Full text of "The birds of North America; one hundred and nineteen artistic colored plates representing the different species and varieties, drawn and colored from nature. Including a copious text giving a popular account of their habits and characteristics, based on observations made in the field by the most eminent writers on ornithology. Prefaced by a systematic table and index to page, plate and figure. Arranged according to the classification adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union"

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THE

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BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA
ep

REPRESENTING THE DIFFERENT SPECIES
AND VARIETIES

DRAWN AND COLORED FROM NATURE

INCLUDING A COPIOUS TEXT GIVING A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF
THEIR HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS, BASED ON OBSERVATIONS MADE IN THE FIELD
BY THE MOST EMINENT WRITERS ON ORNITHOLOGY

PREFACED BY A SYSTEMATIC TABLE AND INDEX TO PAGE, PLATE AND FIGURE

ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED BY

THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION

JACOB H. STUDER

EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR

NEW-YORK, U.S. A.
PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF
THE NATURAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Me DECC. axay,

GQhis Work ig Dedicated

YO THE UNSEEN PRESENCE OF MY GOOD WIFE

CAROLINE BUSS STUDER

THE BUILDER OF MY HOPES

WHO PASSED FROM OUR VIEW SEPTEMBER SECOND, A. D. 187 I, AGED THIRTY YEARS

AND

TO MY DAUGHTERS

MARY FRANCISCA AND ANNA REGINA

SHS SWEET COMFANiONS CF MY LABO!’s

WHO DIED RESPECTIVELY APRIL SECOND AND EIGHTH, A.D. 1876, AGED ELEVEN AND THIRTEEN YEARS

“Dovel and comely tt their lite, eben in veath thep Were not Dibided.”"—1 KINGS: 1, 23.

“ Hanibus dato lilta plenis."=- VIRGIL.

JACOB H. STUDER

pe
66 |
$43

1895 |

“SYSTEMATIC TABLE OF THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA

ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED BY

THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS UNION

AND INCLUDING ALL THE ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE
UNION’S “CHECK-LIST” IN 1886. :

PREPARED BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN, ASS’T. ORNITHOLOGIST

AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, NEW YORK CITY.

ORDER PYWGOR Oils. a NeLN Geb Reps:

| a eG
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Nios S 4
oad, “Grebes sei scnes. - 4Echmophorus...... OCCIGeMtalicusny Wwestert:Ghebe... seas I 160} 106] 7
Wolltyamus.. fo ecseenie holbeellii, ...... Holbcell’s Grebe. ........ 2 | 160] 106] 6
SUITS Cater yc lanel omiedeGke bG, carua velar ae 2. | 150] 166) 2
miswieollisen v4 ar californicus......./American Eared Grebe...| 4 | 160) 106) 5
dominicus....... Ste Womincor Grebe. ann 5 159] 106) 3
ROGiliyimbUS 5 Wes 4 podicepsi.. =): Pied-billed Grebe...... 6 | 160) 106] 4
Wiitatorids. Ioons. 4 iictaaes te WOIVEATOI NS hares ne 8 TRACI G\e) A cRaeee WA EARS WO Orit: We Sb ye ah ae 7 14) 14] I
Cat STO, 0.) tne: Yellow-billed Loon...... 8 | 160} 106] 9
ARGUIGIUSM | Sepa tee Black-throated Loon.....| 9 160] 1O6|10
DACILCMSUNEN Aves pf BaGiict OO. 26. eee | IO | 176) 116) 9
lkoheanoaven i has oie oc Red-throated Loon...... II 128) 83] 4
Pwiciaes. Avulks, Murres, and Puttins|Lunda. ......<.... Can ielneiGat Se seeeeeees Mb wehicrerald eh unon bole twe eae ea eae Ue 12 116] 75] 5
ravercullasey <... shies BEACUICE te Aa e oee JeMUGHINe so dee Goober gee Se te Gt
slacialis.... ..|Earge-pilled Putin: wa. 13% | 163] 108/16
COrnictilatams aaas- eltonstite cles nih ttieee eer ae I4 | 163] 108)17
Gerorimmean an sa: monocerata..... Rhinoceros Auklet....... 15 | 163) 10815
Ptychorhamphus..../aleuticus......... @assiness wulcl etna ees 16 | 139} 93] 8
Cyclorrhynchus..... psiteaeulius ee.) PALO t eaullGhet anna, 17 163} 108/14
Simorhynchus...... Cuistave lls te | Crested Auklet.......... 18 | 163} 108)13
jongeney BOUS. Wiensia gee Whiskered Auklet........ 19 163| 108)12
jHISUNLWSS. Ceo eens LéastuAuklet 2 eee 20 | 162] 107|18
Synthliboramphus..jantiquus ........ Ancient Murrelet.........| 21 163} 1O8|I1
Brachyramphus..... marmoratus. .... Marbled: Murrelet mas ierayeco 139) 93) 7
: Kitt lvezitenee ee ; Kittlitz’s Murrelet........ 24 | 162} 108) 9
hypoleucus. ..... Mantus sViunrelbeteus 1a. 25
GLAVETI e neuae oe Craveri’s Murrelet....... 26 ;
Wao inisan..5 ase en wears Ory ler. : Blacks Guillemotesswen. os 27 | 128) 83) 3
fina cities yes ee Mandt’s Guillemot....... 28
COMME, showy « Pisce on sGuilllenoteac 4. 29 162] 108| 38
[OSCE Is, Arent aaa WI KOWKE pears San GUTS Ae S88 A eit ones 4 cote nips TPs 25 2
californica........ Galitonnia itunes fae en BOF
KOWNOWS ys ote Bae Brunnich’s Murre........ 31 162) 108) 6
Bice, a ee Ralilasioe Witnerees.cencccsttie. SEG
J Kchs Ada Rese ee 8 fonda ln eee ns Razor-billed Auk........ 32, | 94, 65) 3
AUG USHs 8.0, ches TE TMMISI se meeee 4 Grice an NU gO ees, Weenie dele 33 T14) 75) 1
ENGR et tah 4 ineled CANTON y A ees 5 Se Dome te Edo By PAN el, 34 | 163} 108,18
ORDER LONGIPENNES. LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS.
L ; a A.O.U.| a lees
FAMILY. GENUS. ed eC IGE SH SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. NE. iS) < P
By Ay Ha)
Stercorariide. Skuas and Jaegers...\Megalestris......... SULA R eA Fete (eg e SUSDE Bat Merely Aeon ts gee 35
HSIeie COVESNCIELS ap Be oat pomarinus ...... Pomearine: aeger......-. | 36 177|. 116}17
parasiticus....... Pakasitl Gy acoeia eae. 37 162] 108] 4
F longicaudus...... Long-tailed Jaeger...... 38 177| 116)18
Farida, Gulls and Terns.......<. (GeNVieiy peta cureten Amaee PILES coo elon, ae everson Gr tilileens. eae. Geta 20.) | 1b70) saOH ot
| SSE at x Arcee nee titcaGiylann son ee IRGUIG OER A Maes fy ieee E 40 94| 66] I
MOlli@agis!. .. ene. « Racine Kattiwake. so. 4o® | 176] 116|14.
Drevirocunicee. ae Red-legged Kittiwake...] 41
IDFR USR HG A Ca LA EP CHAMCUS ss. waens a asd Glaueous, Gull. 25.5 fee 42 176) I16| 7
DarnOwramus, <4. Point Barrow Gulll,.....- 42hs
EURCOY OETA ey Incelehore, (Cavule ee seer eee 43 176] 116] 6
elancescens), 2-4. Glaucous-winged Gull...| 44 | 176) 116] 5
| oheaubvengvlee marae etimmlite mess Gout e eee 45
MelSOnith ssp cee Nelson? se Ginb lic. se 46
TMAGIMUS tae ys Great Black-backed Gull.| 47 | 113} 74| 3

ORDER LONGIPENNES, LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS.— Continued.

A.O.U.| iB a
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. seen Pe < P
-| 2) 2/8
arid, Gulls and Mernss, 7... 4 TatiG: au. 4 Acme schistisagus..... Slaty-backed Gull....... 48
occidentalis ..... Western Gull 3.4.0 49 | 113| 74| 2
; | eas
AVAGEOUGS Soaps Shor Sipe nics s Grill eel eee 50
argentatus ...... Herring Gull............ SI
smithsonianus....|American Herring Gull..| 51¢ | 80) 54| 2
VEQH sees eee Pallas’ s (Gull fae ieee 52
californicus ..... Calitoriia Gullieaye yee 53 1 | el) TRO) 3
delawarensis .... Ring-billed Gull..... 54 | 176] 116] 4
brachyrhynchus . Short-billed Gull........ 55 | 176) 116/13
CaNUS ......0...- IView. Gulla 8 oe eee eco 56
heermanni....... laleeimaraincier SC WU ot 57
AUPLCUING: PRimse stv. Wau hie: Gatley eee, 58 94, 65] 2
franlelinit (1.85%. [Peabo abbetis AGabbUleen yy veo ede 59 176| 116/12
philadelphia..... Bonaparte s Gull, jae Oo 80} 54) 3
TUNTINLIGUIS em ere a ittle Gilde. 2 Ses Ga, 607s
Rhodostethia....... ROSCA Spoaaie: Secs n ross’s Grille Roto 2 A eeyeoae OI 86| 60} 3
ERIN GUNZ hR ree ie eek SEV orbalbe inn pwns ace Sabie se Gullo ees wee 62 Tan} eae 24
Gelochelidon? jo... NUOtICa sat ols. Gull=billéd Werni.( anes 86| 60
StGhiametii soa. iG were tschegrava...... Caspian Weta - 20. ern 64
veglets- ih a0\2W yee eee ON ell by L-eiehive 4 te, oe eee 65 87| 61] 3
Clemansa weet ye lect Merne® casera 66 | 182] 11Q16
sandvicensis..... ACUMAavac anes ae Ga ow Sel etenmer arn 67
LLUGeA UIs we eee, deine canis “Betis aan 68 eae eho,
LORSUCTE «ayy Nese Rorsrers erie. kien 69 99] 69) 2
Inbtribhrveh ow iwen eer re Coinmion Term. esas 70 12) wh) 53
paradisea...... PRRCLIGH ING GIN! Ww wes hey. wees ieee Vil
dotg alli ween INOseaves hGhi ae meee 72 89] 62] 6
ALCUIULCE Ys ..5, wate ya\Wernelano.! IME game 5 ho: 73 162) 107] 9
Suotauliencesentes wy eas [east ne Riess v<is Stonkenon 74 81) 54) 5
sfulietoOsa | sas SOOrwe liehimes 2 ye tee! 75 23) One
ANZSCHELUS. 0. s,s Bridled: Wernyo.3 Paulos hea al || es 12
Mydtocitelido@n).... -iMStaye so. ess surinamensis..... laelgNetieww. &. elena Te go 68} 4
leucoptera. 1. White-winged Black Tern} 78 | 1609} 112] 2
NUTONE 5) eee ee ee Sstolidusi....\ 222 IN GIGIeh yh ees SUR) ee 3 79 | 176) 116\10
Rhynuchopide:. Skimmers.......:... RinyielWOps...-) ta. .; MNP PA ee pcs ty BlaekuSkimmeraorin 2. ane 80 | 170} I12|10
ORDER TUBINARES. TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS.
A.O.U.| a is i
FAMILY. GENUS. SPBCIES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Ne 2 < =
Ay ay re
Diomedeidz. Albatrosses......... Diomeded.) 2... ATISTAD CHa esses see Black-footed Albatross...| 81 146] 99} I
Sx laine pecs Anges. Wandering Albatross....| 81
allipatirtl Sem tats .peeree Short-tailed Albatross ...| 82 149| 102] I
melanophrys... Spectacled Albatross ...,| 82s
Thalassogeron. .:..|culminatus..... Yellow-nosed Albatross. .; 83 130] 86} I
elgnCeloyes i cik2 eve me eae fuliginosa....... Sooty Albatross: 4320. 4e. 84. 149| 102] 4
Procellariidea. Fulmars and Shear-
WAGE Fey Oe ee ree, Ossiinaod.. 8 ose oMlerabi ers 2 Sie ae Giant sb ulnar, o-... 85. | EUS azaleas
PUM ANTALIS. 2-45 ares lacie Misr. ts ae: JEQUUSGU RIED, | een ee AS aere nc SOF ||| TAG 7akG
IICRODKOP Gat eee ARE Lesser Fulmar . 862
glupischay as. a. Jee vestnc> |tuulkaweh eeu ate ern & 86% | 161] 107} 1
ROGGE SH eaweynre ast: Rodgers Mulmat ic... coch 86¢ | 161} 107| 2
glacialoides..... Slender-billed Fulmar...| 87 | 161] 107] 3
POINTS 3.2 oe. ee te berealiicnemess cine Cory’s Shearwater....... 88
IVA Ot epee eeeary. Greater Shearwater...... 89 | 161] 107] 6
PUI USi es oer Manx Shearwater........| 90 | I61| 107|13
Creato pion mar can Pink-footed Shearwater ..| 9I I61| 107|Lo
ZuUUUGloUOYo) cule oa ee Audubon’s Shearwater... .| 92
SA Vilel ey ee pe eretoerns Black-vented Shearwater.| 93 | I6I| 107\14
Bc itelel anlar sy Sooty Shearwater........| 94 | 161] 107|12
SRISeU Seeder kets Dark-bodied Shearwater .| 95 | 161} 107|I5
fenuinostmsS.e Slender-billed Shearwater] 96 | 161] 107/16
CTMeLCUS: paecnnteens Black-tailed Shearwater..| 97 | 161] 107|11
Fastrelata . ss s sulin hasita tds sc eat Blacked-capped Petrel...| 98 | 162] 107|17
OULU EGE AA Seat aescin tS Reales eetrel ain casas ae 99
MISIMEG 0 pa en oe Pisherns: Petrel, sic tense. 100
MeAUUG Che 2h Sa neeeoie es, Dullwcicieay aes eee Bulwer’s Petrel.... (Tok
SPOR Coton Ewen Ane CAMENSIG: amie a Rintado Retrelc 22... «eats LOZ ho? | Moa eZ
Halocyptena....... microsoma...... Weast Uethcline 25s aueer 103 | 160) 106/15
Procellaria. .. <4; pelagica:: eis he Stormy etvelyte nite 104. | 106] 75) 7
Oceanodroma...... MIDRMeA RBI: Bes alee Fork-tailed Petrel....-.. 105 160] 106/11
leuserhoay my. 4 [eaclis Pethcle. eee, ster 106 | 160} 106|18
macrodactyia ....|Guadaloupe Petrel....... 1064
Me Laiintaes Soper 2 Black Rettell=’ oh eure. 107
homochroa...... 108 | 160| 106|13

PERS Me EAEE Gia Aen noe

ORDER TUBINARES. TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS.— Continued.

p Aioh aes |) tata] 42,
FAMILY, GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. < 4 P
B |
Procellariide. Fulmars and Shear-
TOs stage...) SOA agar WGGanites,, hws asi GCGAIMGUS) Wott s4 WWilsen 6 Pethell: cg. tse 4s 109 162} 107| 8
Gymirodromia,. sate. jenne2i Wks ole shrerae seme White-bellied Petrel. ....|110 | 176) 116) 8
| te} Eevezo\ob go) 00t: an (HVE y oP Aa sete s White-faced Petrel...... III
ORDER STEGANOPODES. TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS.
A. 0. U.| ewig
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. 2 4 RB
| San
Bheetiomiae, Lropic Birds. ....,.|Phaéthon...... «... MaVinOStrisy ssa. Yellow-billed Tropic Bird.|112 83) 57| I
‘ Ssultehe Usa snes Red-billed Tropic Bird.. .|113
SUG SU NGM ES o:5 cine swciee eas ce es Sunilk. Sa eee Ci ATO Sheree tee: Blue-faced Booby........ 114
: Bulag wie ieee SOG Sivarateist es chers ce-sleke ces stesn 115 182| 119] 9
PISCaLOhes ean. Red-footed Booby....... iG: |
' Dassahian. venus ass GreUIDING Ib naw=. Rel osc veered aha 117 98} 69} I
eiimimedcee.. GWIATUCTS 0... sacs eae GACT Och het Lic memeacale’e Eh oleh okey pawn ier 2 ENGIN INT clea parol Bo ase et Set obe 2 118 g2| 64] 2
Phalacrocoracide. Cormorants... |Phalacrocorax...... CARON sdkeas Gate Gopmrotant sla cw 2 alee I1g | 111} 73] 6
ciloplhust: if. .4 Double-crested Cormorant|I20 TA Tez
HOL(G ANUS tents et Florida Cormorant....... 120% | 146} 99} 4
CIGNA tls eae ae White-crested Cormorant.|120% | 182] 119} 6
albociliatus ...... Farallone Cormorant..... 120¢
mexicanus .....- Mexican Cormorant. ....|121 181] IIg} 3
Pentelatise, aes Brandt’s Cormorant. ..../122 146] 99] 2
pelasicusics ie. Pelagic Cormorant: |<... - 123
RODUSE sr. eee ee Violet-green Cormorant. .J123% | 146] 99] 3
resplendens...... Bairces Gormotanitz. 2... 1232
; THT dso ce eeoneene Red-faced Cormorant..../124 | 181] I19Q} 5
cle@anicees . Seeli@ais:. ...0, ds /tcsuie ies RCISCAMUS I «cle t yo2ce erythrorhynchos. American White Pelican .|125 Val aes
fUSCUSH bai am ere layeONi Rad ee] FTCEN ote een G see 126 | 129] 84) I
| californicus...... California Brown Pelican.|127
Fregatide. Man-o’-War Birds..... |B (vert ce) en ae Alla atahu. tena a Man-o’-War Bird........ 128 591 43
ORDER ANSERES. LAMELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS.
é roa] a
_ FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. ice 2 | 8
bled -| abe
Anatidz. Ducks, Geese, and Swans.|/Merganser......... americanus. .... American Merganser ....|129 DAN” 25
SGiratOl semen es |Red-breasted Merganser. |130 95} 66) 5
Kophodytes 1.5. or CWeublettiSe ees. Hooded Merganser'...... 131 84| 57] 3
ENTERS: only ¢ 2 ares Rome ie boschasawad se. -m IVierl Vand ae «= osc atone eset oy 132 NONE
ODSCURA: «2. n0.44, Black Duck. Aene- se bo 133 85} 538] 3
fuilwicwla ete os TKO vse Feat DBC) See aces a Or Aen 134 | 182] IIQ|I5
Sire Pelarmrnss er Gadwallt wn oi etal ewe 135 18] 118|15
penelope: yates += WWilcloie otal. nonce. faniee se 136 | 182| I19|11
ShOIKEICRUNES nh oes ball ciivaiie 2 tenner a eves mo 137 88] 62] I
CrecCale thy wawat s Raroieaiy Neale. ee toreseta ss 138 | 181] 119] 2
Carolinensiss:,... Green-winged Teal ...... 139 88} 62] 2
GISCORSP er meeraiane Blue-winged Teal........ 140 3) #6
Gyanloprenae ash Cinnamon Teal.......... 141 92] 64] I
SS) OFeHLUY Eby Far ae ae Chypeataisssn ht, SINR Es eS See ree 142 75| 52) I
Dailey ane ot ate: AGUC ATL APNE ee, 98 imitated. comet sto. eeeaeee 143 8} 66
TASCA URN IAs oben” «PB SO CMISE wma ee cematen Wicodi Dicks. #406 90s 144 g| sii-2
INC trae con coer" tee iene paUIGUA zie Audet k eeaeten Rufous-crested Duck..... 145
PUVA ate theo s Pen lailenicanan a. [Reevalloverews eee toe: Guat eee 146 46} 341-3
vallisneria......- (CRATIIBIS SCROLL ON bea Aussie 147 89} 63} I
OTN ON Galle Pe yar A nearctica...... o- American Scaup Duck... 148 99] 69} 3
AVGEUSTICOL A teeryae See Lesser Scaup Duck...... 149 95| 66] 7
COMMS A aaah Ring-necked Duck. ..... 150 QI} 63] 7
Glaucionetta. ...... Glance see americana. ...... American Golden-eye....|151 48) 35|1-3
islaniadiGar. ts ate Barrow’s Golden-eye ..../152 T37) suis
Charitonettay Ss... ‘libeolanss, enskean lsqbagbhe lakers tren see renin creed 153 86) 60} 4
(Cliagaredelken ty nate oe hyenas seta (OIG PS GRE Ei: ee ane 154 ail eT
MSthiOMicusns..... histrionicus. .... Harlequin Duck....... ~-/155 94) 65) 5
Camptolaimus.. ... labradorius.. .... Iealsracdon IuGiesssee as 156 182] IIo] 3
IRsehieXenoverciiaty a 6 hey eee Stelle: ae. i.e Steller Houck. fa ee E57 181| 118|18
Arctonetta......... AisGheriig e240. Spectacled Eider........ 158 | 162] 108) 3
SOM ACen isn eons s+ = borealis. .... <1 Cem oR. Vue: oe | eget 159 93} 65) 1
Gresserth. »+s 44. American Eider......... 160
MaMa thon ns Grore RaGHIG RACEH. te, anes 161 182] 11g\14
Sspectaibilisan 41 55 LRG WOYGa! SSIs celery Ae eer 162 | 162) 108) 5
Oidemia....... tea) AuMericaiicivenss gee American Scoter...... ..|163 | 128] 83] 5

ORDER ANSERES. LAMELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS.— Contcnuea.

A.O.U.| gf I i
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No | 2 1a le
Ee
Anatidz. Ducks, Geese, and Swans.|Oidemia........... PUSCA teen Amos boners WiclWVictRSCOtLei sees 164 .
declan creer White-winged Scoter ..../165 94; 65) 4
perspicillata..... SUTIN COLET fatten ee gee 166
rSmatutar,. 6. sare iGlui|o} KG Ke Re ee age Nuddyab ich sts 2 ee 167 * | 128) 983) 2
INONMON xi. nk i aes Gomiinicus: seat WaskedvDuck. ts.;.007 he 168 | 182| 110|12
NEMS. cose ee Salas genmllescants |. BIhWEGOOBE I se Sab poe nas 16845) 162] 108] 2
lnyperborea...... Lesser Snow Goose. ..../1 9 | 177] 116/16
MV ALIS a Bees Greater Snow Goose..... 1697 | 113) 74] 4
POSSI sh. .2e aes Ross’s Snow Goose...... 170
PISA dean Wha ao Cull DMIcOTNS at ee ats che White-fronted Goose. ....|171
Pana belies wa enna Am/’n White-frontedGoose|171¢ | 87} 61| 1
Branta: leat ah eetetseoe GanlaclOnIsis ce arte GanadayGOosee. a aren 172 | 180} 118|11
hutchinsif.....5 2. Einitehins GOoOSeenem rine 172@ | 180] 118]14
occidentalis...... White-cheeked Goose. ..|1724
WOUEOVOUOE AMIR Gonya oe acl linge Oosem a eenns 172¢
Deianinila aya eaeerer: I Bi eSTG OT huh Pe eRe acacia cee 173 127, os si
AVRO OKORNMAS 4, oA os Ae Black Brant... sein eee 174 | 182] 119] 8
leucopsis.....<.. BarhaclesG.oocceny marie vas 181} 118|13
eA ONGLET Gitieves SANE tn canagica........ Eiperor/Goose.... 02.5) 176 | 162] 108] I
Dendrocygna.. .... autumnalis ..... Black-bellied Tree-Duck.|177 | 181] 118/17
Gulla, PN gas oes Ren Fulvous Tree-Duck......|178 | 181] 118/16
NOT x sapere sexes bos eae DSS OND any ne |Whooping Swan ... Piet 7)
columbianus. .... Whistling Swan......... 180 86} 60} I
buccinator....... Drumipeter Swan. se ainst 80| 54] I
ORDER ODONTOGLOSSA. LAMELLIROSTRAL GRALLATORES.
A ; vean| E24 || te
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. icy E ¢ | 3
BE
Rheenicepreridz.« Flamingoes, ....|PhcenicoptemsS....,.\tubers li. 25: American Flamingo. ....|182 97| 68
ORDER HERODIONES. HERONS, STORKS, IBISES, ETC.
A.O.U.| a fa
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Se. z 4/2
m &
Bkyvalcicdze) spoombtllsy. ..s ty. « MeU)ab hn pty So are PRUE cod 5 ate 4 Roseate Spoonbill....... 183 | 126) 82)
ReicdidaeeIbiseS ees ope Settee (SatleRage an Dewees AYROP Ie eee, Wy, AWARE NONE. See Sih a ye no 8 3 184 | 124| 80) 2
eUlohesie a A MR SGatl epylinisiat. sta eee 185 124] 80} 3
Plesadiss .. yarn tna AubumMiMaliS .. cl. c Glossy seis her «0s oes ee 186 YO) NN] i
Suataula v1... White-faced Glossy Ibis../187 169) 112] 9
Ciconiide. Storksand Wood Ibises./Tantalus........... loctiletOmensn aa Wioodelbisu 12... salam 188 591 44
WMiycheriale fears sae: AMEMGAIa VFM te prey thy as iP ort 189
Ardeide. Herons, Bitterns, etc. ../Botaurus........... lentiginosus. .... PSiemicaiie bitte rien. ase 190
Galette eat eae ee Coats yenwetce.. ¥ ae 9 Least Bittern, os. 2 s..9- a LOL
NORE Ny yen ye Ab, Cory’s Least Bittern. ....
pGIAR TL basins. wasn’ occidentalis. .... Great White Heron...... 192 130| 85] 2
AW Gilt Rr ee pecs Viierditcolttenotia.. ae. ee 193
IIMEIHOXOUINS & see oh Great Blue Heron...... 194 124; 80} I
EUOCITE es hs ana oe European Blue Heron... .|195
Coletta era Meee ALUHANS OVC NIU BRE Es rar A TOO | 122| FoI a
Ganaiaisoimc. ae Stiowsy, Letom. teres oars 197 84, 57| 2
TU CSG tas ware Ineddish MM onetiyin s: .. 5 TOS 4) sh7O| ans
frie Oloueaws lan eUUAKCI OIG ey an aa owisiana Eleron.... >... 199 | 127) <2) 3
COStUMGan atest Little Blue Heron. 201 169} 112] 5
WAKeCSCGTISHeEr nL Green Heron. 5... +... aqiZor 8 7A Al
fica alii. enact epee Frazar’s Green Heron... . |201¢
Nic bicOnaee see MVCRIC OT Arc huey AUZSWaNIS 24; wee Bl’k-crowned Night Heron|202 | 126) 82) 2
violaceus. ... Yel.-crowned Night Heron|203 | 127) 82) 4
ORDER PALRUDICOLA (CRANES, RANES* Elie
a Ky Oy, Wh) EI S 5
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SU BSRE OGLE S: ENGLISH NAMES. No. < < R
ms &
Mera ce MOANIES . 18 ;.) Sa obelopeatacac stays GIG Ney Se Ik aoa eee americana....... Whooping Cranes... . 204 cee
canadensis..... Little Brown Crane .. 205 ;
IM Cra Cebil eyey were Samcdnnlli@ranier. ee ees 200 129} 85| I
Aramicce, iGomrlatisig ¢ caus. « 2) sa TAN CABOONUSe Sey An G SPIT REFN ONTOS gros clean tance Le ih oo oe Pa ee 207 | 129) 84| 2
Rallidz. Rails,Gallinules and Coots/Rallus............. clésaits areas 0 mal LRGEORENN NEUE epee entree. co ehong 208 | 179] 118] 9

ORDER PALUDICOLA. CRANES, RAILS, ETC.— Continued.

. fq ie3}
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. |") 2 | & | 8
Rallide. Rails,Gallinules and Coots|Rallus....... ...... beldingin... f+ Belding’s Rail. ........:. 209
ODSGIGEUS yikes were California Clapper Rail ..|210
loneirostHs + 2 \erepitatis: vas. Glin pen Nail <e-nset oes 211 I9| 19] I
STMQUICAINOTS pay ebo Uae Louisiana Clapper Rail. .|211¢
SGOtU Sa Ae nr. eee Scopes Clapper Rare .\2 00
GARIOGUS sen West Indian Clapper Rail.j211¢
virginianus...... Wetconaneal Meveulleearerc wen meyers» O12 Al | 3
lplopevech aeamene pe ene nays OR AANA cine ons aes Sours dG rallce maaan ey 213
(CENeONNME Le wee SS Olle Pee atirat Shear arenes [alee 3 4\1-2
noveboracensis .. WeWOW OA Oh os aceectacte ore 216 Loy) ill
jamaicensis,..... Billewel id Recerca 216 Loz On)
coturniculus. ....|Parallone Rail............ 216% | 169] 112) 4
GOS yo aie gee Ci leo eee eee ComieCraker omaaam\ "asks - ole. 179) 118) 8
IGROUONCTAUIS Mart ete barton HAAMCMATCAN cus oaks Logon KG Bulbaqedle a. alan 218 170] 112\17
Gralllnilay, os: sr vv xe aleataie | wan Florida Gallinule.........|219 58] 42
GSU clne sc eyera sey may eeaeese sii csun alan, Mate an European Coot......... 220
EMME CATIA scr nnvey ANUITE Te Calin COOL se soma ay 221 1A Gy
ORDER LIMICOLAZ. SHORE BIRDS.
. . rh A.0.U.| I FI
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. Z < P
is
Phalaropodide. Phalaropes.. ...../Crymophilus. ...... ROUbee aNUKS Aare Pea edu alano pers suc stn e 222, 87| OI] 4
, ielvallati@ User, serene see Ik@lOPNEUIS 5) coriarse Northern Phalarope...... 223 LEZ ee7 aes
tricOlOi nase Wilson’s Phalarope...... 224 81) 54) 4
Recurvirostride. Avocetsand Stilts|Recurvirostra....... americana. =. .% Aunerican AVOCEE... 20% 5. 225 37), Olas
Felitanentare@OUIS cates hae mexicanus...... Black-necked Stilt ...... 2268 || Shay OLIEG
Scolopacides, Snipes,Sandpipers,etc.|Scolopax........... jAUSBIOOMI AS 5 Hawa European Woodcock ....)227. | 170) 112/16
JPievil@lovesities Ae oe he EUITLO NE acy ona teres American Woodcock ....|228 10] 9|1-2
(Cen RESS LAB aes GallinaSO.. ws. a: - TOPE ait OMI amass she ae 220: |
Gehica tam css ars WialsOi Se otlpertan. s\<ta ac 230 83} 62) 3
Macrorhamphus ..../griseuS..... .... Wowstehie rece seer te 231 Pi?) 736
scolopaceus..... Long-billed Dowitcher . .|232
Micropalama. ...... himantopus. .... Sigillig SEUNG OCs A grant 2235) | 120) Se Saiee
DyaihoNeseiee 9 ret orien coc Gat Sen cuore ove: « VGN ete huss on aren oe 234 Be SANT
(Manibiinayese.. «ston Purple Sandpiper... 4... 235 QI; 63] 9
COMCSIRUN a vee Aleutian Sandpiper...... 236
ptilocnemis. .... Prybilof Sandpiper ...... 237
acuminata...... Sharp -tailed Sandpiper ..|238
Miaetlleatan etn we Pectoral Sandpiper 2... =. 239 76) 52| 3
fUSELEO@ MIS eee White-rumped Sandpiper./240 63] 46] 3
att Glitigas ws stats. Baird’s-Sandpiper. ...... 241 I81I} 119} 1
sabhany net k2veoey ey reer east cand piper came 242 89} 62] 8
damacensis..... Lone=toed Stint., . - 5h. 2425s
aI OVENS aera oes Duiihitiie.©. > a ses arene se 243
ASH As oct, enews Red-backed Sandpiper...|243% | 57| 41| 2
ferruginea....... Curlew Sandpiper........|244 | 177) 116\19
Eurynorhynchus....|pygmeus........ Spoon-bill Sandpiper..... 245
ieuMetesr ern] eee oUsubls Sere eee Semipalmated: A520. ye 246 2 anes
occidentalis. .... Western Sandpiper...... oe | 170 serene
(SalliiGhttsyet tele: rae arematlasss ce ae SanGlerciin cpg = ateeeee ee 248 55| 4o| 2
IUaRSANOYSHI ai) auc ee Occ feGd@dha a isee setae’ MernbledGiocdiwitevs.sbs 249 QI| 63] 6
lapponica. es. . 07 DDALIC GIN aon reetasee Racitic. God Wit scm 250 | 170) 112/14
hemastica....... Hudsonian Godwit....... 251 85} 58] 4
Hist Saeeuiey- feestsre Black-tailed Godwit. ..../252
Iioieanontis,, a6 goecuG 8 SOUT AMIS: Bho oe GreemShank. 20.45.55. 5/253 170] 112/18
melanoleucus.... Greater Yellow-legs. .../254 15} 14! 2
HERI OES 9B am ae at Mellow=lecsncw Gener 255 21) ener
SOMMAISUIS Anke eae Solitany cand pipetias a. 256 S160) 66/57
OCMO PMS! seaery ee Green Sandpipers a... ase 257
Sv Moe Mame ye semipalmata .... AIVGOUUSIE, Sg as Pere MPS 258 62| 46| 2
speculiferus 5 A Western Willet. ........ 258 ¥
ele reractitisn emer) ae: NOUGENONUISS tee lanes en Wandering Mater, -22 =. 259 149] 102] 6
Ieawomeelll ated sae JOM Gao ne Ae TROUT pee, Pangaea oo are 260 161] 106)16
IDC OMIED Ss eos longicanda 2... Bartramian Sandpiper. ..|261 179] 118|10
AVANTE Ar REL, Foor subruficollis. .... Buff-breasted Sandpiper. .)262 89} 62] 7
JEROCUCISN § tare Ree ee Pec macularia. ...... Spotted sand piperersn 263 84| 57| 4
INiopga STAMOS payee tack longirostris . .... Long-billed Curlew...... 264 62| 46) I
hudsonicus. ..... Hudsonian Curlew. ...... 265 61] 45] 3
DORCAS. are ct Eskimo Curlew, «2o.co)-: 266 OI] 45] 2
JOINZEO} OVS A aye, uso \Wdontoel) Syarey le eaeeereciym eater 267
[eA OUAL CIOISHICY eee pane Bristle-thighed Curlew...|268 | 169] 112| 7
Gharadrinde:, Wlovers.. ca002 «s+. AV anaes rnr avec avast UES ees estes eas POT te wie Oe oe re nees 269
Charadrciusis.....5.\squatarola: 5.23. . Black-bellied Plover...... 270 58) 41] 4
AO CAUCE an ye (Golkgkein IPMS, Saas woke Dal

ORDER LIMICOLA. SHORE BIRDS.— Continued.

| ° ls
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. vite 8 S P
‘ < 3 g
@haratinides., WPlovers.st lanes. ks Charadrius. a... 6.3. doOminicuse ...2 52 American Golden Plover.|272 Bt MANS
a! {alles ayers eter Pacific Golden Plover... .|272¢
FRBNIUIS N.S ee MOGHEI Anes. eee eit Ghee tetey sess eepceterree anrese 273 56) 40] 3
semipalmata. ... Semipalmated Plover... .|274 56) 40] 5
niaticila 225 wee Iino TlOVet vende, Seen? 275
GUID Iah a aes nee. Ieittleskaine We lOVvermen mesg. 276
iMOEIROVGES, 0 etc nnses - TPrhovseves Ielkontci dee 5 a a iS 277), 56| 40) 4
CirCUMCcincta,. -.... Belted Piping Plover... 5, 2774
IOS Gop aee eee eee SiN Ave IKON een eta eee 278 149| 102} 3
MOngOla i. a ies Mongolian Plover. ...... 279
| WiAlSOMiacn masses NUNTHUS VOSS IEMONASIER Aes ee oh 280 g2! 63)10
HVOMbatiae 2. sates Mountain Plover iueet... 281 149] 102| 2
Aphrizide. Surf Birdsand Turnstones|Aphriza....... .... Mit eatan. .e4. ba SURO Han By GG ener eet aug le 282 177| 116|20
AUREL EC Meee a ey 5 liter PlLesw ne 4t ree Abr SLOT airs Seer rent ts 283 60} 45] I
melanocephala... Black Turnstone......... 284 89] 62] 9
Hematopodide. Oyster-catchers..|Hamatopus........ Ostia eous isan eve: Ovster-catcheia. ween 285
Daliltatiissen sane American Oyster-catcher.|286 58] 42
IPA ate aya aes sere Frazar’s Oyster-catcher. .|2862
bachiianiiae le. Black Oyster-catcher....|287 | 139] 93) 9
Jacamides, JMCANaS...ce A: S.Gh een VaGamaes “a7, ee wes cad. SpiNOSar cle eee Mexican, Jacaniar..2- se 288
ORDER GALLINA. GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
iAveO, Wa |Pieiey | eel alee
FAMILY. GENUS. SRE GREYS: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. g < 3
iol Ay i
Tetronide. Grouse, Partridges, etc.|Colinus............ virginianus...... EXO OEAWINIIU toa neon S oa 289 23 27.
LOTUS ae os ant Florida Bob-white. .....- 289% | 164} 109) 7
TEXAS oh owe Texan Bob-white ....... 289? | 175] T15] 4
Guibanensisece see Cuban Bob-white........ 289°
ridgwayi........ Masked Bob-white.. .... 291
Oreonnysc. 2 ake: ee: PIGEUS ae ae ce cts: Mountain Partridge..... 292 134| 898-9
plUuMteris = eee Plume dsParthid ees. (2924
Calitpeplat © oer: squamata. 2:5... Scaled Partihidge. 1s 293 164] 109] 9
castanogastris....|Chestnut-bellied Scaled
LPaneurntOlOre sh cham Ono 2932
Gailiiotsnn @cumece eres GalitonuavartnidSea. a. 2904 | 131} 87\5-6
Neel @ lee aac Walley abantitdeic: sey. 294%
gambeli .. Gambel’s Partridge ...... 295 164] 109] 8 |
CyiPOUVex,. af vacgs Sau 6 montezume..... Massena Partridge...... 2096 179] 118] 4
Dendragapus. ...... GPSGURUSH eer. = ue; DuskysGrousencs 22. oss 207 As), BUG)!
fuliginosus. ......|Sooty Grouse..... beets, 1|2O7@ || S79) TESS
richardsomii, ...-: Richardson’s Grouse..... 297 | 179] 118) 6
canadensis...... (Caunaiale: (Gieonisex fab ode - 298 | 142} 96 I
Geevou IbcaUILy Be eee Franklin's Grouse........ 299 4 174) 114.29
BO MaSa se, reo eetteate iegonovel VDI) ABA Arai RiifedsGrouse.,...5 25.) 200) 4 20) eo Nel
ROOMY a 5 A 3 Canada Ruffed Grouse. . .|/300¢
umbelloides ...... Gray Ruffed Grouse...... 3005 | 174] 114:26
Saliiiiianc, eae 'a ene Oregon Ruffed Grouse. ..|300¢ | 143] 96) 4
Mes cee weet IVeSKOuSE oy ee Willow Ptarmigan....... 301 | 143] 96} 2
SVUUES aN nts Settee eae eee ee? Allen’s Ptarmigan. ..... 3014
FUPEStHiS.. gee. 2 an Roce Wetarint eam eres ae 302 164] 109] 6
aS) EON OED ONG U Ae See Rheinhardt’s Ptarmigan. ./302¢
Melsorierss \n eee Nelson’s Ptarmigan...... 3028
atkinensiss «sees Turner’s Ptarmigan...... 302°
GEM Win waa aie Welch’s Ptarmigan ..... 303
OKO eee: White-tailed Ptarmigan. .)304 | 164) 109] 5
Ty mipamiiclis et. ane tic amills wearer Prairie Hen,....-....... 305 81) 55
Guo an os ae NelFesettalnd sleet oy, ess yeey <Sethe i 306
pallidicinctus.... Lesser Prairie Hen....... 207) || 70S | s3
Pediocatess on. phasianellus. .... Sharp-tailed Grouse......|308 | 143] 96) 3
columbianus. ....|Columbian Sharp-tailed
GOUSe mR hl) a ap tea ee 3084 | 174| 114/28
campestris... ....|Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse 3084
@entrocencus. ann urophasianus.... Sage (ROUSE. i. camera. 309° | 179] 118) 7
Phasiamida, ‘Pheasants, -ete:....)....|\ Meleagris. .2.)s.... SANMOOBRO, adn ASML TUISb@ chan eee ey F ifor 310 174) 115) 2
INKEDRNCHTINl ae, rams ise Mexican Turkey.........|310% | 174} 115) !
Cracidz. Curassows and Guans. ../Ortalis,.:........:. Weta syns gee DOL OOR WOU, aah de ohn @haclalaca:ienuwra% beeen Ou 174! 114/27

ORDER: COLUMB/AE, PIGEONS.

AY Os Ua i ef
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Mm |S 12s
Ay fd
Columbidss, Pigeons,..... 5 a MGxonlignactl okey Pete rots PASCH AU Htatak akiras Band-tailed Pigeon...... 312 163} 109] 3
WIOS ESE eel, «sth ge ous Viosca’s Band-tailed Pig’n|312
flavirostris........ Red-billed Pigeon. ...... 313 163] 109] I
leucocephala.... White-crowned Pigeon ..!314 | 122} 78) 2
FGGLOPIStE Sito eetewrys fc migratorius ..... PASSCH OCT aeNe COM ert yrs. - 315 22) “20
AEWAIGMEAl ean. cok INC HOUL Grades Mourning Dove. ... i316 74; 50| 6
LACAN OR As GF Wea VACIONENKOV the aa ACAI AIO ViGrse cetera oly 173, 114|25
(Sy pila. 24. cans AUNTS DONS Ea. seers White-fronted Dove. ....|318
WirehOpelia nl. 5< iui! Ikeyorevoyantevegh Gok Gee White-winged Dove.....|319 | 163) 109 2
Columbigallina. ....)/passerina........ Grounds DOV eines ee. 320. hae T3184
Seance liam, 1s HONCETtrcra yeeede cated [aloe DONA ae Ue ar eerie 321 | 174) 114/31
NGO linyse OL es Pr ses TierulmGcte wasn nate Key West Quail-dove. ..|322 174) 114)30
Starhcehass ois ca. cyanocephala. .. Blue-headed Quail-dove .|323 174i 114/32
ORDER RAPTORES. BIRDS OF PREY.
AO. U.| eo Me
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPE CIES: ENGLISH NAMES. No. 2 4 2
Le en
Cathartide. American Vultures. ..|Pseudogryphus. ....|californianus..... Calitornias Vittiture. swe a: 324 | 168) rit} I
(CARUNE NES) ese Lene PUUUC tat CaSe OD get Sexy PAU CON Reg ei cc BPE = GlOrs}| sia) ees
Gathatistapwen conve. eubtee CCiebasts, bolle Se. |Black Vulture. ... .{326 | 168] 111} 2
Falconide. Vultures, Falcons,

Flaw lsc eae, * OC rg cree noresieel cues lellewatorGlas. 5 een pene rae forficatus . ...... Swallow-tailed Kite. . ..)327 | 144} 98) 1
Eilat sate fare 2 re «32 MERON URS as Rapes ee White-tailed Kite......../328 | 166) 110] 6
GBI lg trae cee eraneitever sone mississippiensis. . Mississippi Kite..... 329 | 166) 110) 4
ROS tila sie ere wise SOctabi lish 22 ssa. vero lac en iGitennuiw saa 330 ©| 166) 110) 5
(CECE. £ a hudsonius....... Marsh awk, sanuess- Eee th | yy ADA I Tosi ge
ARE C Rosle LS ears NAELONG Dee PR ERe On Sharp-shinned Hawk.. ..)332 85; 58) 1

COOMCKIN Ener? Coopersubtaw leew te. 333 | 167| 110/13
atricapillus, <2. American Goshawk...... 334 20] 20
Stratus je. . tw Western Goshawk....... 3344
Parcbtiteg ne suse. unicinctus, ..... veitetst Stee: eevee. te aed lnlanpatsey Isleideag, copaep cnn 335 | 167] 110/12
SWMGCON Sais ye gasses DUESOM rae iad atts European Buzzard....... 330
DOnealicnnet awe Red-tailed Hawk........ 337 Seal BRS
IMGs, Be hws dae Keticdiets'st blanviter seenwcren Sa74
CoNRDTATISEN cae Sees b Western Ieecktailly ae. en. 337?
IKGCREENNUTS Ss we a Stmleueuseisccds pailta a oe 3376
DAV. weanee oe Harlan/smtayie as, 338 167] I1C|1O
IbineRWEOS i oe Red-shouldered Hawk. ../339 | 125] 81] 3
EDSON, Se 50 eee Florida Red-shouldered
Tela Wikcrewermane see. oi 5 3392
elegance. yeti: Red-bellied Hawk....... 339°
abbreviatus. .... Zone-tailed Hawk... .... 340 | 168] IIO|I5
albicaudatus..... White-tailed Hawk...... 341 :
SHVAUITNSOMU,, won Soo Swainson’s Hawk ....... 342 145) 98] 4
latissimus . Broad-winged Hawk. ....|343 85) 58] 2
brachyurus...... Short-tailed Hawk. ...... 344
IG sRiibibiitcaeeee se AvOe Mei. C4 as Mexican Black Hawk.. ../345 .
DNQERAUNA Gan So ndoe be OBE. oe aaesae Mexican Goshawk. ...... 346 168] I10j|17
HANGHE lob oy ORWELONS ANA TAA Ss IeNSOVOU AA Ls ee ah 5 Rough-legged Hawk. .. (347
sancti-johannis..,|American Rough-legged
PANY KA 0 aia nes Rr eS 347% | 126] 81] 4
ferrugineus...... Ferruginous Rough-leg . ./348 168} I11oOj}16
JeNaiUbd elections wheat eees chrysaétos ...... (Gols uyske., hss hower 349 85; 59] I
sUiiesactusmeers s+ 0a: IMEORZIEY, cv Gn aao [akaveDSad dave SS wna oe 350
Eelalitese Gilson. ya ste ak alliipicr laa aurea. Gray, peanlaclews. 2... 351 Tels ons
leucocephalus. .. Teulicle Marcel oee ahr Meera en 352 I I
Hallam aa tne WEDGES en ola 2 Wihite Gyrtalcon. J.20.5.. 353 ZO Eze
rusticolus ....... (Gina: (Gavidielkeole a panos ee 354
ov i0 CUNCON ey Sune eee (Ghar auleoe, 4 eee econ 354%
obsoletus........ Black Gyrtaleon.....sn-- 354?
mexicanus ...... Prairie Falcon Bite Shoe 355 I4I| 95) I
Pere ornus ieee AUSEUNONO 4 heen boews aOR Talib ee 356 ui 6
JOSH CH seein Rater Ecalelsuiial Gone. iaeeees 3502
columbarius.. .. DIR SOMI SIENA Aye, eee alloy 40, 32\/3-4
SU NENAL eh late slV lettin seen eee: eek 57> al 7 lllezie 3
richardsoni...... Richardson’s Merlin...... 269° | L660) nrOl 2
gee tbuhtnen, Oy ae Sead IVRGicliie eee ie mee ea 358s
fusco-ccerulescens Aplomado Falcon....... 280) | L6Ol TIO! ET
ibououumoveuUhes, 54. - European Kestrel........ 35Q%is
sparverius. ..... American Sparrow Hawk.|360 54, 391-2
sparveroides..... Cuban Sparrow Hawk. ../361
JEOINAB OUI <5 6A ree oe CMS URWENY & hore oe Audubon’s Caracara. 362 177| 117| 9
MOTE We eee Guadalupe Caracara, 303
IPEUNCHOMI A ae A nae haliaétus.... sicarolimensisa 2... American Osprey........ 364 16} 16

ORDER RAPTORES.” BIRDS OF PREY.—-Gy77e7.

FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. : o : e
No. < 4 g
SoM MESA TONVIS ks wes + SIX Maw boss wey TeeiMNGOll aay eee American Barn Owl. ..../26 2
Bubonidz. Horned Owls, etc...... ECS TOE. bere ye, Meter ee P aseaane eee American Long-eared Owl 62 is, ee
accipitrinus. .... Slertcared Owl ye 367 | 124) S8ile
SHARC GPR Pee nebulosum ...... BawredsOwl chant trans 368 21| 22
COMI ge scene Florida Barred Owl. ..../368¢ |.
occidentale. .... SPOUced sO 2 certs ae 309) TUN er sia?
SCOvld pe kau. su ncuer CINGEGD., eran Great Gray Owl......7.. evAOle | erat ial v7)
lapponica........ app Owl ae ee a7 OF
INVGhalanay are. ce 4.4 tengmalmi...... richardsoni....... Richardson’s Owl. ......|371 I71| 113] 2
acadica....+.... Acadian Owl. ...... fee.9 (372) | OOM Mol a7
MeSasCOps inn yen. ASLO Th velo west SavecctnOiwlivene nae eae B73 | shea) Senet
ikovetohawonolyen ee 4 ys Florida Screech Owl..... 37.37" )| Wezel
AGE Aauliiers.t. para. Texan Screech Owl, ..../3732 | 167] 110] 8
beindireton se aaeen California Screech Owl. . .|373¢
kennicottil......../Kennicott’s Screech Owl ./3734 | 167| 110| 9
maxwellia....... Rocky Mountain Screech
OR ie ene ate 736
LEICM@PSISh Gy sake Mexican Screech Owl. ..|373/
flammeolus...... Flammulated Screech Owl|374 Au WIS 6)
DUD O's estes Se virginianus...,.... Gresane Inkoinevel (Onl ee 375 5 ill il
subarcticus ...... Western Horned Owl... .|375¢
AR CUGUS Iara gs ere Arctic Horned Owl...... Benes || Mivayp see 1
SHUG ST ANGUIS 4544 Oh ae | Dusky Horned Owl...... 375°
IN MGHES) ashe sees ae fet TIVE LCARN Pe tone ss SIM OMA NOM os Oe ki. 370 1ST e@ a
SUT Eee ee bh oe rere ulula Jakes OMe an nak es 544 Ga By
Cap ATO Cimea era American Hawk Owl ..../377% | 171| 113) 1
SPCOLVUOE.4 4 scateniee ennicullariaas -.55. hyposeeda. sue ourtowine wiles as a... 78 142} 95) 5
TnKORGUGbsN NL ow LE Florida Burrowing Owl . .|378¢
GianiGtciuiny.0 ea enoma... Men Oo NA KONING 6 iota dg Mh ae 279 | 142] Q5| 2
IPO STSUUS lise acueteeree Hoskin’s Pygmy Owl ... .|379¢
iphalaenoides..... Ferruginous Pygmy Owl.|380 | 142) 95] 4
Micrathiienc ) 2 0.5 fidouhe chews een Bae isle *@iwall soles 20. 0. nasi Leet 381 108| 92| 9
ORDER PSITTACI PARROTS, MACAWS, PARQOUETS, ETC.
" ] ; Roheoef ase || he {ie
FAMILY. GENUS. SRE CLES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No 2 < a
ae Vee
Plesiteacida:. §ParkoOts..2. csc. «tcc es (Croratine nce Beek er cee carolinensis, ..>. . CarolinameaTogict: eysae 382 -| 164) 109] 10
’ Rhynchopsitta...... pachyrhyncha. .. Thick-billed Parrot...... 38255
OR Re *COCCY GS ~ CUCKOOS Sake
la. 0.U.| sa Pe
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. Z < =
a &
Cuculids, Cuckoos, Anis; etc, ....\Crotophagas,.. .... AUN ar te eae Se ce ERIDICL. Songer train aaa Oy ee? 383 178| I17|15
sulcirostris ...... Groove-billed Ani. ...... 384
Geococeysg 4:25. californianus ROA C= GUNNER een eseee se see 385 178| 118] 2
GOCCYMUS Fat ates sPOUUOVOIS Aap, aA Se. Mane roverGuckooss.e +6 386 75), Tees a7
imayarciie sei. Maynard’s Cuckoo. ...... 386%
AMIETIC AIS em Yellow-billed Cuckoo.. ..|387 20) 2300
occidentalis...... Western Yellow-billed
Cucko om" sepeewes: 2s «(3874
erythrophthalmus Black-billed Cuckoo. ....|388 175) DES aS
Airocomercs (rotons meee dee ee Wr OMRON ts Jah oc. ayes NOMS, a Aaa ne Coppery-tailed Trogan ..|389 | 143 I17| I
Aldcedinida, Wanehtshers 255.0... We ium. ats) megs BUG. OO. ses Ly 2 var Belted Kingfisher. ..... 390 20| 19] 2
| Capamich apes Texan Kingfisher ....... 391 | 178, 117/14
ORDER PIC]. WOODPECKERS, WRYNECKS, ETC.
A.0.U.| & a a
FAMILY. GENUS. Seb Glas: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Wal 5 s &
Pictde, eV oodpeckersi ye o.o-isaear Game ditiser, eve ISNA ON NS ee ee Ivory-billed Woodpecker.)392 25) 26) 1
Diy obabes st... 6-4 WOU. 25 Aaya Hairy Woodpecker...... 393 18| 18] 2
leucomelas.......|Northern Hairy Wood-
(OSC et. Meade: verses 393%
audubonii.. ....../Southern Hairy Wood-
jaye clas reer ere 20g0d|
ADRZHE CASH Sdn eae oy evo Harris’s Woodpecker... .1393° 931 93) 2

ORDER PIC]. WOODPECKERS, WRYNECKS, ETC.— Continued,
‘ A.0.U.| a 2
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. ie g 4 |B
a fe
Rigid, Woodpeckers. c.kn0. cas. IDRVO DATES. sc 4 ve as PUlbes Ce tenner ance Downy Woodpecker..... 304 7 20 2
SPAITGME TA ence tee « Gairdner’s Woodpecker. .|/394¢ | 131| 87] 4
Ore aulise tovamssr aes Red-cockaded Wood-
[CUE tan Dae eae 395 g5| 66) 5
SCHlanIS:. Watt sen ENC AL ees Texan Woodpecker...... 2005 | lAS le Bie
MUGASH NUS) ee wre. sit St. Lucas Woodpecker. ..|396% | 158) 105 22
vations cis Ohbtppe. Ae weit fac Nuttall’s Woodpecker... .|397 | 158) 105'28
Girl ZOUES iy Mreec rss Arizona Woodpecker... .|398
PNGMOPICUS ia ss scree ls albolarvatus..... White - headed Wood-
WECHOT tats sim epeay enti: 399 | 134) 89) 3
IRIGOIDES abla kn ween EURO NGUIS me pan rey os Arctic Three-toed Wood-
Decker.) So: sAaw as as 400 742 aes sie
americanus... «+5 « American Three - toed
WOGdDeCKEr ywaes apa 401 176} 115,12
alascensis. .seeee|Alaskan Three - toed
Wicedipeeket: tae nemuent: 4014
Sphyrapicus.. . Va USae et aie Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.|402 IO) 893-4
AVUIG MEU Sree erator et iae Red-naped Sapsucker... .|402% | 158} 105/31
GUISE os ed pete Red-breasted Sapsucker. .|403 134] 89] 2
theyoidelse ) 2... Williamson’s Sapsucker..|404 | 158} 105/30
@eopimlasss kaa Pilea tise see Pileated Woodpecker... .|405 7 TS
Melanérpes.. ...<.. erythrocephalus.. Red-headed Woodpecker.'406 2) 2|/3-4
TOMMMEN OLS Wi kes| DAG awe mete eter California Woodpecker...'407 | 135} 90} 6
angustifrons...... Narrow - fronted Wood-
DOGKEt hc ecede uae te (4072
tOnalatuSeucn yeas Lewis’s Woodpecker..... 408 1tO) ae2
- Carolimusy er. sy. Red-bellied Woodpecker.'409 4I| 322-3
DULG OMNS,, tears = eite Golden - fronted Wood-
WE CKEM cies ture sgt ree AIO | 158] 105|27
uropygialis...... Gila Woodpecker........ 4Il 158) 105/29
Colaptes®. 22. . pileuUl Geb ist Steiepee ster earners I elketerrete esteem 412 2 ae
Caley «yeast Se: Red-shafted Flicker..... 403) TEE 73) 3
saturatior.......-|Northwestern Flicker... .|413¢
chrysoides. : 5:44.. GildédwPlickermmasas 0a 414 | 164) 109/11
rufipileus....-7.. Guadalupe: Flicker....... AIS
ORDER MACROCHIRES. GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS, ETC.
lovl «| #
FAMILY. GENUS. SRE CUS: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Nor e = B
; i) a el
Caprimulgide, Goatsuckers, etc..... PAAVEEOSOMMUS: 21s GaKrolimeinsisn se. Chuck-will’s-widow. ....|416 | 106) 72
| VAOKCINCENCUTS BOOS Whip-poor-will.......... Ae) Sipr@vane 72
ALAZ OWES a a tale aes Stephens’ Whip-poor-will./417¢
Phalzenoptilus...... mutta Peter eos Roorawalllies acne nacre 418 | 178] 1L7|II
MIRON nee Abo ne Frosted Poor-will........ 4184
Nyctidromus. ...... AOICOMME AS faa ow igoverraHbr se MABE © Merrill’s Parauque....... 4IQ
Gironcdeilestmen vas virginianus...... Niehtshawlk,.. \. 2. j-stemauy 420), | TO7| Geis:
henryi.... ... . |Western Nighthawk......1420¢ | 157| 105/16
INUUADKONE ss eee a ba oe Cuban Nighthawk. ...... 420?
Semmettiy acs re Sennett’s Nighthawk.’....|420¢
lal y ONO ENOEL SNS vases 5 5 Chapman’s Nighthawk. ..|420¢
WECAISIS. GA oor Texan Nighthawk...... 421 157| 105/15
Nieto podicae GSwiltSats. ls 2 Cyose lOlGESiun sete o GURSASS CR A yey gene Blac eS Wie nary se scetc A422 | 157| 105] 9
(CGPS IU aI) Sarena eee pelaonGeie res iret: (Clonsaohytenys {Shits eaten: 423 118} 76) 7
VENUDCI ED, Shske yen Nit) cH co nNih th. eee 424 | 157| 105|18
WGRO DUS) sents a woe melanoleucus. .. White-throated Swift... .|425 144| 97| 7
Trochilide. Hummingbirds....... [EL WSHESMNE SS costae dUUKER ES Segedawin ola on Rivoli Hummingbird..... 426 | 156] 105] 8
(CONNIE Ahan ein GIETMNEIG Ize sere ape Blue-throated Humming-
ISIS Uoh CRBC e Rin oe -c ot 427
plirvochilussye wa. eth COU Ssren yes Ruby-throated Humming-
[OURO cet ak) Oe MB Bates A428 | 108] 72) 6
PMNESenOVO rnin sgh aes Black-chinned Humming-!
| YDSO. Alero entire! Cotes 429 132), oole4
violajuglum. .... Violet - throated Hum-
VOGIN COIS glen es eictteh ree 4209/7"
BOSE rane Mie eee Costa’s Hummingbird... .|430 143] 97| 3
BNTUOR Jaye Heme aS Anna’s Hummingbird....|431 IIl| 73| 4
DiaiGercnsnaen ts Broad - tailed Humming-;
DARCUAN Sree me get uae = eeu 432 | 147] 100| 6
IKONS 4 Avorho o Unet Floresi’s Hummingbird. . ./4324s
TOMISY «Sats tete| Rufous Hummingbird... .|433 133} 88 7
alent. wes 2.8 Allen’s Hummingbird... .|434 178) 117
Helo isaan ki, et te Heloise’s Hummingbird. . 435 156] 105|/r-2
Calliope ssi. a he Calliope Hummingbird...'436 | 148] I1o1| 8

ORDER MACROCHIRES. GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS, ETC.— Continued,

j ; A Ory) Sein lies) ale
FAMILY. GENUS. Sab Gillis. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH . NAMES. Nee . < 2
Ay Ay ie
Trochilide. Hummingbirds........ A Piecoved on Othe phat yee, INUeeni ete | Neeeencacnt ts” Lucifer Hummingbird... .|437
PAWgAEAVALCLET So Ng NP fuscicaudata..... -|Rieffer’s Hummingbird. . .|438
cerviniventris.... Buff-bellied Hummingbird!439
ASTM Gus. Aver SATE UBL iat Oe. Ge -|Xanthus’s Hummingbird./440 | 156] 10s| 7
PACHVEu ty Re kth APC oe LAMLOBERISS. fiameu ta Broad - billed Humming-
binds.Qa. Sele. | ome 441
ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING. BIRDS.
. A AL Ons) 20 IGE Blas
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No aie.
Pa Ay q
Tyrannide. Tyrant Flycatchers...!Milvulus..... ...... yaa. eseoda: Fork-tailed Flycateher ..'442 I17| 76} 1
TOrMCAGUS Snes. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher .'443 I17| 76) 2
VAS: dos yen tyfAnMus epee e Kingbird..... RAY, Patt 444 38] 31)1-2
dominicensis ... Coca LG Ved OC eae eg AAS 1I7| 74) 4
melancholicus. . \couchit ... 1... Couch’s Kingbird....... |446 | 158] 105 21
VERbICAN (seer. see oie Arkansas Kingbird..... AAT, | wis! 76) 6
VOCIehaiNs:. panel Cassin’s Kingbird. ...... 448 | 158] 105 22
PALATIISS has, aed ache derbianus...... Derby Flycatcher....... |449
Wiytozetetes. 2 on... TORCH SIS 7, etre raeend Giraud’s Flycatcher. ....|450
Myiodynastes....... lnteiventris:... 4.5. Sulphur-belliedFlycatcher|451
Wigan hws’. cx. seas oi cate CCiMIbUS tc... oe. Crested Hiycatchenr aia 452 LSGf ee
mexicanus...... Mexican Crested Fly-
CAtGH CI gs. 4 stoping 453
Tila eds cet wetn ent Arizona Crested Fly-
CAtGHEE jy. nol wea een = Nemes 532
cinerascens. .... Ash-throated Flycatcher.|454 | 158] ros 20
laWwieN Gell wa gin Lawrence’s Flycatcher...|455 | 158] 105 23
OlivasCens mee. « Olivaceous Flycatcher. ...|455¢ |
SAV OMNES: hates 4 elite & phicsibes we aa, PCa beeetivc, ech. Se 456 74| 50] 5
BS ANlihs ou Beau Says Pinoebecwiee s.r 457 | 141| 94| 7
Nish GanGuaen sweet Black eines beers men scun iol» ff TIES GAG 5
Gontapiic eesti Donealisne. ses, Olive-sided Flycatcher.../459 | 117| 76) 3
PpeLuinaxwe ee Coués’s Flycatcher... ... 460 | 154] 1o4|18
ihe Saks a a eyes Wioodukewecs sas unmrline 401 Tain 15 On 3
rchardsonit ss... Western Wood Pewee....|462 154| 104)17
Bmpidonax.. 4.2.24 flaviventris...... Yellow-bellied Flycatcher/463 154] ro4|19
COlbEGrettsy Sloe eey a Baird’s Flycatcher....... 404
cineritius., ...... Stelucas Plycatchets so. 404ois
LAGACIGlSiy ey: Git... Acadian Flycatcher...... 405 154} 104/20
PMSWUSES, Ges esa Bittle st incate Wetec. .e..e 466 154) 104/21
GEEUTILGe NE Beaver Uitcanlieseycatcherms sate 4667 74, Sol 4
PUSS. ov Least Flycatcher........ 67 72| 49/10
hammondi....... Hammond’s Flycatcher. |468 147; 100! 8
- OlbScurus.... cs. Wright’s Flycatcher..... 469 147| Loo) 9
fulvifrons........ Fulvous Flycatcher..... 470
pygmeus........ Buff-breasted Flycatcher .'4707 | 148! 101 3
nyrocephalus.a.85 . 6 iON BILAN SLelsue ey MOP 5 ae MeEXICAMUSE 2.2.5 Vermilion Flycatcher... .'471 133) 88 9
Oraithion ..... ...jimberbe......... Beardless Flycatcher ....\472
ridgwayi.... ....|Ridgway’s Flycatcher. ..|472¢
palemicndas, Warksuc 2: satevs seis «0s TAU AY by 2. eee, AUVIGINGISE A Ps oy -8y RSQ RUS avo mee AAs 473
ORC ORS. orate ares APeStils meses sn ekomed bation eee 474 82, 56) 4
leucolema....... Pallid Horned Lark. ....|474
piatic@lac. asses. Prairie Horned Lark..... 474)
arenicola ........ Desert Horned Mark..... 474¢
eR PAIC sa, ees Texan Horned Lark..... 474d
chrysolema...... Mexican Horned Lark. ..|474e | 178] 117|16°
Lia a rel ewe Ruddy Horned Lark. ....|474/
PIR ORe2 NCE us arp Nemes Streaked Horned Lark. ..|474¢ iE
i i FENCE WRIE Shen assent en IGA Oh Ageomons: hudsonica. ...... American Magpie. ..../475 TES ts
Corvidz. Crows, Jays, Magpies, etc | Roa eae, ae elome helliod Magpie’ ure anne E
Cyanocitta..... Ghistata., wae eaves, Blue Jay........-++-.5.. aT Dal es2i2 4
flOTIMCOlA «4 soe ai. Plotida: lie Jay i. Gin 477°
stelieniy eee SUSIE! [ENE sai at 478 | tom) 71| I
frontalis. ........ Blue-fronted Jay......... 4784 | 156] 105] 2
macrolopha,..... Long-crested Jay....... 4785 | 156} 105) 3
AMMSChEUS, palate ee Black-headed Jay........|478¢
Aphelocoma. ...... lopiclaiges. neha Eons clalicty aes sas a 479 95) 66) 2
woodhousei..... Woodhouse’s Jay........ ASO || U3) GOZ
CaO «6 om California Jay hte Gees beware temenents 481 139} 93) I
hypoleuca., Ws. -=, 4814
SUSIE 5 a ton AMZ OM ECR ed aes ENE ZOINA. Sl feleereta netted tor inte nee 482
insularis ........ Saiitae Crna a avinsnscescahes 1 482%is
DCA MeMGUIGA: 2) teens INibretroyeetany peer Gpcseroe ial, 2) “eM eA pac 483 | 156| 105} 1

11
ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.— Continued.
A.ou) # | Bt a
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. < < 2
A es
Corvide. Crows, Jays, Magpies, cte.|Perisoreus.......... canadensis...... Canada jay: Srrserdtae ot 484 g7| 67] 3
GHGS ire a Ses Rocky Mountain Jay..... 484% | 177] 117| 6
iunoatneclonatcr er ea dy aoe Ailaskcaim iaiyares ok neve =. 484"
nigricapillus...... habradour jay.e.. ++ . . (484°
ODSCURUS tan hee Oregon Jay...--. «+++. 485 178) 118} 1
GOLVUSe dy. e sieve cao corax....)......(Sinuatus. .... ...|Mexican Raven......... 486 96} 67| I
puridicipaliss... 7.05 3% NOthetm KaAVel. nr Ass 486°
cryptoleucus..... White-necked Raven....|487 177| TAs
americanus. ..... American Crowson. bes. 488 96} 67| 2
NOniGanus,.. 6... lord Grows) weer a 4887 | 165] 10917
‘ Mes DGlIN owe veers ees & Galitor mice Grown weet ee 488”
CANUNDNON IES Sate tea Northwest Crow......... 489 165] I10g/15
GSSHLACUS. s lec. Bisth «Cp Gw se. cea eke wee 490 165| 109}16
BA GREOTVUG s .alcrsecare a: columbianus..... Clarke’s Nutcracker....../498 | 165) 109/14
Cyanocephalus. ..../cyanocephalus. .. Pavatopow Nene yer rt ome @ che 492 136] 9O}10
Stmmiger Starlimesn ) canes aa COUMUBINES Re causa vee vuleanicd. .. News Suzy Iakgteu Mnueere fear ta 493
Icteride. Blackbirds, Orioles, etc..|Dolichonyx........ OFYZIVOTUS..). 0; « HO DOMME, as leetys, tere anette 494 47| 34/4-5
silllorbanbceleeehne, Te cy, Western Bobolink....... 4942
MUO Koi man cio (sau geena es We BEET Es. MAM eee (Sion outs eae eee noe ne 495 78 Bee
OSG UhWS. aataeia cs went GOny Diels oie. stte ea: 495¢ | 172| 114] 4
Call@thnus'....4.. «2: OOWOSIAUES hg geese Bronzed Cowbird........ 496
Xanthocephalus ....|xanthocephalus. . Yellow-headed Blackbird./497 fom! vAb ea
PROMISE .ccotssenad eee phOSMIGEUs: es... Red-winged Blackbird. ..|498 44| 33/2-3
long y-ebinitiles ey eee Bahaman Red-wing...... 4984
sonoriensis ..... Sonorannked wines ve. 498?
gubernator...... Bicolored Blackbird...... 499 155} 104/29
TiNGOlOI.. S.A ee. Tricolored Blackbird..... 50, | ator Zeh
SHABUCOKC| 2) 5 peemegrsr nena AeA PUVA Oey Aes, seo. cas Meadowlark............. 501 Pa en
Me xtCamiay. <2. ada. Mexican Meadowlark... .|5014
SPN EGER ws. cu sterens Western Meadowlark..../501% | 155] 104|30
MSE STU Se RY Eo tele 4 ess, TOTES ye tie oes: (ivoupitallvee eee ae Aas et 502
audubomits ,.2.. Audubon’s Oriole......../503 | 164] 10g 12
parisorum....... Scots Oolenn.. seas. 504 | 172] 114] 7
Eucla -, Hooded Oriole.......... 505 | 148| 101] 6
NELSON Meroe cn Slee ace, 4 Arizona Hooded Oriole. .|505¢
SPURIUSH ie. ee. co Orchard Oriole...... 506 gly Se
galipulal, a2. %. . Baltimore Oriole..... 507 12) 122
[CUNO sa Bete Entllioc@kcw@ aio ler a wa aa: 508 136) go} 9
Scolecophagus...... GAKONMUSS ys ses: Rusty Blackbird... + yar 509 78| 52) 6
cyanocephalus. .. Brewer’s Blackbird...... 510 92| 64] 3
Outs caltse. v5. we: (G|UVESYOUU EE nhc Ae urnplie Grackleray cane SII Fig tea|
ESS | Glee ar cle os Floridas'Grackles. 3c. . 28 5114 | 172] 114) 7
PERI KEMUES et Una Bere Bronzed Grackle........- 5114
TIA GHOUMPUS: era, Great-tailed Grackle..... 512 165! Iog|I3
Ie Ole ee tees Boat-tailed Grackle...... 513 Ta hae
Fringillide. Finches, Sparrows, etc.\Coccothraustes. ....|vespertina....... Evening Grosbeak....... 514 | 133] 8811
Ait OAM Ene. bee a.«)s enucleator....... canadensis. ...... RineuGids healer rnace. ear 515 54) 389-10
Peattliaial oss sea ens Kadiak Pine Grosbeak. ..|515¢
Peyaitliliay. tte e esa ete eas GrSsiiliers were es Cassin’s Bullfinch........ 516 | 172) 114} 5
GanpOdacusy.< esc. 3s FOUTS DUNES weet. Jeapejoules aeMna(Clit tae Wyn es. ce 17 69] 48|10
CHMMOMNICUIS. 5 eee California Purple Finch. .|517¢
CASIO® Ge ea eye Cassin’s Purple Finch....|518 | 144] 97| 8
Mmexicanus ,..5.- ARO CAIUS. ua cnenre, LONG ewan Gige a ew meee a: 519 | 108} 101/65
AMMPNUSG 5 se ose Guadalupe House Finch. [520
IL:OB GL os ots eae Ta Cumvin@stiial aes INOINO THRE es erred American Crossbill..... 521 53| 38|/7-8
suriclslam diy. 2. Mexican Crossbill....... 521 128! “O2a2
leweojotencns saws White-winged Crossbill. .|522 79| 531 3
CUCOSUCEC. toh oct griseonucha. .... Aleutian Leucosticte..... 523, | 135] 90| 4
tephrocotis. 4° 1. Gray-crowned Leucosticte|524
iio: ac wee Hepburn’s Leucosticte. ../524¢
PURE ANGE Ns. toa x aay 's Black Leucosticte...... 525
AIStrauliS ay 5 es.ca Brown-capped Leucosticte|526 | 135} 90} 5
ENCE QUIS oe aan ee Pere hornemannii .... Greenland Redpoll...... 527
eacllfpess. a yeilcys: oar Kedpollinns, .... 5272 | 104] 71\10
Lia ath i ote IRTECGy Of) ER et ade ee Par eo 528 69] 49] 2
nko OXOSUGT LA A Ae oo Holbeellsaxedpollt tae. 5284
TOStuata ei...) .5cone GreatemNedpolls .2 . ce. 5284
SCTbOUUSIA aay Raine are ICIS) SST ia heer erate American Goldfinch..... 529 68) 48) 7
ealliaiak., (2: yet Arkansas Goldfinch...... 530 | 130) 86 I
GI ZOMGS sf cgatens soya Arizona Goldfinch....... 5302 | 172] 114] 3
MPCRTEAMUS 5. ove ne Mexican Goldfinch..... BAO%e | ta) Seale
lawheneel, 22.02% Lawrence’s Goldfinch ...|531 We 8725s
tOPAUIS Sy ce se Black-headed Goldfinch. .|532 132| 88] 3
(Oss UICH Aer eee Biiney DISK oe 8 es seagt 2 533 157) 105|12
Piectrophenax... .... LOUD 2NUKS) shear Wrens eae SMOWMAKE: «5 Saye es 534 II| 10} 2
COWMNSENGL 0. <5 Prybilof Snowflake ...... 5342
hyperboreus. .... McKay’s Snowflake...... 535 ;
Calleccusiisss, 125 ale Ae lapponicus ...... Lapland Longspur....... 536 Sol 53! 7

ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.— Continued

' ' AOLWe | ee | oe ae
FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. NG. © < P
a A S
Fringillide. Finches, Sparrows, etc/Calcarius.... ... PICUUS. 0: +, Aa veh _|Smith’s Longspur........ 537 140|. 94] 5
OLMOLSUOUI ASF onto Chestnut-collared Long-
SOMU caren Sepa, Ase ce 538 140| 94} 3
Rhynchophanes ....|mccownli....... McCown’s Longspur...../539 | 140) 94/ 4
Po@eastesiy 1.7: « Tames, ae 540 84| 48! 8
COMM See ears epee 540% | 154] 104}13
Amimodramus: ..n.i\Priceps +54)... Ipswich Sparrow........ 541 172} 114|16
sandwichensis... Sandwich Sparrow....... 542 154) 1O4)15
SENUERMNEy Geen) ech Savanna Sparrow........ 542 taal OG amen) ae
ailenitantonl Gia ye seo 4 Western Savanna Sparrow|542’ | 134) 89 6
bryanti.........../Bryant’s Marsh Sparrow. .|542¢
De LCi Oat een mae Belding’s Marsh Sparrow. |543
IOI RNEUIS a A he ae Large-billed Sparrow....|/544 | 153] 104) 9
- ADEE ANOUISE » teri cc ec St. Lucas sparrows: wn... 544° | 154) Io4\14
DairGiin pieewe snares Baird's Sparrow 223.4. 4. 545 140] 94) I
SAVANINarUte sn a) PaSSeumuus, jy ens Grasshopper Sparrow ...|546 67| 48] 3
perpallidus......./Western Grasshopper
SpanhOwhrese | seat 546% | 154] ro4!10
TENORS ONAL ss org ates Henslow’s Sparrow...... 547. | .175| 115| 6
re G@otnte lem eer Leconte’s Sparrow. ....- 548 | 153] 104] 3
CAUGACULUS mae Sharp-tailed Sparrow... .|549 66, 48) I
IMEIESONOW oh gancha sb Nelson’s Sparrow... _. ./549°
subvirgatus ...... Acadian Sharp-tailed Spar-
BOWER. Abiaee et eos cee 549°
ingenenaboonblem As 5a Seaside Sparrow . an eee 550 70| 49| 4
peninsula........|Scott’s Seaside Sparrow. .|550°
SOT GU bits cule ae eaere.c Texan Seaside Sparrow . .|550°
nigrescens..... ne _|Dusky Seaside Sparrow ../551 169] 112] I
Winondiestes ss. ee grammacus. .. IO RVA Ke SyORROCONS hy yn oe os 552 68] 48| 4
Zonotieliay 2 GWEROIE 5 euaaas Harris's Sparrow... 22..... 553 | 142) 95) 6
leucophrys .....- White-crowned Sparrow .|554 A4Q| 36) 7
intermedia, 22.6 Intermediate Sparrow... .)555 155] 104/27
Gyan Olle ean on « Gambel’s Sparrow. ...... 556 | 1571 105/14
CoOromalvay ceumrsen Golden-crowned Sparrow.|557 | 135} 90} I
allbicollts..7. 8 au. White-throated Sparrow. .|558 49| 30) 6
SiZelllarawe. sates monticola.,...:.. WSS SORNG PONS ois eee oe > 559 66) 48) 2
OGHTACEA near Western Tree Sparrow. ..|559°
Socialism. aaa: ne Chipping Sparrow....... 560 68] 48] 6
} ALI ZONGn arenes ./Western Chipping Spar-
HONE yo che eons Geena & 5604 | 149} IOI|IO
ORUUbKAE WS ow neo Clay-colored Sparrow. ..|561 155) 104|28
Mest eNevala 8 ha Cages Brewer’s Sparrow........|562 155] 104/28
ORISA 2 Berd ones [RGSIIGL Syne eae ee nen 563 70! 40] 3
AU SMACE AL easy esas Western Field Sparrow . .|563¢
WORtMeMIne ee Worthen’s Sparrow...... 564
Biaucensved Sean ve Black-chinned Sparrow ..|565 | 148] 1o1| 7
JUNCORN == - ea: AMNSe TAT cA White-winged Junco..... 566 | 154] Io4|1z
hyemlalis.,......- Slate-colored Junco...... 567 53; 38)5-0
One SOMMon tie hae Operon UMNO: snes anes ce 567@ | 142) 95] 7
Garo lime nsiSrn aye. (CANPOIMIIRY INTC heen Geen 5674
aM CLES revert e-ts Pink-sided Junco........ 568
CAMIGe PS eae eL es Grey-headed Junco...... 569 | 154| 1O4\Ir
CINE e Steen cake OMMIbRN EOI a Soca ATIZOna UNC Onmas ese se 570
GOLSAISe Gere Red-backed Junco....... 5704
band Wve eet ee Bances MUMGOm pais, oe aes, 571
Map ah 5. Tsai Sen eee Guadalupe tinecon sa. 4 a: 572
Amphispiza ..... illite ait ale es ener Black-throated Sparrow..|/573 | 138] 92) 6
ellie eae re: : Bells Sparrow... .. 4... 574 | 147) 100|10
nevadensis. ...... Sage SParOws vcore.) oo: 5742
Reuerca: whe heen aalcostiv alsin) eeu Pine-woods Sparrow..... [575
vere lorie tilde goer Bachman’s Sparrow...... 5752 | 95] 66] 4
MEXICANA. sent « Mexican Sparrow. ...... 577
CASSUMI+ en Neersteper: CagsiniSesparrOwe a, 4 578 | 157} 105|12
M\CANA AIG Pret atte e Rufous-winged Sparrow..|579 | 157} 105|13
TUTE COS. eects eee Rufous-crowned Sparrow.|580 | 147| 100| I
OUCAnCTs pe 4s Ay. Boucard’s Sparrow...... 5804
SCOUGII, Mi eer seer aes SGOtts Sparrowaie. wa qa 5808
Melospizay. 2.28: fasclatassonaeeeone SiGIN/2: Oo) ORUSCOMU We, Moe m6 581 4) 414-5
foulllaceter yore tee Desert Song Sparrow ....|581¢ | 148) I01| 9
montana...,.....|Mountain Song Sparrow. .|5812
heetiacnnii. sas Heermann’sSong Sparrow|581¢ | 153] 104) 2
SamUclisty, = s/s b4.dee Samuel’s Song Sparrow ..|581¢ | 153] 104] I
UOUBUCR Aye te: Rusty Song Sparrow. ....|581¢ | 151] 103/12
iROWHUNET 2. Soy Our Ateearars Sooty Song Sparrow..... 5817 | 141] 94) 9
CiNeGGA Een se Aleutian Song Sparrow . .|582
IRacneXON ah 5 ees Lincoln’s Song Sparrow .|583 | 104) 71/12
georgiana... <t-- Swamp Song Sparrow. ..|584 67| 48] 5
Passerella....... dalam aeace. asks asahe Fox Sparrow..,.... 585 82! 56! 6

tinge

13
ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.— Continued.
‘- A.0.U.| 2 ie e
> FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. NO. “ < 2
a Ie
Fringillidz. Finches, Sparrows, etc.'Passerella.......... unalaschcensis. ..|Townsend’s Sparrow..... 585% | r41| 94|IO
megarhyncha ..../Thick-billed Sparrow... .|585
schistacea........|Slate-colored Sparrow. ../585° | 184] 10426
Siiberiagtas <n. rufivirgata ..... SSA Sie eu OW v-abse sears 586 | 172| 114/14
UU A ore cage ire 3 4 erythrophthalmus GO WILG GF oectrloat teen oy ea 587 83] 56) 8
aUDNES a0 eee weer ky White-eyed Towhee. ....]587% | 172) 114/15
ILC ICEL Se newt PUG EIO WS: A Pe elec Arctic Towhee........ .|588 104} 71/11
IMegalonvxne.. Spurred Dowlleee. ae lis.n 588¢ | 133) 88/12
OieTO MS aren @resonmlowleewen erie: 5887 | 132) 88) 6
consobrinus. ... Guadalupe Towhee...... 589
GAMoOniaitsi veers Green-tailed Towhee ....|590 T40| 94) 2
TMNSGUSh erie pence mesoleucus..,.«..|\Canom Towhees....:.... 591 144} 97/10
epliot opal. . gee a. « Saint leucaswlow Mees. ve 5QI® | 154] 104/32
Grissalig. yaa: Californian Towhee...... 591? | 1e4| 104/31
cUDesitlirsvaey te ete PNDert s dliGwile creme san ae 592 144] 97\II
(CavralinineHitShe yc cay aeons GarnGiieylise neers Garena . Wisccart eck pene Tne 593 31; 28/3-4
superbus.... .. Atizotia. Garcinia sss o 593°
KS OVEWISS TS A, were Saint Lucas Cardinal,.... 593° | 14] 104|22
Pyniniloxta se: «alate 2 SSNOMUGIES) Gaga aoe hkexare@ ardinvcileg ae aera 504 | 154] 104/23
Deckert ae yee. Arizona Pyrrhuloxia..... 594”
ISEACHCNY A ror oen ore e ludoviciana. ... Rose-breasted Grosbeak. .|595 6 5|2-3
melanocephala .. Black-headed Grosbeak. .|596 | I41] 94) 8
(GuUGaNGaaes oie steis io COsistileds weer... BIMeIGrOsbedlco .an 507. | 133| 8310
TASS OmM el erates arent Gvaneduee we ae Indigo Bunting 7.2. se 598 ney Laie
SWIOS ik, a 44 on oe azul Bunting. 2. cre. 5: 599 LS OO?
WSEBICOMO Aye a Varied Bunting. ......,.|600 155] 10424
Poulle eden er esetey Beautiful Bunting. ...... 6004
Ginasies ve scate cm eests Painted Bunting. ........ 601 OF OA 7
Sioverncyoluillet Mag tae MOT Cmts ues Morellet’s Seed-eater... .|602 144] 97, 4
iether tat 08 5 ONC ONO e S oe Craissanlty ae ewe NP aie 603 |
GAMO ese Melodious Grassquit..... 603% |
SyOW Ath, se, Benen any oe Hlesqooverateenne), ~5 a5 6 DiGkeisce eae eM tee ar 604. 82; 56) 2
! . Calamospiza..... ..-/melanocorys.... Bark Bunting: een. ne 605 138] 9210
Hianaicnidzse ~Wanacers:c. cane es: JS WYO on Aaa oo elegantissima. ... Blue-headed Euphonia. . . |606
EVO BUNGET ease Spee ludoviciana .... Louisiana Tanager....... 607 | 132), Ssir8
OUST Guanes Red-headed Tanager... .|607%
erythromelas.... Scarlet sanaetes sown 608 II] 9) 5
te pati@amerery see Iepabie Wanagers oe a5 609 | 144] 97| 6
AU) BY CAD cies GO ee Summer Tanager /,....,. Oro. |) toon 67257
COOPEeriew . hg es|COOper Ss Panaeere |. 6102 | 172} 114) 6
Hirundinide. Swallows........... PAROKOUNEY le ears ee SUDISA ee eve tine, Ruiples Mantis ee ss s .. 611 | 119) 76) 8
cryptoleuca. .... (Cwiloein Wevaatin a, /|Orrees
Petrochelidon...... [CHIME 1 Sew ete Chit Swa low ser, gasses. 612 go| 63) -3
@iteliciomie mt... oe, erythrogaster. .. Barn Swallow .......... 613 | 104) 72! 1
Mate lyse Metamn sy. sat: DEICOLOGN Eee ee Rieck owellowa ye aaa 614 gi| 63| 8
thalassina...... Violet-green Swallow... .|615 11g} 76) 9
Glivicolare af... ..8 USWA, Beem Reyna Bank Swallow.........-. 616 90, 63) 2
Stelgidopteryx. ....|serripennis..... Rough-winged Swallow. .|617 go| 63) 4
Ampelide. Waxwings, LCN Fonte Ampelis. ee oir het garrulus Geert ee ohemian Waxwing ABR 618 LOS) Leo:
| cedrorum. ..... Cedar Waxwing......... 619 81; 56) 1
Phainopepla........ Mitens: a tae elvedlan@ fe plete bie ose core. 620 | 131} 88 1
UigutuliGleees SSJONNURCCCy heey aeons Sree NE AWS tele en wy <2 art te borealis. canna Nontherneohvilven nen? 621 .
ludovicianus .... Loggerhead Shrike...... 622 120| 76|11
excubitorides.....|White-rumped Shrike... .|622¢ | 120) 7610
@ambell 4.0: CalitorniasSiiriless .. s2.. 6222
Ware Omdclasen VarCOGM were ne. eects AINGITCO os 40, oe vee koe altiloquus. ..... barbatulus. ......|Black-whiskered Vireo... |623 151) 103/11
OlliviaceUS) oases Red-eyed Vireo.....2... 624 PI AO aS
flavoviridis..... Yellow-green Vireo..... |625
philadelphicus... Philadelphia Vireo ...... 626 | 175] I15| 9
OMIGAUIS Mire nea Warbling Vireo......... 627 72| 49) 9
swainsoni...... Swainson’s Vireo........ 6274 | 146] 100) 4
flavifrons....... Yellow-throated Vireo. . .|628 ZO) -A@ns
SOlitaniUS. = ae Blue-headed Vireo....... 629 71; 49] 6
alticola........ Mountain Solitary Vireo. .|6297 ‘
GASSiMeey hed 214 (CBHI S A SUEONO hao chon 3 629'
plumbeus Ae. Ae Plumbeous Vireo........ 629° 146 TOO) 5
airicapilliss «sis Black-capped Vireo......|630 | 152] 103/16
noveboracensis . . Wihitesevied) Vireo). ata: 631 71) 49) 7
maynardi AP foe tt Key West Vireo MO ard FS 6314
HONE O Mie eee ey ihutieonoS WGKRXGy. 4 4 hole be 632 152| 103/17
stephensi Pe ele ty Stephens’s Vireo tS Sees: 6324
ellie pare wea. cgaes, le ellseVireol Wo... oe: 633 | 146| 100] 2
pustllus) 5) oee,): [east \ iteOnmeis elena 633@ | 146| 100] 1
. NACHT OBO) ym ye rere Garay, NADHQH Bente cel Naor? 634 | 146} 100) 3
Crenciidaes) Wloney Creepers, . 2... Genthiolan. ete. bahamensis..... Bahama Honey Creeper. .|635 95| 66) 3
Mniotiltidea. Wood-Warblers......|/Mniotilta........... NENG La a SAB Black and White Warbler|636 7 5| 6
RrOtomebarian la... . CHSASLA atc Prothonotary Warbler....|637 | 137) 91| 2
Netcast ee lswainsoni.. gee Swainson’s Warbler...... 638 1oo| 7O}| 8

14
ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING’ BIRDS.— Continued,
FAMILY. GENUS. . SPECIES. SUBSPECIES.. | ° ENGLISH NAMES. :
Mniotiltidea. Wood-Warblers...... Flelmitherus:,<. << .4 vermivorus..... eget esate Worm-eating Warbler.
Helminthophila..... bahia nity 25 o= Bachman’s Warbler......
jOUBOUEISS faces Pers oc Blue-winged Warbler. .
chrysoptera. .... -.cos. . |Golden-winged Warbler...
Kerosene ete Sa: ny Lucy’s. Warbler PU Pe ea,
VANOUMIEES oo. s5e4us : Virginia’s, Warbler ......
ruticapillays<<s.. | Nashville,/Warbler. .....
. Sutturalis...<. 2% .|Calaveras| Warbler ......
CO lAbAMG,. 6 aie 4 eves | Orange-crowned Warbler
a lutescens........ Lutescent \WHBBEIONEIE ve oa,
" peresrinia ss. <+- | Tennessee Warbler .....
Compsothlypis.. ?...jamericana ...... Parula Warbler... ......
. Pepe iautencilloye2) parece te ! Sennett’s Warbler.......
Weta ofea. vnieeres' (oven ahcteVs Hatyre so AB ) Cape May Warbler .....
Ola atc Gala wn ree ara. Olive Warbler...........
SEOUL cle, renee nes « Yellow Warbler.........
MOnCOMas Ee eer Western Yellow Warbler.
SOMO we nae |Sonora Yellow Warbler..
bryanti,....~.--.lcastaneiceps. ~~. Mangrove Warbler
Gerulescens ...2. : Black-throated Blue War-
ves Te ecteae cb sete <a oe ea 5
COLOmMabas ese Mrytle Warbletes. i '.c9, 4
SYOCOUMISXOI gn eae an oe tue ee = Atelti bons WV anblerc sss I
(MACULOSan wes ere os . |Magnolia Warbler....... 2
GacnulGarna ese ee. Cerulean Warbler....... 3
pensylvanica.... Chestnut-sided Warbler.. 1-2
RIPNNVED & sae Ga. 4 Bay-breasted Warbler.... 5
Stdata, tera Senac ake Black-poll Warbler ..... 3
blackburniz..... Blackburnian Warbler... a= A,
Clonnntint Ganges arene vee. Yellow-throated Warbler. 7
ee albilora’... oe ss. Sycamore Warbler.....-. 17
(Si) NCH SMRY ee cate var ely Graces Warbler. 2... es: ii
MeCneScensy ayer so ewe Black-throated Gray War-
- DiSig arse a at aes mt
chrysoparia...... Golden-cheeked Warbler.
MDC ec ee . Black - throated Green
MUA oso Rae 834
townsendi. ..... Townsend’s Warbler.....
occidentalis. .... Fbetimite VWat let... 0.
Henceisnovall Gh aa ae Kirtland’s Warbler......
SAISON, A Be Smee os Pine Warbler. «....3. aes
palmarum...... Pela Wanless senhr os
a Yellow Palm Warbler....
GS COlOIege eee pounced, iilRratrie Warbler. 2,-2.4
Sedu: AAAS. qoreden aurocapillus. .... ve: Ovensbirds....... «. et
=| noveboracensis .. Water, lnigasliy, seater
otabilis.-te ns nmi sa ater Thrush.
frontal ltrs mapas Louisiana Water Thrush.
Geothivpis. .25.5>.. WOVGOONORSED: Be Brk bo Kentucky Warbler....:..
a PUSS NESS We hg ee eaed Connecticut Warbler....
philadelphia. .... Mourning Warbler ......
macgillivrayi.... Macgillivray’s Warbler...
GQUCI VSS re Anco ons Maryland Yellow- throat.
; : Western Yellow-throat .
ve beldinein cn +2: . COC CHESS Sarat Belding’s Yellow- throat..
Ghote eae IA CLSr nee hares Yellow-breasted Chat..
: oneetalleds@ivat mca. I
Syaci cE en ee Tibia car na sceee pa Hooded Warbler. .:...-
: pusillaeeerneree ae eee SNe a
: Pileolate AVA. fe ve I
canadensis...... terri a ene. Canadian Warbler.......
Setophaga........«. CAt Gall age serra American Redstart......
JOWGHEL Wyte ara hie | Painted Redstart........
| jonlow (2H tz haa rae em Red-bellied Redstart...
CarGellimay rs ln. fubrifrons. sa. 4. , Red-faced Warbler .....
PSARGMS. os paces TUDCIS 10-4 3 ceteenet RediWartlet, (es issn
Basileuterus........ Culielyorlice enter Brasher's Warbler. ..4...
esa calc nn eo een eee Beticce ater tote avn
Motacillide, Wagtails.,...-..+.--)lotactila...5.,,, ,.jalbas 2. 252: White Wagtail .........
OGM aT Sin. east Swinhoe’s,Wagtail ......
BIUNVtess son ow al) 4 GLAWVIUS Se eee ean) leucostriatus. ....|Siberian Yellow Wagtail.
PAcit iG hen. pon «Ris pensilvanicus .....}...." Priaiei Gaithg) let faery eee acest 6
PRACENSISer ese Meadow, Iaipite yas 1ceuee
Genvins, aes Red-throated Pipit.......
SPiACWCL sae 2.2. ad DDEASDS SHR ipIL. = rene a ‘
Cinclide. Dippers... .. AA eeiGimolasie, a8 23.5% s. mexicanus..... plik . ..4. Americans Dipper.
Troglodytide. Wrens, Thrashers, etc. Oroscaptesieie fi5 | Momtanus. os svs: at. 2 (\Sagenbhaasher 23.2520.
Manistee y. sd) a polyglottos, .... . Mockinebitds .c<=<= ss5 >

RANO K—-Uwo:

ORDER PASSERES.

FAMILY.

GENUS.

Troglodytide. Wrens, Thrashers,etc.

Certhiide. Creepers

eeece eee e vee eo

Paride. Nuthatches and Tits

Sylviide. Warblers, Kinglets, Gnat-
ATOM ETIS A ev. e oe Rees hbeeas ie tee

Galeoscoptes.. ...
Harporhynchus.....

Campylorhynchus...
SAUPITISTES Salen ae

Catherpes

se 0e eee ee ew ©

MiteOTMOLUS 720. ere

Troglodytes

eee e ee ee
«2 ee eof eo ee 8

eoceoe ©8808 @ @ ©

IPS ilivahoe vale: Saea cad |

Auriparus

eo @eeee eeeoe

Phyllopseustes. ...

ITeReAUUNUTS Pr ae aso

Polioptila

PERCHING BIRDS.— Continued,

A.O.U.| I S
SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No, g < =
au Ay ia
BIGABOIMCMSISy ea. (CATING. Ge Mh, ay Pesto ate 704, Sl = | we
PRUAUIS+ ARs ie df a°x wa 3 Brow GearaSier tcf 705 10g) 72| 8
LGMSITOStHS. Aen SeMMStU 4 4 ayn cy. Long-billed Thrasher... .|706 152| 103) 19
GUPVIFOSUIIS. 44.54 Curve-billed Thrasher. ..|707 I51I| 103) 4
DalmieHin yeas ay Palmer se lnireshier... aes. 7074
bendIrel. ...4.% 4. Bendire’s Thrasher ...... 708 149] 103] 2
GiINerentSiy.- awe Su dEjoreeiee Monee rslakcie aes ye 709 I51} 103| 6
FECIVIVUSS 5 dsaeds Californian Thrasher. .... FLO. | RS TOst 5
leGonte | o.i.ee. Leconte’s Thrasher...... 71 152| 103) 20
Ghissalitcy wemweeseee @rissal Whrasher+........ (712 149} 103] I
brunneicapillus . . (GENRES NAVERES GUL, AR rie Mere eS 713 144, 97) 5
RT ahic Meee tata St. Lucas Cactus Wren ..|714 151| 103} 8
OosSolenws. ....4. RIGGS Wai Th). iets eects 715 FOZ) 7 5
guadeloupensis . . Guadalupe Rock Wren. ..'7:6
mexicanus....... White-throated Wren.. ../717 132| 88) 5
CONSPETSUS, 11.44: Canon ie ny cen te arnae pics
ludovicianus. .... @arolincae VWireth hots ea eee 718 78| 52
WMitaMENSIS. . 02... Blhoricat Wet... a. .o. a. a> 718?
|SVENMANOUSIE A ee 8 ees [Seuvaolesn VWVAten) sews te 719 | 102) FIL ©
spilurus. ..... AN ASOM SN GEMS 2 tee at IO pees LOS a7
iOMBU HONORS LA) ay IByaibia SyAWAMEIOM, Rane e OOn. 719’ | 152] 103) 18
brevicaudus. .... Guadalupe Wren..:..... 720
aed ole asa sue. House Wren..... ...... 721 83| 56) 7
parkmanii........ Parkonaames VW ren 1. uns. es 721% | 152) 102) 22
aztecus. . ...|Western House Wren... ./721?
Inlemalisn, he nur ess Winter Wren,........... 722 | 50; 36 8
PACIICISs 45.2.4. Western Winter Wren. ..|722°
BUIS@GISI, 6h Aras eNlasican Viren. ole 723 152) 102) 21
SSIS AISE go ede Short-billed Marsh Wren.|724 87| 61] 2
DalWStris yee meee Long-billed Marsh Wren.'725 5} 46-7
iMAtIaMieen aie ees IMEawabayore: WWSRET oie ean oe 7250s
HUROBUGIED OS, gy ces BUNS OUCRNNS 56 An fo Brown Creeper Pe tea 720 FOI SS AS
TEP SICENNEN) Aap ws 2 Mexican Creeper........ 7208
carolinensis. .... White-breasted Nuthatch.|727 2 2)5—
aACUIe a tam eee ae see Slender-billed Nuthatch .|727% | 151) 103] 1
Canadensis... .. Red-breasted “Nuthatch. .|728 73; 50
OSM RE ry oR Brown-headed Nuthatch.|729 92; 64
(Dy, Milce leeeyeee ess Pycimy, INEM alte iments wales 730° | 151 103)
bicolor meri nite. ditited Mintino uses. 731 30, 28)
WESEOINIS eg aoe Texan Tufted Titmouse .|7317
atricristatus...... Black-crested Titmouse. .|732 | 152} 103) 15
castaneifrons..... Chestnut-fronted Titmouse|7 327
IVOIMANGUIS ter wennyae lain irmouse yasen sane 733 148) 104] 4
OI SCU Sten ty aes Gray ditimense ee ee 733° i
CINETAGeUSm waeenivshy, itiMOusemnns aceene Wee
wollweberi. ..... Bridled Titmouse........ 734 | 138) 92) 5
abiieaplllmnse saa: @hickadeee. «4 Gees 25 35 42); 32) 4
septentrionalis..../Long-tailed Chickadee. ..|735” | 176} 115) 11
Occidentalisn a2... Oregon Chickadee....... 735° | 152] 103] 14
carolinensis. .... Carolina Chickadee...... ES NANOS 2)
eueAINIS Ae Fee coke Plumbeous Chickadee... .|736¢
meridionalis..... Mexican Chickadee...... 737
SPANIEL sh os see Mountain Chickadee. ...|738 | 134, 80) 5
CHONG s ake see ODESGUUS seen Siberian Chickadee...... 739
hudsonicus...... Hudsonian Chickadee... .|740 72) 53h 5
SEOMEN 1 len eee Kowak Chickadee....... 7409s
MONEE 6 ho ons Chestnut-backed Chicka-
GEG ., Haat ARIAS & rn Se ail 741 102; 7!) 3
MG HG GEMS re eee Californian Chickadee.. ..|741¢
hes Geld aaa ne Waren stl tha Seas able tack 742 134, 89] 7
henshawi........ evil Wire nasties, cay ae a: VA2s
WMVGONONS noe GAA [SSI DOr Sean eee eee 743° | 135) 90, 8
Galifornicus. =. sa. Californian Bush-Tit. .... 743°
CoiUIGl ce Asie e ee ay: Grinda’s Bush-Tit....... 743°
plumbeus Lead-colored Bush-Tit., .|744 137; 92) 3
lloydi. goog Heber Lloyd’s Bush-Tit,......., 744bts
melanotis. ...... Black-eared Bush-Tit....|745
Havice Dou ment iee IESE HIT co wren ine, tees gio aeees 740 138] 92| 4
DoOLealisnee. sane Kennicott’s Willow War-
Dabctine ds Mas us sweet tain cs Es A 174), allt
ARNG GN OY Caoeas od pern ] Golden-crowned Kinglet. ie | a a 5
olivaceus........ Western Golden-crowned
IS SRORSTOEES a See o A 748
Calendula. «246: Ruby-crowned Kinglet...|749 64, 47| 6
ODSCUHUSH a ein. ee DuskyslCinslete ns ce 750
@cenliledycn swe ate on Blue-gray Gnatcatcher...|751 COW 237 uel
pla beatae Plumbeous Gnatcatcher..|752 | 139] 93] 4
californica ...... Black-tailed:Gnatcatcher. |

16
ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.— Continued.
A olu | OS ie
FAMILY. GENUS. SPBETES: SUBSE CLES: ENGLISH NAMES. No. 2 4 RP
Sunlele
Turdide. Thrushes, Stonechats,
JS URULS Oy CORSA <gh On eee a a en NIVeIGESUCS tare ser Meas townsendii...... Townsend's Solitaire. .... Paseo NGA) sarah &
urdus.t. .eee mustelinus ...... NVioodmiinushiier serie Fi TOS e@n2
fMISCESGENS.s.5 ete Wallsoms Malin isiis. acura an 756, 4“) gibi 22
salicicolus = fae. Willow Thrush...... 55 YEO?
BCA as Gin wterseerares Gray-Cheeked Mhrtsh.. ©. 75720!) 7p ese ns
lonelarelbl ko so Biela@ellis sliniriishinysygere a 7574
Wstulatis awn. e 063 Russet-backed Thrush...|758 | 173] 114] 23
SWalmSOnil (..eeie Olive-backed Thrush’....|758¢ | 173] 114] 24
aonalaschicaesa:. 1 Dwarf Hermit Thrush....|759 | 101) 70) 12
Audubon: eek Audubons Hermit Thrush|7592 | 173} 114} 20
pallasic ny eae Ialcimiie vl ritsh ers mentee TESOV WARSI o> BON 1%
USCHE ICY Fire we Macaca ai Red-winged Thrush..... 760
WISP Eas plese ae; so tun ne Mieratonias ea. American Wobinie, asec) 761 97| 67| 4
PLOpiniGuane seeeer Wiestern so bites inane 7614
COMMIS rey svh ep) ot Siwluucasivobiiaesianeees 762 i eal ean
PIGS perocle lila sis Maeve vias Wemeshye>, Maried) Thrush): seein CONS oO
A iCyanecula c.ceeee sen SUCCIGAn aumur oie Red-spotted Bluethroat..|764
Saxicola:e ic! Genee%s GSMaNthew-048 on MHNVINGA tea Re iclis siete. aaa 7. OG a RO Gee 5
Sialia 4. sast< 4 tween SIQISt tit een Bilwebird:kacm eee ee nen 760 OD \ee2a
BW Abbgcr Pinte MER i 4 Aire tlie itd anemia: see 7662
MMe xdCaneasrw 4s Western Bluebird........ 767 ;
Gil; GG Aiea yas eee aes Mountain Bluebird....... 768 LO? ails 2S

16 Pages. L. S. Foster N. ¥..
Electrotyper.

STERLING PRESS,
97 SOUTH FIFTH AVENUE,
NEW. YORK.

Eas Pe

a sa
>S -
gaa $s
: 4 Feit Ge “
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7 pie De ae
OP er BT! I Pe

THe Birps or Norru

AMERICA.

Oyo

Popular History.

mee —0 FR O— an

PLATE I.
The White-headed or Baid Eagle. (/falzaétus leucoccphalus.)

Tuts noble bird being the adopted emblem of our beloved Re-
public, it is first introduced to the kind reader; and he is indeed
fully entitled to a particular notice, as he is the most beautiful
of his tribe in North America.

The Bald Eagle has long been known to naturalists, being corm-
mon to both Continents, and has occasionally been found in very
high northern latitudes, as well as near the borders of the torrid
zone, Chiefly in the vicinity of the sea or on the shores and cliffs
of lakes and large rivers. His food consists chiefly of fish, of
which he seems to be very fond, but he will not refuse, when
driven by hunger, to regale himself on a lamb or young pig; he
will even, ‘‘in hard times,” snatch from a vulture the carrion on
which he is feeding.

The ardor and energy of the Bald Eagle might awaken a full
share of deep interest, were they not associated with so much
robbery and wanton exercise of power, for he habitually despoils
the Osprey or Fish-hawk of his prey. Of the singular manner in
which he does this, Alexander Wilson, in his work on North
American birds, says:

‘«¢ Elevated on a high dead limb of some gigantic tree, that com-
mands a wide view of the neighboring shore and ocean, he seems
calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes
that pursue their busy avocations below—the snow-white Gulls,
slowly winnowing the air; the busy Tringee (Sandpipers) coursing
along the sands; trains of Ducks, streaming over the surface ; silent
and watchful Cranes, intent and wading; clamorous Crows, and
all the winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast
liquid magazine of nature. High over all these hovers one whose
action instantly arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature
of wing and sudden suspension in the air, he knows him to be the
Fish-hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His
eye kindles at the sight, and balancing himself with halfopened
wings on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an
arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention,
the roar of his wings reaching the ear, as it disappears in the deep,
making the surges foam around. At this moment, the eager looks
of the eagle are all ardor, and leveling his neck for flight, he sees
the Fish-hawk once more emerge struggling with his prey and
mounting in the air with screams of exultation. These are the
signals for our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives
chase, and soon gains on the Fish-hawk; each exerts his utmost
to mount above the other, displaying in these rencounters the most
elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unincumbered Eagle
rapidly advances, and is just at the point of reaching his opponent,
when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest exe-
cration, the latter drops his fish; the Eagle, poising himself for a
moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirl-
wind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears
his ill-gotten booty silently to the woods.”

Dr. Franklin is rather severe on this emblem of our National
Union. He says:

‘«For my part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as
the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral
character ; he does not get his living honestly. You may have seen
him perched upon some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for him-
self, he watches for the labors of the Fishing-hawk, and when
that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his
nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle
pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this injustice,
he is never in good case, but like those among men who live by
sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and very often lousy.
Besides, he is a rank coward; the little King-bird, not bigger than
a sparrow, attacks him boldly, and drives him out of the district.
He is, therefore, by no means a proper emblem for the brave and
honest Cincinnati of America, who have driven out all the King-
birds from our country, though exactly fitted for the order of
knights which the French call Chevaliers d’Industrie.”

The Falls of Niagara are one of his favorite haunts, on account
of the fish caught there, and the attraction presented by the nu-
merous remains of squirrels, deer, and other animals, which perish
in attempting to cross the river above the cataract.

The nest of this species is generally fixed on a very large and
lofty tree, often in a swamp or morass, and difficult to ascend. It
is formed of large sticks, sods, earthy rubbish, hay, corn-stalks,
rushes, moss, etc., and contains, in due time, two eggs of about
the size of a goose egg and of a bluish white color. The young
are at first covered with a whitish or cream-colored down and have
light bluish eyes. This cream color changes gradually into a
bluish gray ; as the development of the feathers advances, the light
blue eyes turn by degrees to a dark hazel brown; when full grown,
they are covered wholly with lighter or darker brown feathers, un-
til after the third year, when the white of the head and tail grad-
ually appears; at the end of the fourth year he is perfect and of an
appearance as seen on our plate, his eyes having changed to a
bright straw color.

The Bald Eagle is three feet long, and measures trom tip to tip
of the wing about seven feet. The conformation of the wing is
admirably adapted for the support of so large a bird; it measures
two feet in breadth on the greater quills and sixteen inches on the
lesser; the larger primaries are about twenty inches in length and
upward of one inch in circumference where they enter into the
skin; the broadest secondaries are three inches in breadth across
the vane; the scapulars are very large and broad, spreading from
the back to the wing, to prevent the air from passing through.
Another range of broad flat feathers, from three to ten inches long,
extends from the lower part of the breast to the wing below for the
same purpose, and between these lies a deep triangular cavity ; the
thighs are remarkably thick, strong, and muscular, covered with
long feathers pointing backward. The legs are half covered be-
low the tarsal joint; the soles of the feet are rough and warty.

The male is generally three inches shorter than the female; the
white on the head and tail is duller, and the whole appearance less
formidable ; the brown plumage is lighter, and the bird himself is
less daring than the female, a circumstance common to all birds of

prey:

2 W OODPECKER—NUTHATCH.

PLATE II.

This plate represents a scene which was witnessed by Dr. Jasper,
resting near a patch of woods, between the Scioto river and the
canal, about two miles and a half south of Columbus, Ohio, on
one of his shooting excursions in the month of May.

A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers had a nest in the old stump
of a decayed tree; the entrance to it undoubtedly had been made
by the Yellow Hammer, as the size of it indicated, it being consid-
erably larger than the Red-heads usually make. I had pre-
viously examined this nest; there were four eggs in it at the time.
At first a male Yellow Hammer tried his best to force an entrance,
but was effectually repulsed by the Red-heads. The female Yel-
low Hammer was during this time most indolently sitting on an-
other stump of a broken tree, seeming not to take any interest in
the doings of her mate; but some time after, perhaps pressed by
the necessity of laying her egg, she too took an active part against
the Red-heads, and the united strength of both finally overpowered
them, and they had to abandon their nest and eggs to the Yel-

low Hammers, who, in their turn, after having thrown out the eggs .

of the Red-heads, installed themselves in the nest.
The two Nuthatches which we see in the plate were led only by
curiosity ; they merely wanted to see what the racket was about.

The Gold-winged Woodpecker. (Colaptes auratus.)

Fig. 1, The male. Fig. 2, The female.

Though this species, generally speaking, is migratory, yet they
often remain north during the whole winter. They inhabit the
continent of North America from Hudson’s Bay to Georgia; they
have even been found on the northwest coast of the continent.
They generally arrive at Hudson’s Bay in the middle of April, and
leave in September. The natives there call them Ou-thee-quan-
nor-ow, from the golden color of their shafts, and the lower side
of the wings. This bird has numerous provincial appellations in
the States of the Union, such as ‘‘ High-hole,” from the situation
of its nest, and ‘« Hittucks,” «* Yucker,” ‘* Piut,” «‘ Flicker,” ‘* Yel-
low Hammer,” etc. Most of these names have probably originated
from a fancied resemblance of its notes to the sound of the words ;
for the most common cry of the Gold-winged Woodpecker con-
sists of two notes or syllables, often repeated, which, by the help
of the hearer’s imagination, may seem to resemble any of them.

The Gold-winged Woodpecker builds his nest about the middle
of April, usually in the hollow body or branch of a tree, at con-
siderable height above the ground, but not always, for I found the
nest of one in an apple tree, less than three feet above the ground.
The female lays five.or six white, almost transparent eggs, very
thick at one end and tapering suddenly toward the other; the
young leave the nest early, climbing to the higher branches, where
they are fed by the parents. Their plumage, in its color and mark-
ings, resembles that of the parent birds, with the exception that the
colors are less brilliant, and the dots appear less frequently on the
breasts of the young than on those of the old birds. The food va-
ries according to seasons, and consists of worms, berries, seeds,
Indian corn, etc., and this is perhaps the reason why farmers de-
stroy this bird whenever they have a chance.

Formerly he was classed by many of the ornithologists among
the Cuckoos, which was an absurdity, as he has no resemblance
to them. The tongue is constructed like that of all the Wood-
peckers, and he has no resemblance to the Cuckoo, except that
two of his toes are placed before and two behind; he not only
alights on the branches of a tree, but most frequently on the trunk,
on which he will climb up or down or spirally around it, just as
his fancy may be; when on the ground, he hops; his flesh is in
quite good esteem.

The Red-headed Woodpecker. (JZelanerpes erythrocephalus.)
Fig. 3, The male. Fig. 4, The female.

This bird is more universally known than any other bird in
North America. His plumage, red, white, and black, glossed
with violet, added to his numbers and his peculiar fondness for
hovering along the fences, is so very notorious that almost every-
body is acquainted with him. His food consists chiefly of insects,
of which he destroys a large quantity daily; but he is also very
fond of cherries, pears, sweet apples, and other fruit ;. wherever
there is a tree covered with ripe cherries, you may see him busy
among the branches; in passing an orchard, you may easily know
where ‘to find the earliest and sweetest apples, by observing those
trees on or near which the Red-head is skulking, for he is an ex-
cellent connoisseur of good fruit; when alarmed on such occasions,
he seizes a capital one, by sticking his open bill into it, and bears
it off to the woods. He also likes Indian corn, when in its rich,
succulent, milky state, opening with great eagerness a passage
through the numerous folds of the husk. The girdled, or dead-
ened timber, so common among corn-fields, is his favorite re-
treat, whence he sallies out to make his depredations. He is of
a very gay and frolicsome disposition ; half a dozen are frequently
seen diving and vociferating around the dead high limbs of some
large tree, pursuing and playing with each other, amusing the
passenger with their gambols. ‘The cry of the Red-headed Wood-
pecker is shrill and lively, and resembles very much the cry of the
tree-frog.

Farmers generally hate and destroy him whenever they have a
chance; but whether this is just or not we will leave tothem. It
is stated above that he also destroys thousands and thousands
of destructive insects and their larvee, and therefore we would say
to the farmer, in the benevolent language of the Scriptures, not
to ** muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn;” and
the same liberality should be extended to this useful bird that forms ~
so powerful a defense against the inroads of many millions of de-
structive vermin.

Properly speaking, the Red-headed Woodpecker is a bird of
passage. They inhabit North America from Canada to the Gulf
of Mexico, and have also been found on the northwestern coast.
About the middle of May they construct their nests, which they
form in the body or large limbs of trees, taking in no materials,
but smoothing the nests to the proper shape and size. The female
lays six eggs of a pure white, and the young make their appear-
ance about the 20th of June. During the first season, the head
and neck of the young birds are blackish gray, the white on the
wing is also spotted with black, but in the succeeding spring they
receive their perfect plumage, as on our plate. The male and
female differ in nothing except that the female is a trifle smaller.

The White-breasted, Black-capped Nuthatch. (S¢t¢a carolenenszs.)
Fig. 5, The male. Fig. 6, The female.

The White-breasted Nuthatch is common almost everywhere in
our woods and may be known at.a distance by his peculiar note—
quank, quank—frequently repeated, as he moves up and down in
spiral circles, around the body and larger branches of the tree,
probing behind the thin, scaly bark, shelling off considerable
pieces of it in search of spiders or other insects and their larve.
He rests and roosts with his head downward, and appears to pos-
sess an uncommon degree of curiosity. Frequently I have amused
myself, when in the woods, imitating the voice of a bird in distress,
to see who would be the first to appear, and invariably the Nuthatch
made his appearance first to see what was the matter. Frequently
he will descend very silently within a few feet of the root of the
tree where you happen to stand, stopping head downward, stretch-
ing out his neck in a horizontal position, as if to reconnoiter your
appearance, and after severa] minutes of silent observation,

| 23 Pe II

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WHITE OR WHOOPING CRANE—RAIL. 3

ne ee ee ee ee ee eee ee eee eee eee

wheeling round, he again ascends with fresh activity, piping his
*‘quank, quank,” as before. He is strangely attached to his native
forests and seldom forsakes them ; amidst the rigors of the severest
winter weather his lively quank, quank is heard in the bleak and
leafless woods. Sometimes the rain, freezing as it falls, incloses
every twig and even tne trunk of the trees in a hard transparent
coat or shell of ice; on such occasions we observe his anxiety and
dissatisfaction, as being with difficulty able to make his way along
the smooth surface. At such times he generally abandons the
woods and may be seen gleaning about the stables, around the
house, mixing among the fowls, entering the barn and examining
the beams and rafters and every place where he can pick up a
subsistence.

The name Nuthatch is very erroneously bestowed on this family
of birds. it was supposed that they could crack the hardest nuts
with their bills by repeated hammerings; soft-shelled nuts, such
as chestnuts, hazel-nuts, and a few more of this description, they
may perhaps be able to demolish, but I never have seen them do it.
Hard-shelled nuts, such as walnuts, hickory-nuts, etc., they are
perfectly incapable of breaking, as their bills are not at all shaped
for that kind of work. This absurd idea may have had its origin
in the circumstance that we frequently observe the Nuthatch busily
searching for insects in heaps of shells of broken nuts, lying on
some old stump of a tree, or around it, brought there or broken by
the squirrels, whilst ignorance ascribed the broken nuts to the
doings of the feeble little bird.

This bird builds his nest early in April, in the hole of a tree, in
a hollow rail of a fence, and sometimes in the* wogden cornice
under the eaves ; the female lays five eggs of a’dull white, spotted
with brown at the greater end. The maleqs the most attentive
husband and supplies his beloved mate, while setting, regularly
with sustenance, stopping frequently at the mouth of the hole, call-
ing and offering her what he has brought. At other times he
seems merely to stop and inquire how she is, and to cheer up the
tedious moments with his soothing chatter. He seldom goes far
from the spot, and when danger appears, regardless of his own
safety, he flies to alarm her. When both feed on the trunk of the
same tree or on adjoining ones, he is perpetually calling on her,
and from the momentary pauses he makes, it is evident that he
feels pleased to hear her reply.

The female differs very little from the male in color, the black
being only less deep on the head and wings.

PLATE III.
The White or Whooping Crane. (Gras [Ardea] americana.)

In former times the Cranes were classed with the Herons, to which
they bear a certain alliance, but were afterward, with propriety,
separated from them, and now form a very natural division in that
great class. ‘They are all at once distinguished from the Herons
(Ardez) by the bald head and the broad, waving, and pendulous
form of the greater coverts, and the shortness of the hind toe. The
Crane is found in every part of the world, but the group is, not-
withstanding, limited to a few species.

Our species, the Whooping Crane, is the tallest and most stately
of all the feathered tribes of North America. He is the watchful
inhabitant of extensive salt marshes, desolate swamps, and open
morasses in the neighborhood of the sea and large rivers. He is
migratory, and his migrations are regular and most extensive,
reaching from the shores and inundated tracts of South America
to the Arctic Circle. In these immense periodical wanderings,
they rise to such a height in the air as to be seldom observed, and
form at such times regular lines in about a sharp angle, frequently
changing their leader, or the one that flies foremost. They have,
however, their resting stages on the route to and from their usual
breeding-place, the more northern regions; and during their stay,

they wander along the muddy flats in search of worms, sailing
occasionally from place to place with a low and heavy flight a lit-
tle above the surface, and have at such times a very formidable
appearance. ‘Their cry is loud and piercing, and may be heard
at a distance of two miles; they have various modulations of this
singular cry. When wounded, they attack the gunner or his dog
with great resolution, striking with their sharp and formidable
bills. They are extremely watchful, but not shy. When alone,
they are constantly on the alert, and a flock of them has always
regular guards. When alarmed, they never return to the same
place without sending out a number to reconnoiter. As cautiously
as he avoids man, he becomes as closely attached to him, when
once brought into his companionship; he learns to understand
every action of his master, knows his voice and shows his satisfac
tion when he sees him: he not only regards him as his master,
but as his friend; society seems to be a necessity to him. One
that I received from Dubuque, lowa, which was caught on the
Mississippi by a trapper, and has been living with me nearly four
years, was at first very ferocious and could only be approached
with great difficulty, but is now perfectly tame. It became in a
very short time reconciled to its imprisonment, and is now very
much attached to me.

The Cranes sometimes rise spirally in the air to a great height,
the mingled noise of their screaming, even when almost out of
sight, resembling that of a pack of hounds in full cry. On such
occasions they fly around in large circles, as if reconnoitering the
country to a vast extent for a fresh quarter to feed in. At other
times, they assemble in great masses, forming in regular lines and
standing erect, with their bills resting on the throat, whilst one will
step out, open his wings and dance in the most ridiculous way be-
fore the others—the people on the Mississippi call this ‘‘ preach-
ing ;” at other times several will dance regularly around each
other with outspread wings. ‘They live chiefly on vegetable food,
such as Indian corn; but readily swallow mice, rats, moles, etc.,
with great avidity. They build their nest on the ground, about
one foot in height, and lay two pale blue eggs, spotted with brown,
as large as a goose egg, but more lengthened. The Cranes, as
above stated, are distinguished from the other families by the bald-
ness of their heads, the broad flag of plumage projecting over the
tail, and in general by their superior size. They also differ in
their internal organization, in the conformation of the windpipe,
which enters the breast in a cavity fitted to receive it, and after
several turns goes out again at the same place, and thence de-
scends to the lungs. Unlike the Herons, they have not the inner
side of the middle claw pectinated ; and the hind toe is very short,
scarcely reaching the ground. The brown Crane (Grus Cana-
densis) is no other than the young of the Whooping Crane.

All the descriptions of former ornithologists are exactly corre-
spondent with the above. Ina flock of ten or twelve Whooping
Cranes, three or four are usually of that tawny or reddish-brown
tint on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, but are evidently
yearlings of the Whooping Crane, and differ in nothing but in that
and in size from the others. ‘They are generally five or six inches
shorter, and the primaries are of a brownish cast, and their legs
are also a trifle darker.

PLATE IV.
t
The Rail. (Crex carolinus.)
Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

The Rail, or as it is called in Virginia, the Sora, and in South
Carolina the Coot, belongs to a genus of birds, of which, as nearly
as can be ascertained, about thirty-two different species are known
to naturalists, and those are distributed over almost every region of
the habitable parts of the globe. ‘The general character of them
is everywhere the same. They run swiftly, bnt their flight is

4 | VIRGINIA RAIL—SONG SPARROW.

slow, and with the legs hanging down; they become extremely
fat, and fond of concealment, and usually prefer running to flying.
Most of them are migratory and abound during the summer in
certain countries, the inhabitants of which have very rarely an
opportunity of seeing them.

The Rail usually builds his nest in a tussock of grass; the nest
is formed of a little dry grass. The female lays from four to six
eggs of a dirty whitish color with brown or blackish spots; the
young ones run off as soon as they are hatched: they are covered
with a perfectly black down, and run about among the grass like
mice.

The Rails arrive at Hudson’s Bay, and other northern parts,
early in June, breed there, and leave again for the south early in
autumn. But it is certain that some of them remain with us, as
I have caught young Rails myself in the latter part of the month
of June on the Connecticut river, just a little above the town of
Wethersfield, in a swampy or reedy place, called there the Weth-
ersfield Cove. I have also been informed, by persons of credit
and intelligence, in several places of the Union, that they had
found nests, as well as young Rails; but what is singular, none of
them had ever seen at that time the old ones. The Rails, as well
as the Bobolinks, are very fond of the seeds of two different kinds of
reeds, which grow up from the soft muddy shores of the tide water,
and are alternately dry and then covered again with four or five
feet of water. They rise with an erect, tapering stem to the height
of six or eight feet. They grow up so close together that a boat
can only with difficulty make its way through them at or near the
time of high water. The seeds are produced at the top of the
plant, the blossoms occupying the lower branches of the panicle
and the seeds the higher.

These seeds are nearly as long as an ordinary pin and very
slender, white, and sweet to the taste; also very nutritious, as ap-
pears by the effect they have on the various birds that at this time
feed on them. When the reeds are in this state, the Rails take
possession of them in great numbers. At this season, as you
walk along the embankment of a river where these reeds grow,
you can hear the Rails squeak in every direction like young pup-
pies. Ifa stone be thrown among them, there is a general outcry
and a reiterated ‘‘keek, keek, keek,” somewhat like that of a
Guinea fowl; any other sudden noise, as the discharge of a gun,
produces the same effect. In the meantime none are to be seen,
unless it be at or near high water; for when the tide is low, they
universally secrete themselves among the interstices of the reeds,
and you may walk past or even over them—where there are hun-
dreds—without seeing a single one. On their arrival they are
generally lean and unfit for the table, but as the seeds of the reeds
ripen, they fatten rapidly, and from about the middle of September
to the middle of October, are excellent and eagerly sought for.
Their flight among these reeds is usually low, and shelter being
abundant, it is rarely extended to more than from ten to fifty yards.
When winged and uninjured in their legs, they swim and dive
with great rapidity, and are seldom seen to rise again.

IT have found them several times, on such occasions, under the
water, clinging with their feet to the reeds. They are very feeble
and delicate in every part, except the legs, which seem to possess
great strength; their bodies being remarkably thin and com-
pressed, measuring not more than an inch and a quarter through
transversely, they are enabled to pass between the reeds like rats.
When seen, they are almost constantly jetting up the tail. Flut-
tering as their flight appears in the reeds, I have seen them at
other times rise to a considerable height, stretching their feet be-
hind them and flying to such distances that I really lost sight of
them. In the State of New Jersey, where this particular kind of
reed does not grow, we find no Rails. Most of them leave the
Middle States before the end of October, and the Southern States
early in November, though some are found lingering in the warm
southern marshes the whole winter. Numbers of them have been
found in the West Indies at the time of our winter season, which

makes it evident that they migrate across that part of the sea be-
tween the mainland and the islands; and why should this be im-
possible? As the Rail can swim and dive well and fly at pleasure,
he seems to me well fitted for such an undertaking.

The young Rails, the first season, resemble the females.

Some modern ornithologists have classed this bird under the
genus Gallinula; but this seems to me altogether wrong, as all
Rails are destitute of a frontal plate, which characterizes the Gal-
linule; they otherwise have certainly a strong resemblance toe
them.

The Virginia Rail. (CRallus virginianus.)
Fig. 3.

This elegant little bird is far less numerous in this part of the
United States than the preceding, but inhabits more remote north-
ern regions. He is frequently seen along the borders of our salt
marshes, which are rarely visited by the Sora; he breeds there as
well as among the meadows that border our large rivers. He is
met with in the interior, as far west as the Ohio river; also in Ken-
tucky in the groves and wet places, but only in the spring. He
feeds less on vegetable and more on animal food than the com-
mon Rail. The food of this species consists chiefly of small snail
shells, worms, and the larvze of insects that it extracts from the
mud with its long bill, which is wonderfully adapted to it. On
this account its flesh is much inferior to the former; otherwise,
its habits, its thin compressed body, its aversion to take to the
wing, and the dexterity with which it runs and conceals itself
among the grass, are exactly similar to those of the common
Rail, from which genus, notwithstanding the difference of its bill,
it ought not to be separated.

Some people call this bird the Fresh Water Mud Hen. The
epithet ‘‘ fresh water” is given to it because of its frequenting only
those parts of the marsh where fresh water springs rise through
the bogs into the salt marshes. In such places it usually con-
structs its nest, which is composed altogether of old dry grass and
rushes. The female lays from six to ten eggs of a dirty white or
cream color, sprinkled with specks of reddish and pale purple,
most numerous near the greater end. They commence laying
early in May, and probably raise two broods in the season. The
young of this species are also covered with a pure black down,
and have a white spot on their bill, and a soft and piping note.
The female is about half an inch, shortér than the male, the color
of the breast is paler, and a little more white on the throat and
chin. '

These birds, like the preceding, stand and run with the tail
erect, which they frequently jerk upward; they also fly exactly
like them, with the legs hanging down, but only a short distance,
and the moment they alight run off with great speed.

“

The Song Sparrow. (AZelospiza melodia.)

’ -Fig. 4, Male. Fig. 5, Female.

The Song Sparrow may be found in-all parts of the United
States; he is the earliest, sweetest, and most lasting singer of all
the Sparrows. We may call them partially migratory, for the most
of them pass to the south in the month of November; but many
remain with us all winter, in the low sheltered meadows and
swamps. He is the first singing-bird in spring, taking precedence
of the Peewee and Bluebird. His song, resembling the beginning
of the Canary’s song, or perhaps rather the song of the European
Yellow Hammer (Emberiza Citrinella), is very short but exceed-
ingly sweet, and frequently repeated, generally from the branches
of a bush or small tree, where he sits, chanting for an hour at a
time. He is very fond of frequenting the borders of rivers, mead-
ows, swamps, and other like watery places. He is found, with a
multitude of other kinds of Sparrows, in the great Cypress swamps

PL. IV

alle eah at
Petre

Pla

MARSH WREN—GREAT HORNED OWL. 5

of the Southern States, which seem to be the places of their grand
winter rendezvous. ;

The nest of the Song Sparrow is built in the ground under a
tuft of grass, and is formed of fine dry grass, lined with horse-
hair and other material; it lays four or five eggs of a bluish
white, thickly covered with reddish-brown spots. It raises
usually three broods in the season. ‘There are young ones often
found in the nest as early as the latter part of April, and as late
as the tenth of August. Sometimes the nest is built in a cedar
tree, six to eight feet from the ground, which seems to be very
singular for a bird that usually builds on the ground; but this same
habit is found in another bird—the Red-winged Starling, which
sometimes builds its nest in the long grass or swamps, or in the
rushes, and at other times in low trees or alder-bushes. The male
and female are so nearly alike as to be scarcely distinguished from
each other.

The Marsh Wren. (Ciéstochorus palustris.)
Fig. 6, Male. Fig. 7, Female.

The Marsh Wren arrives from the South about the middle of
May; as soon as the reeds and a species of Nymphica, usually
called ‘* Splatter-dock”—which grow in luxuriance along the tide-
water of our rivers—are sufficiently high to shelter it. In such
places he is usually found, and seldom ventures far from the river.
His food consists of insects and their larva, and a kind of small
green grasshopper that inhabits the reeds andrushes. His notes or
chirp has a crackling sound, resembling somewhat that produced by
air-bubbles, forcing their way through mud, or boggy ground when
trod upon, and can hardly be called a song. But low as he may
stand as a singer, he stands high as an architect, for he excels in
the art of design, and constructs a nest, which, in durability,
warmth, and convenience, is far superior to the most of his musical
brethren. The outside is usually formed of wet rushes, well inter-
mixed with mud and fashioned into the shape of a cocoa-nut; a
small round hole is left two-thirds up for his entrance, the upper
edge of which projects like a pent-house, over the lower, prevent-
ing the admittance of rain. Inside it is lined first with fine dry
grass, then with cow’s hair and sometimes feathers. This nest,
when once dried by the sun, will resist any kind of weather, and
is generally suspended among the reeds and tied so fast to the sur-
rounding ones as to bid defiance to the wind and waves. The
female usually lays six eggs of a fawn color, and very small for
the size of the bird. ‘They raise usually two broods in a season.

He has a strong resemblance to the house Wren and still more
to the winter Wren, but he never associates with either of them;
and the last named has left before the Marsh Wren makes his
appearance, which is about the beginning of September. The
hind claw of this little bird is large, semicircular, and very sharp;
his bill slender and slightly bent; the nostrils prominent; the
tongue narrow, very tapering, sharp-pointed, and horny at the
‘extremity ; and for this reason he ought to be classed—as some
naturalists really have done with good cause—among the true
Certhiadz, or Creepers. His habits are also like those of the
Creepers, as he is constantly climbing along the stalks of reeds
and other aquatic plants in quest of insects.

PLATE V.
The Great Horned Owl.

(Bubo virginianus.)
Fig. 1.

This well known formidable Owl is found in almost any part of
North America, from the icy regions to the Gulf of Mexico; also
on the Western coast, but most abundantly in the central part of
this continent.

His favorite resorts are the dark solitudes of swamps covered
with a growth of gigantic timber, which he makes resound
with his hideous cries, as soon as night sets in. At times he
sweeps down from a tree, uttering his loud Waugh O! Waugh
O! so close to you, and so unexpectedly, that you can not help be-
ing startled. Besides this favorite note of his, he has other noctur-
nal solos, just as melodious, especially one that resembles very
strikingly the half-suppressed screams of a person being nearly
suffocated; but after all, his peculiar cry is very entertaining.
Another of his notes sounds like the loud jabbering and cackling
of an old rooster pursued by a dog, and is kept up sometimes for
half anhour. You will always take pleasure in observing him, and
often, when quietly sitting under a tree, he will sweep so close by
you as almost to touch you with his wings; but generally he shuns
the presence of men, and seems to know that man is the worst of
his enemies.

At night he is very cautious, and even in the day-time he suffers
no one to approach—unlike the rest of the Owls, which allow the
gunner to approach them without showing signs of being alarmed.
The Great Horned Owl is rarely seen in day-time, the peculiar
coloring of his feathery dress agreeing perfectly with the bark of
the tree on which he sits, almost motionless. It sometimes hap-
pens, however, that one of the smaller warblers discovers him, and
alarms, by his cries, the whole feathered population of the forest,
which now tease and keep on annoying him till he is at last com-
pelled to leave his resting-place in disgust.

But it is a different thing at night; then he is lord. His flight,
which, in day-time, appears rather awkward, is then silent and very
swift. Sweeping low above the ground, generally, like the rest of
the Owl tribe, he rises also, with ease, to great heights, and his
movements are so quick that he catches regularly any bird he has
scared up from sleep. Any bird—the smallest warbler as well as
a chicken or a duck—will serve him for a meal; and this may ac-
count for the circumstance that all birds, without an exception,
hate him. He lives also on squirrels, rats, and mice, of which he
destroys great numbers.

He pairs usually in February. At this time the male, after hav-
ing performed the most ridiculous evolutions in the air, alights near
his chosen female, whom he delights with his boundings, the snap-
ping of his bill, and his extremely ludicrous movements. This
style of love-making he practices in day-time as well as at night.

His nest, which is proportionally very large, is usually built on
a thick horizontal branch of a big tree, close to the trunk. It has
been found in the crevice of a rock. It is. composed of crooked
sticks and coarse grasses, fibers, and feathers, inside. The eggs,
which number from three to five, and even six, are almost globular,
rough, and of a dirty white color. The male assists the female in
sitting on the eggs. The young are covered at first with a thick
white down, and remain in the nest until fully fledged. Even then
they follow their parents for a long time and are fed by them, ut-
tering a mournful, melancholy cry, perhaps to stimulate them to
pity. They are much lighter colored than the old ones, and ac-
quire their full plumage in the following spring.

Although the Great Horned Owl, as above stated, prefers retire-
ment, he sometimes takes up his abode in the vicinity of a detached
farm, and causes great havoc among the poultry, especially the
young poultry, of the farmer, by occasionally grasping a chicken
or Guinea fowl with his talons, and carrying it off to the woods.
When wounded, he exhibits the most revengeful tenacity of spirit,
disdaining to scramble away like other Owls, but courageously
facing his enemy, producing his powerful talons and snapping his
bill. At such times his large eyes seem to double their usual size,
and he shuts and opens them alternately in quick succession as
long as his enemies remain in his presence. ‘The rising of his
feathers on such an occasion gives him a very formidable appear-
ance, and makes him look nearly twice as large as usual.

In tormer times, this Owl, as well as Owls in general, was re-
garded with a great deal of superstition, and we often find the Ow]

6 GROSSBEAK—AMERICAN RED START—BLUE WARBLER.

introduced in gloomy midnight stories and fearful scenes of nature,
to heighten the horror of the picture; but knowledge of the gen-
eral laws and productions of Nature has done away with this su-
perstitious idea, as well as with so many others. With all his
gloomy habits and ungracious tones, there is nothing mysterious
about this bird, which is simply a bird of prey, feeding at night and
resting during the day. ‘The harshness of his voice is occasioned
by the width and capacity of his throat. The voices of all car-
nivorous birds and quadrupeds, are likewise observed to be harsh
and hideous.

The Great Horned Owls are not migratory; they remain with
us during the whole year. ‘The female is, like all birds of prey,
considerably larger than the male, but the white on the throat
is not as pure, and she has less of the bright ferruginous or tawny
color below.

The Rose-Breasted Grossbeak. (Coccodorus ludovictanus.)
Fig. 2, the Male. Fig. 3, the Female.

This elegant species of the Parrot Finches (Pityli) is found most
abundant in the New England States, especially Massachusetts,
but with the exception of the extreme western parts and coast of
Georgia and the Carolinas, they are met with, at certain seasons,
in almost every part of the United States. . His wanderings extend
as far up, asNew Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland,
where he has been observed to breed. He leaves early in the fall
to take up his abode in warmer regions and as soon as spring sets
in, commences his wanderings eastward again. Heis seen in Ken-
tucky as early as the 16th of March, on his eastern travel.
His flight is steady, and at a considerable height. At times he
will lower himself and take a rest in the top branches of a high
tree. Before taking a new start he will utter a few very clear
and sweet notes. You may hear the same, at times, during his
flight, but not when he is resting. At about sundown he chooses
one of the highest trees to sit upon, in a stiff and upright position,
and after a few minutes repose retreats into a thicket to spend the
night.

His food consists of grass and other seeds, buds of trees, tender
blossoms, and berries, especially those of the Sour Gum, on which
he eagerly feeds; he also subsists partly on insects, which he often
catches on the wing, as most of the Finches do.

In the third year he arrives at his full plumage. The younger
birds have the plumage of the back variegated with light brown,
white, and black, a line of which extends over the eye. The rose-
color reaches to the back of the bill, where it is speckled with
black and white. Our plate shows the full-plumaged female, who,
therefore, differs considerably from the male.

The Rose-Breasted Grossbeak is, in common opinion, one of the
sweetest singers of this continent. His song is rich and melodious,
and he sings at night as well as in day-time. His notes are clear,
full, and very loud, suddenly changing, at times, to a plaintive
and melancholy, but exceedingly sweet, cadence. One loves to
observe him on such occasions, and can not help thinking that
he must himself be fully aware of his good singing talent, from his
gestures and the positions he takes while pouring forth the sweet
notes from the depth of his breast. In captivity he sings fre-
quently and just as well, though not so loud.

His nest is found from the latter part of May to the beginning of
July. It is fixed on the upper forks of bushes, on apple trees, or
even higher trees, mostly in the neighborhood of water. It is
composed of thin branches, intermixed with dry leaves and the
bark of the wild grape, lined inside with dry roots and horse-hair.
The female lays four eggs of a bluish white color, sprinkled with
oblong specks of a brownish purple, especially at the larger end.
They are hatched alternately by both male and female. The young
are fed with insects exclusively, as long as they are little; then as
they grow, with seeds also, which were previously soaked in the
crops of the parents.

The American Red Start. (Setophaga ruticilla.)
Fig. 4.

This little bird has been classed by several of our best ornithol-
ogists among the Sylvicolinee (Warblers). We will not, therefore,
venture to remove him, though we would rather have him placed
among the Muscicapide (Fly-catchers), as there is hardly any
other in the whole tribe that has the characteristic marks of the
genus Muscicapa more distinct than he. The formation of his bill,
the forward-pointing bristles, and especially his manners, stamp
him a Fly-catcher. He is in almost perpetual motion, and will
pursue a retreating party of flies from the top of the tallest tree 1o
the ground in an almost perpendicular but zigzag line, while the
clicking of his bill is distinctly heard. He certainly secures a
dozen or more of them in one descent, lasting not over three or
four seconds, then alights on an adjoining branch, traverses it
lengthwise for a few moments, and suddenly shoots off in a quite
unexpected direction after fresh game, which he can discover at a
great distance.

His notes or twitter hardly deserve the name of song. They
resemble somewhat the words, Weese! Weese! Weese! often re-
peated as he skips along the branches; at other times this twitter
varies to several other chants, which may easily be recognized in the
woods, but are almost impossible to be expressed by words. In the
interior of the forest, on the borders of swamps and meadows, in
deep glens covered with wood, wherever flying insects abound, this
little bird is sure to be found. He makes his appearance in Ohio
in the latter part of April, and leaves again for the South at the be-
ginning of September. Generally speaking, he is met with all
over the United States, and winters chiefly in the West Indian is-
lands.

The name Red Start is evidently derived from the Dutch ‘* Roth
Start” (Red Tail), and was given to him by the first settlers, from
his supposed resemblance to the European bird of this name, the
Motacilla Phcenicurus; but he is decidedly of a different genus,
and differs not only in size, but in manners and the colors of the
plumage.

The Red Start builds his nest frequently in low bushes, in the
fork of a small sapling, or on the drooping branches of the elm, a
few feet above the ground. ‘The exterior consists of flax, or other
fibrous material, wound together and moistened with his saliva, in-
terspersed here and there with pieces of lichen; inside it is lined
with very fine soft substances. The female lays five white eggs,
sprinkled with gray and little blackish specks. The male is ex-
tremely anxious about them, and, on a person’s approach will flirt
within a few feet about the nest, seemingly in greatdistress. The
female differs from the male, in having no black on the head and
back. Her head is of a cinerous color, inclining to olive. The
white below is not as pure. The lateral feathers of the tail and
breast are of a greenish yellow; those of the middle tail, of a dark
brown. That beautiful aurora color on the male is, ov her, very
dull. The young males of the first season look almost exactly like
the females, and it is not until the third season that they receive
their complete colors. Males of the second season are often heard
in the woods crying the same notes as the full-plumaged males,
which has given occasion to some people to assert that the females
of this bird sing as well as the males.

The Black-Throated Blue Warbler. (Dexdroica canadensis.)
Fig. 5.

This bird is one of those transient visitors that, at about the end
of April or the first week of May, pass through Ohio, on their
route to the north to breed. He reminds one, in his manners of
the Fly-catcher, but the formation of his bill as well as his gen-
eral appearance, places him unmistakably among the Warblers.

PL. VI

CREEPER—W ARBLER—HAWK.

But little can be remarked here concerning this bird, as it is only to
be met with now and then in spring, and during a sojourn of
nearly eight years in Ohio, the writer has seen it only twice in
the fall; but as the woods are then still thick with leaves, and the
bird perfectly silent, it is more difficult to get sight of him, and
he probably makes a shorter stay than in spring. Although no
pains were spared to find his nest, here as well as in more north-
ern districts, still the search has not been successful. During
summer not one single individual of this species has been ob-
served.

Our plate shows the male. The female has a kind of a dusky
ash on the breast, and some specimens which had been shot were
nearly white.

The Black and White Creeper. (JZzzotzlla varia.)
Fig. 6.

This is also one of the little birds which ought to be respected
by farmers and husbandmen generally, on account of his extreme
usefulness. He clears their fruit and forest trees of myriads of
destructive insects, particularly ants, although he does not sere-
nade them with his songs. He seldom perches on the small twigs,
but circumambulates the trunk and larger branches, in quest of
ants and other insects, with admirable dexterity. He is evidently
nearer related to the Creepers than to the Warblers, for his hind
claw is the largest, and his manners, as well as his tongue, which
is long, fine-pointed, and horny at the extremity, characterize him
strongly as a true Creeper. He arrives in Missouri, toward the
latter part of April, and begins soon afterward to build his
nest. One which we had the good luck to discover was fixed in the
crack of the trunk of a large tree, and was composed of some
fibers and dry leaves, lined with hair and a soft cotton-like down.
It contained five young ones recently hatched. This was on the
28th of April. At about the beginning of October, the whole tribe
leave again for warmer climates, probably the West Indies, though
we have been informed that at least several of them have been
perceived in the Gulf States during the whole winter.

The male and female are nearly alike in colors.

The Yellow-Throated Warbler. (Dendroica superciliosa.)
‘Fig. 7.

The habits and manners of this splendid little bird are not con-
sistent with the shape and construction of his bill, his ways being
those of the Creepers or the Titmouse, while the peculiarities of
his bill rank him with the Warblers. His notes, which are loud
and spirited, resemble strongly those of the Indigo Blue Bird
(Cyanospiza Cyanea). Heutters them every three or four minutes,
while creeping around the branches or among the twigs in the
manner of the Titmouse. On flying to another tree, he frequently
alights on the trunk and creeps nimbly up and down or spirally
around it, in search of food, like a Creeper. He leaves the North
for a short time only in winter, and can not, therefore, migrate very
far South. They have been seen in the North as late as the middle
of November, and as early again in the spring as the 12th of
March. Inthe State of Connecticut, onthe banks of the Connecti-
cut river, great numbers of them have been observed as late in the
fall as the roth of October. They are rarely met with there in the
spring, but why, we are unable to state. They seem to be rather
partial to running waters, in the vicinity of which they are invari-
ably found; sometimes on trees, sometimes hanging on fences,
head downward, like the Titmouse, or searching among the dry
leaves on the ground.

The bird on our plate is the perfect male. As to the female, her
wings are of a dingy brown, and her colors in general, particu-
larly the yellow on the breast, much duller. The young birds of
the first season are without the yellow.

PLATE VI.

The Wandering Falcon, or Great-Footed Hawk. (alco peregrinus.)

The Wandering Falcon, Mountain Falcon, Rock Falcon, Duck
Hawk, or Great-footed Hawk, justly deserves his names. He
roams almost all over the world. His home extends from the
northeast of Asia to western Europe, and the question is yet to be
solved whether our American bird is a different species or not. It
is evident he is not; for the size, as well as the general characteris-
tic traits of both the American and the one described by European
writers, agree almost to minuteness. Some of the European orni-
thologists differ somewhat in the description of his coloring; but
these discrepancies seem to have been occasioned by specimens of
different ages, more than by any other cause. He is also found in
the interior of Africa, and, according to Jerdon, inIndia. This ex-
cellent observer says: ‘*‘ The Wandering Falcon is found through-
out India, from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, but only during the
cold season; especially plentiful near the sea-coasts, or on the
shores of large rivers. He does not breed there, as far as I can
ascertain, but is only a winter visitor, who appears in October and
leaves again in April.” In America he extends his wanderings far
to the South; whether they reach to South America has not been
ascertained, but it is certain that he flies across the Gulf of Mex-
ico. To his immense faculty of flying, a distance of a few hun-
dred miles is mere fun. He inhabits large forests, especially those
interspersed with high steep rocks, but is occasionally found close
to habitations, and even large cities. The one that served for
our drawing was, for instance, shot in the neighborhood of Colum-
bus, Ohio, on the Scioto river, in the month of September. He is
a powerful, daring, and extremely agile bird, and experience shows
that he knows, too, how to make use of his natural gifts. His
flight is extremely swift, mostly close to the ground, in spring only
rising to heights immeasurable and almost out of sight. He sel-
dom is sailing but rapidly flapping his long wings. Before rising,
he flies a short distance low above the ground and with expanded
tail, He is very shy and cautious, choosing the densest pine forests
to pass the night, and if such be too far to be reached, prefers sit-
ting on a piece of rock in an open field. His voice is strong and
penetrating, sounding somewhat like Kajak ! Kajak !

The Wandering Falcon attacks birds only, from a Wild Goose
down to a Meadow Lark. Among Pigeons, Quails, and Grouse
he makes the greatest havoc, but is especially fond of Ducks, which
he pursues with untiring tenacity. Water-fowls, when approached
by a gunner, usually take to the wing; not so if our Falcon is vis-
ible. Then they make all speed to the water and dive, and those
only which are on land or in shallow water fly off, till they reach
deep water, then suddenly drop and dive also; but this caution on
their part is of no avail, for the Hawk will hover above the water
till they are exhausted, then strike down upon them and pick
them up.

All birds seem to know him, for not one attacks him, not even
the otherwise courageous Crows. All are anxious to save them-
selves as soon as he is in sight. He usually strangles his prey in
the air, before it can even reach the ground. Larger birds, such as
the Wild Goose, which he has seized, are tormented by him in the
air until they drop down with him, and thenare killed. By throw-
ing himself with full force upon his victim, the latter is stunned by
the concussion, and drops. ‘This is probably the reason he never
attacks a bird thatis sitting on the ground, as he would run the risk
of killing himself by the concussion. Small birds he carries away
to a convenient place; larger ones he eats on the spot where they
dropped, plucking off some of their feathers before he begins.
Small birds he devours, together with the intestines, which he re-
jects in the bigger ones. In his attacks he very seldom fails, and
they seem to be but play to him.

His nest is chiefly built in cracks of steep rocks, difficult, if not

8 DUCK—TEAL—HERON—CAT BIRD.

impossible, to ascend; sometimes also in high trees. It is care-
lessly constructed of thicker or thinner branches and fibers. The
eggs, three or four in number, are laid at the beginning of June,
and are of a reddish yellow color, sprinkled with brown, more
thickly so at the larger end, and the female hatches alone. The
young ones are fed at first with half-digested food from the crops
of the parents, afterward with different kinds of birds. When
they are able to fly they are instructed by the parents in the art of
hunting.

It is a well-known fact that all true Falcons, when attacked, drop
their booty and leave it to the attacking party, and the beggars
among the birds of prey, being aware of this, profit by it. There
they sit, those stupid, lazy fellows, watching the Hawk till he has
struck down a bird, when suddenly they assault him. Our hero,
otherwise afraid of no bird, drops his prey at their approach, and
with an indignant Kajak! Kajak! up and off he goes.

The bird of which the Hawk has taken hold in our Plate is—

The Pin-tail Duck. (Azas—Dajfila acuta.)

The Pin-tail is acommon and well-known Duck, much esteemed
for its excellent flesh, which is generally in good order. Itis ashy
and cautious bird, feeding in mud flats and shallow fresh-water
marshes, but is rarely seen on the sea-coast. It hasa kind of clat-
tering note, is very noisy and vigilant, and usually gives the alarm
at the approach of the gunner.

Some of the Duck tribe, when alarmed, disperse in all directions,
but the Pin-tails cluster confusedly, giving the expert gunner a cap-
ital chance to rack them with advantage. They do not dive ex-
cept when winged.

They inhabit the whole northern part of this continent, as well
as the corresponding latitudes of Asia and Europe. Great flocks
of them are sometimes observed on the rivers near the coasts of
England and France.

Our plate shows the male. The female has the crown of a dark
brown color; the neck of a dull brownish white, thickly speckled
with dark brown; breast and belly of a pale brownish white, inter-
spersed with white; back and root of the neck above black, each
feather elegantly waved with broad lines of brownish white. These
wavings become rufous on the scapulars, vent white, spotted with
dark brown; tail dark brown, spotted with white, the two middle
feathers only half an inch longer and more slender than the rest.

The other two birds on the Plate are the male and the female

Blue-winged Teal. (Anas—Querquedula dtscors.)

The Blue-winged Teals are the first that return to the Central
States from their breeding-place in the North. They arrive as early
as the middle of September, and usually sit on the mud, close to
the border of the water, generally crowded together, so that gun-
ners often kill a great number at one shot. Their flight is very
rapid; when they alight they drop suddenly among the reeds or
on the mud, in the manner of the Snipe or Woodcock. They live
chiefly on vegetable food and are especially fond of the seeds of
reeds or wild oats. Feeding on such they become extremely fat
in a short time. Their flesh is excellent for the table. The first
smart frosts drive them to the South, for they are delicate birds and
very susceptible to cold. They abound in the inundated rice-fields
of the Southern States, where they are caught in vast numbers in
hollow traps, commonly called ‘ figure four,” and placed here
and there on dry spots rising out of the water, and strewn with
rice. In April they pass through the Central States again, north-
ward bound, making only a short stay.

PLATE VII.

The Green Heron. (Ardea—Butorides virescens.)
Fig. 1.

Public opinion shows but little liberality toward this bird, hav-
ing stigmatized him with a vulgar and indelicate nickname, and
treating him as perfectly worthless and with contempt. This is
injustice; he keeps himself as clean as any other of the whole
Heron tribe, lives in exactly the same way as they do, and at the
same places with them, but he is most numerous where cultivation
is least known or cared for.

He makes his first appearance in the Central States early in April,
as soon as the marshes and swamps are completely thawed. There,
among the ditches and amidst the bogs and quagmires, he hunts
with great cunning and dexterity. Frogs and small fishes are his
principal game, but on account of their caution and facility of es-
cape their capturing requires all his address and quickness. With
his head drawn in, he stands on the lookout, silent and motionless,
like a statue, yet ready for an attack. The moment a frog or min-
now comes within his range, with one stroke, quick and sure as that
of a rattlesnake, it is seized and swallowed in a wink. He also
hunts for the larve of several insects, especially those of the dragon-
fly, which lurk in the mud.

When alarmed, he rises with a hollow guttural scream, but does
not fly far, and usually alights on a fence or an old stump and
looks. out with extended neck, but now and then with his head
drawn in so that it seems to rest on his breast. When standing and
gazing on you this way, he is often jetting his tail. Sometimes he
flies high, with doubled neck and his legs extended behind, flapping
his wings bravely, and traveling with great expedition. He is per-
haps the most numerous and the least shy of all our Herons, and is
found in the interior as well as in the salt marshes.

At the latter part of April he begins to build, sometimes in sin-
gle pairs in swampy woods, often in company with others, not un-
frequently with the Night Heron. The nest, which is fixed on the
limb of a tree, consists wholly of small sticks lined with finer twigs
loosely put together, and is of considerable size. The female lays
three or four eggs, of an oblong form and a pale blue color. The
young do not leave the nest until perfectly able to fly.

The Cat Bird. (A@imus carolinensis.)
Fig. 2.

This is a very common and very numerous species in this part of
the Continent, well known to everybody. In spring or summer,
when approaching thickets of brambles, the first salutation you re-
ceive is from the Cat Bird. One unacquainted with his notes would
conclude that some vagrant kitten had got bewildered among the
briers and was in want of assistance, so exactly alike is the call of
this bird to the cry of that animal. Of all our summer visitors he
is the least apprehensive of man. Very often he builds his nest
in the bushes close to your door, and seldom allows you to pass
without paying you his respects in his usual way. By this famili-
arity he is entitled at least to a share of hospitality, but is often
treated with cruelty instead. It is true he steals some of the best
and earliest of the farmers’ strawberries and cherries, but he
lives mostly on insects, of which he destroys incredible numbers.
Besides, he is one of our most interesting singers. He usually
sings early in the morning before sunrise, hovering from bush to
bush, hardly distinguishable in the dark. His notes are, however,
more remarkable for their singularity than for melody. He chiefly
imitates the song of other birds, frequently with perfect success.
Sometimes he seems to be at a loss where to begin, and pours out
all the odd and quaint passages he has been able to collect. In un-

PL. VIl

PL. VIII

YELLOW THROAT—DUCK—TERNS. ; 9

settled parts of the country he is rarely or never found, but seems
to prefer the company of men. His nest is built in briers or black-
berry bushes, and is composed of thin branches and roots, stuck
together with mud, lined inside with hair and finer fibers. The
female lays five eggs, of a bluish tint. He leaves in September
to winter in warmer latitudes.

The Maryland Yellow Throat. (Geothlypis trichas.)
Fig. 3, Male. Fig- 4, Female.

This neat little bird inhabits chiefly such briers, brambles, and
bushes as grow luxuriantly in low, watery places, his business and
ambition seldom leading him higher than to the tops of the under-
wood, and he might properly be denominated ‘‘ Humility.” In-
sects and their larve are his principal food. He dives into the
thicket, rambles among the roots, searching around the stems, ex-
amining both sides of the leaves, raising himself on his legs to
peep into every crevice, and amuses himself with a simple, but not
at all disagreeable twitter, ‘ ‘ whit-ti-tee ! whit-ti-tee !” which he re-
peats in quick succession, pausing, now and then, for half a min-
ute. He inhabits the States from Maine to Florida, and westward
to the Mississippi. He is by no means shy, but unsuspicious and
deliberate. He often visits the fields of growing rye, wheat, or
barley, and is of much service to the farmer by ridding the stalks
of vermin that might destroy his fields. He lives in obscurity and
peace, and seldom comes near the farmhouse or the city.

He builds his nest about the middle of May, in the midst of a
thicket of briers, among the dry leaves on the ground. Sometimes
it is arched over, and but a small hole left for entrance. It con-
sists of dry leaves and fine grass, lined with coarse hair, etc. The
female lays five eggs, semi-transparent, marked with specks of
brown and reddish brown. The young leave the nest in the lat-
ter part of June, and a second brood is sometimes raised in the same
season. ‘They return to the South early in September.

PLATE VIII.

The Wood Duck, or Summer Duck. (Azx sfonsa.)

Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

This is the finest of all our Ducks, and the beauty of its dress is
in perfect harmony with its gentle manners. A characteristic trait
is the moving of its tail from one side to the other, which some-
times looks almost like wagging. It swims with as much ease and
grace, and seemingly with as little effort, as it flies among the
branches and trunks of trees. The cry of the female is a long-
stretched ‘* Pi-ai-wee-wee-wee ! ” and the warning sound of the male
a not less melodious ‘‘ O-eek ! O-eek!” It seems to shun the neigh-
borhood of men less than any other Wild Duck, and is by no means
in a hurry to leave its breeding-place, even if buildings are in con-
struction close by. Easier than the rest of the tribe, the Wood
Ducks get reconciled to, and regularly breed in, captivity, if a
suitable chance is offered them.

They live mostly on grain, several aquatic plants, chestnuts,
acorns, beech-mast, etc., also on worms, snails, and other insects,
which they pick up among the dry leaves or catch in the air.
Their full beauty and loveliness shows itself best shortly before
and during mating time. ‘Toward March the flock separates, and
every single pair now looks out for a convenient breeding-place. To
this end the male roams about the woods, alights on a high tree in
which he expects to find a hole for a nest, walks easily on its limbs,
inspecting every hole he can find, and is often perfectly satisfied
with a hole made by the fox squirrel, or even acleft inarock. The
temale squeezes herself with astonishing ease through the entrance,

which often seems to be a great deal too narrow for her. The male
keeps watch outside during inspection by the female, encouraging
her by his tender chatterings, or warning her of supposed danger
by his timely ‘*O-eek ! O-eek!” after which both quickly take to
flight. If they have once built a nest they return to it every year.

The male, although very peaceful, is very courageous when his
jealousy is aroused. Any other male coming near him is always
kept at a proper distance by unmistakable signs and motions. The
female begins to lay in the first days of May. The eggs, seven
to twelve in number, are small, oblong, and perfectly white. ‘The
hatching-time lasts, as with most of the Duck tribe, twenty-seven
or twenty-eight days. When the last egg is laid, the female lines
the nest with the soft down of her breast, and covers the eggs with
the same when she flies out. While she takes all the parental cares
to herself, the male repairs to a suitable watery place to pass
through his moulting time, which begins in July, and is ended in the
first part of September, giving him a dress distinguished from that
of the female only by the white marking of his throat and the
greater brilliancy of his plumage.

The nest of the Wood Duck is sometimes at a considerable dis-
tance from any water, and quite high from the ground. From the
entrance to the nest itself, it is sometimes over six feet. As soon
as the young ones are all hatched, the female carries them, one by
one, in her bill, to the water, leaving them to the care of the male,
till she has brought the last one, when she herself takes care of
them again. If the tree on which the nest is, happens to overhang
the water, she merely tumbles them out of the nest. Wood Ducks
generally live together in small flocks of from six to twelve—occa-
sionally they are seen in flocks of more than a hundred; this occurs
chiefly in the fall. Toward October the young ones begin to moult ;
at the same time the male parent, who reappears now in his bridal
dress, joins them again. The flesh of the Wood Duck is very
tender and in good esteem.

The Short-tailed Tern. (ydrochelidon plumbea.)
Fig. 3.

This bird is often observed in fresh-water marshes, in flocks num- -
bering from four to ten; itis seldom seen in salt-water marshes. Its
flight is very graceful. Its food consists of grasshoppers and insects
generally, which it picks up, while on the wing, from grasses or
rushes, as well as from the surface of the water. It frequently
associates with

The Black Tern. (ydrochelidon nigra.)

Fig. 4.

The Black Tern is a little less in size than the preceding, which
it resembles in every respect. They are found on fresh-water
marshes, mill-ponds, etc., and are most numerous on the marshes
of the Mississippi and its tributaries. Their nests are very art-
lessly constructed, in large tussocks of rank grass, and contain
each four eggs of a greenish buff color, spotted with amber and
black, chiefly at the larger end. The young ones of the first
season (Fig. 5) have the head white, and the neck and breast ir-
regularly spotted with black and white.

It was found, on dissecting these birds, that they feed exclusively
on insects, their stomachs never containing any small fish.

Mr. Audubon, in his valuable work on ‘‘ Birds of North Amer-
ica,” writes as follows of this bird:

‘¢The Black Tern begins to arrive from the Mexican territories
over the waters of the Western country about the middle of April,
and continues to pass for about a month. At that season I have
observed it ascending the Mississippi from New Orleans to the
head waters of the Ohio, then culling over the land, and arriving
at the Great Lakes, beyond which many proceed still farther

northward. But I have rarely met with them along our Atlantic
shores until autumn, when the young, which, like those of all
other Terns with which I am acquainted, mostly keep by them-
selves until spring, make their appearance there. Nor did I see
a single individual when on my way to Labrador, or during my
visit to that country. Often have I watched their graceful, light,
and rapid flight, as they advanced and passed over in groups of
twenty, thirty, or more, during the month of May, when nature,
opening her stores anew, benignly smiled upon the favored land.”

PLATE IX.
The Woodcock. (Pizlohela minor.)

This bird, so universally known to our sportsman, is represented
at the bottom of the plate. It arrives in the Central States in
March, and if the weather is mild, even earlier, and stays till the
first frosts forbode the approach of winter. It is sometimes found
here in December, and it may be that in mild winters, some of these
birds remain until spring. During the day the Woodcocks keep
to the woods, or wooded swamps and thickets ; toward evening they
usually fly out to the broad open glades, which lead through the
woods, or to meadows and swampy places in the neighborhood. A
carefully hidden observer can see the Woodcock pushing his long
bill under the decayed leaves and turning them over, or boring one
hole close to another in the damp soft ground, as deep as his soft,
flexible bill will permit, to get at the larvae, bugs, or worms hidden
beneath. In a similar manner he examines the fresh cow-dung,
which is soon populated by a multitude of larvz of insects. He
never tarries long at any place. Larve of all kinds of insects and
naked snails, especially angle-worms, form his principal food.

If in hot seasons his favorite resorts in watery recesses inland
are generally dried up, he descends to the marshy shores of our
large rivers.

The female Woodcock spate begins to lay in April; the nest
is built in a quiet, retired part of the wood, frequently at the roots
of an old stump; it is constructed of a few withered leaves and
stalks of grass put together with but little art. The eggs are four or
five in number, about an inch and a half long, and about an inch
in diameter, tapering suddenly at the small end; they are of adun
clay color, thickly marked with brown spots—particularly at the
large end the spots are interspersed with others of a very pale pur-
ple. The young Woodcocks, when six to ten days old, are cov-
ered with down of a brownish white color, and are marked from
the bill along the crown to the hind head with a broad stripe of
deep brown; another line of the same color curves under the eyes
and runs to the hind head; another stripe reaches from the back to
the rudiments of the tail, and still another extends along the sides
under the wings. The throat and breast are considerably tinged
with rufous, and the quills at this age are just bursting from their
light blue sheaths, and appear marbled as on the old birds. When
taken they utter a long, clear, but very feeble ‘‘ peep,” not louder
than that of a mouse. They are, on the whole, far inferior to
young Partridges in running and skulking.

The Woodcock is a nocturnal bird, seldom stirring about before
sunset, but at that time, as well as in early morning, especially
in spring, he rises by a kind of spiral course to great heights,
uttering now and then a sudden ‘‘ quack ;” having gained his ut-
most height he hovers around in a wild irregular manner, produc-
ing a sort of murmuring sound, and descends with rapidity in the
same way he arose.

The large head of the Woodcock is of a very singular confor-
mation, somewhat triangular, and the eyes set at a great distance
from the bill, and high up in the head; by this means he has a
great range of vision. His flight is slow; when flushed at any

10 WOODCOCK—WOOD THRUSH—WOODPECKER.

time he rises to the height of the bushes or the underwood, and
usually drops down again at a short distance, running off a few
yards as soon as he touches the ground.

The Wood Thrush.

(Turdus mustelinus.)
Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

The Wood Thrush is one of our best and sweetest singers. Au-
dubon writes of him as follows:

‘The song of the Wood Thrush, although composed of but few
notes, is so powerful, distinct, clear, and mellow, that it is impos-
sible for any person to hear it without being struck by the effect
which it produces on the mind. I do not know to what instru-
mental sounds I can compare these notes, for I really know none
so melodious and harmonical. They gradually rise in strength, and
then fall in gentle cadences, becoming at length so low as to be
scarcely audible, like the emotions of the lover who, at one mo-
ment exults in the hope of possessing the object of his affections,
and the next pauses in suspense, doubtful of the result of all his
efforts to please.

«<Several of these birds seem to challenge each other from differ-
ent portions of the forest, particularly toward evening, and at that
time nearly all the other songsters being about to retire to rest, the
notes of the Wood Thrush are doubly pleasing. One would think
that each individual is anxious to excel his distant rival, and I have
frequently thought that on such occasions their music is more than
ordinarily effective, as it then exhibits a degree of skillful modu-
lation quite beyond my power to describe. These concerts are con-
tinued for some time after sunset, and take place in the month of
June, when the females are sitting.” .

The Wood Thrush inhabits almost the whole continent of North
America, from Hudson’s Bay to the Gulf. The very next morn-
ing after his arrival he will mount to the top of some small tree and
announce himself by his sweet song, which, although not contain-
ing a great variety of notes, is exceedingly mellow and melodious,
poured forth in a kind of ecstacy, and becoming more charming at
every repetition, especially if several of them are heard at the same
time, in different parts of the. wood, each trying to outdo the other.
He is always in good humor, and his voice is often heard on rainy
days, from morning to nightfall. His favorite retreats are thickly
shaded hollows, through which meander small creeks or rills, over-
hung with alder bushes and wild grapes. It is in such places, or
near them, that he builds his nest, a little above the ground. | It is
constructed outwardly of withered leaves to prevent eee on
these are layers of knotty stalks of withered grass mixed with mud
and smoothly formed ; the inside lining consists of fine dry roots of
plants. The female lays four, sometimes five, light blue eggs.
The Wood Thrush is a shy and unobtrusive bird, appearing either
single or in pairs, and feeding on different kinds of berries, as well
as on beetles or caterpillars.

On his migration to the South he never appears in the open
plains, but hops and flies swiftly through the woods. Occasionally
he takes a rest on a low branch, uttering a low chuckling sound,
and jerking his tail up and down at each note ; then for a few mo-
ments he keeps perfectly still, with the feathers of his neck and
back a little raised.

The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. (Sphyrapicus varius.)

Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female.

This is one of our, resident birds, and is often to be met with in
the thickets of the woods in midwinter. It is generally considered
a handsome bird, and in its manners and mode of living resembles
the small spotted Woodpeckers.

He is frequently seen in their company, especially in the fall,

ee Tie etcetera

Ph. IX

| Ply, X

SCARLET TANAGER—SNOW OWL—-SNOW BUNTING. 11

when visiting the orchards. Its nest is usually in a dry old tree,
or in a large fallen branch, the entrance to which is small for the
size of the bird, and passing down in a slanting direction it expands
toward the place where the eggs lay, which are from three to four
in number and of a pure white color. Nests containing eggs are
invariably to be found from about the middle of May to the first of
June. This bird is met with almost everywhere, but not in
great numbers, from Hudson’s Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Its
food, like that of all the Woodpeckers, consists chiefly of insects
and their larvae, and to some extent of berries.

The Scarlet Tanager. (Pyranxga rubra.)

Fig. 5.

This beautiful bird is an ornament to our woods. It is almost
destitute of song, being endowed with a few notes only, which re-
semble those of the Baltimore Oreole. It may be found in all parts
of the United States, even as far up north as Canada. It rarely
visits the habitations of man, but frequently orchards, where it
sometimes settles down on an apple or peartree. Its nest, which
it builds in the middle of May, on a horizontal branch, consists of
stalks of broken flax and other dry fibrous matter loosely woven
together. The eggs, three or four in number, are of a dull bluish
color, spotted with brownish purple.

It seems not to be very shy, but allows you to approach it very
near, and is frequently sitting right above your head while you are
looking for it in the distance, misled by its notes, ‘‘ chip, cheer,”
which seem to come from a great distance.

The female is green above and yellow below; the wings and tail
brownish black, edged with green. ‘The male has a spring and a
summer dress. Our plate shows him in the spring dress. This
changes, soon after the young are hatched, into one similar to that
of the female—green above and yellow below; and in the time
between this and his bridal dress, he is often speckled with red,
which is produced by the red points of the feathers: for, with the
exception of the points, these feathers are of a bluish and some-
times a yellowish white; but they lie so regularly on the living
bird that the white parts are invisible.

PLATE X.

The Snow Owl. (lVyctea nzvea.)

Fig. 1.

The Snow Owl, the largest of all the so-called Day Owls, inhabits
all parts of the North. However near men have approached to the
pole, they have seen this Owl, not only on the land, but they have
observed him likewise sitting on icebergs, or flying close over the
water with powerful flapping of the wings. It is, therefore, proba-
ble that they inhabit not only the whole of North America, but also
the corresponding latitudes of Europe and Asia.

In extremely cold winters they regularly wander southward, and
are by no means scarce in Illinois. Several of them were shot near
Chicago, in the winter of 1871-72. Our drawing was prepared
from a beautiful female specimen.

A gentlemen from Cuba assures us that he has frequently seen
this Owl there.

Some ornithologists of Europe hold that the color and markings
of this species are different at different ages, and that some are
like the one on our plate, while others are almost or perfectly white.
It may be so; but on dissection the white ones have been invaria-
bly found to be males and the others to be females. The white
Owls are the smaller.

During the summer they generally keep in the mountainous part

of the North; in winter they take up their abode in the plains. In
his manners, the Snow Owl has many peculiarities. In his quiet
sitting position, his resembles all other large Owls; but his move-
ments are quicker and more graceful, his flight being like that of
the slow-flying birds of prey. In boldness and tenacity he sur-
passes all the rest of the Owl tribe. His food consists chiefly of
small quadrupeds, such as the muskrat; partly also of fish, which
he catches with great skill, in nearly the same manner as the
Fish-hawk, sitting on a projecting rock and watching for them,
until they come to the surface of the water. In winter he prefers
the evening or the night to day-time for hunting. His cry is a
rough, harsh ‘‘ craw! craw !”

The eggs are laid in the month of June. Their number varies
from five to ten—a remarkable number for a large bird of prey
like the Snow Owl; they are oblong and of a dirty white color.
The nest consists of a small cavity in the ground, lined with with-
ered grass and a few feathers from the mother bird. Both parents
are much attached to the young, and on the approach of man, the
female flies off a short distance from the nest, and, feigning lame-
ness, remains with spread wings, lying on the ground, in order to
coax the enemy away from the nest. It has been tried many times
to keep Snow Owls in cages; but they invariably died in a short
time without any apparent cause.

The Snow Bunting. (Plectrophanes nivalis.)
Fig. 2.

The Snow Bunting inhabits, like the Snow Owl, the northern
regions not only of this continent, but alsoof Europe and Asia. His
home is in the mountains, where he builds his nest in crevices of
rocks or under stones; the outside of it is composed of dry grass,
moss and lichen, the inside of feathers and soft down: the entrance
to it is always narrow; the eggs, five or six in number, are so ir-
regularly marked and colored that a description of them is almost
impossible. The song of the male is very pleasant but short. The
young birds, when fully fledged, remain for a short time in their
old home, then form large flocks and begin their regular wander-
ings. As hardly any other birds fly in as large flocks, at least not
in northern regions, their wanderings attract the attention, not only
of naturalists, but of almost everybody. In Indiana they appear
only in small groups of from sixteen to fifty. They travel also
considerable distances over the sea.

In their manners, Snow Buntings resemble Larks. They fly
easily, with little flapping of the wings, in long curving lines, gen-
erally at considerable heights, and sometimes just above the ground.
They are of a lively, frolicksome disposition, and seem to be in
good humor even on the coldest winter days. In summer they sub-
sist chiefly on insects ; in winter they feed also on several kinds ot
seeds. It is very amusing to see a flock of them in winter, on the
snow-covered fields, on a foraging tour. ‘They hover over the
ground, a part of them alighting to pick up what little seed they
can find on such withered plants as extend above the snow, the rest
flying just over them a little further along, and then alighting also ;
after a while the first party fly over the others, and in this way they
go over the whole field. Their cry on such occasions sounds like
‘« fit 3” sometimes it isa shrill < tzirr,” uttered during the flight. Our
plate represents this bird in its winter dress. ‘The summer dress of
the old male is really handsome, notwithstanding its plain colors.
The whole middle of the back, the tips of the primaries, and the
middle of the tail feathers are black. There is also a black spot
on the metacarpus. All the rest of the plumage is snow white.

PLATE XI.
The Yellow-shanked Snipe. (Gambetta—Scolopax —/lavipes.)

Fig. I.

The Yellow-shanked Snipes arrive in the Northwestern States
between the middle of April and the early part of May, on their
way to the North, where they breed; and return as early as the
latter part of August, or the beginning of September, making only
a short stay. All the birds of this genus seem only to go northward
to breed, and to return southward as soon as the young are able to
fly. Single ones are to be met with in summer, or at almost any
season ; but as all of them are male birds, it is to be presumed they
are either old bachelors or widowers, who can not bear to see the
happiness of those who are mated, and therefore wander off toward
the sunny South. There is more dignity in the manners and hab-
its of the Snipes than in those of the Sand-pipers. Their flight
is easy, and when they alight they flap their wings, and before lay-
ing them together, stretch them straight up, so that the tips touch
each other. * In case of need they swim and dive tolerably well.
Their chief resorts seem to be the sea-coast and salt-marshes, as
well as the muddy flats at low water, where they delight to wade in
the mud; but it is rather the abundance of food they find there
than the mud, that attracts them. They live on insects and all kinds
of larve. You may sometimes meet with single ones, which show
no shyness at all; but when in flocks they shun the gunner care-
fully and seem to distinguish him from less dangerous persons. It
may be on account of these qualities that numbers of different kinds
of Sand-pipers are found in their company, and seem to follow them
as their leaders with great confidence. As a delicacy for the table,
they are held in high esteem.

The Semi-palmated Sand-pipers. (Zréxga—Actitis Semi-palmata.)
Fig. 2.

The principal places which these neat little birds inhabit, are the
sea-shores. Their legs are rather short in proportion to the size of
the bird. They live on the same food asthe Yellow-shanks. These
birds inhabit almost every part of the North American continent.
They migrate North in the spring, and should the season be open,
remain quite late in autumn, when they depart for their winter-
quarters at the South. They congregate in large flocks on the
beaches and sand-bars, and meadows, along the sea-coast and on
the shores of the interior lakes and streams. When feeding, they
scatter about in small parties; when surprised, they run with a
rapid movement, collecting in such close bodies that as many as
twenty, and sometimes more, are killed at a single shot. When
closely pursued, they run off in one mass uttering a chirping note.
If this note be imitated, they will shortly obey the call. They breed
at the far North, the female laying four or five white eggs, spotted
and blotched with black.

On their wanderings southward they sometimes penetrate far in-
land, following the sandy and muddy banks of rivers. In swim-
ming they constantly move their heads backward and forward like
Ducks.

A heavy down under the feathers of the breast makes them ap-
pear round and plump. In the fall the male and female are
marked exactly alike.

The Great Tern, or Sea Swallow. (Sterza irundo.)
Fig. 3.

The Sea Swallows inhabit the northern parts of the temperate
zones. They are found in great numbers on the North American
lakes. In their wanderings they fly, at a considerable height, from

13 SNIPE—SAND PIPERS—SEA SWALLOW —ORIOLE.

one sheet of water to another, following, when it is possible, the
course of rivers, and occasionally coming down to feed or rest.
Their voice sounds like ‘‘ kraa,” and when frightened, like ‘*kick’
or ‘‘ krick.” Their food consists of small minnows, young frogs or
tadpoles, worms, crickets, etc. They catch their prey when it is
in the water by suddenly plunging down upon it; when they find
it on the ground, they pick it up while on the wing. They build
their nests on low islands, the shores of rivers, or the coast gener-
ally, but not on sandy ground. They make small holes, or use
such as they happen to find, for their nests, without lining them.
The eggs are laid about the last of May, and are of a light yellow-
ish brown color, speckled with purplish, reddish, and dark brown
round or oblong spots. The female sits on them during the night,
and the male occasionally in the daytime. During the warm sun-
shine the eggs are left uncovered. The young, which are hatched
in about sixteen or seventeen days, soon leave the nest, hiding
themselves, in case of danger, among the pebbles, and only betray-
ing their presence by their melancholy piping, when the parents are

'shot. The upper part of these birds is covered with a grayish white

down, and on the lower part the down is white.

They always turn their heads toward water when sitting on the
nest. Their flight is extremely graceful.

The young grow rapidly, and when only three weeks old are
able to follow their parents.

PLATE XII.

The Baltimore Oriole. (Orcolus—Jcterus Baltimore.)
Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

The Baltimore Oriole inhabits North America as far as the fifty-
fifth degree of latitude. It is chiefly found in the vicinity of rivers,
and seems to prefer a hilly country. It is only a summer visitant
in the Northern States, where it makes its appearance in pairs,
during the latter part of April or the beginning of May. It com-
mences at once to build its nest, the material and construction of
which vary according to climate and circumstances. In the
Southern States, it consists of ‘‘ Spanish moss,” put together so
loosely that the air can pass through it; itis never lined, and is al-
ways placed on the north side of a tree. In the Northern and
Western States, it is hung on such twigs as are most exposed to the
rays of the sun, and lined with the warmest and finest material.
The bird, in constructing the nest, ties the material to the twigs with
his bill and claws, weaving it strongly together, and giving the
whole the shape of a hanging bag, as shown on the plate.

In constructing its nest, he makes use of any material he deems
suitable. A lady in Connecticut, while sitting at an open window.
engaged in sewing, was called away for a few moments. A Balti-
more Oriole, in the meantime, entered the window, and carried off
her thread and several yards of small tape to the nest he was then
building. The lady suspected the mischievous bird, and, on going
to the nest, found him weaving in hertape. This she succeeded in
recovering ; but the silk thread was so perfectly wound in that it
could not be disentangled.

The female lays four and sometimes five or six eggs, of a light
gray color and marked with dark spots, dots, andlines. The young
are hatched in a fortnight, and in three weeks more are fully
fledged. Before they fly out they often hang or climb around the
nest like Woodpeckers. They are fed by their parents for a couple
of weeks, and then left to take care of themselves. The food of
the Baltimore Oriole consists of mulberries, cherries, and similar
fruit. In the spring they chiefly subsist on insects, which they
pick up on leaves and branches or catch flying. ‘Toward fall they
commence their return southward, flying high in the air, and al-
ways in the daytime. They generally fly singly with loud cries,
and apparently in great haste. At sunset they alighton a suitable

PY, XII

PL. Nil

ORIOLE—BLUE BIRD—FLY-CATCHER—CORMORANT. i3

tree, take a little rest, and, having quickly picked up some food,
goto sleep. Next morning after a slight breakfast, the journey is
resumed. ‘The movement of these birds is pleasant and easy ; their
flight straight, and their walk on the ground quiet. ‘They mani-
fest great skill in climbing branches ; in this respect almost surpass-
ing the Titmouse.

The Orchard Oriole. (Orcolus—Jcterus Spurius.)
Fig. 3%

This bird chiefly frequents orchards, whence the name. It is
gay and frolicksome, and seems tobe always in great haste, hopping
among the branches or upon the ground, and flying in the air. Its
notes are short but lively, and uttered with such rapidity that it is
difficult to follow them distinctly. Sometimes it utters only a single
note, which is very agreeable. Its food generally consists of in-
sects and their larvee. Of the insects that infest fruit trees, they
destroy great quantities, and are therefore benefactors to farmers
and fruit-growers.

-The Orchard Oriole builds his nest similar to that of the Balti-
more. For material it uses a long fibrous grass, and generally
hangs the nest on the outward branch of an apple tree. The nest
is semi-globular in shape, about three inches deep and two wide;
the inside is lined with wool or a down from the seeds of the pla-
tanas accidentalis, or buttonwood tree. The eggs are commonly
four in number, having a pale bluish tint, with a few small specks
of brown and dots of purple. The female sits fourteen days; the
young remain from two to three weeks in the nest, which they leave
about the middle of June. The upper portion of the female is col-
ored with a yellowish olive, inclining to a brownish tint on the
back; the wings are dusky brown, and the lesser wing coverts
tipped with yellowish white; the tail is rounded, the two exterior
feathers three-quarters of an inch shorter than the middle ones;
the lower parts of the body are yellow. The plumage of the male
nearly corresponds with that of the female.

The Indigo Blue Bird. (Cyanospiza cyanea.)
Fig. 4.

This beautiful little bird inhabits, it seems, all parts of the
North American continent from Mexico to Nova Scotia, and from
the sea-coast west, beyond the Appalachian and Cherokee Mount-
ains. It is chiefly seen in gardens, fields of clover, on the borders
of woods, and on roadsides, where it is often observed perched on
fences. It is very neat and agile, anda good singer. Mounting
to the highest top of a tree it sometimes chants for half an hour ata
time. Its song consists of short notes often repeated: the first ones
are loud and rapidly succeed each other; then they are gradually
dropped until they are hardly audible, the little singer appearing
to be quite exhausted; but after a pause of about half a minute,
he begins again as fresh, lively, and loud as at first. The song
is heard during the months of May, June, July, and August. When
frightened it utters a single chirp, sounding almost like two pebbles
struck together. The color of its plumage is changeable, depend-
ing on the lightin which itis seen. Instead of indigo blue, it some-
times appears in a verdigris dress; at other times the dress appears
green, and at others blue. Its head is of a deep blue, and its color
is not changeable like that of the rest of the body. Its nest is usu-
ally built in rank grass, grain, or clover, andis generally suspended
between two twigs, one passing on each side; itis composed of flax
or other fibrous material, with an inside lining of fine dry grass.
The eggs, numbering five, are light blue, with a purplish blotch on
the larger end. Insects and a variety of seeds constitute its prin-
cipal food. The female is of a light flaxen color; her wings are
of a dusky black, and the cheeks, breast, and the lower portions

of her body are clay-colored, streaked with a darker color under
the wings, tinged so as to be bluish in several places. ‘Toward
fall, after moulting, the male appears almost in the same colors as
the female. The Indigo Blue Bird is frequently kept in cages ; and
those taken in trap-cages soon become reconciled to their captivity,
but never sing so well nor so loud as those reared by hand from
the nest. They are fed with different kinds of seeds, such as rape,
turnip, hemp, and canary seed.

In Europe they are invariably found in every collection of birds.

The Hooded Fly-catcher. (AZusicapa—Sectophaga mitrata.)
Fig. 5.

This bird is chiefly found in the southern parts of North Amer-
ica, abounding in the Gulf States. It is a lively bird, and has in
a good degree the manners of a true Fly-catcher, while in some
respects it resembles the Warbler. It is in an almost constant chase
after insects, its principal food, uttering now and then a very lively
‘‘ twee, twee, twitchee.” In the Northern States it is rather scarce,
and when met with there it is shy and timid, like a stranger far
from home.

It spends the winter in Mexico and the West India islands. The
nest of the Hooded Fly-catcher is very neatly and compactly built
in the fork of a small bush: it is on the outside composed of flax
and other fibers, and moss, or pieces of broken hemp; the inside
is nicely lined with hair and feathers. The eggs are five in num-
ber, grayish white, with reddish spots on the larger end. In the
United States it is a bird of passage. The female nearly resem-
bles the male, except that the yellow of her throat and breast has
a slight blackish tint; the black does not reach so far down on the
upper part of the neck as in the male, and it is also of a less deep
color.

PLATE XIII.

Townsend’s Cormorant. (Phalacrocorax townsendiz.)
Fig. 1.

Cormorants are generally found in all parts of both hemispheres ;
in middle Asia, and, in winter, in great numbers in Africa. They
are most numerous in rivers bordered by large forests. Thousands
congregate on the Columbia river. The bird from which the draw-
ing is made, was presented to us by Dr. W. T. Shepard, who shot
it in the ‘‘ Reservoir,” in Licking county, Ohio. It proved, 9n dis-
section, to be a female.

Cormorants are common in winter in all the southern seas—in
Greece, in China, and India. Wherever water and fish are to be
met with, Cormorants are seen. ‘These birds manifest many pecu-
liarities. ‘They are gregarious, usually congregating in flocks, and
sometimes in considerable numbers. They are seldom seen singly
or in pairs. Almost all the different kinds of Cormorants are often
collected in the same flock.

During the morning hours, Cormorants are busy in fishing. The
afternoon is generally devoted to repose. ‘Toward evening another
fishing excursion is made, and after this they retire to sleep. For
this. purpose, they select, in the interior of the country, high trees
on islands, or those standing in lakes or rivers. Such trees also
serve them for breeding-stations. On the coast or on the ocean,
they choose a rocky island, affording a wide range of vision, and
also a harbor, from whose every side they can easily take flight and
return. Such islands can be seen and recognized from a distance,
as they are literally covered with the white excrements of these
birds. Ship-loads of guano could be collected on these islands, if
it could only be dried by the tropical sun of Peru. Such a sight in
mid-ocean never fails to attract the attention of the mariner or the

{4 CORMORANT—DIVER LOON.

traveler; but the island is, of course, most attractive when it is occu-
pied by Cormorants. There they sit arranged in rows or lines, on
the rocks, in the most picturesque positions, and all facing the sea.
Rarely can one be seen sitting apart from the rest. They usually
wear a stiff, statue-like appearance; but sometimes each bird is
seen to move some part of the body, either the neck, wings, or tail.
The object of these movements doubtless is to dry their feathers.
After ten or fifteen minutes, they become quiet, merely basking in
the sun. On such occasions, each Cormorant seems to have a par-
ticular place which he always occupies.

Cormorants walk with extreme difficulty. Some observers have
said that these birds can only walk when they support themselves
by their tails. This supposition has evidently arisen from the fact
that the tail portion of the Cormorant’s body is stiff, like that of the
Woodpecker. Cormorants, when hanging by their short, round
claws at the entrances to crevices or hollows in rocks, support them-
selves by their tails as Woodpeckers do. The walk of Cormorants
is a mere waddling, and yet they make more rapid progress than
an observer would at first sight suppose. ‘They are not made for
locomotion on land; but in swimming and diving they are experts.
When a boat approaches their resting-place, they stretch out their
necks, take a few irregular steps, and turn as if for a general flight ;
but only a few take to flying, bravely flapping their wings fora
short time. These maneuvers are followed bya regular sail in the
air; while others fly round in circles, rising higher and higher like
the Hawk or Kite. The majority, however, do not take to the wing
at all, but let themselves down into the water, head foremost, like
frogs, diving and,rising at a great distance off. Then, looking for
a moment at the boat with their green eyes, they dive and rise
again, and so keep doing till they reach a place of safety.

There is probably no bird that can surpass the Cormorant in
diving and swimming under water. Frequent trials have been made
to get ahead of them with a light boat or canoe; but the practiced
oarsman, though exerting himself to the utmost, could make only
half the distance on the surface that the Cormorants made in the
same time under water. They dive to great depths, and re-
main a long time under water; then coming up to the surface, they
hastily draw in a fresh supply of air and dive again. When pur-
suing their prey in the water, they stretch themselves out and
swim with sturdy strokes, pushing themselves through the water
with an arrow-like velocity.

It may be reasonably inferred from the penetrating green eyes
of Cormorants that their sense of vision is well developed. Their
hearing is also acute, and they do not lack the sense of feeling.
But they are too voracious to possess much discrimination in the
sense of taste. It is true they feed on one kind of fish more than
on any other; but this preference is probably not so much due to
their taste, as to the fact that such fish are more easily caught than
others. The fish alluded to is the so-called alewife, a kind of her-
ring, found in great numbers, swimming near the surface. Cor-
morants are shy and distrustful. ‘Toward other birds, with whom
they come in contact, their behavior is that of tricksters and ras-
cals.

The Chinese train Cormorants for fishing. The young intended
for this use are hatched by domesticated hens. The following is
the mode of fishing with Cormorants: The fisherman employs a
raft from fifteen to twenty feet in length, and from two and a half
to three feet in width, made of bamboo, and furnished with an oar
and rudder. Arriving on the fishing ground, he drives the Cor-
morants from the raft into the water, and they all dive at once. As
soon as a Cormorant has caught a fish, rising with it to the sur-
face, he swims toward the raft, merely with the intention of swal-
lowing the fish. He is prevented by a brass ring or string around
his neck from accomplishing this feat. The fisherman hurries to-
ward the bird, throws a net over him, drags him to the raft, and
secures the fish. He then sends the Cormorant back into the water
for more booty.

In the interior of a country; Cormorants in a very short time

destroy all the fish in the lakes andrivers. Their voracity exceeds
comprehension. A single Cormorant devours daily from sixteen
to twenty good-sized herring. They catch, it is said, young
aquatic birds, Ducks, Coots, Rails, etc. The writer has found in
a Cormorant’s stomach the remains of a young Gallinula.
Cormorants prefer trees for nest-building, but also make use of
hollows in rocks. Their nests are formed of a few dry rushes,
fibrous roots, etc. Crows and Herons are often expelled from their
nests by Cormorants, who appropriate the nests to their own use.
Toward the close of April, the female Cormorant lays three or four
bluish green eggs, of an oblong shape, and small in proportion to
the size of the bird. The male and female sit alternately on the
eggs, and usually hatch them out in about twenty-eight days. They
also take turns in feeding the young. These grow rapidly, and

~ are well taken care of by their parents, who, however, do not try

to defend them, at least not against man. On arriving at the nest
from a fishing excursion, the parent birds empty their crops and
stomachs, which sometimes contain several dozen small fishes.
Many of these fall over the border of the nest to the ground; but
the Cormorants never take the trouble to pick them up. ‘Toward
the middle of June the young are able to fly, and the old birds be-
gin raising a second brood. The flesh of Cormorants is not gener-
ally considered fit for food; but Laplanders and other northern
people pronounce it delicious.

The Double-crested Cormorant. (Phalacrocorax dilophus.)

Fig. 2.

This bird is represented on the plate in its summer plumage,
having two elongated tufts of feathers behind each eye. It inhab-
its all parts of this country from Maryland to Labrador, but in no
way differs from other Cormorants. The specimen that served for
the drawing, was shot in the ‘* Licking Reservoir,” heretofore re-
ferred to, among a flock of the common Cormorants (fhalacro-
corax Carbo).

PLATE XIV.

The Great Northern Diver Loon. (Colymbus sglaczalis.)

Fig. 1

The great Northern Diver, Loon, or Stutter, as this bird is called
in northern Europe, is a regular sea-bird, living on the coast, but
frequenting large fresh-water lakes and ponds in the interior for the
purpose of breeding. ‘These birds, on their migration southward,
late in the fall, and on their return northward, in April or May,
visit our rivers and mill-ponds. They are very shy, wary, and
difficult to kill, eluding the sportsman by their astonishing dexterity
in diving and swimming under water, even against the current.
They can remain a good while beneath the surface, often six or
eight minutes at a time, and swim long distances with incredible
rapidity, and without any apparent exertion. They sometimes lie
flat on the surface of the water, or sink themselves in it, so that
only a small portion of their backs and their heads and necks can
be seen. They sometimes swim in a slow, quiet way. Their
diving is accomplished without making any noise, or any commotion
in the water, by stretching themselves up, bending the neck in a
curve forward, and then plunging down. Under water they stretch
out to their full length, press wings and feathers close to the body,
and, moving their feet only, shoot onward like an arrow through
the water. Sometimes they swim in one direction, and then in an-
other; sometimes just beneath the surface, and then at a depth of
several fathoms. ‘They swim or race with fish, their usual food,
and catch them while swimming. From the very first day of their
lives, they swim and dive, and seem to feel safer in water than
when flying high in the air.

AIX "Td ,

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PL.XV

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TELL-TALE—SEA EAGLE. 15

These birds are quite helpless on the surface of the ground, which
they avoid as much as possible. They can not walk as other birds
do, or even hardly stand upright. They crawl along instead of
walking, supporting themselves by their bills and using their wings
to aid a forward movement. ‘Their flight is much better than one
would suppose it could be, with their heavy bodies and small
wings. ‘To get fairly on the wing, they make a long preliminary
movement; but as soon as they have gained a certain height, they
speed quickly forward, although compelled to flap their short wings
in rapid succession. Loons are distinguished from all other sea-
birds by their loud and sonorous voice. Many ornithologists speak
of the voice as harsh and disagreeable; but the writer can not avoid
confessing to a partiality for the loud morning call of the Loon.
Its voice, especially at night, resembles a long drawn out ‘‘Aaweek !
Aaweek!” So penetrating is it as sometimes to produce an echo
in the surrounding rocks or mountains, sounding like the cry of
a man in imminent peril of life.

Loons are shy and cautious, trusting no one. Strange creatures
they avoid as much as possible, and do not seem to care much even
for their own kind. They are often found single, and, during
the breeding season, in pairs, greatly attached to each other. It is
seldom that two pairs are seen on the same pond, and more rarely
still can even a single pair be seen on a pond occupied by other
birds. During their migrations, or when in captivity, they always
keep at a distance from other birds, and snap at them if they come
near. When brought to bay, Loons fiercely defend themselves,
inflicting ugly wounds with their strong, sharp bills.

They swallow small fish whole; but, as such as are of the size
of the herring cause them trouble, larger ones are torn into small
pieces and so devoured. It has been observed that captive Loons
never pick up a dead fish; while freshly caught birds, placed in a
large reservoir well stocked with fish, commence immediately to
dive, chase, and catch and eat the fish. Fishermen on Lake Erie
are in the habit of inclosing a small piece of water, three or four
feet deep, with a kind of network reaching above the surface, for
the purpose of keeping fish for market. Oftentimes, a Loon,
attracted by the multitude of fish, alights in one of these inclos-
ures, and is easily caught, as it can not again get on the wing, for
want of a place from which to make its launch into the air.

These birds select for their breeding-places quiet fresh-water

ponds or lakes, often preferring those situated at a considerable ele-
vation above the level of the sea. During the breeding season,
their loud, sonorous voices are oftener heard than at other times.
The nests are usually found on small islands, but in case there are
no such islands, the birds build nests on the shore near the border
of the rushes, constructing them of rushes and rank grass, carelessly
put together. No attempt is made at concealment, and the female
bird, sitting on the nest, can be seen from a great distance. She
lays two eggs of an oblong shape, with a coarse-grained shell, and
of an oil green color, sprinkled with dark gray and reddish brown
specks and dots. Both the male and female sit alternately on the
eggs, and mutually feed and take care of their offspring. The
- eggs are usually laid in the latter part of May, and the young are
to be seen by the end of June. If food is lacking in the pond or
lake where the nest is located, one of the parents takes care of the
young while the other flies off to some point on a fishing excur-
sion. As soon as the young birds are fledged, they leave the home
of their infancy, and follow their parents to the larger lakes or the
sea.
_ The flesh of the Loon is unfit for human food; it is rancid to the
taste, and its odor is disgusting. The natives of Greenland use the
skins of these birds for clothing, and the Indians about Hudson’s
Bay adorn their heads with circlets of Loon feathers. Lewis and
Clarke’s exploring party saw, at the mouth of the Columbia river,
robes made of Loon skins. While they wintered at Fort Clatsop,
on that river, they observed great numbers of these birds.

The female is smaller than the male Loon. The bill is yel-
lowish, and only the upper ridge and the top black, or of a black-

ish horn color; the crown, back, and part of the neck and the
whole upper parts are pale brown; the plumage of a part of the
back and scapulars is tipped with pale ash; the throat, lower side
of the neck, and the whole underparts are white, but not so purely
white as in the male, as these parts in the female have a dirty yel-
lowish tinge. The quill feathers are dark brown. The female
has neither the streaked bands on her neck nor the white spots on
her body.

The Tell-tale, Tattler, or Godwit. (Gaméctta Melano leuca.)
Fig. 2.

This bird is well known to our gunners along the sea-coast and
marshes. They stigmatize it with the name of Tell-tale, for its
faithful vigilance in alarming the Ducks on the approach of the
hunter, with its loud and shrill cry. This cry consists of four notes,
uttered in rapid succession, and so loud and shrill as to alarm any
Duck within hearing. But gunners, aware of this fact, look out
in the first instance, for this bird, and often hush its warning voice
forever, before it is aware of their stealthy approach.

This elegantly formed bird appears on our coasts about the be-
ginning of April, breeds in the marshes, and leaves for the South
in the middle of November. Not only do these birds build nests
in salt-water marshes, but also in fresh-water swamps; sometimes
on the dry ground, and even in an old stump. The nest is simply
a hollow, made usually in a tussock of rank grass, inlaid with a
few dry leaves of grass, a little moss, and with pine needles or
leaves. The eggs, four in number, are proportionally large, pear-
shaped, and of an oil green color, sprinkled with brownish gray
specks and dots. The female bird hatches the eggs; but her mate
is always at hand and on the watch. The young run about, fol-
lowing their parents, as soon as they are out of the shell, and con-
ceal themselves, as all their kindred do, on the approach of danger,
by lying flat on the ground, or in the grass or weeds. As soon as
they are full-fledged, they look out for themselves, but remain with
the old birds, flying at will from place to place, making longer and
longer excursions, and at length, on some fine evening, setting out
for a grand wandering tour. .

In their winter-quarters, Tattlers associate with many other birds,
but seldom form large flocks. It seems as if the company of
strangers suited them better than that of their own kind. Their
manner is pleasing; their walk elegant, quick, and striding, and
their flight easy and rapid. They wade in deep water, and swim
if necessary. They are generally seen, either searching for food
or standing on the watch, alternately raising and lowering the head,
and, on the least approach of danger, uttering a shrill whistle, their
warning cry, and then rising on the wing, generally accompanied
by all the shore birds in the vicinity. Occasionally they rise to a
great height, and their whistle can be distinctly heard, when the
birds are beyond the reach of the eye. They become very fat in
the fall, and their flesh is in high esteem for the table.

Nature seems to have intended this bird as a kind of guardian
or sentinel for all other shore or aquatic birds. ‘They feed on the
shore, or in the bogs or marshes, with a feeling of perfect security,
so long as the Tattler is at hand, and is silent; but the moment his
whistle is heard, there is a general commotion, and directly not a
bird is to be seen, the disappointed gunner, inhis vexation, uttering
between his teeth something the reverse of a prayer.

PLATE XV.
The Gray or Sea Eagle. (adéaétus leucocephalus.)

This formidable Eagle lives in the same countries, on the same
fooa, and frequents the same localities as the Bald or White-headed

Eagle, with which it often associates. In fact, the Sea Eagle so
much resembles the Bald Eagle, in the form of the bill, in its size,
in the shape of the legs and claws, differing from the latter only
in color, that it seems at once to be the same bird, distinguished
from the Bald Eagles previously observed simply by its age or
stage of color. Another circumstance corroborating such an in-
ference, is the variety of the colors of Sea Eagles; scarcely any
two of them are found to be colored alike, the plumage of each
being more or less shaded with light color or white. On some,
the chin, breast, and tail coverts are of a deep brown; on others,
these parts are much lighter, sometimes whitish, with the tail evi-
dently changing in color, and merging into white.

In former times some of the best informed ornithologists insisted
that Sea Eagles must be of a different kind from Bald Eagles, as,
on examination of the nests of each, it was found that both the par-
ent Sea Eagles were different in color from the parent Bald Eagles.
But it takes the Bald Eagles full four years to perfect their plum-
age, though the younger ones begin to breed in the second year.
These young ones passing for Sea Eagles, it is supposed that there
are a great many more Sea Eagles than Bald or White-headed
Eagles.

Almost everybody has heard or read stories of very young chil-
dren having been seized and carried off by a Bald or Sea Eagle.
But it is doubtful whether any of these terror-exciting tales would
bear a very close or critical examination. While the writer was
stopping at an inn in the Tyrol, the landlord entered the room one
afternoon in great haste, and, opening a window, discharged his
short rifle at a bird that was flying at too great a distance to be even
alarmed. He explained, by saying that he made it a point to kill,
or at least to shoot at, every Lammer-geier that came within sight,
as one of them had carried off the child of his best friend. ‘The
name and residence of that friend having been given, he was vis-
ited, and the information imparted by him was, that a child had in
reality been carried off by a Lammer-geier—not one of his chil-
dren, as had been erroneously stated, but the child of an innkeeper
residing some fifteen miles distant. On visiting the innkeeper, it
was ascertained that the story was wholly without foundation in
fact.

The Sea Eagle isacoward. The present writer once climbed to
an Eagle’s nest on a lofty yellow pine tree, standing near the bank
of a small creek,-in the northern part of the State of New York.
During the progress of the climbing, the old Eagle flew about the
tree, screaming and making a hissing sound, but keeping at a re-
spectful distance from the climber. On reaching the nest, it was
found to consist of a large pile of sticks, cornstalks, rushes, and
some fibrous materials. The different layers showed that it had
answered a similar purpose for several successive years. It con-
tained two young Eagles that threw themselves at once upon their
backs and showed fight when they saw their visitor looking at them,
striking at him with their claws, making a peculiar rattling with
their beaks, opening them, and suddenly shutting them with a snap.
Not even when their young were lifted out of the nest and exam-
ined, did the old Eagles venture to attack the intruder, though they
sometimes came toward him in a direct line, with open beaks, with
their head feathers all erect, and seemingly in a terrible rage. But
when within four or five yards of the object of their fury, they sud-
denly turned off at a right angle, either to the right or left. After
the young Eagles had been examined for a quarter of an hour,
they were put back into the nest, and their visitor descended the
tree, to the great relief of their afflicted and fussy parents.

PLATE XVI.
The Fish Hawk. (Paxdion haliaetus.)

The Fish Hawk bears also the name of Osprey, Fish Eagle, and
Fish Kite. Up to the present time it has been regarded as belong-

FISH HAWK.

ing among the Eagles, from whom it differs in many respects. Its
right position seems to be that of a connecting link between Eagles
and Kites.

Fish Hawks are migratory birds, usually arriving on the North
American lakes in the latter part of March, sometimes later, and
departing during the closing days of September. They live ex-
clusively on fish, and of course their haunts are where their food
abounds. ‘They build nests on high trees, constructed of stout
sticks, rushes, moss, seaweed, etc. The female lays two, some-
times three, handsome, oblong eggs, of a grayish white color, and
speckled all over with light reddish dots.

Their long wings enable Fish Hawks to continue with ease a long
time in the air. At the start for an excursion, they soar to a great
height, and then letting themselves down gradually, they begin
just above the level of the water their inspection for fish. This in-
spection is not, however, entered upon while there isa mist hang-
ing over the water. They come tothe fishing-place by a circuitous
route, and ascertain, by cautiously looking about, whether any dan-
ger 1s to be apprehended. Alternately lowering themselves and
soaring to a height of fifty or sixty feet, they sometimes poise them-
selves to take a better aim at a fish seen in the water, and then dart
down with legs stretched forward in an oblique direction, disap-
pearing for a short time in the water, and then reappearing on the
surface, flapping their wings and shaking the water from their
feathers. If unlucky, away. they fly, to return and try their for-
tune again. Whether lucky or not, they usually leave the smaller
ponds after their first endeavor. Their peculiar mode of fishing
necessitates the making of many a plunge to no purpose; but this
does not at all discourage them: their motto alwaysis, ‘‘Try again.”
They seldom suffer want, except when, on their arrival at the North,
they find the lakes and ponds still covered with ice.

When a Fish Hawk pounces upon a fish, he drives his claws
with such force into its back that they are not easily or very quickly
withdrawn. Very often, miscalculating the size and weight of the
fish, he endangers his own life, and sometimes loses it altogether,
by being drawn under the water by a heavy fish, and drowned. On
fish caught by this bird, there have been observed two holes on each
side of the back. This is explained by the fact that the Fish Hawk
can turn the outer toe either forward or backward, and that in seiz-
ing a fish, he turns this toe backward so as to get a firmer hold.
He flies off to the woods with such fish as he can conveniently carry,
to feast upon them there at leisure and in safety, but heavier fish
he drags to the shore.

Fish Hawks are never known to attack quadrupeds or birds for
the purpose of obtaining food. All aquatic birds are so well ac-
quainted with the Fish Hawk that they are never alarmed at his
approach. Grackles very often build their nests in the interstices
between the sticks in the Fish Hawks’ nests, and both kinds of birds
live together in harmony. But other birds of prey, as the White
or Bald Eagles, or Sea Eagles, torment the Fish Hawk. As soon
as a Bald Eagle sees the Hawk with a fish, he chases, attacks, and
compels the Fish Hawk to drop his hard-earned booty, which the
robber Eagle seizes and appropriates to his own use.

Fish Hawksare greatly attached to their young, and defend them
to their utmost against both men and birds of prey. One of the
parents always remains near the nest, while the other is out fish-
ing. It is remarkable that the tree on which the nest of a Fish
Hawk is built, and where the young are reared, always withers and
dies in a short time afterward. Whether this is owing to some
poison imparted to the tree by the birds, or to the salt water con-
stantly dripping from the heavy moss of the nest, or to some other
cause, has not been satisfactorily settled.

On dissecting a Fish Hawk, there were found the two glands on
the rump, which supply the bird with oil wherewith to lubricate its
feathers, in order to protect them from injury by being frequently
wet. These glands were remarkably large, and contained a great
quantity of white greasy matter as well as yellow oil. The gall
was very small; but the intestines, with their numerous windings,

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CINEREOUS COOT—PILEATED WOODPECKER. 1 Ff

measured full nine feet, and were extremely thin. The crop or
craw was of proportionate size, and the stomach large, resembling
an oblong pouch. Both crop and stomach contained half-digested
fish. The heart and lungs were large and strong. There was no
muscular gizzard. ‘The female bird is about two inches longer
than the male. The upper portion of her head is less white than
that of the male, and her breast is marked with brown streaks.

PLATE XVII.

The Cinereous Coot. (/alica americana.)

This species was formerly, by some ornithologists, classed among
the Natatores, or swimming birds proper; but its form, the com-
pressed body, and especially its mode of living, designate it clearly
as a connecting link between the Gallinules and the swimming
birds. It has a very strong resemblance, in the formation of its
whole body, to the Gallinules, except that its feet are lobed.

The Cinereous Coot usually makes its appearance in the State
of Ohio about the middle of April, stays the whole summer, and
leaves for the South when the rushes are destroyed by severe
frosts.

This bird is found almost everywhere in Europe, but is repre-
sented in the southern parts by a related kind. It has been found
in middle Asia, and in its winter-quarters, in the interior of Africa.
It is probable, however, that one or the other observer may have in-
termixed the different related kinds, not having taken the trouble of
a close examination. In Great Britain it is said to be found at all
seasons, and does not seem to migrate to other countries, but merely
changes its station in autumn from the lesser pools orloughs, where
their young are reared, to the larger lakes, where these birds as-
semble in winter in large flocks. They are also found in Ger-
many. ‘They avoid rivers and brooks as well as the sea, and pre-
fer still waters, whose borders are overgrown with rushes and reeds.

They are consequently most numerous in the marshes of the
larger lakes, and on the larger ponds. The time of their appear-
ance in the spring depends chiefly, it seems, on the melting of the
snow andice. ‘They remain in the same place during the whole
summer, and in autumn begin to wander, assembling sometimes in
immense flocks on the larger sheets of water, whence they migrate
to the South, usually in the latter part of October and in Novem-
ber.

The Coot is oftener seen on the water than on land, but frequents
the latter, especially during midday, to take a rest, and to clean
and put its plumage in order. Though the feet of the Coot are
rather awkwardly constructed for running, it runs tolerably well on
the ground ; but spends by far the greater part of its life in swim-
ming. Its feet are excellent rudders, for what their swimming
lobes are lacking in breadth, is made up by the length of the toes.
The Coot is also an expert diver, and contests the palm, in this re-
spect, with many real swimming birds. It dives to considerable
depths, and swims, with the help of its wings, great distances under
water. ‘To escape danger, it always sinks itself in deep water.
Before it rises for a flight, it flutters for a great distance over the
surface, striking the water so violently with its feet that the noise
of the splashing can be heard at a great distance.

The Coot is very loquacious, chattering to its companions almost
incessantly. Its voice is a shrill ‘* Kuw,” and the shrillness, in
time of anger, is doubled or even trebled. It also utters a short,
hard ‘* Pitts,” and at times a hollow guttural sound. It is a very
sociable bird among its own kind, except in the breeding season,
when each pair always strive to keep a certain district for them-
selves, into which they never suffer any other birds to enter. Even
in their winter-quarters, Coots do not like to see other swimming
birds, and make it a special point to drive away Ducks.

Aquatic insects and their larve, worms and small shells, and

several kinds of vegetable matter, which they find in the water,
form the principal food of Cinereous Coots. They pick up
their food in swimming and diving, either from the surface, or by
diving after it to the bottom. Some Coots, kept in captivity, lived
for a whole winter exclusively on grain, and although they were
occasionally fed with small minnows, which they readily ate, they
seemed to prefer the grain, Whenever the Coot has settled on the
smaller ponds or swamps it begins to build its nest, which is formed
in the rushes near the water’s edge. It is built on the trampled
down stocks of weeds and rushes, and is composed of the dry
stocks of the same. The upper layers and the interior consist of a
little finer material, such as the finer weeds, dry grass, and fibers.
The female lays, in the latter part of May, from seven to twelve
eggs, rather large in proportion to the size of the bird, having a
fine but hard shell, of a yellowish brown color, sprinkled over with
dark ash colored and blackish brown dots, chiefly on the large end.
The eggs are hatched in about twenty or twenty-one days. As
soon as the young quit the shell and are dry, they plunge into the
watey, and dive and swim with the greatest ease, but always cluster
again about the mother, taking shelter under her wings, while the
male warns and protects them from danger. For a considerable
time they return nightly to their nest; but gradually they separate
more and more from the parents. Long before they are fully
fledged, they become independent of parental care.

The female Coot frequently breeds twice in a season, but may
be called lucky if she raises one-half of the young she hatches.
Great havoc is made among them, before they have learned by ex-
perience to defend themselves, by the Marsh Hawk and ore kinds
of the Hawk tribe, as well as by turtles.

A Coot is found in Europe, the Mudica Atra, resembling the
American, though differing from it in having the bill and frontal
plate perfectly white, while on the American Coot the frontal plate
is always of a bright chestnut color. The Coot’s gizzard is strong
and muscular, like that of a common hen. The male and female
are colored alike, except that the black on the head and neck of
the female is less brilliant. The flesh of the Coot, even that of the
young, makes an unsavory dish for the table.

PLATE XVIII.

The Pileated Woodpecker. (/Zylatomus pileatus.)
Fig. 1.

This Woodpecker, second only in size to any other, is a true
American bird, and may be called the chief of all northern Wood-
peckers. His range extends from Upper Canada, all over the
United States, to the Gulf of Mexico. He abounds most in the
North, in forests of tall trees, particularly in the neighborhood of
large rivers, where he is noted for his loud cries, especially before
wet weather. At such times he flies, restless and uneasy, from tree
to tree, making the forest echo with his outcries. In the State of
Ohio, and generally in all the Northern States, he is called the
Black Woodcock ; in the Southern States they call him the Log-
cock. Every old trunk in the forest where he resides, bears more
or less the marks of his chisel-like bill. Whenever he finds a tree
beginning to decay, he subjects it to a close examination, in order
to find out the cause, going round and round it, and pulling the
bark off in strips often several feet long, laboring with astonishing
skill and activity. He has frequently been seen to strip the bark
from a dead pine tree, eight or ten feet down, in less than fifteen
minutes. Whatever he is doing, whether climbing, stripping off
bark, or digging, he seems to be always in great haste. He is ex-
tremely watchful and shy, and is consequently difficult to kill. He
clings closely to the tree after having received his mortal wound,
and does not even quit his hold with his last breath. If shot at on

18 HAIRY WOODPECKER.

ck eS ee ee ee eee

the wing, and only one wing is broken, as soon as he drops to the
ground he makes for the nearest tree and climbs on it high enough
to be out of reach. When wounded, and lying on the ground, he
strikes with great fierceness at the hand stretched out to seize him.
He is one of the few birds that are never content when caged or
confined.

This bird is now in one part of his district and then directly in
another part, roaming through the whole of itin an incredibly short
time. In the course of a few minutes, his cries are heard in differ-
ent places, remote from each other. He utters three principal
cries—two in flying, and the other when sitting or climbing: the
former sounding like ‘‘ Kerr, Kerr,” and ‘* Kleeck, Kleeck ;” the
latter like *‘Kluh,” lengthened out and penetrating, or like ‘‘Kleha,
Kleha.” Besides these cries he has several others, which he utters
for the most part when near his nest. His flight is different from
that of other Woodpeckers. He does not, like them, fly by starts,
or in alternately ascending and descending lines, but wavelike for-
ward in a straight direction, spreading his wings far apart and strik-
ing the air hard, so that the points of the larger quills appear to be
bending upward, causing his flight to resemble that of the Jay. It
is, however, more gentle than that of the other Woodpeckers, and
seems to require less exertion. ‘The distinct whirr which we hear
in their flight, we do not hear in his. Although he seems averse to
long flights, he has been observed flying directly forward, without
stopping, for the distance of about half a mile. He hops rather
awkwardly on the ground, where:he is frequently seen examining
the ant-hills in quest of the larve or eggs, of which he seems to be
extremely fond. In climbing, and boring with his chisel-like bill, he
is very expert. When he climbs, he puts both feet forward like all
other Woodpeckers. He may therefore.be said to hop up the trees,
and this he does with great force, so that one can distinctly hear his
claws striking into the bark. While climbing he keeps his breast
away from the trunk, bending his neck backward.

His food consists of ants and their larve, which he picks up
with his sticky tongue. He also devours the larve of beetles found
in pine forests, and to get at them he chisels large holes in the
trees. The mating season of these birds is in April, early or late,
according to the season. The male at that period flies after the
female, crying aloud, and coming up to her, or becoming tired of
flying after her, he alights on the withered top of a tree and begins
to drum. He chooses on the tree a place where the beating of his
bill will resound the loudest. Pressing his tail hard against a dead
limb, he raps so quickly and forcibly upon it with his bill, that the
noise made sounds like a continued ‘* Er-r-r-r-r-r-r.” The rapid
motion of the red top on his head appears like a glowing spark on
the end of a burning stick, moved quickly to and fro. The
female makes her appearance after the drumming, or sometimes
answers by quickly repeated ‘‘ Kluck, Kluck, Kluck.” The
male also keeps up his drumming while the female is sitting on
the eggs.

For their nests these birds seek a decayed or hollow tree, choos-
ing a knot-hole for the entrance. This hole is widened by the
female, so as to make it sufficiently large for going in and out with
ease. The inner part of the tree is then hollowed out with pecu-
liar dexterity. This process seems to be very difficult for the female,
as there is not room enough for working with her bill. The sounds
made are very dull, the chips small, and the work progresses
slowly ; but as soon as she has gained more room, she is enabled
to dig out larger chips, and the work goes on more rapidly. Chips
have been found under a tree where she was at work, from four to
five inches long and half an inch in breadth and thickness. The
female only works in the forenoon, going out in the afternoon after
food. After laboring hard from ten to sixteen days, she has the
nesting-place prepared. Itis from fifteen to twenty inches deep
and from eight to ten inches in diameter, the sides being very
smooth, and the bottom bowl-shaped and covered with fine chips.
On these chips the female lays three, four, and sometimes five eggs,
which are rather small and of a brilliant white color, looking like

desire for food, jealousy is brought into play.

enamel. The nest is usually built high up on a tree, generally on
a pine tree.

The same nest is used for several years, but is usually cleaned
out and enlarged. ‘The male assists the female in hatching, the fe-
male sitting on the eggs during the night and the early morning
hours. The newly hatched young are ill-shaped, being sparingly
covered on the upper part of the body with a grayish black down,
and the head being very large and the bill thick and clumsy. The
parents seem to be very fond of their young, and utter mournful
sounds when any one approaches the nest, and risk even their own
lives in defense of their brood. The young are fed from the crops of
the old birds, and their food consists chiefly of the so-called eggs
of the black ant. If not disturbed, they remain in the nest until
perfectly fledged; but before that time they often climb up to the
entrance and take a look at the outside world.

The Hairy Woodpecker. (Picus vzllosus.)
Fig. 2.

This species may be regarded as a true type of the Woodpeck-
ers (Picz). They are found almost exclusively on the trunks of
trees, and are seldom seen on the ground. They are resident
birds, and rarely missed in the orchards, where they are always
busily engaged in boring apple trees, eagerly hunting for insects,
their eggs or larve, in old withered stumps, rotten branches, and
crevises of the bark. They inhabit North America from Hudson’s
Bay to the Carolinas and Georgia. In May, this Woodpecker re-
tires to the groves and deeper forests with his mate to breed, though
they frequently choose the orchard for that purpose, and select a
suitable apple or pear tree. ‘They seek a branch already hollow,
or dig out an opening for their nest. The nest has been found more
than four feet from the mouth of the hole. They dig first horizon-
tally, if in the trunk of a tree, for six or seven inches, and then ob-
liquely down for twelve or fifteen inches, carrying the chips out with
their bills or scraping them out with their feet. A nest is now made
with fine chips at the bottom of the hole. The female lays from
four to five bluish white eggs and hatches them out in June. -Their
residence in summer is limited to a comparatively small extent of
country ; but in the fall and winter they roam about in a larger dis-
trict, and usually in company with Nuthatches, Creepers, Titmice,
and Golden-crested Wrens. In summer they never suffer another
bird of their kind to come within their district. They make their
appearance in a moment, as soon as they hear a knocking resem-
bling that of another Woodpecker. In their roamings they fly
chiefly from tree to tree, avoiding large open spaces.

These Woodpeckers are lively, active, and daring. Their con-
trasted colors make them look beautiful, even when seen from a
distance, and especially when they are flying. It is a fine sight

_when on a clear, sunny day they chase each other from tree to tree,

or Climb swiftly up in the sunshine on the branches or the trunk of
a tree, or when they bask in the sunlight on the tops of high trees,
or on a withered limb execute their playful drumming. They are
almost constantly in motion, and enliven the forests, especially the
dark pine woods, ina most agreeable manner. Their flight is swift
and produces a humming ; but it is usually not far extended. They
rarely come down to the ground, but when on it, hop about with con-

siderable skill. ‘They prefer to sit on the tops of the trees, repeating

their ‘‘ pick, pick, pick,” or ‘ kick, kick, kick.” Their sleeping-
places, like those of all Woodpeckers, are hollow trees, and to
these they retire when wounded. Such is their conduct toward
their own kind and toward other birds that they can not be called
sociable. They can be easily deceived by imitating their drum-
ming, especially in the spring-time, as at that time, besides their
In summer, when
thus deceived, they appear close before you, climbing about on all
the branches to get a sight of the supposed rivals or intruders; on
such occasions both the male and female make their appearance.

PLeNVIL.

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PL. XIX

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Sen ae

CLAPPER RAIL. 19

Their food consists of different kinds of insects, their eggs and
larvee, and also of nuts and berries. It is principally gathered from
trees. For their young, they chiefly pick up small caterpillars.
They are very useful in forests and orchards, as they destroy the
insects that infest the trees. Frequently, after a few hard raps with
their bills on a small limb, they run round to the opposite side to
vick up the insects that the jarring has started out. The male and
female alternately sit on the eggs, and the young break out of the
shell in fourteen or sixteen days. They are at first helpless and
deformed, but are most tenderly taken care off by their parents,
who, when there is any seeming danger, wail piteously and never
leave the nest. For a long time after the young are fully fledged,
they are guarded and fed by the parents until perfectly able to find
their own food and take care of themselves. The male and fe-
male birds are alike in color, except that the female lacks the red
on the hind head, and the white belowis tinged with brown. The
name of Hairy Woodpecker is doubtless bestowed upon this bird
on account of the white lateral spot on the back, composed of loose
feathers resembling hair. This bird usually utters a loud tremu-
lous cry in starting off, and when alighting. When mortally
wounded it will hang by the claws, even of a single foot, while a
spark of life remains.

PLATE XIX.

The Clapper Rail. (/rad/us crepctans.)
Fig. 1.

The Clapper Rail, designated by different names, such as the
Mud Hen, Meadow Clapper, Big Rail, and several others, is a
well-known and very numerous species, inhabiting the whole At-
lantic coast from Florida to New England, and probably still more
northward. Although they chiefly inhabit the salt-marshes, these
birds are occasionally found on the swampy shores and tide waters
of our large rivers, as well as on the lakes. They, as well as
other rails, are birds of passage, arrivingon the coasts the latter
part of April, and leaving late in September. They have been
observed in great numbers at the mouth of the Savannah river, in
the months of January and February, and it is therefore very prob-
able that some of them winter in the marshes of Georgia and Flor-
ida. They are often heard to cry while on their spring migrations,
pretty high up in the air, generally a little before day-break. The
shores, within the beach, consisting of large extents of flat marsh
overgrown with rank and reedy grass or rushes, occasionally over-
flowed by the sea, by which they are cut into numberless small
islands with narrow inlets, are the favorite breeding-places of the
Clapper Rails, which are found there in double the number of all
other marsh-birds.

The arrival of the Clapper Rail is announced by his loud, harsh,
and incessant crackling, which bears a strong resemblance to that of
the Guinea-fowl. Itis generally heard during the night, and is
greatest before astorm. Toward the middle of May the Clapper Rails
begin to construct their nests and lay their eggs. They drop their
first egg in a cavity lined with only a little dry grass, to which is
gradually added, as the number of eggs increases, more and more
grass, so that by the time the number of eggs reaches the full com-
plement, usually nine or ten, the nest has attained a height of ten or
fourteen inches. ‘The reason for building the nest so high is doubt-
less to secure them from the rising of the tides. The large rank
marsh-grass is skillfully arched over the nest, and knit at the top, in
order to conceal the nest from view, and afford shelter against heavy
rains; but instead of concealing the nest, it enables the experi-
enced egg-hunter to find it more easily, for he can distinguish the
spot when it is at a distance of from thirty to forty yards, although
an unpracticed eye would not be able to discern it at all. The eggs

are of a pale clay color, sprinkled over with numerous small spots
or dots of a dark red. They measure fully an inch and a half in
length by one inch in breadth, and are obtuse at the small end.
They are considered exquisite food, far surpassing the eggs of the
domestic hen. The proper time for collecting these eggs is about
the beginning of June. The nests are so abundant, and some per-
sons are so skilled in finding them, that sometimes from forty to
fifty dozen are collected in one day by a single individual.

The Crows, Minks, and other animals hunt their eggs and de-
stroy, not only a great number of them, but many of the birds
also. Heaps of bones, feathers, wings, and eggs of the Clap-
per Rail are often found near the holes of Minks, by which these
animals themselves are in turn detected, driven out, and killed.

The poor Clapper Rails are subjected to another calamity of a
more serious and disastrous nature. It happens sometimes, after
the greater part of the eggs are laid, that a violent northeast storm
arises, and drives the sea into the bay, overflowing the marshes,
and destroying all the nests and eggs. Besides, vast numbers of the
birds perish, as the water rushes in suddenly, and the birds being
entangled are unable to extricate themselves in time to escape
drowning. Hundreds of these birds may be seen at such timcz
floating over the marshes in great distress, a few only escaping to
the mainland. On such occasions great numbers may sometimes be
seen ina single meadow, bewildered and not trying to conceal
themselves; while the bodies of female birds that perished in their
nests are washed to the shore, with scarcely a male among the
dead bodies. After such an occurrence the birds go to work again
as soon as the water subsides, and in about a fortnight the nests
and eggs are about as numerous as they were before the calamity.
Instances have occurred when such a disaster happened twice in a
breeding-season, and yet the Clapper Rails were not discouraged,
but commenced building nests and laying eggs for the third time.

The young of the Clapper Rails bear a strong resemblance to the
young of the Virginia Rails, although they are somewhat larger.
They are covered, as well as the young Virginia Rails, with a soft
black down, but differ from the latter in having a whitish spot on the
auriculars, and a whitish streak along each side of the breast, belly,
and fore part of the thigh. The legs are of a blackish slate color.
These birds have a little white protuberance near the tip of the bill, -
and they are also whitish around the nostrils. ‘They run with the
greatest facility among the long grass and reeds, and can only be
caught with great difficulty. Several young Clapper Rails caught
in the marshes in New Jersey, about the middle of July, corre-
sponded with the above description, the males and females being
marked alike. The extreme nervous vigor of its limbs, and its
compressed body, which enables it to run among the grass, reeds,
and rushes with the greatest rapidity, seemed to be the only means
of defense of this bird. Almost everywhere among the salt-
marshes are covered passages under the flat and matted grass,
through which the Rail makes its way like a rat, without being
noticed. From nearly every nest runs one or more of these cov-
ered roads to the water’s edge, by which the birds can escape un-
seen. If closely pursued, the Rail will dive and swim to the other
side of the pond or inlet, rising and disappearing with celerity and
in silence. In smooth water the Rail swims tolerably well, but
not fast; he sits rather high in the water with the neck erect, strik-
ing out with his legs with great rapidity. On shore, he runs with
the neck extended, frequently flirting up his erect tail, and running
on smooth ground nearly as fast as a man.

These birds are always very difficult to catch on land even when
their wings are broken. ‘They can remain under water four or five
minutes, clinging closely to the roots of rushes with the head bent
downward. ‘Their flight resembles that of a Duck. They gener-
ally fly low above the ground, with the neck extended, and with
great velocity; but like all the Rail tribe they have a dislike to
take wing, and whenever you traverse the marshes and accident-
ally start one Clapper Rail, you may be sure that there are hun-
dreds of these birds, which, if hunted by a dog, will lead him

20 BELTED KINGFISHER—BLACK-CAP HAWK.

7 eer

through numberless labyrinths, and only flush when he is just at
the point of seizing them.

The male and female Clapper Rails are colored nearly alike ; but
the young birds in the first year differ somewhat from them in color.
The upper parts of these young birds are of a brownish olive
streaked with a pale slate color; the wings are of a pale brown
olive; the chin and throat, white; the breast, pale ash colored,
and tinged with yellowish brown; the legs and feet are of a light
horn color. These birds are never found at a great distance from
the lakes or large rivers in the interior part of the country; on the
lakes they are frequently found, but never in great numbers. The
Clapper Rail feeds chiefly on small shelled fish, especially on those
of that form of snail found so abundant in the marshes; but he
also eats worms, which he digs out of the mud, and for which work
his bill is wonderfully adjusted. He also feeds on small crabs.

In the month of October, Clapper Rails migrate to the South,
never in flocks, but singly or in pairs, flying high up in the air.
None of them remain North during the winter, though one of
them was killed in the Reservoir, about thirty-three miles north-
east from Columbus, Ohio, in the latter part of November; but on
a close inspection, it was found that the bird had been crippled.

The Belted Kingfisher. (Ceryle alcyon.)
Fig. 2.

The Belted Kingfisher is an inhabitant of the shores and banks
of all our fresh-water rivers from Hudson’s Bay to Mexico. He
seems to love running streams and falling waters, like the whole
of his tribe. At such places, resting on an overhanging bough
above a cataract, he will remain for hours, glancing around with
piercing eyes in all directions, seeking to discern in the water be-
low small minnows, which, as soon as seen, with a sudden circular
plunge, executed with the velocity of an arrow shot from the bow,
he sweeps from their element and swallows in an instant. The
voice of the Belted Kingfisher resembles the sound of a child’s
rattle; it is sudden, harsh, and very loud, but in a certain degree
softened by the murmuring of the brooks, or the sound of the cas-
cades or brawling streams, among which he generally rambles.
He courses up and down the stream, along its different windings,
at no great height above the water, sometimes poising himself by
the rapid action of his wings, in the manner of some of the Hawk
tribe, in order to pounce down into the water on some small fish,
which he frequently misses. After such a miss he usually settles,
with a dissatisfied look, on an old dead overhanging limb of a tree
to shake off the water from his plumage and to reconnoiter again.
Mill-dams are frequented by him, as the neighborhood usually
abounds with small fish. Rapid flowing streams, with steep high
banks of a clayey or gravelly nature, are also his favorite places
of resort, as on such steep and dry banks he usually digs a hole
for his-nest. This hole he digs with his bill and claws, extending
it horizontally, sometimes to four or even six feet, and about half a
yard below the surface, with a small cavity at the bottom for the
nest. ‘This is composed of a few fibers, a few dried fish-bones, and
a little dry grass. ‘The female lays five pure white eggs, compar-
atively of rather a large size. The young are hatched about the
beginning of June; but the time differs according to the climate
of the country where the breeding takes place. In the southern
parts of the United States, the female Kingfisher has been found
sitting on her eggs as early as the beginning of April, while in
Ohio the Kingfishers’ nests, with the birds sitting on the eggs, are
not usually found till toward the end of May. They occupy the
same hole for several years as a breeding-place, and will not readily
forsake it, even though it should be visited. ‘There are accounts
of people taking away the eggs of a Kingfisher, leaving one in the
nest, and repeating this till they had collected twelve, or even
eighteen eggs, the female always laying regularly one egg every

day. Such accounts being doubted, an experiment was made, by
taking from a nest-hole in the steep bank of the Connecticut river,
a little below Middletown, Connecticut, the second egg laid; but
instead of laying another egg, the birds abandoned the nest alto-
gether. A similar experiment was tried in Ohio, with a like
result.

In the Eastern and Western States, the Kingfisher generally re-
mains until the commencement of the cold season, when he leaves
for warmer regions, though he is occasionally seen in the North-
ern States in the middle of winter. He is found in the Southern
States during nearly the whole winter. The Belted Kingfisher is
like all the rest of the Kingfisher tribe, not much inclined to society,
but is generally seen singly or in pairs, or in small groups of three
or four. When crossing from one brook or river to another, or
from one lake to another, which the Kingfisher frequently does, he
passes over cities or forests in a bee-line, not unfrequently for a
distance of ten or twenty miles. Atsuch times his motions consist
of five or six flaps, followed by a glide without making any undu-
lations like the Woodpecker. In May, 1850, on a little creek in
Connecticut, called the Hockanum, a Belted Kingfisher was ob-
served on the ground, flapping his wings and seemingly in great
distress. On coming up to him the observer found that his bill was
stuck fast in a large clam. He had probably seen the clam on the
muddy bank of the creek, with the shell partly open, and, in the
attempt. to pull the clam out, the shell had closed upon his bill.
The passer-by of course liberated the poor bird, which kind act he
acknowledged by biting his benefactor on the thumb, and by
springing his rattle at him most indignantly as he flew away.

PLATE XX.
The Ash-colored or Black-cap Hawk. (Astur atricapillus.)

This beautiful Hawk has been confounded by many Ornitholo-
gists with the Goose Hawk of Europe; but there is such a differ-
ence between them that it is really wonderful how the two birds
could be supposed to be identical. The greatest difference between
these birds is in the markings of their breast and under parts, and
this difference is so distinct as at once to strike the beholder. On our
Hawk the under parts are of a uniform pale grayish white, each
feather having in the center a black streak; this extends to the
feathers in the center of the belly, after which the streak is hardly
any more visible: besides this, every feather is marked trans-
versely with fine, irregular zigzag bars of dark gray. In the
European bird, each feather on the breast and lower parts is
marked with a dark shaft, not exceeding its own breadth, and has
besides two decided transverse bars, giving the bird, at a first glance,
a very different aspect from the American Hawk. The upper
parts of the latter are of a blue shade, and the markings of the
head are darker and more decided. Some Ornithologists have
classed this Hawk with the genus Astur, while others make it a
sub-genus of Accipiter, in which the Sparrow Hawk and lesser
species have been placed. Although there is some difference in
the formation of the tarsi, the habits and forms are in general nearly
similar. The Broad-winged Hawk (Astur Pennsylvanicus) is an
example of the one, and our Hawk that of the other.

The Black-capped Hawk is very spirited, and his general form
and aspect denote great strength; his legs are very strong, and his
claws rather large in proportion, the claws of the inner toes being
as large as those of the great toe; his wings are short and rounded,
showing, when expanded, a considerable inner surface, very favor-
able to a smooth sailing flight, which is greatly aided by the
lengthened tail. His favorite abodes are forests or well-wooded
countries, where he can be seen hunting his prey about the skirts
of the woods. In such places he builds his nest, usually on a high

Pl. XX

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PL. XXII

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tree, the nests differing in nothing from those of other Hawks.
The female lays two and sometimes three dirty white eggs, which
are disproportionately thick on the round end and suddenly taper-
ing toa point. The flight of this Hawk is a sailing in circles, or
a skimming near the ground in search of prey, at which he darts
with great celerity either on the ground or on the wing. It is areal
curiosity to see him pick up a bird, when flying near the ground,
so quickly that it is seldom noticed when he stoops and clutches it,
as he seems to fly along as if nothing of the kind had happened.
His long and expanded tail serves him as an excellent rudder, when
threading dense woods, which he performs with great dexterity.
When resting he assumes a very erect position. The young of
the first season are destitute of the fine zigzag markings on the
breast and belly; but each feather is marked with a broad longi-
tudinal streak of dark brown, while the head is of the same color
without distinctness in the markings.

PLATE XXI.
The Long-tailed Duck. (Harelda glacitalis.)

The Long-tailed Duck passes on the eastern coast of the United
States under the name of South-Southerly, from the singular re-
semblance of its cry to those words. The people inhabiting or
living near the coasts say that when these ducks are very clamor-
ous, it betokens a southerly wind or storm. In New Jersey and
in the State of New York they are usually called Oldwives. They
are a regular salt-water Duck, inhabiting bays and coasts only late
in the fall or in winter. They are rarely found in the marshes, and
very seldom ramble far from the sea, keeping always to the channel,
where they may be seen constantly diving for small shelled fish,
which seem to be their principal food. When passing from one
bay to another, often in large flocks, their loud and clamorous cry
can be heard at a great distance, especially toward evening. They
are lively and restless, and in their swift flight usually make but
short excursions. They inhabit corresponding latitudes in both
America and Europe, where great numbers of them remain the
whole winter, or rather, the whole year round, only a few of them,
comparatively speaking, wandering off toward the south in the
cold season. Flocks of these Ducks have been found, in the
months of October, November, December, January, February, and
March, in the Orkney islands. They have also been frequently
found in Sweden, Lapland, and Russia.

One of their chief breeding-places is Hudson’s Bay. They make
their nests among the long grass near the sea; these are composed
of dry rushes and grass, lined inside with a fine soft down from the
breast of the female. ‘Toward the middle of June, the latter lays
from ten to fourteen bluish white eggs, of about the size of those
of a pullet. The young, as soon as they are hatched, follow their
mother to the water, never returning to the nest again.

On the whole, the Long-tailed Ducks are pretty hardy birds
and most excellent divers. Their flesh is not heldin great esteem, as
it is rather dry, and has, besides, a sedgy taste. Their feathers, and
especially those of the breast, and their down, are of the best qual-
ity for bedding. .

The wind-pipe of this Duck is similar to that of other Ducks,
and rather curiously formed; the labyrinth is large and is partly
of a circular form, and the wind-pipe immediately above it has an
expansion of double its usual diameter, which continues for about
an inch and a half. This is flattened on the side next the breast,
making an oblong space like a window, which is crossed with fine
narrow bars, and covered with a thin semi-transparent skin. A
similar skin is spread over the external side of the labyrinth. This
singular conformation is, as in all other Ducks, peculiar to the
males of this species, which have the wind-pipe of nearly the
same thickness throughout. On dissection the length of the intes-

LONG-TAILED DUCK—BARRED OWL. 91

tine was found to be five feet and seven inches, and the liver rather
large.

On our plate the full-plumaged male is represented on the right
hand, giving a side view, while the female pilots her young about
on the water. Both male and female are in their summer dress.
On the left hand of our plate the male and female Long-tailed
Duck are represented in their winter dress.

In conclusion, it may be remarked that the singular voice of this
Duck was supposed by some Ornithologists to be occasioned by
the peculiar construction of its wind-pipe; but this can not be the
case, for the simple reason that the female of this species is the
most noisy, and yet is partially destitute of that peculiarly formed
wind-pipe.

PLATE XXII.
The Barred Owl. (Syrxzum nebulosum.)

This is one of our most common Owls, and more frequently than
any other is seen late in the fall or in winter, especially near the
borders of creeks or rivers, or near swamps bordered by woods.
In summer it is generally found in dense forests, flying about from
place to place during the entire day, seeming not to be a nocturnal
bird, but to see better in the day-time than any other Owl. It is by
no means a shy bird, but will often, at night, come close to a lonely
camp-fire, exposing itself to the glare of the fire, without showing
the slightest token of alarm. It will turn its unusually thick head
toward you, and scrutinize you with its large black eyes. In Louis-
iana these Owls seem to be the most abundant, and in passing
through the dense woods the traveler may often count six or eight
in the distance of a few miles, and at the approach of night, their
cries can be heard from every patch of woods near the plantations.
In dark and cloudy days, indicating an approaching rain-storm,
their cries are multiplied during the day, and are louder than usual.
On the coming on of a storm, they respond to each other in such
unearthly and strange tones, that one can not help thinking that
something extraordinary is taking place among them. Their mo-
tions and gesticulations are, on such occasions, stranger and more
lively than usual. On approaching the bird, it at once changes
its perpendicular position to a horizontal one, throwing the lateral
feathers of the head forward, so as to make it appear as if sur-
rounded by a broad ruff, moving it round, and backward and for-
ward so quickly as to cause it to look as if it were dislocated from
the body. All motions of the intruder are looked at with eyes that
seem as if they were half-blind, and with a suspicion of treacher-
ous intentions. The bird flies off to a short distance, alighting
with its back toward the intruder, but immediately turns to begin its
scrutiny anew. If you do not shoot at it, you may follow it in this
way for a long distance; but if shot at and not wounded, it will
fly off to such a distance that you will lose sight of it, though you
may hear its pompously uttered ‘*‘ wha, wha, wha,” from time to
time. 7
. The flight of this Owl is light, smooth, and perfectly noiseless,
so much so that not the slightest rustling of the wings can be
heard, even if it flies only a couple of yards above your head. If
the occasion requires it, their flight can be greatly protracted, as
they have been noticed to fly on one stretch a distance of over two
miles. The writer has noticed the Barred Owl several times in the
day-time sailing about in the air in small circles, in a manner sim-
ilar to the hawk, rising to a great height and then flying off to a
distance, in an irregular zigzag line, while briskly flapping its
wings. He also several times found the nest of that Owl contain-
ing eggs, the number of which, when the bird was sitting, was
invariably three. These were of the size of a hen’s egg, but
more globular, and had a coarse rough shell of a pure white color.

All the nests found were snugly built in the fork of some large
tree, and among its thick foliage. The neSt was, however, rudely

29 SONG OF THE OWL—BLUE-BIRBD.

constructed, being composed outwardly of sticks, interspersed with
dry grass and dry leaves, and lined with small twigs, fibrous
roots, and a few feathers. The food of these birds consists chiefly
of mice, moles, frogs, lizards, snakes, and sometimes fish. The
young birds have been often taken from the nest and placed in a
room with the window open, and, in all such instances, the young
ones have been found by their parents the very first night, although
the distance of the room was, in one case, over two miles from the
nest. The parent birds brought plenty of food to their young, so
that almost every morning, a great many frogs, mice, etc., had to
be thrown out. Only once, in all these experiments, did the old
birds bring a partridge; but this, on close inspection, was found to
be in a far-advanced state of decay. The previous night had been
very dark and stormy, perhaps the old birds had not been able to
catch any live prey, and had brought the dead partridge to serve as
food for their young in case of extreme need.

The young are, for some time after birth, covered with a fine
white down, which gives them a peculiar, but not an uninteresting
appearance. Their call or cry is a singular hissing sound, which
can be heard at a great distance. ‘These birds, like most other
Owls, are clothed with feathers of very different shape and texture.
Those surrounding the bill are similar to bristles; those around the
region of the eyes are unwebbed and extremely open, and are
bounded by a set proceeding from the external edge of theear, small
and velvety, consisting of exquisitely fine fibers, almost invisible to
the naked eye. The outward plumage of these birds has one gen-
eral character at the surface, calculated to repel rain and moisture ;
but toward the roots of the feathers, it is composed of a very soft,
loose, and downy substance, so that we may touch without feeling
it. The webs of the wing-quills are also of a delicate softness,
covered with exceedingly fine hair, and edged with a fine, loose,
silky down. All this enables the Owl to pass through the air with-
out disturbing, in the slightest degree, the most profound stillness.
The long bristly feathers around the bill and the eyes serve to
guard the latter from injury, when the Owl sweeps rapidly through
a thicket, as on the slightest touch at the point of any of these
bristles, the nictitating membrane is instantly drawn over the eye.

There is often a remarkable difference in size between the male
and female, and between the birds generally of this species. The
usual length of the female is about twenty-two inches, though I
have shot one that measured twenty-eightinches. The usual aver-
age of the male is seventeen inches, by thirty-eight inches in cir-
cumference. The Owl represented on our plate is a female in
full plumage.

SONG OF THE OWL.
BY MRS. HEWITT.

Tu-whit! tu-whoo !—in my ancient hall,
In my old gray turret high,
Where the moss is thick on the crumbling wall,
A king—a king reign I!
Tu-whoo !
I wake the wood with my startling call
To the frighted passer-by.

The ivy-vines in the chink that grow,
Come clambering up to mc};
And the newt, the bat, and tlie toad, I trow,
A right merry band are we.
Tu-whoo!
Oh, the coffined monks in their cells below,
Have no goodlier company.

Let them joy in their brilliant sunlit skies,
And their sunset hues, who may ;
But softer by far than the tints they prize,
Is the dense of the twilight gray.
Tu-whoo!
Oh! a weary thing to an owlet’s eyes
Is the garish blare of day.

When the sweet dew sleeps in the midnight cool,
Some tall tree-top I win;
And the toad leaps up on her throne-shaped stool,
And our revels loud begin—
Tu-whoo!
While the bull-frog croaks o’er his stagnant pool
Or plunges sportive in.

As the last lone ray from the hamlet fades
In the dark and still profound,
The night-bird sings in the cloister shades,
And the glow-worm lights the ground—
Tu-whoo!
And fairies trip o’er the broad green glades,
To the fire-fly circling round.

Tu-whit! tu-whoo! all the livelong night,
A right gladsome life lead we ;
While the starry ones from their azure height,
Look down approvingly.
Tu-whoo !
They may bask who will in the noonday light,
But the midnight dark for me.

PLATE XXIII.
The Blue-bird. (Szadéa szalis.)

The gentle and sociable disposition and the peculiarly pleas-
ing manners of this beautiful little bird entitle it to particular
attention. Being one of the first messengers of spring, it brings
the glad tidings of the approach of warm weather to our very
thresholds. As everybody, old or young, has been expect-
ing this pleasing visitor, he is met everywhere with a most
hearty welcome. His gentle, quiet song is extremely soft and
agreeable. It consists of an oft-repeated warble, uttered with open
quivering wing, and very pleasing. In his manners and general
bearing he always reminds me of the House Red Start of Eu-
rope, to which in his motions and general character he bears a
very strong resemblance. Like that bird he is quiet and confiding,
and of avery peaceable disposition, never quarreling or fighting
with other birds. His presence is not only desired, but generally
courted in rural districts ; few farmers, or their boys, failing to pro-
vide, in some suitable place, a nice snug little house ready fitted up
for him. In his turn he repays the good farmer tenfold for his kind-
ness, by his cheerful song, and by daily destroying a multitude of
insects, that might otherwise ruin the farmer’s whole fruit crop.
The song of the Blue-bird changes in the month of October to a
single plaintive note, which is most noticed when he flies over the
yellow and reddish colored woods, this melancholy air reminding
us of nature’s gradual decay. Even after the trees are completely
bare of leaves, he seems to dislike leaving his native fields,
but lingers around until the heavier frosts. Want of food finally
compels him to leave. This happens about the latter part of No-
vember, when only a few or no Blue-birds are to be seen; but they
reappear, at least in this part of the country, on every return of
open and mild weather, so that we hear their plaintive notes in the
fields, or in the air over our heads; and they seem never totally
to forsake us, but merely to follow fair weather in their wanderings
until the return of spring. Even in the midst of winter, when the
whole earth is covered with deep snow, small groups of Blue-birds
are frequently met with conducting themselves as usual, seemingly
unconcerned about the inclement weather.

The Blue-bird is generally regarded as a bird of passage; but
if the weather is at all favorable, he reappears as early as the
middle of February, fluttering about his wonted haunts, the barn,
the house-top, the orchard, or the fence-posts. Deep snow-falls, or
stormy weather, drive him away again, but only for a short time,

ITI

PL.

See

teks

———

AIXX "Td

Sy.

Gane

are.

SONG OF THE BLUE-BIRD—MEADOW LARK. 23

SS SSS ee aa ee a a

as he regularly returns about the middle of March. At this time,
the male and female are seen together examining the box or hole
in the apple-tree where they raised their young the previous year.
It is not only amusing but interesting to observe the courtship of the
male bird, and the pains he takes to win the tender regard of the
female. Always sitting near her, he makes use of the most tender
expressions, and sings to her his most endearing warbles. If he
spies an insect which he knows is pleasing to her taste, he at once
flies down and picks it up; flying back to her and spreading his
wings he puts it in her bill. No sooner does a rival make his ap-
pearance than he quits her fora moment, and goes after the in-
truder from place to place, expressing his jealousy in unmistakable
notes, driving his rival with reproof beyond the boundaries of his
territory, and immediately returning, warbling his triumph in the
sweetest and tenderest notes to his beloved mate.

After the settling of preliminaries both birds begin to clear out
the old nest, removing the rubbish of last year, and go to work to
construct a new nest, the home of their future offspring. In this
business they are often annoyed by the little House Wren, just
now returned from winter-quarters, who watches his opportunity,
and, in the momentary absence of the Blue-bird, pops in, slyly
pulling out some sticks, and taking special care to make off with
them as fast as he can before the tenants return. When the nest
is completed, the female lays usually five, and, occasionally, six
-eggs, of a delicate pale blue color. They raise two and, when
circumstances are favorable, three broods in one season. The
male takes particular charge of the last brood while the female is
sitting again.

The principal focd of the Blue-bird consists of insects, particu-
larly large beetles, anc) other coleoptera that lurk among decaying
trees or fences, etc. Jie also makes use of spiders. In the latter
part of nutumn he regales himself on several kinds of fruits and
berries, as ripe pevsimmons, the berries of the sour gum, or even
the berries of the rzd cedar, and onseveral other seeds and berries.
It is a well-known fact that a great many birds are afflicted with a
species of tape-worm; but I have never found these worms so fre-
quently in any as in the Blue-birds and Woodcocks. In these,
tape-worms are sometimes found in great numbers and of a very
large size; but the poor birds are also tormented by numerous in-
sects infesting their plumage.

Several kinds of Blue-birds are found in North America, which
will be figured and described hereafter. They are very interest-
ing links in the natural system, although it seems to the writer that
some of them ought to be placed among the Sawxzcoline.

In the summer and fall whole families of Blue-birds are found
frequenting open pastures, perching on the stalks of the great mul-
len ( Verbascum nigella), on the lookout for passing insects. On
such occasions, the object seems to be the instruction of the young
in dexterity. The old bird can see at a great distance an insect
crawling among the moss or grass, and flying to it and feeding on
it, he returns in an instant to his former position. This is exactly
the manner of the Saxicoline.

The Blue-bird, in the winter, migrates to the South, sometimes
even as far as the West India islands; but some doubtless re-
main in the southern parts of the United States, and, in unusually
mild winters, some remain even in the Northern States, coming out
in mild weather to the open plains from their sheltering thickets,
and retiring to them in cold and stormy weather. In the woods of
the Southern States I have frequently met with large flocks. They
are found in all the United States, and also in the Bahama islands,
in Mexico, Brazil, and Guiana.

It is very common to see large flocks of Blue-birds passing at
considerable heights in the air, in a northern direction, in the
spring, and in a southern direction in autumn. I have several
times observed such flocks descending a little after sunrise from
great heights, and settling on the top of some high detached tree.
Judging from their sedateness and silence they were tired strangers.
After resting a few minutes, they invariably began to dress and

arrange their plumage, continuing that operation for about a quar-
ter of an hour. After a few warning notes had been uttered, as it
seemed to me, by the leader of the flock, the whole party re-
ascended to a vast height, and continued their flight. It does cer-
tainly seem a great task for so little and feeble a creature as the
Blue-bird to migrate to the West Indies; but if he should fly at the
rate of one mile per minute, and he flies swifter than that, as has
often been observed, it would only require from ten to eleven hours
to reach the Bermudas, which are about six hundred miles from the
nearest point of the mainland. Besides, he would have many
chances to rest by the way, on the masts and yards of the numer-
ous vessels generally navigating those waters.

SONG OF THE BLUE-BIRD.
BY ALEX. WILSON.

When winter’s cold tempests and snows are no more,
Green meadows and brown furrow’d fields reappearing,
The fishermen hauling their nets to the shore,
And cloud-cleaving Geese to the north are all steering ;
When first the low butterfly flits on the wing,
When red glow the maples, so fresh and so pleasing,
O then comes the Blue-bird, the herald of spring!
And hails, with his warblings, the charms of the season.

He flits through the orchard, he visits each tree,

The red-flowering peach, and the apple’s sweet blossoms,
The fruit-bearing products, wherever they be,

And seizes the caitiffs that lurk in their bosoms;
He drags the vile grub from the corn it devours,

The worms from their beds where they riot and welter ;
His song and his services freely are ours,

And all that he asks is, in summer, a shelter.

The plowman is pleased when he gleans in his train,
Now searching the furrows, now mounting to cheer him;
The gardener delights in his sweet simple strain,
And leans on his spade to survey and to hear him;
The slow, lingering school-boys forget they ’1l be chid,
While gazing intent as he warbles before them,
In mantle of sky-blue, and bosom so red,
That each little loiterer seems to adore him.

But when the gay scenes of the summer are o’er,
And autumn slow enters, so silent and sallow,
And millions of warblers, that charm’d us before,
Have fled in the train of the sun-seeking Swallow,
The Blue-bird, forsaken, yet true to his home,
Still lingers and looks for a milder ‘‘ to-morrow,”
Till, forced by the rigors of winter to roam,
He sings his adieu in a lone note of sorrow.

While spring’s lovely season, serene, dewy, warm,

The green face of earth, and the pure blue of heaven,
Or love’s native music, have power to charm,

Or sympathy’s glow to our feelings is given,
Still dear to each bosom the Blue-bird shall be;

His voice, like the thrillings of hope, is a treasure ;
For, through bleakest storms, if a calm he but see,

He comes to remind us of sunshine and pleasure.

PLATE XXIV.
The Meadow Lark. (Sturnella magna.)

The position of this bird, although assigned by Linnzus, the father
of systematic classification in natural history, to the Alaude
(Larks), has often been questioned among ornithologists. Swain-
son puts the bird down as Sturnella Ludoviciana; Bonaparte.

24 GOOSANDER.

as Sturnus Ludovicianus (sub-genus Sturnella) ; while others have
placed it in the genera Turdus, Alanda, Sturnus, Cassicus, to all
of which it is somewhat allied, but to none of them can it rank as
acongerer. It is classed here as Sturnella, by which appellation
it is known to most American ornithologists.

This well-known bird, with his beautiful plumage, and his sweet-
ness of voice, is a general favorite, and particularly to the inhab-
itants of the rural districts. Although his song consists only of a
few melodious notes, he always meets with a hearty greeting on his
arrival. In the more rigorous regions of the North he is a regular
bird of passage, though he is met with in the Middle States, occa-
sionally in the heart of the severest winters, when the ground is
covered with deep snow. I have found these birds in the month
of January, during a deep snow, on the heights of the Alleghany
Mountains, gleaning on the roadside together with a flock of snow-
birds. ‘They have been found in winter in South Carolina, among
the rice plantations, running about the yards and out-houses, in com-
pany with Killdeers and other birds, as unconcerned and showing
as little appearance of fear as if they were completely domesticated.

The range of the Meadow Lark is very extensive, they having
been found from Upper Canada through most of the States of the
Union down to the Gulf of Mexico. Their favorite places of re-
sort are pasture fields and meadows, especially the latter, from
which circumstance they claim their specificname. The reason of
their preference for meadows is that these supply them most abun-
dantly with the seeds and insects on which they chiefly subsist.
They are never found in the depths of the woods, except in places
where the ground, instead of underbrush, is covered with grass,
where sometimes a single one or a pair may be found. They are
seen most abundantly on the extensive prairies near St. Louis, and
in similar localities below, on the Mississippi river.

The Meadow Lark builds his nest in the month of May, in or
below the thick tussock of grass. It is composed of fine dry grass
bent and laid at the bottom, and wound all round, leaving only an
arched entrance level with the ground. ‘The inside is lined with
stalks of the same material, and occasionally with a few horse-
hairs and other fibrous substances, disposed with great regularity
and care. The full complement of eggs consists of four, some-
times, but rarely, of five; these are white, marked with specks,
dots, and several larger blotches of a reddish brown color, chiefly
at the rounder end. The young remain in the nest until fully
fledged, and are carefully fed by both parents.

After the hatching season is over, they collect in flocks, but never
fly in a compact body. Their flight somewhat resembles that of
the Grouse and Quail; it is laborious and steady, alternately chang-
ing from a sailing to the renewed rapid motion of the wings. They
alight on trees or bushes as well as on the ground, but in the former
case always on the tops of the highest branches, preferring the
dry ones, whence they send forth their long, clear, and somewhat
melancholy notes, which, for sweetness and tenderness of expression,
can not be surpassed by any of our best warbling birds. Some-
times these long-strained notes are followed by a low chattering,
which is the eal call of the female, after which the clear and
plaintive strain is repeated.

The food of the Meadow Lark, or, as the Virginians call ha
the Old Field Lark, consists chiefly of caterpillars, worms, beetles,
and different grass seeds, mixed up with a considerable portion of
fine gravel. Their flesh is of very good esteem. As the size of
the bird is about that of the Quail, while the taste of its flesh is not
at all inferior to the latter, they are readily sought for and shot by
our gunners, to whom they afford considerable sport, being easily
shot on the wing. They frequently squat in the long grass and
spring within gunshot. Our plate represents the male and female,
the latter being distinguished from the male, in her outward appear-
ance, by having the black crescent on the breast of a lighter black
and more skirting with gray; the yellow on the breast is somewhat
less; otherwise, the markings of her plumage differ but little from
those of the male.

PLATE XXV.

The Goosander. (JZergus merganser.)

This splendid bird is not only called Goosander, but also Water
Pheasant, Sheldrake, Fisherman, Diver, Saw-bill, etc. He is a
true representative of the second family of the sixth group, be-
longing to the fourteenth order of the fifth class.
resents him in full plumage, or in his bridal dress.

The goosander is an inhabitant of the northern part of this con-
tinent, and also of the corresponding latitudes of Europe and Asia.
In all these countries he is found in about equal numbers. The
proper district of his range may be said to be the belt of the globe
between the thirty-second and sixty-eighth degrees of north lati-
tude. In his wanderings, which are more regular than with his
kindred, he has sometimes been observed in northern parts of
India and Southern China, and almost everywhere in North
America.

The Goosander is ranked as one of the most handsome among
swimming birds. His splendid plumage, whose chief colors are
beautifully contrasted, attracts the attention of all scientific and
other observers. His unusual vivacity and his rapid motions in-
crease this attraction. His proper element is the water, on which
he is almost constantly seen, except about midday, which he gen-
erally spends on a dry sandy spot on the shore, taking a rest. His
walk on land is an unwieldy waddle; on wing in the air his flight
appears to be quite swift, but it is performed with great exertion.
He swims with the greatest ease, and dives noiselessly and as
easily as he swims. When swimming quietly on the surface, he
paddles with slow but powerful strokes of his broad webbed feet,
and makes very good headway, but if he notices one of his asso-
ciates has taken a fish and is about to swallow it, ‘‘he goes for
him,” and shoots over the water with almost the rapidity of an ar-
row, producing a considerable splash.

When swimming under the surface, the Goosander appeared to
me like a fish, as he passed right under my canoe, for he shot for-
ward with the like velocity. His stay under water is only about
one minute, and at the longest, not much over two minutes; but
even in this short time he often rises to the surface at the distance
of over a hundred paces from the spot where he dived. This is
quite a feat, when we take into account that he fishes under water,
and is consequently obliged to make many zigzags. On coming
to the surface he usually flaps his wings and immediately dives
again.

His voice is a peculiar humming or rattling sound, which bears
some resemblance to the sound of a Jew’s-harp. The single sounds
are somewhat like ‘‘ carr” and ‘‘ corr;” but these sounds are so
blended together that they are best represented by the notes of the
Jew’s-harp. His senses are very acute, and his observations very
quickly made. In watching him one can not fail to be struck with
his intelligence, caution, and peculiar shyness, together with his
cunning and craftiness. He is not asociable bird, and never asso-
ciates with any of his relatives, but only with birds of his own kind.
Even among themselves, Goosanders never take much notice of
each other, except by showing constant signs of envy; but this does
not prevent them from helping one another in fishing, as they dive
all at the same time, and thereby drive the fish from one bird to
another. The food of the Goosander consists chiefly of fish, and
he always prefers the smaller ones, from three to six inches in
length, though he will sometimes catch and devour larger ones.
He also feeds on large aquatic insects.

The pairing of these birds begins in the winter ; but thet nest-
building is not commenced in the North until June. The nests are
built in different places, often in hollows in the ground, sometimes
under shrubbery, among rocks, in the stump of an old tree, or in
an abandoned nest of a Crow or a Hawk. The nest is composed
of twigs, stalks, grasses, rushes, leaves, and lichen, very artlessly

Our plate rep-

PL. XXV

teary

nS
i

Bh. RXV]

ad
a

IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 25

put together; but the inside is always lined with dry and warm
material, such as fine feathers. The eggs number from ten to
fourteen, of an oblong form, and a light greenish color, having a
strong shell of a fine grain. The young, which run about as soon
as they are hatched, soon take to the water. Those that are
hatched in nests on rocks tumble themselves down from consider-
able heights, lower and lower, until they reach the water. I have
seen young Goosanders tumble themselves down from heights of
ten or twelve feet, so that they lay below for more than a minute
in a stunned condition; but as soon as they recovered, they shook
themselves and made ready for another tumble. It seems that the
heavy down with which they are covered gives them a certain de-
gree of elasticity, and thereby shields them from injury. The
young Goosanders live at first exclusively on aquatic insects, and
keep on the surface of the water; but after a period of three days
they begin to dive, and, after 1 few days of practice, they be-
come as expert fishers as their parents. In their movements and
behavior, they at first resemble young Ducks; but after the first
eight days they exhibit the peculiar movements of the old birds.
Up to this time they take shelter under the wings of the mother-
bird to warm themselves after their fishing exercises; but they
grow very rapidly, and soon become so independent as to take no
heed of the mother or she of them. To produce warmth, they
huddle close together, forming a sort of round heap. In about six
weeks they are full grown, but not able to fly, as the growth of
the quill feathers does not quite keep time with the growth of the
body. The male bird takes no care of the young, except to act
as a sentinel, giving a warning on the approach of an enemy.

The young of the Goosander suffer but little from the enemies
that threaten other young swimming-birds. This is due to their
strength and rapid motion. The old ones suffer but 1ule from en-
emies, as they are very cautious and shy, and their flesh is not very
desirable food, having a strong fishy taste. Their feathers are
considered inferior to those of the Goose or Duck. The eggs of
the Goosander are collected in the northern regions by trappers
and fishermen, who are said to take from one of the same
nest successively over two dozen eggs, the mother-bird always re-
placing the egg that was taken away; but the egg must be pulled
out of the nest with a stick, and not taken by the bare hand, as in
that case the bird would abandon the nest.

PLATE XXVI.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker. (Campephilus Principalis.)

Fig. 1.

This most beautiful, formidable, and majestic Woodpecker is the
second in size of all our American species, there being but one
surpassing him in size in this country. The Imperial Woodpecker
of California (Campephilus Imperialis) stands at the head of
all Woodpeckers hitherto discovered. The beautiful dress of the
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, his superb carmine crest, his ivory-white
bill, his beautiful white and black body, his brilliant and piercing
yellow eye, and especially his graceful flight, entitled him to par-
ticular notice. The illustrious Audubon, in his poetic style of com-
position, compares the distribution of the brilliant colors on our
Ivory-billed with the style and coloring of that inimitable artist,
Van Dyke; and indeed those who are familiar with the paintings
of that great master, will readily acknowledge that Audubon is
perfectly right. ‘The manners of the Ivory-billed have a dignity
about them far superior to the herd of common Woodpeckers. ‘To
the latter, trees, shrubbery, orchards, fences, fence-posts, or even
old logs lying on the ground, are all alike interesting in their inde-
fatigable search after prey ; but the Ivory-billed is not satisfied with

things of such an humble character, for he delights in selecting the
most towering trees of the forests in his exploring expeditions after
food or amusement.

The Ivory-billed is not met with in any of the Middle States of
the American Union; probably for the reason that the woods of
these States are not suited to the peculiar habits of this bird.
Sometimes a single individual of this species is met with on the
Atlantic coast, in Maryland, and a few more in the Carolinas; but
the lower’ parts of the latter and of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
and especially of Mississippi, may be regarded as his favorite
resorts. In these States he resides permanently, breeding there,
and leading a life of tranquil enjoyment, and finding an abund-
ance of food for his subsistence in the woods that cover the dark,
gloomy, and deep swamps and morasses frequently occurring in
these States. On the west side of the Mississippi, he is found in
all the forests, which border the tributaries of that river, all the way
down the Rocky Mountains. His favorite haunts are those gloomy
swamps and morasses overshadowed by dark, gigantic cypresses,
stretching their bare and blasted branches, as it were, midway to
the skies. It is dangerous to penetrate into such swamps; and
were it not of strong desire to learn their hidden secrets, no one
would encounter the hardships and risk connected with such an
enterprise. For miles upon miles the dangerous morass stretches
out, and progress toward the interior is not only baffled by low.
projecting arms of the gigantic trees, but often by the thorny under-
brush, interwoven with a dense growth of climbing and winding
plants of different kinds, and also obstructed by countless dead and
decaying trunks of fallen trees, stretching their dry and withered
branches heavenward in the-most fantastic way. By far the great-
est difficulty to the explorer is the yielding and treacherous ground,
whose surface is covered with a beautiful carpet of splendid mosses,
water-lilies, sword lilies, and other kinds of flowers and plants.
For a time the explorer may walk safely enough on this beautiful
carpet; but let him tread as lightly as he may, on a sudden he
breaks through, and he sinks in the morass up to his body with the
consciousness that there is an almost bottomless quagmire under-
neath. Involuntarily grasping the overhanging branches, he drags
himself out, finding his legs covered with dark mud, emitting a
most disagreeable odor. Having thus had a practical warning of -
the danger that lurks under his feet, the traveler proceeds, if pos-
sible, more cautiously, and this retards his progress still more.
Here and there his onward course is interrupted by suddenly com-
ing to a pond of considerable size, filled with dark, muddy water,
emitting a horrible stench, that almost benumbs the senses. Such
places are the favorite residence of the Ivory-billed. To him there
is no danger. He is high above the reach of foul air, and, owing
to his mode of locomotion, swamps and morasses do not interfere
with his progress from place to place.

The flight of this bird, although short, generally not extending
over a hundred yards at a time, is extremely graceful. When
crossing a large river, he shoots forward in beautiful undulations,
spreading out his wings fully, and only flapping them when he
intends to give a more vigorous push to his forward movement.
His flight from tree to tree is accomplished with a single sweep,
and in a most graceful curve, as he comes down from the highest
top of one tree and alights on another, on the lower part of the
trunk—no matter whether the trees are only twenty yards or a
hundred and fifty apart. On such occasions, he appears most
amiable to the beholder, and his beautiful colors and markings
show him off to the greatest advantage.

I never heard his voice while he was on the wing, except in
mating time, when his sonorous voice is occasionally heard, while
executing some beautiful evolutions in the air. As soon as he
reaches the lower part of the trunk of a tree, and is ascending it
in a spiral line, his remarkably clear, loud, and pleasing voice is
heard from the distance of over half a mile. The sound of his
call, which strongly resembles the word ‘* pat, pat, pat,” is so often
repeated that it seems as if the bird was uttering the sound during

26 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
Se a LS ee SS Ss ee oe

the whole day, with the exception of the little intervals when he
flies from one place to another. This habit often leads to his
destruction, and, as he is everywhere regarded as a destroyer of
trees, his extermination is eagerly sought. To this it may be added
that the beautiful feathers of his crest are used by Indians for war
ornaments, and large numbers of the birds are killed to obtain their
feathers. I have seen Indian warriors with their girdles and the
tops of their quivers ornamented alternately with the crests and the
bills of this Woodpecker. Indian women also use the crests for
ornaments.

Wherever the Ivory-billed frequents, he leaves behind him many
mementos of his industry. In such places may be seen gigantic
pine-trees, with cart-loads of bark and chips lying around them on
the ground, impressing one with the idea that half a dozen wood-
cutters must have been at work there for at least half the day.
This is all the work of our Ivory-billed Woodpecker, as well as
the numerous large excavations with which the trunk of the tree is
disfigured. ‘This gives an idea what destroyers of the most useful
of our forest trees these Woodpeckers, endowed with so much
strength and with such an apparatus for doing work, would neces-
sarily be if they were numerous. On the other hand, however, I
may say that hundreds of such trees, on which the Ivory-billed had
been at work, were closely examined by me, with the conclusion
that neither mischief nor amusement was at the bottom of his pro-
ceedings. I never found a single sound and healthy tree attacked
by him; but close examination proved clearly that he selected trees
for stripping off the bark or excavating the trunks, which were
infested with insects and on the way to rapid decay. The deadly
crawling vermin form a lodgment under the bark of the trees, and

what the proprietor of the forest deplores as the destruction of his

timber is caused by their ravages. Hundreds and thousands of
pine-trees—many of them from two to three feet in diameter, and
over a hundred and fifty feet high—are destroyed in one season by
an insect, or rather by the larve of an insect not larger than a
grain of rye. Large spaces covered with dead pine-trees, stripped
of their bark, their branches and bare trunks bleached by the rain
and the hot rays of the sun, and tumbling to ruin at every blast,
present to the beholder frightful pictures of desolation. Yet preju-
dice and ignorance stubbornly persist in condemning the Ivory-
billed as the destroyer of property, while he is really a benefactor,
as he is the constant and deadly enemy of those destructive insects.
We ought to be thankful to him, as he shows us by his work where
those vermin are causing a destruction in our forests. Until a more
effectual preventive of the ravages of these insects is found out and
applied, we ought to protect not only the Ivory-billed, but the whole
tribe of Woodpeckers.

Like other Woodpeckers, the Ivory-billed live usually in pairs;
at least until the young are old enough to take care of themselves,
and probably during life. The male and female are always seen
together; the latter being distinguished by having no red crest, but
with the whole head black, inclining to a greenish glass color, and
by being more clamorous, less shy, yet more cautious than the
male. The time of breeding begins earlier with them than with
other Woodpeckers, usually in the month of March. The nest is
generally built in a live tree, and at considerable height from the
ground—an ash or hagberry tree being preferred. As these birds
seek retirement and shelter from the access of water during violent
rain-storms, they are very particular as to the position of the tree
and the ‘‘ boring” of their nest-hole. ‘The latter is generally dug
immediately under the junction of a large branch with the trunk.
It is first bored for a few inches horizontally, and then downward in
a direct line, sometimes only a foot, and sometimes between one
and three feet deep. The difference in these depths of the nest-
hole may be the result of the more or less immediate necessity
under which the female may be of depositing her egg. The diam-
eter of the cavity of the nest is about eight or nine inches, and its
entrance just large enough to admit the passage of the bird. Both
male and female work at this excavation alternately. While the

one is at work, the other will sit outside, encouraging its mate with
its chatter. They never make a regular nest; but the bottom of
the cavity is bowl-shaped, and covered with a few small chips, like
coarse saw-dust. On this the eggs are deposited, usually five or
six in number, and of a clear white color. The young can be seen,
a couple of weeks before they are able to fly, creeping out of the
hole, and moving about, but returning to the nest again in case of
danger. The dress of the young is nearly like that of the female ;
but later in the fall this difference vanishes. The young males
exhibit the beauty of their plumage in the next spring. After the
breeding season, the old pair retire for the night to their nest-hole
to sleep. .

The food of the Ivory-billed consists chiefly of beetles or their
larve; but they also feed on different kinds of berries and fruits,
such as mellow persimmons or hagberries. They are particularly
fond of ripe wild grapes. I have noticed them, in company with
other birds, fluttering about and hanging on the vines in the manner
of the Titmouse. Although the Ivory-billed is sometimes seen at
work in corn-fields, on standing dry and withered trees, he never
meddles with the corn, or with any field or garden fruits. If
winged, he runs for the nearest tree in quick hops, and in almost
a twinkling he is out of reach, climbing spirally round the trunk,
uttering at each leap his ‘‘ pat, pat, pat,” to the top, and there
squatting down under the protection of some branch, and keeping
perfectly silent. If mortally wounded, he clings to the bark of the
tree, and remains hanging there, often for hours after he is quite
dead. When the hunter takes him alive and lays hold of him by
the hand, he tries to use his bill in the best manner he can in his
defense, often inflicting very severe wounds. On such occasions
he utters a most piteous cry, not unlike that of a child. Wilson,
in his account of this Woodpecker, has the following:

‘¢JIn looking over the accounts given of the Ivory-billed Wood-
pecker by naturalists of Europe, I find it asserted that it inhabits
from New Jersey to Mexico. I believe, however, that few of them
are ever seen to the north of Virginia, and very few of them even
in that State. The first place I observed this bird at when on my
way to the South, was about twelve miles north of Wilmington, in
North Carolina. There I found the bird from which my drawing
was taken. This bird was only wounded slightly in the wing, and
on being caught, uttered a loudly reiterated, and most piteous note,
exactly resembling the violent crying of a young child; which ter-
rified my horse so as nearly to have cost me my life. It was dis-
tressing to hear it. I carried it with me, in the chair, under cover
to Wilmington. In passing through the streets, its affecting cries
surprised every one within hearing, particularly the females, who
hurried to the doors and windows with looks of alarm and anxiety.
I drove on, and, on arriving at the piazza of the hotel where I
intended to put up, the landlord came forward, and a number of
other persons who happened to be there, all equally alarmed at
what they heard. This was greatly increased by my asking
whether he could furnish me with accommodations for myself and
my baby. The man looked blank and. foolish, while the others
stared with still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for
a minute or two at their expense, I drew my Woodpecker from
under the cover, and a general laugh took place. I took him up
stairs and locked him up in my room, while I went to see my horse
taken care of. In less than an hour I returned, and on opening
the door, he set up the same distressing shout, which now appeared
to proceed from grief that he had been discovered in his attempts
at escape. He had mounted along the side of the window, nearly
as high as the ceiling, a little below which he had begun to break
through. The bed was covered with large pieces of plaster; the
lath was exposed for at least fifteen inches square, and a hole,
large enough to admit the fist, opened to the weatherboards; so
that, in less than another hour, he would certainly have succeeded
in making his way through. I now tied a string around his leg,
and, fastening it to the table, again left him. I wished to preserve
his life, and had gone off in search of suitable food for him. As J

DOWNY WOODPECKER.

reascended the stairs I heard him again hard at work, and, on en-
tering, had the mortification to perceive that he had almost entirely
ruined the mahogany table to which he was fastened, and on which
he had wreaked his whole vengeance. While engaged in taking
the drawing, he cut me severely in several places, and on the whole
displayed such a noble and unconquerable spirit, that I was fre-
quently tempted to restore him to his native woods. He lived with
me nearly three days, but refused all sustenance, and I witnessed
his death with regret.”

The Downy Woodpecker. (Picus Pudescens.)

Fig. 2.

This really beautiful little Woodpecker is, in several of the West-
ern States, called the Sapsucker, perhaps from his habit of boring
several rows of holes around a tree, one above another, at almost
regular distances apart. The question might be asked for what
purpose should he bore through the apparently healthy bark of a
tree, if not in order to obtain the sap. But the little bird knows
better for what purpose he does the work, as whenever he is seen
so engaged, we may rest assured that there is a grub-worm under
the bark, and the whole story of his sap-seeking is a mere figment
of the imagination. If he were seeking sap, he would certainly
prefer the juicy maple or birch to any other tree; but these are
seldom, or never, attacked by him, because there are hardly ever
any worms to be found under their rind.

Familiarity, diligence, perseverance, and a surprising strength
and energy in the head and neck, are the principal characteristics
of this frolicsome little bird. He may be seen sometimes for half
an hour at the same spot on an infested branch of an old apple-tree,
working incessantly until he succeeds in dislodging and destroying
the destructive brood of insects sheltered in the crevices between
' the bark and the wood. When he is so engaged, you may approach
him pretty close, and stand within a few feet of him, directly under
the tree where he is working, without embarrassing him in the
least. Sometimes he will spend two hours on the same tree, all
the time at work, while the powerful and rapid strokes of his bill
can be distinctly heard at the distance of several yards.

His favorite haunts are the woods on the borders of streams, for-
ests, or single groves; but he is also often found, especially in fall
and winter, in our orchards and gardens. During the summer he
keeps company only with his own kind, and moves about in a com-
paratively small district; but in the fall and winter, he is generally
found in company with other birds, as the Titmouse, Nuthatch,
Creeper, and Golden-crested Wren. In both his wood and orchard
excursions, he usually leads the van; but he is never much inclined
to be amiable toward his companions of other kinds, nor does he
take any notice of them, a disposition that seems to be the result
of a mere desire for food. He will, for the same reason, come to
the spot, when, by beating on a dry limb, you have imitated his
drumming. This desire for food will make him believe that
another of his kind, whom he is not much inclined to favor, has
had better luck than he. In his ramblings he avoids, like the
Hairy Woodpecker, flying across open plains, and as the sole
object of his ramblings is to find more plentiful food, he does not
regard roundabout ways. He is very lively, always in motion,
and seemingly always in a hurry to get through with what he is
engaged in, and contributes, by this and his thin but shrill voice,
**krick, krick, krick,” or ‘‘ tick, tick, tick,” a great deal to enliven
the forest, especially a dark pine-forest, in the most pleasant man-
ner. His flight is by starts, swift and whirring, but not far
extended. When seen on the ground, which seldom happens, he
performs his hopping with great care. He prefers to sit on the
highest branches of a tree, uttering his lively ‘‘krick, krick,
krick,” which he frequently repeats. When he flies off, or alights
on another tree, he utters a rather shriller cry, consisting of the
same notes, quickly reiterated. For the night’s rest he retires to a

hollow tree, and conceals himself also in such a place when he is
wounded.

It is very amusing to observe this Woodpecker at the time of
mating. At that time he is peculiarly lively, and usually two
males are seen paying court to one female, both flying very often
above the tree, and chasing each other around it. If one gets tired
of flying about, he suddenly lights on some dry withered branch,
and commences drumming for spite. Then the other male begins
the same operation, and this they keep up sometimes for hours.
As soon as one of them observes the female, who is never far off,
he leaves his place, flying toward her, and these two chase each
other round and round, uttering a strong ‘‘ kack, kack, kack,” or
‘¢krick, krick, krick.” As soon as the other male hears this he
appears on the scene, and the two males now chase the female, or
engage in a fight with each other. This amusement lasts till about
seven or eight o’clock in the evening, and is kept up till one of
them has become victorious in driving the other entirely away.

In making his nest-hole, this Woodpecker seems to be rather at
a loss how to proceed. He begins a great many excavations before
he finishes one, and always prefers to find, if possible, a hole in
which either he or some of his kindred have already reared their
young. About the middle of May the male and female begin to
look out for a suitable place for their eggs and young. Some
tree—generally an apple, pear, or cherry tree, often in the neigh-
borhood of a farm-house—is usually selected for this purpose. For
several days previous to beginning the operation of digging the
hole, the tree is minutely examined, and then the digging is com-
menced by the male, who excavates a circular opening, so per-
fectly circular that it seems as if it must have been marked out
with a pair of compasses. Afler he has wrought for a time, and
become tired, he is relieved by the female, and so both continue the
work with indefatigable diligence. The direction of the hole, if in
the trunk of a tree, is usua!ly downward, in an oblique direction,
for a few inches, and then straight down for about eight or ten
inches more. Within it is roomy, capacious, and as smooth as if it
were made by a cabinet-maker. The entrance is just large enough
to admit the passage of the owners. The chips are carried out to
some distance, so as to conceal all traces of the nest. The opera-
tion of preparing the nest-hole occupies sometimes a whole week, —
sometimes less. The female, before beginning to lay, visits the
hole often, minutely examining both the interior and exterior before
taking possession. As in the case of all Woodpeckers, there is no
regular nest ; but a few fine sawdust-like chips are left at the bottom
of the hole as a substitute for a nest, and on these the female lays,
toward the latter part of May, generally six eggs, of a pure white
color.
she is sitting. The young begin to make their appearance in the
latter part of June, when they may be seen leaving the hole,
making their way up the tree, and already climbing with great
dexterity. The little House Wren, who also builds his nests in
hollows in trees or cracks in walls, and who is, on account of the
formation of his bill, unable to build a nest-hole for himself, often
drives the Downy out of his home by the most violent attacks, and,
after succeeding, builds his nest in the ill-gotten premises.

The food of this species of Woodpecker, as with all other Wood-
peckers, consists chiefly of insects and their larvae. Besides these,
he regales himself with different kinds of fruits and berries; but
his principal food is a kind of beetle that lays its eggs in cracks in
the bark of trees, its larvae working or boring long and winding
burrows under the bark close to the wood. In order to reach these,
our little Woodpecker works very hard, and on pine-trees he strips
off the bark in large quantities; but he never strips it off from a
healthy pine-tree, and only from such as he is sure are infested
with grub-worms. He destroys an immense number of caterpillars,
which he uses as food for his young. He has also this peculiarity,
like others of this g-oup of birds, that, when he has hammered or
drummed on a dead limb, he will, on a sudden, run to the opposite
side to look after beetles or worms, which he may have started, and

The male frequently supplies the female with food while _.

28 AMERICAN QUAIL OR PARTRIDGE.

which in their turn, being aware of the close proximity of their
deadliest enemy, try to save themselves by running away. Farm-
ers and proprietors of orchards should not regard the Downy Wood-
pecker as a destroyer of their fruit-trees, but bestow on him a special
protection, as it is certain that he picks out of fruit-trees myriads of
insects or their offspring. I have observed that just such trees as
had his marks or bored holes in the bark, and especially such as
had the trunk on all sides marked with his holes, so that they
appeared as if loads of buckshot had been fired into them from all
sides, had the healthiest and thriftiest appearance of all the trées in
the orchard. I also noticed that such trees were not only the heav-
iest laden with fruit, but that the fruit was of a better quality. In
the months of September, October, and November, these Wood-
peckers are seen indefatigably engaged in orchards, probing every
crack and crevice, and boring through the bark in quest of the
larve and eggs of the summer insects, chiefly so on the south and
southwestern sides, the warmer sides of the tree. Of these larvze
or eggs he destroys countless numbers, that would otherwise give
birth to myriads of their race in the succeeding summer, preying
upon the very vitals of the tree, and destroying not only the fruit
crop, but the very tree itself.

The smaller birds of the Hawk tribe are the enemies of the
Downy Woodpeckers, and many of these fall a prey to the former ;
but the Downies generally escape their enemies by their skill in
running around the tree, or by concealing themselves in cracks or
holes. Their young are often destroyed by weasels or squirrels,
and the latter, when they approach the nest, are attacked with
lamentable outcries, for the Downy loves his young most tenderly,
notwithstanding their ugly, unwieldy, and shapeless forms, and
even feed them long after they are full fledged and flying about.

The Downy Woodpeckers are easily kept in cages, and become
soon accustomed to the artificial food given them in addition to dif-
ferent seeds, fruits, and berries. They are very amusing, always
living on the best terms with other small tenants of the same cage.
Their cage must be rather high, and have a small trunk on which
they can climb, and have a chance for boring and hammering.
They must not be exposed to strong currents of air, which
invariably kill them. The female is distinguished from the
male in outward appearance, by having no red on the hind head,
that part being white and her breast and belly being of a more
dirty white color.

PLATE XXVII.
American Quail or Partridge. (Oréyx Virgindanus.)

The Quail inhabits this continent as far as Nova Scotia. Its
limit on the east is the Atlantic ocean, on the south the Gulf of
Mexico, and on the west the Rocky Mountains. It is also found on
some of the islands of the: Gulf, in the warmer parts of North
America. The Quail is a regular resident, but in the northern or
colder portions it performs regular annual excursions toward the
South on the approach of severe frosts, and these excursions some-
times assume the character of migrations. This explains why in
some places Quails are sometimes found in incredibly great num-
bers where they have been seldom seen before.

The Quail prefers open fields, interspersed with brushwood or
grass edges, and similar places, for protection. They are occasion-
ally found in the heart of a dense forest. During the night they
retire to a sheltered place on some grassy plain, or to the weedy
borders of the woods, where they cluster close together. ‘They
are also found roosting on trees during the night, but this appears
to be the case only exceptionally. During the day they perch on
trees, and very often, when alarmed or chased by dogs, they fly
to the trees and alight on the middle branches. On such occa-
sions they may be seen to walk and run on the branches with perfect

ease. Theyrun on the ground with great dexterity and considerable
elegance. Their flight is steady and rather swift, accompanied,
especially at the start, with a loud whirring sound—perhaps occa-
sioned by the shortness, concavity, and rapid motions of the wings
when frightened. When flying off without being frightened, this
whirring sound is only just perceptible. The voice of this bird
consists of two sounds, resembling the words ‘* Bob White,” or
‘¢ Bob, Bob White,” sometimes uttered with an introductory bird-
note, and very often repeated. The expression of tenderness is a
soft twittering sound ;° when frightened, it is a lamentable whistling.

Quails live together in coveys or flocks from summer through
the winter; but as soon as the spring opens the coveys separate,
and each male chases and wins his female, but often only after
hard fighting. ‘They now begin to look out for a suitable habita-
tion, and this makes the scene at that time very lively, for the ex-
citement of the male is not only expressed by continuous cries, but
by fighting with other males. Toward evening they may be seen
on the fences, usually on the top of the posts or poles, trying to
make themselves conspicuous, and, by their loud calling, to induce
other males to approach them for a fight. After the fight they re-
turn to their high seats. Later, but seldom before the first of May,
the female begins to build the nest. The place for the nest is
chosen with great caution, and is usually hollowed out in a tussock of
grass or weeds. It is curiously formed of grass-stalks and leaves,
and is usually deep enough to admit the entire body of the sitting
bird. As the surrounding grass grows more and more, it covers
and shields the nest from intrusion, forming sometimes on that
side, where the female passes in and out, a regular archway.

The eggs are roundish, the shells being thin and of a clear
white color, though sometimes a little dotted with clay-colored or
yellowish specks. The number of eggs varies, being sometimes
twelve, sometimes twenty, and even more. Both male and female
sit alternately ; but, besides, the male sits as awatch. After about
twenty-three days the handsome young birds break the shell and
make their appearance. They are covered with a close down of
a rufous color, streaked above longitudinally with buff and dark
brown. ‘The lower part, with the exception of the throat, which
is yellowish, is of a grayish color. The young are able to run
about as soon as they are out of the shell, but usually remain in
the nest for some time. Doth parents take care of them, and lead
them about; both squat down to receive them, when cold or tired,
under their bodies and wings. In such case the head of one
parent-bird is usually turned in the direction opposite to that of the
other, and, in this position, they warm their numerous brood.

When the family runs about, the male, true to his office as senti-
nel, can be seen running ahead of them, while the female follows
in the rear, at some distance off. The male strides along with a
haughty step, turning his head from side to side, and eying every-
thing about him. Should any other bird come in his way it alarms
him, and the stranger is regarded as an enemy. If he thinks he
can conquer the newcomer, he attacks him and drives him off,
feeling himself bound to keep the road clear. It is very interest-
ing to see such a family of Quails. In cases of real danger, the
male parent exposes himself to the enemy, while the mother-bird
leads the young off, as quickly as possible, to a place of safety.
In case she should be deprived of her mate, the young squat dow
in the grass, or find, in the low ground, some small cavity or other
suitable place for concealment, while the mother tries to mislead the
enemy by feigning lameness, but always managing to elude the
grasp of theenemy. After she has coaxed, in this manner, the real
or supposed foe to some distance away, and the young have run off
to a safe hiding-place, on a sudden she rises and flies in a direction
opposite to the place where her young are concealed. After all dan-
ger is over, she returns and calls her brood together again. In
about three weeks the young are able to fly, and this, of course,
diminishes the dangers that threaten them; for then, on the ap-
proach of an enemy, the whole family rise, and each of the young
tries to reach a place of safety as soon as possible, while the parent-

PL. XXVIII

‘AMERICAN QUAIL OR PARTRIDGE. 59

birds resort to their various tricks of deception. But later, when
the power of flight is more fully developed in the young, they all,
including the parents, fly to the trees, if any are near, and conceal
themselves in the branches.

During summer, Quails subsist chiefly on insects and different
vegetable matter, and also on grain. In the fall the latter, espe-
cially Indian corn, forms their principal food. In summer, old and
young lead a gay life, without any special cares; but, as soon as
winter begins, they often experience bitter want, and this fre-
quently causes them to wander to more southern regions. Many
of them perish on such wanderings, as they are constantly exposed
to enemies, man especially using all his skill to secure this deli-
cious game. In the month of October, Quails settle in great num-
bers on the banks of the larger rivers, enlivening the woody shores
and crossing daily from one side of the stream to the other. Later
they appear on the roads, searching in the manure of horses for
food. But when deep snow covers the road, they are driven by
hunger to the neighborhood of the settlements, and even to farm-
yards, where they mix with the poultry and are satisfied to pick
up the crumbs they may by chance find. If the inmates of a farm-
house treat them with hospitality, they will remain in the neigh-
borhood, and their confidence will continue to grow so that some-
times single ones become more than half-domesticated.

Our Quail is wonderfully adapted for domestication, and for be-
coming acclimated in other countries. Captive Quails, which at
the beginning were treated with a little care, soon got reconciled
to their confinement, losing all their natural shyness, and getting
used, in a very short time, to the hand that fed them; but such as
are raised from birds already tamed become far more easily domes-
ticated. It is said that, in New England, eggs of the Quail have
been sometimes placed in the nests of domestic hens, and were
hatched together with the hen’s eggs. At first the young Quails
behaved like the chickens, coming at the call of the hen, and en-
tering the farm-yard and buildings; but later their wild nature got
_ the upper hand, and they invariably flew away.

In a case that came under our notice, fifteen eggs were placed
in the nest of the sitting hen, of which fourteen were hatched. The

hen was put in a box with laths nailed in front, so that she could

not leave the box and roam about with the young Quails; but
these could run in and out as they pleased. They acted precisely
as young chickens, obeying the call of the hen until nearly full
grown, when, instead of going into the cage at night, they formed a
close cluster outside and in front of it, and so spent the night—-in
regular Quail-like style. Attempts were made to get them to go to
the roost with the hens, which were surprisingly successful; but
when the winter was over, and the days began to grow warmer,
the young Quails divided off into pairs, and one pair after another
took to the fields, never to return.

At one time, a boy brought me a pair of Quails, a male and fe-
male, which he had caught in a trap. It was in the latter part of
February. I made a large inclosure for them in my garden, about
eight feet long by four wide and about four feet high. It was
made of common lath. About the middle of May, the female
made a regular nest and began to lay. After she had laid eighteen
eggs, she commenced sitting, the male pretty regularly relieving
her. On the twenty-third day, I observed the heads of some
- young ones peeping out under the breast-feathers of the hen.
The next day, on coming to the inclosure, I found the hen had lett
the nest with her eighteen young ones following her. Every egg
was hatched. At first, the young appeared more shy than com-
mon chickens are; but, as they were never suffered to be scared,
they soon became quite familiar with me, the old as well as the
young ones. When I attempted to put my hand under the mother
bird, she became quite infuriated and bit my hand as well as she
could. The young remained with the parents through the winter,
and when spring came, I took the old pair and all the young ex-
cept two pairs, and liberated them. I had expected some of them
would return, attracted perhaps by the loud ‘* bob, bob white” of

the two pairs that were kept in the same old place, but not one
of them everreturned. In due time my Quails began to mate and
build nests; but it seems they became somewhat confused, and
laid their eggs in one and the same nests, while the males kept up
almost incessant fights with each other. To stop this, one pair was
removed ; the consequence was that they abandoned the nest and
eggs. J removed nest and eggs, and about three weeks after, the
female began to build a new nest, but in the meantime she dropped
several more eggs onthe ground. After she had laid her full com-
plement, she began to sit and hatched her young. For manya year
I raised my young Quails without any trouble. They roamed
about the yard like other poultry, and did not seem inclined to run
away.

Alexander Wilson has the following: ** The Partridge has some-
times been employed to hatch the eggs of the common domestic
hen. A friend of mine, who himself made the experiment, in-
forms me, that of several hens’ eggs which he substituted in place
of those of the Partridge, he brought out the whole; and that for
several weeks he surprised her in various parts of the plantation
with her brood of chickens, on which occasions she exhibited all
that distrustful alarm, and practiced her usual maneuvers for their
preservation. Even after they were considerably grown and
larger than the Partridge herself, she continued to lead them about ;
but, though their notes or call were those of common chickens,
their manners had all the shyness, timidity, and alarm of young
Partridges, running with great rapidity and squatting in the grass
exactly in the manner of the Partridge. Soon after this they dis-
appeared, having probably been destroyed by dogs, by the gun,
or by birds of prey. Whether the domestic fowl might not by this
method be very soon brought back to its original savage state, and
thereby supply another additional subject for the amusement of the
sportsman, will scarcely admit of a doubt. But the experiment,
in order to secure its success, would require to be made in a quarter
of the country less exposed than ours to the ravages of guns, traps,
dogs, and the deep snows of winter, that the new tribe might have
full time to become completely naturalized and well fixed in their
native habits.”

Hunting the Quail affords much amusement to our sportsmen,
but requires no little skill. When these birds can not escape by run-—
ning away, they squat, and in case of extreme danger one will
spring up here and another yonder at the same time, and usually
close before the feet of the sportsman, who must be a good marks-
man in order to bring down one or two of these quickly flying
birds. ‘The hunting becomes more difficult after the Quails have
reached the woods, as they then take to the trees, where no dog can
find them by the scent, and the disappointed hunter can seldom
see one of them, but only hear now and then their loud whir when
they fly off in the opposite direction. If the sportsman, however,
understands how to imitate their call, he may be more successful,
as they invariably answer the call.

The male may be considered a beautiful bird, although the color-
ing of his plumage is not gay. All the feathers of the upper part
are reddish brown, spotted and dotted with black, and banded and
seamed with a yellowish hue. Those of the lower or under side
are yellowish white, streaked longitudinally with reddish brown
penciled with black. A white band, beginning on the front, runs
over the eye toward the hind part of the neck. The throat is
snowy white and circled with a band of black, which begins be-
fore the eye, near the corner of the mouth. The white line over
the eye is also banded with black, while the sides of the neck are
beautifully marked with black, white, and red-brown spots. The
predominant color of the upper wing-coverts are reddish brown;
primaries are dark brown, their outer vane having bluish seams.
The secondaries are irregularly banded with saffron: the tail
feathers are sprinkled with grayish blue, with the exceptiou of the
two middle ones, which are yellowish gray sprinkled with black, and
the feathers of the breast have a kind of vinaceous gloss. The eye
is hazel, the bill ~rown, and the legs grayish. The female is ~is-

80 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO—CRESTED TITMOUSE.
a i a a

tinguished from the male by a duller coloring of the plumage, es-
pecially by the color of the throat, which, as well as the line over
the eye, is, in her, of a loam-yellow color. The young of the first
year resemble the female in color and markings, but can be easily
distinguished by having their colors or markings more or less in-
distinct.. The wing from its bend to its tip is four and a half inches,
and the tail two and a half inches long.

PLATE XXVITI.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. (Coccygus Americanus.)
Fig. 1.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is also called the Caw Crow and Rain
Crow. The latter name is probably given it on account of its being
most noisy just before or after a shower of rain. The name Caw
Crow it takes from the peculiar sound of its voice, which strongly
resembles the words: ‘‘ caw, caw, caw.” ‘These it utters at first
slowly, increasing in rapidity until they seem to run into each
other. It is difficult to see the bird when he utters his ** caw, caw,
caw,” as he sits at such times perfectly still, the sound seeming to
come from a great distance. This Cuckoo is a solitary bird, but
not very shy. He makes his appearance in Ohio, from the
South, in the latter part of April, but more regularly at the begin-
ning of May, and retires, after raising his young, about the mid-
dle of September, frequenting in the meantime the borders of sol-
itary swamps, hedges, or apple-orchards. The European Cuckoo
(Cuculus Canorus) never constructs its own nest or rears its own
young, but simply drops its eggs into the nests of other birds, leav-
ing to others the task of hatching and bringing up the young
Cuckoos. It always drops but one egg into one and the same
nest. This practice has caused the whole tribe of Cuckoos to be
stigmatized as destitute of all parental affection.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo is not entirely clear of this charge, though,
as a rule, it builds its own nest, hatches its own eggs, and rears
its own young; yet sometimes an egg or a young one of this spe-
cies is found in the nest of another, as in that-of a Robin Red-
breast or of a Brown Thrush. ‘These birds which have to raise
the strange foundling, seem to be very fond of it, and bestow as
much parental care on it as on their own offspring.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is nowhere rare, and for those well-
acquainted with its habits, it is not difficult to observe the bird. The
pairs generally settle in the dense forests, but single ones are fre-
quently found in the immediate neighborhood of human habita-
tions, chiefly in orchards, where they make themselves conspicuous
by their guttural ‘*‘ caw, caw, caw,” which they utter almost in-
cessantly for hours, especially on damp, warm days, and sometimes
during the night. This Cuckoo is a regular slipper, but in no-
wise a runner. Among the branches of trees he moves like a
Titmouse with the greatest ease, seldom coming to the ground, and,
if he does so for a change, he moves about in an exceedingly awk-
ward manner, elevating his long tail high in the air. His flight
is swift and noiseless, rarely far extended, being interrupted by the
first tree. He seems to feel safer in the closely leaved crowns of
trees, and therefore does not like to expose himself by continuous
flight. While passing among the branches on a foraging tour, he
sometimes shows his upper and sometimes his under side. His
food consists of insects and fruits, such as butterflies, grasshoppers,
caterpillars, etc., and in the autumn, different kinds of berries.
There is a strong suspicion against him that he plunders the nests
of other small birds; but although I have often closely watched
him, I have never caught him committing such an outrage. Itisa
very remarkable fact of this bird that the female begins to sit as
soon as she has laid her first egg, and the consequence is that the

In truth, our

young appear irregularly one after another, so that in the same
nest may sometimes be found eggs and half-fledged and full-
fledged young ones. This Cuckoo begins to pair in the early part
of May. This process is usually celebrated by obstinate battles
among the males. Soon after pairing, they begin to build their
nests. ‘The nest is commonly placed among the horizontal branches
of an apple-tree; sometimes on a thorn, cedar, or. other bush,
usually in a retired part of the wood. The nest is artlessly con-
structed, and has hardly any cavity at all. It is composed of fine
sticks and twigs, intermixed with weeds and fibers, and usually
with blossoms of the maple-tree. The eggs are generally four,
sometimes but three, and occasionally five. They are of a greenish-
blue color, and of a size proportioned to the size of the bird. The
male is usually near while the female is sitting, and gives the
alarm when an enemy approaches. While the female is sitting,
you can almost reach her with your hand; but then she will sud-
denly precipitate herself to the ground, feigning lameness, flutter-
ing, trailing her wings—in fact, she will use all the tricks that
some other birds practice, as Quails, Woodcocks, and several
others. Both parents provide the food for the young.

Notwithstanding his plain colors, the Yellow-biiled Cuckoo is a
very handsome bird and of a fine shape. His whole upper parts
are of a dark glossy-drab, or of what we may call a Quaker hue,
with some greenish silken reflections; to this the inner vanes
of the wing-feathers are exceptions, these being of a red-
dish cinnamon color. The tail is long, and usually consists of ten
feathers, sometimes of twelve—the two middle ones being longest,
and of the same drab color as the back, though a little darker
toward the tip; the others, which gradually shorten to the outer
ones, are black, largely tipped with white; the two outer feathers
are hardly half as long as the middle ones. The whole lower
parts are white, excepting those of the fore part of the breast and
neck, which incline somewhat to a bluish-gray. The feathers
covering the thighs are prolonged like those of the Hawk tribe.
The legs and feet are of a light-blue color; there are four toes, two
placed forward and two behind, as in all other Cuckoo birds. The
bill is rather long in proportion to the size of the bird, very broad
at the base and a little bent; it is of a dusky-brown color above
and yellow below. The color of the iris is hazel, and the feathers
reach close to the eyelid, which is yellow. The female differs but
little from the male, except that the four middle feathers of the
tail are of that drab color and the white on her is not so pure,
while the grayish on the fore breast is darker and further extended.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is entitled to protection, as he destroys
innumerable obnoxious larve and insects, and is thus a benefactor
to the farmer and gardener. The inner membrane of the gizzard,
which in many other species is very hard and muscular, is in this
bird soft and lax, and therefore capable ot great extension. It is
covered with a growth of fine hair of a fawn color, and is perhaps
intended by nature as a protection against the irritating effect,
which would otherwise be produced by swallowing hair-covered
caterpillars.

The Crested Titmouse. (Lophophanes bicolor.)
Fig. 2.

This noisy bird often associates with the Black-capped Tit-
mouse, but is more suspicious and less active. Its notes are more
musical, and there is more variety in its tones. At times its voice
is not louder than the squeaking of a mouse, while at other.times
the sounds are loud and clear, resembling the whistling for a dog.
It often keeps up its whistling for more than half an hour at a time,
while its high-pointed crest gives it a neat and elegant appearance.
Its food consists of all kinds of insects and their larvee, as well as
of small fruits and berries. As the muscles.of its neck possess
considerable strength, it digs almost continually into acorns, nuts,

Pex VME

CARDINAL GROSBEAK. .., 31

crevasses, and rotten bark, without the least fatigue, searching out
insects or their eggs or larve.

This species inhabits almost the whole of North America. In
the United States it is more numerous in the Middle and Western
than in the Southern States. It has been noticed, in mild winters,
in the southern part of Ohio. On the approach of cold, frosty
weather it generally migrates toward the South. If this bird is
taken hold of, by the hand, when winged, it will fight dexterously
and with great spirit. In confinement, it easily becomes recon-
ciled and familiar, and will subsist on hemp-seed, cherry-kernels,
apple-seeds, and the kernels of broken hickory-nuts; but it re-
quires a cage made altogether of wire, as it will chip its way, in
true Woodpecker style, through the wooden part of ordinary cages.

The whole upper parts of the Crested Titmouse are of a dark
cinereous or lead color, except the front, which is black, tinged
with reddish. ‘The whole lower parts are of a dirty white, except-
ing the sides under the wings, which are of a reddish-brown
color. The legs and feet are light blue; the bill black, short, and
pretty strong. ‘The wing-feathers are relieved with a dusky hue
onthe inner vane. ‘The eyes are dark hazel, and the lores white.
The head is, as already remarked, ornamented with a high crest,
pointed, and almost upright. The tail is somewhat forked, and
considerably concave below, and of the same color above as the
back. The tips of the wings are dusky ; the tongue is very short,
_truncated, and ends in three—sometimes four—sharp points. The
female can not be distinguished from the male by the plumage.
Both male and female have the same markings, as well as the red-
dish brown on the sides under the wings. The nest is built in the
hollow of atree. The cavity is often dug by itself, and the nest
consists of some dry fibrous roots of grass, the cast-off exuvie of
snakes, horse-hair, and feathers inside. The female begins to lay
early in May. The eggs, usually five or six in number, are of a
pure white, with a few small reddish spots on the larger end.
The whole family may be seen, in the month of July, hunting to-
gether, the parent birds keeping up a continual chatter—perhaps
to encourage and direct their inexperienced brood.

The Cardinal Grosbeak. (Cardinalis Virginianus.)
Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female.

This elegant bird, in his bridal dress, is beautifully but uniformly
colored. His soft and slightly glossy plumage is very even dark
red—highest in the head and breast. The face and throat are deep
black. The inner veins of the quill-feathers are light brown, the
shafts dark brown, and the bill of a coral-red color. The iris of
the eye is dark hazel, and the feet brownish gray. The plumage
of the female is lighter colored and less red, with a more reddish
hue predominant. The head and crest are red, but the back is
_ brownish, and the breast of a dull loam color. The front or face
and throat are not black, but of a dark ash color or gray. The
bill is also a little lighter coral-red.

The Cardinal is a’common bird in the Southern States, and is
found in great numbers in the Middle and Western States. When
the winters are mild, he remains in the Middle aud Western States
all the year round, but in severe winters wanders toward the South.
He is a very pleasing bird, and, by his splendid colors, is an orna-
ment to the forest, especially in winter, when his beautifully red
color contrasts finely with the dull appearance of the leafless trees.
In daytime he loves to roam about in shrubbery interwoven with
briers and other winding plants. From such places he makes his
excursions to the neighboring fields and gardens, if the forests fail
- to yield him sufficient food. He is just as often met with in the
nighborhood of ‘cities as in the depths of the most solitary forests.

In the Southern States, he is sometimes seen in the interior cities
and villages, and it is seldom that one can step into a garden in
those States without seeing the ‘‘ Redbird” slipping through the
bushes. Wherever he is, he is welcome, for he is a pet with every-

body—his beautiful plumage, his rich song, and melodious whis-
tling giving him a ready introduction everywhere.

During the summer, the Cardinal is only found in pairs, but in
fall and winter he is to be seen in small societies. He lives in
harmony with most of the smaller birds, but not so with birds of
his own kindred, especially during the mating and breeding season.
When he remains during the winter, he often comes to the farm-
yard, hopping around with Sparrows, Pigeons, Snow-birds, and
Buntings, and picking up seeds, examining the hedges of gardens
and fields for such food. With his strong and thick bill he skill-
fully cracks the hard corn or husks out of the kernels of oats, and
grinds the grain of wheat, and is therefore pretty certain to find
subsistence during winter. He takes his nights’ rest in a neigh-
boring hay-stack or a well-sheltered tree, and so manages to out-
live the otherwise fatal winter. He is a restless bird, remaining
only a few minutes in the same place, but flying or hopping about
in every direction. On the ground he hops tolerably well, but
among the branches he moves skillfully and with perfect ease.
His flight is by starts, rather hard and quick, as well as noisy, but
usually not far extended. In severe winters the Cardinal emi-
grates, as already stated, roaming about the country, but with the
beginning of March returning to his old habitation. He performs
his journeys, as one might say, on foot, at least for a great part
of the distance, as he hops and skips from bush to bush and from
forest to forest, until he ar:ives at his destination. As with many
other birds, the male Cardinal appears a few days earlier than the
female. Soon after their arrival, they begin to mate, and the
males, inspired with jealousy, commence fighting each other.
They are so quarrelsome that they ferociously attack any in-
truder, whom they will follow from bush to bush, sometimes
fighting him in the air, but never giving him any rest until he is
successfully driven out of their view. They then return to their
former place, expressing their joy with a loud and quavering song.
The strongest attachment is found between the male and female.

Their resting-place is a bush, a tree in the neighborhood of the
farm, or in the midst of a field, on the border or in the middle of a
forest. ‘The woody borders of rivers seem to be the favorite place
for building their nests. The nest is often found in the immediate
neighborhood of a farm, and in many instances only a few yards
from that of the Mocking-bird. The nest consists of dry leaves
and fine branches, especially some thorny branches, interwoven
with stalks. The lining inside is made of fine dry grass. The
full complement of eggs is from four to six. The color of them is
a dirty white, spinkled all over with olive-brown spots; but it is
curious that scarcely ever two eggs are found alike in the nest, but
that they all differ in coloring as well as in their marking.

In the Middle and Western States, the Cardinal breeds but once
in a season ; in the Southern States, twice regularly, and sometimes
three times. The young, after they are full fledged, are fed a few
days more by their parents and then left to take care of themselves.
Several kinds of grains, seeds, berries, and perhaps insects serve
them as food. In the spring, they live on the flowers of the maple ;
in summer, on elder and other berries ; in fall, grain and corn, and in
winter, whatever they can obtain.

The Cardinal Grosbeak may be ranked among the best singing-
birds of this continent. His notes are clear and loud, resembling
the notes of a flageoletto at first, and gradually declining until they
appear as a mere whisper. During the season of love-making they
give free play totheir most powerful notes. Being conscious of his
great power he swells his throat and breast, spreads his tail, flaps
his wings, turning alternately his head to the right and left, so as
to make known to others his own ecstasy at the melodious beauty
of his voice. These notes and gestures are frequently repeated, the
bird during the time pausing only to take breath. The beautiful
tunes of the Cardinal can be heard long before sunrise. During the
heat of the day he is silent, but as soon as the heat begins to pass off,
he renews his song with more vigor apparently than in the morn-
ing, and does not cease until surrounded by the shades of night.

32 PASSENGER PIGEON.

He seems to sing forhis own amusement. As soon as he suspects
that he is being observed, he will stop altogether or utter a call re-
sembling somewhat the words ‘‘ dihu, dui, dui, dui, dui, dui, dui,
dui, dui.” When alarmed, he will utter a short ‘* zip” or « tine”

The Cardinal Grosbeak is easily kept in cages, and is satisfied
with the simplest kinds of grain. He is a hardy bird, and may be
brought to breeding in captivity by giving him more freedom in a
large room. It will never do to place him in a room or cage with
other birds, as it appears impossible for him to keep peace with
them.

PLATE XXIX.

The Passenger Pigeon.

(Ectopistes migratorius.)

The Passenger Pigeon, or, as it is commonly called, the ‘‘ Wild
Pigeon,” are the gypsies among birds. They are everywhere and
nowhere. From Hudson’s Bay down to the Gulf of Mex.co, and
from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern coast, and in all the
States of North America, is found the Passenger Pigeon—at no time
in equal numbers, generally more in number in the Eastern and
Middle than in the Northern and Southern States.

Audubon and, before him, Wilson relate the most wonderful
stories concerning the numbers of these Pigeons during their
wanderings. We quote from Audubon as follows :

‘¢ Their great power of flight enables them to survey and pass
over an astonishing extent of country in a very short time. Thus,
Pigeons have been killed in the neighborhood of New York with
their crops full of rice, which they must have collected in the fields
of Georgia and Carolina; these districts being the nearest in which
they could possibly have procured a supply of food As their power
of digestion is so great, that they will decompose food entirely in
twelve hours, they must, in this case, have traveled between three
and four hundred miles in six hours, which shows their speed to be,
at an average, about one mile ina minute. A velocity such as this,
would enable one of these birds, were it so inclined, to visit the
European continent in less than three days.”

«¢ In the autumn of 1813, I left. my house at Henderson, on the
banks of the Ohio, on my way to Louisville. In passing over the
barrens, a few miles beyond Hardinsburgh, I observed the Pigeons
flying from northeast to southwest in greater numbers than I thought
I had ever seen them before. I traveled on, and still met more
the farther I proceeded. The air was literally filled with Pigeons.
The light of the noonday was obscured as by an eclipse. The
dung fell in spots not unlike melting flakes of snow; and the con-
tinued buzz of the wings had a tendency to lull my senses to re-
pose.

‘+ Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from Hardinsburgh
fifty-five miles. ‘The Pigeons were still passing in undiminished
numbers, and continued to do so for three days in succession. The
people were all in arms. The banks of the Ohio were crowded
with men and boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, which
there flew lower as they passed the river. Multitudes were thus
destroyed. For a week or more, the population fed on no other
flesh than that of Pigeons. ‘The atmosphere was, during this time,
strongly impregnated with the peculiar odor which emanates
from the species.”

In estimating the number of these mighty flocks, and the
food consumed by them daily, he adds: ‘*Let us take a
column of one mile in breadth, which is tar below the average
size, and suppose it passing over us at the rate of one mile per
minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180 miles by one, cov-
ering 180 square miles; and allowing two Pigeons to the square
yard, we have one billion one hundred and fitteen millions one
hundred and thirty-six thousand Pigeons in one flock; and as
every Pigeon consumes daily fully half a pint, the quantity re-

quired to feed such a flock, must be eight millions seven hundred
and twelve thousand bushels per day.”

‘* Let us now, kind reader, inspect their place of nightly rendez-
vous: It was, as 1s always the case, in a portion of the forest
where the trees were of great magnitude, and where there was
little underwood. I rode through it upward of forty miles, and,
crossing it at different parts, found its average breadth to be rathe~
more than three miles. Few Pigeons were to be seen before sunset ;
but a great number of persons, with horses and wagons, guns and
ammunition, had already established encampments on the borders.
Two farmers from the vicinity of Russellsville, distant more than a
hundred miles, had driven upward of three hundred hogs, to be
fattened on the Pigeons which were to be slaughtered. Here and
there, the people employed in plucking and salting what had al-
ready been procured, were seen sitting in the midst of large piles
of these birds. The dung lay several inches deep, covering the
whole extent of the roosting-place, like a bed of snow. Many,
trees, two feet in diameter, I observed were broken off at no great
distance from the ground; and the branches of many of the largest
and tallest had given way as if the forest had been swept by a
tornado. Everything proved to me that the number of birds re-
sorting to this part of the forest, must be immense beyond concep-
tion. As the period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously
prepared to seize them. Some were furnished with iron pots con-
taining sulphur, others with torches of pine-knots, many with
poles, and the rest with guns. The sun was lost to our view.
yet not a Pigeon had arrived. Everything was ready, and all
eyes were gazing on the clear sky, which appeared in glimpses
amidst the tall trees. Suddenly there burst forth a general cry of
‘Here they come!’ The noise which they made, though yet dis-
tant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea, passing through the rig-
ging of a close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived and passed
over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. Thousands
were soon knocked down by polemen. The current of birds, how-
ever, still kept increasing. The fires were lighted, and a most
magnificent, as well as a wonderful and terrifying sight, presented
itself. The Pigeons coming in by thousands alighted everywhere,
one above another, until solid masses, as large as hogsheads, were
formed on every tree, in all directions. Here and there the perches
gave way under the weight with a crash, and falling to the ground,
destroyed hundreds of the birds beneath, forcing down the dense
groups with which every stick was loaded. It was a scene of up-
roar and confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or even to
shout, to those persons who were nearest me. The reports, even,
of the nearest guns were seldom heard; and I knew of the firing
only by seeing the shooters reloading. No one dared venture within
the line of devastation; the hogs had been penned up in due time,
the picking up of the dead and wounded birds being left for the
next morning’s employment. The Pigeons were constantly com-
ing, and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in the
number of those that arrived. The uproar continued, however,
the whole night; and as I was anxious to know to what distance
the sound reached, I sent off a man, accustomed to preambulate
the forest, who, returning two hours afterward, informed me he had
heard it distinctly when three miles from the spot. ‘Toward the
approach of day, the noise rather subsided ; but long ere objects
were at all distinguishable, the Pigeons began to move off in a
direction quite different from that in which they had arrived the
evening before; and at sunrise, all that were able to fly had dis-
appeared. The howlings of the wolves now reached our ears; and
the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, raccoons, opossums, and polecats
were seen sneaking off from the spot, whilst Eagles and Hawks
of different species, accompanied by a crowd of Vultures, came to
supplant them, and enjoy their share of the spoil. It was then that
the authors of all this devastation began their entry among the dead,
the dying, and the mangled. The Pigeons were picked up and
piled in heaps, until each had as many as he could possibly dis-
pose of, when the hogs were let loose to feed on the remainder.”

PIL. X XIX

eae

sete

PASSENGER PIGEON. 33

Now this sounds fabuious, but we will not dispute its truth, al-
though it is not in accordance with our observations. We have in our
rambles through the United States frequently met even with very
large flocks, but they certainly did not reach to one-quarter the
number mentioned by Audubon. Several roosts were visited at
different places, but they fell considerably short of the above ac-
count, although persons with whom we conversed at these roosts
fully corroborated Audubon. The immense numbers of Wild
Pigeons that flew over my head toward the roost would appear al-
most incredible to those who have never observed it. As regards
the rapidity of the flight of the Passenger Pigeons, we relate an
incident that occurred in the spring of 1849, in New York city.
About two dozen Wild Pigeons, who had their crops filled with rice,
were shot by me, and they certainly had only early that morning
fed in the rice-fields of Carolina. It was about 10:30 A. M. when
they were shot, but they appeared tired, and did not show the/r
usual shyness.

Dr. Geo. W. Hill, of Ashland, Ohio, in one of his contribu-
tions, *‘ Recollections of Pioneer Life,” to the Cincinnati Com-
merczal, relates the following incident about the Wild Pigeon, the
particulars for which were furnished by William A. Adams, Esq. :

«Several species of birds, formerly very numerous in this State,
are becoming less abundant. The Wild Pigeon, once seen in count-
less millions, is not so numerous as during the period of the beech-
nuts. Mr. Adams, in 1806, witnessed at Marietta, Ohio, a flight
of pigeons so remarkable that the school children were dismissed
to see the wonderful sight. ‘They were actually so numerous as to
obscure the light of the sun like a cloud. This continued for some
time. The sand-bar at the foot of the island above Marietta con-
tained about fifty acres of land. Far above the island the birds
checked their flight, and began to descend upon the bar in a dense
mass. ‘The descent, at a distance, appeared like an inverted cone,
or an enormous water-spout, as an old sailor describes it. The
birds apparently came down to the bar for water and sand. ‘They
crowded the shore, and dipped their beaks into the water, and took
to the air again, and continued their flight. The whole town
turned out to witness the novel spectacle, and many persons
hastened to the sand-bar, and large numbers of the birds were
killed with sticks. Their crops were supplied with small gravel
and sand. Their roosts were equally strange. They came
together from all quarters in such numbers that it was dangerous
for man or animal to venture beneath their roost. The noise of
their wings, their fluttering, and the cracking of timber beneath
their weight, kept up a constant roar, not unlike the sound of
battle at a distance. There is a tract of land in the northwest part
of Muskingum county, formerly called ‘Dennison’s Plains,’ rich
and rolling, but destitute of timber. ‘There was full proof that the
timber on that land had once been a pigeon-roost, and had been
broken down and destroyed by the weight of the pigeons. This
was confirmed by some Indians who were on the land about 1813.
The nestings of these birds were equally strange and curious.
The nests were fixed on the top of horizontal limbs, and some-
times from fifty to one hundred were placed thereon. Here the
young were hatched. When partially grown, their weight would
frequently crush the limb, and vast numbers of squabs would fall
down to become the prey of hawks, owls, foxes, men, and boys.
The young squabs were fat, and esteemed a luxury for the table.”
_ The following additional account of this remarkable bird is taken
from the w -rk entitled ‘‘ Wilson’s American Ornithology,” Thomas
M. Brewer, editor:

‘«The Wild Pigeon of the United States inhabits a wide ar
extensive region of North America, on the side of the great Stony
Mountains, beyond which, to the westward, I have not heard of
their being seen. According to Mr. Hutchins, they abound in the
country round Hudson’s Bay, where they usually remain as late
as December, feeding, when the ground is covered with snow, on
the buds of the juniper. They spread over the whole of Canada;
were seen by Captain Lewis and his party near the Great Falls of

the Missouri, upward. of 2,500 miles from its mouth, reckoning
the meanderings of the river; were also met with in the interior of
Louisiana by Colonel Pike, and extend their range as far south
as the Gulf of Mexico, occasionally visiting or breeding in almost
every quarter of the United States.

‘* But the most remarkable characteristic of these birds is their
associating together, both in their migrations and also during the
period of incubation, in such prodigious numbers as almost to
surpass belief, and which has no parallel among any other of the
feathered tribes on the face of the earth with which naturalists are
acquainted. ‘These migrations appear to be undertaken rather in
quest of food than merely to avoid the cold of the climate, since
we find them lingering in the northern regions, around Hudson’s
Bay, so late as December, and since their appearance is so casual
and irregular, sometimes not visiting certain districts for several
years in any considerable numbers, while at other times they are
innumerable. I have witnessed these migrations in the Genesee
country, often in Pennsylvania, and also in various parts of Vir-
ginia, with amazement; but all I had then seen of them were mere
straggling parties when compared with the congregated millions
which I have since beheld in our Western forests, in the States of
Ohio, Kentucky, and the Indian Territory. These fertile and
extensive regions abound with the nutritious beech-nut, which
constitutes the chief food of the Wild Pigeon. In seasons when
these nuts are abundant, corresponding multitudes of pigeons may
be confidently expected. It sometimes happens that, having con-
sumed the whole produce of the beech-trees in an extensive dis-
trict, they discover another at the distance perhaps of sixty or eighty
miles, to which they regularly repair every morning, and return
as regularly in the course of the day, or in the evening, to their
place of general rendezvous, or, as it is usually called, the roosting-
place. These roosting-places are always in the woods, and some-
times occupy a large extent of forest. When they have frequented
one of these places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is
surprising. The ground is covered to the depth of several inches
with their dung; all the tender grass and underwood destroyed ;
the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken down by the
weight of the birds clustering one above another; and the trees
themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as completely as if.
girdled with an ax. The marks of this desolation remain for
many years on the spot; and numerous places could be pointed
out where, for several years after, scarcely a single vegetable
made ils appearance.

‘«¢ When these roosts are discovered, the inhabitants, from con-
siderable distances, visit them in the night with guns, clubs, long
poles, pots of sulphur, and various other engines of destruction.
In a few hours they fill many sacks, and load their horses with
them. By the Indians, a pigeon-roost, or breeding-place, is con-
sidered an important source of national profit and dependence for
that season, and all their active ingenuity is exercised on the
occasion. The breeding-place differs from the former in its greater
extent. In the Western countries above mentioned, these are gen-
erally in beech-woods, and often extend, in nearly a straight line,
across the country for a great way. Not far from Shelbyville, in
the State of Kentucky, about five years ago, there was one of these
breeding-places, which stretched through the woods in nearly a
north and south direction. It was several miles in breadth, and was
said to be upward of forty miles in extent. In this tract, almost
every tree was furnished with nests, wherever the branches could
accommodate them. The Pigeons made their first appearance
there about the roth of April, and left it altogether, with their
young, before the 25th of May.

‘«¢ As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they left
the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants, from all parts of the
adjacent country, came with wagons, axes, beds, cooking-utensils,
many of them accompanied by the greater part of their families,
and encamped for several days at this immense nursery. Several
of them informed me that the noise in the woods was so great as

34, PASSENGER PIGEON.

to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult for one person to
hear another speak without bawling in his ear. The ground was
strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young squab
Pigeons, which had been precipitated from above, and on which
herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, Buzzards, and Eagles
were sailing about in great numbers, and seizing the squabs from
their nests at pleasure; while from twenty feet upward to the tops
of the trees, the view through the woods presented a perpetual
tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of Pigeons, their
wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash of
falling timber; for now the ax-men were at work, cutting down
those trees that seemed to be most crowded with nests, and con-
tinued to fell them in such a manner that, in their descent, they
might bring down several others; by which means the falling of
one large tree sometimes murdered two hundred squabs, little
inferior in size to the old ones, and almost one mass of fat. On
some single trees, upward of one hundred nests were found, each
containing oze young only—a circumstance, in the history of this
bird, not generally known to naturalists. It was dangerous to
walk under these flying and fluttering millions, from the frequent
fall of large branches, broken down by the weight of the multitudes
above, and which, in their descent, often destroyed numbers of the
birds themselves ; while the clothes of those engaged in traversing
the woods were completely covered with the excrements of the
Pigeons.

‘These circumstances were related to me by many of the must
respectable people of the community in that quarter, and were
confirmed in part by what I myself witnessed. I passed for sev-
eral miles through this same breeding-place, when every tree was
spotted with nests, the remains of those above described. In many
instances I counted upward of ninety nests on a single tree; but
the Pigeons had abandoned this place for another, sixty or eighty
miles off, toward Green river, where they were said at that time
to be equally numerous. From the great numbers that were con-
stantly passing overhead to or from that quarter, I had no doubt
of the truth of this statement. The mast had been chiefly con-
sumed in Kentucky, and the Pigeons, every morning a little before
sunrise, set out for the Indian Territory, the nearest part of which
was about sixty miles distant. Many of these returned before ten
o'clock, and the great body generally appeared, on their return, a
little after noon.

‘I had left the public road to visit the remains of the breeding-
place near Shelbyville, and was traversing the woods with my gun,
on my way to Frankfort, when, sbout one o’clock, the Pigeons,
which I had observed flying the greater part of the morning north-
erly, began to return in such immense numbers as I never before
had witnessed. Coming to an opening by the side of a creek called
the Benson, where I had a more uninterrupted view, I was aston-
ished at their appearance. They were flying, with great steadiness
and rapidity, at a height beyond gunshot, in several strata deep,
and so close together that, could shot have reached them, one
discharge could not have failed to bring down several individuals.
From right to left, far as the eve could reach, the breadth of this
vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally crowded.
Curious to determine how long this appearance would continue, I
took out my watch to note the time, and sat down to observe them.
It was then half-past one. I sat for more than an hour, but instead
of a dimunition of this prodigious procession, it seemed rather to
increase both in numbers and rapidity; and, anxious to reach
Frankfort before night, I rose and went on. About four o’clock
in the afternoon I crossed the Kentucky river, at the town of
Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head seemed
as numerous and as extensive as ever. Long after this, I observed
them, in large bodies, that continued to pass for six or eight
minutes, and then again were followed by other detached bodies,
all moving in the same southeast direction, till after six in the
evening. The great breadth of front which this mighty multitude
preserved would seem to intimate a corresponding breadth of their

breeding-place, which, by several gentlemen who had lately passed
through part of it, was stated to me at several miles. It was said
to be in Green county, and that the young began to fly about the
middle of March. On the ryth of April, forty-nine miles beyond
Danville, and not far from Green river, I crossed this same
breeding-place, where the nests, for more than three miles, spotted
every tree. The leaves not being yet out, I had a fair prospect of
them, and was really astonished at their numbers. A. few bodies
of Pigeons lingered yet in different parts of the woods, the roaring
of whose wings was heard in various quarters around me.

‘‘All accounts agree in stating that each nest contains only one
young squab. These are so extremely fat that the Indians, and
many of the whites, are accustomed to melt down the fat for
domestic purposes, as a substitute for butter and lard. At the time
they leave the nest, they are nearly as heavy as the old one, but
become much leaner after they are turned out to shift for them-
selves.

‘‘It is universally asserted in the Western countries, that the
Pigeons, though they have only one young at a time, breed thrice,
and sometimes four times, in the same season: the circumstances
already mentioned render this highly probable. It is also worthy
of observation, that this takes place during the period when acorns,
beech-nuts, etc., are scattered about in the greatest abundance, and
mellowed by the frost. But they are not confined to these alone—
buckwheat, hempseed, Indian corn, hollyberrries, blackberries,
huckleberries, and many others, furnish them with abundance at
almost all seasons. The acorns of the live-oak are also eagerly
sought after by these birds, and rice has been frequently found in
individuals killed many hundred miles to the northward of the
nearest plantation. The vast quantity of mast which these multi-
tudes consume is a serious loss to the bears, pigs, squirrels, and
other dependents on the fruits of the forest. I have taken from
the crop of a single Wild Pigeon a good handful of the kernels of
beech-nuts, intermixed with acorns and chestnuts. To form a
rough estimate of the daily consumption of one of these immense
flocks, let us first attempt to calculate the numbers of that above
mentioned, as seen in passing between Frankfort and the Indian
Territory: If we suppose this column to have been one mile in
breadth (and I believe it to have been much more), and that it
moved at the rate of one mile in a minute, four hours, the time it
continued passing, would make its whole length two hundred and
forty miles. Again, supposing that each square yard of this
moving body comprehended three Pigeons, the square yards in
the whole space, multiplied by three, would give two thousand
two hundred and thirty million two hundred and seventy-two
thousand Pigeons---an almost inconceivable multitude, and yet
probably far below the actual amount. Computing each of these
to consume half a pint of mast daily, the whole quantity at this
rate would equal seventeen million four hundred and twenty-four
thousand bushels per day! Heaven has wisely and graciously
given to these birds rapidity of flight and a disposition to range
over vast uncultivated tracts of the earth; otherwise they must
have perished in the districts where they resided, or devoured
the whole productions of agriculture, as well as those of the

- forests.

‘A few observations on the mode of the flight of these birds
must not be omitted. The appearance of large detached bodies
of them in the air, and the various evolutions they display, are
strikingly picturesque and interesting. In descending the Ohio by
myself, in the month of February, I often rested on my oars to
contemplate their aerial maneuvers. A column, eight or ten miles
in length, would appear from Kentucky, high in the air, steering
across to Indiana. The leaders of this great body would some-
times gradually vary their course until it formed a large bend of
more than a mile in diameter, those behind tracing the exact route
of their predecessors. This would continue sometimes long after
both extremities were beyond the reach of sight; so that the whole,
with its glittering undulations, marked a span on the face of the

PASSENGER PIGEON. 38

heavens resembling the windings of a vast and majestic river.
When this bend became very great, the birds, as if sensible of the
unnecessary circuitous course they were taking, suddenly changed
their direction, so that what was in column before became an
immense front, straightening all its indentures until it swept the
heavens in one vast and infinitely extended line. Other lesser
bodies also united with each other, as they happened to approach,
with such ease and elegance of evolution, forming new figures, and
varying them as they united or separated, that I never was tired of
contemplating them. Sometimes a Hawk would make a sweep on
a particular part of the column from a great height, when, almost
as quick as lightning, that part shot downward out of the common
track; but, soon rising again, continued advancing at the same
height as before. This inflection was continued by those behind,
who, on arriving at this point, dived down almost perpendicularly
to a great depth, and, rising, followed the exact path of those that
went before. As these vast bodies passed over the river near me, the
surface of the water, which was before smooth as glass, appeared
marked with innumerable dimples, occasioned by the dropping of
their dung, resembling the commencement of a shower of large
drops of rain or hail.

‘¢ Happening to go ashore one charming afternoon to purchase
some milk at a house that stood near the river, and while talking
with the people within doors, I was suddenly struck with astonish-
ment at a loud rushing roar, succeeded by instant darkness, which,
on the first moment, I took for a tornado about to overwhelm the
house and everything around in destruction. The people, observ-
ing my surprise, cooly said, ‘ It is only the Pigeons ;’ and on run-
ning out, I beheld a flock, thirty or forty yards in width, sweeping
along very low between the house and the mountain, or height,
that formed the second bank of the river. These continued pass-
ing for more than a quarter of an hour, and at length varied their
bearing so as to pass over the mountain, behind which they disap-
peared before the rear came up.

‘In the Atlantic States, though they never appear in sucn
unparalleled numbers, they are sometimes very numerous, and
great havoc is then made among them with the gun, the clap-net,
aud various other implements of destruction. As soon as it is
ascertained in a town that the Pigeons are flying numerously in
the neighborhood, the gunners rise ez masse; the clap-nets are
spread, out on suitable situations, commonly on an open height in
an old buckwheat-field; four or five live Pigeons, with their eye-
lids sewed up, are fastened on a movable stick; a small hut of
branches is fitted up for the fowler at the distance of forty or fifty
yards. By the pulling of a string, the stick on which the Pigeon
rests, is alternately elevated and depressed, which produces a
fluttering of their wings similar to that of birds just alighting.
This being perceived by the passing flocks, they descend with
great rapidity, and, finding corn, buckwheat, etc., strewed about,
begin to feed, and are instantly, by the pulling of a cord, covered
by the net. In this manner ten, twenty, and even thirty dozen,
have been caught at one sweep. Meantime the air is darkened
with large bodies of them moving in various directions; the woods
also swarm with them in search of acorns; and the thundering of
musketry is perpetual on all sides from morning to night. Wagon-
loads of them are poured into market, and Pigeons become the
order of the day at dinner, breakfast, and supper, until the very
name becomes sickening. When they have been kept alive and
fed for some time on corn and buckwheat, their flesh acquires
great superiority ; but in their common state they are dry and
blackish, and far inferior to the full-grown young ones, or squabs.

‘¢'The nest of the Wild Pigeon is formed of a few dry, slender
twigs, carelessly put together, and with so little concavity that the
young one, when half-grown, can easily be seen from below. The
eggs are pure white. Great numbers of Hawks, and sometimes
the Bald Eagle himself, hover about these breeding-places, and
seize the old or the young from the nest amid the rising multitudes,
and with the most daring effrontery. The young, when beginning

to fly, confine themselves to the under part of the tall woods, where
there is no brush, and where nuts‘and acorns are abundant, search-
ing among the leaves for mast, and appear like a prodigious torrent
rolling along through the woods, every one striving to be in the
front. Vast numbers of them are shot while in this situation. A
person told me that he once rode furiously into one of these rolling
multitudes, and picked up thirteen Pigeons which had been trampled
to death by his horse’s feet. In a few minutes they will beat the
whole nuts from a tree with their wings, while all is a scramble,
both above and below, for the same. They have the same cooing-
notes common to domestic Pigeons, but much less of their gesticu-
lations. In some flocks you will find nothing but young ones,
which are easily distinguishable by their motley dress. In others,
they will be mostly females; and again, great multitudes of males,
with few or no females. I can not account for this in any other
way than that, during the time of incubation, the males are exclu-
sively engaged in procuring food, both for themselves and their
mates ; and the young, being unable yet to undertake these extensive
excursions, associate together accordingly. But, even in winter,
I know of several species of birds who separate in this manner,
particularly the Red-winged Starling, among whom thousands of
old males may be found, with few or no young or females along
with them.

‘‘Stragglers from these immense armies settle in almost every
part of the country, particularly among the beech-woods and in
the pine and hemlock woods of the eastern and northern parts of
the continent. Mr. Pennant informs us that they breed néar Moose
Fort, at Hudson’s Bay, in N. lat. 51°; and I myself have seen the
remains of a large breeding-place as far south as the country of
the Choctaws, in lat. 32°. In the former of these places they are
said to remain until December, from which circumstance it is
evident that they are not regular in their migrations, like many
other species, but rove about as scarcity of food urges them.
Every spring, however, as well as fall, more or less of them are
seen in the neighborhood of Philadelphia; but it is only once in
several years that they appear in such formidable bodies, and this
commonly when the snows are heavy to the north, the winter here
more than usually mild, and acorns, etc., abundant.

«¢ The Passenger Pigeon is sixteen inches long and twenty-four
inches in extent; bill black; nostril covered by a high rounding
protuberance ; eye, brilliant fiery oranges orbit, or space surround-
ing it, purplish flesh-colored skin; head, upper part of the neck,
and chin, a fine slate-blue, highest on the chin; throat, breast, and
sides, as far as the thighs, a reddish-hazel; lower part of the neck
and sides of the same, resplendent changeable gold, green, and
purplish crimson, the latter most predominant; the ground color,
slate (the plumage of this part is of a peculiar structure, ragged
at the ends); belly and vent, white; lower part of the breast,
fading into a pale, vivacious red; thighs, the same; legs and feet,
lake, seamed with white; back rump and tail-coverts, dark slate,
spotted on the shoulders with a few scattered marks of black; the
scapulars tinged with brown; greater coverts, light slate; pri-
maries and secondaries, dull black, the former tipped and edged
with brownish white; tail, long and greatly cuniform, all the
feathers tapering toward the point—the two middle ones plain, deep
black, and the other five, on each side, hoary white, lightest near the
tips, deepening into bluish near the bases, when each is crossed
on the inner vane with a broad spot of black, and nearer the root
with another of ferruginous ; primaries, edged with white; bastard
wing, black.

‘¢' The female is about half an inch shorter, and an inch less in
extent; breast, cinereous brown; upper part of the neck inclining
to ash; the spot of changeable gold, green, and carmine, much
less, and not so brilliant; tail-coverts, brownish slate; naked
orbits, slate-colored; in all other respects like the male in color,
but less vivid, and more tinged with brown; the eye not so brill-
iant an orange. In both, the tail has only twelve feathers.”

The following account is taken from ‘* Nuttall’s Ornithology :”

386 PASSENGER PIGEON.

‘The Wild Pigeon of America, so wonderful for its gregarious
habits, is met with, more or less according to circumstances, from
Mexico to Hudson’s Bay, in which inhospitable region they are
even seen in December weathering the severity of the climate with
indifference, and supporting themselves upon the meager buds of
the juniper when the ground is hidden by inundating snows. In
the west they are found to the base of the northern Andes or
Rocky Mountains, but do not appear to be known beyond this
natural barrier to their devious wanderings. As might be sup-
posed from its extraordinary history, it is found with peculiar
strength of wing, moving through the air with extreme rapidity,
urging .ts flight also by quick and very muscular strokes. During
the season of amorous dress it often flies out in numerous hovering
circles; and while thus engaged, the tips of the great wing
feathers are heard to strike against each other, so as to produce a
very audible sound.

** The almost incredible and unparalleled associations which the
species form with each other appear to have no relation with the
usual motives to migration among other birds. A general and
mutual attachment seems to occasion this congregating propensity.
Nearly the whole species, which at any one time inhabit the con-
tinent, are found together in the same place. They do not fly from
climate, as they are capable of enduring its severity and extremes.
They are even found to breed in the latitude of 51 degrees, round
Hudson’s Bay, and the interior of New Hampshire, as well as in
the 32d degree in the dense forests of the great valley of the Mis-
sissippi. The accidental situation of their food alone directs all
their movements. While this continues to be supplied, they some-
limes remain sedentary in a particular district, as in the dense
forests of Kentucky, where the great body remained for years in
succession, and were scarcely elsewhere to be found; and here,
at length, when the mast happened ‘to fail, they disappeared frr
several years.

‘‘The rapidity of flight, so necessary in their vast domestic
movements, is sufficiently remarkable. The Pigeons killed near
the city of New York have been found with their crops full of rice,
collected in the plantations of Georgia or Carolina; and as this
kind of food is digested by them entirely in twelve hours, they
must have traveled probably three or four hundred miles in about
half of that time, or have sped at the rate of a mile a minute.
With a velocity like this, our Pigeon might visit the shores of
Europe in less than three days; and, in fact, according to Flem-
ming, a straggler was actually shot in Scotland in the winter of
1825. Associated with this rapidity of flight must also be the
extent and acuteness of their vision, or otherwise the object of
their motions would be nugatory: so that, while thus darting over
the country almost with the velocity of thought, they still keep up
a strict survey for their fare; and, in passing over a sterile region,
sail high in the air with a widely extended front, but instantly drop
their flight at the prospect of food, flying low till they alight near
an ample supply.

‘« The associated numbers of Wild Pigeons, the numerous flocks
which compose the general swarm, are without any other parallel
in the history of the feathered race; they can, indeed, alone be
compared to the finny shoals of herrings, which, descending from
the arctic regions, discolor and fill the ocean to the extent of mighty
kingdoms. To talk of hundreds of millions of individuals of the
same species habitually associated in feeding, roosting, and breed-
ing, without any regard to climate or season as an operating cause
in their gregarious movements, would at first appear to be wholly
incredible, if not borne out by the numerous testimony of all the
inhabitants of the neighboring districts. The approach of the
mighty feathered army with a loud rushing roar and a stirring
breeze, attended by a sudden darkness, might be mistaken for a
fearful tornado about to overwhelm the face of nature. For
several hours together, the vast host, extending some miles in
breadth, still continues to pass in flocks without diminution. The
whole air is filled with them; their muting resembles a shower of

sleet, and they shut out the light as if it were an eclipse. At the
approach of the Hawk, their sublime and beautiful aerial evolu-
tions are disturbed like the ruffling squall extending over the placid
ocean; as a thundering torrent they rush together in a concen-
trating mass, and, heaving in undulating and glittering sweeps
toward the earth, at length again proceed in lofty meanders, like
the rushing of a mighty animated river. The evolutions of the
feeding Pigeons, as they circle round, are both beautiful and
amusing. Alighting, they industriously search through the with-
ered leaves for their favorite mast. Those behind are continually
rising and passing forward in front in such rapid succession that
the whole flock, still circling over the ground, seem yet on the
wing. As the sun begins to decline, they depart in a body fur the
general roost, which is often hundreds of miles distant, and is
generally chosen in the tallest and thickest forests almost divested
of underwood.

‘** Nothing can exceed the waste and desolation of these noctur-
nal resorts; the vegetation becomes buried by their excrements to
the depth of several inches. The tall trees, for thousands of acres,
are completely killed, and the ground strewed with mossy branches
torn down by the clustering weight of the birds which have rested
upon them. The whole region for several years presents a con-
tinued scene of devastation, as if swept by the resistless blast of a
whirlwind.”

The migrations of the Passenger Pigeon seem to be undertaken
more in search of better feeding-places than of a desire to avoid
cold climates. They are found in the northern part of this con-
tinent as late as December and January. Their appearance is
casual and irregular, like the Crossbills; they visit districts for
several consecutive years regular and in large numbers, and then
for a time there is not a single pair of them to be seen. Almost
every year large flocks of the Passenger Pigeon can be seen in
the several parts of North America, but they are only straggling
parties. The large flocks are mostly seen in the Western States,
where there is an abundance of food. As a general thing, it
creates considerable excitement among the people when a Pigeon-
roost is discovered. Parties will come a great distance, armed
with any kind of a gun or shooting-arm, to enjoy the sport and
procure their part of the spoils. Toward night, when the birds —
return to the roost from their feeding-places, the shooting com-
mences, the sportsman selecting his ground for his particular
shooting-place. The Pigeons that are not wounded so as to drop
down, fly off soon after the discharge by the gunner; and before
the hunter has reloaded his field-piece, others have taken the place,
and the shooting is repeated as long as there is light to attend to
the guns. Collections are usually made in the morning, the sup-
ply generally being sufficient for all.

A curious circumstance regarding these birds is, that in a single
tree I found sixty-two nests, and by far the most nests contained
but one young Pigeon. Whenever there are two young squabs in
the same nest, they are invariably a pair—male and female. The
breeding-place of the Passenger Pigeon is always chosen with
good judgment, usually a high-timbered forest, where there is an
abundance of beech-nuts and acorns, and where water is not far
distant. The highest trees are selected to build their nests in.
The voice of the bird at this interesting time is soft, resembling
the words ‘‘coo, coo, coo,” while at other times they will utter a
quick ‘*ki, ki, ki.” The male shows at this time a proud carriage,
and follows his chosen female, on the ground as on the branches,
with spread tail and hanging wing, which he seems to drag after
him. The body is carried in a more perpendicular position, the
head being pressed forward ; his eyes sparkle; he utters his ‘‘coo,
coo, coo,” lifting now and then his dropping wings, and flies a few
yards forward, returning to his beloved female with caresses, and
feeding her from his crop. After these preludes they commence
to build the nest. This consists of a few dry twigs in the fork of a
branch, and is very loosely put together, single trees containing
from fifty to a hundred nests. The eggs which the nest contains

PL. XXX

Beinn,

are much rounded and pure white, the full complement being two
to a nest. While the female sits, she is fed by the male, who
during this time shows great care and tenderness for his mate.
The young are fed by both parents until they are able to take care
of themselves, after which they leave their parents and begin to
wander.

The flesh of the Wild Pigeon is in no great esteem, it being
rather dry and of a very dark color, although when kept in
cages and fed on corn and buckwheat for some time, their flesh
acquires great superiority.

In captivity, the Passenger Pigeon is easily kept for a number
of years, and readily propagate. There is no zoological garden
where this species is wanting.

PLATE XXX.
The Red-tailed Hawk. (uzteo Borealis.)

The Red-tailed Hawk is an inhabitant of a large extent of terri-
tory of this continent, but is mostly found from Upper Canada
down the whole of the Atlantic coast to the Gulf of Mexico, and
is occasionally met with in the Rocky Mountains. The Red-
-tailed Hawk is not so numerous as some other large Hawks that
are found in North America. In winter, it chiefly frequents low,
swampy grounds covered by willows, in which four or five of this
species may be found eagerly watching on an old stump of a wil-
low for small quadrupeds, frogs, etc., which usually form part of
their food. This bird of prey will also, when a good opportunity
offers, attack poultry, by singling out a chicken, and, sweeping
low and swiftly over it, grasp it with its tallows, and bear it off
toward the woods for food. Unlike others of his kindred, chicken-
hunting is not a regular occupation of this bird; it is only occa-
sionally, and then by surprising a stray one.

Wilson says:* ‘¢*I am sorry to say”—describing his figures—
‘‘are almost all I have to give toward elucidating their history.
Birds, naturally thinly dispersed over a vast extent of country ;
retiring during summer to the depth of the forests to breed; ap-
proaching the habitations of man, like other thieves and plunder-
ers, with shy and cautious jealousy; seldom permitting a near
advance; subject to great changes of plumage; and, since the
decline of falconry, seldom or never domesticated—offer to those
who wish eagerly to investigate their history, and to delineate
their particular character and manners, great and insurmountable
difficulties. Little more can be done in such cases than to identify
the species, and trace it through the various quarters of the world

where it has been certainly met with. The Red-tailed Hawk is

most frequently seen in the lower parts of Pennsylvania during the
severity of winter. Among the extensive meadows that border
the Schuylkill and Delaware, below Philadelphia, where flocks
of Larks (Alauda magna) and mice and moles are in great
abundance, many individuals of this Hawk spend the greater part
of the winter. Others prowl around the plantations, looking out for
vagrant chickens; their method of seizing which is by sweeping
swiftly over the spot, and, grappling them with their talons, bear
them away to the woods.

‘¢This species inhabits the whole of the United States, and, I
believe, is not migratory, as I found it, in the month of May, as
far south as Fort Adams, in the Mississippi territory. The young
were, at that time, nearly as large as their parents, and were very
clamorous, making an incessant squealing noise. One which I
shot contained in his stomach mingled fragments of frogs and
lizards.”

Thomas Nuttall, A. M., F. L. S., etc., in his **Manual of the

* Page 450.

RED-TAILED HAWK. ie

Ornithology of the United States and of Canada,” gives the follow.
ing interesting description of the Red-tailed Hawk or Buzzard:

‘*This beautiful Buzzard inhabits most parts of the United States,
being observed from Canada to Florida; also, far westward up the
Missouri, and even on the coasts of the Northern Pacific ocean.

. . The young birds soon become very submissive, and allow
themselves to be handled with impunity by those who feed them.
The older birds sometimes contest with each other in the air about
their prey, and nearly or wholly descend to the earth grappled in
each other’s talons. Though this species has the general aspect of
the Buzzard, its manners are very similar to those of the Goshawk.
It is equally fierce and predatory, prowling around the farm often
when straitened for food, and seizing now and then a hen or
chicken, which it snatches by making a lateral approach. It
sweeps along near the surface of the ground, and, grasping the
prey in his talons, bears it away to devour in some place of secu-
rity ‘These depredations on the farm-yard happen, however, only
in the winter. At all other seasons this is one of the shyest and
most difficult birds to approach. They will at times pounce upon
rabbits and considerable sized birds, particularly Larks, and have
been observed in the Southern States perseveringly to pursue
squirrels from bough to bough until they are overtaken and seized
in their talons. They are frequently seen near wet meadows,
where mice, moles, and frogs are prevalent, and also feed upon
lizards, appearing, indeed, often content with the most humble
game. .

‘«'They usually associate in pairs, and seem much attached to
each other; yet they often find it convenient and profitable to sep-
arate in hunting their prey, about which they would readily quarrel
if brought into contact. Though a good deal of their time passes
in indolence, while perched in some tall and deadened tree, yet at
others they may be seen beating the ground as they fly over it in
all directions in quest of game. On some occasions they amuse
themselves by ascending to a vast elevation, like the aspiring
Eagle. Ona fine evening, about the middle of January, in South
Carolina, I observed one of these birds leave its withered perch,
and, soaring aloft over the wild landscape in a mood of contem-
plation, begin to ascend toward the thin skirting of elevated clouds ©
above him. At length he passed this sublime boundary, and was
now perceived and soon followed by his ambitious mate; and in a
little time, by circular ascending gyrations, they both disappeared
in the clear azure of the heavens; and though I waited for their
reappearance half an hour, they still continued to be wholly in-
visible. ‘This amusement, or predilection for the cooler regions of
the atmosphere, seems more or less common to all the rapacious
birds. In numerous instances, this exercise must be wholly inde-
pendent of the inclination for surveying their prey, as few of them
besides the Falcon descend direct upon their quarry. Many, as
well as the present species, when on the prowl, fly near to the
surface of the ground, and often wait and watch so as to steal
upon their victims before they can take the alarm. Indeed, the
Condor frequents and rests upon the summit of the Andes, above
which they are seen to soar in the boundless ocean of space,
enjoying the invigorating and rarified atmosphere, and only de-
scending to the plains when impelled by the cravings of hunger.”

The nest of this species is built early in March, in the fork of
a tree, pretty high from the ground, and is composed of sticks,
stalks of rushes, etc., and is lined inside with some fibers, dry
rushes, and dry grass, and contains two, and sometimes three,
dirty-white eggs, with a coarsely grained shell, and of a rather
proportionally large size. The young are at first covered with
a soft white down, and have a peculiarly clumsy appearance.
They soon develop, and become able to support themselves.

In color, the young of this bird are different for the first sea-
son, which has frequently caused some Ornithologists to class them
as a separate species, under the name White-breasted Hawk, or
American Buzzard (Falco leverianus). The general appear-
ance of the bird indicates that it is no other than the young of

38 KINGBIRD, OR TYRANT FLY-CATCHER.

the Red-tailed Hawk. In the old bird, it is often found that a
difference of their colorings exist. For instance, on some the tail
is slightly barred with darker color, and also sprinkled over with
fine spots of darker color toward the tip; on others, the tail has
only, toward the tip, one single darker bar, and on others, the
whole of the under side is white. These differences are undoubt-
edly the result of age. The full-grown male and female are
nearly alike in their colors. The male bird is about two inches
shorter than the female, the length of the Red-tailed Hawk
being about twenty to twenty-two inches.

The coloring of the young of this species is as follows: Cere,
pale green; bill, pale blue, black at the point; eye, light amber or
straw color; eyebrow, projecting; head, broad, flat, and rather
large; upper part of the head, sides of the neck, and back, brown,
streaked and seamed with white; scapulary and wing coverts,
spotted with white; quill-feathers, blackish; tail coverts, white,
handsomely barred with yellowish brown; tail, somewhat rounded,
light brown, or varying to a sorrel color, crossed with nine or ten
dark bars, and tipped with white; wings, brown, and barred with
dusky; the inner vanes are nearly all white, thinly marked with
minute dots of nut color, less bright yellow-feathered half-way
down; belly, broadly spotted with black, or deep brown; the tips
of the wings reach down to within three inches of the tip of the
tail.

Plate XXX. gives a correct representation of the colorings
of the full-grown male and female Red-tailed Hawk.

PLATE XXXI.

The Kingbird, or Tyrant Fly-catcher. (Zyrannus Carolznensus.)

Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

Nuttall says:

‘¢This well-known, remarkable, and pugnacious bird takes
up his summer residence in all the intermediate region from
the temperate parts of Mexico to the uninhabited and remote
interior of Canada, being seen by Mr. Say at Pembina, latitude 49
degrees, and by Dr. Richardson, in the 547th parallel. In all
this vast geographical range, the Kingbird seeks his food and
rears his young. According to Audubon, they appear in Lou-
isiana by the middle of March, and about the 20th of April,
Wilson remarked their arrival in Pennsylvania in small parties of
five or six, but they are seldom seen in this part of New England
before the middle of May. ‘They are now silent and peaceable,
until they begin to pair and form their nests, which takes place
from the first to the last week in May, or early in June, accord-
ing to the advancement of the season in the latitudes of 4o and
43 degrees. The nest is usually built in the orchard, on the
horizontal branch of an apple or pear tree, and sometimes in an
oak, in the adjoining forest, at various heights from the ground,
seldom carefully concealed, and firmly fixed at the bottom to the
supporting twig of the branch. The outside consists of coarse
stalks of dead grass and wiry weeds, the whole well connected
and bedded with cut-weed (Guaphalium plantagineum) down,
tow, or an occasional rope-yarn and wool; it is then lined with
ary, slender grass, root fibers, and horse-hair. The eggs are gen-
erally three to five, yellowish white, and marked with a few
large, well-defined spots of deep and bright brown. They often
build and hatch twice in the season.

‘‘The Kingbird has no song, only a shrill guttural twitter, some-
what like that of the Martin, but no way musical. At times,
as he sits watching his prey, he calls to his mate with a harsh
tshéiip, rather quickly pronounced, and attended with some action.
As insects approach him, or as he darts after them, the snapping
of his bill is heard, like the snapping of a watch-case, and is the

certain grave of his prey. Beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and
winged insects of all descriptions form his principal summer food.
I have also seen them collecting the canker-worms from the
elm. ‘Toward autumn, as various kinds of berries ripen, they
constitute a very considerable and favorite part of his subsist-
ence. But with the exception of currants (of which he only eats
perhaps when confined), he refuses all exotic productions, con-
tenting himself with blackberries, whortleberries, those of the
sassafras, cornel, viburnum, elder, poke, and five-leaved ivy
(Cissus hederacea). Raisins, foreign: currants, grapes, cher-
ries, peaches, peas, and apples were never even tasted, when
offered to a bird of this kind, which I had many months as
my pensioner; of the last, when roasted, sometimes, however,
a few mouthfuls were relished, in the absence of other more
agreeable diet. Berries he always swallowed whole; grass-
hoppers, if too large, were pounded and broken on the floor,
as he held them in his bill. To manage the larger beetles
was not so easy. ‘These he struck repeatedly against the ground,
and then turned them from side to side, by throwing them
dexterously into the air, after the manner of the Toucan, and the
insect was uniformly caught reversed, as it descended, with the

agility of a practiced cup-and-ball player. At length the pieces

_of the beetle were swallowed, and he remained still to digest

his morsel, tasting it distinctly soon after it entered his stomach,
as became obvious by the ruminating motion of his mandi-
les. When the soluble portion was taken up, large pellets of
the indigestible legs, wings, and shell, as likewise the skins
and seeds of berries, were, in half an hour or less, brought up,
and ejected from the mouth, in the manner of the Hawks and
Owls. When other food failed, he appeared very well satis-
fied with fresh minced-meat, and drank water frequently, even
during the severe frosts of January, which he endured with-
out much difficulty, basking, however, like Diogenes, in the
feeble beams of the sun, which he followed round the room of

-his confinement, well satisfied when no intruder or companion

threw him into the shade. Some very cold evenings he had
the sagacity to retire under the shelter of a depending bed-quilt;
was very much pleased with the warmth and brilliancy of lamp-
light, and would eat freely at any hour of the night. Unac-
quainted with the deceptive nature of shadows, he sometimes
snatched at them for the substances they resembled. Unlike
the Vzeros, he retired to rest without hiding his head in the
wing, and was extremely watchful, though not abroad till after
sunrise. His taciturnity and disinclination to friendship and
familiarity in confinement were striking traits. His restless,
quick, and side-glancing eye enabled him to follow the motions
of his flying insect prey, and to ascertain precisely the infalli-
ble instant of attack. He readily caught morsels of food in
his bill before they reached the ground, when thrown across
the room, and, on these occasions, seemed pleased with making
the necessary exertions. He had also a practice of cautiously
stretching out his neck, like a snake, and peeping about, either
to obtain sight of his food, to watch any approach of danger, or
to examine anything that appeared strange. At length we be-
came so well acquainted, that when very hungry he would ex-
press his gratitude on being fed, by a shrill twitter, and a lively
look, which was the more remarkable, as at nearly all other
times he was entirely silent.

‘¢In a natural state, he takes his station on the top of an apple-
tree, a stake, or a tall weed, and, betwixt the amusement of his
squeaking twitter, employs himself in darting after his insect
food. Occasionally he is seen hovering over the field, with
beating wing, almost like a Hawk, surveying the ground or
herbage for grasshoppers, which are a favorite diet. At other
times they may be observed in small companies, flickering
over still waters, in the same employment—the gratification of
appetite. Now and then, during the heat of summer, they are
seen to dip-and bathe in the watery mirror, and with this wash-

PL. XXXI

£
¥

bieannn tonsa
= :

KINGBIRD, OR TYRANT FLY-CATCHER. 39

ing, drying, and pluming they appear to be both gratified and
amused. During the season of their sojourn, the pair are often
seen moving about in company, with a rapid quivering of the
wings, and a continued tremulous shrieking twitter. Their en-
ergetic and amusing motions are most commonly performed in
warm and fine weather, and continue, with little interruption,
until toward the close of August.

**One of the most remarkable traits in the character of the King-
bird is the courage and affection which he displays for his
mate and young; for, on his first arrival, he is rather timid,
and readily dodges before the Swallow and Purple Martin.
Indeed, at this season, I have seen the Spotted Sandpiper
(Zotanus maculartus) drive away a pair of Kingbirds, because
they happened to approach the premises of her nest. But he
now becomes, on this important occasion, so tenacious of his
rights as readily to commence the attack against all his feathered
enemies, and he passes several months of the summer in a
scene of almost perpetual contest, and, not overrating his hos-
tile powers, he generally finds means to come off with im-
punity. Eagles, Hawks, Crows, Jays, and, in short, every
bird which excites his suspicion by their intentional or acci-
dental approach, are attacked with skill and courage. He
dives upon the heads and backs of the larger intruders, who
become so annoyed and tormented as willingly to make a
precipitate retreat. He pursues his foes sometimes for a mile,
-and at length, assured of conquest, he returns to his promi-
nent watchground, again quivering his wings in gratulation,
and rapidly uttering his shrill and triumphant notes. He is,
therefore, the friend of the farmer, as the scourge of the pil-
ferers and plunderers of his crop and barn-yerd. But, that
he might not be perfectly harmless, he has sometimes a pzo-
pensity for feeding on the valuable tenants of the bee-hive;
for these he watches, and exultingly twitters at the prospect
of success, as they wing their way, engaged in busy employ-
ment. His quick-sighted eyes now follow them, until one,
nore suitable than the rest, becomes his favorite mark. This
selected victim is by some farmers believed to be a drone,
rather than the stinging neutral worker. The selective discern-
ment of the eyes of this bird has often amused me: berries of
different kinds held to my domestic Kingbird, however similar,
were rejected or snatched, as they suited his instinct, with the
nicest discrimination.

‘‘As the young acquire strength for their distant journey, they
may be seen, in August and September, assembled together, in
almost silent, greedy, and watchful pariies of a dozen or more,
feeding on various berries, particularly those of the sassafras
and cornel, from which they sometimes drive away smaller
birds, and likewise spar and chase each other as the supply
diminishes. Indeed, my domestic allowed no other bird to live
in peace near him; when feeding on similar food, and though
Jame of a wing, he often watched his opportunity for reprisal
and revenge, and became so jealous, that, instead of being
amused by companions, sometimes he caught hold of them with
his bill, and seemed inclined to destroy them for invading his
usurped privileges.

<¢In September, the Kingbird begins to leave the United States,
and proceeds to pass the winter in tropical America. During
the period of migration southward, Audubon remarks that they
ly and sail though the air with great ease, at a considerable
elevation; and they thus continue their silent retreat throughout
the night, until about the first of October, when they are no
longer to be seen within the limits of the Middle States.”

Wilson says:

‘‘Whatever antipathy may prevail against him for depre-
dations on the drones, or, if you will, on the bees, I can
assure the cultivator that this bird is greatly his friend, in
destroying multitudes of insects, whose larve prey on the har-
vests of his fields, particularly his corn, fruit-trees, cucumbers,

and pumpkins. ‘Those noxious insects are the daily food of
this bird, and he destroys, upon a very moderate average, some
hundreds of them daily. The death of every Kingbird is
therefore an actual loss to the farmer, by multiplying the num-
bers of destructive insects, and encouraging the depredations of
Crows, Hawks, and Eagles, who avoid as much as possible
his immediate vicinity.

‘*For myself, I must say that the Kingbird possesses no common
share of my regard. I honor this little bird for his extreme
affection for his young, for his contempt of danger, and unex-
ampled intrepidity; for his meekness of behavior when there
are no calls on his courage, a quality which, even in the hu-
man race, is justly considered so noble:

*¢¢ In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility ;
But when the blast of war,’ etc.

But, above all, I honor and esteem this little bird for the mill-
ions of ruinous vermin which he rids us of, whose depreda-
tions in one season, but for the service of this and other
friendly birds, would far overbalance all the produce of the
bee-hive in fifty.

‘“‘As a friend to this persecuted bird, and an enemy to preju-
dices of every description, will the reader allow me to set this
matter in a somewhat clearer and stronger light, by present-
ing him with a short practical epitome of the Kingbird’s history :

*¢¢ War in the south, where vast Maragnon flows,
And boundless forests unknown wilds inclose; |
Vine-tangled shores and suffocating woods,

Parched up with heat or drowned with pouring floods ;
Where each extreme alternately prevails,

And nature sad their ravages bewails ;

Lo! high in air, above those trackless wastes,
With spring’s return the Kingbird hither hastes ;
Coasts the famed gulf, and from his height explores
Its thousand streams, its long indented shores,

Its plains immense, wide opening on the day,

Its lakes and isles, where feathered millions play:
All tempt not him; till, gazing from on high,
Columbia’s regions wide below him lie ;

There end his wanderings and his wish to roam,
There lie his native woods, his fields, his home;
Down, circling, he descends from azure heights,
And on a full-blown sassafras alights.

‘¢¢ Fatigued and silent, for a while he views
His old frequented haunts, and shadows recluse ;
Sees brothers, comrades, every hour arrive ;
Hears humming round, the tenants of the hive:
Love fires his breast; he wooes, and soon is blest,
And in the blooming orchard builds his nest.

““¢ Come now, ye cowards! ye whom heaven disdains ;
Who boast the happiest home—the richest plains ;
On whom, perchance, a wife, an infant’s eye
Hang as their hope, and on your arm rely ;
Yet, when the hour of danger and dismay
Comes on your country, sneak in holes away,
Shrink from the perils ye were bound to face,
And leave those babes and country to disgrace ;
Come here (if such we have), ye dastard herd:
And kneel in dust before this noble bird.

*¢¢ When the speckled eggs within his nest appear,
Then glows affection ardent and sincere ;
No discord sours him when his mate he meets,
But each warm heart with mutual kindness beuts.
For her repast he bears along the lea
The bloated gadfly and the balmy bec;
For her repose scours o’er th’ adjacent farm,
Where Hawks might dart, or lurking foes alarm ;
For now abroad a band of ruthans prey—
The Crows, the Cuckoo, and the insidious Jay ;
These, in the owner’s absence, all destroy,
And murder every hope and every joy.

40 PIGEON

Ss a

*« «Safe sits his brooding mate, her guardian, he,
Perched on the top of some tall, neighboring tree ;
Thence, from the thicket to the concave skies,
His watchful eye around unceasing flies.

Wrens, Thrushes, Warblers, startled at his note,
Fly in a fright the consecrated spot.

He drives the plundering Jay with honest scorn
Back to his woods, the mocker to his thorn ;
Sweeps ’round the Cuckoo as the thief retreats ;
Attacks the Crow, the daring Hawk defeats ;
Darts on the Eagle downward from afar,

And ’midst the clouds, prolongs the whirling war.
All danger o’er, he hastens back elate,

Co guard his post, and feed his faithful mate.

‘“** Behold him now, his little family flown ;
Meek, unassuming, silent, and alone.
Lured by the well-known hum of favorite bees,
As low he hovers o’er the garden trees,
(For all have failings, passions, whims that lead,
Some favorite wish, some appetite to feed,)
Straight he alights, and from the pear-tree spies
The circling stream of humming insects rise ;
Selects his prey. darts on the busy brood,
And shrilly twitters o’er his savory food.

***Ah! ill-timed triumph! direful note to thee,
That guides thy murderer to the fatal tree.
See where he skulks! and takes his gloomy stand,
The deep-charged musket hanging in his hand;
And, gaunt for blood, he leans it on a rest,
Prepared, and pointed at thy snow-white breast.
Ah! friend, good friend, forbear that barbarous deed ;
Against it valor, goodness, pity plead.
If e’er a family’s griefs, a widow’s woe,
Have reached thy soul, in mercy let him go!
Yet, should the tear of pity naught avail,
Let interest speak, let gratitude prevail.
Kill not thy friend, who thy whole harvest shields,
And sweeps ten thousand vermin from thy fields.
Think how this dauntless bird, thy poultry’s guard,
Drove every Hawk and Eagle from thy yard ;
Watched round the cattle as they fed, and slew
The hungry blackening swarms that round them flew.

The Pigeon Hawk. (/a/co Columbarius.)
Fig. 3, Female. Fig. 4, Male. +

This spirited little Hawk, excepting in size, resembles very
closely the famed Peregrine Falcon.

Dr. Elliott Coues describes this species as follows:

‘‘Adult male: above, ashy-blue, sometimes almost blackish,
sometimes much paler; below, pale fulvous, or ochraceous, whit-
ish on the throat; the breasts and sides with large oblong dark-
brown spots, with black shaft lines; the tibize reddish, streaked
with brown; inner webs of primaries with about eight transverse
white or whitish spots; tail tipped with white, and with the outer
feather whitening, with a broad subterminal black zone and three
or four black bands alternating with whitish; cere, greenish yel-
low; feet, yellow. Female, with the upper parts ashy-brown ;
the tail with four or five indistinct whitish bands; about thirteen—
wing, eight; tail, five.”

Says Audubon :

«‘The Pigeon Hawk ranges very extensively over the United
States, and extends its migrations far beyond their limits on
either side. Mr. Townsend found it on the Rocky Mountains,
as well as along the shores of the Columbia river. Dr. Rich-
ardson mentions it as not uncommon about York Factory, in
latitude 57 degrees, and it is not improbable that it wanders

HAWK.

farther, as he speaks of having seen a small Hawk on the north
shore of Great Bear Lake, in latitude 66 degrees, which may
have been a male as small as the one represented in my
plate. I found it very abundant in Texas early in May, when
I shot as many as five on a small island in a short time.”

Nuttall remarks of this bird:

*‘It is shy, skulking, and watchful, seldom venturing beyond
the unreclaimed forest, and flies rapidly, but, I believe, seldom
soars or hovers. Small birds or mice constitute his principal
food. . . . Sometimes, when shot at without effect, he will fly
in circles around the gunner, and utter impatient shrieks, proba-
bly in apprehension for the safety of his mate, or to communicate
a cry of alarm.”

Wilson writes :

‘‘«This small Hawk possesses great spirit and rapidity of
flight. He is generally migratory in the Middle and Northern
States, arriving in Pennsylvania early in spring, and extending
his migrations as far north as Hudson’s Bay. After building and
rearing his young, he retires to the South early in November. . . .
When the Reed-birds, Grakles, and Red-winged Blackbirds
congregate in large flights, he is often observed hovering in
their rear, or on their flanks, picking up the weak, the wounded,
or stragglers, and frequently making a sudden and fatal sweep
into the very midst of their multitudes. The flocks of Robins
and Pigeons are honored with the same attentions from this
marauder, whose daily excursions are entirely regulated by the
movements of the great body on whose unfortunate members he
fattens.

‘¢T can not, in imitation of European naturalists, embellish the
history of this species with anecdotes of its exploits in falconry.
This science, if it may be so called, is among the few that have
never yet traveled across the Atlantic. Neither does it appear
that the idea of training our Hawks or Eagles to the chase
ever suggested itself to any of the Indian nations of North
America. The Tartars, however, from whom, according to
certain writers, many of these nations originated, have long ex-
celled in the practice of this sport, which is indeed better suited to
an open country than to one covered with forests. Though once
so honorable and universal, it is now much disused in Europe, and
in Britain is nearly extinct.”

The Pigeon Hawk is from eleven to twelve, and sometimes
found thirteen inches long, and about twenty-three inches broad.
The whole upper parts, except the tail, are of a dark brown; the
tail is crossed with bars of lighter color, and tipped with dirty-
white; the quill-feathers are still darker brown, almost black,
and near their tips seamed with dull white—their inner vanes
marked with rounded spots of light reddish brown; the bill
is proportionately strong, short, and stoutly toothed, and is of a
light bluish color, black toward the tip; the naked skin surround-
ing the eyes is greenish, as is also the cere; the temples, and a
barely perceptible line over the eye, are light brown. The lower
parts are of a light yellowish brown, or a brownish white, and
streaked with dark brown; toward the femoral feathers these
streaks take more the shape of arrow-heads. The feet and legs
are yellow, the claws bluish black; the wings are long, reach-
jong, when closed, within an inch of the tip of the tail; the second
and third of the primaries are the largest, and of the same length ;
the iris is a bright, deep hazel color. The female is usually an
inch and a half longer than the male, and of a deeper color;
otherwise it is marked in the same manner as the male. From
the corner of the mouth in both, a somewhat darker line runs
toward the shoulders, bearing some similarity to that which char-
acterizes the Peregrine Falcon.

The nest of this little filibuster is built in different places: some-
times in the hollow of a tree; on the top of an old stump, some
fifteen or twenty feet above the ground; in the hollow of a rock,
and on the branches of a tree near the trunk. It consists of small
branches, twigs, thin sticks, fibrous roots, and dry grass, and lined

PL. XXXII

ee.
Sum tiles

iors

CRESTED FLY-CATCHER—RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 4

inside a little with fine dry grass, and a few feathers. Its eggs
are usually three, of a dirty-white color, and marked with reddish
spots or dots. The young are at first covered with a light-colored
down, but are soon full-fledged. In the latter part of the fall, the
Pigeon Hawk retires with the Blackbirds toward the South.

PLATE XXXII.
The Great Crested Fly-catcher. (AZyéarchus crinttus.)

Fig. 1.

This beautiful bird is mostly an inhabitant of the forests, and
much more so than the Tyrant Fly-catcher, and consequently is
not so well known. According to Nuttall, this species, nearly un-
known in New England, arrives in Pennsylvania early in May,
and builds his nest in the deserted holes of the Woodpecker or
Blue-bird. He also frequents the orchard, and is equally fond of
bees with the King-bird. He has no other note than a harsh
squeak, which sounds like ’patp, ’paip, paytip, ’paywip, with a
strong accent on the first syllable. He preys actively on in-
sects, which he collects from his stand, and, in short, has most of
the manners and physiognomy of the whole section or family to
which he belongs. The nest being formed in the hollow of a
tree, the materials are consequently scant, but somewhat novel,
being, according to Catesby and Wilson, a little loose hay and
large feathers, with hogs’ bristles, dogs’ hair, and pieces of cast
snake-skins, the last of which, though an extraordinary material,
is rarely wanting, its elastic softness forming a suitable bed for the
young. The eggs are four, of a dull white, thickly marked with
scratches and purple lines of various tints, as if laid on with a pen.
The note of the male appears often delivered in anger and impa-
tience, and he defends his retreat from the access of all other
birds, with the tyrannic insolence characteristic of the King-bird.

Toward the end of summer, they feed on berries of various
kinds, being particularly partial to poke-berries and whortle-ber-
ries, which, for a time, seem to constitute the principal food of the
young. ‘They remain in the Middle States till about the middle
of September, when they retire to tropical America. I observed
a pair in an orchard at Acton, Mass. They had reared a brood
in the vicinity, and still appeared very stationary on the premises ;
their harsh ’payup, and sometimes a slender twittering, as they took
the perch, were heard almost from morn to night, and resembled
at first the chirp of the Robin. According to Wilson, they possess
strong traits of their particular caste, and are all remarkably dex-
terous at their profession of fly-catching. In the woods, his harsh
sgueak—for he has no song—is occasionally heard above most
others. He also visits the orchard; is equally fond of bees, but
wants the courage and magnanimity of the King-bird. According
to Audubon, the Great Crested Fly-catcher arrives in Louisiana
and the adjacent country in March. Many remain there and
breed, but the greater number advance toward the Middle States,
and disperse among the lofty woods, preferring, at all times, se-
questered places. I have thought that they gave a preference to
the high lands, and yet I have often observed them in the low,
‘sandy woods of New Jersey. Louisiana and the countries along
the Mississippi, together with the State of Ohio, are the districts
most visited by this species in one direction; and, in another, the
Atlantic States, as far as Massachusetts. In this last, however, it
is very seldom met with, unless in the vicinity of the mountains,
where occasionally some are found breeding. Farther eastward,
it is entirely unknown. . - No association takes place among
different families, and yet the solicitude of the male toward his
mate, and of the parent birds toward their young, is exemplary.
The latter are fed and taught to provide for themselves, with a
gentleness which might be copied by beings higher in the scale

of nature, and in them might meet with as much gratitude as that
expressed by the young Fly-catchers toward their anxious parents.
The family remain much together while in the United States, and
go off in company early in September. This species, like the
Tyrant Fly-catcher, migrates by day, and, during its journey, is
seen passing at a great height. The squeak or sharp note of the
Great Crested Fly-catcher is easily distinguished from that of any
of the genus, as it transcends all others in shrillness, and is heard
mostly in those dark woods, where, recluse-like, it seems to de-
light. During the love-season, and so long as the male is paying
his addresses to the female, or proving to her that he is happy in
her society, it is heard for hours, both at early dawn and some-
times after sunset; but as soon as the young are out, the whole
family are mute.

The nest of this bird is usually built in the hollow of a tree, in
the excavation made by the Woodpecker, or a vacant hollow de-
serted by a Blue-bird. It is very artlessly constructed of differ-
ent kinds of materials, such as dry grass, feathers, hogs’ bristles,
horse hair, fibrous roots, and pieces of cast snake-skins. Snake-
skins with this bird appear to be an indispensable article; nests
are seldom, if ever, found without this material forming a part of
them. The female lays four eggs of a dull cream color, thickly
scratched with purple lines of various tints, as if done with a pen.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker. (Cezturus carolinus.)

Fig. 2, Male. Fig. 3, Female.

This species is a visitor to a large extent of country. It is found
from Upper Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from near the
Rocky Mountains down to the Atlantic coast. Audubon says:

‘‘] have found it from Texas to the extremities of the Brit-
ish provinces of Nova Scotia, and as far inland as I have trav-
eled. It appears, however, that it does not inhabit the fur coun-
tries, as no mention is made of it by Dr. Richardson in the Fauna
Boreali-Americana. It is generally more confined to the interior
of the forests, especially during the time of its breeding, than the
Hairy Woodpecker, although, in winter, I have found it quite as
easily approached. In autumn, it frequently occurs in the corn-
fields, where it takes its share of the grain, in common with the
Hairy, the Downy, and other Woodpeckers. It is a lively and
active bird, fond of rolling its tappings against the decayed top-
branches of trees, often launching forth after passing insects, and
feeding during winter on all such berries as it can procure. Its
flight is strong and better sustained than that of the Yellow-bellied
or Hairy Woodpeckers, and, like the Golden-winged species, it not
unfrequently alights across the smaller branches of the trees, a
habit which, I assure you, is oftener exhibited than has been sup-

posed, by all our species of this interesting tribe of birds. Ac-

cording to Nuttall, this species inhabits the whole North American
continent, from the interior of Canada to Florida, and even the
island of Jamaica, in all of which countries it probably rears its
young, migrating only partially from the colder regions. The
Red-bellied Woodpecker dwells in the solitude of the forest;
amidst the tall and decaying trees only, he seeks his less varied
fare, and leads a life of r9\ing wildness and independence, con-
genial with his attachmert to freedom and liberty. Sometimes,
however, on the invasion «: his native haunts by the progress of
agriculture, he may be seen prowling among the dead and girdled
trees, which now afford him’an augmented source of support;
and, as a chief of the soil, he sometimes claims his native rights
by collecting a small tithe from the usurping field of maize. His
loud and harsh call of ‘tshow, ’tshow, *tshow, "tshow, reiterated
like the barking of a cur, may often be heard, through the course
of the day, to break the silence of the wilderness in which his
congenial tribe are almost the only residents. On a fine spring
morning, I have observed his desultory ascent up some dead and
lofty pine, tapping at intervals, and dodging from side to side, as

he ascended in a spiral line; at length, having gained the tower-
ing summit, while basking in the mild sunbeams, he surveys the
extensive landscape, and almost with the same reverberating
sound as his blows, at intervals, he utters a loud and solitary
‘currh, in atone as solemn as the tolling of the campanero; he
thus hearkens, as it were, to the shrill echoes of his own voice, and,
for an hour at a time, seems alone employed in contemplating, in
cherished solitude and security, the beauties and blessings of the
rising day. |

Wilson writes: ‘‘'This species possesses all the restless and noisy
habits so characteristic of its tribe. It is more shy and less domes-
tic than the Red-headed one (P. erythrocephalus), or any of the
other spotted Woodpeckers. It is also more solitary. It prefers
the largest, high-timbered woods, and tallest decayed trees of the
forest; seldom appearing near the ground, on the fences, or in or-
chards, or open fields; yet, when the trees have been deadened,
and stand pretty thick in fields of Indian corn, as is common in
new settlements, I have observed it to be very numerous, and have
found its stomach sometimes completely filled with that grain. Its
voice is hoarser than any of the others, and its usual note, ‘chow,
has often reminded me of the barking of a little lap-dog. It is a
most expert climber, possessing extraordinary strength in the mus-
cles of its feet and claws, and moves about the body and horizon-
tal limbs of the trees, with equal facility, in all directions. It rat-
tles, like the rest of the tribe, on the dead limbs, and with such
violence as to be heard, in still weather, more than half a mile off,
and listens to hear the insects it has alarmed. In the lower side
of some lofty branch that makes a considerable angle with the
horizon, the male and female, in conjunction, dig out a circular
cavity for their nest, sometimes out of the solid wood, but more
generally into a hollow limb, twelve or fifteen inches above where
it becomes solid. ‘This is usually performed early in April. The
female lays five eggs of a pure white, or almost semi-transparent,
and the young generally make their appearance toward the latter
end of May or beginning of June, climbing up to the higher parts
of the tree, being as yet unable to fly. In this situation, they are
fed for several days, and often become the prey of the Hawks.’
From seeing the old ones continuing their caresses after this period,
I believe that they often, and perhaps always, produce two broods
in aseason. During the greatest part of the summer, the young
have the ridge of the neck and head of a dull brownish-ash; and
a male of the third year has received his complete colors.”

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is ten inches in length, and sev-
enteen in extent; the bill is nearly an inch and a half in length,
wedged at the point, but not quite so much grooved as some
others—strong, and of a bluish-black color; the nostrils are
placed in one of these grooves, and covered with curving tufts of
light-brown hairs, ending in black points; the feathers on the
front stand more erect than usual, and are of a dull yellowish-red ;
from them, along the whole upper part of the head and neck, down
the back, and spreading round to the shoulders, is of the most
brilliant, golden, glossy red; the whole cheeks, lined over the eye,
and under side of the neck, are a pale-buff color, which, on the
breast and belly, deepens into a yellowish-ash, stained on the belly
with a blood-red; the vent and thigh feathers are a dull-white,
marked down their centers with heart-formed and long arrow-
pointed spots of black. ‘The back is black, crossed with trans-
verse curving lines of white; the wings are also black; the lesser
wing-coverts, circular-tipped, and the whole primaries and second-
aries beautifully crossed with bars of white, and also tipped with
the same; the rump is white, interspersed with touches of black;
the tail-coverts, white near their extremities. The tail consists of
ten feathers, the two middle ones black, their anterior webs or
vanes white, crossed with diagonal spots of black; then, where
the edges of the two feathers just touch, coincide and form heart-
shaped spots; a narrow sword-shaped line of white runs up the
exterior side of the shafts of the same feathers; the next four
feathers, on each side, are black, the outer edges of the exterior

CHICKADEE, OR BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE.

ones barred with black and white, which, on the lower side, seems
to cross the whole vane, as in the figure; the extremities of the
whole tail, except the outer feathers, are black, sometimes touched
with yellowish or cream color; the legs and feet are of a bluish-

“green, and the iris of the eyered. The tongue, or os hyoddes, passes

up over the hind head, and is attached, by a very elastic, retrac-
tile membrane, to the base of the right nostril; the extremity of
the tongue is long, horny, very pointed, and thickly edged with
barbs; the other part of the tongue is worm-shaped.

Chicadee, or Black-capped Titmouse (Parus atricapillus).
Fig. 4.

This familiar, hardy, and restless little bird chiefly inhabits the
Northern and Middle States, as well as Canada, in which it is
even resident in winter, around Hudson’s Bay, and has been met
with at sixty-two degrees on the northwest coast. In all the North-
ern and Middle States, during autumn and winter, families of these
birds are seen chattering and roving through the woods, busily en-
gaged in gleaning their multifarious food, along with the Nut-
hatches and Creepers, the whole forming a busy, active, and noisy
group, whose manners, food, and habits bring them together in a
common pursuit. Their diet varies with the season; for, beside
insects, their larvae, and eggs, of which they are more particularly
fond, in the month of September, they leave the woods, and as-
semble familiarly in our orchards and gardens, and even enter the
thronging cities, in quest of that support which their native forests
now deny them. Large seeds. of many kinds, particularly those
which are oily, as the seeds of the sun-flower, and pine and spruce
kernels, are now sought after. ‘These seeds, in the usual manner
of the genus, are seized in the claws and held against the branch,
until picked open by the bill, to obtain their contents. Fat of va-
rious kinds is also greedily eaten, and they regularly watch the
retreat of the hog-killers, in the country, to glean up the fragments
of meat which adhere to the places where the carcases have been
suspended. At times, they feed upon the wax of the candle-berry
myrtle (myrica cerifera). They likewise pick up crumbs near
the houses, and search the weather-boards, and even the window-
sills, familiarly for their lurking prey, and are particularly fond of
spiders and the eggs of destructive moths, especially those of the
canker-worm, which they greedily destroy in all its stages of ex-
istence. It is said that they sometimes attack their own species,
when the individual is sickly, and aim their blows at the skull,
with a view to eat the brain; but this barbarity I. have never wit-
nessed. In winter, when satisfied, they will descend to the snow-
bank beneath, and quench their thirst by swallowing small pieces ;
in this way, their various and frugal meal is always easily sup-
plied; and hardy, and warmly clad in light and very downy
feathers, they suffer little inconvenience from the inclemency of the
seasons. Indeed, in the winter, or about the close of October, they
at times appear so enlivened as already to show their amorous at-
tachment, like our domestic cock, the male approaching his mate
with fluttering and vibrating wings; and in the spring season, the
males have obstinate engagements, darting after each other with
great velocity and anger. ‘Their roost is in the hollow of decayed
trees, where they also breed, making a soft nest of moss, hair, and
feathers, and laying from six to twelve eggs, which are white, with
specks of brown-red. They begin to lay about the middle or close
of April, and though they commonly make use of natural or de-
serted holes of the Woodpecker, yet, at_times, they are said to
excavate a cavity for themselves, with much labor. The first brood

‘take wing about the 7th or roth of June, and they have sometimes

a second toward the end of July. The young, as soon as fledged,
have all the external marks of the adult; the head is equally
black, and they chatter and skip about with all the agility and self-
possession of their parents, who appear, nevertheless, very solicit-

TIXXX "Td

ane
arse,
4 oe
<

re,

ies

AMERICAN BITTERN. 43

ous for their safety. From this time, the whole family continue
to associate together through the autumn and winter. They seem
to move by concert from tree to tree, keeping up a continued
‘tshe-de-de-de-de and ’tshe-de-de-de-dait, preceded by a. shrill
whistle, all the while busily engaged, picking round the buds and
branches, hanging from their extremities, and proceeding often in
reversed postures, head downward, like so many tumblers, pry-
ing into every crevice of the bark, and searching around the roots,
and in every possible retreat of their insect prey or its larve. If
the object chance to fall, they industriously descend to the ground,
and glean it up with the utmost economy.

On seeing a cat, or other object of natural antipathy, the Chicka-
dee, like the peevish Jay, scolds in a loud, angry, and hoarse
note, like “éskhe déigh, déigh. Among the other notes of this
species, I have heard a call like tshe-de-jay, "tshe-de-jay, the two
first syllables being a slender chirp, with the jay strongly pro-
nounced. Almost the only note of this bird which may be called
song is one which is frequently heard at intervals in the depths
of the forests, at times of the day, usually, when all other birds
are silent. We then may sometimes hear, in the midst of this
solitude, two feeble, drawling, clearly-whistled, and rather mel-
ancholy notes, like *te-derry, and sometimes ’ye-ferr7t, and occa-
sionally, but much more rarely, in the same wiry, whistling, sol-
emn tone, fe#bé. The young, in winter, also, sometimes drawl
out these contemplative strains. In all cases, the first syllable is
very high and clear, the second word drops low, and ends like a
feeble plaint. This is nearly all the quaint song ever attempted
by the Chickadee, and is, perhaps, the two notes sounding like the
whetting of a saw. On fine days, about the commencement of
October, I have heard the Chickadee, sometimes for half an hour
at a time, attempt a lively, petulent warble, very different from
his ordinary notes. On these occasions, he appears to flirt about,
still hunting for his prey, but almost in an ecstasy of delight and
vigor. But, after a while, the usual drawling note again occurs.
These birds, like many others, are very subject to the attacks of
vermin, and they accumulate in great numbers around that part
of the head and front which is least accessible to their feet.

The Chickadee is seldom seen near waters; often, even in sum-
mer, in dry, shady, and secluded woods; but when the weather
becomes cold, and as early as October, roving families, urged by
necessity, and the failure of their ordinary insect-fare, now begin
to frequent orchards and gardens, appearing extremely familiar,
hungry, indigent, but industrious, prying with restless anxiety
into every cranny of the bark or holes in decayed trees, after dor-
mant insects, spiders, and larvee, descending with the strictest
economy to the ground in quest of every stray morsel of provision
which happens to fall from their grasp. Their quaint notes and
jingling warble are heard even in winter, on fine days, when the
weather relaxes in its severity ; and, in short, instead of being the
river hermit of its European analogue, it adds, by its presence,
indomitable action, and chatter, an air of cheerfulness to the silent
and dreary winters of the coldest parts of America. Dr. Rich-
ardson found it in the fur countries up to the sixty-fifth parallel,
where it even contrives to dwell, as in other parts of the continent,
throughout the whole year.—/WVuétall.

It is generally known that this species is one of our resident
birds, and that he is active, restless, and noisy. According to
Audubon, it is hardy, smart, restless, industrious, and frugal.
The Black-cap Titmouse ranges through the forest during the sum-
mer, and, retiring to its more secluded parts, as if to ensure a
greater degree of quiet, it usually breeds there. Numerous eggs
produce a numerous progeny ; and as soon as the first brood has
been reared, the young range hither and thither, in a body, search-
ing for food, while their parents, intent on forming another family,
remain concealed, and almost silent, laying their eggs in the hole
deserted by some small Woodpecker, or forming one for them-
selves. The Black-cap Titmouse, or Chickadee, as it is generally
named in our Eastern States, though exceedingly shy in summer,

or during the breeding season, becomes quite familiar in winter,
although it never ventures to enter the habitations of man; but, in
the most boisterous weather, requiring neither food nor shelter,
then, it may be seen amidst the snow, in the rugged paths of the
cheerless woods, when it welcomes the traveler or the wood-cutter
with a confidence and cheerfulness far surpassing the well-known
familiarity of the Robin Redbreast of Europe. Often, on such
occasions, should you offer it no matter how small a portion of your
fare, it alights without hesitation, and devours it without manifesting
any apprehension. ‘The sound of an ax in the woods is sufficient to
bring forth several of these busy creatures; and having discovered
the woodman, they seem to find pleasure in his company. Ac-
cording to Wilson, they are most usually seen during the fall and
winter, when they leave the depths of the woods, and approach
nearer to the scenes of cultivation. At such seasons, they abound
among evergreens, feeding on the seeds of the pine-tree;’ they
are also fond of sunflower seeds, and associate in parties of six,
eight, or more, attended by the two species of Nuthatch, the
Crested Titmouse, Brown Creeper, and small Spotted Wood-
pecker, the whole forming a very nimble and restless company,
whose food, manners, and dispositions are pretty much alike.
About the middle of April, they begin to build, choosing the de-
serted hole of a Squirrel or Woodpecker, and sometimes, with in-
credible labor, digging out one for themselves. The female lays
six white eggs, marked with minute specks of red. ‘The first
brood appear about the middle of June, and the second toward the
end of July. The whole of the family continue to associate to-
gether during winter. This species has a very extensive range;
it has been found on the western coast of America, as far north as
sixty-two degrees latitude; it is common at Hudson’s Bay, and
most plentiful there during winter, as it then approaches the set-
tlements in quest of food. Protected by a remarkably thick cov-
ering of long, soft, downy plumage, it braves the severest cold of
those northern regions.

PLATE XXXIII. .

The American Bittern. (Zotaurus lentiginosus).
Fig. 1.

The Bittern of America, though nowhere numerous, is found
in almost every part of the continent where there exist extensive
marshes, either maritime or inland, up to the fifty-eighth parallel
of northern latitude,* where they are frequent, in the morasses
and willow thickets of the interior, throughout the fur countries.
From the inclement regions, they retire in winter, while, in other
parts, they are permanently resident. They are said to revisit
Severn river, at Hudson’s Bay, about the beginning of June,
when they make their nests in the swamps, among the sedge,
and lay four cinerous green eggs. They breed, also, in several
parts of the State of Massachusetts, young birds being met with
in the marshes of Fresh pond, and other places in the vicinity
of Boston, about the middle of summer.

During the day, the Night Hen, as it is called, remains hid in
the reeds and sedge, and rarely comes out till the approach of
night. When disturbed in its retreat, it flies off with a hollow
"kiva, or kowk, and sometimes gives a loud squeak of alarm. At
this time, as it flies heavily, and at no great height, it is easily
shot down; they are also sometimes obtained by laying wait for
them as they sally out in the evening, toward the salt marshes, in
a particular direction, in quest of their usual supply of food.

In the breeding season, and throughout a great part of the sum-
mer, we often hear the loud, booming note of this bird, from the
marshes of Fresh pond, morning and evening, and sometimes even

*Richardson’s North, Zool., ii, p. 374.

44, RED-WINGED STARLING.

during the day. Instead of the démp or bsomp, however, of the
true Bittern, their call is something like the uncouth syllables of
pump-at-gah, but uttered in the same low, bellowing tone.

The cry of the European Bittern, so similar to that of our own
species, is thus elegantly described by Goldsmith in his Animated
Nature: **’Those who have walked in a summer evening by the
sedgy sides of unfrequented rivers, must remember a variety of
notes from different water-fowl: the loud scream of the Wild
Goose, the croaking of the Mallard, the whining of the Lapwing,
.nd the tremulous neighing of the Jack-snipe. But, of all these
sounds, there is none so dismally hollow as the booming of the
Bittern. It is impossible for words to give those who have not
heard this evening-call an adequate idea of its solemnity. It is
like the interrupted bellowing of a bull, but hollower and louder,
ind is heard at a mile’s distance, as if issuing from some formida-
ale being that resided at the bottom of the waters. This is the
Bittern, whose wind-pipe is fitted to produce the sound for which
itisremarkable; the lower part of it, dividing into the lungs, being
supplied with a thin, loose membrane, that can be filled with a
large body of air, and exploded at pieasure. These bellowings
are chiefly heard from the beginning of spring to the end of au-
tumn, and are the usual calls during the pairing season.” —Vut/all.

The Bittern manifests considerable skill in taking position. If
it is standing quiet, and is undisturbed, it raises its body a little in
front, and draws in its long neck to such an extent so that its head
will touch its back. When irritated, it will raise the feathers of
its body, especially those of the head and neck, and open a little
its bill, giving it quite a formidable appearance. Its walk is slow,
considerate, and sluggish; the foot is placed before the other only
after careful study. The flight is easy and noiseless, but slow and
apparently awkward; the large, broad wings are moved with a
languid stir and slowly succeeding flaps, with a little increase in
flapping on r.sing. To gain height, the Bittern marks out circles,
neither hovering nor sailing, but constantly flapping the wings; this
it continues, also, when coming down, until it is close to the reeds
or rushes, when it suddenly contracts the wings, and apparently
falls perpendicularly down between the stems of the rushes. It
only flies at great height by night; in daylight, its flight is close
above the rushes or reeds. During its flight at night, it utters a
kind of raven-like crowing. ‘These peculiar bellowings are only
heard during mating-time.

Although, in a particular place, apparently favorable, some
dozens of these birds may be found to-day, yet, perhaps, on visit-
ing it to-morrow, you will not find one remaining; and districts
resorted to one season or year, will be found deserted by them the
next. That they migrate by night, I have always felt assured;
but that they are altogether nocturnal, is rather uncertain, for, in
more than half a dozen instances, I have surprised them in the
act of procuring food in the middle of the day, when the sun was
shining brightly. That they are extremely timid, I well know,
for on several occasions, when I have suddenly come upon them,
they have stood still, from mere terror, until I have knocked them
down with an oar or stick; yet, when wounded, and their courage
is raised, they show great willingness to defend themselves; and
if in the presence of a dog, they never fail to spread out, to their
full extent, the feathers of the neck, leaving its hind part bare,
ruffle those of their body, extend their wings, and strike violently
at their enemy. When seized, they scratch furiously, and en-
deavor to bite, so that, unless great care be taken, they may in-
flict severe wounds.—Audubon.

Wilson describes it as another nocturnal species, common to all
our sea and river marshes, though nowhere numerous. It rests
all day among the reeds and rushes, and, unless disturbed, flies
and feeds only during the night. In some places, it is called the
Indian Hen; on the sea-coast of New Jersey, it is known by the
name of dunkatoo, a word probably imitative of its common note.
They are also found in the interior, having myself killed one at
the inlet of the Seneca lake, in October.

——

The American Bittern is twenty-seven inches long, and three
feet four inches in extent; from the point of the bill to the extrem-
ity of the toes, it measures three feet. The bill is four inches
long; the upper mandible black; the lower, greenish-yellow ;
lores and eyelids, yellow; iris, bright-yellow; upper part of the
head, flat, and remarkably depressed; the plumage there is of a
deep blackish-brown, long behind and on the neck, the general
color of which is a yellowish-brown, shaded with darker; this
long plumage of the neck the bird can throw forward at will, when
irritated, so as to give him a more formidable appearance; throat,
whitish, streaked with deep brown; from the posterior and lower
part of the auriculars, a broad patch of deep black passes diago-
nally across the neck, a distinguished characteristic of this species ;
the back is deep brown, barred and mottled with innumerable
specks and streaks of brownish-yellow; quills, black, with a
leaden gloss, and tipped with yellowish-brown ; legs and feet, yel-
low, tinged with pale green; middle claw, pectinated; belly, light
yellowish-brown, streaked with darker; vent, plain; thighs,
sprinkled on the outside with grains of dark-brown; male and fe-
male nearly alike, the latter somewhat less. According to Be-
wick, the tail of the European Bittern contains only ten feathers:
the American species has invariably twelve. The intestines meas-
ured five feet six inches in length, and were very little thicker than
a common knitting needle; the stomach is usually filled with fish
or frogs.

The American bird, no less than the true Bittern, is considered
by many an excellent food.

The Red-winged Starling (Agelacus phaniceus)
Fig. 2, Male. Fig. 3, Female.

The Red-winged Starlings, though generally migratory in the
States north of Maryland, are found during the winter in immense
flocks, sometimes associated with the Purple Grakles, and often by
themselves, along the whole lower parts of Virginia, both Caro-
linas, Georgia, and Louisiana, particularly near the sea-coast, and
in the vicinity of large rice and corn-fields. In the months of Jan-
uary and February, while passing through the former of these
countries, I was frequently entertained with the aerial evolutions
of these great bodies of Starlings. Sometimes they appeared driv-
ing about like an enormous black cloud carried before the wind,
varying its shape every moment; sometimes suddenly rising from
the fields around me, with a noise like thunder; while the glitter-
ing of innumerable wings of the brightest vermilion, amid the
black cloud they formed, produced on these occasions a very
striking and splendid effect. Then, descending like a torrent, and
covering the branches of some detached grove or clump of trees,
the whole congregated multitude commenced one general concert
or chorus, that I have plainly distinguished at the distance of more
than two miles, and, when listened to at the intermediate space of
about a quarter of a mile, with a slight breeze of wind to swell
and soften the flow of its cadences, was to me grand, and even
sublime. The whole season of winter, that, with most birds, is
passed in struggling to sustain life, in silent melancholy, is, with
the Red-wings, one continued carnival. The profuse gleanings
of the old rice, corn, and buckwheat-fields supply them with
abundant food, at once ready and nutritious; and the intermediate
time is spent either in aerial maneuvers, or in grand vocal per-
formances, as if solicitous to supply the absence of all the tuneful
summer tribes, and to cheer the dejected face of nature with their
whole combined powers of harmony.

About the 20th of March, or earlier, if the season be open, they
begin to enter Pennsylvania in numerous, though small, parties.
These migrating flocks are usually observed from daybreak to
eight or nine in the morning, passing to the north, chattering to
each other as they fly along; and, in spite of all our antipathy,
their well-known notes and appearance, after the long and dreary

RED-WINGED STARLING. - 45

solitude of winter, inspire cheerful and pleasing ideas of returning
spring, warmth, and verdure. Selecting their old haunts, every
meadow is soon enlivened by their presence. They continue, in
small parties, to frequent the low borders of creeks, swamps, and
ponds, till about the middle of April, when they separate in pairs
to breed; and, about the last week in April, or first in May, begin
to construct their nests. The place chosen for this is generally
within the precincts of a marsh or swamp, meadow, or other like
watery situation—the spot, usually a thicket of alder-bushes, at
the height of six or seven feet from the ground; sometimes in a
detached bush, in a meadow of high grass; often in a tussock
of rushes, or coarse rank grass, and not unfrequently on the
ground; in all of which situations I have repeatedly found them.
When in a bush, they are generally composed outwardly of wet
rushes, picked from the swamp, and long, tough grass, in large
quantities, and well lined with very fine lint. The rushes, form-
ing the exterior, are generally extended to several of the adjoining
twigs, round which they are repeatedly and securely twisted—a
precaution absolutely necessary for its preservation, on account of
the flexible nature of the bushes in which it is placed. The same
caution is observed when a tussock is chosen, by fastening the top
together, and intertwining the materials, of which the nest is
formed, with the stalks of rushes around. When placed on the
ground, less care and fewer materials being necessary, the nest is
much simpler and slighter than before. The female lays five eggs,
of a very pale light-blue, marked with faint tinges of light pur-
ple, and long, straggling lines and dashes of black. It is not
uncommon to find several nests in the same thicket, within a few
feet of each other.

During the time the female is sitting, and still more particularly
after the young are hatched, the male, like most other birds that
build in low situations, exhibits the most violent symptoms of
apprehension and alarm on the approach of any person to its near
neighborhood. Like the Lapwing of Europe, he flies to meet the
intruder, hovers at a short height overhead, uttering loud notes of
distress; and while in this situation, displays to great advantage
the rich, glowing scarlet of his wings, heightened by the jetty
black of his general plumage. As the danger increases, his cries
become more shrill and incessant, and his motions rapid and rest-
less; the whole meadow is alarmed, and a collected crowd of his
fellows hover around, and mingle their notes of alarm and agita-
tion with his. When the young are taken away or destroyed, he
continues for several days near the place, restless and dejected,
and generally recommences building soon after, in the same
meadow. Toward the beginning or middle of August, the young
birds begin to fly in flocks, and at that age nearly resemble the
female, with the exception of some reddish or orange that marks
the shoulders of the males, and which increases in space and bril-
liancy as winter approaches. It has been frequently remarked,
that, at this time, the young birds chiefly associate by themselves,
there being sometimes not more than two or three old males ob-
served in a flock of many thousands. These, from the superior
blackness and rich red of their plumage, are very conspicuous.

Before the beginning of September, these flocks have become
numerous and formidable, and the young ears of maize, or Indian
corn, being then in their soft, succulent, milky state, present a
temptation that can not be resisted. Reinforced by numerous
and daily flocks from all parts of the interior, they pour down on
the low countries in prodigious multitudes. Here they are seen,
like vast clouds, wheeling and driving over the meadows and
devoted cornfields, darkening the air with their numbers. Then
commences the work of destruction on the corn, the husks of
which, though composed of numerous envelopments of closely
wrapped leaves, are soon completely or partially torn off; while
from all quarters myriads continue to pour down like a tempest,
blackening half an acre at a time; and, if not disturbed, repeat
their depredations, till little remains but the cob and the shriveled
skins of the grain. What little is left of the tender ear, being

exposed to the rains and weather, is generally much injured.
All the attacks and havoc made at this time among them with the
gun and by the Hawks—several species of which are their con-
stant attendants—have little effect on the remainder. When the
Hawks made a swoop among them, they suddenly open on all
sides, but rarely in time to disappoint them of their victims; and
though repeatedly fired at, with mortal effect, they only remove
from one field to an adjoining one, or to another quarter of the
farm inclosure. From dawn to nearly sunset, this open and dar-
ing devastation is carried on, under the eye of the proprietor; and
a farmer, who has any considerable extent of corn, would require
half-a-dozen men at least, with guns, to guard it; and, even then,
all their vigilance and activity would not prevent a good tithe of it
from becoming the prey of the Blackbirds. The Indians, who
usually plant their corn in one general field, keep the young
boys of the village patrolling all day around and among it;
and each being furnished with bow and arrows, with which
they are very expert, they generally contrive to destroy great
numbers of them.

It must, however, be observed, that this scene of pillage is prin-
cipally carried on in the low countries, not far from the sea-coast, or
near the extensive flats that border our large rivers, and is also
chiefly confined to the months of August and September. After
this period, the corn having acquired its hard, shelly coat, and the
seeds of the reeds or wild oats, with a profusion of other plants,
that abound along the river shores, being now ripe and in great
abundance, they present a new and more extensive field for these
marauding multitudes. The reeds also supply them with conve-
nient roosting-places, being often in almost unapproachable mo-
rasses; and thither they repair every evening, from all quarters of
the country. In some places, however, when the reeds become
dry, advantage is taken of this circumstance to destroy these birds,
by a party secretly approaching the place, under cover of a dark
night, and setting fire to the reeds in several places at once, which
being soon enveloped in one general flame, the uproar among the
Blackbirds becomes universal; and, by the light of the conflagra-
tion, they are shot down in vast numbers while hovering and
screaming over the place. Sometimes straw is used forthe same -
purpose, being previously strewed near the reeds and alder-bushes,
where they are known to roost, which being instantly set on fire,
the consternation and havoc are prodigious; and the party return
by day to pick up the slaughtered game. About the first of No-
vember, they begin to move off toward the South; though near the
sea-coast, in the States of New Jersey and Delaware, they continue
long after that period.

Such are the general manners and characteristics of the Red-
winged Starling; but there remain some facts to be mentioned, no
less authentic and well deserving the consideration of its enemies,
more especially of those whose detestation of this species would
stop at nothing short of total extirpation.

It has been already stated that they arrive in Pennsylvania late
in March. Their general food at this season, as well as during
the early part of summer (for the Crows and Purple Grakles are
the principal pests in planting-time), consists of grub-worms,
caterpillars, and various other larvaz—the silent, but deadly ene-
mies of all vegetation, and whose secret and insidious attacks are
more to be dreaded by the husbandman than the combined forces
of the whole feathered tribe together. For these vermin, the Star-
lings search with great diligence in the ground, at the roots of
plants, in orchards and meadows, as well as among buds, leaves,
and blossoms; and, from their known voracity, the multitudes of
these insects which they destroy must be immense. Let me illus-
trate this by a short computation: If we suppose each bird, on an
average, to devour fifty of these larva in a day (a very moderate
allowance), a single pair, in four months, the usual time such food
is sought after, will consume upward of twelve thousand. It is
believed that not less than a million pair of these birds are dis-
tributed over the whole extent of the United States in summer,

46 RED-HEADED DUCK.

whose food being nearly the same, would swell the amount of ver-
min destroyed to twelve thousand millions. But the number of
young birds may be fairly estimated at double that of their parents;
and, as these are constantly fed on larve for at least three weeks,
making only the same allowance for them as for the old ones, their
share would amount to four thousand two hundred millions of nox-
ious insects destroyed in the space of four months by this single
species! The combined ravages of such a hideous host of vermin
would be sufficient to spread famine and desolation over a wide
extent of the richest and best cultivated country on earth. All
this, it may be said, is mere supposition. It is, however, supposi-
tion founded on known and acknowledged facts. I have never
dissected one of these birds in spring without receiving the most
striking and satisfactory proofs of those facts; and though, in a
matter of this kind, it is impossible to ascertain precisely the
amount of the benefits derived by agriculture from this and many
other species of our birds, yet, in the present case, I can not resist
the belief that the services of this species in spring are far more
important and beneficial than the value of all that portion of corn
which a careful and active farmer permits himself to lose by it.

The great range of country frequented by this bird extends from
‘Mexico, on the south, to Labrador. Our late enterprising travel-
ers across the continent to the Pacific ocean, observed it in great
numbers in several of the valleys, at a great distance up the Mis-
souri. When taken alive, or reared from the nest, it soon becomes
familiar, and sings frequently, bristling out its feathers, something in
the manner of the Cow Bunting. Their notes, though not remark-
ably various, are very peculiar. The most common one resembles
the syllables conk-querrée; others, the shrill sounds produced by
filing a saw: some are more guttural, and others remarkably clear.
The usual note of both male and female is a single chuck. In-
stances have been produced where they have been taught to articu-
late several words distinctly ; and, contrary to what is observed of
many birds, the male loses little of the brilliancy of his plumage
by confinement. A very remarkable trait of this bird is, the great
difference of size between the male and female; the former being
nearly two inches longer than the latter, and of proportionate mag-
nitude. They are known by various names in the different States
of the Union; such as the Swamp Blackbird, Marsh Blackbird,
Lred-winged Blackbird, Corn or Maize Thief, Starling, etc.
Many of them have been carried from this to different parts of
Europe; and Edwards relates that one of them, which had no
doubt escaped from a cage, was shot in the neighborhood of Lon-
don; and, on being opened, its stomach was found to be filled with
grub-worms, caterpillars, and beetles, which Buffon seems to won-
der at, as in their own country, he observes, they feed exclusively
on grain and maize.— Wilson.

The Red-winged Starling, or Red-shouldered Marsh Blackbird,
is so well known as being a bird of the most nefarious propensities,
that in the United States one can hardly mention its name without
hearing such an account of its pilferings as might induce the
young student of nature to conceive that it had been created for
the purpose of annoying the farmer. That it destroys an aston-
ishing quantity of corn, rice, and other kinds of grain, can not be
denied; but that before it commences its ravages, it has proved
highly serviceable to the crops, is equally certain.

The dispersion of this bird over the whole of the United States,
the far countries beyond the limits of the inhabitation of the human
species, the great Western plains, the Rocky Mountains, and even
the shores of the Columbia river, where it was procured by Mr.
Townsend, forms a remarkable part of its history. Our surprise
becomes greatly increased by the knowledge of its breeding in
great numbers in every part of this vast extent. I found the
islands about Galveston Bay most plentifully supplied with it, as
well as the grassy margins of the pools and bayous of the main-
land, where it was seen breeding, sometimes within a few yards

of houses. The same occurred on the Florida Keys. The only

part of the country visited by me in which I found it wanting is
Labrador, although it is known to breed in some portions of the
interior of Newfoundland. In many instances, I found it nesting
in the Floridas on mangroves and low bushes, in the vicinity of the
nests of Cormorants and our smaller Herons, and even sometimes
in the midst of them.

This bird is beautifully marked and colored. The bill is com-
paratively long, cone-shaped, a little compressed, and very sharp-
pointed. Its body is powerful. The wing of medium length; the
second and third primaries are the most extended. The tail pretty
long and rounded; the plumage soft and glossy. The colors of
his bridal dress are of a deep black, but on the shoulders a superb
scarlet-red, terminating in yellowish-red. The iris of the eye is
deep brown, almost black; the bill, legs, and feet are bluish-
black; its length about nine inches; in extent, about thirteen and
a half inches; length of wing, four and a half inches; length of
tail, three and a quarter inches. The female, on the upper side,
is blackish-brown, and on the lower side grayish-brown, each
feather more or less seamed with yellowish-gray; the throat
and the cheeks are of a light-grayish ground color, streaked
longitudinally with darker color.

The flesh of the Red-winged Starling is in little esteem, but they
are very often kept in cages on account of their beauty of plumage
and vivacity. In captivity, they may easily be brought to breed.

PLATE XXXIV.
The Red-headed Duck. (Aythya americana.)

Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female. Fig. 3, Young Male.

Tnis beautiful and, by sportsmen, eagerly sought-for bird is
abundant throughout North America. In length, he measures
about twenty-one inches, wings usually one-half the length of the
body. Bill as long as the head, dull blue in color, with a black
belt at the end. The color of the head, from which his name is
derived, is a rich, pure chestnut, glossed with a lustrous bronzy-
red. Back, grayish-brown, barred with minute white lines. Be-
neath, abdomen white, darker toward the vent, where it is barred
with dusky wavy lines. The range of the Red-head is very ex-
tensive, breeding in the fur countries to their most northern limits.
They frequent the waters of the Chesapeake in immense numbers.
According to Audubon, they are found in immense quantities around
New Orleans, arriving there, from their northern haunts, in No-
vember, and departing in April. Their food consists of small
fish, young tadpoles, small water-lizards, and the tender roots and
leaves of various aquatic grasses. They are known to dive very
deep in search of food, but haunt, by preference, shallow waters,
and show great attachment to certain localities. Their flesh is
very highly esteemed, ranking next to that of the Canvas-back,
and is eagerly sought for by the epicure. When caught, they take
readily to confinement. Their notes are very coarse and unmu-
sical, while their flight is hurried, starting up from the water in
sort of flurry, producing with their wings a clear whistling sound.
According to Nuttall, they are said to walk awkwardly and with
difficulty. It is also added that their cry more resembles the hol-
low hiss of a serpent than the voice of a bird. Their flight is
more rapid than that of the common Wild Duck, and the noise of
their wings very different. The troop forms a close body in the
air, but they do not proceed in angular lines or obey any particu-
lar leader, nor have they any call sufficient for the purpose.

According to Bogardus, the Red-heads are ranked among the
best of the Ducks which are found in the Western States; and
that very able and well-informed author, Dr. Sharpless, of Phila-
delphia, stated that he could never distinguish much difference in
flavor between Canvas-backs and Red-heads, and that many of the
latter were sold as Canvas-backs, and eaten as such by those who
professed to know all about the divine flavor.

PL. XXXIV

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Se eat ate

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24
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2

BOBOLINK, OR RICE-BIRD. 47

The Bobolink, or Rice-bird. (Dolichonyx ortzyvorus.)
Fig. 4, Male. Fig. 5, Female.

This favorite bird, beloved throughout all the Northern States,
resembles man in his habits of tidiness. During his courtship, he
is as spruce as any dandy; when family cares arrive, his trim suit
becomes threadbare, and he drifts quickly into a sort of shabby
gentility. His spring coat is glossy black; hind head, clear cream
color; a patch on the side of the breast; feathers on the shoulder-
blade and rump white; outer primaries clearly marked and yel-
lowish-white; tip of the tail feathers of a pale brownish-ash.
Early in autumn, he gradually fades to the color of the female—
yellowish beneath; upper parts, dark brown, excepting the back
of the head and rump; two stripes on the top of the head; sides
sparsely streaked with dark brown. This bird has a wide-spread
geographical distribution, extending from the central portions of
South America as far north as the fifty-fourth parallel, and west to
the plains of Utah. It is known in the Southern States as the
Rice-bird, in the Middle States as the Reed-bird, while through-
out the Northern States the name Bobolink is universally given
him. It is also known as the May-bird, Meadow-bird, Butter-bird,
Skunk-bird, and American Ortolan. Dr. Coues says ‘the name
© Ortolan,’ applied to this bird, is a strange misnomer, the Ortolan

being a fringilline bird of Europe.”

From the extreme southern point of their winter habitations,
they commence their northern journeys early in April. Audubon
tells us that small flocks.appear in Louisiana sometimes as early as
the middle of March. Wilson notes their appearance in Pennsyl-
vania about the 12th of May; while, anywhere from the 12th to
the 20th of May, they may be found in full force in Northern New
York. It is claimed that when they first start on their migratory
journeys, they form immense flocks. If that be the case, long
before they reach their breeding haunts, they become widely dis-
persed, as they only appear in companies of a dozen or more, the
male usually preceding, by a fcw days, the coming of his partner.

By both Wilson and Audubon, it is stated that they do serious
damage all through the States of Virginia, Maryland, and Penn-
sylvania, by devouring wheat, barley, and corn, when in its milky
state, and every husbandman exerts himself to the utmost to de-
stroy them. Whether this be so or not, they are the northern
farmers’ very best friend and ally, and deserve his kindest care
and protection. Their food, during the incubating season, consists
entirely of grubs, caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders,
crickets, and seeds of wild grasses and weeds, while recent inves-
tigations in the South have disclosed the gratifying fact that they
devour, in immense numbers, the larve of the destructive cotton-
worm, which so frequently threatens the entire cotton of the South.

As beautiful as is their song in the North, they favor the South
with still rarer treats in this direction. Audubon gives a descrip-
tion of their concerts, which must be enchanting. He writes:
‘‘ During their sojourn in Louisiana, in spring, their song, which
is extremely interesting, and emitted with. a volubility bordering on
the burlesque, is heard from a whole party at the same time; when,
as each individual is, of course, possessed of the same musical
powers as his neighbors, it becomes amusing to listen to thirty or
forty of them beginning one after another, as if ordered to follow
in quick succession, after the first notes are given by a leader, and
producing such a inedley as it is impossible to describe, although
it is extremely pleasant to hear it. While you are listening the
whole flock simultaneously ceases, which appears equally ex-
traordinary. This curious exhibition takes place every time that
the flock has alighted on a tree, after feeding for a while on the
ground, and is renewed at intervals during the day.” Dr. Brewer
tells us that these concerts may also be witnessed early in April,
in the vicinity of Washington, the Smithsonian grounds being a
favorite place of resort.

At the North, unfortunately, they fail to indulge in these gen-
eral concerts. Busy with the affairs of courtship, each bird pays
individual court to the lady of his choice, and sings for her his
most hilarious melody. Sometimes, two or three gay gallants pay
the most assiduous court to one demure little Quaker maiden. We
know of nothing more delightful than, on some June morning,
when all the earth and sky blend in sweetest harmony, when the
scent of apple-blossoms have not faded utterly out, to lie ensconced
in the dark, luscious grass, and watch the Bobolink in his wooing.
He sits upon the highest fence-stake for a moment, and then rises
gracefully into the air, and pours from his open throat the most
wonderful succession of tinkling, vibrating, ringing, rollicking
notes that ever filled the ripples of the summer air, wheeling
here and there, shouting ‘* bob-o-link, bob-o-link,” and then jin-
gling off into a succession of the sweetest, most joyous, ecstatic
notes. What pen of man can ever hope to convey the most dis-
tant idea of its charming effect? Swaying upon some tall spear
of grass, he rests for a moment, and but for a moment, when his
indescribable melody again greets you from mid air. Dr. Brewer,
who has written charmingly on the songs of our native birds, says
of these birds: ‘‘ They pour out incessantly their strains of quaint
but charming music, now on the ground, now on the wing, now on
the top of a fence, a low bush, or the swaying stalk of a plant that
bends with their weight. The great length of their song, the im-
mense number of short and variable notes of which it is composed,
the volubility and confused rapidity with which they are poured
forth, the eccentric breaks, in the midst of which we detect the
word ‘bob-o-link’ so distinctly enunciated, unite to form a gen-
eral result to which no parallel is found in any of the musical per-
formances of our other song-birds. It is at once a unique and a
charming production.”

The nest of the Bobolink is always found upon tne ground. In
some meadow, near which running water abounds, they select a
rank tussock of grass, and, screened by its green verdure, they
make a loose and slightly hollowed nest. This nest is composed
of the herbage which conceals it, and in it are laid from five to six
egos of a dull-white ground, sometimes tinged with a light drab or
delicate olive, and spotted and blotched all over with a mingling
of rufous-brown and lavender. The female is exceedingly shy,
and guards the approaches to her nest with the utmost care, always
running through the grass quite a distance from it before she takes
wing, and using the same precaution on her return, while the male
cunningly pretends great anxiety over some different locality, if
your footsteps get too near his sitting mate. So cunningly are
these nests constructed, and so much care is taken to protect them,
that one must needs work long to discover their exact locality.

When the young are hatched, the father forgets his song in his
anxious hunt for coleopterous insects, with which to satiate their
gaping mouths. After they leave their nest, they still provide for
them for a short time, until they have learned where to find and
how to catch their own focd, when they are compelled to shift for
themselves. This occurs about the 15th of July. Freed from
care, careless of his apparel, happy, if slipshod, his rollicking
sony subdued to a simple chirck, the Bobolink passes away the
summer hours, until about the rst of September, when they move
into winter-quarters. As they pass southward, these flocks increase
in numbers. They crowd along the river-courses, feeding on the
seed of the reeds, becoming very fat, and are shot down in masses.
Still farther South, the rice-fields afford them the most delicious
eating, upon which they fill themselves to repletion, and become
easy prey to the most inexpert sportsman. Both Wilson and Au-
dubon tell us that they are then killed by the millions. In the West
India Islands, they feed on the seeds of the Guinea-grass, and are
known as Butter-birds. We regret our space forbids our introduc-
ing Bryant’s beautiful poem, in which, under the guise of ** Robert
of Lincoln,” the charms of this beautiful bird are fittingly sung; a
regret which also extends to Washington Irving’s no less exquisite
prose panegyric, which may be found in ‘* Wolfert’s Roost.”

48 . DUCK—W ARBLERS—THRUSH.

PLATE XXXYV.

The Golden-eyed Duck.
Fig. 1, Male. Fig.2, Female. Fig. 3, Young Male.

(Bucephala americana.)

This bird, known also as the Whistle Wing and the common
Garrot, is a resident of both continents. The length of the body
is from sixteen to nineteen inches, of the wing from eight to nine
inches, and frequently weighs from two to three pounds. ‘The
head and upper part of the neck are of a beautiful, dark, glossy
green; the under surface of a soft, velvety, purplish-black ; rump
and tail black; bill black, with yellow end; eyes golden, from
whence it derives its name. Mudie, in his Feathered Tribes of
the British Islands, tells us that these birds appear on the shores
and occasionally on the inland waters of England during the win-
ter months, retiring far into the North during the summer. They
are abundant throughout North America, ‘even in the high arctic
latitudes. ‘They breed extensively in the lake counties of Maine,
all along northern New England, and on the borders of the great
inland seas. They are found in all the water-courses of the United
States, from Maine to Florida. Audubon is disposed to credit
them with greater intelligence than is ordinarily found in the fam-
ily to which they belong. They avoid, with the utmost diligence,
all near approaches with the rifle, placing sentinels to watch while
they are feeding, who are sure to take cognizance of the most
stealthy movements of their natural enemy—the sportsman. ‘They
dive with the utmost celerity and at the faintest warning, and only
associate with birds whose habits are as quick as theirown. ‘Their
flight is very rapid, long sustained, and very powerful. Audubon
claims that they can easily traverse a space of ninety miles in an
hour—a feat which seems incredible considering the weight of
their bodies. The whistling made by the movement of their wings,
he also assures us, can be heard for full a half-mile.

Their food, on the sea-shore, consists of mollusks, crustaceous
and small fish, which give to their flesh an unpleasant flavor; on

inland waters, where the diet is more varied, they are eagerly —

sought for, for the table. Their nests are usually built in the hol-
low top of some tall stub of a tree, and are composed of grass, dead
leaves, bits of moss, and lined with down from its own breast.
In it they lay from six tv ten eggs, which are almost equally
rounded on both ends, of a greenish-blue color, and average from
nearly two and one-half by one and three-quarter inches in di-
mensions. And Shidldebrand adds, that in common with the Vel-
vet Duck, it breeds abundantly in Lapland, on the banks of the
Tornea, within the arctic circle, and nearly to the northern ex-
tremity of Europe.

In their autumn migrations the males usually precede the fe-
males by at least a fortnight, and spend the early part of the win-
ter apart from them.

PLATE XXXVI.

The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler. (Parula americana.)
Fig. 1.

According to Dr. Coues, the male, in spring, blue; back with a
golden-brown patch; throat and breast yellow, with a rich brown
or blackish patch, the former sometimes extending along the sides ;
belly, eyelids, two wing-bars, and several tail-spots, white; lores
black; upper mandible black, under flesh-colored. The female,
in spring with the blue less bright; the back and throat patches
not so well defined; young, with the blue glossed with greenish,
and these patches obscure or wanting; but always recognizable by
the other marks and very small size—four and one-half to four and
three-quarter inches; wings two and one-third inches; tail one
and three-quarter inches.

The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler is claimed by many ornithol-
ogists to be a species of the Titmouse. Wilson says: ‘* Its habits,
indeed, partake something of the Titmouse; but the form of its bill
is decidedly that of the sylva genus. It is remarkable for frequent-
ing the tops of the tallest trees, where it feeds on the small winged
insects and caterpillars that infest the young leaves and blossoms.
It has a few, feeble, chirping notes, scarcely loud enough to be
heard at the foot of the tree. It visits the Middle States from the
South the latter part of April, or early in May; is said to be very
abundant in Kentucky.” According to Audubon, the nest is small,
formed of lichens, beautifully arranged on the outside, and lined with
cotton substances found on the edges of different mosses ; itis placed
in the fork of a small twig, near the extremity of the branch.
The eggs are pure white, with a few reddish dots at the longer end,
and thinks two broods are raised in the year.

The Black and Yellow Warbler. (Dezdrotca maculosa.)
Fig. 2.

This species is about five inches long and seven inches broad;
the wing measures two and a half inches, and the tail two inches;
crown clear ash; front, iris, and behind the ear, black; over the
eye a fine line of white, and another small touch of the same im-
mediately under; back nearly all black ; shoulders thinly streaked
with olive; rump yellow; tail-coverts jet-black; inner vanes of
the lateral tail-feathers white, to within half an inch of the tip,
where they are black ; two middle ones wholly black ; whole lower
parts rich yellow, spotted from the throat downward with black
streaks; vent white; tail slightly forked; wings black, crossed
with two broad transverse bars of white; legs-brown; bill black.

This beautiful little species is abundant in the woodlands of the
eastern part of the United States. Wilson claims to have found it
among the magnolias, not far from Fort Adams, on the Mississippi,
and that he first met with it on the banks of the Little Miami, near
its junction with the Ohio. Mr. Peale is said to have first discov-
ered this species near Philadelphia. The notes of the Black and
Yellow Warbler have a peculiar chirping sound. It may mostly
be seen darting about on the outer branches of trees on the border
of water-courses.

The Blackburnian Warbler. (Dezdrocca blackburnia.)
Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female.

This active and most lovely species of Warblers is abundant in
woodlands in the Eastern States. On the Magdalen Islands in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, in June, Audubon remarks that he heard
the song of this beautiful Warbler, consisting of five or six loud
notes, which it uttered from the branches of a fir-tree while en-
gaged in quest of its prey.

The Blackburnian Warbler is about four and a half inches long
and seven inches broad. A stripe of rich orange passes over the
eye, and there is a small touch of the same beneath it; the throat
and breast brilliant orange; other under-parts whitish, more or less
tinged with yellow, and streaked with black; vent white ; the back
black, more or less interrupted with yellowish ; wings marked with
a large lateral patch of white ; tail a little forked; bill and legs
brown. The female is yellow where the male is orange; the
black streaks are also more obscure and less numerous.

The Hermit Thrush. (Zurdus pallasii.)
Fig. 5.

This shy, but exquisite songster, known also as the ‘* Swamp
Angel” and the ‘* Swamp Robin,” like nearly all birds gifted with

PLL. XXXV-

Sneath
ne Ng Oe

. PL. XVI

Sel poeta” ma

WHITE-THROATED AND WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. 49

the powers of song, is exceedingly plain in his apparel. His under
parts are white, anteriorly touched with the slightest tint of buff;
sides olive; fore part of the breast and sides of the throat distinctly
marked with sub-triangular spots of dark olive-brown, with bill of
a dusky yellowish hue. Length about seven inches, wing three
and one-half, tail two and one-fourth inches. The range of the
Hermit Thrush is from the Mississippi eastward throughout North
America to the arctic regions. It is, however, a rare bird, exceed-
ingly shy and secluded in its habits, though, when captured young,
is easily tamed. Fearful and retiring in the presence of man, it
attacks its natural enemy, the hawk, with great vigor and courage,
forcing him to retire discomfited. Its favorite winter haunts are
in the Southern States, where great numbers may be found, and in
Southern Illinois it has been observed at this season as far north as
latitude 38°. It is one of the earliest of owr migratory birds, ar-
riving in Maine, where it breeds in vast numbers, by the middle of
April. Its return journey is performed during the latter part of
October. When migrating, they fly in small straggling parties,
and never indulge in song.

During its season of courtship, it is rarely to be met with outside
of the deepest and most remote forests, and nearly always in damp
and swampy localities. Its nests are nearly always built upon the
ground, in open places, or under low spreading brush, and near its
favorite swamp. It is composed of dead leaves, dried grasses, and
twigs, and is lined with the inner peelings of bark, fine soft sedges,

and grasses. The eggs vary from four to five in number, and are.

uniform in color, being of a bluish-green, varying from .88 to .94
in length by .63.

Both Wilson and Audubon were unfamiliar with the wonderful
gift of song with which this bird is possessed. Wilson says it has
‘¢ only in spring an occasional squeak, like that of a young stray
chicken.” Audubon’s testimony is equally erroneous. ‘*The Her-
mit Thrush,” he says, ‘‘ has no song, and only utters a soft, plaint-
ive note, seldom heard at a greater distance than twenty-five or
thirty yards.” With the exception of the Wood Thrush, we have
no bird to compare with the Hermit Thrush in the beauty and
melody of his song. It begins low, sweet, and exceedingly soft,
and, rising, ends abruptly in the highest, the sharpest of ringing
notes. No silver horn, no tinkling bell, ever emitted purer notes.
Mr. Burroughs describes his song in words so fitting that we can not
resist the temptation to quote them.
‘¢a long way off, sometimes over a quarter of a mile away, when only
the stronger and more perfect parts of his music reach me; and,
through the general chorus of wrens and warblers, I detect his
song, rising pure and serene, as if a spirit from some remote height
were slowly chanting a divine accompaniment. This song appeals
to the sentiment of the beautiful in me, and suggests a serene re-
ligious beatitude, as no other sound in nature does. It is, perhaps,
more of an evening than a morning hymn, though I hear it all
hours of the day. It is very simple, and I can hardly tell the se-
cret of its charm. ‘O spheral, spheral!’ he seems to say. ‘O
holy, holy! O clear away, clear away! O clear up, clear up’
interspersed with the finest trills and the most delicate preludes.
It is not a proud, gorgeous strain, like the Tanager’s or the Gros-
beak’s; suggests no passion or emotion—nothing personal; but
seems to be the voice of that calm, sweet solemnity one attains to
in his best moments. It realizes a peace and a deep solemn joy
that only the finest souls may know.”

The White-throated Sparrow, or Peabody-bird. (Zonotréchia albicollis.)
Fig. 6.

This beautiful Sparrow is easily recognized by the two black
stripes on his crown separated by one of white, and by his pure
white throat, sharply defined against the dark ash of the breast and
sides of the neck and head. His back is continuously streaked
with black, chestnut, and tawny white; rump ashy, destitute of

_thickets.

‘¢T often hear him,” he says, -

markings; edge of the wings yellow; belly white. Length about
seven inches, and nine inches across the wings; tail from three to
four inches. The range of the White-throated Sparrow compasses
all parts of North America from the Great Plains, east, north, and
south, touching the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the extreme
arctic regions. It winters in the Southern States, being found
there in great abundance from October to May, where, according
to Audubon, it is considered a great delicacy. Its favorite breed-
ing places are from 44° latitude north, where it arrives from
the Ist to the 20th of May. ‘The uest is usually built upon the
ground, in various situations, in swampy thickets, in pasture cradle-
holes, and sometimes in the hollow of decayed stumps. It is large,

deep, and roomy, constructed of moss, grasses, twigs, and lined

with hair, feathers, and silken grasses. The eggs are usually four
in number, sometimes ranging as high as seven, of a greenish-
white, and blotched all over with a rusty brown. The White-
throated Sparrow produces but one brood during the season. It
is gregarious in its habits, and may be seen in flocks, near moist
Its song would be very pleasing were it more varied.
In confinement, they become very tame, and, during the spring
months, sing night and day. They are very abundant among the
White Mountains, and are known there as the Peabody-bird. Dr.
Brewer says of its song, that it ‘‘is rather sprightly and pleasing
than plaintive ;” that ‘‘in each case their refrain is measured by
twelve syllables, but these versions bear but a slight resemblance
to the real notes;” and that ‘* they are repeated quite constantly,
and with little or no variation, and soon become monotonous.” He
interprets his song as follows: ‘‘l—have—got—plenty—to-e-at,
but no che-eze.” Samuels, however, claims for his song real
beauty. He tells us that ‘* it is difficult of description, but resem-
bles nearly the syllables ’ché a dée de; dé-d-de, dé-d-de, dé-d-de,
dé-d-de, uttered at first loud and clear, and rapidly falling in tone
and decreasing in volume.”

No sooner do these welcome visitors arrive than every hedge
and fence is alive with them. They form parties of some forty or
fifty birds, and fly down from time to time upon the surrounding
district in search of food; hopping gaily about as they peck the
small grass-seeds that constitute their principal nourishment, and
hurrying back to their perch at the first intimation of danger.
Nothing can be more amicable than the terms on which they seem
tolive. ‘The time between their excursions over the field is passed,
not in noisy strife, but in pouring forth a constant flow of song, so
sweet as to please the ears of the most indifferent or unmusical
listener. At early dawn, the little community is roused by a
peculiar shrill warning cry, somewhat resembling the syllable
‘¢twit.” This is uttered during the night, when, no doubt, it is
intended as an intimation that all is well. Should the day be
warm, the whole flock seek shelter in the woods, and deport them-
selves upon the branches of the wild vine—rarely, however, flying
to any great distance from their usual haunts.

The White-throated Sparrow is always an ornament to any land- °
scape, and his melody is ever charming. His food is chiefly of
insects, the farmer’s pests, varying it occasionally with a few ber-
ries and small seed.

The White-crowned Sparrow. (Zozotrichia leucophrys.)
Hig. 7.

The portraiture of this species was made from a beautiful speci-
men presented by Dr. J. M. Wheaton, Ornithologist of the Ohio
State Geological Survey. Its characteristics are similar to the
White-throated Sparrow, but not so abundant. The male is about
seven inches and a half long, and ten inches broad; the bill is a
cinnamor.-brown; the crown is a pure white, bounded on each side
by a narrow stripe of black, then again by a narrow stripe of white
passing over the eye; the chin is white; the breast, sides of the
neck, and the upper parts pale ash color; the back streaked with

50 WINTER WREN—CERULEAN WARBLER.

dark rusty brown, with a bluish tinge; the greater and lesser wing-
coverts are tipped broadly with white, forming two handsome white
bands across the wings; the rump and tail-coverts are drab, tipped
with lighter color; tail rounded, and of a dusky color, edged with
drab; belly white; vent pale ochre ; legs and feet reddish-brown ;
eye hazel; the lower eyelid white.

The Winter Wren. (Zroglodytes hyemaiis.)
Fig. 8.

This bird, which is one of our smallest species, can never be
mistaken when once seen. His back is a deep rufous-brown,
darkest on the head, brightest on the rump and tail; head and neck
plain; the rest marked with numerous short dusky, sometimes
whitish, interrupted bars. Wings dusky, dark-barred, and edged
with rufous. Below, dark-brown, with belly, flanks, and under
tail-coverts strongly marked with dusky and whitish. Length
from three to four inches, wing about two, tail one and one-half
inches. ‘The Winter Wren is not an abundant bird, but is found
everywhere in the United States. It is only partially migratory,
many of them passing the whole year near their breeding places.
It is the most abundant of winter birds on the Pacific coast, brav-
ing the long, damp, and dreary winters of Oregon and Washington
Territory, retiring to the mountains on the approach of spring, for
the purpose of breeding. It breeds all along Central New York,
the beautiful shores of Oneida Lake being one of its favorite spots.
Its nest is a most wonderful piece of architecture. It is pouch-
shape, composed of moss and lichens, two inches or more in
thickness, very large and deep, and lined with bits of fur and the
feathers of various birds. The eggs are usually five in number,
and pure white, marked with purplish slate blotches and reddish-
brown spots. Audubon describes one, found at the foot of a tree,
as ‘*a protuberance covered with moss and lichens, resembling
those excrescences which are often seen on our forest-trees, with
this difference, that the aperture was perfectly rounded, clean, and
quite smooth. I put my finger into it, and felt the pecking of a
bird’s bill, while a querulous cry was emitted.” Shy, active, inquis-
itive, this little bird is ever on the alert. I have followed one for
rods and rods along an old stone fence, in some upland pasture,
and have been barely able to keep him in sight.
out the stone wall, hopping, skipping, forever in motion, his little
short tail, like a cockade, stuck straight in air, he wins your affec-
tion and your admiration at once; and that must be a miserable
scamp who would aim a shot-gun at this beautiful and harmless
little creature. His song, too, is a marvel. Where, in all that
little bundle of brown feathers, can so much melody be hid?
Alike unconscious and unambitious, coy and retiring, in his mo-
ments of pleasure he will pour forth a song at once fluent and
copious, and instinct with the purest rhythms.

the sweetest of emotions.

The Winter Wren is closely allied to the common Wren of.
It has a most charming mythical history, and the kind-,

Europe.
‘est mention in all literatures. In Germany, he is called the Zaun
Kénig—Hedge King. Grimm, in his delightful Folk Lore tales,
has gathered some of the fables told of him in that country. Both

Aristotle and Pliny speak of him as disputing with the Eagle the

sovereignty of the feathered creation.

Considering the diminutive size of this bird, and his retiring
habits, it is singular that the title of King should so universally
have been given him. The French call him Roitelet—Little King.
The Greeks gave him the same title, Baoedtoxoc—Little King; the
Romans, Aegulus; the Swedes, Kungs-fogel—King’s Fowl; the
Danes, /ugle-kong—Fowl-king ; the Dutch, Winter Konrnkje—
little Winter King. A most charming essay might be written on
this little bird, the material being most abundant, but our limited
space forbids following the subject further.

Darting in and

The notes vibrate,
melt to the sweetest plaintiveness, and leave on the memory only

PLATE XXXVII.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. (Polioptila cerulea.)
Fig. 1.

This active and sprightly little bird would rank among the most
diminutive species were it not for the length of the tail. It is
commonly seen in the tops of tall trees. Its motions are rapid and
incessant, appearing most always in quest of prey, darting from
bough to bough, with hanging wings and elevateJ tail, uttering
only at times a feeble song, or squeaking notes of ‘‘ tree, tree,
tree.” Its first visits are paid to the blooming willows along the
borders of water-courses. This species is also very dexterous as
a fly-catcher, and, by some good authors on ornithology, it is
classed among the Fly-catchers. According to Wilson, it builds its
nest about the beginning of May, the time it arrives in the Middle
States from the South, which it generally fixes among the twigs
of a tree, sometimes at the height of ten feet from the ground, and
sometimes fifty feet high, on the extremities of the tops of a high
tree in the woods. This nest is formed of very slight and perish-
able materials—the husks of buds, stems of old leaves, withered
blossoms of weeds, and down from the stalks of fern, coated on
the outside with gray lichen, and lined with a few horse-hairs.

The length of this species is four and a half inches, and about
six and a half inches broad. Front line over the eye and bill
black; the latter somewhat notched at the tip. The plumage
above, light bluish-gray, brightest on the head; below, bluish-
white and pale (white in the females). Tail edged with blue; its
coverts black. Wings brownish-black; some of the secondaries
next the body edged with white. Legs pale blue. Iris hazel.

The Black-throated Green Warbler.

(Dendroica virens.)
Fig. 2.

This acknowledged lively and active little species frequents the
high branches and tops of trees, in the woods, in search of the
larve of insects that prey on the opening buds. Their song,
consisting of a few singular chirping notes, resembles the syl-
lables ’te dé ler-tiscd, sometimes te derisca, pronounced pretty
loud and slow, and the tones proceed from high to low. This note
is very much like the call of the Chickadee, and at times both are
heard amidst the reigning silence of the summer moon. It is said
to be abundant in the forests of the eastern part of the United
States.

This bird is five inches long and seven inches broad. The back,
crown, and hind head clear yellow-olive; front, cheeks, sides of
the breast, and line over the eye pure yellow; chin and throat
black; the sides under the wings are spotted with black; belly
and vent are white; the wings dusky black, marked with two white
bars. Tail dusky, edged with light ash color; the thin exterior
feathers spotted on their inner webs with white, as appears in most
Warblers. The legs and feet are brownish-yellow; the iris of the
eye deep brown or blue.

The Blue or Cerulean Warbler,

(Dendroica cerulea.)
Fig. 3.

This is another very delicately plumaged species of Warbler,
and is amongst the rarest summer residents of the Atlantic States.
It is very abundant in the Southern States. During summer, it
visits the Middle States, retiring early in the fall. This species
also has many of the habits of the Fly-catcher, warbling at times
in a lively manner; and, though its song be short, it is at the same
time sweet and mellow.

PL. XXXVIT-

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= ApS

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ae ‘ eer
baie

W ARBLERS—GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. 51

This bird is four and a half inches long, and seven and a half
inches broad. Front, upper part of the head, and back verditer-
blue, with a few streaks of black on the upper part of the back.
Wings and tail black, edged with pale blue. Tail forked; a white
spot in the five lateral feathers on each side; the two middle more
slightly marked with the same. From the eye backward a line of
dusky blue. Bill dusky above, light blue below. Legs and feet
light blue.

The Mourning Warbler. (Geothlypis philadelphia.)

Fig. 4.

This very rare species of Warbler was first discovered by Wil-
son. In its habits of frequenting marshy ground, and flitting
through low bushes, in quest of insects, it appears very similar to
the Maryland Yellow-throat. The discoverer, however, also dis-
tinguished it more importantly by the novelty of its sprightly and
pleasant warble. Nuttall says: ‘* It possessed all the manners of
the common species, was equally busy in search of insects in the
low bushes, and, at little intervals, warbled out some very pleasant
notes, which, though they resembled the lively chant of the Mary-
land Yellow-throat, even to the wetztshee, yet they were more
agreeably varied, so as to approach in some degree the song of
the Summer Yellow-bird.”

This species is five inches long and seven inches broad. Bill is
brownish-black above, and dusky below; iris hazel; head of a
dull brownish slate color; the back, head, and tail a deep greenish-
olive; the tips of the wings and the center of the tail-feathers are
brownish; crescent of the breast formed of alternate transverse
lines of pure white and deep black; below, pure yellow. Legs
and feet (as in the Maryland Yellow-throat) pale flesh-color.

The Bay-breasted or Autumnal Warbler. (Dexdrozca castanea.)

Fig. 5.

This is another very rare species of Warbler. According to
Bonaparte, discovered and first described by Wilson. It is an
active insect-hunter, and keeps much toward the tops of the high-
est trees, where it darts about with great activity, and hangs from
the twigs, with fluttering wings. It has many of the habits and
manners of the Titmouse.

This species is five inches long, and ten and one-half inches
broad. Bill black; iris hazel; the crown a very bright bay; be-
neath, except the sides, dull yellowish-white ; hind head and back

streaked with black, on a grayish-buff ground; wings brownish-

black, with two bars of white; tail forked, brownish-black, edged
with ash. Behind the eye is a broad oblong spot of yellowish-
white, inclining to buff. Legs dusky, and the claws are extremely
sharp-pointed, for easy climbing and hanging.

The Prairie Warbler. (Dexzdroica discolor.)

Fig. 6.

This species is considered abundant in the Middle and Southern
States, and east as far as Massachusetts. It may generally be
found in sparse low woodlands, cedar thickets, and old fields
grown up to scrub-pines. It is remarkable for its quaint and cu-
rious song. ‘Their slender filing notes, which are uttered every
halfminute, resemble the suppressed syllables tsk, ’tsh, ’tsh, ’tshéd,
beginning low and gradually growing louder, having nearly the
same slender whistle as the species Black-poll Warbler. It is
said to be an expert fly-catcher, constantly darting into the air in
pursuit of winged insects.

Maynard, in his valuable work, ‘‘ The Birds of Florida,” says:
‘*The Prairie Warblers were very abundant in the dense thickets

| on the islands of Key West during the autumn and early winter of

1870.

sing.

They frequented the drier portions of the Key, but did not
A little later, in February, I found them common in the
mangrove swamps along the coast of the mainland. . . . .
Although these birds are found in localities of this description in
Southern Florida, those which migrate northward pass over the
drier portions of the state, and I found them associating with other
Warblers in the thickly-wooded hammocks on Indian River. In
Massachusetts, however, they prefer an entirely different kind of
country, for they are always found in dry fields which have partly
grown up to bushes. Here they build their nests, in June, com-
monly placing them in a bush but a few feet from the ground.
The song of the Prairie Warbler is singular, and quite unlike that
of any other member of the family, for the birds trill a species of
musical scale, commencing low down and ascending rapidly. The
notes are indescribable, but, if once heard, will not easily be for-
cotten.”

The Prairie Warbler is about five inches long and seven inches
broad. Above, yellow-olive, inclining to green, and considerably
brighter on the crown; a few pale-bay spots, mingled with the
olive on the upper part of the back. From the nostrils, over and
under the eye, yellow; lores black—below, rich yellow; vent pale
yellow; wings dusky; coverts edged and tipped with pale yellow ;
the primaries and greater wing-coverts edged and tipped with light
yellow; the second row of coverts is wholly yellow; the lesser
coverts olive; the tail is brownish-black, but lighter on the edges ;
the three outer feathers are broadly spotted with white.

The Golden-crowned Thrush or Oven-bird:

(Sczurus aurocapillus )

Fig. 7, Male. Fig. 8, Female.

A very common species of Eastern North America, Alaska,
Mexico, and the West Indies. It may be found mostly in opem
woodland, devoting much of its time on the ground, rustling
among the leaves. During summer it may be found throughout
the forests of the United States and Canada, arriving in the Middle
and Northern States about the beginning of May or last of April,
and departing for tropical America, Mexico, Jamaica, Hispaniola,
and other West India islands early in September. According to
Nuttall: ‘** The Golden-crowned Thrush, shy and retiring, is never
seen out of the shade of the woods, and sits and runs along the
ground often like the Lark. It also frequents the branches of
trees, and sometimes moves its tail in the manner of the Wagtails.
It has few pretensions to song, and, while perched in the deep and
shady part of the forest, it utters, at intervals, a simple, long reit-
erated note of ‘tshe, she, tshe, tshe, she, rising from low to high
and shrill, so as to give but little idea of the distance or place from
whence the sound proceeds, and often appearing, from the loud-
ness of the closing cadence, to be much nearer than it really is.
As soon as discovered, like the Wood-thrush, it darts at once tim-
idly into the depths of its sylvan retreat. During the period of
incubation, the deliberate lay of the male, from some horizontal
branch of the forest-tree, where he often sits usually still, is a
tshe, te tshe, té tshe, té tshee, gradually rising and growing louder.
Toward dusk in the evening, however, it now and then utters a
sudden burst of notes, with a short, agreeable warble, which ter-
minates commonly in the usual ’¢ske, te ¢ske. Its curious oven-
shaped nest (whence the name ‘ Oven-bird’) is known to all the
sportsmen who traverse the solitary wilds which it inhabits. This
ingenious fabric is sunk a little into the ground, and generally sit-
uated on some dry and mossy bank contiguous to bushes, or on an
uncleared surface. It is formed with great neatness of dry blades
of grass, and lined with the same. It is then surmounted by a
thick inclined roof of similar materials; the surface scattered with -
leaves and twigs, so as to match the rest of the ground, and an
entrance is left at the side.” According to Wilson: ‘* When

Bo CHESTNUT-SIDED AND BLACK-POLLED WARBLERS.

alarmed, it escapes from the nest in great silence and rapidity,
running along the ground like a worm, as if afraid to tread too
heavily on the leaves. If you stop to examine its nest, it also
stops, droops its wings, flutters, and tumbles along, as if hardly
able to crawl, looking back now and then to see whether you are
taking notice of it. If you slowly follow, it leads you fifty or sixty
yards off, in a direct line from its nest, seeming at every ad-
vance to be gaining fresh strength; and when it thinks it has
decoyed you to a sufficient distance, it suddenly wheels off and
disappears.”

The Cow-pen Bunting frequently selects this bird to act the part
of a foster parent to its young. It deposits its eggs in the nest,
and leaves the result to the tender mercy of the Thrush, who gen-
erally performs the duties with care.

This species is six inches long, and nine inches from tip to tip
of wing. Below, pure white, the breast covered with deep-brown
pencil-shaped spots ; above, rich yellow-olive ; the tips of the wings
and inner vanes of tke quills dusky brown; the three first prima-
ries are about equal; from the nostrils a dusky line passes to the
hind head; crown brownish orange; legs pale flesh color; bill

dusky.

PLATE XXXVIII.°

The Chestnut-sided Warbler. (Dezdroica pennsylvanica.)
Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

This is one of our rare and beautiful species that probably winter
in tropical America. It generally appears in the Middle and
Eastern States early in May, on its way to breed. In Canada and
around Hudson’s Bay, they may be seen in the spring. Accord-
ing to Dr. Coues, ‘‘ They are abundant in woodland in the east-
ern part of the United States.” According to Wilson: ‘It is one
of those transient visitors that pass through Pennsylvania in April
ana May, on their way farther north to breed. During its stay
here, which seldom exceeds a week or ten days, it appears actively
engaged among the opening buds and young leaves, in search of
insects; has no song but a feeble chirj or twitter, and is not nu-
merous.” According to Nuttall: ‘* A few remain, no doubt to
rear their young, in secluded mountainous situations in the North-
ern States. The note of the male was very similar to that of the
Summer Yellow-bird, being only a little louder and less whistling.
It resembles *¢sh, ’tsh, tsh, tshyia, given at about an interval of
half a minute, and answered by his mate at some distance, near
which, it is probable, there was a nest. He appeared to be no way
suspicious of our approach. His restlessness was subdued, and he
quietly sat near the same low bushes, amusing himself and his
consort for an hour at a time, with the display of his lively and
simple ditty.”

The length of this species is about five inches, and about eight
inches broad; the bill is black; the iris dark hazel; the front line
over the eye and ear-feathers pure white; the crown is a brilliant
yellow ; a triangular patch of black beneath the eye and connected
with the lores; the hind head and back are streaked with gray, an
obscure black, and a dull yellow; feathers of the back and rump
black, edged with greenish-yellow. The wings are dusky, the
primaries edged with whitish; the first and second row of coverts
broadly tipped with pale yellow; the secondaries edged with
greenish-yellow. The tail is forked, dusky exteriorly, edged with
ash or with greenish-gray. Sides, from the back beneath the eye
to the thighs, furnished with a broad stripe of bright chestnut; the
rest of the parts below, pure white. The legs and feet are of a
light-ash color. )

The Black-polled Warb'er. (Dendroica striata.)
Fig. 3.

This species is one of those silent, shy, and solitary birds that
mostly seek the deep retreats of the forest, and are not very gen-
erally known to the public. It is said when the Black-polls appear
in force, the collecting season is about over. Wilson says: ‘* This
bird may be considered as occupying an intermediate station be-
tween the Fly-catchers and the Warblers, having the manners of
the former, and the bill, partially, of the latter. . The nice grada-
tions by which nature passes from one species to another, even in
this department of the great chain of beings, will forever baffle all
the artificial rules and systems of man. And this truth every fresh
discovery must impress more forcibly on the mind of the observing
naturalist.”

This species is an active insect-hunter, and keeps much toward
the tops of the highest trees, where it darts about with great activ-
ity, and hangs from the twigs with fluttering wings. Audubon
says:

‘« It enters Louisiana as early as the middle of February. At
this time it is seen gleaning food among the taller branches of the
willows, maples, and other trees that overhang the rivers and
lakes. Its migrations eastward follow the advance of the season,
and I have not been able to comprehend why it is never seen in
the maritime parts of South Carolina, while it is abundantly found
in the State of New Jersey close to the sea-shore. There you
would think that it had changed its habits; for, instead of skipping
among the taller branches of trees, it is seen moving along the
trunks and large limbs, almost in the manner of a Certhia, search-
ing the chinks of the bark for larve and pupe. They are met
with in groups of ten, twelve, or more, in the end of April, but
after that period few are to be seen. In Massachusetts, they begin to
appear nearly a month later, the intervening time being no doubt
spent on their passage through New York and Connecticut. I
found them, at the end of May, in the eastern part of Maine, and
met with them wherever we landed on our voyage to Labrador,
where they arrive from the 1st to the roth of June, throwing them-
selves into every valley covered by those thickets, which they
prefer for their breeding places. It also breeds abundantly in New-
foundland.

*¢In these countries, it has almost become a Fly-catcher. You
see it darting in all directions after insects, chasing them on wing,
and not unfrequently snapping, so as to emit the clicking sound
characteristic of the true Fly-catcher. Its activity is pleasing, but
its notes have no title to be called a song. They are shrill, and
resemble the noise made by striking two small pebbles together,
more than any other sound that I know. ‘They may be in some
degree imitated by pronouncing the syllable sche, sche, sche, sche,
so as progressively to increase the emphasis.”

According to Maynard—*‘ In April, when the great Magnolia
is in full bloom, the Black-polled Warblers may be found in Flor-
ida. Later, in May, when all the apple orchards of New England

' are snowy with blossoms, the same birds appear and linger a time,

then depart for the north, arriving in the British Provinces and
Labrador when nature has assumed her most festive garb.”

The Black-poll Warbler is a gentle bird, by no means afraid of
man, although it pursues some of its smaller enemies with consid-
erable courage. The sight of a Canadian Jay excites it greatly,
as that marauder often sucks its eggs or swallows its young.

This species is five and one-half inches long, and eight and a
half inches broad. Whole crown pure black, upper parts streaked
with black and grayish-white ; cheeks white; below the eye, from
the lower mandible, runs a streak of small black spots—the rest
of the lower parts white; -primaries black, with greenish-yellow
at the end, the first and second coverts broadly tipped with white ;
tail black, edged with ash; vent white; upper mandible black;
lower mandible, legs, and feet flesh-color; iris hazel.

PL. XXXVID

gy. athe:

Sele eee

Be Pent

WARBLER-—SNOW-BIRD—AMERICAN CROSS-BILL. | 833

The Yellow-rumped Warbler. (Dendroeca coronata.)
Fig. 4.

This species is also known by the name of Yellow-crowned
Warbler and Myrtle-bird. It is one of the most numerous winter
birds of the Southern States, where it passes the season in the
myrtle swamps and the hummocks of the mainland. In the
Middle and Northern States, it is a bird of passage, arriving from
the South the latter part of April, and proceeding north as far as
Canada and Labrador to pass the summer season in the cares of
breeding and rearing their young. After an absence of about
three months, they again appear, and continue to remain in the
Middle and Northern States, in gardens and woods, till about the
close of November, feeding almost exclusively on the myrtle wax-
berries, or on those of the Virginian juniper. In fine weather, in
the earlier part of October, they may be seen collecting grass-
hoppers and moths from the meadows and pastures. They often
watch for the appearance of their prey from a neighboring stake
or fence-rail; and, at this time, are so familiar and unsuspicious
as fearlessly to approach almost within the reach of the silent
spectator. While feeding, they are very active, in the manner of
Fly-catchers, hovering among the cedars and myrtles, with hang-
ing wings, and only rest when satisfied with gleaning food. Of its
song, Nuttall says: ‘‘ This beautiful species frequents
the orchards, uttering, at short intervals, in the morning, a sweet
and varied, rather plaintive warble, resembling in part the song of
the Summer Yellow-bird, but much more the farewell, solitary
autumnal notes of the Robin Redbreast of Europe. The tones,
at times, are also so ventriloquial and variable in elevation that it
is not always easy to ascertain the spot from whence they proceed.”

This species may also be seen in Mexico and Central America.

The length of the male bird is about five inches and a half, its
breadth about eight inches.

The Snow-bird. (Sanco hyemalis.)

Fig. 5, Male. Fig. 6, Female.

This species is one of our most common and numerous Sparrows.
It arrives in flocks from the northern regions in the United States
about the middle of October, and their appearance is looked upon
as the sign of approaching winter. ‘I have traveled,” says
Wilson, ‘* over the\country, from North Maine to Georgia, a dis-
tance of 1,800 miles, but I do not think there was a day, or indeed
an hour, in which IJ did not see a flock of these birds, often number-
ing thousands; and several travelers with whom I conversed gave
me similar accounts of their experience.” The Snow-bird is an in-
habitant of the northern mountains of America, where it builds its
nest, and from thence it wanders south when winter closes in. It
will also. occasionally migrate as far as Europe; and Temminck
assures us that several have been captured in Iceland, and it is
upon this authority that it is reckoned amongst European birds.
As stated above, these birds are seen in the United States about
October, departing in April, and migrating by night. Hosts
of them are found early in the morning, in localities where
not one was to be seen the evening before. On first arriving,
they fly about the outskirts of the woods and hedges, in parties

of from twenty to thirty, but at a later period assemble in flocks’

of some thousands. As long as the ground is uncovered, they
feed upon grass seed, berries, and insects, and are often to be
found ‘in company with Partridges, Wild Turkeys, and even
Squirrels, but as soon as the snow begins to fall, Snow-birds make
their appearance in the farm-yards, open roads, and streets of the
town, and place themselves under the protection of man, who shows
how much he is to be trusted by capturing hundreds of these
diminutive creatures. Still, this bird has more friends than ene-

mies, and many regard it with affection. Its confidence in man
is so great, that it will allow a horseman or foot-passenger to
approach quite close to it in the street, only flying away if it has
reason to think it will be molested. Thus it lives until the win-
ter is passed, when it quits the towns and villages for its favorite
mountain or native haunts.

The Snow-birds seldom join company with other birds, though
in the villages and farm-yards they will associate with the so-called
‘Song Sparrow” and domestic fowls, keeping, however, some-
what apart. They pass the night, either perched upon a tree or
in a hole, and often make a place for themselves in stacks of corn.
In their movements, the Snow-birds much resemble the Sparrows,
and hop very lightly over the ground, testifying great readiness to
engage any of their kind in single combat. As soon as these birds
return to their native places, the work of incubation commences,
and the males are constantly engaged in furious contentions,
chasing each other through the trees, with wings and tail out-
spread, and thus exhibiting their plumage in all its varied beauty.
At such times, their simple but pleasing song is at its best, its prin-
cipal feature being low, drawn-out notes, that are not unlike
the twitter of a young Canary. When about to build, the little
pair seek a quiet spot in which to make their nest, preferring a
rock thickly covered with bushes; and then, upon the ground,
they construct their home, forming it of twigs and grass, and
lining the interior most delicately with fine moss and horse-hair.
The four eggs, of which a brood consists, are of a yellowish color,
thickly covered with reddish spots, and measure five-eighths of an
inch across the broadest end. Both parents tend their young with
great care, feeding them for some time after they leave the nest,
and warning them of danger by a peculiar cry The Sparrow
Hawk may be regarded as the most formidable of their many
enemies. Wilson mentions having seen this bird continually
hovering in their neighborhood, watching for a favorable oppor-
tunity, and when the proper moment arrived, the destroyer would
swoop down upon its victim, seize it, and carry it to the nearest
tree to be devoured. The length of the male bird is five inches and
three-quarters, its breadth nearly seven inches; the female is five
and a half inches in length, and eight and a quarter across.

The Red, or American Cross-bill. (Caurvirostra americana.)
Fig. 7, Male. Fig. 8, Female.

This remarkably formed species is an inhabitant of both conti-
nents. Those in North America are considered the dwarfs of the
family, on account of the smallness of their size. ‘* On first
glancing,” says Wilson, ‘at the bill of this extraordinary bird,
one is apt to pronounce it deformed and monstrous; but, on atten-
tively observing the use to which it is applied by the owner, and
the dexterity with which he detaches the seeds of the pine-tree
from the cone and from the husks that inclose them, we are obliged
to confess that no other conformation could have been so excellently
adapted to the purpose; and that its deviation from the common
form, instead of being a defect or monstrosity, as the celebrated
French naturalist insinuates, is a striking proof of the wisdom and
kind superintending care of the great Creator.” The Cross-bills
always inhabit pine-forests, as their food consists entirely of the
seeds of the pine, fir, and larch. They are consequently more
numerous in the North than in the South, seeing that in northern
latitudes these trees are met with over a far wider extent of country
than elsewhere. When the cones are abundant, they visit in great
numbers many places where they have not been for years, appear-
ing at irregular intervals, and not confining themselves ‘to any par-
ticular localities. Should the situation be suitable, they will proceed
at once to breed; otherwise, they merely tarry for a short time,
and then pass on to a more desirable resting-place. The most
favorable spots in the woods are soon taken possession of to serve
as their headquarters, from whence they fly over the surrounding

BS PINE GROSBEAK—RUSTY-CROWNED FALCON.

country, returning to settle upon the same trees in the evening.
They are very social, living in pairs in the breeding season; but
even during that period, will sometimes associate in considerable
numbers. Their nests are made among the branches of fir-trees,
and there they disport themselves gayly, climing nimbly, and
assisting their movements, as parrots do, with their beaks. They
will hang for minutes together head downward, clinging to a twig
or cone, seeming to enjoy this apparently uncomfortable position.
Their movements, when on the wing, are undulating and rapid,
but they never fly to any great distance. The pleasure they ex-
perience in the society of their mate is often testified by fluttering
over the tops of the trees as they sing, after which they hover for
a time, and then descend slowly to thei perch. In the daytime
they are generally in motion, with the exception of a short time at
noon. During the spring, summer, and autumn, they pass their
time in flying from one plantation or mountain to another. In
winter, if the cold is extreme, they remain much longer in their
sleeping-place, only coming abroad after the sun has warmed
the earth, though they commence their song early in the morn-
ing. At this season they make their first appearance about ten
o'clock, and are soon busily employed in search of food; about
two o'clock they become quieter, seek food again at four o’clock,
and then go to roost. The Cross-bill troubles itself but little about
the other inhabitants of the woods, and is almost fearless of man,
whom it is very evident it has not learnt to regard as an enemy.
Should a female be shot, its mate will remain sorrowfully perched
upon the branch from which his little companion has fallen, or
again and again visit the spot where she was killed, in the hope
of finding her; indeed, it is only after repeated proofs of the
treachery of mankind that he begins to testify any symptom of
shyness. When placed in a cage, the Cross-bills become exceed-
ingly tame, appearing entirely to forget the loss of their freedom,
and grow so fond of those they are with as to obey them in every-
thing, allowing themselves to be touched, or even carried about
the room on the hand, and demonstrating their confidence in a
variety of ways, so that the inhabitants of mountainous districts are
usually much attached to these gentle little creatures.

The Pine Grosbeak. (/izicola enucleator.)
Fig. 9, Male. Fig. 10, Female.

This species is an inhabitant of northern North America, and
appears generally in flocks, in the pine-woods, in the United States,
in winter; and is also to be seen in the Sierra Nevada of Califor-
nia. When these birds first come among us they are harmless,
confiding creatures, who have not yet experienced the artifices of
man, never offering to stir if a stranger or hunter approach the
trees on which they are perched, and will stare at the gun destined
for their destruction, without thinking of flight, even should one
of their companions be shot down from the same branch. Persons
have tried successfully to catch them by means of snares fastened
to the end of poles, by the aid of which they could be thrown over
the heads of birds; indeed, the clumsiest kind of trap is all that is
required to catch these unsuspicious little wanderers. The most
touching tales are told of the attachment of the Pine Grosbeak to
its mate. On one occasion, three out of a party of four had been
captured, when, to the astonishment of all, the fourth crept into
the net, in order to share the fate of its companions. - It must not
be imagined, however, that these birds are really foolish; for ex-
perience soon teaches them its lessons, and they become distrustful,
shy, and cautious. In its habits, the Pine Grosbeak often reminds
one of the Cross-bill. It is essentially a tree-bird, being quite at
home upon a branch, but uneasy and out of place on the ground.
It can climb skillfully from one bough to another, hopping with
ease to tolerably distant branches. Its flight is rapid, and, like
that of most Finches, rather undulating, and it hovers before perch-

ing. Its voice is flute-like and expressive, resembling that of the
Bullfinch, and its song, which may be heard throughout the whole
of the winter, is very varied and pleasing, on account of its soft,
clear notes. In winter, we do not hear it in perfection, as it is then
low and disjointed; but in spring, when the male rouses all his
energies to cheer his little mate, his tones would satisfy the most
fastidious critic. It sings during the clear light summer nights,
and on that account is called ‘* the Watchman.” This bird has
many other good qualities, and, owing to its gentle, confiding tem-
perament, may be easily tamed, if properly treated. It becomes,
in a few days, accustomed to confinement, taking its food readily
from the hand, and will allow itself to be stroked, or even carried
about the room, all the time testifying its happiness and content.
It is an interesting sight to see a male and female bird in one cage,
for their tenderness toward each other is extreme; but, alas! in
one point they are deficient—they do not survive the loss of their
freedom for any considerable length of time, and pine away
rapidly, especially when their keepers forget that these children
of tne North must have fresh, cold air, and foolishly confine them
in hot rooms. The length of this bird is about nine inches, three
of which belong to the tail; the breadth across the wings varies
from thirteen to fourteen inches, and the wing measures four and a
half inches from the shoulder to the tip.

PLATE XXXIX.

The Sparrow Hawk, or Rusty-crowned Falcon. (/adco sparverius.)
Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female.

This elegant and singularly marked little Hawk is at once
recognized by the smallness of its size and fhe peculiarity of its
plumage. They are a constant resident in almost every part of
the United States, and are particularly abundant in the Southern
States in winter, wandering in summer as far as the Rocky Moun-
tains. The nest is built in a hollow, shattered, or decayed tree, at
a considerable elevation; the eggs are usually four or five in num-
ber, of a light brownish-yellow, and spotted with brown.

This species is a frequent visitor to the farm-house and barn-yard,
where it is most commonly seen perched on some dead branch, or
on a pole or stalk in the fields, often a little distance from the
ground, keeping up a constant agitation of the tail, and attentively
watching for the approach of some unlucky mouse or mole, or even
for beetles or grasshoppers, upon which it pounces with great
quickness, and immediately returns to its stand to devour it. When
changing its position, it flies low until within a few’yards of the
spot upon which it wishes to settle, when it suddenly rises with an
easy curve and alights with the utmost grace, closing its wings
with the rapidity of thought. Sometimes a Sparrow or Finch
crosses its pathway, when the little Hawk, all anxiety to secure so
great a prize, at once gives chase, and soon overtaking it, bears it
off to share the dainty morsel with its mate and young. Instances
have been recorded in which this Hawk has been so eager in the
pursuit of its prey as to follow the victim even into a house or
wagon, and even going so far as to dart into a railway car when
in rapid motion, in order to secure its prize. In so much dread is
this formidable enemy held by the objects of its attack, that on its
approach some birds will throw themselves, as though dead, upon
the ground; others will make for their hiding-place with such
devious turnings from the direct path as baffle even the skillful
steering of their pursuer, and then dart into the inmost recesses
of some protecting bush, and thus place themselves for the time in
safety. .‘‘ The Blue Jay,” says Wilson, ‘*has a particular antipathy
to this bird, and frequently insults it by following and imitating its
notes so exactly as to deceive even those well acquainted with both.

PI, XXXIX

PLOAL

rage aa
ory

<i aa

eit Por > Awe s a kK <
Bian cae d ¥ " HT aS
, ¥ =) ett
: aaa SAO.

BLUE JAY—LEAST BITTERN—RUDDY PLOVER. 55

In return for all this abuse, the Hawk contents himself with now
and then feasting on the plumpest of his persecutors, who are,
therefore, in perpetual dread of him; and yet, through some
strange infatuation, or from fear that if they lose sight of him he
may attack them unaware, the Sparrow Hawk no sooner appears
than the alarm is given, and the whole posse of Jays follow.” The

length of this bird is about ten inches, and about twenty inches in
breadth.

The Blue Jay. (Cyanurus cristatus.)
Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female.

This bird probably enjoys as wide-spread a reputation as any of
our North American species. It is said that with but few excep-
tions there is no country upon the globe where some of its repre-
sentatives are not found. But it is on the American continent
that itis most abundantly diffused, especially in Mexico, and the
countries lying adjacent to the equator.

Notwithstanding the beautiful appearance of the Blue Jay, it is
regarded with but little favor in North America, where it is found
in great numbers, a constant inhabitant both of the wooded wilder-
ness and the vicinity of the settled ‘farm, though more familiar at
the approach of winter and early in spring than at any other
season. ‘* These wanderings or limited migrations,” says Nuttall,
‘*are induced by necessity alone; his hoards of grain, nuts, and
acorns either have failed, or are forgotten; for, like other misers,
he is more assiduous to amass than to expend or enjoy his stores,
and the fruits of his labors very frequently either devolve to the
rats or squirrels, or accidentally assist in the replanting of the
forest. His visits, at this time, are not infrequent in the garden
and orchard, and his usual petulant address, of dg’ay, Fay, F’ay,
and other harsh and trumpeting articulations, soon make his retreat
known to all in his neighborhood. So habitual is this sentinel-cry
of alarm, and so expressive, that all the birds within call, as well
as other wild animals, are instantly on the alert, so that the fowler
and hunter become generally disappointed of their game by this
garrulous and noisy propensity. He is, therefore, for his petulance,
frequently killed without pity or profit, as his flesh, though eaten,
has but little to recommend it. His more complaisant notes, when
undisturbed, though guttural and echoing, are by no means un-
pleasant, and fall in harmoniously with the cadence of the feathered
choristers around him, so as to form a finishing part to the general
music of the grove. His accents of blandishment, when influenced
by the softer passions, are low and musical, so as to be scarcely
heard beyond the thick branches where he sits concealed; but, as
soon as discovered, he bursts out into notes of rage and reproach,
accompanying his voice by jerks and actions of temerity and de-
fiance.” Wilson calls this species the Bird Trumpeter, from the
remarkable sound that it produces when alarmed; and we learn
from other ornithologists that it can imitate the cry of the Buzzard
and Sparrow Hawk to such perfection as frequently to terrify the
smaller denizens of the woods, and raises such an uproar on per-
ceiving a fox or other enemy as compels the intruder to sneak
quietly away. ‘*The Blue Jay,” says Audubon, ‘is extremely
expert in discovering a fox, a raccoon, or any other quadruped
hostile to birds, and will follow it, emitting a loud noise, as if de-
sirous of bringing a Crow to its assistance. It acts in the same
manner toward Owls, and even on soine occasions toward Hawks.
It is more tyrannical than brave, and like most boasters, domineers
over the feeble, dreads the strong, and flies ever from his equal. In
many cases, he is a downright coward. It robs every nest it
can find; sucks the eggs, like the Crow, or tears to pieces and de-
vours the young birds. In the North, they are fond of ripe chest-
nuts, and in visiting the trees, is seen to select the choicest. When
these fail, it attacks the beech-nut, acorns, pears, apples, and green
corn.” Large quantities of seeds, all kinds of insects, and flesh
are also eaten by these birds. The number of broods varies with

the district in which the Jays are found, some breeding but once
and others twice in the year. The nest is formed of twigs and
other dry materials, lined with a bed of delicate fibers, on which,
in due season, four or five eggs are deposited; these latter are
olive-brown, marked with dark spots.

Who could imagine that a form so graceful, arrayed by nature
in a garb so resplendent, should harbor so much mischief; that
selfishness, duplicity, and malice should form the moral accom-
paniments of so much physical perfection? Yet so it is; and how
like beings of a much higher order are these gay deceivers |

PLATE XL.

The Least Bittern. (Ardeéta exilis.)

Fig. 1.

This very neat little species of Bittern is common in the United
States, and most usually to be seen in the remotest parts of exten-
sive marshes, from whence they seldom ever issue till the period of
migration, which is no doubt nocturnal, in accordance with their
usual habits. This bird is also seen in Jamaica, and several other
of the West India Islands. They are chiefly found in the fresh-
water marshes, or in places grown over with reeds and rushes, and
are rarely seen in salt meadows. Their food consists principally
of small fish of fresh water or inlets, and of aquatic insects.
‘‘When alarmed,” says Wilson, ‘‘they seldom fly far, but take
shelter among the reeds or long grass, and like the American
Bittern, feed chiefly in the night.” When surprised at night in
their retreat, they are perfectly silent, and are not known to utter
any very audible note. The eggs are two, sometimes three in
number, and are of a dirty white color, and rather large for the
size of the bird. The young remain in the nest until fully fledged,
and are fed by the parents. Like all other young of the tribe,
they sit on their heels, stretching their long legs forward, until .
advanced, when they will stand more erect. The length of this
bird is about twelve inches, and from tip to tip of the expanded
wings is about sixteen inches. ‘

The Sanderling, or Ruddy Plover. (Cadidris arenaria.)
Fig. 2.

This elegant little coast bird occupies, and is particularly attached
to sandy flats, and low, sterile, solitary seasides, divested of vege-
tation, and perpetually bleached by the access of tides and storms,
and is occasionally found near large pieces of fresh-water. In such
situations they are often seen in numerous flocks running along the
shore, busily employed in front of the moving waves, gleaning
with agility the shrimps, minute shell-fish, marine insects, and
small moluscous animals. Upon the ground, it runs with grace
and quick movement, and exhibits the utmost dexterity in its beau-
tiful and rapid motion through the air, during whics it frequently
joins company with parties of other shore birds. ‘* The numerous
flocks,” says Nuttall, ‘‘ keep a low, circling course along the
strand, at times uttering a slender and rather plaintive whistle,
nearly like that of the smaller Sandpipers. On alighting, the
little, active troop, watching the opportunity, scatter themselves
about in the rear of the retiring surge; the succeeding wave then
again urges the busy gleaners before it, when they appear like a
liitle pigmy army passing through their military evolutions; and at
this time the wily sportsman, seizing his opportunity, spreads
destruction among their timid ranks, and so little are they aware
of the nature of the attack, that after making a few aerial meanders,

56 KILDEER PLOVER—PIPING RINGED PLOVER—RING-NECKED PLOVER.

the survivors pursue their busy avocations with as little apparent
concern as at the first.” Like other Sandpipers, it associates in
more or less numerous flocks while in winter-quarters, but lives in
pairs throughout the summer. In disposition it is gentle and more
confiding than other members of its family, but closely resembles
them in its general habits. With so little timidity does the Sander-
ling regard man, that it is not uncommon for it to permit his close
approach, and even if shot at, it often only moves a few paces from
the spot. Nauman mentions that upon one occasion, after watching
the proceedings of five of these birds, that were standing almost
close to him, in most evident disregard of his presence, the thought
struck him that he would arrange some snares he had in his pocket
and take the whole party prisoners. ‘This he accordingly did, the
intended victims quietly watching his arrangements, and finally
walking amongst and entangling themselves in the treacherous
strings. This species is eight inches long, and fourteen and
a quarter inches broad.

The Killdeer Plover. (2gialitcs vociferus.)

Fig. 3.

This species, so well known to the sportsman, is very abundant
throughout North America. It may be said, they are met with in
every quarter; and while some occupy the interior of the country,
frequenting its plains and open grounds, others prefer the vicinity
of the sea, or the margins of lakes and rivers, obtaining their food
principally from the water; others, again, select desert tracts,
marshes, or mountainous districts. During the breeding season,
they live in pairs, but near together; subsequently, they collect
together, into large parties, which gradually increase in size as the
season for migrating approaches. In their habits they are usually
active. They run and fly with equal facility, and though they
rarely attempt to swim, are not altogether unsuccessful in that
particular. They utter a noisy, plaintive whistle, and, during the
breeding season, can produce a few connected, pleasing notes,
from which they derive their name. ‘‘ At all times,” says Nuttall,
‘they are noisy and querulous to a proverb. In the breeding
season, nothing can exceed their anxiety and alarm; and the inces-
sant cry of Avlldecr, Killdeer, or te-te-de-dit, and te-dit, as they
waft themselves about overhead, or descend, and fly around you,
is almost deafening. At the same time, to carry out this appear-
ance of distress, they run along the ground, with hanging wings,
counterfeiting lameness to divert the attention of the intruder. In-
deed, no person can now approach the breeding-place, though at
a considerable distance, without being molested with their vocifer-
ous and petulant clamor. During the evening, and till a late hour
in moonlight nights, their cries are still heard, both in the fall and
spring. They seek their fare of worms and insects often in the
twilight, so that their habits are, in some degree, nocturnal, but they
also feed largely on grasshoppers, crickets, and carabeeus.” ‘* The
Killdeer’s large eyes,” says Audubon, ‘‘seem to be given it to enable
it to feed by night as well as by day. At any time after the breed-
ing season, this species moves in loose flocks, seldom exceeding
ten or fifteen individuals, which disperse over the space of an acre
or twoof ground. Yet some one of them always acts as a sentinel ;
for standing erect, to the full stretch of its legs, it carefully watches
all the moving objects around, as far as its eye can reach. Cows,
horses, or sheep are none of its enemies, and among them it will
seek for food; but let a man, or a dog, or any other animal bent
on destruction, show himself, and that instant the bird runs swiftly
with a querulous note, and should any of these, his enemies,
evince the least disposition to molest it, its beautiful wings and tail
are spread, and away it goes, cheerily calling to its companions
to follow.” As game, their flesh is generally considered indifferent.
In the fall, however, when the young birds are fat, juicy, and ten-
der, they are considered by some as well flavored. This species
is ten inches long and twenty broad.

The Piping Ringed Plover. (C#gialités melodus.)
| Fig. 4.

This pretty little species is most generally to be found along our
extensive sea-coast, from the southern point of the Floridas to the
frontier of Maine. The voice of this species, uttered while running
along the shore of the coast, is rather soft and musical, and consists
chiefly of a single varied and repeated melancholy, piping note.
The food of this species consists of various insects, larve, mussels,
and similar fare. They drink much, bathe freely once or twice a
day, and frequently obtain their prey from under stones, in or near
the water. <‘‘ The flight of the Piping Plover,” says Audubon,
‘¢is extremely rapid as well as protracted. It passes through the air
by glidings and extended flappings, either close over the sand or
high above the shores. On the ground few birds are swifter of
foot. It runs in a straight line before you, sometimes for twenty
or thirty yards, with so much celerity that unless you have a keen
eye it is almost sure to become lost to your view ; then, in an instant,
it stops, becomes perfectly motionless, and if it perceives that you
have not marked it, squats flat on the sand, which it so much
resembles in color that you may as well search for another as try
to find it again.” This active and lovely little bird is worthy the
attention of the young naturalist, as an object of study while tarry-
ing by the sea-side, where they are quite numerous. The study
of their habits would alone afford’ entertainment and occupation
for a season. Their motions, so beautiful and graceful, as they
course along the sand, stopping to examine the shells which the
tide in its recess has left upon the beach, or following the retreat-
ing breakers to pick up the minute shell-fish borne in by the waves,
is very entertaining. So, also, is the soft and musical note which
is uttered with a somewhat deceptive effect, and is often heard pro-
ceeding from various quarters at the same time, without our being
able to discover its source. The nest of this species consists chiefly
of a small hole scooped out of the sand, often near the base of a
tuft of grass. The female lays four eggs, which are mostly
hatched by the warmth of the sand, acquired by exposure to a hot
sun. The length of this bird is six inches and a half, and the span
of the wing thirteen inches.

The Semi-palmated, Ring, or Ring-neck Plover. C£gialitis semi-

palmatus.)
Fig. 5-

This little Plover arrives from the South along our sea-coasts,
and in the Middle States, near the close of April, when they may
be observed feeding and searching for their food, which consists
of small crustacea, mollusca, and the eggs of various marine
animals. During the latter part of May, they may be seen in
flocks, on their way farther North. und in summer are even ob-
served as far as the icy shores of Greenland. According to Rich-
ardson, they abound in Arctic America during the summer, and
breed in similar situations with the Golden Plover. Mr. Hutchins
adds, ‘‘its eggs, generally four, are dark-colored, and spotted with
black.” The aborigines say, that on the approach of stormy
weather, this species utters a chirping noise, and claps its wings,
as if influenced by some instinctive excitement. As soon after the
breeding season as their young have acquired strength, and the
inclement weather sets in, they migrate to warmer climates.
Flocks of the old and young may be seen in the fall passing to the
South. They are fond of associating with other birds of similar
habits, and are generally unsuspicious, so that they are easily
approached. On most occasions, and when flushed, they utter a
reiterated, sharp, twittering, and wild note, very much in unison
with the ceaseless echoes of the breaking surge, and the lashing
of the waves, near which they almost perpetually course, gliding

PL. XLI

RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER—AMERICAN DUNLIN—GOLDEN PLOVER. S7

and running with great agility before the retiring or advancing
waters. When on the wing their notes are more sharp, and
frequently repeated. The flesh of this bird is generally held in
good esteem, especially in early autumn, when they are fat and
well flavored. The length of this species is seven inches, and the
span of the wing fourteen inches.

PLATE XLI.

Red-breasted Sandpiper, Ash-colored Sandpiper, Gray-back, Robin-snipe,
or Knot. (7rénga canutus.)

Fig. 1.

This pretty bird, described under such a multiplicity of names,
is quite a favorite with the sportsman, and when young and fat, is
always welcome to the palate of the connoisseur. This species
may generally be found near marine marshes on the sea-shore, or
the borders of lakes or rivers, visiting the temperate climates
during the winter, and returning to the colder latitudes to spend
the summer months. Dr. Wheaton states that it occurs in Ohio,
and Professor Snow says that it is common in Kansas. Their
migrations take place in large parties, which fly by night or early
in the morning. During the recess of the tide, they may be seen
upon the sea-shore, seeking their food from the refuse of the ocean,
or quietly and intently probing the sands in search of worms and
shell-fish, and sometimes retreating rapidly before the advancing
surge, and profiting by what the wave leaves on its retreat. In
all their movements they display great activity, either from running
rapidly and lightly on the fore part of their toes over the surface
of the moist sand, when swimming in the water, or when winging
their way, with a varied, graceful, and rapid flight, through the
air. The voice of this bird is clear, piping, and resonant. They
are social and peaceful in their habits, and it is probable that the
encounters in which they indulge at certain seasons of the year, are
as much in sport as in rivalry. ‘‘In autumn and winter,” says
Audubon, ‘‘ this species is abundant along the whole range of our
coast, wherever the shores are sandy or muddy, from Maine to the
mouths of the Mississippi; but I never found one far inland.
Sometimes they collect in flocks of several hundred individuals,
and are seen wheeling over the water, near the shore, or over the
beaches, in beautiful order, and now and then so close together as
to afford an excellent shot, especially when they suddenly alight in
a mass near the sportsman, or when, swiftly veering, they expose
their lower parts at the same moment. On such occasions, a dozen
or more may be killed at once, provided the proper moment is
chosen.”

There seems to be a kind of impatience in this bird that prevents
it from remaining any length of time in the same place, and you
may see it, scarcely alighted on a sand-bar, fly off, without any
apparent reason, to another, when it settles, runs for a few moments,
and again starts off on wing. ‘This bird is an inhabitant of both
continents, and although so abundant along the coasts at some
seasons, they appear always to retire to the arctic regions to breed.
Their food consists of worms, small mollusks, insects, larvee, and
similar fare. This species is ten inches long and twenty inches
broad.

The American Dunlin, Black-bellied or Red-breasted Sandpiper, Ox-bird,
or Purre. (Zringa alpina var. americana.)

Fig. 2.

This is one of our small and active species, migrating in large
numbers along both our shores in spring and fall. During the

summer season they are met with throughout the northern hem-
isphere, penetrating to the utmost habitable verge of the arctic
circle, where they also breed. They likewise inhabit Greenland,
Iceland, Scandinavia, the Alps of Siberia, and the coasts of the
Caspian. In the southern hemisphere, they sometimes even
wander as far as the Cape of Good Hope, and are found in
Jamaica and Cayenne. They arrive in the Middle States, on
their way north, during the months of April and May, and again,
as they pursue their route to the warmer climates, they may be
seen in September and October. At these times they often mingle
with the flocks of other shore-birds, from which they are dis-
tinguishable by the rufous color of their upper plumage. In their
habits they are quite active, and when frequenting the muddy flats
and shores of the salt marshes, at the recess of the tide, they can
be seen dexterously feeding on the worms, insects, and minute
shell-fish, which such places generally afford. ‘* These birds,”
says Wilson, ‘‘in conjunction with several others, sometimes col-
lect together in such flocks as to seem, at a distance, a large cloud
of thick smoke, varying in form and appearance every instant,
while it performs its evolutions in air. As this cloud descends
and courses along the shores of the ocean with great rapidity, in a
kind of waving, serpentine flight, alternately throwing its dark and
white plumage to the eye, it forms a very grand and interesting ap-
pearance. At such times, the gunners make prodigious slaughter
among them, while, as the showers of their companions fall, the
whole body often alight, or descend to the surface with them,
till the sportsman is completely satiated with destruction.” This
species is about eight inches long and fifteen inches broad.

The Golden Plover, Frost-bird, or Bull-head. (Charadrius fulvus var.

ULYQINicUs.)
Fig. 3.

This is one of our well-known and highly prized game-birds:
They arrive on the coast of the Middle and Northern States, and
in the interior of some of the Western States, in spring and early
autumn. They winter in the South, principally upon the great
grassy ranges of Texas and northern Mexico. It forms one of the
most numerous bodies of the migratory birds, and may be seen in
flocks, on their arrival in the spring, numbering three or four
hundred. Their migrations usually take place at night, the birds
flying at a considerable height from the ground. During the day
they rest or seek for food, and, strangely enough, select not their
usually favorite marshes, but fields and cultivated ground. They
are brisk and nimble, running with great rapidity, and flying not
only swiftly, but gracefully. During the period of incubation,
they indulge in a variety of elegant gyrations in the vicinity of the
nest, and their plaintive, clear whistle is heard to most advantage
at that season. Worms, larve, beetles, snails, and slugs consti-
tute their principal nourishment, and, in order to assist digestion,
small pebbles are also swallowed. Water would appear to be a
real necessary of life to these birds, as they love to wash and cleanse
their feathers in it daily. ‘* When, in the spring-plowing, the rich
soil of our prairie States is turned up,” says Bogardus, ‘a vast
number of fat worms are thrown to the surface. To pick up and
feed upon these, the Golden Plover will be seen following the
plowman along the furrow. Sometimes they fly a little ahead of
the plow and team, sometimes abreast of them, and all the time
some are wheeling and curling round and dropping in the furrow
which has just been made. At such times, they occasionally
become so bold and tame that they come quite close to the horses,
and I have known some to be knocked down and killed by the
driving-boys with their whips. . At their first arrival the
flocks of Plover are rather wild and difficult to get at. In their
long journey on, and long flights from, the plains of Texas across
Arkansas, and along the Mississippi river, to Illinois, Missouri,

Iowa, and Kansas, they have not been accustomed to the neigh-
borhood of men, and at first they are shy. On some days
the flock will be much on the wing, flying from one field to another,
and all going in one direction, as wild Pigeons do. At such times,
the shooter may take a stand in the line of flight and get fair shoot-
ing all day, as the flocks go over. It is not necessary to hide
altogether ; in fact, in these localities—the burnt prairies and great
pastures—there is seldom the means to do so, but it is often desirable
to lie down. . The Golden Plovers are low-flying birds ;
the shooter may sometimes get a side shot at a large, close flock, and
kill eight or ten with his two barrels. Sometimes the birds skim
on not above four or five feet from the ground, at other times they
fly pretty high. When they fly low and present side shots,
is the most favorable time to pepper them.” Though they-continue
associated in numbers for common safety during the day, they dis-
perse in the evening, and repose apart from each other. At day-
break, however, the feeling of solitude again returns, and the early
sentinel no sooner gives the shrill and well-known call—a wild,
shrill, and whistling note—than they assemble in their usual com-
pany. In this, and most other countries, their flesh is esteemed as
a delicacy. The length of this species is about ten inches, and
twenty inches broad.

The Black-bellied Plover, Beetle-headed Plover, Whistling Field Plover,
Bull-head, or Ox-eye. (Sguatarola helvetica.)

Fig. 4.

This species, known by a diversity of names, is common through-
out North America, during the migrations, and is spread over most
parts of the world. Around Hudson’s Bay, Greenland, Iceland,
and in all the inclement parts of Siberia, they are a common bird.
It can be recognized at once by the presence of a small hind toe;
the same does not appear with any of our other species of Plovers.
When in full plumage, this species resembles very closely the
Golden Plover. According to Wilson, they generally begin to
visit the inland parts of Pennsylvania in the latter end of April,
and, less timid than the Golden Plover, it often selects the plowed
field for the site of its nest, where the ordinary fare of earth-worms,
larve, beetles, and winged insects now abound. ‘<’They travel
chiefly,” says Audubon, ‘‘ by night, and rest for a great part of the
day along the margins of the sea, either reposing on the sands in
the sunshine or searching the beaches for food. After dark their
well-known cries give note of their passage, but by day they remain
silent, even when forced to betake themselves to flight. On such
occasions, they generally wheel over the waters, and not un-
frequently return to the spot which they had at first selected.” At
times, this species is extremely shy and watchful, and during their
love-season they utter a loud and whistling note. The length of
this species is eleven and a half inches, and twenty-four in clear
extent.

PLATE XLII.

The Florida Gallinule. (Gadinula galeata.)

This species, which is represented on the upper part of the plate,
is mostly found in the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and is
occasionally met with in Canada and the Northern and Middle
States. They prefer to live in families, and have a whole pond
to themselves, and it is only on extensive pieces of water that
several pairs are to be met with, and even in this case each pair
strives jealously to keep possession of its own territory. Slow
waters, the margins of which are thickly covered with sedge and
coarse grasses, or at least with reeds and brushwood, and par-

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER—FLORIDA GALLIN ULE—OYSTER-CATCHER.

tially overgrown with floating herbage, afford the requisite con-
ditions for their residence. According to Audubon, this Gallinule
seldom resorts to salt water, but at times is met with on the banks
of bayous in which the water is brackish. This, however, hap-
pens only during winter. On land, it walks somewhat like a
chicken, and thirty, forty, or more individuals may be seen search-
ing for worms and insects among the grass, which they also nip
in the manner of the domestic fowl. On such occasions, the con-
stantly repeated movements of their tail are rendered conspicuous
by the pure white of the feathers beneath it, which, along with
the white stripes on the flanks, and, in spring, the vivid red of the
frontal plate, renders their general appearance quite interesting.
In cases of danger, they run with great. speed, and easily conceal
themselves. On the water, they sit very lightly, and swim with
activity, the movements of their head and neck keeping pace with
those of their feet. They pick up their food from either side, con-
tinually jerk their tail, and not unfrequently touch the water with
it. ‘These birds generally travel by night, and probably on foot,
at least some of them have been captured under circumstances that
lead to such a supposition. In early spring they usually arrive in
pairs in the vicinity of their breeding-places, but occasionally they
come singly. Its voice is loud and powerful, sounding like ‘‘¢err,
terr;” its warning cry resembles ‘‘ kerr, ¢ett, tett,” or like < gorr,
gorr,” and at times its call is like ‘‘ kurg, kurg,” expressive of
fear. When on its wanderings its cry is ‘‘ keg, keg, keg.” This
species is fourteen inches long and twenty-two broad..

The Oyster-catcher. (Hematopus palliatus.)

On the lower part of Plate XLII., we give a representation of this
species, which is generally to be met with on the Atlantic coast,
from Maine to Florida, and California, but is never seen in the

interior. ;
‘«The Oyster-catcher,” says Wilson, in describing its habits,

‘‘frequents the sandy sea-beach of New Jersey and other parts —
of our Atlantic coast, in summer, in small parties of two or
three pairs together. They are extremely shy; and, except about
the season of breeding, will seldom permit a person to approach
within gunshot. They walk along the shore, in a watchful, stately
manner, at times probing it with their long, wedge-like bills, in
search of small shell-fish. This appears evident on examining the
hard sands where they usually resort, which are found thickly
perforated with oblong holes, two or three inches in depth. The
small crabs, called fiddlers, that burrow in the mud at the bottom
of inlets, are frequently the prey of the Oyster-catcher, as are
muscles, spout-fish, and a variety of other shell-fish and sea
insects, with which those shores abound.”

Audubon, in describing the characteristics of this species, says:

‘¢Qur Oyster-catcher has a very extensive range. It spends
the winter along the coast, from Maryland to the Gulf of
Mexico, and being then abundant on the shores of the Floridas,
may be considered a constant resident in the United States.
At the approach of spring, it removes toward the Middle States,
where, as well as in North Carolina, it breeds. It seems
scarcer between Long Island and Portland, Maine, when you
again see it, and whence it occurs all the way to Labrador.
It is never found inland, nor even far up our largest rivers, but is
fond of remaining at all times on the sandy beaches and rocky
shores of our salt-water bays or marshes.

‘¢Shy, vigilant, and ever on the alert, the Oyster-catcher walks
with a certain appearance of dignity, greatly enhanced by its
handsome plumage and remarkable bill. If you stop to watch it,
that instant it sounds a loud shrill note of alarm, and should you
advance further toward it, when it has neither nest nor young,
off it flies quite out of sight. Few birds, indeed, are more difficult
to be approached, and the only means of studying its habits I found
to be the use of an excellent telescope, with which I could trace

PL. XLII

eh
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Be os ee

Sorat

PI. XLII

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ve

PL.XALIV

SOheaacates
aan RS
ee ae

jure th

pater

FRIGATE—WOOD IBIS. 59

its motions when at the distance of a quarter of a mile, and pur-
suing its avocations without apprehension of danger. In this
manner I have seen it probe the sand to the full length of its bill;
knock off limpets from the rocks on the coast of Labrador, using
its weapon sideways, and insinuating it between the rock and the
shell like a chisel; seize the bodies of gaping oysters on what are
called, in the Southern States and the Floridas, ‘ raccoon oyster-
beds,’ and at other times take up a ‘ razor-handle,’ or Solon,
and lash it against the sands until the shell was broken, and the
contents swallowed. Now and then they seem to suck the sea-
urchins, driving in the mouth and introducing thefr bill by the
aperture, without breaking the shell; again they are seen wading
up to their bodies, from one place to another, seizing on shrimps
and other crustacea, and even swimming for a few yards, should
this be necessary to enable them to remove from one bank to
another without flying.” |

The length of this species is about seventeen inches and its
breadth about thirty-five inches.

PLATE XLIII.

The Frigate, or Man-of-war Bird. (Zachypetes agutlus.)

This bird is commonly known as the ‘‘ Eagle of the Sea.” A
very conspicuous feature, by which it may be distinguished from
among all kindred species, is the great development of its wings.
According to Dr. Brehm: ‘* The Frigate Bird is to be found in the
same latitude as the ‘Sons of the Sun,’ braving with them the
fervor of inter-tropical heat, but it seldom wanders so far from land
as they. It has indeed been reported to have been seen at a dis-
tance of from six to seven hundred miles from the shore, to which
it usually resorts in stormy weather. At the earliest dawn of
morning it leaves its sleeping-place, and may soon afterward
be observed making broad circles in the air, or flying rapidly
against the wind toward the sea, in search of food. After catching
fishes until satisfied, it returns to the dry land, which it reaches,
should the weather be stormy, about noon, but if fine, not until
later in the day.”

This species, according to Bennett, being incapable of swimming
and diving, may generally be seen on the alert for flying-fish, when
these are started into the air by albicores and bonitos, and when
unsuccessful, it is compelled to resort to a system of plundering
other sea-birds. ‘The quiet and industrious tribes, the Gannets and
Sea-swallows, are generally selected as objects of attack, and on
returning to their haunts to feed their young brood, after having
been out fishing all day, are stopped in mid-air by the marauding
Frigate Bird, and compelled to deliver up some of their prey,
which, being disgorged by them, is most dexterously caught by
the plunderer before it reaches the water. A Frigate Bird has
been observed to soar over the mast-head of a ship, and tear away
the pieces of colored cloth appended to the vane.

*¢ About the middle of May,” says Audubon, ‘‘ a period which
to me appeared very late for birds found in so warm a climate as
the Florida Keys, the Frigate Pelicans assemble in flocks of from
fifty to five hundred pairs or more. They are seen flying at a
great height over the islands in which they have bred many pre-
vious seasons, courting for hours together, after which they return
toward the mangroves, alight on them, and at once begin to repair
the old nests or construct new ones. They pillage each other’s
nests of their materials, and make excursions for more to the
nearest Keys. They break the dry twigs of a tree with ease,
passing swiftly on wing, and snapping them off by a single grasp
of their powerful bill. It is indeed a beautiful sight to see them
when thus occupied, especially when several are so engaged,
passing and repassing with the swiftness of thought over trees

whose tops are blasted; their purpose appears accomplished as if
by magic. It sometimes happens that this bird accidentally drops
a stick while traveling toward its nest, when, if this should hap-
pen over the water, it plunges after it, and seizes it with its bill
before it has reached the waves. The nests are usually placed on
the south side of the Keys, and on such trees as hang over the
water—some low, others high; several in a single tree, or only
one, according to the size of the mangrove, but in some cases
lining the whole island. They are composed of sticks crossing
each other, to the height of about two inches, and are flattish, but
not very large. When the birds are incubating, their long wings
and tails are seen extending beyond the nest for more than a foot.
The eggs are two or three—more frequently the latter—in number ;
measure two inches and seven-eighths in length, two in breadth,
being thus of a rather elongated form, and have a thick, smooth
shell of a greenish-white color, frequently soiled with the filth of
the nest. The young are covered with yellowish-white down, and
look at first as if they had no feet. They are fed by regurgitation,
but grow tardily, and do not leave the nest until they are able to
follow their parents on the wing.”

‘¢ The Frigate Pelican,” continues the same authority, ‘‘ is pos-
sessed of a power of flight which I imagine superior, perhaps, to
that of any other bird. However swiftly the Cayenne Tern, the
smaller Gulls, or the Jager move on wing, it seems a matter of
mere sport to it to overtake any of them. The Goshawk, the
Peregrine, and the Gyr Falcon, which I conceive to be the swiftest
of our Hawks, are obliged to pursue their victim, should it be a
Green-winged Teal, or Passenger Pigeon, at times for half a mile
at the highest pitch of their speed before they can secure it. The
bird of which I speak comes from on high with the velocity of a
meteor, and on nearing the object of its pursuit, which its keen
eye has spied out while fishing at a distance, darts on either side
to cut off all retreat, and with open bill forces it to drop or disgorge
the fish which it has just caught. Upon one occasion I observed
a Frigate Bird that had forced a Cayenne Tern, yet in sight, to
drop a fish, which the broad-winged warrior had seized as it fell.
This fish was rather large for the Tern, and might probably be
about eight inches in length. The Frigate Bird mounted, with it
across his bill, about a hundred yards, and then, tossing it up,
caught it as it fell, but not in the proper manner; he therefore
dropped it, but before it had fallen many yards, caught it again.
Still it was not in a good position—the weight of the head, it
seemed, having prevented the bird from seizing it by that part. A
second time the fish was thrown upward, and now, at last, was
received in a convenient manner—that is, with its head downward
—and swallowed. These birds are gregarious, and utter a rough
croaking cry.”

The length of the Frigate Bird is forty-one inches, the spread of
the wings eighty-six inches, length of tail eighteen inches. The
weight of the entire bird is about three pounds.

PLATE XLIV.

The Wood Ibis. (Zantales loculator.)

‘©The Wood Ibis,” says Dr. Coues, ‘is a remarkable and in-
teresting bird. In its general size, shape, and color, it might be
likened to a Crane, being about four feet long, and standing still
higher when erect; white in color, with black-tipped wings and
black tail. The head is peculiar, being entirely bald in the adult
bird, and having an enormously thick, heavy bill, tapering and a
little decurved at the end. In Florida, it is sometimes called the
‘Gannet ;’ on the Colorado, it is known as the Water Turkey.” .

‘**To go out after birds at noon-day is impossible; will not some
birds kindly come to us? Fulfillment we have, even in the ex-

60 TURNSTONE.

pression of the wish; there are birds to lend wings to leaden
hours, even during the sun’s reign of terror at Fort Yuma. A
long white line, dimly seen at first in the distance, issues out of the

gray-green woods. It is a troop of Wood Ibises, leaving their
heated covert for what seems the still less endurable glare of day,
yet reckoning well, for they have before enjoyed the cooler currents
of the upper air, unheated by reflection from the parched and
shrinking sands. They come nearer, rising higher as they come,
till they are directly overhead, in the bright blue. Flapping
heavily until they had cleared all obstacles, then mounting faster,
with strong, regular beats of their broad wings, now they sail in
circles, with wide-spread, motionless pinions, supported as if by
magic. A score or more cross each other’s paths in interminable
spirals, their snowy bodies tipped at the wing-points with jetty
black, clear cut against the sky; they become specks in the air,
and finally pass from view. JI am not aware that the Ibises circle
about as I have described at particular hours of the day, but I
generally saw them so occupied in the forenoon. The habit is
constant with them, and quite characteristic. They are often
joined by numbers of Turkey Buzzards—birds that have the same
custom. ‘Those familiar with the aérial gyrations of these birds,
when, away from their loathsome feasts, they career high over-
head, will have, by adding to the Buzzard’s movements the beauty
of plumage that the Ibises possess, a good idea of the pleasing
appearance of the latter. Audubon says thattheir evolutions are
performed when digestion is going on, and continued until they
again feel the cravings of hunger. He has so well described their
mode of feeding, that I can not do better than quote his paragraph.
‘The Wood Ibis,’ he says, ‘ feeds entirely upon fish and aquatic
reptiles, of which it destroys an enormous quantity, in fact more
than it eats; for if they have been killing fish for half an hour,
and gorged themselves, they suffer the rest to lie on the water un-
touched, to become food for alligators, Crows, and Vultures. To
procure its food, the Wood Ibis walks through shallow, muddy
lakes, or bayous, in numbers. As soon as they have discovered
a place abounding in fish, they dance, as it were, all through it,
until the water becomes thick with the mud stirred from the bottom
with their feet. The fishes, on rising to the surface, are instantly
struck by the beak of the Ibises, and on being deprived of life
they turn over and so remain. In the course of ten or fifteen
minutes, hundreds of fishes, frogs, young alligators, and water-
snakes cover the surface, and the birds greedily swallow them
until they are completely gorged, after which they walk to the
nearest margins, place themselves in long rows, with their breasts
all turned toward the sun, in the manner of Pelicans and Vultures,
and thus remain for an hour or so.’

“‘The great abundance of the Wood Ibis on the: Colorado,
especially the lower portions of the river, as at Fort Yuma, has
not been generally recognized until of late years. It is probably
as numerous there as anywhere in the United States, though I
have never seen flocks ‘ composed of several thousands,’ such as
Audubon speaks of. Oftenest the numbers together would fall
short of one hundred, and single birds were very frequently seen
flapping overhead or wading in the shallow pools. But they are
like all of their great tribe, gregarious birds, spending most of their
time in each other’s society. I doubt that any are found on the
Colorado higher than Fort Mojave. They probably occur along
the greater part of the Gila, but how far up I am unable to say. I
have not noticed them in Arizona except on these two rivers.
Wherever found in the Territory, they are permanent residents, as
elsewhere in most parts of the United States. In the eastern
province they reach to the Carolinas. They are said to ascend the
Mississippi to the Ohio; but the swampy tracts and bayous of
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are, with the lagoons
of the lower Colorado, their favorite homes. I do not know of
them in California, except as along the river just named.

‘The carriage of the Wood Ibis is firm and sedate, almost
stately ; each leg is slowly lifted, and planted with deliberate pre-

cision, before the other is moved, when the birds walk unsuspicious
of danger. I never saw one run rapidly, since on all the occasions
when I have been the cause of alarm, the bird took wing directly.
It springs powerfully from the ground, bending low to gather
strength, and for a little distance flaps hurriedly with dangling
legs, as if it was much exertion to lift so heavy a body. But fairly
on wing, clear of all obstacles, the flight is firm, strong, and direct,
performed with continuous, moderately rapid beats of the wing,
except when the birds are sailing in circles as above noted. When
proceeding in a straight line the feet are stretched horizontally
backward, but the head is not drawn closely in upon the breast, as
is the case with Herons, so that the bird presents what may be
called a top-heavy appearance, increased by the thick large bill.

‘¢ The eggs of the Wood Ibis are like Heron’s, in being nearly
ellipsoidal, but differ from these, as well as from those of the Bay
Ibis, in color, which is uniform dull white, without markings. The
shell is rather rough to the touch, with a coating of softish, flaky,
calcareous substance. A specimen that I measured was exactly
two inches and three-quarters in length by one and three-quarters
in breadth. ‘Two or three are said to be anest-complement. Ac-
cording to Audubon, the young are entirely dusky-gray, with
brownish-black wings and bill. The head is at first covered, but
becomes partially bare after the first molt. Four years are said
to be required for the bird to attain its full plumage, though it may
breed at two or three years of age, and is largely white or whitish
after the first molt. The head and upper part of the neck of the
adult are wholly bare, and of a livid bluish color, tinged with yel-
lowish on the forehead. The bill is yellowish; the legs blue,
becoming blackish on the toes, and tinged with yellow on the webs.
The female is considerably smaller than the male.”

PLATE XLV.

The Turnstone. (Strepsi/as interpres.)
Fig. 1.

This peculiar and beautifully variegated species of marine bird
is to be met with on the sea-coasts of nearly all countries. It is
also, at times, to be seen in the interior. Usually, it appears
alone, or in parties of two or three, on the beach, or on the shores
of sandy rivers that empty into the ocean, near their outlets.
Occasionally, it is found in company with some of the Sandpipers,
and other beach birds. It arrives in the Middle and Eastern
States about April, remaining until June, very soon after which
they are seen at their breeding-quarters, on the shores of Hudson’s
Bay, and along the desolated strand of the Arctic Sea. ‘* This
is,” says Dr. Brewer, ‘the only species of Turnstone known, and
it is apparently distributed over the whole world. On the
Scotch and English coasts they arrive in small flocks about the
beginning of August, and as the season advances, congregate into
larger assemblies; the greater proportion of these are still in their
young dress, and it is not until the ensuing spring that this is com-
pletely changed. In this state they have been frequently described
as a second species. Early in spring, a few straggling birds, in
perfect breeding plumage, may be observed on most of our shores,
which have either been left at the general migration, or remain -
during the year in a stateof barrenness. It is then that the finest
specimens for stuffing are obtained.”

It is not often that two specimens of this species are found whose
plumage and markings are alike in every particular. As it is
represented on the plate, it will, we think, be recognized at once
by any one who has ever seen the bird. They are naturally of a
restless and active disposition, running rapidly, with wings low-
ered, but usually only for a short distance, pausing from time to
time, for a few moments, in the course of their swift career; their
flight is easy, and accompanied by a variety of graceful evolutions,

Seeapeaet
Paes
SS epee

Bite” es

4
—— r=

Sea

CURLEWS. 61

Their cry, which is shrill and penetrating, is uttered with such
various degrees of rapidity as to produce very different effects.
They are also very cautious, and unusually shy.

Audubon states that he had ocular demonstration of the fact that,
as its name imports, this species actually turns over stones and
other objects to search for food, and gives the following interesting
account of the proceedings of four of these birds, which he observed
on the beach of Galveston island: ‘* They merely,” he says, ‘* ran
a little distance out of our course, and, on our returning, came
back immediately to the same place. This they did four different
times, and after we were done, remained busily engaged in search-
ing for food. None of them were more than fifteen or twenty
yards distant, and I was delighted to see the ingenuity with which
they turned over the oyster-shells, clods of mud, and other small
bodies left exposed by the retiring tide. Whenever the object was
not too large, the bird bent its legs to half their length, placed its
bill beneath it, and with a sudden, quick jerk of the head, pushed
it off, when it quickly picked up the food which was thus exposed
to view, and walked deliberately to the next shell to perform the
same operation. In some instances, when the clusters of oyster-
shells or clods of mud were too heavy to be removed in the ordi-
nary manner, they would not only use the bill and head, but also
the breast, pushing the object with all their strength, and remind-
ing me of the labor which I have undergone in turning over a
large turtle. Among the sea-weeds, which had been cast on the
shore, they used only the bill, tossing the garbage from side to side
with a dexterity extremely pleasant to behold.”

Upon the coast of Cape May and Egg Harbor this species is
known by the name of the ‘* Horse-foot Snipe,” from the fact that
it subsists during a portion of the summer almost entirely on the
spawn and eggs of the great ‘‘ king crab,” called by the common
peuple the ** horse-foot.” This spawn may often be seen by bushels
in the hollows and eddies on the coast. This species is nine inches
long and eighteen across the span of the wing; the wing measures
six inches and the tail six inches and a half. In the young the
plumage is a mixture of blackish-brown and rust-yellow, the fore
part of the body being grayish-black.

The Esquimaux Curlew, or Dough-bird. (Mzmenztus borealis.)
Fig. 2.

This species is an occasional visitant to almost every part of the
North American continent, and in the course of its migrations it
penetrates into the remote territories of the West, along the great val-
ley of the Mississippi, and extending its wanderings into the south-
ern hemisphere as far as Brazil and Paraguay. It winters in the
South, and arrives at the eastern sea-coasts early in May. It ap-
pears more or less numerous in flocks in the salt marshes, on the
muddy shores, and about the inlets, and is also found near the
so-called mud-flats at low water, mingling with other wading
birds. According to Dr. Coues: ‘*The Curlews associate in
flocks of every size, from three to as many thousand, but they
generally fly in so loose and straggling a manner that it is rare to
kill more than half a dozen at a shot. When they wheel, how-
ever, in any of their many beautiful evolutions, they close together
in a more compact body, and offer a more favorable opportunity
to the gunner. Their flight is firm, direct, very swift, when nec-
essary much protracted, and is performed with regular, rapid
beats. They never sail, except when about to alight, when the
wings are much incurved downward, in the manner of most
waders. As their feet touch the ground, their long, pointed
Wings are raised over the back, until the tips almost touch, and
then deliberately folded, much in the manner of the Solitary Sand-
piper (/thyacophilus solitarius). Their note is an often-repeated,
soft, mellow, though clear whistle, which may be easily imitated.
By this means they can readily be decoyed within shot, if the im-

itation is good: and the gunner is careful to keep concealed. The
smaller the flock the more easily are they allured, and a single
individual rarely fails to turn his course toward the spot whence
the sound proceeds. When in very extensive flocks they have a
note which, when uttered by the whole number, I can compare to
nothing but the chattering of a flock of Blackbirds. When
wounded and taken in hand, they emit a very loud, harsh scream,
like that of a common hen under similar circumstances, which
cry they also utter when pursued.

‘« Their food consists almost entirely of the crow-berry (Zmpe-
trum nigrum), which grows on all the hill-sides in astonishing
profusion. It is also called the ‘ bear-berry’ and ‘ curlew-berry.’
It is a small berry, of a deep purple color, almost black, growing
upon a procumbent, running kind of heath, the foliage of which
has a peculiar moss-like appearance. This is their principal and
favorite food, and the whole intestine, the vent, the legs, the bill,
throat, and even the plumage, are more or less stained with the
deep purple juice. They are also very fond of a species of small
snail that adheres to the rock in immense quantities, to procure
which they frequent the land-washes at low tide. Food being so
abundant, and so easily obtained, they become excessively fat. In
this condition they are most delicious eating, being tender, juicy,
and finely flavored; but, as might be expected, they prove a very
difficult job for the taxidermist.

«Although the Curlews were in such vast numbers, I did not
find them so tame as might be expected, and as I had been led to
suppose by previous representations. I was never able to walk
openly within shooting distance of a flock, though I was told it
was often done. The most successful method of obtaining them is
to take such a position as they will probably fly over in passing
from one feeding ground to another. They may then be shot
with ease, as they rarely fly high at such times. The perti-
nacity with which they cling to certain feeding-grounds, even
when much molested, I saw strikingly illustrated on one occasion.
The tide was rising and about to flood a muddy flat, of perhaps an
acre in extent, where their favorite snails were in great quantities.
Although six or eight gunners were stationed upon the spot, and
kept up a continual round of firing upon the poor birds, they con-
tinued to fly distractedly about over our heads, notwithstanding the
numbers that every moment fell. They seemed in terror lest they
should lose their accustomed fare of snails that day. On another
occasion, when the birds had been so harassed for several hours
as to deprive them of all opportunity of feeding, great numbers of
them retired to a very smail island,. or rather a large pile of rocks,
a few hundred yards from the shore, covered with sea-weed and,
of course, with snails. Flock after flock alighted on it, till it was
completely covered with the birds, which there, in perfect safety,
obtained their morning meal.”

‘¢QOn their return in autumn,” says Nuttall, ‘‘ they are remark-
ably gregarious, each company seeming to follow some temporary
leader; and, on starting to fly, a sort of watch-cry is heard, re-
sembling the whistling pronunciation of the word dee-dee.” On
their arrival from the north, they are very fat, plump, and well
flavored. ‘They are sought out by epicures, and enhance the value
of a table entertainment. This bird is fifteen inches long and
twenty-seven inches broad.

The Hudsonian Curlew. (Vumenius hudsonicus..
Fig. 3.

This species appears to be much less abundant than the pre-
ceding, although it occupies the same territory. Wilson says:
‘* It arrives in large flocks on the sea-coast of New Jersey early in
May, from the South, and frequents the salt marshes, muddy shores,
and inlets, feeding on small worms and minute shell-fish. ‘They
are most commonly seen on mud-flats at low-water, in company

with various other waders; and, at high water, roam along the
marshes. They fly high, and with great rapidity. A few are seen
in June and as late as the beginning of July, when they generally
move off toward the north. Their appearance on these occasions
is very interesting. They collect together from the marshes, as if
by premeditated design, rise to a great height in the air, usually
an hour before sunset, and, forming in one vast line, keep up a
constant whistling on their way to the north, as if conversing with
one another to render the journey more agreeable.”
is nineteen inches long and thirty-two inches broad.

This species

PLATE XLVI.

The Long-billed Curlew--Sickle-bill. (Mzmzenius longtrostris.)
Fig. 1.

This is one of our abundant, and by sportsmen highly prized
game-birds, which is at home in most parts of the North American
continent. Its northern range is the Saskatchawan and the length
of the British provinces, where they retire to breed, rearing its
young, to the southern border. It is known by its long bill, and
loud, short whistling note, resembling the word £urlew, from whence
it derives its name. A good imitation of this note, it is said, may
entice a whole flock within gunshot. It affords splendid sport to
the shooter, and as a delicacy is equal to the Golden Plover.

«<It is by no means confined to the vicinity of the water,” says
Dr. Coues, ‘‘ but, on the contrary, is often seen on extensive dry
plains, where it feeds on various mollusks, insects, and berries,
which it deftly secures with its extraordinarily long bill. The
length and curve of this member, measuring sometimes eight or
nine inches in length, gives the bird a singular and unmistakable
appearance, either in flight or when gathering its food. Its voice
is sonorous and not at all musical. During the breeding season,
in particular, its harsh cries of alarm resound when the safety of
its nest or young is threatened. In the fall, when food is plenty,
it becomes very fat, and affords delicate eating.”

Dr. Newberry found the Curlew quite abundant in the vicinity
of San Francisco and throughout the Sacramento valley, during
the autumn and winter, though there were comparatively few in
the summer before the rainy season. ‘‘In our march,” he adds,
‘<through the Sacramento valley and northward, we did not meet
with it until we came down into the plains bordering Pitt river,
above the upper cafion. Here we found them in immense num-
bers, and they formed a valuable addition to our bill of fare. This
prairie is entirely covered with water during the wet season, as is
proven by the myriads of aquatic shells (planorbzs, physa, etc.)
scattered over the ground in the grass, and as it does not dry up
so completely as the other valleys, the Curlews apparently pass
the summer there. Around the Klamath lakes and others of that
group they were abundant in August, and we found them asso-
ciated with the Geese and other water-birds, which were congre-
gated in countless numbers on the low lands bordering the Colum-
bia, in October.”

This species is twenty-five and one-half inches long, and thirty-
eight inches broad.

The Willet, Semipalmated Tatiler, or Stone Snipe. (Zotaxus semt-
palmatus.)

Fig. 2.

This is one of our well-known and abundant species of sporting
bird. It is familiar to the general public by the name of Willet,

62 LONG-BILLED CURLEW--WILLET.

derived from its shrill cries, like the syllables "A717 willet, “tit pill
willet. It is distributed through most all parts of North America,
and breeds where it may find a suitable place; most generally it
is near the water of some secluded pool, or in the midst of a marsh.
It generally passes its winters within the tropics and along the
shores of the Mexican gulf, arriving in the Middle States early in
April, from which time to the early part of August its noisy cry
can be heard along the marshes for a great distance—Wilson says
‘‘of more than half a mile.” The same authority says: ‘The
anxiety and affection manifested by these birds for their eggs and
young are truly interesting. A person no sooner enters the marshes
than he is beset by the Willets, flying around and skimming over
his head, vociferating with great violence their common cry of
pill-will-willet, and uttering at times a loud, clicking note, as he
approaches nearer to their nest. As they occasionally alight, and
slowly shut their long white wings, speckled with black, they have
a mournful note, expressive of great tenderness. . . During
the laying season, the Crows are seen roaming over the marshes
in search of eggs, and, wherever they come, spread consternation
and alarm among the Willets, who, in united numbers, attack and
pursue them with loud clamors. It is worthy of remark, that
among the various birds that breed in these marshes, a mutual
respect is paid to each other’s eggs; and it is only from intruders
from the land side, such as crows, jays, weasels, foxes, minx, and
man himself, that these affectionate tribes have most to dread.”
As soon as the young are able to fly, the brood, with the parent
birds, roam together in a flock, and make frequent visits to the
pools and ditches near the beach, where they usually pass their
time wading about in the water, in search of food, which consists
of marine worms, small shell-fish, mollusks, and other aquatic
insects.

‘¢ Under ordinary circumstances,” says Dr. Coues, ‘* Willets are
notoriously restless, wary, and noisy birds; but their nature is
changed, or, at any rate, held in abeyance, during and for a short
time after incubation. They cease their cries, grow less uneasy,
become gentle, if still suspicious, and may generaily be seen
stalking quietly about the nest. When Willets are found in that
humor—absent-minded, as it were, absorbed in reflection upon
their engrossing duties, and unlikely to observe anything not di-
rectly in front of their bill—it is pretty good evidence that they
have a nest hard by. It is the same with Avocets, and probably
many other waders. During incubation, the bird that is § off
duty’ (both parents are said to take turns at this) almost always
indulges in revery, doubtless rose-tinted, and becomes in a corre-
sponding degree oblivious to outward things. If then they are
not set upon in a manner entirely too rude and boisterous, the in- .
quiring ornithologist could desire no better opportunity than he
will have to observe their every motion and attitude. But once
let them become thoroughly alarmed by too open approach, par-
ticularly if the setting bird be driven from her nest, and the scene
quickly shifts; there is a great outcry, violent protest, and tumult,
where was quietude. Other pairs, nesting near by, join their cries
till the confusion becomes general. But now, again, their actions
are not those they would show at other times; for, instead of flying
off with the instinct of self-preservation, to put distance between
them and danger, they are held by some fascination to the spot,
and hover around, wheeling about, flying in circles a little way to
return again, with unremitting clamor. They may be only too
easily destroyed under such circumstances, provided the orni-
thologist can lay aside his scruples and steel himself against sym-
pathy.

‘<The half-webbing of the toes renders this species something of
a swimmer, if necessity arise; but it only takes to water beyond
its depth under urgent circumstances. In size, as well as in
plumage, it is very variable; the length 9f the legs, particularly,
varies in different individuals to a surprising degree.”

Pi. XLVI

PL. XLVI

SANDPIPER--FLY-CATCHER--W ARBLERS. 63

The White-rumped Sandpiper. (Z7cxga bonapartei.)
Fig. 3.

Along the Atlantic coast this species is very abundant. It also
penetrates far into the interior. It winters in the Southern States
and Greenland, and is migratory through the United States and in
the eastern provinces. During such times it will be found with
other kindred species along the sea-shore and in the muddy flats
back of the beaches. ‘Its general habits,” says Dr. Coues, ‘‘ are
much like those of its allies, though it has some traits of its own,
among them a peculiarly low, soft ‘tweet,’ and a remarkable fa-
miliarity, or rather heedlessness. It may be distinguished, even
at a distance, by its white upper tail-coverts, which show conspic-
uously when not covered by the folded wings.” It is a very lively
little bird, running nimbly and fast along the water’s edge, some-
times standing still for a moment, wagging its tail, and then starts
to running, occasionally stopping to pick up food, which consists of
insects, worms, etc. The flight of this bird is usually low; at
times it is seen flying in an air or a slanting line across the water,
and then again it may be seen skimming along the surface, its
long wings making a considerable angle downward from the body.
This species is about seven inches long, and about twelve inches
broad.

PLATE XLVII.

The Green Black-capped Fly-catcher. (AZydodioctes pusillus.)

Fig. 1.

This active little species was first observed by Wilson in some
of the Eastern States of North America. It is generally familiar
and unsuspicious, and may be found in great numbers in the
bushes or thickets bordering on the streams, actively engaged in
hunting insects. At intervals it utters its song, which consists of
quite an animated warble. *** It has,” says Audubon, ‘all the
habits of a true Fly-catcher, feeding on small insects, which it
catches entirely on the wing, snapping its bill with a smart clicking
sound. It frequents the borders of the lakes, and such streams as
are fringed with low bushes, from which it is seen every moment
sallying forth, pursuing its insect prey for many yards at a time,
and again throwing itself into its favorite thickets.

**The nest is placed on the extremity of a small horizontal
branch, among the thick foliage of dwarf firs, not more than from
three to five feet from the ground, and in the center of the thickets
of those trees so common in Labrador. The materials of which
it is composed are bits of dry moss and delicate pine twigs, agglu-
tinated together and to the branches or leaves around it, and be-
neath which it is suspended, with a lining of extremely fine and
transparent fibers. The greatest diameter does not exceed three
and a half inches, and the depth is not more than one and a half,

The eggs are four, dull white, sprinkled with reddish and brown -

dots toward the large end, where the marks form the circle, leay-
ing the extremity plain. . . . They raise only one brood in
the season. The young males show their black cap as soon as
they are fully fledged, and before their departure for the south.”

‘‘ The female,” says Wilson, ‘‘ is without the black crown, hay-
ing that part of a dull yellow-olive, and is frequently mistaken for
a distinct species. From her great resemblance, however, in
other respects, tothe male, . . . she can not hereafter be
mistaken.”

The length of this species is four and five-eighths inches, and in
extent it is six and a half inches.

The Pine Warbler. (Dendroeca pina.)
Fig. 2.

This species, which is most generally to be observed in the pine
groves, actively passing over from the limbs to the branches, in
like manner as other Warblers, seizing insects on the wing, is
a very early visitor from the south, in the spring, and remains late
in the fall. This bird is by no means confined to the pine forests,
as it has been observed in similar situations as other Warblers are
to be found. Mr. Allen gives the following account of its resorts:
** During the last weeks of April and the early part of May, they
frequent open fields, obtaining much of their food from the ground.

- A little later they retire to the pine forests, where they
almost exclusively remain during summer, keeping mostly in the
tops of the taller trees. During a few weeks, about October rst,
they again come about the orchards and fields.”

‘“ While walking,” says Maynard, ‘in the piny woods of Florida,
one will suddenly observe that the trees over his head are filled
with birds, when, but a moment before, not a living thing was to
be seen, and his ears will be saluted by a variety of sounds. Be-
sides the loud, harsh notes of the Woodpeckers or Nuthatches,
and the mellow whistle of the Bluebirds, the slowly given trill of
the Pine Warblers will occasionally be heard. There are hun-
dreds of these little birds in every passing flock, yet but few of
them ever sing. They are extremely active, now searching for
insects among the swaying foliage of the high pines overhead, then
clinging to the brown trunks to peer into the crevices of the bark,
or alighting on the ground among the grass. But the birds do
not remain long in one spot, and soon pass on. Thus these great
avian waves are constantly passing over the barrens through the
entire winter, and generally more than half the birds of which
they are composed are Pine Warblers. Of all the thousands of
this species which spend the colder season in Florida but few re
main to breed, and by the middle of March the greater portion
leave for the north. They arrive in New England in early April,
and by the rst of May begin to construct their nests, which are -
commonly placed in a fork of the topmost limb of a pine tree.
They keep close watch of their homes, and when any one chances
to approach them, will chirp loudly; but although the collector can
thus ascertain when he is in the vicinity of a nest, he will find that
the birds have been careful to place it in such a position that it can
not be seen from below; therefore it is exceedingly difficult to dis-
cover. I have frequently searched a long time for a nest, and then
been obliged to abandon the attempt to find it, although I was con-
fident, by the actions of the birds, that it was near.”

During this season the males have a louder song than when in
the south. It consists of several short notes, which commence
low, but increase in volume and end abruptly. After leaving the
nests, the young follow their parents, and are thus found in small
companies until after the molt, which takes place in August;
then several families will come together, and the flocks thus
formed will increase in size until the rst of October, when the
Pine Warblers depart for the south, arriving in Florida about the
middle of November. The length of this species is five and a
half inches, and the extent eight and three-quarter inches.

The Blue Golden-winged Warbler. (Ye/minthophaga chrysoptera.)
Fig. 3.

This is one of our rare and beautifully marked species of War-
bler. It is usually met with in pairs, and appears to be every-
where uncommon. The higher branches of trees, in the vicinity
of swampy land, appear to be its favorite hunting places. It may
be seen seeking its food quite diligently along the branches and
among the twigs, moving .by short leaps, and stopping often to

64 W ARBLER--KINGLETS--FLY-CATCHER.

eee

utter its drawling note, ‘‘ zee-zee-zee-zee,” or ‘‘ dee-dee-dee-dee.”
This song is easily recognized from that of any other Warbler.
In its migrations to the north, it passes through the Middle States
in May, and returns in the fall to winter in Central America and
Cuba. ‘* The nest,” says Maynard, ‘‘is composed outwardly of
large oak-leaves of the previous year and grape-vine bark, and is
lined, not very smoothly, with fine grass and a few horse-hairs.
It is large for the size of the bird, quite deep, and slightly smaller
atthe top than inthe middle. . . . The eggs, four in num-
ber, . . » were white, spotted and blotched with reddish-
brown thickly at the larger end, where in one example the spots
formed an irregular wreath, more sparsely elsewhere.” The food
of this bird consists of small insects and their larvee. The length
of this species is five inches, and the extent about seven inches.

The Worm-eating Warbler. (Helmitherus vermivorus.)
Fig. 4.

This is one of our most industrious species of Warblers. It is
not a very abundant bird, and is distributed more in the warmer
parts of North America. In New England it is regarded only as
a straggler. Audubon, in describing its habits, says: ‘It is an
inhabitant of the interior of the forests, and is seldom found on the
borders of roads or in the fields. In spring they move in pairs,
and, during the.r retrogade marches, in little groups, consisting
each of a family seven or eight in number; on which account I
am inclined to believe that they raise only a single brood in the
year. They are ever amongst the decayed branches of trees or
other plants, such as are accidentally broken off by the wind, and
are there seen searching for insects or caterpillars. They also re-
sort to the ground, and turn over the dried leaves in quest of the
same kind of food. They are unsuspecting, and will suffer a
person to approach within a few paces. When disturbed, they fly
off to some place where withered leaves are seen. They have only
a few weak notes, which do not deserve the name of song. Their
industry, however, atones for this defect, as they are seen contin-
ually moving about, nestling among the leaves, and scarcely ever
removing from one situation to another, until after they have made
a full inspection of the part in which they have been employed.”

The American Naturalist contains an article by Mr. T. H. Jack-
son, describing the nest and eggs of this bird as follows:

‘¢Jt was placed in a hollow on the ground, much like the nest
of the Oven bird (Sezurus aurocapillus), and was hidden from
sight by the dry leaves that lay thickly around. The nest was
composed externally of dead leaves, mostly those of the beech,
while the interior was prettily lined with the fine thread-like stalks
of the hair-moss (polytrichium). Altogether, it was a very neat
structure, and looked to me as if the owner was habitually a
ground-nester. . . So close did the female sit that I cap-
tured her without difficulty by placing my hat over the nest.”

Mr. J. H. Batty discovered a nest of this species containing
eggs, on the eastern slope of the Orange Mountains, in New Jer-
sey. ‘*The eggs,” he says, ‘‘ are four in number, spotted and
dotted, most thickly at the large end, with reddish-brown, and
measuring 0.73 by 0.56.” The length of this species is five and a
quarter inches, and the extent about eight inches.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet. (/?egu/us satrapa.)
Fig. 5.

This is one of our attractive and industrious species. During its
migrations it may be said to be, in most parts of North America,
a common bird. It usually arrives in the Middle States from its
winter-quarters in the south as early as March, and may be seen
again in the fall more numerous than in the spring, and when the
winter is a mild one they are met with as late as December. In

summer it 1s a rare bird in the Middle States, at which time they
are to be found at the far north where they breed. It is generally
accompanied in its migrations by the Titmice or Chickadees,
Brown Creeper, Nuthatch, and various Warblers. The food of
this bird consists of insects and their larvee, especially those that
so numerously infest the apple and other garden and orchard trees,
in search of which it is very active in motion, skipping and per-
ambulating about the various branches, uttering its weak warble.
It is also said that they feed on flies, which they seize on the wing ;
small berries, and some kinds of seeds, which they break open by
pecking with their bill. Late in the winter they may be found,
mostly among the evergreens, such as the pine, spruce, cedar,
juniper, etc. Whilst fluttering in the air, this bird is often seen
exposing the golden feathers of its crown, which are opened and
shut very dexterously. This species is about four inches long, and
six and a half in extent.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet. (/tegulus calcndula.)
Fig. 6.

This species, in its habits, manners, and general appearance,
is very closely related to the preceding, and is usually to be seen,
in the fall, in their company and with the Titmouse; the whole
forming quite a group, busily and silently gleaning their scanty
food, which consists of insects and larve in the woods and orchards.
In spring, during their migrations, it is first seen in evergreen
woods; but later in the season it is usually to be observed among
the opening foliage and blossoms of forest and orchard trees, such
as the oak, elm, maple, apple, etc., frequenting the topmost
branches, as well as the lower ones, remaining on a cluster of
twigs until it is completely cleared of insects. It is not a shy bird,
but, on the contrary, will permit one to approach very near to it.
On bright days in spring, this bird may be heard uttering a very
beautiful and pleasing warble. It also has a queer call-note, which
frequently precedes the warble.

The Ruby-crown makes his winter-quarters in the Southern
States and along our southern berder and in Mexico. In summer
they retire to the north, Canada, Labrador, etc., to breed. This
species is about four inches long, and six inches in extent.

The Canadian Fly-catcher. (A%éodéoctcs canadensis.)
Fig. 7.

This beautiful species may be found abundantly in the wood-
lands of the eastern United States and Canada, where it may be
met with through the entire summer. It usually arrives in the
Middle and Western States from the south about the rst of May,
and again in autumn from the north, when it breeds. This bird
is chiefly to be met with near the mountains, busily engaged in
darting after and feeding on small insects, which it catches entirely
on the wing, snapping its bill with a smart clicking sound. It
also frequents the borders of the lakes and streams bordered with
bushes, from which it may be observed to sally forth, pursuing its
insect prey for some distance, and again returning to its favorite
resorts. Its flight is rapid, and the movements and actions those
of the true Fly-catchers. ‘‘Its note,” says Samuels, ‘‘is a shrill
weechy, weechy, which is uttered at short intervals by the bird, both
while on the wing and when perching.” ‘‘About the first week in
June,” says the same author, ‘the nest is built. This is fixed in
a fork of a low cedar or pine bush, very near the ground, and is
constructed of pine leaves, fine roots and grasses, and a few hairs,
It is loosely put together, and is lined with fine pieces of the same
materials and lichens. The eggs are four in number. They
are small and abruptly pointed; of a grayish-white color, with
a slight roseate tint, and are marked with spots and fine blotches
of lilac and brown, usually thickest nearer the larger end.” In

WARBLERS.

a a a tl aes

the female, the black on the forehead and along the throat is indis-
tinct. ‘The length of this bird is four inches and a half, and in
extent seven and three-quarter inches.

The Blue-winged Yellow Warbler. (/elminthophaga pinus.)
Fig. 8.

This species and the prothonotary Warbler bear a very close
resemblance in their colors, and are very often mistaken for each
other. Wilson says: ‘*It comes to us early in May from the
south; haunts thickets and shrubberies, searching the branches for
insects; is fond of visiting gardens, orchards, and willow trees,
of gleaning among blossoms and currant bushes, and is frequently
found in very sequestered woods, where it generally builds its
nest. This is fixed in a thick bunch or tussock of long grass,
sometimes sheltered by a brier bush. It is built in the form of an
inverted cone or funnel—the bottom thickly bedded with dry beech
leaves, the sides formed of the dry bark of strong weeds, lined
within with fine dry grass. These materials are not placed in the
usual manner, circularly, but shelving downward on all sides from
the top; the mouth being wide, the bottom very narrow, filled with
leaves, and the eggs or young occupying the middle. The female
lays five eggs, pure white, with a few very faint dots of reddish
near the great end. The young appear the first week in June.”
This bird will permit one to approach very near, so that good ob-
servations can be made. It is usually very busily employed in
catching flying insects. The length of this bird is five and a half

_inches, and in extent seven and three-quarter inches.

The Cape May Warbler.
Fig. 9.

(Dendroeca tigrina.)

‘This is a beautiful little species of Warbler, and in most parts
of North America it is uncommon. It is to be met with near
swamps, and in the pine, fir, cypress, etc., forests. Maynard, in
his valuable work, entitled «¢ The Birds of Florida,” says: *‘Upon
visiting the extensive coniferous forests of Northern Maine, in sum-
mer, I was much surprised to find these beautiful little Warblers
abundant there. They frequented the tops of the huge spruces
and pines, often more than one hundred feet in the air. The birds
were ever busy in searching for insects among the thick foliage,
so that it was almost impossible to see one. But the lively and

varied songs of the males, which came floating downward through.

the perfumed air, and mingled with other harmonious sounds,
which are constantly heard in these sylvan retreats during the
pleasant June weather, informed us of their presence, even
though we could not see the author of the melodious strains.
The Cape May Warblers doubtless breed in the tops of these
densely foliaged trees, for we shot several females which bore
signs of incubation. . . . They were very abundant at Key
West in November, frequenting the gardens near the houses, where
they were searching among the tropical trees and shrubs for in-
sects. The birds were very unsuspicious, often clinging to
branches which overhung the sidewalks, within a few feet of pas-
sengers. ‘They appeared to prefer the inhabited portion of the
Key, for I rarely found them in the wooded districts. The majority
left the island before the rst of December, but a few remained all
winter. They are common, however, throughout the state in the
spring, and may be found in almost any hummock in company
with other Warblers.”

A peculiar feature of this species is the construction of its bill,
which is curved downward. The tongue is also singular, being
more deeply cleft than is usually noticed in Warblers. This species
winters in Key West and the West Indies, and breeds in Jamaica
and in the more northern sections of the United States. Its length
is five and one-half inches, and in extent it is eight and three-
quarter inches,

The Tennessee Warbler. (Helmcnthophaga peregrina.)

Fig. To.

This may be considered another rare species of Warbler, and
the appearance of its coloring may be said to be plain. It was
first discovered by Wilson on the banks of the Cumberland river,
in the State of Tennessee. It was actively engaged hunting
among the opening leaves in spring. ‘* The Tennessee Warbler,”
says Coues, ‘‘ appears to be rather rare in the Eastern United
States, but more plentiful along its line of migration in the interior.
I observed it in great numbers in Minnesota and Eastern Dakota,
late in May and early in June, where it was moving along the
Red River of the North. Standing in the heavy timber, near the
bank of the river, I easily procured a dozen specimens in an hour,
without moving from my tracks, as the birds came fluttering past
in the tree-tops, almost in a continuous band, associated with sev-
eral other Warblers and with small Fly-catchers. They were ex-
tremely active, skipping through the foliage and fluttering through
the air, pursuing their insect prey, and uttering a sharp screeching
note.” ‘The nest of this species consists of fine dried grass-stems,
loosely interwoven together. The length of this Warbler is four
and three-quarter inches, and in extent it is eight inches.

The Golden Warbler, Blue-eyed Yellow Warbler, Summer Yellow-bird.

(Dendroica estiva.)
Fig. 13.

A brilliant and numerous little species of Warbler, that may be
met with throughout the whole of North America, and, during the
winter season, through Mexico, Central America, and into South
America.

‘*The Yellow Warbler,” says Maynard, ‘‘is one of the most
familiar summer residents in New England, frequenting the or-
chards, gardens, and fence-rows, but is seldom seen in the deep
woods. ‘They build their nests in every available situation—some- _
times in a barberry-bush in the open field, on the limb of an apple
tree, or among the ornamental shrubbery, beneath the windows of
the farm-house. They are very unsuspicious, and a pair con-
structed their domicile last summer in a little plum tree which
stands within the garden, within five feet of an arbor, in which I
kept two tame White Herons. These fine birds attracted many
visitors, who constantly passed under the nest, which was only
about seven feet from the ground, yet the female Yellow-bird would
sit upon her eggs with the utmost composure all the time, and suc-
ceeded in rearing a fine brood of young. These Warblers breed
during the first week in June, and the song of their males is ut-
tered constantly at this season. It is loud, clear, and divided into
two parts, the first of which consists of three or four quick chirps.
The latter portion is more continuous, but is somewhat varied. The
force with which these notes are delivered causes the little perform-
er’s body to quiver all over, quite to the end of the tail. While
singing, the head is raised, the bird ceases its search for insects for
a moment, and gives its entire attention to the song, then will
pursue its avocations. Thus these little birds are constantly pour-
ing forth their lays at intervals through the day, and continue to
warble until late in the summer.”

Nuttall says: ‘‘This is a very lively, unsuspicious, and almost
familiar little bird, and its bright golden color renders it very con-
spicuous, as in pursuit of flitting insects it flies and darts among
the blooming shrubs and orchards. It is particularly attached to
willow trees and other kinds in moist and shady situations, that
afford this and other species a variety of small larve and caterpil-
lars, on which they delight to feed. While incessantly and busily
employed, it occasionally mounts the twig, and with a loud, shrill,
and almost piercing voice, it earnestly utters, at short and irregular

PALM WARBLER—SHARP-TAILED FINCH—TREE SPARROW.

a ee ae oe

intervals, ’tsh’, ’tsh’, *tsh’, ’tsh’, ’tshaia, or tshe, ishe, tsh, tshayza,
tshe, tshe,—this last phrase rather plaintive and interrogatory, as
if expecting the recognition of its mate. The Summer Yellow-
bird, to attract attention from its nest, when sitting, or when the
nest contains young, sometimes feigns lameness, hanging its tail
and head, and fluttering feebly along in the path of the spectator.
At other times, when certain that the intrusion had proved harm-
less, the bird would only go off a few feet, utter a feeble complaint,
or remain wholly silent, and almost instantly resume her seat.”

The length of this species is five inches, and its extent about
seven inches.

The Palm, or Yellow Red-poll Warbler.

(Dendroeca palmarum.)

Fig. 12.

Late authorities agree that the Palm Warbler is an abundant
species, and may be seen in good numbers during winter in the
South. ‘It passes rapidly,” says Coues, ‘‘ through the Middle
and Western States early in the spring, sometimes reaching the
Connecticut valley before the snow is gone, and returns more leis-
urely in autumn, lingering late by the way. It is found in New
England through October, and has even been seen in Massachu-
setts in November. Its habits are somewhat peculiar, some of
them, such as the continual jetting of the tail and fondness for the
ground, recalling the Sezurd rather than a bird of its own genus.
Unlike most Warblers, it is rarely, if ever, found in high thick
woods, being partial to coppices, hedge-rows, straggling shrub-
bery, and especially old waste fields, where it delights to ramble
and flutter in company with Yellow-rumps and various kinds of
Sparrows. Itkeeps much on the ground, running among the weeds
and stubble, and even on the open dust of the wayside, with a pe-
culiar tremulousness, something like that of the Titlark. IIs song,
if it have one, I have never heard. Its only note, with us, is a
slight ‘¢szB,’ indistinguishable from that of several of its allies.
This is corroborated by Dr. Brewer, as I learn from an early proof-
sheet of his work. He says: ‘They have no other song than a
few simple and feeble notes, so thin and weak that they might
almost be mistaken for the sounds made by the common grass-
hopper.’”

Maynard says: ‘‘ The constant watchfulness of these birds,
which is exhibited by every movement, is necessary for their ex-
istence, for they usually inhabit open places, where they are in
constant danger from the attacks of enemies. At Key West, this
vigilance frequently saved their lives, for a Sparrow, Pigeon, or
Broad-winged Hawk would often come sweeping over them, and,
without a moment’s warning, would dart like a flash at a Warbler ;
but such forays almost always proved unsuccessful ; for, although
the swoop of the Hawk was so rapid that the eye could scarcely
follow its movements, yet the Red-poll was on the alert, and, ut-
tering a shrill chirp of alarm, would instantly shoot into the nearest
prickly pear or mass of tangled vines, where it was safe from the
pursuer.” The same good authority also says: ‘* They are seldom
quiet for an instant; for, when perching, they are ever turning
their little heads right and left, while their bright eyes are carefully
scanning everything far or near. Their tails are also constantly
moving up anddown. This lattter peculiarity at once distinguishes
the Yellow Red-polls from all other North American Warblers, for
none beside have this habit.”

Its nest-building is described by Dr. Brewer as follows:

‘‘ The Red-poll usually selects for the site of its nest the edge
of a swampy thicket, more or less open, placing it invariably upon
the ground. ‘They are usually not large, about three and a half
inches in diameter and two and a half in depth, the diameter and
depth of the cavity averaging each only half an inch less. The
walls are compactly and elaborately constructed of an interweav-
ing of various fine materials, chiefly fine, dry grasses, slender
strips of bark, stems of the smaller plants, hypnum and other

_ brown.

mosses. Within, the nest is warmly and softly lined with down
and feathers.”

The length of this species is five inches, and its extent is eight
inches.

PLATE XLVIII.

The Sharp-tailed Finch. (Azmodromus candacutus,)
Fig. 1.

This species is mostly confined to the neighborhood of the salt-
marshes on the coast, and during the breeding-season, is seldom to
be met with more than a few miles from such localities. It is a
peculiar species of North American bird. In its habits, it resem-
bles those of the Sea-side Finch, of which Wilson says: ‘It
inhabits the low, rush-covered sea islands along our Atlantic
coast, where I first found it; keeping almost continually within
the boundaries of tide-water, except when long and violent east
and northeasterly storms, with high tides, compel it to seek the
shore. On these occasions, it courses along the margin, and
among the holes and interstices of the weeds and sea-wrack, with
a rapidity equaled only by the nimblest of our Sand-pipers, and
very much in their manner. At these times, also, it roosts on the
ground, and runs about after dusk.” The food of this species
consists chiefly of small shell-fish and fragments of small sea-
crabs. ‘The nest is usually built the latter part of May, in a
tussock of grass above the tide-marks, and is constructed exter-
nally of coarse grasses strongly woven together,and lined with finer
grasses and sea-weed. ‘The eggs are four to five in number, and
of a bluish-white color, sprinkled over with fine purplish-brown
dots; these dots are more numerous near the greater end. The
length of this species is five and a quarter inches, and about seven
inches broad.

The Canadian, or Tree Sparrow. (S2zzel/a monticola.)
Fig. 2.

In its habitat, this species may be said to take in all portions
of North America. West of the Rocky Mountains, and in the
United States, it is only occasionally met with. Eastward it is
very abundant, and in great numbers makes its winter-quarters
in the Middle States, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, and
sometimes reaches as far as the Carolinas. It is a very hardy
bird, and is evidently suited to a cold climate, as it is often found
to winter in New England and the Canadas. Its breeding-range
extends from Labrador to Maine. Its nest is placed on trees,
bushes, or the ground, and is formed externally of mud and dry
grass, and lined with soft hair or down. According to Coues:
‘« The eggs are much like that of the Song Sparrow, being pale-
bluish, speckled and blotched with different shades of reddish-
It measures about three-fourths of an inch long by three-
fifths in breadth.”

The same author also says, in narrating his observations of this
species, at Fort Randall:

‘© All the undergrowth of the river-bottom was full of them, in
troops sometimes numbering hundreds, singing as gaily, it seemed
to me, as in spring-time. With the colder weather of the follow-
ing month, so many moved off that I thought none would remain
to endure the rigor of winter, but such proved to be not the case.
The remainder simply retreated to the deepest recesses of the
shrubbery, where, protected from the biting winds, if not from the
cold, they passed the winter, and to all appearances very comfort-
ably. JI account for their remaining at this inclement season, by
the profusion of seeds of various kinds that are to be obtained
during the whole winter; certainly, those that I shot were in good
condition, and generally had the crop well filled. Their seclusion

Ph. XIN

YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW—LARK FINCH—SWAMP SPARROW.

eee ee

and quietness at this season is remarkable, and causes them to be
in a great measure overlooked. On several occasions, when the
thermometer was far below zero, the river frozen solid for two feet
deep, and snow on the ground, I have unexpectedly come upon
little groups of these birds, hiding away close to the ground among
and under a net-work of vines and rank herbage, close enough to
collect and retain a mantle of snow. When startled at such times
they have a low, pleasant chirp as they flutter into sight among
the bushes, scattering a little, but only to collect again and seek
their snug retreat as soon as left to themselves. Whether rendered
careless by the cold, or through a natural heedlessness, they are
very tame at such times; they sit unconcernedly on the t-igs, it
may be but a few feet distant, chirping cheerfully, with the plu-
mage all loosened and puffy, making very pretty ‘roly-poly”
looking objects. There is a particular kind of plant here, the
seeds of which endure all winter, furnishing a favorite repast. In
a clump of these tall weeds dozens of the birds may be seen to-
Zether, busily feeding. Some, more energetic, spring up and
cling to the swaying panicles, picking away, while others gather
about the stem, getting a good dinner, without trouble, off the
seeds that their neighbors above rattle down. At such times the
whole company keep up an animated conversation, expressing
their satisfaction, no doubt, in their own language; it is more than
chirping, and not quite singing—a low, soft, continuous chanting,
as pleasing as it is indescribable. The Tree Sparrow is, indeed,
one of the sweet-voiced of our Sparrows, and one very fond of
singing, not only in the spring, but at other seasons; times are
hard with it indeed when it can not, on occasion, tune its gentle

pipe.”

The Yellow-winged Sparrow. (Coturniculus paperinus.)

Fig. 3.

A small species of Sparrow-bird that may be met with in almost
all sections of the United States in summer, and on the sheltered
plains of the sea-coast of New York and New Jersey until the
very commencement of winter. In the Middle States it is very
abundant.

In colors this species changes somewhat in the different sections
of its habitation, of which Mr. Allen relates as follows: «On
comparing Florida specimens with northern ones, the former are
found to be far more brightly colored than the latter, Between
northern and southern specimens of the same species greater dif-
ferences in color are rarely observable than in this, the differences
being far greater than occur between many conspecific geograph-
ical races to which have been awarded specific rank. The differ-
ence consists in the much brighter and blacker tints of the south-
ern form. Massachusetts specimens, although lighter than Florida
ones, are still much darker than those from the Plains, According
to Coues :

‘«'The song of the Yellow-winged Sparrow is a humble effort,
rather weak and wheezy, but quite curious, more resembling the
noise made by some grasshoppers than the voice of a bird. It is
only heard in the breeding-season, when the little performer mounts
a tall mullein in his chosen pasture, or the fence-rail around it,
settles himself firmly on his legs, and throwing up his head, utters
the chirring notes ad débitum. At other seasons he has only a
weak chirp. The bird is very timid, keeping almost always on
the ground, amid the weeds and grass, where he runs like a
mouse. On being forced up, he starts quickly, with a wayward,
jerky flight, but seldom goes far before pitching into the grass
again. ‘The nest is placed on the ground, in a field, and resem-
bles that of other Sparrows that build on the ground. As many
as nine eggs are said to have been found in one nest, but the num-
ber is usually four or five. ‘They are pure white, speckled with
rich, clear, reddish-brown, chiefly at the larger end, but sparingly
also all over the surface ‘Che egg is usually rather globose—o.75
by 0.60 for an average instance.”

The Lark Finch.

(Choudestes grammacay)
Fig. 4.

One of the most abundant and typical western prairie-birds.
They sing sweetly, and, like the Larks, have the habit of continu-
ing their notes while on the wing. This beautiful species is not
confined to the Plains, nor is it exclusively terrestrial; it is also
observed in wooded, broken, even mountainous regions. In the
Middle States it is frequently met with in summer, arriving from
the south in May, and leaving among the earliest of Sparrows in
autumn, at which time they are often seen gathered together in
small troops, rambling in the grass near bushes or small trees.
In case of an alarm they resort to the bushes like other Sparrows.
In the latter part of May or first of June they construct their nest,
which is usually located on the ground, and is constructed of
grasses and weeds. ‘‘ The eggs of this species,” says Coues,
** are very peculiar in coloration, being white, curiously streaked
in zigzag, much like the blackbird’s. The markings are sharp
and distinct, and heavy in color—a rich, dark, reddish-brown or
chocolate; sometimes, where the pigment is thickest, being almost
blackish. The markings straggle all over the surface, and are usu-
ally accompanied with a few spots of the same color.. The egg is
noticeably globose, very much rounded at the smaller end, meas-
uring about 0.75 by 0.65. Other specimens, however, are more
elongated, measuring as much as 0.85.”

When the pairing season commences, the males are very pug-
nacious, fighting often on the wing, and the conquering rival re-
pairing to the nearest bush, tunes his lively pipe in token of suc-
cess. ‘This species is six and a half inches long, and eight and a
half broad.

The Swamp Sparrow. (JZelospiza palustris.)
Fig. 5.

This is another abundant species of Sparrow-bird. It is rather
more seclusive in its habits than the preceding species, which ac- -
counts for its being less generally observed. Coues says: ‘‘It is
not so decidedly gregarious as some.of its allies, and is oftener
found skulking alone through rank herbage and tangled under-
growth than in flocks; still, in the fall, I have found considerable
numbers together, about the edges of reedy swamps, sharing the
shrubbery with the Song-Sparrows, and the reeds with the species
Ammodromus, between which it forms, in one sense, a connecting
link. I have often seen it, though more rarely, in open, wet, grassy
places. During the vernal migrations, at Washington, D. C., I
used to look for it in the undergrowth fringing tiny streams flow-
ing through open woods, and rarely failed to find it, if I looked
close enough in the very heart of such recesses, the skirts of which
were full of white-throated Sparrows and other more conspicuous
species. I never saw it take a long flight in the open woods;
generally it was seen flitting from bush to bush, just over the
ground and water, flirting the tail, and uttering its peculiar note.
Its chirp is remarkably different from that of any other species,
and, with its general reddishness, seems to distinguish it from its
associates.” Nuttall says that, occasionally, mounted on the top .
of a low bush or willow-tree, it chants a few trilling, rather mo-
notonous, minor notes, resembling, in some measure, the song of
the Field Sparrow, and appearing like ¢zw2, tw’ tw’ tw tu tu twe,
and twe twe’ tw tw twe’; uttered in a pleasing and somewhat va-
ried warble. In New England, they arrive from the Southern
States, where they winter, about the middle of April, and take up
their summer residence in the swamps and marshy meadows,
through which often, without flying, they thread their devious way
with the same alacrity as the Rail, with whom they are indeed often
associated in neighborhood. They express extreme solicitude for
their young, even after they are full-fledged and able to :provide

68 CHIPPING SPARROW—AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

for themselves. The young also, in their turn, possess uncommon
cunning and agility, running and concealing themselves in the
sedge of the wet meadows. Their robust legs and feet, as well
as long claws, seem purposely provided to accelerate this clinging
and running on the uneven ground. The length of this species
is six inches, and its breadth is eight inches.

The Chipping Sparrow. (SAzzella soczalts.)
Fig. 6.

With the Song Sparrow, this species is probably the most nu-
merous, common, and familiar bird in the United States; inhabit-
ing from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Breeds chiefly in Middle and
Southern States. Winters in the Southern States and south into
Mexico. Itis also very abundant in Cuba. Nuttall says: ‘‘Aware
of the many parasitic enemies of the feathered race which it has
to encounter, who prowl incessantly, and particularly in quest of
its eggs, it approaches almost instinctively the precincts of houses,
barns, and stables, and frequently ventures into the center of the
noisy and bustling city to seek, in the cultivated court, an asylum
for its expected progeny. Soon sensible of favor or immunity, it
often occupies with its nest the thick shrubs of the garden. within
a few yards of the neighboring habitation, by the side, perhaps,
of a frequented walk, in the low rose-bush, the lilac, or any other
familiar plant affording any degree of shelter or security, and will,
at times, regularly visit the threshold, the piazza, or farm-yard for
the crumbs which intention or accident may afford it. On other
occasions, the orchard-trees are chosen for its habitation, or in the
lonely woods, an evergreen, cedar, or fir, is selected for the pur-
pose. It makes no pretentions to song, but merely chips, in com-
plaint, when molested; or mounting the low boughs of some or-
chard-tree or shrub, utters a quickly-articulated ascending “tsh ’¢sh
tsh ish’ tsh tshe tshé, almost like the jingling of farthings, and a lit-
tle resembling the faint warble of the Canary, but without any of its
variety or loucness. ‘This note, such as it is, is continued often
for half an hour at a time, but is little louder than the chirping of
a chicken, and uttered by the male while attending his brooding
mate. For many weeks through the summer, and during fine
weather, this note is often given, from time to time, in the night,
like the reverie of a dream. The nest of the Chipping Bird va-
ries sometimes considerably in its materials-and composition. The
external layér, seldom so thick but that it may be readily seen
through, is composed of dry stalks of withered grass, and lined
more or less with horse or cow-hair. The eggs are four or five,
of a bright though not deep greenish-blue color, with a few spots
of dark and lighter brown, chiefly disposed at the greater end.
They are usually narrowed considerably at-the small end, though
occasionally they are almost oblong. The cuckoo destroys many
eggs of this timid, harmless, and sociable little bird, as their nests
are readily discovered, and numerous. On such occasions, the
little sufferer expresses great and unusual anxiety for the security
of her little charge; and after being repeatedly robbed, the female
sits closely sometimes upon perhaps only two eggs, desirous at any
rate to escape, if possible, with some of her little offspring. They
raise two or more broods in the season. The species is about five
inches long, and eight inches broad.

American Goldfinch.—Thistle-bird.—Yellow-bird. (Crysomitris tristzs.)
Fig. 7.

There is quite a resemblance between this species and the
Canary, and many persons have attempted to pair them together,
but it has generally proven unsuccessful. The flight, and manners
during it, are described by Audubon with minuteness. It 1s ex-
actly similar to the European. bird of the same name, being per-
formed in deep curved lines, alternately rising and falling, after

each propelling motion of the wings. It scarcely ever describes
one of those curves without uttering two or three notes while as-
cending, such as its European relative uses on similar occasions.
In this manner its flight is prolonged to considerable distances,
and it frequently moves in a circling direction before alighting.
Their migration is performed during the day. They seldom alight
on the ground, unless to procure water, in which they wash with
great liveliness and pleasure; after which they pick up some par-
ticles of gravel and sand. So fond of each other’s company are
they, that a party of them soaring on the wing will alter their course
at the calling of a single one perched on a tree. This call is ut-
tered with much emphasis. The bird prolongs its usual note, with- .
out much alteration, and, as the party approaches, erects its body,
and moves to the right and left, as if turning on a pivot, apparently
pleased at showing the beauty of its plumage and elegance of its
manners.

Nuttall says: ‘As the fine weather of spring approaches, they
put off their humble winter dress, and the males, now appear-
ing in their temporary golden livery, are heard tuning their lively
songs, as it were, in concert—several sitting on the same tree,
enjoying the exhilarating scene, basking and pluming themselves,
and vying with each other in the delivery of their varied, soft, and
cheerful warble. They have also the faculty of sinking and rais-
ing their voices in such a delightful cadence, that their music at
times seems to float on the distant breeze, scarcely louder than the
hum of bees; it then breaks out, as it were, into a crescendo,
which rings like the loud song of the Canary. In cages, to which
they soon become familiar and reconciled, their song is nearly as
sonorous and animated.as that of the latter. When engaged in
quarrel, they sometimes hurl about in a whole flock—some, as it
were, interfering to make peace, others amused by the fray, all
uttering loud and discordant chirpings. One of their most com-
mon whining calls, while engaged in collecting seed in gardens,
when they seem to be sensible of their delinquency, is, ’may 62,
"may be. They have also a common cry, like "tshevect ‘tshevee,
uttered in a slender, complaining accent. These, and some other —
twittering motes, are frequently uttered at every impulse, while
pursuing their desultory, waving flight, rising and falling as they
shut or expand their laboring wings. They are partial to gar-
dens and domestic premises in the latter end of summer and au-
tumn, collecting oily seeds of various kinds, and ‘shelling them
with great address and familiarity if undisturbed—often hanging
and moving about, head downward, to suit their convenience,
while thus busily and craftily employed. They have, like the true
Goldfinch, a particular fondness for thistle-seeds, and those of
other compound flowers, spreading the down in clouds around
them, and at this time feeding very silently and intently. Nor
are they very easily disturbed while thus engaged in the useful
labor of destroying the germs of these noxious weeds. ‘They do
some damage occasionally in gardens by their indiscriminate de-
struction of lettuce and flower-seeds, and are therefore often dis-
liked by gardeners; but their usefulness in other respects far
counterbalances the trifling injuries they produce.”

The nests are often built in tall young forest-trees or lofty
bushes, as in the sugar-maple, elm, spire-bush, and cornel. They
are made of strips of bass, hemlock bark, and root fibers, with a
filling at times of withered downy stalks of apple-tree leaves,
old oak catkins, and other softish rubbish; then bedded and
lined within with thistle-down, the pappus of the buttonwood, or
sometimes cow-hair, and fine bent grass.

This bird belongs to a group famous for their docility and apti-
tude to instruction to perform a variety of tricks. Audubon relates
that they are often caught in trap-cages; and that he knew one,
which had undergone severe training, draw water for its drink
from a glass, by means of a little chain fastened to a soft, leathern
belt round its body, and another, equally light, fastened to:a little
bucket, which was kept by its weight in the water. It was also

3 Pi. ALIN

sa in tl a mal

+
\
»
‘
ae
ee i

RED-POLL LINNET—PURPLE FINCH—SAVANNA SPARROW-—PINE FINGH.

obliged to supply itself with food, by being obliged to draw toward
its bill a little chariot filled with seeds. The length of this species
is five inches, and its breadth eight inches.

(See page 84 for Fig. 8.)

The Red-poll Linnet. (#giothus linarius.)

Fig. 9.

The habitat of this species ranges from the Atlantic to the Pa-
cific, and in winter to the South in flocks, at which season it is
also met with in the Middle and Western States. According to
Richardson, this is one among the few hardy and permanent resi-
dents in the fur countries, where it may be seen in the coldest
weather, on the banks of the lakes and rivers, hopping among
the reeds and canes, or clinging to their stalks. They are nu-
merous throughout the year, even in the most northern districts,
and from the rarity of their migrations into the United States, it
is obvious that they are influenced by no ordinary causes to evacu-
ate the regions in which they are bred. Famine, in all proba-
bility, or the scarcity of food, urges them to advance toward the
south. It is certain that they do not forsake their natal regions to
seek shelter from the cold.
out Europe.

When in a wild state, elder-berries are its favorite food, though
it also eats linseed, rape-seed, etc., moistening all its food in its
crop before subjecting it to the process of digestion. Wilson says:
**They seem particularly fond of the seeds of the common elder,
and hang, head downward, while feeding, in the manner of the
Yellow-bird. They seem extremely unsuspicious at such times,
and will allow a very near approach without betraying any symp-
toms of alarm.” ‘‘After being shot at,” says Nuttall, « they only
pass on to the next tree, and resume their feeding as before.
They have a quailing call perfectly similar with that of the Yellow-
bird, twee twee, or tshe-vie; and when crowded together in flight,
make a confused chirping “twed ’ctwet "twat ’twit *twet, with a rat-
‘ling noise, and sometimes go off with a simultaneous twitter.”
This species is commended mostly on account of the beauty of its
plumage. <‘‘It may, however, be taught,” says Bechstein, ‘to
draw up its own water, and perform other similar feats, as well
as to eat out of its master’s hand.” It is a very affectionate bird,
constantly caressing not only its own mate, but even Linnets,
Goldfinches, Siskins, and Canaries, if confined in the same cage.
It seems, therefore, not improbable that it might be induced to pair
with some, if not all of these. ‘‘The nest,” says Selby, ‘is
built in a bush or low tree, such as willow, elder, or hazel, of
moss and the stalks of dry grass, intermixed with down from the
catkin of the willow, which also forms the lining, and renders it a
particularly soft and warm receptacle for the eggs and young.
The eggs are four or five in number; their color, pale bluish-
green, spotted with orange-brown, principally toward the larger
end.” This species is five inches and a quarter long, and eight
inches and a half broad.

A similar species is at home through-

The Purple Finch. (Carpodacus purpureus.)

Fig. 10.

This is a fine-looking bird, and it has a beautiful warbling song.
But in consequence of its bad habit of cutting off and eating the
buds and blossoms of fruit-trees, it is much disliked by the farmers
and fruit-growers. Of its habits, Wilson says: ‘‘ This is a winter
bird of passage, coming to us in large flocks from the north in
September and October; great numbers remaining with us in
Pennsylvania during the whole winter, feeding on the seeds of
the poplar, buttonwood, juniper, cedar, and on those of many
rank weeds that flourish in rich bottoms and along the margin of
creeks. When the season is very severe, they proceed to the
South, as far at least as Georgia, returning north early in April.

They now frequent the elm-trees, feeding on the slender but sweet
covering of the flowers; and, as soon as the cherries put out their
blossoms, feed almost exclusively on the stamina of the flowers.
Afterward the apple-blossoms are attacked in the same manner;
and their depredations on these continue till they disappear, which
is usually about the roth or middle of May. About
the middle of September, I found these birds numerous on Long
Island, and around Newark, in New Jersey. They fly at a con-
siderable height in the air; and their note is a single chirp, like
that of the Rice-bird. They possess great boldness of spirit,
and when caught, bite violently, and hang by the bill from your
hand, striking with great fury; but they are soon reconciled to
confinement, and in a day or two are quite at home. I have kept
a pair of these birds upward of nine months to observe their man-
ners. One was caught in a trap, the other was winged with the
gun. Both are as familiar as if brought up from the nest by the
hand, and seem to prefer hempseed and cherry-blossoms to all
other kinds of food. Both male and female, though not crested,
are almost constantly in the habit of erecting the feathers of the
crown. They appear to be of a tyrannical and domineering dispo-
sition; for they nearly killed an Indigo-bird, and two or three
others that were occasionally placed with them, driving them
into a corner of the cage, standing on them, and tearing out their
feathers, striking them on the head, munching their wings, etc.,
till obliged to interfere ; and, even if called to, the aggressor would
only turn up a malicious eye for a moment, and renew his outrage
as before. They are a hardy, vigorous bird.”

Within late years there seems to be a greater increase of this
species, and it is now considered a common bird, particularly in
spring and fall. The nest is usually built in a pine or cedar tree,
and is sometimes thirty or even forty feet from the ground—oftener
about fifteen or twenty. It consists of fine roots and grasses, and
is lined with horse-hair, mosses, and hogs’ bristles. The eggs are
of a bluish-green color, and marked with spots and streaks of
black. Two broods are often reared in the season. This species
is six inches long, and in extent it is nine inches.

PLATE XLIX.

The Savanna Sparrow. (Passerculus savanna.)
Fig. 1.

In colors, this bird has a close general likeness to other species
of the family of Finches—a fact which renders it absolutely nec-
essary to represent all the different species, so that they may be-
come more familiar.

It may safely be said to be abundant in all parts of North
America—in the fields, on the plains, and by the waysides. In
winter, it is mostly met with along the seashore, near the low
countries on the Atlantic coast, where the seeds and insects they
feed on are most abundant. Its nest is made in the grass, and is
composed of fine grasses and roots, neatly interwoven. They
usually lay four eggs, grayish-white or pale greenish, and are
slightly spotted. Their mating song is simple and melodious,
resembling the syllables ’chewie, ’chewztt, ’chewitt, ’chewé-et,
‘chewée. It also has a quite faint, yet shrill, chirp, somewhat
similar to the chirpings of a cricket. This species is four and a
half inches long, and eight and a half broad.

The Pine Finch. (Chrysomitris pinus.)

Fig. 2.

Although this species, as its name implies, is mostly found in-
habiting the groves and pine forests, it may also be seen frequent-
ing the shady, sheltered borders of creeks and rivulets. Where-

7O FIELD SPARROW-—SEA-SIDE FINCH—YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.

aS <r E (er ee

ever the pine trees are, these birds may be met with in flocks from
fifteen to thirty. It is generally distributed over North America,
and is chiefly a winter visitor to the United States. It is difficult
to define its exact limits, which are dependent on the weather and
scarcity of food. At uncommon times it will make its appearance
in places where it had before never been seen. According to Nut-
tall: «* They are by no means shy, and permit a near approach
without taking alarm, often fluttering among the branches in which
they feed, hanging sometimes by the cones, and uttering notes
very similar to those of the American Goldfinch. They hang upon
the twigs with great tenacity, and move about, while feeding, in re-
versed postures, like the Chickadees. After being shot at, they
only pass on to the next tree, and resume their feeding, as before.
They have a quailing call of twee, twe7, or, tshe-vee; and, when
crowding together in flight, make a confused chirping—‘wzt,
"ttwit, “twit, “twet, *tw2ai—with a rattling noise, and sometimes go
off with a simultaneous twitter. Occasionally they descend from
their favorite birches, and pick up sunflower seeds and those of
the various weedy chenopodiums growing in wastes.”

According to Richardson, this is one among the few hardy and
permanent residents in the fur countries, where it may be seen in
the coldest weather, on the banks of lakes and rivers, hopping
among the reeds and canes or clinging to their stalks. They are
numerous throughout the year, even in the most northern districts ;
and from the rarity of their migrations into the United States, it
is obvious that they are influenced by no ordinary causes to evac-
uate the regions in which they are bred. Famine, in all probability,
or the scarcity of food, urges them to advance toward the south.
It is certain that they do not forsake their natal regions to seek
shelter from the cold. The nest is composed of pine twigs, and stalks
of dried grass, intermixed with tufts of wool, and warmly lined
with hair and feathers. The eggs of this species are pale-greenish,
varied with numerous reddish spots, disposed at the larger end.
The length of this species is about four inches, and its breadth
2ight inches.

The Field Sparrow. (Spzzella pusilla.)

Fig. 3.

This is one of our small species of Sparrows. It winters in the
Southern States, where it may be seen in great numbers,
mingling with other species of similar habits, near fences and
straggling bushes, their brown plumage giving them a close re-
semblance to the color of the falling leaves. On the return of spring
they leave their Southern home to disperse in pairs through the
Northern States to breed. The nest, which is built in May, is
usually made of fine stalks of dried grass and small leaves, and
placed on the ground, under shelter of some small bush or in the
bush, and is lined with fine grass and horse-hair. The eggs vary
from four to six in number, of a bluish-white ground color,
sprinkled with spots of reddish-brown. They raise two broods
in a season, sometimes three.

Samuels says: ‘‘ The male sings during the season of incuba-
tion, and, indeed, through nearly all the summer. Mounted on
a low tree or fence-rail, he utters his pleasing, yet plaintive ditty
at early morning and evening, and, in dark and cloudy weather,
through the whole day. The song is a peculiar warble, some-
thing like the syllables "te-’de, de, ’de, ’de, ’de, de, ’d,’d, ’d,’d,
uttered at first low, and rapidly increasing, and then decreasing in
tone to a faint chatter, something like the twitter of the Chipping
Sparrow. The food of this species, like most Sparrows, consists
of insects, seeds, and moth. Early in the fall they leave for the
South, although some are met with in the North during winter,
at which time they becomevery tame. The length of this species
is five and a quarter inches, and its breadth is eight inches.

The Sea-side Finch. (Ammodromus maritimus.)
Fig. 4.

This species confines its habitation almost entirely to the sea-
side, moving for inland situations only after violent easterly storms
have taken place. It is seldom found more than about ten miles
inland from its favorite retreats. When the high tides, says Wil-
son, compel it to seek the shore, it courses along the margin, and
among the holes and interstices of the weeds and sea-wrack,
with a rapidity equaled only by the nimblest of our Sand-pipers,
and very much in the same manner. At these times, also, it roosts
on the ground, and runs about after dusk. Nuttall says: ‘* It de-
rives its whole subsistence from the margin of the ocean, and its
flesh is even imbued with the rank or fishy taste to be expected
from the nature of its food. At other times it remains amidst the
thickest of the sea-grass, and climbs upon the herbage with as
much dexterity as it runs on the ground. Its feet and legs, for
this purpose, are robust, as in the Swamp Sparrow.” According
to Audubon, they nest on the ground, in the bushy parts of the salt-
marshes which are elevated above the flow of the tides. This habita-
tion is made of coarse grass, and lined with finer portions of the same.
The eggs are four to six in number, grayish-white, speckled over
with brown. ‘They appear to rear two broodsin the season. In May
and June, the Sea-side Finch may be seen almost at all hours,
perched on the top of some rank weed, near the salt-marsh, singing
with much emphasis the few notes which compose his monotonous
song. When approached, it seeks refuge in the rank grass, by
descending down the stalks, or flies off to a distance, flirting its
wings, and then alighting suddenly, runs off with great nimble-
ness. ‘This species is six and a quarter inches long, and eight and
a quarter broad.

The Yellow-throated Vireo. (Vireo flavifrons.)

Fig. 5.

Nuttall’s account of this species is so full and satisfactory that
we give it in whole:

‘¢‘ This species of Vireo, or Warbling Fly-catcher, visits the Middle
and Northern States of the Union about the beginning of May,
or as soon as his insect food allows him a means of subsistence.
He resides chiefly in the forests, where he hunts his tiny prey
among the high branches; and, as he shifts from twig to twig in
the restless pursuit, he often relieves his toil with a somewhat sad
and indolent note, which he repeats, with some variation, at short
intervals. This song appears like ’preea, ’preea, etc., and it
sometimes finishes with a complaining call of recognition, ’prreazgh,
’prreaigh. ‘These syllables rise and fall in different tone as they
are repeated, but though usually sweet and impressive, are de-
livered too slow and solemn to be generally pleasing; in other re-
spects, they considerably resemble the song of the Red-eyed
Warbling Fly-catcher, in whose company it is often heard blend-
ing its deep but languid warble with the loud, energetic notes of
the latter, and their united music, uttered during summer, even
at noon-day, is rendered peculiarly agreeable, as nearly all the
songsters of the grove are now seeking a silent shelter from the
sultry heat. In the warmest weather, the lay of this bird is in-
deed peculiarly strong and lively; and his usually long-drawn,
almost plaintive notes, are now delivered in fine succession, with a
peculiar echoing and impressive musical cadence, appearing like
a romantic and tender reverie of delight. The song, now almost
incessant, heard from the roving, sylvan minstrel, is varied in bars
nearly as follows: prea prea preoe, preait preow prriweet
preeae, pewait praiou, pruai preeo, praoit, preeo preawit precoo.
When irritated, he utters a very loud and hoarse mewing, prazgh
praigh. As soon, however, as the warm weather begins to d>-

BLUE-HEADED OR SOLITARY, WHITE-EYED, AND RED-EYED VIREOS. 71

cline, and the business of incubation is finished—about the be-
ginning of August—this sad and slow but interesting musician
nearly ceases his song, a few feeble, farewell notes only being
heard to the first week in September.

‘« This species, like the rest of the genus, constructs a very beau-
tiful pendulous nest, about three inches deep, and two and a half
in diameter. One, which I now more particularly describe, is
suspended from the forked twig of an oak, in the near neighbor-
hood of a dwelling-house in the country. It is attached firmly all
around the curving twigs by which it is supported; the stoutest
external materials or skeleton of the fabric are formed of interlaced
folds of thin strips of red cedar bark, connected very intimately
by coarse threads, and small masses of the silk of spiders’ nests
and of the cocoons of large moths. ‘These threads are moistened
by the glutinous saliva of the bird. Among these external mate-
rials are also blended fine blades of dry grass. The inside is
thickly bedded with this last material and fine root fibers; but the
finishing layer, as if to preserve elasticity, is of rather coarse grass
stalks. Externally, the nest is coated over with green lichen, at-
tached very artfully by slender strings of caterpillars’ silk, and
the whole afterward tied over by almost invisible threads of the
same, so as to appear as if glued on; and the entire fabric now
resembles an accidental knot of the tree grown over with moss.
The eggs, about four, are white, with a few deep ink-colored
_spots of two shades, a very little larger than those on the eggs of
the Red-eyed Vireo, and chiefly disposed toward the larger end.”

The food of this species during summer is insects, but toward
autumn they and their young feed also on various small berries.
About the middle of September, the whole move off and leave the
United States, probably to winter in tropical America.

This species is five and one-half inches long, and nine inches
broad.

The Blue-headed or Solitary Vireo. (Vireo solitarius.)
Fig. 6.

The habits and characteristics of this species—one of the rarest
of the genus—are similar to the preceding: On the nidification
of this species, Mr. Thomas G. Gentry, in a paper to the Phila-
delphia Academy, says: ‘I have five nests of this species, four
of which are perfectly similar in structure; the remaining one
formed of culms of a species of a7ra, constituting an exceptional
case, and the only one that has ever fallen under my notice. They
are all shallow, loose in texture, scarcely surviving the season for
which they were designed, and placed between two twigs of a
cedar or a maple tree, at a considerable elevation from the ground,
on a branch nearly horizontal to the main axis. They are built
entirely of clusters of male flowers of Quercus palustris, which,
having performed their allotted function, don their brownish hue
at the very period when they can be utilized.” This species is five
inches long, and eight inches broad. :

The White-eyed Vireo. (Virco noveboracensis.)
Pig. 7.

This neat and interesting little bird appears to have a more gen-
eral distribution than it has been credited with. It is very numer-
ously to be met with in the Middle States, from the latter part of
March to October. It is very active in its movements, and is
mostly found in low thickets and swamps, seldom in the forests.
It winters in the Gulf States and southward. This species, at
times, avoids certain districts within its general range of migra-
tion. Its active manners, loud and cheering notes, make it a
noted bird. Nuttall says: ‘I first heard its voice in the low
thickets of West Florida. His ditty was now simply—ss’¢ (with a
whistle) wa wette witte we wa (the first part very quick). . . .

On the 22d of June, I heard the male in full song near his
nest, when incubation was going on. His warble was very
pleasing, though somewhat monotonous and whimsical. This af-
fectionate note, often repeated near to his faithful mate while con-
fined to her nest, was like ‘tshippewee-wasay, tshippewee-wee-was-
say, sweetly whistled, and with a greater compass of voice and
loudness than might have been expected from the size of the little
vocalist. The song is sometimes changed two or three times in
the course of twenty minutes; and I have heard the following
phrases: ’att tshippewat ’wurr, tshippewat ’wurr; at another
time, “tshzpeway “tshi o et ’’tsherr. On another visit, the little per-
former had changed his song to "pcp te waigh a tsherra, with a
guttural trill, as usual, at the last syllable. He soon, however,
varied his lay to ’wh7p te wot wee, the last syllable but one con-
siderably lengthened and clearly whistled. Such were the cap-
tious variations of this little quaint and peculiarly earnest musi-
cian, whose notes are probably almost continually varied.”

This bird, like others of its genus, builds its nest in a thicket of
briers or vines, in gardens or fields. It is made of slender twigs,
bark of trees, grasses, pieces of hornets’ nests, fragments of paper,
and sometimes newspapers; the interior is composed of slender
root-fibers. The whole is pencil-shaped, and suspended by the
upper edge. The eggs number four or five, marked at the larger
end with a few small spots of blackish-brown. When the nest is
approached, this bird descends within a few feet of the intruder,
and becomes very loud and earnest in its demonstrations. Its food,
so like all Vireos, consists of insects and various kinds of berries.
This species is five inches long, and eight inches broad.

The Red-eyed Vireo. (V2reo olzvaceus.)
Fig. 8.

This is one of our most numerous and popular birds. Its mi-
grations extend over most every part of the American continent,
from Labrador to the large tropical islands of Jamaica, St. Do-
mingo, and the mild table-lands of Mexico. It arrives in the Mid-
dle States, from the warmer regions where it winters, the latter part
of April. It is mostly to be seen in woodlands, or tall shade-trees
near gardens, and in the apple-trees near the farm-houses. From
its arrival, until the middle of summer, it is one of the most de-
termined songsters of the forests. When most all the song-birds
have become silent, its notes may yet be heard with unabated
vigor. ‘‘ When our Vireo,” says Nuttall, ‘* sings slow enough to
be distinctly heard, the following sweetly warbled phrases, vari-
ously transposed and toned, may often be caught by the attentive
listener: “¢shooe pewee peeai musik "du ’du "du ’tshoove *here
here here here "king ritshard ’pshcgru *tsheevon ’tshuvee pecatt
*perot; the whole delivered almost without any sensible interval,
with earnest animation, in a pathetic, tender, and pleasing
strain, well calculated to produce calm and thoughtful reflection
in the sensitive mind. Yet, while this heavenly reverie strikes on
the human ear with such peculiar effect, the humble musician
himself seems but little concerned; for all the while, perhaps,
that this flowing chorus enchants the hearer, he is casually hop-
ping from spray to spray in quest of his active or crawling prey,
and if a cessation occurs in his almost untiring lay, it is occasioned
by the caterpillar or fly he has just fortunately captured. So un-
affected are these delightful efforts of instinct, and so unconscious

-is the performer, apparently, of this pleasing faculty bestowed

upon him by nature, that he may truly be considered as a messen-
ger of harmony to man alone. Wantonly to destroy these delight-
ful aids to sentimental happiness, ought therefore to be viewed not
only as an act of barbarity, but almost as a sacrilege!”

In May, this species builds a small, neat, pensile nest, and is
hung from the fork of a small limb of a tree, about twelve feet
from the ground. ‘The eggs usually are four in number, pure

72 WARBLING VIREO—LEAST AND OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS.

white in color, marked on the round end with a few small dots of
reddish or brown. ‘This bird is five and a half inches long, and
seven and a quarter broad.

The Warbling Vireo. (Vireo gélvus.)
Fig. 9.

Throughout the most of the United States, this species is gen-
erally to be seen in the thick and leafy branches of our tallest trees,
in search of food. It is seldom seen in the deep forests. The
tall trees along our streets and lanes, secured from his dreaded
enemies, afford this exquisite songster ample safety to cheer the
inmates of the houses and cottages. ‘* Its voice is not strong, and
many birds excel it in brilliancy of execution; but not one of them
all can rival the tenderness and softness of the liquid strains of this
modest vocalist. Not born to ‘ waste its sweetness on the desert
air, the Warbling Vireo forsakes the depths of the woodland for
the park and orchard and shady street, where it glides through
the foliage of the tallest trees, the unseen messenger of rest and
peace to the busy, dusty haunts of men.”— Cowes.

The nest, which is usually built in tall trees, is composed of
grass, leaves, and strips of grape-vine bark. The eggs, usually
four, are white, thinly spotted with reddish-black at the larger
end. ‘This bird is five and a quarter inches long and eight inches
broad.

The Least Flycatcher. (Zpidonax minimus.)

Fig. 10.

It is singular that a bird so abundant as this is in the Eastern
United States should have been overlooked by Wilson and Audu-
bon, or, what is more probable, confounded with &. acadzcus.
Nuttall was perfectly familiar with it, though he thought it was the
Acadian Flycatcher. It is very common in the Middle States
during the migrations. At Washington, D. C., it usually arrives
the last week in April, and is seen for about two weeks only; it
returns the last of August, and loiters through most of September.
It breeds abundantly in most parts of New England; in Massa-
chusetts, Mr. Allen found it as numerous as all the other Amz-
donaces put together. Some individuals press on into the Hud-
son’s Bay country, and in the West its extension is much greater
than that of typical ¢radl/¢ or flaviventris, particularly along the
Missouri itself, and the Red river, where the wooded river-
bottoms afford it congenial shelter. Like others of the genus, it
penetrates to Central and Northern South America in winter, and
it is also quoted from portions of Mexico.

It is not ordinarily found in gloomy woods, like &. acadzcus,
nor even in heavy timber of any kind; it prefers the skirts of
woods, coppices, and even hedge-rows. It is readily distinguish-
able from acadicus by this circumstance alone, to say nothing of
the several personal peculiarities—so to speak—slight traits, almost
impossible to describe intelligently, but which the field-naturalist
learns to recognize in a moment. Its usual voice is lower and
more plaintive, though one of its call-notes is sharp and jerky ;
and its flight is slightly different, owing to the marked difference
in the shape of the wing. In all these particulars it comes much
nearer ¢razdlii and flaviventris, as has been already hinted.

The bird generally nests on a sapling or shrub, within ten or
twelve feet from the ground. One nest I reached without climbing,
and another was placed on a slender swaying elm, about forty feet
high; these were the extremes of situation I observed. It is al-
ways placed, so far as I discovered, in an upright crotch of several
forks, preferably between twigs no thicker than a finger, The
high nest just mentioned was situated on the bending trunk itself,
but it rested, as usual, between a little set of twigs that grew
upright, It is very deeply let down into the crotch, and usually

bears deep impressions of the boughs. The female sets very
closely ; one I almost covered with my hand before she fluttered off,
although I stood for several moments within a yard of her. On
being frightened away, she retreats but a little distance, and flies
from one twig to another, uttering a mournful note. The nest is a
neat little structure; if it were only stuccoed with lichens, it would
be as elegant as that of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which it scarcely
exceeds in size. The basis of the nest is a substantial intertwining
of fine fibrous inner-bark, and the decomposing outer substance
of various weeds. With this is matted a great quantity of soft
plant-down, making a soft yet firm and warm fabric. The interior
is finished variously with a special lining of plant-down, confined
with a slight layer of horse-hair or the finest possible grass-tops.
The brim of the nest is firm and even, with a circular arrangement
of the fibers; inside, the lining is simply interlaced. In size, these
elegant structures vary a good deal; the smallest one before me
is under two inches and a half across outside, and less than two
deep; another, which was let down very deeply in a narrow
crotch, is nearly three inches, both in depth and width, and is
quite unsymmetrical. The cavity is quite large for the outside
dimensions, in some instances the walls being barely coherent
along the track of the supporting twigs; it is not, or but little,
contracted at the brim, and is about as deep as wide.

The eggs are generally four in number, sometimes only three ;
I did not find five in any one of the six nests collected. One con-
tained a Cow-bird’s egg. The eggs are pure white, unmarked.
They vary much in size and shape. Out of twenty examples, a
large elongate one measures 0.68 by 0.52; a small globular one,
0.59 by 0.50; a normal one, 0.65 by 0.50.—Coues.

PLATE L.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher. (Cozztopus borealis.)
Fig. 1.

The very general dispersion of this species in North America
only gradually become apparent. It was discovered by Sir John
Richardson on the Saskatchewan, at Cumberland House, in lati-
tude 54°, and described in 1831 by Mr. Swainson, as above cited.
It was rediscovered by Mr. Nuttall, a specimen being obtained
near Cambridge, Massachusetts, in June, 1830. This gentleman
obtained several others in the same vicinity, and described its
notes and manners accurately. The nest, he states, was on ‘‘ the
horizontal branch of a tall cedar-tree, forty or fifty feet from the
ground. It was formed much in the manner of the Kingbird’s,
externally made of interlaced dead twigs of the cedar, internally
of the wiry stolons of the common cinquefoil, dry grass, and some
fragments of branching Lichen or Usnea. It contained three
young, and had probably four eggs. The eggs had been hatched
about the 2oth of June, so that the pair had arrived in this vicinity
about the close of May. The young remained in the nest no less
than twenty-three days.” The same author speaks of the eggs as
‘¢ yellowish-creamy white, with spots of reddish-brown, of a light
and dark shade.” ‘This is exactly the character of the specimens
before me. The size is about 0.84 by 0.66. About the same time
Dr. Brewer communicated a note to Mr. Audubon, describing the
nest as follows: ‘* Measures five inches in external diameter and
three and a half inches in internal, and is about half an inch deep.
It is composed entirely of roots and fibers of moss. It is, more-
over, very rudely constructed, and is almost wholly flat, resembling
the nest of no other Flycatcher I have seen, but having some simil-
itude to that of the Cuckoo.” New England quotations have con-
tinually multiplied, many referring to the breeding of the bird from
Massachusetts northward; quite lately, Mr. Brewster says, in Mr.

PL, L

RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH—WOOD PEWEE. 73

——_ —_..

Maynard’s book above quoted, that it nests generally in the fork
of a pine-tree, the only nest found by him in any other situation
being placed on the outer limb of an apple-tree. Mr. Audubon
mentions the Magdaleine Islands and Labrador as other localities.
In the reverse direction, the bird has been traced in New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but I never saw it in Maryland or
Virginia; and in including it in my South Carolina list, I relied
entirely upon Prof. R. W. Gibbes, of Charleston. He very likely
included it on the strength of Audubon’s statement of its occur-
rence in Georgia. The rarity of the bird, along the whole Atlan-
tic coast south of New England, may be inferred from the fore-
going.

Turning now to the west, we find Audubon again quoting Nut-
tall for its occurrence ‘‘ in the dark fir-woods of the Columbia.”
This is corroborated by Dr. Cooper, who says that the Olive-sided
Flycatcher ‘‘is very common, arriving early in May, and frequent-
ing the borders of woods, where, from the summit of some tall,
dead tree, its loud, melancholy cry resounds through the day,
during the whole of summer. It frequents the small pine-groves
along the coast, as well as in the interior, and remains until late in
September.” More recently, the same observer gives the species as
‘“resident” in most parts of California, stating that he found them
rather common in the coast-range toward Santa Cruz, where they
had nests in May; and saw them at Lake Tahoe in September.
In Colorado, according to Mr. Trippe, it breeds, though it is not
very common. ‘* This Flycatcher,” he says, ‘arrives at Idaho
Springs late in May, and remains till late in August or early in
September. It is quite uncommon, only three or four pairs having
been observed throughout the summer, and these at widely different
points, each pair apparently monopolizing a wide range. It keeps
in the tops of the trees, and is an active Flycatcher; its voice is
loud and distinct; and its nest is placed in the top of a pine, and
zealously guarded from all intrusion with as much fierceness and
energy as the Kingbird’s.” I did not observe it any season in Ari-
zona, but the presumption is that it visits that Territory, since it is
known to go south, through Mexico, and to Central America.
— Coues.

The Red-bellied Nuthatch. (Sz¢ta caxadensis.)
Fig. 2.

‘« This pretty little bird is four inches long, and seven and three-
quarters broad. It is usually found with the Chickadees and
smaller Woodpeckers, busily engaged in search of food. Its
habits are similar to the last named. It is equally as active and in-
dustrious in search for the larve and eggs of insects, which it ob-
tains by boring in the bark, and knocking off the moss and dead
pieces of trees with their sharp, powerful bills.

‘« This bird is particularly fond of the seeds of pine-trees. You
may traverse many thousand acres of oak, hickory, and chestnut
woods, during winter, without meeting with a single individual ;
but no sooner do you enter among the pines than, if the air be
still, you have only to listen for a few moments, and their fotes
will direct you where to find them.”— Wilson.

It is a hardy bird, and many spend the winter as far north as
Nova Scotia. A few are said to winter in the Southern States.

Audubon says: ‘I found it building its nest, near Eastport, in
Maine, on the 19th of May, before the Bluebird had made its ap-
pearance there, .and while much ice still remained on the northern
exposures. The nest is dug in a low, dead stump, seldom more
than four feet from the ground, both the male and female working
by turns until they have got to the depth of about fourteen inches.
The eggs, four in number, are small, and of a white color, tinged
with a deep blush, and sprinkled with reddish dots. They raise,
I believe, only one brood in the season.”

The Wood Pewee. (Coztopus virens.)
Fig. 3.

This species usually makes its appearance in the eastern part of
Pennsylvania in the latter part of April, and commences building
about the middle of May. It prefers the loneliness of the forest
generally, to the busy haunts of man. It is described by writers
as being more retired in its habits than its cousins, as well as more
suspicious. In my early ornithological peregrinations, I had al-
ways encountered it far from the scenes of active life, its nest being
found in the recesses of dense forests, saddled upon the horizontal
limb of some gigantic, high-towering oak. Last spring I was sur-
prised to meet with several within a few yards of occupied dwell-
ings, in the midst of a rather thickly settled portion of our town.
These nests were fixed upon the horizontal branches of apple-trees,
at elevations less than ten feet from the ground. The trees had
been often visited by several of my pupils, who had even whiled
their leisure moments away underneath their sheltering boughs,
while the mother-birds sat within their cozy nests overhead, ap-
parently in the enjoyment of calm satisfaction and perfect se-
curity.

It is true that birds originally conceive very unfavorable opinions
of man, and seek safety and immunity from his presence in inter-
minable forests and impenetrable undergrowth, under the fancied
belief that he is their inveterate foe; but through the habit of as-
sociation, or accidental intrusion into his presence, they have
learned more of his nature, particularly in these latter times when
the law is their protection, and from holding him aloof as a being
to be hated, they begin to see his good qualities, and draw near to
his dwellings and render to him manifold services.

Nuttall’s description of the nest of this species, which has the
credit of being the best that is recorded, may have been a faithful
portraiture thereof in his day, and no doubt will be found to hold
good in various sections, as it does in New England, according to
the authority of Samuels; but in this section of the country it is
somewhat different, and needs remodeling. Instead of being uni-
versally saddled upon an old moss-grown and decayed limb, I —
have frequently seen it resting between the forked twigs of an oak,
and one that was in a perfectly living condition. The body of the
fabric occasionally consists of wiry. grass or root-fibers, but I have
never detected the small branching lichens held together with cob-
webs and caterpillars’ silk, moistened with saliva. Ina nest which
I have before me, which can be taken as a type, the bulk of it is
made up entirely of small strips of liber plucked from trees and
fence-rails, tow, and wool, arranged in a circular manner, and
pressed compactly together by the body of the bird. One of the
most prominent features of the nest is its external coating of bluish-
gray crustaceous lichens, of the kind that are found upon the
trunks of trees, which give it a very close resemblance to that of
the Hummingbird, which it nearly rivals in symmetry and beauty,

When the nests are saddled upon the limb, there is much saving
of material, economy doubtless being practiced at the expense of
the comfort of the young. The bottom of the nest is so slight,
that upon being detached from the branch, it presents a sieve-like
appearance. In those that have been placed in the angle consti-
tuted by two uniting twigs, there has always been an abundance of
material, thus making a soft and comfortable nest for the tender
brood.

The habit of constructing the nest upon the superior face of a
branch was doubtless acquired in order to secure protection, the
nest in this position presenting to an enemy at a distance the sem-
blance of an anomalous growth, overgrown with moss, such as are
sometimes found upon the diseased branches of the oak.

I have taken the nests of this species during the latter part of July
and the early part of August, with eggs, but whether a second lay-
ing or not I am not prepared to say; possibly the work of birds

74 FLYCATCHERS—MOURNING TURTLE, OR CAROLINA DOVE.

a a ee

that had been debarred the essential duties of incubation earlier in
the season, since this desire is so innate as to be foregone with diffi-
culty.— Gentry.

Traill’s Flycatcher. (Adzdonax trailliz.)

Fig. 4.

It requires great care to distinguish this bird from the Least Fly-
catcher and the Green-crested Flycatcher, their plumage being
very similar, as are also their habits. Naturalists, who make orni-
thology a study, have been very much confused and mistaken in
their descriptions of this species. It is said to be entirely with-
drawn from the United States during the fall season, and to winter
in Central America. According to eastern ornithologists, it breeds
in their section. Maynard says: ‘‘ This species has a peculiar note,
like the syllables ‘e-wen’k’; this is not so quickly given as the
‘se-wick’ of E. minimus, and is somewhat harsher. There is,
perhaps, thirty seconds interval between each ‘ ke-w7wk.’ The
birds, while singing, were perched on the top of a low alder. It
appears to frequent these thickets, generally by the side of streams.”
Of its nest-building, Mr. Merriman gives the following account:
‘« This western race of &. ¢razllzz was very common in the Salt
Lake valley, where I collected seven specimens and three nests.
They build a neat, compact little nest, which they place in the
fork of a rose or other small bush, about five feet above the
ground. It is composed of fibrous grasses, flax, wool, and other
soft substances, interwoven with a few leaves of swamp-grass. It
is a Curious fact that this bird places all the wool and other soft,
downy substances on the outside of its nest, lining it with the rough
stalks of dry grass.” Coues says: ‘‘ The eggs of this species
(tradliz), to judge from numerous specimens before me, may be
distinguished from those of @cadzcus in lacking much or all of the
creamy tinge of the latter, and in the markings being, for the most
part, large, bold, and blotched, rather than sharply dotted. The
fact that the eggs are colored instead of colorless, at once distin-
guishes them from those of 4. mznzmus, and is a point to be re-
garded in discussing the specific relationship of the two.”

Pewit Flycatcher, or Phoebe-bird. (Sayornis fuscus.)
Fig. 5.

A faithful and familiar messenger of spring, that may be met
with in most parts of the continent of North America, wintering
in the Southern States, into Mexico. It is one of the earliest vis-
itors, reaching Canada early in April. On their first arrival they
frequent the woods, but their favorite resort is in the neighborhood
of streams, ponds, or stagnant waters, about bridges, caves, and
barns—their favorite breeding-places. Nuttall says: ‘* Near such
places our little hunter sits on the roof of some out-building, on a
stake of the fence or on a projecting branch, calling out, at short
intervals, and in a rapid manner, phebe phebe; and at times ina
more plaintive tone, phee-be-ce. This quaint and querulous note,
occasionally approaching to a warble, sometimes also sounds like
pewatt pewart, and then #e-waz-ce, also phebe phe-bee-ce, twice
alternated, the latter phrase somewhat soft and twittering. In the
spring, this not unpleasing guttural warble is kept up for hours to-
gether, until late in the morning, and though not loud, may be
heard to a considerable distance.” Audubon’s beautiful description
of the habits of this bird is one of his best efforts. We copy the
following :

‘¢The flight of the Pewee Flycatcher, is performed by a flut-
tering, light motion, frequently interrupted by sailings. It is slow
when the bird is proceeding to some distance, rather rapid when
in pursuit of prey. It often mounts perpendicularly from its perch
after an insect, and returns to some dry twig, from which it can see
around toa considerable distance. It then swallows the insect whole,

_ bility can listen to without sympathy.

unless it happens to be large. It will at times pursue an insect to
a considerable distance, and seldom without success. It alights
with great firmness, immediately erects itself in the manner of
Hawks, glances all around, shakes its wings with a tremulous mo-
tion, and vibrates its tail upward as if by a spring. Its tufty crest
is generally erected, and its whole appearance is neat, if not ele-
gant. ‘The Pewee has its particular stands, from which it seldom
rambles far. ‘The top of a fence-stake near the road is often se-
lected by it, from which it sweeps off in all directions, returning at —
intervals, and thus remaining the greater part of the morning and
evening. ‘The corner of the roof of the barn suits it equally well,
and if the weather requires it, it may be seen perched on the highest
dead twig of a tall tree. During the heat of the day it reposes in
the shade of the woods. In the autumn it will choose the stalk of
the mullen for its stand, and sometimes the projecting angle of a
rock jutting overa stream. It now and then alights on the ground
for an instant, but this happens principally during winter, or while
engaged during spring in collecting the materials of which its nest
is composed, in our Southern States, where many spend their time
at this season.

«The nest is rather large for the size of the bird. It is composed
of roots, mosses, grasses, and hairs, and the whole put together
against the object built on, by well-mixed mud, and is lined with
soft grasses, wool, and feathers. The eggs, usually five in number,
are white, and have a delicate cream tint. A few of the eggs
have reddish-brown spots scattered over the larger end. The
length of this species is six and a half inches, and its breadth is
nine and a half inches.”

The Mourning Turtle, or Carolina Dove. (Zenxedura carolinensis.)
Fig. 6.

A beautiful and familiar bird, that is very abundant throughout
the temperate parts of North America. Wilson says: ‘‘ This is a fa-
vorite bird with all those who love to wander among our woods in
spring, and listen to their varied harmony. They will there hear
many a singular and sprightly performer, but none so mournful as
this. The hopeless coo of settled sorrow, swelling the heart of fe-
male innocence itself, could not assume tones more sad, more tender,
and affecting. Its notes are four (@’gh coo coo coo) ; the first is some-
what the highest, and preparatory, seeming to be uttered with an in-
spiration of the breath, asif the afflicted creature were just recovering
its voice from the last convulsive sobs of distress; this is followed by
three long, deep, and mournful moanings, that no person of sensi-
A pause of a few minutes
ensues, and again the solemn voice of sorrow is renewed as before.
This is generally heard in the deepest shaded parts of the woods,
frequently about noon and toward the evening. There is, however,
nothing of real distress in all this; quite the reverse. The bird
who utters it wantons by the side of his beloved partner or invites
her by his call to some favorite, retired, and shady retreat. It is
the voice of love, of faithful connubial affection, for which the
whole family of Doves are so celebrated; and, among them all,
none more deservingly so than the species now before us.

‘©On their return to the North in March, and early in April,
they disperse so generally over the country that there are rarely
more than three or four seen together—most frequently only two.
Here they commonly fly in pairs; resort:constantly to the public
roads to dust themselves, and procure gravel; and are ofteu seen
in the farmer’s yard before the door, the stable, barn, and other out-
houses, in search of food, seeming little inferior in familiarity at
such times to the domestic Pigeon. They often mingle with the
poultry while they are fed in the morning; visit the yard and ad-
joining road many times a day, and the pump, creek, horse-
trough, and rills for water. Their flight is quick, vigorous, and
always accompanied by a peculiar whistling of the wings, by

PE. 11

Fperan 8
Pstet

Or
Eaton
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ea TY er Retr el Sos)

WHITE PELICAN—SPOONBILL, MALLARD AND WILD DUCKS. 78

which they can easily be distinguished from the wild Pigeon.
They fly with great swiftness, alight on trees, fences, or on the
ground indiscriminately: are exceedingly fond of buckwheat,
hemp-seed, and Indian corn, and feed on the berries of the holly,
the dogwood, and poke, huckle-berries, partridge-berries, and the
small acorns of the live and shrub oak.

‘¢ The flesh of this bird is considered much superior to that of
the wild Pigeon; but its seeming confidence in man, the tender-
ness of its notes, and the innocency attached to its character, are,
with many, its security and protection; with others, however, the
tenderness of its flesh, and the sport of shooting, overcome all
other considerations. The nest is very rudely constructed, gen-
erally in an evergreen, among the thick foliage of the vine, in an
_orchard, on the horizontal branches of an apple-tree, and, in some

cases, on the ground. Itis composed of a handful of small twigs,
laid with little art, on which are scattered dry, fibrous roots of
‘plants; and in this almost flat bed are deposited two eggs of a
snowy whiteness. The male and female unite in feeding the
young, and they have rarely more than two broods in the same

season. ‘This species is twelve inches long, and seventeen inches
broad.”

PLATE LI.
The White Pelican. (elicanus trachyrhynchus.)

This species is rarely ever met with in the Middle or New
England States, although west of the Mississippi, and south to
Central America, it is abundant. Its movements are slow, awk-
ward, and compressed; but its flight is easy and firm, and their
swimming is easy and gracefull. The male and female are col-
dred alike. Regarding its habits, Audubon says:

«The White American Pelican never descends from on wing upon
its prey, as is the habit of the Brown Pelican ; and, although on many
occasions it fishes in the manner above described, it varies its mode
according to circumstances, such as a feeling of security, or the acci-
dental meeting with shoals of fishes in such shallows as the birds
can well compass. ‘They never dive for their food, but only thrust
their head into the water as far as the neck can reach, and with-
draw it as soon as they have caught something or have missed it;
for their head is seldom out of sight more than half a minute at a
time. When they are upon rivers, they usually feed along the
margin of the water, though, I believe, mostly in swimming depths,
where they proceed with greater celerity than when on the sand.
While thus swimming, you see their necks extended, with their
upper mandible only above the water, the lower being laterally
extended, and ready to receive whatever fish or other food may
chance to come into the net-like apparatus attached to it.

‘<The White Pelican appears almost inactive during the greater
part of the day, fishing only soon after sunrise, and again about
an hour before sunset; though, at times, the whole flock will
mount high in the air, and perform extended gyrations, in the man-
ner of the Hooping Crane, Wood Ibis, and Vultures. These
movements are probably performed for the purpose of assisting
their digestion, and of airing themselves in the higher and cooler
regions of the atmosphere. Whilst on the ground, they at times
spread their wings to the breeze, or to the rays of the sun; but
this act is much more rarely performed by them thdn by the Brown
Pelicans. When walking, they seem exceedingly awkward, and
like many cowardly individuals of our own species, are apt to snap
at objects which they appear to know perfectly to be so far superior
to them as to disdain taking notice of them.”

The nest is built according to circumstances—sometimes on the
ground, in bushes near the water, and on rocks. The eggs num-
ber one to three, bluish-white, with a thick, chalky crust. This
species is five feet long, and eight and a half feet broad.

PLATE LII.

The Spoonbill, or Shoveller Duck. (Spatula clypeata.)
Fig. 1.

This species inhabits the temperate regions of North America,
as well as Europe, Asia, and Australia, and only occasionally is
it met with in the more northern latitudes. It is to be met with, in
this country, throughout the continent, wintering from the middle
districts southward to Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, aud Jamaica.

This bird is distinguished from others of its group by its very
remarkable and large bill, slender at its base, very broad and
vaulted toward its extremities, and finely denticulated at its mar-
gins. The remarkable beak possessed by this bird is admirably
suited for the use to which it is destined, its laminated sides being
furnished with numerous nerves, which endow it with a delicate
sense of touch, enabling it at once to select such matters as are
fitted for sustenance—insects, mollusks, worms, crustacea, small
fish, and also grass and other vegetable matter, found on the
muddy shores of lakes, marshes, and rivers, which are frequently
visited by it, although it seems to prefer inland lakes or marshes
to the more open seas and rivers. It possesses a powerful flight,
and is a most expert diver and swimmer. ‘The Shoveller,” says
Audubon, ‘* walks prettily, and I have often admired its move-
ments in the puddles formed by heavy dashes of rain in our
Southern corn-fields, where I have found it in company with the
Wood Duck, Mallard, and Pintail. Its flight resembles that of
the Blue-winged Teal, and in tenderness, as well as in flavor, its
flesh rivals that of that beautiful bird as an article of food. No
sportsman who Is a judge will ever pass a Shoveller to shoot a
Canvas-back. It is rarely ever found on salt water, and then only
when compelled to resort thither. The nest, which is usually
placed on a tuft of herbage, in places near water, that are difficult
of access, is composed of fine grass, the eggs being carefully
covered with down from the mother’s breast. The eggs usually
number eight, and are of a buffy-white, tinged with green. This
bird is nineteen inches long, and thirty inches from tip to tip of
wing.

The Mallard Duck—Wild Duck. (Azas boschas.)

Fig. 2.

This species is the original of our common domestic Duck. It
is not only esteemed for the table, but is prized by the sportsman
for the healthy field-exercise it affords him. It is common through-
out the whole of North America, except New England, where it
is very scarce, and, it may be said, is everywhere domesticated.

Parker Gilmore, in his interesting work, ‘ Prairie and Forest,”
gives an extended account of this bird. We take the liberty to
copy the following:

‘«In my protracted rambles about the world, I know no portion
where the Mallard can not be found. I have always been pas-
sionately fond of wild-fowl shooting, and the bags that I have
made in the United States and Canada of this noble bird, far
exceeded those obtained elsewhere. As wild fowl are nearly all
migratory by inclination, or are compelled to be so from the
changes of the seasons, it is of great importance that you should
visit the various haunts at the proper periods of the year. How-
ever, the rule is, for successfully carrying on war against the web-
footed families, go North in summer and South in winter. In
June, July, and August, the wild-rice fields of the numerous laby-
rinths of lakes of Minnesota and the Northwest territory perfectly
swarm with wild fowl, while in December and January. they will
be found equally numerous on the large bayous and lagoons that
surround the mouth of the Mississippi. Of course, in the inter-
mediate portion of country between Minnesota and the Gulf of

76 . SANDPIPER—MEADOW, GRASS, AND JACK SNIPES.

Mex‘co, during the seasons of migration, splendid days’ shooting
can be obtained, but the stay of the birds is so short that it might
not compensate for a special visit. Where thousands are to be
seen to-day, not a dozen will be met to-morrow; but if you should
happen, in the spring and autumn, to be in either of the States of
Illinois, Iowa, or Indiana, when the frost and ice are breaking up,
in spring, or when winter makes its first appearance, you may
with safety calculate on having some of the finest sport. A year
or twé since, when in Illinois, in November, a sudden change took
place in the weather, and, although the morning was ushered in
mild and warm, by noon it was snowing, with a gale of wind
blowing from the north. From experience I knew that such a day
was not to be wasted over the fire. I got on my shooting-ground
with a very large supply of ammunition, and in two or three hours
I had to cease, as my stock was exhausted. My stand was in
a field of Indian corn that had been gathered into shocks, from
the back of one of which I took shelter from the blast, as well
as concealment. Never shall I forget the scene. The ducks
came in thousands, all flying before the wind, and if a dozen guns
had been there, instead of one, abundant work would have been
found for all. On another occasion, in the same locality, two
friends of mine killed in two or three hours in the evening, and in
an hour and a half the succeeding morning, eighty-four brace of
Mallard Duck.

“‘In the spring of 1866, when in Iowa, the first day of thaw, I
went for a stroll, scarcely expecting to find game; but when I got
on the prairie land, I was perfectly astonished at the clouds of wild
fowl arriving from the south, some of the ponds being so densely
covered with Duck that the surface could scarcely be seen.

‘Tf any of our readers intend to go in for work, and do not object
to roughing it, I should most decidedly say that the wild-fowl
shooting is good enough to justify a visit. But let him not be in-
duced to keep in the vicinity of settlements. Rather let him and
his attendants commence housekeeping on the margin of one of
the northern Minnesota lakes, if in summer (remember one that
yroduces an abundance of wild rice); but if the severe season
should be selected, the southern lagoons of the Mississippi will
afford him abundant sport.

«¢ As soon as we were at our stands, we divested ourselves of shot-
pouches and powder-horns, hanging them on the bushes, that we
might the easier use them when required; for, once the game com-
mences to arrive, every moment is of value. Before we had been
stationary many minutes, a few stragglers made their appearance—
the advance-guard doubtless of the main body. Some old and
experienced veterans, I should think, are generally chosen for this
duty, as these forerunners are wary in the extreme, and seldom or
never come within gunshot. However, we were not detained
idle; a bunch of Mallard passed within range, and a salute wel-
comed their visit; another and another party rapidly followed in
such quick succession that it was impossible to shoot at all. ‘These
birds, so far, had only flown past, and, as night approached, their
numbers increased, and we being probably less conspicuous from
decreasing light, the open water at our side was chosen for their
resting-place. Down they would come on the water, almost im-
periling our heads, with the rustling sound of the Eagle in the act
of swooping upon his prey; while some of their companions, less
certain of the security of this halting-place, would sweep round
and round our Joca/e before they finally selected it. As soon as
the birds struck the water, they would commence bathing them-
selves, flapping their bodies with their wings, diving with short
plunges, and cutting so many capers, that one might imagine
them stark, staring mad. The fact, however, is, that all this ap-
parent eccentricity is caused by the necessity the Ducks feel of
cleaning themselves of the insects about their plumage, as well as
the pleasure they experience in finding themselves again in a
milder climate, with abundance of food around them, after endur-
ing a hard journey from the stormy north, protracted possibly
through a day and night. On arrival, therefore, they wash them-

selves, and arrange their dress, before commencing their meal—
an example other travelers would do well to imitate. But, as the
night advanced, some strangers are mixed with the throng. The
dusky Duck, the Bald-pate, the Pintail, the Blue and Green-winged
Teal, shoot past, like arrows from a bow—the latter making, with
the rapid motion of their wings, a sound not unlike an ungreased
wheel or hinge. When the travelers are satisfied with the neigh-
borhood, they dash down upon the water, causing it to fly in spray
for yards around, while the first arrivals welcome the new-comers
with innumerable quacks. ‘The report of a gun then will scarcely
alarm them, and, if they should rise, in a moment they will reset-
tle, doubtless feeling security from their numbers.”

In their general habits, the wild Ducks closely resemble our
tame species. The tame Ducks are, however, far behind their
progenitors in watchfulness, energy, and vigor. ‘They swim, dive,
and fly much in the same manner, but decidedly better than tame
Ducks. Their voice, likewise, is ‘precisely similar. The loud,
short ‘*‘guack” of the female, and the duller ‘‘ quack” of the
male; the conversational ‘*‘weck, weck,” and the call-note,
‘“‘waek, waek;” the alarm-cry, ‘‘katsch,” or ‘‘rab, rab;” in
short, all the sounds with which we are familiar in the tame
Ducks, are exactly-repeated by their wild relatives.

Soon after their arrival, the Wild Ducks begin to choose their
mates, the selection of course involving many a battle between
the rival males; but their partners do not need to be won by a pro-
longed courtship. Their habit of associating in large flocks is at
once laid aside, and they attach themselves to their spouses with
ardent devotion. The place selected for the nest is generally some
quiet, retired, dry spot, under a bush, or concealed by herbage,
and very generally near the water, but sometimes at a consid-
erable distance from it. Occasionally—and indeed not unfre-
quently—they will take possession of some nest placed in a tree;
such, for example, as that of a Crow. Their proper nest is
constructed of the stems and leaves of various plants, loosely put
together, so as to present internally a rounded cavity, which, at a
subsequent period, is warmly lined with down and feathers.

The brood consists of from eight to sixteen eggs, of a somewhat
elongated shape, hard, smooth-shelled, and of a grayish-white
color; in fact, exactly similar to those of the domesticated Duck.
The period of incubation—during which the female, who alone
brocds, sits with the greatest patience and self-devotion—extends
over from twenty to twenty-eight days. The newly hatched young
ones remain perhaps for a single day in the nest, and are then
taken to the water. During the first few days of their lives, they
endeavor to conceal themselves as much as possible among the
reeds and water-plants; and it is only when their wings have to
be tried that they venture to show themselves in open water.
Meanwhile, the mother takes the greatest pains to conceal them
from observation. In case of danger, she makes every endeavor
to draw it upon herself, or, if the assailants are such as to make it
at all practicable, she flies at them with the utmost fury, and uses
every effort to drive them away. The young brood follow her
with every demonstration of affection; they watch her slightest
warning, listen to every sound she utters, and, when bidden, at
once hide themselves among weeds, or sink down between the ine-
qualities of the ground.

Pectoral Sandpiper—Meadow Snipe—Grass Snipe—Jack Snipe. (Z77inga

maculata.)
Fig. 3.

The Pectoral, compared with others of its kind, is usually but
seldom seen, although in some localities it is occasionally tolerably
numerous. At early spring, it generally quits its winter-quarters,
and returns, under cover of the night, to its native haunts. It is
usually found in pairs, and seeks its food on marshy ground, but

Py. Teh

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JACKDAW—GRACKLES—BLACKBIRDS. U7

at other times conceals itself among the neighboring long grass
and rushes.

Coues says: ‘*The Pectoral Sandpiper is well known to sports-
men and others, and is frequently sought after, as its somewhat
game-like habits of lying to a dog and flushing correctly from the
grass, like a true Snipe, render it an attractive object of pursuit;
besides which, in the fall it becomes very fat, and it is then excel-
lent eating. Unlike most Sandpipers, it does not flock, at least to
any extent, being oftenest found scattered singly or in pairs. In
the United States it is chiefly, if not wholly, a bird of passage ;
for, though some may winter along our southern border and others
breed along the northern tier of States, such probabilities require
to be confirmed. As maybe gathered from the quotations (North,
Central, and South America, West India, Greenland, and Europe),
its winter range is very extensive, yet some individuals may be
found in the Middle States as late as November. I found it in July
along the forty-ninth parallel, where it probably breeds. It occurred
sparingly about pools on Turtle Mountain, in company with the
Least Sandpiper. It is a very abundant bird in summer, in Labra-
dor, where it frequents low, muddy flats laid bare by the tide, and
the salt-marshes adjoining. When they arise from the grass to
alight again at a little distance, they fly in silence or with a single
tweet, holding the wings deeply incurved; but when suddenly
startled and much alarmed, they spring quickly, with loud, re-
peated cries, and make off in a zigzag, much like the common
Snipe. Sometimes, gaining a considerable elevation, they circle
for several minutes in silence overhead, flying with great velocity,
perhaps to pitch down again nearly perpendicularly to the same
spot they sprang from. ‘The southward migration begins in Au-
gust, and is usually completed by the following month.”

‘ackdaw—Boat-tailed Grackle—Great Crow Blackbird.
major.)

(Quiscalus

Fig. 4.

This bird may be termed a small species of Raven. It is dis-
tinguished by its short, strong, straight beak, which is but slightly
curved. Its habitat is the South Atlantic and Gulf States, along
the coast from the Carolinas to Texas, the West Indies, and Mex-
ico. Itis also found throughout most of the countries of Europe
and in many parts of Asia. It occupies some certain places in
great numbers, entirely avoiding other districts. Among the sea-
islands, and neighboring marshes on the mainland, they assemble
in great numbers, where they feed, at low water, on the oyster-
beds. Bushes in the neighborhood of salt marshes are the sit-
uations it prefers for building purposes, but it will also make its
nest upon high trees or even shrubs. It is extremely rude, being
roughly formed of twigs or straw, and lined with hair, feathers,
or hay. During these building operations the settlement is a con-
stant scene of quarreling, one bird stealing from another with the
greatest audacity and cunning, and taking possession, not only of
the materials, but of the places selected by their neighbors as snug
and desirable localities.

The disposition of this species is lively, and its habits extremely
social. Indeed, it may be said to possess the gifts of the Crow,
with but few of its disagreeable qualities. When upon the wing,
the flight of the Jackdaw is not unlike that of a Pigeon, and its
mode of rising, falling, or performing a variety of evolutions
remarkably graceful and easy. Its voice is capable of considera-
ble development, according to Audubon, resembling a loud, shrill
whistle, often accompanied by a cry like ervek criek cree, and, in
the breeding season, changing almost to a warble. According to
Nuttall, they are only heard to sing in the spring, and their con-
cert, though inclining to sadness, is not altogether disagreeable.

Large quantities of insects, snails, and worms are devoured by
these useful birds. They will seek their food in the streets, or fol-
low in the wake of the ploughman as he turns up the clods and

lays the concealed grubs bare to their hungry beaks. They hunt
for mice, young birds, and eggs with great dexterity, and will also
feed upon roots, leaves, corn, and fruit.

Crow Blackbird—Purple Grackle. (9xdscalus purpureus.)

Fig. 5.

The Purple Grackle is a very common bird, and is either occa-
sionally or constantly to be met with in all parts of North America,
north to Labrador, Hudson’s Bay, and the Saskatchewan, through-
out which range it breeds. It winters in the Southern States and
the Antilles, within the tropics. They associate at times in great
numbers. Wilson states that, on the 20th of January, a few miles
from the banks of the Roanoke, in Virginia, he met with one
of these prodigious armies of Blackbirds, which, as he approached,
rose from the surrounding fields with a noise like thunder, and, de-
scending on the stretch of road before him, covered it and the fences
completely with black; rising again, after a few evolutions, they
descended on the skirt of a leafless wood, so thick as to give the
whole forest, for a considerable extent, the appearance of being
shrouded in mourning, the numbers amounting probably to many
hundreds of thousands. Their notes and screams resembled the
distant sound of a mighty cataract, but strangely attuned into a
musical cadence, which rose and fell with the fluctuation of the
breeze.

‘‘Their depredations,” says Nuttall, ‘‘on the maize crop, or
Indian corn, commences almost with the planting. The infant
blades no sooner appear than they are hailed by the greedy Black-
bird as the signal for a feast; and, without hesitation, they descend
on the fields, and regale themselves with the sweet and sprouted
seed, rejecting and scattering the blades, as an evidence of their
mischief and audacity. Again, about the beginning of August,
while the grain is in the milky state, their attacks are renewed
with the most destructive effect, as they now assemble, as it were,
in clouds, and pillage the fields to such a degree, that, in some
low and sheltered situations, in the vicinity of rivers, where they

delight to roam, one-fourth of the crop is devoured by these vexa- -

tious visitors. The gun, also, notwithstanding the havoc it pro-
duces, has little more effect than to chase them from one part of
the field to the other. In the Southern States, in winter, they
hover round the corncribs in swarms, and boldly peck the hard
grain from the cob through the air openings of the magazine. In
consequence of these reiterated depredations, they are detested by
the farmer as a pest to his industry ; though, on their arrival, their
food for a long time consists wholly of those insects which are cal-
culated to do the most essential injury to the crops. They, at this
season, frequent swamps and meadows, and, familiarly following
the furrows of the plow, sweep up all the grub-worms, and other
noxious animals, as soon as they appear, even scratching up the
loose soil, that nothing of this kind may escape them. Up to the
time of harvest, I have uniformly, on dissection, found their food
to consist of these larvee, caterpillars, moths, and beetles, of which
they devour such numbers, that but for this providential economy,
the whole crop of grain, in many places, would probably be de-
stroyed by the time it began to germinate.”

‘<This familiar bird,” Gentry says, ‘‘reaches the latitude of
Philadelphia usually about the middle of March. As I write
(March 21st), many small flocks may be seen in various directions,
fluttering and chattering among the trees. Nest-building has been
observed even as early as March 15th, but then only in sheltered
situations—such as the south slopes of a hill. Here the nests are
built chiefly in the branches of coniferous trees. Usually, but one
brood is reared each season; but I have observed instances of a
second brood, when the season has been unusually propitious. In
such cases, the first batch of young appeared in April, the other
in July. Though sometimes annoying to the agriculturist by its
mischief in the cornfields, this bird has nevertheless some good

~~ 3

78 GRACKLES, OR BLACKBIRDS, AND WRENS.

qualities recommending it to favor. It is obviously of great service
in the destruction of:insects. But it has one very bad trait, per-
haps not generally known. Like the Crow, a not distant relative,
it is fond of birds’ eggs and tender nestlings, and it destroys a
great many, particularly Robins. Coward-like, it lurks about the
Robins’ vicinity until the parents are away, when it pounces on the
nest, seizes an egg or a young one, and hastily retreats. But
wary and vigilant as it is, sometimes it is caught in the act, and
forced to seek safety by rapid flight from the impetuous attacks
of the owners.”

Rusty Grackle, or Blackbird. (Scolecophagus ferrugineus.)
Fig. 6.

This bird ranges throughout the eastern provinces of North
America ; is found in Kansas, Nebraska, and Dakota, and extends its
northwestern range to Alaska and throughout British America. It
winters in the Southern States, coming north gradually, arriving
in Northern New York in April, breeding in Canada and through-
out the British Possessions in America, and in Maine and New
Hampshire. It frequents low, marshy grounds, building its nest
in the low alders and bushes indigenous to such places, and begins
to lay about the first of June, raising yearly but one brood. The
nest is constructed of twigs and leaves of grass, mixed with mud,
woven into a fine circular structure, and lined with fine leaves.
The eggs are bluish-white, sometimes resembling the bloom upon
grasses, covered with fine blotches and spots of light brown, in
size about 1.04 by .76 of aninch. This bird delights in the com-
pany of cattle, frequenting the barnyard as well as pastures for
that purpose. It feeds upon aquatic insects, small snails, grass-
hoppers, and grubs of old plowed lands. The male assists in incu-
bation, and when disturbed, with a warning croak seeks to divert
the attention of the intruder. During the mating season it indulges
in a low song, but its ordinary call isa sort of cheek-che-week,
shared by male and female alike.

Cowpen-bird—Cow-bird—Cow-blackbird—Cowpen Bunting.

thrus pecoris.)

(Molo-

Fig. 7.

Among the advanced thinkers of the bird world, the Cowpen-
bird occupies the most conspicuous place. The longest haired
reformer can feel no greater indifference to the conjugal relations
or less regard for his offspring than this bird. The courtship is
of the briefest description. Surrounded by a bevy of demure
maidens, the male mounts some fence or tree, and ruffling his
feathers to the utmost, pours out clwk-see-e, not without consider-
able melody. As they build no nests, and farm out the rearing of
their young, their family relations are anything but tender, and
they are arrant polygamists. When the female is ready to lay,
she becomes greatly disquieted, ceases her search for food, sepa-
rates herself from her companions, and commences a careful re-
connoiter. Anxiously and in utter silence, she flits from thicket to
thicket, peering here and there until a nest, with the owner not at
home, is found, when she disappears for a few moments. When
her labor is performed, she emerges perfectly jubilant, ruffling
and adjusting her plumage, and with many a merry chuckle re-
joins her companions. From her peculiar manner of dropping
her eggs, the true number has never been fully determined. It is
supposed that but one is laid in the same nest by the same bird,
but nests have been found with two, three, and more of the Cow-

pen’s eggs in them. These eggs are rounded oval, about .85 by

.67 of an inch, the ground color white, though sometimes so
blotched over with fine dottings of purple as to be concealed.
They are usually larger than those of the bird whose nest is used,
and hatch from two to four days sooner. Among the birds thus im-

—

posed upon are the Towhee, Black and White Creeper, and Yellow
Summer Bird. The latter bird has been known to build a new
nest upon the old one when thus defiled, sometimes making a tnird
story, and effectually destroying the foreign eggs in the apartments
below. The Cowpen sometimes attempts to use the nest of the
Cat-bird, but rarely with success. When the young are hatched,
the foster parents never desert their charge, but work with unceas-
ing activity to feed the large and hungry mouths constantly ap-
pealing to them. The range of the Cowpen is very extensive,
being found in nearly every State and Territory of the Union. Its
food consists of seed, worms, and insects. Its name is derived
from the great fondness of the bird for domestic animals, frequent-
ing barnyards, scratching the ordure collected there, and feeding
upon the numerous animal parasites. They frequently rest upon
the backs of cows and horses, and undoubtedly impart an agree-
abie sensation by the scratching of their claws.

Great Carolina Wren. (Zhryothorus ludovicianus.)
Fig. 8.

The range of this bird is restricted to the Eastern United States,
south of New England, extending west to Kansas and New Mexico.
It is sufficiently hardy to winter in the Middle States, and is com-
mon around Washington throughout the year. It raises two
broods every season. Its nest is built without much regard to
situation ; any odd nook, loose board, or knot-hole in an out-house,
or clump of bushes being acceptable. The nest is composed of a
mass of fibrous material, usually grass, as being more easily ob-
tained, resembles a ball somewhat, and has a side entrance. In
this habitation five or six eggs are deposited. They are white,
thickly and evenly dotted with rufous spots, and measuring about
.7o by .58. When the young are hatched, the parents evince the
utmost anxiety and watchfulness until they are old enough to care
for themselves, which is in three or four days. They are usually
very shy, hiding with the greatest pertinacity, and yet, like their
kind, very inquisitive of all intruders on their haunts, scolding
and chattering at them in true billingsgate. Their song, however,
is strong, clear, and very musical, consisting of a rapid succession
of whistling notes, delivered with great energy and nerve, and
can be heard at a great distance.

Northern House Wren—Wood Wren. (Zvroglodytes aédon.)
Fig. 9.

There are several varieties of the species known as House Wrens.
The figure on this plate represents the northerly bred bird. ‘* One
can scarcely pass a thicket,” says Maynard, ‘‘ throughout the
entire extent of Florida, from Key West to the northern limits of
the State, whether on the borders of the hummock or in the vast
pine barrens, without exciting the ire of the irascible House Wrens.
They will suddenly start up at the feet of the pedestrian, and,
alighting on a log or bush, scold him angrily; but if the birds
think they are in danger, will quickly disappear; then it re-
quires rapid and thorough beating to make them rise. There are
many thickets on the mainland which are so impenetrable that
birds are perfectly safe from intruders; yet on the Keys they are
particularly favored in this respect, for there the various species of
cacti form an excellent cover for them. These plants are armed
with many long pines, which present a formidable barrier against
the invasion of man or any large animal. Thus, in Florida, we
find this Wren keeping apart from mankind and his ways; but in
New England, they usually pursue a different course. Here they
associate with human beings, building their nests in boxes erected
for them, and even if these tiny edifices are placed in close prox-
imity to the busy thoroughfares, the birds may be seen perched on
their roofs, singing their uncouth melodies. The House Wren

Pi. LIl

WOODPECKERS—C HICKADEES—CROSSBILL—CREEPER—MAGPIE.

will ivan | hnletee aad ie vais-un Puttelieetioecastuntiees anchon: select a hole in a tree as a breeding place; even
in the North I observed a pair several times about an old apple-
tree, which stood in a remote place, and, being aware that they
had a nest there, made repeated search for it; but, after vainly
looking i in every hole which I thought they could enter, gave up
in despair. But on passing the place one day, I saw the female
emerge from a very small orifice in a high limb, which was not
larger around than my arm, and upon examining, found the nest
concealed in it. The House Wrens breed in New England about
the first week in June; in Florida, somewhat earlier. They are
constant residents in the South, but migrants at the North, arriving
in the spring about the first of May, and departing in early Oc-
‘ober.

PLATE LIII.

Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker.

(Picoides arcticus.)
Fig. 1.

The range of ties bird is confined to the far North, touching the
extreme arctic region, and extending as far south as Northern Mas-
sachusetts, New Ver, and Ohio. Its nest is made by boring into live
trees, usually without regard to kind, pine, oak, or other timber being
selected indiscriminately, and the borings made near the first limbs.
They vary in depth from twenty to twenty-four inches, with an
entrance barely large enough to admit the occupant, but broad and
smooth at the bottom. The eggs are from four to six, rather
rounded, and pure white. One brood only is raised in a season,
and the young keep with their parents until the approach of au-
tumn, when they separate and shift for themselves. They seem
destitute of vocal accomplishments, their utterance being confined
to a loud shrill call. Their flight is long and undulatory, and
when on the wing they frequently give voice to their peculiar call.
They pursue insects on the wing, indulge in berries and other
small fruit, and in search of food move with great rapidity over the
trunks and limbs of decaying trees.

Banded Three-toed Woodpecker.

(Picoides americanus.)
Fig. 2.

This bird is very rare in the United States, and but little is
known of its habits. It is confined almost entirely to the arctic
circle, and is not migratory. It is found in the spruce and fir for-
ests lying between Lake Superior and the Arctic seas, and is most
common north of Great Slave Lake.

Hudson’s Bay Chickadee—Hudsonian Chickadee—Hudsonian Titmouse.
(Parus hudsonicus.)

Fig. 3.

This bird is confined to the northern and eastern portions of the
United States, and is found in Northern New York, Vermont,
New Hampshire, and Maine. Though in many things resembling
the common Black Cap, it is far more retiring in its habits, usually
confining its residence to lonely forests. Its song is far more dis-
tinct, the ¢sche-dee-dee-dee having almost the clear pronunciation
of the human voice. The nest is usually built in the hollow of a
tree or stump, two or three feet from the ground, is purse-shaped,
and composed of furs finely matted throughout. The eggs are ofa
rounded oval shape. Though a shy bird, this Chickadee resents
all intrusion upon its haunts, and displays the utmost courage and
disregard of life in protection of its young. Dr. Brewer gives a
charming description of his attempt to examine one of their nests
containing young. ‘This nest could only be reached by using the

a anit ge Pe ee ee

hatchet, and he tells us that «“ they flew at our faces, assailed our
arms as we wielded the invading hatchet, and it was difficult not
to do them unintentional injury without abandoning our purpose.
Before we could examine the nest, they had entered and had to be
removed again and again. As soon as we were satisfied that the
nest of this heroic pair did not contain what we sought, we left
them, and turned to look with equal admiration upon the indig-~
nant assembly of feathered remonstrants by which we were sur-
rounded.”

White-winged Crossbill. (Zoxéa leucoptera.)

Fig. 4.

This bird inhabits the northern parts of North America gener-
ally. It has been found as far south as Maryland. It is a resi-
dent throughout Eastern Maine, where it breeds in the winter. In
the arctic regions it finds shelter in the dense forests of fir and
spruce, and food in the seeds of their cones. Their diet is not
confined to, the floral world, however, canker worms and other
animal food proving equally acceptable. The female possesses
the faculty of song, and sings with equal sweetness with the male.
The nest is composed of moss, spruce twigs, nearly circular, and
is lined with coarse hairs and the shreds of bark. The eggs are
pale blue, the large end covered with fine spots of black and light
purple. They are very affectionate, Dr. Brewer recording the
death of one from grief at the loss of its mate. They congregate
in flocks, fly with an undulatory motion, and are fearless in the
presence of man.

Brown Creeper. (Certhia PAT LerS:)

Fig. 5.

Though nowhere an abundant bird, the Brown Creeper is found
in every State and Territory in the Union. Owing to its markings
so Closely resembling the bark of the trees which furnish its feel
the study of its habits is attended with some difficulty. It is a fear-
less bird, paying little regard to the presence of man. — Solitary in
its habits, it yet is sometimes found associated with the Titmice and |
small Woodpeckers. Its food is confined entirely to the small insects
which find shelter in the bark of trees. Up and down the most
rugged oak or elm it works its way, picking a dainty bit here and
there, but never using its bill asa hammer. It rarely proceeds
in a straight line, but constantly turns to the right and left, some-
times entirely circling the hole, and when one tree has been thor-
oughly examined, instantly flies to another, and thus day in and
day out spends its time. It builds its nest in decayed trees, some-
times using the holes deserted by the Woodpeckers, and without
much regard to symmetry, gathers together a mass of rotted wood,
lining it with feathers and the fur of small animals. The eggs are
usually five in number, small for the size of the bird, nearly oval
in shape, grayish-white, dotted with fine reddish-brown spots. Be-
sides the constantly repeated cree cree cre-ep, to which they give
utterance while searching for food, they possess a song somewhat
resembling, though much harsher than that of the Wren.

American Magpie. (/%ca caudata.)

Fig. 6.

This bird, which is nearly identical with the European species,
is confined to Western and Northern North America. In the New
World as in the Old, it is the same daring murderer and robber.
Its food consists of carrion, smaller birds, eggs, and the young
of Partridges, rats, frogs, mice, snails, worms, grubs, and cater-
pillars. It is possessed of a most omniverous appetite, and will
alight upon the backs of horses and mules, and work further mis-
chief to any galled places that may be found. So ravenous are
they that they have been known to fairly snatch food from the hands

80 LAPLAND LARK BUNTING—TRUMPETER SW AN—GULLS.

of man himself. The constant persecutions of late years, how-
ever, have taught them more wary ways. They are a social bird,
associating in small flocks of six or eight. Easily caught and
tamed, they learn to imitate the human voice, and acquire very
cunning and mischievous habits. Their notes are infinite in va-
riety—musical, gurgling, querulous, squeaking, chattering, as its
mood may dictate. Their favorite feeding places are near running
streams. The nest is elaborately constructed, requiring several
days to complete. It is usually placed in a thicket, on the fork
of a tree, from ten to fifteen feet from the ground, and is con-
structed by an ingenious interlacing of coarse sticks, followed by
finer ones, cemented firmly together by fine well-worked clay. It
is in the shape of a ball, from eighteen inches to three feet in cir-
cumference, arched over by a bower of twigs. Two entrances are
made—one for the long tail, the other for the head—and the inside
is lined with hair, feathers, and fine grasses. Five eggs are
usually laid, the ground color grayish-white, sometimes tinged
with yellow, and blotched over with purplish-brown blotches. The
Magpie occupies a conspicuous place in zoological mythology.
Ovid gives us an account of a very interesting family of young
ladies who were changed into Magpies, and he further adds:

“And still their tongues went on, though changed to birds,
In endless clack, and vast desire of words.”

The Greeks and the Romans dedicated the Magpie to Bacchus,
as all men when drunk are garrulous. In the old German myths,
witches transform themselves into this bird ; while during the twelve
days between Christmas and Epiphany, one of the three birds
must be killed. In Norway, however, they are treated to a Christ-
mas dinner. The English peasants augur good or evil from the
number found together; thus, one for sorrow, two for mirth,
three for a wedding, four for a death.

Lapland Longspur—Lapland Lark Bunting. (Plectrophanes lapponicus.)
Fig. 7.

This bird is an inhabitant of the polar regions, extending from
ocean to ocean; in the winter migrating as far south as Pennsyl-
vania, Kentucky, Illinois, and Kansas. It breeds abundantly in
Alaska, along the coasts of the Arctic sea, and up and down the
shores of Greenland, building its nest on small tussocks of grass
in moist meadows. ‘This nest is composed of grass thickly matted,
and is warmly lined with feathers and hair. The eggs are seven
in number, of a greenish-gray ground, thickly mottled with choco-
late brown, pointed at the end. Its song, which is clear and very
melodious, is uttered while on the wing, and has won for its pos-
sessor the name of Greenland Nightingale. Its food is grass seed,
the seed of pine-cones, and juniper-berries. It associates with
Shore Larks and the Painted Larkspurs, and does not desert its
breeding resorts until driven from them by the heavy snows which
usually come early in September.

PLATE LIV.

Trumpeter Swan. (Cygnus buccinator.)
Fig. I.

The range of this magnificent bird is chiefly from the Missis-
sippi valley, extending northward as far as the Pacific.

According to Dr. Newbury: ‘‘ The Trumpeter Swan visits Cali-
fornia, with its congeners, the Ducks and Geese, in their annual
migrations; but, compared with the myriads of other water-birds
which congregate at that season in the bays and rivers of the West,
it is always rare. Before we left the Columbia, early in Novem-

ber, the Swans had begun to arrive from the North, and frequently,
while at Fort Vancouver, their trumpeting drew our attention to
the long converging lines of these magnificent birds, so large and
so snowy white, as they came from their northern resting places,
and, screaming their delight at the appearance of the broad ex-
panse of water, perhaps their winter home, descended into the

Columbia.” Itis foundin Canada, at Hudson’s Bay, and occasion-

ally on the Aulantic coast. It breeds from Iowa and Dakota north.
Audubon found them in great numbers in the waters of the Ohio,
about the last of October. They remain in the waters near their
breeding places until the ice forms, when they migrate south, win-
te ing in the waters south of the Gulf. They fly principally at
night, and take their names from the trumpet tones with which they

_ Call to each other. One can hardly imagine anything more start-

ling than a succession of their loud, long, raucous calls dropping
out of the depths of a starless night. Hearne says: ‘I have heard
them, in serene evenings, after sunset, make a noise not very un-
like that of a French horn, but entirely divested of every note that
constituted melody, and have often been sorry that it did not fore-
bode their death.”

Their flight is powerful, protracted, and made with seeming ease,
the neck stretched forward, the foot folded back, and the wings pro-
pelling with steady, sweeping strokes. Their food consists of a
variety of aquatic vegetables, roots, leaves, water-insects, snails,
small quadrupeds and reptiles.

Herring Gull. (Zarus argentatus.)
Fig. 2.

The Herring Gull is common along the coasts from Cuba to
Labrador, breeding from New England northward. It is also found
in the interior, and occasionally on the coasts of the Pacific. Its
northern range is along the shores of Labrador, where it spends
its summers in great numbers, and breeds abundantly. It builds
its nest without much regard to place, sometimes using the ground,
at other times resorting to trees. The nests are large and bulky,
composed of moss, lichens, and dry grasses, scraped together in
a heap, with a small indenture made in the center, in which are
laid three eggs. These eggs are variously colored, some bluish,
greenish, or brownish-olive, and blotched over with a great variety
of markings. They are by no means dainty in their diet, partak-
ing of anything which comes within their reach—fish, vegetable,
and animal refuse thrown up by the ocean, shell fish, or carrion,
for which they contend with Turkey-buzzards and Fish-crows.
They migrate south from September to October, and during the
winter rarely indulge in their vocal powers, but when spring ap-
proaches, they make the air resound with their loud harsh cries.

Bonaparte’s Gull. (Larus philadelphia.)
Fig. 3.

This is one of our most widely dispersed sea-birds, inhabiting
the Atlantic coast from Labrador to the Gulf, and along the shores
of our great inland lakes. Notwithstanding its great geographical
range, but little is known regarding its habits, and it has not been
definitely determined whether it breeds within the United States.
They spend their winters on the shores of the Southern States,
leaving for their northern breeding places some time in May, and
returning early in September.

Coues says: ‘‘ No one of our species is more widely dispersed
than this. Go where we may in North America, the pretty bird
may be seen at one or another season, if we are not too far from
any considerable body of water. The Gull holds its own from
the Labrador crags, against which the waves of an angered ocean
ceaselessly beat, to the low, sandy shores of the Gulf, caressed by
the soothing billows of a tropical sea. It follows the sinuosities of

PL.LIV

mt Fa es

Saas Ai
LE eee

ire fae

ly ish kT re AN oe

WILSON’S PHALAROPE—LEAST TERN—PRAIRIE HEN—CEDAR BIRD. 81

ee — ee

the two coasts with wonderful pertinacity, making excursions up
every bay and estuary, and threads the course of all our three
great rivers, while performing its remarkably extensive migrations.
Considering in what high latitudes it breeds, it is astonishing how
early toward the fall it again appears among us after its brief absence.
The last birds have not all left the United States in May; some
time in August the young come straggling back, though they are
not numerous until the autumn has fairly set in.”

Gray or Wilson’s Phalarope. (Phalaropus wilsonit.)
Fig. 4.

This bird is one of the largest and most elegant of all the Pha-
laropes. It is a rare bird throughout the Eastern States, but is
found in abundance in the Western, where it breeds in Iowa, IIli-
nois, Minnesota, to the north and northwest as far as the fur coun-
tries, and is exceedingly plentiful in the Mississippi valley. Its
nest is an exceedingly crude affair, usually laying their eggs in
the grass, selecting the borders of small ponds and reedy pools.
The eggs vary in ground color from a clay to a brownish drab,
overlaid with many spots and blotches of a brownish drab.
Dr. Elliott Coues, in his ‘‘ Birds of the Northwest,” gives the fol-
lowing anecdote regarding them. He says: ‘¢ Three Phalaropes
Came in great concern and alighted on the water where a dead
Avocet was floating, swimming back and forth, and almost caress-
ing it with their bill. The Avocet’s mate himself, who was not
long in reaching the spot, showed no greater agitation than his
little friends and neighbors the Phalaropes did; and though it was
only birds ‘of a low order of beings,’ who thus exhibited sym-
pathy and grief, who could look on such a scene unmoved ?”

Least Tern. (Sterna superciliarés.)
Fig. 5.

Audubon calls this beautiful little bird the Humming-bird of the
water-fowls, and indulges in a perfect ecstasy of enthusiasm in
describing it. It is a common bird along the Atlantic coasts of
the United States, on the larger inland waters, up the Pacific coast
to California, and south into the Antilles and in Middle America
generally. Their nests are various, sometimes masses of moss,
cunningly interwoven, bits of sea-grass gathered in a pile, or if
these are not convenient, laying their eggs on the bare shingle.
The eggs are from one to three, colored so nearly like their sur-
roundings as to be barely discernible, varying from a pale greenish-
white to a dull drab, marked with small spots and splashes of
brown. They are fearless in the defense of their young. Their
common notes resemble those of the Barn Swallow, and like them
they eat upon the wing, though they frequently devour small fish
upon the beach.

PLATE LV.

Pinnated Grouse—Prairie Hen. (Cupidonza cupido.)

The Prairie Hen was once common throughout the Eastern
States, particularly in localities destitute of much moisture and
thinly covered with trees or shrubbery. A few are still found on
Martha’s Island, around New York, and in New Jersey and Penn-
sylvania. Like the Indian, they are from year to year crowded
farther and still farther into the West, and if the wholesale de-
struction of the last few years is continued, will ultimately become
very rare. They are at present found in great abundance all
along the fertile prairies of the United States, almost to the foot

hills of the Rocky Mountains, in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Mis-
souri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas. They delight in broad
open champaigns, where they congregate in flocks of several
hundred, and feed upon orthoptera, green herbage, and in the
winter do serious damage in nipping the buds of fruit and other
trees. If allowed to flourish, they would prove the most effectual
check to the grasshopper ravages in our Western States. As
soon as the winter is broken, usually in March or April, they
commence pairing. Some favored locality is selected, where the
males are accustomed to meet for the purpose of testing their re-
spective superiority. With tails outspread and inclining forward

.to meet their expanded neck-feathers, and with wings distended

and grating against the ground, they strut backward and forward
with the utmost pomposity, nursing and increasing their wrath,
and giving utterance to a series of loud, muffled boomings. This
peculiar noise is accomplished through the inflation of two small
orange-colored, bladder-like receptacles on each side of the neck.
Drawing in the air until these bags become fully inflated, the bird
lowers its head, and gives out, in distinct succession, a series of
booming sounds resembling the beating of a muffled drum, and,
on still clear mornings, capable of being heard more than a mile.
When the females congregate in response to this call, a furious
battle ensues among the male belligerents. Rising into the air
after the manner of game-cocks, they strike at each other with the
utmost fury, sometimes several joining in a miscellaneous scrim-
mage, until the weaker ones are forced to retire and the stronger
utterly exhausted. After the pairing, a coarse nest, rudely con-
structed of leaves and grass, is formed, hid away in the open plain,
or at the foot of some small bush. From eight to ten eggs are laid,
varying in size, the largest about 1.80 by 1.25, of a very light
green ground, sometimes unmarked, sometimes spotted with fine
brown markings. The female incubates from eighteen to twenty
days, and when the young are hatched, their entire care devolves
upon the female. Ever on the alert, if her young charge is
threatened, she gives a low cluck as a signal of danger, when the
brood instantly take to their wings, flying a short distance, then
dropping to the ground and remaining perfectly still, making it
almost impossible to discover them. After the danger is over, a.
second signal relieves them. But one brood is raised during the
season; though, if through any misfortunes the first laying is de-
stroyed, the female seeks out her mate, builds another nest, lays a
new complement of eggs, and tries her fortune a second time.
Their flight is strong, regular, tolerably swift, and sometimes ex-
tended. They rise from the ground with a whirring sound, and
if they discover a sportsman, go with the utmost speed, and then
suddenly drop into the grass. They feed mostly at the beginning
and close of day, using the mid-day for the purpose of a dust bath,
when they lay and prune their feathers. The flesh is dark, having
a gamy flavor, and, where not too common, is considered a great
treat.

PLATE LVI.

Cedar Bird. (Amfelis cedrorum.)
Fig. 1.

This bird is common throughout all the wooded parts of North
America, and breeds from Florida to the extreme North. They
are eminently sociable and affectionate to each other, and are in-
variably found in flocks. They have no song, or one so indistinct
as not to attract notice, but they possess a low, lisping utterance,
which they constantly give voice to, Inordinate feeders, they
have been known to gorge themselves until they became utterly
helpless and an easy prey; and itis a curious sight to watch a flock
of them stripping some mountain ash when in its fullest fruitaye.
They arrive in Northern New York long before the April snows

82 . BUNTING—PIPIT—LARK—W ARBLER—-SPARROW.

ee ee ee

have disappeared, and with their tufted crowns, beautiful plumage,
and supple movements, make a most attractive picture. From
their great fondness for cherries, they have received the name of
Cherry-bird, and have suffered much unjust persecution from the
same cause, for they are entitled to a most generous repast in return
for their services in keeping in check the myriad insect life. They
are particularly fond of the destructive canker-worm which makes
such havoc with apple and elm trees. Although arriving at their
breeding places early, it is not until about the first of July that they
commence building their nests. This curious anomaly in bird life
has awakened the curiosity of all ornithologists. Their nests are
large and bulky, composed of a variety of materials, twigs, coarse
grass, and stems of vegetables, in which they lay five or six eggs, of
a light slate color, tinged with olive, and marked with dark purple
blotches, measuring about .85 by .7o of an inch.

Black-throated Bunting. (uspiza americana.)
Fig. 2.

A rare bird throughout New England, but unusually abundant in
the West, this little Bunting is usually found in open fields. It arrives
in New York the last of May, and immediately commences to build
its nest, which consists of coarse grasses and stems, lined with a finer
and kindred material. It is sometimes built upon the ground, more
frequently a little above, in low bushes like blackberry brambles
and wild roses. In the West they frequently mat together the tops
of coarse prairie grasses, and construct their nests upon it. They
usually lay five eggs of a uniform light blue color, varying in size.
During the summer they destroy immense numbers of caterpillars,
beetles, canker-worms, and other destructive insects, varying their
diet with the seeds of coarse grasses and weeds. They are always
found in pairs, and even when preparing to migrate, keep up this
isolated family relation. ‘Their song is more constant than musical.
The note is a chtp-chip-che-che-che, which they keep repeating
over and over until it becomes wearisome.

Tit-lark—American Pipit. (Azthus ludovictanus.)
Fig. 3.

The Tit-lark or American Pipit is one of the most abundant and
widely distributed of North American birds. Its range extends
from Florida to the arctic regions, from the Atlantic to the Pacific
oceans. It builds its nest about the middle of May, seeking open,
bare, and exposed situations, usually the sides of some steep and
precipitous chasm. Here, in some natural cavity, it gathers dry
mosses and with coarse grass makes a nest about six inches in
diameter, loosely put together, with a cavity of about two inches
in the center. The eggs are from four to six, dark chocolate in
color, with small lines and streaks in black, measuring .75 by .62.
The flight of this bird is easy and beautiful; while upon the ground
it moves with great rapidity, jerking its tail like the Water-thrush.
Its song is clear, mellow, and very sweet, more subdued when on the
wing than when at rest. Its food 1s varied; in the interior consist-
ing of insects and small seed, while on the banks of rivers or on
the seashore they devour crustaceous and small shells, resorting at

low tides to muddy flats, and in company with the small Sand-

pipers, finding abundance of food. During incubations both birds
sit in the same nest close together, and abandon it only at the last
moment of danger, and when driven from it they flutter only a few
feet, uttering loud cries of lamentation, in which they are joined
by their companions.

The Shore Lark. (EZremophila alpestris.)
Fig. 4.

The Shore Lark has a very extended range, and breeds from
Texas to Labrador. Where circumstances are favorable, it re-
mains the year round, even when the winters are of unusual
severity. During the season of wooing, the male bird has the
habit of rising almost perpendicularly in the air, wheeling up and
up in irregular circles until nearly out of sight, singing at intervals
a sweet and somewhat varied song, and then descending to the
very spot from whence he arose. At this season the male bird is
also very pugnacious, engaging in frequent battles, in which sev-
eral will join at the same time, fluttering, biting, and tumbling
over each other in a confused manner. It is most emphatically a
ground bird, never alighting upon trees, and its song, which is
alike short and sweet, is uttered when at rest and when on the
wing. It usually selects some mossy bed in which to build its
nest, which it hollows out and fills with fine grasses and a final
lining of feathers. Its eggs are from four to five in number, gray-
ish in color, covered with spots of purplish-lavender. Before they
can fly, the young, which in no way resemble their parents, leave
their nests, and nimbly follow them for the purpose of being fed.
The parent birds are very solicitous for their offspring, and will
follow a ravisher of their nest long distances, uttering the most
plaintive cries. At the approach of danger they flutter away,
feigning lameness, endeavoring to lead the intruder away from
their young. Their food consists of insects, the seeds of grasses
and the blossoms of small flowers, and, when near the shore, of
crustacea.

Connecticut Warbler. (Oforornis agilis.)
Fig. 5.

Wilson first discovered this rare and beautiful bird in the State
from whence it derives its name, and during the many years which
have intervened since his untimely death, but little additional in-
formation has been gained. Audubon found but two specimens, and
these in New Jersey. Within a few years it has been discovered in
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and in Illinois. It is exceed-
ingly active in its habits, constantly hopping from one low bush to
another, and emitting, without ceasing, the single note—/weet.
It is very fond of a small water-spider which it pursues, skimming
the water after the manner of the Swallow. It also seeks its food
in old fields, among dry, rank weeds, and in swampy places.

Fox-colored Sparrow. (fasserella iliaca.)
Fig. 6.

Throughout all the Northern and Western States, the Fox-
colored Sparrow is only a bird of passage, and is not known to
breed in any State in the Union. They winter in the vicinity of
Washington and throughout the South. They begin their northern
pilgrimage, which is performed entirely by day, some time in
March, and return again to winter-quarters in October. They fly
in small flocks of about a dozen, in a low but rapid, undulatory
manner, and haunt the outskirts of low thickets and the edges of
moist woods. They breed in the wooded districts of the fur
countries, and during this season the plumage of the male bird
becomes sometimes an almost brilliant red. At this time, the male
also develops the most charming musical capabilities, his song be-
coming loud, clear, and melodious, unsurpassed by any of the
family of Finches. The nest is constructed on the ground and in
trees, and is composed of coarse hay, lined with similar material
of a finer quality, mixed with mosses and the hair of deer. They
are large for the size of the bird, and when on the ground are

Peeve

PL. LVI

er a

erty satye ©
rete oF

HOUSE WREN—RED-EYED GROUND ROBIN—TROPIC BIRD. 83

usually placed at the foot of some creeping fir, and concealed from
view. ‘The eggs are five in number, of a pale green tint, blotched
over with irregular spots of brown. When disturbed during in-
cubation, they flutter away, imitating lameness. ‘Their food con-
sists of grain and insects, and they imitate our domestic fowl in
eating, scraping the ground with their feet for the purpose of
_ turning up some dainty morsel.

House Wren. (Zroglodytes aédon.)
Fig. 7.

This charming and familiar bird is common throughout the
United States, though not abundant in the more northern parts of
New England. It is not known to winter in any part of the Union,
commencing its migratory movements early in September. It arrives
in the Northern States during the earlier days of May, and imme-
diately commences preparations for the rearing of atamily. Bold,
sociable, and confiding, it has abandoned its prehistoric abiding
places, such as the holes of decaying trees, and taken to the habi-
tations of man, using the eaves of houses, wood-sheds, even sitting-
rooms when accessible. Audubon tells the story of a pair who
thus shared his own parlor, entertaining him with song, and in this
manner more than paying rent. They have been known to build
in the sleeve of a coat hung against the wall, in clothes-line boxes,
in old hats, and other equally unthought-of articles. If the cavity
which they may select prove too large, they fill the space unused
with sticks or other material convenient, contracting the entrance
until just sufficient to admit their wee bodies. In the center of
this mass a hemispherical nest is constructed, compact in its ar-
chitecture, composed of fine material, and warmly lined with
feathers and the fur of animals. The eggs number from seven to
uine, are rounded oval in shape, .60 by .§5 of an inch in size,
with a white ground so thickly blotched with spots of reddish-
brown and purple as to be almost obliterated. During incubation
the song of the male Wren is constant, clear and loud, almost
shrill, and uttered with the utmost animation and rapidity. Al-
though so small, they are among the most pugnacious of our birds,
and during courtship and marital life indulge in constant battles.
Holding an undying enmity to the cat, they rarely let go an op-
portunity to attack this cold-blooded and treacherous enemy. In
their battles with birds of different kin, they frequently come off
victorious, notwithstanding their diminutive size. Their food is
entirely insectivorous, and they are among the farmer’s truest and
most active friends.

Red-eyed Ground Robin—Chewink or Charee—Towhee Bunting. (2247/0
erythrophthalmus.)

Fig. 8.

The Towhee Bunting, Ground Robin, Chewink, or Charee, for
by all these and other names is this bird known in different locali-
ties, has a range extending throughout the Atlantic States, and
westward to the great plains. Although migratory, it breeds in
every State where it is known. It arrives in Northern New York
about the first of May, returning to its winter haunts some time in
October. It is a solitary bird, usually seen only in pairs, though
when preparing for their yearly migration they gather in small
flocks. Its favorite haunt is some closely sheltered thicket, where
its time is busily spent in turning over leaves, searching the earth
for the insects and worms which constitute its food. Its note con-
sists of a simple zowhee, from whence its name, though during the
days of courtship the male will mount some elevated position and
give utterance toa short but very sweet and melodious song. Wil-
son has undertaken to transpose this song into words, and it is as
follows: #sh’d-uitee-te-te-te-te. It commences house building

early in May, seeking some natural depression in the ground for
its purpose, building the edges of its nest even with the surround-
ing surface, and filling the cavity with coarse stems and dry leaves
without much attention to a finer lining. Great pains is taken to
conceal the nest by some overhanging tuft of grass, and when the
bird is sitting it is very difficult to discover it. The eggs are usually
five in number, of a pale flesh color, thickly marked with specks
of rufous, and are -98 by .80 of an inch in size. They are very
affectionate to their young, evincing much anxiety when approached,
and fearlessly thrusting themselves between them and any danger.
‘In the Middle Atlantic districts, as Maryland for instance,”
says Coues, ‘*the Towhee is chiefly a migrant, appearing in great
nuinbers the third or fourth week in April, and so continuing until
the middle of May; while in the fall it is still more numerous
during the month of October. With the coming of other seed-
eaters from the north, early in October, the Towhee suddenly ap-
pears. As we walk along the weedy old ‘snake’ fences and
thick hedges, or by the briery tracts marking the course of a tiny
water-thread through a field, scores of the humble gray Sparrows
flit before us; while ever and again the jaunty Towhee, smartly
dressed in black, white, and chestnut, comes into view, flying low,
with a saucy flirt of the tail, and dashes again into the covert as
quickly as it emerged, crying ‘ owhee’ with startling distinctness.
In the spring it is less conspicuous, and more likely to be found in
low, tangled woods, amid laurel brakes and the like; on the
ground, rustling and busily scratching the matting of last year’s
leaves that covers the earth, doubtless in search of insects. Its
notes are then louder, and oftener heard. Some say that the males
precede the females in migrating; this may average true, but I
have constantly found the sexes together at both seasons. This is
only a partially gregarious bird, large gatherings being seldom
witnessed. In fact it seems to prefer the society of the smaller
and plainer Sparrows, among which it shines without difficulty,
doubtless patronizing them in the genteel way, customary with
big folks, that is so exasperatingly oppressive to the recipients.”

PLATE LVII.

Tropic Bird. (Phaethon ethereus.)
Fig. 1.

This bird barely comes within the range of the birds of North
America, as they are only casual visitors of the Gulf coast. As
implied in their name, they belong to the tropical zone. They
possess immense powers of flight, and have been observed as far
north as latitude 40 degrees. They live almost entirely on the wing,
and are found many leagues out at sea, where they frequently pass
the night sleeping on its bosom. Their food consists almost entirely
of fish and other marine animals, which they drop upon from great
heights. They also make easy prey of flying-fish as they dart from
the water. They congregate in great numbers on rocky and de-
serted islands for the purpose of incubating, placing their nests on
the ground or among low trees and bushes, and laying but two eggs.
Waterton, while at sea, shot one, and offering a guinea for its re-
covery, tells us that ** a Danish sailor who was standing on the fore-
castle, instantly plunged into the sea with all his clothes on and
swam toward the bird. Our people ran aft to lower down the jolly-
boat, but it was filled with lumber and had been well secured with
lashings for the passage home. Our poor Dane was now far astern,
and in our attempt to tack ship she missed stays and we were obliged
to wear her. In the meantime we all expected that the Dane had
gone down into Davy’s locker; but at last we fortunately came up
with him, and we found him buffeting the waves with the dead bird
in his mouth.”

84 EGROT—MERGANSER—SANDPIPER—BAY-WINGED BUNTING.

Se ee ee Le See

Little White Egrot—Snowy Heron. (Ardea candidissima.)
Fig. 2.

This beautiful bird is found throughout the United States, from
the Middle States southerly ; casually in Massachusetts, in Kansas,
Mexico, the West Indies, and Central and South America. It is
a constant resident of Florida and Louisiana, where many remain
during the breeding season. In their migrations they reach the
Middle States early in May. At such times, they fly night and day
and in utter silence. Their favorite roosting and breeding places
are among the low bushes and trees which surround swamps and
marshes. Eminently social, they band together in large commu-
nities numbering several hundred, several building their nests on
the same tree. The nest is composed of dry sticks, is rather small,
with a very shallow cavity, in which three eggs are placed, in color
pale bluish-green and measuring 1.62 by 1.25, the male assisting
in incubation. Their food consists of aquatic insects, snails,
shrimps, small lizards, and young frogs. When in good condition
their flesh is said to be excellent eating.

Hooded Merganser. (A/ergus cucullatus.)
Fig. 3.

This bird is found throughout North America, and stray repre-
sentatives have been observed in Europe. It breeds all along the
great inland lakes and other bodies of fresh water, building its nest
in the holes of tall dead trees, sometimes as high as forty feet from
the ground. The number of eggs vary from eight to fourteen, are
clear white in color, with shell so compact as to seem almost solid
when struck together, and measuring about 2.30 by 1.80 in size.
The care of incubating and raising the young devolves entirely
upon the female, and in the discharge of the latter duty she evinces
many resources. When suddenly surprised with any threatening
danger she signals her flock by a guttural, chattering cry, when
they immediately dive beneath the waves and swim to the shore,
hiding in its aquatic herbage. When passing from one body of
water to another she flies with the young in her mouth, taking them
one by one. So wary is she, in her motherly care, that none but
the most expert sportsman is enabled to outwit her. Their food
consists of minnows, small tadpoles, and aquatic insects. When
migrating, they fly at great height, usually in small flocks and with-
out regard to order. Their vocabulary is confined to a sort of 00,
croo, crooh, which the male uses in wooing, and the female in times
of danger, usually repeating it several times in succession. The
flesh has a fishy taste, the half-grown birds being more desirable
for food.

Spotted Sandpiper.

(Tringotdes maculartus.)
Fig. 4.

This is one of the most common and widely distributed of our
birds, breeding nearly throughout North America, and wintering in
the Southern States, Central and South America, Brazil, and the
West Indies. It is a familiar bird, nesting in fields and orchards,
usually near water, scratching a hollow in the earth, lining it with
a few pieces of straw or moss, and laying four creamy or clay-
colored eggs, which are adjusted with their small ends toward the
middle of the nest. These eggs are about 1.40 by 1 inch in size,
the male assisting in incubating. ‘Their song is a rapid, somewhat
shrill weet, weet, weet, varying into peel, weet, weet, weet, more
frequently heard toward evening. The mother is very affectionate
to her young, resorting to many dissimulations when they are
threatened with danger. They arrive in Northern New York about
the first of May, and immediately forming their marital connec-
tions, commence the work necessary to the raising a family. Their
flight is rather low and swift, and when feeding they have a habit
of balancing and wagging the tail whenever the young join or as
soon as they are fledged.

Bay-winged Bunting—Grass Finch—Field Sparrow—Vesper-bird. (/oce-
celes gramineus.)

Fig. 8—Plate XLVIII. (Omitted on page 69.)

This charming little songster is found abundant throughout most
all parts of North America. Fields, hedges, thickets, grassy hill-
sides, and open valleys are its places of resort. It is a shy and
timid bird, rarely ever approaching the habitations of man. Ac-
cording to Nuttall, these birds in winter flock together in great
numbers in the Southern States, and mingling with the chipping
birds and other species, they now line the roads, fences, and strag-
gling bushes near the plantations in such numbers as, with their
sober and brown livery, to resemble almost a shower of rustling and
falling leaves, continually haunting the advancing steps of the
traveler in hungry, active flocks, driven by the storms of winter
into this temporary and irksome exile. But no sooner does the re-
turn of early spring arrive, than they flit entirely from the southern
wilds, to disperse in pairs and seek out again their favorite natal
regions of the North.

This species usually builds a nest on the ground in an open or
clover field, sheltered by some grassy tuft. It is built of grass,
fine stalks, and withered leaves; when lined, it is with horse-hair
or grass. It lays from four to six eggs, of a grayish-white thickly
spotted with a dull reddish-brown color. Coues says: ‘‘The female
does not spring from her nest until almost trodden upon, when she
flutters in silence languidly away, repeatedly falling as if hurt, and
arising again in hopes of drawing attention from the nest to herself;
at a little distance she finally disappears in the herbage.”

‘‘ Have you heard the song of the Field Sparrow,” asks John
Burroughs, in his pleasing little volume entitled ‘* Wake Robin.”
“<Tf you have lived in a pastoral country, with broad upland pas-
tures, you could hardly have missed him. Wilson, I believe, calls
him the Grass Finch, and was evidently unacquainted with his
powers of song. The two white lateral quills of his tail, and his
habit of running and skulking a few yards in advance of you as
you walk through the fields, are sufficient to identify him. Not in
meadows or orchards, but in high, breezy pasture-grounds, will you
look for him. His song is most noticeable after sundown, when
other birds are silent, for which reason he has been aptly called the
Vesper Sparrow. The farmer following his team from the field at
dusk catches his sweetest strain. His song is not so brisk and
varied as that of the Song Sparrow, being softer and milder, sweeter
and more plaintive. Add the best parts of the lay of the latter to
the sweet, vibrating chant of the Wood Sparrow, and you have
the evening hymn of the Vesper-bird—the poet of the plain, un-
adorned pastures. Go to those broad, smooth, up-lying fields,
where the cattle and sheep are grazing, and sit down on one of the
warm, clean stones, and listen.to this song. On every side, near
and remote, from out the short grass which the herds are cropping,
the strain rises. Two or three long, silver notes of rest and peace,
ending in some subdued trills or quavers, constitute each separate
song. Often you will catch only one or two of the bars, the breeze
having blown the minor part away. Such unambitious, uncon-
scious melody! It is one of the most characteristic sounds in na-
ture. The grass, the stones, the stubble, the furrow, the quiet
herds, and the warm twilight among the hills, are all subtilely ex-
pressed in this song ; this is what they are at least capable of.”

.PL. LVI

SS
=
Lieto st

ene OE ee

PIL. 1.1X

ae
Peceatc!

HAWKS—BLACK DUCK—BLACK-TAILED GODWIT—GOLDEN EAGLE. 8B

PLATE LVIII.

Sharp-shinned Hawk—Pigeon Hawk. (JVisus fuscus.)
Fig. 1.

This beautiful litthe Hawk is one of the most common of the
North American Falconide. Its geographical range covers the
entire continent from Hudson’s Bay to Mexico. It is one of the
most destructive birds, living almost entirely on smaller birds,
and extending its forays into the farm-yard. Its flight is peculiar—
swift, spirited, and irregular, now soaring high into the air, then
suddenly sweeping close to the ground. It seems to advance by
sudden dashes, and when once its prey is discovered, will pounce
upon it with a swiftness which makes escape impossible. It usually
builds its nest in thickets of spruce or hemlock, using fine twigs
and bits of scaly bark, and rarely lining them with any more
pliable substance. These nests are shallow and broad, containing
four or five eggs, ground color white with large blotches of sepia
running into each other, and measuring about 1.35 by 1.15 inches.
The same nest is used year after year, and if the female is robbed
of her eggs she immediately replaces them. ‘The male assists in
incubating. Notwithstanding the great abundance of these birds
the nests are but rarely met with ; Audubon having found three, and
‘Wilson and Nuttall none at all. Dr. Brewer describes several
which were discovered by more recent ornithologists.

Broad-winged Hawk, or Buzzard. (2uteo pennsylvanicus.)
Fig. 2. |

This Hawk, though nowhere very common, is distributed over
eastern North America, from the Mississippi, north to the British
Provinces and south as far as Florida. It is also found in Cuba
and Central America. It arrives at the north about the first of
May and returns to winter quarters early in October. It prefers
wild and lonely districts, where, soaring above some somber forest
of pine and hemlock, it will for hours hover, watching its prey,
giving utterance to a shrill ‘‘ key, ky-ah, ky-ah-ke-ee.” Its food
consists of small birds, reptiles, insects, and squirrels. Fierce in
the defense of its nest, it has been known to attack man with intense
rage, and not to surrender until life itself was extinct. Its nest is
rarely found, and is composed of coarse sticks and twigs loosely
wattled together, and lined with bits of bark and a few leaves and
feathers. ‘The eggs vary from three to five, and measure about 2.10
by 1.61 inches, slightly rounded oval, of a grayish or dirty white,
covered with many blotches of various colored brown. Its flight is
easy, gliding with closed wings in long circles, or propelling with
short rapid strokes until great speed is attained. It usually flies
singly, and when its appetite is appeased, will rest for hours upon
the top of some favorite hemlock or spruce.

Dusky Duck—Black Duck. (Azas obscura.)
Fig. 3.

The Dusky Duck is one of the most abundant water-birds in
vastern North America, where it breeds from Labrador to Texas.
It is only partially migratory, spending its winters in the bays and
small creeks of the New England coast. Its nest is usually built
early in May, a meadow near a pond or stream being the favorite
locality, and is composed of pieces of grass and weeds neatly
arranged, nearly eighteen inches in diameter and four or five in
depth, and lined with the parents’ down and feathers. The eggs
vary from seven to ten in number, are of a dirty yellowish-white
in color, and average about 2.30 by 1.60 inches. This bird is

familiar to all sea-shore shooters, and immense numbers are yearly
offered in all the Eastern markets. They are very wary, and swim
and fly with great velocity. Owing to this peculiarity, sportsmen
resort to many stratagems in order to secure them; sometimes
skulking along the sea-marshes where they are known to feed at
night, and in the gloaming mowing them down. Another method
is to build a bower near the water, and using tame ducks secured
by a string for a decoy, entice the wild game within the reach of
the gun, when allowing them to settle down upon the water, open
the attack, and thus secure three or four shots before the birds are
out of reach.

Hudsonian, or Black-tailed Godwit. (Zimosa hudsonica.)
Fig. 4.

This Godwit is rather a rare bird throughout the United States.
It is, however, more frequent along the Atlantic coast, though rarely
found further south than New Jersey. It breeds in the far north,
where itis more abundant. Its flesh is said to be excellent eating.
But little is known regarding its habits of nidification. A set of
four eggs, from the Anderson river, are in the Smithsonian Insti-
tution at Washington, which measure from 2.15 to 2.20 inches in
length by about 1.40 in breadth. The ground of these eggs is
a heavily shaded olive-drab, with shadings of the same in darker
colors. This species strongly resembles the Back-tailed Godwit
of Europe, but may be distinguished by its inner wing-coverts,
which are black.

PLATE LIX.

Golden Eagle—Ring-tailed Eagle. (Aguila canadensis.)

Fig. 1.

The Golden Eagle is an inhabitant of all North America north’
of Mexico, of Europe, and of Asia. Its favorite haunts are in the
extreme north, though it nidifies in Maine, New Hampshire, Ver-
mont, and in the Adirondack regions of New York. The nests
are used for many years in succession, and the older they grow,
the more formidable appearance do they present. . A projecting
shelf of rock, jutting from some inaccessible cliff, and many feet
from the earth, is selected; though, when nature fails to provide
such a place, tall pines or other evergreens are made to do service.
A platform, from six to eight feet, is first laid, upon which a quan-
tity of dried sticks and twigs are placed lengthwise, the interstices
filled in with smaller twigs, mosses, dry grass, and over the center
an extra layer of the two latter materials is evenly spread. The
female is usually the architect, the male bringing the material for
her use. When first constructed, the nest is small; but every
year a new layer, varying from six to eighteen inches, is added,
and nests more than six feet in height have been discovered. The
female lays from one to three eggs, varying in size from 2.65 by
2.15 to3.50 by 2.50inches. The ground color is whitish, variously
spotted, speckled, and splashed with colorings that range from a
rich red-brown to umber. The food consists of ducks, rabbits,
mice, partridges, the fawn of deer, and other small animals.
Though frequently captured, they have never been more than
partially tamed, and resent with the utmost fierceness the least
approach at familiarity. Cleanly in all their habits, after partak-
ing of food they take especial pains to remove every stain of
blood from their feathers. When in the act of feeding, they drop
their wings, and grasping the food with the talons of either leg,
tear it to pieces with their beak. The flight of the Golden Eagle
is powerful, and is capable of long continuance. MacGillivray, in
a poetic outburst in praise of the Golden Eagle, says that ‘‘in ten

86 AMERICAN SWAN—MARSH TERN—ROSS’ GULL—SPIRIT DUCK.

minutes he has progressed three miles;” and adds, ‘‘over the
moors he sweeps at the height of two or three hundred feet, bend-
ing his course to either side, his wings wide spread, his neck and
feet retracted, now beating the air, and again sailing smoothly
along. Now he ascends a little, wheels in short curves, presently
rushes down headlong, assumes the horizontal position when close
to the ground, prevents being dashed against it by expanding his
wings and tail, and grasping a poor terrified Ptarmigan that sat
cowering among the gray lichens, squeezes it to death, raises his
head exultingly, emits a clear shrill cry, and, springing from the
ground, pursues his journey.”

PLATE LX.

American or Whistling Swan. (Cygvus americanus.)

Fig. 1.

The American Swan is unknown in the United States in its incu-
bating season, but during the winter months it is plentiful along
the Pacific coast, and it also winters in limited numbers in Chesa-
peake Bay. They breed within the Arctic Circle, choosing some
marsh, where, in a tussock of grass, sometimes completely sur-
rounded by water, they lay two eggs. These eggs have a rough-
ened surface, in color of a dull, dirty white, with more or less of
brownish markings, measuring about 4.50 by 2.75 inches. Some
time in July they moult, and as at such times they are unable to
fly, the natives find little trouble in capturing them. The flesh,
when in proper condition, is said to be tender, well-flavored, and
excellent. They commence their southern migrations in October,
when the weather is propitious, and mounting high into the air in
the shape of a prolonged V, and with loud screams, launch out for
amore genial clime. It is claimed that in these journeys a dis-
tance of more than one hundred miles per hour is frequently at-
tained. Their food consists of duck-grass, worms, insects, and
shell-fish, and while feeding, one is always delegated to act the
part of sentinel. They are very shy birds, and have some means
of signaling which as yet remains undiscovered. When dressing
their feathers they are extremely noisy, and at night their wild cries
may be heard several miles. According to Dr. Sharpless, quoted
in Audubon, ‘‘ their notes are extremely varied, some closely re-
sembling the deepest bass of the common tin-horn, while others
run through every modulation of false note of the French-horn or
clarionet.”

Mr. A. Strauch, superintendent of Spring Grove Cemetery, in
Cincinnati, writes us as follows: ‘‘There are now six fine speci-
mens of the American Whistling Swan, on the lakes at the ceme-
tery. They were captured about three years ago on the Potomac
river. Some of these birds have a yellow patch on the base of the
bill anterior to the eye, while others again have lost this mark dur-
ing the last year. On young birds, this spot is reddish. Although
very suitable localities are afforded these birds, they lave not as
yet shown any sign of breeding, while the Trumpeter Swans have
been breeding in the same vicinity the past twelve years, and about
fifty have been reared and distributed through the United States.”

Marsh Tern. (Sterna aranea.)
Fig. 2.

The Marsh Tern is a rare visitor along the Atlantic coasts of
New York and New England. According to Audubon, it is pretty
abundant about the salt-marshes of the mouths of the Mississippi
in the beginning of April, which it reaches by following the Gulf
shores from Texas and from still further south. Its journeys are
performed over the waters of the sea, a few hundred yards from

shore, coming inland for food. The cry of these birds is rough
and sharp, often repeated from their desire of keeping in close
company, and so loud as to be heard at great distances. Their
food consists largely of insects, a black water-spider proving a
great dainty with them. In incubating, no nest is made, the female
depositing three eggs in the dried rushes found in the salt marshes,
and far enough inland to be beyond the reach of the tide. The
eggs are of a greenish color, marked with irregular splashes cf
very dark umber, and measuring about 1.75 by 1.12 inches. The
parents are longer incubating than birds hatched upon the sand,
and the young, until the following winter, have different markings
from the parent birds. Audubon tells us that ‘* when an accident
happens to the female during the breeding season, her mate mani-
fests a most affectionate concern; but the female in such a case
acts differently. On shooting several males on various occasions,
whether they were killed outright, or fell wounded on the earth or
the water, I observed that the female would only take a round as
she rose above the reach of shot, and move off at once to some
considerable distance; but when the female dropped, if on the
water, the male would plunge headlong toward her, and alighting
by her side, would do all in, his power to aid her in swimming
or flying off. If she fell on the ground, he would alight there,
and exhibit the same marks of anxious care, thus affording to the
gunner the best opportunity of destroying him.”

Ross’ Gull—Wedged-tailed Gull. (/?hodostethia rosea.)
Fig. 3.

Almost absolutely nothing is known regarding this bird. There
is no record of its appearance in the United States, and up to 1865
but five specimens were known. It is confined to the polar world,
and has been observed in zones of water beyond 82° latitude. One
or two have been seen in England. MacGillivray first mentioned
the bird in 1826, and later, Dr. Richardson, in the Fauna Boreali-
Americana, says that ‘*two specimens of this Gull were killed on
the coast of Melville Peninsula, on Sir Edward Parry’s second
voyage, one of which is preserved in the Museum of the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh. Commander Ross, in his Zoological Appendix
to Sir Edward Parry’s narrative of his most adventurous boat voy-
age toward the Pole, relates that several were seen during the
journey over the ice north of Spitzbergen, and that Lieutenant
Forster also found the species in Waygait Straits, which is proba-
bly one of its breeding places.”

Buffalo-headed Duck—Buffle-head—Butter-ball—Dipper—Spirit Duck.
(Bucephala albeola.)

Fig. 4.

Until recently this Duck was supposed not to breed within the
United States, but Dr. Coues states that he has reason to believe
that it nests in Northern Dakota. In the spring and autumn it is
a very common bird all along our coasts, where it associates with
other Ducks. It is an expert diver, and is so wary that only the
most expert gunner is enabled to bag it. When feeding, one
always remains as sentinel, while the others dive in search of food.
In case of an alarm the sentinel gives a sharp quack, when all rise
to the surface, and learning the cause of the warning, immediately
dive again, and, under water, swim off to a distance of several hun-
dred feet. It flies with great velocity, and when on the wing gives
utterance to a quick succession of guttural ‘‘quacks! quack!
quack!” It builds a feathery nest some distance from the ground,
selecting a dead tree for the purpose, and lays from five to eight
eggs. The eggs are without markings, in color a compromise be-
tween a creamy white and a grayish-olive, and measure about 2 by
1.50 inches. Its food consists principally of fish, which gives a

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GOOSE—MARSH WREN—ROYAL TERN—PHALAROPE—AMERICAN AVOCET. 87
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peculiar and, to a dainty palate, not pleasant flavor to the flesh.
From the circumstance of its fat, plump, little body, it is sometimes
called Butter-box as well as Butter-ball,

PLATE LXI.

White-fronted Goose—Speckle-belly. (Azser albifrons.)
Fig. 1.

The White-fronted Goose is generally distributed over the United
States, even reaching as far south as New Orleans. None, how-
ever, are known to breed within her borders. ‘Their favorite win-
tering place is along the California coast, where they may be found
in immense numbers. They leave for their northern breeding
places as soon as snow disappears in the spring. According to
Richardson, these breeding places are in the woody districts north
of the 67th parallel, and from thence to the Arctic ocean. Beyond
a slight depression in the sand they make no nests, and lay from
six to ten eggs. The eggs are about 3.30 by 2.10 inches, dull
yellowish in color, with a shade of green, and marked with darker
tints. The flesh is much sought after for the tabie. Dr. Coues
states that they have learned to distrust the approach of horses, but
have no fears of horned cattle, and that hunters take advantage of
this fact, hiding themselves behind a bullock which they drive
within gunshot, when they shoot them in immense numbers.

Short-billed Marsh Wren. (Céstothorus stellaris.)
Fig. 2.

This bright little bird inhabits the eastern province of the United
States, Massachusetts being its northern range, and extending west
as far as the Platte. It winters in the Southern States and Mexico.
It reaches its northern limit early in May, and immediately after
pairing, commences to build its nest, which is constructed of grasses
and sedges, pensile, being suspended in the tops of grassy tufts in
marshy meadows. With great ingenuity these materials are woven
into a spherical form, with a small entrance on one side just under
the greatest bulge of the nest. A thin lining of the soft fibers of
silk-weed is added. The eggs are from six to eight, pure white,
the shells proving extremely thin and fragile, and measuring .57
by .44 inches. ‘his bird rarely visits cultivated ground, passing
its life in marshy meadows. Its presence is heralded by a lively
and constantly repeated song, resembling ‘*tsh, tship a day, day,
day, day,” accompanied by alternate depressions and elevations of
the head and tail, and giving to the little musician a comical ap-
pearance. Its food is almost wholly confined to coleopterous in-
sects. Mr. Samuels says that a peculiarity of this bird is its habit
of building a number of nests in the same season, it is believed for
the purpose of securing protection, as when a person searches for
the nest, the male always seeks to decoy the intruder to the neigh-
_ borhood f one of these empty ones.

Cayenne Tern—Royal Tern, (Sterna regia.)

Fig. 3.

This bird is found upon the southern portions of the Atlantic
coast, reaching its northern limit on Long Island. It is found in
the Gulf of Mexico, on the Pacific coast as far north as California,
and in South America on the coasts of Brazil and Peru. This

species is very shy, and when captured, very pugnacious. They
are frequently found several miles out at sea, but prefer low, shal-
low shores, where they find abundant food in crabs and kindred
marine animals. Their flight is strong and capable of long con-
tinuance, and when at a great height they will plunge toward the
water with speed almost incredible, and capture their prey. Their
notes are very harsh, resembling, according to Audubon, the syl-
lables ‘‘ kwe-reek,” which they repeat several times in succession,
and so loud as to be heard at the distance of half a mile or more.
They seem to make no nest, dropping two eggs on the bare sand.
These eggs measure about 2.75 by 1.81, are rather sharp at the
smaller end, of a pale yellowish ground color, spotted with dark
umber and faint purplish marks. The young are easily distinguished
from the old in having a yellow, instead of a bright red bill, and
spotted plumage.

Red Phalarope. (Pialaropus fulicarius.)
Fig. 4.

This bird is generally distributed over the northern part of the
Northern Hemisphere, seeking very high latitudes for the purpose
of breeding, and migrating to the tropics during the winter. Its
range is more particularly confined to the coasts, though Audubon
shot his first specimens in Kentucky. It is also an inhabitant of
the north and east of Europe, being found in great abundance in
Siberia, upon the banks of the lakes and rivers of these regions,
and on the borders of the Caspian Sea. Their flight is very
rapid, closely resembling the Sandpiper’s. They rarely dive, but
swim with great rapidity. The nest consists of a hole or slight
depression in the ground, which they line with withered vegeta-
tion, and in which from three to four eggs are laid. These eggs
vary so in color and markings that it is difficult to describe them.
The ground colors are sometimes dark greenish-olive, at other
times light grayish-drab, with very bold and heavy markings of
dark chocolate or light brown. In size they measure about 1.10
by .82 inches. The flesh, according to Audubon, proves capital
eating.

American Avocet. (.ecurvirostra americana.)
Fig. 5-

This bird inhabits the United States and British Provinces,
breeding throughout these regions. It is rare in New England,
and winters on our southern borders, touching Guatemala. It is
most abundant along the Mississipp: valley, and from thence west-
ward to the Rocky Mountains. Their favorite location is a shal-
low, reedy pond, through which they like to wander, up to the
belly in the water, with a graceful, deliberate step, and a constant
swaying of the head and neck. When they are disturbed, they
rise from the water, stretch back their long legs as a counter-
poise to their equally long neck, and uttering a peculiar ‘‘ click,
click, click,” flip leisurely to a little distance, and again alight,
Lolding their long wings for an instant almost upright, and then
deliberately folding them into proper place. Their nests are built
in thick tufts of grass, composed of the same material in a dried
state, and lined with softer fibers of the same. The eggs are usually
four in number, the ground color ranging from a dark olive toa
brownish-drab, evenly marked with spots of chocolate brown, and
measuring about 2.00 by 1.37 inches. Its food consists of marine
worms, snails, and the various insects that abound among soft
muddy bottoms.

88 AMERICAN WIDGEON—GREEN-WINGED TEAL—AMERICAN SNIPE—THRUSHES.

PLATE LXII.

American Widgeon—Baldpate. (JZarcca americana.)
Fig. 1.

This bird is an inhabitant of North America, breeding in various
parts of the United States, and passing its winters in Cuba and the
contiguous territories southwest. It breeds in great abundance in
Dakotah and Montana. From the great delicacy of its flesh, rank-
ing next in flavor to the Canvas-back, it is much sought after by
sportsmen. In the Chesapeake and Potomac it is a constant com-
panion of the Canvas-back, depending largely on the latter for its
supply of food. Possessing superior powers of diving, the Wid-
geon watches this duck until it brings to the surface the tender roots
of the water-celery, when it instantly filches the dainty morsel and
appropriates it to its own use. During the daytime they rarely
feed, remaining listlessly on the sand flats or screened by the
herbage of the marshes; but when night approaches they may be
heard in large numbers repairing to their favorite feeding-grounds.
Their flight is swift, well sustained, and generally in small flocks.
Their nests are placed upon the ground, in which from eight to
twelve eggs are laid, in color of a dull, pale buff, and measuring
2.00 by 1.50 inches. Wilson says they have a peculiar whistle
resembling ‘* whew, whew,” while Audubon’s ear could only
detect the word ** sweet,” enunciated as if produced by a flute or
hautboy.

Green-winged Teal. (Quergucdula carolinensis.)
Fig. 2.

This bird inhabits the whole of North America, extending its
northern range as far as Greenland, wintering in Cuba, Mexico,
and as far south as Honduras. It isa fresh-water bird, though it is
sometimes met with in marine bays and lagoons. Its food consists
of the seeds of grasses, small acorns, berries, aquatic insects, and
small snails. Audubon says that its flesh is delicious, the best of
any of its tribe, and after having fed a few weeks on the wild oats
of Green Bay or the soaked rice in the fields of Georgia and the

Carolinas, is much superior to the Canvas-back in tenderness,,

juiciness, and flavor. On the wing they are alike the most grace-
ful, and with the exception of the Mergansers, the swiftest of any
of the tribe. They spend most of their time, after their hunger is
appeased, on sandbars or clean parts of the shore, where they
dress their feathers and bask in the warm sun. Their nests are
composed of a bed of grasses and mud mixed together, and lined
with their own feathers. The eggs are from five to seven in num-
ber, of a uniform creamy buff color, measuring about 2.00 by 1.50
inches. It is difficult to conceive why the popular name of
‘¢ Green-winged” should be given to this bird, as its wings have
but little green upon them.

American Snipe—Wilson’s Snipe. (Gadlinago wilsonz.)
Fig. 3.

This favorite game-bird is very widely distributed over North
America, ranging to the south as far as South America, inhabiting
the West Indies, and breeding from the Middle and New England
States northward. Many winter in the Carolinas, resorting to the
rice-fields in large flocks. They commence to migrate early in
March, stopping to gather the dainty tidbits with which the oozy
marshes of Delaware and New Jersey abound, and in April spread-
‘ng themselves throughout the interior of the upland countries for

the purpose of breeding. Dr. Lewis, in his entertaining ** Ameri-
can Sportsman,” tells us that ‘‘if the sportsman should, at early
dawn, or even at mid-day, during the season of incubation, visit
the low meadows frequented by these birds, he will probably see
one or both of a pair mounting high in the air in a spiral manner,
beating their wings, or sailing around in rapid circles until they
have gained a hundred yards or more in height; then clasping each
other, they whirl around, flapping their wings with great velocity,
and then dropping in mid-air, give utterance to a low twittering or
rather rolling sound, supposed to be produced by the action of the
wings upon the air in their rapid descent.” In its more northern
breeding places, the Snipe does not begin to lay its eggs until July,
selecting the swampy part of some extensive morass, where it hol-
lows a place in the moss, and lays four eggs, placing the small
ends together. These eggs are moderately pyriform, the ground
color of a grayish-olive, with numerous markings of umber-brown,
and measuring about 1.60 by 1.12 inches. Like the Woodcock, it
probes the soft earth with its bill, searching for worms and animal-
cules, varying its diet with water-insects, leeches, and grasshoppers.
Being a voracious feeder, it is obliged to constantly shift its ground,
and where food is abundant, becomes an easy prey to the sports-
man. They are very fickle in all their movements, and where nu-
merous to-day, may not be found at all on the morrow. When
approached, the Snipe hugs closely to the ground, but, emitting a
strong scent, is winded at a great distance by a good dog. When
sprung, it takes wing very hastily, and flying in rapid, zigzag lines,
is the despair of inexperienced shots.

Long-billed, or Louisiana Water Thrush. (Securzs ludovicianus.)
Fig. 4.

This bird is mostly confined to Eastern United States, though it
has been found as far west as Kansas. It rarely reaches farther north
than Massachusetts, spending its winters in the Southern States,
Cuba, Jamaica, and Guatemala. Audubon is profuse in praise of
its powers of song. He says: ‘‘ As much and justly as the song
of the Nightingale is admired, I am inclined, after having often
listened to it, to pronounce it in no degree superior to that of the
Louisiana Water Thrush ;” and he adds, that ‘‘ the bird may be ob-
served, perched on a low bough scarcely higher than the top of
the canes, in an erect attitude, swelling his throat, and repeating
several times in succession, sounds so approaching the whole. ten
octaves of a good piano-forte, as almost to induce the hearer to im-
agine that the keys of that instrument are used on the occasion.
The bird begins on the upper key, and progressively passes from
one to another, until it reaches the low note, this last frequently
being lost when there is the least agitation in the air.” The flight
of this Water Thrush is very graceful and easy, and when it walks,
its tail is constantly on the move. It builds its nest at the roots of
trees, or on the side of decayed logs, forming it of dry leaves, and
lining it with fine grass and hair. From four to five eggs are laid,
of a rosy blush in color, speckled all over, and measuring about

-69 by .59-

Short-billed Water Thrush. (Sezurus noveboracensis.)
Fig. 5.

This bird is an inhabitant of Eastern North America, occasion-
ally found as far west as Montana and Washington Territory. Its
favorite haunts are near some brook, pond, or river, where it spends
its time wading in the shallows in search of the aquatic insects on
which it feeds. It is very shy and darts out of sight at the most
careful approach. When tired of feeding, it will perch on some
favorite branch overhanging the water, and pour forth a song at

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PL. UAH

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ROSEATE TERN—SANDPIPERS—TURNSTONE—CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 89

once sweet, expressive, and charming. This song always com-
mences with loud, clear, and vivacious notes, falling in almost im-
perceptible gradations until they are scarcely articulated. Its nest,
like that of the Long-billed Water Thrush, is built in the side of a
decayed log, or at the foot of some tree, and is composed of dry
leaves, moss, fine grasses, and lined with hair. The eggs are
usually five in number, of a delicate flesh color, spotted with light
reddish-brown, and measuring about .81 by .63.

Roseate Tern. (Sterna dougallé.)
Fig. 6.

The Roseate Tern is found all along the Atlantic, from Massa-
chusetts to Florida, though none are known to winter within the
United States. It is also found in Europe, where it inhabits the
sandy shores of Norway. From their light and graceful move-
ments, Audubon called them the Humming Birds of the Sea. This
bird is at all times restless and noisy, and when its breeding place
is approached, emits many sharp, shrill cries, resembling the syl-
lable *‘ crak!” Its food consists of insects, small fish, moluscous
animals, and shrimps. It will pursue insects, like the Flycatchers,
on the wing. In incubating, no nest is made, the eggs being laid
upon the rocks among roots and grasses, and in fair weather left
to the heat of the sun. These eggs are usually three in number,
longish oval shape, dull buff or clay in color, sparingly sprinkled
with different tints of umber and light purple, and measuring about
1.75 by 1.13 inches, and are delicious eating. The delicate and
beautiful tint of the breast begins to fade immediately after death.
Its flight is swift and graceful, dashing boldly into the water in pur-
suit of game, and reascending without apparent effort.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper. (Zryngites rufescens.)
. Fig. 7.

This bird is found throughout North America, but is known only
in the United States as a migrant, breeding in Alaska and in the
interior regions of the fur countries, and wintering in South America.
During their fall migrations they become very fat, their food con-
sisting of grasshoppers and other insects. The nidification is very
simple, the nest consisting of a slight depression in the ground,
lined with a few dried grasses and leaves. The eggs are usually
four, very pointedly pyriform, in color of a clay, drab, or oliva-
ceous green, marked with heavy blotches of rich umber-brown.
But little is known of its habits, though, according to DeKay, it has
been observed in Ohio, and every year is known to frequent the
southern shores of Long Island.

Least Sandpiper. (Zrénga minutilla.)
Fig. 8.

This little bird is abundant throughout the United States,
especially during the migratory seasons. It reaches the Middle
States from South America, where it winters, the last of April, and
immediately passes to the more northern sections of the continent
for the purpose of breeding. Dr. Richardson says, that on the
21st of May it was observed as far north as latitude 66°. One of its
favorite places of nidification is the rock-bound coast of Labrador.
Here, in some half-sheltered nook, is fashioned a little mossy home,
just large enough to hold four buffy yellow-brown and drab spotted
eggs. Considering the size of the bird these eggs are very large,
measuring about .96 by .75 inches. As soon as their young are
hatched they leave for more genial quarters, arriving along the
New England coast in August, where, during that month and the

following, they are found in great abundance, feeding in the salt-
marshes or along the muddy and sedgy shores of tide rivers.
Their food consists of larva, worms, minute shellfish, and aquatic
insects; and in search of these they thrust their flexible and awl-
shaped bills into the mud in the manner of Snipe and Woodcock.
When disturbed by the hunter they give a slender ‘* peep,” imme-
diately followed by a lisping whistle, and a general rising on the
wing. At the approach of night, in fair weather—we quote from
Nutiall—‘* the marshes almost re-echo with the shrill but rather
murmuring or lisping, subdued, and querulous call of ‘ peet,’
and then a repetition of ‘pe-dee, pe-dee, dee-dee,’ which seems
to be the collecting cry of the old birds calling together their
brood; for, when assembled, the note changes into a confused mur-
mur of * peet, peet,’ attended by a short and suppressed whistle.”

Black-headed Turnstone. (Strepsilas melanocephalus.)
Fig. 9.

In size and general form this bird resembles the Turnstone, dif-
fering only in the prevalence of the dark color on the head, breast,
and upper parts. Professor Baird, in the ninth volume of the
United States Pacific Railroad Explorations, tells us that in the
museum of the Philadelphia Academy is a specimen from India
which is exactly like this bird, with others, apparently from Europe,
which approach it very nearly. Beyond being an inhabitant of
the Pacific coast, but little is to be gleaned regarding it. Its habits
are undoubtedly identical with that of the S. zzterpres, which is
described in another part of the present work.

PLATE LXIII.

Canvas-back Duck. (/adigula vallisneria.)
Fig. 1.

Notwithstanding the renown attained by the Canvas-back Duck,
alike the delight of the sportsman and the joy of the epicure, its
history is still in great obscurity. This bird is not known to nest
in any of the Eastern States, but is supposed to do so in Upper
California and on the Yukon. Coues says they breed from the
Northern States northward, but so far no naturalist has made
record of its breeding habits. Samuels describes a single egg in
his collection as follows: ‘‘ This is of an ovate form. nearly oval,
of a pale blue color, with an olivaceous tinge, quite smooth to the
touch, and quite thin and brittle. Its dimensions are 2.54 by 1.78
inches.”

The Canvas-back is found all over North America, but is very
rare in New England. It is a remarkable example of certain
foods in imparting quality and flavor to the flesh. When taken in
the Chesapeake and a few other localities, its flesh has a flavor
unsurpassed by any of its kind, while in less favored spots it in no
wise transcends the ordinary sea Ducks. ‘The superiority is due to
the plant called wild celery, which grows abundantly in the Ches-
apeake, and on which they feed. It is an aquatic plant, grow-
ing entirely beneath the water, with long, narrow ribbon-like
leaves. Its botanical name is Vallisnerza spiralis, and from its
being the favorite food of the Canvas-back is recognized in the
specific name of the bird. Wherever this plant abounds, the ducks
acquire the peculiar flavor which makes them so famous.

They arrive in the Chesapeake and its tributaries about the last
of October, and are allowed to remain unmolested for some days.
They only eat the buds and roots at the base of the plants, and
consequently have to dive constantly for their food. Though found

90 BANK SWALLOW-—CLIFF SWALLOW—ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.

a e

in great numbers, the Canvas-back is very shy and wary, and
very difficult to approach, except through some cunning stratagem ;
and whether sleeping by night or feeding in the daytime, always
has a sentinel on the lookout for intruders. They may be distin-
guished, when on the water, from all other ducks, by their con-
stant habit of diving for food; and when on the wing they fly in a
wedge-like form, at a great height, and with considerable velocity ;
and when wounded, they instantly dive to great depths and swim
immense distances under water.

Pairs of Canvas-back Ducks sometimes weigh as much as twelve
pounds, and the price ranges from two to four dollars per pair,
according to season and supply. Formerly enormous swivel guns
were used for their destruction; but this mode of slaughter is now
forbidden by law. Many ingenious methods for hunting the Can-
vas-back have been invented, all of which are duly detailed in the
numerous sporting books and papers published in this country.

Bank Swallow—Sand Martin. (Cotyle riparia.)

Fig. 2.

But few birds are more truly cosmopolitan than the Bank Swal-
low. It is common throughout North America, the Bermudas,
the Greater Antilles, Costa Rica, Brazil, in the British Islands, the
whole of Europe, and in Africa. Unlike most of the Swallow tribe,
it pays little regard to man, never seeking his habitations for a
shelter; but among themselves, few birds present closer or more
lasting ties. ‘They are boon companions banded together, seem-
ingly governed by a code of laws, building thickly populated ham-
lets, and year after year returning regularly to their natal homes,
or, if they desert these homes, doing so in complete masses with-
out leaving a single straggler behind.

The Bank Swallow arrives in the fortieth parallel from the rst
to the 10th of May, in companies of from fifty to seventy-five pairs.
If a new city is to be founded, they use due deliberation in select-
ing the proper site. One of the most essential conditions is con-
tiguity to some stream. Steep banks of rivers, the embankments
made by the action of the sea, any cliff of sand, gravel, or clay,
are suitable places. When once the location is decided upon, they
commence operation by clinging with tail and claws, and boring a
hole into the earth with their short, pointed bill. As soon as suffi-
ciently deepened to admit the body, the little miner enters and casts
out with its feet the debris. Ifthe ground is clayey and tenacious,
a circular aperture is made; if loose and sandy, a rectangular,
sometimes just large enough to admit the body, and then again
having a diameter of three or four inches. The holes are horizon-
tal, from one to three feet in length, seldom quite straight, though
having no decided bend, and two or three inches apart. Sometimes
one workman runs his lead into another’s nest, when he immedi-
ately abandons his work and commences anew. As they work
only in the morning, under favorable circumstances, it takes from
three to four days to complete the nest. To show the extent of
their colonies, Mr. Dall counted on the face of one sand-bluff in
Alaska over seven hundred nest-holes made by these birds, every
one of them apparently inhabited, and presenting the appearance
of an immense honey-comb alive with bees.

When the burrow is finally completed, at its farthest extremity
a small quantity of soft, dried grass is placed, over which is spread
a few large, downy feathers. Mr. Augustus Fowler says these
feathers are invariably white, and adds that he ‘‘ should be sur-
prised to find a Swallow’s nest of this species lined with black or
even dark-colored feathers.” On this dainty bed from four to six
eggs are laid, pure white, oval in shape, larger at one end, and
measuring about .72 by .47 of an inch. The young are abroad
about the end of June, and in August a second brood presents
itself for the care of the parent birds. After they have left the
nest, they are fed by the parent on the wing, and this feat is per-

formed so suddenly as almost to be imperceptible. Some curious
observer has computed the number of insects they consume in a
single day, which reach the astonishing number of six thousand.

Their flight is very graceful. MacGillivray has drawn so charm-
ing a picture that we present it entire. He says: ‘‘ But see! there
comes the Sand Martin, skimming along the surface of the brook,
gliding from side to side, deviating by starts, now sweeping over
the bank, wheeling across the road, making an excursion over the
cornfield, then rising perpendicularly, slanting away down the
wind, fluttering among the spikes of long grass, and shooting off
into the midst of a multitude of its fellows.”

Cliff Swallow—Eave Swallow. (Azrundo lunifrons.)
Fig. 3.

Considerable discussion has arisen among ornithologists regard-
ing the early history of this bird. It was unknown to Wilson, and
up to 1820 no mention of it can be found anywhere. It is now
known to be distributed throughout North America, breeding north
of Pennsylvania to the Arctic regions, and east and west from shore
to shore. The rapid multiplication of the Eave Swallow is prob-
ably due to the multiplied facilities for nest-building. They have
kept companionship. with man in his work of subduing the earth,
and wherever he has erected a shelter, this Swallow has used its
jutting eaves as a place beneath which to rear its young. It has
also made null one of the arguments of a certain class of philoso-
phers, who seek to prove the absence of reasoning powers in ani-
mals with the assertion that the forms of their habitations have
never changed. ‘The primal nest of the Eave Swallow, when built
against a cliff, was a remarkably ingenious affair, constructed in
the shape of a retort, arched over at the top, projecting in front,
with an inclosed passage-way opening at the bottom. Abandoning
their old breeding places, they have also abandoned their old archi-
tectures.

The Eave Swallow arrives at its northern breeding places about
the first of May, and after a brief courtship, mates, and commences
to construct its nest. The number of eggs laid are usually five,
which are of a white ground color, marked with spots and blotches
of reddish-brown, and measuring about .87 by .60 inches.

The song, though not musical, is pleasant from its constant repe-
tition, and when in swift motion, this bird is one of the most charm-
ing objects which can be added to a rural landscape.

Rough-winged Swallow. (Airundo serripennis.)
Fig. 4.

The Rough-winged Swallow is not supposed to inhabit the North-
eastern States, but is more or less common in all other parts of the
Union. According to Mr. Ridgway, it is one of the most abund-
ant Swallows in the West, breeding from Ohio to the lower portions
of California, and north as far as Oregon and Washington Terri-
tory. Their nests are not after the stereotype pattern, but vary to
suit the locality in which they are placed. Sometimes they burrow
in the sandy banks of rivers, extending their excavations as many
as three feet, and in no respect differing from the nests of the Sand
Martin, as described in a preceding biography. At other times
they resort to natural clefts in banks or buildings, or to knot-holes
in trees. From a special study of these nests, made by Dr. Brewer
while at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, we extract the following descrip-
tion. He says: ‘None that we met with were in places that had
been excavated by the birds, although the previous season several
had been found that had apparently been excavated in banks in
the same manner with the Bank Swallow. All the nests that we
met with (seven in number), were in situations accidentally adapted
to their need, and all were directly over running water. Some

GRAY SNIPE—GODWIT—DUCK—SW ALLOW-—SANDPIPER.

were constructed in crevices between the stones in the walls and
arches of bridges. In several instances the nests were but little
above the surface of the stream. In one, the first laying had been
flooded, and the eggs chilled. The birds had constructed another
nest above the first one, in which were six fresh eggs, as many as
in the other. One nest had been built between the stones of the
wall that formed one of the sides of the flume of a mill; two feet
above it was a frequented footpath, and at the same distance below,
the water of the mill stream. Another nest was between the boards
of a small building in which revolved a water-wheel. The en-
trance to it was through a knot-hole in the outer partition, and the
nest rested on a small rafter between the outer and inner board-
ings.”

The eggs are usually six in number, pure white, measuring about
-75 by .53 inches.

Red-breasted Snipe—Gray Snipe. (Macrorhamphus griseus.)

Fig. 5.

The Red-breasted Snipe is common throughout North America,
wintering in the Southern States, and as far south as Brazil and
Chili, breeding in Alaska and the Arctic region generally. They
commence their northern migration in April, and return again,
more leisurely, early in the autumn. The nests are built with lit-
tle regard to elegance, consisting of a simple hollow in some grassy
hummock, near or in low-lying marshes, and containing no lining
whatever. The number of eggs is usually four, with ground
color of a grayish-olive, covered all over with numerous heavy
and often massed markings, and measuring about 1.62 by 1.12
inches.

This bird is a gentle, affectionate, and unsuspicious creature,
always associating in large flocks, flying in compact masses, and
naking no efforts to avoid the murderous discharge of the sports-
man’s gun. Partially web-footed, it swims with ease short dis-
tances. The food consists of various water-bugs, leeches, worms,
and soft molluscs, besides the seeds of aquatic plants, and when
in good condition, is excellent eating. When in the act of feed-
ing on muddy flats, they probe the ground after the manner of the
American Snipe, probing the soft mud with their bills with sur-
prising rapidity. Their cry when on the wing is a single melan-
choly note, resembling a sort of low, long-pronounced ‘* sweet.”

Great Marbled Godwit. (Limosa fedoa.)
Fig. 6.

But little is known of the breeding habits of the Great Marbled
Godwit, notwithstanding its widespread distribution, which covers
all of temperate North America, extending into Central and South
America, and the West Indies. It breeds in Missouri and Upper
Missouri regions, in Iowa, Minnesota, and Eastern Dakota. It
nests in open plains, near rivers or pools; the eggs presenting a
clear, light olivaceous-drab, with evenly distributed spots of various
shades of brown, and measuring about 2.28 by 1.56 inches. This
Godwit is abundant along most of the Atlantic coast, as far north
as New England. It is found in the greatest numbers, however,
in the West, in the region of the Northern Mississippi and Eastern
Missouri. Dr. Elliot Coues, to whom we are indebted for most of
the above facts, says that ‘‘in its habits during the incubating sea-
son it most nearly resembles the Curlew, and the two species, of
much the same size and general appearance, might be readily mis-
taken at a distance where the difference in the bill might not be
perceived. On intrusion near the nest, the birds mount in the air
with loud, piercing cries, hovering slowly around with labored
flight, in evident distress, and approaching sometimes within a few
feet of the observer.”

91 -

Ring-necked Duck. (/uliguda collarts.)

Fig. 7.

The Ring-neck inhabits the whole of North America, wintering
in the Southern States, and beyond as far as Guatemala, and is an
accidental visitor in Europe. As it breeds in the far north, little
has as yet been learned regarding its habits. It arrives in the
United States about the middle of September, in flocks of from
fifteen to twenty, flying with considerable rapidity, at a great
height, and, from the movement of their wings, producing a con-
stant whistling sound. When suitable food is found, the flesh is
excellent, equaling that of any other Duck, being tender, fat, and
juicy, and destitute of any rank, fishy flavor. They feed by diving
and nibbling among the roots of grasses, varying their diet with
snails, and the different aquatic insects. They swim with great
lightness and ease, and rise from the water without effort. Audu-
bon tells us that ‘‘ they have an almost constant practice of raising
the head in a curved manner, partially erecting the occipetal
feathers, and emitting a note resembling the sound produced by a
person blowing through a tube. At the approach of spring, the
males are observed repeating this action every now and then while
near the females, none of which seem to pay the least attention to
their civilities.”

White-bellied Swallow. (Airundo bicolor.)

Fig. 8.

This graceful and friendly little Swallow is found throughout
North America, breeding as far north as the Arctic regions. From
association with man, he has learned new departures, becoming
familiar almost totameness. In wild regions, it breeds exclusively
in hollow logs and stumps, but on the advent of man it forsakes,
as far as possible, the rural districts, and takes up its abode in
cities and villages. They arrive from the South from the first to
the last of April, but it is not until the middle of May that they
commence building or repairing their nests. Attached to certain
localities, they return year after year toinhabit the samenest. Any
sheltered and accessible place, a rough box, or a knot-hole in a
building, answers their purpose. The nest is a loose, soft, unsym-
metrical affair, formed of soft leaves and hay, and thickly lined
with down and feathers. The eggs are from four to five, of a pure
white color, and about .7o by .50 inches in size. Two broods are
usually, though not always, raised in a season.

These birds are very affectionate to their young, and evince
great solicitude for their safety. They are also extremely pugna-
cious during the breeding season, frequently attacking and driving
away much larger birds. They are most numerous on the sea-
shore, but many are found far inland. A pair for several years
has taken possession of a part of the shelter which protects the
writer, and have cheered many an hour with their sweet and con-
stant chattering.

The myths connected with the Swallow are the most charming
of any in literature, and, reproduced in full, would make a long
and curious chapter.

Purple Sandpiper.

(Tringa maritima.)
Fig. 9.

This bird is confined mostly to the sea-shore of North America,
extending its wanderings as far south as the Middle States, where
it winters. It is also common on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Like nearly all our water-birds, but little is known of its habits of
incubation, owing to its bringing forth its young in the Arctic re-
gions. Its eggs are of the usual pyriform shape, and measure

92 PLOVER—TEAL—W ATER-TURKEY—BLACK BIRD—NUTHATGH.

about 1.40 by 1. inches. These are of a clay color, with delicate
shadings of olive, and thickly covered with large, distinct spots of
umber-brown. Their favorite haunts are rocky shores, where they
may be found in flocks of a dozen or more. Their flight is rapid,
and their only musical accomplishment a feeble ‘* weet,” which
they repeat several times in succession. Their food consists of
shrimps, shell-fish, and worms, and in autumn and winter, when
fat, the young are much sought for food.

Wilson’s Plover. (-2gialitis wilsonéz.)
Fig. 10.

Wilson’s Plover is confined almost entirely to the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts of the United States, a few possibly being found off
the shores of California. It rarely reaches farther north than Long
Island, though occasionally seen in Massachusetts. Itis a wading,
not a swimming bird, reaching its northern range sometime in
April, when they gather in small flocks of some twenty or thirty,
and ramble over the sea-beaches in search of food. After becoming
sufficiently recuperated from the fatigues of their journey, they
pair and set up housekeeping. This is attended with but little la-
bor, a simple hole being scratched in the sand, with a few bits of
sea-weed and grass for a lining, large enough to hold three eggs
of a pale olive-drab, tinted sometimes with brown or again with
green, thickly spotted all over with very dark, irregular dots and
small flashes, and measuring about 1.30 by 1.02 inches. The flight
of this Plover is alike rapid and elegant, and when on the wing
it frequently gives utterance to a clear, melodious note. Its food
consists of small aquatic insects, minute shell-fish, and worms, and
they feed as much by night as during the day. When fat, they
are in great request among sportsmen.

PLATE LXIV.

Cinnamon Teal—Red-breasted Teal. (Querguedula cyanoptera.)
Fig. 1.

This Teal was entirely unknown to our early ornithologists, and
until the last twenty-five years was supposed to belong entirely to
South America. The many recent exploring expeditions made
by the United States Government throughout the Western Territo-
ries have proved it to be an abundant bird throughout all the region
west of the Rocky Mountains, and as far north as Columbia. Its
nests, so far as found, have been built in swamp grass, near some
stream, and lined with down. In the Geological Survey of 1872
is the record of such a nest, containing nine eggs. These eggs
were oval in shape, ranging from a creamy white to a pale buff,
and measuring 1.75 by 1.30. But little has been recorded regard-
ing its habits. In fact but little is known regarding the habits of
the water-birds of America. Most of them breed beyond the range
of the United States in the Arctic regions, or in the unsettled por-
tions of our Western Territories. To Dr. Coues, of the United
States Army, the history of water-birds is largely indebted for care-
ful and painstaking labor; but there still remains a vast and un-
trodden field for some future lover of nature to explore.

Anhinga—Snake-bird—Water-turkey—Darter. (Plotus anhinga.)
Fig. 2.

This bird of many names is common in the Southern Atlantic
and Gulf States, extending its range up the Mississippi as far as
Southern Illinois, and is also found in New Mexico. It is a con-

———

stant resident of Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia; is found in
the Carolinas from April until NovemBer, inhabiting the rivers,
lakes, and lagoons of the interior. Their nests are invariably
placed over water, sometimes in low bushes, and then again on the
tops of tall trees. These nests are fully two feet in diameter, com-
posed of dry sticks laid crosswise, and covered with leaves, bits of
moss, and slender roots. The eggs, which are usually four, are
of a dull, uniform, whitish color in appearance, though really of a
light-blue, the former color arising from their being covered with
a sort of chalky coating, and are about 2.75 by 1.25 inches in size.
They are excellent swimmers, and, from the sinuous motion of the
head and neck when thus exercising, have received the name of
Snake-bird. Their food consists of fish, shrimps, reptiles, and
kindred aquatic fauna, which they devour in great quantities. They
are expert divers, swift in flight, graceful in all their movements,
and when on land walk and run with great ease, continually giving
utterance to rough guttural notes. Audubon expresses his admira-
tion for this bird by devoting twenty-three large octavo pages of
his Ornithological Biography toa description of its haunts and habits.

Brewer’s Blackbird—Blue-headed Grackle.
cephalus.)

(Scolecophagus cyano-

Fig. 3.

Brewer’s Blackbird is common from Eastern Kansas and Minne-
sota to the Pacific, extending south as far as Mexico, and breeding
throughout its entire range. These birds are only gregarious after
the breeding season is over, when they may be found in flocks of
from fifty to one hundred or more. Their nests are sometimes
placed upon the ground, at other times in the crotch of a tree sev-
eral feet from the earth. When the former position is selected, a
dry knoll in the center of a clump of bushes, surrounded by low,
swampy morasses, is chosen, and a nest, large for the bird, is built
of weeds, grass, and other material, and neatly lined with hair,
small roots, silky bark, and fine hay. When a tree is used, an
outer wall of twigs is interlaced together, sometimes slightly plas-
tered with mud, and lined as in the former case with hair, rootlets,
and fine grasses. The eggs vary from four to six, the ground
colors presenting sometimes a dull, olivaceous-gray, at others a
clear, pale, bluish or greenish hue, thickly spattered over with dif-
ferent shades of brown, and measuring about 1.05 by .78 inches.
They feed in flocks on the ground, frequenting cattle-yards, trav-
elers’ camps, running with nimble steps, yet always with ease and
grace. When their hunger is appeased, they fly to the nearest
tree, passing the period of digestion in silence, and then breaking
out into an unanimous concert. Their notes are not soft or sweet,
but from their animation, rapidity, and variety, very pleasing.
Coues tells us that the usual note is like the sound of pebbles
smartly struck together, rapidly repeated an indefinite number of
times. When fat, they are said to make very good eating.

Brown-headed Nuthatch. (Sz/ta puszdia.)
Fig. 4.

This active little Nuthatch is confined to the South Atlantic
States, and wherever found is a constant resident. Its favorite
haunts are pine forests, where it is enabled to gratify its excessive
fondness for the seeds of this evergreen. It isa restless bird, seem-
ingly never quiet, but pursuing its search for food over fences and
trees, running up and down the latter, prying into every hole and
cranny. During breeding season, this little bird-man and wife are
always together, keeping up an unflagging conversation, which
sounds like ** dent! dent! dend! dend!” They pair early, and. in
February commence the task of house-building, both working ccn-
stantly and eagerly together. The dead portion of some log or

PE kee

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AX'T "Td

KENTUCKY WARBLER—SANDWICH TERN—PAINTED BUNTING—EIDER DUCK. 93
ee

tree is chosen, and, varying from a few to thirty or forty feet in
height from the ground, a hole is bored ten or twelve inches in
depth, widening at the bottom, and at its mouth just large enough
to admit the occupant. The eggs are laid on the bare wood, and
vary from four to six in number. They are rounded oval in shape,
with a white ground, thickly sprinkled with fine reddish-brown
spots, and measure about .60 by .50 inches, being but very little
larger than those of the Humming Bird. They are said to raise
two and sometimes even three broods in a season. After the duties
of bird-raising are over, they congregate in flocks of fifty or more
and go roving through the pine forests the most joyous of trouba-
dours. They have little fear of man, pursuing their avocations
with but small regard for his presence.

Kentucky Warbler. (Oforornds formosus.)
Fig. 5

The Kentucky Warbler is known throughout Eastern United
States, as far north as Connecticut, Cleveland, and Chicago, and
west to Kansas and the Indian Territory, breeding throughout its
United States range. It is a beautiful bird, very lively and sprightly
in its habits, frequenting low, damp places in the wood. Very
rarely is it found indulging in any elevated flight, but moving rap-
idly along dim forest paths, peering under leaves for some unfor-
tunate spider or bug, occasionally leaping a {ew inches in the air
to catch some dainty morsel screened in hanging leaves. ' Its song
is not prolonged, a sort of bell-like warble which has been variously
interpreted, as ‘‘ whittishee, whittishee,” by Dr. Hay; ‘* tweedle,
tweedle, tweedle,” by Wilsen, and by Mr. Ridgeway as a sharp
‘ftship.” The nest is built upon the ground under a tuft of grass
or an overhanging bush. It is usually too large for the bird, inele-
gant in shape, composed outwardly of loose leaves with a lining
of fine interwoven roots. The eggs are from four to six in number,
pure white in color, finely flecked with bright red dots, and meas-
uring about .68 by .55 inches. Wilson represents this bird as most
belligerent in its habits, always pursuing its fellows without mercy.
It winters in Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, and Cuba, arriving at
its more northern breeding places in May, and departing the last
of August.

Sandwich Tern. (Sterna cantiaca.)
Fig. 6.

This Tern ranges all along the Atlantic coast of North America
to Southern New England, breeds as far south as Honduras, and
touches Brazil in its southern limit. It is also an inhabitant of the
coasts of England. Powerful in its flight, it darts down upon its
prey, which consists of small fish, with incredible rapidity, half or
wholly immerses its body in the water, and then rises again without
seeming effort. Its cries, according to Audubon, are sharp, grating,
and loud enough to be heard at the distance of half a mile; are re-
peated at intervals when on the wing, and are used as a note of
warning to any one intruding on its breeding grounds. Such
grounds are usually the sandy beaches of the ocean, on which the
eggs are dropped at short intervals and without any particular ef-
fort at nest-building, the merest depression being scooped out for
the purpose of receiving the eggs, which vary from two to tbree in
number, and are of a yellowish gray in color, spotted and blotched
with different shades of red, pale blue, and umber, and measuring
abeut 2.13 by 1.20 inches. These eggs are eagerly sought after
by fishermen and hunters, furnishing, according to Audubon, capital
eating.

Painted Bunting—Nonpareil. (Cyaxospéza cirés.)
| Fig. 7.

The range of this exquisite little bird is confined to the South
Atlantic and Gulf States, as far west as Texas, and south as far

as Panama. It is also an inhabitant of Cuba, and has been observed
by Mr. Ridgeway in Southern Illinois. They commence house-
building early in May, constructing their habitations in the lower
branches of orange trees, though sometimes using low brambles
and berry bushes. The nest is composed outwardly of coarse
grasses, lined with hair and other equally soft material. The eggs
vary from four to five, are of a pearly bluish-white sprinkled with
black spots, and measuring about .80 by .65 inches. It flies only
at short distances, moves upon the ground with ease and grace,
and possesses a song of great sprightliness and grace. This song
resembles the Canary’s, and is continued during the day. From
the beauty of its plumage, the sweetness of its melody, and the
docility of the bird, many of them are caught and confined in
cages. They take readily to captivity, breed in confinement, and
are, according to Audubon, exported in quite large numbers to
Europe. The bird-catchers take advantage of the pugnacious dis-
position of this bird to secure them. A stuffed male bird is set in
a trap, which is attacked by the first Bunting which may notice it,
who is at once caught; and it is said that even after being thus im-
prisoned it keeps up the assault. In confinement, a single pair
has been known to bring forth three broods in a season.

PLATE LXV.
- Eider Duck. (Somaterda mollissima.)
Fig. 1.

This celebrated Duck, whose down is so greatly prized in com-
merce, is abundant throughout the Arctic and North Atlantic coasts,
migrating in winter south to New England, rarely reaching the
Middle States. They begin to make their nests about the last of
May, in sheltered places among rocks, in the midst of low bushes,
or under the spreading branches of stunted firs. These nests are
sunk as much as possible in the ground, formed of sea-weeds,:
mosses, and twigs closely matted together ; and contain from four to
five eggs, which are of a pale green color, varied from an ovate
toa sharply-pointed ovoidal, and measuring about 3. by 2.28 inches.
When the eggs are laid, the female plucks the down from her breast
and carefully places it beneath and around them, and, when she
leaves her nest for a moment, pulls this down completely over them
for the purpose of keeping them warm.

When the nest has been despoiled of its eges and covering, the
Duck immediately commences anew, plucking her breast a second
time, and if the robbery is again committed, the male bird’s breast -
is brought in requisition ; but if this is again taken, the birds seek
other and safer quarters. When the young are hatched, the mother
leads her brood to the water or carries them thither in her bill,
teaches them how to dive for their food, and by the first of August
leads them southward to a more genial clime. The Eider Duck
flies with great rapidity, rarely very far inland, keeping near the
water, is an expert diver, remaining a long time beneath the waves,
and feeds on the roe of fish, mollusks, and crustacea. It has been
reared in captivity and with little trouble can be domesticated, and
will, from the value of its feathers, down, eggs, and even flesh,
prove a valuable acquisition.

In Iceland these birds are guarded with the most sedulous care,
whoever kills one being obliged to pay a fine of*thirty dollars, and
even the secreting of an egg or the pocketing of a little down
being punishable by law. This down is very valuable, bringing
in market from three to four dollars per pound. The contents of a
nest, though bulky enough to fill a large hat, rarely weigh over an
ounce, however. Where the birds are guarded by law they increase
in immense numbers, breeding so thick that it is almost impossible
to walk without treading upon them, and so tame that they may be

94, LAUGHING AND KITTIWAKE GULLS—AUK—VELVET AND HARLEQUIN DUCKS.

stroked upon the back with the hand. Even the houses are covered
with nests, the window embrasures and the turf-slopes of the roof fur-
nishing resting-places for these birds. Walls are built on the coasts,
and grassy banks cut up likea chess-board for their accommodation.
But two eggs are left for hatching, the balance being taken and
pickled for winter consumption.

Laughing Gull. (Lavras atriczlla.)
Fig. 2.

The Laughing Gull is put down by Wheaton as among the birds
of Ohio. In the summer it reaches the Atlantic coasts as far north
as Maine. It is known on the Pacific coast north to California, on
both coasts of Central America, the various West Indies, and is
casual in Europe. It nests in marshes, making a loose structure
of sea-weeds and grasses two or three inches high and three times
as wide, and lays from two to three eggs. These vary from an
olivaceous-drab to a grayish-green, spotted and blotched more or
less thickly with different shades of brown and purple, and measure
about 2.28 by 1.65 inches. ‘Their food consists of fish, mollusks,
crustacea, and the eggs and young of some of the Terns. They
congregate in immense numbers, flocks of over a thousand being
frequently seen. A peculiarity of this bird is that during the
breeding season the white plumage of the under parts receives a
rosy tint. Coues poetically says: ‘‘ Nature blushes, filling the
bird’s breast with amorous imagery, till the feathers catch a glow
and reflect the blush. Burning with inward fire, the whole frame
thrills with the enthusiasm of sexual vigor. The dark glittering
eye is encircled with a fiery ring ; now it flashes defiance at a rival,
now tenderly melts at sight of its mate.” When the love-season
is over the rosy plumage fades back to white, and the bird, dull-
colored, ragged, seems to lose all ambition beyond the satisfaction
of a gluttonous appetite. The name is derived from its joyous
twitter, which in the vernal season takes on the sound of. a laugh.

Razor-billed Auk—Tinker. (Alca torda.)
Fig. 3.

This well-known species is quite abundant on the North Atlantic
coast of North America, and is probably identical with the bird of
the northern regions of Europe. It wanders to the South in the
winter, and is occasionally seen on the coasts of the Middle States.
Audubon tells us of the picturesque sight they present in flying,
first turning the white of their bellies and then the black of their
backs to the spectator. They are, however, more frequently seen
swimming than flying, and if pursued, apparently do not take
alarm until approached within a few feet, when they dive, but only
to reappear very soon at a short distance. In breeding they do
not build a nest, laying their eggs, or rather egg, on the shingle
of the beach. This egg is generally pure white, greatly blotched
with spots of dark reddish-brown;and measuring about 3.12 by 2.10
inches, and is said to be excellent eating. The food of the Razorbill
consists of small fish, shrimps, and various marine animals, includ-
ing roe. When one is killed, its mate paddles around it seemingly
in wonder that it does not dive or fly away, and at such times it
may be approached and knocked over with an oar. Constant men-
tion of this bird is made by Dr. Kane, to whom, on his last voyage,
they became an absolute necessity, as they are to the poor savages
of the Arctic regions.

Velvet Duck—White-winged Coot. ((elanetta velvetina.)
Fig. 4.

This bird is common to both continents, is found all along both
the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to the north, and has also been ob-

served on Lakes Erie and Michigan. It reaches the shores of the
Middle States in September, often proceeding as far south as
Georgia. In the beginning of April immense flocks congregate
together, and in bands of from twenty to thirty individuals return
to their northern breeding places. The nests, according to Audu-
bon, are placed within a few feet of the borders of small lakes, a
mile or two distant from the sea, and usually under the low boughs
of the bushes, of the twigs of which, with mosses and various
plants matted together, they are formed. These nests are large,
lined with feathers from the birds themselves, and contain when
ready for incubation six eggs. These are of a uniform cream color,
tinged with green, and measure about 2.75 by 1.87 inches. The
flight of the Velvet Duck is strong and sustained, and never at any
great height unless when pursued by gunners. They swim with
great buoyancy, and are expert divers. Their food consists of small
fish, crustacea, shell-fish, spawn and sea-weeds. The flesh is
strong and oily ; notwithstanding it is sometimes used as an article
of food.

Harlequin Duck.

(Histrionicus torguatus.)
Fig. 5.

This Duck is an inhabitant of the northern coast of North
America, is rarely found as far south as Long Island, has been ob-
served on Lakes Erie and Michigan, and is a casual visitor on the
coast of England. It is a very shy and vigilant bird, and dives
beneath the water at the least approach of danger; even when on
the wing, at the first flash of the sportsman’s gun, plunging into
the waves beneath. It is usually found in flocks of from twelve to
fifteen, one of whom always acts the part of a sentinel. It breeds

_ in Newfoundland-and Labrador, where it selects some small lake

a mile or so inland and builds its nest on its margin. This nest is
composed of dry plants of various kinds, arranged in a circular
manner and lined with fine grasses. The eggs are from four to
six, plain yellowish-green in color, and measuring about 2.08 by
1.46 inches. After the eggs are laid, the female plucks the down
from her breast after the manner of the Eider Duck, for the pur-
pose of protecting them. The male entirely deserts his mate as
soon as incubation commences, and when the young are hatched
the mother leads them to water and carefully teaches them how to
dive, by a slight note warning them of coming danger. The food
of this Duck consists of small fish, roe, shrimps, mollusks, and
aquatic insects. The flesh is very dark, has a strong fishy taste,
and is not much esteemed as an article of food.

PLATE LXVI.

Kittiwake Gull. (ZLaras tridactylus.)
Fig. 1.

This beautiful Gull is common to the Arctic regions of both hemi-
spheres, migrating south in winter as far as the Middle States, and
according to Ridgeway and Wheaton, it occurs on Lake Michigan.
It prefers the open seas to estuaries, except during the time of in-
cubation, when it resorts to high cliffs such as the Raven would
naturally seek, where it builds a nest out of sea-weeds and coarse
grasses, and which with additions and slight reconstructions is used
from year to year. The eggs are three in number, the form usu-
ally ovoidal, in color creamy-drab with a very slight olivaceous
tint, and measuring about 2.20 by 1.60 inches. The young birds
remain in their airy nest until fully fledged, when with their parents
they disperse over the neighboring seas. Upon land the Kittiwake
makes a very awkward appearance, but in the air or when swim-
ming, but few birds surpass it in buoyancy, grace, and ease of

7
4
a

JAY—CREEPER—FINCH—W OODPECKER—MERGANSER—SCAUP-DUCK. 985

motion. Their food consists of surface fish, small bivalves, and
aquatic insects ; while its name is taken from the peculiar cry with
which, in the breeding season, it assails any intruder on its domain.
According to Faber’s Icelandic Ornithology, its swarms are so nu-
merous on Grimsoe that they darken the sun when they fly, deafen
the ear when they scream, and deck the green-capped rocks with
a white covering when they breed.

Florida Jay. (Cyanocitta floridana.)
Fig. 2.

But few birds have so limited a range as this beautiful Jay, it
siaving never been discovered outside the State of Florida, and
even there is confined to growths of scrub oak alone. Its nest is
composed of dry sticks loosely plaited together, leaving interstices
so large that the bird may be seen between them, and is lined with
fine rootlets and the fibers of the dwarf-palmetto. The eggs are
from four to six, Jight blue in color, sparingly sprinkled with rufous
spots, and measuring about 1.05 by .80 inches. But one brood is
raised during the season. Its food consists of snails, insects, va-
rious fruits and berries, the acorns of the oak, and the seeds of the
sword-palmetto. Its flight resembles that of the Canada Jay, and
while its notes are more frequently uttered than those of the Blue
Jay, they are much softer. According to Audubon, it is easily
kept in a cage, when it will feed on fresh or dried fruit such as figs
and raisins, and the kernels of various nuts, securing the food beneath
its feet and breaking it to pieces before swallowing. A pair kept
in confinement were fed upon rice and all kinds of dried fruit, and
when, after dinner, the cage door was opened, would fly to the
table and feed on the almonds that were given them and drink claret
diluted with water. Both attempted to imitate particular sounds,
but in a very imperfect manner.

Bahama Creeper. (Certhiola bahamensis.)

Fig. 3.

This bird belongs to the West India Islands, and is occasionally
found upon the Keys of the southeast coast of Florida. Nothing
seems to be known regarding its habits. That they resemble those
of allied species is very probable, but, in the absence of any re-
corded facts, we simply give a life-like representation of the bird.

Bachman’s Finch. (Peucea bachmani.)
Fig. 4.

Until recently, the range of this bird was supposed to be confined
to the States of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Mr. Ridge-
way reports it as breeding in Southern Illinois, and it is probably
common throughout the Southern States. It receives its name from
the distinguished naturalist and associate of Audubon, Dr. John
Bachman, who was the first to notice it and to study its habits. It
is not a shy bird, but it has a habit, after giving utterance to its me-
lodious notes, of plunging into the tall broom grass that is invariably
found near its haunts. Dr. Bachman regarded this bird as the
finest singer of all the Sparrow family ; and Mr. Ridgeway tells us
that the song is one of the finest he has ever heard, resembling the
sweet chaunt of the Field Sparrow, only stronger, and varied with
a clear, high, and musical strain, resembling the syllables ‘‘thee-
eeeee-til-lut, lut-lut.” Its nest is made on the ground, concealed
in tufts of thick grass, composed of wiry species of coarse grasses
and without lining. ‘The eggs are four in number, of a pure, clear
white, and measure about .74 by .60 inches. Its food consists of
fine seed, small berries, and coleopterous insects.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker. (cus borealis.)
Fig. 5.

This bird is confined to the Southeastern Atlantic States, extend-
ing, though rarely, north and west to Pennsylvania and Texas.
According to Audubon, the nest is usually found bored in a decayed
stump, about thirty feet from the ground. The eggs are from four
to six in number, pure white, elliptical in shape, and measuring
about .95 by .yo inches. When the young are hatched, and before
they are able to fly, they crawl out of the hole and wait on the
branches for their parents to bring them food until they are able to
shift for themselves. It glides up and sideways on the branches
and trunks of trees with great celerity, excelling all other Wood-
peckers in this respect, and constantly giving utterance to short,
shrill cries that may be heard at a considerable distance. These
cries are also kept up while on the wing, and during the love-season
are incessant and much more vigorous. It is a pugnacious bird,
defending its rights to the last. Audubon once captured one, but,
as it refused to accept food from his hands, it was allowed its free-
dom. While in his possession it would crawl up the wall, which
was brick and unplastered, and eat the stray spiders and other in-
sects lodged in the crevices.

Red-breast Merganser—Fishing Duck. (Mergus serrator.)
Fig. 6.

This bird is common throughout the Northern Hemisphere, fre-
quenting the estuaries and rivers of Great Britain. In winter it is
met with on nearly every unfrozen stream of the Union. Audubon
tells us that it breeds in many parts of our Middle and Eastern
States, and that he found the female in charge of her brood twice
in Kentucky ; and that in the States of New York, Massachusetts,
and Maine, it is by no means a rare occurrence to meet with the
nest of this bird along the borders of small secluded lakes. It is
an expert diver, at the least alarm diving beneath the water and |
swimming long distances, and when it approaches the surface
first thrusting out its head for the purpose of reconnoitering. Its
flight is strong and very rapid, and capable of being sustained for
long distances. According to Audubon, it is so gluttonous that it
frequently has to disgorge before it is enabled to fly, and that some
kept in confinement died from overeating. Its nest is built accord-
ing to latitude and the earliness of the season, from the first of
March until the middle of May, and is usually placed within a
short distance of the margin of fresh water. It is composed of dry
weeds, mosses of various kinds, and lined with down from the
breast of the female. The eggs vary from six to ten, are of a dull
yellow cream-color, and measure about 2.50 by 1.62 inches. As
soon as the young are hatched, they betake themselves to the water,
and need but the briefest lesson to become the most expert of divers.
The flesh of this bird is very tough, and has a most decided fishy
flavor.

Little Black-headed Duck—Blue-bill—Broad-bill—Scaup-duck. (//z-
Lula affines.)

Fig. 7.

This Duck inhabits the whole of North America, breeding from
the extreme Northern States northward, wintering from the Middle
States southward, and is found in great abundance on the Ohio,
Missouri, and Mississippi rivers. It arrives at its winter quarters
about the first of October, and leaves from the first of March to the
middle of April. Its nest is exceedingly rude, consisting of the
merest excavation and surrounded by a few sticks. The eggs are
ovoidal in form, of a dirty pale drab calor, and measure about 2.25

96 AMERICAN RAVEN—COMMON CROW.
a ee ee ee eee

by 1.60 inches. The food of this Duck consists of small fry, cray-
fishes, and the coarse grasses which grow upon the banks of streams
and ponds. It is an expert diver, and when wounded will fre-
quently dive and cling to rocks or weeds on the bottom of the stream
and remain there until life is extinct. According to Audubon, when
these birds travel, their flight is steady, rather laborious, but greatly
protracted. The whistling of their wings is heard at a considerable
distance when they are passing overhead. At this time they usu-
ally move in a broad front, sometimes in a continuous line. At the
approach of spring the male bird pays his addresses to the female
before they set out on their journey.

PLATE LXVII.

The Raven. (Corvus corax.)
Fig. 1.

But few birds have a more familiar history than the Raven. In-
habiting the earth before the appearance of man, its geographical
range is quite as extensive. Differing in a distinguishable degree
from its European congener, the American Raven is beyond ques-
tion related to it as a variety. Though found in nearly every State
in the Union, they are rarely met with in the Eastern States except
in favored localities. Among the romantic lakes of the Adirondack
region, along the banks of the Hudson, on the shores of New Jer-
sey, and in the wilds of Maine, they are of frequent occurrence.
They are found in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and in Texas alone,
of the Gulf States. They are common throughout the entire Arctic
regions, following the musk-ox, reindeer, and other animals of the
fur countries, where they endure the intensest cold. Lewis and
Clark observed them at Fort Mandan, when the thermometer stood
at 45° below zero. Though frequently observed north of latitude
69°, they have never been known to breed beyond that line. Along
the Pacific coast, throughout Washington Territory, California,
Arizona, and on the deserts, prairies and mountains of the Western
States, they are numerous. They seem inimicable to the Crow;
where one abounds the other is rarely seen.

The Raven is only partially gregarious. During the day they
are usually seen in pairs. When, however, some favorite carrion
is found, attracted to it by sight and smell, they flock to it in great
numbers. At night, during the winter season, they select some
one roosting-place, usually a clump of tall trees, or, if near the sea-
shore, some inaccessible cliff, and occupy it in immense numbers.
Early in the morning a little before sunrise, they fly in pairs to their
breeding places. By the first of April they are mated, and seek
secluded mountainous spots in which to breed. Dr. Brewer men-
_tions a nest in which were ten eggs, found on the roth of April,
when the snow was quite deep. These nests are constructed of
sticks, coarse twigs, moss, and grass, and are lined with hair, bits
of fur, and fine leaves. They are very bulky and irregular in shape,
and are quite as large as a bushel basket, with a deep cavity in the
center. From six to eight eggs, of a faded green color, marked
with cloudings of a faint purple, or sometimes blotched with a deep
purple brown, about 2. by 1.75 inches, are laid, and after about
twenty days’ incubation the young-are hatched. —

The Raven is omnivorous in its diet. MacGillivray gives the
following bill of fare, which will apply to this bird wherever found :
‘¢ Young hares, rabbits, rats, moles, mice, the young of poultry,
pheasants, grouse, ducks, geese, eggs of all kinds, echini, mollusca,

fruit, barley, wheat, oats, crustacea, grubs, worms, and fish.” But.

few birds have so varied a diet.

In sagacity the American Raven is equal to his European peer.
All naturalists and sportsmen accord him unwonted intelligence.
They thoroughly understand the use of fire-arms, and while a per-

son unarmed may get within a few rods of them, they possess the
traditional faculty of smelling gunpowder, and keep a proper dis-
tance from it. Their flesh is extremely rank and unsavory, and
is avoided even by wild animals.

The literature of the Raven is the most extensive of any relating
to birds. Primitive man everywhere endowed him with mysterious
intelligence. He was the first bird sent out by Noah after the
landing on the peaks of Ararat. He was selected by God to feed
the prophet in the wilderness. In the Koran, he taught Cain how
to dispose of murdered Abel, by killing a bird and burying it be-
fore his eyes. In the Scandinavian mythology, two Ravens, Mem-
ory and Thought, sit on each shoulder of Odin, and fly over the
world for the purpose of bringing him intelligence. In the myths
of the Greeks and Romans it plays a like conspicuous part, and
anecdotes of its sagacity are to be met with everywhere.

Common Crow. (Corvus americanus.)
Fig. 2.

This Crow is found in great abundance throughout the Eastern
States, extending west to the Mississippi, and in summer migrating
to the Arctic region. It is not known to occur in California. But
few birds have been so persistently hunted as this. In many States,
bounties have been offered for his destruction ; but so wary and wise
is he, that, notwithstanding, he holds his own, if he does not in-
crease in numbers. ‘The Crow breeds from April to June, varying
with the latitude which he selects for the purpose of incubation.
The nest is usually built in the topmost branches of some inacces-
sible pine or hemlock, and is made first of a layer of, coarse twigs
and sticks, then a layer of fine bark intermixed with mosses and
bunches of grass, the whole lined with hair, fine fibres of the ever-
greens, and kindred material. The eggs are four in number, of
various shades of green, covered with blotches and spots of differ-
ent browns, and measuring about 1.60 by 1.12 inches.

Recently the question—Is the Crow the farmer’s friend or enemy?
has been very fully discussed, and is yet not definitely settled. By
his anatomy and physiology the Crow is about as nearly omnivorous
as a bird can well be, and we therefore find him appropriating all
kinds of food, whether animal or vegetable. In various numbers
of the American Naturalist it is asserted that he will attack our
barnyard chickens and carry them off, and that he is a constant
depredator on the young and eggs of our smaller birds. Mr. Sam-
uels, in his Birds of New England, devotes many pages to the dis-
cussion of the Crow’s utility, and makes out a fearful debit against
him, numbering nearly five thousand units, while the credit side
shows but two hundred and twenty-nine units. But this author
draws largely upon his imagination, giving each Crow a daily bill
of fare of a dozen smaller birds.

During early spring, the Crow is one of the most beneficial of
birds, his food at that time consisting of carrion and noxious insects.
It destroys in immense numbers the young of grasshoppers, which
are found in pasture lands and meadows as soon as the snow leaves
the ground. It is not until later that they make depredations which
waken the granger’s ire. During the month of May the Crow dis-
plays a wonderful fondness for sprouting corn, and then needs con-
stant watching. Dr. Brewer tells us that in the West they are not

_known to make any raids upon the cornfields, and are regarded as

benefactors, receiving protection and good treatment; and that in
that region they evince none of that wariness which makes them so
difficult to approach in the East.

The Crow becomes easily domesticated when captured young,
and proves an interesting as well as mischievous pet. It learns to
articulate sounds. Dr. Brewer mentions one that learned to play
hide-and-seek with a family of children, invariably surpassing them

_in the game. Many amusing anecdotes are told of him, and his

place in mythological lore is quite as extensive as that of the Raven.

LXVU

‘

PL.

Phi. LXVIT

eevee os og ir

CANADA JAY—ROBIN—HOUSE SPARROW—FLAMINGO.

It is claimed that he not only knows how to count as high as five,
but also knows when Sunday arrives. But this latter accomplish-
ment is confined to the Crow of the old world, as some of our
American sportsmen have about as much regard for Sunday as they
have for the rights of the animal himself.

(Pertsoreus canadensis.)

Canada Jay.
Fig. 3.

The Canada Jay is common throughout the northern part of
North America, breeding from New England, New York, and
Minnesota, northward, and is a rare straggler in the Middle At-
lantic States during the winter months. Its nest is built on the
limbs of trees, and is quite bulky, measuring from four to six inches
across, and from three to four in depth. It is woven on a rude
platform of sticks, and consists of fine mosses neatly felted together
and lined with feathers. ‘The eggs are usually three, the ground
color of a grayish-white, marked all over with several shades of
olive-brown, and measuring about 1.20 by .7o inches. The Canada
Jay is a very bold and familiar bird, and has been known to fly
down and steal his dinner from a hungry dog. It hoards whatever
food it may not require for immediate consumption, hiding it be-
tween layers of bark, and in other convenient places. Its musical
accomplishments are confined to a squeaking noise, though it is
sometimes known to chatter. Audubon, in speaking of their mu-
sical efforts, says that they have an odd way of nodding their
heads and jerking their body and tail, while they emit their cu-
riously diversified notes, which at times resemble a low sort of mew-
ing, at others, the sound given out by an anvil when lightly struck
with a hammer. ‘They raise but one brood in a season, and occupy
the same nest from year to year.

Robin or Robin Redbreast. (Zurdus mzgratorzus.)

Fig. 4.

The Robin is probably the most familiar of all the birds of North
America. Its range extends from the plateau of Mexico to Green-
land, and is bounded east and west by the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. In winter it is most abundant in the Southern States, but
its migration is due to the supply of food rather than the severity
of the climate, and where wild berries are abundant it will remain
through the winter, though the ground may be covered with snow,
and the thermometer reach the freezing point of mercury.

The Robin arrives in the Eastern States from the middle to
the 25th of April. Some of them pair immediately, and commence
house-building before the snow has fully disappeared. By the 2oth
of May the full-fledged young were seen turned out to care for
themselves. Others are not in such haste to woo, and almost any
day from the first to the middle of May, the most careless observer
may witness ferocious contests between the males for the possession
of some waiting and no doubt willing maid. ‘The nest is extrava-
gant in size, and rather bungling in workmanship, constructed first
of thick layers of moss, straw, weeds, and roots, in which a cavity
is rounded, plastered with mud, and then lined with fine grasses
and kindred material. Dr. C. C. Abbott, in the Popular Science
Monthly, describes thirty-two of these nests, which he had gathered
for the purpose of comparison. Eleven of these corresponded with
the foregoing description, while the remaining ones varied in a
greater or lesser degree. He says: ‘‘ Taking a careful survey of
the whole thirty-two nests, they suggested at once an ordinary vil-
lage; there were handsome structures, such as opulence builds,
and very modest ones, such as those in straightened circumstances
are compelled to occupy.” This dissimilarity he attributes to the
different temperament of birds. :

When the nests are finished, from four tosix eggs are laid. These

are of a bright uniform greenish-blue color, liable to fade in the
sunlight, and measuring about 1.25 by .88 inches. The female is
usually about eleven days in incubating. Hight days after the
young are hatched, their eyes are open, and in eleven days they
are fully fledged. The care of the parents does not cease with the
young birds leaving the nest, but is continued a few days after.
Two broods are raised in a season.

The food of the Robin consists largely of earthworms, and the
large family of insects that burrow inthe earth preparatory to their
transformations. In their season, it is very fond of strawberries
and cherries; but it is very possible that there would not a cherry
crow fit to eat were it not for this and other birds, and its contri-
butions in this direction are scant pay for the immense good it does.

House, Domestic, or European Sparrow. (/yrgzta domestica.,

Fig. 5.

The rapid distribution of the English Sparrow throughout the
United States will soon make it the most familiar of our birds.
First introduced in 1858 in Portland, Maine, it has been constantly
tending toward the West. No climate seems too severe for their
abode. Inhabitants of all Europe from Sweden to Italy, of Mo-
rocco, Algiers, Egypt, and Persia, they have at last taken the New
World as by storm. The spot chosen for a nest is some hole or
cavity or crack in a wail or chimney or other convenient place,
though always availing themselves of the bird-houses when they
are obtainable. The nest is very bulky, and is composed of straw,
stalks of small plants, rags of woolen or cotton, and lined with
feathers and other soft material. The eggs vary from four to six,
are grayish-white in color, more or less covered with longitudinally
oblong spots of pale gray and grayish-black, and measure about
88 by .72 inches. This bird is very tame and fearless, and will
allow the nearest approach without evincing any uneasiness. Dur-
ing the winter months they keep together in flocks of from fifty to
a hundred, and have little difficulty in picking a living out of the
streets of our cities and villages. Its flight is undulated and rapid,
and when on the ground it advances by hops and leaps. In summer
it rolls in the dirt, and basks in the sun like our domestic fowl. The
musical accomplishments of these birds are few. Their utterances
are confined to a single note; but on a bright winter morning, in
the absence of all other singers, the effect is quite cheering, if not
charming. Like the Robin, they are very fond of angle-worms,
and, not being so expert in digging, they frequently rush in upon
their American brother and steal the dainty mérsel from his very
mouth.

There has been considerable discussion regarding the real utility
of the English Sparrow. Nearly all the writers on ornithology in
the Old World condemn him. Among his most strenuous cham-
pions in the United States is Dr. Brewer, of Boston, a careful ob-
server, and an authority in all matters pertaining to the science.
Whatever may be the conclusions arrived at, they will be too late
to affect the English Sparrow himself. He has made this country
his own; and a bird that can stand a climate where the thermometer
frequently reaches thirty degrees below zero is not one easy to
exterminate.

PLATE LXVIII.

American or Red Flamingo. (Phoentcopteri roseus.)

The American Flamingo is to be found mostly in the tropical re-
gions. Dr. Brehm says: ‘‘ Naturalists are at present acquainted
with about half a dozen species, and although the history of some
of them is far from complete, enough is known to induce us to be

98 COMMON GANNET—SOLON GOOSE.

Lie

i i a eee ee

lieve that in their mode of life they differ in no respect from the
species with which we are best acquainted. These remarkable
birds are widely distributed over the warmer portions of the globe,
and are met with principally in Asia, Africa, and South Europe.
According to accounts of both ancient and modern writers, they
make their appearance every year in great numbers in the vicinity
of the lakes of Sardinia and Sicily, as also in Albufera de Valen-
cia and other parts of Spain. Along the coasts of Egypt, Tripoli,
Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco, they are abundant, as also in
Smyrna, and near the banks of the Volga, but are very rarely
met with in Greece. Occasionally a few stragglers have been
seen as far north as the banks of the Rhine. Generally speaking,
however, the south coast of Europe must be regarded as their
northern limit, and North Africa and Central Asia as their usual
habitat. Those species that inhabit the Western Hemisphere are
likewise confined within corresponding limits. Lakes of salt or
brackish water in the vicinity of sea-coasts are the favorite resorts
of the Flamingoes. To lakes of fresh water they are only casual
visitants, and never resort to them for any length of time. On the
other hand, they are always very abundant on the sea-coast, more
especially where the shores are flat and swampy. Only those who
have had the good fortune to see these birds assembled in flocks,
consisting of many thousands, can form an adequate idea of the
beauty of their appearance.” |

‘«‘ Looking from Cagliari to the sea,” says Cetti, «* it seemed to
be banked in with a wall of red bricks, or to be covered with
countless numbers of roses. On nearer approach these proved to
be Flamingoes ranged in regular ranks. Aurora herself was
never adorned with more roseate tints than the wings of these
birds. They seemed literally to glow with pink and carmine.
The name of the Flamingo, both in Greek and Latin, was derived
from the magnificent hues of their glorious wings, and the French,
in the epithet fammant, only repeat the same idea. The first im-
pression produced by such a spectacle is not easily to be forgotten.
The birds stood in ranks, not merely of thousands, but literally of
hundreds of thousands, ranged in interminable array. As the
sunlight played upon the dazzling white and glowing red, the ef-
fect was indescribable. At length, taking alarm at something, the
whole body of them rose into the air, displaying their wings to
still greater advantage as they formed themselves into an immense
wedge-shaped phalanx, and winged their way far up into the blue
sky.”

When standing quietly upon the shore the appearance of these
birds very much resembles that of an army drawn up in order of
battle.’ The Cingalese call them ‘‘ English soldier birds,” the South
Americans simply ‘‘ soldiers,” and, indeed, not without cause, for,
as Humboldt informs us, the inhabitants of Angostura, soon after
the establishment of that colony, were one day thrown into a state
of great alarm by the sudden appearance of what they took to be
a numerous army, and it was only when the supposed enemy took
flight to the shores of the Orinoco, that they discovered their mis-
take. A solitary Flamingo is very rarely seen, never perhaps be-
fore the commencement of the pairing season, and even then it must
be some young bird that has strayed by accident from its fellows.
Usually they keep together in flocks, and carefully avoid any local-
ity where danger might be apprehended. Open waters are usually
selected as their fishing place, and should a boat approach they at
once take flight whilst it is still far off, so that it is by no means easy
to observe their proceedings, except with the aid of a telescope. In
general they may be seen with their legs immersed in the water, or
more rarely on the dry shore of our sand-banks, with their necks
curved in a very peculiar manner (see plate) in front of the breast,
the head being laid as it were upon the back, or buried beneath the
shoulder-feathers of the wing; generally the whole weight of the
body is supported by one leg, the other being held obliquely back-
ward or drawn up close to the body ; in this strange position the Fla-
mingo sleeps. The manner in which these birds obtain their food is
equally remarkable. Like all other sieve-beaked birds, the ma-

terials upon which they subsist are procured by raking in the mud.
The Flamingo, when in search of food, wades into the water to a
convenient depth, and then bends down its long neck until its head
is upon the same level as its feet ; it then plunges its beak, with the
upper mandible downward, into the mud. In this position the
bird rakes about at the bottom of the water, moving backward
and forward with short steps, and opening and shutting its bill
whilst its tongue is busily at work. When taking flight from
the sea or lake in which it has been feeding, it not unfrequently
goes to a considerable distance, half running and half flying over
the surface of the water, much after the the manner of a Duck
or Water-hen. When fairly on the wing a flying Flamingo could
not be mistaken for any other bird, even by the most unpracticed
novice. Unlike the generality of long-necked birds, it stretches
not only its long legs, but its neck straight out, thus presenting an
appearance of extraordinary length and slenderness ; so that,
with its narrow wings exactly in the center, it assumes pretty much
the shape of accross. The loud, harsh voice of these birds some-
what resembles that of a goose. The food of the Flamingo consists
principally of water-snails, worms, crustaceans, and small fishes,
but it by no means despises vegetable substances, and in a state of
captivity will eat boiled rice, corn, or soaked bread. The nest is
made in shallow places in the water, or as the Arabs assert, upon
flat insular spots, overgrown with low vegetation. In the first case
the nest is a conical heap of mud scraped together by the feet of
the bird, and raised so high that its top is a foot and a half above
the water. In the second case it consists of a mere hollow
trough, scooped out in the soil and lined with sedge, rushes, grass,
and similar materials. ‘The number of eggs laid is generally two,
occasionally three. Their shape is elongated, and their shell smooth
and of chalky whiteness.

PLATE LXIX.

Common Gannet—Salon Goose. (Swzla dassana.)

Fig. 1.

The Gannet, or Solon Goose, is a species of marine bird com-
mon on the coasts of both Europe and North America. The Arc-
tic regions of both continents furnish the necessary abiding-place
during the summer months.

According to McGillivray, ‘* When sitting, the Gannets allow a
person to approach within three feet, sometimes much nearer, so
that one may even touch them. When approached, they merely
open their bill and utter their usual cry, or rise to their feet and ex-
press some degree of resentment, but little apprehension of danger.
They take advantage of the absence of their neighbors to pilfer
the materials of their nests; frequently two join in the same act,
and occasionally they may be seen at the same bunch, endeavoring
to wrest it from each other. They are constantly repairing their
nests, which, being composed in great measure of seaweeds, shrink
up in dry weather, and decompose in wet; and when seated close
together have frequent quarrels. I saw one seize its neighbor by
the back of the neck, and hold fast until the assaulted bird, I may
say, roared out; but in general they are satisfied with menacing
each other with their open bills and loud clamor. Their cryis hoarse
and harsh, and may be expressed by the syllables ‘carra, carra,
kirra, kirra;’ sometimes it is ‘crai, crai,’ or ‘ cru, cru,’ or ‘ cree,
cree.’ The cry varies considerably in different individuals, some
having a sharper voice than others; and when unusually irritated
they repeat it with great rapidity.”

‘¢The fishermen,” says Mr. Couch, ‘‘learn by their actions
when shoals of pilchards are present, and what course they are
pursuing. The Gannet takes its prey ina different manner from

. Ph, PALS

Baile

PL. LXX

FORSTER’S TERN—BIG BLACK-HEAD—WARBLERS. 99

Li ee eee

any other of our aquatic birds; for, traversing the air in all di-
rections, as soon as it discovers the fish, it rises to such a height as
experience shows best calculated to carry it by a downward motion
to the required depth, and then, partially closing its wings, it falls
perpendicularly upon the prey, and rarely without success; the
time between the plunge and immersion being about fifteen seconds.”

This species is from thirty to thirty-three inches long, and from
seventy-two to seventy-four inches broad. The wing measures
twenty-one, and the tail ten inches. The female is somewhat
smaller than her mate.

Forster’s or Havell’s Tern. (Sterna _forster?.)
Fig. 2.

This bird has often been taken to be the common Tern, which
is a mistake. The late authorities all agree that it is a distinct and
separate species.

Dr. Coues says: ‘* No Tern of this country is more widely and
generally distributed than this one. It may be found in every part
of the country, at one season or another, and in the interior, es-
pecially, almost replaces the common Tern, being in fact the most
characteristic of the species. Doubtless some of the local quotations
of ‘the common Tern’ from interior States really refer to this species.
It appears to be hardier than some of its allies, as it winters on
our Atlantic coast north of Long Island, while most others proceed
further south at this season. It is the commonest Tern, in winter
and during the migrations, in the harbor of Baltimore. Neverthe-
less its wanderings at this season are pushed to South America.
On the Carolina coast it is chiefly a migrant, but also a winter res-
ident. Comparing it with the common Tern, it is there seen to be
the more northerly species of the two, migrating earlier in the
spring and later in the fall, besides wintering where the common
Tern does not. A few of Forster’s Terns come back to the Carolinas
in August; they become abundant the following month, and there
is little or no decrease of their numbers until December, when a part
go further south, to return the latter part of March, and the rest
remain. It is one of the most plentiful Terns on the harbor of
Beaufort in October and November, when it may be distinguished
at any reasonable distance with ease, Wilson’s Tern being the only
one at all resembling it, and this being differently marked about the
head at this season. Quite early in the spring it leaves for its nore
thern breeding-grounds, generally acquiring its complete plumage
before it leaves the United States. It breeds in the interior of
British America.” The general habits of this bird agree entirely
with the other well known species of Terns.

Big Black-head—Greater Scaup Duck—Blue Bill—Broad Bill—Shuffler.
(Luligula marilla.)

Fig. 3.

Nuttall says: ‘* This species, better known in America by the
name of the Blue Bill, is another general inhabitant of the whole
Northern Hemisphere; passing the period of reproduction in the re-
mote and desolate hyperboreal regions, from whence, at the ap-
proach of winter, they issue over the temperate parts of Europe
as far as France and Switzerland; and in the United States are ob-
served to winter in the Delaware, and probably proceed as far as
the waters of the Southern States. . . Their breeding-places,
according to the intelligent and indefatigable Richardson, are in
the remote fur countries, from the most southern point of Hudson’s
Bay to their utmost northern limits. The present species is said to
derive its name from feeding on scaup, or broken shell-fish, for
which, and other articles of subsistence, such as marine insects, fry,
and marine vegetables, it is often seen diving with great alertness.
It is a common species here, both in fresh waters and bays. They

particularly frequent such places as abound in their usual fare, and,
like most of their tribe, take advantage of the accommodation of
moonlight. They leave the Middle States in April, or early in
May.

‘* Both male and female of the Scaup make a similar grunting
noise, and have the same singular toss of the head, with an opening
of the bill, when sporting on the water in the spring. While here,
they are heard occasionally to utter a guttural guauck, very dif-
ferent from that of the common Ducks. In a state of domestica-
tion, during the summer months, when the larve of various insects
are to be found in the mud at the bottom of the pond they frequent,
they are observed to be almost continually diving. They feed,
however, contentedly on barley, and become so tame as to come to
the edge of the water for a morsel of bread. Mr. Rennie adds:
‘Of all the aquatic birds we have had, taken from their native
wilds, none have appeared so familiar as the Scaup. The flesh of
this species is but little esteemed, though the young are more tender
and palatable.’”

PLATE LXX.

Audubon’s Warbler. (Dezdroeca audubonii.)
Fig. 1.

This, in some localities, from the Rocky Mountains to the
Pacific, is a common species. In the spring it may be found in
company with the Yellow Warbler, occupying the undershrubbery,
occasionally venturing into the open fields and clearings. It was
discovered by Mr. Townsend, who named it after Mr. Audubon.
He states that ‘‘the Chinock Indians know it by the name of
‘Fout-sah,’ and that it is very numerous about the Columbia River.”
Audubon says: ‘‘ Its voice so nearly resembles that of the Chestnut-
sided Warbler as to render it difficult to distinguish them.” Mr.
Nuttall gives the following account of this Warbler: ‘* This ele-
gant species, one of the beautiful and ever welcome harbingers of
approaching summer, we found about the middle of April accom-
panying its kindred troop of warblers, enlivening the dark and
dreary wilds of the Oregon. . . . . Nothing contributes so
much life to the scene as the arrival of those seraphic birds, the
Thrushes and Warblers, which, uniting in one wild and ecstatic
chorus of delight, seemed to portray, however transiently, the real
rather than the imaginary pleasures of Paradise. . . . The
harmonies of nature are not made fo tire, but to refresh the best
feelings of the mind, to recall the past, and to make us dwell with
delight upon that which best deserves our recollection. But what
was my surprise to hear the accustomed note of the summer Yel-
low Bird delivered in an improved state by this new warbler, clad
in a robe so different but yet so beautiful. Like that species, also,
he was destined to become our summer acquaintance, breeding
and rearing his offspring in the shady firs by the borders of the
prairie openings, where he could, at all times, easily obtain a sup-
ply of insects or their larvae.”

Townsend’s Warbler. (Dezdroeca townsendit.)
Fig. 2.

This. species is met with from the Rocky Mountains to the Pa-
cific, but is nowhere abundant. Nutall says: ‘* Of this fine species
we know very little, it being one of those transient visiters, which,
on their way to the north, merely stop a few davs to feed and re-
cruit, previous to their arrival in the higher latitudes, or afterward
disperse in pairs, and are lost sight of till the returning frosts and
famine of the season impel them again to migrate, when, falling
on the same path, they are seen in small, silent flocks advancine

100 GRAY, WESTERN, MACGILLIVRAY, BUCHMAN, CARBONATED WARBLERS.

toward the retreat they seek out for their temporary abode. As
this species frequents the upper parts of the lofty firs, it was al-
most an accident to obtain it at all.”

Black-throated Gray Warbler. (Dezdroeca nigrescens.)

Fig. 3.

This remarkably curious species resembles the Black-poll War- |

bler.. It ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, south
through Mexico.
ening to the delicate but monotonous song of this bird, as he busily
and intently searched every leafy bough and expanding bud for
larvee and insects in a spreading oak, from whence he delivered
his solitary note. Sometimes he remained a minute or two station-
ary, but more generally continued in quest of prey. His song, at
short and regular intervals, seemed like ?’shee, ?’shay, t’shazt-shee,
varying the feeble sound very little, and with the concluding note
somewhat suddenly and plaintively raised.”

Western or Hermit Warbler. (Dexdroeca occidentalis.)

Fig. 4.

‘¢' The Hermit Warbler, I have little doubt,” Nuttall says, ‘* breeds
in the dark forests of the Columbia, where we saw and heard it
singing in the month of June, near the outlet of the Wahlamet.
It is a remarkably shy and solitary bird, retiring into the darkest
and most silent recesses of the evergreens, where, gaining a
glimpse of the light by assending the loftiest branches of the
gigantic firs, it occupies in solitude a world of its own, but seldom
invaded even by the prying Jay, who also retreats, as a last resort,
to the same sad gloom. In consequence of this erimitic predi-
lection, it is with extreme difficulty that we ever get sight of our
wily and retiring subject, who, no doubt, breeds and feeds in the
tops of these firs. Its song, frequently heard from the same place,
at very regular intervals, for an hour or two at a time, is a soft,
moody, faint, and monotonous note, apparently delivered chiefly
when the bird is at rest on some lofty twig, and within convenient
hearing of its mate and only companion of the wilderness.”

Blue Mountain Warbler. (Dendroeca montana.)
Fig. 5.

This species, although ascribed to North America, is not now
known to exist.

Macgillivray’s, or Tolmie’s Ground Warblers. (Geothlypis mac-
gillivrayt.)

Fig. 6.

This is one of our common species of Warblers. It usually ap-
pears in the north and west early in May, and remains until near
winter, when it returns to the south. After the manner of the
Maryland Yellow-throat, says Nuttall, «it keeps near ground in low
brushes, where it gleans its subsistence. When surprised or
closely observed, it is shy and jealous, immediately skulking off,
and sometimes uttering a loud snapping click. Its note has oc-
casionally the hurried rattling sound. of the Golden-crowned
Thrush, resembling ?tsh ftsh Ctsh tsheete, altering into ¢tsh ish tsh
teet shee. Another male, on the skirts of a thicket, called out at

short intervals, vish vishtyu, changing to vet:vit vit vityu and vel |

wit vityu, sometimes, when approached, dropping his voice and
abbreviating his song. Another had a call of wésht visht visht e
visht e shew and visht visht visht eshew or vititshee. The nest-is

Nuttall says: ‘‘ I had the satisfaction of heark- |

chiefly made of strips of the inner scaly bark of probably the
white cedar, lined with slender wiry stalks of dry weeds, and
concealed near the ground in the dead mossy limits of a fallen oak,
and further partly hidden by a long tuft of moss. On re-
turning the nest to the place it had been taken from, I had almost |
immediately the satisfaction of seeing the anxious parents come
to find their charge, and for some days they showed great un-
easiness on being approached.”

Mr. Townsend says, ‘‘ It is mostly solitary and extremely wary,

keeping chiefly in the most impenetrable thickets, and gliding
through them in a cautious and suspicious manner.

It may, how-
ever, sometimes be seen toward mid-day perched upon a dead

twig over its favorite places of concealment, and at such times

warbles a very sprightly and pleasant little song, raising its head
until its bill is almost vertical, swelling its throat in the manner of
its relatives.”

Bachman’s Warbler. (elmznthophaga bachmanitz.)
Fig. 7.

A very rare species of Warbler, said to be confined exclusively
to the South Atlantic States. It was first obtained a few miles from
Charleston, South Carolina, by Dr. Bachman, after whom it is
named. Nuttall says: ‘‘ It appears to be a lively, active species,
frequenting thick bushes, through which it glides after insects, or,
occasionally mounting on wing, it seizes them in the air.”

Swainson’s Warbler. (/lelm¢therus swainsoniz.)
Fig. 8.

An exceedingly rare species, confined to the South Atlantic
States. ‘The wild orange groves of Florida,” Maynard says,
‘Care quite abundant along the streams, and grow upon shell
mounds which were formed by the Indians many years ago. As
these trees do not grow in any other situation than those which
bear evidence of having been the residence of man, this is a strong
argument in favor of their having been introduced into the country
by the Spaniards, and distributed by them or the original inhabit-
ants. These groves are always noticeable landmarks, when passing
along the St. John’s river, on account of the dark green foliage,
but when in early winter the golden fruit appears surrounded by
the glossy leaves the effect is striking; later in February, when
the snowy clusters of blossoms burst forth, and ihe air becomes
redolent with their fragrance, the desire to linger in such a spot be-
comes almost irresistible. Hundreds of birds frequent these lovely
retreats, and many build their nests among the branches. These
are places where one would naturally look for rare species, and it
was in an orange grove that Mr. Thaxter found the specimen.”

Carbonated Warbler. (Dezdroeca carbonata.)
Fig. 9.

This species is only known by the figure and description of a
pair killed in Kentucky, and, according to Coues, is not now
known to exist.

Orange-crowned Warbler. (He/minthophaga celata.)
Fig. 10.

Audubon says: ‘‘This species is seen in the Southern States,
where it passes the winter, and while crossing the Union, in early
spring, on its way to those northeastern districts where it breeds.
It leaves Louisiana, the Floridas, and Carolinas from the beginning
to the end of April, is seen in the Middle States about the tenth of

Beil

Rhine
1

May, and reaches the State of Maine and the British Provinces by
the end of that month. On its return, besides settling in the
Southern States, it spreads over the provinces of Mexico, from
whence individuals in spring migrate, by the vast prairies, and
along the shores of the western parts of the Union, entering Can-
ada in that direction in the first days of June; . . . breeds in
the eastern parts of Maine and in the British Provinces of New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia.” Maynard says: ** The Orange-
crowned Warblers are lively little birds, usually frequenting hum-
mocks and the underbrush which grows about them. I think they
rarely visit the pine woods. These birds are very unsuspicious
and may be approached quite nearly, but when alarmed will utter
a quick, sharp chirp, and instantly conceal themselves in the
nearest thicket.”

Varied Thrush—Oregon Robin. (Zzrdus NEVLUS.)

Fig. 11.

*“* The Chicago Field,” a superior journal, published in the
Inicrest of the sportsman, contains a very interesting account of
this species, written by Dr. Elliott Coues. We extract as follows:
** In the United States, it seems to have been first noticed by two
American naturalists, Thomas Nuttall and J. K. Townsend, who
found it in Oregon. The first named of these observed its arrival
on the Columbia River from the North in October, when it was
flirting through the forests in small flocks, maintaining perfect
silence, and proving very timid and difficult to approach. It winters
in that region, and has a pleasing song before it departs for its
northern summer home. Dr. J. G. Cooper and Dr. George Suck-
ley, the well known naturalists, have given us more extended notices
of the Oregon Robin. They found it common in Oregon and
Washington Territories during the spring, autumn, and winter,
and occasionally saw it in the dark spruce forests in June and July.
They describe it as much more shy and retiring than the common
Robin, and as having an entirely different song. During severe
winter weather, it becomes more familiar, often coming about the
houses and feeding on the ground in company with the common
Robin. It is known to the settlers as the « spotted,’ ‘ painted,’ and
golden Robin, and is always conspicuous by the black crescent
on the breast. . . It inhabits North America, part of the
Rocky Mountains, from high Arctic regions in Alaska to the ex-
tremity of Southern California, unless at a considerable altitude in
the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges, the latitude of San Francisco
perhaps, being about as far south as it is at all common. In this
great extent of country the bird appears as a winter visitor, arriving
in the fall and departing in the spring, in all the region south of
the Columbia River, while north of this point it occurs in summer,
nesting and rearing its young.”

Dwarf Thrush. (Zurdus nanus.)

Fig. 12.

This bird is a variety of the species Herinit Thrush, or Ground
Swamp Robin. It is met with west of the Rocky Mountains, and
is also accredited to Pennsylvania. Dr. Coues says: « There is
unquestionably but a single species of Hermit Thrush in North
America. It is impossible to draw any dividing line between the
so-called species, and, in fact, it is sufficiently difficult to predicate
varietal distinction.”

VARIED THRUSH—DWARF THRUSH—STELLER’S JAY—BLACK-BIRD. 101

PLATE LXXI.

Steller’s Jay. (Cyanxurus stellerit.)
Fig. 1.

This species was found by Steller at Nootka. It is frequently
met with in the western part of North America. Nuttall, in his
interesting account of this bird, says: ‘* We first observed this bird
in our western route in the Blue Mountains of the Oregon, east of
the Walla-Walla. Here they were scarce and shy, but we met
them in sufficient abundance in the majestic pine forests of the Co-
lumbia, where, in autumn, their loud and trumpeting clangor was
heard at all hours of the day, calling out djay, djay, and some-
times chattering and uttering a variety of other notes very similar
to those of the common Blue Jay. They are, however, far more
bold, irritable, and familiar. Watchful as dogs, a stranger no
sooner shows himself in their vicinity than they neglect all other
employment to come round, follow, peep at, and scold him, some-
times with such pertinacity and irritability as to provoke the sports-
man, intent on other game, to level his gun against them in mere
retaliation. At other times, stimulated by curiosity, they will fol-
low you in perfect silence, until something arouses their ready ire,
when the day, djay, pay, pay, is poured upon you without inter-
mission till you are beyond their view. So intent are they on vo-
ciferating, that it is not uncommon to hear them busily scolding,
even while engaged with a large acorn in the mouth.”

The food consists of insects, acorns, and pine seeds, found along
the Pacific. The nest consists of mud, roots, and twigs, and lined
with root fibers. The eggs, usually four, are of a pale green color,
with small olive-brown dots.

Yellow-headed Black-bird. (Xanthocephalus icterocephalus.)
Fig. 2.

Prince Bonaparte first published an account of this bird in his
continuation of Wilson’s American Ornithology in 1825. It is ac-_
knowledged to be one of the handsomest Black-birds to be met
with in North America. It is abundant in the Western States, es-
pecially so on the prairies and marshes from Illinois and Wisconsin
westward. It also reaches eastward to British America, retiring
as soon as cold weather approaches.

The Yellow-headed Black-birds, as usually met with, gather
together in large flocks, and in their habits and characteristics re-
semble the Red-wing Black-birds. They frequently make good
use of their long, strong legs and large claws by appearing on the
ground in search of food. In the spring their food consists of in-
sects and their larva, which they dig out of the soil with their
bills, and in the fall chiefly on the seeds of vegetables. According
to Nuttall, ‘‘they are very active, straddle about with a quaint
gait, and now and then, in the manner of the Cow Bird, whistle
out, with great effort, a chuckling note sounding like £o-kukkle~at,
often varying into a straining squeak, as if using their utmost en-
deavor to make some kind of noise in token of sociability. Their
music is, however, even inferior to the harsh note of the Cow
Bird.

‘* "The nest,” says Coues, ‘is placed in a tuft of upright reeds or
rank grasses, some of which pass through its walls, fastening it se-
curely, like that of a Marsh Wren, though it may sway with the
motion of the rushes. Probably, to render it light enough to be
supported on such weak foundation, no mud is used in its composi-
tion ; the structure is entirely woven, and plaited with bits of dried
reeds and long, coarse, aquatic grasses, not lined with any different
material, although the inside strands are the finer. . . - The
whole thing measures five or six inches across, and is nearly as

deep. The eggs may be from three to six in number; two selected

102 TITMICE—W RENS—GREY-CROWNED FINCH.

specimens measured 1.04 by 0.75 and 1.15 by 0.76. They are
pale grayish-green, spotted all over with several shades of reddish-
brown, sometimes so thickly, especially at the larger end, as to
hide the ground-color.

Chestnut-backed Titmouse, Chickadee, or Tit. (arus rufescens.)
Fig. 3.
;

This is one of our restless little species, that is frequently met
with on the coast ranges to the Pacific, from Sitka to*Santa Cruz.
The social feeling and sympathy of these little creatures for their
companions is far ahead of some of God’s more divine creatures.
Let man approach their nest, or thin their ranks with a gun, and
he will be surprised to see the courage, anxiety, and solicitude they
show for one another. According to Nuttall, ‘‘ they are commonly
seen in small flocks of all ages in the autumn and winter, when
they move about briskly, and emit a number of feeble, querulous
notes, after the manner of the Chickadee, or common species,
Parus atricapillus, but seldom utter anything like a song, though
now and then, as they glean about, they utter a ?she, de, de, or
?dee, ? dee, dee, their more common querulous call, however, being
like ?she, dé, de, vait, ?’she, de, de, vait; sometimes also a con-
fused warbling chatter. The busy troop, accompanied often by
the Carolina species, and the Ftegulus trzcolor, are seen flitting
through bushes and thickets, carefully gleaning insects and larve
for an instant, and are then off to some other place around, pro-
ceeding with restless activity to gratify the calls of hunger and the
stimulus of caprice. ‘Thus they are seen to rove for miles together,
until satisfied or fatigued, when they retire to rest in the recesses
of the darkest forests, situations which they eventually choose for
their temporary domicile, where in solitude and retirement they
rear their young, and for the whole of the succeeding autumn and
winter remain probably together in families.” The nest is said to
be made of ‘* large quantities of hypna and lichens, copiously and
coarsely lined with deer’s hair and large feathers, such as those of
the Grouse and Jays.”

Least Titmouse, Chestnut-crowned Titmouse, or Tit. (Psaliriparus
min~mus.)

Fig. 4.

The Pacific coast to Sierra Nevada is the abiding-place of this
species. It is closely related tothe Leader Titmouse. ‘* Hopping
about in the hazel thickets,” says Nuttall, ‘* which border the allu-
vial meadows of the river, they appeared very intent and industri-
ously engaged in quest of small insects, chirping now and then a
slender call of recognition. They generally flew off in pairs, but
were by no means shy, and kept always in the low bushes or the
skirt of the woods. The following day I heard the males utter a
sort of weak, monotonous, short, and quaint song, and about a
week afterward I had the good fortune to find the nest, about which
the male was so particularly solicitous as almost unwittingly to
draw me to the spot, where hung from a low bush, about four feet
from the ground, his little curious mansion, formed like a long
purse, with a round hole for entrance near the top. It was made
chiefly of moss, down, and lint of plants, and lined with some feath-
ers. The eggs, six in number, were pure white.”

Rock Wren. (Sa/pinctus obsoletus.)
Fig. 5.

This large species of North American Wren was first discov-
ered by Major Long’s exploring party, near the Arkansas river, in
the neighborhood of the Rocky Mountains. It is said to inhabit
sterile districts devoid of trees. Nuttall says: ‘‘Among these arid

and bare hills of the central table-land they were quite common,
The old ones were feeding and watching a brood of four or five
young, which, though fully grown, were protected and cherished
with the querulous assiduity so characteristic of the other Wrens.
They breed under the rocky ledges, where we so constantly ob-
served them, beneath which they skulk at once when surprised, and
pertinaciously hide in security, like so many rats. Indeed, so sud-
denly do they disappear among the rocks, and remain so silent in
their retreat, that itis scarcely possible to believe them beneath
your feet, till after the lapse of a few minutes you hear a low,
cautious chirp, and the next instant, at the head of the ravine, the
old female probably again appears, scolding and jerking in the
most angry attitudes she is capable of assuming.”

‘«¢ This species,” says Coues, ‘* is especially characteristic of the
interior mountainous regions of the West, although, to the south-
ward at least, it reaches the Pacific Coast. It is reported from va-
rious parts of California, from Cape St. Lucas, and from Mexico.
Mr. Allen found it in Colorado, Mr. Merriam in Utah, where it was
abundant about White Sulphur Springs, Mr. Holden in Wyoming,
and Dr. Hayden states that it is numerous in the ‘ bad lands.’ I
frequently saw it in Upper Arizona, in rocky fastnesses, where its
peculiar song always attracted attention. Dr. Cooper states that a
nest from a wood-pile on the Upper Missouri was composed of a
loose flooring of sticks, lined with a great quantity of feathers, and
contained nine eggs of a reddish color, thickly spotted with choc-
olate. He also found nests at San Diego, under tiled roofs, con-
taining young, in May. According to Mr. Holden, the nest is
merely a few sticks and bits of moss put carelessly together: ‘ One
was placed under a rock as large as a dog-house, and in it were four
young ones, which scampered off while I was removing the rock.’
The eggs are four to eight in number, measuring 0.72 by 0.60
inches, being thus much rounded. The shell is white, of crystal
purity and smoothness, very sparingly sprinkled with minute dots 2f
reddish-brown, chiefly aggregated at, or in a wreath around, the
larger end; but a few other specks are commonly scattered over the
whole surface.”

Bewick’s Wren. (Z%ryothorus bewtckzt.)
Fig. 6.

This beautiful little species is closely allied to the Carolira ¢«
Mocking Wren. It was first discovered and figured by Audaben
Its song consists of a low twitter. Its habits and characteristics
are somewhat similar to other Wrens.

Audubon says: ‘‘ For several days, during which I occasionally
saw it, it moved along the bars of the fences, with the tail gener-
ally erect, looking from the bar on which it stood toward the one
next above, and caught spiders and other insects, as it ran along
from one panel of the fence to another in quick succession, now
and then uttering a low ¢w2tter, the only sound which I heard it
emit. It occasionally hopped sidewise, now with its head toward
me, and again in the contrary direction, at times descending to the
ground to inspect the lower bar, but only for a few moments, and,
as if about to sing, would for an instant raise its head and lower
its tail, but without giving utterance to any musical notes. In
shape, color, and movements, it nearly resembles the great Caro-
lina Wren and the House Wren. It has not, however, the quick-
ness of motion, nor the liveliness, of either of these birds.”

The Grey-crowned Finch. (Lewcostzote tephrocotzs.)
Fig. 7-

Up to within a few years, this species was considered very
rare. According to Dr. Hayden’s ornithological researches, it was
discovered to be abundant in the Wind River Mountains, where
numerous specimens were procured. Of their habits Mr. Holden

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BLUE BIRD—BOHEMIAN WAXWING. 103

says: ‘* These birds are never found here in summer—the moun-
tains in the southwestern part of Wyoming—they come in small
flocks in the coldest part of winter. Their food is small seeds and
insects. I have found some with the crops so full of seeds as to
distort the birds. They become very fat, and are good eating.”

Mr. Trippe says: ‘* During the winter I saw several flocks of
these birds near Central City, where they were feeding in the dry
gulches and about gardens, acting like Lapland Longspurs; but
did not observe them elsewhere, though I looked carefully for them
throughout a large extent of country. During summer and au-
tumn the Gray-crowned Finch is common above timber-line, where
it breeds, ranging higher than the Titlark, and being usually found
in the vicinity of snow-fields and the frozen lakes near the summit
of the range. It is rather shy in such localities, though exceed-
ingly tame in winter; its flight is in undulating lines, like the
Crossbill’s, and the only note I have heard it utter is a kind of
‘churr,’ like the call of the Scarlet Tanager. In the latter part
of September small flocks, composed of one or two families, may
be seen together ; and still later in the season they gather into large
flocks. They stay above timber-line till the close of October or
the middle of November, being much hardier than the Titlark ;
and only descend when driven away by the furious winter storms.

- +. . Since the above was penned, great flocks of the Gray-
crowned Finch have appeared near Idaho Springs. In their habits
and actions they are very similar to the Plectrophanes. They are
perpetually roving from place to place; feed upon the seeds of
weeds and grasses; and are never at rest for more than a moment
at a time, constantly whirling about in close, dense, masses, like
so many Longspurs.”

Rocky Mountain or Arctic Blue Bird. (Sia/éa arctica.)
Fig. 8.

According to Coues:

‘* The original specimen of this beautiful species came from Fort
Franklin, Great Bear Lake, as described and figured in the Fauna
Boreali-Americana. Dr. Richardson observes that it is merely
a summer visitor to the Fur Countries. At the other extreme of
its range, about the Mexican border, which, so far as known, it
does not pass, it is observed only in winter. In the mountainous
portions of Arizona I found it rather uncommon, and only late in
the autumn, or in winter; I do not think it breeds in the vicinity
of Fort Whipple, though probably it does so in the higher moun-
tains not far distant. Dr. Cooper noticed its occurrence in num-
bers about San Diego, inthe severe winter of 1861-62; they re-
mained until February, and suddenly disappeared. ‘They were
at that time,’ he continues, ‘ sitting perched on the low weeds and
bushes about the plains, often quite a flock together, and some con-
stantly hovering like blue butterflies over the grass, at a height
often of fifty feet, on the watch for insects.’ This accords perfectly
with my own observations. The same naturalist found the birds
numerous, with lately fledged young, about Lake Tahoe and the
summits of the Sierra Nevada, at an elevation of over 6,000 feet.
Colonel McCall speaks of their breeding as far south as Santa Fe,
New Mexico, in boxes provided for them, just like our eastern
species. Mr. Holden found it using old Woodpecker holes, and,
in one instance, four eggs were deposited in an old car-wheel.
The habits of all the species of Sada are essentially similar, how-
ever differently they may be carried out in detail according to cir-
cumstances. The eggs of all are alike, pale blue in color, and
can not be distinguished with any certainty. Those of the present
species measure 0.90 to 0.95 in length by about 0.¥o in breadth,
being thus rather larger than those of S. s¢adzs, which average
about 0.85 by 0.68.”

Bohemian Waxwing, Waxen Chatterer, Waxwing, or Common Silk-tail.
(Ampelis garrulus.)

Fig. 9.

This species has a wide distribution over the globe. It shows
quite a preference for the colder portions of the whole northern
hemisphere. In the Northern States, in winter, stragglers are oc-
casionally met with, and at times they are to be seen gathered in
large flocks. _

‘« The Common Silk-tail is an inhabitant both of Northern Eu-
rope and of North America,. but is found only occasionally in some
parts of Asia, being replaced in that continent by its Japanese con-
gener, the Bombycilla phoenicoptera, (while in America
the Waxwing is more numerously met with). In the northern
portions of Europe, birch and pine forests constitute its favorite re-
treats, and these it seldom quits, except when driven by unusual
severity of weather, or by heavy falls of snow, to seek refuge in
more southern provinces. Even in Russia, Poland, and Southern
Scandinavia it is constantly to be seen throughout the entire win-
ter; indeed, so rarely does it wander to more southern latitudes
that in Germany it is popularly supposed to make its appearance
once in seven years. On the occasion of these rare migrations, the
Silk-tails keep together in large flocks, and remain in any place
that affords them suitable food until the supply is exhausted. Like
most other members of the feathered creation inhabiting extreme
climates, these birds are heavy and indolent, rarely exerting them-
selves except to satisfy their hunger, and appearing unwilling to
move even to a short distance from their usual haunts. With their
companions they live in uninterrupted harmony, and during their
migrations testify no fear of man, frequently coming down to seek
for food in the villages and towns they pass over, without appar-
ently regarding the noisy bustle of the streets. Even during their
winter journeyings they settle frequently, and pass the entire day
indolently perching in crowds upon the trees, remaining almost
motionless for some hours together, only descending in the morning
and evening to procure berries, in search of which they climb from
branch to branch with considerable dexterity. Their flight is light ©
and graceful, being effected by very rapid strokes of the wings.
Upon the ground they move with difficulty, and rarely alight upon
its surface, except when in search of water. Their call-note is a
hissing, twittering sound, very similar to that produced by blowing
down the barrel of a key. The song, though monotonous and
gentle, is uttered by both sexes with so much energy and expres-
sion as to produce a pleasing effect, and may be generally heard
throughout the entire year. Insects unquestionably constitute the
principal food of the Waxwing during the warmer months, but in
winter they subsist mainly upon various kinds of berries. So vo-
racious is this species that, according to Naumann, it will devour
an amount of food equal to the weight of its own body in the course
of twenty-four hours. When caged, it sits all day close to its eat-
ing trough, alternately gorging, digesting, and sleeping, without
intermission. Until the last few years we were entirely without
particulars as to the incubation of the Waxwing, and have to thank
Wolley for the first account of the nest and eggs. This gentleman,
who visited Lapland in 1857, determined not to return to England
until he had procured the long-desired treasure, and, after great
trouble and expense, succeeded in collecting no fewer than six
hundred eggs. All the nests discovered were deeply ensconced
among the boughs of pine trees, at no great height from the
ground; their walls were principally formed of dry twigs and
scraps from the surrounding branches; the central cavity was wide,
deep, and lined with blades of grass and feathers. The brood
consists of from four to seven, but usually of five eggs, which are
laid about the middle of June; the shell is bluish or purplish-white,
sparsely sprinkled with brown, black, or violet spots and streaks,
some of which take the form of a wreath at the broad end. The

104

Waxwing easily accustoms itself to life in a cage, and in some in-
stances has been known to live for nine or ten years in confine-
ment, feeding principally upon vegetables, salad, white bread,
groats, or bran steeped in water.”—Brehm.

Coues says:

‘The singularly erratic movements of this species are well
known, but not so easily accounted for, since the exigencies of the
weather and scarcity of food do not seem sufficient, in every in-
stance, to explain the case. It seems, however, most nearly par-
allel with that of the Wild Pigeon. The occasional occurrence of
the bird in small numbers in winter, through New England and
the other Atlantic States, as far as Philadelphia, is noticed in the
records above quoted. The only Eastern United States region
where it seems to be of regular occurrence in winter is the vicinity
of the Great Lakes. Mr. T. Mcllwraith reports (Proc. Ess. Inst.
v, 1866, 87) that at Hamilton, Canada West, it is a winter visitant,
‘sometimes appearing in vast flocks, and not seen again for several
years.’ We also have advices from Kansas, and from the Colorado
valley, latitude 35°. We have no United States record from the
Pacific coast, but Dr. Cooper gives an interesting note in his later
work, above quoted. ‘It is probable,’ he says, ‘that they reside,
during summer, about the summits of the loftiest mountains of the
interior ranges, if not in the Sierra Nevada, as I have seen them
in September at Fort Laramie, and the specimen obtained on the
Colorado was a straggler from some neighboring mountains. It
appeared January roth, after a stormy period, which had whitened
the tops of the mountains with snow, and was alone, feeding on
the berries of the mistletoe, when I shot it.’”

American Mealy Redpoll, Mealy Redpoll Linnet. (-#gzochus canescens.)
Fig. to.

This is one of our rare species. In summer it is met with in the
Arctic regions. ‘Their note is somewhat similar to the Lesser Red-
poll Linnet, but more clear and distinct. Nuttall says:

** They are full of activity and caprice while engaged in feeding,
making wide circles and deep undulations in their flight. Like
Titmice also, they frequently feed and hang to the twigs in re-
versed posture.”

‘¢ In their habits,” says Audubon, ‘ I could see no difference be-
tween them and the common Redpoll; but their notes, although in
some degree similar, as is usually the case in all birds of the same
family, differed sufficiently to induce me to believe that this mealy-
colored bird is quite distinct from the species above mentioned,
although very nearly allied to it. I wish it were in my power to
describe this difference of modulation, which seems to me still vi-
brating in my ear, but.I can not, and therefore must be content
with assuring you that the notes of the two birds are as nearly the
same, and yet as distinct, as those of the American Gold-finch and
the European bird of the same name. Removing from one spot to
another with the peculiar activity and capriciousness of the Linnet
family, they would fly from one portion to another of the wild nat-
ural meadow on which I watched them nearly an hour before I
shot them; alight here and there, peck at the berries a few mo-
ments, and suddenly, as if affrighted, rise, perform various wide
and circling flights in deep undulations, and at once alighting, re-
pose fora short while. Like Titmice, and often with downward
inclined head, they fed, chattered to each other, and then, resting
for an instant, plumed themselves.”

Arctic Towhee, Arctic Spotted Towhee, or Arctic Ground Finch. (?zZz/o
arcticus.)

Fig. 11.

This pretty species of Finch is mostly confined to the Rocky
Mountains. It is retired, but not a shy or distrustful bird in its
habits.

AMERICAN REDPOLL—TOW HEE—FINCH—BARN SWALLOW.

** We found this familiar bird,” says Nuttall, ‘* entirely confined
to the western side of the Rocky Mountains. Like the common
. Towhee, it is ‘seen to frequent the forests amidst bushes and thick-
ets, where, flitting along or scratching up the dead leaves, it seems
intent on gaining a humble livelihood. It is, at the same time,
much more shy than the common kind, when observed flying off
or skulking in the thickest places, where it is with difficulty fol-
lowed. Ina few minutes, however, the male, always accompany-
ing his mate, creeps out, and at first calls in a low whisper of
recognition, when, if not immediately answered, he renews his
plaintive pay, pay, or pay, payay, until joined by her; but, if the
nest be invaded, he comes out more boldly, and reiterates his com-
plaint while there remains around him the least cause of alarm.
When undisturbed, during the period of incubation, he frequently
mounts a low bush in the morning, and utters, at short intervals,
for an hour at a time, his monotonous and quaint warble, which is
very similar to the notes of the Towhee ; but this latter note (towhee),
so often reiterated by our humble and familiar Ground Robin, is
never heard in the western wilds, the present species uttering in
its stead the common complaint, and almost mew of the Cat Bird.
On the 14th of June I found the nest of this species, situated in
the shelter of a low shrub on the ground, in a depression scratched
out for its reception. It was composed of a rather copious lining
of clean wiry grass, with some dead leaves beneath as a founda-
tion; the eggs were four, newly hatched, very closely resembling
those of the Towhee, thickly spotted over, but more so at the larger
end, with very small, round, and numerous reddish-chocolate
spots. As usual, the pair showed great solicitude about their nest,
the male in particular approaching boldly to scold and lament at
the intrusion.”

Lincoln’s Pinewood Finch, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Lincofn’s Finch.
lospiza lincolnit.)

(Ake-

Fig. 12.

This is one of our northern species, first discovered by Audubon
in Labrador. Their habits and characteristics are very similar to
that of the Song Sparrow. It is most usually met with mounted
on the topmost twig of some tree or tall shrub near streams in the
sheltered valleys of that cold and desolate region. There it gives
full play to its song for hours at a time; then again it is in the
midst of a thicket, hopping from branch to branch, until it gets to
the ground in search of its fare of insects and berries. Its flight
is low and rapid. As soon as it discovers that it is being watched,
it takes to wing, and moves off swiftly to a distant retreat.

«¢T found it,” says Audubon, ‘‘ mostly near streams, and always
in the small valleys, guarded from the cold winds so prevalent in
the country, and which now and then nip the vegetation and de-
stroy many of the more delicate birds. Like any other species of
the genus, Lincoln’s Finch is petulant and pugnacious. ‘Two
males often chase each other until the weaker is forced to abandon
the valley and seek refuge in another. On this account I seldom
see more than two or three pairs in a tract seven or eight miles in
extent.”

PLATE LXXII.

American Barn Swallow, Barn Swallow. (/7¢rundo horreorum.)

Fig. 1.

Swallows have been observed as long back as the time of An-
_ acreon, and in his thirty-third ode he describes it as follows:

“ Lovely Swallow, once a year,
Pleased you pay your visit here ;

eee

so RENT

PL. LXXIl

When our clime the sunbeams gild,
Here your airy nest you build;

And, when bright days cease to smile,
Fly to Memphis or the Nile.”

About the middle of February, or early in March, this species is
usually met with in Florida and Georgia. About the beginning of
April they are seen in the Middle States. Their migrations ex-
tend as far as Alaska, Greenland, and the West Indies. The Barn
Swallow is very rapid when on the wing, which enables it to pass
promptly from one country to another, to more favorable climates.
Professor R. A. Oakes, a well-known writer on the science of Orni-
thology, publishes a very interesting account of ‘* The Swallow in
Myth and Song,” from which we take the following:

** From his familiar intercourse with the human race, the swal-
low has become endowed with every kindly quality. The Scandi-
navians call him the bird of consolation. In that bitter agony,
through which the sins of the world have become as white as snow,
they claim the Swallow came and spread his wings beneath the
cross to lighten the load of the Savior, and when the last great suf-
fering came which caused the very earth to shudder and hide its
face in darkness, the loving bird hung with pity over the convulsed
brow and softly sung—Salva! Salva! Salva!

*«¢ Pliny, who accords to all animals the possession of facultizs
akin to those of man, tells us that the Swallows refuse to visit
Bizya, because of the crime of Tereus, and that they never enter
the houses of Thebes, because that city had been so often captured.
Every year, he adds, near the city of Coptos, on an island sacred
to Isis, they strengthen the angular corners with chaff and straw,
thus effectually fortifying it against the river. Night and day
they persevere in this labor, and many work so unremittingly that
they perish.

‘* Possibly this work is done in honor of the Egyptian goddess
who once assumed their lovely guise. In his paper on Isis and
Osiris, Plutarch, the most charming of essayists, tells us that after
Typhon had treacherously enticed Osiris into the curious ark, had
fastened the cover, making it a living tomb, and had thrown it into
the sea; after the sea had cast it back upon the coast of Byblos,
and the heath in which his coffin lodged, had grown into a beauti-
ful tree, inclosing it within the trunk; after the king, admiring the
unusual size of the plant, had cropped its bushy parts and made it
the support of the roof of his house, then Isis came, and, by tender
endearments, obtained access to the king’s dwelling. Thus living
once more in the hidden presence of her beloved, she would turn
herself into a Swallow, and unceasingly fly around the imprisoned
coffin, moaning his misfortune and her own sad fate.

‘* So when Ulysses, after many years’ wandering, returns weary
and foot-sore to his home to only find it thickly beset with suitors
for faithful Penelope’s hand, Athenia encourages him to do battle,
and, in the words of Homer—

‘ Willing longer to survey
The sire and son’s great act, withheld the day,
By further toils decreed the brave to try,
And level poised the wings of victory ;
Then with a change of form eludes the sight,
Perch’d like a Swallow on a rafter’s height,
And unperceived enjoys the rising fight.’

‘¢ A Swallow chirped around the head of Alexander the Great
while he slept, and awakened him to warn him of the machinations
which his family were plotting against him.

«¢ St. Francis Assissi, the purest and loveliest of all the later
saints, when preaching at Alviane, could not make himself heard
from the twittering of the Swallows which at the time were build-
ing their nests; pausing, therefore, in his sermon, he said: ‘My
sisters, you have talked enough; it is time that I had my turn. Be
silent, and listen to the word of God! And they were silent im-
mediately.

‘© Of the musical powers of the Swallow, not much can be said
in praise. Gilbert White, whose delightful book is full of notes on
the Swallow, tells us that he ‘is a delightful songster, and in soft
sunny weather sings both perching and flying on trees in a kind of
concert, and on chimney-tops.’ The Greeks, however, had a
proverb advising men not to harbor Swallows as they were bab-
blers. So in the fable, when the Swallows boasted to the Swans
of their twittering constantly for the benefit of the public, they were
answered that it was better to sing little and well to a chosen few
than much and badly to all. Virgil, in the fourth Georgic, rather
slightingly designates them as the ‘chattering Swallows,’ and

AMERICAN BARN SWALLOW. 105

Isaiah, as if reproving himself, says: ‘ Like a Swallow do I chat-
ter.” A son of the Greek comedian, Aristophanes, whose name
was Necostratus, and who was also a devotee of the muses, thus
sings of them—
‘If in prating from morn till night,
A sign of our wisdom it be,
The Swallows are wiser by right,
For they prattle much faster than we.’

** Against this rhyme of the old Greek poet let us place this
verse of one of our charming modern singers, Mr. C. G. Leland:

* Oh, spring bird of the early flowers, first minstrel of the year,
Fast darting herald of the morn—right welcome art thou here.
Thou art the truest troubadour, for who to-day doth sing
So constantly of winter past—so oft of coming spring.’

*¢ Shakespeare, the sublimest master of all, has painted the
Swallow in such brilliant colors that all other pictures seem tame
beside it:

‘ The guest of summer,
The temple-hunting martlet, does approve
By his loved masonry, that heaven’s breath
Smells wooingly here. No jutty, frieze,
Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
Hath made its pendent bed, and procreant cradle.
Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed
The air is delicate.’

‘In all weather folk-lore the Swallow plays a conspicuous part.
Spenser tells us—

‘ When Swallow peeps out of her nest,
The cloudy welkin cleareth.’

‘In Gay’s Pastoral we find—

‘ When Swallows fleet soar high and sport in air,
He told us that the welkin would be clear.’

‘*A sign of rain, Smart, in his Hop Garden, tells us, is when

‘ The Swallows, too, their airy circuits wave,
And, screaming, skim the brook.

‘¢ As during damp weather the insects on which the Swallows
feed hug the earth or flutter low over streams, while the warm
sunshine and the clear bright atmosphere tempt them to more ex-
tended journeys, these prognostications may be taken as a pretty
sure guide. It was because they thus unremittingly pursued their
prey, that Pythagoras, who believed in the transmigration of souls,
refused them shelter beneath his roof. So Chaucer dismisses our
bird in this doubtful couplet—

‘ The Swallow, morder of bees smale,
That maken honey of flouers fressh of hewe.’

‘¢ Of the intelligence of this bird all observers in natural history
furnish.ample record. Considering the size of his brain his men-
tal resources are wonderful. M. Dupont de Nemours gives an ac-
count of one ‘ which had unhappily slipped its foot into a slip-knot
of pack-thread, the other end of which was attached to a spout of
the College of Four Nations. Its strength was almost exhausted ;
it hung at the end of the thread, uttered cries, and sometimes raised
itself as if making efforts to fly away. All the Swallows of the
large basin between the bridges of the Tuileries and the Pont Neuf,
and perhaps from places more remote, had assembled to the num-
ber of several thousand. Their flight was likea cloud; all uttered
a cry of pity and alarm. After some hesitation, and a tumultuous
counsel, one of them fell upon a device for delivering their com-
panion, communicated it to the rest, and began to put it into exe-
cution. Each took his place; all those who were at hand went in
turn, as if in the sport of running at the ring, and, in passing,
struck the thread with their bills. These efforts, directed at one
point, were continued every second, and even more frequently.
Half an hour was passed in this kind of labor before the thread
was severed and the captive restored to liberty.’ Linnzus, the
great naturalist, gives an account of a Sparrow taking up its abode
in the nest of a Swallow, and resisting every attempt, not only of
its true occupant, but of its companions, to oust the intruder. Af-
ter vain attempts, during which the Sparrow only intrenched him-
self the more securely, the Swallows resorted to new measures.
They commenced bringing mudin their bills, and gradually walled
up the entrance to the nest, thus burying their enemy in a living
tomb. Many like instances have been recorded by ornithologists
who have lived since the days of the great Swedish naturalist.

‘¢ Jesse, in his Gleanings from Natural History, tells of a Swal-
low’s nest having been blown down in a severe storm, of a com-

106 CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW, CAROLINA GOATSUCKER.

pany of these birds coming to the rescue of the distressed pair, and
in a few hours repairing the mischief. In ‘ Science Gossip,’ for
1873, Rev. P. Skelton furnishes the following amusing anecdote.
He writes:

*« « | have entertained a great affection and some degree of esteem
for Swallows ever since I saw a remarkable instance of their sense
and humor played upon a cat which had, upon a fine day, seated
herself on the top of a gate-post, as if in contemplation, when ten
or a dozen Swallows, knowing her to be an enemy, took it into
their heads to tantalize her in a manner which showed a high de-
gree not only of good sense, but of humor. One of these birds,
coming from behind her, flew close by her ear, and she made a
slap at it with her paw, but it was too late. Another Swallow in
five or six seconds did the same, and she made the same unsuccess-
ful attempt to catch it. This was followed by a third, and so on to
the number just mentioned; -and every one as it passed seemed to
set up a laugh at the disappointed enemy, very like the laugh of a
young child when tickled. The whole number following one an-
other at the distance of about three yards, formed a regular circle
in the air, and played it off like a wheel at her ear for nearly an
hour, not seemingly at all alarmed at her, who stood within six or
seven yards of the post. I enjoyed this sport, as well as the pretty
birds, till the cat, tired out with disappointment, quitted the gate-
post as much huffed as I had been diverted.’

*«In the same periodical, Mr. Lamerque, of Dover, contributes
a similar anecdote. He was attracted by the screaming of a pair
of Swallows, who were rearing a brood under an archway. They
were making rapid swoops at a cat, which, for a time, struck at
them with her paw, until, becoming frightened, she crouched down
and bobbed her head in the most ludicrous manner at each attack.
The observer then took the cat up and placed her immediately un-
der the nest, at which the birds only became the more daring, and
were reinforced by another pair, who attacked the cat with so much
fury, that she finally crouched in abject terror between Mr. La-
merque’s feet.

*«* Gilbert White says that ‘ the Swallow, probably the male bird,
is the excebitor to house-martins and other little birds, announcing
the approach of birds of prey; for, as soon as a hawk appears,
with a shrill alarming note he calls all the Swallows and Martins
about him, who pursue in a body, and buffet and strike their en-
emy, till they have driven him from the village, darting down from
above on his back, and rising in a perpendicular line in perfect se-
curity. This bird will sound the alarm and strike at cats when they
climb the roofs of houses, or otherwise approach the nest.’ Boer-
have records an instance of a Swallow returning to her nest, and
finding the building under whose eaves it was built on fire, flying
to the rescue of her young at the expense of her own life.

*¢ Madame Guyon found in the Swallow, as in all things, spirit-
ual consolation :

‘I am fond of the Swallow; I learn from her flight,
Had I skill to improve it, a lesson of love;
How seldom on earth do we see her alight—
She dwells in the skies, she is ever above.’

“¢ So Cowley, and Dryden, and Hunti’s and Thomson, and
endless weavers of rhyme have traced the flight of the Swallow
through all the web and woof of their cloth of gold.

‘¢In Longfellow’s Birds of Passage may be found the pretty
legend of the Emperor Charles of Spain and the Swallow who
built her mud palace upon the roof of his tent. After the be-
leaguered town had surrendered to the great commander, and the
victorious army moved to other quarters, his tent still remained un-
molested :

‘ So it stood there all alone,

Loosely flapping, torn and tattered,
Till the brood was fledged and flown,
Singing o’er those walls of stone

Which the cannon-shot had shattered.’

‘« The Swallow, in myth and song, has a flight so long, so bright,
so joyous, that not even a foliocan compass it. Ruskin, in Love’s
Meinie, in her praise, becomes inspired with all the eloquence of
his earlier and better days. I have gathered but a handful of the
praises of which in all literatures she is made the recipient. Out
of the dim past she sails down upon us an object of beauty and of
love. Among the ancient Hebrews she was ‘ deror,’ the bird of free-
dom. In every age she has personified loyalty, truth, and beauty.
At her coming the universal heart of man has expanded. Super-
stition everywhere has thrown around her its protecting arm.
Wherever the human race have erected habitations the Swallow
has deserted its old nesting-place to find a home beneath the same

roof. ‘The lessons she has taught—the examples she has set—
have been those of fidelity, of trust, of affection. For thousands -
of years her mission has been one of pure mercy to man. She is
the type of all that is beautiful in nature—of the first breath of
spring—of the mature glories of summer. Into her life no winter
enters. Companion of the flowers, with them she is alike welcome.
Confiding and graceful, she fully returns the love which mankind
has lavished upon her, and with a fidelity more than human, since
it admits of no alienation, returns year by year to bless the roof
which first sheltered her.”

Chuck-Will’s-Widow, Carolina Goatsucker.

menStS.)

(Antrostomus caroli-

Fig. 2.

This noisy little night bird is chiefly confined to the Atlantic
and Gulf States. it derives its name from the similarity of its
notes to the articulated sound of the word ‘ chuck-will’s-widow.’
This singular combination may be heard soon after the setting of
the sun, and, again, before dawn, in the morning. At each time
it is continued, at short intervals, in the same strain, for several
hours. Its pursuit of food is carried on entirely by night.

Nuttall says: ‘‘ In the day, like some wandering spirit, it retires
to secresy and silence, as if the whole had only been a disturbed
dream. In the evening, their singular call, of ‘chuck-will’s-
widow,’ may be heard for half a mile, its tones being slower,
louder, and more full than those of the Whip-poor-will. This spe-
cies is particularly numerous in the vast forests of the Mississippi,
where, throughout the evening, its echoing notes are heard in the
solitary glens, and from the surrounding and silent hills, becoming
almost incessant during the shining of the moon; and at the bod-
ing sound of its elfin voice, when familiar and strongly reiterated,
the thoughtful, superstitious savage becomes sad and pensive. Its
flight is low, and it skims only a few feet above the surface of the
ground, frequently settling on logs and fences, from whence it
often sweeps around in pursuit of flying moths and insects, which
constitute its food. Sometimes they are seen sailing near the
ground, and occasionally descend to pick up a beetle, or flutter
lightly round the trunk of a tree in quest of some insect crawling
upon the bark. In rainy and gloomy weather, they remain silent
in the hollow log which affords them and the bats a common roost
and refuge by day. When discovered in this critical situation, and
without the means of escape, they ruffle up their feathers, spread
open their enormous mouths, and utter a murmur almost like the
hissing of a snake, thus endeavoring, apparently, to intimidate
their enemy, when cut off from the means of escape. This spe-
cies, like most others, also lays its eggs, two in number, merely on
the ground, and usually in the woods: they are yellowish-white,
sprinkled with dark bluish-purple and brown specks, oval, and
rather large; if they be handled, or even the young, the parents,
suspicious of danger, remove them to some other place. As early
as the middle of August, according to Audubon, they retire from
the United States, though some winter in the central parts of East
Florida.”

Wilson says: ‘* This singular genus of birds, formed to subsist
on the superabundance of nocturnal insects, are exactly and sur-
prisingly titted for their peculiar mode of life. Their flight is low,
to accommodate itself to their prey; silent, that they may be the
better concealed, and sweep upon it unawares; their sight, most
acute in the dusk, when such insects are abroad; their evolutions,
something like those of the Bat, quick and sudden; their mouths,
capable of prodigious expansion, to seize with more certainty, and
furnished with long, branching hairs, or bristles, serving as pali-
sadoes to secure what comes between them. MReposing so much
during the heats of day, they are much infested with vermin, par-
ticularly about the head, and are provided with a comb on the in-
ner edge of the middle claw, with which they are often employed
in ridding themselves of these pests, at least when in a state of

NIGHT-JAR, WHIP-POOR-WILL—NIGHT-HAWK, BULL-BAT, PISK, PIRAMIDIG.

107

captivity. Having no weapons of defense, except their wings,
their chief security is in the solitude of night, and in their color
and close retreats by day; the former so much resembling that of
dead leaves of various hues, as not to. be readily distinguished
from them even when close at hand.”

Night-Jar, Whip-poor-will.

(Antrostomus voctferus.)
Fig. 3.

The Whip-poor-will, so called from its peculiar cry, is a well-
known nocturnal bird, and is rarely seen. It is an abundant spe-
cies, and may be met with in the eastern parts of the United
States.

‘* This remarkable and well-known nocturnal bird,” says Nuttall,
‘“ arrives in the Southern States in March, and in the Middle States
about the close of April or the beginning of May, and proceeds,
in his vernal migrations, along the Atlantic States, to the center of
Massachusetts, being rare and seldom seen beyond the latitude of
43°; and yet, in the interior of the continent, according to Vieillot,
they continue as far as Hudson’s Bay, and even heard, as usual,
by Mr. Say, at Pembino, in the high latitude of 49°. In all this
vast intermediate space, as far south as Natchez, on the Mississippi,
and the interior of Arkansas, they familiarly breed and take up
their temporary residence. Some also pass the winter in the in-
terior of East Florida, according to Audubon. In the eastern part
of Massachusetts, however, they are uncommon, and always af-
fect sheltered, wild, and hilly situations, for which they have in
general a preference. About the same time that the sweetly echo-
ing voice of the Cuckoo is first heard in the north of Europe, issu-
ing from the leafy groves, as the sure harbinger of the flowery
month of May, arrives among us, in the shades of night, the mys-
terious ‘ Whip-poor-will.’ The well-known saddening sound is
first only heard in the distant forest, re-echoing from the lonely
glen or rocky cliff; at length, the oft-told solitary tale is uttered
from the fence of the adjoining field or garden, and sometimes the
slumbering inmates of the cottage are serenaded from the low roof
or from some distant shed. Superstition, gathering terror from
every extraordinary feature of nature, has not suffered this harm-
less nocturnal babbler to escape suspicion, and his familiar ap-
proaches are sometimes dreaded as an omen of misfortune.”

‘¢ In the lower part of the State of Delaware I have found these
birds troublesomely abundant in the breeding season, so that the
reiterated echoes of * whip, whip-poor-will, whip-peri-will,’ issuing
from several birds at the same time, occasioned such a confused vo-
ciferdtion as at first to banish sleep. This call, except in moonlight
nights, is continued usually till midnight, when they cease, until
again aroused, for a while. At the commencement of twilight the
first and last syllables of their brief ditty receive the strongest em-
phasis, and now and then a sort of guttural cluck is heard between
the repetitions, but the whole phrase is uttered in a little more than
a second of time. But if superstition takes alarm at our familiar
and simple species, what would be thought by the ignorant of a
South American kind, large as the Wood-owl, which, in the lonely
forests of Demerara, about midnight breaks out, lamenting like
one in deep distress, and in a tone more dismal even than the pain-
ful hexachord of the doubtful Ai. The sounds, like the expiring
sighs of some agonizing victim, begin with a high, loud note, ha,
ha, ha, ha, ha! ha! ha!—each tone falling lower and lower, till
the last syllable is scarcely heard, pausing a moment or two be-
tween this reiterated tale of seeming sadness.

‘* Four other species of the Goatsucker, according to Waterton,
also inhabit this tropical wilderness, among which also is included
our present subject. Figure to yourself the surprise and wonder
of the stranger, who takes up the solitary abode for the first night
amidst these awful and interminable forests, when at twilight he
begins to be assailed familiarly with a spectral equivocal bird, ap-
proaching within a few yards, and then accosting him with ‘ who-

are-you, ’who-’who, ’who-are-you?’ Another approaches, and bids
him, as if a slave under the lash, ‘ work-away, work-work-work-
away.’ A third mournfully cries, ‘ willy-come-go! willy-willy-
willy-come-go!’ And as you get among the high lands, our old
acquaintance vociferates, ‘ whip-poor-will, ’whip-’whip-whip-poor-
will!’ It is therefore not surprising that such unearthly sounds
should be considered in the light of supernatural forebodings issu-
ing from specters in the guise of birds. Although our Whip-poor-
will seems to speak out in such plain English, to the ears of the
aboriginal Delaware its call was ‘ wecoélis,’ though this was proba-
bly some favorite phrase or interpretation, which served it for a
name. The Whip-poor-will, when engaged in these nocturnal
rambles, is seen to fly within a few feet of the surface in quest of
moths and other insects, frequently, when abundant, alighting
around the house. During the day they retire into the darkest
woods, usually on. high ground, where they pass the time in silence
and repose, the weakness of their sight by day compelling them to
avoid the glare of the light.

«¢ The female commences laying about the second week in May
in the Middle States ; considerably later in Massachusetts. She is
at no pains to form a nest, though she selects for her deposit some
unfrequented part of the forest, near a pile of brush, a heap of
leaves, or the low shelving of a hollow rock, and always in a dry
situation. Here she lays two eggs, without any appearance of an
artificial bed. They are of a dusky bluish-white, thickly blotched
with dark olive. This deficiency of nest is amply made up by the
provision of nature, for, like Partridges, the young are soon able
to run about after their parents, and, until the growth of their
feathers, they seem such shapeless lumps of clay-colored down,
that it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish them from the
ground on which they repose. Were a nest present in the exposed
places where we find the young, none would escape detection.
The mother, also faithful to her charge, deceives the passenger
by prostrating herself along the ground with beating wings, as if
in her dying agony. The activity of the young and old in walk-
ing, and the absence of a nest, widely distinguishes these birds
from the Swallows, with which they are associated. Their food
appears to be large moths, beetles, grasshoppers, ants, and such
insects as frequent the bark of decaying timber.”

Night-hawk, Bull-bat, Pisk, Piramidig.

(Chordetles virginianus.)
Fig. 4.

This species, in the spring and fall, during the migrations, is
abundant in most all parts of North America.

‘¢ Bonaparte remarks,” says Brewer, ‘‘ that the Night-hawks are
among the Swallows what the Owls are among the Falconide;
and, if we may be allowed the expression, the first has more of the
hirundine look than the others. The whole plumage is harder, the
ends of the quills are more pointed, the tail is forked, and the rec-
tus wants the strong array of bristles which we consider one of the
essentials in the most perfect form of caprimulgus. We may here
remark (although we know that there are exceptions), that we have
generally observed in those having the tail forked, and conse-
quently with a greater power of quick flight and rapid turnings,
that the plumage is more rigid and the flight occasionally diurnal.
This is borne out also in our present species, which play *‘ about in
the air, over the breeding-place, even during the day;’ and, in
their migrations, ‘may be seen almost everywhere, from five
o’clock until after sunset, passing along the Schuylkill and the
adjacent shores.’

‘¢ The truly night-feeding species have the plumage loose and
downy, as in the nocturnal Owls; the wings more blunted, and the
plumules coming to a slender point and unconnected; the tail
rounded, and the rectus armed, in some instances, with very pow-
erful bristles. Their organs of sight are also fitted only for a more
gloomy light. They appear only at twilight, reposing during the

i08 CAROLINA TITMOUSE—RUBY-THROATED HUMMING BIRD.

day among furze of brake, or sitting in their own peculiar manner
on a branch; but if inactive amidst the clearer light, they are all
energy and action when their own day has arrived.”

Toward the close of April the Night-Hawk arives in the Middle
States, and early in May they are first seen near the sea-coast of
Massachusetts, which at all times appears to be a favorite resort.
In the interior of the continent they penetrate as far as the sources
of the Mississippi, the Rocky Mountains, and the territory of Ore-
gon; they are likewise observed around the dreary coasts of Hud-
son’s Bay, and the remotest Arctic islands, breeding in the whole
intermediate region, to the more temperate and elevated parts of
Georgia.

They are now commonly seen toward evening, in pairs, sailing
round in sweeping circles, high in the air, occasionally descending
lower to capture flying insects, chiefly of the larger kind, such as
wasps, beetles, and moths. About the middle of May, or later,
the female selects some open spot in the woods, the corner of a
corn-field, or dry, gravelly knoll, on which to deposit her eggs,
which are only two, and committed to the bare ground, where,
however, from the similarity of their tint with the soil, they are, in
fact, more secure from observation than if placed in a nest. They
are nearly oval, of a muddy bluish-white, marked all over with
touches of an umber color. Here the male and his mate reside
during the period of incubation, roosting at a distance from each
other on the ground, or in the neighboring trees; and, in conse-
quence of the particular formation of their feet, like the rest of the
genus, they roost or sit lengthwise on the branch. During the pro-
gress of incubation, the female is seen frequently, for some hours
before nightfall, playing about in the air over the favorite spot,
mounting in wide circles, occasionally propelled by alternate quick
and slow vibrations of the wings, until, at times, he nearly ascends
beyond the reach of sight, and is only known by his sharp and
sudden squeak, which greatly resembles the flying shriek of the
towering Swift. At other times, he is seen suddenly to precipitate
himself downward for sixty or eighty feet, and wheeling up again
as rapidly ; at which instant a hollow whirr, like the rapid turning
of a spinning-wheel, or a strong blowing into the bung-hole of an
empty hogshead, is heard, and supposed to be produced by the
action of the air on the wings or in the open mouth of the bird.
He then again mounts as before, playing about in his ascent, and
giving out his harsh squeak till, in a few moments, the hovering
is renewed as before; and at this occupation, the male solely con-
tinues till the close of twilight. The female, if disturbed while
sitting on her charge, will suffer the spectator to advance within a
foot or two of her, before she leaves the nest; she then tumbles
about and flutters with an appearance of lameness, to draw off the
observer, when, at length, she mounts into the air and disappears.
On other occasions, the parent, probably the attending male, puffs
himself up, as it were, into a ball of feathers, at the same time
striking his wings on the ground, and opening his capacious mouth
to its full extent, he stares wildly, and utters a blowing hiss, like
that of the Barn Owl when surprised in his hole. On observing
this grotesque maneuver, and this appearance, so unlike that of a
volatile bird, we are struck with the propriety of the metaphorical
French name of ‘‘Crapaud volans,” or Flying Toad, which it,
indeed, much resembles while thus shapelessly tumbling before the
astonished spectator. ‘The same feint is also made when they are
wounded, on being approached. Like some of the other species,
instinctively vigilant for the safety of their misshapen and tender
brood, they also, probably, convey them, or the eggs, from the
scrutiny of the meddling observer. In our climate, they have no
more than a single brood.

Sometimes the Night-hawk, before his departure, is seen to visit
the towns and cities, sailing in circles, and uttering his squeak as
he flies high and securely over the busy streets, occasionally sweep-
ing down, as usual, with his whirring notes; and at times he may
be observed even on the tops of chimneys, uttering his harsh call.
In gloomy weather they are abroad nearly the whole day, but are

most commonly in motion an hour or two before dusk. Sometimes,
indeed, they are seen out in the brightest and hottest weather, and
occasionally, while basking in the sun, find means to give chase to
the czczndelz, carabz, and other entirely diurnal insects, as well as
grasshoppers, with which they often gorge themselves in a surpris-
ing manner; but they probably seldom feed more than an hour or
two in the course of the day. About the middle of August they
begin their migrations toward the South, on which occasion they
may be seen inthe evening moving in scattered flocks, consisting of
several hundreds together, and darting after insects or feeding lei-
surely as they advance toward more congenial climes.—(/Vutzall. )

Carolina Titmouse. (farus carolinensis.)
Fig. 5.

The Carolina Titmouse is a constant inhabitant of the Southern
States of North America, extending from the lower parts of Lou-
isiana, through the Floridas as far as the borders of the Roanoke
river, reaching eastward as far as the State of New Jersey. In
general, it is found only in the immediate vicinity of ponds and
deep marshy and moist swamps; it is rarely seen during the win-
ter in greater numbers than one pair together, and frequently
singly ; whereas the Black-cap Titmouse, which this species much
resembles, moves in flocks during the whole winter, frequenting
orchards, gardens, or the hedges and trees along the roads, enter-
ing the villages and coming to the wood-piles of the farmers ;
whereas the southern species is never met with in such places at
any time of the year, and is at all seasons a shyer bird. ‘The Car-
olina Titmouse breeds in the holes abandoned by the Brown-headed
Nuthatch. It is composed of fine wool, cotton, and some fibers of
plants, the whole fitted together so as to be of a uniform thickness
throughout, and contains four white eggs.

Ruby-throated Humming Bird. (Zrochzlus colubris.)
Fig. 6.

The length of the body of this species is three inches and a half,
and the breadth four inches and a quarter. It is found in all the
eastern portions of the United States, and is abundant in summer.
It is met with in the gardens hovering above flowers, upon the
sweets of which, and insects, it feeds. It is pre-eminently migra-
tory in its habits, a great portion of its life being spent in passing
from North to South, and vce versa.

‘© The Ruby-throated Humming Bird,” says Wilson, ‘‘ makes
its first appearance in Georgia, from the South, about the 23d of
March. As it passes on to the northward, as far as the interior of
Canada, where it is seen in great numbers, the wonder is excited
how so feebly- constructed and delicate a little creature can make
its way over such extensive regions of lakes and forests among so
many enemies, all its superiors in strength and size; but its very
minuteness, the rapidity of its flight, which almost eludes the eye,
and its admirable instinct or reason are its guides and protectors.
About the 25th of April it usually arrives in Pennsylvania, and
about the 11th of May begins to build its nest. This is generally
fixed on the upper side of some horizontal branch, not among the
twigs, but where it is attached by the side to an old moss-grown
trunk; others may be found fastened on a strong, rank stalk or
weed in the gardens, but these cases are rare. The next, which
is usually placed on a branch some ten feet from the ground, is
about one inch in diameter, and as much in depth, and the outer
coat of one now lying before me is formed of a small species of
bluish-grey lichen, thickly glued on with the saliva of the bird,
giving firmness and consistency to the whole, as well as keeping
out moisture; within this are thickly-matted layers of the fine
wings of certain flying seeds, closely laid together ; and lastly the
downy substance from the great mullein and from the stalks of the

SUMMER RED-BIRD—BROWN THRUSH—SANDY MOCKING BIRD. 109
| _ es,

common fern lining the whole.
of equal thickness at both ends.

*«No sooner,” says Audubon, ‘ does the returning sun again
introduce the vernal season, and cause millions of plants to expand
their leaves and blossoms to his genial beams, than this Humming
Bird is seen advancing on fairy wings, carefully visiting every flower-
tup, and, like a curious florist, removing from each the injurious
insects that would, otherwise, ere long, cause their beauteous petals
to droop and decay. Poised in the air, it is observed peeping cau-
tiously and with sparkling eye into their innermost recesses, whilst
the ethereal motion of the pinions, so rapid and so light, appears
to fan and cool the flowers without injury to their fragile texture,
and produces a delightful murmuring sound. Its long delicate
beak enters the cup of the flower, and the protruded double tongue,
delicate, sensitive, and imbued with a glutinous saliva, touches
each insect in succession, and draws it from its lurking-place to be
instantly swallowed. All this is done in a moment, and the bird,
as it leaves the flower, sips so small a portion of its liquid honey
that the theft, we may suppose, is but a benefit to the flower, which
is thus relieved from the attacks of its destroyers. The prairie,
the fields, the orchards, and the gardens,—nay, the deepest shades
of the forests, are all visited in their turn, and everywhere the little
bird meets with pleasure and with food. Its gorgeous throat in
beauty and brilliancy baffles all description. Now it glows with a
fiery hue, and again it changes to the deepest velvet-black. The
upper parts of its body are of resplendent changing green, and it
throws itself through the air with a swiftness and vivacity hardly
conceivable. It moves from flower to flower like a gleam of light,
upward and downward, to the right and to the left. During their
migrations they pass through the air in long undulations, raising
themselves for some distance at an angle of about 40°, and then
falling in a curve; but the smallness of their size precludes the
possibility of following them further than fifty or sixty yards with-
out great difficulty, even with a good glass. They do not alight
on the ground, but settle on twigs and branches, where they move
sideways in prettily-measured steps, frequently opening and closing
their wings, pluming, shaking, and arranging the whole of their
apparel with the utmost neatness and activity. They are particu-
larly fond of spreading one wing at a time, and passing each of
the quill-feathers through their bill in its full length, when, if the sun
be shining, the wing thus plumed is rendered extremely transparent
and light. They quit the twig without the slightest difficulty in an
instant, and appear to be possessed of superior powers of vision,
making directly toward a Marten or Blue Bird when fifty or sixty
yards before them, before it seems aware of their approach.

‘* Where is the person who, on seeing this lovely little creature
moving on humming winglets through the air, suspended as if by
magic, flitting from one flower to another with motions as graceful
as they are light and airy, pursuing its course and yielding new
delight wherever it is seen—where is the person who, on ob-
serving its glittering fragment of a rainbow, would not pause, ad-
mire, and turn his mind with reverence toward the Almighty Cre-
ator, the wonders of whose hand we at every step discover, and of
whose sublime conceptions we everywhere observe the manifesta-
tions in His admirable system of creation?”

The two eggs are pure white, and

“When morning dawns, and the blest sun again
Lifts his red glories o’er the eastern main,
Then through our woodbines, wet with glittering dews,
The flower-fed Humming Bird his way pursues,
Sips with inserted tube the honied blumes,
And chirps his gratitude as round he roams;
While richest roses, though in crimson drest,
Shrink from the splendor of his gorgeous breast.
What heavenly tints in mingling radiance fly!
Each rapid movement gives a different dye—
Like scales of burnished gold, they dazzling show;
Now sink to shade, now like a furnace glow.”

Summer Red-bird. (Pyranga estiva.)
Fig. 7.

This species derives its name from the fact that it is only seen in
the United States from May to September. Though far from nu-
merous, it is well known all over the country. It is an inhabitant
of the extensive forests, where it is found in pairs, living a very
quiet and retired life, and generally is seen perched upon the top-
most branches of trees. It also frequently makes its appearance
in the gardens and plantations, where it does considerable damage
to fruit and flax. The Summer Red-bird makes his migrations at
night. Its habits are quiet and monotonous, and it is deficient as
a singing bird. The beauty of its red plumage affords quite a
striking contrast to the surrounding trees. Its flight is smooth and
gliding, and it seldom descends to seek its food upon the ground.
Its movements among the branches are slow, and the trifling
amount of animation of which it appears capable is expressed by
occasionally flapping its wings or uttering its call, which consists
of only two notes. It lives principally upon insects, catching
them when upon the wing. The nest, which is clumsy in its
construction, is usually built upon a forked branch, no care being
taken for its concealment; dry roots and straw generally form the
outer wall; the interior is lined with fine grass. The eggs, four
or five in number, are light blue or dark greenish-blue. Both
sexes unite in the duties of incubation, sitting upon the brosd for
the space of a fortnight, and feeding the nestlings principally upon
insects.

By the beginning of June the young birds are strong enough to
fly about the country, accompanying their parents, until the season
for migration arrives.

Brown Thrush, Thrasher, Sandy Mocking Bird, Brown Thrasher. (A/ar-
porhynchus rufus.)

Fig. 8.

This is one of our well-known and favorite summer visitors. Its
beautiful song may be heard in the early morning, from the tops of
the trees, and is peculiar to this bird. Itis described by Gentry,
in his ‘* Life-Histories of Birds,” with the following syllables:

tsi, che-che-che, te-te-wa, pee-pee-pee, tse-tse-tse, kee-wa-ka-ti-oo-
ti-oo, ka-wa, keou, koo-koo, t’wa-weet, ta-kare-ki-wa, pee-wee-te-
te-wah-te, te-wah-te, tweet, etc.” The same author further says:
‘¢ It is mere imitation, and can be easily recognized when once
heard. It is a steady performer, and sings for hours at a time,
without changing its posture.

Nuttall says: ‘* This large and well-known songster is found in
all parts of America, from Hudson’s Bay to the shores of the Mex-
ican Gulf, breeding everywhere, though most abundantly in the
northern portions.

‘* Harly in October, these birds retire to the south, and, probably,
extend their migrations, at that season, through the warmer regions.
toward the borders of the tropics. From the fifteenth of April till
early in May, they begin to revisit the Middle and Southern States,
keeping pace, in some measure, with the progress of vegetation.
They appear always to come in pairs, so that their mutual attachment
is probably more durable than the season of incubation. Stationed
near the top of some tall orchard or forest tree, the gay and ani-
mated male salutes the morn with his loud and charming song.
His voice, resembling that of the Thrush of Europe, but far more
powerful and varied, rises pre-eminent amidst all the choir of the
forests. His music has all the full charm of originality ; he takes
no delight in mimicry, and, therefore, really has no right to the
name of Mocking Bird.

110 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT—BLACKBIRD—LEWIS’ WOODPECKER.

‘¢ From the beginning of the middle of May the Thrasher is
engaged in building his nest, usually selecting for this purpose a
low, thick bush in some retired thicket or swamp, a few feet from
the earth, or even on the ground in some sheltered tussock, or near
the root of a bush. It has a general resemblance to the nest of
the Cat Bird; outwardly, being made of small interlacing twigs,
and then layers of dry oak or beech leaves ; to these materials gen-
erally succeed a stratum of strips of grape-vine or red cedar bark;
over the whole is piled a mass of some coarse root fibers, and the
finishing lining is made of a layer of finer filaments of the same.
The eggs, never exceeding five, are thickly sprinkled with minute
spots of palish brown on a greenish ground. In the Central
States these birds rear two broods in the year; in other parts of
America, but one. Both parents display the most ardent affection
for the young, and attack dogs, cats, and snakes, in their defense.
Toward their most insidious enemies of the human race, when the
latter are approaching their helpless young, every art is displayed ;
threats, entreaties, and reproaches, the most pathetic and power-
ful, are tried; they dart at the ravisher with despair, and lament
the bereavement they suffer in the most touching strains. I know
nothing equal to the bursts of grief manifested by these affectionate
parents, except the accents of human suffering.

‘«Their food consists of worms, insects, caterpillars, beetles,
and various kinds of berries. The movements of the Thrasher
are active, watchful, and sly; it-generally flies low, dwelling
among thickets, and skipping from bush to bush with its long tail
spread out like a fan.”

Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-breasted Icteria, or Warbler. — (lcterza
ULrens.)

Fig. 9.

This noted species is one of our abundant summer residents.
The males usually arrive a few days before the females. It is dis-
posed to be very shy, and prefers the secluded high woods and
underbrush. ‘The food consists of insects and berries. ‘The Chat
usually mates the later part of May, and commences building the
nest early in June. The nest, which both sexes help to prepare,
is generally placed in the fork of a small cedar or low bush, and
consists of dry leaves and grapevine bark, and is lined with blades
of grass, leaves, and small sticks. The eggs, usually five in num-
ber, flesh-colored background, and marked with dull red and lilac
spots. F

«¢ As soon as the bird has chosen his retreat,” Nuttall says, ‘‘ where
he can obtain concealment, he becomes jealous of his assumed
rights, and resents the least intrusion, scolding all who approach
in a variety of odd and uncouth tones, very difficult to describe or
imitate, except by a whistling, in which case the bird may be
made to approach, but seldom within sight. His responses on
such occasions are constant and rapid, expressive of anger and
anxiety; and, still unseen, his voice shifts from place amidst the
thicket. Some of these notes resemble the whistling of the wings
of a flying duck, at first loud and rapid, then sinking till they seem
to-end in single notes. A succession of other tones are now heard,
some like the barking of young puppies, with the variety of hol-
low, guttural, uncommon sounds, frequently repeated, and termin-
ated occasionally by something like the mewing of a cat, but
hoarser; a tone, to which all our Virens, particularly the young,
have frequent recurrence. All these notes are uttered with vehe-
mence, and with such strange and various modulations, as to ap-
pear near or distant, like the maneuvers of ventriloquism. In
mild weather, also, when the moon shines, this exuberant gabbling
is heard nearly throughout the night, as if the performer was dis-
puting with the echoes of his own voice.” Gentry says, “ the fol-
lowing syllables express its song during the period of nidification
quite accurately : twe-we-we-we-we-we hwawawawawa, kuh-che-

PLATE LXXIII.

Red and White-shouldered Blackbird, Three-colored Tropial.—(Ageleus

tricolor.)
Pig. 1.

The Red and White-shouldered Blackbird is the Pacific coast
variety of our Red-winged Blackbird. There is very little, if any,
difference in their eggs and nests. Their habits are also similar.
Coues says: ‘* The Tricolor variety is extremely abundant and
resident in the fertile portions of Southern California. It very
rarely crosses the intermediate desert to the Colorado River; this
arid tract forming a barrier to the eastward progress of many spe-
cies, of great efficacy in distinguishing the dzttoral fauna from that
of the Colorado Valley. One who has traveled this region will
not be surprised that birds with any fancy for green, watery places,
decline the same journey. At Wilmington and Drumm Barracks
I found the Tricolors flocking in vast numbers, in November
They thronged the streets of the town, and covered the military
parade-ground; alone, so far as their congeners were concerned,
but on intimate association with hundreds of Brewers’ Blackbirds.
Both species were almost as tame as poultry, and the boys used to
stone them, to their mutual amusement, I should say, for the birds
were never hit, and rather seemed to like the sport. Often, as I
sat in my quarters, on a bright sunny day, the light would be sud-
denly obscured, just as by a quickly passing cloud, and a rushing
noise ensued as the compact flock swirled past the window. They
often alighted by hundreds on the roofs of the barracks, almost
hiding the shingles, and every picket of a long paling fence near
by would sometimes be capped by its bird. ‘They were very noisy,
chattering from daylight till dark—all the time they could see to
fly about. Nobody troubled them much; but Hawks of vari us
kinds—the Harrier, the Western Red-breast, and the Lanie —
were continually dashing in among them, with terrible swooping,
bringing death to not a few, and dismay everywhere. At this
season the sexes kept mostly apart; the flocks of males seemea
to largely outnumber the females. Very few of those I shot and
examined were in perfect plumage, much of the black being varied
with different shades of brown and yellowish, and the white wing-
bar being imperfect. In spring the birds resort together to marshy
spots, breeding in loose communities.”

Lewis’ Woodpecker.—(Asyzdesmus torquatus.)
Fig. 2.

A very remarkably colored bird, that is to be met with in the
mountainous parts of Western America. Dr. Coues, in his ‘* Birds
of the North West,” gives a good account of this species, as fol-
lows: ‘¢ The plumage of this remarkable Woodpecker is pecu-
liar, both in texture and color; no other species of our country
shows such arich metallic iridescence, or such intense crimson,
and in none is the plumage so curiously modified into a bristly
character. Unlike most species, again, the sexes are not certainly
distinguishable. The young, however, differ very materially, the
under parts being dull gray, only here and there slashed with red,
the face lacking the crimson velvety pilous area, and the upper
parts being much less lustrous.

‘‘This fine species, like Sphyrapicus thyroideus, is chiefly a
bird of the vast forests that clothe most of our mountain ranges
with permanent verdure. With this limitation, its distribution is
extensive, as noted above. My own experience with the bird in
life is confined to the vicinity of Fort Whipple, in Arizona, where
it is a very common species. A bird of singular aspect, many of
its habits are no less peculiar. One seeing it for the first time
would hardly take it for a Woodpecker, unless he happened te

PL. EX

FLICK ER—HUMMINGBIRD—MAGPIE—CORMORANT. 111

observe it clambering over the trunk of a tree, or tapping for in-
sects, in the manner peculiar to its tribe. When flying, the large
dark bird might rather be mistaken for a Crow Blackbird; for, al-
though it sometimes swings itself from one tree to another, in a
long festoon, like other Woodpeckers, its ordinary flight is more
firm and direct, and accomplished with regular wing-beats. It
alights on boughs, in the attitude of ordinary birds, more fre-
quently than any of our other species, excepting the Colapies, and,
with the same exception, taps trees less frequently than any. It
may often be seen circling high in the air, around the tree-tops,
apparently engaged in capturing passing winged insects; and, as
it is particularly gregarious—let me say, of a sociable disposition—
many are sometimes thus occupied together in airy evolutions
about the withered head of some ancient woodland monarch falling
to decay. At the sight, as the birds passed and repassed each
other in vigorous flight, while the sheen of their dark-green plum-
age flashed in the sunbeams, I could not help fancying them busy
weaving a laurel-wreath fitting to crown the last days of the ma-
jestic pine that had done valorous battle with the elements for a
century, and was soon to mingle its mold with the dust whence it
sprang.

*‘Unlike its gay, rollicking associates, the Californian Wood-
peckers, Lewis’, is a shy and wary bird, not easily destroyed. In
passing from one part of the forest to another, it prefers, appar-
ently through cautiousness, to pass high over the tops of the trees
rather than to thread its way through their mazes. It generally
alights high up, and procures its food at the same elevation. I do
not remember to have ever seen one descend among bushes, still!
less to the ground, as Flickers are wont to do, in search of ants
and other insects. At most times they are rather silent birds for
this family ; but during the mating season, which always calls out
whatever vocal powers birds possess, their harsh notes resound
through tne forest with startling distinctness. J have never iden-
tified one of their nests, but there is no question of their breeding
in the summits of the pines, generally a projecting top blasted by
lightning or decayed in natural process. In July, the young may
be seen scrambling in troops about the tree-tops, before they are
grown strong enough to fly; and a curious sight they are. Hav-
ing seen more of them together than were at all likely to have
been hatched in the same nest, I have no doubt that different fam-
ilies join each other as soon as the young are on wing, haunting
favorable resorts. The association of Californian Woodpeckers
and ‘ Sapsuckers’ with these more aristocratic birds, seems partly
a matter of sufferance, partly of necessity, for the smaller and more
agile birds can scramble out of the way when, as often happens,
Lewis’ makes hostile demonstrations.”

Mexican Flicker, Red-shafted Woodpecker, Red-shafted Flicker.—( Cad-

aples mextcanus.)
Fig. 3.

This is one of our very fine species, mostly confined to Western
North America, along the eastern slopes and foot-hills of the
Rocky Mountains to the Paeific. It is said to extend north to
Sitka, south into Mexico, and east to Kansas. It is an abundant
species, as much so as the well-known Golden-winged Woodpecker
or Flicker is in the east. The habits of the two species are also
very similar. Nuttall says, «‘ Its manners, in all respects, are so
entirely similar to those of the common species, that the same de-
scription applies to both. It is, however, always a much shier
bird, and frequents the ground less. In the breeding season it
utters the same echoing note of whitto, whitto, whitto; the males,
at the same time, dodging after and pursuing each other in jeal-
ousy and anger. ‘They also burrow into the oak or pine trees, and
lay white eggs, after the manner of. the whole family.”

Anna Hummingbird.—(Se/asphorus anna.)
Fig. 4.

Among the numerous species of North American birds, there
are none more attractive and interesting than the Hummingbirds.
In size, they are the smallest, and their colors are the most beauti-
ful. They are also very abundant, and usually associate in pairs.
Their flight is very rapid, and when on the wing they make a con-
stant hamming sound. They feed on the sweets extracted from
the nectaries of flowers and on insects. The nest is neatly put to-
gether, and placed on a secluded branch; the outside is composed
of moss and lichen, and is lined with most delicate, downy vege-
table substances. The Anna Hummingbird is confined to the
Pacific coast, where it is an abundant species. The migrations of
this species are toward the tropics in the colder parts of the year.
Of the sharp and shrill cry of the Hummingbird, Lesson says, ‘It
is principally in passing from one place to another, that their cry,
which he likens to the syllables ten-ten, articulated with more or
less force, is excited. Most frequently,” he says, ‘* they are com-
pletely dumb;” and, he adds, that he has passed whole hours in
observing them in the forests of Brazil, without having heard the
slightest sound proceed from their throats. The length of this
species is about four inches.

Yellow-billed Magpie —(Pica melanoleuca, var. Nuttalliz.)
Fig. 5.

This species has a yellow bill, otherwise it is precisely like the
American Magpie. (Plate LIII, page 79.) Its habits and char-
acteristics are the same. We give it a representation in the work,
although the best ornithologists claim it as a mere accidental species.

Common Cormorant, Shag.—( Graculus carbo.)
Fig. 6.

This species is commonly found on the rocky parts of the North
American coast. The nests are placed on high cliffs ; many birds
congregating together and living harmoniously. The nest is large,
and composed of sticks and a mass of coarse grass and seaweed,
sometimes a foot high. The rough oblong eggs are from four to
six in number, of a chalky white and pale blue color. In the
course of a few days after hatching the young are able to take to
the water. ‘* These birds,” says Farrell, ‘‘are frequently seen
sitting on posts, rails, or leafless trees by the water-side, when, if
a fish should move on the surface within their sight, it is pounced
upon and caught to a certainty. An eel is a favorite morsel with
him, and a Cormorant has been seen to pick up an eel from the
mud, return to the rail he was previously sitting upon, strike the
eel three or four hard blows against the rail, toss it up into the air,
and, catching it by the head in its fall, swallow it in an instant.’
In China, the bridges across the Min, at Fauchau, may often be
seen crowded with men viewing the feats of the tame fishing Cor-
morants. ‘These birds look, at a distance, about the size of a
Goose, and are of a dark dirty color. The fisherman who has
charge of them stands upon a raft about two feet and a half wide
and fifteen or twenty feet long, made out of five large bamboos,
of similar size and shape, firmly fastened together.
light, and is propelled by a paddle. A basket is placed on it to
contain the fish when caught. Each raft has three or four Cormo-
rants connected with it. When not fishing, they crouch down
stupidly on the raft.”

It is very

112

SNIPE—PHALAROPE—SANDPIPER.

Red-breasted Snipe, Gray Snipe, Grayback.—(AZacrorhamphus griseus.)
Fig. 7.

This species is an inhabitant of the wholeof North America. It
is migratory, and winters in the south.

Coues says: ‘‘On the sand-bars, muddy flats, and marshy
meadows of the North Carolina coast, I found the Graybacks
very common, in flocks, all through the fall, associated with God-
wits, Telltales, and various Sandpipers. But nowhere have I seen
them so abundant as in Dakota during the fall passage—every-
where on the ponds, and especially in the saline pools of the alkali
region along the Upper Missouri. There the birds were loitering
in great flocks, wading in water so loaded with alkali that it looked
sea-green and blew off a white cloud with the slightest breeze,
while the edges for several yards all around were snow-white with
solid efflorescence. Gazing only at the pool, one would fancy him-
self on an ice-bound Arctic region, while the surrounding country
was desolate to match. Around such pools, the water of which
was utterly undrinkable for man or beast, were numerous Ducks
and waders, especially Teal, Plover, and these Snipe, swimming,
wading, or dozing in troops on the banks in the yellow light of au-
tumn, all in excellent order for the table. They were loaded with
fat, though it seemed incredible that they could thrive in such bit-
terly nauseating and purgative waters.

««'The Red-breasted Snipe is a gentle and unsuspicious creature
by nature, most sociably disposed to its own kind, as well as to-
ward its relatives among the Ducks and waders. In the western
regions, where they are not often molested, no birds are more con-
fiding, though none more timid. They gather in such close flocks,
moreover, that the most cruel slaughter may be effected with ease
_by one intent only on filling his bag. As we approach a pool we
see numbers of the gentle birds wandering along the margin, or
wading up to the belly in the shallow parts, probing here and there
as they advance, sticking the bill perpendicularly into the mud to
its full length with a quick, dexterous movement, and sometimes
even submerging the whole head for a second ortwo. All the
while they chat with each other in a low, pleasing tone, entirely
oblivious of our dangerous proximity. With the explosion that too
often happens, the next moment some stretch dead or dying along
the strand, others limp or flutter with broken legs or wings, while
the survivors, with a startled weet, take wing. Not, however, to
fly to a place of safety; in a compact body they skim away, then
circle back, approaching again the fatal spot with a low, wayward,
gliding motion, and often re-alight in the midst of their dead or
disabled companions. No birds fly more compactly, or group to-
gether more closely in alighting; it seems as if the timid creatures,
aware of their defenseless condition, sought safety, or at least re-
assurance, in each other’s company. ‘Thusit happens that a whole
flock may be secured by successive discharges, if the gunner will
seize the times when they stand motionless, in mute alarm, closely
huddled together. In alittle while, however, if no new appearance
disturbs them, they cast off fear and move about separately, resum-
ing their busy probing for the various water-bugs, leeches, worms,
and soft molluscs, which form their food, as well as the seeds of
various aquatic plants. When in good order, they are excellent
eating.

‘«« Being partly web-footed, this Snipe swims tolerably well for
a little distance in an emergency, as when it may get for a moment
beyond its depth in wading about, or when it may fall, broken-
winged, on the water. On such an occasion as this last, I have
seen one swim bravely for twenty or thirty yards, with a curious
bobbing motion of the head and corresponding jerking of the tail,
to a hiding place in the rank grass across the pool. When
thus hidden, they keep perfectly still, and may be picked up
without resistance, except a weak flutter, and perhaps a low, plead-

ing cry for pity on their pain and helplessness. When feeding a
their ease, in consciousness of peace and security, few birds are
of more pleasing appearance. ‘Their movements are graceful and
their attitudes often beautifully statuesque.”

Northern Phalarope.—(ZLodzzes hyperboreus.)
Fig. 8.

The Northern Phalarope resembles the Sandpipers in some re-
spects, but differs from them in the comparative shortness of its
tail and slenderness of its beak. This species is very numerous
upon the extensive lakes and rivers of North America; their range,
however, probably does not extend far south, even during the
course of their migrations. In its habits it is essentially aquatic.
It swims with the utmost buoyancy and ease, though it is not
known to dive even when hard pressed; and, according to Au-
dubon, indulges in the remarkable habit of alighting while at sea,
even at a distance of one hundred miles from shore, on beds of
floating seaweed, over which its lobed feet enable it to run with
creat lightness and rapidity. Its flight is strong and swift, but
when on the ground its movements are inferior in agility to those
of the Sandpiper. Insects, worms, and minute mollusca, which .
it collects by dipping the bill into the water, form its principal
means of subsistence. ‘The call is a sharp, clear ‘‘ tweet, tweet.”
The nest, which is usually made in a hollow in marshes, or on
the islands of fresh-water lakes, is formed principally of grass,
and covered with a few bits of hay or moss. The eggs, from one
to four in number, have usually a dark olive-colored shell, thickly
spotted with black. The male is about seven inches long, and
thirteen inches broad.

Cooper’s Sandpiper.—( Zrénga cooper¢.)
Fig. 9.

This is one of our solitary species, that is usually met with on
Long Island. Like all Sandpipers, they principally frequent the
northern parts. Marine marshes on the sea-shore, or the borders
of lakes and rivers, are the situations they prefer, visiting the tem-
perate climates during the winter, and returning to the colder lati-
tudes to spend the summer months. Their migrations take place
in large parties, which fly by night or early in the morning. Dur-
ing the recess of the tide, they may be seen upon the sea-shore,
seeking their food from the refuse of the ocean, or quietly and in-
tently probing the sands in search of worms and shell-fish, and
sometimes retreating rapidly before the advancing surge, and prof-
iting by what the wave leaves on its retreat. In all their move-
ments they display great activity, either when running rapidly and
lightly on the fore-part of their toes over the surface of the moist
sand, when swimming in the water, or when winging their way
with a varied, graceful, and rapid flight through the air. The
voice of this bird is clear piping and resonant. Their food con-
sists of worms, small molluscs, insects, larvee, and occasionally ot
delicate seeds. The four pear-shaped eggs are deposited in a dry
hollow on the ground, which is slightly lined with a few blades of
grass. The female alone broods; the young come forth covered
with down; they at once leave the nest, and grow with great

rapidity.

GULLS—SNOW GOOSE. 113

PLATE LXXIVv.

Fork-tailed Gull. (Xema Sabine?)

Fig. 1.

zaptain J. Sabine has the honor of introducing this interesting
cies, in 1818. It was discovered at its breeding station on some
rocky islands, lying off the west coast of Greenland, associ-
1in considerable numbers with the Arctic Tern, the nests of
1 birds being intermingled. Nuttall says: ‘* It is analogous to
Tern, not only in its forked tail, and in its choice of a breeding-
:e, but also in the boldness which it displays in the protection
its young. The parent-birds flew with impetuosity toward
‘€ who approached their nests, and, when one was killed, its
e, though frequently fired at, continued on the wing close to the
. They were observed to collect their food from the sea-beach,
ding near the edge of the water, and gleaning up the marine
cts which were cast on shore. A single individual was seen
‘rince Regent’s Inlet, and many specimens were procured in
course of the second voyage on Melville Peninsula. A pair
: also obtained at Spitzbergen, so that it is a pretty general sum-
resident on the shores of the Arctic Seas, and may thus be
nerated amongst the European as well as the American birds.
‘rives in these remote boreal regions in June, and retires to the
hward in August. The eggs, two in number, are deposited on
bare ground, and hatched in the last week of July. They are
n olive color, with many brown blotches, and about an inch
a half in length.”

stern Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull—(Zarus argentatus, var.
occzdentalis.)

Fig. 2.

Chis bird is now considered a variety of the species known as
Herring or Common Gull. (Plate LIV., fig. 2.) It can
dily be distinguished by the slaty bluish coloration of its man-
The Western Gull is abundant on the Pacific coast. Brehm

7s: ** Gulls are to be met with in every quarter of the globe,

t are most abundant in northern regions. A few species wan-

r to a considerable distance from land, always, however, return-

g to the vicinity of the shore. All may, therefore, properly be
lled coast birds, and to the mariner they are always welcome
sure harbingers of land. Their flights inland are even more
squent than their excursions into the open sea, and many of them
ay often be seen following the course of large rivers, or winging
eir way from lake to lake, into the interior of the country. Some
ecies will frequently settle in the vicinity of inland lakes, and
ost of them prefer a similar situation as their breeding-place.
ll of them live more or less upon fishes, but some also greedily
evour insects, and then later migrate with the greatest regularity.
resides the above articles of nourishment, Gulls eagerly pick up
vhatever small animals or animal substances they may happen to
neet with. Carrion they devour as greedily as do the Vultures,
ven if it be in a putrid condition. In short, they appear to share
he appetites of many other birds, and to be quite as omnivorous
is the Crows. All Sea Gulls walk well and quickly; they swim
buoyantly, lying in the water like so many air-bubbles, and dive
with facility, but to no great depth, plunging probably for not more
than one or two feet below the surface. Their voice consists of a
harsh, disagreeable scream. As their breeding time approaches,
these birds begin to assemble in flocks, which are frequently
joined by other parties, until at last they form a numerous host.
The larger species crowd less closely together at these times than
the smaller ones, the latter often literally covering the rocks on

which their nests are so closely placed, that the brooding parents
press upon each other. The structure of the nests varies in differ-
ent localities; when grass and seaweeds are procurable they are
carefully heaped together, but when these fail the nests are of still
scantier proportions. ‘The brood consists of from two to four com-
paratively large oval eggs, with strong, coarse, brownish green, or
greenish brown shells, spotted with gray and brown; upon these
both male and female sit by turns for the period of three or four
weeks. The young are clothed in a thick covering of speckled
down, and shortly after emerging from the shell may be seen trot-
ting about upon the sand, hiding themselves if alarmed behind lit-
tle hillocks, or boldly plunging into the water. Such, however,
as are born upon the ledges of perpendicular rocks, must neces-
sarily remain there until their wings are strong enough to enable
them to come down from their lofty perch, for they appear not to
take the desperate leaps into the sea attempted by so many sea-
birds to their destruction. During the first few days the young are
fed with half-digested food from their parents’ crop, and afterward
with freshly-caught fishes, or other small animals. For some little
time after they are able to fly they remain together, but soon quit
their birth-place, and spread themselves along the coast.”

Saddle-back, Great Black Backed Gull, or Cobb.

(Larus marinus.)
Fig. 3:

This is one of the largest-sized species of Gulls that are met
with along the Atlantic coasts of America and Europe. At the
approach of winter it migrates toward the Southern States, but
rarely visits the interior or fresh waters. Nuttall says: ‘* The
Black-backed Gull feeds ordinarily upon fish, both dead and living,
as well as on fry and carrion, sometimes also on shell-fish, and,
like most of the tribe of large Gulls, it is extremely ravenous and
indiscriminate in its appetites when pressed by hunger. It
watches the bait of the fisherman, and often robs the hook of its
gain. As Mr. Audubon justly and strongly remarks, it is as
much the tyrant of the sea-fowl as the Eagle is of the land-birds.
It is always on the watch to gratify its insatiable appetite. Power-
fully muscular in body and wing, it commands without control
over the inhabitants of the ocean and its borders. Its flight is ma-
jestic, and, like the Raven, it soars in wide circles to a great ele-
vation ;- at which times its loud and rancous cry or laughing bark
of ‘cak, cak, cak,’ is often heard. Like the keen-eyed Eagle,
it is extremely shy and wary, most difficult of access, rarely ob-
tained but by accident or stratagem. It is the particular enemy of
the graceful Eider, pouncing upon and devouring its young on
every occasion, and often killing considerably sized Ducks. In pur-
suit of crabs or lobsters it plunges beneath the water; has the in-
genuity to pick up a shell-fish, and, carrying it high in the air,
drops it upon a rock to obtain its contents; it catches moles, rats,
young hares, gives chase to the Willow Grouse, and sucks her
eggs, or devours her callow brood; it is even so indiscriminate in
its ravenous and cannibal cravings as to devour the eggs of its
own species. In short, it has no mercy on any object that can con-
tribute in any way to allay the cravings of its insatiable hunger
and delight in carnage. Though cowardly toward man, before
whom it abandons its young, its sway among the feathered tribes is
so fierce that even the different species of Jegers or Skua Gulls,
themselves daring pirates, give way at its approach. The length
of this species is thirty, and extent about sixty-five inches.”

Snow Goose, White Brandt. (CAzser hyperboreus.)
Fig. 4.

This is one of our North American species, that is said to be
very abundant in the West, much more so than in the East. When

114 SMEW, WHITE NUN, WHITE-HEADED GOOSANDER—GREAT AUK.

migrating northward, although the young and the old start at the
same time, they keep in separate flocks, and continue so to do even
when approaching the higher latitudes. They also remain divided
during the winter whilst they are living in the same localities;
and Audubon informs us that, although the young and old are
often seen to repose on the same sand-bar, the flocks keep at as
great a distance as possible from each other. ‘* Dispersed,” says
Coues, ‘*‘ over all of North America, the Snow Goose is nowhere
a permanent resident; its migrations are extensive, and performed
with the utmost regularity ; the maximum variation depending upon
the advance or retardation of the season—less strictly speaking
upon the weather—is slight. It is never seen in the United States
in summer, for it returns to high latitudes to breed. Along the
Atlantic coast, and, indeed, through the whole Eastern provinces,
it may be called rare, at least in comparison with its great abun-
dance in various parts of the West. Those found in Texas,
and anywhere about the Gulf of Mexico, undoubtedly migrate
inland, following the course of the larger rivers; while those
that pass along the Atlantic seaboard generally hug coast, and
are hardly to be met with beyond maritime districts. ,
On the Pacific coast itself, particularly that of California, the
birds are probably more abundant in winter than anywhere else.
Upon their arrival in October, they are generally lean and poorly
flavored, doubtless with the fatigue of a long journey; but they
find abundance of food and soon recuperate. At San Petro, in
Southern California, in November, I saw them every day, and in

all sorts of situations—some on the grassy plain, others among -

the reeds of little streams or the marshy borders of the bay, others
on the bare mud-flats or the beach itself. Being much harassed,
they had grown exceedingly wary, and were suspicious of an ap-
proach nearer than several hundred yards. Yet, with all their
sagacity and watchfulness—traits for which their tribe has been
celebrated ever since the original and classic flock saw Rome, as
it is said—they are sometimes outwitted by very shallow strata-
gem. . . . A Wild Goose of any species is a good example
of wariness in birds, as distinguished from timidity. A timid bird
is frightened at any unusual or unexpected appearance, particu-
larly if it be accompanied by noise; while a wary one flies from
what it has learned to distrust or fear through its acquired percep-
tions or inherited instincts.” Dr. Heerman says: ‘* They often
cover so densely with their masses the plains in the vicinity of the
marshes, as to give the ground the appearance of being clothed
with snow. Easily approached on horseback, the natives some-
times near them in this manner, then suddenly putting spurs to
their animals, gallop into the flock, striking to the right and left
with short clubs, and trampling them beneath their horses’ feet. I
have known a native to procure seventeen birds in a single charge
of this kind through a flock covering several acres.” ‘* The eggs,”
says Sir John Richardson, in the ‘*‘ Fauna Boreali Americana,”
‘*are of a yellowish white color, and regularly oval form, are a
little longer than those of an Eider Duck, their length being three
inches, and their greatest breadth two. The young fly in August,
and by the middle of September all have departed to the southward.
The Snow Goose feeds on rushes, insects, and in autumn on ber-
ries. When well fed it is a very excellent bird, far superior to the
Canadian Goose in juiciness and flavor. Itis said the young do
not attain their full plumage before their fourth year. . . .
The Snow Geese make their appearance in spring, a few days
later than the Canada Geese, and pass in large flocks both
through the interior and on the coast.” This species is about
twenty-seven inches long, and from fifty-two to fifty-six broad; the
wing measures sixteen and the tail six inches.

Smew, White Nun, White-headed or Dwarf Goosander. (Aergellus al-
bellus.)

Fig. 5.

We give this species a representation in the work, although
it is not positively known to be a native of North America. Dr.
Brehm says the real habitat of the White-headed or Dwarf Goos-
ander, as it is sometimes called, seems to be in Northern Asia,
from whence it extends westward into Northern Europe, and
eastwardly into the northern parts of America. During the
winter months, however, it wanders far southward. It is
then to be met with in considerable numbers throughout the
whole of China, being more especially abundant in the north-
ern provinces of the Celestial Empire. It is, moreover, a regular
visitant to Northern India, and is not unfrequently seen in Cen-
tral and Southern Europe. It seems to be more scarce in the south-
ern provinces of the United States of North America ; for Audubon
informs us that in the Western division, at least, it was a bird of
unusual occurrence. In very hard winters it makes its appearance
in Germany as early as the month of November, but more usu-
ally not until the middle of December, returning again to the
north in February or March. It is likewise a winter visitor to the
shores of Great Britain, large numbers being sometimes seen on
the eastern or southern coasts of England. It is rarely found
north of the Humber, and is comparatively rare in Scotland and
Ireland. In some parts of Switzerland it may be met with even
so late as the beginning of May. ‘This species is generally only
to be found in the neighborhood of fresh-water lakes; sometimes,
but only casually, it may be seen in quiet bays upon the sea-coast,
more especially in such as are at the mouths of rivers. Unlike
the divers, it seems to prefer flowing streams to stagnant water,
and often wanders along the course of rivers, from which it only
makes excursions to such lakes and ponds as may be free from
ice. When walking, this species holds its body in a horizontal po-
sition, with its head retracted; it walks with a waddling gait, but
better than the generality of its near allies. When swimming, it
keeps itself about half submerged, and when it dives it stretches
itself out to its full length, and disappears in an instant. Its flight,
which very much resembles that of the smaller Ducks, is rapid,
straight, accompanied by a slight whirring of the wings, and is
generally but little elevated above the surface of the ground or of
the water. It is remarkably lively in its disposition, and even during
the bitterest cold weather is sprightly and active. The length of
this species is nineteen inches; the breadth thirty inches; the
length of wing eight inches and a half, and the length of tail three
inches.

PLATE LXXV.

Great Auk. (Adca cmpennis.)
Fig. 1.

The Great Auk is a very rare bird. There are said to be but
four specimens in North America—in the Academy of Natural
Sciences, Philadelphia, the Cambridge Museum, another in the
Girard Cabinet in Vassar College, and the fourth in the Smithson-
ian Institution. Mr. R. Deane makes record of a specimen
‘¢ found dead in the vicinity of St. Augustine, Labrador, in No-
vember 1870.” It was sold for $200, and was forwarded to Eu-
rope.

Professor James Orton (American Naturalist, III, 539,) says,
‘s Tt was an arctic bird, dwelling chiefly in the Faroe Islands, Ice-
land, Greenland, and Newfoundland.” Degraded, as it were, from

PL. LXXV

i gies aaa
ipa eee
area

. 2 +
é a
* 2 \
- toe P

n
es

eS ee

cel.

ee ee ee ee ee

GUILLEMOT—PETREL—PUFFIN. 115

the feathered rank, said Nuttall, and almost numbered with the
amphibious monsters of the deep, the Auk seems condemned to
dwell alone in those desolate and forsaken regions of the earth.
But it was an unrivalled diver, and swam with great velocity. One
chased by Mr. Bullock, among the Northern Isles, left a six-oared
boat far behind. It was undoubtedly a match forthe Oxfords. It
was finally shot, however, and is nowin the British Museum. << It
is observed by seamen,” wrote Buffon a hundred years ago, ‘‘ that
it is never seen out of soundings, so that its appearance serves as
an infallible direction to the land.” It fed on fishes and marine
plants, and laid, either in the clefts of the rocks or in deep bur-
rows, a solitary egg, five inches long, with curious markings re-
sembling Chinese characters. The only noise it was known to
utter was a gurgling sound. We know of no changes on our
northern coast sufficient to affect the conditions necessary to the
existence of this oceanic bird. It has not been hunted down like
the Dodo and Dinornis. The numerous bones on the shores of
Greenland, Newfoundland, Iceland, and Norway, attest its former
abundance; but within the last century it has gradually become
more and more scarce, and finally extinct. There is no better
physical reason why some species perish, than why man does not
live forever. We can only say with Buffon, ** it died out because
time fought against it.”

Common or Foolish Guillemot, Murre. (U+rza trozie.)
Fig. 2.

This species is a common inhabitant of the high northern lati-
tudes of both hemispheres. ‘‘ From the numbers that congre-
gate,” observes Farrell, ‘‘and the bustle apparent among them,
confusion of interests might be expected; but, on the contrary, it
will be found that the Guillemots occupy one station or line of
ledges on the rocks, the Razor-bills another, and the Puffins a
third, Kittiwake Gulls a fourth, while the most inaccessible pin-
nacles seem to be left for the use of the lesser Black-backed and
Herring Gulls. ‘Two distinct species scarcely ever breed close by
the side of each other.”

The egg is laid on a ledge or hollow of the bare rock; it is
pear-shaped, about three inches and a quarter long, of a bluish
green, or yellowish green color, with streaks and blotches of brown
or black; sometimes the eggs are plain white or green. Great
numbers of these eggs are collected by men who descend from the
cliff above by means of ropes. The eggs are hatched in about a
month. The young are fed for a short time on the rocks by their
parents, after which they accompany them to the sea. In what
manner they descend seems to be a problem. Mr. Waterton was
assured by the men about Flamborough Head that when the young
Guillemot gets to a certain size, it manages to climb on the back
of the old bird, which conveys it down to the ocean; and Mr.
Farrell, in support of this statement, assures us that he has seen,
at the base of very high cliffs in the Isle of Wight, the young of
Razor-bills and Guillemots ‘‘so small that they could not have
made the descent by themselves from the lofty site of their birth-
place without destruction; yet these little birds knew perfectly well
how to take care of themselves, and, at the approach of a boat,
would swim away and dive like so many Dabchicks.” About
August, old and young leave the rocks and take to open water.
Audubon gives the following curious description of these birds on
a group of rocks, which consist of several low islands, destitute of
vegetation, and at no great height from the water. ‘* Here thou-
sands of Guillemots annually assemble at the beginning of May,
to deposit each its single egg and raise its young. As you ap-
proach these islands, the air becomes darkened with the multitudes
of these birds that fly about. Every square foot of the ground
seems to be occupied by a Guillemot, planted erect, as it were, on
the granite rock, but carefully warming its cherished egg. All

look toward the south, and if you are fronting them, the snowy-
white of their bodies produces a remarkable effect, for the birds at
some distance look as if destitute of head, so much does that part
assimilate with the dark hue of the rocks on which they stand. On
the other hand, if you approach them in the rear, the isle appears
as if covered with a black pall.” ‘This species is seventeen inches
and a half long, and from twenty-seven to twenty-eight broad ; the
wing measures three inches, and the tail two and a half.

Giant Petrel, or Giant Fulmar, Mother Carey’s Geese. (Proced/larda

gigantea.)
Fig. 3.

- This is the largest of the Petrels, and may be regarded as hold-
ing a position intermediate between the Albatross and the Storm
Petrels. The length of this species is about two feet eight inches,
and the spread of the wings from four feet and a half to five feet.

Its migrations extend over the temperate and antarctic zones of
the southern hemisphere. Nuttall says: ‘* The Giant Petrels,
though so infatuated, probably in the breeding season, as to submit
to death rather than abandon their resorts and young, are at other
times sufficiently active and adventurous, being seen to assemble
in great numbers on the approach of a stom, sailing majestically
with wide expanded and scarcely moving wings close to the sur-
face of the water, scanning the agitated bosom of the deep in quest
of some fish or other object of prey raised toward the surface by
the foaming billows. They also feed, when opportunity offers, on
the dead bodies of seals or birds, and are themselves, by sailors,
considered as good food.” Pennant thinks it probable that they
migrate with the Albatross into the southern Hemisphere to breed.

Sea Parrot, Common Puffin, or Coulterneb. (/ratercula arcticus.)
Fig. 4.

The cold and inclement regions of the whole northern hemis- _
phere is the general resort of this species. Its migrations, in win-
ter, extend as far south as the middle states. ‘‘ The Puffins,” says
Dr. Brehm, ‘‘ are eminently aquatic birds, only visiting the land
for the purpose of hatching and rearing their young; nevertheless
they often approach the shore or visit harbors on the coast. They
are generally met with in little flocks consisting of from eight to
twenty individuals, and employed in fishing for food.

‘« During the breeding season, however, they assemble in such
vast numbers as almost to cover the rocks on which they build.
Their food consists principally of fishes and molluscous animals,
which are invariably caught by diving. The Puffins are distin-
guishable from all their allies by the impetuosity of their flight.
Sometimes they may be seen swimming quietly upon the water
and diving into the advancing waves; generally, however, they
are observed flying, and not only shooting over but dashing through
them. With outstretched wings they plunge into the billows, urg-
ing their career with rapid strokes, twisting and turning in the
water, not only sideways, but completely round, so that sometimes
the dark-colored back, sometimes the shining white under the sur-
face becomes visible; now they seem to follow the outline of the
wave, climbing upon one side of it, and plunging down the other,
as they suddenly emerge from the water, and, after rising ten or
twelve feet into the air, once more plunge obliquely into the sea,
when they again dive, rowing themselves along with feet and
wings till, after making their way to a considerable distance, they
come up into the air, apparently simply to take breath, and forth-
with disappear in the same manner. The interest attaching to this
spectacle is considerably increased from the circumstance of so
many of the birds joining in these active evolutions; just as one
plunges beneath the surface another emerges, and as they are all

116 TUFTED PUFFINS—-FULMAR AND STORMY PETREZLS.

busily employed, it is difficult for the eye to follow their rapid evo-
lutions.

** Like many other divers, they dig, by means of their beak and
claws, holes in the greensward, with which their breeding-place is
generally covered, to the depth of two feet, or even more; their
excavations having more the appearance of rabbit-holes than of
nesting-places for a bird; at the bottom they are slightly wider
than elsewhere, and here they lay their eggs, without making any
nest. Occasionally, however, they collect a few stalks of grass
together, upon which their eggs are deposited. Not unfrequently
they merely take possession of the holes prepared in preceding
years. Their nesting-place being completed, each female lays a
solitary egg, which is of large size. Upon this egg the male and fe-
male sit by turns for a very long period; how long has not yet been
ascertained, but it extends over several weeks; if disturbed during
their confinement, the parents become much excited, and defend
their nests vigorously, uttering cries which have been compared
to the growling and yelping of young dogs, at the same time
spreading out their tails and biting their opponent with their sharp
bills.” Nuttall says: ‘* Their bite is, however, very severe, and
they can, when irritated, take out a piece of flesh from a man’s
hand without any extraordinary effort. When reared and domes-
ticated they become quite tame, and, in the end, familiar.” The
length of this species is about thirteen inches.

Tufted Puffins, or Tufted Mormons. (/ratercula cirrhata.)
Fig. 5.

In its manners and characteristics, this species resembles the
Sea Parrot, or Common Puffin. (Plate LXXV, fig. 4.)

In length it is from fifteen to eighteen inches. Over each eye
arises a tuft of feathers about four inches in length.

Fulmar, Petrel, Fulmar. (/2dmarus glacialts.)
Fig. 6.

This species is a very common and constant resident in the Arc-
tic Ocean. In winter its migration extends to the United States.
Its length is from fifteen to eighteen inches; its breadth forty-one
to forty-three inches; the length of its wings twelve to thirteen
inches; length of tail four inches and two-thirds. ‘

‘«‘The Fulmar,” says Captain Scoresby, ‘‘is the constant
companion of the whale-fisher. It joins his ship immediately
on passing the Shetland Islands, and accompanies it through
the trackless ocean to the highest accessible latitudes. It keeps
an eager watch for everything thrown overboard; the smallest
particle of fatty substance can scarcely escape it. Though few
should be seen when a whale is about being captured, yet, as soon
as the flensing process commences, they rush in from all quarters
and frequently accumulate to many thousands in number. They
then occupy the greasy track of the ships, and, being audaciously
greedy, fearlessly advance within a few yards of the men employed
in cutting up the whale. It is highly amusing to see the voracity
with which they seize the pieces of fat that fall in their way; the
size and quantity of the pieces they take at a meal; the curious
chuckling noise which, in their anxiety for dispatch, they always
make; and the jealousy with which they view, the boldness with
which they attack, any of their species that are engaged in de-
vouring the finest morsels. When carrion is scarce, the Fulmars
follow the living whale, and sometimes, by their peculiar motions
when hovering at the surface of the water, point out to the fisher
the position of the animal of which he is in pursuit. They can
not, however, make much impression on the dead whale until some
more powerful animal tears away the skin, for this is too tough for
them to make their way through.” |

Mr. John MacGillivray, who visited St. Kilda, the principal
breeding-place of this species, in June, 1840, says: ‘¢ This bird
exists here in almost incredible numbers, and to the natives is by
far the most important of the productions of the island. It forms
one of the principal means of support to the inhabitants, who daily
risk their lives in its pursuit. The Fulmar breeds on the face of
the highest precipices, and only on such as are furnished with
small grassy shelves, every spot on which, above’a few inches in
extent, is occupied with one or more of its nests. The nest is
formed of herbage, seldom bulky, generally a mere excavation in
the turf, lined with dried grass, and the withéred tufts of the sea-
pink, in which the bird deposits a single egg, of a pure white
color, when clean, which is seldom the case. The birds
are very clamorous on being handled, and vomit a quantity of
clear oil, with which I sometimes observed the parent birds feed-
ing them by disgorging it. The old birds, on being seized, in-
stantly vomit a quantity of clear amber-colored oil, which imparts
to the whole bird, its nest, and young, and even to the rock it fre-
quents, a peculiar and very disagreeable odor. Fulmar oil is the
most valuable production of St. Kilda. Besides supply-
ing their lamps, this oil is used by the inhabitants of the island as
a medicine.”

Stormy Petrel, Mother Carey’s Chicken. (Procellaria pelagica.)
Fig. 7.

This is another of our species that is numerously to be met with
near the shores of the Atlantic coast.

‘¢ Tn their usual habitat, that is, in the wide sea, the Storm Petrels
live in a constant state of activity, and may be seen flying about
during the entire day, and heard throughout the night. Occasion-
ally they may be seen disporting themselves singly, but more gen-
erally they make their appearance in small or more numerous
companies, during fine as well asin stormy weather. All day long
they are occupied in flying over the waves, the risings and fallings
of which they exactly follow, or in mounting high in the air like
Swallows, when they descend again, as though about to plunge
into the water, but rise again without touching it. Sometimes,
again, they settle down upon the water, and remain motionless, as
if unable to move from the same spot, though all around them is in
constant agitation and turmoil. When flying, they make but few
strokes with their wings, but these are obviously very effective, and
their action much diversified. Sometimes they may be seen with
their wings widely expanded, and in this manner they sail along
for minutes together, without the slightest effort; then, suddenly
bestirring themselves, a few quick, powerful strokes, given after
the manner of a Swift, raise them above the waves, when they as-
tonish the observer by the masterly precision of their evolutions,
as they shoot down obliquely over the billows, or mount up again
high into the air. Should they espy anything inthe shape of food,
they at once hasten toward it, running upon the water, and, hay-
ing seized it with their beak, immediately resume their aerial pas-
time. As to their powers of swimming, they seem so seldom to
adopt that mode of locomotion, that many careful observers declare
that they never swim at all, but that they only sit down, as it were,
and float on the sea, without ever using their legs as instruments of
propulsion. ‘Their strength of wing is wonderful; they literally
fly about all day long without resting at all. It is only after the
long continuance of a storm that they seem to be wearied, and yet
even this fatigue is not produced by their exertions in battling with
the wind, but because, during the violence of the tempest, they
are unable to obtain their usual supply of food, and, consequently,
are exhausted for want of nourishment. Their voice is seldom
heard in the daytime, which, in truth, appears to be to them the
season of repose; it is in the evening, shortly after the sun has
gone down, that they seem most active and alert; at that time,

PL. LXXVI1

a x

oper ay
a rare E

FLYCATCHERS.

=e Ee . sk.

should the wind permit, their call-note may be frequently heard.
In disposition they are particularly harmless, living in perfect
good-fellowship with each other, and appearing to care little about
other birds. Their food consists of all sorts of soft-bodied ani-
mals, picked up from the surface of the ocean; but we are unable
to say more upon this subject. The stomachs of such as have been
examined contained nothing but a fluid resembling train-oil, but
never the slightest trace of animal remains.”

PLATE LXXVI.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher. (AZ¢/valus tyrannus.)

Fig. 1.

This is one of those beautiful tropical American birds, that is
met with only as a straggler in North America. Nuttall says:
‘* In its habits it resembles the other native species of the genus,
is a solitary bird, remaining for a long time perched on the limb
of a tree, from whence it occasionally darts after passing insects,
or, flying downward, it alights on the tufted herbage arising above
_the partially drowned savannas, beyond whose limits this seden-
tary species but seldom strays. While seated, his long train is in
motion, like that of the Wagtail, and he now and then utters a
twitter in the manner of the King-bird. Beside insects, like our
King-bird, he feeds on berries, and this individual has his stomach
distended with those of the poke plant.”

South America affords two other species resembling the present,
and equally remarkable for the singular length and forking of the
tail-feathers.

Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, Scissor-tail. (AZlvulus forticatus.)

Fig. 2.

This elegant bird, though properly a:native of Central America,
is, as the last named, occasionally met with in the United States.
_ They are usually seen assembled in large parties upon low brush-
wood, and from thence fly down to seize their insect prey. At the
appearance of dusk, they retire to pass the night together upon a
favorite tree. While perched, they seem to be of very indolent
and quiet disposition, but while in flight their appearance is strik-
ing and remarkable, as they constantly open and close their long
tails, after the fashion of a pair of scissors, during the whole time
that they are upon the wing, a circumstance from which they de-
rive their name. Insects constitute their principal fare, and these
they capture in the same manner as other members of their family ;
they also pursue and devour many small birds, and, according to
Nuttall, frequently consume berries. The nest, which is usually
concealed in a thickly-foliaged bush, is open above, and formed
of delicate twigs, snugly lined with a bed of fibers, wool, or feath-
ers; the eggs are white, mottled with reddish brown, these mark-
ings being thickest at the broad end. As autumn draws to a close,
the Scissor Birds congregate with other species in large parties,
previous to setting forth upon their migrations. Schomburghk
tells us that such of these flocks as he observed leaving the coun-
try, settled upon the trees from about three to five o’clock in the
afternoon, and remained there for the night, resuming their south-
ern course at the first dawn of day.

Olive-sided Flycatcher ; Cooper’s Flycatcher. (Coztopus borealis.)
Fig. 3.

This expert Flycatcher is met with in the evergreens, and in
orchards, in most parts of North America. Its disposition is sim-

417

ilar to the other members of the family. Describing this species,
Nuttall says: ‘* I have watched the motions of two other living in-
dividuals, who appeared tyrannical and quarrelsome even with
each other; the attack was always accompanied with a whining,
queruloustwitter. Their dispute was, apparently, like that of savages
about the rights of their respective hunting grounds. One of the
birds, the female, whom I usually saw alone, was uncommonly se-
dentary. The territory she seemed determined to claim was cir-
cumscribed by the tops of a cluster of tall Virginia junipers or red
cedars, and an adjoining elm, and decayed cherry tree. From
this sovereign station, in the solitude of a barren and sandy piece
of forest, she kept a sharp lookout for passing insects, and pur-
sued them with great vigor and success as soon as they appeared,
sometimes chasing them to the ground, and generally resuming
her perch with an additional mouthful, which she swallowed at
leisure. On descending to her station, she occasionally quivered
her wings and tail, erected her blousy cap, and kept up a whistling,
oft-repeated, whining call of ’pu ’pu, then varied to ’pu ’pip, and
’pip ’pu, also at times, ’pip ’pip ’pu, ’pip ’pip ’pip, ’pu "pu ’pip, or
tu, to, tu, and ’tu ’tu.§ This shrill, pensive, and quick whistle,
sometimes dropped almost to a whisper, or merely ’pu. The tone
was, in fact, much like that of the ’phu ’phu ’phu of the Fish
Hawk. ‘The male, however, besides this note, at long intervals,
had a call of ’eh ’phebee, or ’h ’phebea, almost exactly in tone of
the circular tin whistle, or bird-call, being loud, shrill, and guttural
at the commencement.”

According to Minot, ‘* The nest is much less finished and artis-
tic than that of the Wood Pewee, and is, moreover, nearly always —
placed in an evergreen or orchard tree. It is frequently built in
a pine, from fifteen to even fifty feet above the ground, being
placed in the fork of a horizontal limb. One before me is shallow,
and is composed of twigs, fine strips of bark, stalks of field-weeds,
and a little moss. The eggs of each set are usually five, average
about 0.85 by 0.65 of an inch, and are, in Massachusetts, laid in
the second week inJune. They are white, or creamy, spotted with
lilac and reddish brown.”

(Lyrannus dominicensis.)

Gray Kingbird, Piping Flycatcher.
Fig. 4.

The usual habitat of the Gray Kingbird is in the West Indies,
Florida, and to the Carolinas. ‘‘ Their flight,” says Audubon,
‘¢ is performed by a constant flutter of their wings, unless when
the bird is in chase, or has been rendered shy, when it exhibits a
power and speed equal to those of any other species of the genus.
During the love season, the male and female are seen rising from
a dry twig together, either perpendicularly, or in a spiral manner,
crossing each other as they ascend, twittering loudly, and conduct-
ing themselves in a manner much resembling that of the Tyrant
Flycatcher. When in pursuit of insects, they dart at them with
great velocity. Should any large bird pass near their stand, they
immediately pursue it, sometimes to a considerable distance. I
have seen them, after teasing a Heron or Fish Crow, follow them
nearly half a mile, and return exulting to the tree on which they
had previously been perched. Yet I frequently observed that the
approach of a White-headed Pigeon or Zenaida Dove, never ruf-
fled their temper. To the Grackles they were particularly hos-
tile, and, on all occasions drove them away from their stand, or
the vicinity of their nests, with unremitting perseverance. The
reason in this case and in that of the Fish Crow was obvious, for
these birds sucked their eggs or destroyed their young whenever
an opportunity occurred.

** They place their nest somewhat in the manner of the King-bird,
that is, on horizontal branches, or in the large fork of a mangrove,
or bush of any other species, without paying much attention to its
position with respect to the water, but with very singular care to
place it on the western side of the tree, or of the islet. s 8

118 FLYCATCHERS—CHIMNEY SWIFT.

ee ee eee eee ee ee eee eee eee

It is composed externally of light, dry sticks, internally of a thin
layer of slender grasses or fibrous roots. There were regularly
four eggs, of a white color, with many dots toward the larger end.”

Rocky Mountain or Black Flycatcher. (Seyornds nigricans.)
Fig. 5.

This Rocky Mountain species in its appearance and manner
bears a very strong resemblance to our common Pewee, or Phebe-
bird. It was obtained by Mr. T. Peale, a naturalist connected
with Major Long’s expedition in the vicinity of the Arkansas river,
within twenty miles of the Rocky Mountains. Nuttall says:
‘* We first observed this bird in our route westward, about the four-
teenth of June, within the first range of the Rocky Mountains,
called the Black Hills, and in the vicinity of that northern branch
of the Platte known by the name of Laramie’s Fork. At the
time, we saw a pair perched, as usual, on a mass of rocks, from
which, like the Pewee, though occasionally alighting, they flew
after passing insects, without uttering any note that we heard; and
from their predilection, itis probable they inhabit among broken
hills and barren rocks, where we have scarcely a doubt, from their
behavior, they had at this time a brood or a nest among these
granite cliffs. They appeared very timorous on our approach,
and seemed very limited in their range. Except among the Blue
Mountains of the Columbia, we scarcely ever saw them again.”

Arkansas Flycatcher. (Zyrannus verticals.)
Fig. 6.

This noisy and quarrelsome Flycatcher is numerously to be met
with in the western parts of North America. Like the King Bird,
they dispute the familiarity or approach of any other bird during
the time of incubation.

Mr. Allen says: ‘* The Arkansas Flycatcher occurs abundantly
as far east as Fort Hays, Kansas, where it is one of the most nu-
merous and characteristic of the woodland birds. It seems even
more pugnacious than its relative, the King Bird, the males fight-
ing with each other almost constantly; and it is equally alert in
driving other birds from the vicinity of its nest. Its notes are
harsher and louder than those of the King Bird, though at times
rather more musical; they are marked by the same general char-
acter. It is more graceful on the wing than the latter bird, pos-
sessing rather superior powers of flight, yet resembling it closely
in general habits. It constructs a rather bulky and conspicuous
nest, composed outwardly of the coarse stems of plants, softly
lined with finer material, generally hair; it is placed on the outer
and higher branches of quite large trees. The eggs, commonly
five in number, in size, shape, and color so closely resemble those
of the King Bird as not to be always distinguishable. Dozens of
pairs were breeding in the narrow belt of timber bordering Big
Creek, on the military reservation at Fort Hays. We also found
them nesting in isolated trees at the heads of ravines, sometimes
several miles from any other tree or shrub.”

The length of this species is nine inches.

Chimney Swift, Chimney Swallow. (Chaetura pelasgia.)
Fig. 7.

The familiar Chimney Swifts, sometimes called Chimney Swal-
lows, are readily distinguished from other Swallows by their long
wings and short tail. Their song consists entirely of a loud and
often-repeated chirp, which is so sprightly, and so evidently the
outpouring of the bird’s own joyous sensations, as it turns its breast
in all directions, flaps its wings, and indulges in a variety of ani-

mated gestures, that it can not fail to please the hearer, and impart
an additional charm to the beauties of the first hours of a bright
early summer’s day. |

Soon after their appearance, they commence constructing their
curious nests, which are usually found in chimneys, and of which
Dr. Brewer says:

*« The nest of the Chimney Swallow is one of the most remark-
able structures of the kind to be found among the handiwork of
even this interesting family, nearly all of whom are far from being
undistinguished for their architectural accomplishments. It is
composed of small twigs of nearly uniform size, which are inter-
woven into a neat semi-circular basket. In selecting the twigs
with which to construct the nest, the Swift seems to prefer to break
from the tree such as are best adapted to its wants, rather than to
gather those already scattered upon the ground. This is done
with great skill and adroitness, while on the wing. Sweeping on
the coveted twig, somewhat as a Hawk rushes on its prey, it
parts it at the desired place, and bears it off to its nest. This fact
is familiar to all who have attentively observed its habits. Each
of these twigs is firmly fastened to its fellows by an adhesive sa-
liva, secreted by the bird, and the whole structure is strongly ce-
mented to the side of the chimney in which it is built by means
of the same secretion. When dry, this saliva hardens into a glue-
like substance, apparently firmer even than the twigs themselves.
In separating a nest from the side of a chimney, I have known
portions of the brick to which it was fastened to give way sooner
than the cement with which it had been secured. When moist-
ened, however, by long or heavy rains, the weight of their con-
tents will sometimes cause them to part, and precipitate the whole
to the bottom. The young birds cling very tenaciously to the sides
of the chimney, with their strong claws and muscular feet, and
often save themselves from falling, in such accidents, by this
means, even at a very early age, and before they have attained
their sight. As the nest, even when undisturbed, soon becomes
too small for them, the young leave it long before they are able to
fly, and climb to the top of the chimney, where they are fed by
their parents.”

The eggs, four to six in number, are pure white, unmarked,
sub-elliptical in shape, and measure 0.75 by 0.50, or slightly more.

The power of flight possessed by these birds is unequaled by
any other species. Itis claimed by Wilson that ‘* The Swallow
flies, in his usual way, at the rate of one mile in a minute, and he
is so engaged for ten hours every day; his active life is extended,
on an average, for ten years, which gives us two million one hun-
dred and ninety thousand miles—upward of eighty-seven times the
circumference of the globe. And yet this littled winged seraph,
if I may so speak, who, in a few days, can pass from the arctic
regions to the torrid zone, is forced, when winter approaches, to
descend to the bottom of lakes, rivers, and mill-ponds, to bury
itself in the mud with eels and snapping turtles, or to creep in-
gloriously into a cavern, a rat-hole, or a hollow tree, with snakes,
toads, and other reptiles, till the return of spring. Is not this true,
ye wise men of Europe and America, who have published so many
credible narratives upon this subject? The Geese, the Ducks, the
Cat-bird, and even the Wren, which creeps about our houses like
a mouse, are all declared to be migratory, and to pass to southern
regions on the approach of winter. The Swallow alone, on whom
Heaven has conferred superior powers of wing, must sink in tor-
pidity to the bottom of some pond, to pass the winter in the mud |”
Upon the ground, the Chimney Swift moves with an awkward and
helpless step. When upon the wing the powers of this bird, as it
skims over the face of the country, now soaring upward to a great
height, and now sinking suddenly down until it almost sweeps the
ground; then, changing its course, it flies backward and forward
with amazing celerity, pursuing its way with untiring speed, and
not unfrequently indulging in a bath in the lake or stream over
the bosom of which it delights to skim. This proceeding, like all
its other evolutions on the wing, is rapidly and easily accom-

PURPLE MARTIN—VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. 119

plished; the bird sinks close to the water, and suddenly darts be-
neath its surface, reappearing in less than a moment, and then
flies off to a distance to shake the moisture from its plumage. The
Swallow devours enormous numbers of flies, beetles, and butter-
flies. When in pursuit of prey, it either keeps near the ground,
or skims through the air at an altitude regulated according to the
barometical state of the atmosphere, insomuch that from this fact
has arisen the popular idea that its movements indicate the kind
of weather to be expected.
The length of this species is about five inches.

Purple Martin. (Progne purpurea.)
Fig. 8.

A very abundant species that is met with at suitable season, in
most parts of North America. Its notes, which consist of a lively
twitter, may be heard at the approach of day, after which prelude
succeeds their excited musical chatter. Mr. Gentry, in his ‘* Life
Histories of Birds,” says:

*« Few species are more eminently sociable and confidential, and
manilest greater pleasure in man’s society, where suitable building
conveniences are provided, than the subject of this sketch. . . .

‘* Constant association with man for many years has wrought a
wonderful change in its character and habits. Except in special
cases, nidification no longer takes place in hollow trees in secluded
situations, but is now accomplished within our gardens and lawns.
In the selection of a place, this bird is not very particular; an old
tin can, or a perforated gourd, is as truly acceptable as the most
costly structure which affluence can effect. When there is a
scarcity of boxes, etc., it does not hesitate to dispute the right of
another species; even the mischievous little Wren often finds its
efforts to bar out intruders completely foiled. What this species
can not accomplish individually, it effects by combination; for in
union there is strength.

‘¢ Like the Blue-bird, it has a strong attachment to the scenes
of past associations, and frequents the same localities year after
year, unless driven away. Its quarrels with others frequently re-
sult from their pre-occupancy of accustomed sites.

**The great good which the Martins accomplish, should com-
mend them to our favor and esteem, and should be an inducement
for us to extend to them our warmest sympathies and fullest pro-
tection. The beetles that injure our fruits; the aphides that sap
the strength of our useful as well as ornamental plants; the various
dipterous insects, as Musca domestica, Tabanus lineola, Musca
cesar, and the Orialis and its allies, whose larve infest our rasp-
berries and other fruits, and produce the galls of many of our
commonest plants.

*¢ Like the Cliff and Bank Swallows, this species is fond of so-
ciety. Where several apartments exist in a house, as many pairs
take up their quarters; often six pairs have been known to occupy
the same dwelling. ‘Fhe most perfect order and harmony prevail
among the tenants; but woe to the feathered stranger that ap-
proaches; for the combined strength of the male portion of the en-
tire community is summoned to wreak instant vengeance upon
him.

‘¢ The males are strongly attached to their partners, and faithful
and ever attentive to their wants. We are disposed to believe that
the species arrives already paired, as we have never observed the
least indication of anything that would lead to a different belief.
When a male has once selected a partner, we know no instance
where she has been abandoned, while living, for another, during
the season for which she was espoused. In some cases, this alli-
ance is dissolved at the close of the breeding-season, to be reas-
sumed during the subsequent spring; in others, the separation is
doubtless permanent, another taking the place of the discarded
suitor; again, the union is life-long. We believe that this rela-

tionship, in some cases at any rate, with the present species is life-
long, unless this important business is attended to at the time of
setting out from its southern home.

Nest-building commences about the 15th of May, and is the
joint labor of the sexes. A nest is two days in building. Scraps
of paper, leaves, grasses, feathers, and bits of strings are utilized
for this purpose. ‘The whole is quite loosely arranged. Oviposi-
tion commences the day after the nest is completed, and lasts from
four to five days, one egg being laid per diem. Incubation com-
mences on the ensuing day, and continues for a period ranging
from eleven to twelve days, according to meteorological vicissitudes,
and the assiduity of the female. As we have not detected the male
engaged in sitting, we presume that it is wholly performed by the
female. While the latter is thus occupied, he is very attentive,
thoughtful, and provident. They are both extremely assiduous in
their attentions to the young, and feed them upon the larve of va-
rious lepidoptera, mosquitos, small spiders, and mature forms of
Tabanus lineola, Musca domestica, and Ortalzs and its allies.

‘‘ In about twelve days from the time of hatching, the young
quit the nest, but still continue to be fed by their parents for a week
more, when they are prepared to provide their own nourishment ;
still continuing, however, to reside with their parents. Occasion-
ally two broods are reared annually. While the parents are en-
gaged in rearing the second brood, the first is scouring the coun-
try for food, but returns in the evening to the place of common
shelter, when suitable accommodations exist. In August, 1874,
we were visiting in Bridgeton, N. J., and had the privilege of study-
ing very minutely the history of this species. Close by the place
where we were staying, was located a house of considerable ca-
pacity, and possessing a dozen apartments. ‘These were occupied
by as many pairs of birds early in the season. Two broods had
been successfully reared. At the time to which we refer, all the
young had attained maturity, and were dwelling with their parents.
Early in the morning, the almost deafening clatter that emanated
from the building, told that its inmates were astir and prepared to
commence their daily avocation. The departure of one from the
building was the signal for the rest to do likewise, which they did
to the number of sixty and upward. Instead of leaving zzstanter,
they kept circling around the house for at least ten minutes, chat-
tering away at a fearful rate; and then, as if by common consent,
struck off in divers directions, and were not seen again until sun-
set, when they returned to renew the circling movements of the
morning, with the same amount of noise, when one by one, with
as much regularity as the marching of soldiers, would drop into
the building until the last had entered. A little din and chatter-
ing over the day’s adventures, and all was quiet again. The
presence of persons upon the scene did not cause the circle to
waver in the least. Being very intent upon this sort of amuse-
ment, for such it seemed to be, nothing seemed to distract attention
or cause desistance therefrom. ‘The most unbounded confidence
in man, acquired and strengthened by the peaceable enjoyment of
his society for many years, has rendered this species exceedingly
tame and unsuspicious. Few species manifest their trustfulness to
such an extent. Their departure for warmer countries occurs
usually about the 15th of September.

*¢ Their eggs are oblong-oval, being pointed at one end, and of
an unspotted, creamy-white color. They measure 0.93 of an inc),
in length, and 0.78 in breadth.”

Violet-Green Swallow. (Zachycineta thalassina.)
Fig. 9.

This beautiful species is met with upon the table-lands of the
Rocky Mountains, and its migrations extend through the middle
and western provinces, to Canada, and south to Mexico. Dr.
Cooper observes that it ‘* frequents chiefly the groves of oak

120 SHRIKES—FALCONS—RUFFED GROUSE.

Se ee Ee ee Eee eee

along the sides of the valleys and across the whole coast range,
excepting the windy and cold neighborhood of the sea. They
range at least as far north as the Straits of Fuca, and across the
interior to the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains.”

‘‘A well-known and often-recorded point in the economy of the
Swallows is the readiness with which they modify their ways of
nesting according to circumstances. Those species, like the Barn
Swallows, the White-bellied and Cliff Swallows, and the Purple
Martin, which inhabit populous countries, have almost completely
changed their modes of nidification, now breeding in the conveni-
ent places afforded by buildings, or in shelters expressly provided
for their use. In the case of the Cliff Swallows, the change is of
very recent date, and many records are preserved of the precise

time when, in particular localities, the birds deserted cliffs to build

under eaves, or when, adopting this habit, they appeared and bred
in places where they were before unknown. With the Purple
Martins the nidification occurred earlier, and I am not aware that
the time is recorded. But in the west both these birds still adhere
to their primitive ways. Along the Missouri I saw great numbers
of nests of Cliff Swallows stuck in batches on the high, vertical,
water-worn exposures; and in Arizona the Martins occupied the
blasted tops of tall pine-trees, in colonies, having driven off the
Woodpeckers, the rightful proprietors of the holes that riddled the
trunks. It becomes an interesting speculation, whether the Bank
Swallow will ever abandon its burrows, and so far modify its fos-
sorial nature as to build in chinks and crannies, or affix a nest any-
where about a building. As far as is now known, the Violet-green
Swallow retains its primitive habits, but the same easy adaptability
to varying circumstances may be observed in this case, warrant-
ing the inference that before long it will accept the conditions
that civilization imposes, and breed about buildings like its allies.”
— Coues.

Loggerhead Shrike (Collurio ludovictanus) [Fig. 11], and the White-
rumped Shrike (Cod/urio ludovictanus, var. excubctoroides) [Fig. 10].

This bird, which has much the appearance of a bird of prey, and
much similar habits, is yet one of the singing birds, and though it
may not exercise its gifts in this respect, much more than does the
Blackbird and Crow of the same class, its structure shows it to be
more nearly related to the Robin and Vireo than to even the
smaller hawks.

The Loggerhead Shrike is found throughout the Southern
States, and on the Pacific coast as far at least as Lower California.
Its occurrence in the Mississippi valley is as far north at least as
Columbus, Ohio, where it is of common occurrence. In that lo-
cality it is one of the first birds to arrive in spring, and frequently
has its nest built and eggs laid in April. |

As will be seen from the plate, its general appearance resembles
that of the Mocking Bird, and for that bird it is often mistaken.
Frequently the young are taken from the nest and sold for young
Mocking Birds. Generally they die before their luckless possessor
discovers his mistake, and if by chance they live, no sweet sounds
will reward the care which has been bestowed upon them. ‘Their
common note is a harsh, creaky cry; while their song, which is
comparatively seldom heard, is a rapid repetition of monotonous
notes, not, however, unmusical. They frequent open country, and
are especially attached to the bushy borders of field tall osage
orange hedges. Their nest is usually built, with some attempt at
concealment, in a low treetop covered with a wild grapevine, or in
a dense bush. Itis large and bulky, often lined with feathers.
The eggs are four or five, grayish, thickly speckled over with
brownish-ash. Their food consists, for the most part, of large in-
sects, such as grasshoppers and crickets. They are noted for the
curious habit of impaling grasshoppers and other prey upon thorns
and twigs. No sufficient reason has ever been discovered why
they do this.

The White-rumped Shrike is the northern variety of the Log-
gerhead, from which it differs in the genarally darker color of the
upper parts, with a conspicuously whiter rump. It is found from
Illinois to Wisconsin, north and west. In habits it does not differ
from the Loggerhead. ‘These birds may be distinguished from
the Northern Shrike by their smaller size, darker colors, and uni-
form ashy white color beneath. The Northern Shrike has the
under parts faintly barred with dusky ash, and is only found in
winter, in localities frequented by the Loggerhead and White-
rumped Shrike during the summer.

PLATE LXXVII.

Jer-falcon, or Gyr-falcon. (alco sacer, var. candicans.)
Fig. 1

This species, a variety of the Jer-falcon—spelt also Ger and
Gyr—inhabits Arctic America, North Greenland, Iceland, and
Europe.

Brehm says: ‘‘ They appear to prefer such rocky localities as
are in the immediate neighborhood of the sea-coast, and upon
which hundreds and thousands of sea birds settle during the breed-
ing season; nevertheless, they do not entirely avoid the wooded
parts of the country, for such amongst them as are too young to
pair make long excursions inland, even occasionally visiting the
mountain ranges of the interior, amongst which the old birds are
rarely ever seen. The attachment of these various species to their
breeding places is very remarkable; they return to them with such
unfailing regularity that we were once accurately directed where
to look for an eyrie, even though our informant had neither seen
the spot, nor heard it spoken of, for many years. In their other
habits they closely resemble the Peregrine Falcon. During the
summer months it subsists upon sea birds, in the winter upon
Ptarmigans, and, according to some naturalists, will devour hares,
and live upon squirrels for whole months together. We were on
one occasion for three days in the vicinity of the Nyker (two
mountains much frequented by sea birds), and watched a pair of
Gyr-falcons come down morning after morning punctually at ten
o’clock, in order to obtain their breakfast. This was very speedily
accomplished; both took a rapid survey of the feathered swarm
they were about to attack, and then, swooping down with unerring
aim, carried off one bird after another, until they had obtained-the
necessary supply. Howell mentions having seen a Polar Falcon
pounce upon two Sea Gulls at the same time, and bear them away
in triumph, one in each foot. They are also said to destroy
Pigeons.”

This species is about two feet in length.

Polar, or Iceland Falcon. (/@/co sacer, var. tslandicus.)
Fig. 2.

Closely allied to the last-named species, and recognized as a
variety, by the darker markings on the upper parts of the body.
Its habits and manners are similar.

PLATE LXXVIII.

Ruffed Grouse, Partridge, or Pheasant. (Boxasa umbellus.)
Fig. 1.

Although this species is generally known by the name of
Ruffed Grouse, it is also called the Partridge in the New England

PL. LXXVII

PL. LXXVIL

ta bike

RUFFED GROUSE. 121
Fe a nn een

and Middle States, and, in the Southern States it is named the
Pheasant. The multiplication of names that this species has at-
tained has caused considerable confusion, in regard to which Dr.
Coues says:

‘¢ Tt is somewhat singular that a misapprehension should subsist,
even among well-informed persons, in regard to this species. The
confusion in the minds of some is, doubtless, partly due to the fact
that the bird goes under different names in different parts of the
country ; and we are often asked, is ita Partridge, or is it a Pheas-
ant?—to which reply may be made that it is zezther, but a Grouse.
‘Pheasant’ is a name of a variety of birds of the family Phaséan-
td@, indigenous to Southern Asia, and not represented in this
country at all. The best known species is that one long ago in-
troduced into England, and there thoroughly naturalized. (The
nearest American representative of the Pheasants is the Wild Tur-
key, which is sometimes included in the family Phastanide.)
‘ Partridge’ is the name of a group of small gallinaceous birds,
which, like the Phaszanide, belong exclusively to the Old World,
our American Partridges, so called, being quite a different set of
birds. A poverty of our language in the matter of names of va-
rious American birds has caused them to become known by some
term really belonging only to their (real or supposed) nearest Eu-
ropean relatives. It would simplify matters much, to discard al-
together the terms ‘ Pheasant’ and ‘ Partridge,’ by which this spe-
cies is known in, respectively, the Northern and Southern States,
and call it by its proper name of ‘ Ruffed Grouse.’ The bird it-
self is unmistakable; no other species has the conspicuous ruffle
of lengthened, broad, soft, silky feathers on the neck; and the
only other species with any feathery neck-appendages is the Pin-
nated Grouse, where the appendages are like little wings of nar-
row, straight, pointed feathers. The Ruffed Grouse may be con-
founded by some with the Canada Grouse, or ‘ Spruce Partridge’
(Letrao canadensis), but this has no lengthened feathers on the
neck, and is otherwise entirely different.”

Parker Gilmore’s account of this species, in his ‘* Prairie and
Forest,” a valuable work, descriptive of the game of North Amer-
ica, says:

‘*'This worthy member of a noble family loves the woodland
glades and rocky hill-sides. The verge of the prairie he may oc-
casionally visit, but let him be disturbed, his fears excited, like
arrow from bow he will wing his way direct to the friendly shelter
of the forest.

to be found. No, rolling country and hilly spurs are his home,
where, deep in the shelter of the laurel, cedar, hemlock, hazel,
and birch, he can laugh at his pursuers, unless they are the very
quickest and best of shots. But I allude to where he has known
man, and learned to dread his presence as ominous of evil; for,
where such is not the case, if flushed, they are often satisfied to
settle upon the first tree in the neighborhood, regarding the in-
truder with looks of wonder, and remain, gratifying their excited
curiosity, till the whole covey have been shot in detail. Through-
out Canada West they are numerous. At the northern end of

Lake Simcoe I found them very abundant; also on the hillsides.

that cradle in the lovely, peaceful Lake Umbagog, in Oxford
county, Maine; but western Maryland and Virginia are also favor-
ite haunts; in fact, it may be found everywhere where wood,
water, and hillside combine to form for it a suitable haunt, between
thirty-two and fifty degrees of north latitude.

**In April, these birds pair. . . They lay from ten to six-
teen eggs; their nest, which is a very primitive one, being gener-
ally secreted in brush, or under the shelter of a fallen log. They
are most affectionate parents, and use the same artifices as the
Wild Duck to draw away the intruder from the Vicinity of their
youthful progeny. This Grouse has two distinct calls, one a
soft, mellow, prolonged note, generally used in gathering after the
covey has been broken up; the other, an extraordinary drumming

But all woods do not suit the fastidious taste of this -
beauty ; for when there exists only the fat, damp, slimy, bottom- -
lands, that margin so many of the southwestern rivers, he is not °

sound, made by the cocks in the pairing season, and capable of
being heard, in still weather, a great distance. The latter noise
is caused by the rapid vibration of the wings when the male is
perched on a fallen tree or stump. Indiscriminately, they live on
a great variety of food—ants, grubs, alder-berries, wild cherries,
and grain, being their favorite diet. Early in autumn, when the
weather is fine, particularly in the morning and evening, they will
be found in the open cultivation, more especially if there be rough
ground with brush in the vicinity; but as severe weather ap-
proaches, the woods will become their constant resort. In shoot-
ing the Ruffed Grouse, great difficulty is always experienced in
marking them. Their flight, as I have previously said, is won-
derfully rapid, and they have a method of doubling back in the
reverse direction to which they started; however, as.they do not
generally go far (about three or four hundred yards), with pa-
tience and a selection of the nearest irregular ground which has
growing timber upon it, or the densest brush that is in the neigh-
borhood, a second opportunity will probably occur of bringing
more of the family to a bag. In many portions of the United
States and Canada they are known by the misnomers of Partridge
and Pheasant. Frequently, when trout fishing in the wilds of the
State of Maine, I have come suddenly upon them, when they would
rise into the nearest tree, and remain with unconcern watching me:
from evident curiosity, they would stretch their necks, and get into
all kinds of grotesque attitudes; and so little would they then re-
gard the report of a gun, that I have known pot-hunters kill quite
a number of the same family by always shooting the lowest first.
But when the Ruffed Grouse becomes familiar with man, he is
perfectly cognizant of the danger of being in his proximity. Al-
though before dogs they lie close, their color harmonizes so well
with that of the ground, that it is next to impossible to see them
before they are on the wing.

‘¢In the undergrowth which springs up in that portion of the
country where the timber has been destroyed by fire, I ever found
them very abundant, it being almost impossible to wander half a
mile through such openings without flushing a covey. As these
generally occur in the lumber regions, where the winters are par-
ticularly long and rigorous, far exceeding in severity those of
Scotland, the hardiness of this bird can not be doubted. In the
Alleghanies and all the southern ranges of hills of the United
States it is also abundant, where, if the winters are less severe,
the heat in summer is sometimes excessive, proving that the Ruffed
Grouse is capable of enduring great varieties of climate.

‘<The palate of the most fastidious epicure can not fail to be
gratified with the appearance of this game on the table, the flesh
being extremely delicate, with a strong flavor of our Red Grouse.
I have eaten it cooked in every conceivable manner, and whether
it be simply roasted over a camp-fire, or form a portion of an
omnium gatherum stew, it will be found alike acceptable. Al-
though scarcity of food may compel this Grouse to change its
beat, still itis not migratory, as stated by some naturalists. The
supposition has arisen from their being found in great numbers,
during summer and autumn, on the scrub barren land, which they
leave as soon as the more severe weather commences, for the
shelter of the dense timber. A family of these birds I was ac-
quainted with fora year. On their range there was an abundance
of food and water, and during that period I could always find them,
their home being a little, hilly island in the prairie, covered with
timber and brush, and detached from any irregular land by sev-
eral miles of grass.

‘* Some authorities have placed Woodcock shooting first in the
list, and called it the fox-hunting of those pleasures in which the
dog and gun form the chief accessories. As far as present Brit-
ish field-sports are concerned, I believe they are correct; but,
should the Ruffed Grouse be introduced, and Englishmen ex-
perience the suddenness of their rise, the velocity and irregularity
of their flight, the uncertainty of their movements, and the beauty
and size of this game when bagged, they would assuredly insert

122 WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON—GROUND DOVE—GREAT WHITE EGRET.

a saving clause. I doubt not many—I believe all—of the warm
admirers of shooting will agree with me that there is a superior
pleasure in making a mixed bag—now a Mallard, next a Wood-
cock, perchance thirdly a Partridge, etc. ; loading your discharged
barrel, scarcely knowing at what description of game it will be
used: thus a reason for their introduction to England.”

This beautiful species is about eighteen inches is length, erect
‘n form, and has a handsome chestnut brown color, dotted and pen-
ciled with gray and brown spots on the neck, breast, and back.
On each side of the neck are fan-shaped tufts of glossy, dark,
purple-black, velvet-looking feathers, and on the top of the head
there is a slight crest.

White-crowned or White-headed Pigeon. (Colamba leucocephala.)
Fig. 2.

This species, well known as an inhabitant of Mexico and the
West Indies, is also gregarious, and found in great numbers on
the rocks of the Florida Keys, where they breed in society, and,
when first seen in the spring, feed principally upon the beach
plum and the berries of a kind of palm. From the peculiar se-
lection of their breeding-places, they are known, in some “of the
West Indies, particularly Jamaica, San Domingo, and Porto Rico,
by the name of Rock Pigeons. They likewise abound in the
Bahama Isiands, and form an important article of food to the in-
habitants, particularly the young, as they become fully grown.

According to Audubon, they arrive on the southern keys of the
Floridas, from the island of Cuba, from the twentieth of April to
the first of May,-remaining to breed during the summer season.
They are at all times extremely shy and wary, remaining so
indeed even while incubating, skipping from the nests and taking
to wing without noise, and remaining off sometimes as much as
half an hour ata time. Inthe month of May the young squabs
are nearly able to fly, and are killed in great numbers by the
wreckers who visit the keys. The nest is placed on the summit of
a cactus shoot, a few feet from the ground, or on the upper
branches of a mangrove, or quite low, impending over the water.
Externally it is composed of small twigs, and lined with grass and
nbrous roots. The eggs are two, white, rather yellowish, and
as large as those of the domestic Pigeon. They have apparently
several broods in the season. The cooing of this species may be
heard to a considerable distance. After a kind of crowing pre-
lude, he repeats his koo, koo, koo. When suddenly approached
it utters a hollow guttural sound, like the common Pigeon. They
are easily domesticated, and breed in that state freely. About the
beginning of October they are very numerous, and now return to
pass the winter in the West India islands.—/Vuztall.

Ground Dove. (Chamepelia passerina.)

Fig. 3.

This pretty little family is to be met with in the Southern States,

usually south of the State of Virginia.

Nuttall says: ‘‘They are common in the sea islands of the
Southern States, particularly of South Carolina and Georgia,
where they are seen in small flocks of from fifteen to twenty.
They are found usually upon the ground, and prefer the open
fields and cultivated tracts to the woods. Their flight is seldom
protracted, as they fly out commonly only to short distances;
though on the approach of winter they retire to the islands and
milder parts of the continent, arriving again at their northern
resorts early in April. Like some other species they have a fre-
quent jerking motion with the tail, and the usual tender cooing
and gesticulations of the tribe.”

«* The Dove, generally speaking,” says Wilson, ‘* has long been

considered as the favorite emblem of peace and innocence, proba-
bly from the respectful manner in which the name is mentioned in
various parts of Scripture—it being selected from among all the
birds, by Noah, to ascertain the state of the deluge, and return-
ing to the ark, bearing the olive leaf as a messenger of peace and
good tidings; the Holy Ghost, it is also said, was seen to descend
like a Dove from heaven, etc. In addition to these, there is in
the Dove an appearance of meekness and innocency very interest-
ing, and well calculated to secure our partiality in its favor.”
The food of this species consists of rice, seeds, and berries.

PLATE LXXIX. —

Great White Egret, or White Heron. (Ardca egretta.)
Fig. 1.

‘This fine bird may be immediately recognized by its color—
pure white at all seasons, with yellow bill and black legs, with its
large size—about three feet in length. The head is not adorned
with a crest, but in the breeding season the back has a magni-
ficent train drooping beyond the tail. The Little White Egret is
much smaller, only about two feet long, and has a recurved crest,
lengthened breast feathers, and a recurved train, in the breeding
season. An erroneous impression prevails that an Egret is some-
thing different from a Heron; but all Egrets are Herons, although
all Herons are not Egrets. It is aterm applied to certain Herons,
especially white ones, that have long plumes (azgreties); but the
distinction is entirely arbitrary. The Reddish Egret, for instance,
and the Louisianan, are not white, while the small Green Heron
has long, flowing dorsal plumes.

‘¢ Audubon has a paragraph upon this. species susceptible of
extensive application, and expressing a favorite idea of mine,
strengthened into conviction by repeated observation. Speaking
of finding Egrets much wilder in early spring than after they had
settled to their duties of reproduction, he says: ‘I have supposed
this to be caused by the change of their thoughts on such occa-
sions, and am of opinion that birds of all kinds become more
careless of themselves. As the strength of their attachment
toward their mates or progeny increases through the process
of time, as is the case with the better part of our own species,
lovers and parents perform acts of heroism which individuals
having no such attachment to each other would never dare to con-
template. In these birds the impulse of affection is so great that
when they have young they allow themselves to be approached so
as often to fall victims to the rapacity of man, who, boasting of
reason and benevolence, ought at such a time to respect their de-
votion.. No one unfamiliar with birds’ natures, as exhibited at
different seasons of the year, and at varying ages, can have ade-
quate conception of the opposite traits they display. Even Doves,
those meekest of birds—the emblems of ‘peace on earth and
good-will’—fight furiously when the furor amantium is on them ;
the wariest birds forget to consider personal danger in defense
of their young; suspicious birds sometimes grow impudently
familiar; knowing birds appear stupid; dull birds become frisky,
and frisky birds beside themselves, when in love; silent birds cry
out, and singing birds sing all the time.

‘« Another point may be mentioned here. The young, even
of birds by nature shy and suspicious, require some time to get
over their early verdancy and acquire a wholesome degree of
caution. Instincts of this sort are undoubtedly hereditary, and
sufficiently well marked to enable us to predicate it, in a certain
greater or less degree, of all birds; and circumstances of subse-
quent experience, moreover, have much control over its develop-
ment and exhibition. But, beyond these variations, it is unques-

PI, LUXXIX

Sat ens
‘ =e
oe

Ranney

Specs

TRUDEAU’S TERN—SOOTY TERN. 123

tionable that, other things being equal, young birds are for a while
less wary than their parents, as certainly as in the case of our own
species. The White Egret is an illustration in point. We are

familiar with the difficulty that Audubon records of his expe-.

rience in attempting to shoot these birds; and those of us who
have tried can attest the same thing. But such strategy is not
always required, late in the summer and early in the fall, to obtain
birds of the year. At Fort Yuma, where the birds are very com-
mon, I had frequent occasion to wonder at their want of shyness
in the fall, not to say their absolute stupidity. On one occasion
that I remember I came upon a young bird that was quietly feed-
ing at a little pool. Notwithstanding that I was on horseback
and had come clattering along, the bird, not frightened at the
noise and sudden appearance, merely drew itself up at full height
to look a moment, and then bent its long neck again to resume its
meal, within fifteen steps of me. It was to have been hoped that
it could have lived long enough to learn better. Speaking in gen-
eral terms, and without considering the artificial frame of mind
brought about by man’s interference, the shyness of any Heron
corresponds exactly to its size; and it is so with many other birds,
particularly Gulls—the larger the species, the more wary. The
smaller kinds, as the Green Heron and the Least Bittern, show
little concern at being approached. It would almost seem as
if the greater birds were aware how likely to attract harmful
attention their imposing appearance made them, and as if the little
ones trusted to their insignificance for protection.
another interpretation of La Fontaine’s crowned rats. The grada-
tion in size among Herons calls up one other point. Such species
as the Great Blue and the Great White are certainly to be con-
sidered of dignified bearing, and their motions have something of
grace and beauty as well. But, though the Green, and the Least,
and others have almost exactly the same form and the same attitudes
and movements, they would never be called dignified or elegant
birds. Analyzing this difference in the way the birds impress us,
I can not see that anything but s7ze is in question. This is the
real secret; the large Blue Heron is dignified by its size alone;
the little Green Heron, that copies every posture and action of the
other, only succeeds in being grotesque, if not actually ridicu-
lous—the more so from the very fact of its imitation. The paral-
lel that may be drawn is a broad and long one.

‘*The White Egret is rather a delicate bird, preferring warm
weather, and consequently restricted in geographical distribution.
In New England it is only a rare visitor, and is not known to breed.
I may here observe that a certain xorthward migration of some
southerly birds at this season is nowhere more noticeable than
among the Herons and their allies, the migrants consisting chiefly
of birds hatched that year, which unaccountably stray in what
seems to us the wrong direction. Massachusetts is the northern-
most record of the species in New England. It is rather decidedly a
maritime bird, like its smaller relative (Ardea candidissima), and
seldom penetrates any distance inland except along our largest
rivers—the Mississippi, Rio Grande, and Colorado. I never saw
it in the interior of the Carolinas, along the coasts of which I
found it very abundant, and throughout the low, flat, marshy or
swampy districts. On the Pacific coast it is not recorded north
of California. I met with it frequently in Southern California
near the coast, and on a few occasions on the Mojave river, not far
from Soda Lake, perhaps rather an exceptional inland locality, as
the desert environing on all sides but one must be a great barrier.
The Arizonian birds are gathered chiefly along the Colorado, par-
ticularly its lower portions.”—Coues.

It is only

Trudeau’s Tern. (Sterna trudeaut.)
Fig. 2.

This rare and remarkable species was first procured by J.
Trudeau, Esq., of Louisiana. The coloration of its plumage is

distinct and peculiar from that of any other species of Tern.
There is hardly a doubt but what this bird is a distinct species
of the Terns; but there is a doubt whether it is a North American
species. Dr. Coues, one of our best informed ornithologists, says :
‘The only question is regarding the propriety of introducing the
species among North American birds. For myself, I doubt that
it was ever actually taken within our limits; but I have no means
of disproving our author’s positive assertion to that effect.”

Sooty Tern. (Sterna _fuliginosa.)
Fig. 3.

This is one of our well-known species, and in the southern
parts of North America it is very numerous. To the navigators it
is one of the indications of the near approach of land. They are
mostly met with along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Audubon
gives quite an extended account of this bird, from which we copy
the following:

‘¢ arly the next morning I was put on shore, and remained
there until I had completed my observation on the Terns. Having
seated myself on the shelly sand, which here formed the only soil,
I remained almost motionless for several hours, in consequence
of which the birds alighted about me, at the distance of only a
few yards, so that I could plainly see with what efforts and pains
the younger females deposited their eggs. Their bills were open,
and their pantings indicated their distress; but after the egg had
been expelled, they immediately walked off, in an awkward man-
ner, until they reached a place where they could arise without
striking the branches of the bushes near them, when they flew
away. Here and there, in numerous places within twenty yards
of me, females, having their complement of eggs, alighted and
quietly commenced the labor of incubation. Now and then a male
bird also settled close by, and immediately disgorged a small fish
within the reach of the female. After some curious reciprocal
nods of their heads, which were doubtless intended as marks
of affection, the caterer would fly off. Several individuals, which
had not commenced laying their eggs, I saw scratch the sand with
their feet, in the manner of the common fowl, while searching for
food.

In. the course of this operation they frequently seated them-
selves in the shallow basin, to try how it fitted their form, or find
out what was still wanted to insure their comfort. Not the least
semblance of a quarrel did I observe between any two of these
interesting creatures—indeed, they all appeared as if happy mem-
bers of a single family; and, as if to gratify my utmost wishes,
a few of them went through the process of courtship in my
presence. The male birds frequently threw their heads over their
backs as it were, in the manner of several species of Gulls; they
also swelled out their throats, walked round the female, and ended
by uttering a soft puffing sound as they caressed them. Then the
pair for a moment or two walked round each other, and at length
rosé on wing and soon disappeared. Such is one of the many
sights it has been my good fortune to witness; and by each of them
have I been deeply impressed with a sense of the pervading power
of the Deity. :

‘“The Sooty Tern always lays three eggs as its full number.

When wounded and seized by the hand, this bird bites
severely, and utters a plaintive cry, differing from its usual note,
which is loud and shrill, resembling the syllables o0-ee, oo-ee.
Their nests are all scooped near the roots or stems of the bushes,
and under the shade of their boughs—in many places within a few
inches of each other. They generally measure two inches and
one-eighth by one and a half, have a smooth shell, with the ground
of a pale cream color, sparingly marked with various tints of
lightish umber, and still lighter marks of purple, which appear
as if within the shell.”

124 ' RAIL—HERON—IBIS—OWLS.

King Rail; Fresh-water Marsh Hen. (/tadlus elegans.)

Fig. 4.

This beaufiful bird is met with in the fresh-water marshes along
the Atlantic coast, in summer, and in winter in the more Southern
States. Its habits are about the same as that of the species
described on page 3.

PLATE LXXX.

Great Blue Heron. (Ardea herodéas.)

Fig. 1.

Most all Herons are large and ungainly birds; and they are
met with in most parts of the globe. In North America the Blue
Heron is restricted to the warmer parts, and at the approach
of winter, or when their supply of food falls short, it migrates into
the tropical parts of the continent. Swamps, shallow rivers, and
pools are their favorite haunts, and in these they quietly stand,
with their necks drawn down between their shoulders, watching
the approach of a fish, upon which they suddenly dart, and seizing
it in the beak, swallow it in an instant. They also consume small
quadrupeds, frogs, and a variety of insects.

Coues says: ‘‘ No species of Heron has a wider distribution in
North America, and only the Bittern equals it in the extent of its
dispersion. It appears to be more common, however, in the
United States than farther north, and is resident south of the mid-
dle districts. Herons, as a group, are rather southern birds;
only these two just named (Glossy or Bay Ibis; Great Blue
Heron) proceed beyond the United States, and most, if not all,
are more abundant in the southern portions of the Union. They
are particularly numerous in the South Atlantic and Gulf States,
where they breed by thousands, and in which districts several
species occur that are not found in corresponding latitudes in the
West. “On the Pacific side we have no peculiar species, all that
occur there being of wide distribution.”

Of the nest the same writer says: ‘*‘ Wherever placed, on tree,
bush, or rock, the nest of the Heron is a large bed of twigs, more
or less matted together with grasses and weeds, some two feet in
diameter and about one-third as high. ‘Two or three eggs are
laid, probably never more. They measure 2.50 by 1.50, and are
rather narrowly elliptical, with both ends of about the same shape ;
the color is a pale, dull, greenish blue, varying in shade in differ-
ent specimens, but always uniform on the same egg.” __

White Ibis. (Zéis alba.)

Fig. 2.

Scarlet Ibis. (/é¢s rubra.)

Fig. 3.

The habits and characteristics of these two species are about the
same. ‘Their native haunts are Central America and the northern
portions of South America as faras the Amazon; from thence they
extend their migrations in summer into the most southern portions
of the United States, rarely ever proceeding farther north than
Carolina. Along the borders of the sea and the shores of adjacent
rivers, these birds are to be met with, from which they seldom extend
far inland. Mr. Bartram says: ‘* They fly in large flocks or
squadrons, evening and morning, to and from their feeding-places

_ upon the ground, and have a greenish shell.

or roosts, and are usually called ‘Spanish Curlews.’ They sub-
sist principally on cray-fish, whose cells they probe, and, with
their strong pinching bills, drag them out.” Fry and aquatic insects

_also constitute a part of their food.

The flight of these beautiful species is said to be lofty and strong,
and as they pass through the air they utter a loud and peculiar
cry. Their flesh is not held in very high esteem, although it is
sometimes eaten.

According to Sagra, the eggs, three or four in number, are laid
Schomburghk states
that young and adult birds do not associate with each other, but
unite in distinct bands.

The White Ibis is about twenty-three inches long, and thirty-
seven in extent. The Scarlet Ibis has about the same measurement.

PLATE LXXXI.

Short-eared Owl. (B@rachyotus palustrts.)

Fig. 1.

This species is pretty generally distributed throughout North
America, and in the temperate parts is said to be abundant. It
exhibits no fear of man, and may frequently be seen perching upon
the trees that grow near crowded thoroughfares. During the day
they conceal themselves under the vines, or among the branches
of trees, the stems of which they so much resemble in color as to
be in but little danger of detection, so long as they remain quiet.
It is not until evening has fully set in that they sally out in quest
of food, and hover, with something of the movement of a Falcon,
close to the surface of the ground, in quest of mice and similar fare.

‘¢The specific name of this species,” says Coues, ‘is highly
appropriate, such is its preference for low, moist, and even swampy
or marshy resorts. It is, however, one of the few species not con-
fined to woods, but occurring in open prairie, sometimes many
miles from timbered land. It nests on the ground, laying its eggs
either in a bare depression, or upon a few sticks or feathers, or a
little grass. The eggs, usually four or five in number, are dull
white, less nearly spherical than usual in this family, and measure
about an inch and a half in length by one and a fourth in breadth.
But its nesting varies with circumstances. Mr. Dall recently found
it breeding in burrows, on the island of Oonalashka; ‘ the hole is
horizontal, and the inner end usually a little higher than the aper-
ture; lined with dry grass and feathers.’ The burrows were not
over two feet deep, usually excavated in the side of a steep bank.”

Mottled Owl, Red Owl, or Screech Owl. (Scofs aszo.)

Fig. 2.

Although this species appears represented on the plate in differ-
ent coloration of its plumage, it is one and the same bird; the dif-
ference in color is without any known cause. It is one of our best
known and most abundant species. Mr. Maynard contributes an
interesting account of this species to the American Naturalist, Vol.
I., page 73, which reads as follows: ‘*On June 15, 1867, I ob-
served some boys around a small Owl, which was perched on a
stick ; on closer examination I found that it was a young Mottled
Owl (scops asto bonaparto). It was staring about in a dazed man-
ner, and seemed half stupefied. I easily persuaded the boys to
part with it fora trifle, and took it home. I should judge that it
was about two weeks old. It was covered with a grayish down.
I put it in a large cage, and gave it some meat, which it ate, but not
readily, for it seemed frightened at the sight of my hand; and at
my near approach, would draw back, snapping its beak after the

XXX'T “Td

Pe ee ee ee d

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es ae ee

Pee

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PL. LXXAl

MOTTLED OWL—RED-SHOULDERED HAWEK. 125

manner of all Owls. It soon grew tamer, however, and would
regard me with a wise stare, as if perfectly understanding that I
was a friend.

‘In a short time it would take food from me without fear; I
never saw it drink, although water was kept constantly near it.
Its food cons‘sted of mice, birds, and butchers’ meat, on which it
fed readily. I kept the bird caged for about two weeks, during
which time it became quite tame, but would not tolerate penaling:
always threatening me with its beak, when my hands approached
it. As the wires of its cage broke its feathers, when moving about,
and as it lardly seemed resigned to confinement, I opened its cage
and gave it the freedom of the room, leaving the windows open
nights and day. About this time I gave it the name of ‘ Scops,’
to which in a little while it would answer, when called, with a low
rattle, which sounded like the distant note of the Kingfisher.

‘*QOne morning, Scops was missing; diligent search was made
for it, but no Owl could be found, ae reluctantly, we gave it up
for lost. Once or twice it was seen in the neighboring woods by
different people, and once on the roof of a barn, but was wild, and
refused to be caught. It had been absent about a week, when, one
morning, I was told that my Owl was out in the yard. I hastened
out, and found a half-grown Newfoundland dog playing with my
pet. The Owl was elingthe to his shaggy fur with its claws, snap-
ping its beak, and biting fiercely. I immediately rescued poor
Scops, and carried it into the house. On arriving in its old quar-
ters it seemed pleased, chuckling to itself after its manner. It was
almost starved, and ate two full-grown Bluebirds at the first meal.
After this time I gave it the privilege of going and coming when
it pleased; but, mindful of its former experience, it never has but
once remained away more thantwo days at atime. It now became
more attached to me than ever, and will, at this time, permit me
to pat it gently.

‘‘When a bird is given it for food, it takes it in its claws, and,
with its beak, it invariably pulls out the wing and tail feathers first,
then eats the head, then devours the intestines ; then, if not satisfied,
jt eats the remainder of the bird, feathers and all. That this Owl
sees tolerably well in the daytime I have proved to thy satis-
faction. I caught a mouse and put it alive into an open box about
two feet square; this I placed upon a bench near Scops, who was
attentively watching my movements. The moment it saw the mouse,
the owl cpened its eyes wide, bent forward, moved its head from
side to side, then came down with an unerring aim, burying its
talons deep in the head and back of the mouse. Looking up into
my face, and uttering its rattling noise, as if inquiring, «Is n’t that
well done?’ it flew up to its perch, with its struggling prey grasped
firmly in its talons, when it killed the mouse, by biting it in the
head and back. During the whole act it displayed considerable
energy and excitement. In sleeping, it usually stands on one foot,
both eyes shut; but sometimes stretches out at full length, resting
on its breast. When sound asleep, it awakes instantly on its name

being pronounced, and will answer as quickly as when awake. I

have heard it utter its peculiar quavering note on one or two oc-
casions, which, notwithstanding its reputed mournfulness, has
much that sounds pleasant to my ear. When out at night among
the trees, Scops acts in much the same manner as when in the
house—hopping from limb to limb, loking about with a quick.
graceful motion of the head, sometimes turning the head around
so that the face comes directly behind. The alarm note is a kind
of a low moan; this was often uttered at the sight of a gray squir-
rel, and always at the sight of its old enemy, the dog.

** While flying, Scops moves through the air with a quick, steady
motion, alighting on any object without missing a foothold. I
never heard it utter a note when thus moving. When perching,
it does not grasp with its claws, but holds them at some distance
from the wood, clasping with the soles of the toes. When it has
eaten enough of a bird, it hides the remaining portions in any con-
venient place near by. If its hiding-place is then approached, the
owl from its perch watches the intruder jealously, and when its

hidden spoils are touched, it lays back its ear-like tufts, snaps its
beak once or twice, and drops down on the unlucky hand like an
arrow, striking it with its sharp claws until the hand is withdrawn ;
then, ascertaining that its treasure is safe, Scops resumes its perch,
looking at its late disturber with most unfriendly eyes. I once
placed a stuffed Owl of its own species near it, when it ruffled its
feathers, gave a series of hisses, moans, and snappings of the
beak, and stretched out one wing at full length in front of its head,
as a shield to repulse what it took to be a stranger invading its own
domains. As the stuffed bird was pushed nearer, Scops budged
not an inch, but looked fiercer than ever; its ruffed back feathers
were erected high, its eyes sparkled, and its whole attitude was one
of war.

In the work, ‘The Birds of New England,’ are given two
instances of this bird’s first plumage being in the red; but my
bird is decidedly in the gray. If it is red at all, it must be at some
time hereafter.”

Mottled Owl, Screech Owl, or Red Owl. (Scods aszo.)

Fig. 2.

This is one of our small and beautiful species. It is abundant
in most all parts of North America. The food consists of mice,
small birds, beetles, crickets, and insects generally. ‘The nest is
found built in the hollow of old trees, about the last of May or
early in June, and is lined with hay, grass, and feathers. The
eggs are usually about five, and are nearly round, and white in
color.

Nuttall says: ‘‘ During the day they either retire into hollow
trees and unfrequented barns, or hide in the thickest evergreens.
At times they are abroad by day, and in cloudy weather they
wake up from their diurnal slumbers a considerable time before
dark. In the day they are always drowsy, or, as if dozing,
closing, or scarcely, half opening their heavy eyes, presenting the
very picture of sloth and nightly dissipation. When perceived by
the smaller birds, they are at once recognized as their insidious
enemies; and the rareness of their appearance before the usual
roosting-time of other birds, augments the suspicion they entertain
of their feline hunters. . . . Their notes are most frequent in
the latter end of summer and autumn, crying in a sort of wailing
quiver, not very unlike the whining of a puppy dog, ho, ho, ho,
ho, ho, ho, proceeding from high and clear to a low guttural
shake or trill. These notes, at little intervals, are answered by.
some companion, and appear to be chiefly a call of recognition
from young of the same brood, or pairs who wish to discover each
other after having been separated while dozing in the day. On
moonlight evenings this slender wailing is kept up nearly until
midnight.” ‘This species is from eight to ten inches long.

Td
Red-shouldered Hawk or Buzzard. (Buteo lineatus.)
Fig. 3.

This handsome species is represented in its adult plumage.
Prof. Verrill, in comparing Maine and Florida species, finds that
those of southern birth are considerably smaller than the aycinec.
It is very abundant in the Atlantic States.

According to Nuttall, ‘«In the Southern States, during winter,
they are very common in swampy situations, where their quailing
cry of mutual recognition may be heard from the depths of the
dark forest almost every morning of the season. This plaintive
echoing note resembles somewhat the garrulous complaint of the
Jay, kee-o0, kee-o0, kee-oo, continued with but little intermission
sometimes for near twenty minutes; at length it becomes loud and
impatient, but on being distantly answered by the mate, the sound
softens and becomes plaintive, like kee-oo. This morning call is
uttered most loudly and incessantly by the male, inquiring for his

156 BLACK ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK—ROSEATE SPOONBILL—NIGHT HERON.

adventurous mate, whom the uncertain result of the chase has
perhaps separated from him for the night. As this species is no
ways shy and very easily approached, I have had the opportunity
of studying it closely. At length, but in no haste, I observed the
female approach and take her station on the same lofty, decayed
limb with her companion, who, grateful for this attention, plumed
the feathers of his mate with all the assiduous fondness of a Dove.
Intent upon her meal, however, she soon flew off to a distance,
while the male still remained on his perch, dressing up his beau-
tiful feathers, for near half an hour, often shaking his tail, like
some of the lesser birds, and occasionally taking an indifferent
survey of the hosts of small chirping birds which surround him,
who followed without alarm the occupation of gleaning seeds and
berries for subsistence. I have occasionally observed them
perched on low bushes and stakes in the rice-fields, remaining
thus for half an hour at a time, and then darting after their prey
as it comes in sight. I saw one descend upon a Plover, as I
thought, and Wilson remarks their living on these birds, Larks,
and Sandpipers. The same pair that I watched, also hung on the
rear of a flock of Cow-buntings which were feeding and scratch-
ing around them.” ‘The length of this species is about twenty-two
inches, the wing fourteen, and the tail nine inches.

Black Rough-legged Hawk, American Rough-legged Hawk, or Rough-
legged Buzzard. (Archibuteo lagopus, var. Sancti Fohannis.)

Fig. 4.

This bird is usually to be met with in Middle Atlantic and New
England States. Itis also found in the West. In early summer
it migrates to the fur countries, remaining there until October.
According to Coues:

‘‘Its migrations appear to be quite regular and extensive—more
so, perhaps, than is generally supposed—though probably it does
_ not differ from most Hawks in this respect. ,Birds of this family
must follow their prey, wherever this leads them, and only a few
of the more powerful species, able to prey upon hares and Ptarmi-
gan, pass the winter in our highest latitudes. The Rough-legged
is a rather northerly species, rarely, if ever, breeding within the
limits of the United States, and becoming rarer toward its southern
terminus. On the Atlantic coast I have no authentic evidence of
its appearance south of the United States, the maritime portions
of which may be regarded as its winter headquarters. It is repre-
sented as being particularly numerous in the low land along the
Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It winters thence northward into
Maine at least, where Prof. Verrill and others have found it com-
mon at that season. It also endures the rigor of the year in parts
of the Missouri region, though probably not the northernmost.
Allen found it wintering in Wyoming. I took a single specimen
at Fort Whipple, in Arizona, in the winter of 1865, and Dr. Ken-
neley observed the species at Zuni, in New Mexico, in November.
This brings its range almost to the Mexican border. The contin-
uous mountain chains probably account for its range in this longi-
tude beyond that it completes on the Atlantic. Dr. Cooper thinks
it only a winter visitor in California, where he did not observe it
beyond Santa Clara Valley, but surmises it may breed in the
mountains of the State, as he saw it on the Columbia in July.

‘«‘ Notwithstanding their size and apparent muscularity, Hawks
of this genus have none of the dash and spirit of the Falcons, and
indeed seem inferior to the Buteos in this respect. Their quarry,
though diversified, is always humble; they prey upon various field
mice and other very small quadrupeds, lizards, and frogs, and
even insects, rarely attacking birds of any kind, and then only the
most defenseless. Open fields, especially in the vicinity of water,
are their favorite resorts. ‘They appear heavy and indisposed to
active exertion, flying slowly and heavily, and often remaining
long motionless on their perch. They show some analogy to the
Owls in points of structure, as well as in their partially nocturnal

habits. This has long been noticed. Sir John Richardson says

‘In the softness and fullness of its plumage, its feathered legs and
habits, this bird bears some resemblance to the Owls. It flies
slowly, sits for a long time on the bough of a tree, watching for
mice, frogs, etc., and is often seen sailing over swampy pieces of
ground, and hunting for its prey by the subdued daylight, which
illuminates even the midnight hours in the high parallels of lati-
tude.’ Wilson observes that it habitually courses over the mead-
ows long after the sun has set, and Audubon calls it the most noc-
turnal of our species.

‘¢The nest, which I have never seen, is said to be ordinarily
built of sticks, etc., in a high tree; sometimes, however, on cliffs,
as noted by Dr. Brewer. The eggs, three or four in number, and
measuring about 24 by 1? inches, run through the usual variations,
from dull whitish, scarcely or not at all marked, to drab or creamy,
largely blotched with different shades of brown, sometimes mixed
with purplish-slate markings.”

PLATE LXXXII.

Roseate Spoonbill. (P/atalea ajaja.)

jhe ie

The habitat of this bird is confined to the South Atlantic and
Gulf States. His northern limit is North Carolina, where he is
of extremely rare occurrence. He is a constant resident of the
southern extremities of the peninsula of Florida, and is extremely
abundant along the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico, and
particularly of Galveston Bay. His favorite haunts are the marshy
and muddy borders of ocean bays, the mouths of rivers, and bush-
covered islands, where, in the midst of an abundance of food, he
is enabled to breed in perfect security. The Indian river, Florida,
is another favorite breeding place, and here, in a single day, one
person has been known to kill sixty of these birds. The flesh is
tough and oily, but the feathers are very beautiful, and are made
into fans. So great is the demand for these feathers, that, at St.
Augustine, birds bring from one to two dollars each. The Ro-
seate is a very shy bird, and one extremely difficult to kill. He is
somewhat gregarious, associating with the Herons, and when
feeding, one of the number always acts the part of police. He
flies with his neck stretched forward to its full length, legs and feet
extended behind, and is possessed of much grace when on the
wing. When he alights, his wings expand, and, passing at least
twice over the spot, comes gently to the ground. He is essentially
nocturnal, though, when the tides are low, he is frequently seen
feeding by day. Few birds keep better watch of these ebbs and
flows, and when the tides are favorable, he may be seen standing
knee-deep in water, with his whole head and neck immersed in
the soft mud, searching for the small shell-fish, which are his
favorite food. His nest is usually made on the top of the man-
grove, is flat, and is formed of sticks of considerable size, and is
exceedingly coarse in construction. In this platform-like nest
three eggs are usually laid, the last not later than the middle of
February. These eggs are pure white, the shells slightly granu-
lated, are equally rounded at both ends, and measure 2.62 by 1.87
inches. By the first of April the young are hatched, but it is not
until the third year that they attain full plumage, and for several
seasons after they continue to increase in size.

Qua-bird or Skuak—Night Heron. (Vyctiardea garden.)
Fig. 2.

The Sgawk or Night Heron is a common resident of the United
States and British Provinces. He breeds abundantly in New

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LOUISIANA EGRET—YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON—BRANT GOOSE. 127

England, and winters in the South. He is found in Mexico,
Central and South America, and the West Indies. He seldom
advances very far inland from the marshy coasts where he breeds.
These breeding places are usually occupied for many years, and
are only abandoned under the most relentless persecutions. They
are located in low, wet, and, as far as man is concerned, almost
inaccessible swamps, surrounded by stagnant waters. The nest
is built sometimes near the ground, sometimes in the top of some
tall evergreen, a hundred feet in the air. It is large, flatish,
formed of sticks carelessly laid together, and so loosely arranged
as to frequently need repair. This nest is built out on the branches
or against the trunk of the tree, as is most convenient; and hun-
dreds of them will be found in a single heronry, frequently three
or four on a single tree. The eggs vary in number, running all
the way from three to seven. They are thin-shelled, and in color
are plain light seagreen. The young are soft and downy, and at
first are very helpless, but they soon gain in strength, and climb
to the upper branches, where, hanging by their bill and claws,
they are fed by the parent bird. Two broods are raised every
season, and the first brood is frequently seen gathered around the
nest in which their younger brothers and sisters rest, waiting with
them to be fed. They are omnivorous eaters, and must tax the
industry of their parents to the utmost. There are few things in
nature more repelling than one of these heronries. The treach-
€rous, water-sogged surface of the swamp will be white with the
excrements of the birds, the air hot, close, and insufferable with
its penetrating odor, and fine particles of these excrements floating
in the air will cause the perspiring body of the intruder to smart
wherever they touch. Decaying fish are everywhere, slowly rot-
ting, and intensifying the intolerable stench; while, at the ap-
proach of the intruder, the air is filled with a clamor like the
breaking out of Pandemonium. The flight of the Night Heron is
slow, steady, and greatly protracted. With head and shoulders
drawn in, with the legs and tail stretched out behind, they propel
themselves by regular and measured flapping of the wings. They
migrate at night, when their passage is indicated by the hoarse
croakings, which resemble q-u-a-w-k. His food consists of fish,
shrimps, tadpoles, frogs, leeches, and mice; and when he has
dined to his heart’s content, he will retire to some high tree, and
there, resting upon one leg, will doze motionless for hours. Before
he attains his perfect state, he undergoes three annual plumages.
According to Dr. Abbott, they winter near Trenton, N. j-» im
small numbers. He arrives in his northern breeding grounds
early in April, and remains until very late in the autumn.

Louisiana Egret—Louisiana Heron. (Ardea Jeucogastra, var. leuco-
prymna.)

Fig. 3.

This beautiful Heron is confined mostly to the Southern Atlantic
and Gulf States. He is a constant resident of the southern penin-
sula of Florida, and is found along the whole Gulf of Mexico,
extending up the Mississippi as far as Natchez. He is a sociable
bird, and is found in company with the White Egret and the Blue
Heron. His nest is built close to the sea shore, on low bushes,
and in close proximity to those of his kind. It is formed of small
dry sticks, laid across each other in various ways, is nearly flat,
and has but little lining. The eggs are usually but three in num-
ber, very thin-shelled, nearly elliptical, smooth, of a beautiful pale
blue color inclining to green, and measure 1.56 by 1.28 inches.
Incubation continues but three weeks, and but one brood is raised
during the season. The young do not obtain their full plumage
until the second year, while they increase in size for some time
after. The flesh of the young is fairly prized for eating ; his own
food consisting of worms, slugs, snails, tadpoles, aquatic lizards,
and insects. The Louisiana Heron is very graceful in all his
movements, and extorted from Audubon the name of ** Lady of

the Waters.” We quote from the latter’s somewhat florid diction:
‘* Watch its motions,” he says, ‘‘ as it leisurely walks over the pure
sand beaches of the coast of Florida, arrayed in the full beauty
of its spring plumage. Its pendent crest exhibits its glossy tints,
its train falls gracefully over a well-defined tail, and the tempered
hues of its back and wings contrast with those of its lower parts.
Its measured steps are so light that they leave no impression on
the sand, and with its keen eye it views every object around with
the most perfect accuracy. See, it has spied a small fly lurking
on a blade of grass; it silently runs a few steps, and with the
sharp point of its bill it has already secured its prey. The min-
now just escaped from the pursuit of some larger fish, has almost
rushed upon the beach for safety ; but the quick eye of the Heron
has observed its motion, and in an instant it is swallowed alive.”

Yellow-crowned Night Heron. (lVyctherodius violaceus.)

Fig. 4.

The range of this Heron is confined to the South Atlantic and
Gulf States, and to South America. He breeds in bayous and
low thickets. He is alike diurnal and nocturnal in his habits, and
subsists on aquatic and terrestial animals, eating young birds,
snakes, small quadrupeds, leeches, lizards, crabs, snails, and fish.
His nest is determined by the abundance of food, and is placed
high or low as circumstances may require, sometimes in the very
top of the loftiest cypress, and again in low bushes. This nest is
very like that of other Herons, being formed of dry sticks very
loosely put together, mixed with a few weeds, and sometimes
scantily lined with fibrous grasses. The eggs are rarely more
than three, very fragile, pale blue, inclining to green in color, and
measuring about 2.00 by 1.25 inches. The young leave the nest
before they are able to fly. The difference in latitude determines
the time at which the young are hatched ; the further north the later
the period of incubation. The beautiful slender plumes on the
head and back usually fall off after the period of courtship, when
the female commences her task of warming her eggs to life. The
young birds, when just ready to fly, are much prized for food, the.
older ones being tough and unsavory. The flight of this bird is
rather slow and not nearly so long protracted as that of the Night
Heron. When surprised, he rises almost perpendicularly for thirty
or forty yards, and then sails slowly away. When on the ground
he lacks the delicacy and grace of many of his compeers, picking
up his food after the manner of the barn-yard fowl. His migratory
movements are usually performed at night, and his sight at such
times is remarkably keen. When wounded, he defends himself
vigorously, inflicting severe wounds with his bill and claws.

PLATE LXXXIII.

Brant Goose—Black Brant—Brant or Brent, (Serxdcla brenta.)

Fig. 1.

The Brant is found all along the Atlantic coast of North America
and Europe. He breeds in the Arctic regions, and spends his
winters in the south. His southern migrations extend throughout
the fall months even into December, and his return is made during
the month of April. These migrations are made in great numbers,
collected together in one body, and at a great height in the air.
They are invariably over the waters of the ocean, sometimes far
seaward, and long detours are frequently made to avoid some pro-
jecting point of land. The Brant spends his nights at sea, cradled
by the billows, and at early dawn repairs to muddy flats, sand-
banks and low bars where he feeds. His foed consists entirely of

1238 RUDDY DUCK—BLACK GUILLEMOT—RED-THROATED DIVER—SCOTER DUCK.

marine plants, particularly of the Zostera marina, or cel grass,
of which he is very fond. He prefers to take his stand away from
marshy ground, where, if undisturbed, he will continue busily to
feed until the rising tide takes him on its bosom and floats him off
to sea. He is very local in his attachments, returning from year
to year to the same feeding grounds. He does not associate much
with other waders, though sometimes seen feeding in their vicinity.
His flesh is highly esteemed, and by some is considered nearly as
good as that of the Canvas-back. He is a shy bird and not easily
approached, and is said to dive only when heis wounded. His
flight resembles that of other geese, being slow and sedate. When
the weather is boisterous he finds shelter in estuaries and rivers.
Dr. Coues says that when ascending the Mississippi, he observed
vast numbers in flocks on the banks and mud bars of that river,
and he reports him as rare or casual on the Pacific coast. His
nest is very coarsely constructed, and the eggs are pure white.
The female, though smaller than the male, resembles him. In
flight, they make a trumpet-like noise, which, heard at a distance,
is said to resemble that of a pack of harriers or fox-hounds in full
cry.

Ruddy Duck. (4rismatura rubida.)
Fig. 2.

This Duck inhabits the whole of North America, and is abund-
ant throughout the interior. He is equally fond of salt, brackish,
or fresh water, and is found on the sea-coast as well as the lakes
and ponds of the interior. In his migrations he follows the sea-
coast or the courses of our rivers. His flight is rapid, and accom-
panied with a whirring sound. He rises from the water with con-
siderable difficulty, being obliged to assist himself with his broad
webbed feet, and, as it were, run for some way upon the water.
When once on the wing he sustains himself with much ease, and
makes extended journeys. In the water he moves with much ele-
gance and ease. He is extremely expert at diving, by which
means he obtains his food, which consists of the roots and blades
of grasses, the growth of fresh-water ponds, while on the sea-coast
he devours crabs, fiddlers, and kindred marine animals. His own
flesh, when he is fat and young, is highly esteemed. His note is

lew and closely resembles that of the female Mallard. When
~* wounded he immediately dives, and if taken alive is very pugna-
cious. HE is not a shy bird, and will allow a very near approach.
He is also a very sociable bird and frequents the company of Teals,
Scaups, Shovellers, and Mallards. His breeding habits are not
wet fully understood. Dr. Coues found him breeding abundantly
® on the line of the 49th parallel, between Dakota and the British
Provinces, as late as July. Mr. Ruthven Deane found two in the
Boston market, on the roth of September, with wings not suffi-
ciently fledgéd to fly. These were shot at Cape Cod. They mi-
grate southward, in large flocks, through Massachusetts during
the months of October and November.

Black Guillemont—Sea Pigeon. (Urda grylle.)
Fig. 3-

The Black Guillemontis confined to the northeastern coast of
America and Greenland. In winter he strays as far south as New
Jersey. His nest, according to Audubon, is made of smooth,
small pebbles, which he brings from a distance in his mouth for
the purpose. These pebbles are shaped into a regular nest, and
are laid up about three inches high. When, however, the spot
selected for a nest is situated so as to preclude all dampness, no
attempt is made at nest-building, the eggs being laid on the bare
rock. These eggs are three in number, are white, and thickly
spotted with dark brown, especially around the larger end. They
are disproportionately large, measuring 2.37 by 1.62 inches, and

are highly prized as an article of food. Before the young are able
to fly, they are led to the water by their parents, where they swim
and dive with great ease. The Guillemont’s favorite breeding
place is about the different entrances to the Bay of Fundy and on
the rocky shores of the island of Grand Manan. Here, wherever
a fissure in the rock may be seen, one of these birds, during the
period of incubation, is pretty sure to be found. His flight is very
rapid and long continued, and as he propels himself through the
air, the black of his lower part and the white of his wings alter-
nately appear. On shore he walks with more than ordinary ease,
and steps from rock to rock with the aid of his wings. His food
consists of shrimps and other marine animals. In Hastings’ Polar
World, we are informed that St. George, of the Pribiloro Island,
off Russian America, is inhabited in common by Sea Lions and
Black Guillemonts, the latter having taken possession of the places
unoccupied by the former, where they fly fearlessly among them,
or nestle in the crevices of the water-worn rock-walls, or between
the large boulders which form a bank along the strand.

Red-throated Diver. (Colymbus septentrionalis.)
Fig. 4.

The range of this Diver extends from the Arctic seas to Mary-
land, and he is also found on the Pacific coast. He breeds in
May and June, choosing for his nest some small, sequestered
island, in the middle of a lake or large pond of fresh water, lying
near the sea-shore. His nest consists of a few blades of grass
loosely put together and without lining. This nest is placed within
a few feet of the water, with a well-beaten track leading from it
to the shore. He never alights upon the land, and before going
to his nest, swims all around it, carefully reconnoitering, and if
free from danger, crawls silently out of the water, and then slowly
waddles to it. But three eggs are laid, deep olive brown in color,
marked irregularly with spots of dull dark brown, and measuring
3 by 1.75 inches. The male assists the female in incubating, and
both are extremely solicitous for their young. The latter take to
the water the day succeeding their escape from the egg, and are
even then very expert swimmers and divers. The male is much
larger than the female, weighing on an average fully a pound
more. The Red-throated lives almost entirely at sea, resorting
only to fresh water for the purpose of breeding. He is at all times
an exceedingly shy bird, and very difficult to shoot. At the ap-
proach of the huntsman he increases his vigilance, and long before
the former arrives within gunshot he either dives or flies away.
His notes are harsh and rather loud, and resemble the syllables
cac, cac, carah, carah, repeated in rapid succession. He does
not acquire his full beauty..of plumage until the fourth year.
While in fresh water he feed§,on small fish, shrimps, leeches,
snails, and aquatic insects. HS flesh is tough, oily, and dark
colored, and very unpalatable.

American Black Scoter, or Scoter Duck. (Ozdema americana.)
Fig. 5.

This Duck is an inhabitant of both coasts of North America and
its larger inland waters. His winter range extends as far north
as the coast of Massachusetts, and from thence south to the mouth
of the Mississippi. A few pairs breed on the coast of Labrador,
but the vast majority proceed further north. The nest resembles
that of the Eider Duck, though very much smaller. It 1s exter-
nally composed of small sticks, moss, and grasses, and lined with
down mixed with feathers. The eggs are usually eight in num-
ber, oval, smooth, uniform pale yellow, and measure 2.00 by 1.62
inches. The parents are very solicitous for their young. Audu-
bon found a female with several young ones, but was unsuccessful

AIXXX "Id |

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BROWN PELICAN—CARAN-—STILT SANDPIPER—SANDHILL CRANE. 129
RE a a a

in his attempts at capturing them. On several occasions, when
they were fatigued with diving, the mother would receive all the
young ones on her back, and swimming deeply and very fast, take
them to the shore, where the little ones effectually hid themselves
in the tall grass and low tangled bushes. The Scoter flies low
upon the water, with a swift and well-sustained flight. He dives
with great facility, while on land his movements are unusually
awkward. Gregarious, they congregate in large multitudes, and
are shot for market, though the flesh is dark and not over savory.
The food consists of shell-fish, marine plants, and insects.

PLATE LXXXIV.

Brown Pelican. (Fedicanus fuscus.)
Fig. 1.

This Pelican is an inhabitant of the coast of California, and on
the Atlantic side ranges from Texas to North Carolina. He is a
constant resident of Florida, where he breeds on its numerous sand
bars and lonely mangrove islands. When once mated he is as-
siduous in his attentions to the female, assists her in building her
nest, and shares with her the toils of incubation. He breaks with
his bill dry branches of the trees, and lays them, one crossing an-
other, until a strong platform is constructed. On this platform roots
and withered plants are placed, in the centre of which a basin is
hollowed for the purpose of receiving theeggs. These eggs, which
are usually three, are rather elliptical in shape, and measure about
3-12 by 2.12 inches. ‘The shell is thick, pure white, with faint
streaks of a rosy tint and blotches of a very pale hue. The young,
at first, are covered with cream-colored down, and are so abund-
antly supplied with food that immense quantities of putrid fish lie
scattered around the nest. They rapidly increase in size, and,
when the parent birds are away, become the easy prey of Vultures
and Crows. Notwithstanding Audubon’s prediction that they would
soon become extinct, they are still found in immense numbers.
Flocks of several hundred are frequently seen, and they fairly
break the branches of the mangrove trees with their numbers and
weight. They fish regularly with the young flood of the tide,
diving from a great height; and fish weighing two and one-half
pounds have been taken from their pouches. This pouch measures
from six to ten inches, according to the age of the bird. The flight
of the Brown Pelican is remarkably well sustained, the bird at
times mounting to immense heights in the air, and remaining for
hours on the wing. ‘They propel themselves by alternate flappings
and sailing, and glide along with great speed and ease. On the
land they are by no means active, walking heavily, and frequently
reeling as if unable to stand. They sometimes stray very far from
their breeding haunts, as, within the last few years, they have been
shot off the coast of Massachusetts. They are not a noisy bird,
only uttering a loud rough grunt when excited. The young are
two years in arriving at maturity.

Caran—Crying Bird—Courlan. (Aremus giganteus.)
Fig. 2.

The Courlan is confined to the West Indies and to Florida. At
the latter place he is rarely found outside of the lagoons and bayous
of the great morass known as the Everglades. His nest is placed
among the tufts of grass that grow on the borders of these bayous,
and are so fastened to these tufts as to defy the effects of the tide.
It is composed of rank weeds matted together, forming a large
mass, in the center of which a depression is made for the purpose
of containing the eggs. These eggs rarely exceed five or six, and
are large for the size of the bird. The young are hatched in May,

and follow the parents soon after birth. They feed largely on a
large greenish snail. Their note, when startled, or during the
pairing season, which occurs in April, is a harsh sort of cackle.
The flight of the Courlan is slow and heavy and of short duration.
With head and neck extended to its full length, and with long legs
dangling beneath, he barely skims the tall weeds in which he
makes his home. In case of danger, he drops instantly into these
protecting weeds, where it is difficult to overtake him, even with
the assistance of dogs. When accidentally surprised, he rises ob-
liquely, and at such times is easily shot, but if only wounded, it is
useless to pursue him. His flesh is prized as an article of diet.

Stilt Sandpiper. (A@cropalama himantopus.)
Fig. 3.

The Long-legged Sandpiper inhabits North America generally.
As yet he has not been observed west of the Rocky Mountains.
He is very rare in the United States, but is more plentiful in the
West Indies, Central and South America. In his migrations he is
occasionally shot in nearly every state in the Union. He breeds
in very high latitudes, and but very little is known regarding his
habits in this respect. ‘Two sets of eggs, purporting to belong to
this Sandpiper, are in the Smithsonian Institute at Washington ;
but Dr. Coues questions their identification, believing them to be-
long to the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, with which they are absolutely
identical. According to Audubon, they feed after the manner of
the Curlews, following the retreating waves along the sand, and
probing it with their bills to the full length. The flight of the Stilt
is rapid and regular. He moves in a compact body with his fel-
lows, and when about to alight inclines his body, thus alternately
showing the upper and the lower sides. They feed on worms, mi-
nute shell-fish, and vegetable substances, and their flesh is very
sweet and delicate. On foot, they move like the Curlews, and
when suddenly approached will squat upon the ground.

PLATE LXXXV.

Brown or Sandhill Crane. (Gras canadensis.)
Fig. 1.

The habitat of the Sandhill Crane extends from Florida through
the Mississippi valley and west to the Pacific coast, reaches the
interior of the fur countries, and touches upon the west coast of
Baffin’s Bay. He breeds throughout this entire region. He is
found nowhere east of the Mississippi, with the exception of Flor-
ida. In Florida, the female lays her eggs all along from the mid-
dle of February until the middle of April. Further north, the
time of incubation is very much later, on the Yukon river fresh
eggs having been taken as late as mid-June. The nests are some-
times mere holes in the sand; at other times they are placed in the
midst of tall ferns, on high and open grounds. The Sandhill is 2
very shy and suspicious bird, and his favorite breeding places are
those which command long distances. ‘The eggs are two in num-
ber, light brownish drab in color, with sparse markings, except on
the great end, which is covered with large irregular spots of dull
chocolate-brown. The shell is rough from numerous elevations,
resembling warts, and is punctulate all over. The eggs vary in
size and shape, ranging from 3.80 by 2.60 to 4.10 by 2.40 inches.
The young are raised from the nest by Indians for food. They
are easily domesticated, eating refuse scraps about the settlements,
and consuming great numbers of insects. The markets of San
Francisco are always supplied with them, where the flesh is very
highly esteemed as an article of diet. Late in September they
commence their southward migrations, flying chiefly by night,

130 GREAT WHITE HERON—ALBATROSS—SKU A—GOLDFINCH.

when they break the stillness by hoarse and rattling croaks.
When disturbed they rise heavily from the ground, and slowly
circling upward attain great altitudes. According to Dr. Coues,
** thousands of Sandhill Cranes repair each year to the Colorado
river valley, flock succeeding flock along the course of the great
stream from their arrival in September until their departure the
following spring. Taller than the Wood Ibises, or the largest
Herons with which they are associated, the stately birds stand in
the foreground of the scenery of the valley, the water now reflect-
ing the shadow of their broad wings, then the clear blue sky ex-
hibiting in outline their commanding forms. Such ponderous
bodies moving with slow-beating wings, give a great idea of mo-
mentum from mere weight, of force of motion without swiftness ;
for they plod along heavily, seeming to need every inch of their
ample wings to sustain themselves. One would think they must
soon alight fatigued with such exertion, but the raucus cries con-
tinue, and the birds fly on for miles along the tortuous stream, in
Indian file, under some trusty leader, who croaks his hoarse
orders, implicitly obeyed. Each bird keeps his place in the ranks ;
the advancing column now rises higher over some suspected spot,
now falls along an open, sandy reach, swaying meanwhile to the
right or left. As it passes on, the individual birds are blended in
the hazy distance, till, just before lost to view, the line becomes
like an immense serpent gliding mysteriously through the air.
When about to alight, fearful lest the shadow of the wood harbor
unseen dangers, the Cranes pass by the leafy intricacies where the
Ibises and other less suspicious birds feed, and choose a spot for the
advantage it may offer of uninterrupted vision. By nature one of
the most wary and discreet of birds, his experience has taught the
Crane to value this gift and put it to the best use. His vigilance
is rarely relaxed, even when he is feeding where less thoughtful
birds would feel perfectly secure. After almost every bending of
his long neck to the ground, he rises again and at full length glances
keenly on every side. He may resume his repast, but should so
much as a speck he can not account for appear in view, he stands
motionless, all attention. Now let the least sound or movement
betray an unwelcome visitor, he bends his muscular thighs, spreads
his ample wings, and springs heavily into the air, croaking dis-
mally in warning to all his kind within the far-reaching sound of
his voice.

Great White Heron. (Azdubonza occidentalis.)
Fig. 2.

The Great White Heron is a constant resident of Florida and
Cuba. Heselects his mate early in March, but it is fully six weeks
later before preparations are made for hatching the young. His
nest is seldom more than a few feet above high-water mark, is
about three feet in diameter, formed of sticks of various dimen-
sions, is several inches thick, quite flat, and with scarcely any
lining. The eggs are always three; are of a uniform light bluish-
green in color, and measure about 2.75 by 1.67 inches. Incuba-
tion extends over a period of thirty days, and the male shares in
its labors. He is diurnal in his habits, and never leaves his fishing
ground until driven off by the tide. In fishing, he stands motion-
less, waiting for his prey to approach, when he strikes it with his
bill and swallows it alive, unless too large, in which case he beats
it on the water, shaking it violently. He is very shy and wary,
and rarely occupies the same roosting place two nights in succes-
sion. When roosting, he usually stands upon one foot, with his
long neck drawn in and placed under his wing. When surprised,
he leaves his roost, uttering a rough croaking sound, and flies long

distances out to sea. His flight is firm, regular, and greatly pro-,

tracted, and is performed by slow and regular beatings of the wing.
He frequently rises high in the air, sailing in wide circles, and he
never alights without first performing this circling flight, unless
when approaching his feeding ground. Audubon gives an account

Se eee eee eee eee

of two kept in confinement; each one would in a few minutes con-
sume a gallon of fish. They would strike at children; grown fowls
and ducks they would tear up and devour. Once a cat, asleep in
the sunshine, was instantly killed by one of these birds. When
their bills became broken they would grow again. At last they
began to pursue children, when they had to be killed.

PLATE LXXXVI.

Yellow-nosed Albatross. (Dzomedea chlororhynchos.)
Fig. I.

We include this bird on the bare possibility of his belonging to
North America. Audubon received a skin from Dr. Townsend,
who procured it in the Pacific Ocean, not far from the mouth of the
Columbia river. Baird gives his habitat as the Pacific ocean, and
coast of Oregon. Dr. Coues says ‘‘it is the D. culminata, a
species of Australian and other southern seas, sazd to have been
taken ‘ not far from the Columbia river,’ but there is no reason, as
yet, to believe it ever comes within a thousand miles of this coun-
try.’ ”

Common Skua. (Stercorarius catarractes.)
Fig. 2.

The Common Skua is a rare bird in the United States, and is
only found on the coast of California. He is found in all parts of
the northern seas, within and near the polar circle. He is very |
powerful, both in his wing and beak, and during his breeding sea-
son does not hesitate to attack the Eagle. It is claimed that it is
even dangerous for man to go near the nest which contains his
young; and when country people are compelled to do so, they
carry long sticks, armed with pikes or spears on the top, on which
the Skua frequently transfixes himself in his furious descent. He
attacks other birds indiscriminately, when on the wing, making
them disgorge their food, which he seizes before it reaches the
water. There is every reason to believe that he chooses his mate
for life. The nest is rudely formed ; the eggs are rarely more than
two, varying in different shades of olive, and are marked with a
few spots. He is not a sociable bird, rarely keeping company with
other than his life-long spouse. His voice is sharp and shrill, the
note resembling S-k-u-a, from whence his name.

PLATE LXXXVII.

Arkansas Goldfinch. (C2rysomitris psaliria.)
Fig. t.

This Goldfinch inhabits the territory lying between the southern
Rocky Mountains and the Pacific coast, extending north to Salt
Lake City. His nest is built in the branches of some small tree,
usually about ten feet from the ground. It is a very beautiful struc-
ture, symmetrical in form, and very ingeniously fitted to the
branches which sustain it. Its base is composed of fine vegetable
cottons, grasses, and strips of bark, densely felted together, and
lined with the softest vegetable down. The eggs vary from four
to five in number, rounded oval in shape, sharply pointed at one
end, of a uniform greenish-white, unspotted, and measure about
.60 by .50 of aninch. His song is remarkable for the power and
sadness of its tone. The ordinary note it is impossible to describe,
it resembling a plaintive, mellow whistle; when he takes to flight,

Pl. LXXXYVI.

GOLDFINCH—W OODPECKER—QUAIL—FLYCATCHER—HUMMING-BIRD. 131

it is changed into a quick cheer, cheer. This Goldfinch is even
more gregarious than the common American Goldfinch (C. ¢résts),
large flocks associating together as early as the beginning of June.
His habits greatly resemble the C. ¢rdsés. He was first discovered
in Long’s expedition to the Rocky Mountains, in 1823, and isa
rather rare bird.

Lawrence’s Goldfinch. (Chrysomitris lawrenc?.)

Fig. 2, Male. Fig. 3, Female.

This little bird is very Common throughout California, where it
frequents bushy hillsides, eating the buds and seeds of the low
bushes with great avidity. They are very gregarious, associating
in large flocks. This Goldfinch’s favorite breeding place is in the
fork of a bush or stunted oak, and is composed of fine grasses,
lined with hair and feathers. It is a very ingenious and beautiful
piece of mechanism, about one and a half inches in height, and
three inches in diameter. The walls are closely matted together
with feathers, vegetable and animal wools, and are soft, warm, and
thick. The eggs run from four to five in number, and vary greatly
in size, ranging from .80 by .46, to .58 by .45 inches. The eggs
are either pure white or faintly touched with a delicate green tint.
His song is very sweet and pleasing, some of his notes resembling
those of a Canary, though more subdued. He has been seen in
San Francisco as late as December, and probably winters in the
very southern parts of California.

Gairdner’s Woodpecker. (Pécus gairdneré.)

Fig. 4.

The habitat of this Woodpecker is confined to the Pacific coast
of the United States, extending back to the Rocky Mountains.
His plumage grows darker, and with less of white, as he ap-
proaches Western Oregon and Washington Territory. He com-
mences to excavate his nest about the middle of May, selecting
some smallish tree for the purpose. He firsts cuts a hole in the
solid wood as circular as if described with a pair of compasses.
From this, the hole is excavated, running down in an oblique di-
rection from six to eight inches. This hole is roomy and capacious,
the walls very smooth and polished. The eggs are from five to six
in number, nearly spherical in shape, pure white, and measure
.96 by -85 inches. He is a very familiar and unsuspicious bird,
paying little or no attention to man; he is also a very industrious
bird, employing all his time in searching the bark of trees, for the
purpose of ferreting out the insects which hide within their crevices.
His flight is undulating, and he greatly resembles in all his ways
the Downy Woodpecker of the East.

California Valley Quail. (Lophortyx californicus.)

Fig. 5, Male. Fig. 6, Female.

This beautiful species is found in all the valleys of California
and Oregon. Its favorite abiding places are the prairies and grain
fields of the cultivated districts, and the thickets which border upon
streams, where coveys ranging from twenty to one hundred will
frequently be met with, except during the breeding season, when
they are only found in pairs. Like his eastern brother, he is very
fond of sitting upon some stump, and in the early morning whist-
ling out his peculiar call. This call resembles kuck-kuck-kuck-
ka; the first three notes repeated rapidly, the last prolonged with a
falling inflection. His nest is made in the open field, or at the foot
of some small shrub, and is composed of grasses arranged with
more or less care. Sometimes no attempt at nest-making is under-
taken, the eggs being laid on the bare sand. They vary in num-

ber, ranging from twelve to sixteen; they also vary in size and
markings. ‘They are sharply pointed at one end and rounded at
the other, the ground color of a creamy white, with markings of
all shades of olive, chestnut, and drab, and measure from 1.30 by
1.00, to 1.18 by .95 inches. In Wilkes’ expedition, specimens
were taken alive in Oregon, and by a route equal to the .circumfer-
ence of the globe, were taken to Washington, where they produced
one brood of young. Dr. Newberry tells us that they are suscep-
tible of domestication, and would be a pretty ornament for parks
and lawns in the Atlantic states, where they would probably thrive.
He also says that as a game bird they are inferior to the eastern
Quail, though, perhaps, of equal excellence for the table. It does
not lie as well to the dog, and does not afford as good sport. It
also takes a tree more readily. In 1857 it was introduced into
Washington Territory, where it increased largely. In hunting,
when flushed from the ground, it invariably flies to the trees, if in
a wooded country, where it squats so closely lengthwise on a branch
that it is hardly distinguishable. An attempt has been made to in-
troduce them into Long Island, but they were all exterminated by
gunners after the first season.

PLATE LXXXVIII.

Black Ptilogonys—Black-crested Flycatcher. (Piaexopepla nitens.)

Fig. 1.

This species is to be met with in the valley of the Colorado and
southward. Its powerful and well-modulated song is very pleasant
to the ear. Cooper says: This bird, which is in habits and appear-
ance much more like the Flycatchers than the Waxwings, is yet
connected with the latter more closely in structure, and has even
some sweet notes, indicating a greater affinity to the Osczzes than
to the Clamatores.

They prefer the vicinity of the trees on which the mistletoe
grows, as its berries form much of their food during the whole
year, but they also watch for insects from the summit of some low
tree, occasionally flying after one and pursuing it in a zigzag course,
very much like the Sayornis nigricans. They almost constantly
utter a loud cry of alarm or warning, and when pursued are very
wild, requiring much artifice in winter to shoot them. If wounded,
they conceal themselves so fully in the thick tufts of mistletoe as to
be found with much difficulty.

When at rest, they have the same habit as the Pewees of jerking
the tail and erecting their crest. When flying, the white spot on
the spread wings becomes very conspicuous; and in the deserts
along the Majoor river, every thicket of mesquite was frequented
by one or more of them, some being constantly on the wing in their

gyrating flight after insects, giving some appearance of life to those
otherwise desolate regions in winter.

Mango Humming-bird—Black-throated Humming-bird.

(Lampornis
mango.)

Fig. 2.

The Mango, we learn from M. Boucier, though one of the most
widely-spread members of its family, is only to be met with in hot
localities (straggler to Florida), and whenever it occurs in: the in-
terior of a country, it is invariably in the warmest valleys. -In dis-
position it is wild and quarrelsome, for although ‘it lives in societies,
several always being together, it is continually engaged in fighting
with its companions and in driving away all other birds that ap-
proach the trees in which it is breeding. The adult does not as-
sume its perfect plumage until the end of the second year, and in

132 GOLDFINCH—HUMMING-BIRD—W REN—TOWHEE.

the interval passes through so many changes that the variety of
appearance it presents has given rise to the various names under
which these birds have been described. The flight of this species
is rapid. The Mango frequents gardens as well as forests, and is
very common in Rio Janeiro in some seasons and equally scarce at
others. The nest, according to Gould, is a round cup-shaped
structure, placed near the extremity of a small horizontal branch,
and is composed of any cottony or similar material that may be at
hand, bound together with cobwebs, and ornamented with numer-
ous small pieces of lichen. The eggs are white, and two in num-
ber, half an inch long by three-eighths of an inch in breadth.

‘* Wishing to keep one of these birds alive,” says Gould, ‘I
stationed myself near a blossoming papau tree, one evening, with
a gauze ring-net in my hand, with which I darted at one, and
though I missed my aim, the attempt so astonished it that it ap-
peared to have lost its presence of mind, so to speak, flitting hur-
riedly hither and thither for several seconds before it flew away.
The next morning I again took my station, and stood quite still,
the nest being held up close to an inviting branch of blossoms; the
Humming Birds came near in their course round the tree, sipped
the surrounding flowers, eyeing the net hanging in the air for a
moment near the fatal cluster without touching it, and then, arrow-
like, darting away. At length one, after surveying the net, passed
again round the tree, and in approaching it the second time and
perceiving the strange object not to have moved, he took courage
and began to suck. I quite trembled with hope; in one instant the
net was struck, and before I could see anything, the rustling of
his wings within the gauze told me that the little beauty was a cap-
tive. I brought him in triumph to the house and caged him, but
he was very restless, clinging to the sides and wires, and fluttering
violently about.. The next morning, having gone out on an ex-
cursion for a few hours, I found the poor bird on my return dying,
having beaten himself to death. I never again took this species
alive.”

Black-headed Goldfinch.

(Chrysomttris magellanica.)
Fig. 3.

Of this species, Audubon says: ‘* While residing at Henderson,
on the Ohio, I, one cold morning in December, observed five males
of this species on the heads of some sunflowers in my garden, and,
after watching them for a little time, shot two of them. The rest
rose high in the air, and were soon out of sight. Considering the
birds very nearly allied to our common American Goldfinch, I was
surprised to find the head black at that season. ‘Their notes re-
semble those of the Pine Finch, Lenarza pinus, but in their man-
ner of feeding, as well as in their flight, they precisely resembled
the American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristzs. All my subsequent
endeavors to meet this species failed.”

Black-chinned Humming-bird. (Zrochilus alexandrt.)

Fig. 4.

This species is very closely allied to the Ruby-throated Hum-
ming-bird of Eastern North America, the difference consisting
in the color of the chin and the shape of the tail. The tail in the
male is nearly even, or slightly rounded, instead of being decidedly
forked. ‘The females of the two species are very similar, and can
scarcely be distinguished. Whilst the Ruby-throated Humming-
bird is confined to the east of the Rocky Mountains, this species is
confined to the west of the same range. Cooper, in his Ornithology
of California, says: ‘‘ I observed none of this species in the Col-
orado Valley, and in coming westward first saw them along the
Morgan river on the third of June. I also found one of their nests
there, built in a dark willow thicket in a fork of a tree about eight

feet from the ground. I have since found several more nests near
Santa Barbara, all of them built near the end of hanging branches
of the sycamore (f/atanus), constructed entirely of white down
from the willow or sycamore catkins, agglutinated by the bird’s
saliva, and attached in the same way to the branch on which they
rested. ‘These were built in April, and early in May I found sev-
eral containing two white eggs, like those laid by all Humming-
birds, oblong in shape, and alike at each end; size, 0.51 by 0.32.
Dr. Hurman found their nests as far north as Sacramento, and
south to Guaymas. I have never seen the species in places ex-
posed to the cold sea-winds, where others are found. It is a less
interesting and conspicuous bird than the larger species found in
this state, and probably not often recognized, though its small size
is alone sufficient to distinguish it.

‘«¢ During the progress of the Northwestern Boundary Survey, Mr.
J. K. Lord, of the British commission, was so fortunate as to find
this species between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains, near lati-
tude 49°, where they arrived toward the end of May, and fre-
quented the vicinity of lakes, pools, and swamps where the birch
tree grows. ‘The sap excluded from the bark of this tree attracted
numbers of insects, on which this Humming-bird chiefly fed. He
found the nests in high forks of branches of the birch or alder.”

Mexioan Wren—White-throated Wren. (Catherpes mexicanus.)
Fig. 5.

Until lately, the range of the White-throated Wren has been
from the United States border, thence southward. Mr. Aiken re-
ports it found in winter in Colorado, among large masses of rock
on the faces of cliffs. Mr. Allen remarks that ‘‘ The White-
throated Wren is one of the most noteworthy birds of those re-
markable localities near Colorado City, known as ‘ Monument
Park,’ and the ‘ Garden of the Gods.’ When alone, I observed it
in Colorado. Equally with the Rock Wren, it is a lover of cliffs
and bare rocky exposures. Wherever it occurs, at least in the
breeding season, its presence is sure to be known by its loud ring-
ing notes. At the localities above named it seemed to delight in
the reverberation of its notes from the high sandstone walls that
give to the Garden of the Gods its peculiar picturesqueness.” Ac-
cording to Prof. Sumichrast, it is very common on the plateau of
Mexico, ‘‘ where it probably has its center of propagation,” and
it is also found in the temperate region of the department of Vera
Cruz. ‘In Orizaba, it nests in the houses; its nest, very skill-
fully wrought with spiders’ webs, is built in the crevices of old
walls, or in the interstices between the tiles under the roofs of
houses.”

Dr. Coues says: ‘* The note of the species is one of the most
striking I ever heard; for a bird of its size, it sings with wonderful
strength and clearness, uttering a peculiar ringing whistle, the odd
intonations of which are exaggerated in the echoes awakened
among the fastnesses of the rocks. It is a very active, sprightly
bird. leaping and fluttering among the rocks almost incessantly.”

Oregon Towhee. (P2filo maculatus, var. oregonus.)
Fig. 6.

This species is very similar to the Chewink, Towhce Bunting
or Marsh Robin, which will be noticed by a comparison of the
figures of the two species. The Chewink is represented on Plate
LVI., Fig. 8. ‘* The note of the Oregon Towhee,” says Coues,
‘is entirely different, the words ‘ towhee’ and ‘ chewink’ being
an attempt to imitate the sound, while the cry of the western varie-
ties of maculatus is exactly like the scolding mew of a Catbird.”
The Oregon Towhee is met with on the Pacific coast.

PL. LXXXVIIT,

HUMMING BIRD—TANAGER—FLY-CATCHER—GROSBEAKS—CAT BIRD. 133

Rufous-backed or Red-backed Humming Bird. (Selasphorus rufus.)
Fig. 7.

The Rufous-backed is the only representative of the family that
1s to be met with in the extreme north. The Rocky Mountains to
the Pacific, from Mexico to Alaska, is their abiding place. It
was first discovered by the navigator, Captain Cook. Of its
habits, Nuttall says: .

*« We began to meet with this species near the Blue Mountains
of the Columbia river, in the autumn, as we proceeded to the
west. We now, for the first time (April 16), saw the males in
numbers, darting, burring, and squeaking in the usual manner of
their tribe; but when engaged in collecting its accustomed sweets,
in all the energy of life, it seemed like a breathing gem, or magic
carbuncle of glowing fire, stretching out its gorgeous ruff, as if to
emulate the sun itself in splendor. Toward the close of May, the
females were sitting, at which time the males were uncommonly
quarrelsome and vigilant, darting out at me as I approached the
tree, probably near the nest, looking like an angry coal of brilliant
fire, passing within very little distance of my face, returning sev-
eral times to the attack, sinking and darting with the utmost ve-
locity, at the same time uttering a curious reverberating, sharp
bleat, somewhat similar to the quivering twang of a dead twig,
yet also so much like the bleat of some small quadruped that for
some time I searched the ground, instead of the air, for the actor
in the scene. At other times, the males were seen darting up high
in the air, and whirling about each other in great anger, and with
much velocity. After these maneuvers, the aggressor returned
to the same dead twig, where for days he regularly took his station
with all the courage and angry vigilance of a King Bird. The
angry hissing or bleating note of this species seems something like
‘wht ’t ’t 't ’t shvee,’ tremulously uttered, as it whirls and sweeps
through the air, like a musket-ball, accompanied also by some-
thing like the whirr of the Night Hawk.”

The nest is usually built on a twig; is composed externally of
mosses, lichens, and a few feathers, with slender, fibrous roots, in-
terwoven and lined with fine cottony seed-down.

Louisiana Tanager. (Pyranga ludoviciana:)
Fig. 8.

This conspicuously-plumaged Tanager is the western cousin of
the eastern Scarlet Tanager. It is met with in the Rocky Mount-
ains, thence to the Pacific. There is very little difference in the
note or song of the two species. The habits of the western spe-
cies are also very similar to those of its eastern cousin. Dr.
Cooper mentions the arrival of this species near San Diego on the
24th of April, and says: ‘‘ The males come sometimes in advance,
clothed in their full summer livery, and are more bold and con-
spicuous than the females, which are rarely seen without close
watching. They frequent trees, feeding on insects and berries,
and singing much in the same manner as other species.” ‘‘ The
favorite habitat of this species,” says Dr. Suckley, ‘‘in those lo-
calities where I have observed it, is among the tall, red fir-trees
belonging to that magnificent species, the Adzes Jonglassiz. They
seemingly prefer the edges of the forest, rarely retiring to its
depths, unless for concealment, when alarmed. In early summer,
at Fort Steilacoom, they are generally seen during the middle of
the day, sunning themselves in the firs, occasionally darting from
one of these trees to another, or to some of the neighboring white
oaks (.2. garryana), on the prairies. Later in the season, they
may be seen very actively flying about in quest of insect food for
their young. Both sexes, during the breeding season, are much

less shy; the males, during the daytime, frequently sitting on some
low limb, rendering the scene joyous with their delightful melody.”
The eggs of this species, in size and shape, are very similar to
the Scarlet Tanager.

The Red or Vermilion Fly-catcher. (Pyrocephalus rubineus, var. mext-
Canus.)

Fig. 9.

The habitat of this species is in the valleys of the Rio Grande
and Colorado, and southward. It is a shy bird, and does not allow
one to approach within shooting distance. Its note is a low chirp.
Its general habits are the same as those of Fly-catchers.

Blue Grosbeak, (Guzraca cerulea.)
Fig. 10.

This is one of our solitary species, that is mostly met with in the
more temperate sections of North America. It occasionally extends
its migrations as far as the State of Maine. The song consists of a
few sweet-toned notes, but the most common note is a loud chuck.
It is also described ‘‘ as a rapid, intricate warble, like that of the
Indigo Bird, though stronger and louder.” It is also claimed that
this species is closely allied to the Indigo Birds ‘* otherwise than
merely by their coloration and structure.” Wilson says: ‘* They
are timid birds, watchful, silent, and active.” Their food consists
of ‘* hemp-seed, millet, and kernels of several kinds of berries.”
The nest of this species is usually built in a tree or bush. The
eggs are light blue in color.

Evening Grosbeak. (Hespercphona vespertina.)
Fig. 11.

This beautiful species is a resident along the Rocky Mountains
to New Mexico, Sierra Nevada, northward, also on Lake Supe-
rior, north and west. It was first discovered by Mr. William
Cooper, who says of it:

** In the north, they are not uncommon, but keep so high among
the cottonwoods and pines that they are rarely obtained. They do
not seem to come down near the coast, even at the Columbia river ;
and, in this state (California), have never been met with in the
coast range of mountains. They feed chiefly on the seeds of pines,
spruces, and cottonwood poplars, occasionally seeking other seeds
nearer the ground. When feeding, they are very silent and diffi-
cult to perceive; but when they fly from one place to another they
utter a loud call-note. In spring, they have a rather short, but
melodious song, resembling that of the Robin, or Black-headed
Grosbeak.”

Arctic Spotted Towhee. Califorsaia Ground Robin. Cat Bird. (Pipilo

maculatus, var. megalonyx.)
Fig. 12.

This species is one of our several varieties of Spotted Towhees,
and is known as the western variety. Its habitat is in California,
Arizona, and New Mexico. Mr. Cooper says:

** Their favorite residence is in thickets and oak groves, where
they live mostly on the ground, scratching among the dead leaves
in the concealment of the undergrowth, and rarely venturing far
from shelter. ‘They never fly more than a few yards at a time, and
only a few feet above the ground. About towns, if unmolested,

134 W OODPECKERS—FLY-CATCHER—TITMOUSE—SPA RRO W—W REN—TITS—QUAILS.

rr ee ir Se ee le

they become more familiar, entering gardens, and making their
homes about the house. They have little musical powers, the
male merely uttering a feeble, monotonous trill, from the top of
some low bush. The nest is made on the ground, under a thicket,
constructed of dry leaves, stalks, and grass, mixed with fine roots.
The eggs, four or five in number, are greenish-white, minutely
speckled with reddish brown. They measure 1.00 x 0.40.

‘‘ When alarmed, they have a note something like the ‘ mew’

of a cat, from which they are popularly known by the name of Cat
Bird.”

PLATE LXXXIX.

Brown-headed Woodpecker. (Sphyrapicus thyrotdeus.)
Fig, 1.

A beautiful species that is to be met with in the wooded mountain-
ous regions on the Pacific slope. It is shy and silent, and usually
seen high on the branches of trees. A remarkable feature connected
with this bird is the entire absence of the familiar red on the upper
part of the head, so common on all other North American Wood-
peckers, which is a peculiarity shared only by the Williamson’s
Woodpecker (Sphyropicus williamsoniz).

Red-breasted Woodpecker. (SAhyropicus ruber.)
Fig. 2.

This unusually bright and purely-colored species is a common
resident of the Pacific coast.

A note from Mr. Nuttall to Mr. Audubon, communicating in-
formation respecting the habits of this species, says:

** This species, seen in the forests of the Columbia, and the Blue
Mountains of the same country, has most of the habits of the com-
mon Red-headed species. It is, however, much less familiar, and
keeps generally among the tall fir-trees, in the dead trunks of
which it burrows out a hole for a nest, sometimes at a great eleva-
tion. On approaching one which was feeding its young, in one
of these situations, it uttered a loud, reverberating ‘1’rr, 1’rr,’
and seemed angry and solicitous at my approach. The same spe-
cies also inhabits Upper California, as well as the northwest coast
up to Nootka. It is found eastward as far as the central chain of
the Rocky Mountains.”

White-headed Woodpecker. (Ficus albolarvatus.)
Fig. 3.

This exceedingly rare and silent Woodpecker is also the most
plainly colored of any of our North American species. Its resi-
dence ‘s in the mountains of Oregon, Washington, and southward
to California.

Painted Fly-catcher. (Setophaga picta.)
Fig. 4.

The figure represents a beautiful Mexican species, occasionally
to be met with in Arizona. The head, and around the neck, the
breast and the back, is a beautiful lustrous black. The belly, from
the middle of the breast, is a dark crimson red.

Mountain Titmouse. Mountain Chickadee, or White-browed Chickadee.
. (Parus montanus.)

Fig. 5.

This species, with the exception that it has a white line over the
eyes and across the forehead, is exactly like the common Titmouse,
or Black-capped Chickadee. It is a common inhabitant of the
Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. Its notes and habits are also
like the common Chickadee, represented on plate 32, fig. 4, de-
scribed on page 42.

Spotted Sparrow. Titlark Sparrow. (Passerculus savanna var. anthi-
nus.)

Fig. 6.

This is the California coast variety of our common Savanna
Sparrow, represented on plate 49, fig. 1, and described on page
69. Cooper, in his Ornithology of California, says:

‘¢ This plain little bird is peculiarly the Marsh Sparrow of this
coast, as I have found them rarely out of the salt marshes,
where they lie so close, and run so stealthily under the weeds, as
to be flushed with some difficulty, rising only to fly a few rods and
drop again into the covert. They are not very gregarious except
when migrating, and fly up singly.” Its song consists of short
and pleasant notes.

Ground Wren. Ground Tit. Fasciated Tit. (Chamea fasciata.)
Fig. 7.

This little Quaker-like colored Wren, so unlike any other North
American species, is a resident on the coast of California, and
foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada. The female differs from the male
in being a little smaller. |

‘¢ This interesting link between the Wrens and Titmice,” says
Cooper, ‘‘ is common everywhere west of the Sierra Nevada, on
dry plains and hillsides covered with chapparal and other shrubby
undergrowth, but it is not found in the forests. It is one of those
birds that can live where there is. no water, except occasional fogs,
for six or eight months together. In these dreary ‘barrens,’ its
loud trill is heard more or less throughout the year, but especially
on spring mornings, when they answer each other from various
parts of the thickets. They have a variety of other notes resem-
bling those of the wrens, and correspond with them also in most
of their habits, hunting their insect prey in the vicinity of the
ground or on low trees, often holding their tails erect, and usually
so shy that they can only be seen by patient watching, when curi-
osity often brings them within a few feet of a person; and, as long

-as he sits quiet, they will fearlessly hop around him as if fascinated.”

Plumed Quail. Plumed Partridge. Mountain Quail. (Oveortyx pictus.)
Fig. 8, Male. Fig. 9, Female.

This fine bird is a common resident in the higher mountain
ranges of California and Oregon. It is usually met with in coveys
of about fifteen. They live on insects, seeds, and berries, and are
excellent food for ihe table. Cooper says:

‘¢In habits and flight they have considerable resemblance to our
other Quails, but their cries are quite different. Their note of
alarm is a rather faint chirp, scarcely warning the sportsman of
their presence, before they fly. They scatter in all directions when

Pl. LXXXTX

PL. XC

SPARROW S—FINCHES—TOW HEE—W OODPECKERS—TITMOUSE. 135

flushed, and then call each other together by a whistle, very much
like that of a man calling his dog. According to Newberry, the
hen has a cluck, much like that of the common hen, when calling
together her young brood about the first of August.”

PLATE XC.

Golden-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-crowned Finch, or Yellow-crowned
Sparrow. (Zoxotrichia coronata.)

Fig. 1.

This species, which is closely allied to the White-crowned Spar-
row (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is to be met with on the Pacific
coast. Its note is only an occasional chirp.

According to Heerman, ‘the nest was composed of coarse
stalks of weeds, and lined internally with fine roots. The eggs,
four in number, are ashy-white, marked with lines of brown um-
ber, sometimes appearing black from the depth of their shade, and
covered also with a few neutral tint spots.”

Lazuli Finch. (Cyanospiza amena.)
Fig. 2.

This abundant, as well as one of the handsomest, species found
on the Pacific coast, was added to our North American ornithology
by Thomas Say, who procured it during the course of Long’s ex-
pedition. It is often kept in cages, aud sold by dealers as the
Eastern Indigo Bird; their mistake is no doubt occasioned by the
similarity of habits and song. Then again, by some, it is taken
as a faded variety of that bird. There is very little, if any, in-
digo in its colors. Its name, Lazuli—after the celebrated lazuli-
blue stone of Italy—being so little understood, is also a cause of
the misapplication. Mr. Townsend says, ‘the Chinook Indians
name this species Z7/konapaooks, and that it is rather a common
bird on the Columbia, but is always shy and retiring in its habits,
the female being very rarely seen. It possesses lively and pleas-
ing powers of song, which it pours forth from the top branches of
moderate-sized trees. Its nest, which is usually placed in the
willows along the margins of the streams, is composed of small
sticks, fine grasses, and cow or buffalo hair.”

Mr. Cooper says: ‘‘ During the summer there is scarcely a
thicket or grove in the more open portions of the state (California)
uninhabited by one or more pairs of this beautiful species. The
male is not very timid, and frequently sings his lively notes from
the top of some bush or tree, continuing musical throughout sum-
mer, and in all weathers.”

The eggs are usually five in number, and are white, tinged a
little with blue.

Ganon Towhee. Brown Towhee. (/2f7/o fuscus.)
Fig. 3.

This species is an inhabitant of New Mexico, Arizona, and
southward, where it is met in company with Abert’s Towhee. The
habits and characteristics of these species are much alike.

Gray-crowned Purple Finch. Gray-necked or Gray-eared Finch. (Leu-
costiote tephrocotis var. grisscinucha.)

Fig. 4.

——E

Gray-crowned Finch. (Lezcostiote tephrocotis var. australis.)
Fig. 5.

These varieties of the Gray-crowned Finch are figured to give
the reader and illustration of the difference that exists in their plum-
age. Their habits and characteristics are about the same as those
of the Gray-crowned Finch (Leucostzote tephrocotzs), figured on
plate 71, fig. 7.

The species, fig. 4, is of rare occurrence, and that of fig. § is
in doubt—some of our best ornithologists do not consider it a va-
riety. It is said to be the largest, and to have the largest bill.

California Woodpecker. (JZelanerpes formictvorus.)
Fig. 6.

This handsome and well known Pacific species is about the
same in size as our common Red-headed Woodpecker.

Cooper, in his Ornithology of California, says:

‘¢This beautiful bird is one of the commonest in all the lower
regions of California, frequenting chiefly the oaks, and extending
up as far as they grow on the mountains. Its brilliant plumage,
lively and familiar habits, and loud notes make it a very conspic-
uous inhabitant of the woods, and it will, if unmolested, become
quite familiar around dwellings. Their usual resorts are among’
the topmost and decayed branches, where they seek their insect
food; but they also feed in great part on insects caught among the
leaves, and on the bark, as well as on fruits, being less industrious
in hammering for a subsistence than the Prez. They burrrow out
the cavity for a nest in a dead branch, making it, according to
Herrman, from six inches to two feet deep, and laying four or five
pure white eggs, on the dust and chips at the bottom, like nearly
all Woodpeckers. —

‘¢ They are fond of playing together around the branches, utter-
ing their rattling calls, and often darting off to take a short sail in
the air, returning to the same spot. They have a habit, peculiar
to them, of drilling small holes in the bark of trees, and fitting
acorns tightly into them, each one being carefully adapted, and
driven tight. The bark is often so full of these holes as to leave
scarcely room to crowd in another without destroying the bark en-
tirely. These are generally considered as laid up for a winter
supply of food; but while, in this climate, no such provision is
necessary, it is also very improbable that birds of this family would
feed on hard nuts, or seeds of any kind. The more probable ex-
planation is that they are preserved for the sake of the grubs they
contain so frequently, which, being very small when the acorn
falls, grow until they eat the whole interior, when they are a wel-
come delicacy for the bird. From this strange habit, the bird has
received the name of ‘ Carfintcro,’ and this is also adopted by
many Americans.”

Yellow-bellied or Yellow-faced Woodpecker. (Cexturus aurifrons.)
Fig. 7.

This species is usually met with in the Rio Grande region of the
United States, thence south into Mexico. It is about the size of
our common Downy Woodpecker (Picus pubescens.)

Least Titmouse. (/saltriparus minimus.)
Fig. 8.

This little Titmouse is usually observed in the evergreen oaks,

1386 BULLOCK’S ORIOLE—BLUE CROW-—JAYS—BAY IBIS.

eee ee ee ee ee

small trees, in which they are busily engaged, with their chirping
call, which resembles the words ‘ thshish, tshist, tsii, twee,” and
search for their insect food. They are constant residents of
the Pacific coast of the United States, east to the Sierra Nevada.

Bullock’s Oriole. (Jcterus dullockii.)
Fig. 9.

This beautiful bird is an inhabitant of the wooded portions of the
Rocky Mountains, to the Pacific, and southward along the table-
lands of Mexico, and is said to extend its migrations in summer to
British America. It is a near relative of the well known favorite,
the Baltimore Oriole:

Dr. Coues, American Naturalist (vol. 5, page 680), says:

‘*All the Orioles are wonderful architects, rearing pensile nests
of soft, pliable, fibrous substances, with a nicety and beauty of
finish that human art would vainly attempt to rival. These ele-
gant fabrics are hung at the end of slender twigs, out of reach
of ordinary enemies; and though they may swing with every
breath of wind, this is but cradle-rocking for the callow young, and
it is a rude blast, indeed, that endangers the safety of their leafy
home.

‘«Little time passes after their arrival, before the modestly-
attired females rambling silently through the verdure, are singled
out and attended each by her impetuous consort, who sings his
choicest songs, and displays the powers she admires most. His
song is an elegant paraphrase of the Baltimore’s, with all its rich-
ness and variety, though an ear well skilled in distinguishing
birds’ notes can readily detect a difference. Their courtship
happily settled, the pair may be seen fluttering through the thicket
they have chosen in eager search for a building-place; and when
a suitable one is found, no time is lost in beginning to weave their
future home. It is a great mistake to suppose that birds of the
same species always build in the same way. ‘Though their nests
have a general resemblance in the style of architecture, they differ
greatly according to their situation, to the time the birds have be-
fore the nest must be used for the reception of the eggs, and often,
we are tempted to think, according to the taste and skill of the
builders. In their work of this sort, birds show a remarkable power
of selection, as well as of adapting themselves to circumstances;
in proof of which, we have only to examine the three beauti-
ful specimens now lying before us. Each is differently constructed ;
and while all three evince wonderful powers of weaving, one of
them in particular, is astonishingly ingenious, displaying the united
accomplishments of weaving and basket-making. Before proceed-
ing, we may premise that the idea of the nest is a sort of bag or
purse, closely woven of slender, pliant substances, like strips of
fibrous bark, grasses, hair, twine, etc., open at the top, and hung
by its rim in the fork of a twig, or at the very end of a floating
spray. The eggs of this species are four or five in number, and
rather elongated in form, being much pointed at the smaller end.”

Blue Crow. Maximilian’s Jay. Cassin’s Jay.

cephala.)

(Gymnokitta cyano-

Fig. to.

The favorite resorts of this species are the barren districts east
of the Sierra Nevada, among the junipers, the berries of which
afford them food. The following interesting account of this spe-
cies was written by Dr. Coues, and appeared in the ‘* Ibis,” 18472:

‘¢ For many years this species was considered a rarity, to be
highly prized, and may still remain among the desiderata of many
or most European collectors; but of late a great many specimens
have been gathered, notably in California, by the late Captain
John Feilner, and in Arizona, by myself. Prince Maximilian’s

original examples are stated to have come from one of the tributa-"
ries of the Upper Missouri, which locality, if not beyond the bird’s
ordinary range, is certainly far from its centre of abundance. In
the matter of altitude, the present species has not been proven to
occur so high up as Clarke’s Crow has; but the evidence is only
negative. It breeds at or near its limit of altitude, descending in
winter to the lower border of the pine-belt, if not a little beyond.

*‘At Fort Whipple, in Arizona, where my observations were
made, the bird may be considered a permanent resident. Though
we did not observe it breeding in the immediate vicinity, we found
newly-fledged young in the neighboring higher mountains, show-
ing that it nests there. Like most of its tribe—in fact, like most
birds largely subsisting on varied animal and vegetable substances
—it is not strictly migratory, except, perhaps, at its highest point
of dispersion. A descent of a few thousand feet from mountain-
tops appears to answer the purpose of the southward journeying
most migratory species perform, as far as food is concerned, while
its hardy nature enables it to endure the rigors of winter in regions
frequently snow-bound. It feeds principally upon juniper berries
and pine seeds; also upon acorns, and probably other small, hard
fruit.

«¢ Notwithstanding its essentially corvine form, the habits of this
bird, like its colors, are rather those of Jays. It is a garrulous
and vociferous creature, of various and curiously modulated chat-
tering notes when at ease, and of extremely loud, harsh cries
when in fear or anger. The former are somewhat guttural, but
the latter possess a resonance different both from the hoarse
screams of Cyanura macrolopha (Long-crested Jay) and the
sharp, wiry voice of the Cyanocitte (Jays). Like Jays, it is a
restless, impetuous bird, as it were of an unbalanced, even frivo-
lous, mind; its turbulent presence contrasting strongly with the
poised and somewhat sedate demeanor of the larger black Corz:
(Crow). With these last, however, it shares a strong character—
its attitudes when on the ground, to which it habitually descends,
being Crow-like; and its gait, an easy walk or run, differing en-
tirely from the leaping progression of the true Jays. It shares a
shy and watchful disposition with its relatives on both sides of the
family ; its flight is most nearly like that of the Pecicorvus (Clark’s
Crow). It is highly gregarious, in the strict sense of the term.
Immense as the gatherings of Crows frequently are, these birds
seem to associate rather in community of interest than in obedience
to a true social instinct; each individual looks out for himself, and
the company disperses for cause as readily as it assembles. It is
different with these small Blue-Jay Crows; they flock sometimes
in surprising numbers, keep as close together as Blackbirds, and
move as if by a common impulse. As usual, their dispersion is
marked, if not complete, at the breeding season ; but the flocks re-
assemble as soon as the yearlings are well on wing, from which
time until the following spring hundreds are usually seen together.
On one occasion, at least, I witnessed a gathering of probably a
thousand individuals.

‘¢The nest and eggs of this bird apparently remain unknown.”

PLATE XCI.

Glossy, or Bay Ibis. (/d2s_ falccnellus, var. ordi.)

Fig. 1.

This species has a general distribution within the warmer sec-
tions of North America. It is mostly to be seen along our lakes
and rivers and especially along the coast, and specimens have been
met with as far north as Massachusetts and Ohio. In summer,
the Glossy Ibis subsists chiefly upon larve, worms, and insects
of various kinds, seizing their prey with great dexterity, even when

Pie ated

PL. XGCU

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER—RAILS—LEADEN TITMOUSE. 137

upon the wing, at other times fish, small reptiles, and similar fare,
for which they wade deep into the water, answers their purpose.
The nest usually contains about three eggs, of a dull greenish
color.

Prothonotary Warbler. (Prothonotarda citrea.)
Fig. 2.

This beautiful and uncommon Warbler is an inhabitant of the
south Atlantic and Gulf States, and occasionally extends its migra-
tions north as far as the State of Maine. It is also met with in
Cuba, Costa Rica, Panama, and Merida. Swamps, thickets, and
the swampy forests along the Mississippi and the wilds of Florida
are the usual places of resort. The food consists of larva, small
land shells, insects, and catterpillars. The song consists of a few
feebly-uttered notes.

Little Black Rail. (Porzana jamaicensts.)

aso.

This very small species is very rarely seen in the United States.
‘The West Indies, South and Central America are its places of res-
idence.

Little Yellow-breasted Rail. (Porzaxa noveboracensts.)

Fig. 4.

This pretty little bird is met with mostly along the shores of
fresh and salt-water marshes of Eastern North America. It ex-
tends its migrations north as far as Hudson’s Bay, and winters in
the Southern States. Its song consists of a shrieking noise, usually
uttered in the morning and evening. ‘The food consists of insects
and seeds. Its eggs, which are placed in the grass, on the ground,
are of a rich buffy-brown color, marked with reddish chocolate
dots and spots.

Barrow’s Golden-eye. Rocky Mountain Garrot. (Sucephala
tslandica.)

Fig. 5.

This uncommon Arctic-American species of the Duck family is
mostly met with in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains. Its mi-
grations south, in winter, are extended to the Northern States. The
habits of this species are similar to those of the Golden-eyed Duck,
figured on Plate XX XV, and described on page 48, for which the
Rocky Mountain Garrot is often taken.

Stilt, Black-necked Stilt, Longshanks, and Lawyer. (/dcmancopus
nigricollis.)

Fig. 6.

~The Stilt is a common bird to many sections of North America,
mostly along the sea-shore, and on lakes and rivers. It is also
met far inland, in places least expected to be inhabited by wading
birds. Its food consists mostly of aquatic insects. When on the
wing, a flock of these birds make a very attractive sight, appear-
ing black, then in a few seconds white, as they show the upper or
lower parts of the body. It is a very graceful bird, and its move-
ments, whether on the ground or wading in the water, are made
with a decided and measured step. In the fall, about the time
they are preparing to migrate to the warmer sections, their flesh is
tencer and good for the table.

PLATE XCII.

Woodhouse’s Jay. (Aphelocoma floridana, var. woodhouset.)
Fig. 1.

This Jay is abundant in the Southern Rocky Mountain region.
It is also more generally distributed than other species of Jays
common to that section. Pine-seeds, acorns, and juniper-berries
constitute its food. The eggs, about five in number, are laid early
in May. The nest is outwardly composed of twigs and fine roots,
and lined with horse-hair.

Dr. Coues, who often noticed this species in the upper parts of
Arizona, says:

‘Its preference is for oak openings, rough, broken hill-sides,
covered with patches of juniper, manzanita, and yuccas, brushy
ravines, and wooded creek-bottoms. The ordinary note is a harsh
scream, indefinitely repeated with varying tone and measure ; it 1s
quite noticeably different from that of either Maximilian’s or Stel-
ler’s, having a sharp, wiry quality, lacking in these. Itis always
uttered when the bird is angry or alarmed, and consequently is
oftener heard by the naturalist; but there are several other notes.
If the bird is disporting with his fellows, or leisurely picking
acorns, he has a variety of odd chuckling or chattering syllables,
corresponding to the absurd talk of our Blue Jay under the same
circumstances. Sometimes, again, in the springtime, when snugly
hidden in the heart of a cedar-bush, with his mate, whom he has
coaxed to keep him company, he modulates his harsh voice with
surprising softness, to express his gallant intention; and if one is
standing quite near, unobserved, he will hear the blandishments
whispered and cooed almost as softly as a Dove’s. The change,
when the busy pair find they are discovered, to the ordinary scream,
uttered by wooer and wooed together, is startling.”

Mountain Warbler. Virginia’s Warbler. (elminthophaga virginia.)
Fig. 2.

Very few specimens of this species have been seen, and very
little is known of its habits, which are said to resemble to a marked
degree the Nashville Warbler (HZ. rujicapzlla), and the Orange-
crowned Warbler (4. ce/aia).

Leaden Titmouse. Lead-colored Titmouse. (/saltriparus plumbeus.)
Fig. 3.

This little bird is a resident of the Southern Rocky Mountain
region. It is very closely related to the Least Titmouse, the Pa-
cific Coast species. Dr. Coues says of this species:

‘Tt is a resident of the mountains of Arizona, where it braves
the rigors of winter, without apparent inconvenience, though one
is tempted to wonder how such a tiny body, no larger than the end
of one’s thumb, can retain its animal heat during exposure to cold
that sometimes destroys large birds, like the Raven. It is a socia-
ble little creature, generally going in companies of from half a
dozen to fifty, actively engaged in their search for minute insects,
and continuously calling to each other with their curiously squeaky
notes. It scarcely knows fear in the presence of man, and will
continue its busy search, though an observer may be standing
within a few feet of it. I found it oftenest in the shrubbery of the
hillsides, and the dense undergrowth which fills the ravines; it
appeared to have little fancy for the higher growths of oak or
pine. It is surprising what large insects this little creature will
sometimes capture; I saw one struggling with a caterpillar nearly

138 TITMOUSE—SPA RROW—CROSSBILL—W ARBLER—OWL—BUNTING.

——————— ee eee ee eee

as long as its own body, and it succeeded, after great exertion, in
disposing of the big mouthful.”

Yellow-headed Titmouse. Verdin. (Auriparus flaviceps.)
Fig. 4.

This species is an inhabitant of the valleys of Texas, Arizona,
New Mexico, South and Lower California.

‘**I found numbers of this beautiful little bird,” says Cooper,
‘fat Fort Morgan, during the whole winter, frequenting the
thickets of Aldearodza and other shrubs, and having habits rather
intermediate between the Titmia and Warblers, corresponding with
their intermediate form. They had something of the same song
as the Parus, and a loud call, generally uttered as they sat on a
high twig, besides a lisping triple note, like that of tsee-tu-tu.
The nest is usually built by forming a wall nearly spherical in
outline, out of the thorny twigs of the algorabia, then lining it with
softer twigs, leaves, down of plants, and feathers, covering the out-
side with thorns, until it becomes a mass as large as a man’s head,
or 9X5.50 inches outside, the cavity 4.50x2.70, with an opening in
one side, just large enough for the bird to enter. The eggs num-
ber four, and are pale blue, with numerous small brown spots,
chiefly near the large end, though some had very few spots and
were much paler; size 0.60x0.44 inch.

Wollweber’s Titmouse. Bridled Titmouse. (ZLophophanes wollwebert.)
Fig. 5.

The habitat of this species is in the Southern Rocky Mountains
of New Mexico and Arizona, thence South into Mexico. Its habits
and characteristics are similar to those of its allies. It is readily
distinguished from all others of its genus by the variety of the colors
in its plumage.

Black-throated Finch. Black-throated Sparrow. (/oospiza bclineata.)
Fig. 6.

This species is to be met with in California, Texas, New Mexico
and Arizona. Cooper says: ‘‘ On the barren, treeless, and water-
less mountains that border the Colorado valley, this was one of the
few birds enlivening the desolate prospect with their cheerful pres-
ence. They were nowhere numerous, but generally seen in pairs
or small parties hopping along the ground under the scanty shrub-
bery. In winter they descended to the hills near the Colorado,
when the males, perched on a low bush, sung short but lively ditties
toward spring.”

American Red Crossbill. Common Crossbill. Large-billed Crossbill.
(Loxia curvirostra, var. mexicana.)

Fig. 7.

This species is a Mexican variety of our Common Red Cross-
bill, represented on Plate XXXVIII, figures 7 and 8, and de-
scribed on page 53.* Itis a resident in the Sierra Nevada, of Cal-
ifornia, south along the Alpine regions of Mexico to Guatemala.

Black-throated Gray Warbler. (Dexdreca nigrescens.)
Fig. 8.

This species is frequently to be met with along the Pacific Coast.
*¢ On the twenty-third of May,” Nuttall says, ‘‘ I had the satisfac-

* The striking difference between the two birds is in the Mexican variety having
the larger bill.

tion of hearkening to the delicate but monotonous song of this bird,
as he busily and intently searched every leafy bough and expand-
ing bud for larve and insects, in a spreading oak, from whence
he delivered his solitary note. Sometimes he remained a minute
or two stationary, but more generally continued in quest of prey.
His song, at short and regular intervals, seemed like t’shee, *tshay,
*tshaitshee, varying the feeble sound but very little, and with the
concluding note somewhat slenderly and plantively raised.” Ac-
cording to Townsend, it is abundant in the forests of the Columbia,
where it breeds, and remains until winter; and that the nest is
formed externally of fibrous, green moss, and is generally placed
on the upper branches of the oak, suspended between two small
twigs.

Whitney’s Owl. (A@icrathene whitney?.)
Fig. 9.

This singular little Owl is one of the most noteworthy and in-
teresting of the many late additions to our knowledge of western
birds. Until recently, the last-noticed species (Pygmy Owl) was
properly regarded as the smallest of its family in North America;
but it somewhat surpasses Whitney’s in size. The latter is not so
long as many of our Sparrows, being the least among our rapto-
rial birds, if not the smallest known Owl. It was discovered at
Fort Majoon, in 1860, by Dr. J. G. Cooper, to whose exertions in
developing the zoology of the West we are so much indebted. We
learn from Dr. Cooper’s account that it is an arboreal, not a terres-
trial, species; is partly diurnal, and feeds upon insects. It is
probably a rare bird, to judge from its having remained so long -
undetected. But Mr. A. J. Grayson lately found it on Socorro Is-
land, off the coast of Mexico, while several specimens have been
taken in Arizona, by Lieutenant C. Bendin and Mr. H. W. Hen-
shaw. The former found it breeding in the hollow of a mezquito
stump.

Lark Bunting. White-winged Blackbird. (Calamospiza bicolor.)
Fig. 10.

The Lark Bunting is an abundant species, mostly met with on
the prairies, on the western plains to the Rocky Mountains, and
southward to Mexico. A striking circumstance connected with
this bird, is the seasonable change of plumage, which corresponds
very nearly to that of the Bobolink. Between the two, there is
quite a similarity in their coloration.

It is stated that this change was first noticed by Mr. Allen, who
says, after the moulting season, the males assume the plumage of
the female, the change in color being similar to that of the males
of Dolichonyx oryzivora. ‘The same writer also says:

‘¢The Lark Bunting, though of rather local distribution and
limited range, must be regarded as one of the most characteristic
and interesting birds of the plains. Generally, in the breeding
season, a number of pairs are found in the same vicinity; while
again not an individual may be met with for many miles. At
other seasons, it is eminently gregarious, roving about in consider-
able flocks. In its song and the manner of its delivery, it much
resembles the Yellow-breasted Chat (Leferza vzrens), like that bird,
rising to a considerable distance in the air, and poising itself by a
peculiar flapping of the wings during its utterances, then abruptly
descending to the ground, to soon repeat the maneuver. It is a
very strong flyer, and seems to delight in the strongest gales, sing-
ing more at such times than in comparatively quiet weather. I
met with several colonies, not far from Fort Hays, in June and
July, and later at Cheyenne, Laramie, and in South Park, and in
the elevated, open table-lands, between South Park and Colorado
City. They were also frequent along the route from Colorado
City to Denver, sometimes considerable flocks being met with.

PL. XGHI

——

JAY—W OODPECKER—GNATCATCHERS—CHAT—DIPPERS—GUILLEMOTS. 139

They were then moulting, and the parti-colored flocks of young

and old were quite unsuspicious, and easily approached. During
the breeding season, we found them exceedingly shy and difficult
to procure, and were unsuccessful in our efforts to discover their
nests.” |

PLATE XCIII.

California Jay. (Cyanocitta californica.)
Fig. 1.

Cooper says: ‘‘ In California, this Jay is one of the most com-
mon and conspicuous birds, frequenting every locality where oaks
grow, even close to the towns; entering gardens, and audaciously
pilfering fruit, etc., before the owner’s eyes. They show the usual
cunning of the tribe, and, if alarmed, become very quiet, conceal-
ing themselves in the thick foliage, so as to be found with difficulty.
They are usually, however, noisy and fearless, their odd cries,
grotesque actions, and bright plumage making them rather favor-
ite guests, in spite of their petty depredations. They live chiefly
on small acorns and insects, but, like other Jays, are decidedly
omnivorous. ‘Their cries are less harsh and loud than those of
Steller’s Jay, and they have also some talent for mimicry, besides
notes to express their various wants and ideas.”

They build throughout the western parts of California, con-
structing a large and strong nest of twigs, roots, grass, etc., in a
low tree or bush, and laying about five eggs, dark green, with
numerous pale brown blotches and spots, measuring 1.04x1.80
inch.

Harris’ Woodpecker. (Picus harrdsit.)
Fig. 2.

This species, with the exception that it has fewer white wing-
spots, is like the common Hairy Woodpecker, of Eastern North
America. The habitat of this bird is from the Pacific Coast to the
eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. The cry of this species is
somewhat louder than that of the other small Woodpeckers. Its
food consists of insects and their larvaz—also, fruits and berries.

Black-tailed or Black-headed Gnatcatcher. Black-tailed Flycatcher.
(Polioptila melanura.)

Fig. 3.

This species is usually met with in the southwestern portion of the
United States, in the valley of the Rio Grande and Gila. Very
little is known regarding its habits. Their notes are said to be
somewhat similar to the song of the Wren, and also like that of
the Swallow.

Plumbeous Gnatcatcher. Lead-colored Flycatcher. (/olzoptila
plumbea.)

Fig. 4.

This bird is to be found in the valley of Colorado and Gila. It
differs from the last-named by being without the black crown. It
is also larger, and its color is a duller leaden gray.

Stone Chat, Fallow Chat, or Wheatear. (Saxécola cenanthe.)
Fig. 5.

This Chat is met with on the Atlantic Coast, as a stray bird from

Europe, by way of Greenland, and also on the north Pacific Coast,

from Asia. ‘* The Wheatear,” says Brehm, ‘‘ both dwells and
breeds in the British Islands and Lapland. In Asia, it is met with
in corresponding latitudes. Occasionally it appears in the upper
provinces of India, and in many parts of Africa.”

Water Ouzel. American Dipper. Dipper. (Cinclus mexicanus.)
Fig. 6.

This plainly-plumaged and interesting species is to be met with
along the clear mountain streams, from British America to Mexico,
and west to the Pacific. ‘*About sunset,” says Cooper, ‘* I heard
the male singing very melodiously, as it sat on one of its favorite
rocks, in the middle of the foaming rapids, making its delightful
melody heard for quite a long distance above the sound of the roar-
ing waters.” And again the same author says: ‘‘ The strange
habits of this bird make it a very remarkable object, and it attracts
much attention wherever found. It may be said to combine the
form of a Sandpiper, the song of a Canary, and the aquatic habits
of a Duck. Its food consists almost wholly of aquatic insects, and
these it pursues under water, walking and flying with perfect ease
beneath a depth of several feet of water. When they dive below,
there is a film of air surrounding them, which looks like silver,
and may assist in supporting respiration. ‘They do not, however,
swim on the surface, but always dive, and sometimes fly across
streams beneath the surface. They prefer clear, noisy mountain
streams; but I have seen one on the summit of the Sierra Nevada,
eating insects along the shore of a calm mountain lake. Their
flight is rapid and direct, like that of a Sandpiper; and when they
alight, it is always on a rock or log, when they jerk their tails
much like that bird.”

Marbled Guillemot, or Nurselet. (Brachyrhamphus marmoratus.)
Fig. 7.

This pretty little sea bird is said to be numerous on the Pacific,
to California. According to Dr. Brehm, ‘‘ Guillemots principally
inhabit northern latitudes, at certain seasons appearing in more
temperate climates. Except during the period of incubation, they
seldom visit the land, but pass their whole time upon the ocean.
They are excellent swimmers, and dive well, using both feet and
wings for their propulsion, so that their movements beneath the
water are performed with admirable rapidity and precision. Their
flight is rapid, but hurried, and, owing to the shortness of their
wings, whirring and noisy. So numerous are these birds in the
neighborhood of their breeding-places, that (more especially if it
be a rock of pyramidal form) they resemble, at a distance, a great
swarm of bees.”

Cassin’s Guillemot, Aleutian Auk. (Ptychorhamphus aleuticus.)
Fig. 8.

This rare and striking little species is found on the western and
northwestern coast of America, and was first added to our fauna
by the late Dr. William Gamble. <‘ The little Auk,” says Brehm,
‘* must certainly be regarded as the gayest and briskest member
of its family. When visiting the shore, it steps nimbly along on
its toes, vanishes from observation among the stones, or creeps like
a mouse into crevices in the rocks. When out at sea, it swims and
dives with wonderful alacrity, remaining under water for even more
than a couple of minutes. During the breeding season, the little
Auks congregate in immense numbers in the vicinity of the islands
on which the eggs are to be deposited. Each pair seeks a suitable
spot among the stones that have fallen upon the beach, and then
lays a single egg of about the same size as that of the Pigeon, and
of a whitish color, slightly tinged with blue.”

140 OYSTER-CATCHER—SPARROW—FINCH—BUNTINGS.
ee ee SE MT ALS DI ei tener. "eb Ss SOO Sy

Black Oyster-catcher. Bachman’s Oyster-catcher. (Hematopus
niger.)
Fig. 9.
This bird, as stated by those who have observed it, is restricted
to the Pacific Coast. Its food consists of mollusks and insects.

The habits of this species are similar to the Oyster-catcher (Hema-
topus palliatus), figured on Plate XLII, and described on page 58.

PLATE XCIV.

Baird’s Sparrow. Baird’s Bunting. (Cextronyx bairdit.)
Fig. 1.

For a long time, this was considered a very rare bird. We be-
lieve it was about thirty years between the time of its first discovery
and the observing and taking of it by Dr. Coues in Dakota, and
by Mr. Allen in Colorado. It is now considered an abundant
species in the region of its migrations, which takes in the central
plains, north to the British provinces, south to New Mexico and
Arizona, east nearly to the Red River of the North, West to the
Rocky Mountains.

‘«The song,” says Coues, ‘*is peculiar, consisting of two or
three distinct syllables, in a mellow, tinkling tone, running into an
indefinite trill; it may be suggested by Zip-zip-zip-zr-r-r-r. In
their general appearance and habits, these birds are so nearly the
same as the Savannah Sparrows, that it was two or three days be-
fore I learned to distinguish them at gunshot range. They do not
go in flocks; yet there is a sort of colonization among them; for
we may ride a mile or two over the prairie without seeing any, and
then come upon numerous pairs, breeding together.” The nest,
according to Allen, ‘‘is a slight structure of grasses and weed-
bark, circularly disposed, about four inches across outside. It
contained five fresh eggs, most nearly resembling those of the
Bay-winged Bunting, but smaller, and decidedly more rounded.
They measure 0.80 by 0.65. The ground is dull white, speckled
all over, but very irregularly, with light reddish brown (pale
sienna), and have a few larger blotches of the same and a darker
shade, owing to heavier laying on the pigment.”

Green-tailed Finch. Blanding’s Finch. (/f2lo chlorurus.)
Fig. 2.

This is one of our abundant species, that is usually met with in
the regions of the Southern Rocky Mountains, accompanied by
others of the fringillian birds.

In a late communication to Dr. Coues, Mr. Allen observes:
«« This is one of the most interesting birds met with in the wooded
portions of the great central plateau of the continent. In the
mountains of Colorado, it ranges from the foot-hills up to the limit
of trees, and throughout the mountain valleys is one of the more
common species. It affects the moister thickets, near the streams,
and possesses a peculiar and very pleasing song. In habits or
notes, it has but little resemblance to the group of Towhees with
which it is commonly associated by systematic writers, presenting
in these respects far more resemblance to the group of Sparrows
so familiarly represented in the Atlantic States by the common
White-throat, from which it only differs structurally in its relatively
longer tail.” ;

Mr. Trippe’s notes upon the same subject will be read with in-
terest: ‘* The Green-tailed Finch is abundant throughout Clear
Creek county, from its lower valleys up to within 7oo or 800 feet
of timber-line, breeding throughout; but is most numerous, dur-

ing the breeding season, from 7,500 to 9,000 feet. It arrives at
Idaho early in May, and soon becomes abundant, remaining till
the close of September, or early part of October. It is a sprightly,
active little bird, with something Wren-like in its movements and
appearance. It is equally at home among the loose stones and
rocks of a hill-side (where it hops about with all the agility of the
Rock Wren), and the densest thickets of brambles and willows in
the valleys, amidst which it loves to hide. It is rather shy, and
prefers to keep at a good distance from any suspicious object; and
if a cat or dog approaches its nest, makes a great scolding, like
the Cat-bird, and calls all the neighbors to its assistance; but if a
person walks by, it steals away very quietly, and remains silent
till the danger is passed. It has a variety of notes, which it is
fond of uttering; one sounds like the mew of a kitten, but thinner
and more wiry. Its song is very fine, quite different from the
Towhee’s, and vastly superior-to it. It builds its nest in dense
clumps of brambles, and raises two broods each season, the first
being hatched about the middle of June.”

Chestnut-collared Lark Bunting. Chestnut-collared Longspur. Black-
bellied Longspur. (Plectrophanes ornatus.)

Fig. 3.

This is another of our abundant species, that is to be met with
in the interior of the British provinces, and the whole of the Mis-
souri region.

‘‘Mr. Allen sends me the following notice, prepared for this
work (Birds of the Northwest, by Dr. Coues): ‘The Chestnut-
collared Bunting was found on the plains about Fort Hays, in
considerable abundance. They live in summer in large scattered
colonies, generally many pairs being found at the same locality,
while they may not be again met with in a whole day’s travel.
We found them very shy for so small birds, and were obliged to
obtain all our specimens (some thirty in number) by shooting
them on the wing at long range. They breed, of course, on the
ground, constructing a rather slight but neat nest of dry grass and
the stems of small plants. The eggs appear to be commonly five
in number, blotched and streaked with rusty on a white ground,
full sets of which were obtained the first week in June. This
species has the curious habit of circling round the observer, with
buoyant, undulatory flight, generally high in the air, and usually
keeping all the while well out of range, uttering, meanwhile, its
rather sharp but musical call-notes. I met with it, in winter, from
Fort Hays westward, nearly to the Colorado line, indicating that
it is resident here the whole year. We failed to meet with it, how-
ever, about Cheyenne, in August, or anywhere to the westward
of Western Kansas; neither does it appear in Mr. Aiken’s list of
the birds observed by him near Canon City, Colorado, ner in Mr.
Holden’s list of the birds seen by him in the vicinity of Sherman.’”

Maccown’s Bunting; or Longspur. (/lectrophanes maccownti.)
Fig. 4.

This species was first discovered by Captain Maccown, in West-
ern Texas. It is met with in the middle province of the United
States, thence north to the Black Hills, and east to Kansas, Texas,
and New Mexico. Its habits and notes are very similar to the
last-named species—Chestnut-collared Lark Bunting.

Painted Lark Bunting. Painted Longspur. (/%ectrophanes pictus.)
Fig. 5.

This is one of our uncommon species, and, when met with, is
usually in company with the Chestnut-collared Lark Bunting.
They are also yery similar in their habits and general appearance.

PL. XCIV

PL. XCV

~-FLYCATCHERS—GROSBEAK—SPARROWS—AMERICAN LANIER. 144
FF a a a aa a aE a aa ey ee

Black Flycatcher. (Sayornis nigricans.)
Fig. 6.

This is an abundant species in its resident territory, along rocky
streams, and in unwooded country, in the southwestern portions of
the United States.

Cooper says: ‘* They often sit for hours on the end of a barn or
other perch, uttering their monotonous, but not unpleasing, ditty,
which sounds like ‘ pittie, pittit,’ alternately repeated, much like
the cry of the eastern Pewee or Pheebi-bird (.S. fwscus), which is
their exact analogue in habits. They fly only short distances at a
time, turning and dodging quickly in pursuit of their prey, which
they capture with a sharp snap of the bill.”

Say’s Flycatcher. (Sayornzs sayus.)
Fig. 7.

This is another of our abundant Western North American spe-
cies. Its habits are similar to the last-named—the Black Fly-
catcher.

Black-headed Grosbeak. (Gonzaphea melanocephata.)
Fig. 8.

‘¢‘This interesting western ally and representative of our Rose-
breasted Song Grosbeak is of common and very general occur-
rence in the middle and western provinces of the United States.
The easternmost instance is, I believe, that recorded by Mr. Allen,
who found the bird in Middle Kansas, breeding, in June. He saw
young birds on the 11th, and the eggs of a second brood toward
the end of the month. I have not observed any references beyond
the United States to the northward; in the other direction, the bird
appears to extend through Mexico, on the table-lands. Many re-
side in that country; others, obeying the mysterious impulse of
migration, enter the United States in April, and become exten-
sively dispersed, as we have just seen, retreating to their warm
winter quarters in the fall. In the mountains of Arizona, I found
it to be.an abundant summer resident from the beginning of May
until the end of September. It appeared to shun the pine woods,
preferring ravines wooded with deciduous trees and upgrown to
shrubbery, as well as the thick willow-copses that fringe the
mountain streams. Like others of the same beautiful genus, it is
a brilliant and enthusiastic vocalist, its song resembling that of the
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and having much similarity to that of the
Baltimore Oriole. As I have elsewhere remarked, its ordinary
chirp, or call-note, strikingly resembles that of Gambel’s Plumed
Quail—so closely, indeed, that I never could tell which of the two
I was about to see, both species often being found together in the
creek bottoms. It feeds at times extensively upon willow-buds;
and similar soft, succulent vegetable matter; also upon seeds and
berries, in their season, and upon various insects. Mr. Allen has
noted its fondness for peas, causing it to be ungraciously regarded
by the agriculturists of Utah.”— Cowes.

1 Rusty Song-Sparrow. (A@elospiza rujfina.)
Fig. 9.
This is the more northern variety of our common Song-Sparrow,

represented on Plate IV, figures 4 and 5, described on page 4.
Its range extends from Alaska to California.

Townsend’s Finch, or Sparrow. Slate-Colored Sparrow. Fox Spar-
row. (FPasserella townsendi2.)

Fig. 10.

This species 1s the Pacific Coast variety of the common Fox
Sparrow, figure 6, Plate LVI, and described on page 82. Cooper,
in his Ornithology of California, says :

‘¢ While, with us, they are rather shy and silent birds, frequent-
ing the woods and thick bushes, where they are constantly scratch-
ing among the dead leaves, gaining a scanty subsistance from seeds
and insects.”

PLATE XCV.

American Lanier, or Prairie Falcon. Lanier Falcon.
(alco mexicanus, var. polyagrus.)

Prairie Hawk.

Fig. 1.

‘The comparatively late discovery of this bird as an inhabitant
of the United States is particularly interesting, not only as giving
us a hitherto unknown representative of the familiar Lanier group
of Falcons of the Old World, but also as adding another to the
numerous instances of close alliance of Western American birds
to certain Old World forms.

‘* This interesting bird is of general distribution in open country
throughout the West, and rathercommon. It appears to be essen-
tially a prairie species, a circumstance probably explaining its oc-
currence in Illinois, where it was noted by Mr. J. D. Sargent and
Mr. R. Ridgway. Prof. Snow catalogues it as rare in winter in
Kansas. Dr. Hayden remarks that it is found at various points
along the Missouri and on the Platte, though not abundantly.
Several observers found it in New Mexico and Arizona. On the
Pacific coast, it is known to occur at various points, from Fort
Dallas, Oregon, where it was procured by Dr. Suckley, to Monte-
rey, whence came one of the types of the species. It appears to
be particularly abundant in the open portions of Southern Califor-
nia, where Dr. Cooper told me he often saw it, in company with
the Ferruginous Buzzard, resting on the ground, or flying low over
the surface in the neighborhood of the villages of the California
ground squirrel (Spermophilus beechey2), for which animals it was
doubtless on the watch. The only time I ever saw it alive was in
this region. While at Drumm Barracks, one of these birds dashed
past, returned in an instant, and alighted on the roof of the house,
while Dr. Cooper and I were standing on the porch. It had evi-
dent designs upon the Blackbirds, thousands of which were scur-
rying about. Watching the bird for a few moments, and perceiv-
ing it had no intention of leaving at that particular time, I went
into the house for my gun, and loaded for its especial benefit.
The bird watched the whole proceedings, eyeing me audaciously,
and never stirred from its perch until I made an irresistible appeal.
I found it to be a young bird, the iris brown, the feet dull bluish,
the claws black, the bill bluish black, with the base of the under
mandible yellow.

‘This Falcon is inferior to none of our country in strength and
spirit, unless it be that the Gyrfalcon surpasses it in this respect.
It even attacks and overpowers the great hares of the West (LZ.
callotis and allies)—animals actually larger and heavier than
itself.” — Coues.

—— 2

142 OW LS—SPARROW—SNOW-BIRD—GROUSF

a ee ed ee Le ON Ey eS

American Barn Owl. Barn Owl. (Strix flammea, var. Americana.)

Fig. 2.

The type of this division of the family of Owls is met with in
most all the temperate parts of the globe. Our variety is found in
the United States as far north as Long Island, and southerly from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, but is rarely ever seen in the interior.

According to Cooper, it is abundant throughout the southern
part of California, especially near the coast, frequenting chiefly
old buildings, barns, etc., but often found hid in dark thickets and
hollow trees. It closely resembles the European Barn Owl, and
others of almost every part of the world, and its habits seem to
resemble closely those of its Old World relative. In the Atlantic
States, it is said rather to avoid human habitations; but this is
probably on account of the thoughtless persecution too much prac-
ticed among our countrymen against all Owls, under the impression
that they destroy fowls. Careful observations of the habits of the
European species have shown that they very rarely ever do so, and
that, on the contrary, they destroy an incredible number of rats
and mice—in fact, more than they and their young can eat, a pair
of old ones being watched, and seen to arrive at the nest every
few minutes with a rat or mouse, during the early night. When
flying about at dusk, they utter a variety of loud, harsh, and
rather strange cries, which are sometimes heard throughout the
night. Their nest is merely the natural floor of the cavity in
which they live, and their eggs are said by Nuttall to be three to
five, of a whitish color.

Pygmy Owl.

(Glaucidium passerinum var. Californicum.)
Fig. 3.

This straightforward and unsuspicious little Owl is found in the
Western Province of North America. It is a common species, but
is difficult of observation on account of their retiring and unobtru-
sive habits. Its food consists of small birds and insects. The nest
is usually built in knot-holes. Dr. Newberry writes of this species :
‘* It flies about with great freedom and activity by day, pursuing
small birds, upon which it subsists, apparently as little incommoded
by the light as they are.” Dr. Luckley says: «*I have obtained
two specimens of this Owl at Puget Sound, where it seems to be
moderately abundant. It appears to be diurnal in its habits, glid-
ing about in shady situations in pursuit of its prey. I saw a bird
of this kind, about midday, in a shady alder swamp near Nisqually.
It flitted noiselessly past me several times, alighting near by, on a
small branch, as if to examine the intruder. Itseemed quite tame,
and entirely unsophisticated.”

Ferrugineous Owl. Red-tailed Owl. (Glaucidium ferrugineum.)
Fig. 4.

In size, shape, and habits, this species is similar to the Pygmy
Owl. It is met with throughout the whole of eastern South Amer-
ica, and middle America, and north into the southern borders of
the United States. In Mexico it is a very common bird.

Burrowing Owl. (Speotyto cunicularia, var. hypogaea.
Fig. 5.

This species is to be met with in the open places in the country
between the Pacific.coast and the Mississippi river. It is a com-
mon and familiar species, and may be seen at all timesof the day, in
company with the large ground-squirrel, living with them, as com-

panions, in their deserted burrows. Their call note sounds some-
what similar to the word ‘‘cuc-koo,” which is continued through
the month of March, and occasionally during the day throughout
the year. Its food consists of small birds, mice, and insects, for
which they seek at night.

Harris’ Finch or Sparrow. Black-hooded Sparrow. (Zonotrichéa quer
ula.)

Fig. 6.

Nuttall first described this species from specimens taken by him
in 1840, in the State of Missouri. It is a bird of commanding ap-
pearance, and is met with in the Missouri region.- Its habits and
song resemble those of the White-throated Sparrow, figured on
Plate XXXVI., and described on page 49.

Oregon Snow-bird. (Szzco oregonus.)
Fig. 7.

The range of this species is from the Rocky Mountains to the
Pacific coast. In summer this Snow-bird is found inhabiting the
pine woods of the mountains, and in winter it descends to the low-
lands, entering towns and gardens in the same manner as its re-

lation figured on Plate XXXVIII., and described on page 53.

PLATE XCVI.

Canada Grouse.
Black Grouse.

Spruce Grouse. Wood Grouse. Swamp Partridge.
Black-spotted Heath Cock. ( Yetrao canadensts.)

Fig. 1.

This species is found in favorable localities, from the northern
parts of the United States, from whence it extends its migrations
as far north to the limit of the woods, and to the Arctic ocean.
The black-spruce forests between Canada and the Arctic Sea are
a favorable abiding place of this species. An interesting ac-
count of this bird by Archer, author of ** Game of Arctic Lands,”
appeared in Vol. IX., No. 9, of the Chicago Field, from which
we take the following extracts:

‘¢ There are few Grouse in the fauna of North America of which
so little is known by sportsmen and the people at large, as the sub-
ject of this chapter. It is seldom that the former consider it worth
their while to spend a few hours in its pursuit alone, for in some
inconceivable manner they have obtained the impression that the
Wood Grouse is totally wanting in all attributes which constitute
gameness, and that in table qualifications it is at any time inferior
to all other known species. The sooner the public are disabused
of such errors the better. These desirable qualities are not lack-
ing in this species, but, as with other Grouse, depend largely upon
the local habits of the birds, and the season at which they are pur-
sued. In the deep, coniferous forests and dark swamps, seldom
pressed by the foot of man, it can not be expected that they would
be otherwise than tame. The researches of scientists and natural-
ists lead us to believe that the fear of man is an implanted in-
stinct, and it is only as this destroyer encroaches upon their haunts,
and ruthlessly pursues them for his own purposes, that they learn
to fear him; consequently birds acquire the characteristics which
constitute gameness as a means of protecting them from their
hitherto unknown enemy. So, too, this beautiful bird develops
these qualities only as the northern forests are opened up by the
pioneer and land-hunter; and, a few years hence, it is highly

| PL. XCVI

“

‘
gdh

Poted

PL. ACVH

GROUSE—TROGON—SA W BILL—HUMMINGBIRD. 143

probable that this Grouse will be almost the only game available
for the amusement and gratification of the sportsman.”

‘* In their movements upon the ground these birds are peculiarly
graceful, imitating the walk of the quail, rather than the grouse,
never, seemingly, exhibiting the peculiar flirt of the tail, so char-
acteristic of the ruffled variety (Bonasa umbellus) ; but the step is
a stately one, embodying a great amount of dignity and pride for
so small a bird, which conveys a very pleasing picture to the eye
as it moves over the long, elastic moss, so abundant in the muskys
and swamps which it inhabits.”

‘In summer the Wood Grouse feeds upon the various wild fruits,
as well as the buds and leaves of numerous plants and shrubs; and
even larve and beetles are most eagerly sought. In autumn, when
they gorge themselves with the berries of the Solomon’s seals
(polygonatum and smi lacina), the flesh attains a delicate flavor,
and becomes in no way inferior for the table to that of other Grouse ;
but in winter it is darker, that which was before of a rich, reddish
brown, assuming a blackish hue, and acquiring a peculiar bitter,
piny taste—‘ a flavor of fir tops,’ as some one has it, owing to the
nature of the food consumed. An examination of their crops at
this season reveals the fact that they feed mainly on the buds and
leaves of the pine, larch, hackmatack, spruce, and other conifere.
Some epicures, however, enjoy, and even prefer this strong, resin-
ous flavor. The nest of this species is constructed from leaves and
moss, artistically arranged over a groundwork of twigs, and con-
cealed beneath the dark, overhanging branches of a dwarf spruce
or fir. ‘The eggs are from ten to eighteen in number, and present
a dull cream or fawn color, beautifully speckled and spotted with
brown.”

Willow Grouse. Willow Ptarmigan. White Ptarmigan. (Lagopus
albus.)

Fig. 2.

This species is an inhabitant of Arctic America, from New
Foundland to Sitka, on the shores of Hudson’s Bay. They may
be seen during the winter season assembled together in large flocks,
and, according to Mr. Hutchins, they have been captured by
the ten thousand in a single season at Severn river. Thickets of
willows and dwarf birches are said to afford them shelter during
the severe cold weather of winter, and their food during the
time Consists of the buds of the smaller shrubs. *** When pursued
by sportsmen or birds of prey, they often terminate their flight by
hastily diving into the loose snow, making their way beneath its
surface with considerable celerity. In thick, windy, or snowy
weather, they were very shy, perching on the taller willows,
when it required a sharp eye to distinguish them from flakes of
snow. In the summer season they feed chiefly on the berries of
the Alpine arbutus and other shrubs and plants, which are laid
bare by the thaw, and which do not disappear until they are re-
placed by a newcrop. They incubate about the beginning of
June, at which time the females molt. The males assume their
red-colored plumage as soon as the rocks and eminences become
bare, at which time they are in the habit of standing upon large
stones, calling in a loud and croaking voice to their mates, which,
still in their white wintery garb, are hidden in the snows below.
These birds are more usually in motion in the milder light of night
than in the broad glare of day.”

Northern Sharp-tailed Grouse. (Pedzecetes phasianellus.)

Fig. 3.

There are two varieties of this species, the Northern and South-
ern. The first-named is an inhabitant of the Arctic regions, where

*North American Birds, vol. 3, p. 459.

they may be met in coveys of from twelve to eighteen, and in
abundance, throughout the wooded districts of the fur countries,
frequenting the open glades or low thickets on the borders of the
lakes, especially where the forests have been partially cleared.
During the winter they are usually perched on trees, but in sum-
mer they keep to the ground. In winter these birds hide them-
selves in the snow, passing through the loose drifts with ease. At
this season their food consists of buds of the willows, larches, and
aspens, and in summer their food consists principally of berries.
The nest, which is usually built on the ground, is composed of
grasses, and lined with feathers, in which the female lays about
twelve eggs.

Western Ruffed Grouse. Oregon Grouse. (Sonasa umbellus, var.
Sabin.)

Fig. 4.

This species is the western variety of the well-known Ruffed
Grouse, represented on Plate LXXVIII., and described on page
120. Dr. Cooper says: ‘‘ It is an inhabitant of the forests, espe-
cially those of deciduous trees along streams, and about the bor-
ders of prairies, but never ventures far from the woods. At times
they feed about grain-fields, and early in the morning are fond of
dusting and sunning themselves on roads. From the dense covert
they usually inhabit they are not easy to shoot, but often alight
in trees, and, if quickly shot at, give time for killing them before

flying.

PLATE XCVII.

Mexican Trogon. (Zvrogon mexicanus.)
Fig. 1.

This beautiful species is an inhabitant of the valley of the Rio
Grande, and, like all members of its family, is possessed of gor-
geous Colors. It is usually met with in woods and forests, espe-
cially preferring such as have a considerable height above the level
of the sea. ‘The beauty of this bird can best be seen when it is
floating along in the air. Its song consists of a piping note, and
its food consists mostly of fruit and insects.

Mot-Mot. Blue-headed Sawbill. Sawhbill. (JZomotus ceruletceps.)
Fig. 2.

This species is an inhabitant of Mexico, and is the only repre-
sentative that is occasionally met with in the United States. They
are said to lead a retired life, either alone or in pairs, and far from
the abode of man; their cry, which resembles a note from a flute,
is most frequently heard in the morning and evening. Insects af-
ford their principal means of subsistence, and these they obtain in
a great measure from the surface of the ground.

Costa Hummingbird. (Selasphorus coste.)
Fig. 3.

This Hummingbird is a resident of the Colorado Valley, South
and Lower California. Its habits are doubtless similar to that of
the Anna Hummingbird, represented on Plate LXXIII., and de-
scribed on page III.

144

WREN—TA NAGER—FINCHES—SPARROW-—KITE:.

oe EE EL a ST are aia 2 eh

Morelet’s Finch. Little Seed-eater. (Spermophila morelettit.)

Fig. 4.

The range of this pretty little bird is from Mexico to Texas. It
is‘a rare species, and is admitted to our fauna by its being occa-
sionally met with on the Rio Grande. It was first described by
Prince Bonaparte, from a specimen in the Paris Museum, taken
near the Lake of Peten, in Guatemala, by M. Morelet.

Cactus Wren. Brown-headed Creeper Wren. (Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus.)

Fig. 5.

This species is considered the largest of the family, and is found
to be common along the line of the Rio Grande, and the south-
western borders of the United States, especially in places where
the country presents a broken surface and a confused mass of vol-
canic rocks, covered with thorny bushes and cacti. It is a lively
bird, and occasionally utters a few trill ringing notes. Its food
consists of berries and insects. According to Dr. Heerman, the
nest is composed of grasses and lined with feathers, was in the
shape of a long purse, enormous for the size of the bird, and laid
flat between the forks or on the branches of a cactus. The entrance
was a covered passage, varying from six to ten inches in length.
The eggs, six in number, are described as being of a salmon
color, very pale, and often so thickly speckled with ash and
darker salmon colored spots as to give quite a rich cast to the whole
surface of the egg.

Hepatic Tanager. Liver-colored Tanager. (Pyranga hepatica.)

Fig. 6.

This beautiful Tanager is met with in the Southern Rocky
Mountains of the United States, and in the mountainous regions of
Mexico. Dr. Woodhouse obtained the first specimen in the San
Francisco mountains of Arizona. It was a full grown female, and
is the only one known to have been discovered in the United States.

White-throated Swift. Rock Swift. (Pazyptcla saxatilis.)

Fig. 7.

Dr. Kennedy first discovered this species on Bill Williams’ Fork,
New Mexico, in 1864. He speaks of it as a very curious and in-
teresting bird, found by him only among the canons of that stream,
and not observed elsewhere during their journey. Large flocks
could be seen at any time in the vicinity of those canons, flying
and circling around very high, and far beyond the reach of shot.
Toward the close of the day, when the sun had sunk behind the
hills, they occasionally descended lower. He only met with them
where the walls of the canons were very high, and consisted almost
of perpendicular masses of rock. At times they were seen to
sweep low down, and then to ascend nearly perpendicularly very
near the stones, as if examining them, in order to select a place for
their nests. The construction of these had obviously not then
commenced. Mr. Mollhausen was of the opinion that these birds
build in the holes and crevices of the cliffs. According to Mr.
Ridgway it is a very noisy species, having a vigorous chatter, re-
minding one somewhat of the notes of young Baltimore Orioles
when being fed by their parents.

Cassins Purple Finch. (Carfodacus casséni.)

Fig. )0~'

Rocky Mountains and valley of the Colorado to the Sierra Ne-
vada is the habitat of this species. It is similar in its habits to
the Purple Finch, represented on Plate XLVIII., fig. 10, and de-
scribed on page 69.

Mountain Song Sparrow. (AZewsdiza s:eledia, var. fallax.)

Fig. 9.

This species is the Rocky Mountain variety of Song Sparrows,
distributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In habits and song it
is similar to the species represented on Pate IV., figs. 4 and 5, and
described on page 4. .

Canon Finch. Canon Bunting. Brown Towhee.

plo fuscus, var. mesoleucus.)

Canon Towhee, (2.

Fig. 10.

This little species is met with in the valley of the upper Rio
Grande. It was first discovered by Dr. Kennedy, naturalist tc
the Pacific Railroad expedition, on the 35th paralle =~ He met wit
it at Bill Williams’ Fork, in Arizona, in 1854. Its habits are siz.
ilar to those of Pefzlo abertz. .

Abert’s Towhee. Abert’s Finch. (Pipilo aberit.)

Fig. 11.

This is one of the most plainly colored, as well as perhaps thc
largest of our North American Finches. Dr. Cooper assigns the
base of the Rocky Mountains, in New Mexico, and the valleys of
the Gila and Colorado rivers, as the habitat of this’ species, and,
according to Dr. Coues, it is one of the most abundant and charac-
teristic birds of those two valleys, and also that it ranges north-
ward to within a few miles of Fort Whipple, but is not found in the
adjacent mountains. Like the Canon Bunting, it lives mostly on
the ground. The nest is usually built in thorny shrubs, and is
composed of coarse twigs, green herbs, interwoven with strips of
bark, grass, and leaves, and lined with horse-hairgwhen it can be
obtained.

PLATE XCVIII.

Swallow-tailed Kite. (/Vwucterus furcatus.)

hier

This beautiful species is common in the South Atlantic and Gulf
States, and occasionally extends its migrations to the interior of the
State of Wisconsin. Regarding its habits, Dr. Coues says:

‘‘ Marked among its kind by no ordinary beauty of form and
brilliancy of color, the Kite courses through the air with a grace
and buoyancy it would be vain to rival. By a stroke of the thin-
bladed wings and a lashing of the cleft tail, its flight is swayed to
this or that side in a moment, orinstantly arrested. Now it swoops
with incredible swiftness, seizes without a pause, and bears its
struggling captive aloft, feeding from its talons as it flies; now it
mounts in airy circles till it is a speck in the blue ether and disap-
pears. All its actions, in wantonness or in severity of the chase,

PL. XCVIUI

HAW K—HARRIER—RED-TAIL—BUZZARDS. 145

display the dash of the athletic bird, which, if lacking the brute
strength and brutal ferocity of some, becomes their peer in prow-
ess—like the trained gymnast, whose tight-strung thews, supple
joints, and swelling muscles, under marvelous control, enable him
to execute feats, that to the more massive or not so well condi-
tioned frame would be impossible. One can not watch the flight
of the Kite without comparing it with the thoroughbred racer.

«« The Swallow-tailed Kite is a marked feature of the scene in
tne Southern States, alike where the sunbeams are redolent of the
orange and magnolia, and where the air reeks with the pestilent
miasm of moss-shrouded swamps that sleep in perpetual gloom.
But, imbued with a spirit of adventure, possessed of unequaled
powers of flight, it often wanders far from its southern home; it
has more than once crossed the ocean, and become atrophy of no
ordinary interest to the ardent collector in Europe. On the Atlan-
tic coast its natural limit appears to be the lower portions of Vir-
ginia, similar in physical and zoological characters to the Caroli-
nas; but it has more than once occurred in the Middle States.

**T have before me an egg of this species, from the Smithsonian
collection taken in Iowa. It measures 1.90 by 1.50; one end is
smaller than the other, though the greatest diameter is nearly equi-
distant from either. The ground-color is white, but tinged, as if
soiled or otherwise mechanically discolored, with a faint brownish
shade; it is marked with large, irregular blotches of rusty and
chestnut-brown, most numerous around the smaller end. Besides
these there are some specks and small spots of blackish-brown.

‘* As if in compensation for its powers of flight, this bird’s legs
are so short aS to be scarcely serviceable for locomotion, and it
rarely, if ever, alights on the ground. Its food is principally rep-
tiles and insects. It is found in winter in Central and South Amer-
ica, and is said, whether or not with entire truth I do not know,
to withdraw altogether from the United States in September, to re-
turn in April. It appears to breed indifferently throughout its nor-
mal United States range.”

Marsh Hawk. Marsh Harrier. American Harrier.

(Circus cyancus,
var. hudsonius.)

Fig. 2.

The geographical distribution of this species is co-extensive with
our continent south to Costa Rica. With the exception of the
southeastern poruon of the United States, it is everywhere abun-
dant. According to Audubon its notes resembles the syllables,
pee-pee-pee.

The Marsh Harrier, says Coues, belongs among the *‘ ignoble”
birds of the falconers, but is neither a weakling nor a coward, as
one may easily satisfy himself by handling a winged bird. Still,
under ordinary circumstances, its spirit is hardly commensurate
with its physique, and its quarry is humble. It lacks the splendid
action that insures success, in the pursuit of feathered game, to the
dashing Falcons and true Hawks; with all its stroke of wing, it
acquires no such resistless impetus. Audubon, indeed, says that
at times, when impelled by hunger, it will attack Partridges,
Plovers, and even Teal; but he adds, that he once saw a Marsh
Hen come off victorious in a battle with the Harrier. It ordinarily
stoops to field-mice, small reptiles, and insects. It is particularly
fond of frogs; these goggle-eyed and perspiring creatures suffer
more from the Harriers than from all the school-boys that ever
stoned them of a Saturday afternoon. The birds thus particularly
resemble the Rough-legged Buzzards in the nature of their prey,
and we can see a reason why they are so tenacious of their watery
preserves. ‘They hover at no great height, keenly surveying the
ground below, and drop directly on their quarry when it is descried.
They rarely pursue their prey or transport it to any distance when
secured, preferring to make a meal onthe spot. Hence it fre-
quently happens that, when walking in seedy covert, the gunner

puts up a Marsh Hawk, disturbed at its repast in the thick vegeta-
tion, that served alike to screen the bird and cover his own ad-
vance. At such atime, as the bird flaps up and makes off at its
best pace, it may be brought down with the greatest ease. With
wings of ample dimensions—even to be called long in proportion
to its weight—the bird, nevertheless, does not fly very fast; it pro-
ceeds ordinarily with regular, easy strokes, three or four times in
succession, and then sails until the impulse is exhausted. It often
courses very low over the ground, and rather swiftly, turning,
passing, and repassing, ‘‘ quartering” the ground, like a well
broken dog. This is the habit that has given it the name of ‘* Har-
rier,” and, in some sections, the less elegant designation of ‘‘ Bog-
trotter.” The old male is also sometimes called ‘‘ Blue Hawk.”

Western Red-tail. Red-tailed Black Hawk. Black Red-tail. Hen Hawk.
Red-tailed Buzzard. (feo borealis, var. calurus.)

Fig. 3.

This is a western variety of a species so generally found in all
parts of North America. Its habits are the same as the bird rep-
resented on Plate XXX., and described on page 37.

Swainson’s Hawk. Swainson’s Buzzard. (Buteo swainsonii.)
Fig. 4;

We copy, from Dr. Coues’ interesting account of this species, the
following :

*¢' This large Hawk is very abundant in Northern Dakota, where
it came under my almost daily observation during the summer of
1873. Excepting an occasional Rough-leg or Red-tail, it was the
only buteonine species observed, and the only Hawks more com.
mon were the ubiquitous Marsh Harriers and Sparrow Hawks.
The species is thoroughly distinct from its nearest ally, B. borealis ;
it never gains the red tail, so characteristic of the latter, and dif-
fers in many other points of coloration in its several stages of plum-
age, as noted beyond. Although its linear dimensions intergrade
with those of the Red-tail, it is not so heavy nor so large a bird,
and its shape differs in some points. A very tangible and con-
venient distinction, to which my attention was first called by Mr.
Ridgway, and which I have verified in numerous instances, is
found in the emargination of the primaries. As stated in my late
work (Key N. A. Birds, p. 217), Swainson’s Buzzard has only
three emarginate primaries, while the Red-tail has four; the
fourth quill of the former, like the fifth of the latter, is variously
sinuate-tapering, but never shows the decided nick or emargina-
tion of the inner web.

*« Swainson’s Buzzard may be seen anywhere in the region men-
tioned, even far out on the prairie, miles away from timber, cir-
cling overhead, or perched on the bare ground. In alighting, it
generally takes advantage of some little knoll commanding a view
around, though it often has no more prominent place than the heap
of dirt from a badger’s hole, from which to cast about for some im-
prudent gopher, espied too far from home, or still more ignoble
game. But the bird prefers timber, and, especially as its nesting
is confined to trees, it is most frequently observed in the vicinity ot
the few wooded streams that diversify the boundless prairie. In
Northern Dakota such streams cut their tortuous way pretty deeply
into the ground; and the sharp edges of the banks, rising steep
on one side, and on the other stretching away on a continuous level,
are favorite resting-spots, where sometimes a line of several birds
may be observed strung along a distance of a few yards. The
Souris or Mouse river, a stream of this description, is a favor-
ite resort, where I found the birds more numerous than elsewhere.
Much of the river-bottom is well wooded with elm, oak, and other
large trees; and the number of nests found in this timber—some-

146 ALBATROSS—CORMORANTS—VIREOS.

times several in sight of each other—would be-considered surpris-

ing by one not recollecting that conveniences for breeding are in
this country practically limited to such narrow tracts. The nests
are built at varying heights, from the intricacies of heavy shrub-
bery, where a man may reach them from the ground, to the tops
of the tallest trees. They are generally, however, placed thirty
or forty feet high, in some stout crotch, or on a horizontal fork.
They are bulky and ragged looking structures, from the size of
sticks used for the base and outside; the interior is composed of
smaller twigs more compactly arranged. The shape varies with
the requirements of the location, being more or less conical in an
upright crotch, flatter on a fork. The interior hollowing is slight.
An average external diameter may be given as two feet, and depth
half as much.”

PLATE XCIX.

Black-footed Albatross. (Déomedea nigripes.)
Big:er,

This is a very abundant species, found along the Pacific coast.
According to Dr. Brehm, the Albatrosses claim the vast ocean of
the southern hemisphere as their habitat. A few, it is true, have
been occasionally seen even off the coasts of Europe, but such cir-
cumstance can only be regarded as an accidental occurrence. They
seldom or never pass beyond the tropic of Capricorn, at least in
the Atlantic, and even then only as occasional wanderers. They
appear more frequently, however, in the northern regions of the
Pacific ocean ; they are also said to make regular visits to Behring’s
Straits and the Sea of Ochotsk, and not only casually to show them-
selves upon those unfrequent shores, but to reside in their vicinity
during several months, only retiring beyond the equator as the sea-
son for breeding approaches. In like manner, they are frequently
met with in high Antarctic latitudes—i. e., as we are informed by
sailors and fisherman, up to 50° or 60° south latitude; but whether
these are regular migrations, or merely casual excursions, we are
not as yet informed. We know, however, that they visit all seas
lying between 23° north and 66° south latitude; that when they
come into more northern climes, as into Kamtschatka and Ochotsk,
they are hungry, lank, and half-starved, but that, in a few weeks,
owing to the abundance of food they there meet with, they return
to their breeding-places plump and in good condition. It is said
by some observers, that, in the literal meaning of the words, their
flight extends quite around the globe, being generally, however,
more or less restricted within the limits of a certain zone, from
which they never wander far during the whole course of the year,
and within which they likewise breed.

Brandt’s Cormorant. (Graculus penicillatus.)
Fig. 2.

This bird is found to be a very common species on the Pacific
coast. As all Cormorants are very much alike in their habits, we
refer the reader to page 13 for a detailed account.

Violet Green Cormorant. (Graculus violaceus.)
Fig. 3.

This species is also found on the Pacific coast. Its habits are

very similar to the Cormorant described on page 13.

Florida Cormorant. (Graculus dilophus, var. floridanus.)

Fig. 4.

This species is a southern variety of the Double-crested Cormo-
rant. It is a resident on the Floridian and Gulf coast.
tions range up the Mississippi valley to Ohio.

Its mivra-

PLATE C.

Least Vireo. (Virco pusdllus.)
Fig. 1.

Mr. Xantus first discovered this species at Cape St. Lucas,
and Dr. Coues gave it its first description in 1866. Dr. Cooper
claims that in its habits it greatly resembles the Warbling Vireo,
page 72 of this work. According to Mr. Ridgway, it is a species
easily recognized, being, in all respects, quite distinct from any
other. ‘The character of its notes, as well as its habits, show it to be
a true Vireo. Its song, though weaker, bears a great resemblance
to that of the White-eyed. The nest found of this species, was
placed about three feet from the ground, in a low bush in a copse
of willows. Like all the nests of these Vireos it was pencile, being
attached to, and suspended from, the twigs of a branch.

Bell’s Vireo. (Vireo dellz.)
Fig. 2.

This species is met with from the Missouri river west to the
Rocky Mountains. Its habits are very similar to that of the
White-eyed Vireo, described on page 71 of this work. Its notes
are somewhat imitative of those of the Blue-bird, differing alto-
gether from those of other Vireos.

Gray Vireo. Arizona Vireo. Gray Greenlet. (Vcreo vectntor.)

Fig. 3.

Very little is known of this rare species, which was first discov-
ered by Dr. Coues, near Fort Whipple, Arizona, in 1865, and de-
scribed by him in 1866.

Western Warbling Vireo, or Greenlet. Swainson’s Warbling Greentet.
(Vireo gilous, var. Swainsont.)

Fig. 4.

This species is a western variety of our common little Warbling
Vireo, page 72 of this work. It is met with from the Rocky
Mountains to the Pacific coast. Like its eastern relative, its song,
which is cheerful and varied, is heard throughout the day until late
in autumn. They also build their nests in the shade-trees in the

Cities.

Plumbeous Vireo. Lead-colored Vireo, or Greenlet. (Virco solitarcas,

var. plumbeus.)
Rigs 5.

This is the western variety of the species known as the Solitary
Vireo, see page 71. It was first described by Dr. Coues, who met

PL. XGIx .

TENA tare

PL.C

Marte)
aa oe

HUMMINGBIRD—FINCHES—FLYCATCHERS—ORIOLE 147

it at Fort Whipple, in Arizona.
ern relative.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird. (Selasphorus platycercus.)
Rie 6:

Mr. Allen writes: ‘* The Broad-tailed Hummer was common
from Cheyenne southward along the base of the mountains to Col-
orado City, and throughout the mountains was everywhere abun-
_dant, even to above the timber-line. Its flight is exceedingly swift,
and characterized by a sharp, whistling sound; but in all other
respects it might be readily mistaken for the common Ruby-throat
of the East. Its nest was not discovered, but hardly a day passed
without a considerable number of the birds being observed, often
several individuals being in sight at once. The great abundance
of flowers throughout the mountain valleys, and which here and
there also nearly cover the ground, even far above the limit of
trees on the Snowy Range, renders this mountain region highly
favorable to the existence of this interesting species, and offers a
ready explanation of its abundant occurrence here.”

Mr. Holden, who noticed this species in the Black Hills, says:
*¢ These little birds were quite common. On one occasion, while
skinning a Hawk, I threw a piece of flesh into a small dead tree
near me. In an instant three of the birds were poised before the
meat, mistaking it, no doubt, for some gaudy flower.
nest was found.

But one
It contained two young ones about a week old.
I was struck by the wisdom displayed by the birds in placing their
nest. A small tree had fallen over the brook, which was here eight
feet wide. ‘The nest was placed on one of the under branches in
such a way that the trunk of the tree would effectually keep out
the rain. ‘The nest was lined with a species of cotton obtained in
the vicinity.”

Rufous-crowned Finch, or Sparrow.
Finch.

Red-capped Finch.
(Peucea ruficeps.)

Boucard’s

Biss 7s

The coast of California and south to Mexico is the place of res-
idence of this species. It was first obtained by Dr. Heerman, in
California. Ie states that in the fall of 1851, he shot, on the Co-
sumnes river, a single specimen of this bird from among a large
flock of Sparrows of various kinds. In the spring of the follow-
ing year, among the mountains, near the Calaveras river, he
found it quite abundant. It was then flying in pairs, engaged in
picking grass-seed from the ground, and, when started, it never
extended its fliyht beyond a few yards. Its notes, in their charac-
ter, reminded him ot the ditty of our common little Chipping Spar-
row (Spizella socealis). Ue obtained several specimens. Its
flight seemed feeble, and when raised from the ground, from which
it would not start until almost trodden on, it would fly but a short
distance, and almost immediately drop again into the grass.

Hammond’s Flycatcher. (Apidonax hammondtzt.)
Fig. 8.

This species is met with in the western province of the United
States, south to Mexico. It was first discovered by Mr. Xantus,
in California, in 1858.

Dr. Cooper says, the first of this species arrives at Santa Cruz,
March 13, and they were numerous during the summer, disappear-
ing in September. ‘They kept in low trees, and uttered a few faint
uctes. April 27, he found the first nest. It was built on the hori-

Its habits are similar to its east-

zontal branch of a negundo tree, about eighteen feet from the
ground. He found four others afterward, from four to ten fest
high, either on horizontal branches or on forks of small trees.

Wright’s Flycatcher. Grayish Flycatcher. (2pidonax obscurus.)
Fig. 9.

About the first of April this species arrives from Mexico, and
remains until October. It is met with from the Rocky Mountains
to the Pacific, north to Colorado, south through Mexico. Accord-
ing to Mr. Allen:

‘¢ The Gray Flycatcher was the commonest and almost the only
species of Hmpzdonax met with in the mountains of Colorado. It
was generally observed in rather wet, swampy localities, dense
willow thickets seeming to form its favorite resorts. It is very re-
tiring in its habits, keeping almost constantly concealed in thick
copses, where it silently hunts its insect prey, and is hence a diffi-
cult species to collect. Though it may be approached within a few
yards, it eludes capture by keeping in the middle of the close wil-
low clumps, exposing itself to view only when obliged to fly across
an open space, taking its departure from the side furthest from the
observer, and flying low and hurriedly to the nearest point of con-
cealment. The several nests found contained young, and were
always placed some distance within the thick copse the birds had
chosen for their home. The nests were usually built in the forks
of small branches, and in thickness and general appearance
greatly resembled the ordinary nests of the summer Yellow-bird
(Dendreca estiva).

Bell’s Finch, or Sparrow. (o0o0spzza belit.)
Fig. Io.

The extensive thickets, called chaparral, says Dr. Cooper,
which cover barren, dry tracts for miles, in all the southern half
of California, are the favorite resorts of this little bird. There
they pick up a living from small seeds, and probably insects, be-
ing apparently quite indifferent as to water, or depending on that
dropping from the foliage after dews and fogs. They may be seen
running rapidly, or rather hopping along the ground, with tail car-
ried perfectly erect, and at the least alarm seeking the friendly
thicket. They reside all the year in the same localities, and are
numerous on the island of San Nicolas, eighty miles from the
mainland, though I saw none on the other islands, except one on
Santa Barbara.

In spring the males sing a low, monotonous ditty from the top
of a favorite shrub, answering each other from long distances.
Their nest, built about three feet from the ground, is composed of
grasses and slender weeds, lined with hair, etc. The eggs, about
four, are pale greenish, with reddish-brown dots thickly sprinkled
over. ‘This species seems to be restricted to California, and val-
ley of Gila and Colorado, to Fort Horn.

PLATE CI.
Texas Orchard Oriole. (Jcterus spurdus, var. affints.)
Fig. 1.
This beautiful species is a small southern variety of our common

Orchard Oriole so often met with in parks, orchards, and near the
outskirts of woods. See page 13.

148 W OODPECKERS—FLYCATCHER—TITMICE—FIN CHES—ORIOLE—SPARROWS, ETC.

Texan Woodpecker. Arizona Woodpecker. Ladder-backed Wood-
pecker. Texan Sapsucker. (Picus scalaris.)

Fig. 2.

This southwestern species is met with from the Rocky Mountains
and its slopes, west to San Bernadino Mountains of California.
Dr. Cooper says they are abundant in the Colorado valley, and
sometimes seen in the. bushes covering the neighboring mountains.

Dr. Woodhouse says, during his stay in San Antonio, Texas,
and its vicinity, he became quite familiar with it. It was to be
seen at all times, flying from tree to tree, and lighting on the trunk
of the mesquites (algarobia), closely searching for its insect-food.
In its habits and notes, he states, it much resembles the common
Hairy Woodpecker. See page 18.

Buff-breasted Flycatcher, or Least Flycatcher. (Mitrephorus fulvi-
Srons, var. pallesceus.)

Fig. 3.

This species, which is comparatively new to our fauna, was taken
by Dr. Coues at Fort Whipple, at which place it is a rare summer
visitor.

Gray-tufted Titmouse. California Titmouse. Plain, or Plain-crested
Titmouse. (Lophophanes tnornatus.)

Fig. 4.

This Pacific coast species was first described by Dr. Gamble in
his Birds of California. Dr. Woodhouse met with it in the San
Francisco mountains, near the little Colorado river, New Mexico,
at which place he found it very abundant. Dr. Gamble first no-
ticed this species near Monterey, where he found it very common,
frequenting tall bushes in small flocks, searching branches of low
trees, uttering weak and slender cries, resembling tsee-day-day:

According to Dr. Cooper, they seem to prefer the evergreen oak
groves toward the middle of the State, but are not found in the
higher Sierra Nevada. They are residents throughout tle year
in the evergreen oaks near San Francisco. They are seen in
small parties, scattered about the trees, and calling to each other
with a variety of sweet and loud notes, some of which are said to
equal those of our best singers. It also has certain powers of im-
itation like the eastern crested species, and the same cry of peto-
peto.

House Finch, or Linnet. Burion. Crimson-fronted Finch.
Finch. (Carpodacus frontalis.)

Adobe

Fig. 5.

This is a very abundant species in the towns and gardens of
New Mexico, Arizona, and California, where, according to Dr.
Coues, it is as familiar as the European Sparrow has become in
many of our large eastern cities. Dr. Woodhouse says, that his
attention was first called to this interesting little songster while at
Santa Fe. It was there known to the American residents as the
‘‘Adobe Finch.” By the Mexicans they were called Burzones.
He found them exceedingly tame, building about the dwellings,
churches, and other buildings, in every nook and corner, and even
entering the houses to pick up crumbs. ‘They are never disturbed
by the inhabitants. He adds, that at the first dawn of the morning
they commence a very sweet and clear warble, which he was quite
unable to do justice to by any verbal description.

Hooded Oriole. (Jcterus cucullatus.)
Fig. 6.

This species extends its migrations from Mexico into Texas, at
the Rio Grande, and into Southern California and Arizona. On
the Rio Grande, where it rears its young, it was found quite com-
mon by Captain McCown. When met with in the woods, and far
away from the abodes of men, it seemed shy and disposed to con-
ceal itself. Yet a pair of these birds were his constant visitors,
morning and evening. They came to the vicinity of his quar-
ters, an unfinished building at Ringgold Barracks, and at last be-
came so tame and familiar that they would pass from some ebony
trees, that stood near by, to the porch, clinging to the shingles and
rafters, frequently in an inverted position, prying into the holes and
crevices, apparently in search of spiders and such insects as could
be found there. From this occupation they would occasionally
desist to watch his movements. He never could induce them to
partake of the food he offered them. Lieutenant Couch found
their nests generally on or under the tops of the palm known as
the Spanish bayonet.

Black-chinned Sparrow. (Sfzzella atrigularis.)
Fig. 7.

But little is known of this Mexican species, that is only occa-
sionally found within the limits and along the borders of the United
States. It was met with by Dr. Coues in the neighborhood of
Fort Whipple, Arizona. It arrives there in April, and departs in
small flocks in October. He says that in the spring it has a very
sweet and melodious song, far surpassing in power and melody the
notes of any other of this genus he has ever seen.

Calliope Hummingbird. (Ste//ula calliope.)

Fig. 8.

This interesting Hummingbird is comparatively new to our North
American fauna. It was first discovered by Signor Floresi. Mr.
J. K. Lord, one of the British Commissioners on the Northwest
Boundary Survey, was the first who brought it to the attention of
our ornithologists. It is met with in the mountains of Washington,
Oregon, California, to Northern Mexico. Mr. Lord says, around
the blossoms of the brilliant pink Atzées, or flowering currant, he
found congregated quite a number of Hummingbirds. The bushes
seemed to him to literally gleam with their flashing colors, among
them the present species, one of the smallest of Hummingbirds,
and in life conspicuous for a frill of minute pinnated feathers, en-
circling the throat, of a delicate magenta tint, which can be raised
or depressed at will. He afterward ascertained that they prefer
rocky hillsides at great altitudes, where only pine trees, rock
plants, and an Alpine flora are found. He frequently shot these
birds above the line of perpetual snow. ‘Their favorite resting-
place was on the extreme point of a dead pine tree, where, if un-
disturbed, they would sit for hours. The site chosen for a nest
was usually the branch of a young pine, where it was artfully con-
cealed amidst the fronds at the very end, and rocked like a cradle
by every passing breeze.

Mouniain Song Sparrow. (AZelospiza melodia, var. fallax.)
Fig. 9.

Dr. Coues found this species a common and permanent resident
in Arizona, and he pronounces its habits, manners, and voice pre-

PL.CI

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PL.CI

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SPARROW—ALBATROSS—PLOVER—GULL—TATTLER—THRUSH.

149

cisely like those of the Song Sparrow (M. Melodia). See page
4. This species, he states, occurs throughout New Mexico, Ari-
zona, and a part of Southern California, and is particularly abun-
dant in the valley of Colorado.

Western Chipping Sparrow. (SAzzedla soczalis, var. arizone.
Fig. 10.

This species is met with in the western parts of the United States,
from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific; south in winter into
Middle and Western Mexico. Its habits are similar to its eastern
relative, mentioned on page 68.

PLATE CII.
Short-tailed Albatross. (Domedea brachyura.)

Fig. 1.

This is a very abundant species, that is met with off the Pacific

coast. Its habits are similar to the Albatross, represented on Plate
XCIX., and described on page 146.

Mountain Plover. (4 gialitzs asiaticus, var. montanus.)

Fig. 2.

This bird, so far as known, inhabits the western countries of
North America, and is supposed to extend its migrations to South
America. According to Dr. Coues, it is common on dry plains,
and even in deserts; independent of water; feeds on insects, es-
pecially grasshoppers. He found it in New Mexico in June, and
abundantly in California in November.

Dr. Coues further says regarding this species :

‘¢In the desert region of New Mexico, between the Rio Grande
and the base of the mountains to the westward, I found these Plo-
vers abundant, late in June, together with the Long-billed Curlews,
and presume that they breed there, although I found no nests.
The old birds that I shot were in poor condition and worn plumage.
A few were seen in Arizona, at various seasons, but they did not
again occur to me in abundance until I reached Southern Califor-
nia, in November of the following year. In the vicinity of Los

Angeles I found them in large flocks on the dry plain which

stretches down to the ocean. ‘They were not difficult of approach,
and I had no difficulty in securing as many as I desired. On be-
ing disturbed by too near approach, they lower the head, run rap-
idly a few steps in a light, easy way, and then stop abruptly, draw-
ing themselves up to their full height and looking around with
timid yet unsuspicious glances. Their notes are rather peculiar,
as compared with those of our other Plovers, and vary a good deal,
according to circumstances. When the birds are feeding at their
leisure, and in no way apprehensive of danger, they utter a low
and rather pleasing whistle, though in a somewhat drawling or
rather lisping tone; but the note changes to a louder and higher
one, sometimes sounding harshly. When. forced to fly by persist-
ent annoyance, they rise rapidly with quick wing-beats, and then
proceed with alternate sailing and flapping, during the former ac-
tion holding the wings decurved. They generally fly low over
ihe ground, and soon realight, taking a few mincing steps as they
touch the ground; they then either squat low, in hopes of hiding,
or stand on tip-toe, as it were, for a better view of what alarmed
them.

‘¢ The Mountain Plover’s food consists principally, if not wholly,
of insects. JI examined the stomachs of a great many with refer-
ence to this matter, finding in them nothing whatever but insects,
excepting, as usual, a little sand or gravel. Grasshoppers, in their
season, seem to be the bird’s main reliance, though numerous
other insects, as crickets and beetles, are also eaten; and I sup-
pose that worms and small land-molluscs would not come amiss.
In the fall, when food is plenty, the birds become very fat, tender,
and juicy, affording excellent eating.”

Snowy Plover. (<4gdalitis cantianus.)

Fig. 3.

This is a California coast species, where it is found quite common
during the winter season, occupying the sandy or gravelly shores
of rivers.

Sooty Albatross. (Diomedea fuliginosa.)

Fig. 4.

This species is met with on the Pacific coast. Its habits are
about the same as the other Albatross represented on this plate.

White-headed Gull.

(Larus heermani.)
Fig. 5.

This bird is met with on the Pacific coast, thence southward. It
is a common species, and most generally found in deep water some
distance from shore.

Wandering Tattler. (/Ze¢eroscelus incanus.)
Fig. 6.

This species has a very general distribution on the coast and
islands of the Pacific ocean.

PLATE CIII.

Red-vented Thrasher; Crissal Thrush; Henry’s Thrush.

chus criéssalis.)

(Harporhyn-

Fig. 1.

The valley of the Rio Grande, Colorado, and California is the
habitat of this rare species. Very little is known in regard to the
habits of this little bird... A specimen was first obtained by Dr. J.
C. Henry, near Mimbres, who published a description of it in
May, 1858.

Bendire’sThrush. (//arporhynchus Bendiret.)

IEE. De

This is a new species lately found by St.,Bendire. It is a resi-
dent of the valley of the Rio Grande. Colorado, and Arizona. Its
nests are usually built on trees instead of bushes, and at times as
high as thirty feet from the ground. .

150

Mocking Bird. (AZimus polyglottus.)

ies ig

Among the great things peculiar to the New World, stands with-
out a rival amongst the feathered songsters, the Mocking Bird of
America. This very extraordinary species, which is so rich
and varied in its vocal powers. inhabits a very considerable extent
of both North and South America, having been traced from the
states of New England to Brazil. They are, however, much more
numerous in those states south, than those north of the river Dela-
ware; being generally migratory in the latter, and resident (at
least many of them) in the former. A warm climate, and low
country not far from the sea, seems most congenial to their nature ;
the species are accordingly found to be less numerous to the west
than east of the great range of Alleghany, in the same parallels
of latitude. In these regions the berries of the red cedar, myrtle,
holly, many species of smilax, together with gum-berries, gall-
berries, and a profuse variety of others, abound, and furnish them
with a perpetual feast. Wainged insects also, of which they are
very fond, and very expert in catching, are then plentiful even in
the winter season.

Though the plumage of the Mocking Bird is none of the home-
liest, it has nothing gaudy or brilliant in its and, had he nothing
else to recommend him, would scarcely entitle him to notice. But
his figure is well proportioned and even handsome. The ease,
elegance, and rapidity of his movements, the animation of his eye,
and the intelligence he displays in listening and laying up lessons,
from almost every species of the feathered creation within his hear-
ing, are really surprising, and mark the peculiarity of his genius.
To these qualities may be added that of a voice full, strong, and
musical, and capable of almost every modulation, from the clear,
mellow tones of the Wood Thrush, to the savage scream of the
Bald Eagle. In measure and accent he faithfully follows his orig-
inals; in force and sweetness of expression he greatly improves
upon them. In his native groves, mounted on the top of a tall
bush or half-grown tree, in the dawn of the morning, while the
woods are already vocal with a multitude of warblers, his admir-
able song rises pre-eminent over every competitor. The ear can
listen to his music alone, to which that of all the others seems a
mere accompaniment. Neither is his strain altogether imitative.
His own native notes are bold and full, and varied seemingly be-
yond all limits. They consist of short expressions of two, three,
or, at the most, five or six syllables, generally interspersed with imi-
tations, and all of them uttered with great emphasis and rapidity,
and continued with undiminished ardor for half an hour er an
hour at a time. His expanded wings and tail, glistening with
white, and the buoyant gayety of his actions, arresting the eye as
his song most irresistibly does the ear, he sweeps round with en-

thusiastic ecstacy, and mounts and descends as his song swells or
dies away. While thus exerting himself, a bystander, destitute of

sight, would suppose that the whole feathered tribes had assembled
together on a trial of skill, each striving to produce his utmost ef-
fect.

He often deceives the sportsman, and sends him in search of
birds that are not, perhaps, within miles of him, but whose note
he exactly imitates. Hven birds themselves are frequently im-
posed upon by this admirable mimic, and are decoyed by the fan-
cied calls of their mates, or dive with precipitation into the depth
of thickets at the scream of what they suppose to be the Sparrow-
Hawk. .

The Mocking Bird loses little of the power and energy of his
song by confinement. In his domesticated state, when he com-
mences his career of song, it is impossible to stand by uninter-
ected. He whistles for the dog; Cesar starts up, wags his tail,
and runs to meet his master. IIe squeaks out like a hurt chicken,
and the hen hurries about with hanging wings and bristled feathers,

MOCKING BIRD.

chuckling to protect its injured brood. The barking of the dog,
the mewing of the cat, the creaking of a passing wheelbarrow,
follow with great truth and rapidity. He repeats the tune taught
him by his master, though of considerable length, fully and faith-
fully ; he runs over the quaverings of the Canary, and the clear
whistlings of the Virginia Nightingale, or Cardinal Red-bird, with
such superior execution and effect, that the mortified songsters feel
their own inferiority, and become altogether silent, while he seems
to triumph in their defeat by redoubling his exertions. His ele-
vated imitations of the Brown Thrush are frequently interrupted
by the crowing of Cocks; and the warblings of the Blue-bird,
which he exquisitely manages, are mingled with the screaming of
Swallows, or the cackling of Hens. Amid the simple melody of
the Robin, one is suddenly surprised by the shrill reiterations of
the Whip-Poor-Will, while the notes of the Kildeer, Blue Jay,
Martin, Baltimore Oriole, and many others succeed, with such in-
spiring reality, that the auditors look round for the originals, and
with astonishment discover that the sole performer in this singular
concert is the admirable bird now before us. During this exhibi-
tion of his powers, he spreads his wings, expands his tail, and
throws himself around the cage in all ecstacy of enthusiasm, seem-
ing not only to sing but to dance, keeping time to the measure of
his own music. Both in his native and domesticated state, during
the stillness of the night, as soon as the moon rises he begins his de-
lightful solo, making the whole neighborhood resound with his in-
imitable medley. The Mocking Bird is frequently taken in trap-
cages, and, by proper management, may be made sufficiently
tame to sing.

The precise time at which the Mocking Bird begins to build his
nest varies according to the latitude in which he resides, from the
beginning of April to the middle of May. There are particular
situations to which he gives the preference. A solitary thorn-
bush, an almost impenetrable thicket, an orange-tree, cedar, or
holly-bush, are favorite spots, and frequently selected. It is no
great objection to the bird, that a farm or mansion-house happens
to be near. Always ready to defend, but never over-anxious to
conceal, his nest, he very often builds within a small distance of
the house, and not unfrequently in a pear or apple-tree, rarely at
a greater height than six or seven feet from the ground. The nest
varies a little, according to the conveniency of collecting suitable
materials. Generally, it is composed of—first, a quantity of dry
twigs and sticks, then withered tops of weeds of the preceding
year, intermixed with fine straw, hay, pieces of wool, and tow;
and, lastly, a thick layer of fine, fibrous roots, of a light brown
color lines the whole. The female sits fourteen days, and gener-
ally produces two broods in the season, unless robbed of her eggs,
in which case she will even build and lay the third time. She is,
however, very jealous of her nest, and very apt to forsake it, if
much disturbed. During the period of incubation, neither cat nor
dog, animal nor man, can approach the nest without being at-
tacked. The cats, in particular, are persecuted, whenever they
make their appearance, till obliged to retreat. But his whole
vengeance is more particularly directed against that mortal enemy
of his eggs and young, the black snake. Whenever the insidious
approaches of this reptile are discovered, the male darts upon it
with the rapidity of an arrow, dexterously eluding its bite, and
striking it violently and incessantly about the head, where it is
very vulnerable. The snake soon becomes sensible of its danger,
and seeks to escape; but the intrepid defender of his young re-
doubles his exertions, and, unless his antagonist be of great mag-
nitude, often succeeds in destroying him. All his pretended pow-
ers of fascination avail it nothing against the vengeance of this
noble bird. As the snake’s strength begins to flag, the Mocking
Bird seizes and lifts it up partly from the ground, beating it with
its wings, and when the business is completed, he returns to the
nest of his young, mounts the summit of the bush, and pours forth
a torrent of song in token of victory.

The Mocking Bird is nine and a half inches long, and thirteen

PIR

THRASHERS—THRUSHES—W RENS—NUTHATCHERS—VIREO. 181

across, when its wings are spread. Some individuals are, how-
ever, larger, and some smaller, those of the first hatch being uni-
formly the largest. The upper parts of the head, neck, and back
are a dark brownish ash, and when new-moulted, a fine light gray ;
the wings and tail are nearly black, the first and second rows of
coverts tipped with white; the primaries, in some males, are
wholly white; in others, tinged with brown. The first three pri-
maries are white from their roots as far as their coverts; the white
on the next six extends from an inch to one and three-fourths fur-
ther down, descending equally on each side the feather; the tail
is cuneiform; the two exterior feathers wholly white; the rest, ex-
cept the middle ones, tipped with white; the chin is white; sides
of the neck, breast, belly, and vent a brownish white, much purer
in wild birds than in those that have been domesticated ; iris of the
eye, yellowish cream colored, inclining to golden; bill black; the
base of the lower mandible whitish; legs and feet black and
strong. ‘The female much resembles the male, and is only dis-
tinguishable by the white of her wings being less pure and broad,
and her black feathers having a more rusty hue.

Palmer’s Thrasher. (arporhynchus curvirostris.)
Fig. 4.

This is a species met with in Arizona, by Dr. Edward Palmer,
who says that it is very shy, and passes much of its time upon
the ground, where it was seen running beneath the bushes.

California Mocking Bird; Sickle-billed Thrush; California Thrasher.
(Harporhynchus redivivus.)

Fig. 5.

This plainly-colored species is restricted in its distribution to the
coast region of California. Dr. Gambel first met with it near Mon-
terey. It was taken whilst the bird was gathering insects on the
ground. It is difficult to approach. When alarmed, it takes to
the thick bushes, running some distance, and becoming afterward
unapproachable. He speaks of its song as a flood of melody,
equaled only by the song of the Mocking Bird.

Cinerous Thrush; Ashy Thrush; Cape St. Lucas Thrasher. (yforhyn-

chus cinereus.)
Fig. 6.

This is a new species discovered by Mr. Xantus, in 1859, at
Cape St. Lucas. So far as known, it is confined to the peninsula
of Lower California. Mr. Xantus found it quite numerous at the
Cape St. Lucas, in a region which was singularly unpropitious—a
sandy shore, extending about a quarter of a mile inland, whence
a cactus desert stretched about six miles up to a high range of
mountains.

Bewick’s Wren: Western Mocking Wren. (Z%ryothorus Bewickhit,

var. spzlurus.)
Fig. 7.

This variety is an inhabitant of the Western coast. Dr. Cooper
says they abound throughout the wooded parts of California and
northward, frequenting the densest forests as well as the open
groves. During the winter, they were found in the vicinity of Fort
Morgan, but left in April. They are known as Mocking Wrens,
though he thinks they do not really imitate other birds, but rather
have a great variety of their own notes, some of which resemble

those of other birds, and are well calculated to deceive one unac-
customed to them. ‘The nest was built in a low bush, only three
feet from the ground. It was quite open above, formed of twigs,
grass, etc., and contained five eggs, which were white, with
brown specks near the larger end.

Allied Creeper Wren; Cape Cactus Wren. (Campylorhynchus affinis.)
Fig. 8.

This species was first discovered by Mr. Xantus in the southern
extremity of Lower California, where it is a very common bird.
So far as known it is only observed at Cape St. Lucas, Lower
California.

Pygmy Nuthatch ; California Nuthatch. (Sita pygemea.)
Fig. 9.

This little species is found on the Pacific Coast, and on the
western slope of the Rocky Mountains, from Washington Terri-
tory to Southern California. Dr. Kennerly found them quite
abundant in the Sierra Madre and San Francisco Mountains, even
as high up as the snow-line, seeking their insect food among the
tops of the lofty pines. Dr. Gambel mentions their almost ex-
traordinary abundance, in the winter months, in Upper California.
Around Monterey, at times, the trees appeared almost alive with
them, as they ran up and down and around the branches and
trunks, uttering their monotonous and querulous cries. Their
note he describes as a repeated whistling wzt-wt. When one
utters this cry, the rest join in. Mr. Ridgeway found it exceed-
ingly hard to discover this bird among the branches, or even when
flying, owing to the swiftness and irregularity of its flight. When
the female of a pair had been killed, the male bird was extremely
loud in his lamentations. Diminutive as this bird is, it is also the
noisiest of all the feathered inhabitants of the pines, though it is
less active in the pursuit of insects than the larger species.

Slender-billed, or Western Nuthatch. (Sz¢éa carolinensis, var. aculeata.)
Fig. to.

The Pacific Coast, and east toward the Rocky Mountains, is the
habitat of this western variety of the eastern species, the White-
breasted Black-capped Nuthatch (.Svtta carolinensis), represented
on plate 2, figs. 5 and 6, page 2. The habits of these birds are
similar; their note is a single harsh call, uttered occasionally, and
responded to by their comrades.

Black-whiskered Vireo; Florida Greenlet; Whip-Tom-Kelly.

altiloguus, var. barbatulus.)

( Vireo

Fig. r1.

This species is met with in Cuba, the Bahamas, and casually
at Charlotte Harbor, Florida. It is very similar in habits and ap-
pearance to the common Red-eyed Vireo (Vzreo olivaceus), plate
49, fig. 8, page 71. Dr. Hurman describes its song as clear and
musical, and very distinctly uttered. It was constantly on the
search for insects, and appeared even more active than any of the
northern species, darting among the foliage, peering into crevices
and cobwebs, suspended from branches with its back downward,
and occasionally chasing a flying insect in the manner of a true
Flycatcher. These movements were usually accompanied by a
song.

152 SONG-SPARROW—CHAT—TITMICE—VIREOS—W RENS—THRASHERS.

Oregon, or Gray Song-Sparrow. (J%elospiza melodia, var. cuttata.)
Fig. 12.

This variety is an inhabitant of the Pacific Coast, United States,
and British Columbia. Dr. Cooper characterizes this species as
the most northern and mountain-frequenting representative of the
Song Sparrows, being a resident of the higher Sierra Nevada, and
on the borders of the evergreen forests toward the Columbia, and
thence northward, where it is the only species of this genus, and
where it is common down to the level of the sea. Their habits
and song are similar to the common Song Sparrow of the East.

Western, or Long-tailed Chat. (/cterca virens, var. longicauda.)
Fig. 13.

This variety of the common Yellow-breasted Chat, Plate LXIV,
fig. 9, page 110, has an exclusively western distribution, and has
been found from Mexico and Cape St. Lucas to Oregon, on the
Pacific Coast, and as far east as the Upper Missouri. The habits
and notes of these birds are alike.

Western Titmouse, or Chickadee. (Parzs atricapillus, var. occidenta-
lis.)

Fig. 14.

The Pacific Coast variety of the common Titmouse, or Black-
capped Chicadee, Plate XXXII, fig. 4, page 42. This little bird
is mostly found frequenting low thickets and trees in Oregon and
Washington Territory. During winter it is found common near
the Columbia river in the northern part of California. Its food
consists of seeds and insects, it is also fond of fresh meat, fat, and
crumbs of bread.

Black-crested, Black-tufted, or Texas Titmouse. (Lophophanes aitré-
cristatus.)

Fig. 15.

The valley of the Rio Grande, thence south into San Antonio,
Texas, is the residence of this species. It was first met with by
Mr. Audubon, in Texas. In its habits and general appearance it
is similar to the common Crested or Tufted Titmouse ( Lophopha-

nes bicolor), Plate XXXII], fig. 2, page 30.

Black-headed or Black-capped Vireo. (Vireo atricapillus.)
Fig. 16.

This very rare species has Southwestern Texas, and Mazatlan,
Mexico, as its place of habitation. Very little is known regarding
its habits. It was first discovered, by Dr. Woodhouse, May 26,
1851, in Western Texas, on the Rio San Pedro, within ten miles
of its source. He found it among some cedars, and was attracted
by its very singular notes. It was in continued motion, like a
Wood Warbler, and was by him first supposed to be one of those
birds.

Hutton’s Vireo. (Vireo huttonz.)
Fig. 17.

This species was first described by Mr. Cassin, in 1851, from a
specimen obtained in Monterey, California; in which State, and

in the Valley of Gila, and in the northern and eastern portions of

Mexico, it has been found. Dr. Cooper states that it resembles
the Ruby-crowned Wren very closely in appearance and habits.
Its song consists of a few short and quaint notes.

White-bellied Wren. (Zhryothorus bewickti, var. leucogaster.)
Fig. 18.

This bird is the Southwestern United States and Mexican variety
of our eastern species known as Bewick’s Wren, Plate LXXI,
fi. 6, page 102.

Long-billed Thrush; Texas Thrasher. (Harporhynchus rufus, var. lon-
Ltrosiris.)

Fig. 109.

A variety that represents the Brown Thrush (Harporhynchus
rufus, Plate LXXII, fig. 8, page 109, in Eastern Mexico, north
to the Rio Grande, Texas.

Leconte’s Thrush, or Thrasher. (AHarporhynchus redivivus, var. le-

conte.)
Fig. 20.

This is a comparatively new species, it was met by Dr. Leconte,
near Fort Yuma. Dr. Cooper found it common about the Mojave
river, near which place Dr. Coues obtained a specimen in 1865.
He found it on a dry plain covered with mosquits and cactus. It
was very shy and restless, fluttering hurriedly from one cactus to
another, until he at last shot it when it seemed to fancy itself hid-
den among the thick ponds of a large yueca. Its large, stout feet
admirably adapt it for its particularly terrestrial life, and it appar-
ently spends much of its life upon the ground, where it runs rap-
idly and easily. Its flight he describes as swift but desultory, and

_ accompanied by a constant flirting of the tail.

Alaska Wren. (Axorthura troglodytes, var. alascensis.)
Fig. 21.

Very little is known of this new variety. Mr. Dall obtained it
on Amaknak Island. He found it abundant all the year round on
St.George’s Island, and that it bred in May, building a nest of
moss in the crevices of the rocks, and, according to the Aleuts,
lay six eggs.

Parkman’s House Wren; Western Wood Wren. (7Zroglodites edon,

var. parkuani.)
Fig. 22.

This bird was first obtained by Mr. Townsend, on the Columbia
River, and described by Audubon in 1839. It is met with on the
plains from the Missouri to the Pacific. Its habits and character-
istics are the same as the common Eastern House Wren. Plate

LVI, fig. 7, page 83.

| : Pin. Gry

ee or: >. =f. oN

A a RP a oe oe

SONG-SPARROWS—SPARROWS—FINCHES—BUNTINGS. 1B3

PLATE CIV.

Gould’s, or Samuel’s Song Sparrow. (A/e/ospiza melodia, var. gouldii.)
Fig. 1.

This variety is a resident of the coast region of California. Its
chief distinctive character is its small size.

Heerman’s, or California Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia, var. heer-
i ‘) g
mani.)

Pig. 2:

This bird is the counterpart of the common Eastern Song Spar-
row. It has been found in California as far north as San Fran-
cisco, and to the south and southeast to San Diego, and the Mo-
han river. According to Dr. Cooper, it is found in every locality
where there are thickets of low bushes and tall weeds, especially in
the vicinity of water, and, whenever unmolested, it comes about
the gardens and houses with all the familiarity of the common
Song Sparrow.

Laconte’s Sparrow, or Bunting. (Coturntculus lecontez.)
Big, 3.

This rare species was procured by Audubon in his expedition to
the Yellowstone. He speaks of its having very curious notes,
which he describes as of a sharp, querulous nature, and a general
habit o keeping only among the long, slender, green grasses that
here and there grew up in patches along the margins of the
creeks. So closely did it keep in the coverts to which it resorted,
that it was very difficult to force it to rise on the wing, when only
it could be procured.

Kodiak Song Sparrow. (Jelospiza melodia, var. insignis.)
Fig. 4.

This variety is met with from Kodiak and Oonatashka, and rep-
resents the extreme extent of the variations of Song Sparrows.

Mexican Purple Finch. (Carpodacus frontalis, var. hemorrhouse.)
Fig. 5.

This variety is a resident of the table lands of Mexico. Its
habits and characteristics are similar to the common House Finch
(Carpodacus frontalis), Plate CI, fig. 5, page 148.

Dusky Redpoll Finch. (2 g¢othus linaria, var. fuscesceus.)
Fig. 6.

This variety, it is thought, is based upon the midsummer plum-
age of the Redpoll Linnet. Plate XLVIII, fig. 9, page 69.

Brewster’s Linnet, or Finch. (Zzxota flavirostris, var. berwsteri.)
Fig. 7.

This bird was lately obtained by Mr. William Brewster, in Wal-
tham, Massachusetts. Nothing was observed by him regarding
its habits.

Ochrous-headed Bunting; Baird’s Bunting, or Sparrow.
ochrocephalus.)

Centronyx

Fig. 8.

This little species was, until lately, considered a very rare pird,
some thirty years having passed since Audubon’s party to the Yel-
lowstone River—1843—obtained a single specimen. Dr. Coues,
who, in company with Mr. Aiken, took the second specimen, says:

‘* Baird’s Bunting is extremely abundant in Dakota, in some
places outnumbering all other birds together. I did not see it
immediately along the Red River, but at once encountered it be-
yond the low Pembina range of mountains, thirty or forty miles
west of the river, as soon as I came upon the high prairie. This
was the second week in July, when I shot some young birds just
fledged, though the great majority were then breeding. In two
days, July 14 and 15, 1 took thirty specimens, and more might
have been procured; during the summer about seventy-five were
preserved, showing all stages. Almost without exception my
earlier specimens were males, which attracted attention as they sat
singing on the low bushes of the prairie, the females lying con-
cealed in the grass, incubating or attending to the young. The
song is peculiar, consisting of two or three distinct syllables, in a
mellow, tinkling tone, running into an indefinite trill; it may be
suggested by 22f-z2¢p-2ip-zr-r-r-r. In their general appearance
and habits, the birds are so nearly the same as the Savanna Spar-
rows that it was two or three days before I learned to distinguish
them at gunshot range. They do not go in flocks, yet there is a
sort of colonization among them, for we may ride a mile or two
over the prairie without seeing any, and then come upon numerous
pairs breeding together. I think it probable that a second brood
is usually reared each season, as I have shot equally young birds
six weeks apart. After the duties of incubation, the plumage is
renewed, it having become greatly worn and faded. When the
young are all on the wing, they associate together with their par-
ents, in loose straggling troops, mixing freely with the Chestnut-
collared Buntings and the Sky-larks. Their numbers sensibly
diminish in September, and they apparently move south during
the month, as I saw none after the Ist of October: In September,
in this latitude, there is a good deal of cold weather, and not un-
frequently a heavy snow-fall, sending the more delicate birds away
early. The birds feed upon various seeds, as usual, as well as
upon insects, even sizable grasshoppers, which in this region seem
to be eaten by almost every bird and animal.”

Mr. Henshaw, of Wheeler’s expedition of 1873, also discovered
this species in Arizona, where he says he found them very nu-
merous. |

A nest discovered by Mr. Allen, on Big Muddy Creek, Dakota,
was built on the ground, and consisted of grasses and weed-bark,
circularly disposed, about four inches across outside. It contained
five fresh eggs, which measured 0.80 by 0.65, of a dull white
color, irregularly speckled with light reddish-brown.

Sea Shore, San Diego, or Beaked Sparrow. (/asserculus rostratus.)
Fig. 9.

The habitat of this quiet and unsuspicious bird is confined to the
sea-coast of Southern California. Dr. Heerman first met with it,
in 1851, in the neighborhood of San Diego, in company with other
species. Whenever he met with this bird, he found it near low,
sandy beaches, and the heavy sedge-grass which abounds on the
shores, its food consisting of marine insects and seeds thrown
up by the tide, the sedge-grass affording them easy and immediate
concealment, when alarmed or pursued. Its note consists of a
short, sharp chirp.

154 BUNTINGS—SPARROWS—-SNOW BIRDS—FINCH—PEW EE—FLYCATCHERS.
i ee eee

Western Yellow-winged Bunting, or Sparrow. (Co/wrncculus passerinus,
var. perpallidus.)

Fig. 10.

This species is thé Western variety of our common Yellow-
winged Sparrow, represented on Plate XLVIII., fig. 3, and de-
scribed on page 67. Its habitat is from the base of the Rocky
Mountains to the Pacific.

Eastern Snow Bird. (Funco hyemalts, var. atken?.)

Fig. 11.

This bird is a variety of our common Snow Bird, represented on
Plate XXXVIII., figs. 5 and 6, and described on page 53. It is
recognized by two white bands across tip of medium and greater
coverts, and an additional white feather to the tail.

Gray, or Cinereous Snow Bird. (fumco cinereus, var. caniceps.)

Fig. 12.

This species was first discovered by Dr. Woodhouse, among the
San Francisco Mountains, in Arizona. He says: ‘‘ Its habits ap-
peared to be very similar to those of the Western Snow Bird, as
well as those of the common Snow Bird,” referred to in the pre-
ceding notice.

Bay-winged Bunting; Grass, or Field Sparrow; Grass Finch; Vesper
Bird. (Pooecetes gramineus, var. confinis.)

Fig. 13.

This species is the Western variety of our common bird, known
by the above names, and represented on Plate XLVIII., fig. 8,
and described on page 84. Its habitat is South into Mexico, from
the Middle Provinces of the United States.

St. Lucas Sparrow. (Passerculus rostratus, var. guttatus.)
Fig. 14.

So far as known, there has been but one specimen of this bird
taken. It was met with by Mr. Xantus, at San José, in Lower
California, in December, 1859, in company with a flock of Sea
Shore, or San Diego Sparrows (Passerculus rostratus), repre-
sented on this plate, fig. 9, which is also a rare species. And as
this bird is a variety, it is supposed that their habits are alike.

Aonalaska, or Northwestern Savanna Sparrow. (Passerculus savanna,
var. sandwichensis.)

Fig. 15.

A Northwestern Coast variety of our common Savanna Spar-
row, represented on Plate XLIX., fig. 1, and described on page
69. Its migrations extend from the Columbia River to Russian

America.
Siberian Finch. (Lezcosticte arctoa.)
Fig. 16.

According to Dr. Cooper, this is a very stupid bird. When pur-
sued, it thrusts its head into a tuft of grass, and, imagining itself

concealed, can even be taken with the hand.
Kurile, the Aleutian Islands, and Siberia.

Its habitat is the

Western Wood Pewee; Short-legged Pewee. (Contopus virens, var.
richardsoni.)

Fig. 17.

Mr. Richardson first obtained this species, in the Arctic regions,
in the neighborhood of the Cumberland House, frequenting the
shady weeds, near the banks of rivers and lakes. Its range is
said to extend as far south as Guatemala, and even Panama, and
northward as far as the 6oth parallel of latitude, and from the great
plains to the Pacific. This bird is a Western variety of the com-
mon Wood Pewee (Contopus virens), plate L., fig. 3, page 73.

Coues’ Flycatcher; Mexican Olive-sided Flycatcher. (Contopus per-

tinax.)
Fig. 18.

He met with a
No mention

Dr. Coues was the first to discover this species.
young summer resident, at Fort Whipple, Arizona.
is made in regard to its habits.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. (Apidonax flaviventris.)
Fig. 19.

This species is met with in most all parts of North America, and
breeds from the Middle States, where it arrives about the first of
May. Northward it is considered a rare bird, and was first ob-
tained in Carlisle, Penn. Mr. Maynard obtained it in Massa-
chusetts, and, in his valuable work on Taxidermy, says: ‘* May
31, 1869, I shot the first specimen I had ever seen living; the next
day I took eight of both sexes in a few hours. Between this time
and the roth of June I took two or three more. I do not doubt
that it has occurred in previous seasons, but, being unaccustomed
to its low note—which is like the syllable fea very plaintively
prolonged—and its retiring habits, ] had not detected it before.
The specimens were all taken in low, swampy thickets, with the
exception of the first, which was shot on a tall oak. It keeps
near the ground, is rather shy, and upon the appearance of an in-
truder, instantly ceases its song.

Acadian, or Small Green-crested Flycatcher. (2mpzdonax acadicus.)
Fig. 20.

This species is said to be almost entirely an inhabitant of Eastern
North America. Wilson found it inhabiting only the deepest soli-
tary parts of the woods, stationed among the lower branches, ut-
tering, at short intervals, a sudden, sharp squeak, heard at con-
siderable distance through the woods. As it flies, it utters a luw,
querulous note, which it changes, on alighting, to its usual sharp—
cry. He also says, it is a rare and very solitary bird, always
haunting the most gloomy, moist, and unfrequented parts of the
forest, feeding on flying insects, devouring wild bees and huckle-
berries in their season. ,

According to Mr. Jackson, the nest is generally placed on a
drooping limb of a bush, or a dogwood tree, at the height of from
six to ten feet from the ground. It is never saddled on a limb,
like that of a Wood Pewee, neither is it pensile, like those of the
Vireos, but is built in the fork of a small limb, and securely fast-
ened thereto by a strip of bark. The nest itself is mostly made
of fine strips of bark or weed—stalks woven together without much

FLYCATCHER—CARDINALS—BUNTINGS—SPARROWS—BLACK BIRD—LARK.

care as to neatness or strength, and so very slight is the structure
that you may often count the eggs in the nest from below.

Little, or Little Western Flycatcher.
lus.)

(Empidonax tratlliz, var. pustl-

Fig. 21.

From the high, central plains to the Pacific, thence southward
into Mexico, is the habitat of this little Flycatcher. It is the west-
ern variety of Traill’s Flycatcher (Ampidonax traillit), repre-
sented on Plate L, fig. 4, and described on page 74, its notes and
its manners being the same.

Cape Cardinal; Fiery Redbird. (Cardinalis virginianus, var. tgneus.)

Fig. 22.

The habits and characteristics of this variety, which is met with
at Cape St. Lucas, and in the Colorado Valley, are the same as
those of the common Redbird, or Cardinal Grosbeak (Cardinalts
virginianus), Plate XXVIII, figs. 3 and 4, page 31.

Texas Cardinal. (Pyrrhuloxia sinuata.)

Fig. 23.

This species was originally described as a Mexican bird by
Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte, published in the proceedings of
the Zoological Society of London. Since then, it has been dis-
covered to be an inhabitant of the southern central portions of our
country ; its range extending northerly to within the limits of the
United States. On the Rio Grande, it is said to be a resident
most of the year. Its habits and manners are similar to our com-
mon Cardinal Grosbeak, or Redbird (Cardinalis virginianus),
represented on Plate XXVIII, figs. 3 and 4, page 31.

Western Nonpareil, or Varied Bunting. (Cyaxospiza versicolor.)

Fig. 24.

This beautiful bird is confined almost exclusively to Mexico.
In which country it was met with, in the State of New Leon, by
Lieutenant Couch. It is said to be common at Cape St. Lucas,
where it breeds, and at which place Mr. Xantus found a nest and
three eggs, on a myrtle hanging down from very high, perpen-
dicular bluffs, off the Tragoles.

Brewer’s Sparrow. (Sfizella pallida, var. brewert.)
Fig. 25.

Mexico, and the southwestern border of the United States, is
the habitat of this little Sparrow. According to Mr. Ridgeway, it
is found abundant in all fertile portions, almost exclusively an in-
habitant of open situations, such as fields or bushy plains, among
the artemesia especially where it is most numerous, frequenting
alike the valleys and the mountains. Its song, he says, for spright-
liness and vivacity, is not excelled by any other of the North
American Frengzllidae, being inferior only to that of the Chondestes
gummaca in power and richness, and even excelling it in variety
and compass. Its song, while possessing all the plaintiveness of
tone so characteristic of the eastern Field Sparrow, unites to this
quality a vivacity and variety fully equaling that of the finest
Canary. The nest, which he found early in June, was built in
sage-bushes about three feet from the ground.

188

Western Slate-colored Sparrow. Passerella townsendi, var. schistacea.)
Fig. 26.

The Rocky Mountain regions of the United States is the habitat
of this variety or geographical race of Townsend’s Sparrow (Pass-
erella townsendiz), Plate XCIV, fig. 10, page 141.

Ridgeway’s Sparrow. (Zonotrichia leucophrys, var. intermedia.)

Fig. 27.

This variety was first met with by Mr. Ridgeway at the Summit
Meadows, near the summit of Donner Lake Pass of the Sierra
Nevada, at an altitude of about seven thousand feet, where he
found it an abundant and characteristic bird. The males were in
full song in all parts of the meadow, and were nesting in such
numbers that on the evening of July 9, on halting for the night,
in a hurried search, no less than twenty-seven of their eggs were
obtained within about fifteen minutes. In every instance the nests
were imbedded under a species of dwarf-willow, with which the
ground was covered. ‘The birds were extremely unsuspicious, the
male often sitting on a bush within a few feet of the collector, and
chanting merrily as the eggs were being blown. He adds that
this species is only a winter visitant of the lower country, but is
there universally distributed and always found in bushy localities.

Clay Colored Sparrow, or Bunting; Shattuck Bunting.
lida.)

(Spizella pal-

Fig. 28.

According to Audubon: ‘* This handsome little species is found
quite abundant throughout the country bordering on the Upper
Missouri. It inhabits, with particular partiality, the valleys found
here and there along the numeryous ravines running from the in-
terior. Its usual demeanor resembles much that of the Chipping
Bunting (Emberiza soczalis), of Wilson, and, like it, it spends
much of its time in singing its monotonous ditties, while its mate
is engaged in the pleasing task of incubation. When approached,
it will dive and conceal itself either amid the low bushes_ around,
or will seek a large cluster of wild roses, so abundant in that sec-
tion of country, and the fragrance of which will reach the olfactory
nerve of the traveler or gunner for many paces.

‘¢ The nest of the Shattuck Bunting is usually placed on a small
horizontal branch, seven or eight feet from the ground; and I be-
lieve it is occasionally placed in the broken and hollow branches
of trees. The eggs, four or five in number, are blue, spotted with
reddish brown toward the large end, and placed in a nest so
slightly formed of slender grasses circularly lined with horse or
cattle hair, so as to resemble as much as possible the nest of the
species to which it is allied.”

Crimson, or Red-shouldered Black-bird.
bernator.)

(Agelatus phaniceus, var. gu-

Fig. 29.

A Pacific Coast variety of our common Red-winged Black-bird
(Agelaius pheniceus), Plate XXXIII, figs. 2 and 3, page 44.
Their habits, notes, and characteristics are similar.

Western Meadow, or Old Field Lark. (Sturnella magna, var. neglecta.)
Fig. 30.

This variety was first made known by Messrs. Lewis and Clark,

at the time of their expedition to the Rocky Mountains. In man

' 156

TOW HEES—JAYS—EMERALD—HUMMINGBIRDS.

a ae ee ee ee ee ee 2 eel et i ee

ners and general habits it is similar to the common Meadow Lark
(Sturnella magna), Plate XXIV, page 23. Its striking charac-
teristic is its song, which is spoken of as highly musical.

Mr. Ridgeway, who found this bird very numerous in California,
and all fertile portions of the interior as far east as the Missouri,
says, although closely resembling the eastern bird in appearance,
its song is totally different, not a note uttered by it having more
than a very distant resemblance to any of the well-known magna
of the eastern meadows. In the depth of its tone and the charms
of its articulation, its song is hardly excelled, resembling very
nearly the song of the Wood Thrush; its modulation is best ex-
pressed by the syllables tung-tung-tungah-tel’lah-til’lah-tung, each
note powerful and distinct. He adds that, the difference between
the other notes of the two birds is still greater than in their song,
and even in character these are not alike. In the neglecta, the
call-note of watchfulness or alarm is a loud, deep-toned ¢uck, sim-
ilar to the chuck of the Black-bird, but much louder and more me-
tallic. That of sympathy for the young, or anxiety when the nest
is approached, is a loud, liquid ¢yar, slightly resembling the com-
plaining note of the eastern’ Black-bird, and also of the Orchard
Oriole. Their flight is also quite different. That of the eastern
species is carried on by an occasional spasmodic beat or jerk of
the wings, which are then extended, the bird sailing a short dis-
tance. The flight of the Western Lark is much more irregular,
the bird flitting along by a trembling flutter of the wings, never
assuming those peculiar features.

Brown, or Crissal Towhee ; Canon Finch. (/2Aclo fuscus, var. crissalis.)
Pig: 31.

This Towhee is met with on the coast of California. Dr. Cooper
regards it as one of the most abundant and characteristic birds of
California, residing in all the lower country west of the Sierras,
and extending up the slopes of the Coast Range to the height of
three thousand feet. Their habits are similar to those'of all other
species, living much upon the ground, and seeking their food
among the dead leaves, which they generally resemble in color.
They have but little song, and only utter a few faint chirps, and
hurried notes, as they sit perched upon some low bush, in the

spring.

Cape, or White-throated Towhee. (Pzpzlo fuscus, var. albigula.)

Fig. 32.

This variety was first met with by Mr. Xantus, in the southern
extremity of the peninsula of Lower California. Nothing is
known in regard to its habits, but is supposed to be similar to
other species.

PLATE CV.

Rio Grande, or Green Jay. (Xazthoura tncas, var. luxuosa.)

Fig. 1.

This beautiful Jay is a resident of the Valley of the Rio Grande,
thence southward into Mexico. It was first described by the French
Naturalist, M. Lessor. Specimens were obtained by Lieutenant
Couch, on the Rio Grande, at Matamoras, New Leon, and San
Diego, Mexico, who states that its food consists of seeds and in-
sects. Colonel McCall was the first who collected specimens of
this species within the limits of the United States. They were

obtained in the forests that border the Rio Grande, on the south-
eastern frontier of Texas. They were mated, and had their nests
in the extensive and almost impenetrable thickets of mimosa, com-
monly called chaparral. In character and temperament, these

birds appeared to be very active and lively, though less noisy than
some other species of the family. Their gay plumage was exhib-
ited to great advantage, as they flitted from tree to tree, or dashed
boldly in pursuit of such of their more plainly attired neighbors as
ventured to intrude upon their domains.

Sierra, or Blue-fronted Jay. (Cyanurus stelleri, var. frontalis.)
Eire

This variety is an inhabitant of the whole length of the Sierra
Nevada. Its habits and characteristics are very similar to the
Eastern Blue Jay (Cyanura cristatus), represented on Plate
XXXIX., figs. 3 and 4, page 55, and those of the typical bird,
Steller’s Jay (Cyanura ae represented.on Plate LXXI.,
fig. I, page IOf.

Long-crested Jay. (Cyazura stelleri, var. macrolopha.)

Fig. 3.

This variety, in habits and manners, is similar to the species
mentioned above. The Southern Rocky Mountain region is its
place of habitation.

Sieber’s Jay. (Cyanocitta ultramarina, var. sordida.)
Fig. 4.

Very little is known regarding the habits of this variety. Its
habitat is mostly along the southern borders of Arizona and New
Mexico.

Linne Hummingbird; Linnaeus Emerald. (7haumatias linnei.)

| ‘Fig. 5.

These birds belong to South and Central America, and extend
their migrations to Guatemala. The species is figured in this
work as a member of our North America fauna, although it is
very doubtful if it is entitled to that recognition. It is said that
Mr. William Brewster shot a specimen in the summer of 1868,
near Mount Auburn, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Nothing has
been given to the public as regarding any distinctive habits.

Heloisa’s Hummingbird. (A/chi's helozsa.)

Fig. 6.

This littke Hummer was first discovered by Mr. Delattro, on the
highlands of Mexico, between Jalapa and Quatepa. He states
that the male bird is known to rise very early in the morning, and
is never seen in quest of food later than nine in the forenoon. It
very seldom goes to any distance from its mate or young, seeming
to prefer to frequent the flowers in the edge of forests, but does not
disdain those of open fields. This bird is accorded a place in the
list of North American species on the ground of a PRE BEE taken
by Mr. Clark, at El] Paso, Texas.

Xantus’ Hummingbird. (/felzopedica xantusi.)
Fig. 7.
This distinctly-marked species was discovered by Mr. Xantus,
at Cape St. Lucas.

Refulgent Hummingbird. (Augencs fulgens.)
Fig. 8.

A new species of Hummingbird, discovered a few years ago,
by Mr. H. W. Henshaw. It is a resident of Arizona.

PE GoV-

te
Pe he ee

en a eee ee

SWIFTS—W ARBLERS—FINCHES—SPA RRO W S—NIGHT-HAW KS—FLYCATCHER.

Black Swift. (Vephacetes nigar, var. borealts.)

Fig. 9.

Western North America and the West Indies is the irregular
habitat of this rare species. Its general habits and characteristics
are very similar to the Chimney Swift, represented on Plate

LXXVI., fig. 7, page 118.

Pacific Orange-crowned Warbler. (/Ye/minthophaga celata, var. lutes-
cens.)

Fig. 10.

This bird is the Pacific Coast variety of our Common Orange-
crowned Warbler (/lelinznthophaga celata), represented on Plate
LXX., fig. 10, page 100. Its migrations are said to extend from
Alaska to Cape St. Lucas.

Nevada Finch; Artemisia Sparrow. (Poosfiza belli, var. nevadensis.)

Fig. 11.

These birds, according to Mr. Ridgeway, have a very general
distribution, extending as far west as the eastern base of the Sierra
Nevada. At Carson City, February 27, he heard for the first time
their sweet, sad chant. A week later, he found the sage-brush
full of these birds, the males being in full song and answering one
another from all directions. In walking through the sage-brush
these Sparrows were seen on every side, some running upon the
ground with their tails elevated, uttering a chipping twitter, as they
sought to conceal themselves behind the shrubs. Some were seen
to alight upon the tops of dead stalks, where they sit with their
tails expanded almost precisely after the manner of the King-bird.
The song of this bird is feeble, but is unsurpassed for sweetness
and sadness of tone. While its effect is very like the song of a
Meadow Lark singing afar off, there is, besides its peculiar sad-
ness, something quite unique in its modulation and delivery. It is
a chant, in style somewhat like the spring warbling of the Shore
Lark. See Bell’s Finch (Poosfiza bellz), Plate C., fig. 10, page
ahd,

Cassin’s Sparrow, or Pine Finch. (Peacea cassini.)

Evi comel2 3

Texas to California, southward to Mexico and north to Kansas,
is the range of this species. Its habits, general appearance, nest-
building and eggs are similar to Bachman’s Finch, represented on
Plate LXVI., fig. 4, page 95. Mr. Allen met with this bird in
Kansas, and says, ‘‘ it is rather common along the streams, when
its low but peculiarly sweet song is heard at morning and evening,
beginning with the first approach of dawn and continuing at even-
ing considerably after nightfall. It is very retiring, and it was
only after several attempts that I discovered the author of the sweet
notes that at these still hours added greatly to the pleasure of eat
ing on the plains.”

~ Arizona Sparrow or Finch. (Leucea e@stivalis, var. arizone.)
Bic. hs.

This bird is a variety of Bachman’s Finch, represented on Plate
LXVI., fig. 4, page 95. Itis met with in Los Nogales, Sonora,
and Southern Arizona. Their habits, nesting and eggs are sim-

Henry at Fort Webster, New Mexico.

157

Gambel’s, or Western White-crowned Sparrow. (Zoxotrichia leuco-

phrys, var. gambelz.)
Fig. 14.

Gambel’s Sparrow is the Pacific Coast variety of our common
White-crowned Sparrow, represented on Plate XXXVI., fig. 7,
page, 49. It is found in great abundance from Mexico to the
Arctic Ocean, between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific. Dr.
Suckley says, it makes its nest in low bushes, among the stalks
of lupins and other shrub-like weeds. Dr. Cooper describes its
song as loud, but short and melancholy, heard at intervals during
the whole year, and frequently at night. Its food consists almost
wholly of seeds, sought mostly on the ground.

Texas Night-hawk.

(Chordezles acutipennts, var. texensis.)
Fig. 15.

The Texas Night-hawk was added to our fauna in 1851, by Mr.
Lawrence. It is met with in the Valley of the Rio Grande from
Texas on the east, through New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Cali-
fornia, and Cape St. Lucas. During the summer months it is
found in the northern provinces of Mexico, thence southward to
Central America. Dr. Cooper says they become quite numerous
about Fort Mohave by the 17th of April, hunting in companies
after sunset, and hiding during the day on the ground under low
bushes. By the 25th of May they had all paired, but continued
nearly silent, making only a low croaking when approached.

Western Night-hawk, or Bull-bat. (Chordetles virginianus, var. henry.)
Fig. 16.

This bird is a Western variety of our common typical species
(represented on Plate LXXII., fig. 16, page 181). It was first de-
scribed in 1866, by Mr. Cassin, from specimens obtained by Mr.
The habits of these birds
are similar.

Yellow-throated Gray Warbler.

(Dendroica dominica, var. albilora.)
Fig. 17.

The habits and characteristics of this bird are similar to those of
the Dendroica dominica, represented on Plate V., fig. 7, page 7.
In summer it migrates from the Mississippi region of the United
States to Lake Erie, leaving for the Atlantic, thence to Mexico to
winter.

Vaux’s, or Oregon Chimney Swift. (Chetura vauxt.)

Fig. 18.

Vaux’s Swift was first discovered by Mr. Townsend, on the Co-
lumbia River, breeding i in hollow trees, forming a nest ina similar
manner, and laying four pure white eggs. Its habits are similar
to the common Chimney Swift, represented on Plate LXXVI.,
fig. 7, page 118.

Green Black- ee or Pacific Coast Fly-catcher. (AZyzodzoctes pusiillus,
var. pileolatus.)
Fig. 19.

A Pacific Coast variety of our common species, represented on
Plate XLVII, fig. 1, page 63. Dr. Suckley found it a very
abundant species on the coast, where it frequents thickets and

158 FLY CATCHERS—SPA RRO W—BUNTING—W OODPECKEBS.
a ee ee eee ee

small scrab-oak groves, flitting about among the dense foliage
of bushes and low trees, in a busy and restless manner. Their
note he describes as a short chit-chat call.

Ash-throated or Mexican Fly-catcher. (AZyiarchus crinitus, var. ciner-
ascens.)

Fig. 20.

A Pacific Coast variety of our common-Great Crested Fly-
catcher (ALyzarchus crinttus), Plate XXXII, fig. 1, page 41. It
is a common bird at its extreme northeasterly point, thence south-
wardly throughout Mexico, as far as Guatemala, westward to the
Pacific Coast. It has been obtained Ly several naturalists in va-
rious parts of California. Mr. Ridgeway says, it was most
abundant among the oaks of the plains between the Sacramento
river and the Sierra Nevada; but in the wooded river valleys of the
interior, as well as in the cedar and pifion or mahogany woods on
the mountains of the latter region, it was also more or less met
with. In its manner it is described as a counterpart of its eastern
relation; but its notes, though generally similarin character, have
not that strength which makes the vociferous screaming whistles
of the eastern species so noticable.

Couch’s Fly-catcher, or King Bird. (Zyrannus melancholicus, var.
coucht.)

Fig. 21.

This bird is met with in regions north of Guatemala.

Cassin’s Fly-catcher. (Zyrannus vociferans.)
Fig. 22.

A common species met with in the southwestern United States,
thence southward. At Vera Cruz it is known by the name
of Portuguéz. Dr. Coues reports it to be an abundant summer
resident in Arizona, arriving there in April and remaining until
September. Dr. Cooper says, it is a common resident throughout
the year, in the southern half of California, as far north as Los
Angeles. It begins its song by daylight, and generally from the
top of some high tree. The note is loud and much more musical
than those of the other species, and exhibits considerable variety
for a bird of this family. Its food consists of insects, which it
catches while sitting quietly on a perch. The nest is five and a
half inches in external diameter, and about ten and a half in
height. The cavity is three inches wide at the rim. The eggs,
two in number, are white, with large, scattered reddish-brown and
umber blotches; measure .96 of an inch in length and .70 in
breadth. ‘

Lawrence Fly-catcher. (AZyiarchus lawrencei.)
Fig. 23.

A rare bird, met with in Mexico and Central America. Its
general characters are similar to the Ash-throated or Mexican
Fly-catcher, figure 20 on this plate.

Rufous-winged Sparrow. (Pexcea carpalis.)
Fig. 24.

This is a new species discovered by Captain Bendire in Arizona,
he reports it rather common in the vicinity of Tucson. Its call
note resembled the syllables z¢b-z7b-z7b. Its nest is usually built
early in June in the small mesquite bushes, sometimes not over six
inches, seldom more than four feet, from the ground. ‘The nests
are composed of fine dry grasses and rootlets, and lined with the

fine, slender seed-tops of the secatom or rye-grass, and sometimes
with a few hairs. It is very deep, and firmly fixed into a fork of
the bush in which it is built. The eggs are of a pale green color,
and average .73 of an inch in length by .58 in breadth, and are
unspotted.

Townsend’s Bunting. (2uspiza townsend.)
Fig. 25.

A single specimen of this species is known to exist, andis among
the collection at the Smithsonian Institute. It was shot by Dr. J. K.
Townsend, near New Garden, Pennsylvania. He met with it in
an old field grown up with cedar-bushes, May 11, 1833. It is a
question among our ornithologists, whether this is a distinct species
or a variety of the Black-throated Bunting (Auspiza americana),
Plate LVI., fig. 2, page 82.

Cape, or St. Lucas Woodpecker.

(Picus scalarts, var, lucasanus.)
Fig. 26.

This variety is met with at Cape St. Lucas. Its habits are con-
sidered similar to the typical species of the Texan Woodpecker,
represented on Plate Cl., fig. 2, page 148.

Yellow-faced, Yellow-bellied, or Yellow-vented Woodpecker. (Cezturius
aurifrous.)
#

Fig. 27.

The Rio Grande region of the United States south into Mexico
is the residence of this abundant and beautiful Woodpecker. Dr.
Woodhousesays it has a loud sharp cry, which it utters as it flies
from tree to tree. He also noticed its habit of diligently searching
in a manner common to this family on the trunks of the mesquite.

Nuttall’s Woodpecker. (P cus nuttall2.)
Fig. 28.

A California Coast species that was first met with by Dr. Gam-
bel, near Los Angeles, California, who describes it as having the
usual habits of Woodpeckers, familiarly examining the fence-rails
and orchard-trees for its insect-fare. Mr. Ridgeway describes its
notes as very peculiar, the usual one being a prolonged querulous
rattling call, unlike that of any other bird known to him.

Gila Woodpecker, (Centurus uropygtalis.)
Fig. 29.

In the valley of the Colorado and Gila is the residence of this
bird, which was first discovered by Dr. Kennerly, who met with it

‘almost continually along his route, the Big Sandy, Bill Williams

Fork, and the Great Colorado. It is a very shy bird, and it gave
him considerable trouble to obtain specimens. Whilst seated
in the top of the tree, it was ever on guard; and, upon the ap-
proach of danger, flew away, accompanying its flight with the ut-
terance of very peculiar notes. Its flight was in an undulating
line, like that of other birds of this class.

Williamson’s, or Black-breasted jae (Sphyrapicus thyrot
’ cus.

Fig. 30.

The male representation of this species, the female is repre-
sented on Plate LXXXIX., fig. 2, page 134. It is only a short
time since Mr. Henshaw discovered that these birds are one and
the same species. In this connection Dr. Coues says: no point

Pp ly ; CG Vi

y
‘i

page une e

W OODPECKER—JAY—GREBES. 159

in our ornithology could have been more novel and unexpected than
was Mr. Henshaw’s announcement of the fact, which he deter-
mined beyond reasonable question, that he found the two supposed
species paired and rearing a family in the same hole. It is not
uninstructive now to look back upon the history of the supposed
species. In the first place we notice that the two have always been
accredited with the same geographical range, and have generally
been found together; at least, most papers containing a notice of
one, also give the other. Next we observe, in most cases, hesita-
tion and evident uncertainty in descriptions of the sexual differences
of each supposed species, the female of ** wzl/tamsonz” and the
male of ‘‘ ¢hyrotdeus” having been groped for indeed, but not
found. Nor is there, in the fairly large amount of material re-
ceived at the Smithsonian, an unquestionable specimen of the op-
posite sex of either of the supposed species. As indicating how
far we may sometimes go astray, these birds have been placed in
several different genera, so widely have the sexes of one species
been dissociated ; while the biographical notices which have ap-
peared are not entirely concordant, showing how much our written
history of living birds may be tempered by evidently fortuitous cir-
cumstances of observation, or transient impressions of an observer.

Red-naped, Yellow-bellied, or Nuchal Woodpecker. (SAhyrapicus varius,
var. zuchalis.)

Fig. 31.

A variety that is met with in the middle provinces of the United
States. Its habits are very similar to the typical bird Sphysopicus
varius, Plate IX., figs. 3 and 4, page 10. Mr. Ridgeway found it
a very abundant species of the Wahsatch and Uintah Mountains.
It was also found, in greater or less numbers, throughout the Great
Basin, and one specimen was seen on the eastern Sierra Nevada.
Its favorite resort, during summer, was the aspen groves in the
mountains, at an altitude averaging about seven thousand feet;
and even when pine woods were near the aspens were invariably
chosen as nesting places. In winter it was found among the cot-
tonwoods and willows of the river valleys.

Arizona Ultramarine Jay. (Aphelocoma ultramarina.)
Fig. 32.

The above name has been given to two varieties of the Canada
Jay, one of which was from Alaska and the other from the
Rocky Mountains.

PLATE CVI.

Crested Grebe. (Podzceps cristatus.)
Fig. 1.

This stately bird is a general inhabitant of North America; also
of Europe and other parts of the Old World; in fact, wherever
suitable pieces of water exist this bird is to be met with. Accord-
ing to Behm, these birds, in early spring, make their appearance in
pairs, but towards the autumn large parties of them may be seen
together, consisting of fifty or sixty individuals, who keep com-
pany with each other during their migration southward. In their
migrations it is generally understood that these birds only travel
by night, and that wherever large lakes or rivers are to be found,
as also along the sea-coast, they make their way principally by
swimming. During the summer season the Crested Grebe takes
up its abode on extensive lakes, where reeds and other water
plants are abundant. ‘Their powers of swimming and diving are
quite wonderful. According to Nauman’s observations, this Grebe

will dive, in the course of half a minute, to the distance of two
hundred feet. Its flight, too, when it thinks proper to take wing, °
is tolerably swift; it always proceeds in a straight line, and the
whirring noise made by the rapid motion of its wings is audible
at some distance. In its behavior it seems to be the most cir-
cumspect and the shyest member of the family, and is not easily ap-
proached, more especially as it generally keeps in open water,
where it can see to a distance. If surprised, when in the vicinity
of a bed of reeds, it immediately takes refuge among them,
but only so long as to enable it again to plunge into deep water;
if pursued it immediately dives, and when it comes up again
to breath, allows only its beak to appear above the surface, and as
soon as it has taken breath dives again, until it has placed itself
quite beyond reach of danger.

The male and female sit upon the eggs alternately ; but the fe-
male has the greater share in the business of incubation, the male
often swimming around the place, apparently for the purpose
of keeping her company. Should, however, both be obliged to
leave the nest at the same time, they carefully cover the eggs with
a mass of half rotten water-plants, brought up from the bottom for

the purpose. In about three weeks the young are hatched, even

from eggs which during a great part of the time have been lying
in the water. From the first moment they are able to swim, and
in the course of a few days to dive; they are, however, con-
stantly accompanied by their parents, who often give them sheiter
under their wings. Having once quitted the nest, the young ones
seldom return to it, a comfortable resting and sleeping place being
afforded to them on the backs of their parents.

Horned Grebe. (Podiceps cornutus.)
Fig. 2.

The Horned Grebe is a common species to North America, as
well as Europe and Asia.

Dr. Kennerly’s manuscript contains the annexed observations in
regard to the Western Grebe and the Horned Grebe:

‘¢ This species, and the Podiceps cornutus, are very common on
Puget’s Sound. They are rather more rare during the summer
months than in the autumn and winter. During the latter seasons
they may almost always be found—two, rarely more, in com-
pany—coasting near the shore, diving rapidly in search of food.
When desirous of descending beneath the water, they seem to raise
themselves partially from the surface, and describing as they
descend, almost a perfect arc of a circle. Few birds are more
graceful on the water than these interesting species; and it has
afforded us many moments of real enjoyment to watch them glid-
ing rapidly and smoothly over its surface, or performing in rapid
succession their graceful curves as they disappear beneath its sur-
face. They do not often take to wing, relying more on their pow-
ers of swimming and diving as a means of escape from enemies;
when they do fly, they rise very awkardly from the water, often
for a long distance dragging their dangling legs’before they suc-
ceed, and often, under such circumstances, abandoning the effort,
they stop and suddenly disappear beneath the surface. They fol-
low up the streams emptying into the Sound for long distances,
many of them spending their summer on the lakes far inland, in
the neighborhood of which they probably breed with the Large
Loon (C. torguatus). I have often seen large flocks of them
on Chiloweyuck Lake from August to September, and perhaps
later.”

St. Domingo Grebe. (odiceps dominicus.)
Bigs 3.

This species, according to the latest information, is an inhabit-
ant of our Southern border, and is the only North American rep-
resentative of the group.

160 GREBES—LOON—DIVER—PETRELS.
a ea ee ee

Dab-chick ; Pied-billed Grebe; Dipper; Diedapper. (Podzlimbus podt-

ceps.)
Fig. 4.

This well-marked bird is abundant throughout North America,
in the places that Grebes are usually met with.

American Eared Grebe. (Podiceps auritus..
Fig. 5.

In western Arctic America and in winter in the Pacific States
this species is common. Dr. Coues saw the species alive in South-
ern California, where he found it to be very common, both on the
waters of the bay of San Pedro and in the sloughs back of the
coast. They were of course in immature dress, the season being
November. During the past year he was pleased to find the birds
breeding, in pools about Turtle Mountain, with various other water-
fowl. This is apparently the northeasternmost point at which the
species has been observed. Visiting this locality in July, he was
too late for eggs, for the young were already swimming, and, in
most cases, fledged. The birds were very common, rather more
so than P. cornutus, with which they were associated. Many
specimens were secured in their full nuptial dress. The change
begins in August, but it is not completed until well into the follow-
ing month,.as traces of the breeding plumage persist several weeks
after it has grown faded and obscure. On the breeding grounds,
as just said, the Eared Grebes were more plentiful than the Horned,
since a majority of the latter breed further. north; but upon the mi-
gration, when these come south, the proportion is reversed. Both
species were to be seen together upon all the water-courses of
Northern Dakota when he left the country in the middle of October.
He saw nothing notably different in their general habits.

Red-necked Grebe. (Podiceps griseigena.)
Fig. 6.

The habitat of this species is Greenland and America, a fact
that has been established by Dr. Coues. It was formerly consid-
ered identical with that of the Old World. ©

Western Grebe. (odiceps occidentalés.)

Fig. 7.

Clark’s Western Grebe. (/odiceps occidentalis, var. clarkit.)

Fig. 8.

Both of these birds are met with west of the Rocky Mountains.
They are considered the largest Grebes of this country. Dr. Coues
observed them frequently on the California coast, at San Pedro, in
November, when they were common on the waters of the harbor,
with the Pacific Diver, Cormorants, and numerous other water-
fowl. ‘They are fine-looking birds on the water, have a trim and
shapely aspect, like a clipper ship, while their long sinuous neck is
held in a graceful curve, or variously deflected to either side. <A
specimen which he opened had the stomach filled with a kind of
aquatic grass. The birds were not very shy and several were
readily procured, notwithstanding their great powers of diving.

Yellow-billed Loon. (Colymbus torquatus, var. adamsiz.)
Fig. 9.

Alaska and the interior of Arctic America is the residence of
this species. It is similar in appearance, with the exception of the

bill, tothe Great Northern Diver Loon, Plate XIV., fig. 1, page 14.

Black-throated Diver. (Colymbus arcticus.)
Fig. ro.

The Black-throated Diver is an inhabitant of the northern hemi-
sphere. It is smaller than the preceding, but very much like it in
its colors and markings. Mr. Dunn, who observed these birds in
Norway, writes that the eggs have a rank fishy taste, but are much
sought after hy the Lapps. After the young are hatched, both
male and female are very assiduous in bringing them food, and
may be seen flying at a vast height, with fish in their beaks, from
one lake to another; on arriving over the lake where they intend
to alight, they descendvery suddenly in an oblique direction. Their
cries are very peculiar during the breeding season, and may be
heard at a great distance. The voice is said to be very melan-
choly, and to resemble the cry of a human being in distress.

Fork-tailed Petrel. (Oceanodroma furcata.)

Fig. 11.

Hornby’s Petrel. (Oceanodroma hornbyit.)

Fig. 12.

Ashby Petrel. (Cymochorca homochroa.)

Fig. 13.

Black Petrel. (Cymochorea melania.)

Fig. 14.

Wedge-tailed, or Least Petrel. (alocyptena microsoma.)

Fig. 15.

Leach’s Petrel. (Cyzzochorca leucorrhoa.)

Fig. 18.

Petrels, Swallow Petrels, or Storm-birds are distinguishable from
all other birds by the circumstance that their nostrils are repre-
sented by horny tubes, situated upon the upper beak. Nuttall says
of them, they are oceanic birds, wandering out far from the land
nearly at all seasons of the year, and are found in all parts of the
world. Their flight is rapid, like that of the swallows, which they
so much resemble in general appearance; they fly low, skimming
the water, and attentively scanning its surface for their diminutive
prey of marine insects and small molusca. They venture out at
all times of the day in quest of their accidental fare, and follow the
wakes of vessels partly for the animal productions which are thus
whirled to the surface, and not less for the fat and other animal
matters which are occasionally ejected from the decks. In stormy
weather they easily find shelter from the blast by skimming
through the valleys of the mountain waves. They are often seen
tripping upon the surface of the water, while eagerly engaged in
seizing their food, balancing themselves with singular lightness,
by gently flapping and fanning their expanded wings. At such
times they often dip their heads beneath the water, and though
they swim and rest upon that element at night and in fine weather,
they are incapable of diving. Their voice is low, gutteral, and
somewhat chattering, particularly at night and during clear
weather. They breed in society near the sea, selecting for their
nests the holes and cavities of rocks, which they sometimes bur-
row out for themselves, but often make use of the deserted resorts
of other hiding animals; the eggs are one or two, and they feed

PL. CVU

Niven
URS

wae

RUFF—TATTLER—FULMARS—PUFFINS. -161

their young by disgorging food; at these times, and on other oc-
casions, they are observed to hide themselves by day, and sally
out towards twilight in pursuit of their prey. They are, however,
by no means nocturnal when at sea, and are seen alike in fair or
foul weather, but scarcely follow vessels but in breezes, as their own
ordinary resources for obtaining food are equally productive in
calm weather.

The Fork-tailed Petrel is an inhabitant of North Pacific coast.

Hornby’s Petrel is an inhabitant of the Northwest coast.

The Ashy Petrel is met with on the California coast.

The Black Petrel is also an inhabitant of the coast of California.

The Wedge-tailed, or Least Petrel has been found in Lower
California.

Leach’s Petrel is common to both coasts.

Ruff. (Phelomachus pugnax.)
Fig. 16.

This bird, originally a native of the northern portion of the
Eastern hemisphere, is occasionally met with on the New England
coast, and in the Middle States. In the old world it is a widely
distributed species, and is particularly noted for its pugnacity.
Nauman says, that this species never remains near or ventures
into the water, but after joining in the busy scene for a short time,
always returns to its usual haunts. Unlike other Sandpipers, these
birds are met with far inland, where they not only dwell upon the
banks of rivers, but wander into the plains and cultivated districts.
Water insects, beetles, and worms, with seeds of many kinds, af-
ford them the means of subsistence, and for these they seek prin-
cipally at early morning or evening, visiting certain spots with
great regularity, and keeping strictly within a limited hunting
ground. Whilst thus engaged they move leisurely, and with con-
scious dignity, keeping steadily and quietly at work, and only be-
traying their presence by a weak hoarse cry, as they rise with light
and hovering wing into the air.

Solitary Tattler, Wood Tattler, or Sandpiper. (Zotanus solitarius.)
Fig. 17.

This species is abundantly to be met with during the migration
season, spring and fall, in most all wet woods, moist meadows and
secluded pools. Its breeding places are usually found in the moun-
tainous portions of the United States and northward... Their food
consists of aquatic insects of all sorts, thin worms, grubs, and at
times the smaller sorts of molluscs, also sand and gravel to assist
digestion. ‘The note of this bird, when alarmed, consists of a low
whistle, uttered as they fly off.

PLATE CVII.
Pacific Fulmar. (/a/marus elacialis, var. pacificus.)

Fig. 1.

Rodger’s Fulmar. (2dmarius glacialis, var. rodgert.)

Fig. 2.

Slender-billed Fulmar. (/dmarius tennerostris.)
Fig. 3.

The habits and characteristics of these birds are similar to those
of the Petrels, figures 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, mentioned on Plate
CVI., page 160, and of the Fulmar represented on Plate LXXV.,
fig. 6, page 116. :

The Pacific Fulmar is a North Pacific coast variety of the Ful-
mar (Fulmarus glacialis), represented on Plate LXXV.., fig. 6,
page 116, has a weaker bill and is darker on the mantle.

Rodger’s Fulmar is also a North Pacific coast variety of the
Fulmar just mentioned. Its mantle being still darker than the
variety Pacific Fulmar. |

The Slender-billed Fulmar is a casual visitor to the Pacific coast.

Cinereous Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Pufinus kufliz.)

Fig. 4.

Dusky Puffin, Sheerwater, or Petrel. (Pufinus obscurus.)

Fig. 5.

Greater, or Wandering Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Pufinus major.)

Fig. 6.

Flesh-footed Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Puffizus creatopus.)

Fig. ro.

Black-tailed Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Puffinus melanurus.)

Fig. 11.

Sooty Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Puffinus fuliginosus.)

Fig. 12.

Manks Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Pufinus anglorum.)

Fig. 13.

Black-vented Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Pxuffinus opisthomclas.)

Fig. 14.

Dark-bodied Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Puffizus amaurosoma.)

Fig. 15.

Slender-billed Puffin, or Sheerwater. (Puffinus tenuzrostris.)
Fig. 16.

Puffins, or Sheerwaters are met with in most. all parts of the
Old as well as the New World, and like the Stormy, or Swallow
Petrels, or Fulmars, live almost wholly out at sea. Their chief
characteristic, and for which they are distinguished, consists of
their power of diving to obtain food, which consists of fishes and
molluscous animals. They are also distinguishable from all their
allies by the violence of their flight. They visit the land for the
purpose of hatching and rearing their young, during which time
they are usually met with in such vast numbers as to almost cover
the rocks on which they build. At other times they are met with
in flocks of from six to twelve.

The Cinereous Sheerwater is a bird lately introduced to our
North American fauna. It is a common species of the North
Atlantic. .

The Dusky Sheerwater, a common species of the South Atlan-
tic coast, as far as the Middle States.

The Great, or Wandering Sheerwater, is an abundant species,
met with on the whole extent of the Atlantic coast.

The Flesh-footed Sheerwater has been met with at St. Nicholas
Island, California.

The Black-tailed Sheerwater is met wth off the coast of Cali-
fornia.

The Sooty Sheerwater is a common species of the North Atlan-
tic, thence south to the Carolinas.

Manks Sheerwater is a common and distinctly marked species
of the North Atlantic coast.

The Black-vented Sheerwater is a Cape St. Lucas species.

The Dark-bodied Sheerwater is also a Cape St. Lucas species.

The Slender-billed Sheerwater is a species of the North Pacific
coast.

Pintato Petrel, or Cape Pigeon. (Daftion capensis.)
Fig. 7.

This species is accidental to the coast of California. Gould says,
this Martin among the Petrels swims lightly; but it rarely exer-
cises natatorial-power, except to procure food, in pursuit of which
it occasionally dives for a moment or two. Nothing can be more
graceful than its motions when on the wing, with the neck short-
ened and the legs entirely hidden among the feathers of the under
tail covers. Like the other Petrels it ejects, when irritated, an
oily fluid from the mouth. Its feeble note of ‘cac, cac, cac, cac,’ is
frequently uttered; the third, according to Captain Hutton, being
pronounced the quickest.

Wilson’s Petrel. (Oceanites oceanica.)
Fig. 8.

Wilson’s Petrel is a common Atlantic Coast species. Its habits
are similar to the Petrels represented on Plate CVI.

Aleutian Tern. (Sterna aleutia.)
Fig. 9.

This is a rare species; at present only four are known. They
were taken off the Aleutian Islands.

Black-capped Petrel. (fstrelata hesitata.)
Hig. 17.

This bird has habits similar to the Petrels represented on Plate
CVI. It is only occasionally met with on the Atlantic Coast.

Knob-billed, or Least Auk. (Szworhynchus pusillus.)
Fig. 18.

This well-marked little Auk is considered the smallest of our in-
teresting sea birds. It is easily recognized by the Llack plumage
on its upper parts and the pure white on the under parts, and by
having white scapulars. It is met with on the Northwestern coast
of North America.

PLATE CVIII.
Painted Goose; Emperor Goose. (Piclacte canagica.)
Fig. t.

A species that is quite common at the mouth of the Tukon, on
the Northwest coast of the United States.

Blue Goose. (Axser cerulesccns.)
Fig. 2.

This species for a long time has been supposed to be the young
ot the common Snow Goose (Anser hyperboreus). Whilst they

162 PETRELS—TERA—AUK—GEES E—EIDERS—J AGER—GUILLEMOTS.

do resemble it while young, it is now known to be a distinct species.
When in full plumage it very much resembles the Painted Goose
—figure 1 of this Plate. The Blue Goose is considered to be an
inhabitant of North America, with an apparently general distribu-
tion along our coast and rivers.

Spectacled Eider. (Somateria fischeri.)
Fig. 3.

This well-marked Eider or Duck is a resident along the North-
west coast, and is claimed to be a common bird about St. Michaels.
Although the name of these Ducks is supposed to be derived from
the river Eider, they are in reality seldom found south of the 63d
degree of north latitude. They are strictly sea birds; their walk
upon dry land is made with extreme difficulty ; often as they wad-
dle along they stumble and fall down flat on the ground.

Parasitic, or Richardson’s Jeger. (Stercorarius paraszticus.)
Fig. 4.

The coasts and rocky reefs of the Arctic regions of both hemi-
spheres is the habitat of this bird, from which it often extends its
migrations, for weeks at a time, far out of sight of land. During
its flight, it frequently skims along like a Falcon, at one time giv-
ing a few rapid strokes with its wings, then sweeping onward to a
considerable distance, somewhat after the manner of a kite; sud-
denly, however, it seems to shiver, or rapidly shake its wings, and
precipitates itself downward, describing a sort of arch, mounts up
again, and immediately adopts a course made up of an alternation
of larger and smaller arches joined beneath each other. Its cry re-
sembles that of a Peacock.

King Eider, or Duck. (Somaterda spactabilis.)
Fig. 5.

The King Eider, another of these valuable sea-birds, is met
along the coast of northern North America, south to the State of
New Jersey, and as far in the interior as Lake Erie. According
to Sir J. C. Ross, vast numbers of this beautiful duck resort
annually to the shores and islands of the arctic region, in the
breeding season, and have, on many occasions, afforded a val-
uable and salutary supply of fresh provision to the crews of the
vessels employed on those seas. They do not retire far to the
south in the winter, but assemble in large flocks, the males by
themselves, and the females with their young brood, are often met
with in the Atlantic Ocean, far distant from any land, where the
numerous crustaceans and other marine animals afford them
abundance of food.

Thick-billed, or Brunnich’s Guillemot. (ZLomvia arra.)

Fig. 6.

Sooty Guillemot. (Ura caréo.)
Fig. 7.
Pigeon Guiliemot. (Urza columba.)

Fig. 8.

Kittlitz’s Guillemot, or Murrelet. (Brachyramphus kittlitzit.)

Fig. 9.

Temminck’s Guillemot. (Syzthlisoramphus wurmizusume.)

Fig. to.

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ie

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GUILLEMOT—AUKS—PUFFINS—DOVES—PIGEON—WAGTAIL. 163

Black-throated Guillemot. (Syx¢hliborhamphus antiquus.)

Fig. 11.

Guillemots are another group of birds that pass most of their
time upon the ocean; visiting land very seldom, except when the
time of incubation arrives. When on land their walk resembles
dancing. They do not fear man, as he seldom visits their wild
resorts; but should a Falcon or an Eagle make its appearance
thousands of them at once take wing, and hastily retreat to some
place of safety. The countless pairs of which the vast assembly
of these birds consist, exhibit the utmost constancy and attachment,
and may be seen, before the eggs are laid, keeping constantly to-
gether, caressing each other with their beaks, and evincing the
greatest affection. —

Figure 2, on plate LXXV., is a representation of the Common
or Foolish Guillemot ( Uria trozle), and on page 115 appears an
account, to which the reader is referred for a ‘more detailed refer-
ence of the habits of these species.

The Thick-billed, or Brinnick’s Guillemot, is a resident of the
North Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific coasts, south to New Jersey
and California.

The Sooty Guillemot is a resident of the North Pacific.

The Pigeon Guillemot is also a resident of the North Pacific
Ocean.

Kittlitz’s Guillemot, or Murrelet, is said to be a resident of the
North Pacific Ocean.

Temminck’s Guillemot is an extensive and numerous inhabitant
of the whole of the Pacific coast to Cape St. Lucas.

The Black-throated Guillemot is a handsome bird of the North
Pacific.

Whiskered Auk.

(Stimorhynchus camtschaticus.)

Fig. 12.

Crested Auk. (S’sorhynchus cristatellus.)

Fig. 13.

Parrot, or Parroquet Auk. (Phalaris psittacula.)

Fig. 14.

Horn-billed Auk.

( Ceratorhyna monocerata.)

Fig. 15.

Little Auk: Sea Dove, or Dovekie. (A/ergulus alle.)

Fig. 18.

Auks, in their habits and modes of life, closely resemble the
Guillemots represented on this plate.

The Whiskered Auk, the Crested Auk, and the Parrot, or Par-
roquet Auk, are inhabitants of the North Pacific Ocean.

The Horn-billed Auk is met with on the Pacific Ocean, i in Cali-
fornia.

The Little Auk is met with, in great numbers, along the coast
of the North Atlantic, and in winter as far south as New Jersey
and to Florida.

Large-billed Puffin.

(fratercula arcticus, var. glacialis.)
Fig. 16.

This Puffin is a resident of the Arctic Coagt and is a variety of
the common Puffin, Sea Parrot, or Coulterneb (Fraterculg arctt-
cus), Plate LXXY., fig. 4, page 115, Its hgbits are similar.

Figure 17 represents the Horned Puffin (ratercuta corniculata),
which is also similar in its habits and is met with on the same
ocean.

PLATE CIX.
Red-billed Pigeon or Dove, (Columba flavirostris.)
Fig. 1.

This handsome Dove is a resident of the Lower Rio Grande
River, and is also found on and near the Gulf coast of Mexico and
Central America. They are said to be secluded in their habits and
to have a very rapid flight.

White-Winged Dove. (Jéé/opececa leueoptera.)

Fig. 2.

The distribution of this species is quite extensive through South-
western United States, Lower California, Arizona, New Mexico
and Texas, south through Mexico to Central America, Cuba and
Jamaica. Its food consists principally of grain and seeds, and it
is also fond of ripe fruit. At the approach of a person they are at
first quite wild, but with a little care they soon become tame. Its
eggs are white, of equal size at either end, an oval in shape, and
measure 1.25 inches by .92.

Band-tailed Pigeon. (Columba fascéata.)

Fig. 3.

The residence of this pigeon is in the Rocky Mountains, thence
to the Pacific Ocean and southward to South America.

Dr. George Suckley, whose opportunities of investigation were
excellent, has left the following record: ‘* The Band-tailed Pigeon
is a very common bird in Washington Territory, especially west
of the Cascade Mountains; I saw but one flock, containing five —
individuals, east of those mountains. In 1856 the first birds of
this species that arrived in the spring made their appearance about
May 15, which is the customary time every year for their arrival.
One or two individuals are first seen, and within two or three days
thereafter the main body of the migration follows. A small num-
ber remain throughout the summer and breed; the rest retire fur-
ther north. ‘Those that remain generally make their nests in thick
fir-forests, near water. They subsist during the summer on wild
cherries and other berries, and later in the season, since the coun-
try has become settled, upon grain. About the first week in Sep-
tember large flocks congregate in stubble-fields in the vicinity of
Fort Steilacoom, and for two or three weeks thereafter their num-
bers are daily augmented by arrivals from the north. Some flocks
of these Pigeons, that I saw in September, must have contained at
least one thousand individuals. I am told that in the cultivated
districts on the Cowlitz River, at the same season, they are in still
greater numbers. By the 5th of October, of the year 1856, all had
suddenly disappeared, with the exception of a few stragglers, gen-
erally young birds. In flying, the flocks, I think, are not quite so
compactly crowded as those of the Passenger Pigeon. During the
summer, while breeding, their cooing can be heard a long distance.
The name of this bird in the Misqucily language is ‘ hubboh,’ a
good imitation of its calls. In autumn these birds are
in excellent order for the table; indeed, I prefer them to the Wild
Pigeon of the Atlantic States.”

Yellow Wagtail. (Ludyles flava.)
Fig. 4.

This is an extensive and well-known European species, which

i164 GROUSE—QU AILS—PA RRAKEET—W OODPECK ER—ORIOLE.

was entirely unknown to this country until the recent discovery of
the bird by Dr. Bannister, at St. Michael’s, Alaska, on the oth and
roth of June; and from that until late in August they were among
the most abundant of the land-birds. During the month of June
he observed them in flocks of twenty or thirty individuals. It
seemed to be rather a shy bird. He described its flight as like that
of our common Goldfinch, rising with a few strokes of its wings,
then closing them and describing a sort of paraboloidal curve in
the air. The only note which he heard and identified as uttered
by this species was a kind of faint chirp, hardly to be called a
song. These birds seemed to prefer the open country, and were
rarely observed in the low brush, the only approach to woods found
on the island.

White-tailed Grouse ; Ptarmigan. (Lagopus leucurus.)
Fig. 5.

This species, it is said, has the same habits as other Ptarmigans,
and is a resident of the snowy peaks near the mouth of the Co-
lumbia, as well as the lofty ridges of the Rocky Mountains. Spe-
cimens of this bird have been found by Messrs. Drumond and
MacPherson on the Rocky Mountains; the first obtained his in
the 54th parallel, the latter on the same chain nine degrees farther
south.

Rock Grouse, or Ptarmigan. (Lagopus rupestris.)
Fig. 6.

Arctic America is the habitat of this beautiful Grouse. It is nu-
merous, says Hutchins, at the two extremes of Hudson’s Bay, but
does not appear at the middle settlements of York and Severn ex-
cept in very severe seasons, when the Willow Grouse are scarce;
and Captain Sabine informed Richardson that they abounded on
Melville Island, latitude 75°, in the summer. They arrived there

in their snow-white winter dress about the twelfth of May. By

the end of the month the females had begun to assume their col-
ored plumage, which was completed by the first week in June,
when the change in the plumage had only just commenced in the
males. Some of the latter were found as late as the middle of
June in their unaltered winter plumage. This Grouse was also
found on the Melville peninsula and the Barren Grounds, rarely
going farther south, even in the winter, than latitude 53° in the in-
terior, but, on the coast of Hudson’s Bay, descending to latitude
58°, and in severe seasons still farther to the southward. In its
general manners and mode of living it is said to resemble the @/-
bus (Willow Ptarmigan), Plate XCVI., fig. 2, page 143, but ‘does
not retire so far into the wooded country in the winter.

Florida Quail. (Ortyx virginianus, var. floridanus.)
Fig. 7.

This Quail is a Florida variety of our common Quail, or Bob
White, represented on Plate XXVII, page 28.

Gambel’s Partridge, or Quail; Arizona Quail. (Lophortyx gambel?.)
~ Fig. 8.

This is an abundant and beautiful species, inhabiting the wooded
and well-watered regions of the mountains and valleys of New
Mexico and Arizona.
during the march of his party up the Rio Grande. Large flocks
were continually crossing the road before them, or were seen hud-
dled together under a bush. He again met with them in great
numbers along the stream named Partridge Creek, and so contin-
ued to occasionally meet with them until he reached the Great
Colorado. When pursued, it depends more on its feet as a mode

Dr. Kennedy found it in great numbers ,

——$$— — —————— ——ee

of escape than on its wings. It runs very rapidly, but seldom was
it noticed to hide and remain close in the grass or bushes in the
manner of the eastern Quail.

Scaled or Blue Partridge or Quail. (Cal/ipepla squamata.)
Fig. QO.

Col. McCall gives the entire valley of the Rio Grande as the
habitat of this species. The entire region, embracing in its stretch
between the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico every va-
riety of climate. This entire region, not excepting even the moun-
tain valleys covered in winter with deep snow, is inhabited by it.
Wherever found they were able to endure the great extremes of
heat and cold. When running they hold their heads high and
keep the body erect, and seem to skim over the surface of the
ground, their white plume erected and spread out like a fan.

Don Pablo de la Llave, a Mexican naturalist, says of this spe-
cies, that he attempted its domestication in vain. In confinement
it was very timid, all its movements were rapid, and, although he
fed his specimens for a long time each day, they seemed to become
more wild and intractable. He met with the bird in all the mes-
quite regions of Northern Mexico. Their note, according to Mr.
Clark, is very peculiar, and when first heard suggested to him the
cry of some species of squirrel.

Carolina Parrakeet, or Parrot; Illinois Parrot. (Cosurus carolinensis.)
Fig. 10.

This beautiful bird, once so numerous, is now restricted to the
Southern Atlantic and Gulf States; at times it extends its migra-
tions up the Mississippi valley as far as to the Missouri, the Great
Lakes, and Wisconsin. In Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, and the
Indian Territory, they are found quite abundant. Mr. Allen says,
in reference to their abundance in Florida:

‘¢ Flundreds are captured every winter on the Lower St. Johns,
by professional bird-catchers, and sent to northern cities. Thou-
sands of others are destroyed wantonly by sportsmen. Concern-
ing this needless slaughter, Mr. Boardman thus writes; ‘ The little
Parrakeet must soon be exterminated. Some of our Enterprise
party would sometimes shoot forty or fifty at a few discharges, for
sport, as they hover about when any are shot till the whole flock is
destroyed.’ From its habit of feeding upon the tender maize in
autumn, it is somewhat injurious to the farmer, and for this cause, .
also, many are killed. It is also more or less hunted as a game
bird. It is well known that the Parrakeet formerly inhabited large
portions of the United States where it is now never seen, and the
cause of its disappearance has been deemed a mystery. Such
facts as these, however, seem to render clear what its ultimate fate
must be in the United States—extermination.”

Gilded Woodpecker ; Cape Flicker. (Colaptes chrysoides.)

Fig. It.

A new species of Woodpecker, met with in the Colorado valley,
Lower California, and southward. Dr. Cooper, who obtained
specimens of this species at Ft. Mohan, found them feeding on
larve and insects-among the poplar-trees, and says they were very
shy and wary. It is abundant at Cape St. Lucas, and where found
it is usual in valleys, very seldom on mountains.

Audubon’s Oriole. (Jcterus melanocephalus, var. audubont.)
Fig. 12.

This pretty little Oriole, which is a late addition to our list of
North American species, is met with in the valley of the Lower:

GRACKLE—CROWS—SKYLARK.

Rio Grande, in the State of Texas, thence extending southward.
Lt. Couch found this Oriole to be quite common on the Lower Rio
Grande. He describes its song as soft and melancholy, and the
notes resembling peut-pou-zt. Mr. Clark, who also obtained sev-
eral specimens from the Lower Rio Grande, found it abundant at
Ringgold Barracks. Its quiet manners and secluded habits pre-
vented it from being very conspicuous. It was frequently observed
by him feeding on the fruit of the hackberry, but whenever ap-
proached, while thus feeding, it always showed signs of uneasi-
ness, and soon after sought refuge in some place of greater con-
cealment.

Great-tailed, or Central American Grackle.
CYrUrUS.

(Qutscalus major,.var. ma-

Fig. 13.

Texas south into Central America is the residence of this spe-
cies. Dr. Belandier says it is found in all parts of Mexico, and is
known in that Republic as Uvraca, Pajaso, Negro, and, in Aca-
pulco, as Papate. It lives upon grain, mostly corn, devouring the
planted seeds and destroying the crops. Mr. Taylor found them
common about the villages in Honduras, and that they appeared
to be polygamous, the males being generally attended by several
females, and usually were seen sitting on the roofs of the houses,
or among the upper branches of some orange trees that grew in
the yard. Their peculiar cry was not unlike the noise produced by
the sharpening of a saw.

Clarke’s Crow; American Nutcracker. (Picécorvus columbzanus.)

Fig. 14.

The range of this crow extends from the Rocky Mountains to
the Pacific. According to Dr. Coues, it rarely descends below an
altitude of three thousand feet, and has been observed on peaks
ten thousand feet high. A hardy bird, finding its food at all seas-
ons. Again, he says: |

‘¢ Like others of this omnivorous family, Clarke’s Crow is an
indiscriminate feeder upon vegetable substances, giving preference,
however, to the seeds of the pine, berries of the cedar, and acorns.
Prying into a pine-cone with its long and peculiarly shaped beak,
it gouges out the seeds, often hanging, while thus engaged, head
downward, like a Thistle-bird swing under the globular ament of
a button-wood. It also eats insects of various kinds, and has been
observed pecking at dead bark to obtain them, and making short
sallies in the air for the same purpose, like a Woodpecker. It
sometimes descends to the ground in search of food, walking eas-
ily and firmly, like a true Crow; but we may infer, from the length
and sharpness of its claws, that it does not spend much of its time
on the ground.

*‘According to my observations, made at all seasons, excepting
during the breeding time, Clarke’s Crow is decidedly a gregarious
bird. Flocks of fifty or a hundred are oftener witnessed than single
birds, and Mr. Lord speaks of their appearance ‘ by thousands.’
They are very noisy birds, uttering a harsh, discordant scream of
great volume and penetration, and extremely wary, under ordinary
circumstances, like most of the larger Corvz. The ordinary flight
is rapid, straight, and steady, accomplished by regular and vig-
orous wing-beats ; but when flying only from tree to tree, the birds
swing themselves in an undulatory course, with the wings alter-
nately spread and nearly closed, much in the manner of the Wood-
peckers.

Fish Crow. (Corvus americanus, var.

Common Crow, or American
W CAULYLHUS

Fig. 15.

A northwestern coast variety of our Common Crow, represented

165
on Plate LXVII, fig. 2, page 96. Its migrations extending from
the Columbia River to Sitka. In all its essential features, habits,
and characteristics, it closely resembles the typical bird.

Fish Crow.

(Corvus ossifragus.)
Fig. 16.

This crow is mostly confined to the coast, and to the banks of
rivers branching therefrom, along its length from the New England
States to Florida. Its habits differ in some respects to the Com-
mon Crow. Dr. Coues found it to be an abundant resident in the
District of Columbia throughout the year, and noticed that it was
less wary and suspicious than the Common Crow, and more con-
fined to the borders of rivers. It is also believed to be more harm-
less, and its destruction of reptiles and vermin causes it to be con-
sidered a beneficial bird. According to Wilson, its voice is more
hoarse and gutteral, and also more varied in its modulations. ‘This
Crow was also seen to perch frequently on the backs of cattle, in
the manner of the Jackdaw of Europe. He never saw it mingle
with the Common Crow, nor like it roost among the reeds and
marshes near the water, but always seeks the shelter of the woods,
in which to pass the night.

Florida Crow. (Corvus americanus, var. floridanus.)

Fig. 17.

This variety, so far as known, has a local habitation on the south-
ern peninsula of the State of Florida. Dr. Cooper mentions it as
very common, and as being quite maritime in its habits, and as
having full fledged young on the 20th of April. It is very likely
that the habits of this variety are similar to those of the typical
bird.

Missouri Skylark ; Sprague’s Pipit. (/Veocorys spraguet.)

Fig. 18.

This remarkable little singer is supposed to be confined to the
Upper Missouri region, thence east to the Red River, and fora
long time was considered a rare species. Dr. Coues found it one
of the most abundant and characteristic birds of all the region
along the forty-ninth parallel of latitude. He found no difficulty
in taking as many specimens as he desired. He also adds that:

‘¢*The ordinary straightforward flight of the bird is performed
with a regular rising and falling, like that of the Titlark; but its
course, when startled from the ground, is exceedingly rapid and
wayward; at such times, after the first alarm, they are wont to
hover around in a desultory manner for a considerable time, and
then pitch suddenly down to the ground, often near where they
rose. Under these circumstances they have a lisping, querulous
note. But these common traits have nothing to do with the won-
derful soaring action, and the inimitable matchless song of the birds
during the breeding season—it is no wonder Audubon grew en-
thusiastic in describing it. Rising from the nest, or from its grassy
bed, this plain-looking little bird, clad in the simplest colors, and
making but a speck in the boundless expanse, mounts straight up,
on tremulous wings, till lost to view in the blue ether, and then
sends back to earth a song of gladness that seems to come from
the sky itself, to cheer the weary, give hope to the disheartened,
and turn the most indifferent, for the moment at least, from sordid
thoughts. No other bird-music heard in our land compares with
the wonderful strains of this songster; there is something not of
earth inthe melody, coming from above, yet from no visible source.
The notes are simply indescribable ; but once heard they can never
be forgotten. Their volume and penetration are truly wonderful ;
they are neither loud nor strong, yet the whole air seems filled
with the tender strains, and delightful melody continues long un-

LARK—FALCONS—HAW K—KITES—OWLS.

= Sh a ra eh rE

broken. The song is only heard for a brief period in the summer,
ceasing when the inspiration of the love season is over, and it is
only uttered when the birds are soaring.”

Southwestern Lark. (Zremophila alpestris, var. chrysolema.)
Fig. 19.

This variety is an inhabitant of the southwestern Territories,
thence extending southward to New Grenada. Dr. Cones men-
tions this bird as being a permanent resident of Arizona, in all sit-
uations adapted to its wants. He also had an opportunity of ob-
serving the typical bird (represented on Plate LVI, fig. 4, page 82)
in Labrador, where he found it very abundant on all moss-covered
islands around the coast, and could notice nothing in their view,
flight, or general manners, different from their usual habits in their
southern migrations, except that during the breeding-season they
do not associate in flocks.

PLATE Cx.

Femoral or Aplomado Falcon. (alco _femoralis.)

Fig. 1.

This Falcon has an extended range, covering the whole of
South America, thence northward through Central America and
Mexico, across the Rio Grande, into Texas and New Mexico.
Dr. Heerman obtained a specimen on the vast plains of New
Mexico, near the United States boundary line. It appeared to
him to be flying over the prairies in search of small birds and
mice, at times hovering in the manner of the common Sparrow
Hawk, represented on Plate XXXIX, figs. 1 and 2, page 54.
This species is said to be easy of approach, differing in that respect
with most Hawks.

Richardson’s Falcon, or Merlin; American Merlin. (/’alco richardsonii.)
Fig. 2.

The habitat of this Pigeon Hawk covers most of North America.
It is also met with in Arctic America, in the United States, from
the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. Its habits, so far as
known, differ very little from: our common Pigeon Hawk (falco
columbianus), Plate XXXII, figs. 3 and 4, page 40. Jhe two
species are very closely related, and often are taken to be the
same birds.

Isabella Sparrow Hawk. (alco sparvertus, var. isabellinus.)

Fig. 3.

This bird is a southern variety of our common Sparrow Hawk
(Falco sparverius), Plate XXXIX, figs. 1 and 2, page 54. Its
habitat being mostly along the gulf coast of Mexico and the
United States, through Texas and Louisiana, to Florida. The
habits of this variety are similar to the typical species.

(Ictinia mississippiensts.)

Mississippi Kite; Blue Kite.
Fig. 4.

This species is mostly confined to the extreme southern and
southwestern portion of the Gulf States or the Atlantic. It ex-
tends as far north as South Carolina. On the Mississippi, where it
is often met with in large numbers, it extends its migrations still
farther north. Wilson first discovered this bird at Natchez, where
he noticed it sailing about in easy circles, and at considerable

height in the air, generally in company with the Turkey Buzzards,
whose manner of flight it almost exactly imitated, so much so as
to make it appear either a miniature of that species, or like one of
them at a great distance; both being observed to soar at great
heights previous to a storm. He supposes that this apparent simi-
larity of manner of flight may be attributable to their pursuit o1
their respective kinds of food—the Buzzard on the lookout for car-
rion, and the birds of the present species in search of those large
beetles that are known to fly in the higher regions of the air,
and which, in the three individuals dissected by him, were the only
substances found in their stomachs. For several miles, as he
passed near Bayou Manahak, the trees were swarming with a kind
of czcada, or locust, that made a deafening noise. He then ob-
served a number of these birds sweeping about among the trees in
the manner of swallows, evidently in pursuit of the insects, which
proved, on dissection, to be their principal food. He was mest
impressed with the rapidity of the flight of this bird, also, its great
strength and energy of character. Audubon admires it for its
devotion to its young, and states that in one instance he saw the
female bird lift up and attempt to carry out of his reach one of her
fledgelings. She carried it in her claws the distance of thirty
yards, or more.

Everglade Kite ; Hook-bill Kite, or Black Kite.

(Rostrhamus sociabzlts.)
Fig. 5.

This bird is mostly confined to the southern portion of Florida
and the West Indies in North America. It is well known in its
own countries—Central and South America—and is described as
very sociable in its habits; unlike, in this respect, to most all other
birds of prey. Mr. Maynard noticed six or eight specimens, in
Florida, frequently flying together, at one time, over the marshes,
or sitting in gompany on the same bush. In their flights, they re-
semble the common Marsh Hawk. Are very unsuspicious, and
may be quite readily approached. On dissecting a number of
these birds, he found that it feeds largely on a species of fresh-
water shell (Pomus depressa).

White-tailed Kite; Black-shouldered Kite.

(Blanus leucurus.)
Fig. 6.

This beautiful and harmless bird is met with in the South At-
lantic and Gulf States, chiefly coastwise. They are also found in
Mexico and Central America. Dr. Cooper mentions this species
as quite numerous in California, remaining in large numbers, dur-
ing the winter, among the extensive tuli marshes of the Sacra-
mento and other valleys. He met with these Kites as far north as
Bauline’s Bay, and near Monterey, but always about streams or
marshes. ‘Their food consisted entirely of mice, gophers, small
birds and snakes, and they are not known to attack the inmates of
the poultry yard. Audubon saw several of these birds in Texas,
flying, at a small elevation, over the large marshes, and coursing
in search of its prey in the manner of the common Marsh Harrier.

Kirtland’s Owl; Saw-whet Owl; White-fronted Owl; Acadian Owl.
(Wyctale acadia.)

Fig. 7.

According to Dr. Coues, the Acadian Owl is not so boreal a bird as
its congener, being found throughout the United States in suitable
places, and in the more southerly portions of British America. He
found no decidedly arctic quotations. Itis, however, more numerous
in the northern half of the United States; and, although it has been
traced far into Mexico, its southward extension appears to be mainly
along wooded mountain ranges, the altitude of which compensates,

Ph. GX

are a ae

4, yn ve

PR
if

OW LS—BUZZARDS—HAWKS. 167

in a faunal sense, for the decrease of latitude. Fitted to endure great
cold, it is resident in our northern districts. He procured a speci-
men, in the depth of winter, at Boar’s Head, on the New Hamp-
shire coast, and another at Fort Randall, in January, when the
temperature had been ranging far below zero. The last-named, a
fine adult example, was brought to him alive by Lieut. W. J.
Campbell, who found it in the possession of an Indian, and he kept
it for some time in the doctor’s study before it died, probably of
inanition. It refused food, and after death its body was found
greatly emaciated. Although so puny and weak, the little bird
showed good spirit, setting back with an air of defiance when ap-
proached, snapping its little bill, and pecking as hard as it could
when he took it in hand; but after soothing it for a few moments,
it would seem appeased, roost quietly on his finger, and apparently
liked to have its poll quietly scratched. In its noiseless fluttering
about the room by night, it more resembled a big bat than a bird;
in perching, as it did by preference, on the edge of the table or
of a pile of books, it stood with its claws bent inward, so that their
convexities, and not the points, rested against the support.

The food of this interesting little Owl, which is not so large as a
Robin, though it appears bulkier, consists chiefly of insects. Its
nesting, according to Wilson and Audubon, is various: sometimes
it builds in the branches of trees, while at other times it will occupy
the deserted nests of other birds, or lay ina hollow tree. The eggs
are pure white, subspherical, of crystaline clearness, measuring
one and one-eighth inches by one and seven-eighth inches.

Mr. Gentry informed him of a curious circumstance in regard to
this Owl. Referring to the association of the Burrowing Owl of
the West with the prairie-dog, he continues: ‘‘In the hollow of an
oak-tree, not far from Germantown, lives an individual of the
common chickaree squirrel (Sccurus hudsonzus), with a specimen
of this little Owl as his sole companion. They occupy the same
hole together in perfect harmony and mutual good-will. It is not
accidental temporary association, for the bird and squirrel have re-
peatedly been observed to enter the same hole together, as if they
had always shared the apartment. But what benefit can either de-
rive from the other ?”

Western Mottled Owl; McCall’s Owl. (Scops asio, var. maccalli.)

Fig. 8.

Northern Mottled Owl; Kennicott’s Owl. (Scogs asco, var. kennicotts.)

Fig. 9.

McCall’s Owl is a variety or southern form, from the south-
western borders and southward; and Kennicott’s Owl is a northern
form or variety, from Alaska, of the common Mottled Owl, of
North America, represented on Plate LXXXI, fig. 3, page 125.

Harlan’s Buzzard, or Hawk; Black Warrior. (Buteo hariant.)

Fig. Io.

Audubon obtained a pair of these birds at St. Francisville,
Louisiana. He considered it allied to the Red-tailed Hawk, or
Buzzard, represented on Plate XXX, page 37. Its flight is de-
scribed by him as rapid, greatly protracted, and so powerful as to
enable it to seize the prey with apparent ease, or effect its escape
from its stronger antagonist, the Red-tail, which pursued it on all
occasions. He saw it pounce upon a fowl, and kill it almost in-
stantly, and afterward drag it along the ground several hundred
yards. He did not see it prey on hares or squirrels, but it seemed
to evince a marked preference for poultry, partridges, and the
smaller species of wild duck.

Cooper’s Red-tailed Hawk, or Buzzard. (uteo coopert.)
Fig. 11.

Dr. Cooper obtained the only specimen known of this species,
near Mountain View, in the Santa Clara Valley, California, in
November, 1855. Its colors are somewhat lighter than any other
of our North American Buteos.

Harris’ Buzzard, or Hawk. (xteo anicinctus var. harrist.)
Fig. 12.

This bird is a South and Central American species, extending
its migrations from the Isthmus of Panama north to our southern
Gulf States. It was named in honor of Mr. Edward Harris, by
Mr. Audubon, who first met with it in Louisiana. It is very com-
mon about the mouth of the Rio Grande. Mr. Dresser, who
found it quite common throughout Texas, to the Colorado River,
and at Matamoras, in summer, describes it as a heavy, sluggish
bird, seldom seen on the wing, and subsisting, so far as he could
see, entirely on carrion. All along the road from Brownsville to
San Antonio, he noticed it, either perched on some tree by the
roadside, or busy, in company with Vultures and Caracaras, re-
galing on some offensive carrion. He found it breeding in the
neighborhood of San Antonio, Medina, and Altascosa Rivers,
having eggs in the month of May. A nest found near Medina
River was built of sticks, very slightly lined, and was placed ina
low hackberry tree. The eggs, four in number, were white, with
a faint bluish tinge, very sparingly spotted and blotched with red.

Chicken Hawk; Cooper’s Hawk. (Accipiter cooperiz.)
Fig. 13.

We copy from Dr. Coues’ interesting account of this species—
Birds of the Northwest, page 334—the following :

‘« The range of Cooper’s Hawk is, in a measure, complemen- ~
tary to that of the Goshawk; not that the two are never found
together, for such is the case in all our Northern States; but one
is as decidedly southern as the other is northerly. The present
species does not appear to penetrate any great distance into the
British possessions, like its smaller relative, the Sharp-shinned ;
and I have found no indication whatever of its presence far north.
It is abundant in most parts of the United States; particularly so
in New England, where it is, perhaps, the most numerous of all
the birds of prey. It appears to breed indifferently in all suitable
places throughout its United States range; and, to judge by the
well-known rule of difference in size according to latitude, it is a
resident bird. Gulf-coast examples average about two and a half
inches smaller than others from New England. Possessed of
spirit commensurate with its physical powers, it preys upon game
little if any humbler than that of our more powerful Falcons. It
attacks and destroys hares, Grouse, Teal, and even the young of
larger Ducks, in the state in which they are known as ‘ flappers,’
besides capturing the usual variety of smaller birds and quadrupeds.
It occasionally seizes upon reptiles, or picks up insects. In secur-
ing its prey, it gives chase openly, and dives down on its quarry
with almost incredible velocity.”

Gruber’s Buzzard. (Oxychotes gruberé.)
Fig. 14.
This new species was first obtained by Mr. F. Gruber, procurator

of Woodward’s Garden, San Francisco, California, between Vallejo
and Napa cities, on May 15th, 1867. Its habits were not reported.

168 BUZZARDS—HAW KS—VULTURES.

‘

Band-tailed Buzzard or Hawk. (2utco zonocercus.)
Fig. 15.

The habitat of this Hawk is Mexico and Guatemala, extending
its migrations at times into Arizona and California. Dr. Cooper
was the first to meet with this species, having shot one on the 23d
of February, 1862, about five miles from the coast, and thirty
miles north of San Diego, California. Is was in the company of
other Hawks wintering in that State, and seemed to him to bea
rather sluggish and tame bird. Dr. Coues obtained a single speci-
men on the Gila River, and it is by him regarded as being restricted
within our borders to the warm valley of the Gila and Lower
Colorado.

Ferrugineous Buzzard; California Squirrel Hawk. (Archibutco ferru-
gineus.)

Fig. 16.

This is believed to be the handsomest of our hawks inhabiting
Western North America. It was first described by Professor
Lichtenstein, a Prussian naturalist. Dr. Coues says:

‘¢ This bird is known as the ‘ California Squirrel Hawk’ in some
localities, but it is not to be inferred that they often capture the agile
aboreal Sceurz. ‘The name is gained from their feeding extensively,
in California, upon the * ground squirrels’ (Spermophilus beechey),
which abound in many parts of that State. The Hawks are al-
most always, too, observed in the vicinity of the settlements of
the Spermophzlz, standing on the ground where there are no trees,
or flying low over the surface, in either case on the alert to seize
any unlucky animal that may venture too far from home. They
are also said to perch in wait at the entrance of the burrows, ready
to clutch the first animal that shows his nose above ground.

‘‘According to my observations in the West, the Ferrugineous
Buzzards have no partiality for watery places, thus differing from
the eastern Roughlegs. About Fort Whipple, the birds mostly re-
sorted to the open plains and the grassy glades intervening between
patches of pine-woods. They could easily be distinguished by their
size and the pure whiteness of the under parts, and were beautiful
objects, especially when circling overhead. ‘They are common,
especially in winter, but were apparently resident. Their cries
were loudest and most frequent in the spring, resembling the syl-
lables ca, ca, ca, rapidly repeated in a high key.”

Gray Hawk; Mexican Hawk. (Asturina plagiaia.)
Fig. 17.

This is another species of these beautiful Hawks that occasion-
ally extend their migrations across the borders, from Mexico and
Central America to the United States, and have been seen as far
inland as the Southern part of the State of Illinois by Mr. Ridge-
way, while hunting Swallow-tail and Mississippi Kites. It is said
to breed in the tops of lofty trees, and to have eggs of a greenish-
white color.

PLATE CXI.

California Vulture or Condor. (Cathartes californianus.)

Fig. 1.

The California Vulture is met with on the Pacific Coast, migrat-
ing as far east as the Sierra Nevada. Though a common bird
in California, Dr. Newberry found it much more shy and difficult to
shoot than its associate, the Turkey Buzzard; nor did he ever see
it in such numbers or exhibit such familiarity as the smaller species

which swarm, and are such efficient scavengers, in our Southern
cities. Dr. Coues says:

‘« It was long supposed, by savans as well as by those who might
not be expected to know better, that Vultures were chiefly guided
to their prey by scent; a belief that probably arose from consider-
ation of the size of their nostrils, and the very ‘gamey’ nature of
their usual food. One of the first problems that occupied the at-
tention of Audubon was to discover whether the birds relied mainly
on sight or smell. He made a series of careful experiments, the
results of which he laid before the Wernerian Society of Edin-
burgh, December 16, 1826, in what he called his ‘ maiden speech,’
and has given a half-humorous account of the feelings with which
he attempted, on that, to him, momentous occasion, to demolish the
then existing beliefs, and establish the truth of what is now gener-
ally admitted—that Vultures are chiefly guided by their piercing
eye-sight. Another absurd belief was, and perhaps still is, that
Vultures prefer putrid flesh; in support of which one might point
to a group of Turkey Buzzards perched upon a carcass, awaiting
its decomposition. Butthe reason is that their beaks and claws are
not strong enough to tear sound hide; they can only attack a fresh
carcass at the eyes, nostrils, and vent, and when these parts are
demolished must wait until putrescence is established, or until some
carnivorous bird or quadruped makes an opening.”

According to Dr. Townsend, in their walk they resemble a
turkey strutting on the ground with great dignity; but are clumsy
and awkward when they endeavor to hasten their movements, and
when they attempt to rise from the ground they always hop several
yards, in order to give an impetus to their heavy body.

Black Vulture; Carrion Crow. (Cathartes atratus.)
Fig. 2

Near the sea-coast of our tropical and warmer portions of North
America, this Vulture is met with in great numbers, especially in
cities, where it is a semi-domesticated bird. In places where this
Vulture is a resident, it is very useful as a scavenger, and the ser-
vices it renders make it a welcome visitor. At a scene witnessed
by Mr. Wilson, near Charleston, where the carcass cf a horse was
being devoured by these birds, he noticed the ground for hundreds
of yards around being black with them, counting at one time two
hundred and thirty-seven, while others were in the air flying
around. He saw them frequently attacking one another, fighting
with their claws and striking with their open wings, fixing their
claws in each other’s head. They made a hissing sound with open
mouths, resembling that produced by thrusting a red-hot poker
into water, and occasionally a snuffling noise, as if clearing their
nostrils. At times one would emerge with a large fragment, and
in a moment would be surrounded by several others, who would
tear it to pieces and soon cause it to disappear.

Red-headed Vulture; Turkey Buzzard. (Cathartes aura.)
Fig. 3.

This Vulture has an extended distribution, and is met with in
most all parts of North America, more numerous in temperate
sections. We copy from Dr. Coues’ interesting account the fol-
lowing :

‘¢Although the Cathartéd@ are indolent, cowardly birds, they
sometimes—particularly the larger kinds—when pressed for food,
attack live animals, especially sick or disabled ones, and generally
overpower them in the end. Young pigs and lambs are sometimes
killed by the Turkey Buzzard, which is only of medium size.
But, in this connection, it should be remarked that whatever dam-
age they may thus effect is far outweighed by their good offices as
scavengers, in clearing away garbage and offal. This is the true
place of these foul and unseemly birds in nature’s economy ; they
have the beauty of utility, if no other; and their usefulness is

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FINCH—TERNS—RAIL—HERON—PLOVER—CURLEW-—IBIS—SKIMMER. 169

recognized in all warm countries, where they are encouraged in
their familiarity with man, and rightly regarded as public bene-
factors.

‘* Curious ornithologists have gone so far as to try the flavor of
almost every bird. Among those not ordinarily used for food, and
which are comparatively unsavory, though not positively bad, may
be reckoned most of the cleaner sorts of rapacious birds. Thus a
young Hawk is passably good, though I believe that some such
quality as that which suggested the saying, ‘tough as a boiled
Owl,’ renders in the whole order. Crows and Ravens fall in the
same category; so do most of the water-birds below the true wild
fowl, such as Pelicans, Cormorants, Gannetts, Gulls, Loons, and
others that feed upon fish. But Vulture-meat is certainly not to be
thought of.” One would think that the great Israelitic law-giver
hardly had need to interdict it, as he did howeyer: ‘ Of all clean
birds ye shall eat. But these are they of which ye shall not eat:
the Eagle, and the Ossifrage, and the Osprey, and the Glede, and
the Kite, and the Vulture after his kind.’ As a more modern au-
thor has remarked, ‘ We presume this prohibition was religiously
observed, so far, at least, as it related to the Vultures, from whose
flesh there arises such an unsavory odor, that we question if all the
sweetening processes ever invented could render it palatable to Jew,
Pagan, or Christian.’ Certain it is, that independent of the passing
contents of the alimentary canal, permanent foetid, musky odors ex-
hale from the bones and muscles; and the same stench is entangled
in the web of feathers. It is retained for a long while, even after the
bird is killed and stuffed. So strong is it, that one author, an ex-
cellent naturalist, too, fancied it must be rather unpleasant to the
birds themselves! Thus, Pennant, speaking of the Vulture’s
habit of basking in the sun, with half-opened, drooping wings,
supposed that this was done ‘to purify their bodies, which are most
unpleasantly foetid,’ as he naively remarks. It is somewhat to be
wondered that, when Audubon’s experiments came up, no person
of an ingenious and inquiring turn advanced a theory why Vultures
were deprived of the sense of smell; reasoning that if their olfac-
tories were acute they could not bring themselves to eat carrion,
and that moreover they would be continually unhappy in the
noxious atmosphere emanating from their own bodies; in short,
that a merciful Creator had so arranged that they might not smell
themselves |”

PLATE CXII.

Dusky Seaside Finch. (Ammodromus maritimus, var. nigrescens.)
Fig, 1.

This bird is a variety of the Seaside Finch (Ammoaromus mart-
timus), represented on Plate XLIX, fig. 4, page yo.

White-winged Black Tern. (/ydrochelidon leucoptera.)
Fig. 2. |

A female specimen of this species was obtained by Thure Kum-
lein, in Wisconsin, July 5, 1873. Itis an European bird, and this
is the only one ever taken or seen in North America. The speci-
men was presented to the Smithsonian by Dr. T. M. Brewer.

Pike’s Tern; Slender-billed Tern. (Sterna longipennts.)
Fig. 3.

This is a very rare bird, which is said to be met with on the
coast of California.

California Black Rail; Western Little Black Rail.

(Porzana jamat-
censis, var. coturniculus.)

Fig. 4.

This bird is a Pacific Coast variety of the Little Black Rail
(Porzana jamaicensis), Plate XCI, fig. 3, page 137.

Little Blue Heron. (Ardea cerulea.)
Fig. 5.

The Little Blue Heron is mostly confined to the South Atlantic
and Gulf States, from whence it migrates south into Mexico, and
north to New England, in summer.

Along the ocean and its tributary streams this bird is very
abundant, as it affords them their proper food, which consists of
worms, insects, and reptiles. It is active, and when occasion re-
quires, very silent, intent, and watchful. According to Nuttall,
these nocturnal and indolent birds appear to associate and breed
often in the same swamps, leading toward each other, no doubt, a
very harmless and independent life. Patient and timorous, though
voracious in their appetites, their defense consists in seclusion, and
with an appropriate instinct, they seek out the wildest and most

insulated retreat in nature. The undrainable morass grown up

with gigantic and gloomy forest, imperviously filled with tangled
shrubs and rank herbage, abounding with disgustiug reptiles, shel-
tering wild beasts, and denying a foothold to the hunter, are among
the chosen resorts of the sagacious Herons, whose uncouth man-
ners, raucous voice, rank flesh, and gluttonous appetite allow
them to pass quietly through the world as objects at once contempt-
ible and useless; yet, the part which they perform in the scale of
existence, in the destruction they make amongst reptiles and in-
sects, affords no inconsiderable benefit to man.

Slender-billed Plover. (2 gzalitis microrhynchus.)
Fig. 6.

A new species of Plover from San Francisco. It is described
by Mr. Ridgeway (Am. Nat., vol. 8, page 109). Winter plumage
similar to, but much more slender than the Semi-palmated Plover. ©

Plate XL, fig. 5, page 56.

Bristle-bellied Curlew. (/Vumencus femoralés.)
| Fig. 7.

A specimen of this Curlew in the Smithsonian, was taken by
F. Bischoff, at Fort Renai, Alaska, May 18, 1869. It is said to
be a well-known bird on the Pacific.

Green Ibis. (/é2s thalapinus.)

Fig. 8.

White-faced Ibis. (ézs guarauna.)
Fig. 9.

These two new species of Ibises have lately been .added to our
North American fauna by Mr. Ridegway (Am. Nat., vol. 8, page
110), who says that the Glossy Ibis of the West Indies and the
Eastern United States is absolutely indistinguishable from that of
Europe. A close examination of nearly a hundred American
specimens, reveals the fact that this continent has at least one, and
probably two, species distinct from the Glossy Ibis. Plate XCI,

170 SKIMMER—PLOVER—TERN—HE RONS—GODW IT—W OODCOCK—GALLINULE, ETC.

fig. 1, page 136. The Green Ibis is met with on the Pacific Coast
of America from California to Chili. The Whitefaced, in the
whole of tropical America, and middle province of United States;
from Chili and Buenos Ayres to the Columbia river.

Black Skimmer; Cut-water. (/?hynchops nigra.)
Fig. 10.

Dr. Coues once saw a single specimen of this bird on the Poto-
mac river, near Washington. Otherwise, his personal observations
were confined, up to the present time, to the coast of North Caro-
lina, where the birds are plentiful. There he noticed them late in
the summer and during the autumn. In September they become
plentiful, and so continue until the latter part of November, some
doubtless remaining later. In examining large numbers of speci-
mens, he found a great difference in size, and particularly in the
bill. Some individuals are fully a third heavier than others. The
bill varies over an inch in length, and especially in the length
of the under mandible. Sometimes the difference between the two
mandibles is hardly a third of an inch, at others over an inch.
The oblique striz on the under one are sometimes obsolete. In
high condition, the bill is bright red (vermilion) and black; other-
wise, orange and black, or even mostly dusky, only yellowish at
base. ‘The young in the fall are curiously variegated with dusky
and whitish above, few specimens being exactly alike. The note
of this species is instantly distinguished from that of any ef our
other species of this family by its deep guttural intonation, more
like the croaking of some Herons than the cries of the Gulls and
Terns. _ The bird also differs from its allies in going in true flocks,
as distinguished from the gatherings, however large, in commun-
ity of interest, that occur with the Gulls and Terns. The birds
move synchronously, which is not the case with any of the others.

They feed chiefly by night, or at any rate in the dusk of the
evening, at which time, in passing over the harbor, one may
hear their hoarse notes on every hand, and see the birds
gliding swiftly along just over the water, either singly or in small
flocks. During the daytime, when the Gulls and Terns are busy
fishing, the Skimmers are generally seen reposing on the sand-
bars. They never drop on their prey on the wing, like their allies.
Their mode of feeding is not exactly made out, but it is believed
they skim over the surface with the body inclined downward, the
bill open, and the under mandible in the water, so they really take
their prey in a manner analogous to the feeding of whales.

Missouri Piping Plover. (2g2alitis melodus, var. circumcinctus.)
Fig. 11.

This variety is a resident on the plains between the Missouri
River and the Rocky Mountains. Its habits are supposed to be
similar to the typical bird, represented on Plate XL, fig. 4, page 56.

Bridled Tern. (Sterna anestheta.)
Fig. 12.

The Bridled Tern is met with in the warmer portions of North
America. Habits supposed to be similar to other members of this
family.

Florida Heron. (Ardea courdemanuiz.)
Fig. 13.

This species is considered the handsomest of all our American
Herons. It is met with in Southern Florida, and is very similar,
in appearance and habits, to the Great Blue Heron, represented on

Plate LXXX, fig. 1, page 124.

White-tailed, or White-rumped Godwit. (Limosa uropygialis.)
Fig. 14.

This is an European species, met with at Alaska. It is usually
met with near the muddy banks of rivers or of sea-inlets, or wher-
ever there is found a rich supply of worms, molluscs, and aquatic
animals, upon which they subsist. ‘Their movements on the wing
are very powerful.

Reddish Egret; Peale’s Egret; Heron. (Ardea rufa.)
Fig. 15.

This bird is very closely allied to the European Heron. It was
first obtained by Mr. Titian Peale, in Florida. It is an abundant
maritime species along the Gulf States.

European Woodcock. (Scolopax rusticola.)
Fig. 16.

This bird, which is evidently a stranger to this country, from
Europe, where it has* an extended range, has been met with in
Rhode Island and New Jersey. Upon the ground, this Woodcock
is not considered an expert. It walks slowly, with a roundabout,
tripping step, and never ventures any distance on foot. During
the day, it remains comparatively. quiet; but toward evening it
exhibits activity and briskness. It is very shy, and prefers shady
and retired situations. The call of the male consists of a hum-
ming note; the female utters a piping cry. Its food consists of
insects, worms, and larve.

Purple Gallinule. (2ordhyrzo martinica.)
Fig. 17.

This is a beautiful bird that is often met with along the coasts of
the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and is casually met with as
far north as the New England States. Its habits are very similar
to the Florida Gallinule, represented on Plate XLII, page 58.

Green-shank, (Glottds chloropus.)
Fig. 18.

An European bird, of which a straggler was obtained by Audu-
bon, in Florida, which is the only reason for its appearing asa
North American species. ‘i

Western Semi-palmated Sandpiper. (Zreunetes puslus, var. oceedentalts.)
Fig. 19.

A Pacific coast variety of the typical bird, represented on Plate
XI, fig. 2, page 12. |

Thick-billed Sandpiper. (/’r2xga crasstrostris.)
Fig. 20.

According to Mr. Dale (Am. Nat., vol. 7, 634), a specimen of
this species was obtained in the Aleutian Islands, with an incom-
plete set of eggs. He says it is a species hitherto known only from
Eastern China, and Japan.

eth

see

ff
str

HAWK OWL—RICHARDSON'S OWL—LONG-EARED OWL—GRAY OWL, ETC. 171

PLATE CXIII.

Hawk Owl; Day Owl. (Surzda ulula, var. hudsonia.)
Fig. 1.

This Owl is an inhabitant of the northern portions of North
America. Unlike many other Owls, it retires to rest at night. It
was often seen by Mr. Dresser, in New Brunswick, hawking after
prey in the strongest sunshine, or seated quietly blinking on the
top of an old blasted tree, apparently undisturbed by the glare of
the sun. Its food consists mostly of small birds, field mice, grass-
hoppers and other insects. Its nest is usually found in the hollows
of trees; it is also found on the branches, constructed of feathers,
grass, and sticks.

Richardson’s Owl; American Sparrow Owl; Tengmalm’s Owl.
tale tengmalmt, var. rechardsoniz.)

(NV yc-

Fig. 2.

This Owl is an inhabitant of the northern parts of North Amer-
ica, and in winter it extends its migrations regularly to our frontier
regions. According to Coues, ‘‘ It had been at first considered the
same as its European representative, and afterward held to be a
distinct species, this interesting Owl has at length settled into its
true position as a geographical race of JV. tengmalmi of Europe,
as ascertained by Mr. Ridgeway’s studies. It differs from its con-
gener, just as the American Hawk Owl! does, in an excess of
darker colors; the legs being ochrey-brown, much variegated with
darker, instead of white, with little marking; and there is more
dark color on the crissum. It is, perhaps, the most decidedly
boreal of our species of the family; for although it does not range
further north than some, such as the Hawk Owl, the Snowy, and
the Great Gray Owl, its southern limit is more restricted. It has
never been observed as far south as all of the three just mentioned
are known to range in winter.” This species is confined to wooded
regions, and its food consists of insects, mice, and small birds.
The eggs are like those of other Owls.

American Long-eared Owl. (Otus vulgaris, var. wétlsontanus.)
Fig. 3.

This is a common species met with throughout temperate North
America. According to Mr. Gentry, it is quite common in
Eastern Pennsylvania throughout the year. It is more retir-
ing in its nature than JVyctale acadica, Plate CX, fig. 7,
page 166. The latter prefers an orchard, in close proximity
to man; while the former, according to his experience,
evinces by its actions a partiality for deep forests of evergreens,
where the hum and stir of busy farm-life is nearly unknown. The
nests are usually constructed of rude sticks, sometimes of boughs
with the leaves adherent thereto, externally, and generally, but
not always, lined with the feathers of birds. The same nest is
made use of for several successive years. The female begins to
lay early in April, and sometimes produces two broods ina season.
The eggs are never more than four in number; sometimes as low
as two have been observed. It is stated by both Audubon and
Wilson, that the nests of other birds, when of sufficient size, are
generally used in which to rear its young. Although it has not
been his fortune to know of such a case by personal experience,
yet he can not doubt the observations of these learned authorities.
One of,the best authenticated cases is that related by Wilson,
_ where one of these Owls had taken possession, forcibly, as he is
led to infer, of the nest of the Qua-bird (Night Heron), and was
aciually setting. Within three-quarters of a mile of Chestnut
Hill (upper part of Germantown), existed an immense forest of
pines, within a comparatively recent period, which was the great

-and between Hudson’s Bay and the Pacific.
_keep constantly within the woods, and not to frequent the bar-

place of rendezvous of the Long-eared Owl, during the dreary
winter months, and where, in springtime, the females deposited
their eggs in rude and unsightly nests of their own construction.
The number that thronged this thicket of pines was prodigious,
so there were very few of the trees, if any, that had not supported
The many fragments of the bones of mam-
mals and birds, and the other remains of the same that laid in
piles upon the ground, bore testimony of the wholesale destruction
of life that was carried on.

one or more nests.

Great Gray Owl; Cinereous Owl. (Syruzum cinereum.)
Fig. 4.

An Arctic American bird that, in winter, extends its migrations
into the northern parts of the United States. It is considered the
largest of our Owls. Mr. Richardson met with this Owl in the
fur regions, where he noticed that it inhabited all the wooded dis-
tricts which lie between Lake Superior and latitude 67° and 68°,
He observed it to

ren grounds, in the manner of the Snow Owl, nor was it as often
met with in daylight as the Hawk Owl, apparently preferring to

_hunt when the sun was low, and the recesses of the woods deeply

shadowed, when the hares and other smaller quadrupeds, upon
which it chiefly feeds, were most abundant.

Arctic or Western Horned Owl. (820 virginéanus, var. arcticus.)
Fig. 5.

A variety generally distributed through the wooded regions from
the Arctic districts to the table-lands of Mexico. Its habits are
very similar to the typical bird, represented on Plate V, fig. 1,

page §.

Feilner’s Owl; Flammulated Owl. (Scops flammeoia.)
Fig. 6.

This is a small Owl, met with in Mexico and Central America,
usually seen among the mountains of Mexico, thence northward to
California. A specimen of this bird was obtained by Captain
John Feilner, at Fort Crook. Its habits are supposed to be similar
to the Mottled Owl, represented on Plate LXXXI, fig. 2, page
125. Its form and general appearance are also similar.

Western Barred Owl; Spotted Owl. (Syrzcum occtdentale.)
Fig. 7.

One specimen of this bird was taken at Fort Tejon, California.
There is nothing recorded as regards its habits.

Pacific Horned Owl. (Bubo virginianus, var. pacificus.)
Fig. 8.

This bird is a Pacific Coast variety of our common Great Horned
Owl, represented on. Plate V, fig. 1, page 5.

PLATE CXIV.
Black-headed Finch. (/onipara zena.)
Fig. 1.

A single female specimen of this little Finch was obtained in
Florida, by Mr. Henshaw, in company with Mr. Maynard. There

172 GOLDFINCH—COW BIRD—BULLFIN CH—TANAGER—ORIOLE—WARBLERS, ETC.

eee

is no other record of any other specimens of this bird being ob-
tained.

Mexican, or Black Goldfinch. (Chrysometris psaltria, var. mexicana.)
Fig. 2.

This bird is the Mexican variety of the typical bird, represented
on Plate LXXXVII, fig. 1, page 130.

Arizona Goldfinch.

(Chrysomttris psaltria, var. arizon@.)
Fig. 3.

A variety of the typical bird, represented on Plate LXXXVII,
fig. I, page 130, that is met with as an abundant summer resident
of Arizona.

Dwarf Cowbird.

(Afolothrus pecoris, var. obscurus.)
Fig. 4.

A variety of the typical species, represented on Plate LII, fig.
7, page 78, that is occasionally met with at Cape St. Lucas,
Southern Arizona, and southward.

Cassin’s Bullfinch. (Pyrrhula cassiniz.)
Fig. 5.

A new and rare species; but one specimen known, and it was
obtained by Mr. Dall, near Nulato, Alaska, January 10, 1867. It
was the first he ever met with, nor had any of the Russian resi-
dents met with it.

Cooper’s Tanager. (Pyranga estiva, var. cooperi.)
Fig. 6.

A geographical variety of the typical bird, represented on Plate
LXXII, fig. 7, page 109, met with in the Colorado and Upper Rio

Grande region.

Scott’s Oriole. (/cterus parisorum.)
Fig. 7-

This Oriole is an inhabitant at Cape St. Lucas and southward.
It is said to have secluded habits, and that its song consists of three
or four notes, both rich and melodious.

Berlandier’s Wren. (Z&ryothorus ludovicianus, var. berlandieri.)
Fig. 8.

A Valley of the Rio Grande variety of the typical species, rep-
resented on Plate LII, fig. 8, page 78.

Kennicott’s Sylvia ; Alaska Willow Warbler. (Phyllopneuste borealis.)
Fig. 9.

A rare bird, that is occasionally met with in Alaska.

Golden, or Yellow-cheeked Warbler. (Dezdroica chrysoparecia.)

Fig. 10.

Arizona and New Mexico are supposed to be the habitat of this
rare species, which was originally described by Mr. Salvin, from
a single specimen obtained in Guatemala.

‘the vicinity of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1868.

Kirtland’s Warbler. (Dendroica kirtlandii.)

Fig. 11.

This bird is one of the rarest of our North American species.
The first specimen was obtained by the well-known naturalist of
Cleveland, Ohio, Professor Jared P. Kirtland, in May, 1851. It
was shot by him in the forests near the city. July 9, 1860, another
specimen was obtained near the same city, and which is in the col-
lection of one of its residents, R. K. Winslow, Esq. Dr. Samuel
Cabot, Jr., obtained a specimen at sea, between the Islands of
Cuba and Abaco.

Lucy’s Warbler. (/Zelminthophaga lucie.)

Fig. 12.

A rare and recently-discovered species, which was first obtained
by Dr. Cooper, near Fort Mehan. Dr. Coues met with three of
these birds at Fort Whipple, and he says that it shows a decided
preference for thickets and copses, rather than for high, open
woods, and is, also, an exceedingly shy and retiring species.

Grace’s Warbler; Arizona Warbler. (Dendroica pracia@.)
Fig. 13.

This warbler was first discovered by Dr. Coues, among the pine
woods covering the summit of Whipple’s Pass, of the Rocky
Mountains, July 2, 1864. He found it occupying, almost exclu-
sively, the tallest trees of the pine woods, and noticed that it was
active, industrious, and noisy, and that it was possessed of very
marked fly-catching habits. Its true song consists of two or three
loud, sweet whistles, followed by several continuous notes, resem-
bling chir-r-r, in a wiry but clear tone.

Green Finch; Texas Sparrow. (4éernagra rufivirgata.)
Fig. 14.

The Valley of the Rio Grand is the habitat of this bird.

White-eyed Chewink, or Towhee—Florida Chewink.

(Pipilo erythropthalmus, var. allent.)
Fig. 15.

A Florida variety of the typical species, represented on Plate
LVI, fig. 8, page 83. It was obtained in that State, by Mr. May-
nard, in the spring of 1869.

Maynard’s Sparrow; Ipswich Sparrow. (/asserculus prenceps.)

Fig. 16.

A specimen of this rare bird was obtained. by Mr. Maynard, in
He found it
among the sand-hills near the sea-shore. He has since taken
more specimens of the same species of the same bird at the same
place. When alarmed, its note consists of a sharp chirp.

Florida Grakle.

(Quiscalus purpureus, var. aglacus.)
Fig. 17-

This variety of the typical bird, represented on Plate LI, fig.
5, page 77, is confined, so far as known, to the peninsula of
Florida.

THRUSHES—MOCKING-BIRD—ROBIN—DOVE.

173

Townsend’s Fly-catching Thrush, or Solitair. (Zyzadestes townsendit.)
Fig. 18.

Dr. J. S. Newberry has given a very interesting account of this
bird. Noticing its occurrence is the Des Chutes Basin, he con-
tinues: ** It does not inhabit dense forests, nor prairies entirely
destitute of trees, but chooses surfaces covered with a scattered
erowth of pine and cedar. We first met with it in the canon of
Mptolyas River, at the base of Mt. Jefferson. As we picked our
way with infinite difficulty down the side of this gorge, my atten-
tion was attracted by the delightful song of, to me, a new bird, of
which a few were sitting in the pines and cedars which,-by a pre-
carious tenure, held a footing on the craggy face of the cliff. The
song, so clear, full, and melodious, seemed that of a Mrmus; of
the bird I could not see enough to judge of its affinities. The next
day we followed down the river in the bottom of the canon; all
day the deep gorge was filled with a chorus of sweet sounds from
hundreds and thousands of these birds, which, from their monoto-
nous color, and their habit of sitting on the branch of a tree pro-
jecting into the void above the stream, or hanging from some beet-
ling crag, and flying out in narrow circles after insects, precisely
in the manner of Flycatchers, I was disposed to associate with
them. ‘Two days afterward, in the canon of Psucseeque Creek,
of which the terraced banks were sparsely set with low trees of
the western cedar, I found these birds numerous, and had every
opportunity of hearing and seeing them, watching them for hours
while feeding and singing, and procuring specimens of both male
and female. With the first dawn of day they began their songs,
and at sunrise the valley was vocal with their notes. Never, any-
where, have I heard a more delightful chorus of bird-music. Their
song is not greatly varied, but all the notes are particularly clear
and sweet, and the stream of pure gushing melody is as spontan-
eous and inspiring as that of the Song Sparrow.”

Mountain Mocking-bird, or Mocker; Sage Thrasher. (Oreossoptes mon-
tanus.)

Fig. 19.

Tis splendid singer makes his home in the Rocky Mountain
regions of the United States. Mr. Ridgeway carefully observed
the habits of this species and says, that it is a bird peculiar to the
artemisia wastes of the Great Basin, being a characteristic species
of the region between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Moun-
tains. It is exclusively an inhabitant of the ‘‘ sage brush,” and is
partial to the lower portions of the country, though it is not un-
frequent on the open slope of the mountains. A more unappro-
priate term than ‘‘ Mountain Mocking-Bird” could hardly have
been chosen for this species, as its predilection for the valleys, and
the fact that its song is entirely its own will show. In his opinion
the term Sage Thrasher would be more appropriate. When sing-
ing the birds were generally seen sitting upon the summit of a
‘* sage” bush, faintly warbling, in the course of the song turning
the head from side to side in a watchful manner. Upon being ap-
proached, they would dart downward, seemingly diving into the
bush upon which they had been perched, but upon a close search
the bird could not be found, until it was heard again singing a
hundred yards or more in the direction from which I had ap-
proached. When the pairing season was at hand, the songs of the
males become greatly improved, increasing in sweetness and vivac-
ity, and full of rapturous emotion; their manners also became
changed, for they have lost all their wariness.

Hermit Thrush; Rocky Mountain Hermit Thrush; Audubon’s Thrush.
(Turdus pallast, var. audubont.)

Fig. 20.

This bird is a Rocky Mountain variety of the typical species, re-
presented on Plate XXXVI, fig. 5, page 48.

Cape St. Lucas Robin. (Turdus migratorius, var. confinis.)
Fig. 21;

A Cape St. Lucas variety of the typical bird, represented on
Plate LXVII, fig. 4, page 97.

Wilson’s Thrush; Tawny Thrush; Veery. (Zurdus fuscesceus.)

Fig. 22.

Wilson’s Thrush is our Eastern North American species, pass-
ing its winters in Florida and the West Indies, Central and South
America. According to Maynard, its note is uttered at irregular in-
tervals, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, and even changing in the
direction from which it comes. According to Ridgeway it is timid,
distrustful and retiring; delighting in shady ravines, the edges of
thick close woods, and occasionally the more retired parts of gar-
dens; where if unmolested, it will frequent the same locality year
after year. Their song consists of an inexpressibly delicate me-
tallic utterance of the syllables ¢a-weel’ ah, ta-weel' ah, tuil' ah,
tuzl’ ah, accompanied by a firm trill which renders it truly seduc-
tive.

Oregon Thrush. (Zurdus swacnsonz, var. ustulatus.)
Fig. 23.

This bird is a Pacific Coast variety of the typical species, figure
24, of this Plate.

Swainson’s Thrush; Olive-backed Thrush; Swamp Robin.

SWAiNSON?.)

(Turdus

Fig. 24.

This species is met with over nearly the whole of North America,
and during the migrating time, which is usually in April and Oc-
tober, itis very abundant. Like other members of its family, it is
a good singer, resembling that of the Wood Thrush. According
to Ridgeway, its song of lamentation, when robbed of its young, is
full of indescribable pathos and beauty, haunting one who has
overheard it long after. The nest is usually placed in a low tree
or bush, and the eggs are blue, with numerous reddish spots.

ZenaidaDove. (Zenaidaamabilis.)

Fig. 25.

This rare species was obtained by Audubon, on the Florida Keys,
where it was a transient visitor. They are said by him to have
the habits of the Ground Dove. Their flight resembles them, and
is seldom higher than the tops of the mangroves, and never to any
considerable distance, except during their migrations. Though
they alight on trees with ease, and can walk well among their
branches, they spend the greater portion of their time on the
ground, and walk well there, walking or running in search of food
with lightness and celerity, and invariably roost on the ground.

174 GROUSE—GUAN—DOVES—TURKEYS.

Mountain Partridge ; Gray’s Ruffled Grouse. (ozasa umbellus, var. um-
bellotdes.)

Fig. 26.

This bird is a Rocky Mountain variety of the typical species, re-
presented on Plate LXXVIII, fig. 1, page 120.

Texan Guan; Chiacalaca. (Ortalida vetula.)

Fig. 27.

A species inhabiting the Valley of the Rio Grande, thence south-
ward. It is common near Matamoras and Brownsville, where it
is exposed for sale and held in high esteem by the Mexicans on
account of its good fighting qualities. According to Colonel Mc-
Call, it was abundant for miles along the Lower Rio Grande, and
throughout this region the remarkable and sonorous cry of the
male bird could not fail to attract and fix the attention of the most
obtuse or listless wanderer, who might chance to approach its abode.
He also states that the eye is a remarkable feature in the living
birds of this species, being full of courage and animation, equal,
in fact, in brilliancy, to that of the finest game-cock. He frequently
noticed this bird domesticated by the Mexicans at Matamoras,
Monterey, etc., and going at large about their gardens. He was
assured that in that condition it was not unfrequently crossed with
the common fowl.

Southern Sharp-tailed Grouse; Columbia, or Common Sharp-tailed
Grouse. (Pediocecetes phasianellus var. columbianus.)

Fig. 28.

Of the two varieties of Sharp-tailed Grouse found in North
America this is the Southern or Westerg variety. The Northern
is represented on Plate XCVI, fig. 3, page 143. The present bird

is met with on the prairies of the Western States, and, according to-

Dr. Newberry, it is said to lie close, and when flushed to fly off,
uttering a constantly repeated kurk-kurk-kurk, moving with stead-
iness and considerable swiftness. It is, however, easily killed.
The young birds are fat and tender, and as they fall on the grassy
prairie scatter their feathers, as if torn to pieces. For delicacy of
flavor its flesh is unequaled. Its combination of colors makes it
resemble the ground, on which it lives, requiring a keen and prac-
ticed eye to distinguish them when they have fallen. It also pro-
tects them from the hawks and owls. ‘The food consists of berries,
insects, grass-seeds, etc.

Franklin’s Grouse, or Spruce Grouse. (Zetrao canadensis, var. frank-
lint.)

Fig. 29.

This variety of the typical species, represented on Plate XCVI,
fig. I, page 142, is met with from the Rocky Mountains to the
Pacific, and from Oregon to high northern latitudes.

Key West Dove, or Pigeon. (Geotrygon maritinica.)
Fig. 30.

Audubon met with this rare species at the island of Key West,
which, so far as known, is restricted to that section. He describes
its flight as low, swift, and protracted, as he saw them passing
between Cuba and Key West. They usually move in loose flocks
of from six to a dozen, and so very low as to almost touch the sur-
face. Their coo is not so soft nor so prolonged as that of the
Common Dove, and may be represented by the syllables whoe-
whoe-oh-oh-oh. When suddenly approached, they utter a guttural,

gasping sound, They usually alight on the low branches of
shrubby trees, and delight in the neighborhood of shady ponds.

Scaly Dove ; Long-tailed Ground Dove. (Scardafella inca.)
Fig. 31.

Lieutenant Couch obtained a specimen of this species in the State
of New Leon, Mexico, April 18, 1853. It is supposed to be a
resident of the Rio Grande Valley, south to Guatemala. It is said
by Mr. Taylor to be very common in Honduras, where he gen-
erally saw it in pairs. He also found it good eating.

Blue-headed Pigeon, or Ground Dove. (Starnenas cyanocephala.)
Fig. 32.

This beautiful bird is a resident of the West India Islands and
Florida Keys. Mr. Audubon saw a pair near the water, picking
gravel, but they would not suffer a near approach. They usually
live in the most tangled thickets, and feed well on cracked corn or
rice.

Ground Dove. (Chamefpelia passerina.)
Fig. 33.

This is a small and delicate little species, of the South Atlantic
and Gulf Coasts. In Jamaica, according to Mr. March, the
Ground Dove sometimes perches, and always roosts, on low trees,
but is otherwise generally found in pairs, feeding on the ground on
small grain and seeds. Several pairs may be seen feeding to-
gether; but they do not associate. It is said to be very tame, and
to be found about homesteads and in streets and roads. It also
breeds in low trees; the carchew and the dogwood seeming to be
preferred. It is very rarely kept as a cage-bird, as its note is a
plaintive, mournful coo, and there is a creole superstition that mis-
fortune will happen to any one so treating it. The nest is slightly
made of twigs, lined with grass, and built in a fork or hollow.
The eggs are two, of a rounded oval, white, eighty-seven
hundredths of an inch by sixty-nine. Mr. Audubon describes the
flight of this Dove as low, easy, and accompanied by a whistling
sound, produced by the action of the wings when the bird is sur-
prised and forced to fly.

PLATE CXV.

Common Wild Turkey; Mexican Turkey. (AZeleagris gallopavo.)
Fig. 1.

It is generally supposed that to this rare bird we are indebted for
the introduction of our common domestic Turkey, so popular with
the denizens of North America, on account of its surpassing ex-
cellence for the table. It is met with in the southern portions of
the Middle Province, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and south-
ward along the table-lands of Mexico.

(Meleagris gallopavo, var. americana.)
Fig. 2.

This bird is a variety of the last-named, and is met with in
Eastern North America, north to Canada, and in the West along
the timbered river valleys, toward the Rocky Mountains, thence
south to the Gulf Coast, Mr. Dresser found the Wild Turkey
common in all the portions of Texas and Mexico that he visited,
and particularly so on the rivers between San Antonio and the Rio

a
idea
=

Grande. He says it proved to be wary and difficult to approach
in the daytime; but by watching to see where they roosted,
and visiting them by moonlight, one or two could generally be se-
cured. They generally preferred roosting in high cottonwood
trees, on the banks of a stream, perching as high up as possible.
He once saw eleven Turkeys on one large bough of a cottonwood
tree, on the Medina. When the pecan-nuts are ripe, the Turkeys
become very fat, as they are extremely fond of these nuts, which
are very oily. One very plump bird was found, after it had been
dressed, to weigh sixteen pounds. The Mexicans on the Upper
Rio Grande sometimes domesticate the Wild Turkey. Mr. Dres-
ser saw two that had been caught when quite young, that became
very tame.

The food of Turkeys consists of pecan-nuts, wild grapes, grass,
various kinds of plants, corn and other grain; also, fruit, seeds,
beetles, small lizards, tadpoles, etc.

Dusky Grouse; Gray Grouse; Blue Grouse; Pine Grouse; Spruce Par-
tridge. (Zetrao obscurus.)

Fig. 3.

Mr. Trippe gives the following interesting account of this species :

«*The ‘Gray Grouse,’ as this species is universally called, is a
rather common bird throughout the mountains, from the foot-hills
up to timber-line, and, during summer, wanders at times above the
woods as high as the summit of the range. Excepting for a brief
period in August and September, it rarely approaches the vicinity
of clearings, frequenting the dense pine forests, and showing a
preference for the tops of rocky and inaccessible mountains. In
its nature, in short, it is the exact counterpart of the Ruffed Grouse,
having the same roving, restless disposition ; living upon the same
diet of buds and berries; frequenting the same rugged, craggy
mountain haunts; and, like that bird, is more or less solitary in its
habits, and constantly moving from place to place on foot. Its food
consists principally of the leaves and berries of various species of
Ericace, which abound in all its haunts. It is also very fond of

grasshoppers and all kinds of insects, and, while the snow lies deep

upon the ground, lives for the most part upon the buds and tender
leaves of the pines. When the grain is cut in the valleys, the
Grouse are frequently to be found, in the stubble-fields and adja-
cent coverts, in small flocks of three or four up to eight or ten.
They are then so tame as to be easily approached and killed, but
later in the season become somewhat wilder, though never very shy.
They never gather in large fiocks, like the Pinnated and Sharp-
tailed Grouse, more than a single family being rarely found to-
gether. ‘The brood separate as soon as they are well grown, and,
from the middle or close of autumn until the succeeding pairing
season, the Gray Grouse is usually found alone. On being sud-
denly startled, this bird takes wing with great rapidity, sometimes
uttering a loud crackling note, very much like that of the Prairie
Hen on similar occasions, frequently alighting on the lower limb
of a tree after flying a little way, and watching the intruder with
out-stretched neck. Sometimes they will fly up to the top of a tall
pine and remain hidden in the thick foliage for a long time; nor
will they move or betray their position, although sticks and stones
are thrown into the tree, or even a shot fired. Late in summer
many of them ascend to the upper woods to feed upon the multi-
tude of grasshoppers that swarm there in August and September,
in the pursuit of which they wander above timber-line, and may
sometimes be met with in great numbers among the copses of willows
and juniper that lie above the forests.

«« The flight of the Gray Grouse is rapid and powerful. Its flesh
is white and tender, resembling that of the Ruffed Grouse. In all
respects it seems to fill the same place in the mountain fauna of
Colorado that is occupied by the latter bird among the mountains
of New England and the Middle States.”

GROUSE—QUAIL—THRUSH—BUNTING—CUCKOOS—GREENLEE—W ARBLER. 175

Texas Quail. (Ortyx virginianus, var. texanus.)
Fig. 4.

This bird is a Southern Texas and Valley of the Rio Grande
variety of the typical species, represented on Plate XXVII,
page 28.

Alice’s Thrush; Gray-cheeked Thrush. (Zurdus swainsont, var. alicia.)
Fig. 5.

This is a variety of the typical species, represented on Plate
CXIV, fig. 24, page 173. Its distribution or habitat is about the
same. :

Henslow’s Bunting. (Coturniculus henslowi.)
Fig. 6.

The distribution of this Bunting is eastward to Massachusetts,
and westward to the Loup Fork of Platte. In Florida, Audubon
met with it in winter, they were in great numbers in all the pine bar-
rens of that state; in light and sandy soil, and in woods but thinly
overgrown by tall pines. They never alight on trees, but spend
their time on the ground, running with great rapidity through the
grass, in the manner of a mouse. Mr. Maynard describes their
song-note as like the syllables see-w7ck, the first syllable prolonged,
the latter given quickly.

Mangrove Cuckoo. (Coccyzus seniculus.)
Fig. 7.

Mr. Nuttall was the first of our naturalists to include this species
among our North American birds. He mentions it as an inhabi-
tant chiefly of Cayenne, and as an occasional visitor to the more
Southern States. Mr. Audubon only obtained specimens of it in
Florida and Key West. He says it is a regular summer visitor to
those places.

Black-billed Cuckoo. (Coccyzus erythrophthalmus.)
Fig. 8.

This bird is common to most all parts of North America, and is
generally accompanied by its relative, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
represented on Plate XXVIII, fig. 1, page 30. These birds are
often confounded by persons who have not become familiar with
them. Its habits are much like the last named.

Brotherly-love Vireo; Philadelphia Greenlet. (Vireo phzladelphicus.)

Fig. 9.

This rare bird was discovered by Cassin, in September, 1851,
near Philadelphia. It was in the upper branches of a high tree,
in a woods, capturing insects, supposed to be resting while on its

‘ southern migration.

Nashville Warbler. (/clmcnthophaga ruficapilla.)
Fig. 10.

In r811r, Wilson met with this bird near Nashville, Tennessee.
It is a common bird of Eastern North America. Mr. Allen met it
at Springfield, Massachusetts, and says it is abundant in May and
in the early part of autumn. Arrives May Ist to 5th, and for two
or three weeks is a common inhabitant of the orchards and gar-
dens, actively gleaning insects among the unfolding leaves and

176 CHICK ADEE—W OODPECKER—GULLS—PETREL—DIVER—TERN.

blossoms of the fruit trees. Nearly all go north; but a few retire
to the woods to breed. Its song so much resembles that of the
Chestnut-sided Warbler that it might readily be mistaken for it. To
this cause, he thinks, and to the difficulty of seeing such small
birds in the dense summer foliage, is doubtless owing the fact of its
being so commonly overlooked by naturalists during the summer

months, rather than to its [supposed] rarity in that latitude at
that season.

Long -tailed Chickadee, (Parus atricapillus, var. septentrioralts.)
Fig. 11.

This bird is a western variety of the typical species, represented
on Plate XXXII, fig. 4, page 42, and is met with in the Missouri
and Rocky Mountain regions.

Banded, or White-backed, Three-toed Woodpecker. (/coides amert-

canus, var. dorsalis.)
Fig. 12.

A Rocky Mountain variety of the typical species, represented
on Plate LIII, fig. 2, page 79:

PLATE CXVI.
Ivory Gull. (Larus eburneus.

Fig. 1.

American Mew Gull. (ZLerws canus, var. brachyrhynchus.)

Fig. 2.

California Gull. (Larus delawarensis, var. californicus.)

Fig. 3.

Ring-billed Gull. (Larus delawarensts.)

Fig. 4.

Glaucous-winged Gull. (Larus glaucesceus.) -

Fig. 5.

White-winged Gull. (Larus leucopterus.)

Fig. 6.

Glaucous ; Ice Gull; Burgomaster. (Larus glaucus.)

lane ops

Franklin’s Rosy Gull. (Larus franklint.)

Fig. 12.

Short-billed Gull; Red-legged Kittiwake. (Larus drevirostris.)

Fig. 1}

Pacific Kittiwake Gull. (Larus tridactylus, var. kotzebuet.)
Fig. 14.

Gulls are in the strictest sense all sea birds, and only occasion-
ally wander inland, breeding in northern latitudes among the

various cliffs and rocks. According to Dr. Brehm, Fishing Gulls
walk well, wade readily in the shallow water near the shore, swim
lightly and buoyantly upon a rough sea, and often sleep upon the
water. Their flight is slow, but by no means heavy, and can be
sustained for a considerable time. With long strokes of their
wings, they sweep onward through the air, sometimes flying in
circles, sometimes mounting upward against the wind, and again
descend to the surface of the sea. In their flights, they appear to
be quite at their ease, even during the wildest storms, and may
frequently be seen plunging into the sea from a considerable
height upon any prey that they may happen to espy. In sagacity
and courage the Gulls are superior to their kindred; but they like-
wise surpass them in thieving and gluttony. They care little for
the society of their brethren ; nevertheless, it is a rare thing to see
one of them alone. These Gulls subsist principally on fishes of
various size, and regard carrion, whether of fish or flesh, as very
delectable food. ‘They also kill and devour small quadrupeds and
young or disabled birds. They rob the feebler sea-fowl of their
eggs, and search upon the beach for worms and other animals.
Should the shell of a crab or mussel be too hard for their beak,
they at once fly with it into the air, and then dropping it from a
sufficient elevation upon the rocks beneath, shatter it to pieces.

The Ivory Gull (fig. 1) is a resident of the Arctic Seas, migrat-
ing southward in winter.

The American Mew Gull (fig. 2) is a variety of the European
type, and is a resident of the interior of Arctic America and the
Pacific Coast.

The California Gull (fig. 3). An abundant bird, inhabiting the
interior of Arctic America and the Pacific Coast of North America.

The Ring-billed Gull (fig. 4) is an inhabitant along the larger
waters throughout the interior, as well as the coasts of North
America.

The Glaucous-winged Gull (fig. 5) is met with on the Pacific
Coast of North America.

The White-winged Gull (fig. 6) is met on the Northern and
Arctic Seas, extending its migrations south in winter, on the Pa-
cific Coast of North America, as far as to Long Island.

The Ice Gull (fig. 7) has the same habitat as the last named.

The Franklin Rosy Gull (fig. 12). An abundant interior species
that is met with in the high latitudes of North America, and ex-
tends its migrations in winter to Central and South America,

Mexico, and part of the West Indies.

The Short-billed Gull (fig. 13) is an abundant species of the
North Pacific Coast.

The Pacific Kittiwake Gull (fig. 14) has the same habitat as the
last named.

White-bellied Petrel; Black and White Stormy Petrel.
eraliaria.)

(Fregetta

Fig. 8.

There is but one instance of the taking of a specimen of this
species, and that was obtained on the Florida Coast. The habits
of this Petrel are about the same as those described on page 160.

Pacific Black-throated Diver. (Colymbus arcticus, var. patificus.)
Fig. 9.

This variety of the typical species, represented on Plate CVI,
fig. 10, page 160, is a very common bird on the coast of Califor-
nia in winter.

Noddy Tern. (Azous stolidus.)
Fig. ro. |

This is a very common species of the South Atlantic and Pacific
Coasts. It passes its time mostly far out at sea, flying near the

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TERN—GEESE—J 2 GERS—SANDPIPER—SURF BIRD—BUZZARDS—HAWKS—OWL, ETC. 177

water, and are often seen taking up small fish. Nuttall says, they
- frequently fly on board of ships at sea, and are so stupid or indo-
lent, on such occasions, as to suffer themselves to be taken by the
hand from the yards on which they settle; they sometimes, how-
ever, when seized, bite and scratch with great resolution, leading
one to imagine that they are disabled often from flight by exces-
sive fatigue or hunger. The nest is built in bushes or low trees,
and they breed in great numbers.

Arctic Tern. (Sternamacroura.)
Fig. It.

This species is a general inhabitant of the coasts of North Amer-
ica, extending its migration south to the Middle States, and on the
Pacific side to California. Its habits are very similar to the Great
or Common Tern, represented on Plate XI, fig. 3, page 12.

Horned Wary Ross’ Goose. (Azser rosszz.)
Fig. 15.

This species is a resident of Arctic America, migrating in winter
as far south as San Francisco, where it has been obtained.

Lesser Snow Goose. (Azser hyperboreus, var. albatus.)
Fig. 16.

This bird is a variety of the typical species of Snow Goose, re-
presented on Plate LXXIV, fig. 4, page 113. It is distributed
over the greater part of North America, principally southwest.

Pomerine Jeger, or Skua. (Stercorartus pomatorhinus.)
Fig. 17.

This bird, like most all the others of its family, principally in-
habits the Arctic Seas and coasts of both continents. Its food
consists of putrid matter, obtained at sea, and fish and the eggs of
sea birds.

Arctic, Long-tailed, or Buffon’s Jeger. (Stercorarius buffoni.)
Fig. 18.

The appearance of the plumage of this species as well as its
habitat is the same as the last named.

Curlew Sandpiper. (Z7inga subarquata.)
Fig. 19.

This Sandpiper is an European species, which is met along
the Atlantic Coast of North America, as a straggler.

Surf Bird. (Aphriza virgata.)

Fig. 20.

A specimen of this Plover was obtained by Dr. Townsend atthe
mouth of the Columbia River. It inhabits the Coasts and Islands
of the Pacific.

PLATE CXVII.

Western Red-shouldered Buzzard. (Luteo dineatus, var. elegans.)
Fig. 1.

This bird is a Western variety of the typical species, represented
on Plate LXXXI, fig. 3, page 125.

Krider’s Buzzard ; White-bellied Red-tail. (2zz¢eo orealts, var. kriderz.)
Fig. 2.

This variety of the Red-tailed Buzzard, represented on Plate
XXX, page 37, is met on the plains of the United States from Min-
nesota to Texas.

Suckley’s Hawk; Black Merlin. (/’adco columbarius, var. suckleyt.)
Fig. 3.

Along the coast of Northern California, Oregon, and Washing-
ton Territory this variety of the well-known Pigeon Hawk, repre-
sented on Plate XXXII, figures 3 and 4, page 40, is to be met
with. The habits of the birds are quite similar.

Black Peregrine Falcon; Peale’s Duck Hawk. ((alco peregrinus, var.
pealez.)

Fig. 4.

The coloration of the plumage of this bird is very much like
that of the last. Itis a variety of the typical species, represented
on Plate VI, page 7, and is met on the Northwest Coast of North
America, from Oregon to Sitka.

Florida Mottled Owl. (Scods aszo, var. floridana.)
Fig. 5.

An extreme Southern variety of the typical species, represented
on Plate LXXXI, fig. 2, page 125.

Rocky Mountain Jay. (Perdsoreus canadensis, var. capitals.)
Fig. 6.

This bird is a Rocky Mountain variety of the typical species,
reresented on Plate LXVII, fig. 3, page 97.

Brown Jay. (Pszlorhinus moro.)
Fig. 7.

Lieutenant Couch obtained specimens of this species at Boquillo,
San Diego, and at China, in Northeastern Mexico, when he saw
them living in forests of high trees. Its habits are similar to other
Jays; its notes are also harsh and loud.

White-necked Raven or Crow. (Corvus cryptoleucus.)
Fig. 8.

This species is an inhabitant of the Southwestern parts of North
America. According to Mr. Clark, this species does not possess
the cunning or wariness of its congeners. It was met with by him
in the greatest abundance about watering-places, and he saw many
congregated at the head of the Limpia, flying about the face of an
immense rocky mountain wall. Their note he describes as coarse,
and less shrill than that of the common Crow.

Audubon’s Caracara; King Buzzard; Caracara Eagle. (Polyborus

tharus, var. audubont.)
Fig. 9.

Audubon met with this species in Florida, in the winter of 1831,
and found it to be common. Its habitat is mostly in the extreme
Southern portions of North America. Dr. Woodhouse met with it

178 PIPIT—W HIP-POOR-WILL—HU MMINGBIRD—W OODPECKER—KINGFISHER, ETC.

eee 5 as hs

near San Antonio, in Texas, where he saw it frequently, and al-

ways in company with the Vultures, which he says they greatly
resemble in their habits.

Meadow Pipit. (Anthus pratensis.)
Fig. 10. |

A place is given to this species among our North American birds,
on the ground that a straggler from Asia was obtained at St.
Michael’s, Alaska. The specimen is in the Smithsonian Institute.

Nuttall’s Whip-poor-will or Poor-will. (Azthrostomus nuttalt;)
Fig. 11.

Audubon first mentioned th’s species as obtained near the Rocky
Mountains. Nuttall observed it amidst the granite hills of the
sources of the Upper Platte River, called sea water, and from the
clefts of the rocks they were uttering at intervals a low, wailing cry,
in the manner of the Whip-poor-will, and sounding like the cry
of the young of that species, or pé-cu. According to Allen:

«¢ Nuttall’s Whip-poor-will was first met with on my western ex-
pedition at Topeka, Kansas, where it was by no means infrequent.
We often heard it at night near the outskirts of the city, and re-
peatedly met with it in the day time in the darker and denser por-
tions of the woodlands bordering on the Kaw River, reposing on
the ground, like the common Whip-poor-will of the Eastern States.
When flushed it passed rapidly, with a noiseless, skimming flight,
through the more open parts of the undergrowth, soon realighting
again on the ground. In the mountains of Colorado we again met
with it at a few points in great numbers, as high even as eight thou-
sand feet above the sea. At our camp of July 12th, on Turkey
Creek, just above the cafion, scores were heard singing on the
neighboring slopes throughout the beautiful moon-light night, but our
pursuit of them was fruitless, as they could be seen only as they
flitted from point to point when disturbed. We afterward heard
them in considerable numbers at the Garden of the Gods, near Colo-
rado City, and found them very numerous in September at the mouth
of Ogden Cafion, near Ogden City, in Utah. Here, as soon as
the dusk of the evening rendered it difficult to distinguish such
small objects with distinctness, the whole hill sides seemed to be
alive with the tantalizing abundance of these birds. Like the com-
mon Whip-poor-will of the East, they seem to sing at intervals
throughout the season, and at this date (September) appeared
fully as musical as during the breeding season. It lingers at its
summer home till the autumn is far advanced, as we found it at
Ogden as late as October 6th, quite far up the slope of the moun-
tains, in the midst of a driving snow-storm—the first of the season—
the snow having then already accumulated to the depth of several
inches.”

Allen’s, or Green-backed California Hummingbird. (Se/asphorus allent.)
Fig. 12.

A new species, found by Mr. Allen in California. It arrives
from Mexico about the last of February, and repairs at once to the
mountains, where it feeds on the blossoms of the full-bloomed
manzanita. After mating, they retire to the lower valleys. Mr.
Allen found them in considerable numbers all winter in the gardens
about, Los Angeles.

Narrow-Fronted Woodpecker. (dZelanerpes formicivorus, var.
angustifrons.)

Fig. 13-

This is a variety of the typical species, represented on Plate
XC, fig. 6, page 135, obtained by John Xantus at Cape St. Lucas.

Cabanis, Texas, or Green Kingfisher. (Ceryle americana, var. cabanist.)
Fig. 14.

The Rio Grande region of Texas, and southward, is the habitat
of this bird, which was first noticed by Captain McCown. It is
a smaller bird than its northern relative, the Belted Kingfisher,
represented on Plate XIX, fig. 2, page 20. Their habits are quite
similar.

Ani, or Savannah Blackbird. (Crotophaga ani.)
Fig. 15.

A common species, of the West India Islands, that occasionally
visits the south of Florida.

Western Horned Lark. (remophila alpesirés, var. chrysolema.)
Fig. 16.

This variety of the typical bird, represented on Plate LVI, fig.
4, page 82, is an inhabitant of Western North America, south into
Mexico.

PLATE CXVIII.

Alaskan Gray Jay; Dusky Canada Jay. (Pertsoreus canadensis, var.
obscurus.)

Fig. 1.

A variety of the Canada Jay, represented on Plate LXVII, fig.
3, page 97, that is met from Alaska to California. According to
Mr. Lord, it is so familiar and confiding, and so fond of being
near the habitations of man, that the settlers never harm it. In
the cold weather he has seen it hop by the fire, ruffle up its feathers,
and warm itself, without the least fear, keeping a sharp lookout
for crumbs, and looking so beseechingly with its glittering gray
eyes that no one could refuse such an appeal for a stray morsel.
Dr. Cooper met with this variety at the mouth of the Columbia
River, in March, industriously seeking insects and seeds among
the spruce trees, occasionally whistling in a loud, melodious tone,
like that of the Cardinal Grosbeak. He also states that the notes
of this bird differ most from the other Jays in being clear and mu-
sical, and they sometimes show a considerable variety of song
Its winters are passed in British Columbia and Vancouvers Island

Paisano; Road Runner; Chaparral Cock; Ground Cuckoo; War-
bird; Medicine Bird. (Geococcyx californianus.)

Fig. 2.

This active Cuckoo is a resident of the Pacific States, thence
south into Mexico. It is considered the fleetest bird on foot con-
nected with North American species, which accounts for the sport
it gives to parties, who often pursue it on horseback and with
hounds. It is most seen on the ground, at which time its move-
ments of the tail, which is borne in an erect position, assume a
variety of grotesque positions. Col. McCall, who published an
interesting account of this species, in 1847, states that the resista-
bility of the outer toe favors its use for climbing or perching, as
well as for movements on the ground. He also states that when
suddenly alarmed in open ground, it rises with a light, quick mo-
tion, and flies some hundreds of yards continuously with an ease
that attests its ability to maintain even a longer flight. Dr. Cooper
mentions its note as similar to the cooing noise of a dove. Its
food consists of insects. The nest is built on a bough, or in a

PT. GX il

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PRAIRIE HEN—PARTRIDGE—GROUSE—SAGE COCK—CORN CRAKE—KING RAIL, ETC. 179

hollow tree, of mesquite twigs, and it lays from two to four pure
white eggs.

Texas Prairie Hen. (Cupzdonia cupido, var. pallidicincta.)

Fig. 3.

A late Texas variety of the typical bird, an account of which is
found on Plate LV, fig. 1, page 81.

Massena Partridge. (Cyréonyx massena.)
Fig. 4.

For a long time this beautiful bird was only known as a resident
of Mexico. Late observations found it a resident of some of the
Pacific States. Col. McCall, in his interesting account of this
bird, says:

‘¢ The species was not seen before crossing the San Pedro, but
it was not long before it made its appearance in the waste and rocky
regions into which we then entered. And from that time until we
reached the Rio Pecos, a distance of one hundred and forty miles
(westwardly by the route we traveled), it was frequently seen,
though I should not say it was very common. This region is a
desert of great length from north to south, our trail crossing it at
nearly right angles. The general face of the country is level, and
consists of either a crumbling argillaceous limestone, or a coarse,
gray sand, producing nothing but a sparse growth of sand plants.
Water is found only at long intervals, and, except at those points,
there is little cover for game, and apparently less food—the prin-
cipal growth being cactz, of which the most common is cactus
arborescens; yet here, among projecting rocks, or on the borders
of dry gullies or in loose scrub, I found the Massena Partridge in
all the beauty of his rich and varied plumage.

‘¢ The habits of this species are different from those of any other
species of Partridge that I have met with. They were in coveys
of from eight to twelve individuals, and appeared to be extremely
simple and affectionate in disposition. In feeding they separated
but little, keeping up a social ‘‘cluck” all the time. ‘They were
so gentle as to evince little or no alarm on the appearance of man,
scarcely moving out of his way as he passed, and only running off
or flying a few yards, when perhaps half their number were laid
low by a shot. ‘This inclined me to think that they might with
little difficulty be domesticated, although I found them here in a
barren, boundless waste, and nowhere near the habitation of man.
This trait of gentleness is the very opposite of those manifested by
the Scaly Partridge (Calipepla squamata), which I always ob-
served to be, though found perchance in grounds as little frequented
as these, remarkably vigilant, shy, and difficult to approach. The
call or signal note of this species is peculiar. I never saw it after
crossing the Pecos.”

Dr. Coues well says:

‘‘ There are two points in the history of this species to which at-
tention may profitably be directed. One is the bird’s remarkable
unsophistication. Living in what we should consider lonely deso-
lation, but which is to it a happy home, the bird has not yet learned
to throw aside the gentle, confiding disposition its Maker gave. No
contract with the lords of the universe, guardians of civilization and
progress, jobbers in ethics and esthetics, has yet begotten in its in-
genious nature the wholesome change that the requirements of self-
preservation will some day demand, and which it will instinctively
adopt. Birds that live in populous districts have had a lesson to learn
of bitter experience, and its fruits have been instilled through gen-
eration after generation, till a second nature replaces the first, and
a shrewd distrust of the whole human race is instilled. It is a
nauseous dose that these Quail, like innocent children, have to
swallow; but the medicine acts vigorously and beneficially, heart-
longings and soul-breathings, and the like, giving way to some-

thing more substantial and sensible. Some day a fine old Cock
Massena shall say to his family, ‘¢émeo Danaos et dona ferentes,’
the newly-born wisdom shall take well, and become gospel to suc-
ceeding generations, to outlive in the code of Quail ethics the
memory of the Aineid in the mind of men.”

Sitkan, or Oregon Dusky Grouse. (Zetrao obscurus, var. fuliginosus.)
Fig. 5.

A northwest coast variety of the typical species, represented on
Plate CXV, fig. 3, page 175, met with from Oregon to Sitka.

Richardson’s Dusky Grouse. (Zetrao obscurus, var. richardsont.) |
Fig. 6.

This is also a variety of the Dusky Grouse, represented on Plate
CXV, fig. 3, page 175, which has for its habitat the Rocky
Mountains of British America, south to the Yellowstone and Hell-
gate regions of the United States.

Sage Cock; Cock of the Plains. (Cemtrocercus urophasianus.)
Fig. 7.

The Sage Cock has for its residence a restricted part of the
western section of North America, known as dry and sterile
regions, where the artemzsza, or sage-brush, abounds, and which
constitutes its principal food. It is the largest of our species of
Grouse, weighing about six pounds, and is also the most unpalata-
ble for table use. The nest is constructed of dry grass and
slender twigs built under the sage-bushes. Its low song consists
of syllables resembling hurr-hurr-r-r-r-hoo, ending with a gut-
tural noise.

Corn Crake; Land Rail.

(Crex pratensis.)
Fig. 8.

A well known species of Europe, that occasionally visits the
eastern coast of the United States from Greenland. Marshy
meadows, fields of green corn, and beds of reeds and rushes are
its favorite resorts, and in there its peculiar creaking note is con-
stantly to be heard. According to Yarrell, this call may be exactly
imitated by passing the edge of the thumb-nail or a piece of wood,
briskly along the line of the points of the teeth of a small comb,
and so similar is the sound, that the bird may be decoyed by it
within a very short distance. This discordant cry is continually
uttered by the male until a mate is found, and incubation is com-
menced, after which it is heard less frequent. The flesh of this bird
is good for the table.

California King Rail. (/ta/us elegans, var. obsoletus.)
Fig. 9.

This bird is a California coast variety of the King Rail, Plate
LXXIX, fig. 4, page 124.

Bartramian Sandpiper, or Tattler; Upland Plover. (Aet¢iturus bar-
tramius.)

Fig. 10.

The following extracts are taken from Dr. Coues interesting ac-
count of this species :

‘¢ Bartram’s Tattler, or the ‘ Upland Plover,’ as itis generally
called by sportsmen, is a bird of wide and general dispersion in
the Western Hemisphere, while its casual occurrence in Europe

180 COMMON WILD GOOSE—WHITE-COLLARED GOOSE—HUTCHINS’ GOOSE.

ee ee ee ee ee ae Oe eee

is attested, and it is even stated to have been found in Aus-
tralia. It inhabits at different seasons nearly all of North America,
and in winter pushes its migration even to Central and South
America as well as into the West Indies. But it has not, to my
knowledge, been found in the United States west of the Rocky
Mountains. It occurs in summer as for north as the Yukon, though
thousands of the birds also breed within the limits of the United
States.

*«QOn its presence and movements in the East I have made few
observations, and know nothing beyond the general items familiar
to all sportsmen who, with good reason, consider the Upland Plover
or Grass Plover, as a prime game bird, wild and difficult to secure;
best hunted froma carraige; and capital for the table. It is said
to breed from the Middle districts, as in Illinois and Pennsylvania,
northward. The principal shooting is done in August and Sep-
tember, as the birds move southward by the end of the latter month.

‘«TIn most parts of the West, between the Mississippi and the
Rocky Mountains, this Tattler, commonly known as the ‘ Prairie
Pigeon,’ is exceedingly abundant during the migrations—more so
than I can suppose it to be in settled portions of the country. In
Texas, I am told it occurs in flocks ‘of thousands.’ In Kansas,
during the month of May, it migrates in great numbers, being
scattered over the prairies everywhere, and it is so tame that it may
be destroyed without the slightest artifice; I have seen it just es-
cape being caught with the crack of a coach-whip. Passing north-
ward, it enters Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota the same. month.
About the middle of May it reaches the latitude of Fort Randall,
with great numbers of Golden Plover and Esquimaux Curlew,
flecking the prairies everywhere. Its breeding habits may be studied
with perfect success in Northern Dakota, where it is the most abun-
dant of all the waders. We can scarcely cross a piece of prairie,
or travel a mile along the roads anywhere, without seeing it. Its
gentle and unsuspicious ways, its slender and graceful shape, and
the beauty of its markings, are all alike attractive, while the excel-
lence of its flesh is another point not less interesting, but less favor-
able for the bird. ‘Too many are destroyed at this season when
they are pairing, for few can resist the tempting shots, as the birds
step along the road-side or stand erect in the scanty grass, gazing
at the passing vehicle with misplaced confidence. By the end of
May those that are to breed further north have passed on, while the
remainder have paired and are about to nest.

‘‘As soon as they are mated the pairs keep close company, being
rarely beyond each other’s call, and are oftenest seen rambling to-
gether through the grass. At such times they seem very slender,
as indeed they are, overtopping the scanty herbage with their long,
thin necks, swaying continually in graceful motion. Their ordi-
nary note at this, as at other seasons, is a long-drawn, soft, mellow
whistle, of a peculiarly clear, resonant quality ;_ but beside this, they
have a note peculiar, I believe, to this period of their lives. This
is a very loud, prolonged cry, sounding more like the whistling of
the wind than a bird’s voice; the wild sound, which is strangély
mournful, is generally uttered when the bird, just alighted, holds
its wings for a moment perpendicularly, before adjusting them over
its back. It is frequently heard in the night, all through the breed-
ing season, and is, I think, one of the most remarkable outcries I
ever heard. ‘There is yet another note that the Tattler utters,
chiefly when disturbed breeding: this is a harsh scream, quickly
and often repeated, much lke that given by other waders under
the same circumstances.

‘«The food of this Tattler is mainly insects, especially grass-
hoppers, of which they must devour enormous quantities in the
aggregate. They also feed on other small animal substances, as
well as upon various berries. I have found them very well condi-
tioned even in the spring, and in the fall they grow surprisingly fat.
They are a tender and well-flavored bird. Being so delicate they
are easily killed, dropping to a touch of the finest shot. The nest
is flimsy, merely a few straws to keep the eggs from the ground,
in a slight depression.” - .*

Common Wild Goose; Canada Goose, or Brant. (Branta canadersis.)

Fig. 11.

White-collared Goose. (Branta canadensis, var. leucopareta.)

Fig. 12.

Hutchins’ Goose. (Branta canadensis, var. hutchinsit.)
Fig. 14.

The above named Brants are distributed pretty generally over the
whole of North America. The White-collared is a variety from
the northwest coast. Hutchins’ Goose, about the'same as the
typical bird; but in winter it is more abundant on the west coast.

An interesting article in reference to the typical species appeared
in the Chicago Field, written by Col. A. G. Brackett, U. S. A.,
from which we take the following:

«‘At certain seasons of the year there are immense flocks of wild
geese seen in the mountains, sailing slowly and in a dignified
manner through the air, the different members of the flock flying
so as to form an acute angle, with some heavy male bird acting as
leader. The lines sometimes waver in the air like a huge snake
crawling along, and then again are as straight as arrows. During
their flight they utter their harsh clanging noise, sounding wild
and dreary enough when heard in the evening or during the hours
of darkness. They fly over the hills and moorlands, and alight on
the lakes where they love to feed in the marshes near by. Their
slate-colored bodies, black heads, and white rings round their
necks, look beautifully on the waters, where they swim about with
the utmost grace. They are as large as tame geese, have black
legs, black webbed-feet, and thick, strong plumage. They are
easily tamed, when hatched under hens from eggs that have been
found near the fen lands, and readily associate with tame geese,
being by far the better-behaved of the two, and not making near
as much noise as their cousins who have been reared in civilized
life. |

“‘TIn the autumn months, when the geese are preparing to go
south to their winter grounds in the marshes of Louisiana and Ar-
kansas, or are on their way thither, the streams and lakes swarm
with them. ‘They must feed while on their journey, and for this
purpose stop near sunset, and employ their time in filling their
crops with insects, fish, grass seed, and grain, wherever they can
be found.

‘¢ They sleep by placing their heads under their wing, floating
quietly on the surface of the water during the night. If disturbed,
they at once take wing, and move off to some more secure place.
They are frequently shot while making these journeys, the moun-
taineers and hunters always being ready to add a fat wild goose to
their store of provisions, after the breeding season is over in the
far north.

«©A number of varieties of wild geese have been mentioned by
authors, but the one here described is the goose commonly found
in the upland regions, where, indeed, no other is ordinarily seen.
The male goose, or gander, is said to be very much attached to
his mate, and always remains near her when she is sitting on her
nest. The stories told of these creatures are singular enough,
many of them being no doubt greatly exaggerated. By some na-
tions geese have been considered remarkably wise birds, while
others believe them to be the embodiment of stupidity. In our
own land to call a person a goose is synonymous with calling him
an imbecile or an idiot.

‘¢ Mr. Howell says: ‘We have made havoc in the ranks of the
wild geese in the vast corn fields of Illinois. We have taken a
stand in the center of a large corn shock, and have seen them
come in myriads from the large swamps in the vicinity—always

BARNACLE GOOSE—DUCKS—SANDPIPER—TEAL—CORMORANTS.

making their entry at a certain point instinctively, and their exit
at another, if undisturbed. Here, sportsman, is your field, if you
can kill a goose! If you never did, ten to one if you draw a
feather. Nothing is more deceptive than a long line of old
hunkers bearing down on the hiding-place of a novice at goose
hunting.. The sizeof the bird, the clack of their goose-talk as
' they approach a feeding ground, ,the apparent proximity of the
noisy fellows, as they seem to. fly almost in one’s face, create the
impression in the mind of the uninitiated that they are only a few
feet off; but when he rises and fires, to his chagrin he discovers
that the flock has turned about at some eighty yards distance,
without a scratch. Many a splendid shot have we lost in this way,
through the nervousness of some amateur sportsman, who was
sure of almost any other bird, and who could make his right and
left shots very creditably, but who had never shot a goose.

< ‘The Canada Goose is a heavily- -fledged bird, and bearing
down i in a direct line upon the hunter, is no easy prey, until it is
passing, or has passed. It is better to wait until you can see its
white tips ; then a quartering shot under the wing will bring down
your game. Four drachms of good powder, an ounce of No. 2
shot (which is coarse. enough), and a little attention to the busi-
ness, will usually settle your goose question.

‘«* But shooting geese on the vast wheat fields, in early spring,
or late in the fall, after the winter wheat has sprouted nicely, is
another thing. Here are miles of expanse like the ocean, without
cover of any. kind ; 3 there. are the geese, numbering thousands—
the knolls are. black with them. Now is the time for strategy.
You must select a windy day—for they can not rise down the
wind—provide yourself with a team of oxen and an old sled; lie
down; allow the oxen to graze gradually toward them, making a
circular tour toward the last, so that it will bring you to the wind-
ward ; and work toward them until you notice symptoms of alarm,
shown by the double note of the gander. Now is your chance.
To your feet, before they can gather! You are near enough.
They must pass to the right or left, for they can not rise in any
- other direction. Each man select his birds, and if you do not bag
two each, you should never shoot at a wild goose again, unless
absolutely in self-defense.

«¢¢ Much cunning is exhibited by these birds in localities where
they are ‘frequently disturbed. We have often seen them in the
great swamps of the Bureau Valley, along the Illinois, come in
about dark, when it was just too late to draw a sight, noiselessly
stealing along, so as to.avoid the random shot of the hunter return-
ing to camp after a long day’s work. So attached are they to their
old grounds, and so liable to be pursued at night by reckless ad-
venturers, that after a few warnings they baffle the most intelligent.
Should their line of entry be discovered to-night, as they come
across the marsh from the south, to-morrow night, if you watch,
you may hear the vibration of their wings, as they pass over the
_ timber to the north, in:their approach to the old rice pond, or open
water on the big slough. Upon all occasions, and also when dis-
turbed, they exhibit their usual propensity to indulge in gabble and
goose-talk.’

‘¢The different varieties of geese lay from six to ten eggs in
nests built by them near the marshes and water-courses, where
they love to dwell. ‘These nests are lined with soft grass and fea-
thers, and are well adapted to the purpose for which they are
made. It is said that the smaller variety of wild goose builds its
nest in trees, and that this is frequently the case in Dakota and
Montana Territories.”

Barnacle Goose. (Sranta leucopsis.)
Fig. 13.

An abundant European species that is very rarely met with in
North America. Its habits are likely similar to the last named.

181

Gadwall; Gray Duck.

(Chaulelasmus streperus.)
Fig. 15.

The Gadwall is a very rare bird, but is pretty generally dis-
tributed over North America, and is usually met with accompanied
by others of its relatives. It is prised by the sportsman on ac-
count of its gamy nature.

Fulvous Tree Duck. (Dexdrocygna fulva.)

Fig. 16.

This is a rare species of Duck, inhabiting the southwestern por-
tions of the United States and Mexico, as well as South and
Central America.

Autumnal Tree Duck. (Dendrocygna autumnalis.)
Fig. 17.

This Duck has about the same habitation as the last.

Steller’s Eider Duck, (Sommater¢a stellerit.)
Fig. 18.

Steller, the voyager, discovered this species inhabiting the inac-
cessible rocks and precipices on the coast of Kamschatka, where
it builds and breeds. It is a very beautifully colored species,
rarely ever met with, either in the northwest coast of North
America or in its European habitat. When seen, it is usually in
large flocks; is exclusively a sea bird, seldom entering the estu-
aries of rivers.

PLATE CXIX.

Baird’s Sandpiper. (7Zrzxga bairdiz.)

Fig. 1.

This Sandpiper, whose soft, piping note is similar to others of
its kindred, is quite generally dispersed throughout the interior
of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. During the
migrating season, it visits the Atlantic coast, passing chiefly
through the interior, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific.

English Teal. (Querguedula crecca.)
Hig, 2:

An European species that is occasionally met with on the Atlan-
tic coast. Itis very similar to our common Teal, represented on

Plate VI, page 8.

Mexican Cormorant. (Graculus mexicanus.)

Fig. 3.

Pallas’ Cormorant. (Graculus perspicillatus.)

Fig. 4.

Red-faced Cormorant. (Graculus bicristatus.)

Fig. 5.

182 CORMORANTS—BRANT—GANNET—SCOOTER—W IDGEON—DUCKS—TERN.

White-tufted Cormorant. (Graculus cincinnatus.)

Fig. 6.

Florida Cormorant. (Graculus dilophus, var. floridanus.)
Fig. 7.

Cormorants are species of birds whose habits are all very much
alike. As their name indicates, their voracity is seemingly im-
possible to satisfy; they will eat as much and as long as they can,
and immediately attack other food that may happen to come within
their reach. They are represented in all parts of the world,
living in the sea, where they occupy some rocky island, or in
fresh water marshes, or in lakes and rivers, only casually visiting
the sea-coast, and seldom the interior. Their food is principally
of fish, which is obtained by diving. Their flight is much better
than one would suppose from their appearance. They also walk
tolerably well on level ground.

The Mexican Cormorant inhabits Mexico, Southern United
States up the Mississippi Valley to Illinois.

Pallas’ Cormorant is a species of the North Pacific coast.

The Red-faced Cormorant, a resident of Alaska.

The White-tufted Cormorant, same residence as last.

The Florida Cormorant is a variety of the Double-crested Cor-
morant, represented on Plate XIII, fig. 2, page 14.
the Florida and Gulf coast.

It is met in

Black Brant. (Sranta bernicila, var. nigricans.)
Fig. 8.

This variety of the typical species, represented on Plate
LXXXIII, fig. 1, page 127, is very abundant on the Pacific coast,
and is also met, but not so numerously on the Atlantic coast;
their habits are about the same.

Booby Gannet. (Szla fiber.)
Fig. 9.

This species is very abundant on the coasts of our South Atlantic
and Gulf States. Their nest is built in low trees or bushes; their
food and mode of obtaining it, as well as other habits, are similar
to the common species represented on Plate LXIX, fig. 1, page 98.

Trowbridge’s Scooter; Long-billed Scooter. (Acdemia perspicilliata,
var. trowbridget.)

Fig. 10.

This variety of the typical species, represented on Plate LXV,
fig. 4, page 96, is a winter visitor to the coast of California.

European Widgeon. (A/areca penelope.)
Fig. 11.

Specimens of this European bird are frequently shot along the
Atlantic coast, from Greenland to Florida and to California. There’
is quite a similarity in the characteristics and habits of this species
and the American Widgeon or Bald-pate, represented on Plate
LXIl, fig. 1, page 88.

St. Domingo Duck. (2rismatura dominica.)
Fig. 12.

This is a South America and West India species, of which a few
only have been obtained, which are supposed to be stragglers. The
close, harsh plumage of this bird is readily distinguished by the
peculiarity of its coloring from that of all other Ducks.

Labrador Sand-shoal, or Pied Duck. (Camptolemus labradorius.)
Fig. 13.

This most rare species has for its habitat the northeastern coast
of North America, occasionally it reaches the shores of New Jersey,
where it is called by sportsmen the Sand-shoal Duck, from its habit
of frequenting sand-bars in quest of minute shell-fish, which con-
stitute its principal food, and which it procures by diving like other
Sea Ducks.

Pacific Eider. (Somaterza V. nigra.)
Fig. 14.

A common species of the Arctic and North Pacific coast, which
is similar in all appearances, except the V-shaped black mark on
the chin, to the Eider Duck, represented on Plate LXV, fig. 1,

page 93-
Florida Dusky Duck. (Axes obscurus, var. fulvigula.
Fig. 15.

This is a variety of the Dusky Duck, represented on Plate
LVIII, fig. 3, page 85. It is a resident of Florida.

Elegant Tern. (Sterna galericulata.)
Fig. 16.

This elegant species is a resident along the Pacific coast, from
Peru to California. Its habits are very similar to other Terns.

INDEX

To Alphabetical Arrangement of Common and Scientific Names, including an Index

to the Text, Number of Plate and Figure of Each Species Represented.

“YIOX MON SONUSAYW UWI VII
_‘NOILLVISOSSV AONAIOS IVANLVN FHL

:ssauddy ‘Ssduiv}s }U99-OM} Ul s}UId aAy-AjUaM} JO 1dJe901 UO JUaS 1x9} pure saqvid Jo satduIes
‘[IJap Ul esay} JO YIvS SuIqhiosep Al[nj ‘Ulog je UIpPIeS [eoLsO[007 ay} Jo JUBpUa}ULIadnsS sivoA
Auewl Joj ‘uryeig “iq Aq pojdope sv ‘pyiom oy} Jo spiiq ay} Jo UOTwOYIssE]D oY) YA ABSO[OYWUIE JO sDUEIIS
2Y} JO SauT]JNO [vIAUIS 94} SuUlOvIqUIS 4x9} snoIdod v BuIpnypoUl puv ‘piq v Jo ASopouTUIe} oY} ‘YIINOJ { sIOyIay
ay} JO WO} pur uoTIsod ay} ‘paryy { SUIM s,p1iq v ‘puoses { pilq v JO UOJOTOYS oY) YsIy Jo SSuIMeIpP suTeyUOI
YOM 9Y} “PJOM ay} Jo spiiq Jo satoads yeo1dAy pasipuny OA} INO JO SUONLAISN]]I WsHAv ay} 0} uOTIppr uy

Cw ay tase stogeRh
a

SOS TIF “YI0ID “SIS ‘scurpuig [yoy auf wu punog Apyoyurisgns ‘aunjoa o,svnb qorseduy

Alphabetical Arrangement of Common Names.

WITH AN INDEX TO THE PAGE, PLATE, AND FIGURE OF EACH SPECIES REPRESENTED,

A Pac. Puats. Fic. Pace. Prats. Fia. Pao. Prats, Fra.
Pack Prats Fic. Bald sae Leche aiacepseeestee ean sear 1 1 Black-throated Gray Warbler.,...... see ose oo 8 BRU ecu ah Red-taileds essssssseees Wag ue
: x 5 is : sae we 20 TG by: in ne CUS esters Pete: 100 =70 3 ‘errigineous Sis
icra ort seclies or RnR are Ma Boldnetenccncs 88 62 1] “ Green Warbler... 50 87 2/ Harris’. 167 110
AORRINU RRA sokeene| "51 37 7,8 | Baltimore Oriole. 12) 12) 1,2 U3 @uillemot.......2..--:-- 168 108 11 © King,..... -» 177 117
RR TIGART hee misters te 101 8 | Bank Swallow, ....ssasse, w. 90 68 2] & Hummingbird...........181 88 2 « Krider’s ... ve ATT LT
PIES EER G To teases cones 78 118 1 | Band-tailed Bugzard.. wes 110 15) = « & SDATTOWssesessen ene sche SE Ih « Red-tail.. 145 98
rca Wren.. A By atts in alles 152 103 21 Ke Hawk....... fue LES? U0) 15 es CW cblori seassmeistretet a OMMDS SD ‘¢ Rough- logged .. 126 «81
«© Willow Warbler.. 42 114 #9 ae Pigeon... . 163 109 2| Black-tnfted Titmouse..... Bete elOs 5 “« Turkey.. . 168 111
Alb d’. 146 99 ; | Banded Three-toed Woodpecke w WD 33 1 | Black-vented Puffin..... + 161 17 14 ‘© "Western Red- “shouldered... wees dae LET
atross, Black-foote ongeer ce ts “ 176 115 «12 “6 Sl j
Short-tailed.......... ... see 149 102 1 . - 1eerwater 161 lu? 14
« Sooty.. Renee ne Ge aI GD A | Barnacle Googe......ccsccsesscesessrsenens .. 181 118 13] Black-whiskered Vireo.......... pe aiahe stay Fry
ce Yellows atl . 130 86 1 | Barn Owl.....seree - 142 95 2) Blanding’s Finch............. _ a. 140 94 2
Abert’s Finch.. 4 97 11)“ Swallow....... Sis suabsasasssanee LOL 721] Blue Bille. sssseesssesserseesrsssees a 99 69 38 re:
a Tae , rs ee 144 97 11 Barred Owl.. EC ececdystuxetce ud5itg abodeat 21 22 6 sf OW Chine Gt 7 ,
Aleutian Auk cece “739 93 ~=«8, | Barrow’ s Golden- “eye aE ANC eT Yt TY Pas oT Hike ny 93 22 Cabanis Kingfishers sess Ushtbgaressteed LTS eee ole
See OBern syaase scot 162 107 9 | Bartramian Sandpiper...........004.. D179 118 1] « «© “Aretic.. S103 71 8 | Cactus Wren. ......... 5 144 OF 6
Alice’s Thrush... Lo GMa Ne Sa iY Tattler. . 179 118 10 OD Tits Indigo .. Peers, oy we 13 12 4]} Caerulean Warbler,.........044. 850; 87 "3
ifornia H ingbird 78 117 12) Bat, Bull....... 210% (72) 3 « Rocky Mountain... 103. «71 ~©=8. | California Black Rail.-..... .. 169 112 4
ete eqper Wee srn ee} Seta Gy C8) oo Be deste Sa elo WS) cP]! Pica Gear tecnctereneel sts ; 136 90 10 66 Gondor. ssesenseseens ie 16s th
American Avocet... EL heen 87 61 5 | Bay-breasted Warbler ..........s.s00+. vorep fa Hi 5 ‘ Golden-winged Warbler. 63 (47 2 iG Ground Robin.... ... 133 88 12
Barn Owl Cy i ae i 142 95 g,| Bay-winged Bunting...........ssees wavs 154 104 «18 & 162 108 2 rE GILL cce.nscenseeccesee =. 176 116 3
‘ec ‘“ Swi Pode ed Seve 104 72 1 % SQ” Becca cirrerreis ate 84 48 8 & 133 88 10 “c Tay v0 ne . 139 93 1
ce Bittern. “943-831 | Beakked Sparrow......ce--essesersseereereserees 153 104 9] «& 175 115 3 & King Rail...... ‘ 179 118 9
« Black Gaareen See, hie 128 338 5) | Bee Martine cutess.x Sar Uae OGas co Lammlen Ze ‘e bb, 39) (3;4 ¢r Mocking Bird.... ». 151 103 5
(3) Crossbill .......... or, Pecy seks Erfytel Beetle-headed Plover.. ee DS AL “ 166 110 4 a Nuthatch........... 2 dol HOS" 9
“ Dipper ‘ 139 93 G | Balls Finch .....,.5.s:-cee scene oeeeenentenrsenes 147 100 10 ee 100 70 5 en Song Sparrow.... : 153 104 2
ON aes ae ee. BY 41 2| * Sparrow.. .. 147 100 10] « Partridge... 164 109 9 «Squirrel Hawk... noeke tos: 110) 36
a MredlLGrahescarn hee de0h 10d) 25) “* Vireos, 146 100 2] « Quail. ee reanns et «Thrashers... etal fos. ah
«© ‘Fish Crow.. vee 165 409 15 | Belted Kingfisher..... 20 19 2| «© Yellow-backed Warbler.. 48 36° 1 ‘© Titmouse...... .. 148 101 4
ee Flamingo ... Lae Tae Bendire’s Thrush. atvarace ses wee. 149 103 2 ee Warbler. ve +f 50 387 3 x Valley Quail. 131 87 5,6
a ce aThi eee OG ras Lent erst | y7|(HRSTNITIORSA-Wreh cs 2u2, eseegscecemnttas-to 172 148 | EE page Ne lit « Vulture... 168 111 44
e Golden Plover..ccscssesssssceeses vo chk Bewick's Wren tteereetereneseeees ». 102 71 6] Blue-eyed ‘yellow Warbler...... Ceei6h. 47° 00 $6 Woodpecker.... 185 90 6
“ Goshawk.... “4 Aly AAU cee seo, LORD aie | iine=tron ted) ayacsasscsseteeassoss .... 156 105 2] Calliope CNET 148 101 8
“ Harrier ...... 145 98 2 Bix Blackhead. Ruearbirerrrsundecssyanasaesthiterts 99 69 3] Blue-gray Guateatcher.. . 50 BY 1 Canada Brant... eae abi, Su)
« GE SETE earsaypeet <a cace ne cen Guhfnadst 54 39 1,2 | Bill, Blue... cesses syernegeraeee 99 69 3 | Biue-headed Pe ce 92 64 3 % Flycatcher... Pee aT, 6447 «=
e Te ee eee hs eee STA TOMMEG inert |MEEINeEST.OA Cevectrettet ce cee tonsereeseay eqete Cuarers 99 69 3 ‘© Pigeon... se ono Hee ORL Ay «© Goose .. AVR ea Sem aicee abe aie: all
& Tong-eared OW]. Il 113 3| Bird, California Mocking....0... ccc. OL 103 5) 66 Sa bill ssssernsseserre sees Eh. 10 |) MF EGBG IRe rs suecvats weecess en ecr sens 142 96 1
ee Magpie. ws We rg BY ats Cat... Scent . 133 88 12 6 6G VATIOOs. -ccuassecusesaesseneonnerees 71 49 6 COMI Vicovarateom donee uf sez anerayan duet xe EO Tie BS
ee Mealy Redpoll.... pela V7 ALO EO SOrying.. ya me 129 84 2 Blue- winged Teal.. we 28 6 Canadian Sparrow... ....c:ssssscseeeee seseeeee 66 48 2
33 Merlin. Aces (att ib Bde GS abitebteqeo press cee rience ills Wie a “ Yellow Warbler 65 47 ~——- 8 | Canon Bunting... csssreseerseeeeereeees 144 97
te eet ren 1 1GG 110 Q | SS HAG. weeseeserseresetseeeeeetreesene sere: 158 105 al Boat-tailed Grackle.. w7 62 & eo Winches: ... 144 97
« Mew Clie wee ene, we TTG 116 | SS MediCI@. sarees eeeeee tee eeeee oe teesteees 178 118 2] Boat, White... ian Tae ee oe 156 104
“ Nutcracker .165 109 14] ‘* Mocking... Scoem aj pecoeecs 150 103 3) Bobolink....... 47 34 4,5 ‘¢ -'Towhee 144 97
& Osprey. sssese see 16 16 © Surf.. cece Ree ic 177 116 20] Bob White.. ....4....006 28 27 “ ‘“ se ee ete an lb
& Perecrine Falcon... = 7 6 SC WAL. eceeessnansescecceeeee «» 178 118 2| Bohemian Wee win iy, 103.71 9 | Canvass-back Ducky sss ss00s Spr namitey | tattle SiR}
“ PipiGin etek tealosspasive . 82 5G 8] Bittern, AMOTICAML. ...-.sssssecseeereeereene 43 33 1] Bonaparte’s Gull.. 80 54 38 | Cape Oardimalecareraysti-tosjsdersscovee ». 155 104
“ Pochard.. CAR RE GE Least.......+ ste eeeesseeese 55 40 1) Booby Gannet.. 182 119 9 Glee testy nvectacenvetnseevastectrtsetsarseet 164 109
© Quail.. 28 27 Blackbird . 92 64 3] Boucard’s Finch .. . ve 147 00-7 |) ff) May Warbler.. revtenres, AGae 7 AR
ee Red Grossbill. ..... =a 138 92 " Oe Se thet 8G] 6 | Brandt’s Cormorant.. oniiapectos .-. 146 99 2 EO “PILCOMsserseseccnssvsvesedyertaunsiccsaesrace 162 107
sé MUG sti th eaee ete eee oe 8 4 fe [Aight See ee woe. 178 117 15] Brant, Black ........ ae ASE it *¢ St. Lucas Robin...... : se Lis 114
“ Houahsleeeed E Hawk... 126 81 4 oe Brewer's vsssssseeesees ce BT Ge 8 ue BE eps 182 119 8 ‘¢ St. Lucas Thrasher.. cs .... 151 103
tc Snipe.. A . 88 62 3 WO Ware trcnsrseneerdeacvncurdossanieete 78 52 7 ne Caunieg bts 180 118 11 ROU MG Wit GOrectesavtersccareiecnonreaeerryectatns 156 104
6 Snow wlan Tome 1 et @RITMBOT ee acecencecereopnese sates 155 104 929 ‘¢ Goose.. L2G 18s 1 <¢ Woodpecker... ... 158 105
“6 Sparrow Hawk 54 39 1.2 a CLOW s-.s20ensrcersecassoorensoncosses TT 52 5 | Brent s.sseseseresevesnvsers 12/197 iss Wi Caracara, Awdibon’s.) 3... casi ecccen--- Ler Tht 9
sc Ce Owl.. abs Shik wae ey GY edit) Crow. cestisnestsscavancsrt WO 152 4 | Brewer’s Blackbird.. Rivnestedertes tend 92 «64 3 fe Hagle...........6 ee eared ae 9
&e Cet ahs aoe eye. 2586) 60 il Ht) Red-shouldered.......scoecseses 155 104 99 oe SPALVOW.eececseseneeseessreceveneeere THD. 104 95 | Carani...scccscccesnsctesecnes sone 2,
“ Sear ae ete: ss 62 1 i! Red-wWinged........secsecerreseeee 44 33 2,3 Brewster’ 8 Finch..... et we 153 104 7 | Carbonated Warbler....... 9
ee Winter Wren.. 50 36 8 £ Red-and-White-Shouldered. 110 1738 1 Pair G tresses haves ee clee eezte tee 153 104 7 | Cardinal Cape............--+- 22,
«S RYO RACO CRE 10 9 SS SaVANU Re rtcceccerecssenesseesaecse 178 117 = 15 Bridled Titmouse...... pect Biss Py ay ses Grosbeak .. 3,4
Anhinga... yea .. 92 64 2 ae Yellow-headed. «.....ssssscceoees 101 V1 2 cca Teriias we LZ) 112 12 “¢ Texas....... 23
Ani Blackbird. -........- Se peren, Mey wale a5; is White-winged. ............0e. 138 92 10| Bristle-bellied Curlew. 169 112 7 | Carolina Dove............. neo 6
Anna Hummingbird..... e Thue | 7s 4 Black Brant SSD eo erated d-on Gres 182 119 8 | Broad Bill...........se00+-+00 . 99 69 3 aa Goatsucker..........-. ae
Aonalaska Sparrow...... Cee ciate a 15 pity merc: Hae! STOR e571] ||Mitece ne eh COMME erence lore item: el wan « Parrakeet.. 164 109 10
Aplomado Falcon... 166 110 1 eS Bate wetateieictanes meee (8b IBS: 3 | Broad-tailed BU ve we, 147 100 6 ae Parrot..... 164 109 10
Arctic Blue Bird.. eeiOse. Tile esi es elygavonsr seesenecersencnsenssanenssenecs 141 94 6] Broad-winged Hawk.. te oe hl GR ‘© Titmouse...... we. 106 72 2
Groutid Pinch sscsesscssssseeessneeteeee 104 71 iil * steserese ws. 118 76 5] Brotherly-love Vire0.......:seceesrseesseee ilygsy aby 28) Ct Waxwing «01.0.0 -eeeeeees te le dale = aD!
G6 JACL ET ae -ecceeeceanaccttnnrestevereessncases 177 116 18 CC GOAT ClHeccsceesencsaetanrergaeghaceaes= 172 114 2 Brown Crane.. Pies tevarcanes, L298 “8h Dy] P@RNVIONGOLOW cersaseneseersvecssinny teu6S. AL 2
GLO (wy eee eet sheen toseatatareneeeness ik ae 5 BODE GiOURG ccs tsncanssartaperecestees-ebeeseters 142 «96 1 Creeper .. eres +4 Deeriane oe Os 5 | Cassin’s Bullfinch....... tor, 172 114 5
4 Spotted TOWNCG..sssecsecsseenceneees 104 71 wt “ Guillemot. ny BBY BE cco VN avateetene NA paint Wee aly = yl “© Plycatcher .... 158 105 22
«ec ‘ “ See er 133 88 12 COMET Cte seer . 166 110 5 s¢ Pelican. aes sstsecneee 129 ©8684 1 ae Guillemot..... --. 189 93 8
COMET a Hie lacey eackascncesscovch eaeecie cries thee aul SBE Merlin....... rab eertonenr ety Teri aly 3 sé «Thrush... 109 «72 8 ss VUYecsecesresenaester sere ot aT
< Powhee ..-. Ses a 104 71 ui, “* Oyster- UTR Nara eedlernttc leone 140 93 9 sé Thrasher. . 109 72 8 se Purple Finch.. ame@hh Ai 8
Arizona Finch....... fe Bea Pecns Oo 157 105 13] ‘ Peregrine Falcon... Dilys 4 «© Towhee...... il: 156! 104 381 «Sparrow... 157 105 12
if: TR balli pet benrrnctenacerecar eect pcre 172 114 «3] +“ Ptilogonys............ aS ST al “ LOT Airreaidentnalnneeeececee 135 90 38 | Cat Bird........... 8 2
& Quail ... 164 109 8 66 Red=tail......ccrsee-eeeeeee .. 145 98 3 om EU oenanshpescnstseseeddrepeetrreceeas 144 97 410 bE nesteepsesss ves . 183 88 12
& Sparrow... 1syp AS: Sh “ Rough-legged Hawk.... . 126 81 4] Brown-capped Chicadee.............ssesee 79 63 38| Cayenne Terni... nen NE GAL 3
ee Ui cet Jay A eae 159 105 32 RAS TSTMS Uocsacpadeteesteos bse coven scterad 170 112 10| Brown-headed Creeper veri Bakuadese 144 97 5 | Cedar Bird......-s0cs--eseeeeeees wee SE ibe 1
sc Vireo.. ae ma tae, 146 100 3 Ce MU oi oy Rott ee 4 ““ 66 Nuthatch.........cccceseeeees 92 64 4 | Central American Grackle... Wen tom POF AS
Ci Twat tapes +% mes I ae se Warrior.. Pere eee hoe 10 66 «© Woodpecker. ..........2.+ 134 89 1 | Chapparal gock ets apatestacas aver tS SUES 2
+6 Woodpecker.. .. 148 101 2 ¢¢ and White Creeper... sume 6 | Brunnich’s Guillemot...........s.seseee cess HED) MOSS 26: | areols seereeloesecces satsseeivasnaetpentencertre 83 56 8
Arkansas Flycatcher......... eulism7G 6 be “ce s¢ Stormy Petre 8 | Buff-breasted Flycatcher. seseceeeee 148 OL 3 | Chat, Fallow... RA ACh COO TO eC s 189 893 5
ae Goldfinch. <...... Sabin sy 1 ‘ rf *¢ Warbler 8 | Buffon’s Jaeger.. . 177 116 18 ss Long-tailed.. Ae sa WGP) alB> sales
Artemisia Sparrow.... Paeloy L0p) 1a (6 VUlEUTC.eseeeeeeee cee eeenees 92.) Buffle-head........--ses-0e0+ weesG: 6560. 4. RE SOTO TOP cher ak oct otes tees io feewsucesdyarres 189 93 5
Ash-colored Hawk..... ~ 20 20) €6 — Wo0dcock.....sese-eeeee ence as 1| Buff-headed Sandpiper... Ceeoe 162 if ce Western. fe . 152 1038 13
Ashy Petrel...... -160 106 13] ‘* and Yellow Warbler... 48 36 | Bull-batt.....scessseceeceeereserrsees 107 #72 44) * Yellow- breasted .. S110. ee 9
‘cs’ Thrush.... . 151 103 g | Black-backed Weg ecE ahs meee 79 58 1 Sores tartiesetes -- 157 105 16 | Chatterer, Waxen..........sscseesseeeeeees ee al 9
Ash-throated Flycatche seseseeeeee 158 105 20 | Black- bellied TiO ESPUL 6.65 5cceasvserereseces 140 94 §| Bullfinch, Cassin®s....... sesccsseeseeeeseeeee 172 114 5] Chuck Will’s Widd wageteiekcbcntn 106 72 2
Audubon’s Cavacara.......cesccsecseseerseeres 177 ‘117 9 Plover.. tx dat 45] A.) Bull-headl ....bscesccsccsecs ccsccccrcnnncssentsceren 57 41 3 | Cherry Bird ..........-ecceesecesnsesseneccensreees 81 56 1
03 PCIE tnt 164 109 12 Me Sandpiper .. b, al a Mae dl: 2 nie permet, aerate aaetteraa bSen 4) 3 Chestiut-backed MIM OUBEs eatseecaserssets 102 «71 3
s6 Thrush., 173 114 90 | Black-billed Cuckoo........ 175 115 8 | Bullock’s Oriole.......:c.seccssssseensesenseeren 1386 90 9 Chestnut- collared Lark Bunting........140 94 3
& aeene., Ore: ty 0 1 | Black-breasted Woodpecker. 158 105 30) Bunting, Baird’s..... a . 140 94 1 Cc Longspur ..........c-- 140 «94 3
Auk, PANT Ssh Tae saree eee von does ei, CR g | Blackburnian Warbler............ «- 48 36 3,4 # SP sieee - 153 104 8 Uhestiutaraated Titmouse,.............. 102 0 71 4
Crested....... .... 163 108 13/| Black-cap WK oa sencs saresns aivatectaeeste, C20U 820) 6s Bay-winged .. 154 104 13] Chestnut Hang-mest........ccccsecreereecerers 13 «12 3
Ce ZENE are eon eraene tert vsssone 4 75 1 | Black-capped Nuthateh.......:..csecseeee Fy Ge hth + Black-throated. . 82 66 2] Chestnut-sided Warbler.........scccrsses 52 38 1,2
‘© Horned-billed.. yi de UR TR SR POG TU] eecdar ete Ses ace seeeteetes 162 107 17 €s CaNOMN wreccsssectessccsazseqiesees . 144 97 10 Chewink, Florida.. 172 114 5
‘ Knob-billed _ 162 107 .18 £e Titmouse. . Wesectea seein add, 4 oe Chestnut—collared Lark...... 140 94 3 White-eye : 172 114 15
‘es Least... . 162 107 18 ne WATEO de asavaceteaee ope hae, llltS) 16 5p Clay-colored D devon ee ccbbetavtiaee 155 104 28 nesta Moscatkisesiacssvarcessgarse at so. 356 8
4¢ Pittle......... ite .. 163 108 1g | Black-chinned Hummingbird....... ... 182 88 4 00 Cowpen ......+. ves . 8 652 7 | Chiacalaca... RaceeuscrasPapents 174 114 27
(coe “TEES othe Bugis SueaeL ear ... 168, 108 14 Oo MPUUUOWaadsssn as eeteereereas 148 «101 7¢ a Henslow’s... oF canealye'os llalis) GulP@hicadocemecseretecssisartisentstastereccecttousecs 102 «71 3
‘ee PATroquet.scscseseecesceeeoeees eee en, UGE they FE Black-crested Rigcutoher Pacts aa 181 = 88 il “ TaCONGC’S...00.sceceeeeereens .. 153 104 3 fi 9 0 ar erersenera tn codeine xem ponte 42 82 4
6 Razor-billed ........-::00s0- ves A ele TS Titmouse.. 152 108 15 ne Lapland Lark............ mes) On OS 7 ee BYrOWn-CAPPC....1ssceeseenseseese 9) “bs 3
‘6 Whiskered..........+.. .. 163 108 12 Black-footed Albatross.. -146 99 1 ct IDENT Sensor reece .. 1388 92 10 «¢ _Hudgonian........ eames i Say By
Autumnal Tree Duck..... seeseeee. 181 118 17 | Black-fronted PI tMOUSE...sesseseceeess ee pos 620: 2 ss Maccown’s. ..... .. 140 94 4 sé Long-tailed.. Parte Mie sale abil
Samer SUA HDG leer yn ttle Seyi 5 Black-headed IHitiC}issccsncssstessesercne rep alral, atte! 1 “ Ochrous-headed 153 «104 8 €e Mountain.... 134 89 5
Avocet, AMECYiCAD...s.useseereeerees ea SieeibLe an Goldfinch....... veseee «- 182) 88 3 és Painted Lark... .140 94 5 ‘© -Western.... 152 103 14
; aa « Gnatcatcher.........-. os (REY OGRE fe aetseeeqeceaacorensenseceoesse 93 64 97 “« White-browe 134 89 5
Grosbeak........... « 141 94 8 ss sharp-talied., one 66 48 1 | Chicken Hawk.........0.00+4 167 110 18
B ¢¢ Turnstone... Hrettteces, tal GV 9 Ge Shattuck... ae 155 104 (28 &é Mother Cary’s......... 116 = «=75 ue
: WY Vireo «2... «.. 152 1038 16 ts SHOW..cesceee 11 10 2 | Chimney Swallow. ........,..+00 As ail! yi 10
Bachman’s Finch: serene. sertstreensee 95 66 4 | Black-hooded Sparrow... «. 142 95 6 : Towhee ........ Soe oe} ale) 8 ‘ Siwilinecccespecerdtecenenae .. 118 76 T
& Oyster-catcher .140 93 9 Black-legged Stilt.......... saree <0 eG eC Townsend’s. ......+.-- .. 158 105 25 | Chipping Sparrow.. a GS Se ao
£6 Sparrow ... 95 66 4) Black-poll Warbler... cere DADS, 3 3 AiG Arena crer atea teste pon 155 104 24 | Cinereous Coot... .........,cscccserseese~secenasee Linaar
Sp Warbler.......... seserseeee 100 %O 7] Black-shouldered Kite... -166 110 6 ae Western Yellow-winged...... 164 104 10 #e PP tiihiniemereceae Sacvesasa secenesa 161 107 4
Bahama Oreeper......- wes ceo 95 66 3] Black-spotted Heath Cock. 142 95 1) Burgomaster......... LG 16) TL ‘5 Sheerwater...........- aoc KON, SUI 4
Baird’s Nia, benevcasheses ww. 140 94 1] Black-tailed Flycatcher... 139 «93 a3] | RESTA GLLOM fen sua gen sehewers . 148 101 5 os SOW Bird). s..s-cccesvecsvecsencsa-ech 154 104 12
Gs ata rate Rites toseOde | 58. i ee Godwit...... -. 85 658 4/| Burrowing Owl.. sede tae 20D= f ‘¢ Thrush .151 103 6
Bi Sado aeaeenneten Ae aus) 1 CO ES SPUHiae ceuaeswse wee 161 107 11 | Butter-ball..........:ecceseseresessceressnsee cone 86 60 4] Cinnamon Teat...... - 92 Gt 21
Wn F Sapte nes ecap rete 76 52 3 “ ts Sheerwater.. 161 107 11) Buzzard....... it: 85 «58 2 | Clapper Rail......... a rite, keys ahs) 1
8 SCSRe irévsece » 63 46 3 Black- throated eat daite - 82 56 2 RRM, leigeeranas 125 81 | 3 | Clarke’s Crow... .sssecceseree ae 26D) 109) 1
“ Sparrow....... 153 104 8 Siieiee Dbigeuecceeatecne --.. 160 106 10 KOR UB ipaga vile onersacanetotesearer ».- 145 98 4 te Western Grebe... ees 160 106 8
*$ Je pees : 140 94 1 sé “ MIT Clinsgusuttaeseenastssrtesse 138 92 6 ss =Band- Tallent seresvee 168 110 15 | Clay-colored Bunting: asyesseerie, 155 104 28

INDEX OF COMMON NAMES.

Pac. Prats. Fic. Pace, Prats. Fic’
: 28 | Duck, Fishin ; Page) PLaTR,” Fig.

Cliff. Swallowsesssceacseses bebo gig sex aiaghaxrp tae ee PA ae Crow wees P.

Rui ee 3 : r ae wi 96 66 6 ae pale sone 165 109 16 | Goosander, Dwarf.....c.c.sescsssseeeeee le vee -

Cock, Ghapparal a ee Mlorida Dusky. 182 119 15 ; aE pass aaah hiteshieaded vse i me Ae

SE deste hihy Raa RATE eho eA MAT ae] ~ a aL Te@..... feabinl ehh slay Fish Taweesinn ; 16 oe Goose, Barnacle....... ratecetichavectsteree eel Gl MEL L Gem 19)
‘© of the Plains, See. Tp) ais 7 Ht Tighe en-eye........ : sp 48) 655 Ss) | WInGasIeds vec seseyeeccvden ieee 6 Blue .... an 162 108 2
Sagescsstssseenre MS 7] $6 Gray scaennnnmsinnnnmenns ISL U8 15 | Wiery Red Bird : pall ieee 120 18 11
174 114 99) « Parad Wiese coer teeta ntenes ue 69 3) Flamingo, American.......0:0.c0.0+... 9% 68 es 180 178 11
Wbk "53 6 Mey Sens ge etn od et 65 -& | Flammulated OWL ......sseceereseeeee L7L 113 6 ‘se 162 108 1
i Tee SP Re Ti ; ve 7 6 Fiamingo, Red,..........- 180 118
IB TBD] Kingeernsenccsamrenenneenn 162 108 6 | Flesh-footed Paffii, pestsh Shien ee 177 16 16
‘ : 165 ‘ BG caapparrensaseetassaasen LOS Ohi! Mitt te RIAN babe 51
Crossbill...sssereesere eee re 138 ss a A ANE Toe eal 95 66 7} Flick Pipes bo Fare + 161 107 10 ct 162° 108 1
1 Dove As 7 Long-tailed............ ne Zi eal LOKOT a ispevssVess ees veueuansane i ee AVL 6s 98 69 1
7a ea wigtenodeseane tear TE BO 6 « Mallard......... rf BOBS Plicker, Oapestnn cnsnone . 164 109 11 Aa hs. ye 4
DNC. sessereeeeses 1 (aR TPE ER OD SER Wir ai eee a neh J . 180 118 12
2 & Ringonecked . ie ysl 6 Ge Tssabeaan 3 White-fronted . 87 61 1
2] « Rudd raster OL 63 7 | Florida Chewink......... Decree Eats 20 20
1 * Scau va - 128 83 2 “Cormorant... 15} Gould's Song Sparrow... V1
4 ‘ Baise ae (94 465 7 “¢ tc hie 4 | Grace’s Warbler waesboare ve 13
9} * Shoveller.. ee Sono s Growers tof xf! ee, Blue-headed,......+. ” a
3 is) IGhNdieh Pore iy Ph 1 “ Dusky Duck....... a 4 Boat-tailed...c.ccscsecoecseonrneee TT 62 4
gs| Spiritio..: i: ed : ie his Ree 13 ¥ aaa American. ...e0. 165 109 18
3} « § poss “ ~~ Galli ’ , . orida...... x
ii] « Steller's Hider... TS 82 1) 6 Gracklonnnsicunnuiunen tl) ae eatin "
1] St, Domingo........ i Greenlet..... Pe ee CIE a ae he tes
2} * Summer... ‘ ' BE: ty ay oe i pee OLGousapaigurseteteats 6
ees ee a ngs Oo: debe ge Cees aeeconeeir gar aaartes Gay Abr al 9) Grass Finch.. eqksiowsser@newentivered 13
no - ah Win, ee oe aad WS icwtsstseedusiettee’ Tie ue 65 4 ¥y: Quail Wl iccsccrenccecacee teencsess ‘4 177 117 5 stad wt 8
Cooper's Buzzard.. ¥ UH os 52 2 PER aa T oe gni 8
ie i *¢ Wood Flycatcher Arkansa Pe «..-. 3
Flycatcher... ite air) ; seneess wees) eeeneg menengeneceseyasness tg) bhai > 8.. 6 ‘Sparrow
«Red-tailed Hawk.. “l3e7 no wil Y Canad Jay Mg us 1 . ACK. os... 28 TG 8) eae i
and piper «sss... “19 73 5 af a . 8 58 3 é Mae seapsee tet ontr a dea sesiey 6 | Gray- Presteh Thrush..

k “s ETS) Sa einnye iain aon 172 46 }e eA ie He ne 3 ne plchserestedi cpt aah ee 1| Gray- ~crowned Binh’ 4-20.33 102. 71 :
2 GineRe eas. cee nceenonrroners iY i Da ee haa ‘16l 107 5] Bate breasteds ns M48 1013 eee eae 135 90 4
ee these da sven Ripe Red-poil ORNS Cal ivan are ga “¢ % Canada... ae ee are Cr Okay Pinchot ae, teen eee me ee te ne at

Cormorant, Brandt's... 2 ‘ arent Hinch= seen elon ella. eT Py acne Be seceerseeeseeernssereers 158 105 22] ‘* Hagile.......... sale ft Mey eh, RaLs TED

¥s Common... : Blan NAT Eo Sok nial ie 107 6 ii pong a anes ue i e Ps sere Eig Tina aes
a oe: tH adeantace fe pete . ay Greenlet
& ‘note a SA TS 5 5 ee a ~ itt va os a ees tesa ecesee «.. 154 104 18) ‘* Grouse... v ee 3
“ Tighe hea spa ri TUBD seceeeceeene see ee OTe Om Xie an ack hg atest i 6 1 Seatipadiy ie Sees
“ cei any ae 7 ps at Sab Ta at arG 147 100 9/| Gray Kingbird..... OSE aE
us Maxine wee 5 E i Green Bln ks i. 41 82 1/| Grayish Flycatcher. . 147 100 9
oe RUE Saree 4 | Eagle, Bald.. 1 ne oe eee ee
re Bee Taetp est 5 ee eerecee rier oret 1 ; “ Mates an pap ee a Tay Poslarope, BEAscssnte ll tes us
fa) sitolbceeenss 146 199 8] f GoldoM svar 1 Lawrences... i a3) aT ae Ee
- od 2 5 * i

Corn Crake .....,...s-20ee0 179 118 g ‘ce pray, a 9 rt EAE Sa ULC eater at iaahs 4 i 154 me iz

Costs Hema aapira 13 97 3] « Boa. aaa i por eee fa ope BLED Re pratstn geste et
ouch’s Flycatcher... ; "158 105 saeahebedasascepeastiseeren és of aa estecesesscees 10 | Gray’s Ruffed Grouse.... 7

Coue’s Flycatcher ......:.c:eseescesseseesereee 154 104 3 RRs Sintenie me e Little Western.. 21 | Gray-tufted Titmouse..... 148 Ay a

129 84 5 Tis nse er iaibeae saad 3 Mexican Olive-sided....... DL | Gray Vired.....ccs10sss0scere 146 100 3

“15 975 od a neha a“ 11 ee gee ed. 18 oh Eat ah Pere es Eh ATES eh,

- 78 52 7 | Kaye Swallow ............ te i Olive-sided iy 3 a Blue Henn Site ames

ddowiackiet wo . Me oe 4 Egret, Great White.. 1 ‘ ye Messe 1 se Garsinewiene ee mee

Cow-pen Bird... [98 52 -7| Tonisana, ab ys Ee, 15 | Great-orested Flycatshofccccaccn 41 82 4

r4 Cy eases tee eee ee eerenee a 7 cei

ee petine 4 ea 78 se i> ABAuIS ee “2 + Baait a - PROBE COCO SCR EE desstetstietteceree 77 52 4

“” Sandhill...... Och ». 129 85 1{ Hider Duck....... 15 « Here reat Horned Owl ers sree wee ees

ca LS aes es - Att Smee. conic ayaa “ Robey Viountain.. : ee Pieriieon Diver. ......00 vere Wes ARE tt
iy ey penis fue ie Res 6 Pacific vescseceseees 4 “ Bay isiceeee 7 | Great Tern. peels Mere DMs We

rr steeee 3 | Eiegant Tern....... MG Small Green-crested. 154 “ c a ee ae oii Seth? 79 1
és he Waite... ; 5 6 Emerald Linnaeus....... a i Traill’S.sssessssesessvecces 74 2; a i ay ae ee epee are eee ee

Orested penne pins: aa ais 5 Emperor Goose,....... 1 se TYTANt..crecccesreeeseseeeorsees 88 31 1,2] Greater Puffin bh se ei A 1

Greb 08 13 English Teal.............. 2 * Vermilion..........4- 138 88 9 “ SI 161 107 6
a Mme anh 19 1061. | Esquimaux Curlew. 2 « — Wright’s...... “ur 108 | © Tolitalen ee ee
Crimson Blackbird..srecssessssssusecsss 155 104 Pa baad ee 5'| Seofedallod Miycatetersm ae 19| _* Yellowshanks .. eae
Crimson-fronted Tineke i 48 101 5 ¥, Bane yons: a) 1 = pcere ners ARPES : Grebe, fmnerioan Rated wa eke seopetenet teh eee te 106 «Ob
Hires, .tbase bees . c 3 1) RyeninesCrosbenk sone a Petrel PATI TS EStern. .....cecceeeeeeeeeeee 160 106 8
6+ TOWCE. sccessssccescesees cone 156 104 eerie i a ish Gui Py ihc ie ihe a A] fe Mesto sacs stale: stare 109
Orossbill, American, pages Pe Hivcre WdGiCikes Aer in gatcenueriscens TOO 110% bj) MOCHsE GMM sy: 2] Horned... 59 1082
‘ 138 99 7 y renin Se 2 THT LGC uegsdewassesercenusrenar starts 160 106 4
*y. Gosaton 5 a iu BE ox-colored Sparrow.. 6 « St. Domingo.. 159 106 3
a ¥ ans
138 92 7! Fal Black P hr ve 6 Red-necked...... x --- 160 106 6
y; . aE ae 3 7 7s eet aio OAM a at i Franklin's Grous: : x 1 eS G oath Gre area apeae Aaa ae eh et 7
ons soa Fi i "53 BB O78 eet Rad cepiceve a aay H ‘= Hoey Seen DR is “ HH) creonsnsaed aia iiniogbi IMR lees GY?
a ogre Npdavatestess Ae 2 -cappe 4
"Blackbird. 1 105 109 15} Toeland. i, “1 TT 2 Fresh-water Marsh Hen... rae: ae ame he a
“ sagaeses: Fey Re is tisesasaste 20 7 5 i
re 10 “ Taner A ie r FESTA xe) Ma 1 s PAD ie tn tert aie hieay evtete u
” ; e ; SU OTe nsesatesshs ta lesetste staves
; Hh] Prattes ctmcneconronn 1A 96 | Broa Hide af Ribas 8
Ri : UYintecgeenetnnse :
i! aeil\| Ge itcrromned oS He se at ee SUB cern anes M4
5 16] « Wandering......... | Bec puntos, as i Gitieenoat meets : ‘
Peay 3 - ba Dy yssep attra th estos ne
Whiteateckod.. 3 Metony Chat, “tp 139 93 5 ‘ Petrel....... : 6 | Greenlet, Gray.........

Crying Bird... Teheehche Wb | Rip. SRI strrs ima mak ae Ie ae Ist 80 7) fe Sender. billed. : pee Re a a ih

Ctickoo, Biack-bilied.. Acree oe eeeeen BO sexes Beart . ppeite ae Ag 9 Slender-billed......ssccesaeeeeee 161 107 3 i AP eRe Gs 5

: BIMURTGS ass ta'tosasa sth <cesarindienees 178 11 Be aaa en Seige sone smear eases ee hiladelphia...
&s Mangrove........ 4 175 te : Ferrugineous meer e ee gabe eensee ts 110 16 G as Swainson’s............05 :
ts Yellow-billed. 30. 98 1/1 Field ark xaveré on sebanses 1442 95 4 enn “ Western Ri he Nie 4
Curlew, Bristle-bellied. "169 02.—=«7 ES EGS Deer ; 23 «94 AC WALTL ..ccsssassenceres sessssejeveeree, L8L 118 15] Greenshank ....... cx igeur er: 18
ps Esquimaux ..... 61 45 2 SROs ft a 3 Cacia ae senveameae it a 4. Grosbeak, Bee 8
Hudsonian...... 61 45 3 te cc : cone? TE le MEINE Say ES IP RIE 2 He seneeenee sores 10
Reels hich mes ee 4G) Aa teedisep Siete, 154 104 13 Purple .... SS70e dikes wali “6 Cardinal... : . Bl 28 3.4
yc. , BAMEAPIPOT ss ssvssereererrsreneressneree lv 116 19 emg ey , Aosidian.. is 20 wees) Beanies st a ee ee ue rae Ss bo vw 183 8811
CHEW ALS mete eiitiestectcadecteecedtvaeens> BLTOS ELLA: | o10) A Tease leak 3 ‘ Cua » 164 109 8 k Pi. o.sseereesessess 54 38 9,10
z Are ic Groun nd 11 White-crowned Sparrow....... 157 105 14 LY Rose-breasted.. Ae pai Denete 5:
D 73 ae ae ang a Seep in is Gannet, Booby. Shea oy ere erie sesses 182 119 9 | Ground Cuckoo. ..ssccsceeeeeee ... 178 118 9

t Resadae suascurseserte ommon. . Bic rrevnskspuatnecate 98 69 ‘6 Dove ..

Sia Ae ee A h if ned Bohs tazerctetsdcttincnsie 10 | GArTOt.«sssssscsscessssaneesersvecesen . 48 35 ee we Ae a iyi x

aantar ; " pcan ded 1 ‘ Rocky Mountain Palo Teol. aro te ce 122 78 3

Dark- bodied MATTEL cp rocseee che 15 “ Blandi TOM rata 6 | Geese, Mother Cary’s..... ~ dS 75 3 «Robin ... 83 56 8

eg a la : i andi Ng”B-..-.00 2| Giant Wulmer.......... inks Gai 3 fo. SDT patestess 134 89 7

“ eaagvasa 15 Boucard’s.... y ‘6 Petrel al 5 af
ay Owls ceetevedesstavercssaniescra Fi 1 ‘© Brewster’s Gila Woodpecker. «115 75 3 Wren.... 134 89 7

Dicdapperessscccessescserseseese 4 ee seceee 7 | Gila Woodpecker Pett, Aer eat .. 158 105 29 | Grouse, Black..........c.0: Renee ete Me a?

Dip penises veces 4 ¥ BTOD erscesseesseses 10 | Gilded Woodpecker........s.:scccsssererreeese 164 109 11 fe Blue. « seobhavete pe rang Wa Tbs

oa A ; Ee Up area: 31 | Glaucous-winged GUI. cc cceseseeeee ie ee a Es « - Canada.... Sei a2 96 ik

1% page atly he A pasar 6 ee be lets 8 | Glaucous Gull...........+. es . 176 116 q s¢ — Columbia.. wate LTE SAY 28
a peak one thy eked : BP feeape reas ie Pci 5 Gnatcatcher erent, Si ieeee 50 387 1 * Common Sharp- “tailed. desea TE UTE 28
Diver, ay send a nae 10 “ tc y Seauide wit . a mies rie ae 2 3 “ Leas tee hicks ee en ars tS a
ed-throated ......s.seseees++ 4 co rit “a ranklin’s.. 4 114 29

Si Bees BIMGD ALA eh ee, eB tea <a i Nai st pein tens 8 “4 Plumbeous. -..+-.- . 139 938 4 SGT AY 5. cssssessscsesees AAG

Domestic Sparrow......0-.-000-+- he is 97 67 «5 “ 6 SDiaiilies tien a 5 | Goutsnckers Caroling......ssreresretree 108 73 2 ‘Gray's Ruffed.. 174. Ta’ 26

HonhiscecostedCoemaratite. 34 132 3 oe (vig oer easy 4 Godwit, Black-tailed.. : 8 58 4 ‘© Northern Sharp- ‘tailed. 148° («96 #838

Dosh Bird Ae leiseracnseeotaaicie El pAb! gO ett (Gray-enred (| aan Marbled. vrsenesseeses GIy Gt= Gal) Gr RRR ne sabre) et aed

Gras Mae oti ee nies AOS ips] eh “Grayenecked CaN Pic AHSCT Reais Ree Jc oes Sine erg at 179 118

Dove, GANGS cota Mee : “Tk B06 +, Gren 4: a White-tailed...... ww. 170 112 14 « Pinnated.. an ae al

: enews > er Ee PLease nny: 14 White-rumped ......... 170 112 14 Le Ren ayehreies vilfire bie 4
‘ eetiae) cay ee UE ..,0sevearsreaeye- 2 | Golden-crested Kinglet.. 64 47 65 ‘© Richardson's Dusky bey She 6
i. 174 114 33| © House cone 6 | Golden-crowned Kinglet... 64 47 «2=5| % Rock. ke 164 109 6
“ 192 78 3 he aande se 5 # Sparrow. 35° 907. AE Ruffed ...-ssesssee. 120 78 41
x “a4 14 30] Lagali ATU 2° 6) 37 7,8) Bitkan Ducky. 179 118 «5
«© Jong-tailed ended eho aya gia” “al AL ete Sr on 2 | Golden-cheeked Warbler. sess. secsesessnse 172 114 10 ¢¢ Southern Sharp-tailed. . 174 114 28
“© Red-billed......., a et See Sigh : 4 incoln’s... a Golden beeee tl gaan Auseeenceuesevantvennesed ea at b 5 Ene aS eccventoa teu 174 114 29
1 SHlYsseseessssess ee ee ee «“ 2 a ele : pes ci ge i
be ondrosatemedt jee agers ene Heda t 144 «(97 4 Robin ..... 1,2 $< Whits- ‘tailed. . 164 109 5
be UE EER ELIE, 2a) | Raion hep Pie etcuns ©] Below cm a gle

Downy Woodpecker... 2 ss dani se 2 qelgsarks SUBSE IOET 7 fe aod setts pli ‘

Duck, dovenanal Ihtee oe 7 iP epee pam Sat 2 i Arizona..... 3 | Gruber’s Hawk. Ola meLLOn a1 4:

Big Black-headercnrn CCR os . auto 10 2 Arkansas. ; 1 | Guan, Texas...... see LTA 114 27
tas RR TE Maca rid Fon wk 2 ee as ae 7 ee Black......:e-0+ 2 Guillemot, Black. ... : 128 83 3
st BTecbaltose 99 69 & is Beda secerseseerecscereeee LAT 1 7 ieee DET Et y 3 Black-throated......- 163 108 11
she TRfaad (Ps etka hee ys . 73 Healey o Ti Re ane Reece yi eS) 4 IG Lawrence’s..... . Das $8 Brunnich’s.......-, + . 162 108 6
Re Te Gee ark cee ‘ RO” 3 | Re a poneia SH seesencessr scans oy ie ep al 6 Mexican. seceeerer er 2 ae Gassin’s....... papier 2 48 Botaea i et 8
& Dusk yseeeeen foes * 85 58 3 eae erian seats We suansbaebcsivertsnecer .. 154 104 16 | Gold-winged Woodpecker.... 1 Os Common... we lloe oD 2
“ Wider... pea Fate: of RE 1 ir pes cere vheeceeepe LAL. 794. gal Le 13 2 fs Foolish.... w» 115 75. 2

INDEX OF COMMON NAMES.

Pack. Puats. Fie, Pace. Puats. Fic. Pace, Prare. Fic. Paas. Puats, Fia.
Guillemot, pea er ees ete . 139 93 7 I Leconte’s Bunting. ......26.s00eseese yoGcb cata 168 104 3 | Night Jar......:cs.ss0.0. dapekoseneeiebentip wees LUT 2S
Pigeon x . 162 108 8 Be Sparrow.. yeneeel wee 153 104 3| Noddy Tern...... Weteiats Wittens lade slat stG.
ee SODLYsencpessive-scerecee -», 162 108 7 This, BAY. sectetetviderevese . 136 91 1 es Thrasher. . 152 1038 20] Nonparoil.,............ T
£5 TamMMiNck’s.....cs0 .. 162 108 10 Glossy .. . 186 91 a ce Thrush.,..... 152 103° 20 me Western........ 24
nS Thick-billed........., +». 162 108 §8 £6; GTGON. ceecrecs .. 169 112 8] Lesser Sapsucker....... 27 26 2| Northern Hose Wren........csseseeesres 9
Gull, American Mew......s..- Cou GemleGn B Scarlet. css 124 80 38 “© Snow Goose.... elie leo, lo Mottled Owl... 167, 0) 9
“© Bonaparte’s.....0.. glen wlenesiy Rr eeSUsente Gt) ete OWITITOIT cee 124 80 2 OS MGW tale se. sss4.a5eeuss5-<bs svesesasivrsce yt ake Ai t “Pha laropes...tecs.tssskes 12S Sie oS
© Burgomaster......... ry GG, 0 ‘© White-faced.. 169 112 9 6 Yellow-shauks .......ccc:scsseseeeeee LZ st “© Sharp-tailed Grouse............143 96 3
"© California... Fcc uibm 6 9S EE NVOOU bee sadien 5944 Lewis’ Woodpecker..,.... Aral kis © 4763 2 | Northwestern Sayaunah Sparrow Rrieeha 154 104 15
‘¢ Common..... Redon efae 2 kcecGulleetys (nate .. 176 116 7} Lincoln’s Finch,...........0000 w» 104 71 12] Nuchal Woodpecker.........-.+s..00 sees 158 105 SL
‘* Wranklin’s Rosy.. w.. 176 116 12] Iceland Falcon..,............0 git DAN “et 4 08 Pine-wood Finch. ..........066 1O4 71 12. | Num, White... eesserececaseneererssnreeraens la 7 6
‘¢ Fork-tailed... ww. 113 74 1) Icteria, Yellow-breasted.... THe me Ne. BY SParrow.....sccssreese 104 71 12) Nut-cracker, American.. . 165 109 14
“ Glaucow’ 8 Winged.. 176 116 5 | Illinois Parrot... ........0-006 164 109 10] Linnet, Mealy Redpoll. 104 71 10)| Nurselet.. 139 «93 7
oe ye Se ». 176 116 7} Indigo Bluebird.. opm abe fh st Redpoll...... 69 48 9 Nuthatch, Black- capped.. 2 2 5,6
ar Great aks bucked. <<. .cs-.ssscenees .113 74 8 Es Bird vans mae He plo dae ‘* - Brewster’s, ate ww. 153 104 «7 ” Brown-headed. 92 64 4
eh Sets tah Reh 474- 2| Ipswich Sparrow.. san 2) Aid a6 oie dL OUSOcd desevereres -. 148 101 5 ne California.. 151 103 9
be tbe aati dttise ants 80 654 2} Isabella Sparrow Hawk..... veaseeeee 166 110 37] Linné Hummingbird............ vee 156 105 5 ae Pygmy......... ww. 151 103 9
ac Tres Ase erpreepee ww. 176 116 7] Ivory-billed Woodpecker... 25 86 1/| Linnaeus Wmerald........ .. 156 105 5 it Red-bellied ....... WETS? oul ez
‘F Ivory +... st Treo ALG) STL VGnyiGull aoeiacscsssaxesesvescesesaveseeiaquvepts Mave ie 11 Little Auk.. 163 108 18 \ Slender-billed.. uy. 161 103° 10
© Kittiwake a ot 366-77 0 Black-head., Sor Uy ss Western.......... 151 103 10
#6 “BRUSH: seskas sso 6e0 mia ae Oe a ‘¢ Black Rail.. top LOT OL 3 of White-vellied.. 2 2 5,6
“ Pacific Kittiwake. .....-0.. 00.6. eneeoe 176 116 14 oo ‘© Blue Heron... se oabate 169 112 5 4] White- breasted... 2 2 5,6
GC TUOBH Pes ssbictaseamerpone cvesencan sx 50 260 3 Tacka © Flycatcher... 155 104 21)! Nuttall’s Poor-will.. a 178 117 «11
“ Ring-billed... V76 11G 4. | VACKAAWs a ssssessercssssrresesersescsssstsectsssenny TT 52 4) 66 Sead-eator,, ve 144 97 «4 “ Whip-poor-will. Dh abe; sreyp, 101
“© Short-billed..... 176 116 13 | 1#eger, Arctic... nseee we 177 116 18] « Yellow-breasted Ruil.. ieeyie 2) me! "Woodpecker. .scsssesssesesesceeees 158 105 28
“© Wedge-tailed.. 86 60 3 uffon’s.... -177 116 18) « (Western Flycatcher.......c..-e00+ 155 104 21
«Western ..... eiscgue wee LIS 74 2 cf Long-tailed... a gash V7 116 18 te WihitesWeretcts seul evcnscttee -esetets? 84 57 2
‘« White-headed..... 7 ... 149 102 6 an Ege snnccanaeseecdsrepennans decane ac Ate fe Line -colored HepeeSe Dae ee renee Lad 07; 6 O
© White-winged’. RA rors cle ah ke 6 3 : igeshascetvesrsieess od al OF COCK, .easecree agencan 17 #18 1 8-1 Od) Buntin v's :cscicoasesecussece 153 104 #8
Gyr Palconssessresserersessess -o0 7 1 ie eds a Carona 162 108 4 | Loggerhead Shrike. . retovses cpeeatce T2076) AD Old Wield Lark... her Ate aw w. 155 104 30
MPA NAD Wb cayccencscsseseasece yes sevnas LOTS 2h es Loug- -billed Gurlew.e 62 46 'larke
Jay, Alaskan Gray © vewcntcnevenene 178 118 1 Thr a bie Ieee AMS Ka wy 152 103 19 3 Wife. .ssserses0e- 21 21
Arizona Ultramarine........ 159 105 32 « aa eae oe UL Dlive-sided #lyeatche b aes Rae
Hairy Woodpecker. ..ceseccceccsscerseeessees 18 18 2| % Rites se aatd Aaa kaa ae 55 39 3,4 e acooter TSI THON OM sac oe eke ee eT ve eof Reet 17 7 3
Hammond’s Flycatcher.......... Seo tais 100; F Sell te Bias ee ane ae : a Wren...... 5 64 66,7 oh paecharea nator 1 be aie RIE Se ee
Hang-nest....... sesnesneesneseers ” vee 12 12 1,2) |, California, . 139 93 #41 Longshanks ........... w+ 18T 916 | Orange-crowned ACCENLOL.......05 seers 5L 37 (7,8
$6 GHOBENU Gs. ws.sec eects eeeeeee esthedise al oh “« @ fi TLONESPUN. scsocersveeesasegesere -- 140 94 4) Orchard Oriol Ty lee
’ anada.. 97 67 3 it F rehar WONG ari. b csatsecasente ste
Harlan’s BuzZard........s000 ese Phe l6t Os 10 “ 6 Black-bellied........ seve 140 94 «3 Oriole, ATIUUDON Scerseeseeese cess wer eeeted ode ie
Ce OOM wht ee wala aeleewlig, “o!|) (2 Sens: 136 90 10 “ Chestnut-collared.. glt02 19d" SSi|i Sas bpareten apace: la 12 «1.2
Harlequin Duck.. EO 7Gh: PBel) at area Canada... + 178 118 a ss Lapland ee « Bullock’s. 136 90 99
Harris’ Buzzard.. .167 110 12| | rd Bag sieanenenssecnees. senenenee 95 66 2 “Painted ..ceseeee- 140 94 5] « #ooded. 148 101 «6
Seti Frew eat teak inte teas .. 167 110 12 i) grannies reeaeaa ve BaESPESpuUntatenpeevatibeake at 156 105 1 Long- -tailed Chat.. ere 152 103 13 ee Crain 1s ig 3
Havell’s Terni...ccssceseseee cerceceeees eee OO MUGEN eke Ee rysnney ranaererniteecersigc 20 ODE SIOOS ea Chickadee... 176 115 1} « goottis. Sena a Ge a
Hawk, American Rough-legyed........126 81 4/ 4, Rane TEES see 15 90 10 «6 Duck Sree peak val Gb Teepe lew, Seu ie a
American Sparrow......... GES 80 Di ie apne Mociias 156 1050 1 as Ground Doves vessessssees woe 174 114 31 Oregon Chimney Swift.. Coe ap alibe me
© Ash-colored. .ssssese--+ we 20 20 _, Bocky, Mountuin. lr 7 6 “ Tapert cat. sindosudareliiel1G. wI8 Dusky Grouse.. “479 118 OB
“ Band-tailed. ... wre LOS 110. TG] jy Steer Sa verenssersenssecerecssnusentensesees 156 105 4 | Toon, Great Northern Diver ties A aS GE AL ime Week eee ike Ge Wh
«« Black-capped... 20 20 Mme ee ancl Sears take ectgee eeAA or 156 100 # | _ Yellow-billed.. revrsrseseseone 160 106 9} Robin. eesseeee Rk, ciara wie 7
“ Broad-winged.......... 85 58 |, Stelder’ bs sss. secssseresesessensercnsenress 101 71 1] Touisiana Egret... emi eb2 Te GaSe as Wes Ane Hirde Sohne tiny;
« Qalifornia Squirrel.. », 168 110 16 WwW oodhouse’ Be aeuanee one Paki waradenpene 137 92 1 “6 Heron......- nese 127 © 82 3 “i Sharrow 152 103 «12
és @hicken .. cae Sutin As MOUHTALCON csparscassatcvavpscsesesueayse teeceegesers 120 177 1 ‘“ Tanager ....s.se+. ... 133 88 3 i Thrush. snes 173 114 «(23
BSS RMOGRETSisuestaunceneveastenantearsasdsvas 167 110 13 ee Water Thrush.... 88 62 4 ‘ Tiowhee 132 88 6
«“ Red-tailed..cccceeee. 167 110 11 Lucy’s Warbler sisssssessecssess sssssecseeee 172 V4 12] Ortolan encesesecce Sey yt er ame aati
tt Duck... madbeve socsratete con tiedyg testzet t 44 te : K OED Toy sceletea vk suenpeesecnacseiae gh tavets Moe Ge Ks
a! ish..... seve eeeeee 6 Kalldeer PlOVEL; jweostere-seec-egereeeesssesee, 06 40) 8 tS CA METICAD scopes sesecedeonerse ate pis IR alt
GAY. «serene soreness . 168 110 17 | Kennicott’s Sylvia... RR OE POO RES 172 114 9 Ouzel, Water...cccsrerrrrsercseserens a loos 995 LO
De pareut footed’. seers T 6 ee NGL Setietecertie coresteéewseseectin 167 110 9 | Maccown’s Bunting.........0.506 sossseesens 140 94 4) Oven Bird.......sss0 aoe Meal til ye Wee
GTUbEL’S ..- 20 eee see 167 110 14! Kentucky Warbler w- 93 64 6] Macgillivray’s Ground Warbler......... 6 | Owl, American. Me, 2 See IN ak St
6 Harlan’s ss... vissseee 167 110 10 | Key West Dove..... .174 114 30] Magpie, American.......:.ssssessseeseceeees 6| 6 Barnes. se. REL Gay
£6 HALTIS cs cesses cesens cesses terete cee cteres 167 110 12) « & Pigeon.. .174 114 30 «© ” Yellow-billed . 5| & 66 SPATVOW-.eeeeeeees Snake il TS, 2
Fe Hien i Se an 3 King Bird Mretistrnrstcont pratreny ftir 158 105 21{| Mallard Duck............ oy ME Long-eared .....cceeeees ones sol abe 3
Sipsessnstesessenis © . rw. ay i ird.... “ ; . 166 )
Isabella Sparrow... Beper BE LEON TSS | rece eness #CuBiyre ne svertssfecetteesestrayetetors 17 76 ae UPR an imaurenon 7 us veins 111 113 5
$6 MeXICAM seeseens se-cseseseeseeteesenees Ties SUE EL 0 hua ale iab eka Oey eerie ai 177 117-9 | Mank’s Puffin............. 13| “ Barn... 142 95 2
Night... sate H) Gane Mes | Eth ATC IRL Ar; sigecactescsc seohweversese cee ey 162 108 5 «© Shearwater.. Taye Giee|| 4 Seal Baye reg aero oT a2
Owl... OSORIO eA iil 13 1 SS Hiaholrersteusteatcssvtaseabastesctéspess «. 162 108 5] Man-of-war Bird..... 59 . 43 66 BULrOWiDG......cssccseens serecersssgeeses 142 95 5
6 PHRCOD seseersarennereeee ees sree 40 31 3,4] « Rail wu. 124 79 © 4 | Marbled Guillemot... 189° «93007 |“ Cinereus........ dele Ss ae 171 113 4
2 So latnreascgrennhes weeedecetese caress Se Om POI gta Maes ile ctiutinsut arene tethers ances 19 19 | Marsh Harrier........cc0 pass aye | CARD TAGS Reece ney ire foes ere, ate Joe eT
‘| Red-shouldered........ trees 125 818 Kingfisher, Belted. 5 20 19° 9g €¢8) “Ha wike cars rercesorsacgnes mn 145 191] Beil meres. eececsecconeeses Wael ANS, 6
‘ Red-tailed Black... eseseerseseees 145 98 4 ” Cabanis . ‘ 178 117 «14 «© Hen... te 19 9802 |) Berrugineous.....cseseeee -. 142 95 4
‘A .ttese + 37 30 ‘6 Green Ri 178 17 14 “ Robin , 88 566 8] “ Flammulated...........0 a tie dds | 26
‘« Sharp-shinned 85 58 1 “ TOXAS ..-ecesee-e- aedss The aa“ Penne ow ence alata ntshots 86 60 2| ‘ Florida Mottled iuyieenE a
Sparrow aseas slasmase of: w+ Of 39 1,2] Kinglet, Golden-crested...... seins enOle A B 66 WYeN. 1.2.22 -s008 “0 care ee ee es “ Great Gray..,.... palilhy GNSS ee:
£6 SUCKOY’B.essseeeecersenereeeeeceesences iz iz 3 $6 Golden-crowned...s0..ssssvecseees 64 47 5] Massena Partridge...... i Te iiseiees | Me | On einedhereteapsetteetcensse tetas fs ah
© Swainson. eres BUTI 145 98 4 “© -Ruby-crowned ...... . 64 47 §| Martin. Purple........ TON PY Gru] ueson ooaie SaNWllEbttatelees succes svesquces<-suy sar rts jul, BG a
Texas Night.......s-secesereeesseeee 159 105 15 Kirtland’s Warbler. % Baye ashy) cr Salida tose Rte HA MGO, GGS0 AO: \h Coen Haile: er ste-c., pvecssezttgteeteteaeans oes AAT SUG" Va)
$6 Western sserssoesressseesesesesecreereees 159 105 16 ONION tes dleeas .. 166 110 7| Maryland Yellow-throat..... pe meee GEIS ere ep aa AEE gee ete we Ue eG bp
Heenan’s Song Sparrow... vue 153 10 2 Kite, Black Peso taerh of vesenee 166 110 6 | Maximilian’s Jay........ssse00 1.186 90 10] ** Kemmicott’s.....csessscsesceer ee . 167 110 ~9
Holoiss ‘8s Hummingbird... 1566 105 6 Black-shouldered. .. 166 110 6] Maynard's Sparrow .. Sle 14 16) ‘* Kirtland/s:-.. 166 110 7
Hen, Fresh-water Marsh, 11s... s+... 124 79 4) « Blue. rane 166 110 4] McCall’s Owl...... wa: 167 110, ‘gi| +? Mottledy..c. een aie &
4 : » 19 19 1] ce Wyerglade ccsesesene wesseseee 166 110 5 | Meadow Lark.. 23 24 6 Mc OAlliaves eectestereeet ces w. 167 110 8
i » 87 30 StameEL co esi llsuveceere ecu stentstseciierge rt eat 166 110 5 s Pipit.... .178 117 10) “ Northern Mottled. Reelen tO? oD
GMM SS BIST SSSI OTe od aE lv WW 66) SMGSNINSUD Plcastte ste eoxtucreetassectsrcetcs 166 110 4 FO Siipese ee eet dees eoeveen tree 76 52 3{ “ Pacific Horned... 171 113 8
DRTC 81 55 ** Swallow-tail ...........- eeieiekotasee 144 98 11 Mealy Red-poll Linnet......... we 104 TL 10) «Sf Pygmy.....sc-.-e0e 142 95 3
Henry’s Thr ushescswsses woe 149 10ST] White-tailed 1.0.0. . ssesseseeseeeeeenee 166 110 6| Medicine Bird.........-..... Pe duluges oui Sb) «aren A ie oe fe ee aA
Texas Prairio ...cscresseereeraere on 17) 118 3 | Kittiwake, Common 94 66 1 | Mergauser .......00+ ate ve 24 25 te "Read: tailbdics .tusstnceneassesrenpectecties 142 95 4
Henslow’s Bunting....... 175 115 6 GATT ot ene eas Re Hooded... 2-04 au 84 57 3] “ Richardson’ Beatsece sre kab ODS 2
Hepatic Tanager... ut 97 66 6 Red-legged..cssssssecsessseesvense 176 116 13 “© Red-breasted ... 95 66 6| “ Saw-whet.. ' te Se VEG wns 7
Herinit Thrush... 48 36 5) Kittlitz’s Guillemot... » 162 108 9 | Merlin, American............ 166 10] Screech.sceee ve ww. 124 81 2
om 6 fz titenecnenssscrentsseans erasnerne 173 114 20 “ Murrelet Teow1os. aqlt Lae oe Meee 40 31 3,4] Short-eared.....c.cccscssessssecceseeennoes 124 81 1
$6 WATDIO? sosver coves envovsenesss seneesecs 100 70 4! Knob-billed Ault........--. 162 107 18| ‘ Black......... UT AUG Hl) WAL Smonvserphyiesee ste etintctuicens ate cay we Lite gttls eel
Heron Florida... » 170 112 13.) Knot wcressscsseesseese erm. wl 57 411) ~~ Richardson's. 166 110 2] Spotted. e....csesceseesese one Sawaal ieee a
| Great Blue. - 124 80 1 | Kodiak Song Sparrow.....sserses + 153 10£ 4) Mexican Cormorant.. 181 119 3] ‘ Tengmalm’s..... nil 13s 2
i WHI te soeee essere cesses eeeeesens 180 85-2! Krider's BUZZArGsscsesserseevsseeveveeeseees LTT 1172 Flicker......... 111 73 3| ‘ Western Barred... ile AGE.
MPee GROGM Serer seetausctsesss;sansSy acy arucscan Seale a Wolk: a is ie oe ‘© Plycatcher.... 158 105 20] “~~ «Horned .... 171 113 «5
“Little Blue........, 169 112 «© Goldfinch...... 172 114 2] “ Mottled... ... 167 110 8
* eae RD seeeens sentesessners wee L2T 820 3 Le 6 Hawk... rehire w-- 168 110 17| “ White-tronted. te vw. 166 110 7
‘* Night.. oaeor aacind anh ransnaien 126° 820 2 s© — Olive-sided............ «-- 154 104 18) ‘ Whitney’s. Mp disth SED
ns Snowy... petpenanqres#eccenann vs urrcapessad . 84 57 2| Labrador Pied Duck....... sssssseonseee 182 119 13 «© Purple Finch... RARTSoS HOLE “ER ILOxsBindnc es est nire eer eect ene 57 41 2
‘© Yellow-crowned Night.....ss0«8 127 82 4 ee Sand SHOAL. .......csssseccsersees 182 119 13 sie LITROE CIR awe ee Nese otllOxtevebte komentar cess ies Yin vt
erVing Gullissecs seccessecsossseseerssseee wee 113 74 | Ladder-backed Woodpecker.........-.0.. 148 10l 2 Fel) nica wen neues ce eectenetanoteaeese "hel ahs 4] Oyster- “catcher... 2 eo di Re Eo Bged
+* , 80 54 2; Land Rail...... “rotten soo moet JMET SS 8 ‘cc eas 174 115 3 TEATS ee ose 140-98 9
High-holder. 2 2 1,2) Lanier, American...........+++ aed sty 3k “Wren... .. 132 88 5 se Black.. Py kw Td). "Os 9
Hittucks....crcssers 2 Fee a2 te Falcon .......... » 141) 95 1 | Mississippi Kite ......-..scsssesensssesessnnree list aaa)
Hooded Flycatcher... Set acserguestese 13 12 5] Lapland Lark Bunting. - 80 53 7) Missouri Piping Plover...... 170 112
“ -Flycatching Warbler... poles AW fy 66 — Longspur.......... SD ek are 6 Skylark. .csssssesseeee 165 109 18 Pp
“ Merganser......; ¢ ten snsauetetesanss Ste Ose 63 Lark BUMting..cccsccssssscesesceeccasenrecceneee 1388 92 10 Mocking Bird.. eA ww 151 1038 «5
$4 OTIONC ease aseeneceneeene see 148 101 6 Field....., “. - 23 24 “ Sandy. 109 72 g| Pacific Coast Mlycatcher.............. 157 105 19
ATGole=bill) Kae secs .e; teas panne eeerecnatacsse 166 110 65] ‘ Finch... 67 48 4) Mocker., Mountain.. 173 114 19 “Black-throated Diver.. = Li6s TGs 9
Hoot OWl...se.. see we BL 22 “© Horned... Cee aie 2) Mountain Chikéadea., UM eee Sage THAI) UE PWlider ecreces rsteertutiadasssetpates-ech 182 119 14
Horn-billed Auk.. 163 108 415] ** Meadow.......... en: soene 23 24 NURSE Repl et \ hee iGeh Tae 9 $6, Wilmore site een treated 161 107 1
Hornby’s Petrel.. 160 106 12] § Old Ficld..c.s.essscessssseseeseesseeseses 155 104 30 «© Mocking Bird.. lias aie agi) ust) Hlormed\Owlasesecvarensiipar- tri 171 113 8
Horned Grebe...... vee 15D 106 | £6 SHOT. cp eeseeeenseneesescssresceceraren erence 82 56 4 6s Partridge...... ‘ 174 114 26 “ Kittiwake @ull..scccsee- toe tin a0 ae
Horned Wary. 177 116 15] ‘* Southwestern......... «166 109 19 «“ Plover. . “449 102 9 | Painted Bunting............ wet 19d OST
House Finch.. . 148 101 65) ‘* Western Meadow.. . 155 104 30 “ Quail...... ott 134 89 8.9 “ -‘Flycatcher..... wa 184 89 4
“ Tinnet..... 148 101 5] ‘* Western HERB: . 178 117 16 « Song Sparrow... ieee eT TAL ions ag {© FQoosB ae, vetreen as .., 162 108 1
“¢ Sparrow ... 97 67 = | Large- billed OTOss Dill -wsevcseretestees-2¥-s¢~ 138 92 7 “ ee 148 101 9 “Lark Siting, -140 94 5
Ch Wiretitssasssanses 83 56 7 PUPA. secesesseecsnssceseceennere 163 108 16 “ Titmouse We Le ear odt Por ‘© Longspur . -140 94 5
Hudsonian Chicadee fa) Ri ss Hel cola ours me 163 108 17 i Sdininitiioee pee 437. 92 «© «9, | Paisano .... ....+-- 178 118 2
= Curlew..... .. 61 45 3] Larger Srntdolee Gam ies GIS WA) arate initiate eon dh vobenh 7 eight 144 97 4 | Pallas’ Cormorant. 1st sito”) ia
< GodNyiGaecsccteerarttstees iene avers 8 658 4] Laughing Gull.. suka: Ce Se er aaa ee TESS 2 wormon wTuitedase "4n6 75 5 | Palm Warbler.......... e ee ee ee
s PIPTMIOUSCs ses ssecseseenserssesstece 79 53 83 |Lawrence’s Flycatcher... Tee Se eel 158 105 23 | yot-mot. AL. ee art 143 97 9 | Palmer’s Thrasher... ... 151 103 4
‘Hudson's Bay Chickadee.......ece cesses OMS ES ub Gioldtinaliegseseyties tens tases iBih Pid 1) || caipatraceabira tty chi eeastsay cen Th BO 6 | Parasitic Jaeger.....r.sccessssersereeeesreres 162 108 4
Hum mingbird, AND. -cccessansncues see Byes aa 4| Lawyer......... teeter ce y geen cee, 137 = 91 6 i Sao BL 37 4| Parkman’s House Wren. Tee eloa a0 22
Allen’s Califurnia. 178 117 12) Lazuli Finch........ ay asiso, 690) 2 Mother Cary’s Chickens. “316 75 7 | Parrot Auk, .....-sssssrass A 163 108 14
ts Black-throated.. 131 88 2| Leach’s Petrel......... .. 160 106 18 eae Catiek Mm ent OPAL IME DRT 5 7 3] “ Carolina.. 164 109 10
a3 Black-chinned ............182 88 4 Lead-colored Flycatcher... .139 98 4 Nb Ole ae ares: eee * 724 81 2 Illinois.... 164 109 10
Hs Broad-tailed .......-.ess006 147 100 +6 Greenlet....... 1467 1007 9.5. | tea aqurtere ee ee .) i CE ie Te: 115 #75 4
as Calliope.......: - 148 101 8 CG Titmouse.. -1387 92 3) yu te he ee ee Sli wen 163 108 14
« Gye haere rece 143 97 3 ch Vireo... 146 100 5 Marre air eenn meres" 60 108 «9 164 109 10
0 Green b’k'd California. 178 117 12)| Leaden Titmouse............ HST) 792: 8 Aaa a ea 120 78 1
re HelOBIa'S....ccreneeerenss +. 156 105 6 Teast Auk...... Tradengesantussisesy 162 107 18 28 «aT
a Linné........ Stecesesse soeeee 156 105 5 BiftGTDiiscscnscsaccnsenvecs teete wi Oh) 1 164 109 9
s Mango ..2..0..esceeeenes cases 131 88 2 CP y ca telloriucscscters care cee fe ets il) N sAecerercp plik TNO sets)
is Red..«..... 133 88 1 Ee 2 Hoh cere re ., 148 101 8 | Narrow-fronted MEGOADAEIOT sarin 1738. 117 «13 Ss Massena ...... Pepe ren mae IGT ee: §
¥: Refulgent..... 156 105 8 f¢ “Patrel)...... + 160 106 15 | Nashville Warbler. ..........ccccsssecces encore 175 115 10 «s Mountain..... we. 174 114 26
“é Ruby-throated............ 108 72 6 ‘¢ Sandpiper 89 62 8 | Nevada Finch.. Nerxeoe. wile ail! £6 IPYNMEME cet eeasece ww. 134 89 8,9
uf Rufous-backed............ 133 88 7 SSP Orin cemess 81 54 6 | Night Hawk...... eter Teele oe 4 4} Scaled..... we seneveaees 164 109
fe TEA IEMS Aerie seapice 7 ‘« Titmouse.. apt DURA Al 4 “ “ Texa wslre AKO U5 Oy Spruce.. r me 115 3
Hutchin’s Goose....,,.,...-..+ Naso sOncereere ss 180 118 14 Od it} eaenene se . 1385 90 8 iG $6 WesterD...ssssscssessescssnreees 107 105 16 | Passenger Pigeon.. sence 32 «29
Hatton's Vire0.serssssstrseversssyevsmersvens, LOZ LOB 17 BS VircOr ne imsmetueeaeninvitinde 146 100 1 8 FHOrO Ms syecreccncctsvetyeeossesceststessces L2G 82 ~ 2] Pewbody Birdy sissssessresvvesaveresiesnscvecse 420 BG &

INDEX OF COMMON NAMES.

Peale’s Duck Hawk Pacn. Prats. Fia- Pacs. Prats. Fic. ine erlans ria Ede Eidos
eale’s Duck Hawks ccccasscssrenssseecsreess “49 7 1
=e ach A A pace! oe 4 Quail, PAGED es caste Hag vee 164 109-7 | Sage THAshersssesssesersoisrerssaeee 173 114 19] Sooty Sera Genet erp ave (TUE 161 107 12
p 2 ae .. 164 109 8 | Solan Grouse..... i “
Pectoral Sandpiper. pe oe a ar 3 1 Snare heh: Sone ee nate at Hatpas aie av eiceer yh sate 1 * Shearwater. ....cccseccseseeee row Oye le
Pelican, Brown......... abebeantes ad thbeegenseee 129. -84 “I a - 134 89 8.9 | Sanderlin seu j fe 1 Tern. ...s.0 123° 79 8
« Frigate. . 59 43 «“ 164 109 9 | Sand-hill Grane. ioe ee eros Sparrow, Busiy.. ye ae
Be WSs sees. 7 hl ‘ 175 115 4] San Diego Sparrow.. i 18 , Se he 2 oP ye
Peregrine crite ois fae at, 7 6 * Viwininie ee ere eee. 98 27 Sand Martin ates ES 9 BOTAssseavasevesusteact! besedeses 3 4 1,2
Petrel, Ashby nw. anes Sandpiper Rite au 63 2 | South Southerly ......s.sseesseresseeen gk CA
A intagi dia AP hath MB NR EOE Pr me Feeney Rane Sv 2 106 17} Southerly, South.. ....... wel 21.
$6 Black-capped. iissssccsssieussveseees 162 107 17 Baird’s Ps A dee crliesur ane: Se ai Wee URN ake
“ Black and White... 7 8 R I it Shesacpass Bisieevceeuprtes ia ine Southwestern Lark.. 166 109 19
Be Dai y access. | Rail, California Black....ceusssseessen 4 ve BE es Be ae Bl hapten iy 0s Ii
4 11 } LLY 9 fe Bartramian.. 179 118 10 as Aonalaska.... 154 104 15
rT 4 « Geroling pes aneseseer ee 2 ¢ Black-bellied . 57 41 2 45S Ba Chinen Sissssiete tiers reesssccts - 9 66 4
‘ ee i or TaN Dae 7.
ni x } nesaes Paeaees ree OF jot 9
i a + KING sseesees i - Par lens: Site Aj Uvlrg ality rhs} 4 Beaked ..ccssvesensenseeess 153 104 9
“ Pel) teal aee 3 z CASE eereee 39 62 8 Bell'S....secseeso0ss 147 100 10
A |, band... esedinelddsdadanvss Pectoral.... SOttiveior Hl ys 3 ce Black-chinned. 148 101 7
15 Little Black. 00 3 se Purple... me
at 4 i p Week scp ceatrenets 91 63 9 Black-hooded... 142 «495 6
7 Yellow- breasted 4 ce Red-breasted... 57 «41 1 of Black-th d }
> 34|| Sf Mirginiaiisatenatecesiennars oo 88 # GO I fae ip ik “ Brewer’ teks te ta
et 7 “ Western, Little Black. .. 169 112 4 “ Semi-palmated e 12 il 3 tc Calif es hy ee ee
cs Wersetedlade., TOG. 4154) Raven. -cotee-ststkaves tenemos eoGMMGT] ad ‘© Spotted........ 84 BT 4 a Pan ae ie wkd
“ White- bellied 176 116 38 “* “White-necked.... “a77 7 3 n Sie RoR Bre es ey 4 if eee TAD. +e.ssseee 66 48 2
ne Wilson’s z ues A BL cere Fae ASSIN'S. coer eee 157 105 12
ils 2 . 162 107 8 | Razor-billed AUK. ......scccsscsvcsssssceessess . 94 65 3 oe Thick- billed.. 170 112 20 ta Chippin 68 48 6
Pewee, Short-legged ......ccsccsseseecereeereee 154 104 17 | Red-backed Hummingbird................ 1383 88 7 “Western Semi- -palmated 170 112 19 ute Cla, TEMES, 155 104 28
Western Wo0d......ccceccssrseeeee 154 104 17 | Red-bellied Nuthatch............... » 3 50 2 &t White-rumped.,.. 638 46 3 oY Wamestic ae 97 67 5
8 SWGOE encscesctueadoortes is Mn &S «“ Woodpecker.. 41 32 2,3] Sand Shoal, Labrador..... 182 119 13 “ Wuropean.... 97 67 «6
Powit Ply catcher, ....,.,00:.ssceressescesesees . 74 650 5 | Red- billed DOVE. ..ceeceesveee 163 109 1 | Sandwich Tern... Y3 64 86 a Fi aa
Beye River Be Ratotrvil sete a 3 Feller ene . 154 104 13
alarope, Gray....... 81 54 4 Pigeon ....0..+65 163 109 1 | Sandy Mocking Bird... LOSS ei 8 es se 70 49 3
sf Northern. -l12 7 8 | Red Bird, Fieey 155 104 22 Sapsucker Largor.....- 18 18 2 sf «) . 84 48 8
ee Hae 87 61 4] “ © ‘Summer... 109 72 = 7 «” Lesser 27 26 8 sO is eae
% ; imme ove 1 y ek, OX ga ee, 141 94 10
Wilson’s.. ool o4 4 fs ES Vircinin... .. BSL 28 5,4} Savanna Blackbird.. 178 117 15 a bt 82 56 6
Pheasant. ,..cs.secsserees 120 78 1 © Cross-bill. 38 7,8 $f Sparr “ part ata. i eae
¢ . ; parrow.... 69 49 1 Fox-colored..........+ aeeea) eG 6
Philadelphia Greenlet.. . Coupevet eye seb: 9 aS 68 Saw-Dill .........-0+0 143 «(97 2 SS Gambel’s White- wned., 157 105 14
Phoebe Bird...... Huse eb atecepcdinse ieee moO 5 * 88 9 £f Biwe-headed.. ep 14s OY. 2 4 Golden-crowned. IGG 135 90 1
Pied-billed Grebe...... Deathin 180 E08 sa] ost 81 2. | Saw-whet OWl.sssseecscrsccsccsccseoeconee 466° 1107 © Gould’s Songeeececccercece 153 104 1
Pigeon, Band-tailed.. Ge hGde OS” Bay 8 Plalaropesssaccsasters ots 61 4 | Say’s Flycatcher.............. eeeccimena 7 a Gray Song ven i 152 1038 12
Bluo-headed ose ssormesveeo .174 114 32] * Start, American.. raat Reese 6 5 4] Scaled Doves... 174 114 81 © Grass ms, 154 104 13
G6 Cape. cssessserescsseeseesseessnensnssss 162 107 7 | Red-brost, RobIN...eesscseseeene- n. 97 67 4| © Partridge... fs fe 109 9g] fF Harrie’. sscsssstene iw 142 95 6
nS Guillemot 2.0... .0....c.cccss00e seuss 162 108 8 | Red- breasted Merganser . . 9 66 6 SOMO eal eer giaeat ce rvncen series svesia tar sat 164 109 9 Ke Hawk. ie Bae AL ek ce 54 39 1,2
RES PRG ype tererertetetesncecrted wastestl 174 114 30 Sandpiper.. 57 41 11 Scarlet Ibis... 124 80 38 “ -Heerman’s Song. 158 104 3
Le TEASER) stein CBS ees ease 32 29 Us 3 & 41 2 sc Tanager... 11 :) 5 . House 97 67 5
6 Red-billed.........+++. free OTS eal of “ Snipe... , 91 63 6] Scaup Duck... 9 66 7 Tpswich. esses: 172 14 16
a White-crowned......,,cccssee-veeee 122 78 2 =* RoW yagecreshinass ase 112 «473 7 | Scissor-tail.............000 117 76 2 * Kodiak Son 153 104 4
“© White-headed ............-. chia 122 78 2 “ Teal. rage 92 64 1] Scooter, Long-billed...... 1.182 119 10 Ge eticconictaa a 153 104 38
dd 400 a es Poreeteae: 29 sf, Woodpecker. 5555 . 184 89 2 $s Trowbridge’s ..... ... 182 119 10 ce Lincol ns. « sssceesssseeseess sae 104 112
Pike’s Tern.......-.--- 169 112 3] Red-capped Finch.......... vsssisssusveee 147 100 7| Scoter, American Black.. 128 83 5 & Maynard's cccscsssssssccosceeeess 172 114 16
Pileated Woodpecker... 17. 18 1| Red-cockaded Woodpeckeresecccceee 95 66 5] | Duckies ccssecseasecssrsecess 128 83 5 ‘© Mountain Song.. ..... pehes tte 144 97 «9
Pine-creeping Warbler.. - 63 47 2| Red-eyed Robin.... 83 56 8 | Scott’s Oriole....... 172 114 «+7 e CY Toe ie nbd eT Cis 3s
Pine Wintho toa cok. He ate aLOp: ale, tt Welly AM) 8 | Screech Ovwl.. 124 «81 2 SE Northwestern Savanna.. 154 104 15
Z We ta scat ee 69 49 2| Red-faced Cormorant. saosin 181 119 5 | Sea Dove....... 163 108 18 Ns Oregon......... 152 103 12
«© Grosbeak... . 64 88 9,10| Red-head.......... 46 34 1-3] « Wagle..... 15 15 ae CU oRidpa way iste een te 155 104 «27
FE SIGN GE asa - aun 69 49 2,| Red- headed ‘Duck. stedtsvesess eee ».. 46 34 1-3] “ Parrot.. ww. 115 «75 4 Oe Rufous- crowned, Seem, Wee MUDD 7
66 Warbler.........9. 63 47 2 ee Vultures scccsecsessesee Wey LOS: (NL Eau Co BPI paaritearaies;ctitecentes crsecevae teeters 128 S88: 33 ‘*_Rufous-winged... 1. 1h8 105 24
Pinnated Grouse .... Sine Some rr Woodpeckal....ceeerreeeee 2 2 3,4] « Shore Sparrow... eee ile: ade 9) ‘ Samuel’s Song... 153 104 1
cpnlsecene 2 2 1,2] Red-legged Kittiwake....... vee 176 116 13 | § Swallow ..ccccsccee ; 122 Bie 3 ‘San Diego. ...... was Lor LOE 5S
So iG Red-naped Woodpecker. : 159 105 31 | Sea-side Hnusitie: 70 49 4 1 SRAVAMT Ars sutordacce eisieses scutes 69 49 1
int 162 107 7 | Red-necked Grebe............. 160 106 6 se Finch. 70 49 4 Sea Shore... . 153 104 9
Piping Flycatcher ..... 117 76 4| Red- “poll, American Mealy... : Te LO) Semi-palmated. seeee 56 40 65 s Slate-colored. 141 94 10
Pipit, American.......... 82 56 38 Tint hectecasesesrsce css 69 48 9 Sandpiper. aa, WA RI os $US N GiGi a cecssscacssvearnatsiesdnateaacae 4 4 4,5
«¢ Meadow....... . 178 117 10] Red-shafted Flicker Wao i 3 BE aeien ereltese? «= 62 46 vy) bu Spotted........... eae Bip
a 165 109 18 fs ANA Sa SoleShameaeeessreiareraterneays eee liIy) Gamer ct 6 Lis St. Lucas.......... ee tee ato ake
107 72 4 | Red- shouldered Black Bird.. 29 | Sharp-shinned Hawk... Busy isin mats! Th te SEUAMUDSsietabancsensaansas tien, OF 48 5
Pisk 107. 72 4 TEE ae bee ba bees 3 Sharp-tailed Albatross.. ie 149" 102, 1 & MOXiSbatasecseenteesticeae Reale? AG oes
Plains, Cock of the. ....... 179 118 7 | Red nu White-shouldered Black Bird. 110 73 1 Bunting.. .. 66 48 1 te Mntlavicstace-ces.ce.etesee .. 134 89 6
Plain-crested Titmouse..... 148 101 4 | Red-tail, Black............... Sere Nerorerese Weup 48h] 3 ac Finch,....-. Soret Et ws. 66 48 1 ut Townsend’s.. . 141 94 10
Plain Titmouse........ 148 101 4 a Black Hawk ...........:-200 ». 145 98 3 Wy PLGyinibese decent ncenner My. d 8 3 “ TOR eh det ee eee . 66 48 2
Plover, American Golden.. oatek 57 «41 3 Ny Buzzard ...... cone . 145 98 3 | Shattuck Bunting........... . 155 104 28 O2 Western Chipping...... . 1449 101 10
Beetle-headed. ¢...... 58 41 4 “i Western....:.... 6 ... 146 98 3 Shearwater, Black-tailed..... AAP IGIS Fee wah ve ce Slate-colored........... 145 104 26
** Black-bellied... + Dee cdi 4 ab White-bellied.. ans Jee tye 2 Black-vented......... « 161 107 14 “ oe White-crowned....... 1457 105 14
*¢ Golden ..... 57 41 3 | Red-tailed Buyzzard........ Saervnd cyeeh sh) 6s Cinereous............ Feel Ol) al Ce eer te sé Yellow-winged........ 154 104 10
«- Killdeer... 56° 40 5} oi OWS ihesvans Sercttevieeleam Boo) 4 se Dark-bodied . 161 107 16 3 White-crowned............ 49 36 7
«¢ Missouri Pip -.. 170 112 11 | Red-throated .......... fen Ze) ase 4 ce Dusky..........- aeelol 107, 5 “ White-throated.... 49 36 6
Cl SM Saar tai Nee vsasveaesrereenceassseeenth 149 102 2| Red-vented Thrasher. “1 149 103 1 we FPlesh-footed*.........ccssee 161 107 10 6c Yellow-crowned... 135 90 1
RS GSTs oan ee earn 56 40 4! Red- -winged Black Bird.. aw. 44 33 2,3 . Greater.... - 161 107 6 nt Yellow-winged... ce (MES 3
a Ke SRAM ZO easascrsrscses Ave vita te es Starling......... ww» 44 33 2,3 is Mank’s., ++ 161 107 13 | Spectacled Wider........ a .. 162 108 3
« Ring-neck........ Prete: SIF Fs! 56 640 5 | Reed Bird...........sc0e0- Pel sicete wae 47 384 4,5 re Slender-billed....... «161 107 16 | Speckle-belly... seni Gil 1
Ot ATMOS penseevurdes nas c=seeh whe OR LO. 5 | Refulgent Hummingbird...............-0.. 156 105 8 sty Sooty.. A see 161 107 12 | Spirit Duck..... 86 60 4
«6 SEs 56 40 4| Rice Bird.............+ Restet ie 47 384 4,5 oh Wandering.- ar ike SKE 6 Splatter-dock.... tie 5 4 6,7
BS MELT Yoensusskastesseth ears ab. 40 2 Richardson’ 8 Dusky Grouse. Sich itn . 178 118 6 | Sheldrake .......,.:ss00. Hhepcte wee Bt 525 Spoonbill, Duck....... oe Syd RY 1
= =Semi-palmated .....ccscrcee 56 40 5 Falcon Pi see, 166 110° 2} Short-billed Gull..,............. « 176 116 138 “s Roseate .......2...0. ~ 126 82 21
“ Slender-billed.. 6 oA JACZET.....serseees .162 108 4 Me Marsh Wren...... «. 87 61 2) Spotted Owl...........00 sik “Ne: 4
86 SNOWY. ..cceeesernes 3 ot WVeril MN ccesssssrtsree sen ... 166 110 2 a Water Thrush. . 88 62 5 “ Sandpiper... St 57 4
60 Upland. orsecoeeceseere = 10 $ Owls... 5-5 sesseseveveseeess 17] 118 2 | Short-eared Owl...............- Peseta omens Lea « Sparrow... . 134 89 6
ifs Whistling Field....... 4 | Ridgeway’s SPAUIOY ssasesessese LOD 104 27 | Short-logged: Powee........01..6cccsisevesenees 154 104 17 | Sprague’s Pipit..... eesti .. 165 109 18
s¢ Wilson’s .........-. seeaeieeeeein Oo, LO Ring Plover . RevedsuseuasHasasansrordnntnesesay.irs 56 40 4 | Shrike, Loggerhead........... -. 120 76 11 | Sprig-tail......... r te, SD
Plumbeous Gnatcatcher.. wee Lope 93 wet acaeeartreethe = 20 56 40 5 3 White-rumped.. 120. 76 10 | Spruce Grouse. .. 142 96 1
ee . 146 100 5 | Ring-billed Gull... eeuaxte Sepa a tdep TOU 4 | Shoveler Duck............- SOMME? 1 se et Hey) a OWE alk ta}
Plumed Partridge.... + 184 BO 8}).9 Ring-necked Duck.. tee netseess OL 63 7 | Shuffler Duck..,....,...+» te vo 69. 3 sc Partridge . elie abn 3
Fe ual : Heres ... 184 89 8,9 PloVeD. .eccsssessee Pinan 00) 40 6 | Siberian Finch.. TSE GLOSS SG eytraleesae sons tost scenes receete .. 126 82 2
Pochard, American............-. 46 34 1-3 | Ring-tailed Wagle. ............cscsceseesessenes . 85 59 1 | Siebers Jay... 156 105 4 | Starling, Red-winged. a {EY Rhy ene
BGK GS. ccdensesseassesuanpss cas ras 8 7 Wf | Bio Grande Gaye... tassecssecsenccererersesetas 156 105 1 | Sierra Jay.... 156 105 2'St. Domingo Duck..........., 182 119 12.
POIAT peaaenasencnsesense apes 20") Gh PT ROA Gers TIR MG Toes sas ciccacvscaetedacsanmtenisnenduns 178 118 2 | Sickle-bill .......0eecee-++ wes 62 46 1 ts Grebe.....ceseses- 159 106 3
Pomarine Jacger.... wets 177.116 17} Robin........ Has avssetcunns wu. 97 67 £4|Sickle-billed Thrush..... .. 151 103 65 | Steller’s Hider Duck fr 181 118 18
Poor-will, Nuttall’s.. ppuleep shi ate ~6 Cape St. ‘Lucas... wepasteh concenpetonssc¥s . 1738 114 21 |Silk-tail, Common.........s1.--se0-0+ A UES Ve 9 se dong sankrret ke ith yal 1
Poul d’ eat... Mena ussthesecetae irre whe “ California Ground............ score 183 88 12)Sitkan Dusky Grouse. ............ Ae, ob oes: 5 | Stilt...cs:.s.+-+s Peters 137 91 6
Prairie aHLeEDs, eee ee Ob: aL ‘© 6Golden..... ah 12 12 1,2 |Skimmer, Black.......sececseeeeeereore or Abdi GK) «¢ Black-neck.... 137 «OL 6
Hawk. Rascceatheyaecsrer Ulttle me CD 1 BSS IGOUNG st rececusae'te ane . 88 56 8) Skua ......... Aron pee ie AbIGS ale “ Sandpiper... 129 684 3)
ROSS SST patheccetaceyvgcescesneccetepncedets = ve BOD Fp tanshios sccnccnrensers Sree ete wey 8 ‘© Common ........ . 130 86 2 | St. Lucas Sparrow... 154 104 14
© “Warbler .... A tle SY 6 $S SCOR ROMY tse. eevaeste sey eeeteeteasktanecoes 101 70 11/Skylark, Missouri........ . 165 109 18 “ Woodpecker 158 105 26
Protonotary Warbler. .. neroeettedtot hee 137 91 2 s¢ Red-eyed..........-+ erty Wald 8 | Slate-colored Sparrow.........0..-10++ we 141) 94 10 | Stone Chat.....cccccceeecerees 139 493 5
Ptarmigan.... spsretwoeversctasehanwwe 164 109 5 Snipe........ : on Al iL Slender-billed Fulmer....... docaserseeene esp) DUPRE LUX amie “ Snipe. oe Re ren om ees, uy ii~ aa 22
se .. 164 109 6 RED OSWALD scecesetsenacrecer-ctrertraheeersas « 173 114 24 Nuthatch........... Semcon Jel G03 akg) tc id tees Te ed ~ 62 46 2
& 143 96 2| Rock Grouse.. . 164 109 6 te Plover...... 3 .. 169 112 6 | Stormy Potrel ave ae Nie sii. Y
66 WATLOW «12... -nenerensecvasooeeerene 143 96 2 (6 BWift.. cccerevessereneseepersenauareerrareerse 144 OF 87 +n Puffin.....,.... .. 161 107 16} Suckley’s Hawk......... ive elbie oo
Ptilogonys, Black........ 131 88 1 ss Wren... ea edvestvercerecsestrasetes 102 «71 5 cf Shearwater . .. 161 107 16 | Summer Duck.......... ee) 8 1,2
Puffin, Cinereous....... 161 107 4 Rocky Mountain Blue Bird. .cssecss 103. 71 8 cf Tern. -...200 . 169 112 3 “ ReGi Eire eve slot aches Pevanseeate 109 «72 7
Black-tailed.. il Flycatcher..........-.... 118 76 5 | Small gree deironied Flycatcher. 154 104 20 te Yellow Bird. .. . 65 47 IL
« Black-vented.. 14 a x aU Obata ens apeatatens 137 91 6 |Smew,....... seenaneeeereenees DER ES Te RCT as ab dileee peor tere ee SLi(c7emn Ul Gamma
« Common ...... fui] os « Hermit Thrush........ 20 |Snake Bird....,..... 92 6£ 2) Swainson’s Buzzard. Strader 8
“© Dack-bodied.... 15 * Jay 6) Snipe a mencatinrs 88 62 38 « ‘Hawk....... De Hasccy tse ete.
6 Dusky. ceoasseeeeee 5 | Rodger’s Fulmar......... 2 Grass....... sasears 7% 520 3 & Thrush..... Povey ake G7)
« Flesh-footed.... 10 | Roseate Tern... 6] ff Grayersesee 2 73 7 6 Warbler .......--eeessee-e- ESTO) SOMES
6 Greater. .y..c00+e- 6 ‘© Spoonbi 1 GP are 91 68 6 « Warbling Greenlet. .. 146 100 4
‘¢ arger-billed... 16 | Rose-breasted Grosbeak 6 b- 253 $6 JACK « -cccessneeeeses creserneeerees net 76 52 3 Swallow, American Barn......... ws LOE 672 1
“ ce ts 17 | Ross’ Goose....scesscese-eesee . 177 116 15| ‘* Meadow,......... serevens 76 52 3 Bank... 90 63 2
Ay ey ros ar: ae, ee Fad) OP Tek ce ne cali .. 86 60 3] ‘ Red-breasted We eer ‘© Barn... .lO4, 72 7
SJender-billed..... 16 | Rouch-winged Swallow. cssessccessesseaee sine fray EN) GS ; os 91 63 5 ‘Chimney... AAS (Ge ae
ROSS SEV tcorrsetvsnencts 12 | Royal Terd. ...c..secceceeescsee 87 61 3] ‘ Robin............ ae bees EP SToipe roe 90 63 3
& 6 | Ruby-crowned Kinglet..... 64 47 6 r Stone timate . 15 i4 2 66 HAV6...105--:-2--- - 90 638 3
A TEaL oe 5 | Ruby-throated Hummingbird.. Te Yeu all 62 46 2 «| Rough-winged. . 90 63 4
Purple Finch........ ; ; 48 10 | Buddy Duck........cssnecseseeren one 12g 83 2| ‘ Wilson’s...... . . 88 62 38 Bee) GGaaetatesatescascat og OT TRE wc
6 Gallinulesecccossceee ; hb ive ft TPlOVETivesssser 2 se Yellow- shanked.. 1 «e NALS RES ie ar ces 119 «76 9
«¢ Grackle.......-- ian 2amaeTa| MER crete cams pene Fe 16 | Snow Bird, Cinereous L “ -White-bellied.. TEMG s688 138
~— Martin..sccce 76 §| Ruffed Grouse............. e| oi « Hastern... 11 Swallow- tailed Flycatcher. wih Vali Vibe ce
“ Sandpiper 91 «63 9 | Rufous-backed Hiumminghird., 7 Mp at PPM sty DS HIE. ....sereeseseees it 98 1
PULTE ves soansasessansceesnctsrsoreceet 57 41 2| Rufous-crowned Finch.......... Pies 6 Gray. ...... 12) Swamp Davee tees 142 96 1
Pygmy Nuthateh. Be porbeytpo tility: caee nee Ee a Sparrow.. Wali Oregon... Z 6 RODIN. ssessesereee 173 Wit 24
Mevisttssseeecsseeeserserseeeee LOL 103 9 | Rufous-winged Sparrow...... 24) “ Bunting ......... © Sparrow «+... 67 48 6
ce Ba wee ear 142 95 3 Ruoner, ie bs ae 2 ef Flake... ‘ 2 Swan, Americand...... es 86 60 1
Rusty-crowned Falcon.. 1,2] ££ GOO8C ss rearerereerenes 4] se “Trumpeter... cars SRO bts eel
Rusty GTBOELG speck crsteress-n>> => a4 Rip ats 1) « Whistling... dle ste ad:
Q Bong Sparrow ....--essecceeteres 94 9 | Snowy eae tesasens 3 Swift, INCI nines qe oe e
OVELseeeees ss . IMMNEY,...eeceeeeee
GACT cs ceetesscssentsiotesstieescecenegsrreregleOR Soe 12 Solitair, Townsend's “Plycatching.......173 11f 18] « Picco pilniher .. 157 105 18
Quail, American ........ ORE nT. S Solitary Tattler... ede tack texesent ae etetssaecene DOL ee) Ob eH SG Binnkceds sdeet stuees 97 7
sd i 164 109 8 Vireo. ...seeeeesee $0 WA 11X 8 scessunccnvas-s Have don Od: “US
a“ GE. NG _ouoa] Ra cd lschack Ny. txcsscoasagteters- ieee eS Te oe | ROOM DUARTE OBES} fees ; ‘¢ White-throated.. ae 97 7
4. Galifornia Valleyssuscssnuceerens 1BL BT By 6} Saga Cocksrascscsscososseseccestaeeesernenernare 1U9, DIB) AT 167 Guillemot ssecsercsessseerseee somniecseeee 16 Sylvia, Kennicott’s. sj sy0e secures 172 T14 9

INDEX OF COMMON NAMES.

Pack, Poars, Fra, Pack. Puats. Fra, Pacs. Prats, Fra: Pacs, Phare. Fra,
T Towhee, Brown..,....ccsscserssresceccsssersee 156 104 81 Warbler, PiM0 coccrsssccssere cesveee; cessesreeeee 63 47 2 | Wilsom’s PlOVOY .ccccecscsssssrssecesssaseresesee 92 63 10
te Std eeauustp esse cial s -- 185 90 3 PINCE-CLECPING...reereessersrreee ee 63 47 2 we rs} hieleenetrerter reed sas 88 62 a4
Tanager, Cooper’ Bu ccccnsennresvenceoasanecessans 172 114 6 6 5S Bpeenscasdcn cen roese,sesccacesos « 144 97 e 10 46 Prairié.....+..... Kobbs enon 61 o7 6 5 TOTUBsI eave ses . 1738 114 22
ve Hepathic... 144 (97 6 « Cape.... sferiesecses LOO) LOE TSZaIF Be Prothonotary....... cee hoi EN 2 | Winter Wren.....rsececrsecs rene seessaaceede 00." 386-8
oF Louisiana. o..cepereeeeees 133 88 8 ‘ Canon. . 185 90 3 & Swainson’s..... tae LOO, Fe 8 | Wollweber’s Titmouse........e serene seers 188 92 5
ui Livér-colored......+0++ 6 te Bee a } im -. 144 97 10 CO Tennessee. . 65 47 10 | Woodhouse’s Jay....... ; Tee Lose OT
6 Scarlet........sse0e. 5 Be Crissal.... Harseserestentyssss LOG 204" OL €6 0 TPOVMIC'S 2 .eeesesessnessee .. 100 70 6] Woodcock, American. i Gy =9 152
Tat blOLs map ecutensecs-eeves tote 2 ‘e Oregon... A meskea) Le OSS 6 iG TOWDSOENG'S,..cc0sescccrsesceeseeeeee 99 70 2 as Ey}etldentyeentiaconsess cL weraesersp ie Lia. mice 1
+e Bartramian .....0. cesses 10 ee Spotted LOL 71 fe Virginia’s.... rey, 92-2 « Huropean. s.-+++ ++ SepeeelOm R16
ae Semi-palmated,.....crweee seve 2 ce White-eyed.......... «172 114 #15 LY Western ......... sxteenrereee MOO 0) 3 Wood DUGKassicsates Abiaee ren 9 Se lige
si SOILD Sep syares ae cans dcunesaa de 17 sd White-throated. ws 156 104 82 te Wilson’s Green ‘iackcapped GEOUSGWiesturtreess sere see Seale “96 1
“Wandering. ..... 6 | Townsend’s Bunting.. we 158 105 25 Flycatching .. vit Come mele) “Soe Tbisee.. -. 59 44
Ce Wid leasinn leaves tc 17 Finch.. Fectersintate tee ba “OS TG ‘© Worm-eating....... 47 4| “ Pewee... 73 50 3
Tawny Thrush... ..... 22 Hi Flycatching Solitair....... 173 114 18 * -Yellow-breasted... Ye (i W100 (ch . 161 106 17
‘Teal, Baer ae : te iv Thrush......... 173 114 18 Yellow Red-poll,...-.ssseneesees 47 12))| ** Whrushle *, MN @ Bene.
* Cinnamom ..,,, i 1 a Warblericescsseosecesssecce tee oe oO) 2 ee Yellow-TumD.....scseseensers r 38 4 ERE VCO ML vecartussiverscustessesrsosvecere ceeees 78 52
Rey HIN SIRT sss ceorenst 2 | Traill’s Flycatcher.. ae We «500 <4 % -Vellow-throated. .......sscesscese0 ti) owe Woodpecker, ALIZON Asie tetsssciereweeveve 4S) LOL
“ Green-winged...,. 2| Tree Sparrow..... . 6 48 2 cf Wy GraNoascpresrel oO, LOG aly Banded Three- toed. core thle Bic ges
“¢ Red-breasted ... 1 | Trogon, Mexican.. 148 97 A, | WATDIINE VilGOsseecesesscserssscttouesecevsree | 40 9 £s PP lcs alle ate
Well=tale oc... ee 2 Tropic ITO apecterces : ye wo OT 1| Warrior, Black.. : 167 110 10 se Black- backed . fie wise ab
We Greater... 2 © Yellow-billed.. =» 88 57 1] Water Ouzel....... 139 938 6 a Black-breasted .. 158 105 30
«« Lesser. i7,tsi sate 1 | Tropical, Three-colored.,....... POAT Wg a Turkeys .c0s he eS Sw i Brown-headed..... eu BS)
Temminck’s Guillemot..... Sian. 2G 10 | Trowbridge’s Scooter,..... .. . 182 119 10) Waxen Chatterer.......... TARLORS ech 9 dy Calitornia......... ibe SENG
Tengmalm's Owl ....... cr : 2 | Trudeau’s Tern...,...... Ae eS ve!) 2) WaXWitg.. .ecccacnescecesaey 27 2 yal 9 fy CAPGs Hy. ceutestetaceas steve ceca 158 105 26
Tennessee Warbler.. 10 | Trumpeter Swan.. 80 54 i ve Bohemian-..... 103 0 71 9 iy Downy........ 27 «26 2
Tern, AlOUTION .. ccsscevenssersse . 162 107 9 | Tufted Mormon...... ty TN Arey 5 se Carolina,......+. 81 56 1 « Gairdners? .......156-csc0seeses 131 87 4
TREK Ge ssnsscastensseccesees Ate OD 8 4 GLE) SLEAT NTT Want pa Fee Corb OPERA os 116 «75 5 Wedge-tailed Gull.. 86 60 3 as Gila..... As ots aie PAY
‘« Bridled........ ealyOr 125 12 S55 DLE OURS seh sccettesaatarvaveseest recess 30 0388 2 Petrel..... 160 106 15 ee Gilded..........+. ... 164 109 11
BC CAYO sesecesen sores chee ir 3 | Tarnstone ........... ‘. ss. 60) 6-45. 1 Western Barred Owl.. 171 +113 7 0 Gold- winged... eeVeac 2 2 1
She) GHG PAN Gastecevenenessesseast « wTAszs 119 “16 or Binge hended. 89 62 9 Chat ...sccccsces 152 103 13 4 2 9 2
*. Foster’s.. Kt sctisyenchs Leo 2) Turtle, Mourning. ....... +s T& +50 6 ee Chickadee, vcsesssese 152 103 14 . ISAS PR eee tn 18 18 Z
Great... ater wee 12 11 38] Turkey Buzzard....... .168 lll 38 oo Chipping Sparrow 1449 101 10 ry ELE TNLS osynseessneteaneses 139) (93 2
SP ELLAWOLOT He yaneds te racecerht 395 mae ON TGo Z *« Common Wild... 174 «116 1 Fe Grebe... 160 106 7 Bs Ivory-billed.. epee Vie Oe) 1
Bi ePHIGHBLaty Wusttcarerac ere selene crvwaarstths SL 5+ 5 C6 MiexXiCal....se00.e06 itittasrete Lis allo 1 Uo GTI PSR etasccededecett vs tetavcte essen nliDbesne 4s 2 8s Ladder-backed...... vs 148 LOL 2
EPA IVUATN eur peu cercisecuettstsacitentrsdese 86 60 2) Tyrant Flycatcher................ Hite Be rol, diez 66 Horned Lark.......¢-..scecepeeeeee 178 117 «#216 oe TGOWIS; sok) ceases seaces LO ie 2
SE) SBIR GIB cinssee vss. cee panuscaneeueesaetmenas 169 112 3 “ CMO Wlecacvat Srey Life TUES Sis es Nuttall’s.........00+ .. 158 105 28
6 TROSCRHG.......s0cassss BTICe eas eee oe 62 6 “ Little Black Rail.. weve. 169 112 4 at Narrow-fronted,..........+. 178 117 «13
Hoyal .scces 3 $s 3 : es Meadow Lark..... . 155 104 30 st PI Bateds seers cmrccedeetessecre Liane eS 1
s¢ ~6Sandwich,...... eros . 9: 64 6 U “ Mocking Wren........ccssss00000. 151 103 7 ce Red-bellied.......e-cerececere . 41 32 2,3
© Short-tailed ...csss05eceees : Ses | LUplandsBloverisendtunseaeateerese eels) 0) ‘© Mottled Owl... Arp aliye Ante 155 a Red-breasted.... .. 184 89 2
«¢ Slender-billed.. a 2 3 6s Night Hawk............0. eee Ane et Red-cockaded. 95 66 5
‘Mi ULNA ita : : a ee Nonpareil..........0 «. 155 104 24 x Red-headed.. DA ee
ty as thee TEES corey ee ena toe ie 9? “ Wiuthatchvensersslehereeeee ope aU KORE Ti dg Red-naped ..... 159 105 31
* White- winged. Black... 45%0 2 V 6 Red-shouldered Bugnenaes +7 1 a Red-shafted... lll 73 3
Texas Cardinals stry:svcceccsesuee ay 104 23 | Varied Bumnting.......sssssceeccesescecessonens te 104 24 fe Red TAIN Ran ccceesstisescee 3 : St. Lucas...... ... 158 105 26
Kingfisher. ... tee 14 © ThUsh.....eesees eMail Syl) ail 66 Ruff Grouse. sssecseseseens 4 cE ‘Three-toed ..... serve TI 63 1
he Night Hawk... 15 | Vaux’s Chimney Swift... ae tort L058 UG Semi- palmated Sandpiper. 19 a esx cae vera eeie Be ts 48. LOL 8
© Orchard Oriole......... HU VGOMVesseceubessastacibensesss cs oa 173 114 «22 ‘« Slate-colored Sparrow.......... 26 s Williamson’s....-..---ss+++ 158 105 80
«Prairie Hen.........- 3 | Velvet Duck. 44 ee 1. 94 65 4 6 PHEMOUSC...e.essesseeseseessveeeeerers 152 103° 14 e White-b’k’d, Three-toed. 176 115 12
$8 TOMBE ee tece ccosensess Hal VGUU LI esoetesuseveeerercate testearve False: 92 4 me Wid DlODecscedacs sarese densgttssacessar LOUT ard) 4 Ae W hite- headeas hao 134 89 3
65 SpaArrow.. .--sscee «++ 14 | Vermilion Hlyeateher..... Cot Mews Lone 88) 059 Ss Warbling Greenlet.. 146 100 4 £% Yellow-bellied.........-...+. LO” *Sw "34.
s¢ Thrasher, .......0 zee 19 Vesper Bird. cates Taeis caps, we 154 104 13 O5 ALOT aceckersiecte ls OUs eet: se se ats Fae 2tis a" oir
66 TitMOUBS «.,+..00 : TF Le me coMS COOMA 8 SE at og Rae Pe oe 4S ES ‘© White-crowned Sparrow....... 157 105 14 ih Ai 159 105 31
Texan Guat... cecesss cosceees any 27 Violet- -green ‘Cormorant . 146 99 38 my Wo0d Pewee.....ccccccvcsesereeeee 154 104 17 « § £00 158 105 27
TAINS A DATICICOLceterecssvesssay 2 Swallow... .119 76 9 i CF Wiren’scese anaes 152 103 22 Ss Yellow-faced..... 135 90 7
* Woodpecker.......... 2 Vireo, ATIZONA ....0000s . 146 100 3 OL Yellow Rump......c:sessssseccteees 99 70 1 a6 Gite | Oe het 168 105 27
Thick-billed Guillemot............00 6 Bell’s....... soto tiosscinee 40m LOO 2 “ -Yellow-winged Bunting....... 154 104 10 *s Yellow-shafted.. 2 2 1,2
MM Tisd petti tiles vevectytensaseste nucle 44 7 ‘© Black-capped.... . ... 152 103 16 « ee Sparrow....... 154 104 10 eS Yellow-vented ... «. 158 105 27
MUSLIMS ER GTheati meng caubreseesneweconsscestpteaeness 8 SCS BAG AH CAME hurkas ctcteestycestesnss £152) 08) AG) Wheat-eatscicsccssscscccssstescetreapsccacensdvee SLOG. 09a 5 | Worm-eating Warbler........... PARADA of: Dae 3, 4
Sees COW ataeestarnwece ters oe 8 “ Black-whiskered. .......c:seee0. 151 103 11) Whip- ~poor-will. Tote pase peceaessere)| Lames (aus Wren, Alaska... renppaeersrshasteesrancnas 152 103 21
SO la fornia sence ccedeteercess. otter a1 108 865 COUP GetGA lad eteencs seemreeers chatter Sy eerto. INTLOCUIIGR Ee cote renee deer ie abhe Thi Allied Creeper...... . -. 151 103 8
ss ~~ Cape St. Luca A 103 6 ‘¢ Brotherly-love helio ailD, 9 | Whip-tom-kelly.... peril ag) at) ‘s American Winter. eaapeewe: (OG aatG 8
ae Leconte’s....ccreeceeeeee ae 108 20 605 SGA Yiu sseelsosescawss ... 146 100 3 | Whiskered Auk,. peLoge LOS LZ s¢ = Berlandivr’s......... Wages, LS UIE 8
66 Palmer's. ..ccsesenseeeseees : Tho “ Hutton’s......... ; wee 152 108 17 | Whistle-wing..........-.sssssseseecers Lon ee sia Ee ite Bewick’s. . ace en mrocreemiai. Ti; uy
6 Red-vented ......1..000s.0004 3 LOS ee eM liend-coloreniy.cccermeptevsstvesnete . 146 100 65 | Whistling Field Plover... 58 41 4 * sees a 102 7h 6
(SEVERE, fects pat o ... 173 114 19 sc Least........ tes serereeee 146 100 1 ts MO Wiailenseerertrseevnent & 60 1 ‘© Brown-headed Creeper. 144 (97 5
iF Pexage cereus nee: Aer 103 19 Ci Up) POM bevrerrttc eerie ros . 146 100 5 | Whitney's Owl...........ceseee 92 «9 $6 “TU RCUUB Sci cecncanmmensernpnlsens WES NE a
Three-colored Tropical.. ... ay. Yet Gl ‘© Red-eyed ......... s 71 49 §| White-backed Three-toed Woodpecker. 176 115 12 “© Cape Cactus... «. 151 103 8
Three-toed Woodpecker Fit Dosen “ Solitary..... dl “ 71 49 #26 White- ‘bellied Nuthatch........seseeeree0- ee bias ‘© Great Carolina,..,.... sore efi Sg Ae
Thoush, AUiGO7S ss. snsss tases V5 6 Fea SW LLit relers nen snc'asen .- 72 49 9 Petrel ... i 176 116 «8 66 Ground... .sesseneeesoere ey se CAO 7
* Audubon’ 8. es, Set Lb) TE P20) “ Western Warbling.. ae Wee UKGTH) 4 ve Red-tuil it, Lin 2 ss House... 83 56 7
SERA S TY Aen ecgecurs wads rok 103 6 ‘¢ White-eyed.............. ev Wale ete) 7 *o Swallow... 91 63 8 ‘* TLong-bille 5 4 6,7
f€ Bendire’s, ..,... s i 2 “ Yellow-throated...... see YOY ROB te Wren.... el Doe LOSe mols ee eVia tals wocsseras 5 4 6,7
$8 BLOWD.. cssessesesreerscseceesnereeneeees 8 | Virginia Rail.............scscee « 4 4 8] White Brandt.........-..s-srerecseesesersceeee SobGE Yee a} See DexT Cutie rcesimenccs .. 182 88 56
«¢ Cinerous.. 6 6 Red Bird.,.... if w. 31 28 3,4] White-br’sted, Black-c’ped Nuthatch. 2 2 5} G 66 Northern House. .......cscsesee weer 78 52 29
‘¢ Crissal... 1 6 Quail... ie tee re White-browed Chickadee...........s0sse000 134 89 A ‘ Parkman’s House. wsevease Ae LOB 32%
ELM DW it These aceenear testes 12 Li Warbler...... ase atsye ep) 2| White-collared Goose......... 12 EO SHGG Koseeseeed ss AG teeee LORS ‘fal 5
‘¢ Golden-crowned ..... 7,8 | Vulture, Biack....... ee heres Sereeeaes TnL 2) White Crane. ...cccos.eseeeeee Aeneas : «© Short-billed Marsh ... ete EGE ee
5 ae ay serves 5 “ California. ..... eon lta abu a White-crowned Pigeon... ; 2 ‘| Western Mocking....... of ep aa ly HK BY
See sIVGTinVadeersspecsenches 1 +e Red- headed..s.sse Reatiaaseadassre LOGE LL 3 Bpattows sescvet 8 On oe Wood...... ws 152 103 22
PS ewlonrivberssess: 5 White Heron........, ] th Wihite=bellted’ s).:).ccetssescsresarest 152 103 18
ty a. 20 se 2 ‘Ss White-throated.. 13% 88 5
“ Teconte’s. 20 a 2 5 $64 Willette nionecsaccusess 50 36 8
es Long= billed .. 4 W SS SPelicaiicysragessdatieenteee FR Wioodcestecsvecesss 78 52 9
oe ae eos 5 LOM Wiaict ail ae cekesntuestsssas Sorte 68 66 Ptarmigan.....c..0- 9 | Wright’s Flycatcher...........-.. sere ine 147 100 «9
© Louisiana Water... cities y 4 «Yellow... «...- «163 109 4 White- eyed Chewink. ... 15
‘© Olive-backed......... é 24 | Wandering Falcon..........0000 fa. olf 6 Towhee.......-. 15
a 23 « ith yailre oee ie dae eeatcle S107. eG “ Waregtrenrtess sess 7 xX
: 20 6 Shearwater........... « 161 107 6 | White-faced [bis.........1..ssccecssssseeneees 9 | Xanthus’ Hummingbird.......... ee edi alii YY
‘ 5 cs Patter. -..-.t0ence=s Sap «. 149 102 6 White- ‘fronted GO080. « ssssceesenveeses 1
ot 15s) AWAtb Ea bet bap menonsyhecrerrt ces yyilyécy aby OWL ...00,.seeesesseet ee sateseneee IMs; altar ty
oh 24 Warbler, Alaska Willow es id 69 White-headed Bagle...sssus... 1 5 Y-
4 sees eee 22 ATIZONA, .eccersense 114 13 te trae ts Toe i 1
tt ‘haeameysiaghis Flycutehing... ee siey ak alk «é Audubon’s ...- 70 1 & Gooseander. 114 «74 5 Yellow- bellied Plycateher;,.. veevsssvern LOS LOA 19
SUMMIATIMIE eRe aA lait aL, 70) Mall “© Bachman’s....... 70 37 « Gull... iy vane 149 102 5 x W oodpecker... al
; 11738 114 22 “ Bay-breaated....... 37. «O«*# “ Pigeon.......... 122 78 2 xe ta 27
i 9 1,2 « Black and White Creeping... 7 5 6 Oe Woodpecker.. voter cones 134 898 ‘ “ i
94 65 38 6 St £6 Vellow.s..c.--sc00 48 86 2 White- necked Crow.. * cocetrnn UME ANG As 3,4
Wie AL) * Blackburnian... “ 36 3,4 Ravel we, eee ee 177 17~—8 Yellow- billed Cuckoo....... i)
MEE al 2 “ Black-poll....s.0+ 388 White- rumped Godwit........ nema, Ios Sel i CI Babe spcnn = aa 9
TILA TK .-sssecseeroee 82 56 3 © Black-throated...sserssseore 5) 5 Sandpiper ......se 68 46 3 MRE Digs 5
HEM US DBLTTIOW ays hiatelseaciaee = ve 1BL 896 “ 92 8 “ Gitnilees sey eee tte een, 120 76 «10. | Mellow Birds...ssse sass. 6
Titmouse, Black-capped ......... Siteene Acie Cen tk “ se 70. 3 White- tailed GodWit.eccecsseeee 14 | Yellow- breasted Chat. ..... 9
Blnck-crested.« <ccssc/seeenees LOZ 10B 15 te “ Green.......... 87 2 Grouse... 5 te Icteria..... 9
« Black-fronted. ... sc... 30 28 2 PPE Gnr eet meant LONe goue o8 Sie Etter rcs ween 166° 110 6 Wie nbiensys ees e
i Black-tufted. ........... ... weense hos, L035 15 “ Blue-eyed Yellow........0-- 65 47 11]| White- throated Sparrow....s000e cece 49 36 6 | Yellow-cheeked Warbler.. macoeen) 2 UF 10
$f. a Ta W EDO Cry) co lbsee Ve 95; 6 Blue Golden-winged. 63 47 3 SWift..ccceccceceeseeeeeeee 144 97 #7 | Yellow- crowned dea NAA SS 13D. oe
© California .. 148 1 4 “ “¢ Mountain...... 100 70 5 “ Towhee... 156 104 32 ee Bight Ayr Onss-- kn a
NY Carolina. ....... - 103 72 6 & «© or Cerulean.......... 50 387 838 « Wren....... T8250 S8ke 05 Sparrow ...... w+ 185° 90 1
“ Crested......... 30 282 «“ Blue-winged Yellow... 65 47 8 | White-tufted Cormorant.. 182 119 | Yellow-faced eat 185 900 7
“ Gray-tufted.. - 148 WI 4 ‘© Blue Yellow-backed..... 48 36 1) White- ‘winged Black Bird.. 138 92 10 ™ 158 10527
at Hudsonian..... 79 53 3 “Canada Flycatching.... ee eee Black Tern... 169 112 2| Yellow-hammer............... 2 2 1,2
ee Leaderiz...-.... TS Temeozen is 6 Cape May. v.sceccsseseseeses 65 47 «9 ‘s COCtHerrcwvevstctnrern 94 165 4 | Vellow-headed Blackbird. . we ML TL 2
ts ibemaawieacal,. é 92 5 if Gaibountedae oan ? 100 70 9 &s Cross-bill....... je URE RAL et EP UGM OUR GL: areece wes cesersen 138 92 4
‘i 90 8 « Gerulean......-.-+.. isdspaatees 50 387 «8 a IDCH GY itr ie 163109 2 Yeliow=no8ed Albatross. -... s+ 180 86 I
dy F saaes , 71 4 “ Chestnut-sided. 52 38 1,2 tk Gull.. fi 176 116 g | Yellow Red-poll Warbler,........0...-1.0+ 66 47 12
Ee MMGUN PALIN; saiescsssseaciststrereer LOE) ODN nb & Connecticut. .......- 82 56 5| Whooping Crane..... 3 3 Yellow-rump Warbler........, teaebeyacrsatids Udy OSg ee
i Chestnut-backed. ............. 102 T1 3 “ Goldene takicseenens ... 65 47 10] Widgeon, American.. , . 88 62 71 /| Yellow-shafted Woodpecker .... ss... eter
f Chestnut-crowned.... 2+... 102 71 4 6 — Golden-cheeked ........seceseseen 14 11 ws EUrOPead «0. scene ceeess 182 119 11] Yvllow-shanked Snipe... se 1
Gs IDEhom leaner iri reereceree Lees KOM 77 66 TACOS. s cases cneese nee oh 13 | Widow, Chuck-will’s... 3 .. 106 72 9 | Yellow- throated . 7
“« — Plain-crested ...... 148 lvl 4 SR TLSetri Ti cee Peete watts pe 0 wt On Se] CVEfo) (IGE. cnttearssressseaeusents sh atacs va 2 OF 5 Gray Warbk 17
sf PeXas.....405 . 152 103 1 “ Hooded Flycatching. . 13 12 4 | Wild Duck.. ........ oe ee gate oY Vireo... 5
Hd Tufted. .... - BU 28 66 Kentucky. ccsvcsecsseesneersvereee 93 64 5] “ Pigeon... 32 29 Yellow-throat, Maryland 3, 4
fo EWoertorn Westra selpe MOR) al “© Kirtland’s ..... Flor cel nes Ge wa EE ai | Paistbtciyg chy erie . 62 46 2| Xellow-vented Woodpecker. 7
6 Wollonweber’s. ..ccseeeceeeee 188 92 EL THMOVEEN ERGs heiarees 4 12 | Willow Grouse.. oss y, 143 96 9 | Yellow Waatail..... 4
© -Vellow-headed. ........s00. 188 92 4 “© Macgillivray’s Ground ......... 100 70 «6| * Ptarmigan... 143 96 2 | Yellow-winged Sparrow. ..vrsewsvree OF 48 3
Tolmie’s Ground Warbler .................. 100 70 6 6 Mountainuyreessescssssesesescccccccee 187 92 2 | Williamson’s Woodpecker .......sss.s-0s0- 2158 105 BU | YUCKCT. srsssssrsersssssrsnssereesese 2 2 1,2
Towhee, Alberts’... creer: ty: . 144 #97 11 “ Mourning. o......0 51 37 4) Wilson’s Green, Black-capped, Fly-
ne AN CUICesetsssyaa ree cer eae Oe a a ss Orange-crowned ... 10 catching Warbler.......:.:sscareccssee 63 47 1 7,
2. ** Spotted. «. 133 88 12 ‘« Pacific Orange-crowned........ 10 | Wilson’s Petrel............ eee etd anened 142 107 =8
£6 Bunting srrrrssccserssseveenes 83 56 8 SMI reranimcresiesrissaeas wo 12 6 Phalaropesserssesrseasserveesserseree Sl 54 4 | Zenaida Dove. ..c.cssssserscorvercseseeretesene 173 114 25

Alphabetical Arrangement of Scientific Names.

WITH AN INDEX TO THE PAGE, PLATE, AND FIGURE OF EACH SPECIES REPRESENTED.

A Pace. Puate. Fra. Pace. Prats, Fia j Pacn. Pure, ta,
Pac, PLare, Fic. Bubo pinicola....,, seus ss ecarsueWeateahiuoWse es 5 : : Geatopas Cane ie coat raicanreseaiat ie on 3 Empidonax PUSTIIUS 0,.....5-ssccvscescenesesee LOL 104 YI
; _ 16 0 GVinginianus, o,ceysesccstese aye 08. onurus carolinensis...... phy pala} 09 810 4 traillii... 4 50 4
sagt tos cage niet vs oi oS Bucephala albecola........... Pe tise HY) 4 Cor vus americanus... te RODmEOn 2| Eremophila alpestris ..... 82 56 4
Actiturus bartramius ago Dike wh americana, 48 35 1-3 canadensis.. nade ine 2-3 “ chrysolaema .. elie ais
Aegialitis cantianus......... . 149 102 3 Hh clangula....... + 48 35 1-3 ‘¢ carnivorus...., SeeaUG: Ole Ont ; ee regseeresstrsemsaelL GG USE G19
circhmcinctus.. ..... 170 112 Tl as islandica....... east ie eel 5 tS FCAUTINMAE Myer ccetucte ieee eset 165 109 15 cf COLMUta. dates eee Se, CDG;
‘ce MG PiaT tone nen & Be 40 3 | Budytes flava...... Siverasty . 163 109 4 ay COTAX...reseeeeen ttecsen (9G 267 1 | Ereunetes petrificatus......... 2
‘c microrhynehus es, ... 169 112 6 Buteo borealis........0.06 ya ou OU ef Cristatus.......... tseesses 00) VST. ds: a4 pusilius.......... 2
tc montanus..... an 2 . 149 102 2 CAlUrUB.........005 «, 145 98 3 ‘© floridanus........ Pete JU lott 2 5 semipalmatus.. 2
“ semi-palmatus.. 56 «40 5 SP couperic.s.-c cep kee BOE bk G we suasote ch AU ste wills lye a Sorte Nes: 2
t& VOCILErUS «ceccsecee 56 40 3 se elegans ...... ei BOY il “ ossifragus. .. crite Mtoe SM bee ate 3 19
te wilsonius ... 92 63 10 we ane . 167 110 10) Corythus enucleator.. .. 54 38 9,10 | Erismatura Rents 12
Aegiothus canescens... .104 71 10 st harrisi saan bese cadan . 167 110 12) Cosmonessa sponsa........ pee!) coh al at? fc rubida.. += 2
“ linarius...... .. 69 49 2 st krideri Re atamridlat 177 117 2 | Coturniculus PAROLES ees OF 48 3 | Erythrospiza purpurea. “2 10
Aetodromas bairdii....... 6a) 46 3 oe Timeatus.......erey-eceeseeyeree lem esil 3 as henslowi.. eee Teay ol BESS 6 | Euspiza americana......... 2
+ minutilla. 89 «52 8 a pennsylvanicus............. re othlay ste} 2 Se lecontei....... Etlafotesacs a Don MO 3 iB TOWNBENAI se.5¢cntsccasccanesadsstres 158 105 25
‘Apstrolata! hacsitata,.. .. 162 107 17 AS. BWV AINSONy stasdasckanereactess ~ 145 98 4 iL perpallidus.. ‘ + Lod) 104" HOF Hugenes fulgens..cccessveceaetetast-sastiereeess 156 105 8
Agamia viresceus....... 8 7 1 66 ZONOCET CUB... ssersereceees .. 168 110 15 | Cotyle riparia ........ sas secsreeee 5 SO UBE
Agelaius gubernator... 155 104 29) Butorides virescens.. 8 7 1 serripennis,.........4 tweoUaueGs: 4
es phoeniceus ... 44 33 2,3 Crex Carolinus......sscceessees- eomertda ee A
= tricolor... ..... ivi yee Ta ‘* pratensis.. rer Lele dikes GR EF
Aix sponsa....... 9 § 1,2 Crotophaga ADL eseereseees wel ieee sto
Alauda pinpeeni:. 82 56 4 r@) Crymonessa glacialis...... a ib BAL Falco AtricapillUs ...........:..eeeeeseeee ese 20 720
“magna. 23 24 = Cupidonia cupido......... Slmsso5 borealis......... Sy SE
Alca torda:. 94 65 3] Calamospiza bicolor...... 138 92 10 a pallidicinta. .. -179 118 3] * candicans.... 1205 ieee
Alcedo alcyon.. perry 20 19 2 | Calidris arenaria....... 55 «40 2 Curvirostra americana... yg Br ahh F648! ‘#3 carolinensis. oe eth
Ammodromus candacutus.. 66 48 1/ Callipepla squamata.... 164 109 9 leucoptera.. 4 yite aieit 2 fF CHT YSACLOS.. se. seeeeseecnn score esees chy ast) a
maritimis.. . 70 49 4| Campephilus principalis...... 1. aby So78 1 Cuculus AUTALUS. ose. 2 2 1,2 HD columbarius... ve . 40 381 3,4
bc nigrescens..... 1 169. 112 1 | Camptolaemus labradorius..... Lies ing MU carolinensis. : 30 9.28 1 pee POMOLG LIC. eeaeah dts face cht cce hak eae 166 110 1
s palustris <a 67 «48 5 Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus.. Reuss 144 «97 5 Cyanura cristata........ +. 55 39 3,4 ‘* fulvus...... see RO BL
Ampelis cedrorum............6 he ee | AL AiNIsshs tee ae 151 103 8 Mi frontalis....... monly ain a2 F fuscus...... 8 58 1
‘e garrulus. 103. «71 9 | Carbo dilophus..............0- aes 2 ee macrolopha.. . 156 105 3 haliaetus..... nieve 16 «#416
“cc sialis ... 22 23 Cardinalis igneus........ 154 104 22 ‘ stellerii......... SMG el 1 A isabellinus........ 166 110 3
Anas acuta. ...... 8 6 ee virginianus... Sih SRE Bil Cyanocitta californica. “TBE eh) 1 ‘¢ leucocephalus 1 1
americana.. 88 62 1| Carpodacus cassini........ TAS SOT cS ; floridana.. SE GDE Gb) a2 os arto . ne A UG WT
tS Doshasi a. Ch ina 2 ‘sé frontalis......... 148 JOL 6 ok sordida.. . 156 105 4 Nt ossifragus......... oracse 1L
“ clypeata... a Me Gia UR Tl “ haemorhous.... lsseni0a- 9 65 Cyanospiza amaena... 185 90 2 i pealei :....... seeneeeee lye) Glee” oe:
“ clangula.... en Si ae “ purpureus........ ate EE aka x CULTS et s0044 . 98 64 7 it pennsylvanicus...... CeO eats 2
ts discors...... . 8 6 Cathartes atratus......... = TGR. 1d 2 % CYANeAas...... nee. 13 12 4 * PYSATEUS.....seeseeeeee ire) sl 1
<~ faninia f. Fee A BH) bes bs te TUTE Ce Ak eee ops Te .. 168 111 3 versicolor ace iat cay, kota) 104 24 richardsonii ............. .. 166 110 2
“ fulvigula. Z . 182 119 15 Oy) californianus lbs hi 1 Cyanochorea homochroa...... eelbO! LOG: lo BACET o..cesseeeceeseeee sees Foti Gr 2
“ glacialis SAVE He Ee SEOTE oT Catherpes mexicanus.......... 132 88 5 a leucorrhoa.. . - 100 106 18 i SParverius...........-.. ~ 54 38 1,2
“ce Teucocephalua.. ale 21 21 Centrocercus urophasianus.... 22 179° 118 ve P melania.... . 160 106 14 is suckleyi. $0 nen ccncas ccccvesncnccnecenssecass LG VET 3
SOR STS GE Ee hE a 99 69 3 Centronyx Daipditenasietvssstes- elt 0S 8045 OT. Oyanoloxiacyanea.......... teeees i) aye _ washingtonil.. fra MU
© molissima ........¢ee000 ecdoe, SOPs al ochrocephalus. .. 153 104 8. | Cyanopterus discors.............eeseseeene oS 6 Felivox carolinensis..,....... ae Gb My
“ obscura...... xa a. 85 58 3] Centurus aurifrons. ane 8 . 158 105 27 Cygnus americanus... ert “elite teif) 1} Ficedula trichas......... pactes 9 7 3,4
Ros ROT SEYD Pacer ct duet sts Sky 5 sts bouseeies 9 8 1,2 5. eins anne en Setter oe tt iy OE ‘ buccinator.... vee 80 54 1) Fratecula arcticus........ WEey egret
ATOR Elie oe “476 116 10 “ CATON aeasceh sense <cadansts pugs 41 32 2,3 Cyrtop~x massena............. soon AUIS TB : cirrhata..... 116 ue 5
Anser albatus.. .177 116 16 “_uropygialis... 158 105 29 re glacialis “ ree ae if
‘© albifrons........ . 87 61 1] Ceratorhyna monocerata.. 163 108 1 oe stl 65° 108 17
“ caerulescens... .. 162 108 2 Certhia AMETICADA. se. .seeeee (Gh ee Fregatta grallaria... +. 176 116 8
« hyperboreus...... . 118 74 4 caroliniana.. 78 52 8 D Fringilla albicollis..... am 2 26 6
Br SEOSALL ricreretect tobe . 177 116 «15 « familiaris..... « 19 (BSB 7 Baloo ay eT oe 7
Anorthura alasceusis.... . 152 103 21 SEP ACH AtAcctessvctlae cess ee 5 6 Dafila Hea ns Hictecytic sae -ceotirertar, te 6 : canadensis... . 66 e :
Anthus ludovicianus. 82 56 3 “6 §=6mexicana..... 1 Asean pdt We: "9 53 5 candacuta..... 8 6 Fy candacuta.. pone LOD B
“ pratensis........00+. 178 117 10 CE" PAINS Beat ceurettcssteoedessccasessres 5 4 6,7 | Daption capnesis... 162 107 7 2 CY AMC Ave, sancereccssesns odo 13 12 4
Antrostomus carolinensis. .. PilGemezen a ¢ varia......... 7 5 6| Dendroica albilora.. 157 105 17 ra erythrophthalma .. 83 a 8
és nuttalli. se... ..178 117 11] Certhiola bahamensis.. . 95 66 3 % aestiva...... ec es. AT Al ie fasciata...... : as oe
“ Stare OZ YZ 3] Ceryle alcyOn......cscccsecsecccensennnsornnseseae 20 19 2 ml audubonii,..... -- 99 70 1 of grammaea oF ae
Aphelscoma fioridana....... 95 66 2 & cabanisi...<.... noite we er ie re 178 117 414 ne plan cuenta ere ChE Eis By 4 e hyemalis..... Siems eo 8
‘6 ultramarina... ... 159 105 32) Chaetura pelasgia.........c.cc.0:cccceeceeccenes 118 76 7 se cacruled......... vere OE) Bi 3 a2 ilinea .......... as ea ie Q
tc woodhousei. .. 137 92 1 ‘b VRURGR cocce cove comet tds sebe 157 105 18 : canadensis... 6 5 5 juncorum.,... wasebseti estan
F ie Mi GH TABUTNEAY odtticont ov celeAvs sata 134 89 7 ¢ carbonata.... ree ey Yide » 6) fe leucophrys....... Hees CS Ri YY
Aphriza virgata......... .177 116 20) Chamaea fascia out!
hit 8 F 85 59 1 | Chamaepelia passerina..... 174 114 33 Be castanea........ Sich reg 5 Bf linaria,....3.... -- . 69 48 6
Aquila pers ieuslet ery ot 1 “6 “ r 122 78 3 A cerulescens... 6 5 5 ee littoralis.......... 66 48 1
a oe a tal ane eee ‘ Oharadudha fubyuses.4<6 57 41 3 ts chrysopareia.......... 172 114 10 e ludoviciana ete e x a7
ce ie : ise ee “ helveticus ... 58 41 4 “ coronata.... 53 «38 4 = maritima... ) ; Fi
- HRlASbne. a eae vit 16 16 “ Melodus wees ceeeee ee. GRR tp 4 st discolor nee bE 3T 6 ie melodia eee Pe a Be
te aie we 16 16 ‘“ semi-palmatus.. 56 40 5 & dominica te a if 5 7 nivalis ....... ) h -
sia aS “ i ob raciae...,. 172 114 13 ho palustris..... 67 48 5
Aramides carolina. 3 4 1.2 WOCIUUGTHGasccecenatensssesteccncess 56 40 3 i; er os é iB) c Or as .
Aramus giganteus.... 429 84 ua) th wilsonius..... 92 63 10 : kirtlandii. «. 172 114 11 BS PesserUB saat: aH et =
ic Fieivripe ty ialues- 4 tana 4 3 | Chaulelasmus streperus. 181 118 15 % maculosa..... ac a 36 2 ‘2 pennsylvanicw..... se ee F
: af ; i 168 110 16| Chundestes grammaea. 68 48 4 a montana..... 100 70 5 PIO. weiteeere orsse
Archibuteo ferrugineus. ........... oo i i 4. iieresienwc "138 92 8 An punicea.... 6 5 2,3
te sancti johannis.... 2 81 4 | Chordeiles henryi..... 157 105 16 1 a 160 A : i: a 7h 48 e
Ardea americana......ceceseeeeee e texensis.. ...... 15f, At” to com WAettaha tata site ad ctuey we Ge B “ Let eraser ey sis oeOsmerd oo 16
“ candidissima. 2 Chroicocephalusatricilla....... fre ; 94 65 2 A OCCIGENLALIS js rescessecsesea ses as . 100 i 4 "s purpurea....... hig eee
ay ees eae = philadelphia... x 80 54 3 : palmarum..... acaverroce 66 7 12 a Ee ee ae :
“ ae werd 1 Chrysomitris ATIZONA......000 ea tal Sta I Ef) ee f PEDDSY]VADICA........22-seeeeee - 52 38 1,2 socialis..... . cose
yn eEtaUees: 1 JA WYLCICIi.ceccccce s cccceeccaces 131 “87 23 <c SLGIALALs cscsssaees 52 388 3 ah tristis ..... Prelit i 3 a
‘ SROs: 1 “ magellanica..... 132 88 3 G3 superciliosa Hi be BY G 5: Fulica americana.... sé = re
‘cc lentiginosa..... p ’ 1 se mexicana. 172 114 2 - tigrina,.......... ei ifs Ve 9 “ agra maeetis ee eres is it
* Jeucophrymna... Std eh 3 “ec pinus.... 69 49 2 a townsendii..... meee eh ie 2 wi Sout isp Sheer tie i
4) Shale aed 1 ee psaltria ... 130 87 1 WITCUBS deppacsapess: ee aE ret 2 Fuligula aff is, sn A fee if
«© minor 1 «és tristis...... 68 48 7 Dendrocygna antumnalis .. tins i ve a aie) a.. ee ‘
“« rnfa oo ty Te 15 | Cinclus mexicanus.... 139 93 6 fulvas ois c..s55 «se 18L 118 6 * oe pu _— aber ae we
fi ABABA Sos 1 | Circus hudsonicus...... 145 98 2 | Dendronessa SpOMSa......s+..--esseesreesseeee 9 ae 1,92 is angula.... eee
H DEL URER 1 | Cistethorus palustris .. mi 4 6,7 Diomedea brachyura......... cone a ae 1 RTs reg faa
Cee cet raat titted 3 &s stellaris. .....c0..---.+ RSS Gh Tee ie fuliginosa ......... Tae ata 4 ‘ dis Vie(eeee. A el ea ae
ili cS 1 | Cladoscopus varius... 10 9 3,4 6 NIGVIPCS....++000- 6 1 istrionica ae
Ardetta exilis......- 0. i 86 4 | Dolichonyx oryzivorus... 47 34 4,5 ae MATL Aeeeveverys ee 0oN 269! 3
Astur, atricapillus Clangula albicola.... 60 yx ory 1 18 2 i 7p 95 «66 7
ae ee fa 1 “ glacialis.... me PAL Bath Dryocopus pileatus. .. cee ley 1 Me ao BY eS ae
s peta eg cc FiTGIUIN Se ccpsdese see nareeenceterert agen, 2 Dryopicus uh bd fon IG alts 1 a EOD Qraee peteete ;
hasan plagiata : vi J 17 | Coccoborus ludoyicianus...... boise 6 5 2,3 | Dryothomus Heeoctin iti ok ij) TEs 1 ae naan isneria... Ae he ace
Asyndesmus torquatus..... 2 | Coccothraustes ludoviciana........... 6 5 2,3 aire Me testes és metal
Atthis heloisa.........0.. reese 6 c ner eieollis. Aba lie 2A 3 By by a8 Fulmarus glacialis.... 116 75 6
“ALA par A De ot | “or ythrophitaliie.csssoncenen 175 115 8 E Fulmarius pacificus... acne TOT” ct
Auriparus faviceps. sereerseesreeesseseeees 4 « beh pa Pi 175 115 7 se rodgeri........ eiyeccaesadesspecbes . 161 107 2
DSHS OS OUDEE Rares trenetieeresnetionass Fee WE! F Colaptes auratus...... 2 2 1) Ectopistes nlernipriie, ee + tenuirostris.... . 161 107 3
ae OW ear 2 2 2 | Hgretta virescens...... 1
Gi chrysoides. .. 164 109 11] Emberiza americana.... 2
‘© _mexicanus....... eb svas 6s; oe canadensis. 2
Collurio excubitoroides. By ct a 66 CHT IS--ss sete q G
of ludovicianus.... cyanea... f
Bernicla brenta.......... 83 1 | Columba carolinensis. 74 50 6 40 glacialis...... ; BaleGee ar ree Cerounsp att We otey adesgaceedtweves g i ; 3
Bombycilla carolensis. 56 4 it: fasciata.... ee ae 4 ee eee a and acer see teees . ty os ’
PU earcactasteeeee 96 56 ¢ fer. ‘ rot a
Hote mnateN Rago os Horin vie pee te leucocephalat.csses. He EN A iba Eri) eee “ —_ leucophrys... 7 Poh : Balen: a oo 2
ae umbelloides...... ww. 174 114 26 fe INV ERALOULAs scsisdecssecccisarecepsial (Oe | 2O bd montana...... P ee ey ea Ges il i
Botaurus lentiginoOsus «+... 43 3B Colymbus ATCLICUS..,5ee00e0 .. 160 106 10 ¥ mustelina.... 3 amb: be Ha te Deatetaars Pea pae
Brachyotus palustris......... ....- de ee ed ACAMNSII 0. xccoes eevee «. 160 106 9 Nivalis......ss000-+ é Nriteherrer! ae es
4 ee 14 14 1 ss ASSETIDA. ...ee. eee 3 | Garrulus canadensis... ..........
Brachyramphus kittlitzii... -- 162 108 9 atrigulairs..... : Pp 1 a ariatibud fa “Sp chy
marmoralus... 1389 93 7 oe glacialis.... 14> 4 of f SAVANDA..c000 seers e, Lepr the Gaeme ies
Branta canadensis ....ccsssseeseesate-ee 180 118 11 ie immer... aw. 14 14 1 4 socialis He betes Jc calif ania ited 178 118 2
£65 HYICCHENSTIaverseccre=ts 180 118 14 ah pacificus....... eieces path Oe 176 116 9] Elanus leucuras .......... 6 pean aes cal fonnieiatss eae
RS TeticopaBria. .sssssesnsse0 12 43 ‘septentrionalis.... = 28) 183 4 | Embernagra sufivirgata F 14 Geoth! ypis p as elphia Paes Lees,
$6 JeTICOPBiB.+eseesseseseecees 13 re GOT QUMAUUS pesegectentepesccubsrecensse 14 #74 1 Empidonax acadicus........ 20 2 ric Aaa sia cna ae
ae igri 8 | Contopus borealis.... me TG) “6-8 flaviventris..... 19 MacgilliVrayi..es--ceree-ss nn
nigricans -. P & 8 | Geotrygon martinica......... « 174 114 30
Habonrchicns DShal a0} 5 66 ce ws 72 650 1 hammondii....... YE! 142 95 3
fs ludovicianus 5 5 i sf pertinax.. 15t 104 18 <S minimus........ - 10 Glaucidium Ee a tog = rege RS
Co Sentara dere oreerote L713) 8 “ TICHATASODicessecrssrveceseerseeeee LOL 104 17 at ODECUTUSs.ssecsonseseessesessseess 147 100 9 errugl redensesesagenssanss

Pacs. Prats. Fr.

Glottis CHIOTOPUS..ssserssreesestssseevsereveaeee LTO 112
Goniaphea ludoviciana.......cccccee - 6 5
we melanocephala.,... . 4
Gorvus cryptoleucus..........e..
Gracula Darita... ene 0
« = feriginus....... see 18 «02

> QUISCOLA ss eee sense eereeerrerse
Graculus DIOTIGSUATUS weeeicscrescdessers aaseee LSL 119

Carbo .......0. seat LUO
ss > eEN aun ace cae's nea | slsie Lex

“ GINCINDATUS: <.secnescscscstesescorss 102 119) ,
ss dilophus............ setccr,s 1a> = 13
ae HGVIGUTUUE pec scaceatevesdsveaseceusst 182 119
2 a sibinttislentoresteemesn deo. 9
se mexicanus. oe 181 119
+ penicillatus .. 146 «99
oh perspicillatus .... 181 119
« violaceus......... 146 «499
Grus americana......... sa ge tee i
“ canadensis .. « 129 .85
6t “elamator ....... eae 3
* hoyanus.... 3 3
SSS CRUTULEHIObs.scscesenrs kage Ke 3
Guiraca caerulea..... tse «LBS 88
ss ludoviciana . weststesate avery at! 5

Haematopus THQOTs sseticsasdongaaasecctcnscese 140° 93
ostralegus. 42
hy palliatus ....

at washingtonii.....
Halocyptena MicrosOMa.......cceccererersses
Harold SlQCialiss s.ccvcssascesssescsessssrtusee 2L Dil’
Harporhyncbus bendirei..
Cimerens,........

ee curvirostris Perera 152, 108
rs CYISSALIS. «2.000000 149 103
Oe fecontel ............

oe longirostris....

sé TUT Veveevestes
Hedymeles ludovicianus.......
Helinaia vermivora. ............
Helen ae xantusi. weer

celata,.........-

Ch chrysoptera.. 63 47

pe peregrina......... 65 47

Gi pinus ........ 65 47

a luciae... eee LTZ 114

sh DUWEESCHIS ss.csccdcssccccsasmloue LOD

vy ruficapilla. ..... Mere bior lb

AE virginiae .... sy lof 86992
Helmitherus swainsonii....... - 100 0
a VOLTMIVOLUS, veeeseesscorceseees 64 47
Hemipalama LAUDL westencsecasvctasscesenec eee 12 121
Minor........ 5 RA mb
Hesperiphona vespertina... monet 138 688
Heteroscelus inCanus,......ccssseveseseecseee - 149 102
Heteropoda MAUL .cccccccecccanssceesescezcoss 12 11
a seinipalmata.. oe we etoe all:
Herodias virescens,.........c0 art ks: 7
Himantopus nigricollis..,. Seely, 97!
Histrionicus torquatus... coe eke daly
Hirundo bicolor... St Sa
PUL Vas swsess é - 90 63

< horreorum.. we 104 972

= lunifrons.... eae HIN G8}

Fe TIPALiA....04 eackios docpors Sear oO wee OS:

wy serripennis.. a ied OMLOG

oe VAT y ay eee shaders er speacens ait SB
Hydrocecropia hirundo.,... cee 1 AL
Hydrochelidon fissipes..........cccssceree 9 8
we leucoptera ........-.s....... 169 112

A DITA. ....... vary 8

ss plumbea .... cot 8

ss surinamensis. Coeeg 8
Hydrochichla mustelma....... ce dA) 9
Hylatomus pileatus......... Se Aly aly
Hyphantes baltimore .. see eke he
si solitari ore ee, toe ale
Hypotriorchus calu T1USacseune 40 31

Tbis alba.....ccsen vsvvneseenessseasoatrecse LO4 80

Tongicauda.......... natebies
parisorum. arg wisavesaverst?

65 BPUTIUB. fsesesces-a0s :
Ictinia mississippiensis.. Ro eteatcersre an sstte

Junco BUKCTI. sss essere ceeeee SPOT AGS scocne 154 104

re leucurus...... 164 109

aS MUPSSLUIG see sesesaseccosbersesstedesasy 164 109
LAMPOLTNi8 MANZO .....ccccrenseessessecseseeee 13L 88
Lampronessa sponsa.... ) 8
Lanivireo flavifrons... ™ 49
harus argentatus... BO 54
atricilla.. w+... 94 65

56 POMAPATHEL, ..-.screeceers 80 54

SED DEGVITOSEDIAS J osectssettereen es
SS Scalifornicngs ss5.c:sa->

«< delawarensis...

“¢ eburneus ...
«¢ franklini .....
“* 6 glaucesceus..
“¢ glancus........
« heermani a
SE MR OUAPDUNOl ye \steisstvectresisetserssreassa ll. abLG

be
oo

CHOMAeNPNArDph Rob

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POTION POON ONMPNONNoOoL

INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES.

Pacs. Puats, Fia,

Tarus TEUCOPTOTOS erserssssoressecrtersceveeseer 176 116
11374
et Oecidentalis. .ss25.t.cces.s 1s 74
« philadelphia....... diya COO, 64

Pte WONGA ev aphestestecnedsebts 86 60.
“¢ tridactylus ..... 94 66
Leucosticte arctoa......... 154 104
eS australis. .....0. 185 90

Ne grisseinucha,.. tis lobe “90
Limosa fedoa,. ......,.2+0- Rcattevat a ele ce
Shite |: (oy ete ey ee iy SHOsEOS

— uropygialis......... eheus luo 1
Linaria pinus ........ccsceeee 69 49
Linota brewsteri.............. 153 (104
Lobipes hyperboreus.... WW 38
LOMOVIA ALTA.....cccssseceeee 162 108
Lophodytes cucullatus.... 84 57
Lophophanes SL Ts AE ae BOUe E28.
inornatus... .. 148 10%

ss wollweberi,.. sawlose ee
Lophortyx californicus...... ‘ sae stk sty
we gambeli. . 164 109
Loxia americana.. 53 88
Curvirostra ........ torte litte a3he)

SE OENUCIEATOT.....sccoasceaserse wate Hebatis LOTN Boo
** ludoviciana... w 6 5
‘¢ leucoptera..... ae és Ris
SEM VILI OLEH ee en wscacetees ceereutestetuntats . 138 92
obscura... cates. 70 5
Sh PLOROM ewetesreemccesayensesreeteuerneiserest, OS a)

ee goalopacdis Yeeers 91 63

Mareca americana....sccessseses cere ve 88 62
Sh penelopes.co.c.cacaens 182 119
Melanerpes augustifr ons. 178 117
Se erythrocephalus... Se 2

cs formicivorus........ . 155 90

Melopeteria leucoptera. ..... 163 109
Melospiza fallax .....ccceseccesesesesseess 148 101
SS 144 97

<S gouldii.. 153 104

ee guttata......... ro 151 103

ff heermani. 153 104

we melodia ...... 4 £

BS pulustris. 67 48

J ast rufina ...... 141 (94
Melothrus obscurus... w. 172 114
ue pecoris...... a core wife RP
Meleagris americana........... 174 115
ou PATLOPAVO....cceverseee ~ 174 115
Merganser cucullatus........ . St 57
Mergellus albellus....... 114 74
Et QIN srseosagceewse 168 108
Mergus americanus.... aehdeeaiee Bete) BAD
ss C&BLOT: scccees.-s tee 2 “UD:

¢ _ cucullatus... et 57

ie merganser..... 24 25

Bol ESOXTACOL.....0cs3+ 95 66
Merula mustelina.............. 10 9
Micropalama himantopus.. 128 84
Microptera americana.............. aap eeccesse LU 9

Micrathene whitneyi........sccccceseee
Milvulus forticatus.... bate:
ef tyrannus........
Mimus carolinensus.....
MLE LUVOKX nen Gores deraceanss
st polyglottus ...
Mitrephorus pallescens.

Mniotilta borealis..... eu scunstresere if 5
fe CANACEDBIS........sccccseeeee 6 5

a longirostris........ xs 7 5

4S superciliosa.......... 1 5

Be Wail Aiveuessersnneden 7 5
Motacilla canadensis..... 6 5
$s ceurulescens.. 6 5

ae dominica...... ve 5

ae flavicaude ... PY 6 5

ue A AVICOMTH ea creegerteicerees ol 5

ne INULPAGResscsscssiacriacisecieaeese MLS) LZ

tae Sill aeweeestcorars seeds vere on) ORE 25

66 SPOLCIIIONA wer paricataeecttaecrerce 7 5

¥ pensilis.... A: 7 5
Momotus caeruleiceps. arkcsasssi tin 143 «(97
Muscicapa Caerula....c.....0. 50887
canadensis. seaee 64 47

ee CARL LELIe Cote ss cetenvesteasays . TL 49

oe CUIMIGR. cesteee == 41 32

ee cucullata... 13 «12

ee felivox. 8 7

ct fusca. 74 50

A Oil VAeantecyseaces eas 72 49

oa ANOUMNALAsscssetatecoassscscsssteatse ke) DO

ce MNELOMIa cesses reastuessesne 72 49

Wy minima..... 72 49

5S olivacea..... 71 49

< rapax..... 73 50

es ruticilla.. 6 5

of BelD¥isesssseaca 13 12

43 BOlitaria. ...scsseesees teat (Ol gt)

ne sylvicola. ... 70 49

Uh ETAL Thies, scsoensvers ax 74 50

Sh ety RANG csssdassacns 388 31

ae VILGUN erasteseets estcneteee tt tit stents 73 60
Myiadestes townsendiil.... . 173 114
Myiarchus cinerascens ............ . 158 105
uy CTINIG Sea scccnsscesseosed » 4L 32

v8 FAWTONGOLS pessenachetstatssegecescs mLOoH | LOE
Myiodioctes canadeusis. . menaeet 64 47
formosus...... 93 64

fe pileolatus.. 157 105

cs pusillus..... 63 47

St Mitratus,.. 13 12

Neocory’s spragneil..
Nephoecetes borealis...

Nettion carolinensis....... : 88 62
Niphaea hyemalis..............: . 63 38
Nisus fuscus............000 85 68
Numenius borealis... 6L 45
ee femoralis 169 112
ss hudsonicus.. ae 61 45

cS lougirostris .........++

Nyctale richardsonii......-scccccssceccceveone 171 1138
Nyctea Candida. ...ssesessesesesesrccsesenseeees iL) wall

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Paar. PLars. Fra,

Oceanited OCCANICH ss sescrssceveccssetseeseeses 162 107
Oceanodroma furcata... +» 160 106

hornbyi... 10 106
Oedemia perspicilata....
Oeniscus virescens...
Oidemia americana..

Onychotes gruberi...

Oporornis agilis........ 2
£6 formosus ,....,.. Disenereste euaee D4
Oreoscoptes montunus..... idwedtce Lio) Lb
Oriolus baltimore ..... Baek Mee 12
‘¢ castaneus ... ft Alba we
Se -MUWGAGOE feereser> gl eb
.e BPUPLUS + ecco tessease 13 12
Orpheus carolinensis, .+.+.-... 8 7
=f TSIEVOX:. ee civiasdety Syreatesseedeo aw de 7
Ortalida vetula.. sade spgvedeleveorewescacucs ul [ae LI
Ortygometra GALOLaMeas TULA aA cen 3 4
Mivinieritend tet tema meri per iebb-ce e-reece 164 109
SEP CORADTIS sac el set avaeen Uipete nye aaees Thea 005)
he Sobarahobe ELS Cotas ype hen atoesaieal 27
Otus CO ge eS ae 5
86 WIISONTANTIS...004..ess0cdeeseves 118

Pagonetta Zlacialissnc.ssccsrseccerscrsseee 21 21

Pandion haliaetus... Stax Fl ED
Panyptilla saxatilis... vesescsessn 144 QT
Parnla americana., Gab hesctee . 48 36
Parus atricapillus... 20 ve fdesvese. 154 OZ

DICOLO Rt Lee eaasdue ecarce pee enaetayes Beers COU) =A,
ce carolinensis... Aa hoot B
ee eHUGSONICH cect erenssesee

** montanus..... H ». 134 89

PRMPIOCOMIOILUM EN pectncuc ctesece ened oe Lb2 13

se rufescens............ rotor IEE yal

* septentrionalis...... 176 «115

Passerella iliaea............+ ween Oly

Ms schistacea....... ww. 154 104

Gf townsendii... ~ 141 O94
Passer culus anthinus.

sees eae

3 princeps..
=s rostratus . e. 153 104
3! sandwichensis. ort - 154 104
5 BAVANNG ..cccscesscessss 69 49
PaSSeTiNA CYANECA. ...cccscecsecserene 13 «12
Pediovetes phasianellus..... 143° «96
we columbianus... ~ 174 114
Pelecanus aquilus ........... 5943
Ay americanus... 75 51
+ CALDOtsvcrastaces 13 13
se dilophus....... Peeeanencart é We 3
oe FUSCUS......04+ 5 we 129 84
Pelidna americana......... ae GL
‘¢ pbrissoni.. re al
Peucaea arizonae., . 157 105
13 TUPICODS..scccccenessy - 147 100
ce CArDalissresersrecnert es - 157 105
=F cassini...... beats - 157 105
Pendulinus spurius............ 18 12
Perdix virginianus....... 28 27
Perisoreus canadensis.. suey ave
ef capitalis ..... 3% 177 (117
or ObDSCUrUBS.......... - 178 118
Petrochelidon lunifrons...... 90 63
Phaenopepla nitens 4: 131 88
Phaeton aethereus...... 83 «BT
i flavirOstris .........+ 83 57
Phalacrocorax americanus.... are LR ile!
& carbo....... ee Wey sls
Gs dilopbus...... eee LAE TS
Phalaris psittacula............ -. 163 108
Phalaropus fulicarius... ne Boi Ol:
et WI SOD caves stavasevesscatsa we Sl 54
Phasianurus acutus.... 8 6
Philacte canagica....,.. . 162 108
Philohela, Minor..........005 pe 140) 9
Philomachus pugnax.......... 161 106
Phoenicopterus roseus ....,..... cs Halp AGES
PHOENICOSOMA TUDTA.....0ceecereeseevereceense 11 9
Phonipara ZENA, ..s..e.sssoeee peeeeseee - 171 114
Phyllopneuste borealis..... «. 172 114
PiGar Cau itAics asccsesscecasscss A ty GR
SPR OTiTLG Al tas aets ones Sandckent ce MUL yes}
Picicorous columbianus. i «. 165 109
Picoides americanus....... ay Mdey dats!
ob AL OUCUSLs ascresereserssecapteersencense em Can NOG:

ca Gorsalis..........ss0006
4G hirsutus.....
Picus albolarvatus...
SCPE SUC UICIISH Accasape
ec auratus ....
* borealis ....
canadensis.
BOO CATON Re saerecunnenceacestes
s¢ erythrocephalus,
SO “PRITUNOetsseseccsives
Bt Narrisilasssesn
ec hirsutus......
ss Jucasanus..
s* medianus..
66 NU tal. <y svconuss
ES ODSCULUS canpcusedcensen
£S “HIM IPRTis) ssccensereas
<6 pileatus.. .....
sc principalis...
s+ pubescens,....
se querulus......
“ 6gcalaris........
** septentrional
SC VAUD Nios censinernmacsts:
sc -villosus...
Pipilo alberti......
albigula...
ss alleni Riavess
* arcticus.
© chlorurus.
$6 GTISSHIIS., sesuee. 22025
*¢ erythrophtalmus.
€6 PUSCUS i vansads) uawespenesescacdnses
« ~6megalonyx....
*¢ OTeZONUS......-
Pinicola canadensis.
G3 enucleator
Platalca ajaga.........
Platypus glacialis...........
Plectr ophanes lapponicus. aoe
maccownii......

of 15h ski)

ss .. 140 94

4 F 140 «(94
Plotus anhinga.....ccsceceeee 92 64
Podiceps auritus........ .. 160 106
xs OTA GKT ses pacacneneat en ‘ ... 160 ,106

as cornutus... te ekode 106

bbe Chile Wei ettror.torte eee .. 159 106

st GOMINICUS, sesevevsseesevsserereeyees LOD 106

a
ae ont
Cwtn oom

AS
WTb pb

Te) en ee
BOODARBHKwWRoOwWoODRH AT

_
OO CO fe ro oD

ht et

BH PR BDEPH EHH WHOwW wWNhWHoNNHeDH

=
a

Ww
We Whe eYhD POM Oe oH

“

bo oop
He i oo bo or

oo
pened s+;

Dew Owe eH he Ob ob bo

OrNounmoatwpeyT fr

Paces. Prats. Fia-

Podiceps ZriseigenArrrcsssss vorsreesseeeree LOO 106
ee occidentalis . Sviedess LOO, GLH
Podilymbus podiceps........ A Aspeccderees - 160 106
Polioptila caerula...,..... Wrsaees
Ss melanura......
a plumbea.......6+
Polyborus auduboni........
Poospiza belli......
gh bilineata...
Wt nevadensis...
Porphyrio martinica..

Porzana carolina........-. 3 4
fl coturniculus, -. 169 112

‘¢ jamaicensis........ renee atta!

Un noveburucensis 137 91
Pooecetes confinis....... 154 104
ae gramineus... 84 48
Procellaria gigantea... 115 (75
PROGTIO PUPIL CA. .6.45.ceoscciecsse secsvess-e5e0 119 =%6
Prothonotaria citraea... Seenccinee Loa el
Psaltriparus Mimious, ..... Lee eesscsee seers 102 «71
i ef areo 135 90

ee plumbeus.. 137 = 92
Psarcolinus baltimore....,... 12 12
Psarcoleus custaneus......... Is 12
Psilorhinus morio.. é 1i7 i117
Pterocyanea discors . Seay shears Ave ati 6
Ptychorhamplins aleuticus.. 139 93
Purtine AMAULOBOMB....cece-evennseeeees 161 107

anglorum..... sghabésays .- 161 107
‘* creatopus.. “2

$e SOT aera ee “tf Petgieisee hol AON,

CPR MIGIATIIETIR es scsoses foee ceeetntearetatene 161 107

‘¢ obscurus..... 161 107

** opisthomelas... toe utely 107

s¢ tenuirostris..... . 161 107

Pyranga aestiva...... 109) oz

“ cooperi......+. 172 114

Cy erythromela Arg ah 9

o hepatica........ «. 144 97

ne Iudoviciana .. 133 88

HF TUDE Ws ece sess seop SLL 9

Pyrrhula cassini... .. 172 114
ae enucleator.. 54 38 9,10
Pyrrhuloxia sinuata... .. 154 104 23

Pyrgita domestica.....esseeeeeseeeeesseereee 97 67

Pyrocephalus MEXiCADUS. .eerereseeeeeeeey 133 88

Querquedula WCU Padsesycepstsevussntrsaccuastsen Uke 6
caudacuta.. Were ax Ox ECG 8 6

Ub carolinensis ........... 6888 2

Fe CYOCOR: csecpecnee ... 181 119

a cyanoptera..,......s. ow. 92 64

aa GiSCOTS ........5 8 6
Quiscalus aglaeus.. 172 114
brewer ...... 92 64

a ferrugenius.... 78 52

a macrourus.... 165 109

cS TPO) ara pater et ie 02

es purpureus.. ns 77 652

ss VGESICOlOD patesetedetsctsas-teversaat alia LO

Rallus AQUALICUSstsercessscecenncatcssiseresecse 4 4

carolinus...... 3 4.

KE (GT OPER Sectecesyssscaucsescesuctcess saat to" ne

SSN VGOMATIS rs ccajuserasaveessssasetisciegecscave mn AC

6 Gi ge Pyrat Toh eo)

«¢ limicola... we = & 4

6 Obsoletus..........sseeeeeees ve 179, 118

BS) WARE INIA M Usscaecaserceenses se 4
Recurvirostra americana.... 87 61
Regulas calendula........... C4 47
+s Chistapnseseseice=s meade Ay

ge TAYSTACECIIA fences sseshopdecdsciws ice 9 7

ot Batrapa..........- 64 47
Rhimanphus canadensis 6 5
ce pensilis....... 7 5

Rhodostethia rosea. ....cccececeeeeeeeeeeeree 86 60
Rhychaspis clypeata.....cccecsecsreerveers TO 52
RA YNGHOPS NISTAS .. cosssedsdescassecscesscpesat

Rissa tridactyla........0--.see00-- a
Rostrhamus sociabilis

ss)

Salpinctus ObsOLetusisssssersesseccrseessseeeee LOZ TL

Saxicola Comanthe.......ccccrccesscssceesererre LOD 93

Sayornis fuscus..... «= 14 ~50
5S nigricans «. 141 94
re a penne ellos G16
ce SAYUS.+.++-+-5 Cars -. 141 94

Scardafella INC8......sc0cceseeecesessecencneses . 174 114

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus............. 92 64

ferrugineus.......... 78 52

Scolopax HAVIDESs carter cassebnanys 11

CMOS... 000 63

<5 melanoleuca. 14

a IMINO estevecmactasss 9

5S noveboracensis.. 63

i3 rusticola............ 112

Ls semipalmatus. .............005 wees 46

Lis vociferus............ wisanctisbscatwaree LON Le
= wilsoni.
Scops asio..........
‘¢ flammeola.

KS HOTIDANA..-+<.0+s0e=

SS SKOT MICO LU se sxnesketsecsctuestseesansse
SE AINACGA) locus tse cesses
Sciurus aurocapillus....
*¢ Judovicianus
«© noveboracensis
Selasphorus anna.......

cs GOS LAE ces epecns Pacviusereeetecsses | HL4SOR CSE

UG Platycercus 2... ....cccs.cceesse 147 100

iC MAPPAP HS bore or cee .» 133 88
Setophaga mytrata. .............00 13 12
os PlGlascsteasteessssres sat . 184 89

i ruticilla.. Saurtecatapasxessre 6 5
Sialia sialis.. eepaettauret wae 22 O23
a wilsoni. An 22 23
Sali ACtiOMsescveretstonserdacesas seanete 103.71

Simorhynchus camtschaticus. ...,....... 163 108

Ba NT ae aanee 163 108
G3 ee bse 162 107
Sitta acnleata....s..ee-es 151 103

canadensis... eas

‘* carolinensis... cory Te
SE CULOPGR...-casenconees 2
*« melanocephala. 2

SPSS URU etait. w. vereenanncde ures fenecestacesy

a
BOACORWA RIG

_
HH
-1

a
To bo Ce 60 o> bo 00 CO 00 Co be Go Hb

—
no bo

=
Cr Ot > 02 > CO -T

oo
DAH Owe Tom ono

J
HH Ot 7 On 02 He OT H® Go GO SD Orc bo Co bb bo Or

INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES.

Pacz. Pratr, Fic. Pace. Pirate. Fic, Pace. Prats. Fic.
PICEA YAM GAs ceceseesstivevedes-cbacecntweerse LOW 10S Os SULMIA-NUASON Aatesatessasavarbelecrsereseavery (Laas 1 Tetrao CANACONSISs scsosescscseestasstsuecernee 142) 9 a9G 1
ROS AVAL reste celexa SCC OO mo Sylvia aestiva.. Fey (ee Hr( abl CUPIGO nave tive sss ce ell tats
Somateria fischeri........ 162 108 3 ALUMS. oevees ees aie 82 56 5 me franklini.. ... » 174 114 29
oS mollissima.. 938 65 1 “ autumnalis.... Amacos Gah Sie 5 ‘¢ fuliginosus.... . 179) ats 5
ws nigra..... 182 119 14 «¢ -plackburnia .. sone 48 86 3,4 “© obscurus...... 175 115 3
sf spactabili 162 108 6 st ‘castallea:... 2... 51 37 5 « richardsoni.......... ssi ables 6
ce stellerii........ Zi 181 118 18 se caerulea ... 50 «387 1/ Thaumatias linnaei......... 156 105 5
Spatula clypeata.......sserccccese oo 75 62 1 WY OF Ba 50 337 3 | Thallasseus regius........... 87 61 3
Sphyrapicus nuchalis.. 158 105 81 ‘¢ chrysoptera. .... 638 47 3 Thryothorus berlandieri .. 172 114 8
MUON cedecnses .. 184 . 89 Dil St COLOM MUR tecencraecdenen 53 38 4 bew* -kii. 102 «71 6
ub thyroideus ... - 134 89 1 «6 6canadensis a6 5 5 as lev cogaster agers 152 103 18
a ts : 158 105 30 Sti) TdIscOlOr.rsccess e OL 37, 6 66 ludovicianus...... 78 52 8
Gy varius... eG) 9 3,4 St STORMOSEs epescers 92 «64 5 Us Spilurus.......... peeve ONemLOS: 7
Speotyto hypogaea.......... secseee 142 95 se marilandica... 9 7 3,4 Totanus flaVipes.............. roxy Ny ABE il
Spermophila peau Si f 144 97 4 “¢ maritima....... 65 47 9 maculanus. «.....-. wee O40 De A
Spiza cyanea...... Rtceanuewencuct 13 12 4 se maculosa.... 48 36 2 oe melanoleuca...... elo, eels 2
Spizella ABLIZONA.. ....00seee 149 101° 10 Bee) PEQUNUGA. sccse5s 51 37 6 BH semipalmatus........ va 62, 46 2
atrigularis.... 148 102 7 Se ANVOLATA. cL ..cesteees A on 13° 12 5 END vociferus... 15 14 2
se breweri....... 155 104 25 6 palmarum......... . 66 47 22 Gi solltarius.... 161 106 17
02 monticola. 66 48 «philadelphia, .. - OL 37 4] Trachelonetta acuta... cs 8 6
Be pusilla... 70 49 30 so peregrina. ........ 4 65 47 10) Trichas philadelphia... ..........seseceers Ola 4
6 ROCIMMScccu.ct eeeesere 68 48 6 SSrer I tiSeeesseceecess 64 47 5 Tringa americana...... cre Ware Huh 2
Squatarola helvetica.......... 58 41 4 SePLOS COO sceucace'snect 9 7 3,4 arenaria...... wee) 008 40 2
Starnoenas cyanocephala.... 174 114 32 sé solitaria.... ere OO. 47, 8 SS Mel L Obl ete ote cutee ... 181 119 1
Stelgidopteryx serripennis...... 90 63 4 WO GH beac F 22 23 ts bonapartii. : -. 63 46 3
Stellula calliope............sscsceees . 148 101 8 Ce etriatarcssc 52 38 3 sc canutus . 67 «41 1
Sterna aleutica...... Nicssenetes 162 107 9} % = townsendii . ‘ir OD YK) 2) se s crassirostris. 1 112 20
é& anaestheta... We) abbey 32 [ SamEUTIC IAN ees 9 7 3,4 ss = interpress .... 60 45 1
ee) Pamiglica s.2s.:.. metaesae 86 60 2 st troglodytes.. : mon 10) aie 8 s¢ macularia ... 84 57 4
cc = aranea ..... nae Peexsveceeevesctes 86 60 2 G6" “WAT Oi cesccscrerscserese : Uf 5 6 a maritima..... 91 63 9
6 cantiaca... : 93 64 6 “¢ -vermivora. A ww. 64 47 4 « minutilla .... 89 62 8
EC FCayananiec.s.c0 87 61 3 CUS ARNG Nei eeeseretys Aus (al) iv¢ 2 as rufescens........ an EB GR 7
se dougaili..... 89 62 6 Sylvicola americana.. 48 36 1 ee semipalmata.......... Sq re Gl 2
se fissipes..... «+ ait) 8 4 caerulea..... - 50 37 3 ce subarquata ... a ile 25M 5)
Ce Sins Oy) fo) 2 se canadensis... 6 5 5 | Tringoides macularius 84 57 4
« fuliginosa.... 123 79 3 ee castanea.... 5 we Bey 5 | Tinunculus sparverius....... 54 39 1,2
«¢ galericulata .. at May 1A IG) i} hs coronata.. ww. 53 38 4.| Trochilus alexandri..............000 . 1382 88 4
CCPH AVOl le veesisbivssecsebecssscsssseccabeccet 99 169 2 33 GISCOlOLerecsecsrtreresiese co tol ae 6 se COMMbTISyestereesexecssets 108 72 6
SPMMMNILNUUTGO wteesecusccusetaberecacsecareccarss melon meld) 3 543 icterocephala........ 62 38 152 le hyemalis.......... ree 50 36 8
SEE MOUUUPOMMIS ssesdecateecs secs pesdseeces LOG) SLL 3 oA MaAculOsa. ..ceeee tee 48 36 2.| Trogon mexicanus...........00.: . 143 97 il
$6" SMACLOULA «..00s Ba) coe 177 «+116 ~=«=l st mytrata......... Rize ae lo! WZ 5 | Troglodytes aedon.... 78 652 9
SUPE Tas. cnece=ten nS 9 8 4 a PANNOSA........00- &@ 5 5 OG le Rebs 83 56 a
«c paradisea.. : maty SH) ME ss parus.... 48 36 3,4 cS fudovicianus.. o its 4 &
sc plumbea i 9 8 3 ee petechia .. us 66 -47 12] Tryngites rufescens............ cy AH) Ee
eee read a reese wdopiete ths am, sofa 33 as Stulat deieescasueess 52 38 3 Turdus Beles eae Ta fOmeLLS 5
s¢ superciliaris .. : see OSL abt 5 S. townsendii......... 99 70 2 LO Lecetessessctercetstecseuesscatesenats 13 12 33
ss surinamensis.... Oe BEBE S se VERIO ceceretona : no OG CON Hatin ponilerccussersseesecoserccscserers 173 114 20
se trudeaui...... cust 123 79 2 be virens...... 50 387 2 se aurocapillus...... cen Il Se 15
Steganopus wilsoni... 81 54 4 | Sylvania ruticilla ..... Wena veils: 5 5 4 So CODSMIS renec sees 1738 114 = 21
Stercorarius buffoni.... 177 116 18|Symphemia semipalmata.. 62 46 2 se fuscescens.. 1738 114 22
catarractes... 130 86 2 Synthlibor amphus antiquus sas noccone JBI KOSS Shi Soe jicularinzces.s: a Sy aly
ee parasiticus....... 162 108 4 warmizusume........ 162 108 10 CAINS TUL O DUI Seaecessereseremect tensa taes SiaOu 4
a pomatorhinus.. eG Mela ltOVEMNINCINGROUMsctecececsstacscesscseeeseesssbUe ells 4 sé mustelinus... 10 Gy 3h
Strepsilas Interpres.......cseeee 60 45 1 (% nebulosum.. Soci Pal BPP} SOUS aT Userercneces wn “yay ata
melanocephalus. 345 89 62 9 St occidentale... Puluedsesseeseseesesvel le MLS " se mavius.... Wont 7)
Strix americana.............. meseeee 142 «95 2 6¢ pellasi.... 48 36 5
s¢ nebulosum.... 2b 422 ‘¢ swainsoni... 1738 114 24
6 NOVIA....00 oe HL aK 1 T ‘¢ ustulatus. ... .173 W4 23
S¢ VITEIANUBs <<< sc0s5 in eb 5 1 Tyranus carolinensis. . 38 31 1,2
Sturnella ludoviciana. . 238 24 Tachycineta PicOlor..... sscsscccsccssesecee G1 63 8 GOUGH eerecieerens = lla}s} Iss PAL
cd MAGNA... oe aereree ON ad oy thalassina.......... rece Oe 6 9 i dominicensis ... 117 .76 4
ae neglecta... 155 104 380] Tachypetes Sn ea 59 43 oe PUSCAB ace veecesceerstea cnet sez esses core 74 50 5
Sturnus Bu pyacianns 23 24 Tanagra CYanea.. ...c.cccceees tes ssee pple 4 be PU CTOMUUUS tes. s-cecerccennecstesesetens 38, oly 2
Sula bassana. .......ccssceses 98 69 1 GS rubra pee Jit 9 5 se Up MGleetes sts fee BOSt Peoilessl 2
Roum Olucraccssteseescescaresterseccrertseeineese mC lL ECON WRATItAIUSIOCIIALONscertessersscrsecossereeseesel (OO) a4 oe ira llitenasccstscerecctsscratedcarecenttsne( tam OU, 4

US vociferans..

Pacx. Phare, Fic.
Tyranus verticalis.., cos bile)

Wihttlainebulosascs-cncnavests seoeeesee seers 21
‘* virginianus Abe, 13)
Uria Carbo.. ceossess mjasdeneeteevers tiesi ee 162
‘* columba... 162
Sts sony WO cuesesessetarses 128

Vireo aaa Erk Reilevscetaesitse, sO
barbatulus 151

se pbelli.. 146 -
ue flavifrons... 70
COS OT VUS escent 72
GS WTO crn 152
s* noveboracensis. 71
s¢ olivaceus ........... 71
Ge see at eoaeteserredoelt
SSE D UIT DO US sara a eraetrsesstse caer .. 146
> pusilluses... 146
SCS OLIGALDUS eee ssdekeveustlasteus oullt
‘* -swainsoni ...... Pytost) me eLeG)
sce MeV AGI LOLeesesvercescdsost sesusscess . 146
Vireosylvia gilva....:.........sesssoceses cee

Wilsonia mitrata...

GLO] Oeisversestesssestentucrrectselariecersur ello

OlIVACOWinesavsccacecesbesactcnercesmrl(L

s pusillas, Heat eeen ee 63

Xanthocephalus interocephalus.......... 101

Xanthornus spurius.... Pesce eeaate r «183
ne varius... 13
Xanthoura Juxuosa........ tee LOG

XCOMIGASE DIM Olepreccrsecchnctessrssesenenasesuesesen lic

b's

Yphan ESO MI biMOnennucsrencecescsensesss ay

ZaNaidui a CATOLNEDSIS.....cossiserserssrease 74
Zenaeda amabillis..... cs:
Zonotrichia albicollis

ce
66
be
66

SPULCUUS es enenenctceesnceesseaeeensee nel es

COTONALANsscccssecee eseaD

gambeli......... aeeelo (i
intermedia.. we. 155
deucen ye: 49

76 6
5003
105 22
22
5 1
108 7
108 8
83 3
75 2

H
i=)
w
=
for)

128
47°
71 2
12 3
oes

1051
ree 13
12 1,2
1
50

114 25
36 «6
90 4

105 14

104 27
36

4 4,5

hips Sh

Bal

pet

fi
¥ ey Aine

pacelya Ma
tae

He ee
ily te
i i

alee

Watts

Pus Ane ‘
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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES

a oie 39088010380509

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