and what made
the fact very singular was, that twelve or fifteen miles off, I had
seen the bird sufficiently often to convince me that if not common,
it was by no means rare. Yet for some inexplicable reason it did not

* Bulletin Nuttall Ornithological Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 21, Jan., 1877..
f American Naturalist, vol. vi, No. 6, p. 367, June, 1872.
\ Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 7, p. 390-91, July, 1873.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 51

inhabit the country immediately about Orange, for, although in the
woods nearly every week for years, I never saw it until, after I had
almost despaired of ever finding it, I did succeed in shooting a single

specimen. This was in the fall ; the next spring I saw a pair ,

and, after an absence of two years, returning to Orange, I strolled
through the woods} my old hunting grounds, and, to my surprise,
almost the first bird I saw was the Great-crested Flycatcher. Sub-
sequently I scarcely ever took a walk through the woods without
seeing or hearing it." A precisely parallel case occurred in the
vicinity of my home in Lewis County, northern New York. There,
prior to the year 1870, they were unknown, at least so far as I can
ascertain, and it is safe to say that they were extremely rare. In
1870 my cousin, Mr. C. L. Bagg, shot one specimen, the first we had
ever seen. During the next season I shot a pair. I was away from
home in 1872, but Mr. Bagg informs me that he took several Great-
crested Flycatchers that year, and that they were quite common.
In August, 1873, I shot eight in about an hour's time, and since then
they have been one of our commonest species, breeding abundantly
in the tall maple and birch forests, where their characteristic, but
rather harsh cry, may be heard at any hour of the day throughout
the entire season.

Regarding its former scarcity in Connecticut, Linsley said " a
specimen of the Great-crested Fly-catcher was shot by me in the
spring of 1838, in my front yard, the only living individual of this
bird I have ever seen in this State,"* and Nuttall observed that it
was " nearly unknown in New England."f That it is now really a
common bird in southern Connecticut, at least, is certain. However,
we must take into consideration the fact that these gentlemen (Nutt-
all and Linsley) were probably not familiar with its characteristic — I
may even say diagnostic — note, and my experience with the bird has
been that it is rarely seen, unless, guided by its note, it is persist-
ently followed up, and even then one is often at his wits end to get
a shot, so well does the bird keep concealed amongst the foliage.
And surely it is not particularly conducive to tranquillity of mind to
stand, up to one's knees in water, amidst myriads of mosquitoes, in a
hot day in summer, gazing intently up into a tall tree, where, directly
overhead, the cry of the Great - crested Flycatcher is constantly
heard, and yet the most careful search fails to reveal the exact where-

* Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 259, April, 1873.
f Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and Canada. By Thomas
Nuttall. Vol. i, Land Birds, p. 271, 1832.

52 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

abouts of its author ; and, when one's neck is nearly broken, to hear
the cry again, this time issuing from another and still deeper portion
of the swamp.

In support of this view I now propose to bring forward pretty con-
clusive proof: Mr. W. W. Coe, who early became familiar with
the note of this species, tells me that it has been a common bird in the
vicinity of Portland, Conn., for at least fifteen years — ever since he
commenced collecting birds. Prof. William D. Whitney, of New
Haven, on inquiry, informs me that he has known the bird for at
least thirty years, and that he has always regarded it as common.
His observations extend over portions of Massachusetts (about North-
ampton) as well as Connecticut. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn.,
says that it was not rare, about the mouth of the Connecticut, twenty-
five years ago; and Dr. Wm. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, Conn.,
tells me that it has bred regularly, and has not been uncommon, in
that vicinity, for the last twenty-five or thirty years.

In the face or these facts what is to be done ? For my own part,
I am willing to admit that in northern New York the bird may not
have been rare prior to the year 1870 (although I feel pretty sure
that this was not the case), and that it escaped notice because I was
then unfamiliar with its note. In New Jersey, however, a similar
supposition will not hold, for Mr. Trippe was familiar with its note
and habits, from observations in a neighboring district, and asserts
positively that it suddenly became abundant in a locality where
before it was nearly, if not quite, unknown. Hence it is only fair to
conclude that, while some of the supposed cases of change of habit
may be explained on the ground that the observers were not suffi-
ciently familiar with the bird, yet there are others concerning which
the proof is ample, and the cause of the change only remains to be
accounted for. Whether this be due to changed conditions in the
physical features of the country (such as the cutting away of timber,
drying up of streams and swamps, etc., for example), or to an increase
in some species of insects on which the bird feeds (caused perhaps by
the abundance of some particular food-plant — due, may be, to altered
climatic conditions), or to an actual increase in the number of birds
themselves, I will not take upon myself to decide, so imperfect is the
present state of our knowledge on these points.

122. Sayomis fuSCUS (Gmelin) Baird. Pewee Flycatcher; Phoebe-bird.

A common summer resident. Comes very early : Dr. F. W. Hull
tells me he saw it on Feb. 25th. 1876, and Mr. Osborne saw one March

C. H. Merriam — .Birds of Connecticut. 53

llth of the same year. I first noticed it on the 24th of March this
season (1877), and Mr. Sage found it at Portland, Conn., on the 30th.
In the fall it remains till, or after, the middle of October (Oct. 7,
1874; Oct. 13, 18, 1875). Breeds abundantly under the gable-ends,
or on exposed beams, of houses and outbuildings, in old sheds, and
under bridges. The primitive habit of building on the side of some
rocky cliif is still adhered to in some parts of the State, and the most
beautiful nest I have ever seen was found by Prof. Daniel C. Eaton
and myself, while botanizing near Mt. Carmel, on the 23d of May,
1875. It was placed in a small wedge-shaped niche in the face of
the rock, and its exterior was composed entirely of delicate green
mosses. It contained five pure white, unspotted, fresh eggs. An-
other beautiful nest, similarly placed, was found on the " Hanging
Hills of Meriden," by my friend, Mr. William H. Patton, on the 12th
of May, 1877. It contained four fresh eggs, one of which is distinctly
sprinkled, chiefly at the larger end, with small brownish-red spots.
It also breeds on the faces of Pine and West Rocks near New
Haven.

123. ContOpllS borealis (Swainson) Baird. Olive-sided Flycatcher.

Rare ; probably a few sometimes breed in the more northern and
hilly portions of the State, as they are known to do in Massachusetts.
Not previously recorded from Connecticut, except by Linsley, who
gave it, with a query, from Stratford. On the 18th of October, 1875,
attracted by its characteristic note, " which is a short whistle resemb-
ling the syllables O-wlieb, 0-wheo, O-wh'eb" uttered several times in
succession, " with the accent on the whe. and the voice falling on the
last #,"* I caught a momentary glimpse of one, perched on the top of
a tall tree ; but the bird was very shy and I did not succeed in getting
a shot. Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me that he took a male at Suf-
field, Conn., August 5, 1874. This is strong evidence of their breed-
ing in the hills about that portion of the State, for migrants would
hardly appear in Connecticut during ihe first of August. On turning
to my manuscript notes on the birds of Easthampton, Mass., I find the
following : " Breeds. Not so rare as it should be. Four specimens
procured: one shot Sept. 10, 1873, and another May 23, 1874, in a
small grove of pines northwest of town ; two shpt May 28, 1874, on
Mt. Nonotuck [part of Mt. Tom], where they appear to be quite
common. Their alimentary tracts contained coleopterous insects,

* Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 12, p. 750, Dec., 1873.

54 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

wasps, arid humble-bees." In Prof. Whitney's private collection, and
in the beautiful cabinet of mounted birds presented by him to the Pea-
body Museum of Yale College, are two or three specimens of this bird,
which he killed in the vicinity of Northampton, Mass., some years ago
— one as late as June 4th, (1846). Mr. Ruthveri Deane writes: "Dur-
ing the past three or four years I have observed each year several
specimens of this beautiful Flycatcher in the vicinity of Cambridge,
Mass., and, although I consider this a rare bird with us, I am inclined
to think a few breed within the limits of the State every year."*
The species was described by Nuttall, from specimens taken in the
vicinity of Cambridge, "in the woods of Sweet Auburn," in June,
1830 and 1831, and it has since been observed in eastern Massachu-
setts by Audubon (1832), Welch (1858), Brewster, Maynard, Cabot,
Minot, and others. Nuttall says that his friend, W. Cooper, Esq.,
" received this bird likewise the preceding summer from the vicinity
of Cape May, and Egg-harbor, in New Jersey,"f but Turnbull gives
it as " very rare" in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and
states that it only occurs as a migrant, being " generally seen early
in May on its way north, . . . returns in September."! The occur-
rence in New Jersey, in "summer" (the month is, unfortunately, not
stated) would indicate its breeding there, which hardly seems cred-
ible from what is now known concerning its distribution, though it is
true that the " Pine- barrens" would aiford it many congenial spots
for nesting. Concerning their habits in the Adirondack region, in
northern New York, where they breed plentifully, I have already
observed that " they all seemed to have the same habit of choosing a
large hemlock tree with a few dead branches on top, and were sure
to light on the uppermost twig."§ Messrs. Maynard and Brewster
gave it as "quite common and breeding at Umbagog," Maine,
where " it has the habit of perching on dead stubs on the edge of
clearings."! Professor Verrill gave it as a "summer visitant, not
very common,"^[ at Norway, Maine (about forty miles south of

* Am. Nat., vol. viii, No. 5, p. 308, May, 1874.

f Manual of Ornithology, p. 284, 1832.

\ The Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, by William P. Turnbull,
1869.

§Am. Nat., vol. vii, p. 750, Dec., 1873.

|| A Catalogue of the Birds of Coos Co., N. H., and Oxford Co., Me., by C. J. May-
nard, with notes by William Brewster. From Proceed. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol.
xiv, p. 21, Oct. 18, 1871.

Tf Catalogue of the Birds found at Norway, Oxford Co., Me., by A. E. Verrill.
From Proceed. Essex Institute, vol. iii, p. 144, May, 1863.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 55

Umbagog), and Prof. Charles E. Hamlin also observed it, in Ken-
nebec County, in the same State.* Dr. W. H. Gregg found that it
was " not a very common species" near Elmira, Chemung Co., south-
ern New York, " where he met with only two specimens during sev-
eral years of bird collecting."! In central Ohio it is, according to the
high authority of Dr. J. M. Wheaton, a "rare migrant. "J The
record of its occurrence in the east, south of New Jersey, is not well
authenticated. My friend, Mr. E. P. Bicknell, informs me that he
has taken several specimens "and saw six or seven individuals be
tween August 21st and Sept. 26th, 1876, at Riverdale, Westchester
Co., N. Y.

Now, on the other hand, on going northward, we find it breeding
at Randolph, Vermont (Chas. S. Paine) ,§ and Mr. Osborne has seen
it about Mt. Washington. " Audubon found it in Maine, on the
Magdeline Islands, and on the coast of Labrador," || as mentioned by
Dr. Brewer, who further states that " Mr. Boardman reports the
Olive-sided Flycatcher as having of late years been very abundant
during the summer in the dead woods about the lakes west of Calais
[eastern Maine] where formerly they were quite uncommon," and
that he is informed by Mr. Hoy " that this species used to be
quite common near Racine [Wisconsin], frequenting the edges of
thick woods, where they nested."

From the above references it will be seen that the Olive-sided
Flycatcher belongs, in the east, to the Canadian fauna, while it occa-
sionally extends down into the Alleghanian, and, if Cooper's record
can be relied on, stragglers have been known to breed in the Caroli-
nian. Going westward, however, the case is quite different, and we
find Contopus borealis breeding in numbers from the " Cumberland
House, on the Saskatchewan, in latitude 54°,"^[ where it was obtained
by Sir John Richardson, and described by Swainson in 1831 (this
description having priority over Nuttall's, which was not published
till 1833), to Camp Bowie, Arizona, latitude 32°, " within one hundred
miles of Mexico," where both " young and old were secured in

* Report Sect. Maine Board Agriculture, p. 170, 1865.

f Catalogue of the Birds of Chemung Co., N. Y., by W. H. Gregg, M.D. From
Proceed. Elmira Academy of Sciences, 1870.

\ The Food of Birds as related to Agriculture, by J. M. Wheaton, M.D. From
Ohio Agricultural Report, p. 8, 1874.

§ Appendix to Zadock Thompson's History of Vermont, p. 21. 1853.

|| History N. Am. Birds, Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, vol. ii, p. 354.

^ Coues, Birds of the Northwest, p. 244. 1874.

56 C. IL Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

August," by my friend, Mr. H. W. Henshaw, who, in his recent excel-
lent work on the birds of that region, observes that " Its favorite
perching places are the tops of the high pine stubs. From these sta-
tions it makes frequent sallies after passing insects, and seems rarely
to miss its prey. When thus engaged, the clicking noise of its bill
may be heard quite a distance. About the first of June, in southern
Colorado, they had all mated, and each pair maintained a most
jealous watch over the neighborhood chosen as its summer residence,
never allowing the intrusion of the larger birds to pass unnoticed.
The loud call notes of the male are, at this season, almost incessantly
repeated."* Mr. Henshaw also states that " specimens were taken
near Camp Apache [Arizona] in July, which doubtless were breed-
ing," and that he " found it almost as numerous in eastern Arizona,
quite far to the south, as in Colorado."

Numerous specimens have been taken in Colorado by Allen, f Hen-
shaw, Aiken, Trippe, and others. Regarding its occurrence at Idaho
Springs, Colorado, T. Martin Trippe writes Dr. Cones that " It is
quite uncommon, only three or four pairs having been observed
throughout the summer, and these at widely different points, each pair
apparently monopolizing a wide range. It keeps in the tops of the
trees, and is an active flycatcher ; its noise is loud and distinct ; and
its nest is placed in the top of a pine, and jealously guarded from all
intrusion with as much fierceness and energy as the Kingbird's."^
It is given by Snow as " rare in western Kansas."§ Notices of its
occurrence in Utah have been published by Allen " several seen
among the cottonwoods along Weber River", || Henshaw,^[ Ridgway
"breeding in Parley's Park, Wahsatch Mts.",** Nelson (who
" obtained one specimen from the top of a dead pine," among the
mountains, thirty miles south of Fort Bridger),ff and myself ;JJ

* Report upon the Ornithological Collections made in portions of Nevada, Utah,
California, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizonia, during the years 1871, 1872. 1873
and 1874. By H. "W. Henshaw. Forming Chapter III of the Zoological Volume
published under the direction of Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, in charge of the Geographi-
cal and Geological Explorations and Surveys west of the 100th meridian, p. 350.
Washington. 1875.

f Bulletin Museum Comp. Zool. Cambridge, vol. iii, No. 6, p. 158. 1872.

\ In Coues' Birds of the Northwest, p. 245. 1874.

§ Catalogue of the Birds of Kansas. By F. H. Snow. 3d ed., p. 8. 1875.

I Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Cambridge, vol. iii, No. 6, pp. 169. 179. 1872.

If Report upon Ornithological Specimens, pp. 22, 46. Wash. 1874.

** Bull. Essex Inst, vol. vii, No. 2, p. 33. Feb., 1875.

ft Proceed. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist, vol. xvii, p. 344. Jan., 1875.

\\ Sixth Annual Report U. S. Geol. Survey of the Territories for the year 1872.
p. 691.

C. II. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 5*7

and it was taken in Nevada by Bischoff (recorded by Henshaw), and
Ridgway,* who writes me as follows : " Although I found it at very
few localities, I am certain of its occurrence wherever suitable localities

exist It there inhabits the coniferous woods at an altitude

of from about 8,000 feet up to timber line, and I noticed that it pre-
ferred localities where the trees had been deadened by fire. The
only places, in Nevada, where I met with this bird, were the pine
woods of the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains." Concerning its
occurrence in California, Dr. Cooper says : "It seems to be resident
in most parts of the State where it is found, but not occurring south
of Monterey, where Dr. Gambel found young in July. I found them
rather common in the Coast Range toward Santa Cruz, where they
had nests in May, but I could not examine any of these, their loca-
tion being generally on a high inaccessible branch. I also found this
bird at Lake Tahoe in September. It is rather silent, keeping mostly
on tops of the trees, and catching passing insects."f Mr. Ridgway
also found it breeding in California, " on the eastern slope of the
Sierra Nevada." J In Oregon and Washington Territory it is,
according to Dr. Cooper, " a much more abundant bird near the
Columbia River and throughout the northern Rocky Mountains.
There they migrate, remaining at the Lower Columbia from May to
October."! Dr. Brewer writes : " In Washington Territory this
bird appears to be somewhat more common than in other portions of
the United States. Dr. Suckly obtained a specimen at Fort Steila-
coom, July 10th, 1 856. It was not very abundant about Puget Sound,
and showed a preference for shady thickets and dense foliage [contrary
to its usual habit], where it was not easily shot." " A single speci-
men," continues Dr. Brewer, "was taken, Aug. 29th, 1840, at Nenor-
talik, Greenland [by Reinhardt], and sent to Copenhagen. "§ Hence
the distribution of this beautiful and interesting Flycatcher affords
an excellent illustration of the manner in which some species that are
confined, during the breeding season, to the Canadian and Allegha-
nian faunae in the Eastern Province, are found, during the same period,
in the far West, extending from the Saskatchewan, in British
America, almost, if not quite, to Mexico.

* Bull. Essex. Inst., vol. vii, No. 1, pp. 21, 38. Jan., 1875.
f Ornithology of California, vol. i, p. 324. 1870.
{ Bull. Essex. Inst , vol. vi, No. 10, p. 174. Oct., 1874.
§Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, Birds N. Am., vol. ii, p. 356. 1874.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 8 JULY, 1877.

58 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

124. ContopUS Virens (Linne) Cabanis. Wood Pewee.

A common summer resident, generally placing its beautiful lichen-
covered nest astride the horizontal branch of some tall birch, or maple,
in deep'forests, but sometimes choosing an orchard or garden, in close
proximity to occupied buildings. Arrives before the middle of May
(May 10, 1876, Osborne), remaining through September. It is one of
the few birds that may be found alike, during the breeding season, in
the heart of the city, near the farm house, and in the darkest swamps
and most secluded forests, far from the habitations of man. Its
mournful note may sometimes be heard at all hours of the night.

1 25. Empidonax AcadiCUS (Gmelin) Baird. Acadian Flycatcher ; Small

Green-crested Flycatcher.

A rare summer visitant from the Middle States ; may breed in the
Connecticut Valley.

It aifords me great pleasure to be able, through the kindness of
Mr. Erwin I. Shores, to replace this species among the birds of New
England. As is well known, it was formerly included in all New
England lists, but, as shown by Dr. Coues, Mr. H. W. Henshaw, and
others, the records were founded on erroneous identifications — the
bird having been mistaken for E. minimus or Traillii, generally the
former. In a letter to Dr. Coues, Dr. Brewer says " I do not think
the bird occurs in New England, even in the Connecticut Valley,"*
and Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, the highest authority on
the Birds of New England, has expressed similar views. Hence it
was with a peculiar sense of gratification that I received, a few days
since, an unmistakable example of this species, from Mr. Shores, who
states that he shot it " in Suffield, Conn., June 24th, 1874, in a piece
of woods known as Beech Swamp." For the benefit of those who
might not feel disposed to accept my identification in so important a
matter, and to avoid all possibility of mistake, I at once sent the bird
to my friend Mr. Robert Ridgway, of the Smithsonian Institution,
and he pronounces it to be a " typical E. Acadicus"

126. Empidonax Traillii (Audubon) Baird. Traill's Flycatcher.

A common summer resident, arriving early in May (May 6, 1877).
P^requents swampy lowlands, where it breeds.

* Birds of the Northwest, p. 251. 1 874.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 59

1 27. Empidonax minimus Baird. Least Flycatcher.

An abundant summer resident, arriving early in May (May 5, 1877),
and remaining till late in September. Breeds abundantly in gardens
throughout the city.

1 28. Empidonax flaviventriS Baird. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

Not uncommon during migrations ; arrives about the middle of
May (May 20, 1876), remaining till the last of the month, and Mr.
Grinnell tells me he has seen it in early June. Have taken it in fall,
about the middle of September (Sept. 17, 1875). Not known to
breed.

Family, CAPRIMULG-IDuE.

1 29. AntroStoniUS VOCifeniS (Wilson) Bonaparte. Whippoorwill.

A common summer resident. Arrives early in May (May 2, 1877,
Osborne). Nocturnal, spending the day on the ground beneath some
tree, or among thick bushes. When disturbed, its flight is short and
irregular, and it may easily be shot. The Stadtmuller Brothers have
an unusually pale set of eggs taken on Mill Rock (near New Haven)
May 30th, 1875. "They were not placed by the side of a rock or
log, as Samuels says."*

130. Chordeiles VirginianilS (Brisson) Bonaparte. Night-hawk;

Bull-bat.

A common summer resident, arriving early in May (May 11, 1875,
Sage). Mr. W. W. Coe has taken its eggs as late as June 23d (1872).
By no means strictly nocturnal like the last, .but may be seen, espe-
cially in autumn, flying about high in the air and constantly uttering
its peculiar cry, at any hour of the day, though generally preferring
the twilight. Commonly roosts on old logs or horizontal limbs
(sometimes quite high up) on which they lie longitudinally.

131. Chaetura pelagica (Linne) Baird. Chimney Swift.

An abundant summer resident, arriving in April or May (April
14, 1876, Osborne; April 30, 1877, May 5, 1874, Portland, Sage;
May 8, 1874), and remaining till late in September (Sept. 27,
Osborne) ; breeds abundantly in old chimneys. Before the days of

* MS. notes of the Stadtmuller Brothers.

60 C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

brick chimneys, and to some extent since, these birds used to congre-
gate in multitudes about certain large hollow trees, where they bred
regularly, and, according to some, spent the winter also. Williams,
in his "Natural and Civil History of Vermont," published in 1794,
relates the following concerning three " Swallow trees" which came
under his observation. " The species called the house or Chimney
Swallow, has been found during the winter, in hollow trees. At
Middlebury in this State, there was a large hollow elm, called by the
people in the vicinity the Swallow tree. From a man who, for several
years, lived within twenty rods of it, I procured this information :
He always thought the Swallows tarried in the tree through the
winter, and avoided cutting it down, on that account. About the
first of May, the Swallows came out of it, in large numbers, about the
middle of the day; and soon returned. As the weather grew warmer,
they came out in the morning with a loud noise, or roar, and were
soon dispersed; about half an hour before sun down, they returned
in millions, circulating two or three times round the tree, and then
descending like a stream, into a hole about sixty feet from the ground.
It was customary for persons in the vicinity, to visit this tree, to
observe the motions of these birds. And when any persons dis-
turbed their operations, by striking violently against the tree, with
their axes, the Swallows would rush out in millions, and with a great
noise. In November, 1791, the top of this tree was blown down,
twenty feet below where the Swrallows entered. There has been no
appearance of the Swallows since. Upon cutting down the remain-
der, an immense quantity of excrements, quills, and feathers, were
found; but no appearance or relicks of any nests. Another of these
swallow trees was at Bridport. The man who lived the nearest to
it, gave this account : The Swallows were first observed to come out
of the tree, in the spring ; about the time that the leaves first began
to appear on the trees. From that season, they come out in the
morning, about half an hour after sunrise. They rushed out like a
stream, as big as the hole in the tree would admit, and ascended in a
perpendicular line, until they were about the height of the adjacent
trees ; then assumed a circular motion, performing their revolutions
two or three times, but always in a larger circle, and then dispersed
in every direction. A little before sundown, they returned in im-
mense numbers, forming several circular motions, and then descended
like a stream into the hole, from whence they came out in the morn-
ing. About the middle of September, they were seen entering the
tree, for the last time." " Neither of these accounts are attended

C. Jf. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 61

with the highest degree of evidence, which the subject may admit of :
but I am led to believe from them, that the House Swallow, in this
part of America, generally resides during the winter, in the hollow of
trees."*

The tree above described, from Middlebury, Vermont, finally blew
down, and, more than half a century (in 1852) after Williams wrote
the account above given of it, its remains were visited by his suc-
cessor, in the historical line, Zadock Thompson, and were found
scarcely less interesting than the tree itself wben inhabited by thou-
sands of Swifts. Thompson gave this account of its condition and
contents in 1852 : "The tree had rotted away, leaving little besides
the cylindrical mass, which had filled its hollow. The length of this
mass was about seven feet, and its diameter fifteen inches. Of the
materials which composed it, about one-half consisted of the feathers
of the Chimney Swallow, being, for the most part, wing and tail
feathers. The other half was made up of exuvia of insects, mostly
fragments and eggs of the large wood-ant, and a brown substance
probably derived from the decayed wood of the interior of the tree.
This discovery at Middlebury, though interesting, would not have
been regarded as very remarkable, if the materials which filled the
hollow of the tree, had been promiscuously and disorderly mingled
together. Such a jumbled mass would be what we should expect to
find in a hollow tree which had been, for centuries, perhaps, the
roosting place of myriads of Swallows. But this is not the case.
In their general arrangement, the larger feathers have nearly all their
quills pointing outward, while their .plumes, or ends on which their

webs are arranged, point inward But this is not the most

remarkable circumstance connected with the subject. In various
parts of the mass, are found, in some cases, all the primary feathers
of the wing ; in others, all the feathers of the tail, lying together in
contact, and in precisely the same order and position, in which they
are found in the living Swallow. In a lump of the materials, meas-
uring not more than seven inches by five, and less than three inches
thick, five wings and two tails were plainly seen, with their feathers
arranged as above mentioned, and in one of the wings, all the second-
ary quills were also arranged in their true position with regard to
the primaries. Now, we cannot conceive it possible that these feath-
ers could be shed by living birds, and be thus deposited. We may

* The Natural and Civil History of Vermont. By Samuel Williams, pp. 116-18.
1794.

62 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

suppose that the birds died there, and that their flesh had been re-
moved by decay, or by insects, without deranging the feathers. But
in that case what has become of the skeletons? I do not learn that a
bone, beak, or a claw, has been found in any part of the whole mass.
What then has become of these ? They could hardjy have been re-
moved by violent means, without disturbing the feathers. But, if
done quietly, what did it ? What insect would devour the bones, and
beak, and claws, and not meddle with the quills? Or would the
formic, or any other acid, which might be generated within the mass,
dissolve the former without affecting the latter ?"*

Family, TROCHILJD^E.

132. TrOChiluS COlubris Linne. Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

A common summer resident. Arrives early in May (May 5, 1877),
remaining till the middle of October (Oct. 5, 1876; Oct. 16, 1874).
They usually breed early in June, but Dr. F. W. Hall informs me
that a friend of his found a nest completed, and containing two eggs,
as early as May 27th (1877).

Thomas Morton, in 1632, expressed his astonishment at the dimen-
sions and habits of this bird, in the following words : " There is a
curious bird to see to, called a hunning bird, no bigger than a
great Beetle ; that out of question lives upon the Bee, which he
eateth and catcheth amongst Flowers. For it is his custome to fre-
quent these places. Flowers hee cannot feed upon by reason of his
sharp bill, which is like the poynt of a Spanish needle, but shorte.
His fethers have a glasse like silke, and as hee stirres, they show to
be of a chaingable coloure : and has bin, and is admired for shape,
coloure, and size."f And two years later, William Wood, in his
u New England's Prospect" informs us that " The Humbird is one of
the wonders of the Countrey, being no bigger than a Hornet, yet
hath all the demensions of a Bird, as bill, and wings, with quills,
spider-like legges, small clawes : For colour she is as glorious as the
Kaine-bow , as she flies, she makes a little humming noise like a
Humble-bee : wherefore shee is called the Humbird."];

" The Humberd for some Queene's rich Cage more fit,
Than in the vacant Wildernesse to sit.":}:

* Zadock Thompson, Appendix to the History of Vermont, p. 26, 1853.

f Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5, p. 50.

± New England's Prospect, by William Wood. p. 31, 1634.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 63

Family, ALCEDINID^E.

133. Ceryle alcyon (Linne) Boie. Belted Kingfisher.

A common summer resident about water courses and along the
coast. Arrives during the latter part of March (Mar. 29, 1877), re-
maining into November (Nov. 13, 1875). A few sometimes winter.
One was seen near Hartford, Feb. 13, 1874, by Mr. K. C. Humphrey.*
Mr. Fred. S. Smith, of this city, informs me that he once found
the eggs of this species placed on a bed of fish bones, about six feet
from the entrance to the hole. This was near Lake Whitney, Conn.
In this latitude their eggs are generally deposited during the latter
part of May. Josselyn, in enumerating the birds of New England,
in 1675, says there are " Kings fishers, which breed in the spring in
holes in the Sea-bank, being unapt to propagate in Summer, by
reason of the driness of their bodies, which becomes more moist
when their pores are closed by cold."f

Family, CUCTJLID^E.

134. COGCyzUS erythrophthalmus (Wilson) Bonaparte. Black-billed
Cuckoo.

A common summer resident, arriving about the middle of May
(May 15, 1876), and remaining till the latter part of September
(Sept. 28, 1875).

135. COGCyzus AmericariUS (Linne) Bonaparte. Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

A common summer resident. Arrives early in May (May 7, 1876),
remaining into October (Oct. 11, 1873, shot, Hall). Both Mr. Coe
and myself have found, on the same day, and in the same Cuckoo's
nest, fresh eggs and young birds.

Family, PICID^E.

1 36. HylotomilS pileatUS (Linne) Baird. Piieated Woodpecker.

A rare winter visitant ; it was once common throughout the State,
but is now almost exterminated and driven into the less civilized dis-
tricts. Linsley gave it from Stratford and New Haven. Mr. W. W.
Coe tells me that a specimen was killed near Portland, Conn., in

* MS. notes of John H. Sage, Esq.

f Voyages to New England, p. 101, 1675.

64 0. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

November, 1876; and " Mr. Wm. King took a specimen, several years
ago, at Suffield, Conn."* No longer ago than 1 839, Peabody gave it
as resident in Massachusetts, where it was " not uncommon in the
woodlands."!

137. PiCTlS villoSUS Linne. Hairy Woodpecker.

Resident, but not common. Have taken four specimens and seen
several others in the immediate vicinity of New Haven. Found
chiefly in winter. Mr. Coe tells me that it is quite common about
Portland, Conn.

138. PicllS pubescens Linne. Downy Woodpecker.

A common resident ; found everywhere except in open fields
devoid of stumps and fences.

139. Picoides arcticus (Swainson) Gray. Black-backed Three-toed Wood-

pecker.

A rare winter visitor from the North. In the Museum at Middle-
town is a specimen, from the Shurtleff Collection, taken at Simsbury,
Conn., in 1860. Dr. Wood has also taken it at East Windsor Hill,
Conn.

140. SphyrapicilS varius (Linne) Baird. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker.

Rare about New Haven. Have seen but four individuals (Sept.
28, and Oct. 2, 1875, and March 30, and May 3, 1876). Mr. J. N.
Clark finds it to be " abundant in fall" at Saybrook.J Linsley gave
it from New London, Conn. It is rare about Portland, Conn., as I
am informed by Messrs. Coe and Sage. Mr. Thos. Osborne tells me
that they were quite common about New Haven last fall (1876) and
that he secured four specimens. Mr. Grinnell says that it is not
uncommon about Milford, Conn., in fall ; and Mr. J. N. Clark, of
Saybrook, writes me that he has observed it to be " very common
both in spring and fall," but that he " never saw it after April till
autumn."

Though most Woodpeckers are residents where they are found at

* MS. notes of Erwin I. Shores.

•j- Peabody' s Report on the Ornithology of Mass., p. 334. 1839.

\ Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 11, p. 693. Nov., 1873.

G. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 65

all, in any numbers, this is truly, though not strictly, a migrant.*
Dr. Wm. O. Ay res writes me : " At New Canaan, Conn., I used to
find them each autumn, though never very numerous ; I never saw
them in the spring.

141. Centurus CarolimiS (Linne) Swainson. Red-bellied Woodpecker.

A rare accidental visitor from the South. Linsley saw one "as-
cending an apple tree, on the 16th of October, 1842."f Dr. Crary
says he has killed it near Hartford, Conn. ; and Mr. Erwin I. Shores
writes me that he "took a female, July 30th, 1874," at Suffield, Conn.
Giraud gave it as breeding regularly on Long Island, though not
very common. J

142. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linne) Swainson. Eed-headed

Woodpecker.

A rare summer resident ; breeds at Saybrook, sometimes remaining
all winter. § Linsley gave it from Stratford, and Dr. J. D. Whelpley
informed him that it was " rare at New Haven"f thirty-five years
ago, and, so far as I am aware, its numbers have not increased since.
In fact, as Dr. Coues has remarked : " Comparisons of the older with
more recent local authorities indicate that the species is now much
less numerous than formerly."|| Dr. F. W. Hall took one at West
Haven in December, 1872, and has seen several other specimens in
this vicinity. W. W. Coe and J. H. Sage have each taken it about
Portland, Conn., but find it rarely. Dr. Wood, of East Windsor
Hill, tells me that they were really abundant, in that vicinity, thirty-
five years ago, being more numerous than the Flicker ( Colaptes
auratus). Four years later a large flock was seen, and since then
they have been one of our rare birds. A few, however, still breed
pretty regularly in the vicinity of East Windsor, Conn. Mr. J. N.
Clark informs me that, during the latter part of September, 1872,
they suddenly became abundant in a grove of oaks near Saybrook,
Conn. The adult birds were mostly killed off by boys from the
neighborhood, while the young-of-the-year, lacking the brilliant and

* For a valuable contribution to the biography of this beautiful Woodpecker, see
an article by William Brewster, in Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 3, pp. 63-70.
Sept., 1876.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 263. April, 1843.

\ Birds of Long Island, p. 179. 1844.

§ Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 11, p. 693. Nov., 1873.

|| A List of the Birds of New England. [From Proc. Essex Insi, vol. v, p. 15.] ] 868,

TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 9 JULY, 1877,

66 C. If. Merriam — JBirds of Connecticut.

much prized red heads, were spared and remained through the winter
—some even breeding there the next summer (1873). Mr. J. H.
Sage killed one at Hartford, Dec. 31st, of the same winter (1872).
Their food consisted chiefly of acorns. In this connection I will state
that in northern New York (Lewis Co.), where they are usually one
of our commonest Woodpeckers, they subsist almost exclusively on
beech-nuts, of which they evidently are extremely fond, eating them,
apparently with equal relish, whether green or fully matured. It is
truly a beautiful sight to watch these magnificent birds, together
with their equally abundant cousins, the Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers
(Sphyrapicm varius), creeping about, after the manner of the War-
blers, among the small branches and twigs, which bend low with their
weight, while picking and husking the tender nuts — the bright crim-
son of the head, neck and breast, the glossy blue-black back, and
creamy-white belly, together with the scarcely less striking colors of
their yellow-bellied companions, contrast handsomely with the deep
green foliage.

143. Colaptes auratUS (Linne) Swainson. Golden-winged Woodpecker;

Yellow-hammer; High -holder ; Flicker; Yaffle.

Resident ; common from early April till November. A few
generally winter. It breeds in holes in old stubs and trees. The
migrants arrive during the latter part of March (March 28), remain-
ing till the middle or latter part of November (Nov. 14 and 28). My
friend, Mr. A. J. Dayan, saw one, near New Haven, on the 26th of
January, 1877. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell tells me that he has taken it,
near Milford, Conn., in December (Dec. 25, 1876), January (Jan. 1,
1877), and February (Feb. 27, 1875). Mr. W. W. Coe writes me
that they also spend the winter in the vicinity of Portland, Conn.

Kalm states, in his Travels, that " this species is destructive to
maize-fields and orchards, for it pecks through the ears of maize, and

eats apples Some years ago there was a premium of two

pence per head, paid from the public funds, in order to extirpate this
pernicious bird."*

Family, STRIG-ID^E.

144. Strix flammea, var. Americana (Audubon) Schl. Barn Owl.

A rare accidental visitor from the South. Taken by Linsley at
Stratford, Conn.f Prof. J. A. Allen states that Dr. Wood " has a

* Peter Kalm's Travels into North America, vol. ii, pp. 86-7. 1771.
f Catal. Birds Conn., p. 253. 1843.

C. II. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 67

specimen in his cabinet that was shot ' at Sachem's Head, Connecticut,
Oct. 28th, 1868.' "* Massachusetts also lays claim to two specimens :
the first " was killed near Springfield, Mass., about the last of May,"
1868,f and the other " was shot near Lynn, in the same State, in
1863."^

Since writing the above I have seen, in the cabinet of Capt. O. N.
Brooks, at Faulkner's Island, Conn., a mounted specimen of this
species which was killed at Madison, Conn., some years ago ; and
Dr. Wm. O. Ayres, now of Easthampton, Long Island, writes me
that he found one at Hartford, Conn., about the year 1841. Hence
at least four have been killed in this State.

145. Bubo VirginianuS (Gmelin) Bonaparte. Great Horned Owl.

Resident ; not rare. Breeds in suitable localities throughout the
State. It feeds on the larger game (hares, grouse, and the like), not
forgetting the poultry yard, and seems particularly fond of turkeys,
of which it seldom touches more than the head, if there are a plenty
about. Indeed I have known one to kill and decapitate three turkeys
and several hens in a single night, leaving the bodies uninjured and
fit for the table. Hence, if not so prone to select valuable fowls the
loss would not be great. Their tenacity to life is something remark-
able. A number of years ago I kept one in confinement for six or
eight months, during which time I was twice attacked by him and
bear the marks of his talons to this day. On both of these occasions
I kicked and pounded him with sticks till he was, as I supposed,
dead, but always on returning to skin the bird I found him sitting up
on his perch, blinking, snapping his bill, and making faces at me as
usual. Dr. Wood writes that a gentleman, while viewing one of
this species in his collection, said : " I suppose that is the kind of bird
that once scared me almost to death. While riding on horseback
through a tract of large woods in New York State, one night, with a
white beaver on my head, something, without the least noise or
warning, struck my head with such force that it took my hat, and I
supposed for a time the top of my head off. I thought the devil was
after me, and the way that old horse went for the next three miles
would have astonished John Gilpin. It seemed to me my heart beat

* Notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Massachusetts, p. 17. 1869. I have lately
seen this specimen.

f Proceed. Essex Institute, vol. v, p. 312.

\ Coues' Birds of the Northwest, p. 300. 1874.

68 C. H. Merriam — JZirds of Connecticut.

louder than an ordinary church bell, and I had to swallow fast to
keep it from coming into my throat and choking me."*

My friend, Mr. W. W. Coe, of Portland, Conn., has had such
remarkable success in finding the nests, and securing the eggs, of this
species, that I was induced to trouble him for an account of some of
his exploits in that direction, and he has been kind enough to favor
me with the following : " In 1868, a farmer's boy told me that a pair
of Great Horned Owls and their two young had taken up their abode
in a piece of woods near his place, and that a pair had lived there for
several years. He had often seen them when at work in the woods
in winter, and observed them one morning on the lower limbs of a
large hemlock. One sat on a branch directly above the other and
had a rabbit in its claws, upon which they both seemed to be feeding.
He watched them for sometime and then frightened them off. The
bird with the rabbit carried it with him a short distance, but finally
dropped it. The boy offered to shoot one of the Owls for me, but I
told him not to do it, for I wanted to get the eggs, if possible, the
next year.

" On the first of May, 1869, we went to look for the nest and found
it in a large chestnut tree. It contained two young Owls almost large
enough to fly. I brought them both home, stuffed one, and kept the
other alive sometime, when it got killed while I was away. During
the latter part of March, 1870, we went again and found the Owls
occupying the same nest. One old bird was on, and I thought my-
self sure of the eggs this time, but on ascending to the nest found
two young Owls covered with down. They were, I should think,
about two weeks old, so we left them for seed and determined to be
in time next season, but sickness and extra work forced me to neglect
it. In the following year (1872) we started out on the 2d of March
and visited the old nest, but for some reason it had been abandoned.
We then visited another piece of woods near by and soon found a
vary large nest in a chestnut tree, but it showed no sign of life.
While deliberating whether it was best to climb it or not, I gave the
tree several hard raps with a club, when off went the old bird with a
hoOj hoo, hoo. My companion climbed the tree and found two eggs.
I thought they might lay again, since it was so early, and accordingly,
on the 12th of April, visited the same nest, and, on getting near, a
bird jumped up from it which I at first took to be the Owl, but as it
started off I saw it was a Red-tailed Hawk, which we found had

* Hartford Times, chap, xvii, July 20, 1861.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 69

taken possession and layed two eggs. We then went to the old Owl's
nest, where we had found young in 1869 and 1870, and found the old
bird on. This nest now contained two eggs in which the young were
well advanced — so the old birds must have laid again soon after the
first nest was robbed.

"About the first of March, 1873, we again visited the same place
but could not find the birds, though I noticed one of their feathers,
and, since snow had fallen a day or two before, I know they could not
be far off. Finally, on the 13th of March, I found them occupying a
nest about two miles from the old place. It was the old nest of a
Red-tailed Hawk from which I took three eggs April 29th, 1872. The
nest now contained one young Owl, apparently about five or six days
old, and one rotten egg. I think the egg had been frozen, for it was
badly cracked. I am, of course, unable to say whether or no all the
eggs above mentioned were deposited by the same pair of Owls, since
three or four old birds have been killed in this vicinity. However, I
am quite sure that they all belonged to the same family. I also took
their nests in 1874 (Feb. 28), 1875 (took young in May), 1876 (Feb.
22), and 1877 (took eggs twice, Feb. 19 and Mar. 23). During the
whole time I have known of them they have not built a new nest,
but have either occupied the same one for at least three years, or
taken some vacant Hawk's nest.

" To sum up : my experience with Great Horned Owls has been
that they lay in old nests of Red-tailed Hawks, in hollow trees, and
occasionally in ledges of rocks. I never knew them to build a nest,
or to lay more than two eggs, and I have known of many nests not
mentioned above."

146. Scops asio (Linne) Bonaparte. Mottled Owl; Screech Owl.

A common resident throughout the State. It lays five eggs, in a
hollow tree, about the last of April. This is, I think, the most
nocturnal of our Owls. At least it can generally be approached in
broad day-light more easily than the other species, and seems to be
dazzled by the light. It sometimes catches fish through a hole in
the ice, like the Snowy Owl.*

147. Otus VUlgaris, var. WilsoniamiS (Lesson) Allen. Long-eared
Owl.

A common resident. Its large nest is commonly placed on some
thick tree — generally a pine — but sometimes in low bushes. It is

* Bull. Nutt. Ornithol. Club, vol. ii, No. 3, p. 80. July, 1877.

70 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

said to take possession of the deserted nests of Crows and Hawks.
" Mr. J. S. Brandigee, of Berlin, Conn., found a nest, early in April,
in a -hemlock tree, situated in a thick dark evergreen woods. The
nest was flat, made of coarse sticks, and contained four fresh eggs."*
Have taken it, in company with the following species, in clumps of
low bushes near the coast.

148. BrachyotUS palustris (Bechst.) Gould. Short-eared Owl.

Resident about the salt marshes near the coast ; also found through-
out the State. Nests on the ground. Not uncommon. In the year
1856, on the island of Grand Menan, " A nest of this bird was found
by Mr. Cabot in the midst of a dry, peaty bog. It was built on the
ground, in a very slovenly manner, of small sticks and a few feathers,
and presented hardly any excavation."!

149. Symium Cinereum (Gmelin) Audubon. Great Gray Owl.

A rare straggler from the north. Linsley captured a specimen at
Stratford, Conn., Jan, 6, 1843. J

During the winter of 1852 a large Great Gray Owl was killed near
Boston, Mass., after creating some little excitement among the inhab-
itants : "A light snow fell on Sunday evening, March 21st, and the
next morning mysterious footprints were discovered in the vicinity of
Nahant street and Long Beach. They were of a shape that excited
much curiosity, and no one was able to determine what sort of a
creature had made them. But on Monday evening Mr. John Barry
shot a very large gray owl, on the marsh, near the foot of Pleasant
street, and it was concluded that the wonderful tracks were made by
him. He measured more than five feet from tip to tip of the wings. "§

1 50. SyrniTim neblllosum (Forster) Boie. Barred Owl.

A common resident throughout the State. Mr. J. N. Clark, of
Saybrook, Conn., tells me that he once found it breeding, in a hollow
tree, within twenty-five rods of the nest of a pair of Great Horned
Owls.

* Baird, Brewer & Kidgway, vol. iii, p. 22, 1874.

f A List of Birds observed at Grand Menan and at Yarmouth, N. S., June 16 to
July 8, 1856. Proceed. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. vi, p. 115. March, 1857.
\ Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 253. April, 1843.
§ History of Lynn, Mass., pp. 432-3, 1865.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 71

Dr. Wm. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, Conn., relates the following
amusing anecdote, which serves well to illustrate " the nature of the
beast" under certain conditions, and at the same time affords us an
excellent example of conjugal affection and innate wisdom in our
own species : " A gentleman who fancied himself a taxidermist be-
cause, forsooth, he had seen a single specimen stuffed, determined to
allow that talent no longer to be buried, but bring it to light by
practically demonstrating to the world in general, and mankind in
particular, the way by which the feathered species can forever look
' as natural as life and a little more so.' Having obtained a specimen
of the Barred Owl that was only slightly winged, he let it loose in
the cellar till a leisure day. The bird, with only the tip of the wing
injured, and having free use of its limbs and feet, could visit any part
of her prison, and finding herself sole mistress, was not long in
appropriating anything and everything that would promote her own
comfort and ease. The potato and apple bins, as well as the soap
and pork barrels were indiscriminately and alike used for places of
rest and repose. The day arrived when this nuisance could no longer
be tolerated. Approaching, with hand extended, to seize the Owl,
my friend received the benefit of her claws in and around his fingers.
Grasping the bird's leg to disengage it from its gripe, the other claw
was instantly brought in requisition and seized the other hand.
Both hands being now securely held by the bird, no wonder that our
hero called out lustily for help when he saw the Owl expanding her-
self almost indefinitely, and snapping her bill in anticipation of the
dainty repast which, according to appearance, she was about to swal-
low ! The terrified scream alarmed the whole household, and the
rush down the cellar stairs reminds one very forcibly of the second
and fourth illustrations in Bachelor Butterfly, on page 14th, where he
jumped overboard, and, in order to save the life of the Naturalist,
was followed by his omnipresent Dorothy and the whole crew. His
better half becoming alarmed for the safety of her beloved, seized the
enraged bird by the head and pulled with all the force that conjugal
fidelity or nervous excitement could arouse. The more she pulled
the deeper were the talons of the Owl inserted, as was evidenced by
the musical entertainment given by our friend, which comprised a
scale of at least two octaves, with trills and variations that would
have astonished an Italian prima donna ! What more could be
done ? The adage that ' necessity is the mother of invention' proved
true in this case, for the imminent danger, to say nothing of the ex-
cruciating pain, roused our hero to the importance of trying what

72 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

virtue there was in his incisors. Being blest with a good set he with
much difficulty succeeded in biting off all the claws of the Owl, and
relieving himself from his perilous position, probably a wriser man for
his first lesson in Ornithology."*

Surely Thomas Morton, Esq., could not have been familiar with
the love calls of this species, or he would never have written: "There
are Owles of divers kindes : but I did never heare any of them whop
as ours doe."f

151. Nyctea Scandiaca (Linne) Newton. Snowy Owl.

This magnificent bird seems to be a pretty regular winter visitant
along our coast. Linsley had secured five specimens from Stratford,
Conn., and Dr. Whelpley had observed it at New Haven, prior to
the year 1843.J Two specimens came to my notice during the win-
ter of 1875-6 (the first on Nov. 10), and no less than a dozen speci-
mens were killed in the immediate vicinity of New Haven in October
(Oct. 17, Osborne), and November last (1876). They unquestionably
belonged to the immense flock of these Owls that passed through
eastern Massachusetts about the same time. Over two hundred
specimens were shot about Boston in October and November. For a
detailed account of this wonderful and really perplexing migration,
consult an article by Ruthven Deane, Esq., in the Bulletin of the
Nuttall Ornithological Club, No. 1, vol. ii, p. 9, for January, 1877.
Dr. Wm. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, Conn., writes that they were
unusually abundant here during the winter of 1858-9, when fifteen
or twenty were shot in Hartford County. He further observes that
"it hunts either by day, or in the twilight, occasionally pursuing
game on the wing and securing it after the manner of the true falcons,
but generally devouring it on the spot like the Marsh Hawk. When
annoyed and teased by Crows it will now and then seek shelter in a
hollow tree. Some years since I was pursuing one of these birds, in
our meadows, that was followed and tormented by a great number of
Crows. It finally alighted on an apple tree about a hundred rods
distant, and in a few moments the whole tree was black with his
tormenters, and still they came from all directions, attracted by the
noise and confusion of those diving at the Owl. Soon they began to

* Hartford Times, chap, xx, August 17, 1861.

f New English Canaan, p. 49. (Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts, Tract 5,
vol. ii.)

\ Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, No. 2, vol. xliv, p. 253, 1843.

C. If. Merriam — JBirds of Connecticut. 73

leave, and before my arrival all was quiet. This was a mystery to
me, for I had not seen the Owl fly, and if he had, the crows would
certainly have given the alarm and followed him, yet no Owl was in
sight. Having passed the tree some fifteen or twenty rods I heard a
noise, and turning about saw the Owl coming out of a hollow apple-
tree stump close by the tree. This was rather provoking, for I had
been, just a moment before, near enough to the stump to have
touched it with my gun."*

About the middle of March, 1863, "four large Arctic Owls were
shot during one week, at Nahant, and on the beaches" about Boston. f

152. Sumia Ulllla, var. Hudsonia (Gmelin) Cones. Hawk Owl.

A rare winter visitor from the North. To Dr. F. W. Hall belongs
the honor of adding this species to the birds of our State. In Nov.
1869, he saw the bird in an elm tree in an open field. Not having a
gun with him he returned for it and secured a fine specimen of the
Hawk Owl. It was mounted by the Rev. C. M. Jones, and is now in
the cabinet of Dr. Hall. In the vicinity of Hudson's Bay, during the
winter season, the white Ptarmigan (Lagopus albus) constitutes its
chief article of diet ; and it is said to follow the hunter, pouncing
upon his game before he has time to reach it. As early as 1833 the
Hawk Owl was recorded, by Ebenezer Emmons, M.D., as a rare
" autumn" visitant in Massachusetts. J It has been shot as far South
as Haddington, near Philadelphia.§

153. Nyctale Tengmalmi, var. Richardson! (Bonaparte) Ridgway.

Richardson Owl.

An extremely rare accidental winter visitor from the North. Dr.
Wm. Wood has a fine specimen of this boreal Owl in his cabinet. It
was captured some twenty years ago, in mid-winter, near East
Windsor, Conn. The doctor gives the following account of the
manner in which he came in possession of this specimen, in one of his
interesting articles published in the " Hartford Times," Aug. 24th,
1861: "Visiting a patient some three miles from my office, I was

* Hartford Times, chap, xvi, July 6, 1861.

f History of Lynn, Mass., by Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall, p. 473, 1865.

\ Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany, and Zoology of Massachusetts. By
Edward Hitchcock, Amherst. p. 546. 1833.

§ Birds of East Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By William P. Turnbull, M.D., p.
41. 1869.

TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 10 JULY, 1877.

74 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

informed that word had been left for me to call at a house near by.
On driving over and meeting the occupant at the gate, I inquired
who was sick ? After giving me an evasive answer I was invited
into the house. Being well acquainted with the gentleman, and
knowing that he had quite a taste for natural history, I began to
suspect that it was not professional advice that was wanting. Leav-
ing the room for a few minutes, he returned with an Owl. This bird,
he informed me, sat upon the verandah early the previous morning,
and approaching cautiously, he captured it without its making the
least resistance or effort to escape, and put it into a cage. The next
morning, from some unknown cause, the bird was found dead, and
* thinking it might be something a little different from any in my
collection,' he saved it for me. No one but a naturalist can imagine
the satisfaction it afforded me when I beheld Richardson's Owl ; and
I assure you that I would not only have gone three miles, but ten
times three to obtain it." Several specimens have been taken in
Massachusetts.*

1 54. Nyctale Acadica (Gmelin) Bonaparte. Acadian Owl ; Saw-whet Owl.

Resident, though rather rare, or at least not often seen, for, owing
to its diminutive size and nocturnal habits, it might be quite common
and yet escape notice. Linsley never saw u but two individuals," one
of which " was found lying upon his back in a barn-yard in a cold
morning in March, 1841, though still living." A specimen was taken
at East Haven, Conn., Nov. 26th, 1874, by Dr. F. W. Hall.

Mr. Coe and Mr. Sage have each fine examples of this species in
their cabinets, and the former gentleman showed me a set of five eggs
found in a hole in a tree near Portland, Conn. Dr. Wood, of East
Windsor Hill, has several specimens taken in that vicinity, and I have
lately seen quite a number, killed about New Haven, and throughout
the State. It feeds on small birds, mice, grasshoppers, beetles, etc.
" For rearing its young the Saw-whet takes possession of the old nest
of a crow, or some other large bird, or of a hollow cavity of an old
tree."f

* J. A. Allen's Notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Mass., pp. 47-8. 1869.
f Zadock Thompson's History of Vermont, pp. 66-7. 1842.

C. H, Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. J75

Family, FALCONID^.

155. CirCUS CyaneUS, var. Hudsonius (Linne) Schl. Marsh Hawk;
Harrier; " Mouse Hawk."

A tolerably common summer resident, especially about salt marshes,
where it breeds, placing its nest on the ground. Arrives in March
or April (April 9, 1876, Osborne), remaining into November (Nov. 6).

I take the following interesting account of the audacity sometimes
displayed by this bird, from one of Dr. Wood's articles in the Hart-
ford Times : " If once introduced to your young poultry a faithful
supervision will be exercised over them to see that none are left to
suffer from want of attention or hunger. I know of an instance
where the old bird returned daily, and about the same hour, until all
were taken. Coming one day when the owner was there, the Hawk
evidently intended to convince him that he was sole proprietor of
that brood. The chickens having fled into the coop, he made him-
self quite at home by alighting on the shed near by and waiting for
them to appear. The farmer caught up a stick and threw it at him,
which so enraged the bird that it flew about his head, diving at him
and squealing at a most furious rate, when he returned again to the
shed, scolding vehemently. The farmer remarked that 4 he was the
sauciest little thing he ever saw.' In capturing mice partly con-
cealed they sometimes ' wake up the wrong passenger' and get cap-
tured. An instance of this occurred in East Hartford. A Mouse
Hawk was observed sailing over some tall grass, evidently intent on
game. Poising himself for a moment by the slow, easy flappings of
his wings, he suddenly dove, and soon appeared, ascending slowly
and with difficulty. The very singular movements of the Hawk
attracted the notice of several persons who were talking together, and
they watched every motion with interest. He gradually rose higher
and higher, till his strength began to fail, when he began to descend
obliquely for a little way, then headlong to the ground. On arriving
at the place they found that the Hawk had seized a weasel, that had
killed its assailant by eating into the sides of the bird, where he was
still at work !"

" Some years since, a student in the seminary came running up to
me in a great hurry, almost out of breath, puffing like a locomotive,
and exclaiming, ' Doc — doc — doctor, — can — you— shoot — flying ?'
I replied that sometimes I did such things. " Well, I wish you
would go out East and shoot a Hawk that has chased me for half a

76. C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

mile, diving so close to my head that I expected every moment he
would have hold of me.' Taking my gun, we walked towards the
swamp, when he informed me that ' he came out there to practice
elocution, so as not to disturb any one, and before he had finished
the vowel sounds the Hawk came at him.' On arriving near the
place I requested him to commence his vocal exercises again, so as
to afford me an opportunity for practicing on the wing. He com-
menced, and, if that was a specimen of elocution, no wonder the
Hawk drove him from the premises, for of all the earthly or unearthly
sounds ever uttered, those exceeded anything I ever heard. If blind-
fold, one would have supposed that there was a concert of Great
Horned Owls of all ages, echoing through the forest ' waugh ho !

oo, e, ah,

' Making night hideous,'

almost tempting one to think, if not to utter, the penult of the word
named. The bird without doubt recognized the vowel sounds, for
she soon came around, but either not liking the looks of me or my
gun, kept at a respectful distance, flying about, uttering the peculiar
cry of the Marsh Hawk. Neither the attempts of Audubon or Nutt-
all to interpret their song has elucidated it according to my ear. It
appears to me to sound like the male falsetto descending quickly
from high F to D, key of two sharps, with the syllables hey, ha, ha,
in compound time, accenting the first note very forcibly. The next
day we went again to the swamp, but taking the precaution to con-
ceal myself in the bushes before he commenced his elocutionary ex-
ercises, the bird dove at him as before, when he sung out lustily,
' shoot ! shoot ! shoot !' Discovering me the hawk changed her
tactics, much to the relief of my friend, and, poising herself for a
moment, dove with so much force at my head as to make a distinct
rustling sound. After allowing her to repeat this several times to
see if she would really take hold of my cranium, my old gun went
off, carrying death in its track, much to the joy of my companion,
who now, for the first time, ventured to take a full breath since com-
ing into the swamp."*

156. NaUCleruS forficatUS (Linne) Ridgway. Swallow-tailed Kite.

A rare straggler from the South, at present. Mr. Josiah G. Ely,
of Lynie, New London County, Conn., writes me that while hunting
on the 2d of July (18Y7), one of these magnificent birds flew over his

* Hartford Times, chap. xv. June 29, 1861.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 77

head, and that " there is no doubt as to its identity." Mr. W. W.
Coe, of Portland, Conn., tells me that he saw a Swallow-tailed Kite in
that vicinity, during the summer of 1861. He was crossing an open
meadow when the Kite suddenly dove, close to where he was stand-
ing, and arose with a snake in its talons. This it devoured while in
the air, much to the surprise of Mr. Coe, who was not then familiar
with its habits. A specimen has also been observed in Massachusetts
quite recently.* It has been shot on Long Island (Giraud). The
cause of its restricted northern range, in the eastern province, at the
present time, can scarcely depend on the temperature (as generally
supposed), for it was once not only common in New England, but
actually wintered here. Williams, writing in 1794, says that they
were then found in Vermont, and " seem to be fitted by nature, to
endure all the diversity of our climate, and are to be seen in the
coldest weather of our winters."! The power of wing exhibited by
this splendid species is truly wonderful. Its swift flight and abrupt
turnings can only be compared to those of the Swallow. I have
often seen them, in Florida, dart down and pick a wasp's nest from
the under side of a palmetto leaf, devouring the grubs it contained
while on the wing.J; Dr. Coues writes thus of it : " The Swallow-
tailed Kite is a marked feature of the scene in the Southern States,
alike where the sunbeams are redolent of the orange and magnolia,
and where the air reeks with the pestilent miasrn of the moss-
shrouded swamps that sleep in perpetual gloom. But, imbued with a
spirit of adventure, possessed of unequaled powers of flight, it often
wanders far from its southern home ; it has more than once crossed
the ocean, and become a trophy of no ordinary interest to the ardent
collector in Europe." It extends northward in the Mississippi
Valley, "where it regularly occurs above .the mouth of the Missouri."
" Marked among its kind by no ordinary beauty of form and bril-
liancy of color, the Kite courses through the air with a grace and
buoyancy it would be vain to rival. By a stroke of the thin-bladed
wings and a lashing of the cleft tail, its flight is swayed to this or
that side in a moment, or instantly arrested. Now it swoops with
incredible swiftness, seizes without a pause, and bears its struggling
captive aloft, feeding from its talons as it flies ; now it mounts in
airy circles till it is a speck in the blue ether and disappears. "§

* Rarer Birds of Mass., J. A. Allen, p. 46, 1869.

f The Natural and Civil History of Vermont, by Samuel Williams, p. 112, July 16,
1794.

t Am. Nat., vol. viii, No. 2, p. 88, Feb., 1874.
§ Coues' Birds of the Northwest, p. 332, 1874.

78 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

157. Accipiter ftlSCUS (Gmelin) Bonaparte: Sharp-shinned Hawk.

A common summer resident, breeding on trees and on high rocky
cliffs throughout the State. Mr. W. W. Coe writes me, that, of all
our Hawks, they are the latest to breed, laying their eggs, generally
five in number, in June. He has found them " in an old grey squir-
rel's nest fixed up for the occasion." Arrives in March, remaining
into November. F. W. Putnam, in 1856, gave it as " resident," but
" not abundant," in Essex County, Mass. I have no authentic
record of its occurrence here in winter. Dr. Wood writes : " Its
flight is quick, irregular, and so rapid, that, if your gun is not cocked
it will pass out of range before you can get aim. It pounces upon
its prey with such velocity that no time is allowed for escape.
While riding one day, one passed within a few feet of me and dashed
into a cluster of alders, interwoven with grapevines and briars, and
seized a half-grown quail, passing out with it, without scarcely check-
ing its speed. Although the hedge was within twenty feet of me, it
was so thick that I could not discern the bird until it appeared on the
opposite side in the talons of the Hawk. When hungry and in
search of game, it knows no fear, often diving within a few feet of
you and seizing a chicken. Sometimes you will see one flying along
very swift and low, wheeling right and left, taking a ' bird's-eye view'
of every hedge and bush, until it starts some little bird, whose fate is
surely sealed."* N uttall writes : " Descending furiously and blindly
upon its quarry, a young Hawk of this species broke through the glass
of the green-house, at the Cambridge Botanic Garden ; and fearlessly
passing through a second glass partition, he was only brought up by
the third, and caught, though little stunned by the effort."f

158. Accipiter Cooper! (Bonaparte) Gray. Cooper's Hawk; Chicken

Hawk.

A common summer resident, generally placing its nest in some tall
pine or other high tree. " Their four eggs are usually deposited
about the middle of May. They frequently build a new nest every
year but often take possession of the old nest of a Red-tailed or Red-
shouldered Hawk."! Arrives in March, remaining into November.
Dr. Wood writes that he knew of six of their nests in the vicinity of
East Windsor Hill, Conn., in a single season, and that he obtained

* Hartford Times, chap, x, May 25th, 1861.

f Nuttall's Manual of Ornithology, vol. i, p. 88. 1832.

\ MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 79

eggs from five of them. He says, " It is bold and fearless, often div-
ing within a few rods of the farmer and seizing his chickens. If once
introduced to the young poultry, you may rest assured of a daily call
till all are gone, unless you are fortunate enough to secure the intru-
der. I once saw one of these Hawks seize a chicken on a very steep
side-hill, close beside the old hen. In an instant the enraged mother
flew upon the thief, and both came tumbling down the hill, clinched
together ; running up, I was just about to grasp the Hawk when they
parted. It sometimes attacks full grown poultry with success. A
gentleman once informed me that, ' while standing by his wood-pile,
close by the house, one of these birds dove upon a full grown rooster,
within six or eight rods of him. The fowl ran some two or three
rods and dropped dead. The Hawk soon returned to devour his
game, as it was too heavy for him to carry away, but his audacity
cost him his life.' "*

In the old colonial days, when every man spelled as best suited his
own fancy, the different kinds of Hawks did not pass unnoticed, for in
1632 Morton wrote : " There are Hawkes in New England of 5. sorts,
and these of all other fether fowles I must not omitt, to speake of,
nor neede I to make any Apology for my selfe, concerning any tres-
pass, that I am like to make upon my judgment, concerning the
nature of them, having bin bred in so genious a way, that I had the
common use of them in England : and at my first arrivall in those
parts practiced to take a Lannaret, which I reclaimed, trained, and
made flying in a fortnight, the same being a passinger at Michuelmas.
I found that these are most excellent Mettell, rank winged, well con-
ditioned, and not tickleish footed, and having whoods, bels, luers,
and all things fitting, was desirous to make experiment of that kinde
of Hawke, before any other. And I am perswaded : that nature hath
ordained them to be of a farre better kinde, then any that have bin
used in England."! It seems to me that there is little doubt but that
the above remarks refer to Cooper's Hawk.

159. Astur atricapillTIS (Wilson) Jardine. Goshawk.

Rather rare, and somewhat irregular, winter visitant. Said to
breed, occasionally, as far south as Massachusetts (Maynard and
Minot).

* Hartford Times, chap, ix, May 18th, 1861.

•fNew English Canaan. By Thomas Morton, p. 49. 1632. [Reprinted in Force's
Hist. Tracts, vol. ii, T. 5.]

80 C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Professor Wm. D. Whitney has a finely mounted specimen, in his
cabinet, which was shot, some years ago, at Hamden Plains, near
New Haven, Conn. W. W. Coe, and Jno. H. Sage, of Portland,
Conn., have each several fine specimens taken in the State — one near
Hartford, Nov. 9th, 1867. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell secured one, late
in the fall (Nov. or Dec.) of 1876, at Milford, Conn. For several
days previous to its capture it had been in the habit of lunching on a
neighbor's chickens. Mr. Erwin I. Shores writes me that, in the
vicinity of Suffield, Conn., he has seen it " four or more times during
the last two winters." I am informed by Dr. Wm. Wood, of East
Windsor Hill, Conn., that they are really common in tliat vicinity
about once in ten years (he once had seven specimens, in the flesh,
on hand at one time) but are seldom seen between times. The doctor
relates the following anecdote as illustrating well the boldness and
daring often displayed by this species : An old man, over eighty years
of age, was sitting quietly in the kitchen with his maiden daughter.
The door was open and their quiet was suddenly broken by a hen
who rushed frantically into the room, followed closely by a large
Goshawk. There, right on the kitchen floor, and in the presence of
the two, the bold Hawk seized the hen. The feeble old man came
to the rescue, and, with stick in hand, finally succeeded in beating off
the intruder, who now made for the door. But it was too late — the
daughter had closed the door and actually caught the furious bird in
her hands and put him to death !

Zadock Thompson says : " Its disposition is very savage, and it is
withal so much of a cannibal as sometimes to devour its own young !"*
Dr. Wm. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, writes that a specimen which
he once kept alive in a small room " refused food until the thirteenth

day, when it devoured an entire hen It died the next

night, a victim to its voraciousness. "f " The poet Chaucer in allud-
ing to it says, —

' Riding on hawking by the river,
With gray Goshawk in hand.'

Falconry and hawking, as defined by our lexicographers, are synony-
mous, but formerly birds of sport were divided into two classes, those
of falconry, and those of hawking. This bird came under the latter
class." " The Goshawk does not usually soar high, like the longer
winged Hawks, nor dart upon its prey by a direct descent, as do the

* History of Vermont, p. 62. 1842.

f Hartford Times, chap, ix, May 18th, 1861.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 81

true Falcons, but by a side glance. It is restless, seldom alighting
but for a moment, except to devour its quarry, and then it stands
almost erect. Its flight is so rapid that it can easily overtake the

swift Pigeon on the wing When looking for prey it skims

along near the surface of the ground with great velocity, and catches
its game so quickly and easily as scarcely to be seen by the looker-on."
" The Goshawk is the most daring and venturesome of any of our
diurnal birds of prey. A farmer who resides a few miles from my
office, washing to perpetuate the old New England custom of having
a chicken-pie for Thanksgiving dinner, caught some fowls, took them
to a log, severed the neck of one, and threw it down beside him.
In an instant a Goshawk seized the struggling fowl, and, flying off
some ten rods, alighted and commenced devouring its prey. The
boldness of the attack so astonished the farmer that he looked on
with blank amazement. Recovering from his surprise, he hastened
into the house and brought out his gun, which secured him both the
Hawk and the fowl."*

Pennant, in 1785, tells us that Goshawks "are used by the
Emperor of China in his sporting progresses, attended by his grand

falconer, and a thousand of the subordinate The Emperor

often carries a Hawk on his hand, to let fly at any game which pre-
sents itself; which are usually Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, or
Cranes. Marco Polo saw this diversion about the year 1269."f

160. FalCQ COmrnunis Gmelin. Peregrine Falcon ; Duck Hawk.

Resident, but rare ; breeds on Talcott Mountain, near Hartford,
Conn. Linsley tells us that, previous to the year 1842, a specimen of
this celebrated and powerful bird was wounded by a gun-shot in
Stratford, [Conn.], and after he was taken soon recovered, and was kept
on poultry until he became too expensive to the owner,";); who then
released him. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell informs me that he saw, on the
23d of February, 1876, a Duck Hawk (or Great-footed Hawk, as it is
often called), flying about the Sound, near Milford, Conn.

On the 29th of June, 1877, while enjoying the hospitality of Capt.
O. N. Brooks, at Faulkner's Island, Conn., in company with my
friend, Mr. Jno. H. Sage, the Terns breeding on Goose Island (one mile

* Dr. Wood, in Am. Nat, vol. x, No. 3, pp. 132-4. March, 1876.
f Arctic Zoology. By Thomas Pennant, vol. ii, p. 204. 1785.
\ Linsley's Catal. Birds Conn., p. 250, 1843.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 11 JULY, 1877.

82 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

distant) were observed to be in an unusual state of commotion. The
Captain remarked that they had been agitated, the day previous, by
a Duck Hawk which might still be prowling in the vicinity, and he
kindly offered to take us over there. We landed, and, on rounding
the island, the Falcon suddenly started from her retreat among the
rocks and weeds, which, as we afterwards discovered, was strewn
with feathers. But the captain's gun was in readiness, and, through
his kindness, the bird now graces my collection. During her brief
visit she had made sad havoc among the Terns, and her crop was
greatly distended with their remains, which had been swallowed in
incredibly large pieces — whole legs, and the long bones of the wings
were found entire and unbroken ! Indeed she was perfectly gorged,
and contained the remains of at least two adult Terns, besides a mass
of newly hatched young ! The only other great-footed Hawk that
Capt. Brooks has ever taken, he killed, at this same place, twelve
years ago. Query : did this bird come from Talcott Mountain, or
did it breed far beyond our limits ? It is said that they are able to
fly many hours without resting, and at the enormous rate of an hun-
dred miles per hour !* They sometimes live nearly 200 years !

In the Hartford Times of June 29th, 1861, Dr. Wm. Wood, of
East Windsor Hill, Conn., published the first account of the first
Duck Hawk's nest found in New England. It was discovered by
Dr. Moses, on Talcott Mountain, near Hartford, Conn., May 25th,
1861, and contained four young almost large enough to fly. The
finding of this nest was, at the time, of particular interest, since, as
Dr. Wood remarked, " it settled beyond dispute three points: 1st,
that they breed on cliffs ; 2d, that they breed in Connecticut ; and
3d, that they nest very early" (sometime in March). f

They have since been known to breed regularly on Mount Tom,
Mass., where their eggs were first taken, April 19, 1864, by Mr. C.
W. Bennett,]; of Holyoke. Their nest was again robbed, by Mr.
Bennett, in 1866 and in 1869. Mr. J. A. Allen, in his "Notes on
some of the Rarer Birds of Massachusetts," writes : " During a visit
to this Mountain [Mt. Tom], in company with Mr. Bennett (Apr. 28,
1869), we had the great pleasure of discovering their second eyrie,
from which, with considerable difficulty, three freshly laid eggs were
obtained. Not discouraged by this second misfortune, they nested

* See an interesting Article in Am. Nat., vol. v, No. 2, p. 82, April, 1871.

| Hartford Times, June 29, 1861.

\ See Proceed. Essex Inst., vol. iv, p. 153.

C. IT. Merriam — JSirds of Connecticut. 83

again, this time depositing their eggs in the old eyrie from which all
except the last set of eggs have been obtained. Again they were
unfortunate, Mr. Bennett removing their second set of eggs, three in
number, May 23d, at which time incubation had just commenced.
The birds remained about the mountain all the summer, and from
the anxiety they manifested in August it appears not improbable
that they had laid a third time, and at this late period had unfledged
young."* Mr. Harold Herrick states that it is common on the Island
of Grand Menan, N. B., where it "breeds on the cliffs, but in such
inaccessible situations that its nest is rarely taken. There is a place
between 'Fish Head' and the 'Old Bishop' known as the 'Seven
Day's Work,' where the cliff is divided into seven strata as sharply
defined as lines of masonry. On an indentation in the face of this
cliff, about one hundred feet from the top, and one hundred and fifty
feet from the bottom, a pair of these Falcons have had their eyrie for
a succession of years, secure alike from the assaults of the most zeal-
ous naturalist, and the small boy of bird's-egging proclivities."!

Mr. W. W. Coe, of Portland, Conn., tells me that while duck
shooting a few years since, as the birds rose at the report of his gun,
a Duck Hawk dove, struck a Teale, on the wing, and carried it off!
Dr. Wood writes : " In the vicinity of their breeding places they are
a terror to the poultry as well as a dread to the farmer, for there
they usually hunt in pairs, one following directly after the other,
and if the first one misses the game, the other is sure to pick it up ;
there is no escaping the two. This is the universal testimony of all
the farmers living in the vicinity of the cliffs where they breed. One
of my collectors went over one hundred miles to get a nest of their
eggs, from only hearing a farmer in the vicinity of the cliff describe
their manner of hunting ; knowing from this circumstance alone that
it must be the Duck Hawk."|

161. FalCO COlumbariuS Linne. Pigeon Hawk.

Resident, but rare in summer, and not often seen in winter. It is
not uncommon here in spring and fall. Dr. Wm. Wood tells me that
he has found it about East Windsor Hill, Conn., in May, June, and
July, but failed to discover the nest. He is not, of course, perfectly

* Notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Mass., p. 10-11, 1869.

f Herrick's Partial Catalogue of the Birds of Grand Menan, p. 10, 1873.

\ Am. Nat., vol. v, No. 2J p. 82, April, 1871.

84 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

certain that they breed there at all, though their occurrence in early
summer certainly looks like it. I have seen it, in the vicinity of New
Haven, in April, and again in August and September, and now have
notes of its presence in this State in every month of the year. In
one of his interesting articles on the " Game Falcons of New Eng-
land," Dr. Wood writes: "In May, 1860, a gentleman who resides
some five miles distant, informed me that a small Hawk came almost
every day and carried off a chicken for him — that it never missed,
for it went so like lightning that there was no escaping its grasp.
He said that it always came in the same direction from a tract of
woods near his house Accompanied by my friend, we care-
fully searched the woods without finding anything except the nest of
the Red-shouldered Hawk. The next day the same little Hawk re-
turned and was shot, and is now in my collection, a beautiful repre-
sentative of the Pigeon Hawk. I have no doubt that it had a
nest about there, as it was the season for nesting, and it always came
from, and went to, the same piece of woods, and in the same direc-
tion. If it had not young it must have been carrying food to its
mate while incubating. If a mere straggler it would come and go
without any definite place of resort. Our inability to find the nest
was not strange, as there were some sixty or eighty acres of heavy-
timbered oaks and pines in the tract."* Mr. Geo. A. Boardman
states that it "breeds in hollow trees,"f which would, of course,
render its nest still more difficult to find. I am strongly inclined to
believe that a few pairs do occasionally breed in Connecticut, for,
though its nest has not yet been actually discovered, the fact that
the birds are sometimes found here throughout the entire year is
strong evidence that they breed, and mere negative evidence, in such
cases, amounts to little or nothing.

1 62. FalCQ sparverius Linne. Sparrow Hawk.

A rather rare resident ; only a few pairs breed within the State,
and it is seldom seen in winter. Mr. W. W. Coe tells me that it
breeds near Portland, Conn., and I am informed by Dr. Wood that
it sometimes breeds in the vicinity of East Windsor Hill.

Dr. Wood thus describes a novel site for a nest of this Hawk
which was found at Granby, Conn. : " A farmer made a dove house
inside of his barn with holes through the sides of the building com-

* Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 6, pp. 342-3, June, 1873.

f Proceed. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. ix, p. 122, Sept., 1862.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. . 8 5

municating with it. A pair of doves that had nested there were
attacked and killed by a pair of Sparrow Hawks who took posses-
sion of their nest, laid four eggs, and commenced to sit. During
incubation they found the farmer's chickens very convenient for food
—too much so for their own good. I saw both birds after they were
killed ; also their four eggs, two of which are now in my cabinet."*
In Elizabeth, New Jersey, several years ago, I saw a pair of Sparrow
Hawks fly up under the eaves of an old barn, and drag a couple of
Swallows out of their nests ! Mr. Sage has seen it in January (Jan.
6, 1877), near Portland, Conn., and Dr. Wood writes me that he has
occasionally taken it in winter.

"Sparhawkes there are also," wrote Morton in 1632, "the fairest,
and best, shaped birds that I have ever beheld of that kinde, those
that are litle, no use is made of any of them, neither are they re-
garded, I onely tried conclusions with a Lannaret at first comming ;
and when I found, what was in that bird, I turned him going : but
for so much as I have observed of those birds, they may be a fitt
present for a prince ; and for goodnesse too be preferred before the
Barbary, or any other used in Christendome, and especially the
Lannars and Lannarets."f The above may have referred to the
Sharp-shinned Hawk.

163. Buteo borealis (Gmelin) Vieillot. Red-tailed Hawk ; Hen Hawk.

A common resident, but more numerous in early spring and during
the fall migrations than at other times of the year. The migrants
arrive early in March, and in fall, may be seen, in considerable num-
bers, in September, October, and November. On the 25th of Sep-
tember, 1875, 1 saw, near New Haven, a flock of twenty-six Red-tailed
Hawks, soaring high, and sailing slowly southward. The day was
clear and cool, and there was little wind.

Mr. W. W. Coe, of Portland, Conn., has been remarkably fortunate
in finding the nests of this Hawk, having taken, during the past five
years, nearly forty of its eggs ! The best time to go for them seems
to be about the middle of April, but he has found nests, containing
eggs, at all dates from March 30th (1875) to May 23d (1873), though
the young generally hatch during the latter part of April or early in
May. The Stadtmtiller brothers found a nest, near New Haven,
April 13, 1877, containing three eggs which "were just beginning to

* Am. Nat, vol. viii, No. 5, p. 268, May, 1874.

f New English Canaan, p. 50. [Reprinted from Force's Hist. Tracts, vol. ii, T. 5.]

86 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

hatch."* The Red-tailed Hawk generally lays two, frequently three,
and sometimes four, eggs. In writing of them, from Portland, Conn.,
Mr. Coe says : " Their nests are easily identified, being the largest
nests built in this locality, and the earliest. They lay in the same
nest year after year if not disturbed, and often if they are. I once
found a nest in a young chestnut, not over twenty feet from the
ground, but they commonly build high up in large trees."f

The Rev. Mr. Peabody, in his Report on the Birds of Massachu-
setts (in 1839), remarked that these Hawks, " like the Crow, seem to
have an intuitive perception of the use and reach of the gun, for if
they see a person armed, they .give a scream of disgust, and sail
away far beyond his reach. "J

They are often called Hen Hawks from their frequent visits to the
poultry yard. I have also found, in their alimentary canals, the
remains of mice, snakes, and frogs.

1 64. Buteo lineatus (Gmelin) Jardine. Red-shouldered Hawk.

A common resident, like the last, but more frequently seen in win-
ter. Also breeds in high trees. Mr. Coe writes me that it generally
lays a little later than the Red-tail, makes a smaller nest, and is more
likely to build a new one every year. He has taken their eggs from
April 16th (only one egg, just deposited) till May 19th. They
generally lay three or four eggs, and sometimes five. Dr. Wood once
found six ! I once took from the stomach of one of these Hawks a
snake (Eutainia saurita) measuring twenty-two inches in length !

A young bird, which Dr. Wood raised, became very much attached
to him. He says : " by giving a whistle he would answer with his
ka-hee, ka-hee, ka-hee, and fly from the tree and alight on my shoulder,
expecting his accustomed morsel. I did not confine him at all, but
allowed him to fly where he pleased, knowing that he would not go far
off. The domestic fowls became so well acquainted with him that
they showed no signs of fear when he alighted on a tree or post near
them. One morning he did not come at my call, nor at noon. In
the afternoon I went in search of him and whistled till my lips would
not pucker any longer, yet no bird answered to the music. The next
morning he was brought to me as a rare specimen with the following

* MS. notes of the Stadtiniiller Brothers.
f MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

\ A Report on the Ornithology of Massachusetts, by William B. 0. Peabody, p.
268, 1839.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 87

sequel : ' He came and alighted on my fence within a few feet of me
when I was feeding my fowls. They flew in every direction. Care-
fully stepping up I caught the pretty creature and thought I would
save him for the doctor. Putting him into a box, I gave him some
corn; but he did not seem hungry, and would not eat a kerneV "*
Again, under the name of " Winter Hawk (Buteo hyemulis)" the
doctor continues : " Sitting patiently upon a tree near some spring
or marshy ground, it will watch by the hour for a frog to make its
appearance, when it is immediately seized and drowned. There is a
side-hill, some few miles from my office, from which springs con-
stantly run in the coldest weather, forming quite a wet, marshy place,
offering great inducements to the Winter Hawk. Here you may see
one or more of these birds every winter, perched upon a tree near by
watching for its favorite food. I received two specimens shot from
that tree in one day."f

165. Buteo PennsylvaniCUS (Wilson) Bonaparte. Broad-winged Hawk.

A rather rare resident, seldom seen in winter. It breeds sparingly
about New Haven, and Mr. W. W. Coe has taken quite a number of
their nests, together with several of the finest specimens of the bird
that I have ever seen, in the vicinity of Portland, Conn. He informs
me that they generally lay later than the Red-shouldered Hawks, and.
like them, often build a new nest every year.

Mr. F. W. Putnam (in 1856) gave it as a rare winter visitant so
far north as Essex Co., Mass.J

166. Archibuteo lagopus, var. Sancti-Johannis (Gmelin) Ridgway.

Rough-legged Hawk ; Black Hawk.

A winter visitor ; not common. I saw one near New Haven, Nov.
20th, 1875. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell tells me that he has seen it, in
spring, near North Haven, Conn. It is sometimes quite abundant on
the low meadows bordering the Connecticut River, where, in the
vicinity of East Windsor Hill, Conn., Dr. William Wood has
secured a large number of specimens. The splendid series thus
obtained, enabled him, many years ago, to prove the identity of the
two forms, lagopus and Sancti-Johannis, then considered, by our

* Hartford Times, chap, xii, June 8th, 1861.
•{•Hartford Times, chap, xiii, June 15th, 1861.
$ Proceed. Essex Inst., vol. i, p. 203. 1856.

88 C. H. Merriam — JBirds of Connecticut.

best Ornithologists, to be specifically distinct. As long ago as 1861
Dr. Wood published the following : " The difference in size is no
more than frequently occurs in birds of the same species. The shape
and general form, the small claws, the same habits in every respect,
their arrival at the same time, associating and sailing together, the
plumage of the one running into the other as it changes, so that it is
difficult, if not impossible, to tell where the dividing line comes, some
being jet-black, others not quite as dark, others slightly mixed, some
more so, certainly make a strong case in favor of their identity."*
Three years later the doctor wrote J. A. Allen that he had then taken
and examined about forty specimens, and could now state positively
that : " The Rough-legged Falcon and Black Hawk are the same"\
Both Baird and Coues, in their late works on our birds, state that the
examination of a large number of specimens leaves little doubt as to
the identity of the two forms under consideration, each using such
language as to indicate an original discovery dependant on his own
investigations, and neither alludes to the published records of Dr.
Wood, who, long before, arrived at the same conclusion, and from a
larger amount of material, and of better quality, than is to be found
in any other collection in the world.

167. Pandion haliaetUS (Linne) Cuvier. Fish Hawk; Osprey.

A summer resident, breeding abundantly along the coast, both on
the main land and on islands in the Sound. It is particularly abund-
ant during the spring migrations. It arrives late in March (March
28, 1877), remaining through October (Oct. 23). The migrants pass
northward during the latter part of April, and return again in Sep-
tember. Mr. Fred. Sumner Smith, of this city, tells me that a friend
of his found a Fish Hawk's nest in Heron Swamp (near New Haven)
as late as July 4th, (1870). It was a small one, being little larger
than a bushel basket, was placed in a clump of thick bushes, and con-
tained three eggs. Mr. W. W. Coe informs me that they do not
breed so far up the Connecticut River as Middletown and Portland,
but are common at its mouth (about Saybrook), and that he has taken
their nests, along the Sound, all the way from Saybrook to New
London, Conn. " Immense numbers of them breed regularly at
Plumb Island, Conn., where I saw, last spring, at least five hundred
nests, and over a thousand birds. There is only one small piece of

* Hartford Times, chap, xiv, June 22d, 1861.

•j- Allen's notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Mass., p. 14. 1869.

C. H, Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 89

timber on the island, and every tree contains a Fish Hawk's nest, or
from eight to ten Night Herons' nests. There is quite a colony of
Night Herons there. There not being trees enough for the Hawks
to nest in, many of them build on the ground and some lay their eggs
in the sand. They occupy the same nest for years, adding a little to
it each season, till some of them, that were originally placed flat on
the ground, had become so large that I could not look into them.
Many were seven feet high and measured six or eight feet across the
top ! On the 4th of June I found both young birds and fresh eggs in
some of the nests. The Crow Blackbirds had built their nests in
among the large sticks on the sides of the Fish Hawk's nests, there
being often four or five of the former placed about the sides of one of
the latter. Besides the Fish Hawks, Night Herons, and Crow Black-
birds, many other birds breed upon this island, among which might
be mentioned the Upland and Killdeer Plover, and large numbers of
Terns."*

The Rev. Wm. B. O. Peabody, in 1839, thus wrote of their habits:
" The Fish Hawk is on excellent terms with the fishermen, though
they are of the same trade. Its coming announces the arrival of the
shoals of fish that crowd our rivers in the spring. Perhaps its exemp-
tion from persecution may be owing also to its well known gentleness
of disposition. Unlike other birds of prey, the Fish Hawks are
social and friendly to each other. They come to us in flocks of eight
or ten, who build near each other, and rear their young in perfect
harmony, and this spirit of hospitality and kindness is extended to
other birds that seem to -have no claim upon them. The Crow Black-
birds are permitted to shelter in the interstices of their nests, which
are huge constructions, made of a cartload of heavy materials firmly
matted together. "f

1 68. Aquila chrysaetus Linne. Golden Eagle.

A rare winter visitant. Dr. Wood informs me that it is sometimes
seen about Hartford, Conn. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn.,
writes me that he sees one or two there every year, and that one
remained in that vicinity a week, about the middle of May last (1877).
One was secured at Deep River, Conn., Nov. 13th, 1875, by Mr. Harry
Flint. Zadock Thompson stated that they sometimes live in Vermont,
and says that " the nest is placed upon the inaccessible shelf of some

* MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

f Peabody's Report on the Ornithology of Mass., p. 265. 1839.
TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IV. 12 JULY, 1877.

90 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

rugged precipice, arid consists of a few sticks and weeds barely suf-
ficient to keep the eggs from rolling down the rocks These

eagles feed upon young fawns, hares, raccoons, wild turkeys, par-
tridges, and other quadrupeds and birds, but will feed on putrid flesh
only when severely pressed by hunger."*

1 69. HaliaetUS leUCOCephalus (Linne) Savigny. Bald Eagle.

A resident ; not uncommon during the migrations. Saw one flying
over the city, Nov. 20th, 1875. Also observed five individuals during
Feb. and March, 1876. They unquestionably breed about four miles
above the mouth of the Housatonic River, Conn., as I am told by my
friend, Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell. One was shot near the mouth of the
East Haven River in Nov., 1876, and is now in the collection of Mr.
Thomas Osborne of this city. Used to breed in suitable localities
throughout the State, and there were formerly two eyries within a
few miles of New Haven, one at Mt. Carmel, and the other on Salton-
stall Ridge, f

Linsley kept an immature specimen (called by him " Washington's
Eagle") alive for some time, concerning which he writes: "I kept him
awhile confined, but soon found it unnecessary, because if he left my
premises he would return to the stand at night. I have known him
to eat fourteen birds (mostly King-birds), and then he was satisfied
for a week. He appeared to prefer this mode of living, and paid no
attention to a daily supply. He, however, in the course of the summer,
became so mischievous among the young ducks of my neighbors, that
I was compelled to kill him. A single anecdote of his conduct may
not be uninteresting: While he had possession of my front yard,
occupying the centre as his stand (the walks making a semicircle to
the door), he would remain perfectly quiet if gentlemen or ladies
entered ; but if a person with tattered garments, or such persons as
were not accustomed to come in at the front door, entered the yard,
it was actually dangerous for them, and they could only escape the
tremendous grasp of his talons by running with their full strength
and shutting; the gate after them. Facts of this kind often occurred,
and I was occasionally compelled to release from his grasp such indi-
viduals as he had taken captive. With one claw in the sward and
grass, he would hold quietly any man with the other."

* History of Vermont, by Zadock Thompson, p. 59, 1842.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts. vol. xliv. No. 2, p. 251, April, 1843.

.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 91

In 1634, William Wood wrote : " The Eagles of the Countrey be of
two sorts, one like the Eagles that be in England, the other is some-
thing bigger, with a great white head and white tayle : these bee
commonly called Gripes ; these prey upon Duckes and Geese, and
such Fish as are cast upon the Sea-shore. And although an Eagle be
counted King of that feathered regiment, yet is there a certaine blacke
Hawke that beates him; so that he is constrayned to soare so high,
till heate expell his adversary."*

Family, CATHARTIDJE.

1 70. Cathartes aura (Linne) Illiger. Turkey Buzzard.

A rare visitor from the South, at present, although once " not un-
common "f according to Linsley, who further states: "I have known
it in Connecticut from a child, having at that period counted twenty in
a flock in Northford in the month of August." "At the South, where
they abound, it is seldom one attacks domestic poultry ; but many
years since I saw in Northford, in this State, a splendid male Turkey
Buzzard pounce down upon a chicken about three-quarters grown,
and within about three rods of where I was standing with two other
persons. As he turned his eye upon us, still standing upon the
chicken, he appeared so much alarmed as to be unable to rise ; we all
ran upon him, and when within a few feet of him he rose, just clear-
ing our heads, and dropping the chicken at our feet, he hurried off."];
This fact is particularly interesting, since they are commonly believed
to feed exclusively on carrion. Nuttall heard that they were "ac-
cused, at times, of attacking young pigs and lambs, beginning their
assault by picking out the eyes." But that he did not believe it is
evident, for he goes on to say : " Mr. Waterton, however, while at
Demerara, watched them for hours together amidst reptiles of all
descriptions, but they never made any attack upon them. He even
killed lizards and frogs arid put them in their way, but they did/ not
appear to notice them till they had attained the putrid scent. So
that a more harmless animal, living at all upon flesh, is not in exist-
ence, than the Turkey Vulture."§ Nevertheless, since our own mod-

* New England's Prospect, p. 30, 1 634.

f Regarding its former abundance, Mr. J. N. Clark writes me that an old hunter1
told him "that they used to be very common" about the mouth of the Connecticut,
where "he had shot a good many, but not recently."

\ Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 250, April, 1843.

§ Nuttall's Manual of Ornithology, p. 45, 1832.

92 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

era classification of the Animal Kingdom is not sufficiently plastic to
admit of grouping together chickens, pigs, and lambs, under the
head of " Reptiles," along with " lizards and frogs," and the like, and
since the word of so careful and conscientious an observer as Mr.
Linsley is unimpeachable, we are forced to admit that these "harm-
less animals " do occasionally visit the farm-yard with " malice afore-
thought," and that a young fowl, safely lodged in the otherwise
empty stomach, may not prove an altogether distasteful article, ex-
erting, perchance, as soothing an effect over the sluggish intellect of
one of these indolent scavengers as the most delicious morsel of pu-
trescent carrion. Indeed, Audubon says of it : " they often watch the
young kid, the lamb, and the pig, issuing from the mother's womb,
and attack it with direful success." "Any flesh that they can at
once tear with their very powerful bill in pieces, is swallowed, no
matter how fresh ; . . . . but it frequently happens that these birds
are forced to wait until the hide of the prey gives way to the bill."*
Mr. Grinnell tells me that one was shot at the mouth of the Hous-.
atonic River, Conn., in June, 1875, by 0. Merwin, of Milford Point.
Turkey Buzzards have been observed at Say brook, Conn., by Mr. J.
N. Clark) recorded by Purdie ;f two were taken in Massachusetts,];
and one even strayed as far to the north as Calais, Maine, where it
was captured by Mr. G. A. Boardman (recorded by Prof. A. E. Ver-
rill).§ Dr. Wood tells me that one was seen, feeding on carrion,
near East Windsor, Conn., only three years ago (1874). The Rev.
J. Howard Hand writes me as follows, concerning the occurrence of
Turkey Buzzards in Connecticut : "I took one specimen at Cromwell,
Conn., Sept. 23d, 1874; also one at Westbrook, Conn., Oct. 16th,
1875, and again eight specimens on Oct. 18th (two days afterwards).
They are not common." Dr. Wm. O. Ayres writes me that he took
one at New Haven in 1853.

Along our eastern coast it does not breed farther north than South-
ern New Jersey; but in the West its range is much more extensive,
its northern limit being " about 53° in the region of the Saskatchewan,
where it arrives in June,"|| and was obtained by Sir John Richardson.
Dr. Coues saw it at Fort Randall, Dakota, lat. 43° 11', and I have

* Appendix to Wilson's American Ornithology, vol. iv, pp. 254 and 258, 1831.
f Am. Nat., vol. vii, No. 11, p. 693, Nov., 1873.

\ Samuel's Descriptive Catalogue of the Birds of Massachusetts, p. 3, 1864. [From
Agr. Mass., App., p. xviii, 1863.]

§Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat Hist., vol. ix, p. 122, Sept., 1862.
I Coues' Birds of the Northwest, p. 380, 1874.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 93

myself observed it in Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. It was once
common throughout New England, as attested by numerous old
writers. Josselyn must have been blessed with a keen appetite and
an admirable digestion, for he says : " The turkie-buzzard, a kind of
kite, but as big as a turkie ; brown of color, and very good meat."*

NOTE. — The Black Vulture, Catkartes atratus (Ray) Lesson, may
sometimes occur as a rare straggler from the South, and the Rev. J.
Howard Hand writes me that he thinks he has killed three specimens
of it at Westbrook, Conn. (Aug. 10, Sept. 12 and 21, 1874), but they
may have been young Turkey Buzzards. Unfortunately the speci-
mens were not preserved. Several individuals have been recorded
from Massachusetts,! and it has even straggled as far north as Maine
(Calais, G. A. Boardman)£ and Nova Scotia.

Family, COLUMBID^E.

171. Ectopistes migratoria (Linne) Swainson. Wild Pigeon.

Sometimes quite abundant during the migrations. A few breed
(late in May). Arrives about the first of April (Apr. 2, 1875, Sage).
Mr. Coe tells me that numbers of them bred about Portland, Conn.,
in 1875, and that a few generally nest there.

Concerning the enormous nocks of Wild Pigeons which passed to
and fro over the country in former years (and which, on a smaller
scale, are still to be met with in some parts of the West), Gov. Thomas
Dudley wrote, as early as 1631 : " Vpon the 8 of March, from after
it was faire day light, untitl about 8 of the clock in the forenoone,
there flew over all the tounes in our plantacons soe many flocks of
doues, each flock conteyning many thousands and some soe many
that they obscured the lighte, that it passeth credit, if but the truth
should bee written, and the thing was the more strange, because I
scarce remember to have scene tenne doues since 1 came into the
country. They were all turtles as appeared by diverse of them wee
killed flying, somewhat bigger than those of Europe, and they flew
from the north east to the south west ; but what it portends I know
not."§ And in the following year (1632), Thomas Morton, of Clif-

* New England's Rarities Discovered. By John Josselyn, p. 11, 1672.
f Coues' List of the Birds of New England, p, 6, 1868 ; J. A. Allen's Rarer Birds
of Mass., p. 47, 1869; etc.

\ Am. Nat., vol. iii, p. 498, Nov., 1869.

§ Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts, Tract 4, p. 17-18.

94 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

ford's Inn, speaking of his impressions of the country, when first he
landed in New England, said : " The more I looked the more I liked
it. And when I had more seriously considered of the bewty of the
place, with all her faire indowments, I did not thinke that in all the
knowne world it could be paralel'd." " Contained within the volume
of the Land, Fowles in abundance, Fish in multitude, and discovered
besides ; Millions of Turtledoves one the greene boughes : which sate
pecking, of the full ripe pleasant grapes, that were supported by the
lusty trees, whose fruitfull loade did cause the armes to bend, which
here and there dispersed (you might see) Lillies and of the Daph-
nean-tree, which made the Lande to mee seeme paradice, for in mine
eie, t'was Natures Master-peece."*

In looking over a curious old pamphlet, printed in 1630, and
entitled "New-England's Plantation. Or, a Short and trve descrip-
tion of the Commodities and discommodities of that countrey.
Written by a reuerend Diuine now there resident.", I find the follow-
ing notice of the Wild Pigeon : " In the Winter time I haue seene
Flockes of Pidgeons, and haue eaten of them : they doe flye from
Tree to Tree as other Birds doe, which our Pidgeons will not doe in
England: they are of all colours as ours are, but their wings and
tayles are fair longer, and therefore it is likely they fly swifter to
escape the terrible Hawkes in this Countrey."f Samuel Williams,
in his Natural and Civil History of Vermont (published in 1794),
writes as follows : " In the Wild Pigeon, the multiplying power of
Nature acts with great force and vigour. The male and female
always pair : They sit alternately upon the eggs, and generally hatch
but two at a time ; but this is repeated several times in a season. —
The accounts which are given of the number of pigeons in the uncul-
tivated parts of the country, will appear almost incredible to those
who have never seen their nests. The surveyor, Richard Hazen,
who ran the line which divides Massachusetts from Vermont, in 1741,
gave this account of the appearances, which he met with to the west-
ward of Connecticut river. l For three miles together the pigeon's
nests were so thick, that five hundred might have been told on the
beech trees at one time ; and could they have been counted on the
hemlocks, as well, I doubt not but five thousand at one turn round.'
The remarks of the first settlers of Vermont, fully confirm this
account The settlement of the country has since set bounds

* Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts, Tract 5, p. 42.

f Reprinted in Peter Force's Historical Tracts, vol. i, Tract 12, p. 11.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 95

to this luxuriancy of animal life ; diminished the number of these
birds, and drove them further to the northward."*

Two centuries after Morton's description was written, Nuttall
remarks : " To talk of hundreds of millions of individuals of the same
species habitually associated in feeding, roosting, and breeding, with-
out any regard to climate or season as an operating cause in these
gregarious movements, would at first appear to be wholly incredible.

The approach of the mighty feathered army with a loud

rushing roar, and a stirring breeze, attended by a sudden darkness,
might be mistaken for a fearful tornado about to overwhelm the face
of nature. For several hours together the vast host, extending some
miles in breadth, still continues to pass in flocks without diminution.
The whole air is filled with them ; their muting resembles a shower
of sleet, and they shut out the light as if it were an eclipse. At the
approach of the Hawk, their sublime and beautiful aerial evolutions
are disturbed like the ruffling squall extending over the placid ocean ;
as a thundering torrent they rush together in a concentrating mass,
and heaving in undulating and glittering sweeps towards the earth,
at length again proceed in lofty meanders like the rushing of a
mighty animated river." " Alighting, they industriously search
through the withered leaves for their favorite mast [chiefly beech
nuts and acorns] ; those behind are continually rising and passing
forward in front in such quick succession, that the whole flock, still
circling over the ground, seems yet on the wing. As the sun begins
to decline they depart in a body for the general roost, which is often
hundreds of miles distant, and is generally chosen in the tallest and
thickest forests almost divested of underwood. Nothing can exceed
the waste and desolation of these nocturnal resorts ; the vegetation
becomes buried by their excrements to the depth of several inches.
The tall trees, for thousands of acres, are completely killed, and the
ground strewed with many branches torn down by the clustering
weight of the birds which have rested upon them. The whole region
for several years presents a continued scene of devastation, as if swept
by the resistless blast of a whirlwind."! Wilson tells us that their
breeding places are still more extensive than the roosts, mentioning
one in Kentucky " which stretched through the woods in nearly a
north and south direction ; was several miles in breadth, and was
said to be upwards of forty miles in extent !" " On some single trees

* The Natural and Civil History of Vermont, p. 114, 1794.
f Nuttall's Manual of Ornithology, vol. i, pp. 631-2, 1832.

96 C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

upwards of one hundred nests were found, each containing one young
only,"* though undoubtedly two eggs are always laid — the one hatch-
ing first and crowding the other out of the nest, which is, at best,
but a frail cradle, formed merely " of a few slender dead twigs, negli-
gently put together, and with so little art that the concavity appears
scarcely sufficient for the transient reception of the young,"f which,
like the eggs, may readily be seen from below, through the delicate
net-work of twigs. Wilson says it was dangerous to walk under
these flying and fluttering millions, from the frequent fall of large
branches, broken down by the weight of the multitudes above, and
which, in their descent, often destroyed numbers of the birds them-
selves; while the clothing of those engaged in traversing the woods
were completely covered with the excrements of the Pigeons." " The
ground was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young
squab Pigeons, which had been precipitated from above, and on
which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, Buzzards, and Eagles,
were sailing about in great numbers, seizing the squabs from their
nests at pleasure. "J Audubon's description of a night passed at one
of their roosting places deserves introduction here : Reaching it
early in the afternoon, before the pigeons had come in, " many trees
two feet in diameter" were observed " broken oif at no great distance
from the ground; and the branches of many of the largest and tallest
had given way, as if the forest had been swept by a tornado."
" Everything proved," continued Audubon, " that the number of
birds resorting to this part of the forest must be immense beyond
conception. As the period of their arrival approached, their foes
[man] anxiously prepared to receive them. Some were furnished
with iron pots containing sulphur, others with torches of pine-knots,
many with poles, and the rest with guns. The sun was lost to our
view, yet not a pigeon had arrived. Everything was ready, and all
eyes were gazing on the clear sky, which appeared in glimpses
amidst the tall trees. Suddenly there burst forth a general cry of
' here they come !' The noise which they made, though yet distant,
reminded me of a hard gale at sea, passing through the rigging of a
close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived and passed over me, I felt a
current of air that surprised me. Thousands were soon knocked
down by the pole men. The birds continued to pour in. The fires
were lighted, and a magnificent, as well as wonderful, and almost
terrifying, sight presented itself. The Pigeons, arriving by thousands,

* American Ornithology, by Alexander Wilson, vol. ii, pp. 295-6. Edinburgh, 1831.
f Wilson, ibid., pp. 295-6. t Nuttall, ibid., p. 633.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 97

alighted everywhere, one above another, until solid masses were
formed on the branches all around. Mere and there the perches gave
way under the weight with a crash, and, falling to the ground, de-
stroyed hundreds of the birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups
with which every stick was loaded. It was a scene of uproar and
confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or even to shout to
those persons who were nearest to me. Even the reports of the guns
were seldom heard, and I was made aware of the firing only by

seeing the shooters reloading The Pigeons were constantly

coming, and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in

the number of those that arrived Towards the approach of

day the noise in some measure subsided ; long before objects were
distinguishable the Pigeons began to move off in a direction quite
different from that in which they had arrived the evening before ;
and at sunrise all that were able to fly had disappeared. The howl-
ing of the wolves now reached our ears, and the foxes, lynxes, cou-
gars, bears, racoons, opossums, and pole-cats were seen sneaking off,
whilst Eagles and Hawks of different species, accompanied by a
crowd of Vultures, came to supplant them, and enjoy their share of
the spoil." Two farmers, "distant more than a hundred miles, had
driven upwards of three hundred pigs to be fattened on the Pigeons
which were to be slaughtered."*

" Audubon attempts to reckon the number of Pigeons in one of
these flocks, and the daily quantity of food consumed by it. He
takes, as an example, a column of one mile in breadth, and supposes
it passing over us, without interruption, for three hours, at the rate
of one mile per minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180
miles by 1, averaging 180 square miles; and allowing two Pigeons
to the square yard, we have one billion one hundred and fifteen mil-
lions one hundred and thirty-six thousand Pigeons in one flock : and
as every Pigeon consumes fully half a pint per day, the quantity
required to feed such a flock must be eight millions seven hundred
and twelve thousand bushels per day !"f

" Indeed, for a time," Nuttall correctly remarks, "in many places
nothing scarcely is seen, talked of, or eaten, but Pigeons!"

* The Birds of America, by John James Audubon, vol. v, pp. 29-30.
f Wilson, ibid, Appendix, vol. iv, p. 323.

TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IY. 13 AUG., 1877.

98 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

172. Zensectlira Carolinensis (Linne) Bonaparte. Carolina Dove;

"Turtle Dove."

A rather common summer resident, sometimes remaining through
the winter (Jan. 15, 1874; 16, 1875, Grinnell). Arrives early in
May (May 5, 1875, shot, Sage). On May 24th, 1876, I found a nest
containing two fresh eggs, on a maple sapling, fifteen feet above the
ground. In the south and west they generally, though by no means
exclusively, breed on the ground.* In central Massachusetts I have
taken it as late as the middle of November (1873). It is particularly
abundant throughout the far west, and near the Pacific coast has
been seen as far north as " lat. 49° in summer, while a few winter in
California''! about San Francisco, latitude 38°. Mr. Stadtmiiller
found a nest of this species, about twelve feet from the ground, in a
pine grove, near New Haven, June 20th, 1874. "It was close to the
trunk of the tree, and consisted of a few sticks placed loosely on top
of a common squirrel's nest, and contained one egg and one young
dove. I took the egg and four weeks later went to get the nest, but
found another egg in it."J Surely the squirrel's nest must have been
deserted, or it would hardly have constituted a safe base for bird's
eggs.

NOTE. — The Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, var. Americana
(Bartram) Coues, long since exterminated from this State, was once com-
mon here. Wild Turkies were plenty in 1780, and occasionally seen as
late as 1790.§ Regarding their former abundance in New England,
one Thomas Morton, of Clifford's Inn, Gent., wrote (printed by
Charles Green, in 1632): "Turkies there are, which divers times in
great flocks have sallied by our doores ; and then a gunne (being
commonly in a redinesse) salutes them with such a courtesie, as makes
them take a turne in the Cooke roome. They daunce by the doore so
well. Of these there hath bin killed, that have weighed forty-eight
pound a peece. They are by mainy degrees sweeter than the tame
Turkies of England, feede them how you can. I had a salvage who
hath taken out his boy in a morning, and they have brought home

* Vide : Cones' Birds of the Northwest, p. 389, 1874; Allen. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool.,
vol. iii, No. 6, p. 170, 1872; Cooper, Ornithology of California, p. 513, 1870; Mer-
riam, Zool. Report in 6th Annual Report U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., p. 710, 1872 ; Hen-
shaw, Report upon Ornithological Specimens, p. 68, 1874.

•f- Cooper, Ornithology of California, p. 513, 1870.

\ MS. notes of the Stadtmiiller Brothers.

§ A Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut, by David D.
Field, p. 19. 1819.

O. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 99

their loades about noone. I have asked them what number they
found in the woods, who have answered neent metawna, which is a
thousand that day ; the plenty of them is such in those parts. They
are easily killed at rooste, because the one being killed, the other sit
fast neverthelesse, and this is no bad commodity."* Linsley says :
" The last Wild Turkey that I have known in Connecticut, was taken
by a relative of mine, about thirty years since [about 1813], on
Totoket Mountain, in North ford. It was overtaken in a deep snow,
and thereby outrun. It weighed, when dressed, twenty-one pounds, "f
In 1842, Zadock Thompson wrote that a few " continue still to visit
and breed upon the mountains in the southern part of the State"
(Vermont).]; As late as 1833 it was " frequently met with on Mt.
Ilolyoke," but had " become scarce and nearly extinct" in other parts
of the State.§ Professor Wm. D. Whitney once mounted a fine
specimen of the Wild Turkey killed on Mt. Torn, Mass., Nov. 1st,
1847. It may now be seen in the beautiful case of birds given by
Prof. Whitney to the Peabody Museum of Yale College, and is of
particular value as being, in all probability, the last of its race seen
in that State. In the month of October, " the Turkey Moon of the
aborigines," they used to wander far and wide in quest of food, fre-
quently assembling in vast numbers in districts where there was an
abundance. Audubon tells us that " When they come upon a river,
they betake themselves to the highest eminences, and there often
remain a whole day, or sometimes two, as if for the purpose of con-
sultation. During this time the males are heard gobling, calling, and
making much ado, and are seen strutting about, as if to raise their
courage to a pitch befitting the emergency. Even the females and
young assume something of the same pompous demeanor, spread out
their tails, and run round each other, purring loudly, and performing
extravagant leaps. At length, when the weather appears settled,
and all round is quiet, the whole party mount to the tops of the
highest trees, whence, at a signal, consisting of a single cluck, given
by a leader, the flock takes flight for the opposite shore. "||

Josselyn says " their eggs are very wholesome and restore decayed
nature exceedingly."^

* Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts, Tract 5, p. 48.
f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 264. April, 1843.
% History of Vermont, Natural, Civil, and Statistical. By Z. Thompson, p. 101. 1842.
§ See Hitchcock's Report, p. 549. 1833.
|| Audubon's Birds of America, vol. v, p. 43.
^[ Two Voyages to New England, p. 99. 1 «75.

100 C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Family, TETRAONID^E.

173. Bonasa Timbellus (Linne) Stephens. Ruffed Grouse.

A common resident. Breeds on both East and West Rock, near
New Haven, as well as throughout the State. In May, 1877, Prof.
Verrill found a nest, containing twelve eggs, within ten feet of a
traveled road, near the city. In the vicinity of Easthampton, Mass.,
they were particularly abundant, and on one occasion I frightened
one off from an apple tree directly behind the "Town Hall." Large
numbers of them are caught in snares every fall, and the market is
well supplied with native birds. Of it, in 1632, Morton wrote :
" Partridges, there are much, like our Partridges of England, they
are of the same plumes*, but bigger in body. They have not the
signe of the horseshoe-shoe on the breast as the Partridges of Eng-
land ; nor are they coloured about the heads as those are ; they sit on
the trees. For I have scene 40. in one tree at a time ; yet at night
they fall on the ground, and sit until morning so together ; and are
dainty flesh."*

174. Ortyx VirginiamiS (Linne) Bonaparte. Quail; Bob White.

A common resident, breeding in thick brushwood at South End
and many other places near New Haven.

This species also attracted Morton's attention, for he says : " There
are quailes also, but bigger then the quailes in England. They take
trees also : for I have numbered 60. upon a tree at a time. The cocks
doe call at the time of the yeare, but with a different note from the
cock quailes of England."*

NOTE. — The Prairie Chicken, or Pinnated Grouse, Cupidonia
cupido (Linne) Baird, was formerly a resident of New England, but,
like the Wild Turkey, was exterminated many years ago — at least so
far as the main land is concerned, for it is said that a few still exist
on some of the islands south of Cape Cod (Naushon for example,
and perhaps Martha's Vineyard). However, it is pretty certain that
many years have elapsed since the last " wild chicken" was seen in
Connecticut, for even Linsley, in 1842, gave it as a bird of the past.
Nuttall, ten years earlier (in 1832), said that they were still met with
" on the brushy plains of Long Island, and in similar shrubby barrens

* Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5, p. 48.

C\ If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 101

in Westford, Connecticut."* That our ancestors were fond of " fowl-
ing," and that it sometimes cost them their lives, may be seen from
the following : In October, 1636, one " Joseph Tilly, master of a bark,
came to anchor nearly opposite Calve's Island, and taking one man
with him, went on shore for the purpose of fowling. As soon as he
had discharged his piece, a large number of Pequots, rising from their
concealment, took him and killed his companion ; and then gratified
their malice by putting him to torture. They first cut off his hands
and then his feet ; after which he lived three days. But as nothing
which they inflicted upon him excited a groan, they pronounced him a
stout man."f And this occurred in the town of Saybrook, Conn., at
a time when many of our forefathers perished at the hands of the
Indians, before bringing them to submission. One Thomas Morton,
writing in 1(532, speaks of the presence of this bird in New England
in the following language : " There are a kinde of fowles which are
commonly called Pheisants, but whether they be pheysants or no, I
will not take upon mee, to determine. They are in form like our
pheisant-henne of England. Both the male and the female are alike ;
but they are rough footed : and have stareing feathers about the
head and neck, the body is as bigg as the pheysant-henne of Eng-
land ; and are excellent white flesh, and delicate white meate, yet we
seldom bestowe a shoot at them.";); The " white flesh" must have
been a mistake unless he referred to the Ruffed Grouse which is
immediately spoken of under the name of "Partridge." Nuttall
says of its habits : " The season for pairing is early in the spring, in
March or April. At this time the behavior of the male becomes
remarkable. Early in the morning he comes forth from his bushy
roost, and struts about with a curving neck, raising his ruff, expand-
ing his tail like a fan, and seeming to mimic the ostentation of the
Turkey. He now seeks out or meets his rival, and several pairs at a
time, as soon as they become visible through the dusky dawn, are
seen preparing for combat."§

* Manual of Ornithology, vol. i, p. 662. 1832.

f A Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut. By David D.
Field, p. 36. 1819.

\ Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5, p. 48.

§ Nuttall's Manual of Ornithology, vol. i, pp. 663-64. 1832.

102 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Family, CHARADRIIDJE.

1 75. Squatarola helvetica (Linne) Brehm. Black-bellied Plover.

Occurs during the migrations. Taken at Stratford by Linsley.
Mr. W. W. Coe has a splendid specimen of this bird, taken in fall, on
the Sound near the mouth of the Connecticut. Dr. F. W. Hall shot
several specimens about the middle of October (Oct. 18, 1873), and
tells me that they were remarkably tame.

176. Charadrius fulvus, var. Virgillicus (Bork.) Coues. Golden

Plover.

Common during migrations.. Capt. Brooks informs me that they
are " plenty at Guilford, Conn., in spring and early fall," and that
" sometimes a few stop in the fall and stay a few days" at Faulkner's
Island. Linsley found it at Stratford. Mr. Coe has taken it as far
inland as Portland, Conn., on the river.

1 77. JEgialitlS VOCifera (Linne) Bonaparte. Killdeer Plover.

A summer resident, but not very common. It generally arrives
late in March (Feb. 24, 1875, plenty by last of March ; April 5, 1872 ;
Portland, Conn., W. W. Coe). Mr. Coe informs me that it breeds on
Plumb Island, and in the vicinity of Portland, Conn., where it used
to be very common.

1 78. .^Egialitis Wilsonia (Ord) Cassin. Wilson's Plover.

Not common. Linsley took it at Stratford. It has also been taken
on Long Island (Giraud), but seldom strays so far North.

179. ^Egialltis semipalmata (Bonap.) Cabanis. Semipalmated Plover.

A common migrant. Arrives about, or before, the middle of May
(May 17, 1876, Osborne). During the latter part of May, and first
of June, they may be seen, in small flocks, running along the beach,
in search of food, as the tide goes out. Mr. W. W. Coe writes me
that he has taken it at Portland, Conn., twenty-five miles from the
Sound.

180. .^Egialitis meloda (Wilson) Bonaparte. Piping Plover ; Ringneck.

A summer resident. Linsley found it breeding at Stratford. Mr.
J. N. Clark also finds it breeding at Saybrook, Conn., and Mr. W. W.
Coe has taken it at Portland.

C. IL Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 103

Family, H^EMATOPODID^E.

181. HaematOpUS palliatUS Temminck. Oyster-catcher.

A rare migrant. Linsley says: "The Oyster-catcher is now rare
here, but fifteen years since they were nut very uncommon in
autumn."*

1 82. Strepsilas interpres (Linne) Illiger. Turnstone.

A common migrant. Linsley gave it from Stratford, and Capt.
Brooks writes me that it is " quite common in spring and fall" about
Faulkner's Island, Conn. Mr. Sage, of Portland, has a beautiful male,
which he killed at Westbrook, Conn., May 23d, 1877. In fall it
returns during the latter part of August (Aug. 31, 1874, F. W. Hall).

Family, BECUBVIBOSTBID^E.

183. Becurvirostra Americana Gmeiin. Avocet.

A rather rare migrant. Josiah G. Ely, Esq., writes me that he has
seen but one specimen of the Avocet taken on our coast. " It was
caught, in 1871, between Saybrook and East Lyme, in an old seine
strung out on the beach to dry," and was kept alive for some time by
a storekeeper.

Family, PHALABOPODID^E.

1 84. Steganopus "Wilsoni (Sabine) Coues. Wilson's Phalarope.

Of rare and almost accidental occurrence in New England, though
common throughout the West. Linsley says of it: "Wilson's Pha-
larope 1 have in my cabinet ; it was killed in Bridgeport [Conn.] and
sent to me by a friend, and is probably one of the rarest birds in New
England. It is not only beautiful, but the great quantity of plumage
on a bird so small and delicate, together with his unique bill, seems
to render it one of the most peculiar of this class of animals."f

1 85. PhalaropllS flllicarius (Linne) Bonaparte. Eed Phalarope.

A rare visitor from the North. Mr. W. W. Coe has a specimen in
his cabinet, killed at Portland, Conn., in September.

* Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 265. April. 1843. f Op. cit., p. 268.

104 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Family, SCOL.OPACIDJE.

1 86. Philohela minor (Gmelin) Gray. Woodcock.

A resident ; common from early spring till November. A lew
commonly, if not regularly, winter in low swamps. They arrive early
in March ("Mar. 3, 1877, Middletown, Conn., killed by flying against
a telegraph wire"*), and breed very early. On the 3d of April, 1877,
my young friend, Walter R. Nichols, found, near Branford, Conn., a
nest containing four fresh eggs. They may breed twice, for Mr.
Nichols found a second nest, in the same locality, and containing the
same number of eggs, as late as July 20th, 1877. The eggs were
partially incubated, and the old bird was shot as she left the nest.
Mr. W. W. Coe writes that he found one, near Portland, Conn., April
12, 1872, also containing four eggs: "The nest was on a bog, in the
middle of a brook which ran through a swamp. It was not more than
six inches above the water. The grass was short, and there were no
bushes near, so that it was very much exposed, but still hard to find,
for, although we had hunted the ground over carefully, the old bird
did not fly off until my man stepped on the bog. I had my old dog
Dincks with me, and his nose is first class, and yet he passed within
a foot of her several times without scenting her, which satisfies me
that a bird sitting on her eggs gives out no scent, for this is not the
first time I have tried it. The nest was simply a shallow hole scraped
in the top of the bog ; there was a little coarse grass, a few leaves, and
one or two of the Woodcock's feathers in it."f Mr. John H. Sage
tells me that, while collecting with Mr. W. W. Coe near Portland,
Conn., May 30th, 1874, they flushed a Woodcock with young, one of
which she carried off in her claws ! and Mr. Coe writes me, " in regard
to the Woodcock carrying off its young : Mr. Sage and I were not
four feet apart when the old bird got up between us, rose about three
feet, and then dove down again and picked up a young bird with her
feet, and, with her tail spread and held forward under the young,
carried it off about eight rods, and came back for the others, but my
boy frightened her away."

Thomas Morton, in 1632, thus alluded to the resemblance between
our bird and the European Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) : " Simpes,
there are like our Simpes in all respects, with very little difference.
I have shot at them onely, to see what difference I could finde be-

* MS. notes of John H. Sage. f MS. notes of W. W. Coe.

C. IL Merriain — Birds of Connecticut. 105

tweene them and those of my native country, and more I did not
regard them."*

187. G-allinagO "Wilson! (Temminck) Bonaparte. Wilson's Snipe.

A resident ; common during the migrations ; sometimes breeds.
In October and November (some remain into December) large num-
bers are shot on our salt marshes. Mr. W. W. Coe took it Feb. 4th,
1872, near Portland, Conn., and thinks they sometimes winter there in
low swampy places. Arrives in March (Mar. 18, 1874, Sage). Mr. W.
W. Coe and Mr. J. H. Sage inform me that they took a nest containing
three fresh eggs of this species at Portland, Conn., May 13th, 1874.
The eggs were "fully identified, as the parent bird was found on the
nest."f Jt was not previously known to breed as far south as Con-
necticut. The nearest approach to it is " a set of eggs in the Smithson-
ian labeled Oneida Co., N. Y."J Mr. Coe tells me that there were a
number of Snipe in the field at the time, and he thinks there were
other nests which they did not find.

188. MacrorhamphTlS griseus (Gmelin) Leach. Red-breasted Snipe.

Not rare during the migrations. " Stratford," Linsley. Mr. J. H.
Sage of Portland has a specimen which he shot at Saybrook, Conn.,
Aug. 21st, 1874.

1 89. Ereunetes pnsillllS (Linne) Cassin. Semipalmated Sandpiper.

A summer resident; common along the shore during the migrations.
Mr. W. W. Coe has seen it in June. On the 20th of July, 1877, Mr.
Walter R. Nichols found, at Branford, Conn., four eggs of a small
Sandpiper. They were placed on a few straws in a slight excavation
in a corn field, about half a mile from the shore. Supposing them to
be the eggs of this species I sent one to Dr. Brewer, who writes: "In
the absence of my cabinet, for comparison, I cannot be certain, but I
have little or no doubt that it is the egg of Ereunetes pusillus." It
is unnecessary to state that this is the first authentic record of its
breeding in southern New England. In fall, Dr. F. W. Hall has taken
it as early as Aug. 25th (1874).

* Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5, p. 47.
f MS. notes of John H. Sage, Esq.
\ Cones' Birds of the Northwest, p. 476.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 14 AUG., 1877.

106 C. H. Merriam — .Birds of Connecticut.

190. Tringa miimtilla Vieillot. Least Sandpiper.

A common migrant. Maritime. Found along the shore in May
and early June, and again in August and September.

191. Tringa maCTllata Vieillot. Pectoral Sandpiper ; Jack Snipe.

Common during migrations. Mr. Coe tells me that it is common
in fall as far up the Connecticut as Middletown. Arrives from the
north early in August (Aug. 6, 1873, Hall).

192. Tringa fusciCOllis Vieillot. Bonaparte's Sandpiper; White-rumped

Sandpiper.

Not rare during migrations, though Linsley took only two speci-
mens at Stratford, Conn. Dr. Hall has taken it late in August (Aug.
31, 1874).

193. Tringa maritima Brmmich. Purple Sandpiper.

Not uncommon during the migrations. Many winter on the islands
along the coast. Not found by Linsley. Captain Brooks writes me
from Faulkner's Island that "Purple Sandpipers come here in early
fall and stay till spring," and that they are common and get to be
quite tame.

194. Tringa alpina, var. Americana Cassin. Dunlin; "Ox-Bird."
A common migrant ; a few may winter.

195. Tringa Sllbarquata (Guld) Temminck. Curlew Sandpiper.

A rare visitor along our coast. Mr. Josiah G. Ely writes me that
one was shot near Saybrook, Conn., some time ago, and I am informed
by Dr. D. Crary, of Hartford, that a specimen of this species was
killed, Oct. 3d, 1859, at Keeny's Cove, on the Connecticut River, in
East Hartford (Hockanum), Conn. Also, Dr. E. L. R. Thompson, of
this city, tells me that he shot three Curlew Sandpipers on the Quin-
nipiac River (near New Haven) in June, 1874. Dr. Wm. O. Ayres,
now of Easthampton, Long Island, writes me that he ''killed it once
at Miller's Place, L. I., in 1839,"* and it has also been taken in Mas-
sachusetts.f

* See also Giraud's Birds of Long Island, 1844.

f Catalogue of the Birds of New England. By T. M. Brewer, p. 13. 1875.

C. If. Merriani — Birds of Connecticut. 107

196. Tringa camitllS Linne. Red-breasted Sandpiper ; Knot.
Common during migrations. Taken at Saybrook, by Mr. Sage,

Aug. 21st, 1874; and Mr. Coe tells me that it is found about the
Connecticut River, near Middletown, in summer.

NOTE. — The Stilt Sandpiper, Micropalama himantopus (Bonap.)
Baird ; and Baird's Sandpiper, Tringa Bairdii Coues, doubtless
occur along the coast during migrations.

1 97. Calidris arenaria (Linne) Illiger. Sanderling.

Occurs during migrations, and is extremely abundant in fall. Lins-
ley took it at Stratford. Mr. Grinnell informs me that they arrive
during the latter part of September, remaining late into October.
Thomas Morton wrote of them in 1632 : "Sanderlings are dainty bird,
more full bodied than a Snipe, and I was much delighted to feede
on them, because they were fatt, and easie to come by, because I
went but a stepp or to for them : and I have killed betweene foure
and five dozen at a shoot which would lead me home. Their foode is
at ebbing water on the sands, of small seeds, that grows on weeds
there, and are very good pastime in August."*

198. Limosa fedoa (Linne) Ord. Great Marbled Godwit.

A rare migrant. Linsley found it at Stratford, Conn., in August,
1 842, " in large flocks, but very shy."f Nearly an hundred years ago,
Thomas Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, stated that "it inhabits
Hudson's Bay and Connecticut."];

199. Limosa Hlldsonica (Latham) Swainson. Hudsonian Godwit.

A rare migrant. Taken at Stratford by Linsley. Coues suggests
that the Limosa Eaioardsii? of Linsley (p. 267) is "perhaps an
albino "§ of this species, but Pennant thought it was the Avocet
(Recurvirostra An<ericana).\\ The good old preacher (Linsley), in
speaking of these birds, could not take his Lord's name in vain on so
slight a provocation — hence he called them " ^oo^wits."

* New English Canaan, p. 47, 1632. Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii,
Tract 5.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 267, 1843.

{ Arctic Zoology, vol. ii, p. 465, 1785.

§ List of the Birds of New England, p. 48, 1808.

|| Arctic Zoology, vol. ii, p. 502, 1785.

108 C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

200. Totanus semipalmatus (Gmelin) Temminck. Willet; Tattler.

A summer resident ; not common. Linsley found it breeding at
Stratford, Conn. Mr. Grinnell has taken it, near Milford, late in the
summer, and Mr. W. W. Coe took a nest, containing three eggs, at
Madison, Conn., June 5th, 1873.*

201. Totanus melanoleuCUS (Gmelin) Vieillot. Greater Yellow-legs.

Common during migrations. Arrives in May (May 14, 1874, Sage),
remaining till June (June 1, 1877, Sage). Found both coastwise and
in the interior. I first became acquainted with it at Yellowstone
Lake, where I killed four at one shot, Aug. 23d, 1872.

202. TotanilS flavipes (Gmelin) Vieillot. Lesser Yellow-legs.

A common migrant. Killed one May 7th, 1877, on a fresh water
pond near Meriden, Conn. Returns about the middle of August
(Aug. 17, 1874, Hall).

NOTE. — Totanus Chloropus Nilsson. Green-shanlis.

Linsley states that a specimen of this rare straggler was taken at
Stratford, Conn., in the autumn of 1842.f This is, so far as I am
aware, the only recorded instance of its capture north of Florida
(Audubon shot three on Land Key, Fla., May 28, 1832), J where its
occurrence seems to be purely accidental, its proper home being in
the "Old World;" and since Dr. Coues states that it was given by
Linsley "very possibly through an erroneous identification,'^ I do
not feel justified in including it among the species ascertained to
occur within our limits.

203. Totanus SOlitarius (Wilson) Audubon. Solitary Tattler.
Common during the migrations. Arrives early in May (May 2,

1877), frequenting muddy ponds and sluggish streams, in small flocks
of about half a dozen. Solitary individuals may be seen as late as
early June, (Coe; June 10, Grinnell).

204. Tringoides macularius (Linne) Gray. Spotted Sandpiper.

A common summer resident, arriving during the latter part of
April or first of May (May 1, 1874, Sage). I once found its nest

* MS. notes of W. W. Coe, Esq.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2. p. 206, 1848.
t Audubon's Birds of North America, vol. v, p. :-J21.
Proceed. Essex Inst., vol. v, p. 296, 1868.

C. H* Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 1 09

within eight feet of a railroad track where trains passed every hour
of the day ! Remains into October (Oct. 6, 1874). Found wherever
there is a pond or small stream.

205. Actiturus Bartramius (Wilson) Bonap. Bartramian Sandpiper;

"Upland Plover."

A common summer resident. Breeds in open fields away from
water. I am informed by Mr. Coe that large numbers of them breed
on Plum Island, off New London, Conn. Arrives about May 1st
(May 2, 1874, Portland, Conn., Sage).

206. Tryngites rufescens (Yieillot) Cabanis. Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

Occurs during the migrations, but is not common. Josiah G. Ely,
Esq., writes me that two were killed near Saybrook, a few years ago,
and Dr. Daniel Crary had one in his collection which " was shot near
Hartford some years ago."

207. Numenius longirostris Wilson. Long-billed Curlew.

Not particularly rare during migrations, but excessively shy.
Linsley took it at Stratford, Conn. Regarding its occurrence near
Faulkner's Island, Conn., Capt. Brooks writes: "Not plenty; occa-
sionally one stops here in the fall." It was seen at Milford, Conn.,
by Mr. Grinnell, during the summer of 1873. Mr. J. N. Clark, of
Saybrook, Conn., tells me that it sometimes occurs there in the fall,
but is rare. Dr. Crary tells me that it has been taken near Hartford,
Conn.

208. NumenillS HudsomCUS Latham. Hudsonian Curlew.

A rare migrant. Taken at Stratford, Conn., by Linsley. I am
informed by Dr. Crary, of Hartford, Conn., that it has been killed in
that vicinity. Under date of " July 20, 1877," the Rev. J. Howard
Hand writes me, from Southampton, Long Island: "Have just taken
three specimens of the Hudsonian Curlew this morning."

209. Numenius borealis (Forster) Latham. Eskimo Curlew.

Not common. Occurs during migration. Taken at Stratford,
Conn., by Linsley. Mr. J. N. Clark has a fine mounted specimen in
his cabinet, killed at Saybrook, Conn., Oct. 13, 1874.

110 (). H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Family, TANTALIDAE.

210. Ibis falcinellus, var. Ordil (Bonaparte) Coues. Glossy Ibis.

A rare accidental visitor from the South. At Stratford, Conn., Lins-
ley obtained five specimens of this species.* Stragglers have also
been taken in Massachusetts. There is a specimen of this species in
the Museum of Wesleyan University, at Middletown, Conn., taken in
that vicinity, by Dr. Barrat about the year 1855.

211. Ibis alba (Linne) Vieillot. White Ibis.

One only recorded from New England. It was seen by Mr. Geo.
Bird Grinnell within ten miles of New Haven : " Late in the after-
noon of May 23, [1875] I observed near Milford, Conn., a specimen of
Ibis alba. I recognized the bird as it flew over me, and following
it to a small pond where it went down, discovered it perched upon a
tree over the water. I carefully examined it with a good glass, at a
distance of about one hundred and fifty yards, and by this means was
enabled to note every detail of form and color. It was in full plum-
age, the white being pure, and th'e naked skin about the head, bright
red. After watching it for a few moments I tried to approach it,
but before I came within gunshot it flew, uttering a hoarse cackle as
it went off."f Two specimens have been killed on Long Island. J

Family, ARDEID^E.

212. Ardea herodias Linne. Great Blue Heron.

A summer resident. Common during the migrations. Arrives
before the middle of April (Apr. 4, 1873, Coe; 12, Sage), and I
have seen it as late as Nov. 26th (1875), along the coast. On April
17th, 1877, Mr. A. J. Dayan and I saw about a dozen of these
splendid birds on the Whitney Lakes, within a couple of miles of
New Haven, but they were very shy and remained only a few days.
Mr. Grinnell once saw a flock of twenty-eight flying over the Sound.
Mr. W. P. Nichols saw one near New Haven, June 2d, 1877.

* Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 266. 1843.

f Am. Nat., vol. ix, No. 8, p. 470, 1875.

\ Giraud's Bird's of Long Island, p. 275, 1844.

C. IL Merriam — Birds of Ccnnecticut. Ill

213. Ardea egretta (Gmelin) Gray. Great White Egret

A rare visitor from the South. Several specimens have been taken
in Massachusetts, and I have myself seen it at the " Ox Bow" on the
Connecticut. A specimen was shot near Middletown, Conn., some
years ago, and is now in the Museum of Wesleyan University. Mr.
Griniiell has seen it on the marshes near Milford, Conn., in Septem-
ber. Dr. Wood tells me that, several years ago, one spent a week
on a marsh near East Windsor Hill, Conn. Mr. Fred. Sunnier
Smith tells me that he saw a pair of these birds at Lake Saltonstall
(near New Haven), Conn., during the latter part of July, 1876, and
two weeks later, at the same place, saw no less than seven individu-
als feeding together. They were exceedingly shy and he could not
approach within gunshot.

214. Ardea candidissima (Jacquin) Gmelin. Little White Egret

A rare accidental visitor from the South. Seen at Stratford, Conn.,
by Linsley. Also taken in Massachusetts, and one straggler even
reached Nova Scotia (''Jones"). Dr. Crary says that he has taken
it near Hartford, Conn.

215. Ardea caerulea Linne. Little Blue Heron.

A very rare accidental visitor from the South. Linsley took it at
Stratford, Conn. Has been taken in Massachusetts. Mr. Dayan saw
a small Heron on Lake Whitney, early in April, 1877, which he sup-
poses to have been this species. In the Cabinet of Mr. Coe, of Port-
land, Conn., is a beautiful specimen of this species which he shot in
that vicinity early in July, 1875. It was a young bird and is pure
white all over, excepting the tips of the primaries, which show a lit-
tle slate-blue color. There were two of them together, but the other
escaped. Mr. Erwin I. Shores, of Suffield, Conn., writes me that one
was shot there about the middle of May by Mr. Chas. Newton. Mr.
Shores did not see the specimen, but says : " Dr. Newton described
it to me as ' a small Heron blue all over,' and I have no doubt but
that it was this species."

216. Ardea virescens Linne. Green Heron.

A common summer resident. Breeds in several places near New

Haven — notably in " Pine Swamp." Arrives late in April or early

• in May (May 3), remaining into October. Capt. Brooks informs me

112 C. II. Merriatn — Birds of Connecticut.

that they sometimes stop at Faulkner's Island in spring. Breeds late
in May and in early June.

217. Nyctiardea grisea, var. naevia (Boddert) Allen. Night Heron.
A common summer resident. Breeds in Pine and Heron Swamps,

near New Haven, and in several other places about the State, and on
islands off the coast. Mr. A. J. Dayan started a small flock on Lake
Whitney, April 24th, 1877, and they alighted on a tree. On his near
approach all took flight but one, which he brought down, and an
examination proved that it had a well marked cataract in the eye
facing the direction from which he approached. This is an interest-
ing fact in Ornithological pathology. Remains into October. Mr.
W. W. Coe, of Portland, Conn., on the 17th of April, 1872, visited a
" Heronry" of this species, at Rocky Hill, Conn. He writes : " Saw
hundreds of nests, each containing from two to five eggs. Eight and
even ten nests were frequently found on one tree, and the same nest
often contained fresh eggs, eggs half hatched, and young birds.
The trees were white from the excrements of the birds, and looked as
if they had all been whitewashed ; nothing could grow under them."*

NOTE. — The Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctiardea violocea)
has been taken in Massachusetts, by Mr. Vickery (Oct., 1862),f and
doubtless occurs as a rare accidental visitor.

218. BotauniS minor (Gmelin) Boie. Bittern; Stake-driver.

A common summer resident. Arrives in April (Apr. 26, 1875,
Sage), remaining till November. Linsley relates the following amus-
ing anecdotes concerning this species: "I obtained a fine specimen
of the American Bittern two years since, which had previously given
great alarm to many of our inhabitants by its peculiarly doleful and
mournful sounds at evening. One man who was laboring near the
swamp, it is said, ran a mile in the greatest consternation, alleging
that ' the d — 1 was after him.' It is also stated by several of our
most respectable inhabitants, that forty-seven years since, [1790] one
hundred men united in a company on the Sabbath to traverse this
swamp, and succeeded in killing one of these same birds, and that
their sounds have not been heard in town since, until the former in-
stance occurred which secured a specimen to me."J

* MS. notes of W. W. Coe, Esq.

f Allen, Rarer Birds of Massachusetts, p. 39, 1869.

\ Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 265, 1843.

C. IL Merriam — Rirds of Connecticut. 113

219. Ardetta exilis (Gmelin) Gray. Least Bittern.

The Least Bittern seems to be, at present, a pretty regular summer
resident, though formerly regarded as an accidental visitor. Linsley
gave it from Northlord, Conn., without comment. It has certainly
bred here for several years past, and on June 27th, 1876, Mr. Nichols
found its nest at Bran ford, Conn., containing one fresh egg. Have
seen it in September. They were particularly abundant throughout
the State during the season of 1 875. Mr. W. W. Coe, who has seven
beautiful specimens in his cabinet, showed me five eggs which he
took from a nest at Portland, Conn., June 14th, 1873, and says that
they breed regularly in that vicinity. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell also
tells me that he takes two or three every year (generally in August
or September). They follow up the Connecticut Valley to Massa-
chusetts (Suffield, Conn., July, E. I. Shores).

NOTE. — The Sand-hill Crane, Grus Canadensis (Linne) Temm.,
though not occurring in New England at the present time, even as a
rare straggler, was once common here. Thomas Morton, writing of
the birds of New England, in 1632, says, of " Cranes, there are greate
store, that even more came there at S. Davids day, and not before :
that day they never would misse. These sometimes eate our corne,
and doe pay for their presumption well enough ; and serveth there in
powther, with turnips to supply the place of powthered beefe, and is
a goodly bird in a dishe, and no discommodity."* The fact that
they ate corn, and were themselves, in turn, eaten by the inhabitants,
clearl}7' shows, as Prof. J. A. Allen has said, " that the Crane, and not
a Heron, is the bird to which reference is made."f Moreover, Samuel
Williams, more than an hundred and fifty years later (in 1794), says
that the Sand-hill Crane (" Ardea Canadensis") was among the
commonest of the " Water Fowl" found in Vermont at that time.|
Belknap also gives it, in 1792, as one of the birds of New Hampshire.§
And even so recently as 1842, Zadock Thompson wrote that the
Whooping Crane, Grus Americana (Linne) Temminck, was " occa-
sionally seen during its migrations,"! in Vermont.

*New English Canaan. Printed by Charles Greene, 1632. Reprinted in Force's
Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5, pp. 47-8.

f Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. i, No. 3, p. 58. Sept., 1876.

t The Natural and Civil History of Vermont, p. 119. 1794.

§ The History of New Hampshire, vol. iii. By Jeremy Belknap, p. 169. 1792.

I History of Vermont, p. 103. 1842.

TRANS. CONN. Ac AD., VOL. IV. 15 AUG., 1877.

114 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

The present distribution of the Sand-hill Crane is interesting from its
peculiarity. Common throughout the West, they extend northward
even into Alaska, breeding about the Yukon (Dall),* but are not
found east of the Mississippi Valley, except in Florida, where I have
seen them, both on the Ocklawaha River,f and flying over the St.
Johns. Both Mr. GrinnellJ and myself§ found them to be abundant
in the Yellowstone National Park, though so wary that it was diffi-
cult to obtain a shot at them. They were particularly numerous in
the Lower Geyser Basin, in August, and used to make such an
unnecessary amount of noise, mornings, that sleep, after daylight, was
well nigh out of the question. Showing a decided preference for the
grassy meadows (called " Parks," in the West) surrounded by heavy
forests, and marking, perhaps, the course of some mountain stream,
which is content to check its headlong speed while passing through a
neighboring valley, the Sand-hill Crane, ever on the alert, keeps well
away from the trees, and at the approach of any suspicious object, at
once takes flight, uttering its warning cry for the benefit of those of
its kind who happen to be near. The flats which they frequent are
often studded with wooded knolls, and the best way to hunt them is
to betake one's self, in company with a good rifle, to one of these
" Islands" before the fog rises in the morning, and remain concealed
and perfectly quiet. When the fog lifts, the stately forms of the
Cranes may be seen scattered over the meadows, always peering about
in search of danger ; but at least one is pretty sure to be within rifle
range. And at the report the alarm is given and the others lose
no time in beating a hasty retreat. Their flight is heavy, and
seemingly laborious. To their edible qualities I can testify with a
good grace. The flesh is really excellent, deep red in color, and not
unlike that of the Beaver. Few birds are more difficult to skin.

Thomas Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology (1785) says that "they
arrive in May about Severn River, Hudson's Bay. Frequent lakes
and ponds. Feed on fish and insects. Hatch two young ; and retire
southward in autumn. || I must observe, that they formerly made a
halt in the Hurons country, at the season in which the Indians set
their maize ; and again on their return from the North, when the
harvest was ready, in order to feed on the grain. The Indians, at

* Alaska and its Resources. By William H. Dall. Appendix Gr, p. 583. 1870.
f Am. Nat., vol. viii, No. 2, p. 89. Feb., 1874.

JLudlow's Report for 1875, p. 87. § Hayden's Report for 1872, p. 702.

| Ph. Trans., Ixii, 409.

C. II. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 115

those times, were used to shoot them with arrows headed with stone ;
for Theodat,* my authority, made his remarks in that country in the
beginning of the last century."f

Family, RALLID^E.

220. Rallus longirostris Boddert. Clapper Rail.

Not common. Taken at Stratford by Linsley, who remarks that
it " breeds abundantly" there. \ Frequents salt marshes. Recently
recorded from Massachusetts by Mr. Purdie. " The bird was cap-
tured by its Hying on board a vessel in the [Boston] harbor, May 4,
1875."§

Several well authenticated instances of its occurrence in Connec-
ticut have recently come to my notice.

221. RallllS elegans Audubon. King Rail.

Rather rare. Found breeding at Stratford, by Linsley. J Frequents
fresh-water marshes. Mr. W. W. Coe has taken it at Portland,
Conn. Mr. J. N. Clark of Saybrook, Conn., has a fine specimen in
his cabinet taken there in mid-winter (Jan. 14, 1876).

222. Rallus VirginiariUS Linne. Virginia Rail.

A common summer resident, breeding plentifully in both salt and
fresh-water marshes. They are quite abundant in the brackish-water
marshes bordering the Quinnipiac River, and here my friend, Mr.
Dayan, found a nest containing seven fresh eggs and secured the old
bird, on June 7th, 1876. Concerning the nocturnal proclivities, and
shrill, startling cry of the Rail, Dr. Coues thus graphically writes :
" At nightfall some Mallard and Teal settled into the rushes, gabb-
ling curious vespers as they went to rest. A few Marsh Wrens had
appeared on the edge of the reeds, queerly balancing themselves on
the thread-like leaves, sea-sawing to their own quaint music. Then
they were hushed, and as darkness settled down, the dull, heavy
croaking of the frogs played bass to the shrill falsetto of the insects.
Suddenly they too were hushed in turn, frightened, may be, into
silence ; and from the heart of the bullrushes, ' crik-crik-rik-k-k-kj

* As quoted by De Buffon. f Arctic Zoology, vol. ii, p. 443. 1785.

\ Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 267, 1843.

§ Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 22, January, 1877.

116 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

lustily shouted some wide-awake Rail, to be answered by another
and another, till the reeds resounded. Then all was silent again till
the most courageous frog renewed his pipes. The Rail are, partial ly
at least, nocturnal. During such moonlight nights as these they are
on the alert, patrolling the marshes through the countless covered
ways among the reeds, stopping to cry ' all's well ' as they pass on,
or to answer the challenge of a distant watchman. That they feed
by night as well as by day, cannot be doubted. Their habit of
skulking and hiding in the almost inaccessible places they frequent
renders them difficult of observation, and they are usually considered
rarer than they really are."*

223. Porzana Carolina (Linne) Cabanis. Carolina Rail ; Sora.

An abundant summer resident. Large numbers are killed each year
for the market. Have seen them as late as October (1874). Found
both in fresh and salt-water marshes where there is an abundant
growth of " Bullrushes," " Cat tails" and the like. Linsley says of
it : " The Carolina Rail was so abundant here [Stratford, Conn.] last
Autumn, in the marshes of the Housatonic, that something like hun-
dreds were killed in a few hours, and that too for several days
together. They were esteemed a great delicacy. "f Regarding the
difficulty of seeing them in their favorite haunts, Mr. Maynard
writes : " I have been in a swamp where there were literally thou-
sands of them, yet was unable to start more than two or three !"J
I have had many similar experiences. One will suffice: Well
do I remember finding a Rail's nest in a marshy swail near tlje
mouth of a small canon at the foot of the Wahsatch Range, just back
of Ogden, Utah. It was early in June, and the nest, which was
large and bulky, being composed of coarse marsh grass, was hidden
in a clump of flags, whose arching blades met overhead, so conceal-
ing the enclosed treasures that they could only be seen by stooping
over and peering through a small opening in the side, left for the
passage of the parent bird. As yet but two eggs had been deposited,
and the bird stole so silently and quickly through the reeds that I
hardly felt sure it was not a snake till careful search revealed the
nest. The next thing to be done was to secure the old bird, and
with this end in view the place was visited at least once each day

* Coues, Birds of the Northwest, pp. 537-8, 1874.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 267, April, 1843.

\ Maynard's Naturalists' Guide, pp. 145-46, 1873.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. \ 1 7

till the middle of June, but, notwithstanding the fact that I exercised
the greatest caution in approach, I never so much as caught a mo-
mentary glimpse of her form, though once or twice a shadow seemed
to flit hurriedly by and disappear in plain sight. What made it still
more remarkable was that the number of eggs kept increasing day
by day, and I always found them warm, showing that the bird had
been gone but an instant. Once, while feeling of the eggs, I was so
startled by her harsh crackling cry, uttered suddenly at my very
feet, that I came near breaking them all, but still saw nothing of her.
The time had come when we must move camp, so on the 15th of
June I made a final effort to secure the old bird. The nest now
contained twelve eggs, and I fancied I could hear the faint peeping
of a young bird in his attempt to extricate himself from the shell.
Stepping back a few paces, I waited, gun in hand, for the space of
two long hours, standing first on one leg, then on the other, like a
bashful country boy, till my patience was nearly exhausted and I
was on the point of leaving, when something darted quickly toward
the nest— it was enough ; the mangled remains sufficed to determine
the species. Meanwhile the egg had fairly hatched, and its noisy
contents had already gained no little use of its tiny twigs. How the
first hatched youngsters amuse themselves during the ten days, or
two weeks, whilst the other eggs are coming to maturity, will doubt-
less be fully elucidated by he who attempts to explain how it is
that a bird can give origin, in the coarse of a couple of weeks, to a
dozen of eggs, each nearly as large and heavy as her own body.
Certain it is that the processes of digestion, and assimilation of nutri-
ment, must go on in them much more rapidly than in ourselves.

Wilson remarked that, " Of all our land or water fowl, perhaps
none afford the sportsman more agreeable amusement, or a more
delicious repast, than the little bird now before us. This amusement
is indeed temporary, lasting only two or three hours in the day for
four or five weeks in each year." The mode of procedure is thus
described: "The sportsman furnishes himself with a light batteau, and
a stout experienced boatman, with a pole of twelve or fifteen feet long,
thickened at the lower end to prevent it from sinking too deep into
the mud. About two hours or so before high water they enter the
reeds, and each takes his post, the sportsman standing in the bow
ready for action, the boatman on the stern seat pushing her steadily
through the reeds. The Hail generally spring singly, as the boat
advances, and at a short distance ahead, are instantly shot down,
while the boatman, keeping his eye on the spot where the bird fell,

118 C. H. Merriam — Birds of 'Connecticut.

directs the boat forward and picks it up while the gunner is loading.

In this manner the boat moves steadily through and over

the reeds, the birds flushing and falling, the gunner loading and

firing, while the boatman is pushing and picking up In

these excursions it is not uncommon for an active and expert marks-
man to kill ten or twelve dozen in a tide !"* Mr. Grinnell informs
me that the same method of hunting is practiced on the marshes
bordering the Housatonic River, Conn.

224. Porzana Noveboracensis (Gmelin) Cassin. Yellow Rail.

Not common. Taken at Stratford, Conn., by Linsley. Though
one of the rarer birds, it breeds about Middletown, Conn., as I am
informed by Mr. Coe, who took it there in 1874 and 1875. Mr. Thos.
Osborne has a specimen killed near New Haven. Mr. Grinnell favors
me with the following note concerning its occurrence on the marshes
near Milford, Conn. :

DEAR MERRIAM — The specimens of Porzana Noveboracensis about
which you enquire were taken for the most part during the month of
October, 1876, although I procured one individual as late as Nov.
10th. The securing of the first two or three was quite accidental.

I was working a young setter on Snipe ( Gallinago Wilsoni) on a
piece of wet meadow near Milford, Conn., and several times during
the early part of the day was annoyed by the pertinacious way in
which the dog would trail up some bird which neither he nor I could
start. At length during one of these performances I saw the puppy
grasp at something in the bogs before him, and immediately a small
Rail rose and fluttered a few yards. Noticing its small size, and the
fact that it had some white on its wings, and seeing from its flight
that it was a Rail, I shot the bird before it had gone far, and when it
was brought by the dog I was delighted to see that it was P. JVove-
boracensis, a species which I had never before seen alive. During
the day several more individuals were secured. The next oppor-
tunity that I had of looking for these birds was, I think, Oct. 14th.
That day my brother and I secured eight in an hour or two. They
were ridiculously tame and would run along before the dog, creeping
into the holes in the bogs and hiding there while we tried in vain to
start them. I killed one with my dog whip, caught one alive in my
hand, and the dog brought me another, uninjured, which he had

* Wilson's American Ornithology, vol. iii, p. 115, 18,-U.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 1 1 9

caught in his mouth. From what I saw of their habits, I am con-
vinced that the only successful way of collecting these birds is to
look for them with a dog. Without one they could never be forced

from the ground. Yours sincerely,

GEO. BIRD GRINNELL.

225. Porzana Jamaicensis (Gmelin) Cassin. Black Kail.

An extremely rare summer resident. But three specimens of this
rare bird have as yet been obtained in New England. The second
Connecticut record is that given by Mr. H. A. Purdie, who writes :
" Of this species Mr. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., writes me that a
neighbor of his, while mowing at that place, July 10th, 1876, swung
his scythe over a nest of ten eggs on which the bird was sitting,
unfortunately cutting oif the bird's head and breaking all but four of
the eggs."* I have recently seen the eggs in question, in Mr. Clark's
collection. They agree precisely with Coues' description of the eggs
of this bird, "being creamy-white, sprinkled all over with fine dots
of rich, bright reddish-brown," and are totally unlike those of any
other species of Rail. The bird was not preserved, but there seems
to be no reasonable doubt of its identity. Mr. Purdie further states
that he has " lately seen a skin of this species belonging to Mr.
Browne, of Framingham. The bird was picked up dead, in August,
1869, by a relative of his, on Clark's Island, Plymouth Harbor
[Mass.], and was forwarded to him as something entirely new to our
shores. This instance adds a new bird to the Fauna of Massachu-
setts."* The only other recorded instance of its capture in New
England is that given by Dr. Thos. M. Brewer: "Hazenville, Conn.,
Batty."

226. G-allimila galeata (Licht.) Bonaparte. Florida Gallinule.

A rather common summer resident, as I am told by Mr. Grinnell,
who has taken a number of specimens about Milford, Conn. Mr. W.
W. Coe has also taken it near Portland, Conn.

227. Porphyrio Martinica (Linne) Temminck. Purple Gallinule.

A rare accidental visitor from the South. A specimen of this
species was killed near Middletown, Conn., about the year 1855, and
is now in the Museum of Wesleyan University. It has been taken
in Massachusetts, as recorded by G. P. Whitman : " A fine specimen

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, No. vol. ii, 1, p. 22, January. 1877.

120 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

of the Purple Gallinule was shot at ' Henry's Pond,' ' South-end,'
Rockport, Mass., on April 12th, [1875] by Mr. Robert Wendell."*

228. Fulica Americana Gmelin. Common Coot; Mud Hen.

Common during the migrations, particularly in fall. May breed.
Linsley took five specimens at Stratford, remarking that it was " by
no means common" there. Last October (1876), my friend, Mr. A. J.
Dayan, shot several on Lake Whitney, and ascertained that no less
than fifty specimens were killed there during that month !

Family, ANATIDJE.

229. Cygnus Americarms Sharpless. Whistling Swan.

A rare, almost accidental, visitor, occurring only in winter.
Linsley mentions the occurrence of four specimens, at Stratford,
Conn., two of which were killed. My friend, Dr. Wm. H. Hotchkiss,
of this city, tells me that he was informed, by William Beers,
Esq., that two Swans were seen in Branford Harbor, during a severe
gale, about the middle of March, 1876. I take it for granted that
they were of this species, since there is no positive record of the
occurrence of the Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) within our
limits. Mr. Grinnell also informs me that several Swans were seen
near Milford, Conn., about the same time. Swans were once common
in New England, during the migrations, as seen from Morton's
remarks concerning them (in 1632): "And first of the Swanne,
because she is the biggest of all the fowles of that Country. There
are of them in Merrimack River, and in other parts of the Country,
greate Store at the seasons of the yeare. The flesh is not much de-
sired of the inhabitants, but the skinnes may be accompted a com-
modity, fitt for divers uses, both for fethers, and quiles."f

NOTE. — The Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator Richardson),
may, and very probably does, sometimes occur within our limits.
Dr. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, informs me that a hunter in his
vicinity, who was perfectly familiar with this bird in the West, where
they were common, once told him that he had heard the unmistaka-
ble note of the Trumpeter Swan, but did not see the bird. A short

* Am. Nat., vol. ix, No. 10, p. 5*73, Oct., 1875.
f Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5, p. 46.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 121

time afterwards, however, on again meeting the Doctor, the hunter
said that, a few days before, he heard the Swans coming and rushed
into the house for his gun, but before he returned with it they had
passed over, between the house and barn, that he had a good sight
at them and was confident that they were Trumpeters. Proof is
wanting to show that some of the birds mentioned under the last
species were not really Cygnus buccinator.

230. Anser hyperboreus Pallas. Snow Goose.

A rare winter visitor. Linsley records seven specimens from
Stratford, Conn. Mr. W. W. Coe, of Portland, has a magnificent
specimen of this species in his cabinet. It was killed on the coast
near Saybrook, Conn., in the fall of 1875.

NOTE. — The Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis Boie), a rare acci-
dental visitor to our coast, from Europe, is given by Linsley from
Stonington, Conn., but on insufficient evidence. Stragglers have
been taken from South Carolina to Hudson's Bay, and a fine speci-
men of this Goose was killed on Long Island, N. Y., in October,
1876 (recorded by Mr. Lawrence),* hence it may occur as a rare
accidental straggler.

231. Branta bemicla (Linne) Scop. Brant Goose; Black Brant.

A tolerably common spring and autumn migrant, sometimes re-
maining through the winter. Linsley said: "The Brant is common
here [Stratford, Conn.] in winter" (p. 269). Captain Brooks writes
me that they are " not common" at Faulkner's Island, where he has
" only taken one." Mr. Grinnell informs me that two specimens of
this species were killed off Stratford Light, Conn., last spring (1877).
Mr. Osborne also saw three individuals near the mouth of the East
Haven River, Conn., April 14th, 1876. Dr. Wood, of East Windsor
Hill, Conn., has a fine specimen in his cabinet. It was shot on the
Connecticut River, above Hartford, in the spring of 1876.

This species is first recorded from New England by Thomas
Morton, who, in 1632, wrote: " There are Geese of three sorts, vize,
brant Geese, which are pide, and white Geese which are bigger, and
gray Geese, which are as big and bigger then the tame Geese of
England, with black legges, black bills, heads and necks black, the
flesh farre more excellent, then the Geese of England, wild or tame,

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 18, Jan., 1877.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 16 AUG., 1877.

122 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

yet the purity of the air is such, that the biggest is accompted but
an indifferent raeale for a couple of men. There is of them great
abundance. I have had often 1000. before the mouth of my gunne.
I never saw any in England for my part so fatt, as I have killed
there in those parts, the fethers of them makes a bedd, softer than
any down bed that I have lyen on : and is there a very good com-
modity, the fethers of the Geese that I have killed in a short time
have paid for all the powther and shott, I have spent in a yeare, and
I have fed my doggs with as fatt Geese there, as I have ever fed
upon myself in England."*

232. Branta CanadensiS (Linne) Gray. Canada Goose; Wild Goose.

A winter resident, common during migrations ; they arrive in
November (Nov. 24, 1872, Sage), some remaining through April and
sometimes even into May (May 22, 1864, Sage; May 10, 1877, C. H.
M.). Linsley writes that " Hundreds of the common ' Wild Geese '
winter at the mouth of the Housatonic, and so near my own dwelling
that I often with my telescope present a distinct view of their eyes
to my friends who call. Birds are said to be near enough to shoot
when their eyes are visible to the sportsman. Many are killed here
merely for sale by gunners, who frequently send them to New
York."f Capt. Brooks says that they occasionally stop about the
islands off Guilford, Conn., and that he killed two last November.
Mr. Grinnell tells me that generally a few still winter about the
mouth of the Housatonic River, Conn., and that over two hundred
remained there last winter (1876-7). They begin to go north (some
passing nearly due east) during the latter part of March (from Mar.
24th on), and all through April large flocks may be seen and heard
•overhead. Many of these contain upwards of one hundred and fifty
birds, and I should say that they average about seventy-five. They
were particularly numerous last spring (1877), and scarcely a day
passed during April but one or more flocks were seen.

233 a. Branta Canadensis, var. Hutchinsii (Rich.) Coues. HutcMns'

Goose ; Southern Goose.

Not common. " Stratford," Conn. (Linsley). Mr. Geo. Bird Grin-
nell tells me that the hunters about Milford, Conn., all make a dis-
tinction between the common or Canada Goose and the Southern

* Force's Historical Tracts, Tract 5, (vol. ii,) p. 46.

f Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 269, 1843.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 123

Goose. That the latter does not arrive till after the Canada Geese
have all come, and that they do not stay long, but pass southward—
hence their name. They are also noticeably smaller than the Canada
Goose.

233. Anas boschas Linne." Mallard.

A rare migrant. Have notes of its occurrence here September 30th,
October, and November 13th, 1875, and Mr. Grinnell saw it in Octo-
ber and November, 1876. Linsley gives it from Stratford. Capt.
Brooks writes me from Faulkner's Island, Conn., that they are not
abundant : " occasionally see a few with Black Ducks in the fall."

234. Anas Obsciira Gmelin. Black Duck.

A resident, but most abundant during the migrations. Capt.
Brooks writes me that they "come in September and stay through
the winter. Leave in May and June." Linsley said that they
occasionally bred about Stratford, Conn. That their edible qualities
were early appreciated is seen from the writings of Thomas Morton,
who said (in 1632): "Ducks, there are of three kindes, pide Ducks,
gray Ducks, and black Ducks, in greate abundance : the most about
my habitation were black Ducks : and it was a noted custome at my
howse, to have every mans Duck upon a trencher, and then you will
thinke a man was not hardly used, they are bigger boddied, then the
tame Ducks of England : very fatt and dainty flesh. The common
doggs fees were the gibletts, unlesse they were boyled now and
than for to make broath."*

235. DafLla aCUta (Linne) Bonaparte. Pintail; Sprigtail.

A rather rare winter resident. Have seen but few specimens.
Linsley found it at Stratford, Conn. Mr. Osborne saw one in March
(23), 1877. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., tells me that he
does not consider it particularly rare ; in fact that he thinks it is
rather common in spring and fall in that vicinity — about the mouth
of the Connecticut. Dr. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, has two
specimens killed on the Connecticut River above Hartford, but they
are extremely rare there.

* New English Canaan, p. 47. Eeprinted in Peter Force's Historical Tracts, Tract 5.

124 C. H. Merriam — Jtirds of Connecticut.

236. ChaillelasmUS StreperuS (Linne) Gray. Gadwall ; Gray Duck.

It occurs during the migrations ; not common. Captain Brooks
tells me that they are " occasionally seen " about Faulkner's Island,
Conn., "but are not plenty." Linsley writes: "Flocks of the Gray
Duck were here as early as August last season [1842], and were
among the best of ducks for the table."**

237. Mareca Americana (Gmelin) Stephens. Widgeon ; Baldpate.

Not particularly rare during the migrations ; may winter. Taken
at Stratford, Conn., by Linsley, and all along the coast by others,
too numerous to mention. Dr. Wood has seen three specimens,
one of which he shot, near East Windsor, Conn., but they are rare
in this State so far inland. Dr. Coues states that " the Widgeon
breeds in abundance in Northern Dakota and Montana along the
banks of the streams and pools."f Thomas Morton found them in
New England in 1632, for he writes : " W7idggens there are, and
abundance of other water foule, some such as I have scene, and such
as I have not scene else where, before I came into those parts, which
are little regarded. "J

238. QTierquedula Carolinensis (Gmelin) Stephens. Green-winged
Teal.

A common migrant. Have seen it in March. Taken by Linsley
at Stratford, Conn. Concerning this and the following species Mor-
ton wrote, in 1632 : " Teales, there are of two sorts greene winged,
and blew winged: but a dainty bird, I have bin much delighted
with a rost of these for a second course, I had plenty in the rivers
and ponds about my howse."

239. Qlierquectula discors (Linne) Stephen. Blue-winged Teal.

A rather common migrant. Mr. Dayan secured a beautiful male
of this species on Lake Whitney, September 25th, 1875. Arrives in
August (Grinnell), remaining through October (Oct. 20, 1874, Sage).

240. SpatTlla clypeata (Linne) Boie. Shoveller; "Spoonbill-duck."

This splendid species is a rare migrant along our shores. Linsley
" obtained two fine males " at Stratford, Conn. Mr. Grinnell informs

* Am. Jour, of Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 269, April, 1 843.

f Birds of the Northwest, p. 564, 1874.

\ Reprinted in Force's Historical Tracts. Tract 5, p. 47.

C. IL Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 1 25

me that be took two or three specimens about October 8th, 1875, in
the Sound near Milford, Conn., and that he does not consider them,
particularly rare at that season. Mr. W. W. Coe has an immature
specimen taken at Saybrook, December 8th, 1874. Mr. Robert
Morris, of this city, tells me that he has killed it late in July on the
West Haven meadows, and has also seen it, about the same time, and
early in August, on the Quinnipiac marshes.

241. Aix sponsa (Linne) Boie. Wood Duck ; Summer Duck.

A tolerably common summer resident, breeding in holes in trees.
Arrives in March (March 18, 1876, Osborne), frequenting fresh-water
ponds and streams, and lays in May, remaining into October. Za-
dock Thompson, speaking of its occurrence in Vermont, says. " The
Wood Duck is one of the most beautiful birds seen in this State, and
is one of the very few permanent residents here."*

242. Fuligula marila (Linne) Stephens. Greater Scaup Duck ; Broad-bill;
Blue-bill.

A rather common winter resident. Taken at Stratford by Linsley.
Captain Brooks informs me that they are "plenty at Guilford, Conn."
In spring Mr. Thos. Osborne has taken it as late as May 17th, (1876).

243. Fuligula affinis Eyton. Lesser Scaup Duck ; Blue-bill.

A common winter resident. Much prized for the table. Remains
till the middle or latter part of May (May 17, Osborne). Dr. Wood,
of East Windsor Hill, once killed it on the Connecticut river in his
vicinity.

244. Fuligula COllaris (Donovan) Bonaparte. Ring-necked Duck.

It is not common, but may winter. Linsley took it at Stratford,
Conn. Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell has secured several specimens of this
bird, in early spring, on the Sound, in the vicinity of Milford, Conn.

245. Fuligula ferina, var. Americana (Eyton) Coues. Red-head;
Pochard.

Rare. Lindsley took it at Stratford. The Rev. J. H. Hand writes
me that he has taken it at Westbrook, Conn., but it is rare there.

* History of Vermont, p. 109, 1842.

126 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

246. Fuligula vallisneria (Wilson) Stephens. Canvas-back Duck.

Rare. " Stratford," Conn., (Linsley). Mr. Robert Morris, of this
city, saw one May 7th, 1876. I am also informed by Rev. J. H.
Hand, that it occurs at Westbrook, Conn., where it is " very rare."

247. Bucephala Clangula (Linne) Coues. Golden-eye ; Whistler.

A common winter resident. Found on the Sound and on fresh-
water ponds from November to April or May (April 16th). Captain
Brooks writes, from Faulkner's Island, " only see them here in very
cold winters."

248. Bucephala Islandica (Gmelin) Baird. Barrow's Golden-eye.

A rare winter visitant from the North. I include this species on
the strength of a most typical (male adult) specimen in the cabinet
of Mr. John H. Sage, of Portland, Conn. It was purchased by him,
November 14th, 1867, from a man' who said it was killed on the
Sound, and there seems to be no reason for doubting his statement,
especially since it has been taken as far South as New York City.*
Mr. William Brewster records it from Massachusetts with the follow-
ing remarks : " I obtained an adult female in the flesh from Cape
Cod, December 7th, 1871, which was pronounced by Prof. Baird
unquestionably H. Islandica. Since then I have seen numbers of
females and two fine adult males in the Boston Markets, most of
them shot within State limits."f

249. Bucephala albeola (Linne) Baird. Butter-ball ; Buffle-head.

A common winter resident. Found both on fresh and salt water.
Nov., April 15th.

250. Harelda glacialis (Linne) Leach. Long-tailed Duck ; Old Wife ; Old
Squaw.

A common winter resident ; particularly abundant during the
migrations. Captain Brooks writes me that they "usually come in
October and leave in April or May." This is by far the most abun-
dant species of duck found along our coast, and during the migrations
(notably in November) hundreds of thousands of them can be seen
on the Sound, covering the water as far as the eye can reach in every
direction, and almost deafening one by their constant, and, to my
ears, not altogether unpleasant, cackle. They are continually on the

* Coues' Birds of New England, p. 52 (300), 1868.
f Am. Nat, vol. vi, No. 5, pp. 306-7, May, 1872.

C. If. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 127

move and, notwithstanding their immense numbers, it is no easy
task to approach within gunshot of the flock. Though as strictly
maritime as any of our ducks, they have occasionally strayed so far
into the interior as Central Ohio (Wheaton). Mr. Grinnell tells me
that they occasionally breed here, but these may be wounded birds —
" pensioners " as they are commonly called. Dr. Wood has taken it
on the Connecticut River above Hartford, but it is rare there.

251. Camptolaemus Labradorius (Gmelin) Gray. Labrador Duck;
Pied-Duck.

A very rare winter visitor. Linsley took it at Stratford, Conn.
Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, says that this species was " sent from
Connecticut to Mrs. Blackburn,* in England."

252. Somateria mollissima (Linne) Leach. Eider Duck.

A rare winter visitant along our coast. Linsley states that " one
or two Eider Ducks were killed" at Stratford, Conn., by Mr. Lucius
Curtis. Mr. Grinnell tells me, that he saw a specimen killed on the
Sound, near Milford, Conn., by a gunner (Samuel Brown by name)
May 29th, 1877, and that two Eider Ducks, probably of this species,
were shot there in the fall of 1874.

253. Somateria SpectabiliS (Linne) Boie. King Eider.

A rare winter visitor, like the last, and also taken at Stratford,
Conn., by Linsley, who says of it : "I have obtained here this season
two specimens of the King Duck, said never to have been seen here
before. They are among the best for the table."f Giraud also states
that " an adult male in perfect plumage was shot on Long Island
Sound, in the winter of 1839."];

254. CEdemia Americana (Wilson) Swainson. Black Scoter; Gray Coot.

A tolerably common winter resident, but less so than either of the
following. Linsley had it from Stratford. Have seen it early in
October (October 4, 1876), and again in November, but the hunters
regard it as rather rare. It sometimes visits the Great Lakes in
winter, and Dr. Wheaton writes me that one was taken near Colum-
bus, Ohio, in Dec. 1876.

* Arctic Zoology, vol. ii, p. 559, 1785. f Catal. Birds of Conn., p. 270, 1843.
\ Birds of Long Island, p. 333, 184.4

128 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

255. QEdemia fllSCa (Linne) Swainson. Velvet Scoter; White-winged
Coot.

It is extremely abundant on the Sound during fall and spring,
some remaining through the winter. Arrives about the first of
October (Oct. 4, 1876) remaining till the middle of May (May 15, Os-
borne). Thousands of them visit the coast in October and November,
to feed on the small shells (chiefly Mactra lateralis) which the shal-
low muddy bottoms furnish in abundance. And in this connection
it may be stated that the alimentary canals of the sea ducks afford
the conchologist a rich collecting ground, often yielding unexpected
treasures. This is the largest of our ducks, and like the other mem-
bers of the genus, is generally considered unfit for the table, but
when properly prepared and well cooked they are by no means bad
eating. Though properly marine, it occurs on the Great Lakes in
winter. Dr. Wood has taken two specimens on fresh water near
East Windsor Hill, Conn.

256. CEdemia perspicillata (Linne) Stephens. Surf Duck; Sea Coot;
Scoter.

A common winter resident, being intermediate in numbers between
the two foregoing — that is, it is neither abundant nor uncommon.
Arrives late in September or early in October, remaining till the
middle of April. Captain Brooks writes me that they are " common
through fall, winter and spring " in the vicinity of Faulkner's Island,
Conn. I saw one on the Sound as late as June 29th (1877), and I am
told that a few generally remain all summer, but they are probably
"pensioners" (wounded birds) and do not breed.

257. Erismatlira mbida (Wilson) Bonaparte. Ruddy Duck.

It is not rare during the migrations. Taken by Linsley at Strat-
ford, Conn. Found both on fresh and salt water. Mr. J. N. Clark,
of Saybrook, tells me that they are rather common about the mouth
of the Connecticut, but that full plumaged birds are very rare. Dr.
Crary tells me that one was shot on the Connecticut river, near
Hartford, Conn., in October, 1858.

258. MergUS merganser Linne. Sheldrake; Merganser.

It is common during migrations ; some probably wintering. Fre-
quents fresh water lakes and rivers in the interior, and is "found
occasionally about Guilford Harbor, Conn." (Capt. Brooks), but is not

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut, 129

common on salt water. Remains into April (April 17, 1875, male
adult shot, Sage).

259. MergUS senator Linne. Red-breasted Merganser.

A common migrant, wintering on the Sound. Captain Brooks
writes me that they are " plenty during winter and spring " about
Faulkner's Island, Conn. Also found on fresh water. Remains into
April (April 14, 1876, Osborne).

260. MergUS ClieullatUS Linne. Hooded Merganser.

A winter resident ; not common. Linsley obtained two specimens
from a fresh water pond near Stratford, Conn., and Captain Brooks
has one, killed at Guilford, Conn., on salt water. Mr. W. W. Coe
has taken it during the migrations, and I saw one in November,
1875. Dr. Wood has taken it near East Windsor, but finds it rarely.
Mr. Sage writes me that one was killed near Middletown, Conn.,
March 6th, 1876.

Family, SULIDJE.

261. Sula bassana Linne. Common Gannet ; Solon Goose.

A rare winter visitant. Captain Brooks writes me from Faulk-
ner's Island, that he has " only seen two specimens," one of which is
now in his collection : " It was killed at Guilford, Conn., in the
spring, about ten years ago." Linsley took it at Stratford, Conn.,
and, concerning its gastronomic proclivities, remarks: "The true
Solon Goose killed here, which I presented to the Yale Natural His-
tory Society, had in its stomach a bird, and in the stomach of the
latter was also a bird — destruction on destruction. Mr. B. Silliman,
Jr., and Dr. Whelpley, who opened the stomach, observed this fact,
as the former gentleman informed me. It was previously supposed
this bird lived wholly on fishes."* Giraud saw a few specimens,
killed about Long Island and in the vicinity of New York City.f
Mr. Robert Morris tells me that he saw an adult specimen, shot off
Branford late in the fall of 1872 or 1873. There is also, in a res-
taurant in New Haven, a mounted example of the young of the Solon
Goose, killed near here a few years ago.

* Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 271, April, 1843.
f Griraud's Birds of Long Island, p. 345, 1844.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 17 AUG., 1877.

130 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

262. Sllla fiber Linne. Booby Gannet.

A rare or accidental visitor from the South. Linsley took it at
Guilford, Conn. It has been taken as far north as Massachusetts (in
September).*

Family, PHALACROCORACIDJE.

263. G-raCTlluS Carbo (Linne) Gray. Common Cormorant ; Shag.

A tolerably common winter visitant. Captain Brooks writes me
that they are " plenty in April and May " and are sometimes seen in
fall. Linsley took it at Stonington, Conn.

264. G-raCUlllS dilophus (Swainson) Gray. Double-crested Cormorant.

It occurs along the coast during fall and spring, but usually not in
very large numbers, though Captain Brooks informs me that he " saw
large flocks of them feeding about Faulkner's Island, Conn., in the
month of May, 1876," and that he captured two of them. Linsley
had a specimen from Stratford, Conn., and he regarded it as a very
rare bird. Mr. W. W. Coe has a specimen in his cabinet which he
killed on the Connecticut River, near Middletown, October 29th, 1875.
While out duck-hunting at the mouth of the East Haven River,
November 1 3th, 1875, with Mr. Thomas Osborne, we saw a Cormorant
which I judged to be of this species. In speaking of the Cormorants,
in New England, in 1675, Josselyn observes: "Though I cannot
commend them to our curious palats, the Indians will eat them when
they are fley'd, they take them prettily, they roost in the night upon
some Rock that lyes out in the Sea, thither the Indian goes in his
Birch- Canow when the moon shines clear, and when he is come
almost to it, he lets his Canow drive on of it self, when he is come
under the Rock he shoves his boat along till he come just under the
Cormorants watchman, the rest being asleep, and so soundly do
sleep that they will snore like so many Pigs ; the Indian thrusts up
his hand of a sudden, grasping the watchman so hard round about
his neck that he cannot cry out ; as soon as he hath him in his
Canow he wrings off his head, and making his Canow fast, he clam-
breth to the top of the Rock, where walking softly he takes them
up as he pleaseth, still wringing off their heads ; when he hath slain
as many as his Canow can carry, he gives a shout which awaketh
the surviving Cormorants, who are gone in an instant."f

* Putnam, in Proceed. Essex lust., vol. i, p. 221, 1856.
f Josselyn's Two Voyages to New England, p. 102, 1615.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 131

Family, TACHYPETIDJE.

265. Tachypetes aquilus (Linne) Vieillot. Frigate Pelican; Man-of-war
Bird.

An extremely rare accidental visitor from the South. But one
instance of its occurrence in New England has been recorded, and
that was published in the Naturalist, by Mr. Grinnell, nearly two
years ago : " The occurrence of Tachypetes aquilus in Connecticut is
not generally known, Long Island being, up to this time, the northern-
most locality on record for this bird. A female of this species was
killed at Faulkner's Island in this State, in the autumn of 1859, and
is now in the collection of Captain Brooks. It was hovering over
the island when shot."* I have seen this specimen in Capt. Brooks's
Cabinet.

Family, L.ARIDJE.

266. Stercorarius parasiticus (Briinn.) Schaeff. Richardson's Jaeger.

A rare winter visitor. Linsley gave it from Bridgeport, Conn. I
have lately seen a specimen in the cabinet of Mr. John H. Sage, of
Portland, Conn., which was killed at that place in the fall of 1875.

267. Stercorarius Buffoni (Boie) Coues. Long-tailed Jaeger.

A rare straggler from the far North. Not previously recorded
from Connecticut. I have just received, from Mr, Wm. F. Lane, a
beautiful adult specimen of this Larine plunderer, which he shot on
the Community Lake at Wallingford, Conn., August 30th, 1873.
Mr. Lane writes me that he was out sailing on the lake, with his
brother, when they noticed a curious bird, unlike any they had ever
before seen. " It was chasing a swallow, which it soon caught, and
then lit on the water with the swallow in its mouth, and commenced
swimming around and did not seem to be very wild." Mr. Lane
then went ashore for his gun, and, on returning, sailed so close to the
bird that his brother was obliged to splash the water with an oar
in order to make it fly, and as it rose he shot it. He says : " The
bird was alone and had been flying around the lake for about an
hour when I shot it. I noticed that it was very swift on the wing,
also a very fast swimmer. It did not seem at all afraid of anyone."

NOTE. — The Pomarine Jaeger, Stercorarius pomatorhinus (Tem-
minck) Vieillot, doubtless occurs as a rare winter visitant.

* Am. Nat., vol. ix, No. 8, p. 470, Aug., 1875.

132 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

268. Lams marinus Linne. Great Black-backed Gull.

A winter resident; not rare. Linsley records it from Stratford,
Conn. During January, February and March, one frequently sees
two or three Larus marinus flying about the Harbor in company
with the common Herring Gulls.

269. Larus argentatus, var. Smithsoniaiins Coues. Herring Gull.

An abundant winter resident. Arrives from the North in October,
remaining till April or May. Have seen hundreds of them together
in New Haven Harbor in February and March. Mr. Thomas B.
Osborne has seen them in June and early September, and a few
doubtless spend the summer, but they are probably young birds and
do not breed. Dr. Wood occasionally finds it about the Connecticut
River above Hartford. On June 29th, 187 7, T saw five together near
Faulkner's Island, Conn. Four of these were in the young (gray)
plumage, while one was white.

270. Larus Delawarensis Ord. Ring-billed Gull.

Not rare. Linsley found it at Stonington, Conn. The young of
this species, easily recognized by having " a broad, subterminal band
of black" across the tail (Coues), may frequently be seen in winter
associated with the foregoing. My attention was first called to it by
Mr. E. P. Bicknell, of Riverdale, N. Y.

271. Larus tridactylus Linne. Kittiwake Gull.

Occurs in winter, but is not common. Linsley gave it from Ston-
ington, Conn. Mr. Osborne has seen it from March 8th till April
14th.

272. Larus atricilla Linne. Laughing Gull.

Not common. Possibly a few breed on some of the islands oif
our coast. Linsley states that they were occasionally killed at Ston-
ington, Conn. Mr. Osborne informs me that he saw one June 1st,

1876.

273. Larus Philadelphia (Ord) Gray. Bonaparte's Gull.

Is tolerably common in fall. Captain Brooks writes me that they
are " quite common about Faulkner's Island, Conn., in October and
November," and that he occasionally sees them " with Terns at Goose
Island, Conn., in summer." Linsley states that he "obtained an

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 133

individual of this beautiful species of gull, August 1st, 1842." (p.
271.) I saw the remains of one that had been killed in November,
1875, near New Haven. Specimens of it are also in the collections
of W. W. Coe and J. H. Sage of Portland, Conn., and Mr. Wm. F.
Lane sends me a specimen from Wallingford, Conn., stating that
eight were seen there in the fall of 1874.

NOTE. — The Burgomaster (Larus glaucus Brtinnich) may some-
times occur along our coast as a rare winter visitant from the North,
but I have, as yet, been unable to procure satisfactory evidence of its
presence within our limits, although it has been taken on Long Island.

274- Sterna hirundo Auct. Common Tern; Wilson's Tern; Sea Swallow.

A common summer resident along the coast. Captain Brooks
informs me that they breed at Goose Island, Conn., but not so abun-
dantly as the Roseate.

275. Sterna macroiira Naumann. Arctic Tern.

A rare visitor to our shores. Mr. J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn.,
writes me : " I have an undoubted specimen, in the fall plumage of the
young (as described by Coues), taken here last season — never cap-
tured a mature bird."

276. Sterna Dougalli Mont. (S. paradisea of Authors.)* Roseate Tern.

An abundant summer resident. Captain Brooks writes me that
they first "make their appearance about the middle of May, and
commence laying about the first of June, at Goose Island (one mile
west of Faulkner's Island, Conn.), where they breed in great quan-
tities, if not disturbed." Through the kindness of Captain Brooks I
have recently (June 29, 1 877) visited Goose Island, and have thus
been permitted to witness the magnificent aerial evolutions of these
beautiful birds, as hundreds of them swept to and fro over our heads,
constantly uttering their characteristic cries. They would rise high
in the air and immediately dive to the water's edge, then, suddenly
turning, would sweep over the island and settle on the large rocks with
which it is bordered, always, as the Captain remarked, "keeping their
heads to the wind'ard." It is truly a splendid sight, and one well
worth going many miles to see. As they cover the rocks, almost

* See Cones' Birds of the Northwest, p. 688: 1874.

134 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

hiding them from view, their jet-black caps and pearly mantles contrast
nicely with the pure white under parts and bright red legs. The
eggs were now hatching and thousands of downy young covered the
island. I actually caught an adult female entangled in the weeds,
among which their eggs are deposited with little attempt at a nest.
Where the weeds were particularly thick, forming dense mats, the
eggs were sometimes placed upon, as well as under, them ; we found
several such. Great credit is due Captain Brooks for his watchfulness
over this little colony: but for him they would long since have been
exterminated.

277. Sterna superciliaris, var. Antillarum Cones. Least Tern.
Not very common. Linsley took it at Stratford, Conn. Mr. J.

N. Clark, of Saybrook, Conn., tells me that they are sometimes quite
abundant there during the migrations.

278. Sterna fuliginosa G-melin. Sooty Tern.

A rare visitor from the South. The claim of this species to a place
among the birds of New England has only recently been established,
the only authentic instances of its capture having been published
within a year. In a late number of the " Bulletin," Mr. H. A. Purdie
says that Mr. J. N. Clark has a specimen in his collection " that last
summer flew against the side of the steamboat wharf depot, at Say-
brook, Conn. Stunned by the concussion it fell and was picked up.
It had been noticed for several days, flying about the mouth of the
river, as something unusual."* Professor Sanborn Tenney states that
a specimen was killed as far inland as the northwestern corner of
Massachusetts ("near the Hoosac river") in September, 1876. f These
two are, so far as I am aware, the only recorded instances of its cap-
ture in New England. Mr. Frederick T. Jencks, of Providence, R. I.,
writes me that he took a particularly beautiful specimen at Point
Judith, R. I., last fall. Through the kindness of several friends I am
enabled to add five Connecticut examples to those given above, thus
increasing the total number ascertained to have occurred in New
England to eight, six of which were killed in this State. Four of
these I have myself seen. The circumstances connected with the
capture of these specimens are as follows : Two adult birds killed
themselves, last September (1876), by flying against the lighthouse

* Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, vol. ii, No. 1, p. 22, Jan., 1877.
f Am. Nat, vol. xi, No. 4, p. 243, April, 1877.

C. IT. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 135

tower at Faulkner's Island. One of them is now in the collection of
Captain O. N. Brooks, of that place ; Mr. Elbert Coe, of Stony Creek,
Conn., has a mounted specimen which was killed there with a stone,
late in the summer (1876) ; Mr. Norman Elmore, of Granby, Conn.,
has just sent me, for examination, a bird of this species that was
taken in that vicinity, September 20th, 1876. The Rev. J. Howard
Hand writes me that it was procured in a singular place and manner:
" It was knocked down with a stick by a gentleman who was netting
wild pigeons. He first saw it, I think, on the pigeon poles. He got
it alive, but of course could not get it to eat, and after keeping it two
or three days it died." This and the one killed by Elbert Coe, Esq.,
are both in the young-of-the-year plumage, as described by Coues.*
It is a singular fact that all these specimens were killed last fall, and
probably all in September.

279. Hydrochelidon lariformis (Linne) Coues. Black Tern; Short-

tailed Tern.

A rare visitor, occurring chiefly in fall. Though essentially an
inland species, it is sometimes found along the coast during migra-
tions. Captain Brooks took one specimen near Goose Island, Conn.,
about twelve years ago — the only one he has ever seen. Mr. George
Bird Grinnell informs me that his brother shot a bird of this species,
late in August, near Milford, Conn.

NOTE. — Several species of Terns, not mentioned above, doubtless
occur within our limits. /Sterna anglica (aranea of Wilson), S. can-
tiaca (acuflamda of Cabot), S. caspia and tS. regia are to be looked
for as rare visitors from the South, while S. Forsteri probably occurs
occasionally in fall, and Xema Sabini may be met with as a rare
straggler from the North.

Family, PROCELLARIID^E.

280. Cymochorea leucorrhoa (Vieillot) Coues. Leach's Petrel.

Tolerably common off the coast in summer, but is more frequently
seen outside than in the Sound. I am informed by Captain Brooks
that it is " occasionally seen during the summer months cruising in
the vicinity of Faulkner's Island." Dr. Crary, of Hartford, Conn.,

* Birds of the Northwest, p. 699, 1874,

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

informs me that one was shot, October 27th, 1857, by George Meigs,
on the Connecticut River, above Hartford. Since writing the above
I have twice seen it, on the Sound, in the vicinity of Faulkner's
Island, and near New Haven. I am inclined to believe that a few
breed on some of the islands off* our coast.

281. Oceanites oceanica (Kuhi.) Coues. Wilson's Petrel.

Not common ; occurs off the coast in summer. Linsley says that
he has seen this species " not only in our Sound, but even west
of Stratford, and sitting quietly upon the water," and further
states that he once caught a specimen "at sea, by floating about two
hundred feet of thread in the air, against which it flew, and thus
became entangled and taken."*

282. Puffinus major Faber. Greater Shearwater.

Not rare in winter off the coast, but generally keeps outside the
Sound. Linsley found it common about Stonington in the southeast
corner of the State. In the Museum of Wesleyan University, at
Middletown, is the head of a bird of this species which is said to
have been killed at Granby, Conn.

Family, COLYMBID^.

283. Colymbus torquatUS Brmm. Loon; Great Northern Diver.

A tolerably common winter resident. Arrives from the North in
October, remaining till April or May (April 29, 1876, Osborne). I
have a beautiful specimen killed at Branford, Conn., April 23d, 1875,
and presented to me by Dr. Wm. H. Hotchkiss. It has been known
to breed on a pond at Easthampton, Conn. (W. G. Buell).

284. ColymbllS septentrionalis Linne. Red-throated Diver.

A common winter resident. Arrives from the North in October,
remaining till May, and Mr. Nichols informs me that he saw one as
late as June 2d (1877). Frequently killed by gunners while duck-
shooting on the Sound, but, as Captain Brooks writes, " you seldom
get one with the red throat."

* Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, . 272, April, 1843.

C. H. Merriam — J3irds of Connecticut. 137

NOTE. — Cotymbus Arcticus may possibly occur as an extremely
rare winter visitor from the far north, but I am unable, as yet, to find
sufficient evidence of its capture within our limits, although there is
a specimen so labelled in the Museum at Middletown. I cannot
believe this to be anything more than an immature Colymbus septen-
trionalis, with the throat tinged with black.

Family, PODICIPID^E.

285. Podiceps cristatUS (Linne) Latham. Crested Grebe.

Tolerably common during the migrations and in winter. Recorded
by Linsley from Stratford, Conn. W. W. Coe and J. H. Sage have
each specimens of this species taken here in winter. Dr. Wood, of
East Windsor Hill, tells me that he has had but four specimens from
that locality, and that they were all caught by hand in winter;
having alighted in the snow they were unable to rise.

286. Podiceps griseigena, var. Holbolli (Reinh.) Coues. Red-necked
Grebe.

A rather rare winter resident. Captain Brooks says he has not
seen one for years. Occurs both on fresh and salt water. Linsley
took it at Stratford. Mr. J. H. Sage has a specimen which he took
at Saybrook, Conn., February 23d, 1875. Dr. Wood has a very
handsome specimen, in full plumage, shot near East Windsor some
years ago. I am informed by Dr. Crary, of Hartford, Conn., that
one was shot in that vicinity, by Jerry Crocker, October 19th, 1860.

287. Podiceps COrmitUS Latham. Horned Grebe.

A common winter resident. Found on the coast as well as on
lakes and ponds in the interior. Arrives in September or October,
remaining till May.

288. PodilymbllS podicepS (Linne) Lawrence. Pied-billed Dabchick;
Hell Diver.

A summer resident ; common during the migrations. Found
chiefly on fresh water, but is not rare on the Sound. Arrives from
the North in September, remaining into November (and a few may
winter). Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell tells me that it breeds within the
State.
TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV. 18 AUG., 1877.

138 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

Family, ALCID^E.

289. Utamania torda (Linne) Leach. Razor-billed Auk.
A rare winter visitor in the Sound.

290. Merglllus alle (Linne) Vieillot. Sea Dove ; Dovekie.

A rare winter visitor on our coast. Prof. G. Brown Goode pub-
lished the first authentic record of the capture of this species within
the limits of the State. He states that, at Middletown, during a
severe northeast storm, about the middle of November, 1871, "two
individuals were captured in full winter plumage, and plump, though
with empty stomachs. Their occurrence thirty miles inland is some-
what remarkable. Allen records the capture of a single specimen at
Greenfield, Mass., on the Connecticut, and Linsley places the species
among the birds of Connecticut on the strength of one captured near
Martha's Vineyard,"* Mass. Several others were secured at Middle-
town, by W. W. Coe and J. H. Sage, during this same storm during
which Mr. Goode's were taken, and Mr. Sage has still another, cap-
tured there November 25th, 1874, in a gale. One was taken at Say-
brook at the same time. Dr. Wood, of East Windsor Hill, showed
me a specimen of this species, shot near Portland, Conn., November
10th, 1849. Two other individuals were killed on a pond at Walling-
ford, Conn., in September, 1874, by Wm. F. Lane, Esq. It is occa-
sionally taken as far south as Egg Harbor, New Jersey.f

291. Lomvia troile (Linne) Brandt. Foolish Guillemot ; Murre.

A rare winter visitant in the Sound, though common enough out-
side. Captain Brooks took one near Faulkner's Island, Conn., " about
eight years ago."

NOTE. — The Great Auk (A lea impennis Linne), supposed now to
be extinct, was formerly, without doubt, a winter visitor to our coast.
Aside from the three species of Alcidce given above, as occurring
within our limits, several others have been found still farther south
and may be looked for in winter off Stonington, Conn., and perhaps
even in the Sound. These are : Fratercula Arctica, Uria grytte, and
Lomvia arra.

* Am. Nat., vol. vi, No. 1, p. 49, Jan. 1872.

f Birds of Bast Penn. and New Jersey. By Wm. P. Turnbull, p. 48, 1869.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

139

B. List of the Families of Birds now found in the State of Connec-
ticut^ with the number of their representative species.

Species.

1 Turdidas, 8

2 Saxicolidse, . 1

3 Sylviidas, 3

4 Paridse, 3

5 Sittidae, 2

6 Certkiidse, ]

7 Troglodytidse, 4

8 Alaudidse, 1

9 Motacillidae, 1

10 Sylvicolidse, 34

11 Tanagridse, 2

12 Hirundinidas, 6

13 Ampelidas, 2

14 Vireonida3, 5

15 Laniidse, 2

16 Fringillidas, 32

17 Icteridas, _ 8

18 Corvida3 3

19 Tyrannidae, 10

20 Caprimulgidas, 2

21 Cypselidas, 1

22 Trochilidas, 1

23 Alcedinidas, 1

24 Cuculidae, 2

Species.

25 Picidas, 8

26 Strigidse, 11

27 Falconidas, _ 15

28 Cathartidse, 1

29 Columbidas, _ . _ 2

30 Tetraonidas, _ 2

31 Charadriidas, 6

32 Hasmatopodidas, _ 2

33 Recurvirostridas, 1

34 Phalaropodidas, 2

35 Scolopacida3, 24

36 Tantalidas, 2

37 Ardeidas, 8

38 Rallidse, 9

39 Anatidas, 32

40 Sulidas, 2

41 Phalacrocoracidse, 2

42 Tachypetidas, ... 1

43 Laridas, 14

44 Procellariidas, 3

45 Colymbidre, 2

46 Podicipida3, 4

47 Alcidaj, 3

C. Special Lists, giving, in tabular form, the residents, summer and
winter visitants, migrants, etc.

(A.) SUMMER RESIDENTS.
1. Species known to breed.

1 Turdus migratorius.

2 Turdus mustelinus.

3 Turdus fuscescens.

4 Mimus Carolinensis.

5 Harporhynchus rufus.

6 Sialia si alls.

7 Parus atricapillus.

8 Sitta Carolinensis.

9 Certhia familiaris.

10 Troglodytes ae'don.

1 1 Telmatodytes palustris.

12 Cistothorus stellaris.*

13 Mniotilta varia.

] 4 Parula Americana.

15 Helmitherus vermivorus.

16 Helminth ophaga pinus.

17 Helminthophaga chrysoptera.*

18 Helminthophaga ruficapilla.

19 Dendroeca asstiva.

20 Dendroeca virens.*

21 Dendroeca casrulescens.*

22 Dendroeca Blackburnias.*

23 Dendroeca Pennsylvanica.

24 Dendroeca discolor.

25 Dendroeca pinus.

26 Siurus auricapillua.

27 Siurus motacilla.

28 Geothlypis trichas.

29 Icteria virens.

30 Myiodioctes mitratus.

31 Myiodioctes Canadensis.*

32 Setophaga ruticilla.

33 Pyranga rubra.

34 Hirundo horreorum.

35 Tachycineta bicolor.

36 Petrochelidon lunifrons.

37 Cotyle riparia.

38 Progne purpurea.

39 Ampelis cedrorum.

40 Yireo olivaceus.

* An asterisk placed after a species indicates that it does not breed abundantly.

140

C. H. Merriam — JSirds of Connecticut.

41 Vireo gilvus.

42 Vireo flavifrons.*

43 Vireo solitarius.

44 Vireo Noveboracensis.

45 Carpodacus purpureus.

46 Chrysoinitris tristis.

47 Passerculus Savanna.

48 Pooecetes gramineus.

49 Coturniculus passerinus.

50 Coturniculus Henslowi.*
61 Ammodromus maritimus.

52 Ammodromus caudacutus.

53 Melospiza palustris.
54. Melospiza melodia.

55 Melospiza Lincolni.*

56 Spizella socialis.
5*7 Spizella pusilla.

58 Passer domesticus.

59 Euspiza Americana.*

60 Gkmiaphea Ludoviciana.

61 Cyanospiza cyanea.

62 Pipilo erythrophthalmus.

63 Dolichonyx oryzivorus.

64 Molothrus pecoris.

65 Agelseus phoeniceus.

66 Sturnella magna.

67 Icterus spurius.

68 Icterus Baltimore.

69 Quiscalus purpureus.

70 Corvus Americanus.

71 Cyanurus cristatus.

72 Tyrannus Carolinensis.

73 Myiarchus crinitus.

74 Sayornis fuscus.

75 Contopus virens.

76 Empidonax Traillii.

77 Empidonax minimus.

78 Antrostomus vociferus.

79 Chordeiles Virginianus.

80 Chaetura pelagica.

81 Trochilus colubris.

82 Ceryle alcyon.

83 Coccyzus erythrophthalmus.

84 Coccyzus Americanus.

85 Picus villosus.

86 Picus pubescens.

87 Melanerpes erythrocephalus.*

88 Colaptes auratus.

89 Bubo Virginianus.

90 Scops asio.

91 Otus vulgaris, var. Wilsonianus.

92 Brachyotus palustris.

93 Syrnium nebulosum.

94 Nyctale Acadica.

95 Circus cyaneus, var. Hudsonius.

96 Accipiter fuscus.

97 Accipiter Cooperi.

98 Falco cfommunis.*

99 Falco sparverius.*

100 Buteo borealis.

101 Buteo lineatus.

102 Buteo Pennsylvanrcns.

103 Pandion haliaetus.

104 Haliaetus leucocephalus.*

105 Ectopistes migratorius.

106 Zenaedura Caroiinensis.

107 Bonasa umbellus.

108 Ortyx Virginianus.

109 ^Egialitis vocifera.

110 ^Egialitis meloda.

111 Philohela minor.

112 Gallinago Wilsoni.*

113 Totanus semipalmatus.*

114 Ereunetes pusillus.*

115 Tringoides macularius.

116 Actiturus Bartramius.

117 Ardea herodias.*

118 Ardea virescens.

119 Nyctiardea grisea, var. nsevia.

120 Botaurus minor.

121 Ardetta exilis.

122 Rallus longirostris.

123 Rallus elegans.

124 Rallus Virginianus.

125 Porzana Carolina.

126 Porzana Noveboracensis.*

127 Porzana Jamaicensis.*

128 Grallinula galeata.

129 Anas obscura.

130 A ix sponsa.

131 Harelda glacialis.*

132 Sterna hirundo.

133 Sterna Dougalli.

134 Colymbus torquatus.*

135 Podilymbus podiceps.

2. Species which probably breed occasionally, but are not known to do so.

1 Mimus polyglottus.

2 Polioptila cserulea.

3 Lophophanes bi color.

4 Thryothorus Ludovicianus.

5 Dendroeca casrulea.

6 Dendroeca Dominica.

7 Siurus nasvius.

8 Oporornis formosus.

9 Pyranga aestiva.

10 Stelgidopteryx serripennis.

11 Cardinalis Virginianus.

12 Contopus borealis.

13 Empidonax Acadicus.

14 Sphyrapicus varius.

15 Centurus Carolinus.

16 Strix flammea, var. Americana.

17 Falco columbarius.

18 JEgialitis Wilsonia.

19 Totanus solitarius.

20 Sterna superciliaris, var. Antillarum.
2 L Cymochorea leucorrhoa.

C. S. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

141

(B.) RESIDENT SPECIES.

1 Turdus migratorius.

2 Sialia sialis.

3 Parus atricapillus.*

4 Sitta Carolinensis.*

5 Certhia familiaris.*

6 Ampelis cedrorum.

7 Carpodacus purpureus.

8 Chrysomitris tristis.

9 Melospiza melodia.
10 Spizella socialis.

31 Passer domesticus.*

12 Molothrus pecoris.

13 Agelaeus phoeniceus.

14 Sturnella magna.

15 Corvus Americanus.

16 Cyanurus cristatus.*

17 Ceryle alcyon.

18 Picus villosus.*

19 Picus pubescens.*

20 Melanerpes erythrocephalus.

21 Colaptes auratus.

22 Bubo Virginianus.*

23 Scops asio.*

24 Otus vulgaris, var. Wilsonianus.*

25 Brachyotus palustris.*

26 Syrnium nebulosum.*

27 Nyctale Acadica.*

28 Falco communis.

29 Falco columbarius.

30 Falco sparverius.

31 Buteo borealis.

32 Buteo lineatus.

33 Buteo Pennsylvanicus.

34 Haliaetus leucocephalus.

35 Zenasdura Carolinensis.

36 Bonasa umbellus.*

37 Ortyx Virginianus.*

38 Philohela minor.

39 Anas obscura.

40 Harelda glacialis.

41 Larus argentatus, var. Smithsonianus.

(c.) MIGRANTS NOT KNOWN TO BREED.

(Some of these winter.)

1 Turdus Pallasi.

2 Turdus Swainsoni.
2rtTurdus Swainsoni, var. Aliciae.

3 Eegulus calendula.

4 Eegulus satrapa.

5 Anorthura troglodytes, var. hyemalis.

6 Anthus Ludovici'anus.

7 Helminthophaga peregrina.

8 Dendroeca coronata.

9 Dendroeca striata.

10 Dendroeca castanea.

11 Dendroeca maculosa.

12 Dendroeca tigrini.

13 Dendroeca palmarum.

14 Siurus nsevius.

15 Oporornis agilis.

16 Geothlypis Philadelphia.

17 Myiodioctes pusillus.

18 Passerculus princeps.

19 Junco hyemalis.

20 Spizella inonticola.

21 Zonotrichia albicollis.

22 Zonotrichia leucophrys.

23 Passerella iliaca.

24 Scolecophagus ferrugineus.

25 Contopus borealis.

26 Empidonax fiaviventris.

27 Sphyrapicus varius.

28 Aquila chrysaetus.

29 Squatarola Helvetica.

30 Charadrius fulvus, var. Virginicus.

31 Jilgialitis semipalmata.

32 Hsematopus palliatus.

33 Strepsilas interpres.

34 Recurvirostra Americana.

35 Phalaropus fulicarius.

36 Macrorhamphus griseus.

37 Tringa minutilla.

38 Tringa maculata.

39 Tringa fuscicollis.

40 Tringa maritima.

41 Tringa alpina.

42 Tringa subarquata.

43 Tringa canutus.

44 Calidris arenaria.

45 Limosa fedoa.

46 Limosa Hudsonica.

47 Totanus melanoleucus.

48 Totanus flavipes.

49 Totanus solitarius.

50 Tryngites rufescens.

51 Numenius longirostris.

52 Numenius Hudsonicus.

53 Numenius borealis.

54 Fulica Americana.

55 Anser hyperboreus.

* Those marked with an asterisk are resident individually, while the others are
represented here, in winter, by individuals which probably breed much farther north.

142

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

56 Branta bernicla.

5*7 Branta Canadensis.

57« Branta Canadensis, var. Hutchinsii.

58 Anas boschas.

59 Daflla acuta.

60 Chaulelasmus streperus.

61 Mareca Americana.

62 Querquedula Carolinensis.

63 Querquedula discors.

64 Spatula clypeata.

65 Fuligula marila.

66 Fuligula affinis.

67 Fuligula collaris.

68 Fuligula ferina, var. Americana.

69 Fuligula vallisneria.

70 Bucephala clangula.

71 Bucephala Islandica.

72 Bucephala albeola.

73 (Edemia Americana.

74 (Edemia fusca.

75 (Edemia perspicillata.

76 Erismatura rubida.

77 Mergus merganser.

78 Mergus serrator.

79 Mergus cucullatus.

80 G-raculus carbo.

81 Graculus dilophus.

82 Larus tridactylus.

83 Larus atricilla.

84 Larus Philadelphia.

85 Sterna macroura.

86 Sterna superciliaris, var. Antillarum.

87 Hydrochelidon lariformis.

88 Colymbus septentrionalis.

89 Podiceps cristatus.

90 Podiceps cornutus.

(D.) WINTER RESIDENTS, MOKE OR LEKS REGULAR.*

1 Regulus satrapa.

2 Sitta Canadensis.

3 Anorthura troglodytes, var. hyemalis.

4 Eremophila alpestris.

5 Dendroaca coronata.

6 Collurio borealis.

7 Pinicola enucleator.

8 Plectrophanes nivalis.

9 Spizella monticola.

10 Junco hyemalis.

11 Zonotrichia albicollis.

12 Nyctea Scandiaca.

13 Astur atricapillus.

14 Archibuteo lagopus, var. Sancti-

Johannis.

15 Tringa maritima.

1 6 Branta bernicla.

17 Branta Canadensis.

18 Dafila acuta.

19 Fuligula marila.

20 Fuligula affinis.

21 Bucephala clangula.

22 Bucephala albeola.

23 Harelda glacialis.

24 (Edemia Americana.

25 (Edemia fusca.

26 (Edemia perspicillata.

27 Mergus serrator.

28 Mergus cucullatus.

29 Graculus carbo.

30 Larus marinus.

31 Larus argentatus.

32 Larus Delawarensis.

33 Colymbus torquatus.

34 Colymbus septentrionalis.

35 Podiceps cristatus.

36 Podiceps cornutus.

(E.) WINTER VISITANTS, MORE OR LESS IRREGULAR.

1 Lophophanes bicolor.

2 Parus Hudsonicus.

3 Ampelis garrulus.

4 Loxia leucoptera.

5 Loxia curvirostra, var. Americana.

6 ^Egiothus linaria.

7 Chrysomitris pinus.

8 Plectrophanes Lapponicus.

9 Passerculus princeps.

10 Zonotrichia leucophrys.

1 1 Hylotomus pileatus.

12 Picoides Arcticus.

13 Syrnium cinereum.

14 Surnia ulula, var. Hudsonia.

15 Nyctale Tengmalmi, var. Bichardsoni.

16 Aquila chrysaetus.

17 Cygnus Americanus.

18 Anser hyperboreus.

19 Bucephala Islandica.

20 Camptokemus Labradorius.

21 Somateria mollissima.

22 Somateria spectabilis.

23 Sula bassana.

24 Stercorarius parasiticus.

25 Stercorarius BufEoni.

26 Larus tridactylus.

27 Puffinus major.

28 Podiceps griseigena, var. Holbolli.

29 Utamania torda.

30 Mergulus alle.

31 Lomvia troile.

* This list does not include resident species.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

143

(F.) IRREGULAR SUMMER VISITANTS.

1 Mimus polyglottus.

2 Polioptila caerulea.

3 Lophophanes bicolor.

4 Dendrceca caerulea.

5 Dendroeca Dominica.

6 Oporornis formosus.

7 Pyranga aestiva.

8 Stelgidopteryx serripennis.

9 Euspiza Americana.

10 Cardinalis Virginianus.

11 Corvus ossifragus.

12 Milvulus forflcatus.

13 Empidonax Acadicus.

14 Centurus Carolinus.

15 Strix flammea, var. Americana.

16 Cathartes aura.

17 ./Egialitis Wilsonia.

18 Ibis falcinellus, var. Ordii.

19 Ibis alba.

20 Ardea egretta.

21 Ardea candidissima.

22 Ardea caerulea.

23 Porzana Jamaicensis.

24 Porphyrio Martinica.

25 Sula fiber.

26 Tachypetes aquilus.

27 Sterna fuKginosa.

28 Hydrochelidon lariformis.

29 Cymochorea leucorrhoa.

30 Oceanites oceanica.

(G.) RARE ACCIDENTAL VISITORS.

1 Mimus polyglottus.

2 Polioptila caerulea.

3 Lophophanes bicolor.

4 Parus Hudsonicus.

5 Oporornis formosus.

6 Pyranga restiva.

7 Stelgidopteryx serripennis.

8 Ampelis garrulus.

9 Collurio Ludovicianus.

10 Euspiza Americana.*

11 Cardinalis Virginianus.

12 Corvus ossifragus.

13 Milvulus forficatus.

14 Hylotomus pileatus.

15 Picoides Arcticus.

16 Centurus Carolinus.

17 Strix flammea, var. Americana.

18 Syrnium cinereum.

19 Surnia ulula, var. Hudsonia.

20 Nyctale Tengmalmi, var. Richardsoni.

21 Aquila chrysaetus.

22 ^Egialitis Wilsonia.

23 Steganopus Wilsoni.

24 Phalaropus fulicarius.

25 Limosa Hudsonica.

26 Ibis falcinellus, var. Ordii.

27 Ibis alba.

28 Ardea egretta.

29 Ardea candidissima.

30 Ardea caerulea.

31 Porzana Jamaicensis.

32 Porphyrio Martinica.

33 Cygnus Americanus.

34 Bucephala Islandica.

35 Camptola3mus Labradorius.

36 Somateria mollissima.

37 Somateria spectabilis.

38 Sula bassana.

39 Sula fiber.

40 Tachypetes aquilus.

41 Stercorarius parasiticus.

42 Stercorarius Buffoni.

43 Sterna fuliginosa.

44 Utamania tor da.

45 Mergulus alle.

46 Lomvia troile.

(H.) RARE AND IRREGULAR MIGRANTS.

1 Passerculus princeps ?

2 ^Egialitis Wilsonia.

3 Hsematopus palliatus.

4 Steganopus Wilsoni.

5 Phalaropus fulicarius.

6 Tringa subarquata.

7 Limosa fedoa.

8 Limosa Hudsonica.

9 Numenius borealis.
10 Cygnus Americanus.

11 Anser hyperboreus.

12 Anas boschas.

13 Chaulelasmus streperus.

14 Fuligula collaris.

15 Fuligula ferina, var. Americana.

16 Fuligula vallisneria.

17 Bucephala Islandica.

18 Sterna macroura.

19 Hydrochelidon lariformis.

* Although Linsley gives this species as "very common" at New Haven (in 1842),
it has not since been met with, either by myself or any other collector in the State, so
far as I am aware. Hence I am forced to regard its occurrence, at present, as purely
accidental, and this without doubting Linsley's statement that it was once common.
Indeed, I have recently seen two of Linsley's mounted specimens.

144

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

D. An Analysis of Linsley's " Catalogue"

In the year 1843, the Kev. James H. Linsley published, in the American Journal of
Science and Arts, " A Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut, arranged according to their
natural families.'''1* In this Catalogue Mr. Linsley enumerates 302 species, this num-
ber including both those that had already been detected within our limits and those
whose presence he thought likely (judging from their occurrence in contiguous States)
future investigation might reveal. He likewise included the introduced and domesti-
cated species — such as the California Quail, Pea Cock, Guinea Fowl, the various races
of the domestic Pigeon (Columba lima Linne), and the common barn-yard fowl,
numbering them with our native birds. Many species are given twice, and some
even three times, the immature and seasonal plumages having been mistaken for
distinct species. There are also a few doubtful forms, and at least two had been
exterminated before his paper was written, f Hence it is that a critical examination
of this list at once enables us to eliminate 63 species, thus reducing the total number
from 302 to 2394

(A.) LIST OF THOSE SPECIES GIVEN BY LINSLEY IN HIS u Catalogue of the Birds of
Connecticut, " CONCERNING THE OCCURRENCE OF WHICH HE PROBABLY HAD

SUFFICIENT PROOF.

1 Turdus migratorius.

2 Turdus mustelinus.

3 Turdus Pallasi.

4 Turdus fuscescens.

5 Mimus polyglottus.

6 Mimus Carolinensis.

7 Harporhynchus rufus.

8 Sialia sialis.

9 Regulus calendula.

10 Regulus satrapa.

11 Polioptila cserulea.

12 Lophophanes bicolor.

13 Parus atricapillus.

14 Sitta Carolinensis.

15 Sitta Canadensis.

16 Certhia f amiliaris.

17 Troglodytes ae'don.

18 Anorthura troglodytes, var. hyemalis.

19 Telmatodytes palustris.

20 Cistothorus stellaris.

21 Eremophila alpestris.

22 Anthus Ludovicianus.

23 Mniotilta varia.

24 Parula Americana.

25 Helmitherus vermivorus.

26 Helminthophaga ruficapilla.

27 Dendroeca a3stiva.

28 Dendrceca virens.

29 Dendrceca casrulescens.

30 Dendrceca cserulea.

31 Dendrceca coronata.

32 Dendrceca Blackburniae.

33 Dendrceca striata.

34 Dendrceca castanea.

35 Dendroeca Pennsylvanica.

36 Dendrceca maculosa.

37 Dendrceca tigrina

38 Dendrceca discolor.

39 Dendroeca palmarum,

40 Dendroeca pinus.

41 Siurus auricapillus.

42 Siurus naevius.

43 Geothlypis trichas.

44 Icteria virens.

45 Myiodioctes mitratus.

46 Myiodioctes Canadensis.

47 Setophaga ruticilla.

48 Pyranga rubra.

49 Pyranga asstiva.

50 Hirundo horreorum.

51 Tachycineta bicolor.

52 Cotyle riparia.

53 Progne purpurea.

54 Ampelis cedrorum.

55 Virea olivaceus.

56 Yireo gilvus.

57 Yireo flavifrons.

58 Vireo solitarius.

59 Vireo Noveboracensis.

60 Collurio borealis.

* Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, pp. 249-274, April, 1843.

•j- Namely: the "Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and the Pinnated Grouse or
Prairie Chicken ( Cupidonia cupido}.

\ The collection of birds given by Linsley to the Yale Natural History Society, and
kept for many years in the Yale Medical School, has recently been transferred to the
Peabody Museum of Yale College.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

145

61 Pinicola enucleator.

62 Carpodacus purpureus.

63 Loxia curvirostra, var. Americana.

64 ^Egiothus linaria.

65 Chrysomltris pinus.

66 Chrysomitris tristis.

67 Plectrophanes nivalis.

68 Passerculus Savanna.

69 Pooecetes gramineus.

70 Coturniculus passerinus.

71 Ammodromus maritimus.

72 Ammodromus caudacutus.

73 Melospiza palustris.

74 Melospiza melodia.

75 Junco hyemalis.

7 6 Spizella monticola.

77 Spizella socialis.

78 Spizella pusilla.

79 Zonotrichia albicollis.

80 Zonotrichia leucophrys.

81 Passerella iliaca.

82 Euspiza Americana.

83 Groniaphia Ludoviciana.

84 Cyanospiza cyanea.

85 Cardinalis Virginianus.

86 Pipilo erythrophthalmus.

87 Dolichonyx oryzivorus.

88 Molothrus pecoris.

89 Agelseus phceniceus.

90 Sturnella magna.

91 Icterus spurius.

92 Icterus Baltimore.

93 Scolecophagus ferruginous.

94 Quiscalus purpureus.

95 Corvus Americanus.

96 Corvus ossifragus.

97 Cyanurus cristatus.

98 Tyrannus Carolinensis.

99 Myiarchus crinitus.

100 Sayornis fuscus.

101 Contopus borealis ?

102 Contopus virens.

103 Empidonax Traillii.

104 Empidonax minimus ('' Acadicus").

105 Antrostomus vociferus.

106 Chordeiles Virginianus.

107 Chaetura pelagica.

108 Trochilus colubris.

109 Ceryle alcyon.

110 Coccyzus erythrophthalmus.

111 Coccyzus Americanus,

112 Hylotomus pileatus.

113 Pious villosus.

114 Picus pubescens.

115 Sphyrapicus varius.

116 Centurus Carolinus.

117 Melanerpes erythrocephalus.

118 Colaptes auratus.

119 Strix flammea, var. Americana.

120 Bubo Yirginianus.

121 Scops asio.

122 Otus vulgaris, var. Wilsonianus.

123 Brachyotus palustris.
TRANS. CONN. AOAD,, VOL. IV.

124 Syrnium cinereum.

125 Syrnium nebulosum.

126 Nyctea Scandiaca.

127 Nyctale Acadica.

128 Circus cyaneus, var. Hudsonius.

1 29 Accipiter fuscus.

130 Falco communis.

131 Falco columbarius.

132 Falco sparverius.

133 Buteo borealis.

134 Buteo lineatus.

135 Buteo Pennsylvanicus.

136 Archibuteo lagopus, var. Sancti-

Johannis.

137 Pandion haliaetus.

138 Haliaetus leucocephalus.

139 Cathartes aura.

140 Ectopistes migratorius.

141 Zenaedura Carolinensis.

142 Bonasa umbellus.

143 Ortyx Virginianus.

144 Squatarola Helvetica.

145 Charadrius fulvus, var. Virginicus.

146 ^Egialitis vocifera ?

147 ^Egialitis Wilsonia.

148 JEgialitis semipalmata.

149 JEgialitis meloda.

150 Haematopus palliatus.

151 Strepsilas interpres.

152 Steganopus Wilsoni.

153 Philohela minor.

154 Gallinago Wilsoni.

155 Macrorhamphus griseus.

156 Ereunetes pusillus.

157 Tringa minutilla.

158 Tringa maculata.

159 Tringa fuscicollis.

160 Tringa alpina, var. Americana.

161 Tringa canutus.

162 Calidris arenaria.

163 Limosa fedoa.

164 Limosa Hudsonica.

165 Totanus semipalmatus.

166 Totanus melanoleucus.

167 Totanus flavipes.

168 Totanus solitarius.

169 Tringoides macularius.

170 Actiturus Bartramius.

171 Numenius longirostris.

172 Numenius Hudsonicus.

173 Numenius borealis.

174 Ibis falcinellus, var. Ordii.

175 Ardea herodias.

176 Ardea candidissima.

177 Ardea caerulea.

178 Ardea virescens.

179 Nyctiardea grisea, var. nsevia.

180 Botaurus minor.

181 Ardetta exilis.

182 Rallus longirostris.

183 Rallus elegans.

184 Rallus Virginianus,

1 85 Porzana Carolina,

19

OCT., 1877.

146

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

186 Porzana Noveboracensis.

187 Fulica Americana.

188 Cygnus Americanus.

189 Anser hyperboreus.

190 Branta bernicla.

191 Branta Canadensis.

192 Branta Canadensis, var. Hutchinsii.

193 Anas boschas.

194 Anas obscura.

195 Dafila acuta.

196 Chaulelasmus streperus.

197 Mareca Americana.

198 Querquedula Carolinensis.

199 Querquedula discors.

200 Spatula clypeata.

201 Aix sponsa.

202 Fuligula marila

203 Fuligula collaris.

204 Fuligula ferina, var. Americana.

205 Fuligula vallisneria.

206 Bucephala clangula.

207 Bucephala albeola.

208 Harelda glacialis.

209 Camptolsemus Labradorius.

210 Somateria mollissima.

211 Somateria spectabilis.

212 (Edemia Americana.

213 (Edemia fusca.

214 (Edemia perspicillata.

215 Erismatura rubida.

216 Mergus merganser.

217 Mergus serrator.

218 Mergus cucullatus.

219 Sula bassana.

220 Sula fiber.

221 Graculus carbo.

222 G-raculus dilophus.

223 Stercorarius parasiticus.

224 Larus marinus.

225 Larus argentatus, var. Smithsonianua

226 Larus atricilla,

227 Larus Philadelphia.

228 Sterna hirundo.

229 Sterna superciliaris. var. Antillarutp

230 Oceanites oceanica.

231 Puffinus major.

232 Colymbus torquatus.

233 Colymbus septentrionalis.

234 Podiceps cristatus.

235 Podiceps griseigena, var. Holbolli.

236 Podiceps cornutus.

237 Podilymbus podiceps.

238 Utamania tor da.

239 Uria grylle.

(B.) LIST OF THOSE SPECIES GIVEN BY LINSLEY IN HIS " Catalogue of the Birds of
Connecticut," CONCERNING- THE OCCURRENCE OF WHICH HE DID NOT HAVE SUF-
FICIENT PROOF.

1 Helmitherus Swainsoni.

2 Helminthophaga chrysoptera.

3 Dendrceca Dominica.

4 Oporornis agilis.

5 Petrochelidon lunifrons.

6 Ampelis garrulus.

7 Collurio Ludovicianus.

8 Collurio Ludovicianus, var. excubito-

roides.

9 Loxia leucoptera.

10 Quiscalus major.

11 Picoides Arcticus

12 Accipiter Cooperi.

13 Recurvirostra Americana,

14 Lobipes hyperboreus.

15 Phalaropus fulicarius.

16 Tringa maritima.

17 Tringa subarquata.

18 Totanus chloropus.

19 Tryngites rufescens.

20 Ardea egretta.

21 Gallinula galeata.

22 Porphyrio Martinica.

23 Branta leucopsis.

24 Histrionicus torquatus.

25 Larus Delawarensis.

26 Larus tridactylus.

27 Rhynchops nigra.

28 Fulmarus glacialis.

29 Cymochorea leucorrhoa.

30 Puffinus obscurus.
81 Fratercula Arctica.

32 Mergulus alle.

33 Lomvia troile.

34 Lomvia arra.

(c.) LIST OF THOSE "SPECIES" GIVEN BY LINSLEY, IN HIS "Catalogue of the Birds of

Connecticut,'1'1 WHICH REPRESENT IMMATURE, ABNORMAL, OR SEASONAL. PLUMAGES

OF OTHER STATED SPECIES.

Name used by Linsley. Modern Equivalents.

1 Regulus cristatus — tricolor. Regulus satrapa.

2 Sylvia trochilus = ^estiva. Dendroeca restiva.

3 Sylvia sphagnosa — Canadensis. Dendrceca caerulescens.

C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 147

Name used by Linsky. Modern Equivalents.

4 Sylvia parus = Blackburnise. Dendroeca Blackburnise.

5 Sylvia autumnalis = castanea. Dendroeca castanea.

6 Sylvia Eoscoe = trichas. Geothlypis trichas.

7 Fringilla ambigua = Icterus pecoris. Molothrus pecoris.

8 Strix Scandiaca = Yirginica (albino) ? Bubo Virginianus.

9 Falco temerarius = columbarius. Falco columbarius.

10 Falco buteoides = hyemalis. Buteo lineatus.

1 1 Falco chrysaetos ? Linne = leucoceph-

alus. Haliaetus leucocephalus.

12 Falco "Washiugtoniensis — leucoceph-

alus. Haliaetus leucocephalus.

1 3 Limosa Edwardsii ? = Hudsonia. Limosa Hudsouica.

14 Falligula nigra = Americana. CEdemia Americana.

15 Phalacrocorax graculus = carbo. Graculus carbo.

16 Larus capistratus = Bonapartii. Larus Philadelphia.

17 Podiceps minor = Carolinensis. Podilymbus podiceps.

(D.) LIST OF INTRODUCED AND DOMESTICATED SPECIES GIVEN BY LINSLEY, IN HIS
"Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut." WHICH SCARCELY DESERVE TO BE MEN-
TIONED AMONG OUR NATIVE BIRDS.

1 Columba domestica Linne.

2 Pavo cristatus Linne.

3 Numida meleagris Linne.

4 Grallus domesticus Linne.

5 Lophortyx Californicus Bonaparte.

6 Anas moschata Willoughby.

(E.) LIST OF THOSE SPECIES GIVEN BY LINSLEY IN HIS "Catalogue of the Birds of Con-
necticut" WHICH WERE EITHER EXTERMINATED OR DRIVEN BEYOND THE STATE
BEFORE HIS "CATALOGUE" WAS WRITTEN.

1 Meleagris gallopavo Linne. j 2 Cupidonia Cupido Baird.

(F.) LIST OF THOSE SPECIES GIVEN BY LINSLEY IN HIS "Catalogue of the Birds of Con-
necticut," WHICH WERE INSERTED, PROBABLY, ON ERRONEOUS IDENTIFICATION.

1 Quiscalus major Vieillot.* I 4 Larus caiius Linne.

2 Empidonax Acadicus (Gmelin) Baird.f 5 Larus fuscus Linne.

3 Sylvia flava Linne.

(G.) LIST OF THOSE SPECIES GIVEN BY LINSLEY IN HIS "Catalogue of the Birds of Con-
necticut" THE IDENTITY OF WHICH I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE.

1 Sylvia auricollis Latham. | 2 Sylvia flava Linne.

* " Probably a mistake." Coues' Birds of the Northwest, p. 204, 1874.
f Probably E. minimus.

148 C. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

E. List of the Publications, containing Notes on the Birds of New
England, to which reference has been made in the foregoing
Review.

A Description of New-England, by Captaine lohn Smith. Printed at London,
1616. [Tract 1, vol. ii.]

New Englands Trials. "Written by Captaine lohn Smith, sometimes Governour of
Virginia, and Admirall of New-England. London. Printed by William lones.
1622.

New England's Plantation. Or a Short and trve description of the commodities
and discommodities of that Countrey. — Written by a reuerend Diuine now there
resident. London, Printed by T. C. and R. C. for Michael Sparke, dwelling at the
Signe of the Slue Bible in Greene Arbor in the little Old Bailey. 1630. [Reprinted
in Peter Force's Historical Tracts, vol. i, Tract 12.]

Gov. Thomas Dudley's Letter to the Countess of Lincoln, March, 1631. Printed in
full in Peter Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract iv. Washington, 1838.

New English Canaan; Or New Canaan, containing An Abstract of New England.
Composed in three Bookes, etc. Written by Thomas Morton, of Cliffords Inn, G-ent.
Upon ten Yeers Knowledge and Experiment of the Country. Printed by Charles
Green. 1632. [Reprinted in Peter Force's Historical Tracts, vol. ii, Tract 5. 1838.]

New Englands Prospect. A true, lively, and experimentall description of that part
of America, commonly called New England ; discovering the state of that Countrie,
both as it stands to our new-come English Planters; and to the old Native Inhabi-
tants. Laying downe that which may both enrich the knowledge of the mind-travel-
ling Reader, or benefit the future Voyager. By William Wood. Printed at London,
etc. 1634.

New-England's Rarities Discovered: in Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, and Plants
of that Country. [Etc.] By John Josselyn, Gent. London. 1672. [Reprinted in
A.rchaeologia Americana, vol. iv, pp. 133-238.]

An Account of two Voyages to New-England, etc. By John Josselyn, Gent. The
Second Addition. London. Printed for G. Widdowes at the Green Dragon in St.
Pauls Church-yard, 1675. [Reprinted in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical
Society, vol. iii, 3d Series. 1833.]

Travels into North America; containing its Natural History, and a Circumstantial
Account of its Plantations and Agriculture in general, etc.. etc. By Peter Kalm.
Translated into English, by John Reinhold Forster, F.A.S. Vol. ii. London, 1771.

Arctic Zoology. By Thomas Pennant. Vol. ii. 1785.

The History of New- Hampshire. By Jeremy Belknap, A.M. Vol. iii. Boston,
1791.

The Natural and Civil History of Vermont. By Samuel Williams, LL.D. Pub-
lished according to Act of Congress. Printed at Walpole, New Hampshire, 1794.

A Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut. By David D.
Field. Published by the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. Middletown,
Conn. Printed by Clark & Lyman. April, 1819.

American Ornithology. By Alexander Wilson. Edinburgh, 1831.

C. Jf. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 149

A Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and Canada. By Thomas Nutt-
all. 1832.

Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany, and Zoology of Massachusetts. Made
and published by order of the Government of that State, etc. By Edward Hitchcock
(Report on Birds, by Ebenezer Emmons, M.D.). Amherst, 1833.

The Birds of North America. By John James Audubon. 1831-9.

A Report on the Ornithology of Massachusetts. By William B. 0. Peabody. 1839.

History of Vermont, Natural, Civil, and Statistical. In three parts, with a new map
of the State, and 200 engravings. By Zadock Thompson. Burlington: Chauncey
G-oodrich, 1842. Also Appendix to same, published in 1853.

A Catalogue of the Birds of Connecticut, arranged according to their natural
families. By the Rev. James H. Linsley. [Published in the Am. Jour. Sci. and
Arts, vol. xliv, No. 2, pp. 249-74. April, 1843.]

The Birds of Long Island. By J. P. Giraud, Jr. New York, 1844.

The Birds of Essex County, Mass. By F. W. Putnam. [Published in Proceed.
Essex Inst, vol. i, pp. 201-31. 1856.]

A List of Birds observed at Grand Menan and at Yarmouth, N. S., from June 16 to
July 8, 1856. By Dr. Henry Bryant. [From the Proceedings of the Boston Society
of Natural History, vol. vi. March, 1857.]

Birds of North America. By S. F. Baird. [Vol. ix of Pacific Railroad Reports,
1858.]

Catalogue of the Birds found at Norway, Oxford County, Maine. By A. E. Verrill.
With a List of the Birds found in Maine not observed at Norway. [From Proceed-
ings of the Essex Institute, vol. iii. 1863.]

Catalogue of the Birds found in the Vicinity of Calais, Maine, and about the Islands
at the Mouth of the Bay of Fundy. By George A. Boardman. [Edited by Prof. A. E.
Verrill.] [From the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, vol. ix.
Sept., 1862.]

Catalogue of the Birds found at Springfield, Mass., with notes on their Migrations,
Habits, &c. ; together with a List of those Birds found in the State not yet observed
at Springfield. By J. A. Allen. 1864. [From the Proceedings of the Essex Insti-
tute, vol. iv. No. 2, pp. 48-98. July, 1864.]

A Descriptive Catalogue of the Birds of Massachusetts. By E. A. Samuels. 1864.
[From Massachusetts Agricultural Report. 1863.]

Catalogue of Birds found in the vicinity of Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine.
By Charles E. Hamlin. [Printed in the Tenth Annual report of the Secretary of the
Maine Board of Agriculture, pp. 168-173. 1865.]

History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts : including Lynnfield, Saugus,
Swampscot, and Nahant. By Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall. Boston, 1865.

A List of the Birds of New England. By Elliott Coues, Assistant Surgeon U. S. A.
[Reprinted from the Proceedings Essex Institute, vol. v.] Salem} Mass. pp. 71.
1868.

The Birds of East Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By William P. Turnbull. 1869.

150 (J. H. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut.

A Catalogue of the Birds of Coos County, N. H., and Oxford County, Maine. By
C. J. Maynard, with Notes by William Brewster. Oct., 1871. [From the Proceed
ings of the Boston Society of Natural History, vol. xiv. Oct. 18, 1871. Repaged.]

Key to North American Birds. By Elliott Coues. 1872.

A Partial Catalogue of the Birds of Grand Menan, New Brunswick. By Harold
Herrick. [From the Bulletin of the Essex Institute, vol. v, Nos. 2 and 3. 1873.]

The Birds of Florida. By C. J. Maynard. 1873.

A History of North American Birds. By Baird, Brewer and Ridgway. 1874.
Birds of the Northwest. By Elliott Coues. 1874-5.

The Birds of New England and Adjacent States. By Edward A. Samuels. Bos-
ton, 1875.

A Catalogue of the Birds of New England. By Thomas M. Brewer. 1875.

The Naturalist's Guide. By C. J. Maynard.

The Land and Game Birds of New England. By H. D. Minot. Salem, 1877.

American Journal of Science and Arts. New Haven.

Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History.

Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History. New York.

Proceedings of the Essex Institute.

Bulletin Essex Institute.

Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge.

American Naturalist. Salem.

Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club. Cambridge, 1876-7.

New England Farmer.

Hartford Times, for 1861.

Rod and Gun— American Sportsman.

Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Report of the Secretary of the Maine Board of Agriculture.

INDEX.

Abbott, C. G., 50.
Acadian Flycatcher, 58.

" Owl, 74.
Accipiter Cooperi, 78, 79, 140, 146.

" fuscus, 78, 140, 345.
Actiturns Bartramius, 109, 140, 145.
^Egialitis meloda, 102, 140, 145.

'• semipalmata, 102, 141, 145.
" vocifera, 102, 140, 145.

Wilsonia, 102, 140, 143, 145.
^Egiothus linaria, 34, 35, 142, 145.
Agelseus phoeniceus, 45, 140, 141, 145.
Aiken, Chas. E., 55.
Aix sponsa, 125, 140, 146.
Alaudidffi, 11, 139.
Alca impennis, 4, 138.
Alcedinidse, 63, 139.
Alcidje, 138, 139.
Alleghanian Fauna, 1, 2, 57.
Allen, Prof. J. A., 5, 7, 19, 32, 46, 56, 66,
74, 77, 82, 88, 93, 98, 112, 113, 138, 149.
American Journal of Science and Arts, 2,
27, 49, 51, 65, 70, 72, 90, 91, 99, 103,
107, 108, 110, 112, 115, 116, 121, 124,
129, 136, 149, 150.

American Naturalist, 2, 10, 12, 14, 19, 22,
23, 25, 35, 50, 53, 54, 65, 77, 81, 82, 83,
84, 85, 92, 93, 110, 114, 120, 126, 131,
134, 138, 150.
Amherst, Mass., 149.
Ammodromus caudacutus, 38, 140, 145.
" maratimus, 38, 140, 145.

Ampelidse, 32, 139.
Ampelis cedrorum, 32, 139, 141, 344.

•' garrulus, 32, 142, 143, 146.
Amtman Bdnke, 29.

" Witkowski, 28.
Anatidae, 120, 139.
Anas boschas, 123, 142, 143, 146.
" moschata, 147.
" obscura, 123, 140, 141, 146.
Anisopteryx pometaria, 42.

'' vernata, 42.

Anorthura troglodytes, var. hyemalis, 11,

141, 142, 144.

Anser hyperboreus, 121, 141, 142, 143
146.

Authus Ludovicianus, 12, 141, 144.
Antrostomus vociferus, 59, 140.
Apache, Camp, Arizona, F5.
Archibuteo lagopus, var. Sancti-Johannis,

87, 142, 145.
Arctic Owl, 73.

" Tern, 133.
Ardea casrulea, 111, 143, 145.

Canadensis, 113.

candidissima, 111, 143, 145.

egretta, 111, 143, 146.

herodias, 110, 140, 145.

virescens, 111, 140, 145.
Ardeidae, 110, 139.
Ardetta exilis, 113, 140, 145.
Aquila chrysaetus, 89, 141, 142, 143.
Astur atricapillus, 79, 142.
Audubon, John James, 54, 55, 76, 92, 96,

97, 99, 108, 149.
Auk. Great, 4, 138.

" Eazor-billed, 138.
Avocet, 103, 107.
Ayres, Dr. "Wm. 0., 65, 67, 92, 106.

B.

Bagg, Clinton L., 51.

Baird, Prof. Spencer F., 26, 35, 37, 43, 55,

65, 88, 126, 149.
Baird' s Sandpiper, 107.
Baldpate Duck, 124.
Baltic, 28.

Baltimore Oriole, 46.
Bank Swallow, 31.
Barn Owl, 66.

" Swallow, 28.
Barnacle Goose, 121.
Barrat, Dr., 110.
Barred Owl, 70, 71.
Barrow's Golden-Eye, 126.
Barry, John, 70.
Bartramian Sandpiper, 109.
Bay-breasted Warbler, 16.
Bay- winged Bunting, 37.
Bay of Fundy, 149.
Bee Bird, 49.
Beers, Mr., 35.
Beers, William, 1 20.
Beaver Swamp, 33.

152

INDEX.

Benner, Franklin, 34.

Bennett, C. W., 82, 83.

Berlin, Conn., 70.

Belted Kingfisher, 63.

Bicknell, Eugene P., 15, 23, 25, 26, 31, 44,

54, 132.
Bischoff, 57.
Bittern, American, 112.

" Least, 113.

Black-and-yellow Warbler, 17.
-and- white Creeper, 12.
-backed Three-toed Woodpecker, 64.
-bellied Plover, 102.
-billed Cuckoo, 63.
bird, Boat-tailed, 48.
" Crow, 46, 89.
" Eed-winged, 45.
" Rusty, 46.
Brant, 121.
Duck, 123.
Hawk, 87, 88.
-poll Warbler, 16.
Eail, ] 19.
Scoter, 127.
Tern, 135.

-throated Blue Warbler, 1 5.
" Bunting, 43.
" Green Warbler, 15.
Blackburn, Mrs., 127.
Blackburnian Warbler, 16.
Blue-bill (Duck), 125.
-headed Vireo, 33.
Heron, Great, 110.
" Little, 111.
Golden-winged Warbler, 14.
Jay, 49.

-winged Teal, 124.
Yellow-backed Warbler, 12.
-winged yellow Warbler, 1, 14.
-gray Gnatcatcher, 8.
Belknap, Jeremy, 9, 113, 148.
Birds of the Northwest, Coues, 5, 17, 22,
58, 67, 77, 92, 98, 105, 116, 124, 133,
135, 147, 150.
Bluebird, 8, 19, 30, 41.
Beuers, 4.
Bob White, 100.
Bohemian Waxwing, 32.
Bonaparte's Gull, 132.

" Sandpiper, 106.

Bonasa umbellus, 100, 140, 141, 145.
Bonke, Amtman, 29.
Bomare, Velmont de, 42.
Boardman, George A., 44, 55, 84, 92, 93,

149.

Bobolink, 145.
Booby Gannett, 130.
Boston, Mass., 3, 43, 70, 72, 73.
Bostwick, Thomas, 44.
Botaurus minor, 112, 140, 145.
Bowie, Camp, Arizona, 55.
Brachyotus palustris, 70, 140, 141, 145.
Bragg, Luther C., 14, 23.

Brants, 4.
Brant Goose, 121.
Branta bernicla, 121, 142, 146.
" Canadensis, 122, 142, 146.
" " var. Hutchiusii, 122,

142, 146.

Branta leucopsis, 121, 146.
Brandigee, J. S., 70.
Branford, Conn., 14, 104, 105, 113, 120,

129, 136.
Brandebourg, 42.
Bridgeport, Conn., 103, 131.
Bridport, Vermont, 60.
Brewer, Dr. Thos. M., 3, 6, 12, 26, 35, 37,

43, 55, 57. 58, 70, 105, 106, 119, 150.
Brewster, William, 3, 7, 9, 10, 13, 17, 21,

23, 25, 33, 49, 54, 58, 65, 126, 150.
Broad-bill, 125.
Brooks, Capt. 0. N., 3, 4, 5, 32, 67, 81, 82,

102, 103, 106, 109, 111, 121, 122, 123,

124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132,

133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138.
Brookline, Mass., 10.
Brown Creeper, 10.

" Thrush, 8, 24.
Brown, Samuel, 127.
Bryant, Dr. Henry, 149.
Bubo Virginianus, 67, 140, 141, 145, 147.
Bucephala albeola, 126, 142, 146.
" clangula, 126, 142, 146.
" Islandica, 126, 142, 143.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 109.
Buffle-headed Duck, 126.
Bull-bat, 59.
BuUetin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,

2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12. 15, 16, 17. 20, 27, 31,

33, 36, 37, 46, 49, 50, 65, 69, 72, 113,

115, 119, 121, 134, 150.
Bunting, Bay- winged, 37.
" Black-throated, 43.
•' Snow, 36.
" Towhee, 44.
Buell, W. G., 136.
Burgomaster Gull, 132.
Burlington, Yt., 149.
Burrage, Thomas, 46.
Butcher Bird, 33, 34, 50.
Buteo borealis, 85, 140, 141, 145.

" hyemalis, 87.

" lineatus, 86, 140, 141. 145, 147.

" Pennsylvania, 87, 140, 141, 145.
Butter-ball, 126.
Buzzard, Turkey, 91-93, 96.

C.

Cabot, Mr., 54. 70.

Caerulean Warbler, 15.

Calais, Maine, 44, 55, 92, 93, 149.

Calidris arenaria, 107, 140, 145.

California Quail, 144.

Calve's Island, Conn., 101.

Cambridge, Mass., 3, 13, 31, 33, 49, 54, 78.

Camp Apache, Arizona, 56.

INDEX.

153

Camp Bowie, Arizona, 55.

Camptolaemus Labradorius, 127, 142, 143,

146.

Canada Goose, 122.
" Jay, i.

Canadian Fauna, 1, 2, 57.
Canvas-back Duck, 126.
Cape Cod, Mass., 100, 126.

" May, New Jersey, 54.

" Warbler, 17.
Caprimulgidse, 59, 139.
Carmel, Mt., (near New Haven), Conn., 34,

53.

Cardinal Grosbeak, 44.
Cardinalis Virginianus, 44, 140, 143, 145.
Carolina Dove, 98.
Rail, 116.
" Wren, 11.
Carolinian Fauna, 1, 2.
Carpenter, C. M., 8. 50.
Carpodacus purpureus, 34, 140, 141, 145.
Cat-bird, 8, 9, 24.
Catesby, 47.
Cathartes atratus, 93.

" aura, 91. 143, 145.
Cathartidse, 91, 139.
Cedar Bird, 32.

Certhia familiaris, 10, 50, 139, 141, 144.
Certhiida3, 10, 139.

Centurus Carolinus, 65, 140, 143, 145.
Ceryle alcyon, 63, 140, 141, 145.
Chgetura pelagica, 59-62, 140, 145.
Charadriidse, 102, 139.
Charadrius fulvus, var. Virginicus, 102,

141, 145.

Charles River, Mass., 31.
Chat, Yellow-breasted, 1, 24.
Chaulelasmus streperus, 124, 142, 143, 146.
Cherry Bird, 32.
Chestnut-sided Warbler. 17.
Chewink, 44.

Chickadee, Black-capped, 8, 9.
" Hudsonian, 10.

" Tufted, 9.
Chicken Hawk, 78.
Chimney Swallow, 60, 61.

" Swift, 59-62.
Chipping Sparrow, 39, 40.
Chordeiles Virginiauus, 59, 140, 145.
Chrysomitris pinus, 34, 35, 142, 145.

tristis, 36, 140, 141, 145.
Circus cyaneus, var. Hudsonius, 75, 140,

145.

Cistothorus stellaris, 11, 139, 144.
Clapper Rail, 115.
Clark, J. K, 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20,

21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 35, 37, 38, 52, 64, 65,

70^ 89, 91, 92, 102, 109, 115, 119, 123,

128, 133, 134.

Clark, Samuel Fessenden, 36.
Clark's Island, Mass., 119.
Cliff Swallow, 30.
Coast Range, California, 57.

TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IY.

Coccyzus Americanus, 63, 140, 145.

" erythrophthalmus, 63, 140, 145.
Cock, Pea, 144.
Cod, Cape, Mass., 100, 126.
Coe, Elbert, 135.

Coe, W. W., 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17,
27, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 48,
50, 52, 59, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 74, 77, 78,
80, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 93, 102,
103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110,
111, 112, 113, 114, 118, 119, 121, 125,
129, 130, 133, 137, 138.
Colaptes auratus, 65, 66, 140, 141, 145.
Collins, Samuel, 46.
Collurio borealis, 33, 142, 144.

" Ludovicianus, 34, 143, 146.

" var. excubitoroides, 146.
Columba domestica, 147.

" livia, 144.
Columbia River, 57.
Columbidffi, 93, 139.
Columbus, Ohio, 127.
Colymbidse, 136, 139.
Colymbus Arcticus, 137.

'' septentrionalis, 136, 137, 142, 146.
Colymbus torquatus, 136, 142, 146.
Common Cormorant, 130.
Common Gannet, 120.

Coot, 120.
" Tern, 133.
" Yellowbird, 36.
Concord, Mass., 7, 10.
Connecticut River, 106, 107, 121, 123, 125,

127, 128, 130, 132, 136.
Connecticut Yalley, 3, 11, 14, 17, 22, 24,

25, 28, 33, 37, 44, 58, 113.
Connecticut Warbler, 21.
Congannick Ponds, 11.
Contopus borealis, 53-7, 140, 141, 145.

virens, 58, 140, 145.
Cooper, W., 54.
Cooper's Hawk, 78, 79.
Cooper, Dr., 57, 98.
Coot, Common, 120.
" Gray, 127.
" Sea, 128.
" While-winged, 128.
Copenhagen, 57.
Cormorants, 4.

Common, 130.

" Double-crested, 130.

Corvus Americanus, 48, 49. 140, 141, 145.
" corax, 5.

" ossifragus, 49, 143, 145.
Coturniculus Henslowi, 37, 140.

" passerinus, 37, 140, 145.

Cotyle riparia, 31, 139, 144.
Coues, Dr. Elliott, 5, 17, 20. 22,' 23, 25,
35, 42, 48, 55, 56, 58, 65, 67, 77, 88, 92,
93. 98, 105, 107, 108, 115, 119, 124,
126, 132, 133, 135, 147, 149, 150.
Cow-bird, 45.
Corvidffi, 48, 139.

20

OCT., 1877.

154

INDEX.

Cranes, 4, 81, 113.
Crane, Sand-hill, 113-15.

" Whooping, 113.
Crary, Dr. D., 3, 9, 14, 17, 65, 106, 109,

111, 128, 135, 137.
Creeper, Brown, 10.

" Black-and-White, 12.
Crested Grebe, 137.
Crocker, Jerry, 137.
Cromwell, Conn., 92.
Crossbill, Red, 1, 35.

" White-winged, 1, 35.
Crow Blackbird, 46, 48, 89.
" Common, 48, 86.
u Fish, 49.
Cuckoo, Black-billed. 63.

Yellow-billed, 63.
Cuculidse, 63, 139.
Cupidonia cupido, 4, 100-1, 147.
Curlew Sandpiper, 106.

" Eskimo, 109.

" Hudsonian, 109.

" Long-billed, 109.
Curtis, Lucius, 127.
Cyanospiza cyanea, 44, 140, 145.
Cyanurus cristatus, 49, 140, 141, 145.
Cygnus Americanus, 4, 120, 142, 143, 146.

" buccinator, 4, 120, 121.
Cymochorea leucorrhoa, 135, 140, 143, 146.
Cypselidae, 59, 139.

Dabchick, Pied-billed, 137.
Dafilaacuta, 123, 142, 146.
Call, Win. H., 114.
Danby, Vermont, 31.
Dantzick, 28.

Dayan, A. J., 3, 11. 17, 20, 23, 30, 31, 38,
40, 45, 49, 66, 110, 111, 112, 115, 120,
]24.

Deane, Ruthven, 54, 72.
Deep River, Conn.. 89.
Demarara, 91.
Dendrceca asstiva, 1 5, 189, 144, 146.

Blackburnias, 16, 139, 144, 147.

cserulea, 15, 140, 143, 144.

caerulescens, 15, 139, 144, 146.

castanea, 16, 141, 144, 147.

coronata, 16, 18, 141, 142, 144.

discolor, 17, 139, 144.

Dominica, 17, 140, 143, 146.

maculosa, 17, 141, 144.

palmarum, 18, 19, 40, 141, 144.

pinus, 18-20, 139, 344.

Pennsylvanica, 17, 139, 144.

striata, 16, 141, 144.

tigrina, 17, 141, 144.

virens, 15, 139, 144.
Dexter, Prof. Franklin B., 4.
Didlacken, 29.
Diuedoppers, 4.
Diver. Great Northern, 1H6.
" Red-throated, 136.

Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 45, 140, 145.
Domestic Pigeon, 144.
Double-crested Cormorant, 130.
Dove, Carolina, 98.
" Turtle, 98.
" Sea, 138.
Dovekie, 138.
Downy Woodpecker, 64.
Dresser, H. E., 40, 41.
Duck Hawk, 81-3.
Ducks, 4, 91, 123-9.
Duck, Baldpate, 124.

" Barrow's Golden-eye, 126.

" Black, 123.

" Black Scoter, 127.

" Blue-bill, 1.25.

" " -winged Teal, 124.

" Broad-bill, 125.

•' Buffle-head, 126.

" Butter-ball, 126.

" Canvas-back, 126.

" Eider, Common, 127.

" King, 127.
" Gad wall, 124.
Golden-eye, 126.
Gray, 124.

" Coot, 127.
Greater Scaup, 125.
Green-winged Teal, 124.
Hooded Merganser, 1 29.
King Eider, 127.
Labrador, 127.
Lesser Scaup, 125.
Long-tailed, 126.
Mallard, 123.
Merganser, Common, 128.
Hooded, 129.

'• Red-breasted, 129.

Old Squaw, 126.

" Wife, 126.
Pied, 127.
Pintail, 123.
Pochard, 1 25.
Red-breasted Merganser, 129.

" -head, 125.
Ruddy, 128.
Ring-necked, 125.
Scaup, Greater. 125.

" Lesser, 125.
Scoter, Black, 127.
" Common, 128.
" Velvet, 128.
Sea Coot, 128.
Sheldrake, 128.
Shoveller, 124.
Spoon-bill, 124.
Sprigtail. 123.
Surf, 128.
Summer, 125.
Teal, Blue- winged, 124.

" Green- winged, 124.
Whistler, 126.
White-winged Coot, 128.

INDEX.

155

Duck, Widgeon, 124.

" Wood, 125.

" Velvet Scoter, 128.
Dudley, Gov. Thomas, 93, 148.
Dunlin. 116.

Eagles, 4, 89-90, 96, 97.
Eagle, Bald, 89.
" G-olden, 90.
" Washington's, 90.
Eastford, Conn., 15.
Easthampton, Conn., 136.

Long Island, N. Y., 67, 106.
Mass., 23, 53, 100.
East Hartford, Conn., 106.
" Haven, Conn., 74.
'• " River, Conn., 90, 121, 130.
" Humboldt Mt., Nevada. 57.
" Lyme, Conn., 103.
" Windsor Hill, Conn., 2, 3, 35, 52, 64,
65, 71, 72, 73, 74, 78, 80, 82, 83,
87, 92, 111, 120, 121, 123, 124,
125, 128, 129, 137, 138.
Eaton, Prof. Daniel C., 53.
Eave Swallow, 30.

Ectopistes migratorius, 5, 9, 93-7, 140, 145.
Egg Harbor, New Jersey, 54, 138.
Eider Duck, Common, 127.

" " King, 127.
Elizabeth, New Jersey, 9, 85.
Elmore, Norman, 135.
Ely, Josiah G-., 3, 9, 11, 16, 23, 39, 76,

103, 106, 109.

Emmons, Dr. Ebenezer, 24, 73, 149.
Empidonax Acadicus, 58, 140, 143, 145,

147.

" flaviventris, 59, ]41.

" minimus, 59, 140, 145, 147.

" Traillii, 58, 140, 145.

Enfield, Conn., 17, 37.
English Sparrow, 18, 19, 34, 40-3.
Eremophila alpestris, 11, 142, 144.
Ereunetes pusillus, 105, 140, 145.
Erismatura rubida, 128, 142, 146.
Eskimo Curlew, 109.
European Woodcock, 1 04.
Euspiza Americana, 43, 140, 143, 145.
Eutainia saurita, 86.

Falco columbarius, 83, 140, 141, 145, 147.

" communis, 81, 140, 141, 145.

" chrysaetus, 147.

" buteoides, 147.

" hyemalis, 147.

'' leucocephalus, 147.

" sparverius, 84, 140, 141, 145.

'• temerarius, 147.

u Washingtoniensis, 147.
Falcon, Peregrine, 81.
Falconidse, 75, 139.
Falligula Americana. 147.

Falligula nigra, 147.

Faulkner's Island, Conn., 3, 5, 32, 67, 81,
102, 103, 106, 109, 112, 121, 123, 124,
126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135,
136, 138.

Fermiers generaux, 28.
Field, DavidD., 98, 101, 148.
Field Sparrow, 19, 39-40.
Finch, Grass, 37.
' Lincoln's, 38.

Pine, 35.
' Purple, 34.
' Seaside, 38.
1 Sharp-tailed, 38.
Fish Crow, 49.
" Hawk, 88-9.

" Head, Grand Menan Island, N. B., 83.
Fisher, A. K., 23.
Flicker, 65, 66.
Flint, Harry, 89.
Flycatcher, Acadian, 58.

Great-crested, 50-2.
Least, 59.
Olive-sided, 53-7.
Pewee, Common, 52.

Wood, 58.
Swallow-tailed, 50.
Traill's, 58.

Tyrant (see King-bird).
Small Green -crested, 58.
Wood Pewee, 58.
Yellow-bellied, 59.
Foolish Guillemot, 138.
Fort Bridger, Utah, 56.
" Randall, Dakota, 92.
" Steilacoom, W. T., 57.
Fox-colored Sparrow, 43.
Forster, John Reinhold, 28, 30, 148.
Framingham. Mass., 119.
Franklin, Dr., 48.
Fratercula Arctica, 138, 146.
Frigate Pelican, 131.
Fringilla ambigua, 147.
Fringillidas, 34, 139.
Frith-Haff, 28.
Florida Gallmule, 119.
Fulica Americana, 120, 141, 146.
Fuligula affinis, 125, 142, 146.

collaris, 125, 142, 143, 146.
" ferina, var. Americana, 125, 142,

143, 146.
" marila, 125, 142, 146.

vallisneria, 126, 142, 143, 146.
Fulmarus glacialis, 146.

Gad wall, 124.

Gallinago Wilsoni, 105, 118, 140, 145.
Gallinula galeata. 119, 140, 146.
Gallinule, Florida. 119.

Purple, 119, 120.
Gallus domesticus, 147.
Gambel, Dr., 57.

156

INDEX.

Gannet, Booby, 130.

" Common, 129.
Gentry, Thomas, 20, 42.
Geothlypis Philadelphia, 22, 23-4, 141.
trichas, 5, 23, 139, 144, 14/7.
Geyser Basin, Lower, Wy. Ter., 114.
Gilpin, John, 67.
Giraud, J. P., Jr., 9, 23, 32, 37, 43, 65, 77,

102, 106, 110, 127, 128, 129, 149.
Glossy Ibis, 110.
Gnatcatcher, Blue -gray, 8.
God wit, Great Marbled, 107.

" Hudsonian, 107.
Golden-crested Kinglet, 8.
' -crowned Thrush, 20.
' Eagle, 89.
' -eye, Barrow's, 126.
' " Common, 126.
' Plover, 102.
' -winged Woodpecker, 66.
Goode. Prof. G. Browne, 3, 43, 1 38.
Goodwit, 107.

Goose Island. Conn., 81, 132, 133, 135.
" Black, 121.
" Brant, 121.
" Canada, 122, 123.
" Hutchins, 122.
" Snow, 121.
" Solon, 129.
" Southern, 122.
" Wild, 122.
Goniaphea caerulea, 43.

Ludoviciana, 43, 140, 145.
Goshawk, 79-81.
Gowing, John, 46.
Geese. 4, 91, 121-3.
Grackle, Boat-tailed, 48.

" Purple (see Crow Blackbird).
" Rusty, 46.
Graculus carbo, 130, 142, 146, 147.

" dilophus, 130, 142, 146.
Granby, Conn.. 84, 135, 136.
Grand Meiian Island, N. B., 43, 70, 83,

149, 150.
Grass Finch, 37.
Gray-cheeked Thrush, 7.
'' Coot, 127.
" Duck, 124.
Great Auk, 4, 138.
" Black-backed Gull, 132.
" Blue Heron, 110.

Carolina Wren, 11.
" -crested Flycatcher, 50-2.
" -footed Hawk, 81, 82.
" Gray Owl, 70.
" Horned Owl, 67-9, 70, 76.
" Marbled Godwit, 107.
" White Egret, 111.
" Northern Diver, 1 36.
Greater Scaup Duck, 125.
" Shearwater, 136.
" Yellow-legs, 108.
Grebe, Crested, 137.

Grebe, Horned, 137.

" Pied-billed, 137.

" Red-necked, 137.
Green, Charles, 88, 148.
Greene, S. Eliot, 10.
Green Heron, 111.

" -shanks, 108.

" -winged Teal, 124.
Greenfield, Mass., 138.
Gregg, Dr. W. H., 55.
Grinnell, George Bird, 3, 7, 11, 13, 16, 23,

30, 34, 36, 37, 39, 44, 45, 46, 59, 64, 66,

80, 81, 87, 90, 92, 98, 107, 108, 109,

110, 111, 113, 114, 118, 119, 120, 121,

122, 123, 124, 125, 127, 131, 135, 137.
Gripes, 4, 91.
Grosbeak, Cardinal, 44.

Pine. 34.

" Rose-breasted, 43.
Grouse, Pinnated, 4, 100-1.

" Ruffed, 100, 101.
Grus Americana, 4, 113.

" Canadensis, 4, 113-15.
Guilford, Conn., 32, 102, 122, 125, 128,

129, 130.

Guillemot, Foolish, 138.
Guinea Fowl, 144.
Guls, 4.
Gull, Bonaparte's, 132.

" Black-backed, Great, 132.

" Burgomaster, 132.

" Great Black-Backed, 132.

" Herring, 132.

" Kittiwake, 132.

" Laughing, 132.

" Ring-billed, 132.

Haddington, Penn., 73.

Hsematopodidae, 103, 139.

Haematopus palliatus, 103, 141, 143, 145.

Hairy Woodpecker, 64.

Haliaetus leucocephalus, 90, 140, 141, 145,

147.
Hall, Dr. Franklin W., 3, 7, 21, 25, 26, 37,

52, 62. 63, 65, 73. 74, 102, 103, 105,

106, 108.

Hamden (near New Haven), Conn., 25, 80.
Hamlin, Prof. Chas. E., 55, 149.
Hand, Rev. J. Howard, 92, 93, 109, 1 25,

128, 135.

Harelda glacialis 126, 140, 141, 142, 146.
Harporhynchus rufus, 8, 24, 139, 144.
Harrier, Marsh, 75.
Hartford, Conn., 3, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17, 32,

37, 43, 46, 50, 63, 65, 66, 67, 73, 80, 81,

89, 106, 109, 111, 121, 123, 127, 128,

132, 135, 136, 137.
Hartford Times (for 1861), 2, 68, 72, 75,

76, 78, 79, 80, 82, 87, 88, 150. .
ITaukes, 4.

Hawks. 3, 45, 49, 75-97.
Hawk, Black, 87, 88.

INDEX.

157

Hawk. Broad- winged, 87.

' ' Chicken, 78-9.

' Cooper's, 78-9.

' Duck, 81-3.

Pish, 88-9.

< G-os-, 79-81.
' Hen, 85-6.

< Marsh, 75-6.
' Mouse, 75-6.

Peregrine, 81-3.
' Pigeon, 83-4.
' Red-shouldered, 86-7, 78, 84.

" -tailed, 68, 69, 78, 85-6.
" Rough-legged, 87-8.
" Sharp- shinned, 78.
" Sparrow, 84-5.
" Winter, 87.
Hawk Owl, 73.
Hayden, F. V., 24.
Hazen, Richard, 94.
Hell Diver, 137.
Helminthophaga celata, 15.

chrysoptera, 14. 139, 146.
peregrina, 14, 141.
pinus, 14, 139, 144.
ruficapilla, 14., 139.
Helmitherus vermivorus, 12-3, 139, 144.

Swainsoni, 146.
Hen Hawk, 85-6.

" Mud, 120.

Henry's Pond, Mass., 120.
Henshaw, H. W., 56, 57, 58, 98.
Henslow's Sparrow, 37.
Heron Swamp, 88, 111, 112.
Heron, Great Blue, 110.
" " White, 111.

Green, 111.
Little Blue, 111.

" White, 111.
Night, 89. 112.
Yellow-crowned Night, 112.
Herrick, Harold, 43, 83, 150.
Herring Gull, J32.
Hermit Thrush, 6.
High-holder, 66.
Hilton, William. 4.
Hirundinidse, 28, 139.
Himndo horreorum, 28, 139, 144.
Histrionicus torquatus, 146.
Hitchcock. Edward, 24, 73, 99, 149.
Hockanum, Hartford County, Conn., 106.
Holyoke, Mt., Mass., 82, 99.
Hooded Warbler, 1, 25.
" Merganser, 129.
Hoosac River, Mass., 134.
Horned Grebe, 137.

" Lark, II.

Hotchkiss, Dr. Wm. H., 3, 4, 120, 136.
Housatonic River, Conn., 90, 92, 116, 118,

122.

House Sparrow, 40-3.
" Swallow, 60, 61.
" Wren, 10.

Hudson's Bay, 73, 107, 1 14, ]21.
Hudsonian Curlew, 109.

•' Godwit. 107.

" Titmouse, 10.

" Chickadee, 10.
Humphrey, K. C., 63.
Hoy, 55.

Hutchin's Goose, 122.
Hylotomus pileatus, 5, 63, 142, 143, 145.
Eydrochelidon lariformis, 135, 142, 143.

Ibis alba, 110. 143.

" falcinellus, var. Ordii, 110, 143, 145.

" Glossy, 110.

" White, 110.
Icteria virens, 24-5, 139, 144.

" " var. longicauda, 24.

Icteridse, 45, 139.
Icterus Baltimore, 46, 140, 145.

" spurius, 46, 140, 145.
Idaho Springs, Colorado, 56.
Indigo Bird, 44.
Ipswich Sparrow, 36.

Jack Snipe, 106.
Jaeger, Long-tailed, 131.
" Pomarine, 131.
" Richardson's, 131.
Jay, Blue, 24, 49.

Jencks, Frederick T., 9, 27, 50, 134.
Jones, Rev. C. M., 15. 73.

" William, 148.

" Mr., 111.
Josselyn, John, 45, 49. 63, 93, 99, 130,

148.
Junco hyemalis, 39, 141, 142, 145.

Kalm. Peter, 28, 29, 47, 48, 66, 148.

Kalmia, 25.

Kentucky Warbler, 22-3.

Key to North American Birds, (Coues), 5.

Kildeer Plover, 89, 102.

King-bird, 49, 56, 90.

" Eider, 127.

" Rail, 115.
King, William, 64.
Kingfisher. Belted, 63.
Kinglet, Golden -crested, 8.
" Ruby-crowned, 8.
Killing-worth, Conn., 37.
Kite, Swallow-tailed, 5, 76-7.
Kittiwake Gull, 132.
Klesko w, 29.
Klein, 28.
Knot, 107.
Kosiulo, Jacob. 29.

Labrador Duck, 127.
Lagopus albus, 73.

158

INDEX.

Lake Tahoe, 57.

" Whitney, 7, 63.
Land Key, Ma., 108.
Lane, Wm. F., 131, 133, 138.
Laniidae, 38, 139.
Lannar, 85.
Lannaret, 79, 85.
Lapland Longspur, 36.
Large-billed Water Thrush, 1, 20-1.
Lark, Horned, 11.
" Meadow, 45.
Laridse, 131, 139.
Larus argentatus, var. Smithsonianus, 132,

141, 142, 146.

Larus atricilla, 132, 142, 146.
Bonapartii, 147.
canus, 147.
capistratas, 147.
Delawarensis, 132, 142, 146.
fuscus, 147.
glaucus, 133.
marinus, 132, 142, 146.
Philadelphia, 132, 142, 146, 147.
tridactylus, 132, 142, 146.
Laughing Gull, 132.
Laurel, 25.
Least Bittern, 113.
" Flycatcher, 59.
" Sandpiper, 106.
" Tern, 134.
Leach's Petrel, 135.
Lehndorf, 28.
Lesser Red-poll, 33.
" Scaup Duck, 125.
" Yellow-legs, 108.
Lester, Milton, 7.
Lewis, Alonzo, 47, 73, 149.
Limosa Edwardsii, 107, 147.
" fedoa, 107, 141, 143, 145.
" Hudsonica, 107, 141, 143, 145, 147.
Lincoln's Finch, 38.
Linnet, Pine, 35

" Bed-poll, 34, 35.

Linsley, Rev. James EL, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, 17,
25, 27, 35. 36, 37, 43, 48, 49, 51, 53, 63,
64, 65, 66, 70, 72, 74, 81, 90, 91, 92, 99,
100, 102, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109,
113, 115, 116, 118, 120, 121, 122, 123,
124, 125J 126. 127, 128, 129, 130, 131,
132, 134, 136, 137, 138, 143, 144, 146,
147, 149.

Little Blue Heron, 111.
'' White Egret, 111.
Lobipes hyperboreus, 146.
Lorn via arra, 138, 146.

" troile, 138, 142, 143, 146.
Long-billed Curlew, 109.
" " Marsh Wren, 11.
" -tailed Duck, 126.
" " Jaeger, 131.
" Island, N. Y., 9, 23, 32, 37, 43, 65,
77, 100, 102, 106, 110, 121, 131, 133,
149.

Longspur, Lapland, 36.
Loon, Common, 136.

" Red-throated, 136.
Lophophanes bicolor, 9, 140. 142, 143, 144.
Lophortyx Californicus, 147.
Loxia curvirostra, var. Americana, 35, 142.

145.

Loxia leucoptera, 35, 142, 146.
Lybshau, 29.
Lyme, New London Co., Conn., 9, 16, 23,

39, 76.

Lynn, Mass., 46, 47, 67, 70, 73, 149.
Lynnfield, Mass., 149.

M

Macrorhamphus griseus, 105, 141, 145.

Mactra lateralis, 128.

Madison, Conn., 67, 108.

Magdeline Islands, 55.

Maize Thieves, 47, 48.

Mallard Duck, 115, 123.

Man-of-war Bird, 131.

Maltby Park, (near New Haven), Conn.,

12, 21.

Mareca Americana, 124, 142, 146.
Marsh Hawk, 72, 75, 76.

" Wren, Long-billed, 11, 115.
" Short-billed, 11.

Martha's Vineyard Island. Mass., 100, 138.
Maryland Yellow- throat, 5, 23.
Maynard, C J., 19, 20, 23, 54, 116, 150.
Maynard's Sparrow, 36.
Meadow-lark, 45.
Meawes, 4.
Melanerpes erythrocephalus. 65, 140, 111,

145.
Meleagris gallopavo, var. Americana, 4,

98-9, 147.

Melospiza melodia, 38, 41, 140, 141, 145.
" Lincolni, 38, 140.
" palustris, 38, 140, 145.
Meigs, George, 136
Merganser, Common, 128-9.

Hooded, 129.
" Red-breasted, 129.

Mergulus alle, 138, 142, 143, 146.
Mergus cucculatus, 129, 142, 146.
;' merganser, 128-9, 142, 146.
" serrator, 129. 142, 146.
Meriden, Conn., 108.

Merriam, C. Hart, 1, 8, 11, 33, 44, 98, 122.
Merrimack River, 120.
Merwin, C., 92.
Middlebury, Vermont, 60, 61.
Middletown, Conn., 3, 43, 88, 104, 106,

107, 110, 111, 118, 119, 129, 130, 136,

137, 138.

Micropalama himantopus, 107.
Milford, Conn., 7, 23, 37, 46, 64, 66, 80,

81, 92, 109, 110, 111, 118, 119, 120,

122, 125, 127, 135.
Miller's Place, Long Island, 106.
Milvulus forficatus, 50, 143.

INDEX.

159

Mill Rock (near New Haven), Conn., 59.
Mimus Carolinensis, 8, 139, 144.

" polyglottus, 5, 7, 140, 143, 144.
Minot, H. D., 54, 150.
Mocking-bird, 5, 7.
Monterey, California, 57.
Molothrus pecoris, 45, 140, 141, 145, 147.
Morris. Robert T., 3, 10, 125, 127, 129.
Moses, Dr., 82.
Motocillidae. 12, 139.
Morton, Thomas, 62, 72, 79, 85, 93, 95,

98, 100, 101, 104, 107, 113, 120, 121.

123, 124, 148.
Mount Carmel, Conn., 34, 90.

" Holyoke, Mass , 99.

" Nonotuck, Mass., 53.

" Tom, Mass., 53, 82, 99.
Mourning Warbler, 22-3.
Mouse Hawk, 75.
Mniotilta varia, 12, 13, 139, 144.
Mud Hen, 120.
Murre, 138.
Museum, Peabody of Yale College, 14, 54,

99.
Museum of Wesleyan University, 3, 64,

110. Ill, 119, 136, 137.
Myiarchus crinitus, 50-2, 140, 145.
Myiodioctes Canadensis, 27, 139, 144. '
•' mitratus, 25, 26, 139, 144.

pusillus, 26, 141.

N

Nahant, Mass., 73, 149.
Nashville Warbler, 14.
Nauclerus forficatus, 5, 76-7.
Naushon Island, Mass., 100.
Nelson, E. W., 56.
Nenortalik, Greenland, 57.
New Canaan, Conn., 65.
" Haven, Conn.. 3, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 17, 21, 25, 26, 27, 32, 33, 34,
35, 36, 40, 43, 48, 52, 53, 59, 64,
65, 68, 72, 74, 80, 85, 87, 88, 90,
92, 100, 106, 110, 112, 129, 132,
133. 135.

" Haven Bay, Conn., 5.
" London, Conn., 64, 88, 109.
" York City, N. Y., 35.
Newhall, James R.. 47, 73, 149.
Newton. Chas., 111.

" Dr., 111.
Nichols, Walter R., 3, 14, 21, 33, 34, 36,

104, 105, 110, 113, 136.
Night Hawk, 59.

" Heron, Common, 89, 112.
" " Yellow-crowned, 112.

Northford, Conn., 90. 99, 113.
Northampton, Mass., 52. 54.
North Haven. Conn., 87.
Norway, Maine, 54, 149.
Nova Scotia, 111.

Numenius borealis. 109, 141, 143, 145.
" Hudsonicus, 109, 141, 143, 145.

Numenius longirostris, 109, 141, 145.
Numida meleagris, 147.
Nuthatches, 8, 10, 19.
Nuthatch, Red-bellied, 10.

White-bellied, 10.
Nuttall, Thomas, 25, 49, 5], 54, 55, 76,

78, 91, 95, 96, 97, 100, 101, 149.
Nyctale Acadica. 74, 140, 141, 145.

" Tengmalmi, var. Richardsoni, 73,

142, 143.
Nyctea nivea, 72.

" Scandiaca, 72, 142, 145.
Nyctiardea grisea, var. nsevia, 112, 140, 145.
Nyctiardea violacea, 112.

Oceanites oceanica, 136, 143, 146.
Ocklawaha River, Fla., 114.
(Edemia Americana, 127. 142. 146, 147.
" fusca, 128, 142/146.
" perspicillata, 128, 142, 146.
Ogden, Utah, 1 1 6.

Old Bishop, Grand Menan Island, N.B., 83.
" Squaw, 126.
" Wife, 126.
Oletsko, 29.
Olive-backed Thrush, 6.

" -sided Flycatcher, 53-7.
Oporornis agilis, 21, 141, 146.

" formosus, 22-3, 140, 143.
Orange-crowned Warbler, 15.
Orange, New Jersey, 50, 51.
Orchard Oriole, 46.
Oriole, Baltimore, 46.

'' Orchard. 46.

Osborne, Thomas B., 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 30, 32, 33, 38, 39,
40, 43, 44, 45, 46, 52, 55, 58, 59, 64, 72,
75, 90, 102, 118, 121, 123, 125, 128, 129,
130, 132, 136.
Osprey, 88.

Ortyx Virginianus, 100, 141, 145.
Otters, 4.
Oven Bird, 20, 37.
Otus vulgaris, var. Wilsonianus, 69, 140,

141, 145.
Owls, 3.
Owl, 'Arctic, 73.
Acadian, 74.
Barn, 66.
Barred, 70-2.
Great Gray, 70.

" Horned, 67-9, 76.
Hawk, 73.
Long-eared, 69.
Mottled, 69.
Richardson's. 73-4.
Saw-whet, 74.
Screech, 69.
Short-eared, 70.
Snowy, 69, 72-3.
Ox bird, 306.
Oyster-catcher, 103.

160

INDEX.

Paine, Chas. S., 55.

Pandion haliaetus, 88-9, 140, 145.

Paridae, 9, 139.

Parley's Park, Utah, 55.

Partridges, 4, 100, 101.

" Spruce, 1.

Parus atricapillus, 8, 9, 139, 141, 144.

" Hudsonicus, 10, 142, 143.
Patton, William H., 53.
Pavo cristatus, 147.
Parula Americana, 12, 139, 144.
Passer domesticus, 40, 140, 141.
Passerculus princeps, 36, 141, 142, 143.

" Savanna, 36, 140, 145.

Passerella iliaca, 41, 43, 141, 145.
Pea Cock, 144.
Peabody, Rev. Wm. B. 0., 10, 45, 64, 86,

89, 149.

Peabody Museum of Yale College, 14, 54.
Pectoral Sandpiper, 106.
Pennant, Thomas, 81, 107, 114, 127, 148.
Peregrine Falcon, 81.
Petrel, Leach's, 135.
" Wilson's, 136.

Petrochelidon lunifrons, 30, 139, 146.
Pewee, Common, 52-3.

" Wood, 58.
Phalacrocoracidae, 130, 139.
Phalacrocorax carbo, 147.

'' graculus, 147.

Phalarope, Red, 103.

" Wilson's, 103.
PhalaropodidaB. 103, 139.
Phalaropus fulicarius, 103, 141, 143, 146.
Pheasants, 81, 101.
Philohela minor, 103. 140, 141, 145.
Phoebe-bird, 52.
Picidse, 63, 139.
Pickering, Charles, 42.
Picoides Arcticus, 64, 142, 143, 146.
Picus pubescens, 64, 140, 141, 145.

" villosus, 64, 140, 141, 145.
Pigeons, Common, 4, 5, 93-7.
" Domestic, 144.
" Passenger, 4, 5, 93-7.

Wild, 4, 5, 93-7.
Pied-billed Dabchick, 137.

" Duck, 127.
Pigeon Hawk. 83-4.
Pileated Woodpecker, 5, 63.
Pillau, 28.
Pine-creeping Warbler, 18-19.

" Pinch, 34, 35.

" Grosbeak, 34.

" Linnet, 35.

" Swamp (near New Haven), Conn.,

Ill, 112.

Pinicola enucleator, 34, 142, 145.
Pinnated Grouse, 4, 100-1.
Pintail Duck, 123.

Pipilo erythrophthalmus, 43, 140, 145.
Piping Plover, 102.

Platygaster. 42.

Plectrophanes Lapponicus, 36, 142.
" nivalis, 36, 142, 145.

Plover, Black-bellied, 102.
" Golden, 102.
" Kildeer, 89, 102.
" Piping, 102.
" Ringneck, 102.
" Semipalmated, 102.
" Upland, 89, 109.
" Wilson's, 102.
Plumb Island, Conn., 88, 102, 109.
Plymouth Harbor, Mass., 119.
Podicipidas, 137, 139.
Podiceps Carolinensis, 147.

" cornutus, 137, 142, 145.
" cristatus, 137, 142, 145.
" griseigena, var. Holbolli, 137,

142, 145.
" minor, 147.

Podilymbus podiceps, 137, 140, 145, 147.
Point Judith, R. I., 134.
Pomarine Jaeger, 131.
Pochard, 125.
Polo, Marco, 81.

Pooecetes graminius, 37, 140, 145.
Porphyrio Martinica, 119, 143, 146.
Portland, Maine, 43.

Portland, Middlesex Co., Conn., 3, 6, 7, 8,
10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 25, 27, 30,34,
35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 46, 49,
52, 53, 59, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 74, 77, 80,
83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 93, 102, 103, 104,
105, 109, 112, 113, 115, 119, 121, 126,
131, 133, 138.

Porzana Carolina, 116, 140, 145.
" Jamaicensis, 119, 140, 143.
" Noveboracensis, 118, 140, 146.
Polioptila cserulea, 8, 140, 143, 144.
Prairie Chicken, 4, 100.

" Warbler, 17.
Procellariidse, 135, 139.
Progne purpurea, 31, 139, 144.
Providence, R. I., 9, 27, 134.
Puffinus major, 136, 142, 146.

" obscurus, 146.
Puget Sound, W. T., 57.
Purdie, H. A., 1, 12, 16, 22, 25, 27, 31,

37, 50, 92, 115, 119, 134.
Purple Finch, 34.

" Gallinula, 119-20.
" Martin, 31.
" Sandpiper. 106.
Putnam, F. W., 78, 87, 130, 149.
Ptarmigan, White, 73.
Pyranga asstiv^a, 27, 140, 143, 144.
rubra, 27, 139, 144.

Quail, Common, 4, 81, 100.

" California, 144.

Querquedula Carolinensis, 124, 142, 146.
" discors, 124, 142, 146.

INDEX.

161

Quinnipiac River, 11, 38, 45, 106, 115, 125,
Quiscalus major, 48, 146, 147.

" purpureus, 46-8, 140, 145.

Raccoon, New Jersey, 28.
Racine, Wisconsin, 55.
Rail, Carolina, 116.
Clapper, 115.
Black, 119.
King, 115.
Sora, 116.
Virginia, 115.
Yellow, 118.
Rallidse, 115, 139.
Rallus elegans, 115, 140, 145.
" longirostris, 115, 140, 145.
" Virginianus, 115, 140, 145.
Randolph, Vermont, 55.
Raski, 29.
Raven, 5, 45.
Razor-billed Auk, 138.
Recurvirostra Americana, 103, 107, 141

146.

Reeurvirostridse, 103, 139.
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 65.

" Nuthatch, 10.
-breasted Merganser, 129.
" Sandpiper, 107.
" Snipe, 105.
Crossbill, 35.
-eyed Vireo, 32.
-headed Duck, 125.

" Woodpecker, 65-6.
-necked Grebe, 137.
Phalarope, 103.
-poll Linnet, 34, 35.

" Warbler, 18, 41.
-shouldered Hawk, 78, 84, 86, 87.
-tailed Bawk, 68, 69, 78, 85-6.
-throated Diver, 136.
-winged Blackbird, 45.

" Stare, 47.
Redbird, Summer, 27.
Red River, 23.
Redstart, 9, 27.
Reed-bird, 45.

Regulus calendula, 8, 141, 144.
" cristatus, 146.
" satrapa, 8. 141, 142, J44, 146.
" tricolor, 146.
Reinhardt, 57.

Richardson, Sir John, 55, 92.
Richardson's Jaeger. 131.

" Owl, 73-4.

Rice-bird, 45.
Ridgway, Robert, 3, 26, 35, 37, 43, 55, 56,

57, 58, 70, 150.
Ring-billed G-ull, 132.
Ringneck Plover, 102.
Ring-necked Duck, 125.
Riverdale, Westchester Co., N. Y., 23, 25,
44, 54, 132.

TRANS. CONN. ACAD., VOL. IV.

Rhynchops nigra, 146.
Robin, 6.

Rockport, Mass., 120.
Rocky Hill, Conn., 112.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 43.
Roseate Tern. 133.
Rough-legged Hawk, 87-8.

" -winged Swallow, 31.
Ruby-crowned Knight, 8.

" Mts., Nevada, 57.

'* -throated Hummingbird, 62.
Ruddy Duck, 128.
Ruffed Grouse, 100, 101.
Rusty Grackle, 46.
Rutta, Andrew, 29.

S

Sage, John H., 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15,
16, 25, 26, 33, 34, 35, 37, 39, 43, 44, 45,
46, 49, 50, 53, 59, 63, 64, 65, 66, 74, 80,
81, 85, 93, 98, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108,
109, 110, 112, 122, 124, 126, 129, 131,
133.

Sachem's Head, Conn., 67.
St. John's River, Fla., 114.
Saltonstall Lake, 111.
Saltonstall Ridge, Conn., 90.
Samuels, Edward A., 7, 24, 92, 148, 150.
Sand-hill Crane, 113-14.
Sanderling, 107.
Sandpiper, Baird's, 107.

Bartramian, 109.
Bonaparte's, 106.
" Buff-breasted, 109.

Curlew, 106.
" Least, 106.

Pectoral, 106.
Purple, 106.
Red-breasted, 107.
Semipalmated, 105.
Solitary, 108.
" Spotted, 108.
Stilt, 107.

White-rumped, 106.
Santa Cruz, 57.
St. John's River, Fla., 114.
Savanna Sparrow, 36.
Savin Rock, Conn., 23, 37, 38.
Saskatchewan, 57, 92.
Saw- whet Owl, 74.
Saugus, 149.
Saxicolidas, 8, 139.

Saybrook, Conn., 3, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20,
21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 35, 37, 38, 52, 64, 65,
70, 88, 92, 10 J, 102, 103, 106, 107, 109,
115, 119, 121, 123, 125, 128, 133, 134,
138.

Sayornis fuscus, 52-3, 140, 145.
Scarlet Tanager, 27.
Scaup Duck, Greater, 1 25.
" " Lesser, 125.
Schlieben, 28.

Scolecophagus ferruginous, 46, 141, 145.
21 OCT., 1877.

1G2

INDEX.

Scolopacidse, 104, 139.
Scolopax rusticola, 104.
Scops asio, 69, 140, 141, 145.
Scoter Duck, Black, 127.

" " Common, 128.

" Velvet, 128.
Sea Coot, 128.
" Dove, 138.
" Swallow, 133.
Seaside Finch, 38.
Semipalrnated Plover, 102.

" Sandpiper, 105.

Seiurus (see Siurus.)
Setophaga ruticilla, 9, 27, 139, 144.
Seven Day's Work, Grand Menan Id., 83.
Severn River, 114.
Shag, 130.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 78, 85.

" -tailed Finch, 38.
Shearwater, Greater, 136.
Sheldrake, 4, 128.
Short-eared Owl, 70.

" -tailed Tern, 135.
Shoveller, 124.
Shrike, Loggerhead, 34.

" Northern, 33, 34, 49.
Shurtleff Collection (at Middletown). t>4.
Shores, Irwin L, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16,

17, 22, 24, 25, 28, 31, 33, 37, 38, 40, 53,

58, 64, 65, 80, 111, 113.
Short-billed Marsh Wren, 11.
Sialia sialis, 8, 139, 141, 144.
Sierra Nevada, 57.
Silliman, Benj. Jr., 129.
Sitta Canadensis, 8, 10, 142, 144.

" Carolinensis, 8, 10, 139, 141, 144.
Sittidse, 10, 139.
Siurus auricapillus. 20, 37, 139, 144.

" Ludovicianus, 20.

u motacilla, 20-1, 139.

" ngevius, 20, 21, 140, 141, 144.
u Noveboracensis, 20, 21.
Sing Sing, Westchester Co., N. Y., 23.
Slate-colored Snowbird, 39.
Small Green-crested Flycatcher, 58.
Smith, Capt. John, 4, 148.

" Fred. Sumner, 3, 6, 63, 88, 111.

" Prof. Sidney I., 4, 32.
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., 3.
Snowbird, Slate-colored, 39.

" White, 36.
Snow Bunting, 36.

" Goose. 121.

" Prof. F. H., 56.
Snipe, Jack, 106. '

" Red-breasted. 105.

" Wilson's, 105.
Solitary Tattler, 108.

" Vireo, 33.
Solon Goose, 129.
Song Sparrow, 38, 39.
Somateria mollissima, 127, 142, 143, 146.
" spectabilis, 127, 142, 143, 146.

Sooty Tern, 134.

Sora Rail, 116.

South End (near New Haven), Conn., 36.

" " Mass., 120.
Southern Goose, 122.
Southampton, Long Island, 109.
South wick Ponds (Hartford Co.), Conn., 11.
Sparke, F. C., 148.
" Michael, 148.

R. C., 148.

Sparrow Hawk, 84-5.
" Chipping, 39, 40.

English, 18, 19, 34, 39, 40-3.
" Field, 19, 39-40.
" Fox-colored, 43.
" Henslow's, 37.
•' House, 40-3.
" Ipswich, 36.
" Maynard's, 36.
" Savanna, 36.
Song, 38, 39.
" Swamp, 38, 39.
11 Tree, 39.
" White-crowned, 40.
" throated, 40.
" Yellow- winged, 37.
Sphyrapicus varius, 64, 66, 140, 141, 145.
Spizella monticola, 39, 141, 142, 145.
'• pusilla, 19, 39, 41, 140, 145.
" socialis, 13, 39, 41, 140, 141, 145.
Spoonbill Duck, 124.
Spatula Clypeata, 124, 142, 146.
Spotted Sandpiper, 108.
Sprigtail, 123.

Springfield, Mass., 7, 67, 149.
Spruce Partridge, 1.
Squatarola Helvetica, 102, 141, 145.
Stadtmiiller Brothers, 3, 4, 10, 12, 27, 33,

44, 59, 85, 86, 98.
Stake Driver, 1.12.
Starlings, 45.

Steganopus Wilsoni, 103, 143, 145.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 31, 140, 143.
Stercorarius Buffoni, 131. 142. 143.

parasiticus, 131, 142. 143, 146.
pomatorhinus, 131.
Sterna acuflavida, 135.
" anglica, 135.
" aranea, 135.
" cantiaca, 135.
u caspia, 135.
" Dougalli, 133, 140.
" Fosteri, 135.
" fuliginosa, 134, 143.
" hirundo, 133, 140, 146.
" macroura, 133, 142, 143.
" paradisea, 133.
" regia, 135.

" superciliaris, var. Antillarum. 134,
140. 142, 146.
Stilt Sandpiper, 107.
Stocker, Rberiezer. 46.
Stonington, Conn., 121, 130, 132, 136, 138.

INDEX.

163

Stony Creek, Conn., 135.

Stratford, Conn., 7, 8, 15, 27, 35, 37, 49,

53, 63, 65, 66, 70, 72, 81, 102, 105, 106,

107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 115, 116, 118,

120, 121, 122, 123. 124, 125, 126, 127,

129, 130, 132, 134', 136, 137.
Strepsilas interpres, 103, 141, 145.
Strigidae, 66. 139.
Strix flammea, var. Americana, 66, 140,

143, 145
Strix Scandiaca, 147.

" Virginica, 147.
Sturnella magna, 45, 140, 141, 145.
Suckly, Dr., 57.
Suffield, Hartford Co., Conn., 3, 7, 8, 11,

12, 14, 16, 17, 22, 24, 25, 28, 31, 33, 38,

40, 53, 58, 64, 65, 80, 111, 113.
Sula bassana, 129, 142, 143, 146.

" fiber, 130, 143, 146.
Sulidae, 129, 139.
Surf Duck, 128.
Summer Redbird, 27.

Duck, 125.

Surnia ulula, var. Hudsonia, 73, 142, 143.
Swainson, 55.
Swainson's Thrush, 6.
Swallows, 28, 31 60, 61, 77, 85, 131.
Swallow, Bank, 31.

Barn, 28-30.

Cliff, 30.

Eave, 30.

Rough- winged, 31.

White-bellied, 30.

-tailed Flycatcher, 50.

" Kite, 5, 76-7.
Swamp Sparrow, 38, 39.
Swampscot, Mass., 149.
Swan, Trumpeter, 4, 120-21.

" Whistling, 4, 120.
Swift, Chimney, 59-62.
Sylvia sestiva, 147.

4 auricollis, 147.

1 autumnalis, 147.

1 Blackburniae, 147.

' Canadensis, 147.

' Castanea, 147.

' flava, 147.

' parus, 147.

1 Roscoe, 147.

' sphagnosa, 147.

' trichas, 147.

' trochilus, 147.
Sylvicolidse, 12, 139.
Sylviidse, 8, 139.

Syrnium cinereum, 70, 142, 143, 145.
" nebulosum, 70, 140, 141, 145.

Tachycineta bicolor, 30, 139, 144.
Tachypetes aquilus, 131, 143.
Tachypetidse, 131, 139.
Talcott Mt. (near Hartford), Conn., 81, 82.
Tanager, Scarlet, 27.

Tanager, Summer, 27.
Tanagridse, 27, 139.
Tantalidas, 109, 139.
Tattler, 108.

" Solitary, 108.
Taylor. Wm. H., 14.
Teal, 4, 115.
Teal, Blue-winged, 124.

•' Green- winged, 124.
Telmatodytes palustris, 11, 139, 144.
Tennessee Warbler, 14.
Tenney, Prof. Sanborn, 134.
Terns, 81, 82, 89, 132, 133-5.
Tern, Arctic, 133.
" Black, 135.
Common, 133.
Least, 134.
Roseate, 133.
Short-tailed, 135.
Sooty, 134.
Wilson's, 133.
Tetraonidae, 100, 139.
Theodat, 115.
Thompson, Dr. E. L. R., 17, 27, 106.

" Zadock, 55, 61, 62, 74, 80, 89,

90, 99, 113, 125, 149.
Thrush, Brown, 8, 24.

Golden-crowned, 20.
Gray-cheeked, 7.
Hermit, 6.

Large-billed Water, 20-1.
Olive-backed, 6.
Swainson's, 6.
Water, 20.
Wilson's, 7.
Wood, 6.

Thrasher, Brown, 8, 24.
Thryothorus Ludoviciarius, 11, 140.
Tilly, Joseph, 101.
Titlark, 12.

Titmouse, Black-capped, 9.
" Hudsonian, 10.
" Tufted, 9.
Tom, Mount, Mass., 53, 82, 99.
Tetanus chloropus. 108, 146.
" flavipes, 108, 141, 145.
" melanoleucus, 108, 141, 145.
" semipalmatus, 108, 140, 145.
" solitarius, 108, 140, 141, 145.
Totoket Mt., Conn., 99.
Towhee Bunting, 44.
Traill's Flycatcher, 58.
Trenton, New Jersey, 50.
Tringa alpina, var. Americana, 106, 141,

145.

" Bairdii, 107.
" canutus, 106, 141, 145.
" fuscicollis, 106, 141, 145.
" maculata, 106, 141, 145.
" maritima, 106, 141, 142, 146.
" minutilla, 106, 141, 145.
" subarquata, 106, 141, 143, 146.
Tringoides macularius, 108, 140, 141, 145.

164

INDEX.

Trippe, T. Martin, 23, 50, 52, 56.
Trochilidse, 62, 139.
Trochilus colubris. 62, 140, 145.
Troglodytes aedon, 10, 139, 144.
Troglodytidae, 10, 139.
Trumbull, Prof. J. Hammond, 43.
Trumbull, Fairfield Co.. N. J., 35.
Trumpeter Swan, 120-1.
Tryngites rufescens, 109, 146.
Tufted Titmouse, 9.
Turdidse, 6, 139.
Turdus fuscescens, 7, 139, 144.

migratorius, 6, 139, 141, 144.

mustelinus. 6, 139, 144.

Pallasi, 6, 141, 144.

Swainsoni, 6, 7, 141.

" var. Alicise, 7, 141.

Turkey Buzzard, 91-3.

" Wild, 4, 98-9, 100, 101.
Turnbull, Wm. P., 44, 54, 73, 138, 149.
Turnstone, 103.
Turtle Dove, 94, 98.
Tyrannidse, 49, 139.
Tyrannus Carolinensis, 49, 140, 145.

U

Umbagog Lake, Oxford Co., Me., 23, 54, 55.

Upland Plover, 89, 109.

Uria grylle, 138, 146.

Utamania torda, 138, 142. 143, 146.

Usnea, 12.

V

Velvet Scoter. 128.
Yeratrum album, 47.
Verrill, Prof. A. E., 1, 2, 4, 30, 54, 92,

100, 149.
Vickery, 112.
Yireo, Blue-headed, 33.

flavifrons, 33. 140, 144.

gilvus, 16, 32, 140, 144.

Noveboracensis, 33, 140, 144.

olivaceus, 32, 139, 144.

Philadelphicus, 33.

Red-eyed, 32.

solitarius, 33, 140, 144.

Solitary, 33.

Warbling, 33.

White-eyed, 33.

Yellow-throated, 33.
Yireonidse, 32, 139.
Virginia Rail, 115.
Vistula, 29.
Vulture, Black, 93.

Turkey, 91-3, 97.

W

Wagtail, Water, 20.
Wahsatch Mts., Utah, 56, 116.
Wallerius, Dr., 28.
Wallingford, Conn., 131, 133, 138.
Walpole, N. H., 148.
Warbler, Black-and- White, Creeping, 12.
" " -and- Yellow, 17.

Warbler, Black-throated, Blue, 15.

'' Green, 15.

Blackburniau, 16.
Black-poll, 16.
Ray -breasted. 16.
Blue, Golden-winged, 14.
" -winged, Yellow, 1, 14.
'' Yellow-backed, 12.
Cerulean, 15-6.
Cape May, 17.
Canadian Fly catching, 27.
Chestnut- sided, 17.
Connecticut, 21-2.
Flycatching, Canada, 27.

" Green, Black-capped, 26.
Green, Black-capped, Fly catch-
ing, 26.

Hooded, 1, 25-6.
Kentucky, 22-3.
Maryland Yellow-throat, 5, 23.
Mourning, 23-4.
Nashville, 14.
Orange-crowned, 15.
Pine-creeping, 18-20.
Prairie, 17.
Red-poll, 18.
Tennessee, 14.
Worm-eating, 1, 12-3.
Yellow, 15.

" -rumped, 16.
" -throated, 17.
Warbling Vireo, 16, 32.
Water Thrush, Common, 20.
" " Large-billed, 20-1.

" Wagtail, 20.
Waterton, Mr., 91.
Waterville, Me., 149.
Wauregan, Windham Co., Conn., 50.
Wax wing, Bohemian, 32.

" Common, 32.
Weber River, Utah, 56.
Welch, Mr , 54.
Wendell, Robert, 120.
Westbrook, Conn., 92, 93, 103, 125, 127.
Wesleyan University, 3.
Westford, Conn., 140.
West Haven, Conn., 65, 125.
Wheaton, Dr. J. M., 54, 127.
Wheeler, Lieut. Geo. M., 56.
Whelpley, Dr. J. D., 12, 25, 65, 72, 129.
Whippoorwill, 59.
Whistler, 126.
Whistling Swan, 120.
White-bellied Swallow, 30.
" Nuthatch, 10.
-crowned Sparrow, 40.
-eyed Vireo, 33.
Egret, Great, 111.
;' Little, 111.
Ibis, 110.

-rumped Sandpiper, 106.
-throated Sparrow, 40.
-winged Coot, 128.

INDEX.

165

White- winged Crossbill, 35.

Whitman, G. R., 119.

Whitney Lakes (near New Haven), Conn.,

7, 110, 111, 112, 120, 124.
Whitney, Prof. Wm. D., 3, 14, 27, 52, 54,

80, 99.

Whooping Crane, 113.
Widdowes, G., 148.
Widgeon, 124.
Wild Pigeon, 93-7.
" Turkey, 4, 98-9, 100, 101.
" Goose, 122.
Williams, Samuel, 31, 60, 61, 77, 94, 113,

148.

Willet, 108.
Wilson, Alexander, 22, 23, 25, 92, 95, 96,

97, 116, 148.

Wilson, Edmond B., 3, 8.
Wilson's Petrel, 136.
" Phalarope, 103.
" Plover, 102.
" Snipe, 105.
Tern, 133.
Thrush, 7.
Windsor, Conn., 30.

" Hill, Conn., see East Windsor Hill.
Winter Hawk, 87.
" Wren, 11.
Witkowski (Amtman), 28.
Wood, Dr. William, 2, 3, 11, 12, 32, 35,
52, 64. 65, 66, 61, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 78,
80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 92, 99,
111, 120, 121, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128,
129, 132, 137, 138.

Wood, William (of 1634), 62, 91, 148.
" Duck, 125.
" Pewee, 58.
" Thrush, 6.
Woodcock, 104.

Woodpecker, Black-backed- Three-toed, 64.
" Downy, 64.

Woodpecker, Golden- winged, 66.
Hairy, 64.
Pileated, 5, 63.
Eed-bellied, 65.

" -headed, 65-6.
Yellow-bellied. 64-5.
Wren, Great Carolina, 11.
" House, 10.
" Long-billed Marsh. 11.
" Short- " " 11.

" Winter, 11.

Xema Sabini, 135.

Yaffle, 66.

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 70, 149.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, 59.

" Woodpecker, 64, 66.
-breasted Chat, 1, 24.
-crowned Night Heron, 112.
-legs, Greater, 108.
" Lesser, 108.
Hammer, 66.
Rail, 119.

-rumped Warbler, 16.
-throated Vireo, 33.

" Warbler, 17.
Warbler, 15.
-winged Sparrow, 37.
Yellowbird, Common, 36.
Yellowstone Lake, Wy. Ter., 108.

National Park, 114.
Yukon River, Alaska, 1 14.

Zensedura Carolinensis, 98, 140, 141, 145.
Zizania aquatica, 48. '
Zonotrichia albicollis, 40, 41, 141, 142, 145.
" leucophrys, 40, 141, 142, 145.

ERRATA AND ADDENDA.

3d page, 20 lines from top, for Robert F. read Robert T.
5th page, 7 lines from top, for migratoria read migratorius.
7th page, 2 1 lines from top, for Wm. Brewster read H. A. Purdie.
28th page, 10 lines from top, for [ read (.
93d page, 15 lines from top, for migratoria read migratorius.
108th page, 14 lines from top, for shanlis read shanks.
122d page, 32 lines from top, for 233a read 232a.

I have recently learned that the Hudsonian Curlew (Numenius Hudsonicus, p. 1 09)
has occurred along the coast this year in such numbers as to render the term " rare "
incorrect. Mr. Geo. Bird G-rinnell writes: "My brother killed Numenius Hudsonicus
July 20th, 1877 [near Milford, Conn.]. He saw sixteen birds of that species on that
day; twelve in one flock, and two pairs. Others were seen later in July by other
parties." I am informed by Mr. J. H. Sage that two specimens of this species were
killed, near Saybrook, Conn., August 27th, 1877.

t/«

[FKOM THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE CONNECTICUT ACADEMY, VOL. IV, 1877.]

A REVIEW OF THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT,
WITH REMARKS ON THEIR HABITS.

BY C. HART MERRIAM.

FOURTEEN DAY USE

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