savnad Venta ag da 0, 6. UO) ABD Bre, Wee ning Parents en hiya wit dw aly De Une rear RNC TMV AC NW ene ‘3 REIN ea) sty ies Cais ids Wey SOON ea Vide a ! CMT a ROMY Ce uC Re cei ats a ta asada ‘ gta a yw TA tee tau te sai at wo trie Or i Na vine 1 Pe ee es A OM oe Tee ack SOOO oe a Veg benny “ Ca 4 ny Nd BA a os COR aaa Vek arin 4 nee coat Pe eee ony ae ti aah ie sarang a re ry ied ew ect de Oe eee at ame Cane nie Ho rest ys eis i Areva hcla certain A : ns SAO AC a LAE Cn MN ‘ wy tone ea y Bony wae DONC CTI IE) Goern Ce NCC oy a LENE IN Pan ‘ Vo ny ak “ Cree nC ka OMAK ea ed hotel a cy ey REST EOR TE i PER ee ae ee ee ree ey us COC eC ng eas eve bs aon eat eg f oOo AY Th) aa gs DOC a ey Va ge OOO RCC Pan » vant a ’ US CORO CEN Nive tt ha eh a) a seh mn Ven “wit sor We ayia Lu Wie vie Ai 4 4 i t aah atePod iat CE) vt oayiesshaoel ae abe nt ee sh cin iat Ea Naat Pee Me in oe ee Senet Ce NN By do vn ian sey ab nae ota oy si Pee satan Stat ak A Mat iat “vit nat Nae Aa meh iy into D ety ea 1 Sate healt wee Pe Reh eM Rr CnC SOOO CREE nnn Ot SOC ny a og yeouly Le et an : NSA Wee any Ny tytat taht hy alee aa a hae be Mev) 2 it yc erres , Po) He Ltt Meut ste ve oy ‘ Vestn a watataal yaaa ah aa aly On Wa on ba atte tae y ‘lalate TaN a taba pri och tab My elec ary 8 Da * etl A x Doron toe Arye reentcy virgo SIN Fa Ne Warts Ae Wrens saan an cree r eee a encanta Sane tie rt nee a tae a i nc Boo ei enna Tatoo were ace be rages Ma aia eat x ‘y'wach pr dae 9) 9. Sone nanny ‘ pine ne ae Be lar er Dh ait MD “te ons ant fie he ety te ate Pat nee ate a ee Aitanatt a f Whsreeny eta alate + be oes IP es ce pide Ve ign ngage 94 iat eT ATeAnaes RECS 5 ROU bien AB a saath Tye agteany : RUN ATTY ana seat HRN a aE, tS st Sade a TREN hres MSG BLE vainly ace iyh 138) ele arora Ge kan ls Pree as A ea Rat ot i pat et rach tea eva 1h is “ we hae Meagn ae af iy ata tant boa Otani ines a he ri nm, ial RAN) “ eh si rer tet i ae wait bs My CS ma ee meciee iy " eee be ant Sank SS ita Ce ES pou i ‘ a ie coe aes iets SO EAS cera ve) pices thines sven iene oe 3 ies ho carer vey aust te x —. is iu pa ates hte ae Birrell: ‘ Waeuiats Dara dicta ae aa iS a A ate 33 W giocintus ” orernas piecwtw yee bra yaes " ra Breer h dacbasared int tart ip de ee ib Layne clear ee = i ay 2s ne Sry ee SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE. VOW. VOX. EVERY MAN IS A VALUABLE MEMBER OF SOCIETY WHO, BY HIS OBSERVATIONS, RESEARCHES, AND EXPERIMENTS, PROCURES KNOWLEDGE FOR MEN.—SMITHSON. LIBRARY CLEY OF A WASE ING a ON: PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 1895. potas 2», F ADVERTISEMENT. Tus volume forms the thirty-second of a series, composed of original memoirs on different branches of knowledge, published at the expense and under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution. The publication of this series forms part of a general plan adopted for carrying into effect the benevolent intentions of James Surruson, Esq., of England. This gentleman left his property in trust to the United States of America to found at Washington an institution which should bear his own name and have for its objects the ‘increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” This trust was accepted by the Govern- nment of the United States, and acts of Congress were passed August 10, 1846, and March 12, 1894, constituting the President, the Vice-President, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and the heads of Executive Departments an establishment under the name of the ‘“‘SmrrHsonran INSTITUTION, FOR THE INCREASE AND DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE AMONG MEN.” ‘The members of this establishment are to hold stated and special meetings for the supervision of the affairs of the Institution and for the advice and instruction of a Board of Regents to whom the financial and other affairs are intrusted. The Board of Regents consists of two members ex officio of the establish- ment, namely, the Vice-President of the United States and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, together with twelve other members, three of whom are appointed from the Senate from its own body, three from the House of Repre- sentatives from its members, and six persons appointed by a joint resolution of both Houses. To this Board is given the power of electing a Secretary and other officers for conducting the active operations of the Institution. To carry into effect the purposes of the testator, the plan of organization should evidently embrace two objects: one, the increase of knowledge by the addition of new truths to the existing stock; the other, the diffusion of knowledge, thus increased, among men. No restriction is made in favor of any kind of knowledge, and hence each branch is entitled to and should receive a share of attention. The act of Congress establishing the Institution directs, as a part of the plan of organization, the formation of a library, a museum, and a gallery of art, together with provisions for physical research and popular lectures, while it leaves to the Regents the power of adopting such other parts of an organization as they may deem best suited to promote the objects of the bequest. iil IV ADVERTISEMENT. After much deliberation, the Regents resolved to apportion the annual income specifically among the different objects and operations of the Institution in such manner as may, in the judgment of the Regents, be necessary and proper for each, according to its intrinsic importance, and a compliance in good faith with the law. The following are the details of the parts of the general plan of organization provisionally adopted at the meeting of the Regents December 8, 1847: DETAILS OF THE FIRST PART OF THE PLAN. I. Yo incrEAsE KNowLepGE.—It is proposed to stimulate research by offering rewards for origmal memoirs on all subjects of investigation. 1. The memoirs thus obtained to be published in a series of volumes, in a quarto form, and entitled ‘Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge.” 2. No memoir on subjects of physical science to be accepted for publication which does not furnish a positive addition to human knowledge, resting on original research; and all unverified speculations to be rejected. 3. Kach memoir presented to the Institution to be submitted for examination to a commission of persons of reputation for learning in the branch to which the memoir pertains, and to be accepted for publication only in case the report of this commission is favorable. 4. The commission to be chosen by the officers of the Institution, and the name of the author, as far as practicable, concealed, unless a favorable decision be made. 5. The volumes of the memoirs to be exchanged for the transactions of literary and scientific societies, and copies to be given to all the colleges and principal libraries in this country. One part of the remaining copies may be offered for sale, and the other carefully preserved to form complete sets of the work to supply the demand from new institutions. 6. An abstract, or popular account, of the contents of these memoirs to be given to the public through the annual report of the Regents to Congress. II. To incrkEAse KnowLepen.—It is also proposed to appropriate a portion of the income annually to special objects of research, under the direction of suitable persons. 1. The objects and the amount appropriated to be recommended by counsel- lors of the Institution. 2. Appropriations in different years to different objects, so that in course of time each branch of knowledge may receive a share. ADVERTISEMENT. Vv 3. The results obtained from these appropriations to be published, with the memoirs before mentioned, in the volumes of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. 4, Examples of objects for which appropriations may be made: (1) System of extended meteorological observations for solving the problem of American storms. (2) Explorations in descriptive natural history, and geological, mathematical, and topographical surveys, to collect material for the formation of a physical atlas of the United States. (8) Solution of experimental problems, such as a new determination of the weight of the earth, of the velocity of electricity, and of light; chemical analyses of soils and plants; collection and publication of scientific facts, accu- mulated in the offices of Government. (4) Institution of statistical inquiries with reference to physical, moral, and political subjects. (5) Historical researches and accurate surveys of places celebrated in American history. (6) Ethnological researches, particularly with reference to the different races of men in North America; also explorations and accurate surveys of the mounds and other remains of the ancient people of our country. I. To pirrus—E KnowLepeE.—It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge not strictly professional. ~ 1. Some of these reports may be published annually, others at longer intervals, as the income of the Institution or the changes in the branches of knowledge may indicate. 2. The reports are to be prepared by collaborators eminent in the different _ branches of knowledge. 3. Each collaborator to be furnished with the journals and publications, domestic and foreign, necessary to the compilation of his report; to be paid a certain sum for his labors, and to be named on the title-page of the report. 4. The reports to be published in separate parts, so that persons interested in a particular branch can procure the parts relating to it without purchasing the whole. 5. These reports may be presented to Congress for partial distribution, the remaining copies to be given to literary and scientific institutions and sold to individuals for a moderate price. VI ADVERTISEMENT. The following are some of the subjects which may be embraced in the reports: 1 meteo 2, 2 o 4 5 uities, 6. 9 Ud. 10. Lite We I. PHYSICAL CLASS. . Physics, including astronomy, natural philosophy, chemistry, and rology. . Natural history, including botany, zoology, geology, ete. . Agriculture. . Application of science to arts. Il. MORAL AND POLITICAL CLASS. . Ethnology, including particular history, comparative philology, antiq- etc: Statistics and political economy. Mental and moral philosophy. A survey of the political events of the world; penal reform, ete. Ill. LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS. Modern literature. The fine arts, and their application to the useful arts. Bibliography. Obituary notices of distinguished individuals. I]. To pirruse KNnowLeper—It is proposed to publish occasionally separate il from treatises on subjects of general interest. . These treatises may occasionally consist of valuable memoirs translated foreign languages, or of articles prepared under the direction of the Institution, or procured by offermg premiums for the best exposition of a given 2 subject. ; . The treatises to be submitted to a commission of competent judges previous to their publication. ADVERTISEMENT. VIL DETAILS OF THE SECOND PART OF THE PLAN OF ORGANIZATION, This part contemplates the formation of a library, a museum, and a gallery of art. ; 1, To carry out the plan before described a library will be required consist- ing, first, of a complete collection of the transactions and proceedings of all the learned societies of the world; second, of the more important current periodical publications and other works necessary in preparing the periodical reports. 2. The Institution should make special collections particularly of objects to illustrate and verify its own publications; also a collection of instruments of research in all branches of experimental science. 3. With reference to the collection of books other than those mentioned above, catalogues of all the different libraries in the United States should be procured, in order that the valuable books first purchased may be such as are not to be found elsewhere in the United States. 4. Also catalogues of memoirs and of books in foreign libraries and other materials should be collected, for rendering the Institution a center of biblio- eraphical knowledge, whence the student may be directed to any work which he may require. 5. It is believed that the collections in natural history will increase by donation as rapidly as the income of the Institution can make provision for their reception, and therefore it will seldom be necessary to purchase any article of this kind. 6. Attempts should be made to procure for the gallery of art casts of the most celebrated articles of ancient and modern sculpture. 7. The arts may be encouraged by providing a room, free of expense, for the exhibition of the objects of the Art Union and other similar societies. 8. A small appropriation should annually be made for models of antiquities, such as those of the remains of ancient temples, ete. 9. The Secretary and his assistants, during the session of Congress, will be required to illustrate new discoveries in science and to exhibit new objects of art. Distinguished individuals should also be invited to give lectures on subjects of general interest. In accordance with the rules adopted in the programme of organization, the memoir in this volume has been favorably reported on by a commission appointed for its examination. It is, however, impossible, in most cases, to verify the statements of an author, and therefore neither the commission nor the Institution can be responsible for more than the general character of a memoir. Peal | ee SS eye pain fe Seek OFFICERS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. GROVER CLEVELAND, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, EX OFFICIO PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE INSTITUTION. MELVILLE W. FULLER, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME OOURT, CHANCELLOR OF. THE INSTITUTION. SAMUEL P. LANGLEY, SECRETARY OF THE INSTITUTION. G. BROWN GOODE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY. GRovER CLEVELAND * : Apuat E. Stevenson RICHARD Onnae a2: Joun G. Carrisne i? Dantet 8. Lamont . Jupson Harmon . WiuuiAm L. Witson Hinary A. Hersertr Hoke Smity . J. Stertinc Morron ‘=A x Sate -- a Neill Menvitte W. Fuuuer . 4 z a Vee ae = \ - ete x Feat a y we nat BS Bess * re Sa e Soee ae Vice-President of the United State Chief Justice of the United States. Secretary of State. ae Secretary of the Treasury. “5 Secretary of War. 4 . Attorney-General. = Posiniaeer General Secretary of the Navy. . Secretary of the Interior. Secretary of Agriculture. REGENTS. Metvitte W. Fuuurr . . . . Chief Justice of the United States. Apuat E. Stevenson... . Vice-President of the United States. J.S.Morrmu. .. . . . . Member of the Senate of the United States. SM VlenOmmMmONe a > sie-wN can cue’. s Member of the Senate of the United States. Grorce Gray... . . . . Member of the Senate of the United States. Joseph Wuertpr. . . . . . Member of the House of Representatives. W. GC. P. Breckineipge . . . Member of the House of Representatives. RR. Uw... .... .. . Member of the House of Representatives. J. B. Henperson. . . . . . Citizen of Washington City. J.B. ANGELL . i DS) Citizen of Michigan: Anprew D. Warre . : . . . Citizen of New York. Wituiam Preston Jonnston . . Citizen of Lowsiana. Garpiner G. Hupparp. . . . Citizen of Washington City. XE SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE. CR ae ee LIFE HISTORIES OF MO eh AMAL CAN BIRDS, FROM THE PARROTS TO THE GRACKLES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR BREEDING HABITS AND EGGS, BY CHARLES BENDIRE, Caprain AND BREVET MaJor, U.S. A. (Retired), Honorary Curator of the Department of Odlogy, U. S. National Museum, Member of the American Ornithologists’ Union. WITH SEVEN LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES. CITY OF WASHINGTON: PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 1895. be WILLIAM BREWSTER. | CHARLES F. BATCHELDER. P C. Hart MERRIAM. 7 2 a : ADVERTISEMENT. The following memoir, by Major Charles Bendire, of the United States Army, having been published at the joint expense of the Smithsonian fund and of the printing appropriation of the United States National Museum, two separate editions are issued, one forming a portion of the series of Smithsonian Contri- butions to Knowledge, and the other appearing as a special bulletin of the United States National Museum. In accordance with the rule adopted by the Smithsonian Institution, the work has been submitted for examination to a commission in this instance consisting of Mr. William Brewster, Doctor C. Hart Merriam, and Mr. Charles F’. Batchelder, and having been recommended for publication by these gentlemen, it is herewith presented as a work of original research, illustrating more particu- larly the life histories of North American Birds, from the Parrots to the Grackles, with special reference to their breeding habits and eggs. S. P. Lanewey, Secretary. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, Washington, October, 1895. a ie Or “CONTENTS: PSITTACEOUS BIRDS. Family Psirractpa. Parrots, Paroquets, ete. 1. Conurus carolinensis, Linnzeus.-----.--------- G@axolina Paroquet) (Pl. I) biewh)=s-=-2=- s-=222 =~ PICARIAN BIRDS. Family CucuLtip%. The Cuckoos, Anis, etc. 2. Crotophaga ani, Linnzeus. .-----.----.-------- Tine Aion (IPI, I, 1g @) oe sa ssac op acocce soses2ce00 3. Crotophaga sulcirostris, Swainson... ---------- Grooved-billed Ani (PI. I, Fig. 7)----------------- 4. Geococeyx californianus, Lesson ....-.---.---- IR@mal Tamas (PI, My Wigs, 2) ne sane ss eeceea cgoce= 5. Coccyzus minor,:Gmelin ---------------------- Man enoyel Cc kO0==er ese aiee eee eee et 6. Coceyzus minor maynardi, Ridgway ---------- WiennnemGlis CMO) 5= <- 555 2555 steooe ooeepe sesec 7. Coceyzus americanus, Linneus --------------- Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Pl. V, Fig. 1).------------- 8. Coceyzus americanus occidentalis, Ridgway... California Cuckoo (PI. V, Pig. 2)----------------- 9. Coceyzus erythrophthalmus, Wilson. ---- ------ Black-billed Cuckoo (Pl. V, Figs. 3 and 4) .--.---- 10. Cucnlus canorus telephonus, Heine---...----. Siem CMCKOO) scceccceeenceone soedod so Nec aacees Family TroGontbx. Trogons. 11. Trogon ambiguus, Gould - -------------------- Coppeny=tail ediinor oneere asses ee eee eee Family ALcrEDINID#. Kingfishers. 12. Ceryle aleyon, Linneus --.--.-.--------------- Belted Kingfisher (Pl. I, Fig. 3).----.--.-------.- 13. Ceryle americana septentriovalis, Sharp -.----- Texan Kinefisher (Pl. I, Fig. 4)---..----.----.--.- 14. Ceryle torquata, Linnzus.-.-..-.---.--------- Toma! Stays © oo Bee coe anon ecescoeeocesoaeEe PICINE BIRDS. Family Prorpas. Woodpeckers. 15. Campephilus principalis, Linnzeus -..-.--- ---. Ivory-billed Woodpecker- -..---------.----------- 16. Dryobates yillosus, Linnvus.----------------- Ialemryy WY@@ul NEC RO ens onaade sSacosscspeesee ses 17. Dryobates villosus leucomelas, Boddert-- ----- Northern Hairy Woodpecker. .....--.------------ 18. Dryobates villosus audubonii, Swainson. ....-. Southern Hairy Woodpecker. -----.-------------- 19. Dryobates villosus harrisii, Audubon..-.....-. Harris’s Woodpecker----..------------------------ 20. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus, Cabanis.-.-... Cabanis’s Woodpecker~---.----------------------- 21. Dryobates pubescens, Linnwus-.----.--------- Downy Woodpecker (P1. 1, Fig. 24)..-------------- 22. Dryobates pubescens gairdnerii, Audubon. ---- Canrdlner!s WOOtlpackGR .-5oss55ce0 sesosocessseec 23. Dryobates pubescens orececus, Batchelder. ---- Batclelderis Woodpecker ---=------------_--_-_-- 24, Dryobates borealis, Vieillot-----..---.---.---- Red-cockaded Woodpecker-.---.-.-.------------. 25. Dryobates sealaris bairdi, Sclater.---..-.----- Bards nvioodpecketessaee ere saae essa aase ca 26. Dryobates sealaris lncasanus, Xantns...-..-..- St. Lueas Woodpecker. --------.----------------- 27. Dryobates nuttallii, Gambel -----.-.-.-...---- NimtuallsawWioodpeckent=s = semen sae eee saree 28. Dryobates arizone, Hargitt....--.---..--..--- ATIZonanWOodpeekienenssemes see ase ee otal 29. Xenopicus albolarvatus, Cassin . ..-.---------- White-headed Woodpecker. .-.......----.---.---- 30. Picoides arcticus, Swainson. .----------------- Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker.----.---.--------- 31. Picoides americanus, Brehin .---..------------ American Three-toed Woodpecker. ---..----.----- 32. Picoides americanus alascensis, Nelson---- ---- Alaskan Three-toed Woodpecker.----..---..----- 33. Picoides americanus dorsalis, Baird. ..-..------ Alpine Three-toed Woodpecker-...-.-------------- 34. Sphyrapicus varius, Linneeus----.---.---.---. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker........-....-.-.------- 35. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis, Baird..........-. Red-naped Sapsucker........---.-.-.------------ 74 VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 36. Sphyrapicus ruber, Gmelin-.----.------.----.- Red-breasted Sapsucker. .-.-.---2- 22-2 .----s----- 37. Sphyrapicus thyroideus, Cassin ---......-...-. Williamson’s Sapsucker..--.---.--...--..-....... 38. Ceophlwus pileatus, Linnieus---..--...-..--.. Pileated Woodpecker (P1.I, Fig.5).....--.--.---- 39. Melanerpes erythrocephalus, Linnieus..-.-.-.. Red-headed Woodpecker..--.........--..-------- 40. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi, Ridgway Calitommiany Vioodpeclier= == ses esse ae 41, Melanerpes formicivorus angustifrons, Baird .. Narrow-fronted Woodpecker.----.--....--------- 42. Melanerpes torquatus, Wilson. .---..---------- We wAsise Wood peckenee-—= serene = en a=r == see eae 3. Melanerpes carolinus, Linneus..---.---.------ Red-bellied Woodpecker 44, Melanerpes aurifrons, Wagler .-.-.-----.--.--- Golden-fronted Woodpecker.....-.-..--...----.-- 45. Melanerpes uropygialis, Baird -....--.-......- Gila, Woodpeckers: )i 27 Sse eee oe eee eee 46. Colaptes\auratus, Wimneeuse-es sos. 52-26 esos PICKET Sash eeeca sdeece eter ene eee sae ees j Ain Colaptesicater,. Gm elin@ess senses Ieeydlesihen trent MINOR, os Saco ocdcedeanscebeen bose 48. Colaptes cafer saturatior, Ridgway-..-.--.---- NorthwestermHlickersa=—ees= = ee ee eee eee 49. Colaptes chrysoides, Malherbe_.............-- Gildedswlickereas==see terranes Baeeeetese eres ee 50. Colaptes rufipileus, Ridgway......-.-.--.....- Guadailnpesblickerss-ee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee MACROCHIRINE BIRDS. Family CAPRIMULGID®. Goatsuckers, ete. 51. Antrostomus carolinensis, Gmelin ..--......-.- Chuck-will’s-widow (PI. 1, Figs. 8, 9).......-.-.-. 52. Antrostomus vociferus, Wilson.-.--.-....-..-- Whip-poor-will (Pl. I, Figs. 10, 11).-.....--......- 53. Antrostomus vociferus macromystax, Wagler.. Stephens’s Whip-poor-will ...................---- d4. Phaleenoptilus nuttalli, Audubon. .-...-....-.. Poor-will (Pl. 1, Fig. 23)-.................-2-.---- 55. Phaleenoptilus nuttalli nitidus, Brewster... .- Hrostedsk oor-walll eee eee ee eee ee eee 56. Phalenoptilus nuttalli californicus, Ridgway.. Dusky Poor-will..............-.------.-----.---- 57. Nyctidromus albicollis merrilli, Sennett... .... Merrill’s Parauque (PI. II, Figs. 1,2).......-..-.-- 58. Chordeiles virginianus, Gmelin-.-.......-.---- INpiolnulNeNAkS (LEN, WO, We BB) oon conse conse 59. Chordeiles virginianus henryi, Cassin. .......- Western Nighthawk (Pl. II], Pig. 4)-.-...........- 60. Chordeiles virginianus chapmani, Sennett. -..- Florida Nighthawk (PI. III, Figs. 5,6)....-.-.---- 61. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis, Lawrence.... Texan Nighthawk (PI, II, Figs. 7, 8,9, 10).....-- Family Microropip#. Swifts. 62a Cypseloidespnicen Gmelineees seen eee Blacks S walliticrce sees citepac yaa -tte ne eee eae ee eee 63, Chietura pelasica, Dinnmus---2-5---292--- 2.2. Chimneys Siwallhtiy Gales Ri G22) eee eee 64. Cheetura vauxii, Townsend .----........2.--.- Went iShuvilitin (STL, TBS RIG) 3 aoe Scoe onncoencecor 65. Aéronautes melanoleucus, Baird_........-...-- Wihite-throatedtSwattescsse secee cee eee ee ereeee Family Trocnitipa2. Hummingbirds. G63 sbiue enesiiull censy sy aimsOnP es ees ee aes eee eee Lnvo BEM io eee re 67. Celigena clemenciw, Lesson --...............- Blue-throated Hummingbird.--...-....-...--..-- 68. Trochilus colubris, Linnwus ......-.-....._.-- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Pl. I, Fig. 27).--.. 69. Trochilus alexandri, Bourcier and Mulsant.-.... Black-chinned Hummingbird ...............----- 70. Trochilus violajugulum, Jefiries.............-. Violet-throated Hummingbird...-..-...-----.--.. Ths CEA DUS COMBA, IBOUIKONEP soo nepcceooee sone encase CostaissEhumn min bid aes e eee ee 124, Calbyor® Gin, LARSON. cssese soeces caoccccecece Amey nlmmninnin@l ong, sos doesbesce sececceseccs 73. Selasphorus floresii, Gould ................---- HOT ESTAS SE rome |] Cae 74. Selasphorus platycereus, Swainson. ..-..-..--- Broad-tailed Hummingbird .-...--.....---.-.---. 75. Selasphorus rufus, Gmelin ........--...-..---- TEINS 1S hoTTTMINS| NRG oo5.asa0 soso coos cessse -oee 76. Selasphorus alleni, Henshaw...-....-...------ ANI Grats la tiamvenNG RM 6 oasoeo soeees ascoeesecces To Suelo, Calo Me, COUG cccccg ssssesssccesncos Calliope Hummingbird ..---.----2.---.------._._- 78. Calothorax lucifer, Swainson...-.........----- Thi cidenss tem inna yo 1m Cle ee 79. Amazilia fascicaudata, Fraser. ........---...-- Rieffer’s Hummingbird...................-------- 80. Amazilia cerviniventris, Gould.........--..--- Buff-bellied Hummingbird ........---..-..-.----- 81. Basilinna xantusi, Lawrence_........--------- XaMITS?S wELUTN MN On Cleese 82. Basilinna leucotis, Vieillot_...._--_---..--___- Wihite-eared uimmineybind 2a. sess sees eee = eee 83. Iache latirostris, Swainson.................--- Broad-billed Hummingbird ..-....-.............. PASSERINE BIRDS. Family CorinGip%. Cotingas. 84. Platypsaris albiventris, Lawrence. -._....-.___. Xaniwus!s Becard 222 ss52ee= se Seas eaaeeeceeeas tee 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. shits 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136 157. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Family TyRANNID2. Tyrant Flycatchers. Milvulus tyrannus, Linneeus.-...-..--...----- Honk-ualedsiliy catch ene sae eres ase eee Milvulus forficatus, Gmelin. .-..........---.-. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Pl. I, Figs. 12,13)..---- ED LAM Soy neo Ss wenn oN Seeeee sesame bind, (Pile T) Bigs 14) 1>)ps os sscseececsen eee Tyrannus dominicensis, Gmelin..-.----..----- Gray Kingbird (PI. II, Figs. 3, 4)..........--.---- Tyrannus melancholicus couchii, Baird. ....... Couch’s Kingbird (Pl. II, Figs. 5, 6)-...-.--------- Tyrannus verticalis, Say..---.--..---.---.---. Arkansas Kingbird (Pl. I, Figs. 16, 17)-...-.-.---.- Tyrannus yociferans, Swainson ...---..--.---- Cassin’s Kingbird (Pl. I, Figs. 18, 19)..-..---.-.--- Pitaneus derbianus, Kaup.-----.-.-.---------- Derby Plycateher (Pl. I, Figs.20,21)---.-.--...-.. Myiozetetes texensis, Giraud......------------ Giraud’s Flycatcher (Pl. I, Fig. 22)...-....-.-..--. Myiodynastes luteiventris, Selater-...-....--- Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (PI. II, Fig. 7)----.---- Myiarchus crinitus, Linneus.-..---..-.------- Crested Flycutcher (Pl. II, Figs. 8,9)..-...-.-.---- Myiarchus mexicanus, Kaup..-..-.---------.-- Mexican Crested Flycatcher (PI. II, Figs. 10, 11). -- Myiarchus mexicanus magister, Ridgway -- ---- Arizona Crested Flycatcher (P1. II, Fig. 12)....... Myiarchus cinerascens, Lawrence..-.-.-.---- Ash-throated Flycatcher (Pl. II, Fig.13)..--...--. Myiarchus cinerascens nuttingi, Ridgway- ---- Nutting’s Flycatcher (Pl. II, Fig. 14)--...--...--.- Myiarchus lawrenceii, Giraud..---..-....----- Ganytencerswrly cate hele eer sesso ae eee eee eee Myiarchus lawrencei olivascens, Ridgway. .--- Olnvaceouspihy cache tees ne anaes eee ee ee ee ee Sayornis phoebe, Latham.....--..-...----.---- iphicebe) (eli pier 28) pesseeeeseas Seeaace cece =< Sayornis saya, Bonaparte.......--.-.----..--- SPAS Jelnes|e (el, Mp Is 2B) oo sce seeoss encase oeoe Sayornis nigricans, Swainson. ...---------.-.- Ielevelte IPingsloys (IPI I, INTE, BO) oceans eses catece con Contopus borealis, Swainson-.-.-------------- Olive-sided Flycatcher (Pl. II, Figs. 15, 16)...----- Contopus pertinax, Cabanis.-......----------- Couesiseilyicanch er G2 sles hos) eee eeeeee sete ee Contopus virens, Linnweus..--...------------- WroodsPewee) (Bl Bics 1S 519)e eens eee aes Contopus richardsonii, Swainson. .-.-.-------- Western Wood Pewee (PI. II, Figs. 20, 21, 22).._-. Empidonax flaviventris, Baird---.-.-.--...--. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Pl. II, Fig. 23)......-- Bmpidonax difficilis, Baird. .-.-..-.-.---.-.-. Western Flycatcher (Pl. Il, Fig. 24, 25....--.....-. Empidonax cineritius, Brewster. ......-------- Sits WnWer ys) IMbycenelG is 5655 -socces sonena bees bases Empidonax acadicus, Gmelin......-.---------- Acadian Flycatcher (Pl. II, Figs. 26, 27)..-...-.-. Empidonax pusillus, Swainson. -.....---..-.--. Little Flycatcher (PI. II, Figs. 28, 29) ..---...._-. Empidonax pusillus traillii, Audubon-.-...--- raillisselyeatchers (eal ll wi on3 0) see eeeee sees = Empidonax minimus, Baird.........--.------- Least Flycatcher (Pl. Il, Fig. 31)-....------...--. Empidonax hammondi, Xantus----..---.------ Hammond’s Flycatcher (Pl. II, Fig. 32)...-...--.. Empidonax wrightii, Baird. .-.....--.-.-.--.- Wright’s Flycatcher (Pl. II, Fig. 33)-.-..........- Empidonax griseus, Brewster. --.-.-..---.------ Granvaitly cateherare ast cee ese ee eee sees coe Empidonax fulvifrons, Giraud... ....---------- Rulvouspulycatehers=ses= ae aaeeeeonecee ee eee ee. Empidonax fulvifrons pygmieus, Coues ....-.. Buff-breasted Flycatcher.......-..-...-..--..--.- Pyrocephalus rnbineus mexicanus, Sclater- -.-- Vermilion Flycatcher (Pl. II, Figs. 34,35)-..---.-- Ornithion imberbe, Sclater -...-.-----.--.---- Beardlessvilyicatclten see see seers aes aaa ee Ornithion imberbe ridgwayi, Brewster... . ---- Ridgway’s Flycatcher.............-2-2...:+-----.- Family ALAupIDa. Larks. Alauda arvensis, Linneus...-...-..----.----- mikgylemate (RIG Wp IBN 2B) ee pcecnosensoaretessase Otocoris alpestris, Linnzus.-...-.----.------- Horne dilvarle soso: ys sete e <2 sas oesaes aasee NS ae Otocoris alpestris leucoleema, Coues.----.----- Pallid) Horned ark (Pl. V, Big. 24). 22-22. 22-2 222 Otocoris alpestris praticola, Henshaw. .--.---- Prairie Horned Lark (Pl. V, Fig. 25)_....-.....--_. Otocoris alpestris arenicola, Henshaw - .---- ---- Desert Horned Lark (Pl. V, Fig. 26).-.....-.-.---. Otocoris alpestris giraudi, Henshaw-.--. .------ Texan Horned Lark (Pl. V, Wig. 27)-.--------.---- Otocoris alpestris chrysolema, Wagler-.--- .--- Mexican Horned Lark (Pl. V, Fig. 28)-.--.-------- Otocoris alpestris rnbea, Henshaw---.-.----- -- Ruddy Horned Lark (Pl. V, Fig. 29).-..---...---- Otocoris alpestris strigata, Henshaw-.-....-.. Streaked Horned Lark..--...-.......-.--.------- Otocoris alpestris adusta, Dwight. -......--.-.-- Scorched Horned Lark (Pl. V, Fig. 31)..---.------ Otocoris alpestris merrilli, Dwight. ---..-.-.--- Dusky Horned Lark (Pl. V, Fig. 30).....-.--.--.- Otocoris alpestris pallida, Townsend...--.---- Sonoraneblonned) Wanlse seeems pees eee as ae eee Otocoris alpestris insularis, Townsend ---.---- lhaslene lalorEnGil Weyl 6 656 cseone ceases esscaco aces Family Corvipa:. Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc. Pica pica hudsonica, Sabine. .....-.-...--.-.-- American Magpie (PI. III, Figs. 11, 12, 13).-..----- Pica nuttalli, Audubon .-.--.......---...----- Yellow-billed Magpie (Pl. III, Fig. 14).----.------ Cyanocitta cristata, Linnwus....------------- Mme deny (Rls We IMIS. 4), O)s + ssebs6 Gasons Sosa os4s Cyanocitta cristata florincola, Coues----.----- Ipiormdley NG) Jey (TELL We IBIS Ip @))cacesecocacasec Cyanocitta stelleri, Gmelin.-.....-...-..----- Shiller daay Eb We Iie, O)) oa conceneoec asca sess Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis, Ridgway -------- Blue-fronted Jiay (PI. V, Fig. 10).-------------..- Cyanocitta stelleri macrolopha, Baird. ---...--- Long-crested Jay (Pl. V, Figs. 11, 12) VII TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. 144. Cyanocitta stelleri annectens, Baird ....------ Black-headed Jay---2-- =e ee eee 369 145. Aphelocoma floridana, Bartram. -.--...-------- Blorida Jay (PloV, Bis. 1o)e 2 ae eee 370 146. Aphelocoma woodhousei, Baird. --.--..-------- Woodhouse’s Jay (PI. V, Pig. 14)---=-- 2. —-25..-- 372 147. Aphelocoma californica, Vigors --------------- California Jay (Pl. V, Figs. 15, 16, 17, 18)-----.---- 374 148. Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca, Ridgway-. Xantus’s Jay------------------------------------- 378 149. Aphelocoma californica obseura, Anthony- ---- Beldine’s Jay n.-2-- 2-2 sea = eee 379 150. Aphelocoma insularis, Henshaw -------------- Santa CraziJaye= <=. 232 eee eee 379 151. Aphelocoma sieberii arizone, Ridgway ---- ---- Arizona Jay (PIV, Pigs. 19; 20) 22=-===2=2- 2 ==- =e 380 152, Aphelocoma cyanotis, Ridgway- -------------- BUC eared) aye eae ee eee eee ee 382 153. Xanthoura luxuosa, Lesson-.--.-------------- Green Jay (PLEEL Mies. 15 160i) anos ae 383 154. Perisoreus canadensis, Linnzeus---.--.--------- Canada Jay (PI. IIT, Figs. 18, 19)_----- ---. -+=- ---- 385 155. Perisoreus canadensis capitalis, Baird--------- Rocky Mountain Jayo-: 2222 ene een ee SO 156. Perisoreus canadensis fumifrons, Ridgway- ---- Alaskan pay 2a. 5 29 esos aa ae eer 390 157. Perisoreus canadensis nigricapillus, Ridgway - Labrador Jay (Pl. III, Fig. 20)--..---------------- 392 158. Perisoreus obscurus, Ridgway ---------------- Oregon:Jay- (RISD Wig. 21) se eine 394 159. Corvus corax sinuatus, Wagler----.-.--.-.---- American Raven (PI. IV, Figs. 1, 2)-...----------- 396 160. Corvus corax principalis, Ridgway ---.-------- Northern Raven (Pl. IV, Fig:3)_--2--.----2-5----= 400 161. Corvus cryptoleucus, Couch -----.---.--.----- White-necked Raven (Pl. IV, Figs.4,5,6,7).-.--.- 402 162. Corvus americanus, Audubon. -..------------- American Crow (Pl. IV, Figs.8,9, 10,11,12; Pl]. V, 405 Figs. 2], 22). 163. Corvus americanus floridanus, Baird_-..------ Florida Crow (P1. 1V; Figs. 13, 14) -.-..:-2--2--=--- 413 164. Corvus caurinus, Baird-.....--..----....--=-. Northwest Crow (PI. BV, Big. 15)2__- =------ == 414 165. Corvus ossifragus, Wilson _------.------------ Wish’ Crow (Pl LV. Bisse 1G@c0)) =a. so eee 415 166. Nucifraga columbiana, Wilson.--------------- Clarke's Nutcracker (PI. ITI, Figs. 22, 23)..---.---- 418 167. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus, Wied-_-...----- Pinon Jay (PL TED, Figs.'24, 25).-.-=.-.-.-<<---2--- 424 Family STURNID®. Starlings. 168. Sturnus vulgaris, Linn-eus-----.-.-.-----.---- Starling Soe sooe. oe nas soon ae ee 427 Family IctErRID%. Blackbirds, Orioles, etc. 169. Dolichonyx oryzivorus, Linnzus.----.--------- Bebolink (PL Vi Bigs. .2) 2os2- eee eee 429 170. Molothrus ater, Boddert -..--_.----<:--------- Cowbird (PI. Vi, Pigs)3;4,'5, '6)=-<--.=--2---=25- == 434 171. Molothrus ater obscurus, Gmelin -----.-------- Dwarf Cowbird (PI. VI, Figs. 7, 8).--------------- 441 172. Callothrus robustus, Cabanis------------------ Red-eyed Cowbird (Pl. VI, Fig. 9)-...-..------=-- 443 173. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Bonaparte... Yellow-headed Blackbird (Pl. VI, Figs.10,11,12)-. 446 174. Agelaius pheeniceus, Linnzus- ----------.- _... Red-winged Blackbird (P1. VI, Figs. 13,14,15)---. 449 175. Agelaius pheniceus sonoriensis, Ridgway- ---- Sonoran Red win Sess. 5 eee ee ae 453 176. Agelaius pheniceus bryanti, Ridgway -----_--- Bahaman-Red wilt 2 | > 2225-8 --4+ssee85 ses- cose 453 77. Agelaius gubernator, Wagler-....--....------. Bicolored Blackbird (Pl. VI, Figs. 16,17) -.--.. -.---- 455 178. Agelaius tricolor, Nuttall.-...-....-.--.----:- Tricolored Blackbird (Pl. VI, Figs. 18, 19)-.-.----- 456 179. Sturnella magna, Linnzus---.-.-.---..--------- Meadowlark (PI. VI, Figs. 20, 21).----: -=--------- 458 180. Sturnella magna mexicana, Sclater ---..-.---- Mexican Meadowlark (PI. VI, Fig. 22)---.-...---.- 461 181. Sturnella magna neglecta, Audubon --.-..-_-- Western Meadowlark (PI. VI, Figs. 23, 24)-.---.--- 462 182. Icterus icterus, innzus----2-=-2----- 222522 Proupial. 225.2 ose 22-22. - te 5 eke eee ee 183. Icterus gularis, Wagler-_----------=----.-___= Gular Oriole son as sane a aa ee 466 184. Icterus audubonii, Giraud .--_.._-..---------- Audubon’s Oriole (PI. VI, Figs. 25, 26, 27)-.--------- 469 185. Icterus parisorum, Bonaparte--.-.------.------ Scott’s Oriole (Pl. VI, Figs. 28, 29)-....-----.------ 471 186. Icterus cucullatus, Swainson. -...-....-..----. Hooded Oriole (Pl. VI, Figs. 30, 31, 32)--.....-.-.-- 474 187. Icterus cucullatus nelsoni, Ridgway----------- Arizona Hooded Oriole (Pl. VII, Figs. 1,2).--.----. 476 188. Ieterus spurius, Linnwus --.---.-------------- Orchard Oriole (Pl. VII, Figs. 3, 4,5)-.-.--.------- 479 189. Icterus galbula, Linnzeus-_-_..-....--.-------- Baltimore Oriole (Pl. VII, Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9)---------- 482 190. Icterus bullocki, Swaimson..--..--..---..----- Bullock's Oriole (Pl. VII, Figs. 10, 11,12, 13)-.----- 486 191. Scolecophagus carolinus, Miiller -------.-.---- Rusty Blackbird (Pl. VII, Figs. 14, 15, 16)-.-..---- 489 192. Scolecophagns cyanocephalus, Wagler ..-.-.-. Brewer's Blackbird (PI. VII, Figs. 17, 18, 19,20)... 493 193. Quiscalus quiscula, Linnzus---...---.-------- Purple Grackle (Pl. VII, Figs. 21, 22, 23)-.-....--- 497 194. Quiscalus quiscula agleus, Baird ----.-------- Florida Grackle (Pl. VII, Figs. 24, 25)...-..------- 500 195. Quiscalus quiscula zeneus, Ridgway----------- Bronzed Grackle (Pl. VI, Figs. 26, 27)..---..----- 501 196. Quiscalus macrourus, Swainson... .--...-.-... Great-tailed Grackle (Pl. VI, Figs. 28, 29)-...----- 504 197. Quiscalus major, Vieillot --.....--.----------- Boat-tailed Grackle (Pl. VII, Figs. 30, 31).----.--- 506 Pino Cyl ON”. This volume on the Life Histories of North American Birds, like the one preceding, is based on the collections in the United States National Museum, and relates only to land birds. The classification given in the Code and Check List of the American Ornithologists’ Union has again been foliowed, and the species and subspecies have been treated in a manner similar to that adopted in the earlier volume. Since the publication of the initial volume the odlogical collection has been very materially increased. Dr. William L. Ralph, of Utica, New York, has, with commendable liberality, presented his entire collection, numbering over seven thousand specimens, to the Smithsonian Institution. This contains beautifully prepared sets of the eggs of many of the rarer species, quite a number of which have heretofore been unrepresented. To this collection our generous friend is constantly adding, regardless of expense. My thanks are especially due to Dr. Ralph and to my numerous corre- spondents whose names appear in the body of this volume; by the kind cooperation of these gentlemen I have been greatly aided in the preparation of this work. I am also indebted to the United States Department of Agriculture for the many courtesies extended through Dr. C. Hart Merriam, who has given me access to the collections and furnished me with the results of the investiga- tions made by this Department. The original water-color drawings from which the plates have been repro- duced, like those of the former volume, are the work of Mr. John L. Ridgway, of Washington, District of Columbia, and of the same standard of excellence. The chromo-lithographic reproductions are by the Ketterlinus Printing Com- pany, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I am pleased to be able to say that they come up fully to my expectations. The illustrations are all natural size. Tue AvTHor. Bae LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. By Ciar.Les Benning, Captain and Brevet Major, U.S. Army (retired). PSITTACEOUS BIRDS. Family PSITTACIDA. Parrors, Paroquets, etc. 1. Conurus carolinensis (Linnavs). CAROLINA PAROQUET. Psittacus carolinensis LINN AUS, Systema Nature, ed. 10, I, 1758, 97. Conurus carolinensis LESSON, Traité d’Ornithologie, 1531, 211. (B 65, C 315, R 392, C 460, U 382.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Florida and the indian Territory, sporadically only; casually along the Gulf coast and the Lower Mississippi Valley, north to southwestern Missouri. The range of the Carolina Paroquet, the only representative in the United States of this numerous family, is yearly becoming more and more restricted, and is now mainly confined to some of the less accessible portions of southern Florida, and to very limited areas in the sparsely settled sections of the Indian Territory, where it is only a question of a few years before its total extermination will be accomplished. Formerly this species had quite an extensive distribution in the United States, ranging from Florida, the Gulf, and the South Atlantic States generally, north to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Nebraska, and casually even to Michigan and New York, while west it reached to Texas and eastern Colorado. It was especially common then throughout the entire Mississippi Valley and the heavily timbered bottom lands of the larger tributaries of this stream. With the more general settlement of the regions inhabited by these birds, their numbers have gradually but steadily diminished, and even as early as 1832 Audubon speaks of their not being nearly as common as formerly. As late, however, as 1860 they were still comparatively numerous throughout the Gulf States and the Mississippi, Arkansas, and White River valleys; and I well remember seeing large flocks of these birds throughout that year in the vicinity of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and near several of the military posts in the Indian Territory. 16896—No. 3—1 1 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. bS At present it is very doubtful if the Carolina Paroquet can be considered a regular resident anywhere excepting the localities already*mentioned, and it is rapidly disappearing from these, especially the Indian Territory. Occa- sionally a pair are still seen in southern Louisiana, and as late as the fall of 1891 Mr. Thurman 8. Powell saw a couple at the Linchpin Camping Grounds, Stone County, Missouri. Although rather restless birds.at all times, they can generally be considered as residents wherever found, roving about from place to place in search of suitable-feeding grounds, and usually returning to the same roosting place, some large hollow tree, to which they retire at night, hooking or suspending themselves by* their powerful beaks and claws to the inner rough wall of the cavity. Previous to the more extensive settlement of the country, their food consisted of the seeds of the cocklebur: (Xantheum. strumarium), the round seed balls of the sycamore, those of the cypress, pecan and beech nuts, the fruit of the papaw, (Asimina trilobata), mulberries, wild grapes, and various other wild berries. According to Mr. J. F. Menge, they also feed.on the seeds extracted from pine cones and those of the burgrass, or sand bur (Cenchras tribuloides), one of the most noxious weeds known. They are also rather fond of cultivated fruit, and in Florida they have acquired a taste for both oranges and bananas. They are also partial to different kinds of grains while in the milk. Mr. Frank M. Chapman states that while collecting on the Sebastian, River, Florida, in March, 1890, he found them feeding on the milky seeds of a species of thistle (Cirsium Leconte‘), which, as far as he could learn, constituted their entire food at that season. He says: “Not a patch of thistles did we find which had not been. visited by them, the headless stalks showing clearly where the thistles had been neatly severed by the sharp, chisel-like bill, while the ground beneath favorite trees would be strewn with the scattered down.”? According to the observations of Mr. August Koch, published in “Forest and Stream,” September 24, 1891, they also feed on the red blossoms of a species of maple (Acer rubrum). In the vicinity of Fort Smith, Arkansas, during the fall and winter of 1860-61, I frequently saw flocks of these birds in osage orange trees, which attain a large size here, biting off the fruit and feeding on the tender buds; here they were also accused of doing considerable injury to Indian corn while still in the milk, and many were shot for this reason, and there is no doubt that they do more or less damage to both fruit and grain. Although clumsy-looking birds on the ground, it is astonishing how readily they move about on the slenderest limbs in trees, frequently hanging head down, like Crossbills and Redpolls, nipping off the seed bulbs of the sycamores, ete., and swinging themselves, with the assistance of their powerful beaks, from the extremity of one branch to another. Their flight, which is more or less undulating, resembles both that of the Passenger Pigeon and again that of the Falcons; it is extremely swift and graceful, enabling them, even when flying in rather compact flocks, to dart in ‘Proceedings of the Linnzan Society, New York, for the year ending March 7 , 1890. THE CAROLINA PAROQUET. 3 and out of the densest timber with perfect ease. heir call notes are shrill and disagreeable, a kind of grating, metallic shriek, and they are especially noisy while on the wing. Among the calls is one resembling the shrill cry of a goose, which is frequently uttered for minutes at a time. Formerly they moved about in good-sized and compact flocks, often numbering hundreds, while now it is a rare occurrence to see more than twenty together, more often small companies of from six to twelve. When at rest in the middle of the day on some favorite tree they sometimes utter low notes, as if talking to each other, but move often they remain entirely silent, and are then extremely difficult to discover as their plumage harmonizes and blends thoroughly with the surrounding foliage. They are most active in the early morning and again in the evening, while the hotter parts of the day are spent in thick-foliaged and shady trees. They are partial to heavily timbered bottom lands bordering the larger streams and the extensive cypress swamps which are such a common feature of many of our Southern States. Social birds as they are, they are rarely seen alone, and if one is accidentally wounded, the others hover around the injured one until sometimes the whole flock is exterminated. This devotion to one another has cost them dearly, and many thousands have been destroyed in this way. Mr. E. A. Mellhenny has kindly furnished me with the following notes on their habits as observed by him in southern Louisiana, where the species was still comparatively abundant a few years ago, but has now nearly disappeared: “The Carolina Paroquet may be looked for in this section about April 25, or when the black mulberries begin to ripen. This fruit seemed to be their favorite food, and in the morning, from sunrise to about 7 o’clock, and in the evening, from 5 o’clock to sunset, at which hours they feed, they were to be found in the mulberry groves. ‘They spent the rest of the day and roosted at night in the live-oak timber. In the morning, just before sunrise, they mounted the tallest trees, congregating in small bands, all the while talking at a great rate. As the sun rises they take flight for the nearest mulberry grove, where they partake of their morning meal amidst a great amount of noise. After they have eaten their fill they generally go to the nearest stream, where they drink and bathe; they then go to some dense oak timber, where they pass the heat of the day. After they get in the oaks they rarely utter a sound. In the afternoon they go through the same performance, with the exception of going to the water. “The flight of the Carolina Paroquet, once seen, is never to be forgotten; it is undulating, somewhat like the woodpecker’s, but very swift. While on the wing they chatter and cry continually; this cry sounds like ‘qui,’ with the rising inflection on the i; this is repeated several times, the last one being drawn out like ‘qui-i-i-i’ These birds are rarely met with in the summer, and I do not think they nest here. They are most plentiful in May and September. In the fall they feed on the fruit of the honey locust, and are then more often seen on the ground.” The total extermination of the Carolina Paroquet is only a question of a few more years, and the end of the present century will probably mark their 4 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. disappearance. Civilization does not agree with these birds, and as they certainly do some damage to fruit in sections where they still exist, nothing else than complete annihilation can be looked for. Like the Bison and the Passenger Pigeon, their days are numbered. Considering how common this bird was only a few decades ago, it is astonishing how little is really known about its nesting habits, and it is not likely that we will be able to learn much more about them. The general supposition is that they breed in hollow trees, such as cypress, oak, and sycamore, and that they nest rather early in the season, while others think they nest rather late. There are two eggs in the United States National Museum collection, No. 17709, in rather poor condition, which are entered as having been taken in St. Mary’s Parish, Louisiana, March, 1878. I have endeavored to obtain some further particulars about them, but have been unsuccessful. One ege laid in captivity by a bird in the possession of Mr. k. Ridgway was deposited in August, 1877, and another in July, 1878, and one in September, 1883. There are also a couple of eggs in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, collected by the late Dr. 8. W. Wilson, of Georgia, which I believe are genuine; these are said to have been taken on April 26, 1855, from a hollow tree, the eggs being deposited on a few chips in the cavity ; the exact locality where they were obtained is not given, but the collection was chiefly made on St. Simon Island and in Wayne and McIntosh counties, Georgia. Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, ever alert to obtain new information about the habits of our birds, while on a visit to Florida elicited the following, published by him in “The Auk” (Vol. VI, 1889, pp. 336, 337), which is well worth inserting here. He says: ‘While in Florida, during Febru- ary and March, 1889, I questioned everybody whom I met regarding the nesting of the Parrakeet. Only three persons professed any knowledge on this subject. The first two were both uneducated men, professional hunters of alligators and plume birds. Each of them claimed to have seen Parrakeets’ nests, which they described as flimsy structures built of twigs and placed on the branches of cypress trees. One of them said he found a nest only the previous summer (1888), while fishing. By means of his pole he tipped the nest over and secured two young birds which it contained. This account was so widely at variance with what has been previously recorded regarding the manner of nesting of this species that I considered it at the time as a mere fabrication, but afterwards it was unexpectedly and most strongly corroborated by Judge R. L. Long, of Tallahassee. The latter gentleman, who, by the way, has a very good general knowledge of the birds of our Northern States, assured me that he had examined many nests of the Parrakeet built precisely as above described. Formerly, when the birds were abundant in the surrounding region, he used to find them breed- ing in large colonies in the cypress swamps. Several of these colonies contained at least a thousand birds each. They nested invariably in small cypress trees, the favorite position being on a fork near the end of a slender horizontal branch. THE CAROLINA PAROQUET. 5 “Every such fork would be occupied, and he has seen as many as forty or fifty nests in one small tree. Their nests closely resembled those of the Carolina Dove, being similarly composed of cypress twigs put together so loosely that the eggs were often visible from the ground beneath. The twigs of the cypress seemed to be preferred to those of any other kind of tree. The height at which the nests were placed varied from 5 or 6 feet to 20 or 30 feet. Mr. Long described the eges as being of a greenish-white color, unspotted. He did not remember the maximum number which he had found in one set, but thought it was at least four or five. He had often taken young birds from the nests to rear or to give to his friends. He knew of a small colony of Parrakeets breed- ing in Waukulla Swamp, about 20 miles from Tallahassee, in the summer of “1885, and believes that they still occur there in moderate numbers. “Tt seems difficult to reconcile such testimony with the statements of Audu- bon, Wilson, and others that the Carolina Parrakeet lays its eggs in hollow trees. It may be, however, that, like the Crow Blackbird, and some of the Owls, this Parrot nests both in holes and on branches, according to circumstances; at all events the above account has seemed to me to rest on evidence sufficiently good to warrant its publication.” It is quite possible that the Carolina Paroquet, from its exceedingly social nature, was compelled where very numerous to resort to open nesting sites from necessity, as suitable cavities are rarely found in sufficient quantities close to each other to accommodate any considerable number of pairs. We find this to be the case with Bolborhynchus monachus Boddirt, the Green Paroquet of Paraguay, Uruguay, and the Argentine Republic, which suspends its nests from the extremi- ties of branches, to which they are firmly woven. Mr. Gibson describes their nests as follows: ‘New nests consist of only two chambers, the porch and the nest proper, and are inhabited by a single pair of birds. Successive nests are added until some of them come to weigh a quarter of a ton, and contain material enough to fill a large cart. Thorny twigs firmly interwoven form the only mate- rial, and there is no lining in the breeding chamber even in the breeding season. Some old forest trees have seven or eight of these huge structures suspended from the branches, while the ground underneath is covered with twigs and remains of fallen rocks.”’ Another species the Patagonian Parrot, Conurus patagonus (Vieillot), found in the Argentine Republic, and in Patagonia, excavates its nest in perpendicular banks, like our Kingfisher; while the Ground Parrakeet, Pezoporus formosus Latham), of Australia nests in tall grass. Although nearly all the species of this numerous family nest in hollow trees, as stated above, there are exceptions to this rule, and it is quite probable that some of our Carolina Paroquets nested at times in Florida as Judge R. L. Long described, and again both in communities in large hollow trees and singly, as Alexander Wilson states, all of these different assertions being probably correct. We have no positive information about the number of eggs laid by this species in a wild state. 1 Argentine Ornithology, Vol. II, 1889, pp. 43-46. 6 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Dr. Karl Russ, of Berlin, Germany, in his interesting article on tliis species in his work on “Die Fremdlindischen Stubenvégel, Die Papageien” (Vol. III, 1879, pp. 221-236), mentions several instances of the Carolina Paroquets breed- ing in captivity in Germany, where the eggs were deposited in June and July, two being the number laid; but in his ‘Handbuch fiir Végelliebhaber,” he gives the number from three to five, and he describes these as pure white, fine grained, very round, and quite glossy, like Woodpeckers’ eggs, measuring 38 by 36 millimetres, or about 1.50 by 1.42 inches. Mr. Robert Ridgway’s birds would not use the nesting boxes provided for them, and both females deposited their eggs on the floor of the cage; they were laid in July, August, and September, respectively. None of these eggs can be called round; they vary from ovate to short ovate, and are rather pointed. They are white, with the faintest yellowish tint, ivory-like and quite glossy; the shell is rather thick, close grained, and deeply pitted, not unlike the eggs of the African Ostrich (Struthio camelus), but of course not as noticeable. Holding the egg in a strong light, the inside appears to be pale yellow. These eggs measure 36.32 by 26.92, 34.54 by 27.18, and 33.27 by 26.92 millimetres, or 1.43 by 1.06, 1.36 by 1.07, and 1.31 by 1.06 inches. The deep pitting is noticeable in every specimen, and there can be no possible doubt about the identity of these eggs. The other eggs in the collection about whose proper identification I am not so certain, and whose measurements I therefore do not give, have a much thinner shell, and do not show the peculiar pitting already referred to. There is no difficulty whatever in distinguishing these eggs from those of the Burrowing Owl or the Kingfisher, both of which are occasionally substituted for them. The type specimen, No. 20784 (Pl. 1, Fig. 1), was laid in confinement on July 19, 1878, and is the smallest of the three eggs whose measurements are given above. Family CUCULIDA. Tuer Cucxoos, Anis, ETc. 2. Crotophaga ani Linnaus.. THE ANI. Crotophaga ant LINNa&US, Systema Nature, ed. 10, I, 1758, 105. Type C. ani Linnzus. (B 66.67, C 288, R 389, C 425, U (383).) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: West India Islands and northern South America, east of the Andes; south to northern Argentina; casually north to the southern United States, Florida and Louisiana. The Ani, also called Black Ani, Black Witch, Blackbird, Savanna Blackbird, and Tickbird, can only be considered as a straggler within the borders of the southern United States. It is a common resident species in the West India Islands and in northern South America east of the Andes Mountains, and reaches the southern limits of its range in northern Argentina. There are two "Ft THE ANT. a specimens in the United States National Museum collection, taken within the limits of the United States—one from the Dry Tortugas’ by Mr. J. Wurdeman, on June 24, 1857; the other by Mr. G. A. Boardman, from Charlotte Harbor, Florida. A small flock of five of these birds was seen in July, 1893, at Diamond, Louisiana, opposite Point la Hache, and one of these was shot. This is now in the possession of Mr. George E. Beyer, who considers the Ani a regular summer resident in that locality. The Ani is most commonly found at altitudes below 1,000 feet and rarely above 3,000. One of its principal call notes, according to Mr. John 8. Northrop, who observed this species on Andros Island, one of the Bahamas, is ‘‘wee-eep,” the second syllable uttered in a much higher key than the first; another: common call sounds. like ““que-yu.” When perched on trees they are said to sit very close together in rows, and being good-natured social birds, they are rarely seen alone. The most complete account of the general habits of the Ani is that of Mr. Charles B. Taylor, Rae Town, Kingston, Jamaica, in “The Auk” (Vol. EX, 1892, pp- 869-371). “The Ani appears to be abundant in all parts of the island. It is one of the commonest birds near Kingston, and in most open or sparsely wooded lands or in the vicinity of cultivated clearings little groups or companies may nearly always be seen. Blackbirds are invariably present wherever cattle are pastured. I can not recollect an instance in which I have noted a herd of cows at pasture without a flock of these birds appearing in company with them or in their immediate vicinity. This association is, doubtless, chiefly for the purpose of feeding on the ticks and other parasites on the animals, a good work largely shared by the Grackles (Quiscalus crassirostris). It is most interesting to watch a company of Blackbirds when thus engaged. Many are perched on the backs of the cattle (two or three sometimes on one cow); others are on the ground, hopping about fearlessly among the grazing herd, searching for insects at the roots of the herbage, or capturing those disturbed by the feet of the cattle. At this time one or more individuals are stationed on some tree close by, from which they now and again call to those in the open with that remarkable ery, variously syllabicated by some, but which I have at times thought strangely like the wailing of a young cat. Insects of all orders and their larve, ticks, erubs, etc., form their chief food. Occasionally, perhaps, a few small lizards are taken, and, I believe, the eggs of other birds, as I once found in the stomach of a female portions of an egg, apparently that of some small bird. Gosse records having seen these birds eating the ripe berries of the fiddle wood, but I have not noticed them at any time eating vegetable food. “The Blackbirds at their best have a very lean and shabby appearance, and are slow and awkward in their movements. I have watched an individual make several ineffectual attempts to alight on the frond of a cocoanut palm; but even among the branches of other trees their actions appear awkward. Their flight 8 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS: is slow and gliding, somewhat labored, and of little duration, the birds often appearing to fall short of the point originally aimed at. Yet they will chase the large yellow butterflies, and I was shown a large green locust that one of these birds was seen to capture in flight and afterwards drop. In the progress of a flock from place to place they do not usually fly all together, but move away in strageling groups or couples. One or more individuals first start off with their wailing call, followed soon after by two or three; after a little delay, then two more go; another pause, then one, then three, and so on. If a tree has very dense foliage, they alight (with much awkward scrambling) on the tops or extremities of the highest branches, where they may gain a clear and uninter- rupted view, and this is usually the case when they are traversing very open country. “Their nesting habits are exceedingly curious and interesting. Many indi- viduals (possibly members of one flock) work together in the construction of a large nest, in which all the females of the company lay their eggs. The number of egos deposited in different nests varies greatly, but is of course dependent on the number of birds ina company. Six and eight eggs are commonly found. I once took eleven, and in August, last year, I saw a clutch of twenty-one that had been taken from a single nest. It is probable that normally not more than two eggs are deposited by each bird, but nothing definite can be said on this point. The nest, which is usually placed high up in a tall tree, very frequently in a clump of mistletoe on a ‘bastard cedar,’ is a large, loosely constructed mass of twigs, entirely lined with dried leaves. But the most remarkable circum- stance in connection with the nesting of these birds is the deposition of the eggs in regular layers, with leaves between. This custom I had long heard of before an opportunity offered for personal observation. In the first nest I examined the eggs were in two distinct layers, separated by a deep bed of dry leaves; the bottom layer consisted of four eggs, and these, strange to say, were all infertile. I believe this singular habit is practiced in all cases where a large number of birds resort to the same nest. The eggs are a deep bluish green, but when freshly laid are covered with a white, chalky coat, which soon becomes much seratched and erased on all. Now, what seems very singular is that compara- tively little of this chalky covering gets rubbed off the sides, where, from the turning over of the eggs in the nest, we should expect to see the greatest extent of denudation, whereas one or both ends are nearly always wholly denuded. That this circumstance is not merely accidental I feel sure, as in a large series of clutches that I have examined more than two-thirds of the number of egos show this peculiarity. So cleanly and evenly is it done, and to such an extent, that I feel confident that it is the work of the birds themselves, their beaks alone being able to accomplish it. At the same time it is easy to see that the marks and scratches at the sides are the result of friction with the twigs and leaves of the nest. Average measurements of the eggs are 1.33 by 1.20 inches. I have found eges and young in February and throughout the succeeding months to August, two or three broods probably being reared. I have also seen young, fully fledged, THE ANI. 9 but unable to fly, hopping about the branches of the nesting tree; and on another occasion, some, more advanced, searching for insects in the grass at the roots of a large guango tree, in company with many old birds.” The eggs of the Ani are glaucous-blue in color, and this is overlaid and hidden by a thin, chalky, white deposit; as incubation advances the eggs become more or less scratched and the blue underneath is then plainly visible in places, giving them a very peculiar appearance. In shape they vary from oval to elliptical oval; the shell is fine grained, rather strong, and without luster. The average measurement of forty eggs in the United States National Museum collection, mostly from the West Indies, is 34.66 by 26 millimetres, or about 1.36 by 1.02 inches. The largest egg of the series measures 39.62 by 26.67 millimetres, or 1.56 by 1.05 inches; the smallest, 29.21 by 23.37 millimetres, or 1.15 by 0.92 inches. The type specimen, No. 6048 (PI. 1, Fig. 6), from a nest containing seven egos, was taken bv Mr. W.'T. March, near Spanish Town, Jamaica, on July 30. 1862. 3. Crotophaga sulcirostris Swarnson. GROOVE-BILLED ANT. Crotophaga sulcirostris SWAINSON, Philosophical Magazine, I, 1827, 440. (B —, C —, RB 390, C 426, U 384.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Along the western slopes of the Andes, in South America, to the Pacific coast; from Peru north through Central America on both coasts, and through Mexico to the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and southern Lower California. Casual in the United States in southern Florida, southern Louisiana, southern Arizona, and California. The breeding range of the Groove-billed Ani or Jewbird within the United States is a very limited one and appears to be confined to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, where it was first discovered near Lomita by Mr. George B. Sennett, on May 19, 1878, and added by him to our fauna. Since then it has been found breeding in small numbers in chaparral in the vicinity of Browns- ville, and its nest and three sets of eges were taken there and are now in the Ralph collection in the United States National Museum. It strageles occasionally along the Gulf coast to southern Louisiana. Mr. E. A. MecIlhenny shot one of these birds on Avery’s Island on August 23, 1891, which is now in his collection, and it has also been taken in Florida. It is a common resident in suitable localities throughout the greater part of Mexico, the southern parts of Lower California, the whole of Central America, along both coasts, and those portions of South America situated on the western slopes of the Andes south to Peru. It is a bird of the lowlands, being rarely met with at altitudes over 700 feet, and it is generally resident wherever found. Prof. A. L. Herrara, of the National Museum of the City of Mexico, has kindly furnished me with the following notes: 10 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. “Crotophaga sulcirostris is known to the inhabitants here as the Pijon and Garrapatero. It is a social bird, being usually found in small companies of from six to fifteen individuals, absolutely monogamous, sedentary, and of semidomes- ticated habits, frequenting the haciendas and the fields and pastures in their vicinity, and as it is considered very useful because of its habit of destroying large numbers of parasites infesting the cattle, it is not molested by the inhabi- tants, and becomes very tame. It extracts the Zvodes and other Acaridans with remarkable skill, without causing ulcerations which might result from the pro- boscis or sucker remaining in the fibers of the skin, and it must be regarded as one of the most useful birds of Mexico, especially of the warm regions, so abounding im parasites of all kinds. It is noteworthy that all the Crotophage I have collected were remarkably lean, which the natives assert is their normal condition; and without exception the Garrapatero is found in all the warmer parts of Mexico where there are cattle.” - Mr. E. Kirby Smith, of Jataplan, Vera Cruz, Mexico, writes me that the Groove-billed Ani is locally known there as the Chicuya, usually inhabiting the thick chaparral and uttering, almost constantly, a peculiar cracking sound. He has found their nests in brush thickets, usually not more than 6 feet from the ground—rather loose structures, resembling the nests of the Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), but larger, and has observed as many as fifteen egos in a nest. Mr. Charles W. Richmond has kindly furnished me with the following notes on the general habits of this species as observed by him in the vicinity of Bluefields, Nicaragua: ‘““A very abundant resident. It appears to breed at various times during the year, as I have found fresh eggs July 6, 1892, and young birds, recently from the nest, November 29, the breeding season spreading over seven months of the year at least, as it begins nesting earlier than the date of taking my first eggs. Nests are frequently built in the heart of a thick, thorny orange or lemon tree, and this appears to be a favorite situation. In this case the nest is from 4 to 7 feet from the ground, and, besides being difficult to get at, is somewhat protected from invasion by the wasps which almost invariably take up their abode in the same tree. In gomg through a small lemon grove I found an old nest of this species. In the cavity there were no eggs, but on poking the nest to pieces six badly decayed eggs rolled out. “One nest containing three eges in the proper place and two others at the bottom, under the lining of green leaves, was located in a bamboo about 12 feet from the ground. The eggs were fresh, and more would probably have been deposited; the leaves forming the lining were still green. The parent birds were away at the time. Another nest was situated in some vines which had overrun an old tree stub, and was about 15 feet from the ground. “Tt may be that where numerous eggs are deposited in one nest only those eggs that are deposited in the proper place and directly influenced by the meubating bird are hatched, while those placed among the sticks forming the rr THE GROOVE-BILLED ANT. 11 bulky exterior are left unhatched. It would be interesting to watch the progress of a large nestful of eggs and note results. The nests found by me were all composed of dead black twigs, rather loosely put together, very bulky and conspicuous structures, lined with green leaves, or, if old nests, with leaves that had the appearance of having been picked green. On one occasion I saw a bird, with nesting material in its bill, taking short flights from one bamboo to another, followed by several other birds composing the company, but none of these latter had nesting material with them. “At Mr. Haymond’s plantation, on the Escondido River, above Bluefields, this species was unusually plentiful, owing, no doubt, to a large number of cattle kept there. The birds follow these animals as they meander over the pastures, hopping along on each side of an animal, catching grasshoppers and other insects which the cow disturbs as it moves along. Frequently the cow moves too rapidly and the birds lag behind, when they make short flights to the front again, passing over one another after the manner of the Grackles when feeding ina field. Only half a dozen birds or so follow a cow usually, and not many congregate in one flock, except when roosting. On this plantation, where the species is more abundant than usual, the birds appear to roost in numbers. An orange tree near the house was a favorite place where thirty or forty birds came to pass the night, flying in from the surrounding pasture about dusk, and. after afew short flights from one tree to another, passed into the roost one or two at a time, hopping about as if seeking a favorable perch, uttering their peculiar note meanwhile. Out of this roost I shot seventeen birds one evening, and the males greatly predominated; there were only five females in the lot. The note of this species reminds one somewhat of the Flicker, Colaptes awatus, but may be better represented by the combination ‘plee-co,’ rapidly repeated, with the accent usually on the first syllable, but sometimes on the last. I have frequently found one of the small flocks resting on a bush or bamboo along the water's edge, perfectly silent, until my near approach started them off, one or two at a time, scolding as they went. Their flight is even, slow, as short as possible, and consists of a few flaps of the wings, followed by a short sail, then a few more flaps, ete. “The food of those examined by me on banana plantations consisted almost entirely of small grasshoppers, the stomachs being much distended with these insects. From the fresh earth found on the bill and feet of these birds, I should judge they also feed on the ground. The Crofophaga is gregarious all the year round.” The following observations on the nesting habits of this species, based on manuscript notes of Mr. Anastasio Alfaro, director of the National Museum of Costa Rica, at San Jose, and recently published by Mr. George K. Cherrie, are especially interesting. “The Zopilotillo (so-pee-lo-tée-yo), also known as ‘Tijo-tijo’ (tee-ho), in imitation of its peculiar notes, which seem to repeat the word fijo over and. over again, is very abundant in the fields near Tambor (a little town about 20 miles 1 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.’ bo northwest of San Jose), where, along the hedgerows and in the scrubby timber, as well as on the skin of the cattle, they find those insects which constitute their food. The woodticks, or garropatos, from the legs and about the head and neck of the cattle are esteemed above all else a favorite morsel. In this locality I have collected three nests during the month of May, the first with nine egos, the second with eleven, and the last with thirteen. Some years ago I remember seeing a nest, situated in the branches of a mango tree, that contained fourteen eges. “The nests that I have collected agree with the observations made by Zeledon. The structure is voluminous, composed chiefly of coarse dead twigs, but presents one peculiarity not observed in any other bird, namely, the nest being lined with fresh green leaves. My three specimens were all placed in low trees, and neither was found at a greater height than 3 metres. One had been built above an old nest of one of the larger Tyrannide. “Tt will not be without interest, I think, to insert my observations relative to one of these nests. On the 20th of May I noticed a Zopilotillo with a dry stick in his bill, which was immediately carried to a point in the hedgerow, where it was deposited with three others. After assuring myself that the bird was building its nest there, I retired, with the intention of returning at a more oppor- tune moment. And when, one week later, I returned to the same spot, what was my surprise to see not only the nest completed and containing six eggs, but more than this—in the thorns and leaves about it were scattered seven more egos! As a consequence, if that collection was not the work of the Zopilotillos collectively, the poor owner would have had to deposit three eggs daily. In the finding of some of the eges scattered in the leaves was revealed one of the architect's peculiarities. A hole had been left in the center of the nest and only recently filled with leaves, whose fresh green color testified that they had been cut and placed there later than the others forming the carpeting to the bottom of this common incubator. “The eggs were all fresh, the six occupying the nest having the character- istic rough, white, calcareous surface, perfectly clean, and without the slightest variation in color. Not so with the eggs found about the outside of the nest. Those found in contact with the leaves had taken on a dirty yellowish tinge. Those held suspended among the leaves and thorns showed various spots and lines of the lustrous blue color forming the base for the chalky external coat. The scratches had been caused by a too close contact with the thorns.” There can no longer be any doubt that the general nesting habits of this species are similar to those of the Ani, and that frequently more than one female lays in the same nest, although this habit may not be so universal as with the preceding species. The three sets of egos from the Ralph collection, taken near Brownsville, Texas, contained, respectively, four, five, and five eggs; in two of these the egos were fresh, and in the other incubation had just commenced when taken, ‘The Auk, Vol.-IX, 1892, pp. 325, 326. THE GROOVE-BILLED ANI. 1; on May 28, 1892. These sets appear to have been laid by one bird, the eggs in each set resembling each other very closely. They were placed in huisache trees (Acacia farnesiana), from 6 to 10 feet from the ground, in rather open woods. A nest now before me, taken by Mr. Charles W. Richmond, near the Escondido River, Nicaragua, on July 6, 1892, containing three fresh eggs when, found, is composed of small twigs of a vine, mixed with a few blades of cane leaves, and the center is filled with a layer of leaves of different species. It is a rather loose structure, about 10 inches in diameter and 4 inches in height. The inner cup measures 4 inches in diameter by 24 inches in depth. Nothing definite is known about the time of incubation, nor whether the male assists in this duty; from three to five eggs seem to be laid by each female, and two or three broods are probably raised in a season. The eggs are mostly oval in shape, but occasionally one is found that may be called elliptical ovate. They resemble those of the Ani very closely and the same description will answer for both, with the exception that the chalky matter covering the glaucous-blue ground color appears to be heavier in the present species, giving them a more uniform milky blue appearance, and that they are also considerably smaller. The average measurement of forty eggs in the United States National Museum collection is 31.13 by 23.93 millimetres, or about 1.23 by 0.94 inches. The largest ege of the series measures 33.53 by 25.15 millimetres, or 1.32 by 0.99 inches; the smallest, 27.68 by 21.84 millimetres, or 1.09 by 0.86 inches. The type specimen, No. 18565 (PL. 1, Fig. 7), from a set of five eggs, was taken by Mr. L. Belding, near San Jose del Carbo, Lower California, on April 29, 1882, and represents an unscratched specimen. 4. Geococcyx californianus (Lesson). ROAD-RUNNER. Saurothera californiana LESSON, Complement des Giuvres de Buffon VI, 1829 (?), 420. Geococcyx californianus BAIRD, Birds of North America, 1858, 73. (B 68, C 289, BR 385, C 427, U 385.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Central and northern Mexico and adjoining portions of the United States; east through the western half of Texas, and extreme western Indian Territory; north to southwestern Kansas, southern Colorado, southern Utah, southern Neyada, and southwestern Oregon (?); Lower California. The Road-runner, equally well known as the ‘Chaparral Cock,” and occa- ) ] ) sionally called “Snake-killer,” “Ground Cuckoo,” “Lizard Bird,” and by the Spanish-speaking population of our southern border “Paisano” and ‘ Corre- camino,” is generally a resident and breeds wherever found, excepting perhaps in the extreme northern portions of its range. This it reaches in Shasta County i g y) California, on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, in about latitude 40° N., while on the east side of these mountains it has as yet not been observed north y 14 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. of Inyo County, California, about latitude 36° N. In southwestern Kansas it is undoubtedly quite rare and can only be considered as a straggler.’ Its general habits are far more terrestrial than arboreal, spending most of its time on the ground in search of food, and frequenting the drier desert tracts adjacent to river valleys, and the lower foothills, covered by cactus, yuccas, and thorny undergrowth. It rarely ventures into the higher mountain ranges among the conifers, but breeds occasionally among the oaks bordermg the pine belt. It ismost abundant at altitudes ranging from 2,000 to 3,500 feet, and is seldom seen within the United States above 5,000 feet; but in the San Pedro Martir range, in Lower California, Mr. A.W. Anthony has met with the Road-runner at an altitude of 7,000 feet above sea level, and at Glorietta, New Mexico, it has recently been: reported as breeding at a height of 8,000 feet. The Chaparral Cock is rather unsocial in its habits, and it is rare to see more than a couple together excepting after the breeding season, when the young still _ follow one of the parents. Its food consists almost entirely of animal matter, such as grasshoppers, beetles, lizards, small snakes, land snails, the smaller rodents, and not unfrequently of young birds. On the whole, these birds do far more good than harm. When the fig-like fruit of the giant cactus is ripe they also feed on this; in fact, many mammals and birds seem to be very partial to it. It is astonishing how large an animal can be swallowed by one of these birds. I have found a species of garter snake fully 20 inches long in the crop of one shot in Arizona. Mr. Anthony writes me on this subject as follows: “A halferown bird which I shot at San Quentin, Lower California, presented an unusually bunchy appearance about the throat and neck, a fullness which was accounted for upon dissection by the discovery of an immense lizard which had been swallowed entire but a few moments before the bird was shot. I know of several instances of Road-runners making a meal of a nest of young House-finches, Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis, and other small birds.” I am aware that there is a pretty general belief in localities where the Road- runner is common, and where the rattlesnake is usually more so, that these birds are more than a match for even the largest of these reptiles, and attack and Jill them wherever found, an assertion I very much question. It is said when one of these birds, while rambling about, meets a rattlesnake, coiled up and asleep after a good meal, it quietly hedges the reptile in with a ring or fence of the joints of the Cholla cactus, and after having done so, drops a similar joint from above on the sleeping reptile, which, being enraged thereby, thrashes around and soon becomes covered with the sharp spines, and then falls an easy victim to the bird, after becoming exhausted in vain attempts to free itself. The bird is said to first pick its eyes out and so render it entirely helpless. This is a very plausible story, and while I am only too well aware of the sharpness of the spines of the Cholla ‘In a letter received from Mr. A. W. Anthony, written on August 5, 1888, and overlooked by me when this article was written, he informs me that a Road-runner, accompanied by three young, was seen by a traveling companion of his who knew these birds well, on the line of railroad between Albany and Ashland, Oregon, about 50 miles south of Albany, some time in August, 1887. This extends its range considerably northward. THE ROAD-RUNNER. 105) cactus, | know that such a hedge proves no barrier to these snakes, and that they do not mind such obstructions in the least, passing over without touching them. I consider this story on a par with the generally accepted belief of hunters and fron- tiersmen in the West, that rattlesnakes will not cross over horsehair ropes, when laid around one’s bed while camping out. I admit having heard this frequently from persons I had no reason to doubt, that I was a firm believer in the state- ment, and made use of this snake protector for a number of years; but at last my faith was rudely shattered by seeing a medium-sized rattlesnake deliber- ately crawling over such a rope which I had stretched around my tent. The snake paid no attention to the hair rope, but slightly curved its body where about to come in contact with it, gliding over without touching it, and, finding a sunny spot at the side of the tent, coiled up to take a rest, part of its body lying directly on the rope. Since witnessing this performance I have naturally lost faith in this belief, and have wished many times since that it had not been so rudely shaken, especially when in sections of the country where these reptiles are abundant and where one is liable to find his blankets occupied by one or more rattlers. Road-runners are ordinarily rather shy and suspicious birds, and not as often seen as one would think, even where comparatively common. Within the United States they are most abundant along the southern borders of Texas and Arizona, and in southern California. I found them quite common in the vicinity of my camp on Rillito Creek, near Tucson, Arizona, and also near Anaheim, Orange County, California, and I have examined about twenty of their nests. Notwithstanding their natural shyness, they are inquisitive birds, and where they are not constantly chased and molested will soon become used to man. One of these birds paid frequent visits to my camp, often perching on a mesquite stump for half an hour at a time, within 20 yards of my tent. While so perched it would usually keep up a continuous cooing, not unlike that of the Mourning Dove, varied now and then by a cackle resembling that of a domestic hen when calling her brood’s attention to some choice morsel of food. This call sounded like “dack, dack, dack,” a number of times repeated. Another peculiar sound was sometimes produced by snapping its mandibles rapidly together. While uttering these notes its long tail was almost constantly in motion and partly expanded, and its short wings slightly drooped. In walking about at ease, the tail is somewhat raised and the neck partly contracted. When suddenly alarmed the feathers of the body arg compressed and it trusts almost entirely to its legs for escape, running surprisingly fast. While running it can readily keep out of the way of a horse on a fair gallop on comparatively open ground, and should the pursuer gain too much on the bird, it suddenly doubles on its course and takes advantage of any thickets or broken ground in the vicinity, and is soon lost to sight. Its flight is apparently easy and, considering its short wings, is rather swift. In southern Arizona the breeding season begins sometimes as early as the middle of March, but the majority of the birds there, as well as throughout the balance of their range, do not commence nesting before April, and nidifi- 16 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. cation lasts through the summer months, two and occasionally three broods being raised in a season. While the first set of eggs laid by such species as rear more than one brood in a season is usually larger in number than subsequent ones, it seems to me that with the Road-runner the reverse is the case. During the month of April, 1872, I found several nests, none of which contained more than three eggs, all well incubated when found; similar small sets were found during the first half of May, while in June and July the sets numbered from four to six eggs, the latter the largest sets observed by me in Arizona. The following explanation may account for this: In southern Arizona, during the spring months, insects and reptiles, which form the bulk of the food of these birds, are rather scarce, while in June, as soon as the rains commence, and later through the summer, suitable food is far more abundant and a larger family can be much more readily cared for, and I am of the opinion that these birds know this and act accordingly. Occasionally a larger number of eggs is found, however, and Lieut. H. C. Benson, Fourth Cavalry, United States Army, writes me that he saw a nest of this species, near Fort Huachuca, containing six young birds, all of different sizes, and two eggs; the largest of the young was about ready to leave the nest, and the smallest only a day or two old. Their nesting sites are quite variable. In southern Arizona the majority of nests found by me were placed in low mesquite trees or thick bushes, and in different species of cacti, such as the prickly pear, cholla, and others. Occasion- ally one of their nests is placed on top of a mesquite stump, surrounded by green sprouts, or in a hackberry or barberry bush. I found one nest in a palo verde tree, and another in a willow thicket; in the latter case the birds did not build their own nest, but appropriated one of the Crissal Thrasher, Harporhyn- chus crissalis. Mr. F. H. Fowler writes me from Fort Bowie that he saw a nest near there, placed in the hollow of a dead stump. In Texas the Roadrunner sometimes nests in ebony bushes, and in Cali- | fornia it has been known to use the nest of the California Jay, Aphelocoma californica, in oak trees, sometimes fully 16 feet from the ground. Usually the nests are placed from 3 to 8 feet from the ground, and only in rare instances higher. Sometimes they are found in quite open situations, but generally they are well concealed from view. A typical nest of the Road-runner may be described as a rather flat and shallow but compactly built structure, abqut 12 inches in diameter and varying in thickness from 4 to 6 inches, with but little depression interiorly. The ground work consists of sticks from 5 to 10 inches long, lined more or less regularly with finer material of the same kind and finished off with dry grasses. Occasionally bits of dry cow or horse dung, a few feathers, the inner bark of the cottonwood, dry mesquite seed pods, bits of snake skin, and small grass roots are used, and now and then no lining is found, the eggs lying on a simple platform of twigs. The number of eggs to a set varies in different localities from two to nine, and occasionally as many as twelve have been found in a nest, possibly the THE ROAD-RUNNER. 1 product of two birds. Sets ranging from four to six eggs are the rule. In large sets several sterile eggs are nearly always found, and I believe that rarely more than five young are hatched at one time. Incubation begins sometimes with the first two eggs laid, especially when the set is to be a large one, and again I have taken apparently full sets of four eggs in which there was no perceptible difference in the size of the embryos. Occasionally an egg is deposited daily, usually only every other day, and sometimes the intervals are still greater. Incubation lasts about eighteen days, and both sexes assist in this labor. The parents are devoted to their young, and when incubation is well advanced the bird will sometimes allow itself to be caught on the nest rather than abandon its eggs. The nestlings, when disturbed, make a clicking noise with their bills. When taken young, they are readily tamed, soon becoming attached to their captor, showing a great deal of sagacity, and making amusing and interesting pets. The eggs of the Road-runner are white in color and unspotted, mostly ovate and short ovate, and rarely elliptical ovate in shape. The shell consists of two layers, the lower one close and fine grained, always pure white, without gloss; the upper, a mere film similar to that covering the ground color of the Anis, but more firm and not so easily scratched or rubbed off. This overlaying film gives these eggs sometimes a very pale yellow tint and a moderately glossy appearance. The average measurement of one hundred and one eggs in the United States National Museum collection is 39.12 by 29.97 millimetres, or 1.54 by 1.18 inches. The largest egg of the series measures 44.45 by 29.97 millimetres, or 1.75 by 1.18 inches; the smallest, 36.07 by 28.19 millimetres, or 1.42 by 1.11 inches. The type specimen, No. 20464 (Pl. 1, Fig. 2), from a set of four eggs, Bendire collection, was taken by the writer near Tucson, Arizona, on June 18, 1872, and represents an averaged-sized egg of this species. 5. Coccyzus minor (GmeELin). MANGROVE CUCKOO. Cuculus minor GMELIN, Systema Nature, I, i, 1788, 411. Coccyzus minor CABANIS, Journal fiir Ornithologie, 1856, 104. (B 71, C 292, R 386, C 429, U 386.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: The West India Islands, excepting the Bahamas; the coast regions of northern South America from Guiana to Colombia, thence north through Central America on both coasts; on the Pacific, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec; on the Gulf coast to Tampico, Mexico, and probably still farther north; in the United States to the coast of Louisiana, and in southern Florida, on the west side mainly, north to about latitude 27° 30’. The breeding range of the Mangrove, also known as the ‘“Black-eared” Cuckoo, and on the Island of Jamaica as the ‘Young Old-man Bird,” is, in the United States, as far as known, a very restricted one, being mainly confined 16896—No. 3 —2 18 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. to the Keys, and the west coast of southern Florida, north to about latitude 27°, and to the Gulf coast of Louisiana. In Florida it appears to be rather rare, while in southern Louisiana it is reported as somewhat more common. Audubon first met with this species on Key West and states that its habits are much the same as those of the better known Yellow and Black-billed Cuckoos. It seems to be found only in the immediate vicinity of the coast, among the mangroves, live oaks, and dense shrubbery usually found growing in such localities. Mr. E. A. MecIlhenny writes me: “The Mangrove Cuckoo is not an uncommon summer visitor on ‘the coast of southern Louisiana, where it usually arrives about March 15 and leaves in September. Here it frequents the live-oak timber near streams or swamps, and usually nests on horizontal branches of wax myrtle, from 4 to 12 feet from the ground. “The earliest date on which I have taken a nest was on April 17, 1891; this contained three eggs. On July 27, 1892, I took a set of four eggs, and I believe that two broods are raised in a season. Both of these nests were placed in wax myrtles, and were almost flat and rather poorly constructed platforms, composed of dry twigs of the wax myrtle, no lining, and with barely any depres- sion in the center. I am inclined to believe that the Mangrove Cuckoo is more common now than formerly, and also less shy. It does not begin to incubate until the full set of eggs has been deposited. When disturbed on the nest the female almost always shows fight; that is, she will raise her feathers, spread her tail, and fly at you very much as a hen would when guarding her young, and at the same time she utters a clucking sound which resembles that of a domestic hen very closely. Its food consists of locusts, grasshoppers, ete.” Audubon states that it is fond of sucking the eggs of all kinds of birds in the absence of their owners, and that it also feeds on fruits and various kinds of insects. There are no fully identified eggs of this species in the United States National Museum taken within our borders, but a number collected by Mr. W. 8. March, near Spanish Town, Jamaica, in May, 1862, are unquestionably referable to this Cuckoo. They are pale glaucous green in color, and vary in shape from blunt ovate to nearly a perfect oval. The shell is close grained, rather thin, and without gloss. The egg resembles that of the better known Yellow-billed Cuckoo very closely, but averages a trifle larger. The average measurement of twelve eggs from Jamaica is 30.88 by 23.45 millimetres, or about 1.21 by 0.92 inches. The largest egg measures 32.51 by 24.64 millimetres, or 1.28 by 0.97 inches; the smallest, 29.72 by 21.59 milli- metres, or 1.17 by 0.85 inches. The type specimen, No. 6052 (not figured), from a set of six eggs, was taken by Mr. W. 8. March, referred to above, near Spanish Town, Jamaica, in May, 1862. MAYNARD’S CUCKOO. 19 . 6. Coccyzus minor maynardi Rmeway. MAYNARD’S CUCKOO. Coccyzus maynardi RipGwAy, Manual North American Birds, 1887, 274. Coccyzus minor maynardi ALLEN, Ms. (B 71 part, C 292 part, R 386 part, C 429 part, U 386a.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Bahama Islands and southern Florida; Cuba?. Within the United States the range of Maynard’s Cuckoo, a somewhat smaller and paler race than the preceding, and from which it has been separated within the last decade, is a still more restricted one, and it has so far only been found at Key West, where it is rather rare, but it is thought to breed there in limited numbers. It is likely to occur also in suitable localities at points along the east coast of Florida, north to about latitude 27° and possibly still farther. It is evidently only a summer visitor to our shores, retiring south again in winter. It is said to be common throughout the Bahamas, and Mr. J. 8. Northrop, on a recent visit to Andros Island, in the spring of 1890, obtained several specimens of this Cuckoo there and saw others. Their notes were frequently heard by him in the mangroves or near by. The stomachs contained the remains of small insects and grasshoppers. Their general habits, mode of nidification, and eggs doubtless resemble those of the Yellow and Black-billed Cuckoos very closely. There are no positively identified eggs of Maynard’s Cuckoo in the United States National Museum collection, but they are not likely to differ any in color or much in size from those of the preceding species. 7. Coccyzus americanus (Linyavs). YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. Cuculus americanus LInNUS, Systema Nature, ed. 10, I, 1758, III. Coceyzus americanus BONAPARTE, Journal Academy Natural Sciences, Phila., 1G, ai 1824, 367. (B 69, C 291, R 387, C 429, U 387.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Eastern North America; north in the Dominion of Canada to Nova Scotia, southern New Brunswick, southern Quebec, and Ontario to about latitude 45° 30’. In the United States, through southern Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, and South Dakota; west to Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas; south to Florida, the Gulf coast, and the West India Islands; in winter to eastern Mexico, and Costa Rica, Central America. Casual to eastern Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Accidental in Greenland, Great Britain, and Belgium. The breeding range of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, also known as “ Rain Crow” or “Rain Dove,” “Kow-Kow,” “Wood Pigeon,” “Indian Hen,” and in some of the West India Islands as ‘‘May Bird,” is coextensive with its geo- graphical distribution in the United States and the southern portions of the 20 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Dominion of Canada; and it also breeds on a number of the West India Islands, but in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and in the extreme western parts of Texas it is replaced by the California Cuckoo during this time. It is a moderately common bird in suitable localities throughout the greater part of its range in the United States, excepting along our northern border, but on account of its shy and retiring ways it is much more frequently heard than seen; it is only a summer visitor throughout the greater portions of its range in the United States, excepting Florida and parts of the Gulf coast, where some of these birds are known to winter, but by far the greater number retire still farther south to the West India Islands, and others through eastern Mexico, as far as Costa Rica. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo usually arrives in the Northern States about the commencement of May, and remains there until the end of September or the early part of October. It is decidedly arboreal in its habits, and is rarely seen on the ground, where, on account of its short and weak feet, its movements are rather awkward; but on the wing it is exceedingly graceful; its flight is noiseless and swift, and it moves or rather glides through the densest foliage with the greatest ease, now flying sidewise, and again twisting and doubling at right angles through the thickest shrubbery almost as easily as if passing through unobstructed space, its long tail assisting it very materially in all its complicated movements. Few of our birds show to better advantage on the wing than the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It rarely indulges in protracted flights on its breeding grounds, but keeps mostly in the shadiest trees, in dense thickets along water courses, or on small islands, shrubbery bordering country roads, the outskirts of forests, and were it not for its peculiar call notes, which draw attention to its whereabouts at once, it would be much less frequently seen than it usually is, even where fairly common; on the whole, it must be considered as a rather shy, retiring, and suspicious bird. Its call notes are much more varied than is generally supposed, but it is impossible to positively distinguish them from those of its somewhat smaller relative, the Black-billed Cuckoo, which is likewise found throughout a consider- able portion of its range, and it is extremely difficult to indicate these notes on paper. On the whole, I consider those of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo to be the louder of the two, but this is only a matter of opinion, and it is rather difficult to state just what difference exists between them. One of their commonest notes is a low ‘‘noo-coo-coo-coo;” another sounds more like ‘‘cow-cow-cow” or “‘kow- kow-kow,” several times repeated; others resemble the syllables of “ough, ough, ough,” slowly and softly uttered; some remind me of the ‘‘kloop-kloop” of the Bittern; occasionally a note something like the ‘‘kiuh-kiuh-kiuh” of the Flicker is also uttered; a low, sharp ‘“tou-wity-whit” and “‘hweet hwee” is also heard during the nesting season. Though ordinarily not what might be called a social bird, I have sometimes during the mating season seen as many as eight in the same tree, and on such occasions they indulge in quite a number of ealls, and if the listener can only keep still long enough he has an excellent oppor- tunity to hear a regular Cuckoo concert. THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 21 From an economic point of view there are few birds which do more good than the Yellow-billed Cuckoos, as they live almost entirely on caterpillars, and even the hairy and sharp-spined ones are eaten by them in large numbers. Among the most important ones so destroyed are the cankerworm, the tent caterpillar (Clisiocampa americana), and that of Vanessa antiopa, as well as of numerous other butterflies, grasshoppers, beetles, cicadas, small snails, ete., and different kinds of fruit, as berries, mulberries, grapes, and others. Mr. J. L. Davison, of Lockport, New York, has also observed it catching winged ants, like a Flycatcher. I am aware that this species has been accused of destroying the eggs and even of eating the young of smaller birds, but I am strongly inclined to believe that this accusation is unjust, and in my opinion requires more sub- stantial confirmation. I have never yet had any reason to suspect their robbing smaller birds’ nests, and the very fact that they live im apparent harmony with such neighbors, who do not protest against their presence, as they are in the habit of doing should a Blue Jay, Grackle, or Crow come too close to their nests, seems to confirm this view. Iam upheld in this opinion by a number of careful observers whom I have questioned on this important subject. Only two of my correspondents seem to be inclined to believe this charge to be well founded. Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writing me on this subject, says: ‘While I have never seen either of our Cuckoos destroy the eggs of other birds, nevertheless I think they do it occasionally. One of my reasons for this belief is that many of our smaller birds, Warblers, Sparrows, ete., show great anxiety whenever the Cuckoos approach their nests, and they pursue and peck at them when they take wing, behaving toward them, in fact, exactly as they do toward the Crows, Jays, and Grackles, which we know eat eggs whenever they can get achance. My other reason is that one of myfriends once shot a Cuckoo (C. americanus, I think it was) whose bill was smeared all over with the fresh yolk of an ege.” Mr. H. P. Attwater, of San Antonio, Texas, although he has not observed it personally either, informs me that in his neighborhood this bird is locally known to the boy collectors as the Egg-sucker, and that some claim to have observed it in the act of stealing eggs. Should an occasional pair of these birds, however, be guilty of such reprehensible conduct, which I am not yet prepared to admit, it by no means follows that it is a common practice. All of our Cuckoos deserve the utmost protection; it is simply astonishing how quickly a pair of these birds will exterminate the thousands of caterpillars infesting orchard and other trees in certain seasons; it makes no difference how hairy and spiny these may be, none are rejected by them, although no other birds will touch them, and the walls of their stomachs are sometimes completely pierced by the sharp, stiletto-like hairs, without injury, and apparently not incommoding these birds in the least. Their benefit to the horticulturist is immense, and he has certainly no better friends among our birds. Although the Yellow-billed Cuckoo generally arrives in our Northern States about the middle of May, and occasionally a week or so earlier, it usually nests DD, LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. rather late, and oftener, I believe, in the first week in July than in June. Like most birds, they are more noisy during mating time than at other seasons, and they are most often heard during damp, cloudy weather or before a storm, and on this account they are often called ‘Rain Crows,” their continuous calls being supposed to presage wet weather. _ As a rule they are shy and silent, unobtrusive birds, their plain, grayish- brown upper parts, with a faint bronze luster, harmonizing so perfectly with their surroundings that they are readily overlooked in the dense foliage and tangled undergrowth which they usually frequent, and it is no easy matter to study them closely, though occasionally a pair will select its nesting site close to human habitations and even in cities, when they lose their natural shyness to some extent. Mr. Mark L. C. Wilde, of Camden, New Jersey, writes me: “On June 22, 1893, while passing the corner of Sixth and Market streets, I was surprised to see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo fly off her nest, which was built on the limb of a maple tree that hung over Market street, on which the electric cars run every ten or fifteen minutes. The nest contained two fresh eggs. There are no woods nor open fields within a mile or so of the tree in which the nest was built, although there are a number of shade trees around the city and plenty of caterpillars for them to feed upon.” ; In the southern portions of their range, including Florida and the Gulf States, nidification begins occasionally early in April, and fresh eggs may be found sometimes in the last two weeks of this month; but the majority of these birds rarely commence laying here before the second week in May. In the District of Columbia a few pairs nest in the latter part of this month, but the greater portion do not before June, and occasionally not before July, while instances of fresh eggs, possibly second layings, have been found in the latter part of August and even in the beginning of September. In the northern por- tions of its range the breeding season is at its height during the latter part of June and the first week of July, and here one brood only is raised, while in the south they sometimes raise two. Mr. O. Widmann, of Old Orchard, Missouri, has kindly sent me the followmg notes on this species: “The Yellow-billed Cuckoos begin to lay here May 15. If the eggs are taken and none left in the nest, the birds abandon it and build another; but I do not think that two broods are raised in a season. This species begins to arrive here in the last days of April, but to get the earliest dates one must be up at 2 a. m., when their call is heard from time to time. After daybreak they are seldom heard before the first days of May, regularly only after the 5th. I found them very numerous in the St. Francis region the second week in May, where they were among the most conspicuous birds. At that time they seemed to live mostly on a large kind of May or willow fly (Ephemera), which the male bird caught and brought to his mate, who kept quietly perched and apparently awaiting his attentions. He alighted gracefully on her back and presented complaisantly the choice morsel, which was received with half-tured head and THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. - 23 open bill—the whole a picture of love and devotion pleasant to witness, and not marred by any unesthetic act or motion. One of the favorite foods of the Cuckoo in September is the elderberry, and the last week of this month may be set down as the time for its final departure.” The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is one of the poorest nest builders known to me, and undoubtedly the slovenly manner in which it constructs its nest causes the contents of many to be accidentally destroyed, and this probably accounts to some extent for the many apparent irregularities in their nesting habits. The nests are shallow, frail platforms, composed of small rootlets, sticks, or twigs, few of these being over 4 or 5 inches in length, and among them a few dry leaves and bits of mosses; rags, etc., are occasionally mixed in, and the surface is lined with dry blossoms of the horse-chestnut and other flowering plants, the male aments or catkins of oaks, willows, ete., tufts of grasses, pine and spruce needles, and mosses of different kinds. These materials are loosely placed on the top of the little platform, which is frequently so small that the extremities of the bird project on both sides, and there is scarcely any depression to keep the eggs from rolling out even in only a moderate windstorm, unless one of the parents sits on the nest, and it is therefore not a rare occurrence to find broken eggs lying under the trees or bushes in which the nests are placed. Some of these are so slightly built that the eggs can be readily seen through the bottom. An average nest measures about 5 inches in outer diameter by 14 inches in depth. They are rarely placed over 20 feet from the ground, generally from 4 to 8 feet upon horizontal limbs of oak, beech, gum, dogwood, hawthorn, mulberry, pine, cedar, fir, apple, orange, fig, and other trees. “Thick bushes particularly such as are overrun with wild grape and other, vines, as well as hedgerows, especially those of osage orange, are also frequently selected for nesting sites. The nests are ordinarily well concealed by the overhanging and surrounding foliage, and while usually shy and timid at cther times, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is gen- erally courageous and bold in the defense of its chosen home; the bird on the nest not unfrequently will raise its feathers at right angles from the body and occasionally even fly at the intruder. The number of eggs in a set varies from two to fivé; sets of three are most common, while those of four are not at all rare. Now and then as many as six and seven have been found in one nest, but it is always more or less questionable if such large sets are the product of the same female. Usually an ege is deposited daily, and as a rule incubation does not commence until the set is completed; but there are also exceptions, and the bird may commence incubation when the first egg is laid, and at the same time continue laying at irregular intervals, varying from two to eight days, so that one will occasionally find birds of different ages and eggs in various stages of incubation in the nest. I must confess that no such instances have come under my own observation, but this fact has been so well established that there can be no question of it. It is also well known that this species will occasionally deposit an ege or two in the nests of the Black-billed Cuckoo, and the latter returns the compliment, and 24 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. now and then one of their eggs has been found in the nests of other species, such as the Wood-thrush, Robin, Catbird, Cedar-bird, Black-throated Sparrow, Cardinal, and Mourning Dove. Such instances appear to be much rarer, how- ever, than those in which they interlay with each other, and the majority of these may well be due to accident, their own nest having possibly been capsized, and necessity compelled the bird to deposit its egg elsewhere. Such instances do occur at times with species that can not possibly be charged with parasitic tendencies. There is a set of four eges of the Meadow Lark (Ralph collection) before me now, taken on May 6, 1892, in Volusia County, Florida, which in addition contained an egg of the Florida Quail; another set of four eggs of the Gray- tailed Cardinal, taken by Mr. H. P. Attwater, near Rockport, Texas, on April 28, 1893, and presented to the collection here, contains also an egg of the Scissor- tailed Flycatcher, and I might cite other instances if I deemed it necessary. It is indisputable, however, that some latent traces of parasitism exist in our Cuckoos, but these are not very frequent and seem to be principally confined among themselves, and are apparently more prevalent among the Black-billed species than the present one. Mr. Robert Ridgway tells me that he found both species nesting in an apple orchard, near Mount Carmel, Illinois, in June, 1864, in adjoining trees, the two nests being not over 10 feet apart. Incubation, I think, lasts about fourteen days, and I believe the female performs the greater portion of this duty. The young when first hatched are repulsive, black, and greasy-looking creatures, nearly naked, and the sprouting quills only add to their general ugliness. If the eggs are handled the bird frequently forsakes the nest, either throwing them out or abandoning them. The eggs are elliptical oval in shape, about equally obtuse at either end; the shell is close grained, rather thin, and without gloss. The ground color varies from a uniform Nile blue to pale greenish blue when fresh, fading out in time to a pale greenish yellow. They are unspotted, but occasionally one or two eggs in a set present a sort of mottled appearance, the ground varying somewhat on different parts of the shell. Their color is one of those subtle tints which it is difficult to describe.accurately. Many of the eggs resemble in tint some of the lighter-colored Heron’s eggs. The average measurement of sixty-six specimens in the United States National Museum collection is 30.28 by 22.94 millimetres, or about 1.19 by 0.90 inches. The largest ege in the series measures 33.53 by 25.40 millimetres, or 1.32 by 1.00 inches; the smallest, 27.94 by 21.34 millimetres, or 1.10 by 0.84 inches. The type specimen, No. 25977 (PI. 5, Fig. 1), from a set of three eggs, was taken by Mr. D. B. Burrows, near Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois, on July 5, 1893, and presents the mottled appearance previously referred to. THE CALIFORNIA CUCKOO. 25 8. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Ripeway. CALIFORNIA CUCKOO. Coecyzus americanus occidentalis RIDGWAY, Manual North American Birds, 1887, 273. (B —, C —, R 387 part, C 429 part, U 387a.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Western North America; north to the southern portions of British Columbia; east to the Rocky Mountains and southern Texas; south over the table- lands of Mexico; northern Lower California. The breeding range of the California Cuckoo, for which the name ‘‘ Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo” seems to be more appropriate, is coextensive with its distribution in the United States. As far as yet known it reaches the northern limits of its breeding range about latitude 50° 45’, near Kamloops, in British Columbia, and its southern and eastern limits in the lower Rio Grande Valley, in southern Texas. The eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains appear to form the eastern limits of its range in this direction. Although nowhere common, it seems to be generally distributed over the Pacific Coast States and Territories. Mr. F. Stephens writes me: “I consider the California Cuckoo a rare sum- mer resident of the valleys of southern California. The only instance of its breeding here, that I know of, was in the San Bernardino Valley; I saw the parent fly from the nest, which was in a slender willow growing in a thicket in a moist location. The little tree leaned, but was too strong to admit of my pulling the nest within reach; I therefore attempted to climb to the nest and succeeded in spilling the eggs, which broke on striking the ground. The fragments were pale green. The eggs were fresh and appeared to be two in number. I think the date was the latter part of May, 1882.” Mr. Charles A. Allen, of Nicasio, has found this subspecies breeding in the willow thickets along the Sacramento River, California, where it appears to be not uncommon in suitable localities. Dr. Clinton T. Cooke considers it moder- ately common in the vicinity of Salem, Oregon, and Mr. R. H. Lawrence met with it occasionally in the Columbia River Valley, in Clarke County, Washington. It appears to reach the center of its abundance, the lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas, about the beginning of April, and sometimes nests there in the latter part of this month, but ordinarily not before May, while in southern Arizona it appears to arrive considerably later. I noticed it first on June 10, 1872, among the willows in the Rillito Creek bottom, and again on the 19th, but failed to find a nest before July 17, but after this date I found several others; two of these as late as August 22. Its general habits, call notes, and food are very similar to those of its somewhat smaller eastern relative, and excepting this difference and its stouter and larger beak, it is otherwise indistinguishable. On the whole, it appears to be more common west of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Mountains than in the interior, where I only met with it on a single occasion, near Old Fort Boise, at Keeneys Ferry, on the Oregon side of Snake River, and here I found a nest of this subspecies on August 2, 1876, containing 26 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. three half-grown young. The nest was placed in a clump of willows, within a few feet of where I was camped, and my attention was first attracted to it by the uneasy manner in which the parents moved through the willows, constantly flitting back and forth, and always with a large black cricket (Anabus simplex or purpuratus) in their bills, on which they seemed to feed their young entirely. They picked most of these repulsive-looking creatures from grass stalks and low shrubs on which they were feeding, and although there were numbers of them to be found all around, as well as in camp, they generally went off some little distance to get them. The nestlings, only two or three days old, were ugly-looking creatures, and their bodies were almost naked. The parents soon lost their fear caused by my proximity, and flew back and forth at short inter- vals during the three hours of daylight in which I had an opportunity to observe them. The young uttered occasionally a low, wheezy note, like ‘ugh, ugh,” but on the whole both parents and young were rather silent. ‘This subspecies has also been met with in Utah, and Mr. A. W. Anthony observed a Cuckoo which is unquestionably referable to this subspecies near Ensenada, Lower California. If the California Cuckoo showed the same parasitic habit of occasionally depositing one or more of its eggs in the nests of other birds, as its eastern relatives are now and then known to do, I believe that I should have observed the fact in southern Arizona. Here I found eight of their nests with eggs, and fully five hundred nests of smaller birds, which nested in similar localities among the willow thickets and mesquite bushes, overrun with vines, in the creek bottoms, but not a single instance of parasitism came under my observation. The California Cuckoo built its own nest in every case, and while it generally was a, loose, slovenly affair, without any pretence to architectural beauty, I think on the whole it compared favorably with the nests of our two better-known eastern species; some at least were fairly well lined with dry grasses and the blossoms of a species of Hvax, and there was generally a slight depression in the center of the nest for the eggs to rest in. I took my first set, containing two fresh egos, on July 17, 1872; on the 25th of this month I found another set of - four eggs in which incubation had slightly and uniformly begun. On July 27 I secured two more sets, one of four, the other of three eggs, both fresh; and I did not find any more until August 21, when I took a set of three, one of which contained a large embryo, another one somewhat less advanced, and the remaining egg was addled. Next day I found two more nests, one containing a set of three, in which incubation had commenced evenly, the other held two fresh eggs, and on August 24 I found the last nest, which contained a single fresh egg,- to which no others were added. Two of these nests contained incomplete sets when found, and an ege was added in each case on succeeding days. As arule, incubation does not begin until the set is completed, and an egg is deposited daily. Both sexes assist in incubation and in the care of the young. I believe only one brood is raised in southern Arizona in a season. The nests here were placed in willow or mesquite thickets, from 10 to 15 feet from the ground, and they were usually fairly well concealed by the surround- ing foliage. THE CALIFORNIA CUCKOO. rar The eggs of the California Cuckoo are usually three or four in number. They are light greenish blue in color, unspotted, and in time this unstable tint fades to a uniform pale yellowish green. They are mostly elliptical oval in shape; a few may be called elliptical ovate, one end being slightly more pointed than the other. The shell is fine grained, rather thin, and without gloss. The eges average a trifle larger than those of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The average measurement of forty-three specimens in the United States National Museum collection is 30.85 by 23.16 millimetres, or about 1.21 by 0.91 inches. The largest of these eggs measures 33.53 by 24.38 millimetres, or 1.32 by 0.96 inches; the smallest, 27.43 by 21.08 millimetres, or 1.08 by 0.83 inches. The type specimen, No. 20470 (Pl. 5, Fig. 2), Bendire collection, from a set of four eggs, was taken by the writer on Rillito Creek, near Tucson, Arizona, on July 27, 1872. This is one of the largest eggs in the series, and is slightly faded, fresh eggs looking somewhat brighter. 9. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (Wi:soy). BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. | ; it Cuculus erythrophthalmus WILSON, American Ornithology, IV, 1811, 16, Pl. 28. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus BONAPARTE, Journal Academy N atural Sciences, Phila., ITI, ii, 1824, 567. > : (B 70, C 290, R 388, C 428, U 388.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Eastern North America; north in the Dominion of Canada to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec, aud Ontario, to about latitude 47°, and in the provinces of Manitoba and eastern Assiniboia to about latitude 51°; west in the United States to the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas; south, in winter, to the West India Islands, Central America, and northern South America. Accidental in Great Britain and Italy. The Black-billed Cuckoo, a slightly smaller bird than the Yellow-billed, is likewise known by the different local names of the latter, and is often mistaken for it. It appears to be somewhat hardier, extending its migrations several degrees farther north, and it breeds throughout its range from about latitude 35° northward. Occasionally it has been reported as breeding still farther south, but below the latitude named it must be considered as an irregular and rare sum- mer resident. In eastern North America it reaches the northern limits of its range in about latitude 47°, while in the interior, in the provinces of Manitoba and eastern Assiniboia, it has been found as far north as latitude 51°, and it ranges probably still farther in this direction. The eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains appear to form the western limits of its habitat. Here it has been obtained at Pryor’s Fork of the Yellowstone, Montana, and I found it breeding on the Little Horn River, near Fort Custer, on June 25,1885. Mr. W.G. Smith has observed it in Larimer County, Colorado, where he believes it breeds, but it israre. It is a fairly common species in suitable localities throughout the greater part of its range, and in the more northern portions it outwumbers the Yellow- 28 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. billed Cuckoo considerably. In winter it occurs to some extent in Florida and along the Gulf coast, but by far the greater number pass beyond our borders to the West India Islands, and even through Mexico and Central America to northern South America. It usually reenters the United States from its winter haunts in the South during the first half of April, arriving on its more northern breeding grounds generally about a week earlier than the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The return migration in the fall ordinarily begins in the latter. part of September, while a few of these birds linger sometimes well in October and occasionally even until early November. ; Its general habits, plumage, manner of flight, food, and many of its call notes are very similar to those of the Yellow-billed species, and it is rather difficult to distinguish one from the other unless very close to them. Like the species referred to, it is eminently beneficial, and deserves the fullest protection. They frequent the same kind of localities, and are especially partial to the shrubbery along water courses, lakes, ponds, hillsides bordering wet meadows, overgrown here and there with clumps of bushes, and the outer edges of low- lying forests, while they are far less often observed in high and dry situations any distance away from water. On the whole, its call notes appear not to be quite so loud as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s, and rather more pleasing to the ear. Their ordinary note is a soft “cdd-cd5,” a number of times repeated. Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller, well known as an enthusiastic and painstaking observer, describes their alarm note as “cuck-a-ruck,” and gives a very full and interesting account of the actions of a pair of these birds in her charmingly-written “Little Broth- ers of the Air.” From personal observations, I am inclined to believe that the Black-billed Cuckoo is more irregular in its nesting habits than the Yellow-billed, and that cases of parasitism are of more frequent occurrence. | also think their egos are much oftener found in different stages of incubation than appears to be the case with the Yellow-billed species. Mr. J. L. Davison, of Lockport, New York, well known as a careful and reliable ornithologist, in his list of birds of Niagara County, New York, origi- nally published in ‘“ Forest and Stream,” September, 1889, makes the following remarks about this Cuckoo: “JT have often found the eggs of this species in the nest of C. americanus, but only once have I found it in the nest of any other bird, June 17, 1882, I found a Black-billed Cuckoo and a Mourning Dove sitting on a Robin’s nest together. 'The Cuckoo was the first to leave the nest. On securing this I found it contained two eggs of the Cuckoo, two of the Mourning Dove, and one Robin’s egg. The Robin had not quite finished the nest when the Cuckoo took posses- sion of it and filled it nearly full of rootlets; but the Robin got in and Iaid one egg. Incubation had commenced in the Robin and Cuckoo eggs, but not in the Mourning Dove’s eggs. I have the nest and eggs in my collection. * * * “T am also quite certain that I have seen the Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoo feeding young in the same nest, an account of which was published in ‘Forest and Stream’ Since then I have found a number of nests containing THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 29 the eggs of both species, and have come to the conclusion that I was not mis- taken in that observation. On September 10, 1883, I found a nest of the Black- billed Cuckoo containing two young birds not more than one day out of the shell; the two previous nights we had severe frosts that destroyed vegetables.” While instances of the Black-bilied Cuckoo laying in the nests of the Yellow-billed are not especially rare, cases where it lays its eggs in those of other species, especially smaller ones than itself, are decidedly uncommon. I have never seen a case of this kind, but, nevertheless, several well-authenticated instances have been recorded which leave no room for doubt; of these I will only quote one, published by Dr. CG. K. Clarke, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, who says: ‘In an orchard we discovered a Black-billed Cuckoo sitting in a Chipping Sparrow’s nest, and the bird did not attempt to move till we almost touched it. It now seemed very evident that the case against the bird was a strong one, and when a Cuckoo's egg was found in the nest the chain of evi- dence was complete. The egg was hatched and produced a tyrannical young Cuckoo, who turned his companions out of the nest and made himself as com- fortable as possible as long as was necessary. Two of us saw the old Cuckoo actually sitting in the nest, and there was no doubt about the matter. We have been informed that the erratic nesting of the Cuckoo has been repeated in the same orchard since the occasion referred to, but of this we have no accurate information.”* y Its eggs have been found in the nests of the Wood Pewee, Yellow Warbler, Catbird, and others. Nidification commences rather late, rarely before the middle of May; full sets of eggs are sometimes found about the end of this - month, but much more frequently during June and July. Occasionally a set is met with in the latter part of August, probably a second clutch. The earliest nesting record I know is one of May 7, 1878, where Mr. Robert Ridgway found a set of these eggs near Mount Carmel, Illinois; these are now in the United States National Museum collection. Ordinarily an egg is deposited daily until the set is completed, but not unfrequently they are laid at considerably longer intervals, and it is well known that young of different ages, as well as eggs in various stages of incubation, are sometimes found in the same nest. The nests of the Black-billed Cuckoo appear to be slightly better built than those of the Yellow-billed species; the platform is usually constructed of finer twigs, the soft inner bark of cedar, fine rootlets, weed stems, etc., and there is generally more lining. This consists of the aments of oak, white and black ash, and,maple, willow catkins, and the flowers of the cudweed or everlasting (Gnaphalium), dried leaves, and similar materials. The majority of the nests are placed in rather low situations, mostly not over 6 feet from the ground, on horizontal limbs of bushy evergreens, pmes, cedars, and hemlocks, or in decid- uous trees and shrubs, such as the box elder, chestnut, thorn apple, and beech trees; also in hedges, briar and kalmia patches, oceasionally on old logs, and now and then even on the ground. Dr. P. L. Hatch reports such instances in 1 Transactions of the Canadian Institute, Oct., 1890, Vol. I, Part I, pp. 48-50. 30 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. his “Birds of Minnesota,” 1892 (p. 222). There is but little difference in the size of their nests from those of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and the same meas- urements will answer for both. : The Black-billed Cuckoo is apt to desert its nest if it knows it has been discovered. Judge J. N. Clark, of Saybrook, Connecticut, writes me: “Of all the Cuckoos’ nests which I have found, before the set was complete, if the bird was at the nest, and one generally is, the next visit would always find the nest deserted and one or more of the eggs gone; at least such has been my frequent experience.” On the data sheet of a set of three eggs of this species in the Ralph collection, taken on May 29, 1879, by Mr. W. W. Worthington, on Shelter Island, Suffolk County, New York, I find the following entry in the collector’s handwriting: ‘On visiting this nest first it contained two eggs; the following day it was empty. I then left it one day, and on the next visit it contained three eggs. I have carefully examined these eggs, and they certainly look as if they had all been laid by the same bird.” I had a somewhat similar experience with the only nest of this species I found near Fort Custer, Montana, on June 22, 1885. This was placed in a bull or buffalo berry bush (Shepherdia argentea) close to the banks of the Little Horn River, about 4 feet from the ground. I noticed the bird slipping off as I approached, and on looking into the bush and separating the branches I found the nest and saw that it contained only a single egg, which appeared to be very peculiarly marked. I did not touch this, and left the vicinity at once. On revisiting the place again on the 24th, I found the nest empty and no trace of the egg on the ground below the nest. I was much provoked at not having taken the egg when I first found the nest, as it was a very deeply colored one, and after making a thorough search through the thickets on that side of the river, I gave it up for that day, but returned again on the 25th and examined a patch of wild rose bushes about 100 yards from the old site and on the opposite bank. Almost as soon as I entered this thicket I saw a Cuckoo flying up into a willow sapling and acting in a very excited manner; a few minutes later I found a nest, containing, to the best of my belief, the identical egg I had seen in the first one. The second nest was evidently built in a hurry, and consisted simply of a very slight platform of dry twigs, with scarcely any lining whatever. It was placed 3 feet from the ground, in a dense clump of wild rose bushes, and was well concealed from view. To make sure, this time I took the single ege, which is the most peculiarly colored one I have yet seen of this species, and is reproduced on Pl. 5, Fig. 3. Although not what might be called a very social bird at any time, occasionally in some particularly suitable place a number of pairs may be found nesting close together. Mr. H. W. Flint, of New Haven, Connecticut, writes me: ‘I know of one spot in this vicinity where the Black-billed Cuckoo might almost be said to breed in colonies—a sloping hillside near a traveled road. Here I have found seven nests of this species within an hour, none of them placed over 3 feet from the ground. I have also frequently found their nest on THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 31 a fallen limb, the top of which was resting upon underbrush, As an exception to their low nesting, I once found a nest containing two well-feathered young and two fresh eggs over 18 feet from the ground, placed in the top of a cedar tree, in a dense thicket of other cedars.” Both sexes assist in incubation as well as in the care of the young; they appear to be devoted parents, and the fact that they are occasionally willing to abandon their young to the mercy of foster parents appears rather unaccount- able, to say the least, especially when it is positively known that they occasionally remove their eges, as well as the young, from one nest to another in order to better protect them from possible harm. In my opinion, the real causes for the so utterly inconsistent behavior on the part of some of these birds are not yet fully understood. The number of eggs laid to a set varies from two to seven; sets of three or four are most common, and those of over five are rare. Dr. Louis B. Bishop found a set of seven eggs of this species near New Haven, Connecticut, on June 7, 1893, in which three eggs were fresh, in two incubation had just begun, in another it was somewhat more advanced, and in one egg the embryo was well formed. There is frequently considerable difference in size among the eggs found in the same set, although apparently laid by the same bird. In a set of three eggs, for instance, No. 26019, United States National Museum collection, taken by Mr. Thad. Surber, near White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on June 3, 1893, the measurements are as follows: 26.92 by 20.07, 24.89 by 19.81, and 22.35 by 18.54 millimetres, or 1.06 by 0.79, 0.98 by 0.78, and 0.88 by 0.73 inches; the difference is, of course, not always so great, but is often quite perceptible. The eggs of the Black-billed Cuckoo are more nearly oval than elliptical oval, and shorter and rounder than those of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and much more deeply colored. Like these, they are unspotted; the shell is thin and fine grained, with little or no gloss. Their color is difficult to describe exactly, varying from nile blue to pale beryl green, and occasionally the shell shows a decidedly marbled appearance, caused by different shades running into each other, an illustration of which is shown in PI. 5, Fig. 8. Aside from their deeper color, they are also readily distinguished from the eggs of the Yellow- billed Cuckoo by their smaller size. The average measurement of forty-two specimens in the United States National Museum collection is 27.23 by 20.53 millimetres, or about 1.07 by 0.81 inches. The largest egg of the series measures 29.97 by 22.86 millimetres, or 1.18 by 090 inches; the smallest, 22.35 by 18.54 millimetres, or 0.88 by 0.73 inch. The type specimen, No. 22444 (Pl. 5, Fig. 3), a single egg, Bendire collec- tion, was taken by the writer near Fort Custer, Montana, on June 25, 1885, and is a very peculiarly colored specimen, while No. 26019 (PI. 5, Fig. 4), from a set of three eggs, and taken by Mr. Thad. Surber, on June 3, 1893, near White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, represents about an average egg of this species. 32 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. to. Cuculus canorus telephonus (Herne). SIBERIAN CUCKOO. Cuculus telephonus HEINE, Journal fiir Ornithologie, 1863, 352. — Cuculus canorus telephonus STEINEGER, Bulletin 29, U. S. National Museum, 1885, p. 224. (B —, R —, C —, U [388.1.]) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Bastern Asia, casually to the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. The Siberian Cuckoo claims a place in our fauna on the strength of a single specimen having been taken by Mr. William Palmer at Northeast Point, St. Paul’s Island, Alaska, on July 4, 1890, which is now in the United States National Museum collection. Mr. Palmer states “‘when collected it was busily engaged capturing some large flies which are abundant on these islands, and with which its stomach was literally packed. It had been seen by the natives in the same place for more than two weeks, and was probably the same individual seen by myself on June 13, when becalmed in a fog off the eastern side of the same island, on which occasion it circled overhead like a gull for some time, while calmly inspecting the boat, and then moved off northward.”* As far as I can learn, nothing definite has as yet been ascertained regarding its nesting habits and eggs. They undoubtedly correspond closely to those of its well-known western relative, the common European Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, and Dr. Stejneger tells me that in its general habits and call notes he could not detect the slightest difference from those of the latter. At his suggestion, I have substituted the name of ‘‘Siberian” for “‘Kamschatkan” Cuckoo, which is more applicable to the bird described by him as Cuculus peninsule, from Kamschatka. Family TROGONID. Trocons. 11. Trogon ambiguus GouwLp. COPPERY-TAILED TROGON. Trogon ambiguus GOULD, Proceedings Zoological Society, 1835, 30. (B 65, C 284, R 384, C 422, U 389.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Southern Mexico from Oaxaca and Guerrero, north to the valley of the lower Rio Grande, in Texas, and the mountains of southwestern New Mexico, and southern Arizona. The Coppery-tailed Trogon, the only representative of this magnificently plumaged family in the United States, must be considered as a rather rare summer resident within our borders, and very little is yet known about its general habits. There is no longer any doubt, however, that it breeds in some of the mountain ranges of southern Arizona, and probably also in the San Luis Mountains, in the extreme southwestern corner of New Mexico. First Lieut. 1 The Auk, Vol, XI, 1894, p. 325. THE COPPERY-TAILED TROGON. 345" H. C. Benson, Fourth Cavalry, United States Army, secured a young male in its first plumage in the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, on August 24, 1885, and an adult female was shot in the same vicinity by Mr. F. H. Fowler in the first part of August, 1892. Another adult female, which evidently had a nest close by, was obtained by Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States Army, on June 23, 1892, on the east side of the San Luis Mountains, close to the Mexican boundary line. The long tail feathers in this specimen are much worn and abraded, and look as if the bird had passed considerable time in very limited quarters. Its mate was also seen, but not secured. Judging from the character of the country this species inhabits in southern Arizona, that is pme forest regions, it is probably only a straggler in the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and does not breed there. Dr. A. K. Fisher has kindly furnished me with the following notes on this species: “Soon after arriving at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, I learned that the Trogon was not uncommon among the pines in the neighboring mountains. A reliable young man informed me that he had killed three during the previous season (1891), and a rancher who raises fruit in Ramsay Canyon stated that the species visited the gardens in considerable numbers, especially during the period when cherries were ripe. He had noticed the first arrival on May 17. “On June 9, in company with Capt. J. L. Fowler and his son Frederick, I made a trip toward the head of Tanner or Garden Canyon, as it is more com- monly designated in the vicinity. While riding up the shady trail among the pines a beautiful male Trogon flew across the path and alighted among the trees on the opposite side of the narrow canyon. It was impossible to follow it and to pass through the thick underbrush and loose rocks without making con- siderable noise, which startled the bird, and it was finally lost among the thick foliage. Higher up in the mountains we heard its peculiar note, which was uttered at regular intervals, and closely resembled that of a hen Turkey. Later in the afternoon, on the way down, another was heard, and by carefully approaching along the hillside a male was discovered sitting on the lower limb of a pine. It sat straight upright, with the tail hanging perpendicular to the body, and while uttering its note the head was thrown backward and the bill extended nearly upward. After watching the bird for a few moments it was secured. The testes were well developed. The stomach contained a few smooth caterpillars.” The general habits of the Coppery-tailed Trogon probably do not differ much from those of other members of this family about which a little more is known. According to Gould, who published a magnificent monograph of this family, “Trogons are usually found singly or in pairs, and keep mostly in the shade of forest trees, perching on the lower limbs of these. During the breeding season they are continually calling to each other, and are called ‘Viadas’ (Widows) by the Mexicans; they are easily located on this account and are not particularly shy. Their food consists of fruit, grasshoppers, and other insects, and in their actions while catching the latter they are said to resemble a Fly- catcher, starting and returning from a perch like these birds, and often sitting 16896—No. 3 —3 at LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. for hours in the same place. They are often met among flocks of other birds, such as Flycatchers, Tanagers, Creepers, and Woodpeckers.” * All of the Trogons, whose mode of nidification is known, resort to natural cavities in trees or to some of the larger woodpecker holes, the eggs being depos- ited in the bottom of the hole, on the rubbish or chips which may be found in it. These are said to vary from two to four, more likely the former number. As far as known, they are unspotted; the egg of the handsome Quezal (Pharmocrus mocinno) is described as of a pale bluish-green color; that of the Mexican Trogon (Trogon mexicanus) is said to be very pale greenish, while the eggs of Trogon surucua from Paraguay are said to be pure white. I have seen eggs purporting to belong to this species; but their large size, as well as the source from which they came, do not warrant me in giving measurements or a description of these specimens, and as far as I know genuine eggs of the Coppery-tailed Trogon still remain to be described. Family ALCEDINID/K. Kuinerisuers. 12. Ceryle alcyon (Linyaus). BELTED KINGFISHER. Alcedo aleyon LINN BUS, Systema Nature, ed., 10, 1, 1758, 115. Ceryle wlcyon BONAPARTE, Proceedings Zoological Society, 1837, 108. (B 117, C 286, R 382, C 423, U 390.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: North America generally; south to Panama and the West Indies. The Belted Kingfisher, ordinarily simply called “Kingfisher,” is one of our best-known birds, and it is generally distributed in suitable localities throughout the North American Continent, though seldom very common anywhere. Its breeding range extends from Florida and Texas north to the shores of Labrador, Hudson Bay, the Arctic Ocean, and Bering Sea. In the more northern parts of its range it is only a summer resident, but not a few winter in some of the New England and other Northern States, as well as im Oregon and Washington, on the Pacific coast. These birds which brave the severe winter climate along our northern border are probably migrants from the far North, and better adapted to withstand the cold, the only requisite being sufficient open water to enable them to obtain their necessary supply of food. In the mountain regions of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana they range to an altitude of 9,000 feet in summer, and perhaps still higher, while in the southern Sierra Nevada they reach nearly the same elevations. ; In its general appearance the Kingfisher is a striking but rather top-heavy looking bird; its satin-like plumage feels dense and smooth to the touch, as if it was oiled, while its soft, weak feet look out of all proportion to its rather large 1 Monograph of the Trogonidie, 2d ed., 1875, Pl. VIII, not paged. THE BELTED KINGFISHER, 549] head and body. They seem almost inadequate to support its weight, and cer- tainly do not appear to be much adapted to walking, an exercise which I have never seen one indulge in. In its disposition it must be classed among the unsocial and quarrelsome birds, and, excepting during the mating and breeding season, it is rare to see two together. As in everything else, however, there appear to be exceptions to this rule, as Mr. W. E. Loucks, of Peoria, Illinois, writes me: “Along the Cedar River, in Iowa, I found these birds in great numbers. A large clay bank along the river resembled a honeycomb, so numerous were the holes made by these birds. This is the only case that I know of where Kingfishers have been found breeding in close proximity.” As a rule each pair of birds seem to claim a certain range on some suitable stream, lake, or mill pond, and should others intrude on this they are quickly driven off. Clear streams or ponds, bordered with perpendicular banks and low, brush-covered shores, are their favorite resorts, and along such places one will not have to go far before hearing the characteristic rattle of the Kingfisher, or perhaps seeing one perched on a partly submerged snag or rock, on a pile of driftwood near the shore, or on some small branch directly overhanging the water. Every bird seems to have several favorite perches along its range, each perhaps quite a distance away from the next, to which it flies from time to time, generally uttering its well-known shrill rattle in doing so. It is a sedentary bird, but ever watchful and rather shy, sitting frequently for an hour at a time in the same position, occasionally moving its head back and forward, watching for its prey as a cat does for a mouse. In such a posture the Kingfisher is one of the most charming features of brook and pool. Should an unfortunate fish come within sight at such times, our lone fisher is at once alert enough, eraning its neck and looking into the water, until the proper moment arrives for it to plunge downward, head first, completely disappearing out of sight, and usually emerging with a wriggling captive firmly grasped in its bill, for it rarely misses its victim. It generally rises some feet into the air before dashing perpendicularly into the water. While different kinds of small fish undoubtedly constitute a large part of the Kingfisher’s food where readily procurable, various species of crustacea, as well as insects, such as coleoptera, grasshoppers, and the large black crickets found in many of our Western States, are also eaten to a greater or less extent, accord- ing to circumstances; frogs and lizards are also acceptable prey. In southern Arizona, for instance, where running streams are few, I have found Kingfishers breeding in localities where fish must have formed but a very small percentage of their daily fare; there they lived principally on lizards, beetles, and large grasshoppers. I have more than once seen one of these birds perched on some twig overhanging a dry, sandy river bed, where no water was to be found within several miles, on the watch for the kind of food procurable in such localities. Mr. W. E. Loucks writes me that he has found nests of these birds in the banks of dried-up streams, miles from any water containing fish, and says that 36 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. he does not know upon what the parents fed their young. In fact, even in places where they can readily live on fish, they do not appear to confine them- selves to such an exclusive diet. While stationed at Fort Klamath, Oregon, I placed a small steel trap on top of a post standing some 10 yards from the banks of Fort Creek, a clear mountain stream abounding in fish, for the purpose of catching a Screech Owl I often heard calling in the vicinity and was anxious to obtain, but was not able to see to shoot on account of the dense fir trees it frequented. I finally concluded to try trapping it. Twice I baited the trap with mice, and once with a small bird, and on the next morning I found a Kingfisher caught by the neck; it had evidently plunged down on the bait to carry it off. The post in question had, as far as I know, never been used as a perch or lookout by the Kingfishers, as it was too far from the creek. Judging from these occur- rences, I believe that not a few mice, and possibly small birds also, are caught by them during their nocturnal rambles, and they are certainly fully as active throughout the night as in the daytime. In favorite spots where fish are plenty, and where there is no suitable place for a perch, they sometimes remain poised over such localities for a minute or more, hovering in the air some 6 feet or more over the water, as does the Sparrow Hawk when searching for grasshoppers and mice ina meadow. When a fish is caught it is at once carried in the bill to the nearest perch or rock, against which it is beaten until dead, and is then swallowed head first. The indigestible parts, such as bones and scales, are afterwards ejected in oblong pellets, which can be seen lying around in their burrows or about their favorite perches. By far the larger number of fish caught by the Kingfisher consist of species not considered worth much as food fishes, and they rarely average over 3 inches in length. Occasionally, however, a larger one is mastered by one of these. birds. Mr. Manly Hardy, of Brewer, Maine, writes me: ‘“‘I shot a Kingfisher last spring which had swallowed a pickerel considerably longer than the bird from the end of the bill to the tip of the tail, the tail of the fish protruding from the throat, while the head was partly doubled back, causing a large protuberance near the vent.” In stormy weather, when the water becomes rough or muddy, these birds suffer greatly and sometimes almost perish from want of food, and then ocea- sionally resort to eating vegetable matter to sustain life. Dr. Elliott Coues has published the following observations on this subject, communicated by Mrs. Mary Treat, Green Cove Spring, Florida: ‘A Kingfisher whose feeding ground is just in front of my windows fishes from a private wharf, where he is seldom disturbed, and has become so tame that he pursues his avocations without con- cern, though I may be standing within a few feet of him. * * * When the water is so rough that it is difficult for him to procure fish, instead of seeking some sequestered pool he remains at his usual post, occasionally making an ineffectual effort to secure his customary prey, until, nearly starved, he resorts to a sour-gum tree (Nyssa aquatica L.) in the vicinity, and greedily devours the berries. Returning to his post, he soon ejects a pellet of the large seeds and THE BELTED KINGFISHER. ait skins of the fruit. I have saved some of these pellets as well as those composed of fish bones and scales.” ! The first migrants to return from their winter quarters appear in the Middle States generally about the second week in March, and sometimes a week or so later, according to the season, and in higher latitudes considerably later and not until after the ice commences to break up. In our Southern States nidification commences usually in April; in the Northern ones, rarely before the first week in May, and in arctic North America and northern Alaska, seldom earlier than the latter half of June. Mr. Charles H. Townsend, of the United States Fish Com- mission, in 1885 found these birds common and breeding on the shores of the Kowack River, near Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, and within the Arctic Circle, the most northern breeding record known to me. The return migration from their breeding grounds in our Northern States sometimes begins about the latter part of September, and in mild falls not before the middle of October, and occa- sionally still later, they remaining until the streams become covered with ice. The favorite nesting sites of the Kingfisher are perpendicular clay or rea- sonably compact sand banks, occasionally mixed more or less with gravel; also railroad cuts. These banks or bluffs usually abut directly on water. A nearly circular burrow or tunnel is dug into these, averaging about 4 inches in diameter. They are excavated by the birds; the entrance hole is usually from 2 to 3 feet below the top of the bank, but sometimes fully 20 feet from the top. The bur- rows vary in length from 4 to 15 feet, according to the nature of the soil, and sometimes run in perfectly straight for the entire distance; again they diverge at different angles, at various distances from the entrance. The nesting cham- ber is dome-shaped, usually from 8 to 10 inches in diameter, and always at a slightly higher level than the entrance hole. The time required to dig out a burrow depends largely on the nature of the soil to be removed, taking some- times two or three weeks, but generally much less. I have personally seen an instance where a pair of these birds excavated a new burrow in a rather friable clay bank near Fort Lapwai, Idaho, to a depth of 5 feet (estimated measure- ment) in a little over three days. How they manage to dig so rapidly, consid- ering their short and weak-looking feet, with which they must remove the greater part of the material, has always been a mystery to me, and I would not believe them capable of accomplishing such an amount of work had I not seen it done. When not disturbed the same nesting site is resorted to from year to year. Some- times the male burrows an additional hole near the occupied nesting site, usually not over 3 feet deep, to Which it retires to feed and to pass the night. Dr. William L. Ralph informs me that he has found them occupying the old burrows of Rough-winged Swallows, Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Dr. A. K. Fisher has kindly furnished me the following notes on the nesting habits of this species as observed by him: “On June 6, 1882, the writer found two nests of the Kingfisher in the side of a railroad cut near Croton Lake, Westchester County, New York. The burrows were placed in a bank not over Bulletin Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. III, 1878, p. 92. 38 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 7 feet above the roadbed and within 18 inches of the top. That of the first one ran in about 7 feet and turned to the right as it entered the nesting chamber. The seven fresh egos were placed in a nest of coarse grass, which, although rather scanty, covered the floor of the cavity on all sides. The burrow of the second one extended in about 43 feet, and, like the other previously mentioned, turned toward the right as the expanded nesting cavity was reached. ‘The nest, which was quite elaborate, was composed wholly of fish scales and bones, arranged in a compact, saucer-shaped mass. The writer made a tunnel from the top of the bank so as to intercept the burrow as it entered the nesting cavity. Viewed through this hole, the nest was a beautiful affair. The scales, which looked as if made of frosted silver, formed a delicate setting for the six pure-white eggs lying in the center, and by the projected light made a most effective picture. On two occasions, near Sing Sing, New York, the writer found the Kingfisher and Rough-winged Swallow using burrows having a common entrance. It is probable in each case that the swallow had commenced its diverging burrow after the larger bird completed its work.” The number of eggs varies usually from five to eight, and sets of six or seven are most often found. Instances, however, have been recorded where as many as fourteen eggs have been found at one time, and Mr. Charles A. Strawn, of Cerro Gordo, Arkansas, informed Mr. Robert Ridgway, under date of March 22, 1890, that he had taken eleven young Kingfishers out of a burrow on Dog River, Douglas County, Georgia. How the female managed to cover this number of eggs and hatch them all is certainly surprising. If the first set of eggs is taken, the birds abandon the burrow and excavate a second one near by, and frequently within a few feet of the first one, and lay a second set, consisting rarely of more than six eggs. Only a single brood is raised in a season. In a newly excavated nest the eggs are usually laid on the bare ground, while in such as have been occupied in previous seasons the eggs are frequently found deposited on quite a thick layer of fish bones, scales, crawfish shells, and wing covers of beetles remainimg from former years, but which can not be considered as part of the nest. The male does not assist in incubation, but supplies its mate with food while so engaged, and she rarely leaves the nest after the first ege has been laid; at any rate I have invariably found the bird at home if there were any eges in the nest. Incubation lasts about sixteen days. The young when first hatched are blind, perfectly naked, helpless, and, in a word, very unprepossessing. They scarcely look lke birds while crawling about in the nest, where they remain several weeks, their growth being very slow. ‘The excrement of the young is promptly removed and the burrow is kept rather clean. They utter a low, puffing sound when disturbed, and frequently vary considerably in size, as if incubation, in some instances at least, began with the first ege laid. The young, even after they have left the nest for some time, require the attendance of their parents before they are able to secure subsistence for themselves. The eggs of the Kingfisher are pure white in color; the shell is strong, fine grained, smooth, and rather glossy, especially so in fresh eggs; in strongly ineu- THE BELTED KINGFISHER. ' , 39 bated ones this gloss is less noticeable. They are generally short ovate and sometimes rounded ovate in shape. The average measurement of eighty-seven eggs in the United States National Museum collection is 34.04 by 26.67 millimetres, or 1.34 by 1.05 inches. The largest ege of the series measures 37.08 by 27.94 millimetres, or 1.46 by 1.10 inches; the smallest, 30.78 by 26.42 millimetres, or 1.21 by 1.04 inches. The type specimen, No. 20467 (PI. 1, Fig. 3), from a set of six eges, Ben- dire collection, was taken by the writer near Fort Lapwai, Idaho, on May 11, 1870, and represents about an average-sized ege. 13. Ceryle americana septentrionalis Suarpr. TEXAN KINGFISHER. Alecedo cabanisi TscHUDI, Fauna Peruana, Ornithologie, 1844, 253. Ceryle americana septentrionalis SHARPE, Catalogue of Birds, British Museum, XVII, 1892, 134. (B 118, CO 287, R 383, C 424, U 391.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: From the Isthmus of Panama north through Central America, to northern Mexico, Chihuahua, and southwestern Texas. The Texan Kinefisher, the smallest representative of the Alcedinide found in the United States, is not nearly as well known as the Belted Kingfisher, and its breeding range is confined to a comparatively small portion of western Texas, while even here it appears to be of rather irregular occurrence. It is reported as fairly abundant along a number of the tributaries of the Guadalupe River, in Comal County, also on some of the streams in Bexar and Edwards counties, and thence westward along the various tributaries to the Rio Grande, like Devils River, ete. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States Army, met with it in Kenney County, at Fort Clark, at Strickland’s Springs, and Las Moras Creek, and it seems to be present on nearly every creek or stream whose waters are suffi- ciently clear to enable it to make a living. It is not found regularly along the shores of muddy streams, such as the lower Rio Grande and Nueces rivers and others in southwestern Texas, and its presence seems to depend almost entirely on the clearness of the water. It reaches the northern limits of its range in Texas, as tar as known, in about latitude 30°, but in northern Mexico it ranges at least a degree farther north. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States Army, while on duty with the International Boundary Survey, obtained a specimen at Pajon Bonito, Chihuahua, September 8, 1893, 10 miles southeast of monument 66, close to the Arizona line, which is the most northern record known to me. It appears to be a constant resident in southwestern Texas, and breeds wherever found. ° Its general habits, food, and breeding habits are similar to those of the Belted Kingfisher. Mr. W. Brewster described the first authentic eges of this species taken within our borders, in the “Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club” (Vol. 4, 1879, pp. 79, 80). He says: “This beautiful little Kingfisher was 40 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. found by Mr. W. H. Werner in comparative abundance at several points in Comal County, notably about some of the springs that empty into the Guadalupe River. A set of six egos taken in April, 1878, was authenticated by the capture of both parent birds, the female being caught on the nest. * * * The nesting cavity was in a sand bank near the water’s edge; the eggs were laid on the bare sand, no fish bones or other extraneous material being near. The entrance was not quite 1} inches in diameter, and the hole extended inward from the face of the bank about 34 feet.” * * * The nests of many of these little Kingfishers are yearly destroyed by high water flooding their burrows, caused by heavy rains and cloud-bursts, which are more or less prevalent in southern and western Texas. It is not uncommon on both the Medina and San Antonio rivers, and a nesting site on the last-mentioned stream found by Mr. C. H. Kearny, in the spring of 1892, containing six fresh egos, is described by him as being located in a bank about 15 feet high and about 5 feet above the water level. The nesting chamber, which was slightly larger than the tunnel leading to it, was placed about 2 feet from the mouth of the hole. There was no nest proper, but a few fish bones and scales were scat- tered about the eggs. In the same bank a number of Bank Swallows (Clivicola riparia) had taken up temporary homes, and one of their holes was located within a foot of that of the Kingfishers. They are devoted parents, and these birds will usually allow themselves to be caught rather than forsake their eggs. They generally are five or six in number, and, like the eggs of all Kingfishers, they are pure white in color and unspotted. The shell is close grained, but rather thin, and while some sets are quite glossy, others show little or no luster. They are usually rounded elliptical oval in shape, and not short ovate, like the majority of the eggs of the Belted Kingfisher. The average measurement of fourteen eggs is 24.38 by 18.53 millimetres, or 0.96 by 0.73 inch. The largest egg measures 25.40 by 19.05 millimetres, or 1 by 0.75 inch; the smallest, 23.62 by 18.29 millimetres, or 0.93 by 0.72 inch. The type specimen, No. 20468 (PI. 1, Fig. 4), from a set of five eggs, Ben- dire collection, was taken near New Braunfels, Texas, on March 4, 1879, and represents an average egg of this species. 14. Ceryle torquata (Linyzuvs). RINGED KINGFISHER. Alcedo torquata LINN ®US, Systema Nature, ed. 12, I, 1766, 180. Ceryle torquata Born, Isis, 1828, 316. (B—, C—, R —, C — U [890.1].) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: From southern Argentina north through South and Central America to northeastern Mexico (Nuevo Leon), and casually to the lower Rio Grande - Valley in Texas. ; This handsome Rufous-breasted Kingfisher, the largest found on the Ameri- can continent, has a wide distribution, occurring in suitable localities throughout the greater part of South America, the whole of Central America, and most of THE RINGED KINGFISHER. 4] Mexico. It has only recently been added to our fauna, and it is doubtful if it breeds within our borders. An adult female was shot by Mr. George B. Benners, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 2, 1888, about a mile below Laredo, Texas, on the United States side of the Rio Grande. He says: “It was sitting on some old roots which had been washed up into a heap by the current of the river, and was shot immediately, so I did not see it fly or hear its call.” This specimen is now in possession of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania.’ Although moderately common, and distributed over extensive areas, very little has as yet been published about the life history of this giant among Kingfishers. Dr. Herman Burmeister, in his “Thiere Brasiliens,” 1856 (Vol. I, p- 415), says: “This is the largest of the American Kingfishers, and it is pretty generally distributed over the warmer portions of South America, along the shores of wooded streams, where it sits on limbs overhanging water, watching for fish, which constitute its principal food. It nests in perpendicular banks, occasionally quite a distance from water, in burrows from 5 to 6 feet deep, and lays two white eggs.” Mr. Charles W. Richmond, in his interesting paper on “Birds from Nicaragua and Costa Rica,” makes the following remarks about the species: ‘Very com- mon. ‘This species has a note similar to that of C. aleyon, but somewhat stronger. One morning a pair of these birds went through a very curious performance. Attention was first called to them by their loud, rattling ery, which was kept up almost constantly as they circled and gyrated about over the water, occasionally dropping, not diving, into the water, and sinking below the surface for a moment. This maneuvering lasted some minutes, after which both birds flew upstream, uttering their ordinary note. “Two or three individuals were in the habit of passing the night at some point on the creek back of the ‘L. P. plantation, and came over just about dusk every evening. I noticed them for several months, and was struck with the regularity of their coming and the course taken by each on its way to the roost. The birds could be heard a considerable distance away just before dusk, uttering their loud, single ‘chuck’ at every few beats of the wings. They appeared to come from their feeding grounds, often passing over the plantation opposite, probably to cut off a bend in the river. One of the birds invariably passed close to the corner of the laborers’ quarters, though at a considerable height, and the other near a trumpet tree some distance away. The third bird was only a casual visitor. At times the birds came together, but usually there was an interval of several minutes. Their routes met at a turn of the creek a few rods back of the house, where they usually sounded their rattling notes and dropped down close to the water, which they followed to the roost. This was in a huge spreading tree, covered with parasitic plants and numerous vines, which hung in loops and festoons from the limbs. On one occasion I shot at one of the birds as it came clucking overhead, and caused it to drop several \'The Auk, Vol. XI, 1894, p. 177. A? LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. small fish. A female nearly ready to deposit eggs was shot October 9. The birds made their appearance rather late in the morning, usually after 8 o’clock, and at times spent several hours of the day up there. Although the birds appeared to have their home at this place, I did not, on any of my numerous trips up the creek, discover the site.”* From Mr. Richmond’s observations it would appear as if C. torquata nested at all times of the year. The most northern Mexican record for this species: is, I believe, the one from Rio de las Ramos, State of Nuevo Leon, in about latitude 25° 30’. This specimen was obtained by Mr. W. Lloyd, on February 28, 1891, and is now in the collection of the United States Department of Agriculture. I have been unable to find a more accurate desetniton of the eges of this species than the one above given, but, judging from the size of ihe ite they should be considerably larger than those of C. alcyon. Family PICIDAi. Woopprckers. 15. Campephilus principalis (Linnazus) TVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. Picus principalis LINN ZUS, Systema Nature, ed. 10, I, 1758, 113. Campephilus principalis GRAY, List Genera of Birds, 1840, 54. (B 72, C 293, R 359, C 431, U 392.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: South Atlantic and Gulf States; north to the southern portions of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas; west to south- eastern Texas. Formerly north to North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, southern Indiana, Illinois, southern Missouri, and the southern parts of the Indian Territory. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, also called ‘White-billed Woodpecker,” “White-billed Logcock” and ‘* Woodcock,” is the largest representative of this family found in the United States, beimg a resident of the mainland and the numerous islands along the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts and breeding wherever found. In former years its range was much more extended than it is at present; then it penetrated well into the interior, along the shores of the Mississippi nen and its larger tributaries, haying been “apie from White County, Illinois; Franklin County, Indiana, and Franklin County, Tennessee, as well as at other points inland. At present it appears to be fairly abundant in Florida, m portions of southern Mississippi along the Yazoo River, and in the extensive swamps in southern Louisiana. In the first-mentioned State Mr. Arthur T. Wayne obtained not less than thirteen specimens in the month of April, 1893, and about ten more were seen. He says, “A young female taken April 15 was about two weeks from the nest. I never observed it singly, it being always seen in company with two or three others of this species. I was told by old hunters that they breed early im February. The locality where this bird is to be found at all times is in 1 Proceedings of the U. 8. National Museum, Vol. XVI, pp. 510,511. THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 43 what the people call ‘burn-outs.’ These are large tracts of heavy timber which the forest fires have destroyed; and the dead trees harbor beetles, ete. A nest which I examined was dug in a live cypress about 50 feet high.”! Mr. E. A. McIhenny has kindly furnished me with the following notes on this interesting species: ‘In the cypress swamps adjacent to Avery’s Island, Louisiana, these noble birds are still quite common, and here, in their favorite haunts, I have watched them for years. I believe they remain mated for life, for I have observed several pairs of them year in and year out, and can always find them near the spot where they have their nest or winter home, from which place they are hard to drive away, thereby showing a fondness for locality seldom seen in birds of this family. The nest is generally placed in a cypress or tupelo gum tree, one that is partly dead being preferred, and the cavity is excavated in the dead part of the tree. I have never found a nest in wood in which there was sap, or in rotten wood. The site for the nest being chosen, the female begins the excavation during the last week in March or the beginning of April, and from eight to fourteen days are spent in finishing it, the female doing all the work, while the male sits around and chips the bark from the neighboring trees. The eggs are deposited as early as April 9, on which date I took a set of three fresh eggs in 1892, and on May 19 I took from the same pair, in the same tree, but in a lower excavation, a set of four eggs in which incubation was considerably advanced. But one brood is reared in a season, and the young remain with the parents until the mating season in the following year. “A typical nest of this bird is one I found on May 2, 1892. It was situated in a partly dead cypress, 41 feet up. The entrance was oval and measures 44 by 5} inches. The excavation was 215 inches deep, and was much larger at the bottom than at the top. It contained three eggs, deposited on about an inch of fine chips. The eggs measured 1.40 by 1.01, 1.38 by 1.02, and 1.37 by 1.02 inches; they are very glossy and quite poimted. When the young are hatched, both parents feed them, often going quite a distance into the open country in search of food. As soon as they leave the woods they mount to a considerable height, their flight being very strong, and, like that of all Woodpeckers, undulating. The only note I have heard these birds give is made while on the wing; it is very shrill, and resembles somewhat the call of the Pileated Woodpecker, but is quite beyond being put on paper; the call of the female does not perceptibly differ from that of the male. They are very silent birds at all times, and during the breeding season I have never heard their ery. They have, however, another mode of calling each other: one bird will alight on a dry limb of some tree and rap on it with its bill so fast and loud that. it sounds like the roll of a snare drum; this it continues to do at short intervals until its mate comes. When in search of food this bird evinces great cleverness. It will alight on a dead limb, and after tapping it a few times with its beak it puts its ear to the wood and listens for the movements of any grub that may be 'The Auk, Vol. X, 1893, p. 338, 44 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. at work there, and after it locates one, the energy it displays in getting at it is remarkable. It braces itself with the stiff feathers of its tail, and in striking a blow uses the body from the legs up to give force to it. The blow it delivers while in this position is very hard, and sounds as if some one was striking on a tree with a hammer. Its food consists of grubs and insects that inhabit decayed wood. In the fall and winter it feeds to some extent on the mast of the live oak, and stores acorns in holes for its winter supply. I have seen them destroy the nests of the gray squirrels to obtain the acorns and nuts they had put by for the winter. They would sit on the top of the nest and with a few strokes of their bill scatter it m every direction.” In a recent interview with Mr. McIlhenny he told me that he found another nest of this species in the early part of May, 1894, containing five young about three days old, whose eyes were still closed. The nesting site was in a dead gray oak, in the main trunk, about 30 feet from the ground, and the cavity was about 3 feet deep; the female was in the hole, and flew out when the tree was struck; the male was not seen. According to Audubon, this bird feeds on grapes, blackberries, and persim- mons. Mr. Maurice Thompson states that it eats ants, and he published a very interesting article on this species under the title of “A Red-headed Family,” which may be found in the ‘“Oologist” (Vol. VI, February, 1889, pp. 22-29), and is well worth reading. The eggs of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker are still quite rare in collections. The Public Museum, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, contains a set of three, presented by the late Capt. B. F. Goss, who wrote to me that they were taken in the Neches River bottom, in Jasper County, Texas, on May 8, 1885. The cavity was about 2 feet deep, situated 40 feet from the ground, and the entrance was large enough to admit the collector's arm. The American Museum of Natural History, in New York, contains a set of four eggs taken on April 10, in the Alatamaha Swamp in Georgia, by the late Dr. 8. W. Wilson. These measure 1.36 by 0.95, 1.34 by 0.98, 1.25 by 0.95, and 1.29 by 0.98 inches. The United States National Museum has five of these eggs. Two were received from Mr. N. Giles, of Wilmington, North Carolina, but no date or locality is given; the remaining three are a set from the Ralph collection, taken in Lafayette County, Florida, on April 19, 1893. One of these eggs contained a large embryo; the other two were addled. The nesting site was excavated in a dead bay tree, 30 feet from the ground, and the cavity was 2 feet deep. The female was shot when the eggs were taken. Mr. W. E. D. Scott makes the following statement: “To-day, March 17, 1887, I found a nest of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and obtained both parent birds and the single young bird which was the occupant of the nest. The cavity was dug in a large cypress tree in the midst of a dense swamp, and was 41 feet from the ground. The opening was oval, being 34 inches wide and 4$ inches high. The same cavity had apparently been used before for a nesting place; it was cylindrical in shape and a little more than 14 inches deep. The THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 45 young bird in the nest was a female, and, though one-third grown, had not yet opened its eyes. he feathers of the first plumage were apparent, beginning to cover the down, and were the same in coloration as those of the adult female ipted"2 Recent observations all tend to show that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is an exceedingly wild and suspicious bird, and as the country becomes more settled it retires from the advance of civilization to the more inaccessible swamps, where it is not so liable to be molested. In such localities it appears to be still reasonably common, as well as on some of the islands off the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The present restriction of its range is probably due more to its wild and suspicious nature than to actual decrease in numbers, as it has but few enemies excepting man, and is well able to protect itself against the others. One of the most notable differences in the nesting habits of this hand- some Woodpecker appears to be the fact that instead of making a round entrance hole, as do the smaller members of this family found in the United States, it prefers one which is oval in shape. The eggs of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker are pure china white in color, close grained, and exceedingly glossy, as if enameled. They vary in shape from an elongate ovate to a cylindrical ovate, and are more pointed than the eggs of most of our Woodpeckers. They appear to me to be readily distinguished from those of the Pileated Woodpecker, some of which are fully as large. From three to five eges are laid to a set, and only one brood is raised in a season. As both sexes among all the better-known species of Woodpeckers assist in incuba- tion, it is probable that the same holds good with this species as well, and this lasts probably from sixteen to eighteen days. The average measurement of thirteen eggs is 34.87 by 25.22 millimetres, or about 1.37 by 0.99 inches. The largest egg measures 36.83 by 26.92 milli- metres, or about 1.45 by 1.06 inches; the smallest, 34.54 by 23.62 millimetres, or about 1.36 by*0.93 inches. The type. specimen, No. 26365 (not figured), from a set of three eg Ralph collection, was taken in Lafayette County, Florida, April 19, 1893. As all Woodpeckers’ eggs are pure white, and as many differ only very slightly in size and shape, but considerably in the degree of glossiness, which could not be accurately shown in the illustrations, I have only figured the eggs of two well-known species, selecting those of the Pileated and Downy Wood- peckers, which show fairly well the extremes in size.” aS S* ' The Auk, Vol. V, 1888, p. 186. 2T had hoped to be able to add the large Imperial Woodpecker, Campephilus imperialis, to our list before this volume went to press. Lieut. Harry C. Benson, Fourth Cavalry, U.S. Army, found it to be com- mon in the pine f rests of the Sierra Madre in northern Sonora, Mexico, in 1887, and shot a specimen within 50 miles of the boundary line; but up to date it has not been observed by either Dr. A. K. Fisher or Mr. W. W. Price, who both collected in the Chiricahua Mountains during the summer of 1894, where it is most likely to be found, 46 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 16. Dryobates villosus (Linnavs). HAIRY WOODPECKER. Picus villosus LINNaUS, Systema Nature, ed. 12, I, 1766, 175. D{ryobates| villosus CABANIS, Museum Heineanum, IV, June 15, 1863, 66. (B 74, part; C 298, part; R 360; C 438, part; U 393.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Hastern North America; north in the southern provinces of the Dominion of Canada to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec, Ontario, and southern Manitoba; south through the United States, excepting the South Atlantic and Gulf States; west to eastern Montana and Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Terri- tory, and eastern Texas. Accidental in England. g range of the Hairy Woodpecker, also known as “Big Sap- sucker” and “Big Guinea Woodpecker,” is coextensive with its geographical range, and it is generally a constant resident wherever found. It is fairly common through the wooded regions of our Northern and Middle States, and in winter is occasionally found in some of the Southern States—Louisiana, for instance. It is a resident in the mountainous portions of North Carolina, while in the lowlands it is replaced by the smaller southern race, Dryobates villosus audubont. It is a hardy bird, and intense cold does not appear to affect it much. As a rule it is rather unsocial, and, unless followed by their young, more than a pair are rarely seen together. It does not live in harmony with smaller species of its own kind, and drives them away, when they encroach on its feeding grounds, being exceedingly greedy in disposition and always hungry. It is partial to timbered river bottoms, the outskirts of forests, and occasionally it makes its home in old orchards and in rather open, cultivated country, inter- spersed here and there with isolated clumps of trees; it is also found in the midst of extended forest regions. The Hairy Woodpecker, like most of its relatives, is an exceedingly beneficial and useful bird, which rids our orchards and forests of innumerable injurious larvee, like those of the Boring Beetles, Buprestide, which burrow in the wood and between the bark and trunk of trees. It never attacks a sound tree. Although commonly known as Sapsucker, this name is very appropriate; it is not in search of sap, but of such grubs as are found only in decaying wood; nevertheless it is exceedingly difficult to make the average farmer believe this, and in winter, when these birds are more often seen about the vicinity of dwell- ings and the neighboring orchards than at other seasons of the year, many are shot under the erroneous belief that they injure the very trees they are doing their best to protect. In central New York, and undoubtedly in other sections as well, where a few decades ago one could see some of the finest apple orchards to be found anywhere, you may look in vain for them now. Nearly every tree The breeding ‘Mr. E. W. Nelson, in his report upon the Natural History Collections made in Alaska in the years 1877-1881, p. 145, records this species as occurring in British Columbia and thence north along the south- eastern coast of Alaska, I have not been able to find any specimens collected by him in the U. S. National Museum collections and simply mention this record. THE HAIRY WOODPECKER. 47 of any size now shows abundant and unmistakable sigus of decay, caused by the increase of the insects which live in them and the decrease of such birds as destroy these pests. In Oneida and Herkimer counties, New York, the top of nearly every black ash tree is dead and the trees are slowly decaying, undoubtedly due to some species of boring beetle; there are not enough Wood- peckers left to check the increase of these pests, and not alone the orchards but quantities of valuable timber are being slowly but surely destroyed by them. The food of the Hairy Woodpecker, besides larvze, consists of various species of small beetles, spiders, flies, ants, and in winter, when such food is scarce, to some extent of seeds and grain, and less often of nuts and acorns. I have seen it cling to fresh hides hung up to dry, picking off small particles of fat and meat, and in summer it occasionally eats a few berries of different kinds. In the fall of the year it can often be seen inspecting old fence posts and telegraph poles, probably on the lookout for cocoons, spider eges, ete. Mr. V. A. Alderson, of Marathon County, Wisconsin, publishes the following interesting statement in the “Oologist” (Vol. VI, July, 1890, p. 147): “Last summer potato | bugs covered every patch of potatoes in Marathon County (being my home county), Wisconsin. One of my friends here found his patch an exception, and therefore took pains to find out the reason, and observed a Hairy Woodpecker making frequent visits to the potato field and going from there to a large pine stub a little distance away. After observing this for about six weeks, he made a visit to the pine stub, and found, on inspection, a large hole in its side, about 15 feet up. He took his ax and cut down the stub, split it open, and found inside over 2 bushels of bugs. All had their heads off and bodies intact. Now, why did the Woodpecker carry the bugs whole to the tree and only bite off and eat the heads, which could have been done in the potato field?” Like all Woodpeckers, it is an expert climber, and moves rapidly up and around trees in short hops; it is equally easy for it to go backward or sidewise, and it is astonishing how readily it can move in any direction. The strong feet and sharp claws enable it to hold firmly to the bark, and the stiff, spiney tail feathers also come in play while it is at work, acting as a support for the body which is well thrown back when a blow is delivered with its powerful chisel- like bill. Although usually rather shy, when busy in search of food one will occasionally allow itself to be very closely approached. I have seen one alight on the trunk of a crab-apple tree within 3 feet of me and deliberately commence searching for larvee, apparently perfectly unconcerned about my presence, and when I moved up a little closer, he simply hopped around on the opposite side of the tree and continued his search; every once in a while, however, his head would appear from behind the tree to see if I was still watching him. He remained fully thirty minutes on the same tree, where he evidently found an abundance of food, and then flew off uttering several loud notes like ‘“huip, huip.” Its ordinary call sounds like “trriii, trriii,” a shrill, rattling note. The tongue of the majority of our Woodpeckers is especially adapted for extracting larvee, ete., from the wood in which they live. The tongue proper is 48 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. rather small, flat, and terminates in a sharp, horny point, which is armed at the sides with a series of bristle-like barbed hooks; the worm-like neck, or the hyoid process to which it is attached, is generally rather long and curves around the back of the skull in a sheath, and this can readily be thrown forward for 2 or 3 inches. A sticky saliva is also secreted, with which the tongue is covered to facilitate the extraction of the food they are in search of. Their sense of hearing must be exceedingly acute, as they appear to readily detect the slightest movement of any insect under the bark or in the solid wood, and they make no mistakes in properly locating it. Their flight is rapid, undulating, usually not very protracted, and they rarely descend to the ground in search of food, where their movements are rather awkward and clumsy. Notwithstanding the amount of labor required for the Hairy and other Wood- peckers to obtain the necessary amount of nourishment, they are usually in good condition, and in winter not unfrequently excessively fat. Our Hairy Woodpecker is one of the earliest of this family to breed. The mating season begins in the latter part of March, and the species is at this time one of the noisiest members of this family. The male, when not in search of food, now seems to occupy himself almost exclusively with drumming on a resonant dead limb, generally situated near the top of some tall tree. The louder the noise produced, the more satisfactory it appears to be to the performer; it seems to be a sort of love note and call to the female, and, as far as I have been able to observe, is only indulged in by the male. In flying from one tree to another a shrill, sharp “huip, huip” is often uttered, and during the mating season both sexes are very demonstrative and utter quite a number of different notes. I believe this species remains paired through life. Nidification begins usually early in April, and it requires about a week to prepare the nesting site. Both sexes take part in this labor, and it is really wonderful how neat and smooth an excavation these birds can make with their chisel-shaped bills in a comparatively short time. The entrance hole is as round as if made with an auger, about 2 inches in diameter, and just large enough to admit the body of the bird; the edges are nicely beveled, the inside is equally smooth, and the cavity is gradually enlarged toward the bottom. The entrance hole, which is not unfrequently placed under a limb for protection from the weather, generally runs in straight through the solid wood for about 3 inches, and then downward from 10 to 18 inches, and some of the finer chips are allowed to remain on the bottom of the cavity in which the eggs are deposited. Both dead and living trees are selected for nesting sites, generally the former. When living trees are chosen, the inner core or heart of the tree is usually more or less decayed. ‘These nesting sites are nearly always selected with such good judgment that such obstacles as hard knots are rarely encountered; should this occur, the site is abandoned and a fresh one selected. After this is completed the male frequently excavates another hole, or even several, in the same tree or in another close by, in which to pass the night or to seek shelter, and to be close to the nest while the female is incubating; these holes are not so deep as the others. A fresh nesting site is THE HAIRY WOODPECKER. 49 generally selected each season, but where suitable trees are scarce the same one may be used for several years in succession, and in such a ease it is usually thoroughly cleaned out and the old chips in the bottom removed and replaced by fresh ones. Beech, ash, poplar, birch, oak, sycamore, haw, and apple trees are mostly used for nesting sites. Mr. D. B. Burrows writes me: “In Marshall County, Illinois, the river bot- toms are subject to overflow during the spring, and high water lasts frequently for two or three months, causing the willows and soft maples to die in great numbers, sometimes leaving belts of dead trees of considerable extent. Among these the Hairy Woodpecker is always to be found. The nesting season com- mences earlier than that of any of the Woodpeckers found in this locality, and seems to be quite regular. From my notes I find the time to secure fresh eggs to be from the 20th to the 24th of April. Here they nest mostly in dead willows, though maple trees from which the bark has fallen off, leaving a smooth trunk, are also frequently used.” In Maine they nest sometimes in dead spruce and fir trees, but deciduous trees seem to be preferred throughout their range. In the New England States and northern New York fresh eggs are usually found during the first week in May, and ordinarily only one brood is raised in a season. In the Adirondacks their holes are often found from 40 to 50 feet from the ground. The duties of incubation are divided between the sexes and last about two weeks. The young when first hatched are repulsive-looking creatures, blind and naked, with enor- mously large heads, and ugly protuberances at the base of the bill, resembling a reptile more than a bird. They are totally helpless for some days, and can not stand; but they soon learn to climb. They are fed by the parents by regurgita- tion of their food, which is the usual way in which the young of most Wood- peckers are fed when first hatched. Later, however, a few species, like the Red-headed Woodpecker and other members of this genus, feed their young in the ordinary manner, carrying the food in their bills. The young remain in the nest about three weeks. When disturbed they utter a low, purring noise, which reminds me somewhat of that made by bees when swarming, and when a little older they utter a soft “puirr, puirr.” Even after leaving the nest they are assiduously cared for by both parents for several weeks, until able to provide for themselves. Should the first set of egos be taken, a second, and sometimes even a third, is laid at intervals of from ten to fourteen days; and if the nesting site has not been destroyed or the entrance hole enlarged (which can readily be avoided by sawing out a sufficiently large piece below the hole, enabling the collector to insert his hand, and replacing this again carefully after taking the egos) they will frequently use it a second time. The number of eggs laid to a set varies from three to five, usually four. I have been informed that sets of six and seven have been taken, but I doubt this. They are mostly oval in shape, sometimes elliptical oval, and occasionally rounded ovate. The shell is very finely granulated, glossy, and semitranslucent when fresh, the yolk being plainly visible then; but as incubation advances it 16896—No, 3—4 50 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. becomes more opaque. Like all Woodpeckers’ eggs, they are pure white and unspotted. The average measurement of twenty-nine specimens in the United States National Museum collection is 23.65 by 17.94 millimetres, or about 0.93 by 0.71 inch. The largest egg of the series measures 25 91 by 18.80 millimetres, or 1.02 by 0.74 inches; the smallest, 20.57 by 16.26 millimetres, or 0.81 by 0.64 inch. The type specimen, No. 24721 (not figured), from a set of five eges, was taken by Dr. William L. Ralph near Holland Patent, Oneida County, New York, on May 5, 1891. 17. Dryobates villosus leucomelas (Boppzarr). NORTHERN HAIRY WOODPECKER. Picus leucomelas BODD ART, Table des Planches Enluminées d’Histoire Naturelle, 1783, 21. Dryobates villosus leucomelas RIDGWAY, Proceedings U.S. National Museum, VIII, 1885, 355. (B 74, part; C 298, part; RB 360a; C 438, part; U 393a.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Northern North America; from about latitude 49° in the eastern parts of the Dominion of Canada north to about latitude 66°, and probably still farther in the interior; west to eastern Alaska; south, in winter only (?), to the northern border of the United States. The breeding range of the Northern Hairy Woodpecker, also known as the “Great White-backed Sapsucker” and ‘‘Phillips’s Woodpecker,” a somewhat larger race, and usually with a greater amount of white in its plumage than the preceding, is probably coextensive with its geographical distribution; it also appears to be resident wherever found. Mr. B. R. Ross, of the Hudson Bay Company, took a male near Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie River, in latitude 62° N., on December 29, 1860, and Mr. McQuesten obtained a female at Fort Reli- ance, on the upper Yukon, in Alaska, in about latitude 66° N., on September 15, 1878; both of these-specimens are now in the United States National Museum. North of latitude 56° it is reported to be rare, and it is not often met with near the coast in Alaska. Prof. Winfrid A. Stearns reports taking a specimen of Dryobates villosus in Labrador on October 28, 1882, exact locality not stated, which is unquestionably referable to this race; but Mr. L. M. Turner, during his sojourn of several years in Ungava, failed to meet with it, and it is probably rare throughout this region. It is reported as a common resident of British Colum- bia, east of the Cascades, and in the Rocky Mountain sections, by Mr. John Fannin. While stationed at Fort Custer, Montana, I took several specimens during the winter of 1884-85, which I referred to Dryobates villosus; one of these skins, a fine male, taken on April 19, 1885, is now in the United States National Museum collection, and this is a perfectly typical example of the northern race. It is therefore possible that it breeds in limited numbers along our northern border, but it may only have been a late straggler. I shot it in a cottonwood grove on the Big Horn River. THE NORTHERN HAIRY WOODPECKER. 51 Its general habits, food, mode of incubation, etc., are probably the same as those of Dryobates villosus. There are no positively identified eggs of this race in the collection; but they undoubtedly resemble those of the preceding species, averaging probably a trifle larger. 18. Dryobates villosus audubonii (Swarson). SOUTHERN HAIRY WOODPECKER. Picus audubontti SWAINSON and RICHARDSON, Fauna Boreali Americana, II, 1831, 306. Dryobates villosus audubonit RIDGWAY, Proceedings U.S. National Museum, VIIT, 1885, 355. (B 74, part; C 298, part; BK 360, part; C 438, part; U 393b.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: South Atlantic and Gulf States; north to North Carolina, southern Tennessee, etc.; west to Louisiana and southeastern Texas. (?) Casual in the Bahamas. The breeding range of the Southern Hairy Woodpecker, a somewhat smaller race than Dryobates villosus, is likewise coextensive with its geographical distribution, it generally being resident wherever found. It reaches the northern limits of its range in North Carolina. The Brimley Brothers write me that it occurs in the vicinity of Raleigh, where it is rather rare, and nests quite early, as young birds were found nearly fully fledged on May 25, 1891. Mr. William Brewster also met with it in the lowlands in Franklin County, North Carolina, and up to an elevation of 4,000 feet at Highlands, in Macon County, while Dr. W. H. Fox reports seeing a few each year in Roane County, Tennessee ; specimens sent by him have been identified at the United States National Museum as referable to this subspecies. The late Mr. C. W. Beckham met with it at Bayou Sara, Louisiana, and Mr. E. A. MclIlhenny found it nesting on May 12,1892, ina cavity of a pin oak, 21 feet from the ground, in New Iberia Parish, Louisiana. Here it frequents the oak timber on high land, and is said to berare. Although not yet reported from southeastern Texas, its range probably extends into this State also. The late Dr. W. C. Avery found it breeding in Alabama, where it is not uncommon, and Dr. William L. Ralph has taken three sets of eggs in Put- nam County, Florida, which are now in the collection of the United States National Museum. Nidification commenced early in April, and several sets of eges found by him during the last week in this month were well advanced in incubation. The cavities were in all cases excavated in cypress trees grow- ing on the edge of swamps, and located from 28 to 45 feet from the ground. The number of eggs to a set were three or four, the first number .being the more common. The general habits, food, etc., of the Southern Hairy Woodpecker are sim- ilar to those of Dryobates villosus, but this subspecies seems to be more fond of fruit and berries, and the young are fed largely on figs. The eggs are scarcely distinguishable from those of the Hairy, excepting that they are a trifle narrower, and all are elliptical ovate in shape. By, LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. The average measurement of nine specimens from the Ralph collection is 23.66 by 17.40 millimetres, or about 0.93 by 0.68 inch. The largest ege measures 24.89 by 17.53 millimetres, or 0.98 by 0.69 inch; the smallest, 22.86 by 17.02 millimetres, or 0.90 by 0.67 inch. The type specimen, No. 24182 (not figured), from a set of three eggs, was taken by Dr. William L. Ralph near San Mateo, Putnam County, Florida, on April 21, 1891. 19. Dryobates villosus harrisii (AupuBoy). HARRIS’S WOODPECKER. Picus harrisiti AUDUBON, Ornithological Biography, V, 1839, 191. Dryobates villosus harristi RIDGEWAY, Proceedings U. 8S. National Museum, VIII, 1885, 355. (B 75, C 298a, R 360d, C 439, U 393c.) a GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Pacific Coast regions; from northern California (Humboldt Bay) north (near the coast only) through Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to southern Alaska (Sitka). Until within the last few years all the Hairy Woodpeckers from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast have been considered as belonging to this subspecies, but recently Mr. William Brewster separated and described a new form in “The Auk” (Vol. V, July, 1888, p. 252), which restricts the range of the present subspecies under consideration very materially. The breeding range of this race, as now considered, is a very limited one, and is probably coextensive with its geographical distribution. It is apparently confined to the immediate vicinity ef the coast, and is not found at any great distance inland. Among the specimens collected by me at Fort Klamath, Oregon (mostly winter birds), there are two which might be called intermedi- ates between this and the more recently separated Dryobates villosus hyloscopus, but the majority are clearly referable to the latter. In the typical Harris’s Woodpecker the under parts are much darker, a smoky brown, in fact; it is also somewhat larger and is very readily distinguishable from the much lighter- colored and somewhat smailer Cabanis’s Woodpecker. It has been taken as far north as Sitka, Alaska, and seems to be a fairly common resident near Puget Sound, Washington, from which locality I recently received a perfectly typical skin taken by Mr. 8S. F. Rathbun on February 14, 1892, here it breeds in the pine and fir forests. Its general habits, food, mode of nesting, ete., are similar to those of the preceding subspecies. Its eggs are probably a little larger than those of Cabanis’s Woodpecker, but as there are no absolutely identified specimens in the United States National Museum collection as yet, I can not give actual measurements. CABANIS’S WOODPECKER. 53 20. Dryobates villosus hyloscopus (Canants). CABANIS’S WOODPECKER. Dryobates hyloscopus CABANIS and HEINE, Museum Heineanum, LY, ii, 1853, 69. (Dryobates villosus) hyloscopus BREWSTER, Auk, V, July, 1888, 252 (in text). (B 75, part; C 298a, part; R 360), part; C 439, part; U 393d.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Western North America; north to Montana, Idaho, and Washington, excepting the coast regions; east to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Moun- tains and adjacent ranges; south through California, Arizona, and New Mexico to northern Mexico and Lower California. Cabanis’s Woodpecker is generally intermediate in size between Dryobates villosus and Dryobates villosus leucomelas, and is distinguishable from the former by its plain black or much less spotted wing coverts and tertials, and from Dryo- bates villosus harrisii by its lighter-colored under parts and somewhat smaller size. I have recently had an opportunity to examine several skins of this sub- species, taken in the vicinity of Fort Sherman, Idaho, by Dr. James C. Merrill, United States Army, which are almost as large as Dryobates villosus leucomelas and fully as large as Dryobates villosus harrisii. It is practically a resident wherever found, and its breeding range is coextensive with its geographical distribution. In winter it is often met with in the valleys adjacent to mountain ranges, to which it retires in summer to breed; but these vertical migrations, if they may be called so, are never very extended. Cabanis’s Woodpecker does not appear to be found north of our border, and has not as yet been reported from any point in the Dominion of Canada, nor does it reach any great distance beyond the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges. Dr. G.S. Agersborg gives it as a common resident of southeastern South Dakota, but I doubt if perfectly typical speci- mens of this race are found east of the Black Hills in this State. It inhabits all the mountain regions of the interior up to altitudes of 10,000 feet, and ocewrs also south of our border in northern Mexico. In southern Arizona it does not appear to breed in the lower valleys, but I have shot several near Tucson in winter, and it merely retires to the neighboring mountains here, where it finds a suitable summer climate during the season of reproduction. Mr. A. W. Anthony observed it in the San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California, at altitudes from 7,000 to 10,000 feet. Mr. Denis Gale found it breeding in Boulder County, Colorado, on May 28, 1886, in a live aspen tree, at an altitude of about 8,500 feet. The nest contained five eggs, in which incubation was somewhat advanced. Mr. William G. Smith also reports it as common in Colorado, coming down into the valleysin winter. He says it is the earliest of the Woodpeckers to breed, that it commences nesting in the latter part of April, and usually excavates its holes in old dead pines, frequently at a considerable distance from the ground, and that he has seen full-grown young by June 1. In California Cabanis’ Woodpecker is common in the mountains, but in the lowlands in the southern parts of this State Mr. F. Stephens considers it a 54 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN -BIRDS. rather rare summer resident. He found it breeding in a cottonwood tree, near San Bernardino, on March 29, 1885. Mr. Lyman Belding took several nests of this subspecies in Calaveras County, in the Sierra Nevadas; in one, found on June 6, 1879, which had been excavated in a dead pine stump, 12 feet from the ground, the eggs, three in number, were on the point of hatching. In his notes he says: ‘‘I scared the female from it and prevented her return by inserting a stick, the end of which protruded for several feet. When she found she could not enter she gave several cries, which brought the male, who hopped up and down the stick a few times, striking it with his bill and screaming angrily, paus- ing occasionally, and apparently deliberating on the best method of extracting it.” Another nest, found by him on July 10, 1880, was located only 3 feet from the ground, and contained young which were still in the nest on the 20th. Mr. Charles A. Allen informs me that along the Sacramento River, in California, it breeds in sycamores and willows, but that it is not common there. I have met with Cabanis’s Woodpecker in most of our Northwestern States, but found it nowhere very common. I took my first nest near Camp Harney, Oregon, on May 29,1875, in a canyon on the southern slopes of the Blue Moun- tains, at an altitude of about 5,000 feet. The cavity was excavated in the main trunk of a nearly dead aspen, about 12 feet from the ground. The entrance hole was about 1% inches in diameter, and the cavity about 9 inches deep. It contained four much incubated eggs. The female was in the hole, and stayed there looking out until I had struck the tree several times with a hatchet, when she flew off and alighted on one of the limbs of the tree, uttering cries of dis- tress, which brought the male, who was still more demonstrative, hopping from limb to limb, squealing and scolding at me and pecking at the limbs on which he perched. At Fort Klamath, Oregon, it was somewhat more common, and here I took several of its nests. It appears to be especially abundant in tracts in which the timber has been killed by fire, and where many of the slowly rotting trunks still remain standing. Such burnings are frequently met with in the mountains, and seem to attract several species of Woodpeckers, presumably on account of the abundance of suitable food to be found. Full sets of eges may be looked for in ordinary seasons during the first ten days in May, and occasionally even earlier, as I found a nest with four young, several days old, on May 21,1883. Inasmuch as this Woodpecker nests rather early, it is pos- sible that two broods are raised in a season. Dead or badly decayed trees are preferred to live ones for nesting purposes, and deciduous trees to conifers; it also nests occasionally in firs and madrone trees. Like the Hairy Woodpecker, Cabanis’s is very noisy, especially in the early spring. It likewise is a great drummer, and utters a variety of notes, some of which sound like ‘‘kick-kick, whitoo, whitoo, whit-whit, wi-wi-wi-wi,” and a hoarse gutteral one, somewhat like ““kheak-kheak” or ‘‘khack-khack.” It is one of our most active Woodpeckers, always busy searching for food, which consists princi- pally of injurious larvee and eggs of insects, varied occasionally with a diet of small berries and seeds, and in winter sometimes of pifion nuts, pine seeds, and CABANIS’S WOODPECKER. 55 acorns. At this season I have often seen this species around slaughter houses, picking up stray bits of meat or fat, and have also seen it pecking at haunches of venison hung up in the open air. It is a rather unsocial bird at all times, and it is rare to see more than a pair together, excepting when still caring for their young to which they appear to be very devoted for some time after these have left their nests. Its nesting habits are entirely similar to those of Dryobates villosus; both sexes share the work in excavating the nesting site, as well as the duty of incu- bation, which lasts about fifteen days. Their holes are usually located from 12 to 18 feet from the ground, and occasionally as low as 3 feet, or again in the dead top of a tall pine, fully 50 feet up, and it breeds earlier than any other Wood- pecker found in the same localities. The number of eggs laid to a set varies from three to six; those of four are by far the most common; sets of five are only occasionally met with, while sets of six are very unusual. Mr. Denis Gale has taken a set of six, and I also found one. The eggs lie on the fine chips left in the bottom of the cavity, and are occasionally well packed into these, so that only about one-half of the egg is visible. They resemble the eggs of Dryobates villosus in color, but those of an elliptical ovate shape are more common than the oval and elliptical ovals, averaging, therefore, more in length, while there is proportionably less difference in their short diameter. The average measurements of forty-four specimens in the United States National Museum collection is 24.95 by 18.49 millimetres, or about 0.98 by 0.73 inch. The largest ege of the series measures 26.16 by 18.80 millimetres, or 1.03 by 0.74 inches; the smallest, 23.37 by 17.78 millimetres,or 0.92 by 0.70 inch. The type specimen, No. 19422 (not figured), from a set of three eggs, Bendire collection, was taken by the writer in the Blue Mountains, near Camp Harney, Oregon, on May 29, 1875. 21. Dryobates pubescens (Linn 2£vs). DOWNY WOODPECKER. Picus pubescens LINN US, Systema Nature, ed. 12, I, 1766, 175. D{ryobates| pubescens CABANIS, Museum Heineanum, IV, June 15, 1865, 62. (B 76, C 299, R 361, C 440, U 394.) GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE: Eastern and northern North America; from Florida and the Gulf States north through the Dominion of Canada, in southern Labrador, to about latitude 55° N.; thence in a northwesterly direction through the Northeast Territory, Keewatin, and the Northwest Territory to northern Alaska, to about latitude 66° N.; west to Mani- toba, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, and eastern Texas. Irregularly to Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and California.