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CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY
LIBRARY
AT SAPSUCKER WOODS
Illustration of Snowy Owl by Louis Agassiz Fuertes
win»... =e
Not S rugs = i 1 24
DATE DUE
GAYLORD PRINTED INUSA
Cornell University
Library
The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924090251632
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH
The Birds id Virginia
HAROLD 1 H.BAILEY
WITH FOURTEEN FULL PAGE COLORED PLATES,
ONE MAP, AND ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT
HALF-TONES TAKEN FROM NATURE
TREATING ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES;
ALL THE BIRDS THAT BREED WITHIN THE STATE.
1913
J. P. BELL COMPANY, Inc.
PUBLISHERS
LYNCHBURG, VA.
oe itit
Q be
os4
ve
BIS
Copyrighted, 1913
By Harotp H. BAILEY
Newport News
Virginia
For ober forty pears
he Has been an active bird Inver
and student, and the bopish enthusiasm he still
displays is an incentive for me to
follotw in bis footsteps.
To
fp Father
3 dedicate this book.
INDEX
PAGE
Accipiter cooperi -.......... Cooper’s Hawk. 333.......2.2.222-----+ 109
Accipiter velox ... Sharp-shinned Hawk. 332. . 105
Actitis macularia Spotted Sandpiper. 263... 71
-Egialitis meloda ..... Piping Plover, 277............ 75
Red-winged Blackbird, 498.......... 201
Wood Duck. 144...
Agelaius-p-pheeniceus
AIX sponsa ........--
Aluco pratincola
Ammodramus-s-australis Grasshopper Sparrow. 546. 223
Anas platyrhynchos ..... Mallard. 132 20
Anas rubripes. ..........---- Black Duck. 22
Antrostomus carolinensis .-
Antrostomus-v-vociferus ..
Aquila-chrysetos -........-
Chuck-will’s-widow. — 416.............. 166
Whip-poor-will, 417...
Golden Eagle. 349...
Archilochus colubris .........-----.- Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
428 173
Ardea-h-herodias ......-----.2----+- Great Blue Heron. 194..............-. 38
Asio flammeus .. Short-eared Owl. 367.. 137
asio wilsonianus .- Long-eared Owl. 366. .. 134
Astragalinus-t-tristis 2... Goldfinch. 529... 217
Beolophus bicolor ..........-...--.-- Tufted Titmouse.
Bartramia longicauda .............- Upland Plover.
Bittern, American 190
Bittern, Least ...... 191
Blackbird, Red-winged -............. BOB cccccseeeeeetceeeee mere
Bluebird POO aciceccescsses
Bobwhite BOQ cee arsanveras
Bombycilla cedrorum ..............-- Cedar Waxwing. 619. =
Bonasa-u-umbellus © ....... Ruffed Grouse. 300......2..20.0..00-+ 88
Botaurus lentiginosus . Bittern. 190 33
Branta-c-canadensis .... Canada Goose. 172.. 28
Bubo-v-virginianus Great Horned Owl. 146
Bunting, Indigo -.. DOS: caesieusdeccyettersnesetss iazenee = _ QAT
Buteo-b-borealis ... Red-tailed Hawk. 337...... lll
Buteo-]-lineatus ...Red-shouldered Hawk. 339. x ALS
Buteo platypterus ..Broad-winged Hawk. 343............ 115
Butorides-v-virescens .......-...------- Green Heron. 201....0...00.2...0002--- 47
Cardinal 593
Cardinalis-ce-eardinalis ..........-..- Cardinal.
Catbird 704
Cathartes-a-septentrionalis ..... Turkey Vulture. 325.0000... 97
Catharista urubu. .......2.------- Black Vulture. 326.222.000.000... 100
Catoptrophorus-s-semipalmatus Willet. 258.. 67
Centurus carolinus ..--.---2-2--2:-+ Red-bellied Woodpecker. 409...... 161
Certhia-f-americana ..Brown Creeper. 726.....20..20.20002.. 335
Ceryle aleyon .... ..Belted Kingfisher. 390...
Chetura pelagica ..Chimney Swift. 423
Chat, Yellow-breasted ...: ....683
Chickadee opines
INDEX V
-..736
Nighthawk.
2G” ch
.-Marsh Hawk.
Chickadee, Carolina ........
Chordeiles-v-virginianus
Chuck-will’s-widow
Cireus hudsonius
Coceeyzus-a-americanus Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 387
Coeeyzus erythrophthalmus ......Black-billed Cuckoo. 388.
Colaptes-a-auratus 0.20.2... Flicker.
Colaptes-a-luteus --Northern Flicker. 412-A........
Colinus-y-virginianus ...... Bobwhite. 289...2...00....
Compsothlypis-a-americana Parula Warbler.
Compsothlypis-a-usnex -............ Northern Parula Warbler.
G48-A ........ ... 288
Corvus-b-brachyrhynchos «Crow, 488.....
Corvus ossifragus ......... Fish Crow. 490...
Corvus-e-principalis Northern Raven. 486-A
Cowbird 495
Creeper, Brown
Creciseus jamaicensis
Crossbill -.......
Crow
Crow, Fish .-.
Cryptoglaux-a-acadica
Cuckoo, Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, Black-billed, ....
Cyanocitta-c-eristata Blue Jay. 477...
.-Pintail. 143 i <
Yellow Warbler. 652..........
Cairns’s Warbler. © 654-A.
Cerulean Warbler.
Dafila acuta
Dendroica-a-estiva
Dendroica-c-cairnsi
Dendroica cerulea ...
Dendroica discolor .... Prairie Warbler. is
Dendroica-d-dominica Yellow-throated Warbler. 63
Dendroica fusca ........ Blackburnian Warbler.
Dendroica magnolia ..Magnolia Warbler. 657 ee Oh
Dendroica vigorsi «Pine Warbler, (67)... 2
Dendroica pensylvanica Chestnut-sided Warbler. 65%)......
Dendroica virens Black-throated Green Warbler.
i exsurccisemanstsanwwers tener aacenan 297
Dove, Mourning .. 316 94
Dryobates borealis ...Red-cockaded Woodpecker. 395... 155
Dryobates-p-medianus Downy Woodpecker. 394-C.......... 155
Dryobates-p-pubescens ..Southern Downy Woodpecker
394 . 154
Dryobates-v-auduboni ........2....- Southern Hairy Woodpecker.
Duck, Black
Duck, Mallard ...
Duck, Pintail
Duck, Wood
Dumetella carolinensis —.
_Catbird. 704
vi InDEXx
PAGE
Eagle, Bald 352 .. 119
Eagle, Golden - BAD asec veerereen nie neat 118
Egret 196 41
Egretta-c-candidissima ..........--.- Snowy Egret. 197.22... 43
Egret, Snowy 197 43
Empidonax flaviventris
Empidonax minimus ....
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 463... 185
Least Flycatcher.
Empidonax virescens .........-.----- Acadian Flycatcher, 465.............- 186
Faleo-p-anatum .....-------+---+----- Duck Hawk. 356-A....00...-- 123
Faleo-s-sparverius -...-------+--------- Sparrow Hawk. 360........-.....2-.----- 124
Flicker 412 163
Flicker, Northern AD eit eh Bas sealed oe Clan 165
Florida cerulea .......-------------- Little Blue Heron. 200...............- 45
Flycatcher, Crested 452 pe 178
Flycatcher, Acadian 465 186
Flycatcher, Olive-sided 459 181
Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied -......- 463 .. 185
Flycatcher, Least -.....-------------- 467-G 187
Gallinule, Florida 219 63
Gallinula galeata -.....--.---.---------- Florida Gallinule. 219... 63
Gull-billed Tern. 63............ re
-Florida Yellow-throat. 681-B...... 312
..-Maryland Yellow-throat. 681....... 311
Gelochelidon nilotica
Geothlypis-t-ignota ...
Geothlypis-t-trichas ......
Gnatecatcher, Blue-gray .......-.--- 751 348
Goldfinch, American 529 217
Goose, Canada 172 28
Grackle, Boat-tail 513 212
Grackle, Purple 511 210
Grosbeak, Blue 597 244
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted ...........- 595... - 242
Grouse, Ruffed 300 88
Guiraca-c-cerulea -......2.-----0-- Blue Grosbeak. 597..........-.---.------ 244
Gull, Laughing 58 3
Hematopus palliatus ..............-- Oyster-catcher. 286...............2020--- 80
Haligetus-l-leucocephalus .......... Bald Eagle. 352........2.....002----+ 119
Hawk, Broad-winged 343... 115
Hawk, Cooper’s 333 = 109
Hawk, Duck .......2...2...2.2..200------ 356-A .... 123
Hawk, Marsh Choi lee an aoc oe eeareN Se 03
Hawk, Sharp-shinned 332 — 105
Hawk, Sparrow 360 .... 124
Hawk, Red-shouldered 339. — 113
Hawk, Red-tailed 2D B7 lll
Helinaia swainsoni ............. -Swainson’s Warbler. 638.............- 280
Helmitheros vermivorus .- -Worm-eating Warbler. 639.......... 281
Herodias egretta ...Egret. 196 4]
Heron, Black-crowned Night....202 50
Inprx vil
Heron, Great Blue 194
Heron, Green 201
Heron, Little Blue 200 wevadhgonidecs
Hirundo erythrogastra ...........- Barn Swallow. 613.........
Hummingbird, Ruby-throated....428 :
Hylocichla mustelina ---Wood Thrush. 755.........2:2.00000- 351
Hylocichla-f-fuscescens Veery. 756 353
Teteria-v-virens .........222..eeee: Yellow-breasted Chat.
Icterus galbula ... ..-Baltimore Oriole. 507...
Icterus spurius ... -Orchard Oriole. 506....
Iridoprocne bicolor -Tree Swallow. 614......
Ixobrychus exilis .....022.02 Least Bittern, 19]
Jay, Blue = 477 190
Junco-h-earolinensis Carolina Junco, 567-E......2.....---- 231
Killdeer QD gece eA ue ees al eh 74
Kingbird 444 176
Kingfisher, Belted 390 .... 151
Kinglet, Golden-crowned .......... 748 346
Lanius-l-migrans ........2..2-2.2-.-+-- Migrant Shrike. 622-E
.--Yellow-throated Vireo.
...-Mountain Vireo. 629-C.
Laughing Gull, 58......
Lanivireo flavifrons .
Lanivireo-s-alticola
Larus atricilla .....
Loxia-@-minor ecco Crossbill, 521s i
Mallard 132 20
Martin, Purple 611 253
Meadowlark .............. 501 203
Meadowlark, Southern .
Megaquiscalus-m-major
Melanerpes erythrocephalus..
Meleagris-g-silvestris
Boat-tailed Grackle. 513.............. 212
Red-headed Woodpecker. 406..
Wild Turkey. 310-A....
Melospiza georgiana ............--... Swamp Sparrow. 584
Melospiza-m-melodia .............-.... Song Sparrow. 581...
Mimus-p-polyglottos Mockingbird. 703...
Mniotilta varia -................+.++. Black and White Warbler. 636.. 278
Mockingbird 703 320
Molothrus-a-ater -........-.-..--..-++ Cowbird, 40D ivscseccven cones 198
Myiarchus crinitus ..................- Crested Flycatcher. 452.............- 178
Myiochanes virens .........--.--.-+ Wood Pewee. 461......-----.--2--2---- 183
Nannus-h-hiemalis ........---...--. Winter Wren, 722......2.--ee 331
Nighthawk 420 169
Nuthatch, Brown-headed .......... TOO: poteascotess heen eteeSiag Ae deen ee 340
Nuthatch, Red-breasted ..
Nuthatch, White-breasted Tae 336
Nuttallornis borealis -. ..Olive-sided Flycatcher. 459.......... 181
Nyeticorax-n-nevius -.....-.---... Black-crowned Night Heron. 202 50
vill INDEX
Ochthodromus wilsonius .......... Wilson’s Plover. 280........2..-.--+-+--
Olor columbianus --Whistling Swan. 180.....
Oporornis formosus .........-.-.----. jxentucky Warbler. 677. 3
Oriole, Baltimore 151 (rere wei ee ae arenes eRe Sun EM
Oriole, Orchard 506 oo.
Osprey 364 *
QOtusaFdsiOs scien kee Sereech Owl. 373.......0.02---eeee-
Ovenbird 674
Owl, Barn 365
Owl, Barred —....-.2.. ees 368
Owl, Great Horned ...... 375
Owl, Long-eared 366
Owl, Saw-whet 372
Owl, Sereech es 373
Owl, Short-eared 367
Oxyvechus vociferus .........2...2.--- Killdeer.
Oyster-catcher 286 cssdecensereereaietetevespyiiss
Passerherbulus caudacutus........ Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
Passerherbulus-h-henslowi --Henslow’s Sparrow.
Passerherbulus-m-maritimus ....Seaside Sparrow. 550 ss
Passerina cyanea .-Indigo Bunting. 598........-.-...--.---
Passer domesticus -................-.. English Sparrow. (Introduced
Breeder) .....:.c0c00-2c0sceseeceeeeeeees 221
Pandion-h-earolinensis -............. Osprey. 364 127
Penthestes-a-atricapillus --Chickadee. 735.........2..2-22:20:00eceee 344
Penthestes-c-carolinensis --Carolina Chickadee. 736.. .. 344
Petrochelidon-l-lunifrons ..........Cliff Swallow, 612....0000020-.--+ 255
Peucea-a-bachmani ...........------- Bachman’s Sparrow. 575-A.......... 232
Pewee, Wood AGE coos tests 183
Phleotomus-p-pileatus _............ Pileated Woodpecker. 405............ 158
Phasianus torguatus —.............. Ring-necked Pheasant.
duced. Breeder) -......--....--2--..0...
Pheasant, Ring-necked .............. Introduced Breeder.................22....-
Philohela minor ...............2.....----- Woodeoek. = 228...
Phebe 456
Pipilo-e-erythrophthalmus ........ Towhee, 587............------1----
Piranga erythromelas ...............
Piranga-r-rubra ...2...2--2:-2::210-----
Planesticus-m-migratorius .
Planesticus-m-achrusterus
Plover, Piping DET dcedast raw es
Plover, Upland —...00......--- 261 ....
Plover, Wilson’s _..0000.2.020....--- D80 oo.
Powcetes-g-gramineus ..Vesper Sparrow. 540
Polioptila-c-cxerulea Blue-gray Gnateatcher, 751...
Progne-s-subis ......... Purple Martin. 61 1.............
Protonotaria citrea 2.22... Prothonotary Warbler.
Quiscalus-q-quiseula W022... Purple Grackle. 511... 210
Rail, Black
Rail, Clapper ..
Rail, King 54
Rail, Virginia = 59
Rallus-e-crepitans Clapper Rail. 211. 56
Rallus elegans
Rallus virginianus .- Virginia Rail.
Raven, Northern -486-A ...
Redstart | 687...
Regulus-s-satrapa --748
Riparia riparia -... --Bank Swallow. 616
Robin 761 : 7”
Robin, Southern .. .-761-B
Rynchops nigra .... .-Black
..King Rail.
Sandpiper, Spotted 0.2.0.2... oe fei gat Sane de ces aes a viol
Sapsueker, Yellow-bellied a 157
Sayornis pheebe ............. 456........-.. 180
Seiurus aurocapillus ........
Seiurus motacilla -.. .
Setophaga ruticilla -
Shrike, .Migrant
Sialia-s-sialis .-.-Bluebird.
Siskin, Pine -....... 533 Be ox es
Sitta-c-carolinensis ...White-breasted Nuthatch. 727.... 336
Sitta canadensis Red-breasted Nuthatch. 728.
Sitta pusilla ..-.-..-Brown-headed. Nuthatch. 729
Skimmer, Black 80 :
Sparrow, Bachman’s
Sparrow, Chipping .
Sparrow, English
Sparrow, Field
Sparrow, Grasshopper
Sparrow, Henslow’s ...............
Sparrow, Seaside
Sparrow, Sharp-tailed
Sparrow, Song
Sparrow, Vesper
676
Sparrow, Swamp 584 36
Sphyrapicus-v-varius | -...2....22...-. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 4 i
Spinus pinus .... Pine Siskin. 533... 219
Spizella pusilla
Spizella-p-passerina ........
Stelgidopteryx serripennis .
Sterna antillarum ...
Sterna caspia ....
Sterna forsteri -.
Sterna hirundo ...
Sterna maxima
Field Sparrow. 563...
Chipping Sparrow. 560...
Rough-winged Swallow. 6
Least Tern. 74
Caspian Tern.
Forster’s Tern.
..-Common Tern.
.-Royal Tern. 65
xX INDEX
Sterna-s-acuflavida ......2.02.2-.- Cabot’s Tern. 67-......ceccceceeeeeeneee
Strix-v-varia -...........- -Barred Owl. 368............
Sturnella-m-argutula -Southern Meadowlark.
Sturnella-m-magna .........----.--...- Meadowlark. 501...
Swallow, Bank 616
Swallow, Barn 613
Swallow, Cliff 612
Swallow, Rough-winged 617
Swallow, Tree 614
Swan, Whistling 180
Swift, Chimney 423
Tanager, Scarlet G08) sessccie ise teense eiedeeegeee eee 249
Tanager, Summer 610 250
Telmatodytes-p-palustris ..........Long-billed Marsh Wren. 725...... 332
Telmatodytes-p-mariane _ .......... Marian’s Marsh Wren. .725-E...... 333
Tern, Cabot’s 67 ....
Tern, Caspian 64
Tern, Common 70
Tern, Forster’s 69
Tern, Least 74
Tern, Royal .. 65
Thrasher, Brown 705
Thrush, Louisiana Water ........ 676
Thrush, Veery ..............2.:::-0 756 ....
Thrush, Wood 755
Troglodytes-a-aédon — ............2...-- House Wren.
Thryomanes-b-bewicki_ ...... Bewick’s Wren.
Thryothorus-]-ludovicianus _ ...... Carolina Wren.
Titmouse, Tufted 731
Towhee 587
Toxostoma rufum ............2.--2 Brown Thrasher. 705...............---- 323
Turkey, Wild -......... 91
Tyrannus tyrannus WAG iz. cocaiet tac 22s tatscdteet ah 176
Vermivora bachmani ... .-Bachman’s Warbler. 640
Vermivora chrysoptera . ..Golden-winged Warbler.
Vermivora pinus ..... ..Blue-winged Warbler. 641.
Vireo-g-griseus. ..... ..White-eyed Vireo. 631.........
Vireo, Mountain ...........--..-2----+ 629-C
Vireo, Red-eyed 624
Vireosylva-g-gilva ......202222----- Warbling Vireo. 627
Vireosylva olivacea ................+-+- Red-eyed Vireo. 624..........
Vireo, Warbling 627 =
Vireo, White-eyed O31. cece ed ceseeeeocsredtavnceavevsusyysesyieeni) ceases
Vireo, Yellow-throated .............. 1 een ee eee
Vulture, Black 326
Vulture, Turkey 325 See emer
Warbler, Bachman’s
Warbler,
Warbler,
Warbler,
Blackburnian
Blue-winged
Black and White
641
Warbler,
Warbler,
Warbler,
Cairns’s
Cerulean
Black-throated Green667
Warbler,
Warbler,
Canada
Chestnut-sided
Warbler, Golden-winged
Warbler, Hooded
Warbler, Kentucky
Warbler, i
Warbler,
Warbler,
Warbler, Pine
Prairie
Prothonotary
Warbler,
Warbler,
Warbler, Swainson’s
Warbler, Worm-eating
Warbler, Yellow
Warbler, Yellow-throated
Waxwing, Cedar
Willet
Wilsonia canadensis B
Wilsonia citrina -..0....20.2.- Hooded Warbler. 684...............-.-- 315
Woodcock 228 66
Woodpecker (Flicker) ..............: 412-412-A (See Flicker j
Woodpecker, Pileated 405 158
Woodpecker, Red-bellied -......... 409 161
Woodpecker, Red-cockaded ......395 .... 155
Woodpecker, Red-headed 406 159
Woodpecker, Downy ...... 394-C 155
Woodpecker, Southern Downy..394 154
Woodpecker, Southern Hairy....393-B 153
Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker ........ BOD) senses setae sie eke eee 326
Whip-poor-will 417 167
Wren, Bewick’s 719 327
Wren, Carolina ............---..1.----- TAB preteen ar a see te 325
Wren, House LL winder enact tacts eas sae ee 328
Wren, Long-billed Marsh ........ TOY oleh ce bess tet eee 332
“Wren, Marian’s Marsh .... 725-E 333
Wren, Winter 722 331
Yellow-throat, Florida .............. 681-B J1g
Yellow-throat, Maryland 681 311
Zamelodia ludoviciana .............- Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 595...... 242
Zenaidura-m-carolinensis .......... Mourning Dove. 316.................... 94
INDEX OF COLORED PLATES
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH
FACING PAGE
Frontispiece
)
CaBot’s TERN
Biack SKIMMER
Biack RAIL
FLoripaA GALLINULE
WILLET
PIPING PLOVER
OYSTER-CATCHER
WiL_p TURKEY
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER
CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW
SUMMER TANAGER
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO ......
SWAINSON’S WARBLER
INDEX OF HALF-TONES
Bittern, American (nest and eges of)
Bittern, American (nest and young of)
Bittern, Least (nest and eggs of)
Bittern, Least (female incubating eges)..
Blackbird, Red-winged (nest and eggs of)
Bluebird (nesting hole of)
Bobwhite (nest and eggs of)
Bunting, Indigo (nest and eggs of)
Cowbird (see blue-winged Warbler) photo.......2022000.0cc cece 284
Crow (nest and eggs of) .......... Gaveessdegnigtsettpahecs vensuted usays1,,cenet auc lideees 194
Dove, Mourning (nest and. eegs) sn... hee 93
Duck, Black (female brooding eges) 2 21
Duck, Black (mest and eg Qs) -W......2...scccsssseeesesceeseetsceeeereceeeeseneeeeneneeee 21
Duck, Black (old and young) ........2..2.22:2::2:ceceeeeeeeee 21
Duck, Pintail (mest and eges of) -.....2.2-.2.eeececec eee eects eeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 24
Eagle, Bald (nest of, in live pine) -.....2.022..2c:ceececeeeeceeeceeeeeeee tenes 117
Egret (nest and eggs of)...... 40
Egret (female brooding young)...... . 40
Egret, Snowy (female brooding young) .........-..2-.2-.22.-2----0 ee 44
Egret, Snowy (young of the) 44
Egret, Snowy (nest and three eggs) 42
Egret, Snowy (nest and three young) 42
Flicker (nesting cavity of)... 222-22. 162
Gallinule, Florida (nest and eges of)
Gnateatcher, Blue-gray (nest and eggs of)
Goldfinch (nest and eggs of)
Goldfinch (nest and young of)............
Grosbeak, Blue (nest. of) -.....222.....22..2222:00-2000-+-
Gull, Laughing (nest and eggs)
Hawk, Broad-winged (young three weeks old) ........2....2.22.22-2.:22--0-- ll4
Hawk, Cooper’s (young four and a half weeks old)... 108
Hawk, Cooper’s (young of the) : 106
Hawk, Marsh (young, 14, 16 and 18 days old)... 102
Hawk, Marsh (young 25 days old) 102
Hawk, Red-shouldered (nest and eggs of) 112
Hawk, Red-tailed (nest and eggs of) 110
Hawk, Sharp-shinned (nest and eggs of)... eee eee 104
Hawk, Sparrow (young of—ready to fly) 122
Hawk, Sparrow (young of—S8 days) 122
Heron, Great Blue (nest and small young) 2 BT
Heron, Great Blue (nest and large young) ae
Heron, Green (nest and eggs of) - 46
Heron, Black-crowned Night (nest and eggs of) -.-......0..2e 49
Heron, Black-crowned Night (large young)................ 49
X1V Inpex oF HaLr-Tones
PAGE
Heron, Black-crowned Night (nest and young ready to fly).....-.- 49
Jay, Blue (female on nest) doa haste aenesearece 189
Killdeer (nest and egos Of) -......2..:ceccsceccceeeceseeceececeeeeeeeceseeeceeseeeeenenenes 73
Kingbird (nest and eggs of) 7 . 175
Martin, Purple (nesting box of) -.....22.2.c2:c:ecceeeee ..- 252
Meadowlark (nest and eggs of) .. 202
Nighthawk (nest and eggs Of) 2.2.2.2... cece cece cee ceec eee ceneenceceeneee
Nuthatch, Brown-headed (stub with nesting holes of) .....
Oriole, Baltimore (young of)
Osprey (nest in dead pine)......
Ovster-catcher (nest and eggs of)
Ovenbird (nest and eggs Of) -..........-e ee
Owl, Barn (young two weeks old)
Owl, Barn (young ten weeks old)
Owl, Great-horned (small young of)
Owl, Long-eared (nest with eggs and young)
Owl, Long-eared (young three weeks old) -........20.0.0.0------
Owl, Screech (voung four weeks old) 22
Owl, Short-eared (nest and eggs of)... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeteteeees
Owl, Short-eared (nest and young of)
Pewee, Wood (nest and eggs of)......
Phebe (nest and eggs of)
Plover, Wilson’s (nest and eggs of)
Rail, Clapper (nest and eggs of) es 55
Rail, King (nest and eggs of) -....022.. 2c cece ee eee ene 53
Rail, Virginia (female brooding eggs) -......2--2.. ee 58
Rail, Virginia (nest and eggs of) 58
Robin (female and young of) -.....-...-..--------. . 856
Sandpiper, Spotted (nest and eggs of) = 70
Shrike (young on nest)... ..-- 266
Skimmer, Black (nest and eggs of) dW
Sparrow, Chipping (mest and young) ......22.......c:cecceeceeceeceeeeeeee teeters 228
Sparrow, Song (nest and eggs Of)... eee ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 233
Tern, Common (nest and eggs) 13
Tern, Common (young of the) ..........2..22..2:.2:-2:21eeeeeeeeeees 11
Thrush, Louisiana Water (nest and eggs of) -....-.22-.:.22:-1eeeeeee 306
Thrush, Wood (nest and eggs of) 352
Towhee (nest and eggs of) 237
Towhee (young of).............-. 239
Invex or Hatr-rones xv
PAGE
Vireo, Red-eyed (female on nest) -2.2...0.22....2c.cecccceceeeececeecceceeeeeeeeneees 269
Vireo, White-eyed (nest and eggs of)
Vulture, Turkey (nest and eggs of)
Vulture, Black (nest and eggs of)
Vulture, Black (old bird)
Warbler, Blue-winged (nest and four eggs of, and one of the
CONCDIEG)), -csceo ot wonsiuce eausganebecbastie
Warbler, Hooded (nest and eggs of)
Warbler, Kentucky (nest and eggs Of) -......2.....2eeccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Warbler, Pine (nest and eggs of)
Warbler, Prairie (nest and eggs of).......... wee
Waxwing, Cedar (nest and eggs Of) ...........c:ceeceeeeeecececeeeseceeeeeeee
Woodcock (female brooding eggs)
Woodpecker, Red-bellied (nesting site of)
Wren, Long-billed Marsh (home of the)
Yellow-throat, Maryland (nest and eggs of) -..0.. eee 310
MISCELLANEOUS HALF-TONES
Bunches of Concord Grapes Pecked by Orchard Orioles............... 205
Wingbone of Greater Snow Goose, Healed by Nature.......... . 358
In the Warblers’ Breeding Grounds ge QUT
Collecting in a Swamp, Water Knee-Deep 89
Blind Used for Photographing Birds 141
A Veteran Ornithologist and his Family...... 138
The Author in a Heron Rookery... site al
An Ornithological Paradise 215
An Ornithologist’s Camp...........-.---.--- Fe aie ee 86
PREFACE.
In presenting “The Birds of Virginia” to the public,
the author had two objects in view.
Since the days of Audubon, and Wilson, many orni-
thologists have paid short visits to our State, their notes
appearing in various magazines and papers from time to
time. To date, however, there has never been published
any thorough, systematic work on our breeding birds, and
feeling the need of such a volume as a check list by the
advanced ornithologists of our country, the author com-
menced this work some six years ago. On the other hand,
he has tried to present his accumulation of data in such
shape as to be of interest to those who only come in contact
with our native birds from time to time, and so stimulate
interest along this line. It seems strange that there should
be so few bird lovers in our State, considering its size and
the great amount of bird life there has always been here.
Resident bird students have, however, always been scarce,
and little or no interest shown in the welfare of the birds.
This book only treats of those birds which are known to
breed within the limits of our State, though many other
species winter with us and remain for a short time during
their migrations northward and southward, each spring
and fall. If my ornithological friends find it of help as
a reference, or if in any way it should help to promote
interest in the native birds throughout our State, I will
feel amply repaid for the time spent upon it.
H. H. B.
Newrort News, Va.,
March 15th, 1918.
bo
INTRODUCTORY.
Since moving to Virginia in 1889, I have been actively
engaged in bird work some part of each year, with the
exception of two (which was then carried on by my
father), until the present time, during which period a
large amount of specimens, data, and general information
has been gathered. From this accumulation I have taken
the greater part of the material used in this book. To
the American Ornithologists Union Check List, I am
indebted for the ranges of our birds; correcting such data
where the birds were known to breed or winter within our
area, and were not so listed in the “Check List.” To the
U. 8. Department of Agriculture I am indebted for the
data on the food of a number of birds, ones I have not
had time to make this close study of. To my friends,
who have contributed photographs and data, credit for
which is given elsewhere in each instance, I again thank.
For the benefit of those not familiar with the American
Ornithologists Union Check List of North American
Birds, I wish to state that the number in brackets preced-
ing the scientific name represents its classified place in
that list; while the names in brackets following the
vernacular name, i. e., Bluebird, Robin, are the local
names by which the different species are known by persons
throughout our State. The dates of arrival and departure
of migratory breeding birds are average dates; those of
the land birds being gathered almost exclusively on the
James River Peninsula, while those of the sea birds from
the vicinity of Smith’s, Cobb’s, and Hog islands. The
measurements of eggs, which is in hundredths of an inch,
as well as the nesting material, height of nest, etc., also is
the average, exceptions to all cases of course being found.
I have placed in the “Hypothetical List” only such birds
as should breed within our State, but which I have been
XX IN rRODUCTORY
unable to gain satisfactory evidence of their doing s0.
Neither have I listed the birds which are now extinct as
breeding within our area; of these I shall refer to else-
where. The half-tones are from photographs taken from
nature, by the author and his ornithological friends.
During this long period of field work I have had as a
helpmate and advisor, my father, H. B. Bailey, whose
knowledge and interest in birds has been the main factor
in my advancement along this line.
By turning to the map, one will readily see that I have
drawn a line from the southern boundary line to the
northern boundary line across our State, and about one
hundred and twenty miles from the seacoast at the widest
point. This area I have designated Tidewater Virginia,
and it lies in longitude 3614° to 38°, latitude 7514° to
7714°. The tides in the rivers, however, rise and fall
much further inland than this point. Climatic conditions,
as well as the flora and altitude, commence to change
rapidly from near this line as we go westward, while this
seems to be nearly the dividing line between our breed-
ing coastal species and those of higher zones. The islands
off our coast and from Cape Henry southward, are mostly
low, sandy stretches, the highest point probably not being
over twenty-five feet above sea level, while in the middle
of many of these islands are low, swampy sloughs and
marsh land. On the seaward side one finds high sand
dunes and hard beaches, while on the inward side are wide
expanses of low marsh, and broad bays and creeks between
them and the mainland. From Cape Henry southward,
one finds a narrow strip of sandy beach, with marshes,
swamp land, and Back Bay between it and the mainland.
The altitude of the area on the mainland west of the
Chesapeake Bay is probably at no point over one hundred
feet above sea level; thus all this area is in the Lower
Inrropucrory XX
Austral Zone and Austroriparian fauna. The mean
annual temperature of this area is about 59°. Bay, laurel,
sumac, pokeberry, black and dew berry, blue and huckle
berry, azalea, partridge berries, ferns, wax myrtle, and bay
berry are commonly distributed; while the trees are repre-
sented by the short- and long-leaf pines, red and white
cedar; white, red, and pin, chestnut, post, and Spanish
oaks; hickory, black walnut, maples, dogwood, sassafras,
black-gum, syeamore, beech, locust, persimmon, yellow
poplar or tulip, chinquapin, holly, cypress or Juniper,
willow, and live oak. Chestnut trees were formerly quite
numerous through the area between the York and James
rivers, but the majority have succumbed to the dreaded
chestnut blight. The well known magnolia also grows to
a large size in the yards and gardens, and we have also
the crépe myrtle and altheas, ete.
Central Virginia, or the territory between the Tide-
water line and the Blue Ridge Mountains, lies in the
Carolinian fauna, with an altitude of seldom over five
hundred feet, and a mean annual temperature of about
55°. The flora of this section does not differ greatly from
the Tidewater section, but with such trees as the live oak,
black-gum, cypress, and fig, omitted.
The “Valley,” between the Blue Ridge and the Shenan-
doah and Alleghenian ranges, is also in the Carolinian
fauna, with an altitude ranging from about 240 feet to
about 1,865 feet at the summit in Augusta County, and on
up to 2,594 feet at Mount Airy, in Surry County, N. C.
In the mountains we have both the Alleghenian and
Canadian fauna, with a mean annual temperature of
about 45°, and such trees as the hemlock, yellow poplar,
cherry, white oak, spruce and balsam, are found. The
beautiful rhododendron is also plentiful in suitable locali-
ties.
XX1l Ix rroptcrory
From the time of the early settlements, our State has
always teemed with bird life; but the march of civiliza-
tion, together with the almost total destruction of many
of the species for the millinery trade, the killing and ship-
ment of game birds from the State, and other minor
causes have sadly depleted our enormous bird resources ;
for such they were.
Like the ovster industry, the northern markets have
profited principally by the shipment of game out of this
State, and one can readily see that if the season’s record
of two hundred and twenty-five thousand ducks, geese, and
swan are killed in this State for many seasons, the
feathered tribe will rapidly decrease, not only from our
own State, but the whole country as well. Many of the
once plentiful breeding species are now extremely scarce,
such as the Upland Plover, Ovstereatcher, Willet, Snowy
Heron, Egret, Least, Gull-billed, Cabots, Caspian, and
Royal Terns. The Roseate Tern as a breeding bird is
gone from our coast, while such birds as the Passenger
Pigeon, Eskimo Curlew, Carolina Paraquet, and
numerous other migratory birds are things of the past with
us. It is only of late years that, from the protection
afforded them in other states, the Wood Duck has
become numerous with us once more. Such a bird as this,
bringing as it does $30.00 a pair alive for breeding pur-
poses, should be taken from the game list entirely, as well
as the Whistling Swan. The negro is never too lazy to
hunt, respecting neither bird, premises, nor law, while his
ill-fed, half-starved dogs (the poorer the negro the more
dogs he owns) roam the fields and woods at all times, dis-
turbing and breaking up sitting birds and killing the
young of both mammals and birds. The forest fires which
sweep unchecked each season over a great area of Virginia,
destroy many birds and eggs, while our game laws are not
Inrropucrory Xxill
enforced as they should be, owing to no regular game
warden system. These, and many other lesser causes, are
the main factors in the decrease of birds and game in
general throughout our State, and only by following the
example of other states and having a practical game and
fire warden system, game propagation farm, game pre-
serves or refuges for the local and migratory birds, can
we help the fast-approaching extinction of many useful
species. The amount of good the majority of our birds do
in helping to keep down the ever-increasing agricultural
pests can hardly be overestimated, and a realization of this
fact is becoming more generally known throughout our
country each year. May our State and its people not be
backward in realizing this, and help to protect and increase
our birds. There is much of interest in connection with
the feathered tribe, such as the building of the nests and
the material used in their construction, which will afford
many hours of enjoyment if one will but spare the time
for this side of nature study. The period of incubation is
another interesting time for both bird and bird student,
while the feeding of the young is in itself the most
important period of all. Nearly all young birds are partly
or wholly eared for by the parents for a few days or weeks
after leaving the nest, to be left at last to shift for them-
selves and become a help in keeping the laws of Nature.
On the other hand, how well Nature helps the
birds is illustrated in one instance (see page 358), where
the larger bone of a wing was broken and was healed
in such a manner as to allow of the northward or south-
ward migration covering probably 1,500 miles, within a
short time of fracture. While many birds are destroyed
by storms and disease, and old age claims many more,
were it not for the hand of man no species could or would
become exterminated.
THE BIRDS OF VIRGINIA
Z THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THD AUTHOR.
G2
NEST OF THE LAUGHING GULL OUT ON DRIFT ON MARSH.
OF VIRGINIA | 3
FAMILY LARID/E.—GULLS AND TERNS.
SUBFAMILY LARIN/Az.—GULLS.
GENus Larus.
[58]. Larus atricila (Linnwus). Laughing Gull,
| Black-headed Gull].
Ranee.—Tropical and temperate coasts. Breeds from
Maine (rarely) and Massachusetts (abundantly but lo-
cally), south on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to Texas,
the Lesser Antilles and Venezuela; winters from Georgia
and the Gulf Coast south to western Mexico, Chile, and
Brazil; casual in Colorado, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ontario,
and Towa.
This beautiful, graceful little gull is probably our most
common sea bird. I am glad to say that while many of
our other species of water birds are rapidly diminishing
in numbers, the Laughing Gull is not only holding its own,
but increasing rapidly in numbers. All along our coastal
islands, where they formerly bred in detached colonies,
they have now become so common that the colonies really
become one continuous chain, both on the marshes adjoin-
ing the islands, and those between the main chain of
islands and the mainland. Our great Chesapeake Bay
and its lower tributaries would seem desolate without
them; as it is, they remain with us until late in Decem-
ber, by which time numerous species of ducks and the Her-
ring Gulls partly make up for their absence.
7 THE BIRDS
They arrive about April Ist, and one’s notice is soon
called to them by their noisy clamor, as a large flock or a
few single birds rest upon some sand bar at low tide. As
the season advances the birds desert our harbors and rivers
to gather near their nesting grounds, and by June Ist their
nesting site is selected, and eggs deposited shortly after-
wards. Our earliest record is June 3rd, while fresh eggs
may still be found until the middle of July. Two to three
eggs constitute a full set, rarely four,—which vary in color
from a gray to brown ground,—spotted, blotched and
specked with various shades of brown, and fainter mark-
ings of lavender. Size, 2.25x1.60. While some birds con-
struct a complete nest, the majority utilize the tide drift
caused by the equinoctial storms left high above the ordi-
nary tides, and resting on fop of the tall salt marsh grass.
This drift is composed of sea weed, marsh grass, and trash
of every description, and the birds simply form a slight
hollow in it and start housekeeping. A few pair undoubt-
edly raise two broods, but if unmolested the majority only
raise one. As it is, these birds, as well as all the other
sea birds breeding on our coast, are systematically robbed
daily by the neighboring inhabitants and visiting water-
men of all callings. Each colony is visited soon after egg
laying commences, and the contents of all nests with more
than one egg is destroyed. They are then visited every
day or two days, the eggs being gathered in baskets and the
egger sure of strictly fresh eggs. Large quantities of the
different sea-bird eggs are salted down by the seafaring
people for their winter use, and the birds go on laying until
they eventually are allowed to raise a brood. Egging stops
about July 4th, and the birds are thus allowed ample time
to raise a brood before the fall equinoctial storms set in.
OF VIRGINIA z)
SUBFAMILY STERNIN/ZE.—TERNS.
-GENUS GELOCHELIDON.
[63]. Gelochelidon nilotica (Linneus). Gull-billed
Tern.
[Marsh Tern].
Raxcu.—Nearly cosmopolitan. Breeds in North
America on the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, North Caro-
lina, Virginia (formerly to New Jersev), and in the
Bahamas; wanders casually to Maine and Ohio; winters
in southern Mexico, southern Guatemala, and from Brazil
south to Patagonia and Chile. Breeds also in Europe,
Asia, and Australia, and winters south to northern
Africa.
This is now one of our most rare breeding sea-birds,
though it was formerly verv abundant and bred in large
numbers on the coastal islands. There is probably not
over a dozen pair now breeding along our entire coast
line, where hundreds formerly bred in colonies on Linnen
Bar, Wreck, Bone, Cobb’s, Pig, and Hog islands. I
attribute their decrease to the same causes that annihilated
the Least Tern on our coast, the unsportsmanlike spring
gunner, and the millinery trade demand for their plumage.
The nest location of the few remaining pair has changed
from the inner side of the island sand dunes and marsh
edges, to the open beach, but now well concealed amongst
the oyster shells, rocks, and pebbles, not an unsimilar loca-
tion from that of the Oystercatcher. This location makes
6 THE BIRDS
their nests less easy to find by the eggers, and the chances
are about even nowadays that they raise a brood of two
or three each season. The nest is a slight hollow scooped
out by the birds in the sand, well above the high tides,
and amongst the shells, stones, and trash left by the
spring equinoctial storms. Two to three eggs constitute
a full set, and are deposited about June 16th to July 1st.
The birds arrive from the south about April 25th, and
depart early in September. The eggs are easily distin-
guished from other terns by the peculiar texture of the
shell, and the grayish- and yellowish-buff ground color.
They are profusely marked over the entire surface with
blotches, spots, and specks of reddish-brown, with fainter
markings of lilac. Size of eggs, 1.80x1.30. They raise
but a single brood in a season.
GENUS STERNA.
[64]. Sterna caspia (Pallas). Caspian Tern.
[Gannet Striker].
Ranex.—Nearly cosmopolitan. Breeds in North
America at Great Slave Lake, Klamath Lake, Oregon,
on the islands of northern Lake Michigan, on the coast of
southern Labrador, and also on coasts of Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia; winters from
coast of central California to lower California and
western Mexico (Colima), and on South Atlantic and Gulf
coasts; casual in migration north to Alaska, James Bay,
and Newfoundland.
OF VIRGINIA 7
Like the Least Tern, this handsome large tern is now
a rare bird in our territory, although a few pair still
breed on one of our coastal islands. It was never thought
as common a bird as the Royal Tern, and I do not attribute
its decrease in numbers to being shot by the spring
gunners, and egging by local seafaring men, causes so
disastrous to some of the following species. The changed
conditions of the islands affecting their breeding grounds
has had much to do with their leaving our territory for
nesting sites elsewhere. They are one of the last sea-birds
to lay, fresh eggs being seldom found before the 5th of
July. They arrive about the 15th of May and migrate
southward the latter part of August. The nest is a slight
hollow scooped out by the birds in the sandy beach, well
back from the water, in which is deposited two eggs,
seldom three. The eggs are easily distinguished from
those of the following species, the ground color being a
light olive or grayish-buff, while the texture of the shell
is much smoother, and the smaller ends much more round
than that of the Royal Tern. Over the entire surface the
egg is spotted with blackish brown and chestnut, with
fainter markings of lilac. Size of eggs, 2.70x1.75. Only
one brood a season.
[65]. Sterna maxima (Boddaert). Royal Tern.
[Gannet Striker].
Rance.—Tropical coasts north to United States.
Breeds in West Indies and on South Atlantic and Gulf
coasts north to central Virginia and west to Texas;
wanders casually to Massachusetts; not rare in summer
8 THE BIRDS
from San Francisco Bay south to western Mexico; winters
from Monterey, California, and Gulf of Mexico south to
Peru and Brazil, and on west coast of Africa from
Gibralta to Angola.
There is practically no difference made by the local
watermen between this and the former species, both being
called Gannet Strikers, while the eggs differ so slightly
to them, they pay little heed to the Caspians. The Royal
Terns are much more numerous, a large colony still breed-
ing on one of our coastal islands. They did, however, for
a number of years during the overwhelming destruction
of some of the following species for millinery trade, desert
our coast entirely, but it has only been within the last few
years that they have become established as breeding birds
once more. The size of their eggs makes them eagerly
sought after by the fishermen, large quantities being put
away each season in brine for winter use. Fresh eggs
are seldom found before July 1st, and two eggs constitute
a full set, which are laid in a hollow in the sandy beach.
The ground is a grayish-white, specked and spotted with
blackish-brown and fainter markings of lavender. Size of
eges, 2.60x1.70. These birds were rather too large for
the ladies’ hats, thus they escaped the slaughter accorded
their smaller kinsmen during the four years of activity
along this line. With ample protection there is no reason
why they should not be established as breeding birds on
a number of suitable islands off our coast. They do not
winter with us, arriving the last week in May, and de-
parting about the middle of September. Only one brood
a season.
NUAL S.LOLVO
“Za
“acc tS
OF VIRGINIA 9
[67]. Sterna sandeicensis acuflavida (Cabot).
Cabot’s Tern.
Rayer.—North and South America. Breeds from
Virginia to Florida, Texas, and Mexico; winters from the
Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana to Central America
(both coasts), the Greater Antilles, Colombia, and Brazil ;
accidental in Ontario, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the
Lesser Antilles.
This is an extremely rare bird on our coast, and it was
not until the summer of 1912 that a set of two eggs of
this species was secured from one of our coastal islands.
As there has been a small colony of these birds breeding
on the North Carolina coast for the last few vears, the
birds with us are probably stragglers from that colony.
The eggs were laid in a slight depression in the sandy
beach, well back from the ordinary high-tide line. They
have a bold creamy ground; streaked and blotched with
heavy markings of blackish-brown, with lghter shade
markings of lavender. Size, 2.12x1.42. They probably
arrive and depart with the other large terns, such as the
Royal and Caspian. I hope these birds will continue to
breed with us, for while they are very common further
south, they are a rarity and novelty with us, besides
helping to beautify our bays and shores by their presence.
They raise but a single brood each season with us.
[69]. Sterna forstert (Nuttall). Forster’s Tern.
[Big Striker. Big Sea Swallow].
Rayer.—North America. Breeds on interior lakes of
California, southern Oregon, and Nevada, and from sonth-
10 THE BIRDS
western Saskatchewan and Manitoba south to northern
Colorado, northern Nebraska, northeastern Illinois, and
southern Ontario, and on coasts of Texas, Louisiana, and
Virginia; winters from southern California, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Carolina to southern Guatemala; in
migration oceurs on the Atlantic Coast, casually as far
north as Massachusetts; casual in Brazil.
To the average person there is little difference between
this species and the following one, though on their breed-
ing grounds they are easily recognized by the location of
the nests. The Forster’s Tern always breeds back from
the beaches; in, or bordering the marsh; either building a
substantial nest in the marsh, or utilizing the drift cast
up by the equinoctial storms, or on pieces of boards or
lumber out in the marsh. The Common Terns prefer the
ocean beach, the closer the better, and make little or no
nest compared to that built by the Forster’s Tern. In a
large series of eggs of both species there is clearly shown
that there is so little difference in both size and color of
the eggs that they could not with a certainty be identified.
They are rather a scarce breeding bird on our coast now
compared to former times, for they, like the other terns,
were slaughtered by the thousands for the millinery trade.
Their graceful flight and rapid movements in search of
food, especially if scraps are thrown over from a vessel,
can not but interest the onlooker, even though he is not
a bird crank. A most pleasing sight is to see a large flock
of terns sitting on the sand bar or beach at low tide, their
heads drawn down or turned around and partly tucked
under the wing coverts, all apparently asleep. The ripples
as they wash up under the birds carry some off their
feet, throwing them against others, when a general
OF VIRGINIA 11
PHOTO BY THE UTHOR.
YOUNG OF THE COMMON TERN.
NOTE THE PROTECTIVE COLORATION.
I. THE BIRDS
squabble ensues, and in a twinkling away the whole flock
sail, apparently all good friends again. They arrive on
our coast about April 28th and depart from their breed-
ing grounds about the middle of September, although
during mild winters some few remain in Hampton Roads
and its immediate vicinity. Three eggs constitute a full
setting generally. I know of but a single instance of five
eges being found in a nest, probably laid by two birds.
The ground color varies from a light gray to a light brown,
spotted, specked, and blotched with dark shades of brown
and fainter markings of lilac. The size varies greatly
also, the average being 1.80x1.30. Fresh eggs from May
25th to June 15th, though eggs have been found as late
as July 6th, the birds though probably having been broken
up previously. They rear only one brood a season.
[70]. Sterna hirundo (Linneus): Common Teri.
[Big Striker. Big Sea Swallow. Wilson’s Tern].
Raner.— Northern Hemisphere, northern South
America, and Africa. Breeds from Great Slave Lake,
central Keewatin, and southern Ungava south to south-
western Saskatchewan, northern North Dakota, southern
Wisconsin, northern Ohio, and North Carolina; winters
from Florida to Brazil; casual in migration on Pacific
Coast from British Columbia to Lower California. In
Eastern Hemisphere breeds in Europe and Asia, and
winters in India and southern Africa.
Fortunately the style of birds in hats about the year
1890 called for small ones, else this species, like the fot-
lowing, would have been driven from our coast before an
OF VIRGINIA 13
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
TYPICAL NESTING SITE OF THE COMMON TERN.
14 THE BIRDS
adequate law was passed prohibiting the killing of all
gulls and terns for millinery purposes. As it is, we still
have several large breeding colonies scattered along our
coast, and they seem to be on the increase slowly. They
arrive with us about April 25th, and remain after the
breeding season until the latter part of October, when
large numbers of this species, together with other terns
and gulls, frequent our lower rivers, Hampton Roads,
and Chesapeake Bay. There is no doubt but that they
do a great deal of good gathering in the refuse thrown
over from ships, as well as other sea-food, and we should
miss them from our waters very much when traveling to
and fro on the steamers. Three to four eggs constitute
a set, seldom five. The color varies from a dark buffy to
grayish ground, spotted, blotched, and specked with dark
brown, and fainter markings of lilac. Size of eggs,
1.80x1.30. The eggs are generally placed in a slight
hollow on the drift cast up by the high spring tides, and
fresh eggs can be found from May 20th until July 7th.
Only one brood a season.
[74]. Sterna antillarum (Lesson). Least Tern.
[Little Striker. Sea Swallow].
Ranex—Tropical and temperate America. Breeds on
coast of southern California and on Gulf Coast from Texas
eastward; also northward to Missouri (formerly to Iowa),
and northwestern Nebraska; has occurred in Wisconsin
and South Dakota; breeds also from the coasts of Massa-
chusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida south to
the Bahamas, West Indies, British Honduras, and
OF VIRGINIA 15
Venezuela; now rare, but formerly abundant in the
breeding season from Florida to Maine, wandering to
Labrador and Newfoundland; in migration occurs on
coasts of Lower California and western Mexico; winters
from the Gulf Coast to Venezuela and Peru.
Formerly one of our most abundant of sea-birds, this
beautiful little tern is now almost extinct as a breeding
bird on our coast. A few pairs do, however, breed near
the southern boundary line, and north of us, and I hope
before many years they will increase so abundantly at
other breeding grounds as to overflow and return to our
coastal islands at least. In 1889 these birds were so
numerous that a large colony were breeding on the main-
land beach, at the entrance of Back River into the Chesa-
peake Bay. Shortly after this, the slanghter commenced ;
the birds being shot and skinned for the millinery trade
of the large northern cities. During the breeding season
on the islands, sometimes three to five hundred birds were
shot in a single day. This slaughter went on for a few
seasons, the numbers of birds diminishing each year until
they disappeared from our shores almost entirely, and the
market gunners could not further make a living shooting
and skinning these birds at ten cents each, the price paid
by the wholesale millinery houses. They are the most
dainty and graceful of our sea-birds. The spring migra-
tion of those breeding northward, and those formerly
breeding with us, occurs about April 26th, while small
flocks may be seen in Hampton Roads and Chesapeake
Bay as late as the last of October, on their way south for
the winter. Two to three eggs are desposited in a slight
hollow in the sandy beach, well back from the ocean and
convealed well by the surrounding shells, pebbles, and
16 THE BIRDS
stones, near which the nest is located. Fresh eggs June
10th to July Ist. Size, 1.25x.95. The ground color is
a grayish-white, specked and spotted with dark brown,
and fainter markings of lilac. The weather conditions
have much to do with the depositing of eggs of this species.
Only one brood a season.
OF VIRGINIA 17
ial pe em
PHOTO by THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE BLACK SKIMMER.
18 THE BIRDS
FAMILY RYNCHOPID-A.—SKIMMERS.
GENUs RYNCHops.
[80]. Rynchops nigra (Linneus). Black Skimmer.
[Flood Gull. Cut-Water].
Ranexr.—Tropical and temperate America. Breeds
from Virginia (formerly New Jersey) to the Gulf Coast
and Texas; wanders casually north to the Bay of Fundy;
winters from the Gulf Coast to Colima, Mexico, and
Costa Rica; casual in the West Indies.
Of all the sea-birds nesting on our coast, this species is
holding its own and increasing more rapidly than any
other species. The apparent reason for this is that they
arrive from the south late in the spring, about May 5th,
when all the gunning after beach birds is practically
finished, and therefore is seldom shot by the gunners for
sport, should other birds be scarce. Then again they do
not commence laying until the latter part of June, the
season being at its height the 5th of July, by which time
the taking of sea-birds’ eggs, by the surrounding inhabit-
ants for food, is stopped; and all danger of high tides or
bad storms is past. They are a graceful bird on the wing,
but around the breeding grounds of slow flight, making
them easy marks for the gunner, and are of course unfit
for food. It is a wonderful sight to stand in the center
of the breeding grounds of a large flock of these birds,
slight hollows in the sandy beach filled with eggs on every
hand, as far as the eye can see them, while overhead and
OF VIRGINIA 19
to one side flap slowly by these queer-looking birds, all
the while uttering their mournful note. Another pleasing
sight is to watch a number of them skim along the sur-
face of the water, just inside the breakers which roll in
from the broad Atlantic, the large lower bill dropped
down under the water while the upper bill remains even
with the water, thus skimming in its food of small fish
or minnows. As we lie awake at night in our boat, club-
house, or life-saving station bedroom, we can hear these
birds passing to and fro from their inland water feeding
grounds to their nesting grounds. No nest is constructed ;
a slight hollow in the sandy beach, back above high tide, is
wallowed out by the birds, in which is laid from three to
four creamy white eggs, spotted and blotched with heavy
markings of dark and light reddish-brown, and chestnut;
and lighter markings of lavender. Size, 1.75x1.30. Fresh
eggs June 20th to July 10th. Only one brood a season
if undisturbed. They leave in the fall migration about
September 10th. They do not breed on the coast main-
land; islands off the coast north of Cape Charles being
their favorite resort for the last fifty years, if not longer.
20 THE BIRDS
FAMILY ANATIDZE.—DUCKS, GEESE, AND
SWANS.
SUBFAMILY ANATIN/E.—RIVER DUCKS.
GENUS ANAS.
[132]. Anes platyrhynchos (Linneus). Jfallard.
[Gray Mallard].
Rayce.—Northern Hemisphere. In North America
breeds from Fribilof Islands, northwestern Alaska,
northern MacKenzie, central Keewatin, and Greenland,
south to Lower California, southern New Mexico, southern
Kansas, central Missouri, southern Indiana, Maryland
(rarely), and southeastern Virginia; winters from the
Aleutian Islands, central Alaska, ceutral Montana, Wyom-
ing, Nebraska, southern Wisconsin, northern Indiana,
Ohio, Maryland, and Nova Scotia (rarely), south to
Mexico, the Lesser Antilles, and Panama; casual in
Bermuda and Hawaii.
This species, like the following, should have its breeding
range extended in the A. O. U. check list southward to
Virginia, for it not onlv breeds readily in captivity both on
the Eastern Shore, and on my place at Warwick County,
but it breeds sparingly in its wild state in numerous creeks
emptving into the upper James River. I would not be
surprised if it did not breed also in the upper end of Back
Bay, though as yet I have no positive evidence of its doing
so. Probably it is the best-known wild duck by the public
at large, found abundantly in the markets during the
YHNNIMS MOVIE
OF VIRGINIA 21
THE NEST.
: PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR.
PARENTS AND YOUNG,
THE BLACK DUCK.
22 THE BIRDS
winter season, and now easily recognized by nearly every
housewife when in search of game for the table, especially
the drake with his brilliant green head. Unless they have
been feeding in salt-water marshes too much, they are one
of our best table ducks; but unless they are driven out of
the marshes into the larger bodies of water by the ice, a
case seldom happening with us, they prefer the brackish
and fresh-water streams. The fall migration begins the
first week in October, and by the 15th the flight is well
under way, and birds are numerous with us. The great
mass of them move northward through here, the last week
of February, a few stragglers remaining until the middle
of April sometimes. They are the most easily tamed and
reared in captivity of any of the ducks, and if the eggs
are taken away as soon as laid, will lay from twenty-one
to thirty-five eges in one season. In the wild state they
lay but from seven to ten eggs, a rich olive green. Size,
2.25x1.25. Like most of the ducks the young can not
fly until about half grown, in which stage they are called
“flappers,” though they take to the water as soon as
hatched. The nest is not far distant from the water, or
placed in the tall flags in the marsh, a saucer-shaped
depression, lined with feathers and down. Fresh eggs
about April 10th to 15th, though old birds in captivity
commence the latter part of February or first of March,
according to the weather. They rear but one brood a
season in the wild state.
[133]. Anas rubripes (Brewster). Black Duck.
[Black Mallard. Dusky Duck].
RancE.—Eastern North America. Breeds from central
Keewatin and northern Ungava south to northern Wis-
OF VIRGINIA 23
consin, northern Indiana, and southeastern Virginia;
winters from Nova Scotia south to southern Louisiana
and Colorado; west in migration to Nebraska and central
Kansas; casual in Bermuda; accidental in Jamaica.
The A. O. U. check list for 1910 only gives the southern
breeding range of this species as southern Maryland.
This, however, is not correct, for the Black Duck has been
for years a breeder on our coastal islands, more so of
former years than now. It still breeds sparingly over
there, while it breeds in Warwick County (1911), and
outside Tidewater in a number of the fresh-water creeks
emptving into the upper James River. It is also a common
breeder in captivity, both on Chincoteague Island, and my
pens in Warwick County. It was interesting to note,
though, that wild, unclipped wing birds that remain with
my birds all during the winter in the pen, even though the
pond was frozen over for eight weeks (1912), migrated
the last week in March with some Pintail. They are a
bird that is shy and wary, do not become entirely tame, or
take kindly to confinement, though thev breed so fairly
well. The eggs are laid the last part of April and first
week in May, from six to ten in number, a pale buff.
Size, 2.30x1.70. The nest is composed of weed stems or
flag blades and down, placed close to the water, and on
the ground, well hidden by vegetation. The eggs take
from twenty-six to twenty-eight days to hatch, and the
young as soon as dry may be seen following the parents
in search of food. Of all the so-called table or fresh-water
ducks, this species is found as much in the salt-water
creeks and marshes along our coast, as further inland.
It is still a verv plentiful bird, and brings from 75c. to
$2.00 a pair in the markets. The southward migration
commences about the 5th of October, while the northward
flight is in full swing by the last week in Mareh. Only
one brood a season.
BIRDS
THE
24
TEGANZA.
Puoro By A. O. TR
K.
NTAIL DUC
F THE PI
EGGS O
AND NINE
T
NES
OF VIRGINIA 25
INTRODUCED BREEDER.
GENUS DAFILA.
[143]. Dafila acuta (Linnwus). Pintail.
[Sprig-Tail. Sprig].
Raner.—Northern Hemisphere. Jn North America
breeds on the Arctic Coast from Alaska to Keewatin and
south to southern California, southern Colorado, northern
Nebraska, northern Towa, and northern Illinois; winters
from southern British Columbia, Nevada, Arizona,
southern Missouri, southern Wisconsin, southern Ohio,
Pennsylvania (rarely), and Delaware south to Porto Rico
and Panama, and in Hawaii; in migration occasional on
the Atlantic Coast to northern Ungava, Greenland, and
Newfoundland, and in Bermuda.
This abundant winter duck is not a regular breeder in
its wild state in our area, the fall migration taking place
the first part of October, while the northward or spring
migration commences the middle of March. During the
winter months, however, it is one of the most plentiful
of the fresh-water ducks, selling in the Norfolk market
for as low as 60c. a pair. It is truly a fresh-water duck,
the upper rivers and inland ponds, Back Bay, and Curri-
tuck Sound being its preference for feeding grounds,
though a few occasionally are seen in the lower salt-water
rivers and bays. It takes kindly to captivity, and birds
were laying in my breeding yard within six weeks after
arrival, notwithstanding they had come from far-distant
26 THE BIRDS
Kansas and arrived in poor condition. They did not,
however, lay a full clutch or set. The nest is a well-
concealed affair of grasses and down, placed in a slight
hollow in the ground. Fresh eggs May 20th; six to ten
in number, a dark gray color. Size, 2.20x1.50. Only
one brood a season.
GENus AIX.
[144]. Aix sponsa (Linneus). Wood Duck.
[Summer Duck].
Raner.—Temperate North America. Breeds from
southern British Columbia, central Saskatchewan, northern
Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia south to central
California, southern Texas, Florida, and Cuba; winters
chiefly in the United States from southern British
Columbia, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and
New Jersey south to southern California and the Gulf
of Mexico; accidental in Bermuda, Mexico, Jamaica, and
Europe.
This bird, the most beautiful of all the waterfowl
breeding within our limits, is fast becoming killed out by
the early shooting in the fall, and the timber being cut
off, both in the progress of cleaning up the farm lands,
and the timber craze which has gone over our Tidewater
section within the last ten years or so. The opening of
the season, September 15th, is far too early to shoot these
birds as game, while the plumage of the male, at least,
should shame any one from killing and plucking another
to eat, if from no other reason. Even in their wild state
OF VIRGINIA Zt
they are rather tame birds and are an easy mark for the
gunner,—while to shoot them for their meat is hardly
worth while,—the body when dressed not making much
more than a meal for a half-grown person. Their queer
ways of whistling and bobbing their heads, and their
beautiful plumage and brilliant red eyes, make them a
favorite in captivity, and much sought after by public
parks and private estate of monied men. During mild
winters many remain with us, though the majority migrate
southward in November and return northward in
February. The eggs are laid in a hollow of a tree not far
from a fresh-water river, pond or swamp, usually from
ten to thirty feet up. From seven to fourteen eges are
laid; the nesting material being of coarse grasses and
weeds, lined with feathers. The eggs are buffy white, and
measure 2.05x1.50, and are deposited about April 10th,
while young may be seen during the latter part of May
following the parent birds in search of food. They take
kindly to captivity and nest and rear young as easily as
any other species of domesticated wild fowl. I hope an
early date will see the species taken from off the so-called
list of “Game Birds.” They raise but a single brood in a
season.
28 THE BIRDS
INTRODUCED BREEDER.
SUBFAMILY ANSERIN/E.—GEESE.
GENUS BRANTA.
[172]. Branta canadensis canadensis. (Canada Goose).
[Wild Goose. Honker. Nigger Goose].
Rancr.—North America. Breeds from limits of trees
in valley of Lower Yukon, northwestern Mackenzie and
central Keewatin south to southern Oregon, northern
Colorado, Nebraska, and Indiana; formerly bred casually
south to New Mexico, Kansas, Tennessee, and Massachu-
setts; winters from southern British Columbia, southern
Colorado, southern Wisconsin, southern Tllinois, and New
Jersey (rarely southern Ontario and Newfoundland)
south to southern California, Texas, and Florida; acci-
dental in Bermuda and Jamaica.
J include this bird amongst our breeders for the reason
that it breeds very commonly all along our coast region.
Of course it was originally bred in confinement, but a
few generations have produced geese that build their nests
in almost natural haunts, feeding and rearing their voung
in the open salt waters and returning, even after mingling
with their wild cousins, to their owner and their artificial
feeding of corn. Birds raised at a place seldom join the
migrating flocks, though the call of the wild is often a
temptation as they see their brethren passing over, but,
aside from a great honking and flapping of wings, few
leave. Every gun club, and nearly every market gunner,
OF VIRGINIA 29
now has his pen of decoy Canadas, and I suppose it is safe
to say that seven-eighths of the geese shot are through the
means of these tame birds. Though birds may pair off
the second vear of age, the female will not as a rule lay
until the third season. They remain mated for life, if
not broken up, and some attain the ripe old age of twenty
years. Probably the most successful breeder of these birds
in the world is Mr. J. W. Whealton, of Chincoteague
Island, this State, who has been breeding these birds for
over twenty-five vears, and raises them in large numbers.
some seasons as many as four hundred young being raised
to maturity. His geese, on reaching the age of full
plumage, are allowed to feed ont in the bay at large, and
he seldom loses any. The wild birds commence to arrive
about the middle of October, and are common on all our
large rivers and bavs; Back Bay and Currituck Sound
being their ideal feeding grounds. Thev migrate north-
ward in the spring about the middle of March, the loud
honking readily attracting one’s notice to the flock over-
head, flying in the shape of a wedge or “V.’ The nests
are well-made structures of weeds, stems and grasses, trash
and other handy material, lined with feathers and down.
The eggs are a light buff color, and number from four
to six, five being the average. Size, 3.50x2.50. In con-
finement they lay in March and early April, but in their
wild state they breed in May and June. Only one brood
a season.
30 THE BIRDS
INTRODUCED BREEDER.
SUBFAMILY CYGNIN/E.—SWANS.
GENUs OLorR.
[180]. Olor columbianus (Ord.). Whistling Swan.
[ Wild Swan].
Raner.—North America. Breeds from northern
Alaska south to Becharof Lake, Alaska Peninsula, and on
Arctic islands from about latitude 74° south to northern
Mackenzie and northwestern Hudson Bay; in migration
oceurs west to Behring Island; winters on the Pacific
Coast from southern British Columbia, rarely south to
southern California, and in the interior from Lake Erie
and southern Illinois to coasts of Louisiana and Texas, and
on Atlantic Coast from Delaware and Maryland to South
Carolina, rarely north to Massachusetts and south to
Florida; casual in northern Mexico; accidental in Scot-
land and Bermuda.
This beautiful and graceful bird is included in our lst
as a breeder in captivity, its natural breeding grounds
being in the extreme northern latitude. It is however
a very common bird during the winter months in Chesa-
peake and Back Bays, and Currituck Sound; where many
are killed by the market gunners and shipped into Norfolk
market. It is surprising how little demand there is for
them as food, for, if people really only knew it, a fat
young bird is the finest of game; the flavor not unlike
venison, while the breast meat will average as much as
thet of two geese. Notwithstanding all this thev sell for the
OF VIRGINIA Z|
ridiculously low price of from ouc dollar to a dollar and a
half each. I will admit though that an old bird is the
toughest proposition teeth ever tackled, but one can soon
learn to pick out a young bird by the dark purplish hue
ot the feathers on the neck and back. Nearly all the
gunning clubs along the lower coast have one or two for
decoys, where a few pairs have been known to breed in
captivity. During a tramp down the coast in 1908, in-
specting the live decoys and breeding methods used by the
various gun clubs, I was told by a keeper at one club of
a female swan and tame white gander having mated, the
offspring resembling the swan more than the goose. These
birds I did not personally see,—the statement as told me
I leave in the hands of my readers,—though I hope to
verify this statement shortly. The birds arrive at their
winter feeding grounds the latter part of October, and
depart northward about the middle of March, these dates
being judged by specimens seen. In confinement, as in
their wild state, they only raise one brood, the eggs num-
bering from four to five. The nest is rather a bulky
affair of sticks, moss, grass, and rubbish, lined with
feathers, and placed on the ground not far from the water.
Size of eggs, 4.00x2.75. The above data was taken from a
set of eggs in my collection taken June 5, 1882, on the
Yukon Delta by a friend. The above data will apply
as well to birds in captivity, though the breeding date is
possibly somewhat earlier on account of our warm climate.
Tt seems a pity they should be shot, and I would dearly
love to see them taken off the game list, for they are
becoming less plentiful each year.
32 THE BIRDS
Puoto By V. Burtcu.
Nesr anp Ecos.
ee ey : et: ta
>. (Bay i 6 fs - 7 |
Puoto By C. F. STONE.
LooKING FoR Foop.
BITTERN.
OF VIRGINIA 33
FAMILY ARDEIDAL.—HERONS, BITTERNS.
SUBFAMILY BOTAURIN/E.—BITTERNS.
GENUS BoTAURUS.
[190]. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu). Biltern.
Ranex.—North America. Breeds from central British
Columbia, southern Mackenzie, central Keewatin, southern
Ungava and Newfoundland south to southern California,
northern Arizona, Kansas, the Ohio Valley, and North
Carolina, and less frequently in southern United States;
winters from California, Arizona, southern Texas, the
Ohio Valley, and Virginia south to Cuba and Guatemala,
and casually to the Bahamas, Porto Rico, Jamaica, and
Great Britain.
This bird, as well as the following species, is almost
unknown to the majority of people, other than bird stu-
dents, or the so-called “Bird Cranks.” Inhabiting the
marshes as it does, seldom rising unless flushed by man or
dog, and migrating by night, few there are to see it. It is,
though, a much larger bird than the Least Bittern, and its
habits are not auite so seclusive as that species, and it
flushes more easily when disturbed during its feeding. If
one should creep quietly through the underbrush border-
ing some sluggish stream, or quiet pond overhung with
bushes, and keen quiet for some time, they might easily
expect to see a Bittern cautiously skulking along the shore
line searching for food, or in their most characteristic atti-
tude, motionless, with head and neck drawn down as if
the head and shoulders were closely connected. While
34 THE BIRDS
os
Nest AND Ecos.
Puoros py O. E. BAYNARD.
FEMALE INCUBATING.
THE LEAST BITTERN.
OF VIRGINIA 35
they may be found in both salt- and fresh-water marshes,
they seem to have a preference for the latter, and in the
long marsh grass, rushes, or on some tussock out in the
pond, may be found their nest. The nest is a loosely made
platform of grasses or rushes, placed on the ground near
the marsh, or more often just a trampled-down mass of
dry vegetation out in the marsh or pond proper. On this
are laid those unmistakable glossy olive-drab eggs, three
to five in number, measuring 1.95x1.50. Fresh eggs
May 5th to 15th. Only one brood a season. Favorable
seasous some few remain through the winter with us, but
the majority reach us about April 10th.
GENUS IxoOBRYCHUS.
[191]. Ixobrychus exilis (Gmelin), Least Bittern,
Ranere.—Temperate North America and northern
South America. Breeds from southern Oregon, southern
Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, southern Quebec, and
Nova Scotia south to the West Indies and Brazil; winters
from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico southward.
This shy, retiring bird is probably never seen by any
person other than an ornithologist or oologist out in quest
of specimens. Although it is a bird of the marshes, it is
rather doubtful if the average gunner in this section out
after snipe, rails, or ducks, flushes one or knows what
it is. It inhabits the upper brackish marshes and fresh-
water sloughs and ponds, while Back Bay, Princess Anne
County, is a very favorable locality for nesting sites and
feeding grounds. It does not winter with us, arriving
about the middle of April. Unlike their comrades of the
36 THE BIRDS
marsh, the rails, they do not run for protection, but trust
to the color of their plumage and motionless attitude,
which blends entirely with the surrounding vegetation.
One can almost step on these birds before they will flush.
Small ponds in the islands off our coast also form an
attractive home ground for them during the breeding time.
The nest is a well-constructed platform of dry marsh
grasses and stems, or rushes; fastened to the upright blades
of marsh grass or rushes, from six inches to a foot above
the marsh or water. The eggs number from four to five,
a light, pale greenish-white. Size, 1.20x.90. Fresh eggs
June 5th to 10th. Only one brood a season.
OF VIRGINIA 37
pier
ee)
Mh
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR.
Two-THIRDS GROWN.
YOUNG OF THE GREAT BLUE HERON.
38 THE BIRDS
SUBFAMILY ARDEIN/AE.—HERONS AND
EGRETS.
GENUS ARDEA.
[194]. Ardea herodias herodias (Linneus).
Great Blue Heron.
[Big Blue Crane. Cranky].
Rawer.—Western Hemisphere. Breeds from south-
western British Columbia, central Alberta, central Mani-
toba, northern Ontario, and Prince Edward Island south
to southern Lower California and Isabella Island, Mexico,
northern Texas, and South Atlantic States (except parts
of Florida) ; winters from Oregon, the Ohio Valley, and
Middle States south to the West Indies, Panama, and
Venezuela.
This large heron, commonly called “crane,” is an
abundant species with us in the Tidewater area. A few
pair remain through the winter, but the majority move
further south the latter part of December, and return
about the middle of March. They are one of the most
familiar and easily recognized birds along our bays, rivers,
creeks, and water courses; while a solitary bird standing
motionless on the edge of the river, up to his thighs
in water, neck outstretched, ready to spear a soft crab or
minnow with the long sharp beak, is a sight well worth
watching. Another interesting sight is to watch a large
flock returning from their feeding grounds to the rookery,
easily identified at a great distance by their large expanse
OF VIRGINIA oe,
of wing and slow wing beats, neck stretched ont to about
half its Icugth, and long legs stuck straight out behind,
reaching well beyond the tail. They follow one behind
the other, separating and sailing in as they near the tree
in which their nest is lovated, and as they are about to
alight, the long, ungainly legs are drawn. forward and
downward, the feet often missing the branch on which
they intended to alight, when after another most awkward
attempt they generally succeed. They seldom land directly
on their nest, alighting nearhy and walking up and on to
it. This practice during the time the young are on the
nest is a most unsatisfactory method for the vomme; each
trving to reach the old bird first, they start to climb fram
the nest awkwardly toward the parent, often resulting in
their being precipitated to the ground below, where thev
are devoured hy crows, buzzards, racoons, or oposstens, all
of which are attracted and make their habitat near a
rookery. Large rookeries of these birds formerly were
found on some of the islands off the coast, but the eutting
of the live timber and destruction of the old dead trees
by fire and the elements, as well as gunners disturbing
them during the srrine migration of beach birds, has
driven them to the mainland to safer retreats. The nests
are quite large, bulky platforms of dead sticks and twigs.
placed as high up as possible and often near the extremity
of the limb when live trees are used. The eges number
from three to five, greenish-blue. Size, 2.45x1.45. On
account of their nests being robhed by crows. and vonng
destroyed hy various causes, fresh eges may be found in
rookeries from Arril 20th until June 15th. Their food
consists of small fish and minnows, shrimp, soft crahs,
eels,-ard other marine life.
40 THE BIRDS
“ai
Nest anp Eaas.
. i SID
PuHoros ny O. E. BAyNArp.
AT Home.
THE EGRET.
OF VIRGINIA 4|
GeENus HEROobIAS.
[196]. Herodias egretta (Gmelin). Egret.
[White Crane].
Raner.—Temperate and tropical America. Breeds in
Oregon and California, and from Virginia, Florida, the
Gulf Coast, and Mexico south to Patagonia; formerly
bred north to New Jersey and Wisconsin; winters from
the Gulf of Mexico southward; casual in Manitoba,
Quebec, New England, and Nova Scotia.
There are a few of these birds still breeding within our
area; formerly they were quite common with us. The
demand for their plumes for the millinery trade un-
doubtedly was the main cause of their decline, like that
of numerous species noted heretofore. There are still
some found in the Chickahominy region, many working
down the James River during August and September in
search of food.
*In the coast region they nest out on the marsh, build-
ing their nests above the reach of high tides, of dry marsh
grass, stems and fine sticks. Three to four eggs form a
complete set, May 15th to June Ist; light bluish-green
color. Size, 2.30x1.45. Elsewhere they usually nest in
trees like the other Herons. In the year 1911, during a
visit to the Eastern Shore, I heard of a man having shot
some and eating them, and it is only a question of a short
time before these birds of the coast region will entirely
disappear, though those further inland are still quite safe.
They arrive about April 15th and migrate southward
early in September.
*Note.—This was the species referred to as the “Snowy Heron,”
“seen by Captain Crumb, Rives’ Catalogue of the Birds of the
Virginias, page 50, No. 65.
42 THE BIRDS
Puoros By O. BH. BAYNARD.
YouncG, Five Days OLp.
SNOWY EGRET.
OF VIRGINIA 43
GENUS EGRETTA.
[197]. Hgretta candidissima-candidissima (Gmelin).
Snowy Hgret.
Raxcre.—Temperate and tropical America. Formerly
bred from Oregon, Nebraska, Indiana, Illinois, and New
Jersey south to Chile and Argentina; now breeds locally
in the United States from southeastern Virginia and North,
Carolina to Louisiana; winters from Florida southward ;
casual in British Columbia, Ontario, Massachusetts, and
Nova Scotia.
This species still breeds sparingly in our area in the
Chickahominy Swamps and I am quite sure it still breeds
in the Back Bay tributaries also. It formerly was quite
an abundant breeder, but like other species noted, it gave
way before the demand for millinery purposes, until now
they are one of our rarest birds. These are the birds
most noted for their egret or osprey feathers worn on
women’s hats, the demand for which nearly exterminated
them. The nest is a frail platform of dry sticks in a low
tree in swamp, or on an island in a river; a few pair
generally breeding with the colonies of Louisiana and
Little Blue Herons. The nest is seldom more than thirty
feet above ground or water. The eggs usually number
from three to four, a light bluish-green. Size, 1.80x1.20.
Only one brood a season. They arrive and depart about
the same time as the Egret. Unless very stringent laws,
with wardens to enforce them, are passed, this species will
soon pass from our list of breeding birds forever.
THE BIRDS
44
NARD.
O. E. Bay
PHOTOS BY
THE SNOWY EGRET AT HOME.
OF VIRGINIA 4
GENus FLorIDA.
[200]. Florida cerulea (Linnwus). Little Blue Heron.
[Little Blue Crane J.
Rance.—North and South America. Formerly bred
from Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and New Jersey to
western Mexico and south to Argentina and Peru; in the
United States now breeds locally in the Gulf Coast north
to Virginia (James River tributaries); wanders casually
to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ontario, New England, and
Nova Scotia; winters from South Carolina southward.
These birds do not winter with us, arriving about April
10th. While I have as yet no actual knowledge of these
birds now breeding on our coast, they do, however, nest in
the swamps and creeks near Jamestown and in Chicka-
hominy region in large rookeries, and the young birds
work down the James River in the early fall to within a
few miles of Newport News. They probably also nest in
the swamps bordering Back Bay. I have had numerous
young in their white plumage in my pond every vear, while
the creeks further up the river are dotted with them
during low tide. Their nests and habits are almost iden-
tical with the following species, while their eggs can not
be. distinguished with a certainty from those of the Green
Heron except in measurement, which is a trifle smaller.
Eggs three to four in number, a pale bluish-green. Size,
1.65x1.30. Fresh eges May ist. Only one brood a
season. In 1875 my father found them breeding
abundantly on Mock Horn Island, but they have been
driven from that section, as was the Great Blue Heron.
46 THE BIRDS
PuoTo BY THD AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE GREEN HERON.
OF VIRGINIA 47
GENUS BUTORIDES.
[201]. Butorides virescens virescens (Linnaeus).
Green Heron.
[Scow. Fly-Up-the-Creek. Little Crane. Scout].
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds from
southern South Dakota, northern Wisconsin, southern
Ontario, southern Quebee, and Nova Scotia south to the
West Indies; winters from Florida and the West Indies.
southward, and rarely in southeastern United States;
casual in Colorado.
This heron, commonly called “Scow,” remains through
the milder winters with us, and during the breeding season
every small marsh, pond, or brackish stream, affords a
fishing preserve for one or more pair. On the islands
along the coast they are still quite numerous, though not
as much so as formerly, when the cedars, scrub pines and
other foliage afforded abundant nesting sites, and large
colonies were common. There are probably more eges of
this species, and the Great Blue Heron, destroyed by
crows, both Common and Fish Crows, than are hatched by
the birds themselves. I have been on the ground under-
neath these rookeries when the eggshells of these birds,
dropped by the crows after sucking the contents, literally
made the ground look blue. The nest is a well constructed
saucer-shaped platform of small sticks and twigs, and
although the eggs can generally be seen through the nest
from below, the construction is such that it holds its con-
tents during the severe wind and thunder storms that sweep
the rookeries generally when the breeding season is at its
height. While the birds and eggs are sometimes eaten by
48 THE BIRDS
the watermen along the coast, still it is not considered game
by many. The eggs number four to six, a rich greenish-
blue, and measure 1.48x1.12. The height at which the
nest is placed varies considerably. I have found nests in
low bushes overhanging the water, only three feet up,
while nests placed in pine trees, as well as in cedars in
rookeries, have been thirty-five to forty feet up. Occasion-
ally more than one brood is reared a season. The young
are most awkward when walking around the limbs
surrounding the nest, a habit resorted to after being about
half grown, resulting often in death by falling to the
eround below or becoming entangled in the foliage or
vegetation, from which they are unable to extricate them-
selves. Fresh eggs may be found from April 22nd to
May 15th.
OF VIRGINIA 49
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR. PuHoTo By W. O. EMERSON.
Reapy To LEAVE. AsoutT TEN Days OLxp.
NEST AND YOUNG OF THE NIGHT HERON.
50 THE BIRDS
GENUS NYCTICORAX.
1202]. Nycticorax nycticorax nevius (Boddaert).
Black-crowned Night Heron.
[Night Crane. Night Squawk].
Raner.—North and South America. Breeds from
northern Oregon, southern Wyoming, southern Manitoba,
northern Quebec, and Nova Scotia south to Patagonia;
winters from northern California and Gulf States soutb-
ward; casual in winter north to Massachusetts and
southern I]linois.
This bird breeds on the mainland of the Eastern Shore
(Cape Charles Peninsula), and in the Chickahominy
swamps, also in the swamps bordering Back Bay. Resi-
dents of the country bordering water are familiar with
them by their loud “squawk,” as they pass overhead about
twilight, bound from one feeding ground to another.
They nest in quite large colonies as do the other herons
found within our limits, sometimes as many as a dozen
nests being found in one tree. By the time the young are
full grown the rookery takes on a whitish appearance from
the excrement found on every limb, bush and shrub, while
the ground is likewise covered and gives forth a sickly
odor from the dead young, rotten eggs, etc., scattered all
over. Should one climb a tree in which happened to be
nests with young, he is soon beating a hasty retreat from
the rapid fire of unsavory smelling fish disgorged by the
young. This practice is resorted to for protection by the
other species of herons as well. The nest is a well made
OF VIRGINIA 5|
Puoto sy W. O. Emerson.
THE AUTHOR IN A HERON ROOKERY.
AZ THE BIRDS
saucer-shaped platform of small sticks and twigs, from
ten to fifty feet from the ground. The eggs number from
three to five, a pale green color, and measure 2.00x1.40.
Fresh eggs April 10th to 20th. Only one brood a season.
Some years these birds do not spend the winter with us,
arriving the later part of Mareh or first of April, and
departing the end of October. Other mild winters find
them with us in numbers. This season (1913) I found
them very abundant in Princess Anne County during all
the winter months. When their supply of food;
minnows, small fish and other marine life, is frozen up,
they migrate southward at once, returning as soon as the
weather breaks.
OF VIRGINIA 53
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE KING RAIL.
54 THE BIRDS
FAMILY RALLIDAZ.—RAILS, GALLINULES,
AND COOTS.
SUBFAMILY RALLIN/AZ.—RAILS.
GENUS RALLUs.
[208]. Rallus elegans (Audubon). King Rail.
[Marsh Hen. King Sora].
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds from Ne-
braska, southern Minnesota, Ontario, New York, and
Connecticut south to Texas, Florida, and Cuba; winters
mainly in the southern part of its breeding range; casual
north to South Dakota and Maine.
This handsome large rail is not a common breeding
bird over Tidewater Virginia, though I have taken two
sets of eges each year for the last two seasons, from a
pair of birds breeding in one of my ponds on my place in
Warwick County. This is the only positive record I have
of their breeding within our area, though I see no reason
why they should not be found in the marshes adjoining
Back Bay, which is virtually fresh water. The birds
breeding with me became quite tame, allowing me to
approach within five feet of them when brooding eggs.
The nests were placed in a thick bunch of swamp grass
erowing in the pond, about two feet above the water.
They were made of dry marsh grass, a slightly hollow
platform well packed, and contained nine and eleven eggs
respectively the first settings, and six and seven eggs the
second. They did not move over twenty-five feet after
OF VIRGINIA 55
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE CLAPPER RAIL.
CANOPY REMOVED.
56 THE BIRDS
being broken up the first time, and about one hundred
feet the second time, the third laying being allowed to
hatch. The young were jet black, and all remained in
the near vicinity until the fall high tides, when they
migrated with the other rail, principally Virginia and
Sora. These fall tides oceur about September 15th to
October 10th, during which times many King Rail, as
well as other species, are killed further up the rivers. The
egos have a glossy rich cream ground color, blotched and
specked with reddish-brown, with fainter markings of
lilac. Size, 1.60x1.20. Fresh eggs, May 20th to June Ist.
Only one brood a season. Their food consists of insects,
seed, and various forms of marine life gathered from the
edges of the ponds and streams.
[211]. Rallus crepitans crepitans (Gmelin).
Clapper Rail.
[Mud Hen. Sage Hen].
Raner.—Salt marshes of the Atlantic Coast. Breeds
from Connecticut to North Carolina; winters mainly
south of New Jersey; casual north to Maine.
This is the largest of the rails breeding with us, and
during mild winters many remain through the year. As
spring approaches they become more fearless and inhabit
small marshy places often within a hundred feet of
inhabited buildings, from which they utter their harsh
“ohak, ghak,” making their presence readily known.
During the breeding season numerous pairs of these birds
are scattered over every salt marsh, and during early
morning and late evening hours, their long harsh cries,
OF VIRGINIA 57
ore answering the other, so it seems, keep the marsh
vibrating with sound, As they run so rapidly from place
to place, one is led to believe there are many more birds
in the marsh than there really are. On the islands off the
coast they are very numerous, and their method of nest
building is entirely different from that on the mainland
west of the Chesapeake Bay. The spring equinoctial
storm leaves large masses of drift, such as seaweed, dry
marsh grass, and trash of every description, along the
inland shore of the coastal islands, supported above the
ground about eight inches by the thicker stems of marsh
grasses. Under these masses of trash the Clapper Rails
build their nests, the trash above forming the canopy for
which the birds are so noted. The nests in the marshes
on the mainland are chiefly placed in some thick bunch of
marsh grass or flags, and attached thereto, from six to ten
inches above the marsh and canopied over with the sur-
rounding vegetation. During the late fall and early
spring, numbers of these birds are caught in the steel traps
set for mammals in and along the creeks and water
courses. The eggs number from eight to thirteen, the
ground color a rich glossy buff, specked and blotched with
different shades of reddish-brown, and fainter markings
of lavender or gray. Fresh eggs April 27th to June 1st.
Size, 1.70x1.20. The nest is composed of dry marsh
grasses and stems, a well built platform, slightly hollowed.
Numbers of these birds with the Virginia, Black, and
Sora Rails, are shot during the Sora tides, the latter part
of September each year. The young are jet black when
hatched and leave the nest to follow the parent as soon as
dry. Two settings are laid by many birds. Second sets
of fresh egos July Ist. Seeds and marine insect matter
form the greater part of their food.
58 THE BIRDS
Puotos By V. BurtcH.
AT Home. AFTER LEAVING.
THE VIRGINIA RAIL.
OF VIRGINIA 59
[212]. Rallus virginianus (Linneus). Virginia Rail.
Raner.—North America. Breeds from British
Columbia, southern Saskatchewan, southern Keewatin,
Ontario, southern Quebec, and New Brunswick south to
southern California, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois,
New Jersey, and eastern North Carolina, and in Toluca
Valley, Mexico; winters from Oregon, Utah and Colorado
to lower California and Guatemala, also in the lower
Mississippi states, and from North Carolina (casually
Massachusetts) to Florida; occurs casually north to
northern Quebec and Newfoundland.
This species of rail with the Sora, and a few of the
Black Rail, are taken quite abundantly during the fall
high tides. During these times the waters rise above the
tops of the majority of marsh grass in the small rivers
and creeks, and the birds are driven from their safe retreat
on the ground below, to the tallest of the marsh grass
stems, here to be shot by the gunners pushed over the
marsh in a light draft punt or skiff. The Virginia Rail
is, however, not as abundant as the Sora during these
periods, the proportion being about twenty to one. They
breed in suitable localities throughout Tidewater, while
further inland they are very abundant in the brackish
marshes at the heads of the creeks emptying into the
James. The waters of Back Bay and its tributaries is
an ideal breeding section for it. Mild winters a few
remain with us, but the majority migrate further south in
October and November, arriving with us in the spring,
the middle of April. The nest is placed in or near the
water, six to ten inches up, a well built platform of dry
marsh grasses and stems, canopied over and concealed by
60 THE BIRDS
the surrounding tall vegetation. The eggs number from
eight to twelve, the ground color a glossy creamish-white,
specked with reddish-brown, and with fainter markings of
lavender, more profusely on the larger end. Size of eggs,
1.25x.90. Fresh eggs may be found from May 20th till
June 5th. Probably only one brood a season. Their food
is similar to the other members of the family: seeds,
worms, beetles, snails, and other insect matter, being freely
eaten.
GENUs CRECISCUS.
[216]. Oreciscus jamaicensis (Gmelin). Black Rail.
Ranexr.—Eastern North America. Breeds from
southern Ontario and Massachusetts south to Kansas,
Illinois, and South Carolina; winters from Texas east
through the Gulf States and south to Jamaica and Guate-
mala; casual in Bermuda.
During the fall equinoctial storms when the extra high
tides are caused by the water being backed up the James
River, a few of these birds are shot on the marshes by the
gunners after Sora. It was not until the season of 1911
that I had positive evidence of their breeding within our
area, but on June 16th my father took an incomplete set
in Northampton County, thus establishing a record for the
State. The bird reminded him more of the common
marsh or Norway rat (Hpinys Norvegicus) by the way it
ran and skulked among the tall marsh grass. The nest is
placed near a fresh-water marsh, on the ground, and com-
posed of fine blades of flags and wide strips of marsh
grasses, lined with fine strips and grasses. The eggs
BLACK RAIL
OF VIRGINIA 6]
number six to nine, a glossy light cream ground color, pro-
fusely specked over the entire surface with reddish-brown,
and under markings of faint lavender. Size, 1.06x.65.
Probably only one brood is raised a season. Fresh eggs
June 12th. They arrive the latter part of April from the
south, and migrate southward the latter part of September
and first part of October. Their food is similar to the
other members of the family.
62 THE BIRDS
Zo
PuHotTo BY O. E. BAYNARD.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE FLORIDA GALLINULE.
OF VIRGINIA 63
SUBFAMILY GALLINULINE-E.
GENUS GALLINULA.
[219]. Gallinula galeata (Lichtenstein). Florida
Gallinule.
[Marsh Pullet].
Ranex.—Tropical and temperate America. Breeds
from central California, Arizona, Nebraska, Minnesota,
Ontario, New York, and Vermont south through the
West Indies and Mexico to Chile and .\rgentina, and in
the Galapagos and Bermuda; winters from southern
California, .\rizona, Texas, and Georgia southward;
casual in Colorado, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
and Maine.
Although we were quite sure the Florida Gallinule bred
within our limits, it was not until the season of 1911 that
my father actually took a set of eggs and identified the
bird. The record set was found on the margin of a small
brackish pond in the interior of Hog Island, Northampton
County, June 17th. Incubation was far advanced; four
eggs from the setting of nine were all that were saved.
Undoubtedly they breed extensively along the shores and
at the upper end of Back Bay, Princess Anne County, a
mest suitable locality, and lower portions of rivers
on the north side of Chesapeake Bay. Unless the
weather be very cold, they remain with us until
the middle or latter part of December, returning
again the last of March, or a little later; weather con-
64 THE BIRDS
ditions affecting it somewhat. Like the other rails, the
migration is made during the night. A handsome speci-
men was once brought to me early one morning, dead,
having been picked up in the city street under the tele-
graph wires. The bird had been flying at such a rapid
rate that when it hit the wire, the shock had ruptured the
heart and death had been almost instantaneous, facts
brought out when skinning it. The nest is placed a few
inches above the water or wet ground, sometimes floating
on the water, composed of dry flag blades and marsh grass,
well concealed by overhanging vegetation. Eggs number
seven to ten, the ground color a rich glossy cream, the
entire surface blotched, and spotted with a reddish-brown,
and milder markings of lavender. Size, 1.65x1.15. Only
one brood a season. The young when hatched are jet black
except their tiny, orange-colored legs, and as soon as their
coat becomes dry, they leave the nest and follow the
parent. Vegetable matter, worms, beetles, snails and seed,
form the principal part of their food.
OF VIRGINIA 65
PHoTo BY O. REINECKE.
WOODCOCK,
66 THE BIRDS
FAMILY SCOLOPACID/E.—SNIPES, SAND-
PIPERS, ETC.
GENUS PHILOHELA.
[228]. Philohela minor (Gmelin). Woodcock.
Rayxer.—Eastern North America. Breeds from north-
eastern North Dakota, southern Manitoba, northern
Michigan, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia south to
southern Kansas, southern Louisiana, and northern
Florida; winters from southern Missouri, the Ohio
Valley, and New Jersey (rarely Massachusetts) south to
Texas and southern Florida; ranges casually to Sas-
katchewan, Keewatin, Colorado, Newfoundland, and
Bermuda.
Probably this bird will be seen by less people, other
than the sportsman, than almost any bird on our list. He
frequents the low marshy ground, especially in and around
woods, sticking his long bill deep down into the mud or
' soft earth in quest of insects, worms and larve, and leaving
a small round hole, a sign easily detected by the close-
observant sportsman when in quest of him. Never flying
by day, unless flushed, he feeds mostly in the dark shadows
of the woods, only to emerge at night as his legitimate
time of action. During favorable seasons a few of these
birds remain throughout the winter, the majority, though,
going further south during November. The migration
northward begins early in March; favorable weather
many reach us in February, and during these migrations
many are shot by the local gunners. They are, however,
ATONITTVS VdCIdoOTs
OF VIRGINIA 67
becoming less common each year, until a bag of from four
to eight birds is considered an exceptionally good day.
Eggs are deposited with us the first week in March, while
a female with young riding on her back has been noted
on March 22nd. The nest is a slight depression in the
ground, on some high spot bordering the swamp or marsh,
lined with dry leaves. The eggs number four, a glossy
buff-eream ground, spotted and blotched over the entire
surface with a light shade of brown, and fainter blotches
of lavender. The eggs are blunt pyriform in shape, size,
1.50x1.14. Only one brood a season. J found them
abundant in western Virginia as high as 3,500 feet
altitude.
GENUS CATOPTROPHORUS.
[258]. Catoptrophorus semrpalmatus semipalmatus.
(Gmelin). Wallet,
Raxee.—North and South America. Breeds from
Virginia (formerly Nova Scotia) south to Florida and
the Bahamas; winters from the Bahamas to Brazil and
Peru; accidental in Bermuda and Europe.
This was formerly a very abundant game bird all along
our coast, often being found in numbers even on the lower
shores of our large rivers and Chesapeake Bay. It is,
however, fast becoming a bird of the past, and within a
few years they will be considered a rare bird with our
coast sportsmen. Being one of the earliest birds to lay,
many are shot by the spring gunners after beiny mated
and with eggs, a condition sure to diminish if not extermi-
nate sooner or later any species of bird, no matter how
68 THE BIRDS
plentiful. They arrive from the south about April 15th,
apparently mated at that time. During the nesting season
it is a most noisy bird, their oft-repeated ery of “Pilly
willet, Pilly willet,” high overhead, attracting the atten-
tion of everything for hundreds of yards around.
Formerly the nests were quite easily found, being placed
among the sand dunes near the beach, but the few remain-
ing pairs on our coastal islands have learned to nest
further back toward the bay side, where, amongst the tall,
thick grass, they are very hard to locate. Sometimes they
lay out on the marsh, though this practice is not common.
The nest is a slight hollow in the sand or earth, a few fine
grasses for an inner lining. The eggs number four, the
ground color a bright, glossy, greenish- or grayish-buff,
heavily spotted and blotched with various shades of brown,
and undermarkings of lavender, preferably on the larger
end.
Fresh eges Mav 17th to 25th. Only one brood a season.
The eggs are pyriform in shape and measure 2.10x1.60.
They leave us for their migration southward the latter
part of September. The greater part of their food con-
sists of tender rootlets, seeds, snails, and marine insects
cast up by the tides.
GENUS BARTRAMIA.
[261]. Bartramia longicauda (Bechstein). Upland
Plover.
[Field Plover].
Raner.—North and South America. Breeds from
northwestern Alaska, southern Mackenzie, central Kee-
watin, central Wisconsin, southern Michigan, southern
WILLET
OF VIRGINIA 69
Ontario, and southern Maine to southern Oregon, northern
Utah, central Oklahoma, southern Missouri, southern
Indiana, and parts of Virginia; winters on the pampas
of South America to Argentina; in migration occurs north
to Newfoundland and in Europe; accidental in Australia.
This is probably one of our rarest species, and is, I
think, the next bird to become extinct. Formerly they
were very common over our area, but of late years one
seldom sees them, especially in the breeding season. They
arrive from the south about April 22nd, and migrate
southward early in August, about the Sth. Like the Willet,
they are a very noisy bird when one is near their nest,
though it is much harder to find than the nest of that
species. For a breeding ground, they prefer an old
pasture or a low, sandy waste covered with short grass,
the nest being a slight hollow scooped in the ground and
lined with fine grasses. The nest is generally located in
some dense growth or clump of grass or weeds, making it
invisible from many angles. Four eggs is a full set; the
ground color a rich, creamy buff, finely specked and
blotched with light reddish-brown and faint undermark-
ings of lavender. Size, 1.73x1.23. Fresh eges June 1st
to 10th. They raise but a single brood a season with us.
When plentiful and during the migrations, they were a
bird much sought after by the gunners, and their habit of
resorting to the open meadows, fields and pastures, where
they fed on grasshoppers, worms, cutworms and locusts,
was the main factor in their decrease. During such times
they were persistently hunted by the local inhabitants and
market gunners, until now they have become a novelty in
a huntsman’s bag. They should be rigorously protected
at all times. .\ few pair still breed in the State as far
south as Montgomery County.
70 THE BIRDS
PHotTo By ALEX. WALKER.
THE HOME OF THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER.
OF VIRGINIA 7\
GENus ACTITIS.
[263]. Actitis macularia (Linneus). Spotted
Sandpiper.
[Teeter. Tip Up. Sand Snipe].
Ranexr.—North and South America. Breeds from tree
limit in northwestern Alaska, northern Mackenzie, central
Keewatin, northern Ungava, and Newfoundland south to
southern California, Arizona, southern Texas, southern
Louisiana, and northern South Carolina; winters from
California, Louisiana, and southern Virginia to southern
Brazil and central Peru; stragglers to Great Britain and
Helgoland.
This little shore bird, or “Teeter,” as called by the local
residents, is a most common bird with us during the entire
year. Even along the salt water shores of our bays and
rivers it can always be seen running along in and out the
surf foam, looking for insects and other marine crustea
cast up by the waves. The inland ponds and marshy
places also have their numerous pairs, around which
places they really seem more at home, and breed to a
greater extent. Their cry of “teeter, teeter, teeter,” on
being flushed, and uttered while flying over the waters, is
one of the easiest ways of identifying them. The nest is
a slight depression in the ground amongst the thick grass,
placed well for concealment, and lined with weed stems,
grasses or seaweed. The eggs number four to five, gener-
ally the former, pyriform in shape, a grayish-buff ground
color, spotted, specked and blotched with brownish-black,
or black. Size, 1.35x.90. The young leave the inest soon
72 THE BIRDS
after being hatched, and their downy coats have the pro-
tective coloration scheme so well carried out that it is
almost impossible to distinguish them, especially on the
sandy beach amongst the shells, pebbles or stones. They
raise only one brood a season. Fresh eges June 1st to 10th.
Their food consists principally of insect matter cast up
by the water, or inhabiting the wet edges.
73
OF VIRGINIA
x. WALKER.
ROTO BY ALK
p
KILLDEER.
74 THE BIRDS
FAMILY CHARADRIIDAE.—PLOVERS.
GENUS OXYECHUS.
[273]. Oxyechus rociferus (Linneus). Killdeer.
[Killdee}.
Rayee.—North and South America. Breeds from
central British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, central
Keewatin, and central Quebec south to the Gulf Coast and
central Mexico; winters from California, Arizona, Texas,
Indiana, New Jersey, and Bermuda south to Venezuela
and Pern; casual in Newfoundland, Paraguay, and Chile;
accidental in Great Britain.
There was a time some fifteen or eighteen years ago
when this shore bird was one of the common breeding birds
all over Virginia, but of late years it has become
more scarce each season, until it has entirely disappeared
on the James River Peninsula as a breeder, and but few
pair still breed on the Eastern Shore, and in Princess
Anne County. During the migrations a few pair are now
seen in the plowed fields and pasture land, while now and
then a small flock on the beaches and flats, a remnant of
a once plentiful bird with us. The farmers tell me,
“Many vears ago one could find two or three pair nesting
in every field on their farms, but nowadays they seldom
even hear one the vear round.” They do, however,
migrate in greater numbers, and breed sparingly further
inland. They are a pleasing, though noisy, bird to have
around the farm, and they do a great deal of good by
gathering worms and insects from the fields. They are
PIPING PLOVER
OF VIRGINIA 75
exceptionally active birds on their legs, and one can follow
an unstartled bird all over a field many times, the bird
running ahead some thirty to fifty feet, all the while
gathering up insects at each interval of stopping.
The nest is placed in some open field, pasture or corn
field, a slight depression in the ground, with a few straws
or blades of grass as a lining. The eggs number three to
four, and are pyriform in shape. The ground color when
fresh a beautiful light olive buff, heavily blotched and
spotted with black. Size, 1.52x1.12. The birds wintering
with us are presumably northern birds, while our breeding
birds migrate further southward. Only one brood a
season, the young, like all the shore birds, leaving the nest
almost as soon as being hatched. Fresh eggs May 20th
to June Ist. The great amount of grasshoppers, locusts,
beetles, earthworms, caterpillars and other insects, eaten by
these birds should place them at the front of the beneficial
list of birds, and every landowner in the country should
give them the best of protection.
GENUs /EGIALITIS.
[277]. Afgialitis meloda (Ord.). Piping Plover.
[Little Plover. Ring Neck].
Ranex.—KEastern North America. Breeds locally from
southern Saskatchewan, southern Ontario, Magdalen
Islands, and Nova Scotia south to central Nebraska, north-
western Indiana, Lake Erie, and Virginia; winters on the
coast of the United States from Texas to Georgia, and in
northern Mexico; casual in migration to Newfoundland,
the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and Bermuda.
76 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE WILSON’S PLOVER.
OF VIRGINIA 77
This is another bird fast becoming extinct on our coast,
the main reason for which is that they are shot at by the
gunners who are after spring beach birds, when other
larger varieties are lacking. They are tame little fellows,
and, when driven by curiosity, will come within a few
feet of a person sitting still on the sand dunes. They
usually breed in small colonies, four to ten pair, the nest
a hollow in the sandy beach, well back from the ocean, in
which is laid four eggs. They choose, however, a place
where shells, stones and pebbles are numerous, thus afford-
ing the nest abundant color protection. The eggs are
pyriform in shape, the ground a pale gray, spotted and
specked with black. Size, 1.25x1.00. Fresh eges June
25th to July Ist. Only one brood a season. Seeds and
insect matter, cast up by the waves and tide waters, form
the greater part of their food.
GENUS OCHTHODROMUS.
[280]. - Ochthodromus wilsonius (Ord.). Wilson’s
Plover.
[Stuttering Bird].
Raner.—Southern North America. Breeds from Texas
eastward along the Gulf Coast, and from southeastern
Virginia (formerly New Jersey) south to the northern
Bahamas; winters from southern Lower California,
Texas, and Florida south to southern Guatemala and
probably to the West Indies; casual in Nova Scotia and
New England, and at San Diego, California.
.\s a breeding bird it is fast becoming uncommon on our
coast, though as late as 1896 it was still abundant. The
78 THE BIRDS
scarcity of other ‘beach birds” of late years has been the
cause of its decrease with us, the spring gunners having
turned to this little plover when other larger birds were
lacking. They present a very pretty sight, a flock with
their snow-white underbreasts, black feet and bills, and
broad band of black on the upper breast, following the
surf foam as it runs in and out on the sandy beach, now
and then all standing still with head drawn in, many
balancing themselves on one leg and evidently asleep for
an instant. The nest is a slight depression in the sandy
beach, back from the ocean some twenty to fifty feet,
among the shells and trash thrown up by the spring tides.
The eggs number three to four, generally the former, the
ground color a rich greenish-gray, blotched, spotted and
lined with blackish-brown, and light lavender. Size,
1.40x1.05. Fresh eggs May 12th to June 10th. Only
one brood a season. They arrive with us about May Ist.
Their food is similar to the former species, and procured
on the mud flats and ocean beaches.
OF VIRGINIA 79
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE OYSTER-CATCHER.
80 THE BIRDS
FAMILY HAEMATOPODID/E.—OYSTER-
CATCHERS.
GENUS HAMATOPUS.
[286]. Hematopus palliatus (Temminck). Oyster-
catcher.
[Sea Crow].
Rancre.—Coasts of North and South America from
Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia (formerly New Jersey)
south on both coasts of Mexico to the West Indies, southern
Brazil and central Chile; casual north to New Brunswick.
Breeds probably throughout its range.
This is the next bird to become extinct on our Virginia
coast, for it is truly a scarce bird now. Formerly it was
fairly plentiful all along the coastal, and island sandy
beaches, but of late years it has become so scarce that none
of our islands can boast of over one or two pair of breed-
img birds, some not that. This large, showy bird fell an
easy mark to the spring gunners, breeding as it did during
the height of the spring migration of “beach birds,”’ from
May 10th to 25th. Nesting among the sand dunes or
flat beaches back from the ocean, over which the spring
gunners tramped dailv, these birds were right in the line
of travel, so to speak, and were either killed, or their nests
broken up. As they laid only from two to three eggs a
setting, the increase has been less than decrease, and they
have become fewer and fewer year after year. It was my
good fortune to find on Fisherman’s Island on June 22nd,
1900, a set of four eges of this species, the only set of this
WHAOLVO-UALSAO
OF VIRGINIA 8]
size I have ever heard of. They arrive about April 18th
and depart early in September. The nest is only a slight
hollow in the sandy beach or sand dune, around which is
generally gathered a few bits of beach shell. The birds
make large footprints, and many well-trodden paths lead
to their nests, making them rather easily located, especi-
ally after incubation has commenced. The eggs are a
beautiful shade of creamy buff, blotched and spotted with
dark brown and faint lines of lavender. Size, 2.20x1.50.
Only one setting a season. Its food consists of mussels,
manoes, snails, worms, shrimps and small crabs, while
many insects are also eaten by them.
82 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE BOBWHITE.
OF VIRGINIA 83
FAMILY ODONTOPHORID/E.—BOB-
WHITES, QUAILS, ETC.
GENUS COLINUS.
[289]. Colinus virginianus virginianus (Linneus).
Bobwhite.
[Quail. Partridge].
Rancre.—Upper Sonoran and southern half of Tran-
sition zones of eastern North America from South Dakota,
southern Minnesota, southern Ontario, and southwestern
Maine south to eastern and northern Texas, the Gulf
Coast, and northern Florida west to eastern Colorado,
introduced in central Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho,
California, Oregon and Washington.
“The gamest bird that flies,’ some sportsmen call him,
and all through the summer from the ditch, corn,
and fence rows, briar patches, and open grain fields, comes
the cheery call. of “Bobwhite, Bobwhite,” making him
universally known, from the farmer at the plow to the
autoist as he speeds along the country road. Notwith-
standing he is persistently pursued year after year, even
before the open season begins, and sometimes before many
of the young birds are over half grown, this bird is hold-
ing its own fairly well all over this section. Weather con-
ditions also have much to do with their numbers; notably,
the season of 1911, birds were more numerous than for
many years previous, due to the dry summer, but the long-
continued cold weather, snow and sleet of January and
February of 1912, depleted, if not wiped out entirely,
84 THE BIRDS
many fine coveys. Farmers should scatter a little grain
for these birds during the winter time, for they are one of
his best friends in the way of getting away with obnoxious
seeds. <A better plan still is to leave the edges of the pea
and soja bean fields standing for cover and winter feed, a
plan I practice on my own farm. An example of how fast
they will increase was demonstrated on my own farm,
where, in five seasons, they increased from one pair of
purchased birds to six coveys, numbering not less than a
total of one hundred and twenty-five birds, and each season
these covevs had had a few shot from them by gunners,
and some taken by foxes, hawks and cats. They become
very tame during the breeding season, and if one’s dogs
are not allowed to run at large during the summer months,
these birds will frequent and nest in close proximity to
the house and in the kitchen garden, thus eating many
injurious seeds and insects, as well as being a source of
pleasure when listening to their cheery call notes. The
nest is well protected, and composed of dry grasses, stems,
pine straw, fine rootlets and dry leaves, placed in a slight
depression in the ground and well arched over. The eggs
number from nine to fourteen, and when laid are pure
white. Size, 1.20x.95. Sometimes as many as twenty-
eight or thirty eggs are found in a single nest, one layer
on top of the other; these cases presumably being two
birds occupying one nest, the result of which is not a
satisfactory hatch. The eggs become nest stained very
easily, and to a lavman they would appear as though
blotched and lined with a faint shade of lavender. Some-
times they raise two to three broods a season, weather con-
ditions being favorable. On my place I have had a
female sitting on a third set of eggs September 15th.
Thev are non-migratory. Fresh eggs from the middle of
OF VIRGINIA 85
May till Angust. Some writers state: “An egg is laid
each day until the set is complete.” I have known four
days to elapse between eggs being deposited. The great
amount of injurious seeds and insects eaten by them,
makes them of great beneficial value to agriculture.
THE BIRDS
86
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NMONY-TTAM OM], ASHHL OF, “AHALOIG WL DNIMVY, HEIA\ Galdn0009 DNIAG YAMUOA\-0D
SIH ‘dNVO) NI ‘INVA “GY YALIVAA ‘LSIOOIOHLINYQ NVUALAA AHL SMOHG HdVXDOLOHY SII,
‘dNV) S.LSIDOTOHLINYUO NV
“NOSUGNG ‘O “AL AM OLOH
=<
OF VIRGINIA 87
INTRODUCED BREEDER.
FAMILY PLASIANID/E.—PHEASANTS
AND GROUSE.
Phasianus torquatus (Ginelin),
Ring-necked Pheasant.
Of all the pheasant family introduced into Virginia,
this bird probably is the most likely to become
numerous; in fact, a good start has been made already in
Warwick County, where some twenty birds were liberated
by me in 1907, and which, from observations, leads me to
believe are increasing rapidly. We have, however, a
number of causes against their rapid increase, particularly
the ever-hunting negro, with his old army musket, dogs
running at large at all times, and the numerous forest fires
at all seasons, and no progressive method for protecting
and increasing them until a foothold is established; all of
which tend to make it a matter of some years before any
great number can be shot for game. That they are hardy
birds and can increase rapidly was demonstrated in Wash-
ington State, where in five vears from twenty pair liber-
ated, the increase was so that fifteen hundred pair were
killed the first open season for shooting. My, A. Croonen-
burg, of Lynnhaven, Va., has also been instrumental in in-
troducing this bird in his section, as well as the Golden and
Silver varieties. The eggs, ten to sixteen in number, are
laid about the tenth of May with us, a glossy, unmarked,
greenish-buff color. Size 1.52x1.32. The nest is a slight
hollow scratched in the ground under or near some tree,
or thick bush, or briars, with a few dry leaves or
grasses for a lining. The female does all the incubat-
88 THE BIRDS
ing, the eges taking from eighteen to nineteen days
to hatch. Unlike any native bird we have, when flushed
they rise almost perpendicularly to a height of forty to
fifty feet, before continuing their journey elsewhere.
They are a noble bird for both sport and table, beside
being beneficial and ornamental, especially so the male
bird. These birds are non-migratory and do not wander
far from where reared, unless continually disturbed.
When in confinement, if allowed to set on their own eggs,
only one clutch is laid during the season, but if the eggs
are taken away every day or so from the nest, they con-
tinue to lay until some twenty-five to thirty eggs are
deposited. We must have a good game warden system
throughout our State before these birds will be sold as
game in the markets. As their food consists chiefly of
insects, grubs, worms, beetles and their larvee and eggs, I
consider them a beneficial bird to introduce from an
agricultural standpoint, as well as for food.
GENUS BONASA.
[300]. Bonasa umbellus umbellus (Linneus). Ruffed
Grouse.
{Pheasant. Partridge].
Raner.—Eastern United States from Minnesota,
Michigan, southern New York, and southern Vermont
south to eastern Kansas, northern Arkansas, Tennessee,
and Virginia, and in the Alleghenies to northern Georgia.
This well-known game bird of our inland region is
reported as rapidly becoming more scarce each season, and
OF VIRGINIA 89
PuHoro By C. F. StTong.
COLLECTING IN A SWAMP, WATER KNEE-DEEP.
Tue String THAT RELEASED THE CAMERA SHUTTER IS SHOWN BY THE
WHITE STREAK FROM THE MAn’s HAND TO THE LOWER
Richt HAnp Corner.
90 THE BIRDS
unless something is done to help them they will, like the
Wild Turkey, in a few years become truly a rare bird
with us. As a game bird I consider them superior to the
“Bobwhite,” both on account of their size and the flavor
of the meat, as well as affording most excellent sport to
the gunner. On the other hand, they are very beneficial
birds, their food consisting of practically nothing of
benefit to the agriculturist: bush and tree buds, wild
berries, small nuts, seeds and insects being largely eaten.
They do not migrate, remaining with us through the
winter, and early in March are paired off, after the male
goes through his well-known tactics of drumming, the
sound produced by the wings beating the air, and not on
the log or elevation on which he stands, as thought by
many. Like the Wild Turkey and Bobwhite, they like
to dust themselves, and one often has a chance to see this
wary bird with its young in the dry, dusty road, dusting
themselves in the manner ‘of the farmyard fowls. By
the 10th of May fresh eggs can be found, the nest being
a hollow in the ground and lined with dry leaves, pine
needles and grasses, generally placed under some over-
hanging shelter of bush, tree trunk, vines or rock. Seven
to fifteen eggs is a full set, a creamy-buff ground color,
finely specked with reddish-brown, as often, though,
unmarked as marked. Size, 1.58x1.18. The young follow
the parent almost as soon as hatched; their food consisting
of beetles, bugs, caterpillars, all the varieties of wild
berries and grain that happen to be handy, though they
do no damage to growing grain crops. My father found
coveys of partly grown young at Harrisonburg, July 10th.
Professor Smyth reports them as breeding at Blacksburg,
though less abundant than formerly, and I found them in
the mountains at 4,500 feet altitude.
AQMYOL GIA
OF VIRGINIA 91
FAMILY MELEAGRID/AZ.—TURKEYS.
GENus MELEAGRIS.
[310-A]. Meleagris gallopavo silvestris (Vieillot).
Wild Turkey.
Raner.—Eastern United States from Nebraska,
KXansas, western Oklahoma and eastern Texas east to
central Pennsylvania, and south to the Gulf Coast, form-
erly north to South Dakota, southern Ontario, and
southern Maine.
This truly magnificent bird, notwithstanding its con-
tinual depleted flocks by shooting and trapping, is still
with us, but can not long stand the conditions now taking
place in our State, unless something is done shortly for its
protection. The large timber throughout our area is
rapidly being cut off, and afterwards, with the remaining
woods full of dead tops and limbs, follows the fire, sweep-
ing everything before it, and practically making this a
barren land for five or six years to come. During the last
six years there has also been a steady increase in our
section of farming lands being cleared and cultivated,
while the new methods of farming leave little food or
cover on the cultivated lands during the winter season.
These two great factors, with necessarily more persons gun-
ning for them, is rapidly extinguishing these noble birds,
and pushing them further westward from our coast line.
They are not a migratory bird, and one flock will inhabit
a piece of woods and swamp land continuously if unmo-
lested; or if not nearly exterminated. The practice of
trapping them in pens, and shooting them while roosting
92 THE BIRDS
in the trees at night, has done much to decrease their
numbers. The nest is a slight hollow scratched in the
ground at the base of a tree or under some sheltering
bushes, lined with dry leaves and a few feathers from the
turkey’s breast after incubation commences. The ground
color is a rich buff, specked and spotted with reddish-
brown. Size 2.65x2.00. Fresh eggs April 15th, nine to
fourtecn in number. Some fifteen years ago it was no
uncommon sight to see an old pair with quarter- or half-
grown young, dusting themselves in our more than dusty
country roads, but with changed roads and other condi-
tions, this is a rare sight nowadays, and becoming more
so as the years roll by. They raise only one brood a season.
They are a hardy bird, and during a dry season like that
of the summer of 1911 and 712, hatch and raise nearly
their entire setting. It is now becoming quite a practice
with the farmers all over the country to cross a wild
turkey gobbler with their domesticated flock, thus infusing
hardiness into their stock. Many states are also intro-
ducing them as game birds, later, as their numbers
increase, to be shot for sport and food. This means of
propagation will probably save them from possible
extinction. Their food consists of beechnuts, chinquapins
and other acorns; wild berries and grapes; insects, grass-
hoppers, beetles, ete.
OF VIRGINIA 93
a2 4 . Timm
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
A MOURNING DOVE’S NEST WAS LOCATED ON SOME DRIFT
OVER THE WATER.
94 THE BIRDS
FAMILY COLUMBID/Z.—PIGEONS AND
DOVES.
GENUS ZENAIDURA.
[316]. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linneus).
Mourning Dove.
[Wild Dove].
Ranex.—North America. Breeds chiefly in Sonoran
and lower Transition zones from British Columbia,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and southern Nova
Scotia south throughout the United States and Mexico,
and locally in Lower California and Guatemala; winters
from southern Oregon, southern Colorado, the Ohio
Valley, and southeastern Virginia to Panama; casual] in
winter in the middle states.
Years ago large flocks of these birds wintered with us
and fed in the corn fields and on the black peas sown with
the corn. Of late years, while not rare, fewer birds are
seen, and then only in small flocks. It is still considered
a game bird with us, but should be protected, as it does
the farmer much good by eating numerous weed seeds,
especially throughout the winter months. The whistling
noise made by the rapid beating of their wings makes them
easily recognized, while during the summer months their
loud cooing is a pleasing sound to the ear. The nest is
a frail, loosely made platform of twigs, saucer shaped,
and so shallow that the eggs are readily seen when one is
on the level of the nest, and often can be seen from below,
so loosely is the bottom constructed. Two eggs are the
OF VIRGINIA 95
usual number laid, though once during my period of
collecting I have found three in a nest. They are creamy,
glossy white, oval in shape, and measure 1.15x.80. Fresh
egos are found April 10th to June 15th, as two broods are
raised during a season generally. They are distributed
about evenly over our whole area during the summer.
Their food consists of various wild seeds, and the partridge
peas, soja beans, different varieties of cow peas, wild
berries and insects. Taking their food as a whole, I con-
sider them of much benefit to the agriculturist.
96 THE BIRDS
¢
a _¢ . Ne aa 8
Puotro By T. H. Ja
CKSON.
A TURKEY VULTURE’S NEST AND EGGS.
OF VIRGINIA 97
FAMILY CATHARTID/AZ.—AMERICAN
VULTURES.
GENUS CATHARTES.
[325]. Cathartes aura septentrionalis (Wied). Turkey
Vulture.
[Buzzard. Turkey Buzzard].
Rance.—Austral and Transition zones from southern
British Columbia, Saskatchewan, western Manitoba,
northern Minnesota, southwestern Ontario, western and
southern New York, and New Jersey south to southern
Lower California and northern Mexico; winters through-
out most of its regular range on the Atlantic slope but
westward retires to California, Nebraska, and the Ohio
Valley; casual in Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Ontario,
and New Brunswick.
There is no bird, in ny estimation, that has reached the
height of perfection in its flight-sailing powers that the
Turkey Vulture or Buzzard has attained. Watch him on
a windy day; no matter how hard it blows he goes right
into the teeth of the gale without flapping a wing. After
he reaches a certain height from the ground, about fifty
feet when rising from it, he can sail by spirals out of
sight without a perceptible wing beat. Many persons
think the sea gull a greater master of this art, and while
I admit the gulls are more graceful, still the Turkey Vul-
ture is his superior in a wider area. It seems a pity that
a bird that can have such wonderful talents in flight
should be a carrion bird, getting his food entirely on the
98 THE BIRDS
ground and at rest. <A gorged bird sitting on some nearby
fence rail, close to the cleanly picked skeleton, presents an
entirely different aspect than when in flight; a more
repulsive bird I do not know of. There is considerable
talk the last few years of this bird and the following
species, spreading diseases, or more particularly hog
cholera. While I admit that there is probably much truth
in this statement, and that many valuable hogs are lost
through the spreading of this disease, on the other hand
the amount of good they do will outweigh this two to one.
When the farmers are educated up to burying their dead
stock, this means of spreading diseases will stop, while the
birds, thus deprived of this great amount of food, will be
overzealous in their search for other edibles. Take our
Tidewater beaches for instance; what would become of the
refuse cast up by the tide were it not for these birds?
Especially in the summer time, when the beaches are
strewn with dead fish, are they most useful. There are
many reasons, too numerous to mention, why they should
not be exterminated as some people are now suggesting.
The two eggs are deposited in some hollow log, hole at
base of tree, or under a dead, fallen tree top, two in
number. The ground color is a creamy-white, spotted and
blotched with various shades of brown and lavender, and
measure 2.75x1.90. Fresh eggs April 10th to May 1st.
Only one brood a season. They remain throughout the
entire year, though during the extreme cold spells some
may migrate a little southward, only to return to their
favorite locality as soon as the weather changes. I
experienced seeing a migratory flock of probably one
hundred birds returning from the south side of James
River after a break in the cold spell of January, 1912.
1
99
OF VIRGINIA
PHoTOS By O. B. BAYNARD.
THE BLACK VULTURE AND ITS EGGS.
100 THE BIRDS
GENUS CATHARISTA.
[326]. Catharista urubu (Vieillot). Black Vulture.
[South Carolina Buzzard. Black Buzzard].
Raner.—Tropical and Lower Austral zones from
western Texas, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, and southeastern
Virginia south through the Southern States, Mexico, and
Central .\merica to southern South America; casual in
Ohio, Maine, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia;
rare in the West Indies.
The Black Buzzard, Black Vulture, or Carrion Crow,
is easily distinguished from the preceding species when in
flight bv its short, curved wings, and its rapid wing beats
between each sail; in fact, unlike the Turkey Vulture, it
seldoin sails for any great distance without the rapid wing
beats. When sitting still it is easily distinguished by its
short dark body and black head and neck. The range of
this species is gradually being extended north and east-
ward, formerly seldom seen on the north side of James
River. It now occurs in Warwick, York, and Eliza-
beth City counties, breeding in the former, possibly in the
mountains. Like the preceding species it feeds on carrion,
and along the beaches from Virginia Beach southward it
may be found feeding on the dead fish. It makes no nest,
the eggs being deposited in some hollow log, hollow at base
of tree, or under a dead tree top or thick tangle of brush,
etc. Two eggs are usually deposited by May 1st, they being
later birds to breed than the Turkey Vulture. The eggs are
a faint greenish-white, spotted, blotched and streaked with
various shades of brown and lavender, more often on the
OF VIRGINIA 101
larger end. While a smaller bird than the preceding species,
the eges are larger and measure 2.99x1.99. There is no
doubt but what they are a most useful and economic bird.
From the south side of Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads
and James River, they become more numerous, often a tall
dead tree having from three to a dozen sitting on it during
the early morning, sunning or drying themselves; with
wings outstretched. It was once reported to me that these
“Black Buzzards took newborn pigs from out the pen,”
but I am still rather skeptical about such an_ act,
as in this case I knew of a Bald Eagle building on the
man’s farm, and when more closely questioning him, made
him admit it might have been a young, or immature,
colored eagle that tuok his pigs. They are now also
abundant in Rockingham County.
102 THE BIRDS
is. SSF
Puotos ny VY. Burtcw.
Twenty-FivE Days Orp.
YOUNG OF THE MARSH HAWK.
OF VIRGINIA 103
FAMILY BUTEONID/E.—HAWKS, EAGLES,
KITES, ETC.
GENUus Circus.
[331]. Circus hudsonius (Linneus). Marsh Ilawk.
Rayxee.—North America. Breeds from northeastern
Siberia, northwestern .\laska, northwestern Mackenzie,
central Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Prince Edward
Island south to the southern border of the United States;
winters from southern British Columbia, Colorado, Lowa,
the Ohio Valley, and New York (occasionally Massachu-
setts) south to the Bahamas, Cuba, and Colombia.
This is not a common bird with us, the majority are
seen during the migrations, both spring and fall. It does,
however, breed along our coast in suitable places, the
swampy ground covered with marsh grass and bushes on
the islands being a favorite abode in years past, though it
is now almost rare as a breeding bird over these islands.
This is one of our most beneficial hawks, if not the most,
for its food consists of practically nothing of use to the
agriculturist; rats, mice, frogs, small snakes, insects and
lizards, being its chief food. Occasionally it does take
small birds, the sparrows being the representative family.
Its nest is composed of small sticks, weed stems, grass
and marsh trash of all descriptions, placed on or very
near the ground, and never far from water. Four to six
egos average a complete set, a pale bluish-white, generally
without markings of any sort. The eggs average 1.80x1.40.
I attribute their scarcity along our coast to the gunners
who shoot shore birds both spring and fall. These men,
104 THE BIRDS
Puoto sy C. I. Sonn.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.
OF VIRGINIA 105
like most others, imagine they are harmful, and scare
away and destroy much game, whereas, when passing to
and fro over the marshes, they are gathering in princi-
pally mice and the Norway rat, which inhabit the marshes
to a great extent. Fresh eges May ist to 10th. Only one
brood a season. A few birds are distributed throughout
our area during the entire vear.
GeENus ACCIPITER.
[332]. <lectpiter velox (Wilson). Sharp-shinned Hawk,
[Little Chicken Hawk].
Rayce.—North America. Breeds nearly throughout
the United States and Canada from northwestern Alaska,
northwestern Mackenzie, southern Jeewatin, central
Quebec, and Newfoundland southward; winters from
British Columbia, Colorado, Towa, northern Ohio, and
Massachusetts, south to Panama.
Of all the birds of prey found breeding within our
limits, this is one of the most harmful, not only to young
poultry, but the amount of small birds they destroy in the
course of a season is something enormous. They are
a rare breeding bird in Tidewater, although further
inland they become more numerous. I suppose this
species is more often taken for the Sparrow Hawk than
itself bv the country people in general; in fact, many bene-
ficial Sparrow Hawks lose their lives annually through
being mistaken for the Sharp-shinned Hawk. I know of
no more persistent individual than the Sharp-shinned, and
when once he has located your chicks and tasted one,
nothing short of a gun will keep him away. I have had
THE BIRDS
106
‘NOSMOVE ‘IT \L Ad otoug
“MIMVH SAHd00) AHL AO
PNOOK
OF VIRGINIA 107
as many as six chickens a day carried away by one of these
birds, and a friend farming not far from me reports the
loss of eight in one day by one bird. During the spring
and fall migrations they are quite numerous, and through-
out the summer, one or two are occasionally seen. During
the spring migration northward large numbers pass
through this section, April 3rd to 11th. Its food con-
sists almost entirely of small poultry and birds, while now
and then small snakes, mice, and insects form a variation
of their bill of fare. The varieties of birds usually repre-
sented in their stomachs are the sparrows, warblers,
juncos and goldfinches. The nest is composed of dry
sticks, leaves and twigs, with inner surface of strips of
inner bark of the juniper, cedar, cypress, or pine, placed
in a thick live pine or cedar, or cypress, from twenty to
thirty feet up. Sometimes the birds rebuild an old crow’s
nest. Four to five eggs is a full set, generally beautifully
colored, and showing a wide variation in both size and
color of markings. The ground color of the eggs is bluish-
or greenish-white, blotched and spotted with various
shades of brown and lavender. Size 1.45x1.15. Fresh
eges May 10th to 20th. Only one brood a season. Like
the Sparrow Hawk, one sees him more often when driving
along the country roads, perched on top of the telephone
poles, often flying from one to another just ahead of your
conveyance, for four or five posts, and then off to the
field in a low flight three or four feet above the ground,
alighting on the top of some small, near-by bush or low
tree. Some counties still pay a bounty of fifty cents for
hawk scalps. One of this species are well worth it to the
county, but it is generally some luckless Marsh or Broad-
winged Hawk the bounty is paid on. Many pass through
this section September 15th to 25th, the height of the
fall migration.
THE BIRDS
108
‘NOSMOVE ‘TI \L Ad OLOHT
‘SMMVH SAdOOO YNNOA
‘SHHEA\ JIVE V GNV anog Looay spy
OF VIRGINIA 109
[3833]. Aecipiter cooperi (Bonaparte). Coopers Hawk.
[Chicken Hawk].
Rancr.—North America. Breeds from southern
British Columbia, southern Alberta, southern Keewatin,
central Quebec, and Prince Edward Island south to
southern border of the United States; winters from
southern British Columbia, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, and
Massachusetts south to Costa Rica, and occasionally
further north.
A resident the year round, and of our harmful species,
this is probably the worst of all. It is this hawk, half-
way in size between the Red-shouldered, and Sparrow
Hawks, that does the most damage to the poultry through-
out our section. I have, on my place, lost as many as six
small chickens from one flock in a day, by this persistent
and rapid-winged fellow. During the spring and fall
migrations they are more numerous, and the very early
and late hatched chickens suffer accordingly. They also
prey upon small birds and mammals to some extent, but
their chief diet with us seems to be poultry. I remember
some years back when Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna)
were on the game list, and I was shooting them in a tall
broom-straw field. A Cooper’s Hawk darted down and
seized one as it rose in front of me. I immediately fired
and secured the hawk, the lark sailing away as though
unhurt. During the summer of 1910, I had one of these
hawks take a half-grown chicken from a flock in my
garden, and within fifteen feet of where I was working.
I watched him vanish in the fringe of woods some hundred
feet away and counted another chick gone. Two days later
the chicken showed up, quite weak, and with sears on
110 THE BIRDS
PuHoro By C. F. STonn.
THE RED-TAILED HAWK’S NEST.
OF VIRGINIA 111
either side of his craw; evidently on arriving at his perch
the hawk had dropped it, and the chicken had hidden on
striking the ground. The nest is rather a poorly made
affair, often a deserted crow’s or squirrel’s nest added to;
of sticks, dry leaves and strips of bark, lined with bark
fiber. Fresh eggs May 10th to 15th, four to five in
number. The eggs have a pale bluish ground, sparingly
marked with blotches of pale reddish-brown. The majority
of sets are unmarked. The nests are usually placed in
a crotch of beech or other hardwood trees, from twenty to
forty feet up. Size of eggs, 1.90x1.45. Only one brood
a season.
GENUS BUTEO.
[337]. Buteo borealis borealis (Gmelin). Red-tailed
Hawk.
[Hen Hawk. Fantail].
Rayer.—Eastern North America, from Saskatchewan,
Wisconsin, and Illinois east to central Keewatin and New-
foundland, and south to eastern Texas, northeastern
Mexico, the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the Greater Antilles.
This is the largest of the hawks breeding within our
area, and is by no means a common one, though further
inland it becomes so. A few breed on the ‘Eastern Shore,”
becoming more common as we go northward, while
My. J. E. Gould, of Berkley, positively identified a pair
of birds breeding near Money Point in Norfolk County.
They do not breed on the James River Peninsula at
all, and are rather a scarce bird throughout our coast
112 THE BIRDS
pa Me Z
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK’S NEST.
CF VIRGINIA 113
area. The nest is a well-made, though bulky, affair
of small sticks and twigs, dry leaves, and bark fiber,
placed in a tall tree from forty to seventy feet up in heavy
woods or timber. The eggs number from two to three, a
white ground, spotted and blotched with different shades
of brown. Often the eggs are unmarked. Size, 2.55x1.80.
These birds, like all the others of the hawk family, are
persistently shot and persecuted by all gunners on account
of their being known as poultry thieves, though this
practice by the birds is seldom resorted to unless pushed
by extreme hunger. They remain throughout the entire
year and raise but one brood. Their food consists of the
various small mammals, such as voung rabbits, squirrels,
moles, mice, lizards, snakes, frogs, and insects. As a
whole they are more beneficial than harmful.
[339]. Buteo lineatus lineatus (Gmelin). Red-
shouldered Hawk.
[Hen Hawk].
Raxeare.—FEastern North America. Breeds from
Manitoba, southern Keewatin, southern Quebec, Nova
Scotia, and Prince Edward Island south nearly to the
Gulf States and west to edge of the Great Plains; winters
south to the Gulf Coast.
This is our most common resident hawk, and is the
cause of the killing of the Broad-winged and Marsh
Hawks by all gunners in general. While this hawk
(Red-shouldered) will occasionally take a small or half-
grown chicken (and I have had them take mine too), their
main diet of food is small mammals, such as mice, young
114 THE BIRDS
Puoto py T. H. Jackson.
ABOUT THREE WEEKS OLD.
YOUNG BROAD-WINGED HAWKS.
OF VIRGINIA 115
rabbits, squirrels and moles, occasionally a small green
snake and bull frogs. They also destroy a lot of obnoxious
insects, beetles, grasshoppers, and eaterpillars also being
on their bill of. fare. Nests with young visited by me
have had most of the above food at different times lying
around the rim of the nest. One pair of hawks had sup-
plied their voung, judging by the remains, three half-
grown rabbits in one day. The young Red-shouldered
Hawks are easily raised; numerous times I have done so
with just raw beef and mice as a diet. They can not be
tamed to any extent, and, should one discontinue handling
them for a week, they become very wild and fierce, as
though you had never touched or fed them before. The
nest is a well-made affair of small sticks, dry leaves and
strips of bark, and lined with pine tags, fine bark strips,
cedar or spruce foliage, and generally, after cggs are
deposited, green leaves of the oak or maple may be found.
A few years back they invariably bred in the main
crotches of oak and black-gum trees; nowadays they
resort to live pines mostly. The height of nests varies
from twenty-five to fifty feet above ground, and is not far
distant from some small swampy ravine or marsh. Two
to four eggs are laid, April 1st to 10th, ground color,
grayish-white, spotted and blotched with various shades of
brown. Only one brood a season. Size of eggs, 2.15x1.75.
[343]. Buteo platypterus (Vieilot). Broad-winged
Hawk,
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds from central
Alberta, southeastern Saskatchewan, northern Ontario,
New Brunswick, and Cape Breton Island south to the Gulf
116 THE BIRDS
coast and central Texas, mainly east of the Mississippi;
winters from the Ohio and Delaware Valleys south to
Venezuela and Peru.
Though during a residence of over twenty years in this
section, during which time I have failed to find an
authentic record of these birds breeding in Tidewater,
I am still rather certain that a pair do breed with us now
and then. William C. Rives’ “Catalogue of the Birds of
the Virginias,” quotes Mr. C. L. Phillips as having seen
a dead bird in Warwick County in May, 1887. This was
probably a migratory bird, as many hawks are still going
northward during the early part of that month. They do
breed, though, in the western part of this State, and north-
ward near Washington. J am not prepared to say if they
positively breed eastward of Richmond. The nest is
usually placed in the crotch of some large tree, from ten
to thirty feet up, rather a bulky, loosely made structure
of small sticks, with inner surface of cedar bark and scales
of the pine tree bark. The eggs have a dull whitish or
faint greenish ground, blotched, dotted and lined with
faint and heavy markings of chestnut or reddish-brown.
Size of eggs, 1.90x1.55. Two to three eggs, rarely four,
constitute a full set, and are laid about May 5th to 20th.
Only one brood a season. Numerous birds of this species
are seen during the migrations, and a few winter with us.
Their food consists of all the smaller mammals, such as
squirrels, rats, mice, and young rabbits, while frogs,
beetles, and grasshoppers form a large part of their daily
food. Small snakes and birds are occasionally eaten,
though in the minority, and they should be classed as a
beneficial bird, and be protected.
OF VIRGINIA 117
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOL.
NEST OF THE BALD EAGLE IN LIVE PINE.
118 THE BIRDS
HYPOTHETICAL.
GENUS AQUILA.
[349]. Aquila chrysaétos (Linneus). Golden Eagle.
Rancr.—Northern part of Northern Hemisphere. In
the Old World south to North Africa and the Himalaya ;
in North America from northern Alaska, northwestern
Mackenzie, central Keewatin, and northern Ungava south
to middle Lower California, central Mexico, western
Texas, South Dakota, Manitoba, southern Keewatin, cen-
tral Ontario, New Hampshire, Maine, and Nova Scotia,
and in the Alleghenies to southwestern North Carolina;
less common east of the Mississippi.
This noble bird seems to be more common with us in
the winter than during the summer season. They have
been reported as breeding in our higher mountains, though
Professor Smyth only reports them as an “irregular fall
and winter migrant, nine specimens in all, mostly taken
during November, December and February.” They are
even less common than this in the Tidewater section.
Many persons confuse the young of the Bald Eagle for this
fine bird, on account of the immature Bald Eagle not hav-
ing the white head and tail, which plumage is not reached
until the third year. One can, though, readily distinguish
these two birds from each other, the Golden Eagle having
the feathers on the tarsus or lower leg, all the way down
to the feet, while those of the Bald Eagle stop at the upper
joint. Unless hard pressed for food, they will not take
carrion or fish, so well liked by the Bald Eagle, preferring
OF VIRGINIA 119
to capture live food, such as squirrels, rabbits, duck, geese
and other mammals and birds. It was one of my most
pleasant experiences while in California, where they breed
commonly, seeing one of these fine birds capture a ground
squirrel. Mr. Arthur T. Wayne records in his “Birds of
South Carolina,” ‘a Golden Eagle having killed as large a
bird as a Wild Turkey.” With us they make their nests
on the cliffs; of sticks, and smaller stubble, lined with
leaves or weeds. The eggs, two (rarely three) in number,
are white and most handsomely blotched and spotted with
various shades of brown, with fainter markings of laven-
der. Size, 2.85x2.48. Fresh eggs April 1st. This is the
bird that should have been our national emblem. I could
find no positive evidence of their breeding in Giles County,
though birds are often seen passing over Bald Knob, going
southward. I observed three eagles as late as May 19th
above Mountain Lake, and every indication leads me to
believe they do nest on our cliffs in the Alleghenian
Range.
GENUS HALIZETUS.
[852]. Halieetus leucocephalus leucocephalus
(Linneus). Bald Eagle.
[White-headed Eagle. Sea Eagle].
Ranex.—United States to southern Lower California
and northern Mexico, breeding in suitable localities
throughout its range; rare and local in California and in
the arid interior.
iA common resident the year round and distributed
over our whole section. One wishing to see these
120 THE BIRDS
birds should visit the beaches in the vicinity of the large
fish nets, both on the bay and ocean beaches. Here one
may sometimes see six or eight at once, either perched
along the long rows of net stakes, watching the passing
schools of fish, or fighting with the buzzards over the
refuse fish thrown on the beach by the fishermen on their
return from visiting their nets. Formerly nests were quite
easily located, but since the lumber craze has struck our
section, all the eagles’ home tracts and large live pine
trees have nearly all been cut off, and they are rapidly
being driven further and further inland on this account.
Their principal diet is fish, caught from the fish stakes,
and taken from the Osprey. During the winter they chase
and kill ducks and other wild fowl, often a full-grown
Canada Goose, being as much as they can get to shore with,
weighing about 10 lbs. Some farmers in our section still
tell the usual story of their carrying off young pigs and
lambs, but I have yet to substantiate such stories.
Occasionally I have in the summer time come across these
birds devouring carrion washed up by the waves of the
beaches: eels, croakers, dogfish and bunkers being
abundantly represented. The nest is a huge affair of
sticks, placed in the top crotch of a live or dead pine tree,
and used by the same pair of birds year after year. On
the inner surface as a lining, seaweed is generally used.
Fresh eggs February 15th to March 1st. Two to three
egos are a complete set, pure white, unmarked. Size,
2.75x2.10. Incubation takes thirty-one days, and it is
about sixty-five days before the young are in condition to
fly. The bird is easily raised in captivity but never
becomes very tame. The birds remain paired for life, the
young not attaining the white head and tail until the
third season. They should be protected, not only because
OF VIRGINIA 121
they are the National Emblem, but because they do a great
deal of good. They raise but one brood a season. The
tallest tree with a nest in this section from which eggs
have been taken was a pine tree in Princess Anne
County, in 1913, the bottom of the nest being one
hundred and ten feet up. This nest was ten feet high,
seven feet across, and would, I judge, weigh nearly a ton.
It had been oceupied for over twenty years, presumably
by the same pair of birds, and, as we only secured a single
incubated egg, judge they were very old birds. In the
mountains they make their nests on the cliffs.
10
122 THE BIRDS
Puoto By W. O. EMERSON.
Having TAKEN His First AvouT E1ieut Days OLp.
LESSON IN FLYING.
YOUNG SPARROW HAWKS.
OF VIRGINIA 123
FAMILY FALCONID/E.—FALCONS, ETC.
SUBGENUS RHYNCHODON.
[856-A]. Falco peregrinus anatum (Bonaparte). Duck
Hawk.
[Bullet Hawk].
Raner.—North and South America. Breeds locally
(except in northwest Coast region) from Norton Sound,
Alaska, northern Mackenzie, Boothia Peninsula, and west-
ern central Greenland, south to central Lower California,
Arizona, southwestern Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana,
Pennsylvania, and Connecticut (in mountains to South
Carolina) ; winters from southern British Columbia, Col-
orado, and New Jersey (occasionally further north) to the
West Indies and Panama, occurs algo in southern South
America.
These birds migrate sparingly through Tidewater Vir-
ginia during early October, though one bird at least has
wintered in the vicinity of Washington, where it fed on
the pigeons around the Government buildings, until shot.
Years ago it was quite common on our coast, and was re-
ported to have bred in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry.* I
have noted only a single bird, April 20th, in Tidewater
Virginia, while Professor Smyth reports a single bird
also in October. It does, though, breed in our mountains,
depositing its eggs in a slight hollow of a crevice in the
face of a cliff. They usually lay four eggs, the ground a
handsome buff, heavily spotted and blotched with rich
*Rives’ Catalogue of the Birds of the Virginias, p. 62, No. 131.
124 THE BIRDS
chestnut and reddish-brown over the entire surface. Size
of eggs, 2.10x1.62. Fresh eggs May 2nd. In California,
where these handsome eggs are prized most highly, and
are quite plentiful, so desirable are they that the boys
color hens’ eggs and put in the nest, after taking single
egos, thus eliminating the possible chance of the birds de-
serting before a full set is complete. They are one of the
most rapid birds on the wing, their food consisting of
birds and smaller mammals almost entirely. They rear
but a single brood a season, but will if molested lay two
or three settings more. I found no evidence of their
breeding in the near vicinity of Bald Knob Mountain,
Giles County, but the cliffs on Big Mountain and other
similar localities along the Alleghenian range is their nat-
ural habitat.
SUBGENUS CERCHNEIS.
[360]. Falco sparverius sparverius (Linneus).
Sparrow Hawk.
[ Little Chicken Hawk].
Ranex.—North America east of the Rocky Mountains.
Breeds from the Upper Yukon, northwestern Mackenzie,
southern Keewatin, and Newfoundland south to Texas and
the eastern Gulf States (except Florida); winters from
Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, and Massachusetts south through
eastern Mexico to Costa Rica.
This little fellow is one of the smallest birds of
prey we have. A few remain throughout the entire
year, the majority migrating further south in the fall
about September 20th, and returning in the early spring
about April 5th, at which time their numbers being so
OF VIRGINIA 125
increased we notice the damage done to birds and young
chickens. The average person, though, confounds this
bird with the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the Sparrow
Hawk gets much credit for damage done by it. In fact,
the Sparrow Hawk gets entirely too much credit for harm
done by the Sharp-shinned, as he seldom touches birds or
small chickens unless there is a scarcity of his regular food.
Small mammals, especially mice, crickets, grasshoppers,
beetles, lizards, and small snakes, form its principal diet.
We first become acquainted with the Sparrow Hawk as he
sits on the telegraph wire or post, as we ride along our
country road. As we approach he darts downward and
moves on a pole or two, this performance going on for
sometimes half a mile or more. He is looking down on
the ground beneath for his food; usually a goodly patch
of briars, bushes and weeds, line the roadside under the
wires, and in this jungle he intently watches the various
forms of life. The last week in April finds these birds
hunting a nesting site in the shape of a natural hollow in
some live tree, or a flicker’s hole in a dead tree. No nest-
ing material is used; a few chips on the bottom of a
cavity are sometimes found. May 1st to 15th finds fresh
eggs, four to five in number, a light cream ground color,
spotted, blotched and specked with several shades of
brown. The height of nesting cavity depends on the tree;
from twenty-five to sixty feet up is a general average.
Unfortunately, we still have the Hawk and Owl Scalp
Bounty Law in many of our counties yet, and this most
useful little Sparrow Hawk is becoming a scarce article,
T regret to say. The little damage done to fall- and spring-
hatched chicks, when they can not then procure their regu-
lar food, is far outclassed by the good they do destroying
obnoxious mammals, insects, beetles, ete., and they should
be protected fully. They rear but a single brood a season.
126 THE BIRDS
4 \ 4 4
i a \% Be:
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
OSPREY’S NEST IN DEAD PINE TREE.
SmItH’s ISLAND.
OF VIRGINIA 127
FAMILY PANDIONIDE-.
GENUS PANDION.
[3864]. Pandion halietus carolinensis (Gmelin).
Osprey.
{Fish Hawk].
Ranez.—North and South America. Breeds from
northwestern Alaska, northwestern Mackenzie, central
Keewatin, southern Ungava, and Newfoundland south to
Lower California, western Mexico, and the Gulf Coast;
winters from the southern United States through Lower
California and Mexico to the West Indies and Central
America; occurs also in South America south to Peru
and Paraguay.
I have often heard men say they preferred such and
such a bird’s flight to any other. If I should give my
preference it would be the Osprey, I think. For an all-
round bird it has no equal, and when it comes down to
defending its young, I know of nothing I fear more, unless
it is a rattlesnake, than this powerful bird striking me
in the downward swoop over the nest. Many a time has
it been nip and tuck between us whether or not I should
look over the rim of the nest, and quick, indeed, one must
be to accomplsh this, especially if the young are half
grown, or older. A beautiful sight, indeed, it is to watch
one of these birds returning shoreward with a fish, only
to be set upon by a Bald Eagle. Higher and higher the
Osprey mounts with rapid wing beats and small circles,
screaming all the while; the eagle closely following, until
128 THE BIRDS
sometimes they are lost to view in the clouds. At other
times I have seen the eagle get the advantage by being
above the Osprey; in such cases the Osprey makes for his
chosen dead trees, where he usually perches when devour-
ing his catch, or for the nest. In these cases, however,
the Osprey generally loses, for the eagle, with his slow
but powerful wing beats, soon overtakes the smaller bird,
whom it swoops down to strike, and the Osprey loosens
its prey, generally to be caught by the eagle before it
reaches the ground. I watched a flight like this last
summer, only the eagle missed the fish when dropped,
and descended and lit in my orchard, where it devoured the
fish before rising. As practically all the fish they catch
are worthless for food, bunkers and other school fish, the
fishermen do not molest them, and they seem to be on the
steady increase. Practically all their food is live fish;
their arrival, about March 7th, denoting also the arrival
of large schools of fish in the river. The old birds return
to the old nest year after year, driving off the young the
next spring to seek a situation and build a home of their
own. Very often these young birds are wanting in house-
hold building, and twice lately have they secured deserted
Bald Eagle nests, not far distant from my home. The
nest is a huge affair of sticks, corn stalks and rubbish of
all sorts, with seaweed on the inner surface of the
depression. The eggs number two to three, rarely four,
and have a dark cream ground color, generally highly
colored by blotches and spots of reddish-brown or chest-
nut. Size, 2.40x1.80. Fresh eggs May 1st to 10th. The
nest is usually placed in the top of a very large and tall
dead pine; often a large live one is selected if dead ones
be scarce. In years gone by they have been known to make
nests on the high sand dunes on some of the islands off
OF VIRGINIA 129
our coast, but I know of no such a record of late years.
The height of nests varies from forty to seventy feet above
ground. Some nests I have had the pleasure of looking
into would, when lying across the inner surface, Just show
my feet sticking over the rim. From the numerous local
pairs which I have had ample opportunity to watch at all
times of the day, I consider the Osprey one of our most
interesting breeding birds. They raise but a single brood
each season. On May 4th, 1911, I took a set of five eggs
from a nest of this species, the largest ever taken up to
that date. This record set came from Northampton
County, and that year the sets in general were larger than
usual and more highly colored; this I attribute to the
great amount of fish that season.
130 THE BIRDS
z o
Puoro By W. O. EMERSON.
About Two WEEKS OLp.
Puoto By T. H. Jackson.
ApouTt TEN WEEKS OLD.
YOUNG BARN OWLS.
OF VIRGINIA 131
FAMILY ALUCONID/AZ.—BARN OWLS.
GENuS ALUCO.
[365]. .Lluco pratincola (Bonaparte). Barn Owl.
[ Monkey-faced Owl].
Rayexr.—North America. Breeds in Upper and Lower
Austral zones from northern Sacramento Valley, Cali-
fornia, Colorado, Nebraska, Tlinois, Indiana, Ohio, and
western New York south to the Gulf States and southern
Mexico, and casually to Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan,
Ontario, Vermont and Massachusetts.
Although I have lived in this State over twenty
years, it was not until 1911 that I heard of the
Barn Owl actually breeding within Tidewater, though
there are many suitable places where they should breed.
The following data is taken from sets taken elsewhere,
and now in the H. H. Bailey collection. Eggs deposited
on bits of soft wood in cavity in large trees, or in the barn
loft under window on hay, or in a pigeon cote, deserted
second story of building, ete. The eggs number four to
six, pure white. Size, 1.70x1.30. The breeding time
further inland is for fresh eges, the last week in March
till April 15th. I have seen nests of these birds with
young, from fully feathered birds almost down to newly
hatched young of three or four days’ age. Unlike most
birds, they commence incubating as soon as the first egg
is laid, generally a number of days intervening between
the depositing of cges. They are one of our most bene-
ficial birds, their food consisting almost wholly of rats,
132 THE BIRDS
mice, and other small mammals, and very seldom a bird
of any sort. Let the farmer look to this bird as a friend
indeed around the premises. On the eighth of December,
1911, I had sent me a fine specimen of the Barn Owl,
taken by a friend near a large barn where I have since
learned they have bred for a number of years. I visited
this barn this season, 1912, and discovered they had been
broken up and had not been seen around again. One
brood a season is all that is raised with us. They are non-
migratory, and remain in the near vicinity of their nest-
ing site. Major Bendire, in his monumental work, states
that “the noxious vermin required by a pair of these
owls to feed their family, usually consisting of from five
to seven young, is almost incredible, and I am certain
exceeds the captures of a dozen cats for the same period.”
A pair of these owls have bred for years in the old church
tower on Jamestown Island, and are also common in the
“Valley.”
OF VIRGINIA 133
PuHoTO By T. H. Jackson.
TWO EGGS, AND TWO YOUNG JUST HATCHED OF THE LONG-
EARED OWL. AN OLD NEST OF THE CROW UTILIZED.
134 THE BIRDS
FAMILY STRIGIDAE.—HORNED OWLS,
ETC,
GENUus Asio.
[366]. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson). Long-eared Owl.
Raxer.—Temperate North America. Breeds from
eentral British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, southern
Keewatin, southern Quebec, and Newfoundland south to
southern California, northern Texas, Arkansas, and Vir-
ginia; winters from southern Canada to Georgia, Louisi-
ana, and central Mexico.
While this owl is quite common further inland, I have
still thought to positively identify a nest with either eggs
or young taken close to the seacoast. I am quite confi-
dent, though, they breed along the coast, and hope soon
to verify my statement. The following data is taken
from sets taken elsewhere, and now in the H. H. Bailey
collection. Nest, an old crow, squirrel, or hawk’s nest,
various heights, from twenty to forty feet above ground.
Eggs, pure white. Size, 1.55x1.35, three to five in
number. Fresh eggs (this locality) March 25th to April
5th. Their food consists chiefly of small mammals, such
as mice, shrews and moles, beetles, and occasionally a small
bird or two. The good they do destroying small mammals
offsets nearly one hundred to one the harm done small
birds, therefore, the farmer and gunner should afford him
the best of protection. They rear but a single brood a
season, and are nocturnal in habits, so are seldom seen
by the public. They remain throughout the year, unless
the winter be extremely severe. They breed rather
abundantly in the “Valley,” and sparingly in the higher
mountains.
135
OF VIRGINIA
‘NOSMOVE I] WL Ad OLON
‘SIMO CAUVA-YNOT
‘CIO SHUT ATU, Laowy
136 THE BIRDS
Puoros By C. 8. SHARP.
NEST WITH EGGS, AND YOUNG OF THE SHORT-EARED OWL.
OF VIRGINIA 137
[367]. Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan). Short-eared
Owl.
Rancr.—Nearly cosmopolitan. In North America
breeds irregularly and locally from northern Alaska and
Aleutian Islands, northern Mackenzie, northern Ungava,
and Greenland south to California, Colorado, southern
Kansas, Missouri, northern Indiana and Massachusetts ;
winters from California, Wyoming, Minnesota, Indiana,
Ohio, and Massachusetts south to Louisiana, Cuba, and
Guatemala; common in Hawaii.
A resident bird the year round. It was on one of my
trips to the islands off the coast, Fisherman’s Island or
Linnen Bar, May 27th, 1902, that I first startled a Short-
eared Owl from the long salt marsh grass, and although
I spent some time trying to prove they had eggs there, I
was unable to find the nest, though the bird’s actions
clearly denoted a residence near-by. There is one or
probably more pair on each of the islands from Cape
Charles northward that are regular breeders there, while
they undoubtedly breed in the marshes of Back Bay and
Currituck Sound. The eggs are white, unmarked, four
to six in number, and measure 1.55x1.25. Fresh eggs
May 5th to 20th. The nest is placed on the ground in or
near some marshy place, either in the long marsh grass or
under some bush, composed of weed stems, grass and
sticks, lined with fine grass and feathers. Their food
consists chiefly of small mammals, such as mice (several
varieties), shrews, small rabbits, sparrows (several
varieties), juncos, blackbirds and insects. Quoting the
Department of Agriculture, “Hawks and Owls of the
United States,” page 149: “Of 101 stomachs examined,
eleven contained small birds; seventy-seven mice; seven
11
138 THE BIRDS
Puoto py W. O. EMERSON.
A VETERAN ORNITHOLOGIST AND HIS FAMILY.
OF VIRGINIA 139
other mammals; seven insects, and fourteen empty.”
They are, therefore, classed as a most beneficial bird.
They are not nocturnal in habits, doing their hunting by
day as well as night. Only one brood a season. They are
found principally on or near the salt marshes of the lower
rivers emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, the island
marshes of the Eastern Shore, Back Bay, and Currituck
Sound.
GENUS STRIX.
[368]. Stria varia varia (Barton). Barred Owl.
[Hoot Owl].
Rayez.—Eastern North America. Breeds from
southern Keewatin, southern Quebec, and Newfound-
land south to eastern Kansas and Georgia, and west to
eastern Wyoming and eastern Colorado.
This medium-sized owl is quite a common species with
us, more so as we go inland. It also remains throughout the
winter, being non-migratory, and seldom stays far from
its hunting ground or home, each pair seemingly to have a
stated hunting area to cover as their own. As with the
other birds of prey, they are shot on sight by all farmers
and sportsmen, who erroneously think they do more
damage than good, destroying poultry and game. They
are more common in heavy timber than elsewhere, and, as
our tracts of big timber are rapidly being cut off, these
birds will move farther and farther from the coast. It
has been well proven, particularly by examination of the
contents of stomachs of the owl by the Department of
Agriculture in Washington, D. C., that these birds are
140 THE BIRDS
more beneficial than harmful. Their food consists chiefly
of mice (various species), squirrels, flying and gray,
young rabbits and reptiles (frogs, lizards, small snakes),
besides many insects. They nest either in natural cavities
of trees or in some deserted crow’s nest; the eggs from
three to four in number. Size, 1.95x1.65, are a dullish-
white, unmarked. Fresh eggs March 20th to April 15th.
Only one brood a season. They are quite abundant in the
Alleghenian Mountains.
OF VIRGINIA 141
PHOTO By VERDI Beurtcu.
BLIND IN MARSH. USED FOR PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS.
142 THE BIRDS
HYPOTHETICAL.
GENUS CRYPTOGLAUX.
[372]. Cryptoglaua acadica acadica (Gmelin). Saw-
whet Owl.
Rance.—-North America. Breeds from central and
eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec,
New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia south to central
Arizona, New Mexico, southern Nebraska, northern
Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland (and Virginia?) ;
winters south to southern California, Louisiana, Virginia
(casually to the Carolinas), and Maine; casual or acci-
dental in Mexico and Guatemala.
As yet I have no positive evidence of this species breed-
ing within our area. Rives, in his “A Catalogue of the
Birds of the Virginias,”’ page 63, No. 139, quotes Captain
C. H. Crumb as saying, “they breed on the mainland,”
meaning the Cape Charles Peninsula. I know of no
positive evidence of nest with eggs or young having been
found within our area.
GENus OTus.
[373]. Otus asio asio (Linneus). Screech Owl.
Ranez.—Eastern North America from Minnesota,
Ontario, and New Brunswick south to northeastern Texas
and Georgia, and west to about the 100th meridian; acci-
dental in England.
143
OF VIRGINIA
‘NosMove
“HOC At
OLOIAT
‘SSTMO HOHAYMOS DNNOX
‘CIO SNATAA WNO0.T
144 THE BIRDS
This little fellow remains the year round with us, and
is quite common over our whole area. Both winter and
summer nights, if clear, one may generally hear one of
these owls calling or whistling their mournful notes from
a near-by grove, or around the farm outbuildings. Low
down on the eves of the buildings they often sit, silently
awaiting the appearance of a young rat or mouse, pouncing
upon it and returning to their perch without stopping, and
devouring it at their leisure. Undoubtedly they do a
great deal of good, preying on the field mice, moles, small
reptiles, insects, and yarious other species of small
mammals, all of which are procured at night. On the
other hand, they catch and destroy numbers of small birds,
such as juncos, sparrows, bluebirds, and wrens, but the
harm they do along this line is far overbalanced by the
good they do destroying insects and obnoxious small
mammals. One winter evening (1911), one of these
birds kept calling from a tree near my barn, and wishing
a skin for school study work, I took my gun and went out
to gather him in. I soon returned, however, without him,
for I found him so intently watching a rat hole from the
lower eaves of my barn that I hadn’t the heart to kill him.
Other plans than mine are made, however, for the next
morning, upon opening up the chicken houses, I found
my little Screech Owl lying dead before a rat hole, and
upon skinning him I found a slight blood clot in the front
of the skull, evidence enough, I thought, to show he had
hit the building in full flight, so intent must he have been
after his prey. Both phases, the gray and the rufous, are
found with us, the color being no distinction of sex, season
or age. They nest in natural cavities, or deserted flicker
holes usually, sometimes buildings; the average height
being about ten feet above ground. The only nesting
material used are some few feathers or bits of fur frcm
OF VIRGINIA 145
PHoTos By CuHas. R. KEES.
YOUNG GREAT-HORNED OWLS.
146 THE BIRDS
the birds and mammals devoured. The eggs number from
four to six, dull white, unmarked. Size, 1.35x1.20.
Fresh eggs April 9th to 20th. But a single brood is raised
each season.
GENUS BUBOoO.
[375]. Bubo virginianus virginianus (Gmelin). Great
Horned Owl.
[ Hoot Owl].
Rance.—Eastern North America from Ontario,
Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland south to the
Gulf Coast and Florida, west to Wisconsin, eastern Minne-
sota, Iowa and eastern Texas.
The local residents make no distinction between this
species and the Barred Owl, calling both by the name of
“Hoot Owl.” This owl, and the little Screech Owl, are
probably better known to the public in general than any
of the others. He is not an abundant species with us,
though occasionally heard during the early part of the
night. They remain throughout the winter with us, feed-
ing upon rabbits, muskrats, opossums and small mammals,
such as rats and mice, sometimes a large amount of
poultry, pigeons and insects. In some sections they do
more harm than good, and vice versa, so until some one
in this section actually shows by examination of stomachs
that they do more harm than good, I must urge they be
protected. They nest in hollow trees or a deserted crow’s
or hawk’s nest. Fresh eggs the last week in January till
the middle of February, pure white. Size, 2.25x1.85.
From two to three eggs are generally laid. As the large
OF VIRGINIA 147
tracts of timber are now nearly all cut off from this
section, we will see less and less of this noble bird as the
years go by. These birds are nocturnal in habits, pro-
curing all their food during the night. Durng the season
of 1910, a dark, wet night, I heard a terrible squawking
coming from one of my laying boxes in a chicken vari.
Knowing the box contained a sitting hen, I hastily slipped
on rubber boots, and in my night clothes hurried from
the house with gun in hand. Just before reaching the
laying box I saw a shadowy form fly off, but it was too
dark to even see to shoot. On opening the box I found
the inside littered with feathers, and the hen with
practically her entire neck bare, but bleeding only slightly.
During my investigations my father saw the Great
Horned Owl fly into a shade tree close to his window, he
having just poked his head out to see what all the commo-
tion was about. The next morning we found his tracks
alongside of the laying box, and showed where he had
braced his muddy feet in his efforts to pull the hen from
the first nest inside the box. During a trip to Northamp-
ton County, May 5th, 1911, a fine male Horned Owl was
brought to me alive, the bird having been caught in a
steel trap set over the carcass of a guinea hen which he
had killed the night before. On Hog Island a pair have
nested in the old condemned lighthouse for years, and
another pair made their home in the under side of an
Osprey’s nest. Only one brood a season. On visiting an
eagle’s nest, February 23, 1913, I found it oceupied by
a pair of these owls; the nest about 75 feet up, and
only about one quarter of a mile from a farm house.
The crows, as I watched them, made life a hard one
for the owls in the daytime; at night they were master of
all they surveyed.
148 THE BIRDS
SUBFAMILY COCCYZIN/AZ.—AMERICAN
CUCKOOS.
GENUS CoccyZUS.
[387]. Coccyzus americanus americanus (Linneus).
YVellow-billed Cuckoo.
[ Rain-Crow ].
Ranee.—Parts of North and South America. Breeds
mainly in Austral zones, but reaching into Transitiou
from North Dakota, Minnesota, southern Ontario, Quebec,
and New Brunswick south to Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas,
Louisiana, and northern Florida, and west to South
Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma; migrates through the
West Indies and Central America; winters in South
America south to Equador, Bolivia, and Argentina.
On a hot, dry summer afternoon these birds seem at
their best, if their notes could be called a song. When
heard at this time the natives assure one of “rain shortly,”
though this doesn’t alwavs fit the case. In the country
they keep to the low bushes or second growth, but when
in the small towns and shady-street cities, one sees them
and hears them more often in the trees. Their notes, “Cut,
eut, cut, cut!” repeated rapidly from ten to twelve times,
draws one’s attention to them, only to see them fly at the
end to some other distant perch, short flights, seemingly
unpopular. The nest is a shallow platform affair, loosely
put together, of small twigs, and on the inner surface
sometimes fine strips of bark or dry leaves. The height
from ground varies from two and a half feet in bushes,
OF VIRGINIA 149
to thirty feet up in a tree in town. The eggs are a delicate
shade of greenish-blue, unspotted, and number from three
to four. Size, 1.20x.90. Fresh eges May 5th to 20th.
Only one brood a season. They arrive about April 25th
and depart for the south about October 5th to 10th.
Their food consists of caterpillars, worms, butterflies,
grasshoppers, numerous insect species, beetles, and wild
erapes and berries, thus making them a very beneficial
bird from an agricultural standpoint.
[388]. Coecyzus-erythrophthalmus (Wilson). Black-
billed Cuckoo.
Ranee.—North and South America. Breeds mainly
in the Transition zone from southeastern Alberta, southern
Manitoba, southern Quebec, and Prince Edward Island
south to Kansas, Arkansas, North Carolina, and mountains
of Georgia; winters in South America from Colombia
to Peru.
This species of cuckoo I have not found breeding in
Tidewater Virginia, though a few may possibly breed
there, but as we go further inland they become fairly
common. Professor Smyth reports it as abundant at
Blacksburg, where it arrives April 26th to May 9th, and
my father found it fairly common at Goshen, Massanetta,
and Hot Springs, where finding young in the nest in
August leads him to believe they rear two broods. It
probably migrates southward with the preceding species in
the fall. Fresh eggs May 5th to 10th for first setting,
which number three to four, a dark greenish-blue,
unmarked. Size, 1.08x.84. Both color and size of eggs
150 THE BIRDS
make them readily distinguishable from those of the
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, while the birds themselves also
differ from that species by having a black bill instead of
the yellow. The nest is a rude platform of twigs,
occasionally a few dry leaves on inner surface, placed
from two to ten feet up in a bush or tree, thick clumps
of bushes being preferred. Their habits and food are
similar to that of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, though they
are reported as having laid eggs in other birds’ nests,
though this condition has never come under my personal
notice during all the vears of my field work.
OF VIRGINIA 151
FAMILY ALCEDINID/E.—KINGFISHERS.
GENUS CERYLE.
[390]. Ceryle aleyon (Linnewus). Belted Kingfisher.
[ Kingfisher].
Raner.—North America and northern South America.
Breeds from northwestern Alaska, northwestern Mac-
kenzie, central Keewatin, northern Quebec, and New-
foundland south to the southern border of the United
States; winters from British Columbia, Nebraska,
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and southeastern Virginia south
to the West Indies, Colombia, and Guiana, and irregularly
as far north as Massachusetts, New Hampshire and
Ontario.
Along all our rivers, ponds and streams we find this
bird, a few remaining throughout the winter, and numbers
migrating. These migratory birds arrive the last week in
March and they at once set to work to dig out with their
sharp beaks, pushing the dirt out behind them with their
feet, their burrow or hole in the bank selected. They
often clean out and extend a foot or more the burrow of
last season, should the bank still happen to have not
caved away. In these cases where the old burrow is used,
the laying of eggs commences earlier in the season than
those digging an entirely new hole, from a week to ten
days difference. Eggs are not deposited until some time
after the burrow is completed. Fresh eggs from April
25th to Mav 10th. The burrow is enlarged at the inner
end, spherical, and a few small fish seales and bones are
152 THE BIRDS
all the nesting material used under the eggs, which number
from five to seven. Size, 1.35x1.05. The eggs are a
delicate shade of pinkish-white before being blown, after
which, in their crystal whiteness, the water lines or
marks can be easily distinguished. The burrows measure
from four to eight feet in length, and their height in the
bank varies from eight inches below the top, down to two
feet above water, according to location and formation of
bank, height of water in stream, ete. They are a noisy
bird, especially in flight from perch to perch, where they
sit motionless in watch for small fish in the water below.
Their cry or rattle is not unlike the wooden rattles used
in the cities on election night, Christmas, and New Year’s
Eve. Mortality among these birds (see Auk., Vol. 94, No.
+, page 439) must be great some years, as the black
snakes destroy many eggs and often kill on the nest the
parent birds. Only one brood a season is raised. Their
food in this section consists almost wholly of small fish,
and insect life off the water. Unless the season be very
forward, the birds migrating southward seldom leave
before December first.
OF VIRGINIA 153
FAMILY PICIDAZ.—WOODPECKERS.
GENUS DRYOBATES.
[393-B]. Dryobates villosus audubont (Swainson).
Southern Hairy Woodpecker.
Ranee.—aAustroriparian zone of the South Atlantic
and Gulf States from southeastern Missouri, southern
Ilinois, and southern Virginia to southeastern Texas.
While not quite as common a breeding species as the
flicker, still they are evenly distributed over the Tidewater
section, and remain throughout the winter. Dead stubs
of gum and poplar treetops seem to be their favorite loca-
tion for a nesting site, varving from 25 to 60 feet up,
the cavity from eight to twelve inches deep. They are
one of our earliest breeding birds, the drilling of the nest-
ing cavity beginning the last week in March, and by
April 10th to 15th finds a full complement or set of eggs,
numbering from four to six. Like all the woodpeckers’,
the eggs are glossy white. Size, .95x.70. They are noisy
birds when having young, and do not mind _ close
inspection of their home at that time, but when only eggs
are in the cavity, it is almost impossible to flush the sitting
female until within a few feet of the hole. Occasionally
two broods a season, but not commonly. Some years this
species is quite numerous, while other seasons they are
very scarce, these conditions being caused by the food
supply, I imagine. Their food consists of larve, grubs,
beetles, ants and spiders, procured from dead wood gener-
ally. They are considered to be a very beneficial species
of woodpecker. In the Alleghenian zone a few of the
northern form (D-villosus) are found above 3,800 feet.
154 THE BIRDS
[394]. Dryobates pubescens pubescens (Linneus).
Southern Downy Woodpecker.
Ranece.—aAustroriparian zone of South Atlantic and
Gulf States from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas.
This little woodpecker, the smallest of the family, is
rather a rare breeding bird with us, possibly because their
favorite haunts, old apple trees, are not abundant through-
out Tidewater. When a suitable locality is found, though,
we find him a very sociable little fellow, more so than
any of the balance of the family. A natural cavity in a
live tree is generally selected from five to fifteen feet up,
the eggs deposited on a few chips from borings inside.
Three to five eggs are laid, glossy white. Size, .75x.60.
They remain throughout the winter, securing the greater
part of their food from the hardwood trees. Fresh eggs
April 10th to 25th; one brood a season. As they are
seen mostly when in orchards, many attribute the borings
in the bark of the trees to these birds, these borings or
holes often resulting in much injury to the tree. This
is a mistake, however, for this injurious work is done by
another of the family, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
(Sphyrapicus varius varius), during the fall and spring
migrations and winter months, as it does not breed in
Tidewater. On account of the scarcity of old orchards in
this section, the birds select hard dead stubs of the poplar,
dogwood, maple, and oak trees, often forty feet above
ground. The cavity is most neatly executed, selected
just under some overhanging limb or knot, thus affording
protection from the water running down from above.
The bottom of the cavity is from eight to twelve inches
below the entrance. They are noisy birds after the young
are hatched, and their abode is then easily located. They
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER
OF VIRGINIA 155
should be protected, for they do much good by destroying
great quantities of insects, caterpillars, beetles, and their
eggs and larve. They are more sociable than the Hairy
Woodpecker, and I have had a pair on my farm build in
a maple tree within fifteen feet of my back door.
[3894-C]. Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swainson).
Downy Woodpecker,
Rayex.—Canadian and Transition zones of northern
and central parts of eastern North America from south-
eastern Alberta, Manitoba and southern Ungava south to
eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and Potomac Valley, and in
mountains to North Carolina.
This bird takes the place of the preceding species in
our interior, their range overlapping near the dividing
line of Tidewater Virginia, and extending westward.
Professor Smyth records it as a resident the year round
at Blacksburg, where it breeds commonly; the earliest set
of eggs April 24th. My father also found it common at
Goshen and Massanetta, where it raised two broods. The
notes on the former species will apply equally as well to
this form. J found it very abundant in the higher
Alleghenies at an altitude of 4,000 feet, and over.
[395]. Dryobates borealis (Viewllot). Red-cockaded
Woodpecker.
Ranexr.—Austroriparian zone of the South Atlantic
and Gulf States north to southern Virginia, Tennessee,
and southern Missouri, and casually to New Jersey.
156 THE BIRDS
In 1911 my attention was called to this bird breeding
in our section by J. E. Gould, of Berkley, who informed
me that while visiting an eagle’s nest the latter part of
March, he had seen a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers at work
excavating a nesting cavity in a live pine tree, some sixty
feet up. I told him I thought he would find them to be
Red-cockaded variety, and he now states them to be such.
They had evidently been breeding in the same tree for
two or three years previous, as old cavities could be
clearly distinguished. On visiting the tree again. on
April 19th, 1912, they were seen feeding young. The
1910 A. O. U. Check List gives their range in Virginia
as “southwestern Virginia.” These birds were breeding
in Norfolk County, or southeastern Virginia. Quoting
Mr. A. T. Wayne’s “Birds of South Carolina,” he states:
“The birds seem to know by instinct when the center of
the tree is rotten, or has what the lumberman calls ‘Black-
heart,’ and never make a mistake in selecting a tree.
The hole is bored through the solid wood, generally a little
upward, to the center of the tree (which is always rotten),
then downward to the depth of from nine inches to a foot
or more. This species lays from two to five very glossy
white eggs, generally three, rarely four, while five is
exceptional. I have taken five eggs but once, May 14th,
1902. The earliest set taken was on April 27th, 1884.
The eggs average .95x.70 in size; only one brood a
season.” In this section the eggs are laid about the first
of April. The birds sometimes occupy the same cavity
two or more consecutive seasons. They are not injurious
to agriculturists, as their food is similar to that of the
preceding species. I found them breeding in Giles
County, 1913, altitude 4,000 feet.
OF VIRGINIA 157
GENUS SPHYRAPICUS.
[402]. Sphyrapicus varius varius (Linneus). Yellow-
belhed Sapsucker,
Ranxee.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Canadian
and upper part of Alleghenian zone from southwestern
Mackenzie, central Keewatin, central Quebec, and Cape
Breton Island south to central Alberta, northern Missouri,
northern Indiana, northern Ohio, North Carolina
(mountains), and Massachusetts (mountains of northern
Berkshire County) ; winters from Pennsylvania and Ohio
Valley (casually further north) to the Gulf Coast,
Bahamas, Cuba, western Mexico (Jalisco), and Costa
Rica; casual in Wyoming.
This bird is more numerous during March and Novem-
ber, when many migrate north and south of us. Many
do, however, remain throughout the winter, feeding in
the heavy timber, and some remain to breed in our higher
mountains. Professor Smyth records them as arriving
in Blacksburg March 25th to April 17th, and also common
again during October. This is the bird we find in our
orchards, girdling the fruit trees with holes made by
its sharp beak, in search of the sap, that of the apple
tree in particular, of which they are very fond. Unlike
the other woodpeckers, their food consists of only a very
small percentage of insect life, though ants are taken to
some extent. Besides the fruit trees, they injure and dis-
figure ornamental and shade trees, while the forest timber
also suffers considerably from their depredations. The
U. S. Department of Agriculture states that “Sapsuckers
are known to attack no fewer than 258 kinds of trees,
158 THE BIRDS
shrubs and vines in the United States, 63 of which are
seriously injured and 32 have been killed.” We, there-
fore, can easily see the great amount of damage which
these birds do each year. We must not, however, lay any
of the blame on the other species of woodpeckers found
within our State, as they are really beneficial birds. The
nest is generally located in a hardwood dead tree or tree
top stub, the hole being drilled by the birds early in April,
and by May 1st fresh eggs may be found, four to five in
number, glossy-white, unmarked. Size, .86x.62, Only
one brood a season. These birds may be easily dis-
tinguished from our other woodpeckers by their brilliant
red crown and throat, breast patch black, and yellow belly.
I found them fairly common at Mountain Lake, 4,500
feet altitude.
GENUS PHLEOTOMUS.
[405]. Phleotomus pileatus pileatus (Linnwus).
Pileated Woodpecker.
[Log Cock].
Ranee.—.A\ustroriparian forests of southern United
States from southeastern Virginia south and west to
middle Texas and western Oklahoma; casual in the
Bahamas.
This is rather a rare resident species with us, though
many can be seen during the spring and fall migrations
in company with the flickers. These migrating birds are
the sub-species (Pileatus abieticola) or northern form.
The heavy drumming with their beak on a dead tree can
be heard for a mile awav on a still day, the woods fairly
OF VIRGINIA 159
recchoing with this powerful and rapid noise. Extra
large dead pines, or poplars with dead tops, are usually
selected for a home, generally in close proximity to water.
The nest cavity is rather pretentious, and always as high
from the ground as possible, sometimes seventy feet or
more up. Four to five eggs are laid, glossy white. Size,
1.30x1.00. Fresh cges first week in May. It is not
improbable that both forms of the Pileated Woodpecker
overlap their breeding ranges in Tidewater. It is a bird
of the heavy timber, and as our big tracts are now few
and far between, we see less of them each year. Their
food consists chiefly of ants and beetles, obtained from
the under side of the bark and trunk of dead trees, the
birds being experts in detaching the bark from the trunks.
GENUS MELANERPES.
[406]. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linnewus), Red-
headed Woodpecker.
Rayce.—Transition and Austral zones from south-
eastern British Columbia, southern Alberta, Manitoba,
and Ontario south to the Gulf Coast, and from central
Montana, central Colorado, and central Texas east to
valleys of the Ufudson and Delaware; rare and local in
New England; casual in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah,
Nova Seotia, and New Brunswick; irregularly migratory
in the northern parts of its range.
While not so common as the Flicker or Downy, this
handsome woodpecker is not rare with us, and remains
the year round. It usually selects some tall, dead
pine tree from which the bark has become detached,
and after trial holes to the number of three or four are
160 THE BIRDS
. F. STONE.
PuoTo BY
CLIMBING FOR A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER’S NEST.
Nore THE NEST OF THE RED-SHOULDERED HAWK CLOSE TO THE TRUNK
or LARGEST TREE, AT CENTRE OF THE PICTURE.
OF VIRGINIA 161
bored, selects its final abode near the top, sometimes sixty
feet up. As these trees are also the favorite abode of the
flying-squirrel (Sciuropterus volucella), this may account
for the number of holes bored by these birds. I am con-
fident many nice sets of eggs are eaten by the squirrels,
and possibly young as well. As a boy, my first experience
with these birds was in a dead pine not far from town.
The nesting cavity was not less than fifty feet up, and
after nailing strips of wood up the tree so as to reach it
easily, found only one egg deposited when first visited, so
I waited further duties. After several visits, the last
time finding only five eggs had been laid, I decided to
take them the next day, and bring a gun along for the
birds as well. Imagine my disgust on climbing the tree
the following day to put my hand on a flying-squirrel
and have my finger quickly bitten. It is needless to say
the flying-squirrel was collected, and I returned wiser in
facts as to the woodpecker’s fight for existence. Four
to six eggs is a complete set, a dullish, glossy white. Size,
1.00x.75. Only one brood a season. Fresh eggs May
25th to June 15th. Their food is similar to that of the
other smaller woodpeckers, with the addition of berries,
and sometimes fruit. Numerous ornithologists have seen
this species destroy the eggs and young of other cavity-
nesting species, but as vet J have not come across a pair
of these birds which were cannibals.
GENUS CENTURUS.
[409]. Centurus carolinus (Linneus). Red-bellied
Woodpecker.
Raner.—Upper and Lower Austral zones of eastern
United States from southeastern South Dakota, south-
162 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
HOME OF THE FLICKER.
OF VIRGINIA 163
eastern Minnesota, southwestern Ontario, western New
York, southwestern Pennsvlvania, and Delaware suuth to
central Texas and the Gulf Coast: casual north to Colo-
rado and Massachusetts.
While these birds are not a rare winter visitor in Tide-
water, I have vet to find positive evidence of their breed-
ing within that area. They are a bird of the thicker
timber regions and the activity in the lumber business
throughout our section has undoubtedly had much to do
with their scarcity, like that of the Pileated Wood-
pecker. The region between the south bank of the James
River and the southern state line is their natural habitat.
Their food is similar to that of the Downy and Iairy
Woodpeckers, though their nesting cavity is usually placed
much higher than those species. Four to five eggs is a
full set, a glossy white, unmarked. Size, 1.02x.76.
Fresh eggs May 1st to 10th. Only one brood a scason.
I have found them particularly common in February in
the hardwood timber tracts left by the lumbermen, after
cutting the pines. They breed sparingly in the central
and western part of our State.
GENUS COLAPTES.
[412]. Colaptes auratus auratus (Linneus). Flicker.
[Yarup. High-Hole. Pigeon Woodpecker. Yellow-
Hammer. Golden-winged Woodpecker].
Rayee.—Austroriparian zone of South Atlantic and
Gulf States from southeastern Virginia and southern
Tlinois to southern Florida and central Texas.
164 THE BIRDS
This is one of our most common birds, remaining the
year round, and being joined in the winter with the
northern form (Colaptes auratus luteus), they become so
numerous that many are shot for game, especially during
the early fall migration. While at its height, about
October 1st, they are particularly fond of the blue berry
of the black-gum tree, and after once finding a tree with
fruit, will continue to come to it until every berry is gone,
even though continually shot at. I remember a case a
few years back, when a local gunner killed fifty-seven
flickers from one black-gum tree in one forenoon. After
the gumberries are gone, they take to the dogwood berry
for their main article of food, a fine red berry and always
plentiful in Tidewater. During early spring and fall
migrations they may be noticed in large numbers in the
cornfields and pastures, where their chief article of food
is ants. The northward migration at its height reaches
us about March 15th, when the woods and fields fairly
teem with this handsome bird. For a home or nesting
site it selects generally a dead tree, or rotten stub of some
live one, in which it drills a hole with its sharp beak. The
cavity may be from ten to sixty feet up, about ten to
fourteen inches deep, in which is deposited on some small
chips, from four to seven glossy white eggs. Size, 1.10x
.90. Fresh eggs from Mav 1st till the 20th may be found,
oecasionally a second brood. The northern form (Luteus)
overlaps its breeding range within our area. Its food is
similar to that of the other woodpeckers, with the addition
of the black-gum, dogwood, and sassafras berries. As a
whole they do a great deal of good, and I hope to see them
fully protected in our State ere long.
OF VIRGINIA 165
[412-A]. Colaptes auratus luteus. (Bangs). Northern
Flicker.
Ranxexe.— Northern and eastern North America. Breeds
from tree mit in northwestern Alaska, northwestern
Mackenzie, central Keewatin, southern Ungava, and New-
foundland south, east of the Rocky Mountains, to
northern edges of Austroriparian zone, occasionally on
Pacific slope from California northward; accidental in
Greenland; migratory through most of Canada but more
or less a regular resident within the United States, except
the extreme northern parts; south in winter to the Gulf
Coast and southern Texas.
This is a sub-species of the former bird, the description
of which, together with the local names, habits, food, ete.,
apply equally as well to this form. The Northern Flicker
is supposed to be somewhat larger than the southern form.
As it would take a specialist in speciation or a series of
skins to separate these two forms of flicker, the average
would-be bird student will not be led far astray by calling
both forms, which overlap in our area, Flicker. Skins
taken in the western part of this State are of this variety.
166 THE BIRDS
FAMILY CAPRIMULGID/AZ.—GOAT-
SUCKERS.
GENUS ANTROSTOMUS.
[416]. Antrostomus carolinensis (Gmelin), Chuck-
will’s-widow.
Ranez.—Southern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Austroriparian zone from Missouri,
Indiana, southern Ohio, and southern Virginia south to
central Texas and Gulf States; casual in Kansas and
Maryland; accidental in Massachusetts and Ontario;
migrates through eastern Mexico; winters from southern
Florida to Greater Antilles, Central America, and
Colombia.
This nocturnal bird is rather abundant along the
northern bank of the James River, practically its northern
limit of breeding range (see Auk. XXV, page 478). It
does not, however, remain during the winter, arriving
about April 14th. Like the following species, it is more
often heard than seen, being truly a bird of the night,
at which time one may chance to see, if in the country, a
shadowy form, like a spectre, pass before his eyes, swiftly
and silently pursuing its insect food. Should he be a
wood prowler of any sort, it is possible that once in a
great while he may flush the female either from her eggs,
or a pair of birds from under the sheltering protection of
a fallen log in the dense woods. Like the Whip-poor-will,
they are great believers in returning to their old nesting
site of the previous year. In one instance we took a set
of eggs from supposedly the same pair of birds, within
OF VIRGINIA 167
twenty-five feet of the first set, and exactly a year to the
day between sets. From the time of their arrival until
departure, the last weck in October, their ery of “Chuck-
will’s-widow” vibrates and echoes through the woods, to be
answered by another in some distant woods, the call or note
generally being repeated tiiec in succession, On extra
warm moonlight nights I have often heard them keep up
their call until the break of day, something unusual with
other nocturnal birds. They construet no nest; the eggs,
two in number, being deposited on the dry leaves or pine
needles on the ground. Fresh eges May 23rd, a glossy,
creamy white, thickly clouded with patches and blotches
of dark gray, and lighter shades of lilac. Size, 1.40x1.00.
August 24th is the latest date on which I have heard them
call before migrating southward, their migration flights
being made at night. Their food consists of a large
variety of winged beetles, moths, ants, and insects which
fly by night, at which time they procure all their food.
Only one brood a season.
[417]. Antrostomus vociferus vociferus (Wilson).
Whip-poor-will,
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds from Mani-
toba, southern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
south to northern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Georgia, and from eastern North Dakota, Nebraska, and
Kansas eastward; winters from the lowlands of South
Carolina and the southern parts of the Gulf States to
British Honduras and Salvador.
Like the preceding species, the bird derives its vernacu-
Jar name from its call note or song. In the summer, as
168 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY TEE AUTEOR.
EGGS OF THE NIGHTHAWK.
Note How TuHry BLEND WITH THE SURROUNDING VEGETATION.
OF VIRGINIA 169
the shades of evening gather in the woods, this night
songster commences his sharp piercing ery of “Whip-poor-
will,” repeated generally three times without stopping.
Across some open field in another piece of woods comes
the answering cry, or from the depths of the same piece.
The further away, the more pleasing the notes to the ear.
Unlike the preceding species, they do not keep it up so
late, ten to eleven o’clock finds the woods still except for
the cry of the owl or Chuck-will’s-widow. These birds
do not winter with us, arriving the first week in April and
departing about August 23rd to 28th. No nest is made,
the eggs being deposited on leaves or pine needles in a
slightly open space in thick woods. Fresh eggs May 10th
to 20th. Only two eggs are laid, a glossy, grayish-white ;
blotched, specked and sparingly lined with a pale brown,
dark gray, and lilac. Size, 1.50x.85. They are not an
abundant bird with us, though not rare; more often heard
than seen, as they are hard to flush in the daytime, even
when sitting on their eggs. Only one brood a season.
Their food is similar to that of the Chuck-will’s-widow,
most of which is taken while in flight, and at night.
GENUS CHORDEILES.
[420]. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin).
Nighthawk.
[Bullbat. Night-Jar. Goatsucker].
Ranez.—North and South America. Breeds from
southern Yukon, central Mackenzie, central Keewatin,
northern Quebee, and Newfoundland south to northern
parts of Gulf States and west to edge of plains from
13
170 THE BIRDS
Minnesota to northeastern Texas; migrates through the
Greater Antilles and Central America; winters in South
America from Brazil to Argentina.
The earliest record for the arrival of these birds from
their winter home is February 26th, 1910, but this is an
exceptional case, the majority arriving by April 16th.
One is first attracted to them generally about sundown,
as they pass to and fro, tumbling, turning, twisting in all
sorts of crazy fashions, pursuing their insect food, all the
while uttering a discordant “Queek, queek.”” The white
on the wings makes them easily distinguishable when fly-
ing. During most of the day they sit motionless on some
log or inclined trunk, or fence rail, eyelids closed,
apparently asleep. In this attitude they allow one to
nearly touch them, as they also do when covering their
eges, which are laid, generally, on the ground. The two
grayish, glossy, white eggs are heavily blotched and spotted
with bluish-gray and dark brown. Size, 1.20x.85. No
nest is made, the eggs being deposited on the bare ground
near a fallen log, stump, fence rail, or drift on our islands
off the coast. Years ago, during the fall migration the
last week in September, large numbers were shot by local
sportsmen, both for the chance to display marksmanship,
and for food. The local name of Goatsucker was undoubt-
edly derived from the belief that they sucked the milk
from goats, and sometimes cows, a notion without founda-
tion or fact. Only one brood a season. Fresh eggs May
27th to June 5th. The insect food taken by these birds
while on the wing, such as mosquitoes, flies, beetles and
moths, should convince the farmer and sportsmen that
they are a most beneficial bird, and, therefore, to be pro-
tected. When resting they always sit longitudinally on
the log, limb or rail.
OF VIRGINIA 171
FAMILY MICROPODID/E.—SWIFTS.
SUBFAMILY CH/AETURIN/E.—SPINE-
TAILED SWIFTS.
GENUS CHAETURA.
[423]. Chetura pelagica (Linneus). Chimney Swift.
[Chimney Swallow. Chimney Martin].
Rancr.—Breeds in eastern North America from south-
eastern Saskatchewan, Manitoba, central Quebec, and
Newfoundland south to the Gulf Coast, and west to the
Plains from eastern Montana to eastern Texas; winters
south of the United States, at least to Vera Cruz and
Cozumel Island and probably in Central America; casual
in southern Alberta; accidental in New Mexico and
Greenland.
Previous to the year 1910, I would have classed
this bird with our most common birds, but since that time
there seems to have been a great falling off in numbers,
the reason for which I can not account. They formerly
bred in hollow trees, but since the advent of human dwell-
ings they have taken to the inside of chimneys for suitable
places to attach their nest. There are many birds, though,
still adhering to their old custom of building in hollow
trees, but, like the engine, the chimney has come to stay,
as a nesting place for the swifts. Three to four, five
rarely, pure white eggs, is a full set; May 27th to June
10th. Size .75x.50. For the benefit of those who wonder
how I get nests sometimes ten to fifteen feet down the
172 . THE BIRDS
chimneys, I will state that a piece of tin turned up about
one inch around the edge, like an inverted box cover, is
fitted to a garden hoe. On the inside of this cover is
glued a layer of cotton, on to which roll any eggs possibly
falling from the nest when detaching it from the side,
after the hoe is lowered down the chimney and under the
nest. The nest is made of dead twigs, snatched or
broken off from the extremity of some limb as they fly
by, the birds pausing only a second, seemingly, to perform
this act. The twigs are glued together by a sticky hquid
from the bird’s mouth, into a slightly hollowed semi-
circular structure, the same sticky substance attaching it
to the inside of the chimney. I have noticed that they
seldom use a chimney that has a thick coating of soot on
the inside, the reason, I presume, being that it tends to
fall off in chunks during the summer. Nor do they like
new buildings with chimneys without some soot in them.
There are many large hollow cypress trees still’ in the
Dismal Swamp where these birds may be found breeding
in their natural haunts. Between sundown and twilight
during the summer, these birds are seen at their best in
small flocks of from three to six in number, sailing
together closely one behind the other in large circles,
uttering a trilling whistle as though made by their wings.
During migration often countless numbers descend for the
night like a huge funnel into some large single chimney or
group of chimneys. Only one brood is raised with us a
season. The height of the fall migration southward is
about September 2nd. During the season of 1912 an extra
large flock of migrating swifts passed southward as late
as October 5th. They do not winter with us, arriving
April 7th to 10th. Their food, taken entirely when on
the wing, consists wholly of insect matter, many of which
are still alive when fed to the young.
OF VIRGINIA 173
FAMILY TROCHILIDAE.—HUMMING
BIRDS.
GENUs ARCHILOCHUS.
[428]. Arehilochus colubris (Linneus), Ruby-throated
Hummingbird.
Rayxce.—Eastern North America. Breeds from south-
eastern Saskatchewan, central Quebec, and Cape Breton
Island south to Gulf Coast and Florida; west to North
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and central Texas; winters
from middle and southern Florida and Louisiana through
southern Mexico and Ceutral America to Panama; casual
in Cuba in migration.
As this is the only hummingbird inhabiting our area,
there is no danger of any one mistaking it. Even the
city resident has a chance to watch and study this bird,
for he is a regular visitor to most small gardens containing
various kinds of flowers, from which he obtains his food
or honey. Sometimes one may even see him poised,
seemingly motionless, before a box of flowering plants on
some window sill, where the “house beautiful” idea is
being carried out. If you will look closer, you will see
that his wings are beating with such rapidity that is is
almost impossible to see them move unless very near him.
I have often tried to decide which of the two, the humming-
bird or Blue-gray Gnateatcher, builds the handsomest
nest; sometimes I think one, sometimes the other. Which-
ever it may be, however, the hummingbird’s nest is a
beautifully made affair of plant fiber and down, closely
woven and lined with plant down. Being covered with
174 THE BIRDS
lichens over the entire surface, and placed on a small
limb of a tree generally covered with lichens, it is almost
next to impossible to locate it unless one sees the bird fly
directly to it. Elms and maples are usually selected in
this section, though occasionally other species of trees,
such as black walnut, dogwood or gum, are used. The
height of nest from the ground varies from fifteen to fifty
feet, while the position of the nest on the limb is usually
near its extremity. Two pure white eggs is a full set;
May 20th to June 15th. Size, .50x.35. They are not
an over-abundant bird, though well distributed over our
entire section, except islands. They arrive about April
25th, and depart the last week in September. Only one
brood a season is reared. Their food consists mostly of
the nectar or honey extracted from the numerous varieties
of flowers visited by them. I have found them breeding
as high as 4,500 feet altitude.
OF VIRGINIA 175
Puoro BY THE AUTHOR.
TYPICAL NESTING SITE OF THE KINGBIRD.
176 THE BIRDS
FAMILY TYRANNID/E.—TYRANT FLY-
CATCHERS.
GENUS TYRANNUS.
[444]. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linneus). Kingbird.
[Betty Bee Martin. Bee Martin. Billy Bee].
Rayer.—North and South America. Breeds from
southern British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, southern
Keewatin, northern Ontario, central Quebcee, and New-
foundland south to central Oregon, northern New Mexico,
central Texas, and central Florida; winters from southern
Mexico to Colombia, British Guiana, Peru, and Bolivia;
casual in Cuba in migration; accidental in Greenland.
This bird, better known to the local inhabitants as the
Bee Martin, arrives about April 11th; the main flight
of those continuing northward being at its height by the
16th. As his name implies, he certainly is a tyrant,
but generally for good. I know of no better bird around
one’s farmyard as a poultry protector from crows and
hawks than the Kingbird. Should either one of these
robber birds chance to be passing by, or a black snake
show himself near young chickens or ducks, of which they
are very fond, Mr. Kingbird immediately launches forth
from his near-by perch, and the pursuit only is discon-
tinued after the intruders are driven a quarter of a mile
away, or the black snake has sought shelter in a near-by
hole. That the old birds return year after year to their
former home and nesting site, is clearly proven hy two
pair of birds on my own place, one nesting in a dogwood
OF VIRGINIA 177
tree on my frout lawn, the other pair in a pine tree just out-
side my yard fence. In both instances they have occupied
the same branch each season for four consecutive summers,
sometimes starting their new nest on top of the remains
of the old last year’s one. The nest is a well-made
structure of weed stems, fine grass, rootlets and fiber, lined
with hair, finer rootlets or fibers. Often the nest is well
adorned with strings, rags and bits of paper. They seem
to show little preference for a nesting site in this section,
from a pine tree forty feet up, down to a lower limb of
an orchard tree, four feet up, being used. Three to four
eges is a full set with us here, generally three, a creamy-
white ground color, spotted or blotched with reddish-brown
or lilac. Size, .95x.70. Fresh ezes June 15th to July
sth. They are quite abundantly distributed over the
whole area, even on most of the islands off our coast. where
they also breed. The fall migration of local birds begins
about August 25th, while the more northern birds pass
through in large flocks during the following two weeks.
Sometimes two broods are raised during one season, Thev
are a most beneficial bird: beetles, caterpillars, grass-
hoppers, crickets, small butterflies and moths, hornets and
wasps. being their chief articles of food. They are very
fond of our native June bug (Lachnosterna), the catching
of which, while on the wing, is a most interesting sight.
They also eat numerous wild berries, such as dogwood.
chokeberry, black-gum, and pokeberry.
178 THE BIRDS
GENUS MYIARCHUS.
[452]. Myiarchus crinitus (Linneus). Crested
Flycatcher.
[Snake Bird].
Rance.—Eastern North and northern South America.
Breeds from upper edge of Transition zone in southern
Manitoba, central Ontario, southern Quebec, and New
Brunswick south to southern Texas and southern Florida;
winters from eastern and southern Mexico to Panama and
Colombia; accidental in Wyoming and Cuba.
Arriving the last week in April (about the 21st), the
Crested Flycatcher commences a round of the suitable
knot holes for a nesting site. One may look for them in
most any unlikely place, from a bird box down to a tin
can stuck on a stub limb of a tree. Natural cavities and
deserted woodpecker holes form their usual abode, how-
ever. The nest is composed of twigs, grasses, pine needles
and weed stems, lined with feathers, fine rootlets and
snake skins. The characteristic mark of this flycatcher’s
nest is his snake skin; how he manages to always find
one is a mystery I can not solve. Three to five eggs of
a shiny buff color are laid, profusely lined, blotched and
spotted with a dark shade of reddish-brown and _ lilac
over the entire surface. Size, .85x.65. The height of
nesting site varies from six to thirty feet from the
ground. Only one brood a season. Fresh eggs May 20th
to June 15th. <A pair oceupying regularly a nesting box
placed in a tree on my front lawn, afforded much
amusement by watching them catch and pick to picces the
large June bugs (Lachnosterna). Their size, crest, and
OF VIRGINIA 179
Hh
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
THE PHGBE’S NEST.
UNDER THE OVERHANG OF BRIDGE FLOOR.
180 THE BIRDS
vellow underparts, as well as their shrill whistle, makes
them readily distinguishable from any of our other breed-
ing flycatchers. The local name of ‘Snake Bird” was
probably given them on account of seeing birds, when
building their nests, carrying snake skins in their beaks.
While rather a pugnacious bird, sometimes driving off
other species, they must be considered of great benefit
from an agricultural standpoint. They destrov many
harmful insects, flies, beetles, wasps, grasshoppers and
crickets, which form the greater part of their food.
GENUS SAYORNIS.
[456]. Sayornis phebe (Latham). Phebe.
Rayce.—Eastern North America. Breeds from south-
western Mackenzie, Alberta, southern Keewatin, Ontario,
Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince
Edward Island south to northeastern New Mexico, central
Texas, northern Mississippi, and highlands of Georgia;
winters in United States south of latitude 37° south to
Vera Cruz and Oaxaca; in migration casual west to Colo-
rado and Wyoming; accidental in Cailfornia and Cuba.
Throughout Tidewater this bird is a rare breeding
species. South of the James River I know of but one
record of a pair of breeding birds, Suffolk, Nansemond
County, 1893. This pair bred under an arch of a railroad
bridge over an arm of Lake Kilby. On the James River
Peninsula I have never found it breeding close to water,
although it does breed further westward in the vicinity
of Richmond. It breeds sparingly on the Cape Charles
Peninsula (Northampton County, 1909), increasing in
OF VIRGINIA 18]
numbers as we go northward. The migratory birds arrive
about March 19th, and pass southward about September
2ud to 20th, seemingly loitering more on the fall migra-
tion southward. They are great insect destrovers, as one
must notice by their habit of flvine from their perch on
a dead twig, telephone wire, or building, catching the
passing insect in mid air, and returning: to the perch to
devour it. The nests are invariably placed under some
bridge or arch, or in some kind of an outbuilding; com-
posed of mud, grasses, weed stems and moss, lined with
fine grasses and feathers. Five eges seem to be a full set
with us. Size, .75x.55. They are a pinkish-white before
being blown, but afterwards become pure white. The
eges are usually finely specked with reddish-brown, spar-
ingly over the entire surface. Fresh eggs Mav 4th to
15th. Only one brood raised a season in Tidewater.
Their food consists of numerous varieties of bugs and
beetles injurious to agriculture, while ants, flies of several
species, grasshoppers, spiders and crickets, form part of
their food supply. They are sociable little fellows and
should be protected at all times. In central and western
sections, thev rear two broods a season.
GENUS NUTTALLORNIS.
[£59]. Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson). Olive-sided
Flycatcher.
Rance.—North and South America. Breeds in Cana-
dian and Transition zones from central Alaska, southern
Mackenzie, southern Keewatin, central Quebec, and Cape
Breton Island south in coniferous forests of western
United States to southern California, Arizona, and west-
182 THE BIRDS
ye
PHOTO BY W. O. EMERSON.
YOUNG WOOD PEWEES.
OF VIRGINIA 183
ern Texas, and also northern Michigan, New York, and
Massachusetts south in mountains to North Carolina;
migrates through Mexico and Central America; winters
in northern South America from Colombia to Peru.
This is an extremely rare bird with us, breeding only
in our higher mountains, and then in isolated pairs. Pro-
fessor Smyth does not record it at all, nor did my father
find it in any of the places he visited. It arrives about
April 25th and migrates southward again in early Sep-
tember. The nest is placed on a horizontal branch of a
conifer and fastened securely to it; composed of fine root-
lets, twigs and moss, lined with fine rootlets. _The eggs
number three, rarely four, a rich cream ground, sparingly
specked and blotched with reddish-brown, and fainter
markings of lavender. Size, .83x.62. Fresh eggs June
5th. These birds, nests and eggs, are not unlike our com-
mon Wood Pewee, though larger. The nests are located
at a great height and their food is probably similar to that
of the other flycatchers.
GENUS MYIOCHANES.
[461]. Myiochanes virens (Linneus). Wood Pewee.
[ Pewee-Bird].
Ranez.—North and South America. Breeds from
Manitoba, Ontario, southern Quebec, and Prince Edward
Island to southern Texas and central Florida, west to
eastern Nebraska; winters from Nicaragua to Colombia
and Peru; casual in Colorado; accidental in migration
in Cuba.
184 THE BIRDS
One of our latest migrants to arrive, April 30th to May
5th, and one of the latest to breed. Unlike most of the
other breeding migrants, nest building: is not commenced
soon after arrival, often a month passing hy before eggs
are deposited. Truly a woodland bird, few can mistake
it after once hearing its plaintive ‘‘Pee-wee.” The
warmer the day the more he enjoys sitting on some limb
overhanging the road or field, and uttering his plaintive
eall, flitting back and forth from one perch to another,
catching insects. The low nest is saddled on the limb of
some tree, preferably with moss or lichens on it, and as
the outside of the nest is covered with lichens, detection
is not readily made. Old orchard trees are a favorite
site, as well as for the Blue-gray Gnateatcher. Two or
three eges is a full set here; the nest being composed of fine
grasses, lichens and bits of moss, covered on the outside
completely with lichens and spiderwebs, or plant fiber. The
egos are like most of the flycatchers,’ a rich cream color,
spotted and blotched with reddish-brown and lilac, mostly
on the larger end in the form of a wreath. Size, .80x.55.
The height of nesting site varies from ten to forty feet.
Only one brood a season. Fresh eges June 5th to 20th,
They are a most useful bird, as various species of flies
(including the house fly), bugs, beetles, moths, cater-
pillars, grasshoppers and spiders are eaten by them.
They should be rigidly protected on account of their
benefit to the agriculturist. They leave us on their south-
ward migration about September 25th.
OF VIRGINIA 185
HYPOTHETICAL.
GENUS EMPIDONAX.
[463]. Empidonax flaviventris (Baird). Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher.
Rayex.—Breeds in Canadian zone from northern
Alberta, northern Manitoba, northern Quebec, and New-
foundland south to North Dakota, northern Minnesota,
northern Michigan, New Hampshire, northern New
York, and mountains of Pennsylvania and Virginia; west
in migration to the eastern border of the Plains, eastern
Texas, and eastern Mexico; winters from southern
Mexico and Guatemala to Panama; occasional in migra-
tion in western Florida; accidental in Greenland.
This is a bird of our mountain area, arriving in the
vicinity of Blacksburg; Professor Smvth says, “about
April 30th, and is last seen about September 23rd,” when
it is a very common bird in that section. It builds its
nest on low ledges, in the banks of streams, or other
similar locations. Three to four eggs constitute a full
set, the ground color a rich cream, specker and spotted
with brown. Size, .66x.50. Only one brood a season.
They prefer heavily wooded sections, and, unlike the
Wood Pewee, which usually selects a limb overhanging
the road, they prefer the depths of the forest. Their food
consists of various species of beetles and bugs, while cater-
pillars, spiders, ants, millers and moths are freely eaten
by them. Like our other flycatchers, they are a most
beneficial bird to the State. As yet it has not been found
actually breeding in our area.
14
186 THE BIRDS
[465]. LHmpidonax virescens (Vieillot). Acadian
Flycatcher.
[Green-crested Flycatcher ].
Raw North America and northern South
America. Breeds from upper limit of Carolinian zone in
northeastern Nebraska, central Iowa, Michigan, southern
Ontario, New York, Connecticut (casually), and Massa-
chusetts (one instance) south to southern Texas, the Gulf
States, and northern Florida; migrates through Yucatan
and Central America and winters in Colombia and
Ecuador; casual in Massachusetts; accidental in the
Bahamas and Cuba in migrations.
This bird, commonly known as the Green-crested Fly-
catcher, is probably the most common one of the family
within our limits. Breeding, as it sometimes does, in
large colonies, besides individual pairs scattered over the
whole area, I feel I am making no mistake by stating it
is more numerous than the two preceding species, if not
all. They seem to have a fondness for the juniper or
cypress foliage, and as these are always in close proximity
to water, resident birds are generally near-by. Like the
Parula Warbler (Compsothlypis americana americana),
they procure much of their insect food around these trees
and dense woods, being more of a bird of the latter than
open woodland. Their single sharp note easily dis-
tinguishes them from any other resident. The nest is
placed on, or in, the fork of a limb near the extremity; a
shallow, saucer-shaped affair, from three to forty feet
above ground or water. It is composed sometimes of
Spanish moss entirely when obtainable, other times of fine
OF VIRGINIA 187
grasses, fiber and rootlets, lined with fine grasses or fiber.
Three eggs is a full set, a rich creamy-white, sparingly
spotted or blotched with reddish-brown, mostly on the
larger end. Size, .75x.55. Fresh eggs May 31st to June
5th. Only one brood during the season. They arrive
about May 5th and depart the last week in September.
Like the other flycatchers, their food consists of various
species of bugs, beetles, wasps, ants, moths and cater-
pillars. One readily sees they are a most beneficial bird
to agriculture by helping to keep down these pests.
[467]. Empidonax minimus (Baird). Least
Flycatcher.
Raner.—Breeds in Canadian and Transition zones from
west central Mackenzie, southern Keewatin, Quebec, and
Cape Breton Island south to central Montana, eastern Wy-
oming, central Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, and in the Alleghenies to North Carolina; in
migration west to eastern Colorado, and central Texas;
winters from norteastern Mexico and Yucatan to Panama
and Peru; accidental in Grand Cayman Island, West
Indies.
This bird is quite common in our interior where it
breeds abundantly in the orchards and shade trees.
Professor Smyth reports it as arriving in the vicinity of
Blacksburg by March 19th, and migrating southward the
latter part of August. My father found it rare at Harri-
sonburg. Like all the smaller flycatchers, they are sociable
birds, and pleasing to have around one’s premises; the
good they do in destroying multitudes of insects can
188 THE BIRDS
hardly be overestimated. The nests are placed in upright
crotches of bushes or limbs, occasionally on a horizontal
limb, from six to thirty feet up, composed of fine grasses,
spider-webs and plant fiber. The eggs are a creamy-
white, occasionally sparingly specked with faint markings
of reddish-brown. Size, .64x.51. Fresh eggs May 25th
to June 10th, only one brood a season. I found ten nests
in one day at Mountain Lake, Giles County, altitude
4,500 feet.
OF VIRGINIA 189
Oath
P ee ADD;
PHOTO BY D. HARPER.
THE BLUE JAY AT HOME.
190 THE BIRDS
FAMILY CORVID/E.—CROWS, JAYS,
MAGPIES, ETC.
SUBFAMILY GARRULIN/E.—MAGPIES
AND JAYS.
GENUS CYANOCITTA.
[477]. Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Linneus).
Blue Jay.
[Jaybird].
Rance —Eastern North America, breeding from
central Alberta, southern Keewatin, Quebec, New Bruns-
wick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland south to the Gulf
States, except Florida, and west to western Nebraska,
eastern Colorado, and central Texas; casual in New
Mexico.
Not a common bird by any means, though more
numerous among the scrub pines and sand dunes in the
vicinity of Cape Charles and Cape Henry than elsewhere.
This well-known robber of other birds’ nests pursues its
usual habit of eating eggs of smaller birds during the
breeding season, and often destroying partly grown young.
My first meeting with these birds in our section was on
the 31st of May, 1893, when a nest of four young, nearly
ready to fly, was found in a cedar on the edge of the
county road leading from Suffolk to Lake Kilby, Nanse-
mond County. Since that time they seem to be on the
gradual increase over the whole “Tidewater area.” Only
twice have I seen birds on the lower end of the James
OF VIRGINIA 19]
River Peninsula, during November, 1909, 1910. As the
chinquapin nuts or acorns are numerous along this sand
dune coast, it is somewhat surprising that this species is
not more numerous. Resident birds remain throughout
the winter months. The nest is a bulky affair, placed in
a live oak, chinquapin, cedar or pine tree, from ten to
twenty-five feet up, composed of small sticks, twigs and
rootlets, lined with finer rootlets. Four to five eggs is a
complete set, with brownish or greenish ground color,
blotched and spotted with olive brown. Size, 1.10x.80.
Fresh eggs May 1st to 10th. They are a noisy bird, and
mimic many of the common species. Their bad habits
of eating both eggs and young make them disliked by
all other birds, who set up a terrible racket as soon as
a jay comes in close proximity to their nest, in which all
the surrounding nesting families join. Numerous
varieties of insects, and the wild nuts, such as the acorn,
chinquapin, beech and chestnut, form their chief article
of diet, while table scraps from the house and corn from
the field are well liked by these birds. I do not consider
them of any great benefit to agriculture. I found them
breeding in the top of rhododendron bushes, in the
mountains, +,500 feet altitude.
192 THE BIRDS
SUBFAMILY CORVIN/AE.—CROWS.
GENUS COoRVUS.
[486-A]. Corvus corax principalis (Ridgway).
Northern Raven.
Rance.—Northwestern Alaska, Melville Island,
northern Ellesmere Land, and northern Greenland south
to Washington, central Minnesota, Michigan, and coast
region of New Jersey, and in the higher Alleghenies south
through Virginia to Georgia.
This is one of the birds that has been driven from our
seacoast entirely, until now it is a rare bird with us cven
in the mountain regions, where only a few scattered pairs
remain. There are two reasons why these birds have left
our coast; first, on account of the large heron rookeries
formerly on the islands having vanished, from which they
procured eges and voung as food; second, on account of
the spring gunning and egging on the islands. The
inhabitants killed them on account of stealing eggs from
the beach bird colonies, while the gunners found they
made their presence known when in the blinds and scared
the beach birds coming to the decoys. They, like the
Fish Crows, were good scavengers along our coastal
beaches, but destroved untold numbers of the eges and
voung of all species anywhere near their home. The nest
is a large, bulky affair of sticks, lined with hair, wool,
or fine bark fiber, placed in a tree or on a shelf of a
cliff. Four to five eggs is a full set, the ground a light
greenish-gray, spotted and blotched with various shades
of brown, with fainter markings of lilac. Size of eggs,
OF VIRGINIA 193
1.98x1.30, which, when compared with those of the
common Crow, can be distinguished even by a novice.
They probably only rear one brood a season. Fresh eggs
April 20th. Their food consists mostly of carrion, while
worms, grubs, and other insects are taken to some extent,
as well as eggs and voung of other birds herctofore
mentioned. They do not migrate, remaining near their
home throughout the year. Professor Smyth reports them
as rare in the vicinity of Blacksburg, but I found them
fairly numerous in Giles County, where they breed in the
big balsams.
[488]. Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos.
(Brehm). Crow.
Rayee.—Eastern North America. Breeds from south-
western Mackenzie, central Keewatin, central Quebec, and
Newfoundland south to southern Texas and the Gulf
Coast (except Florida); winters from near the northern
boundary of the United States southward.
These birds remain with us the entire vear. As a crop
destrover, especially that of the corn, the Crow has no
equal. It has been forcibly brought home to me since
living on my farm, the damage done by these birds, often
causing one to replant whole fields of corn, losing much
time and money, to say nothing of the lateness of the crop.
I have had them on my place pull up by the roots, corn
three inches tall, and extract the kernel from the end,
dropping the young green shoot near the little hole, and
going to the next hill, and so on until hundreds of hills
were destroyed. One can easily imagine what a flock of
even six or eight will do in the course of three or four days
THE BIRDS
194
NEST OF THE COMMON CROW.
OF VIRGINIA 195
if left unmolested. They will also take young chickens and
ducks, as I have had demonstrated to me on my place,
while large numbers of the smaller birds’ eggs and young
are destroyed by them. Blackbirds and Kingbirds are the
Crow’s worst enemies during the summer months, while
the Purple Martin runs a close third as a Crow chaser.
Really, I know nothing good of this bird, and instead of
the counties (several do yet) paving a bounty on hawks,
eagles and foxes, they would do more good by having it
on Crows. The nest is rather a bulky affair, though well
made, of sticks, twigs and coarse bark fiber, lined with
fine strips of bark fiber and sometimes hair. It is placed
in a tree, preferably a pine, in thick woods, from twenty
to sixty feet up, either in the extreme top, or on the cnd
of a limb. They lay four to six eggs, greenish-white,
spotted, specked or blotched with lilac or brown. Size,
1.60x1.15. Fresh eggs March 27th to May 6th. Usually
two broods a season. During the winter months they
sometimes flock in great numbers, resorting to a dense
clump of woods for a roosting place, and returning to
such a crow roost year after year. During the fall and
winter such a flock, probably numbering three hundred
birds, pass daily over my farm and cross the James River,
which is seven miles wide at that point, and frequent the
peanut plantations in Isle of Wight County. While the
crows eat numerous beetles, white grubs, locusts, and
occasionally field mice, their main diet in owr area is the
different varieties of grain and peanuts, while in the
summer months they destroy many cantaloupes and water-
melons for their seed. They also pick up some food in
the shape of marine insect life and carrion along our
beaches, but my observations lead me to believe they are
much more harmful than beneficial.
196 THE BIRDS
[490]. Corvus ossifragus (Wilson). Fish Crow.
[Carrion Crow].
Ranex.—Carolinian and Austroriparian faunas of
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from lower Delaware and
Hudson River Vallevs and Connecticut to Louisiana and
Florida; casual in Massachusetts.
There are few birds more common in Tidewater Vir-
ginia, especially James River Peninsula, than the Fish
Crow. On the seacoast from boundary to boundary one
may see hundreds of these birds both winter and summer,
gathering the refuse along the beach just above the tide
line. As a beach scavenger I do not place them second to
the vultures. In this respect they probably offset the
damage they do further inland to the peanut fields. On
the islands they destroy thousands of eggs of the gulls,
terns, Clapper Rail, and formerly the Great Blue, and
Green Herons. On the lower end of James River Penin-
sula is a famous roosting place or rookery for these birds
in winter. Thousands of these birds roost at night in
the pine trees there, scattering each morning for the
beaches, and especially the peanut fields in Nansemond
and Isle of Wight counties, both the latter flights
necessitating the crossing of James River, some seven to
seven and a half miles wide. The distance to their peanut
feeding grounds is probably not less than twenty to
twenty-five miles, and with the return trip, quite a
distance is covered for their favorite food. As the farmers
turn their hogs into the peanut fields to fatten on the nuts
left in the ground after taking off the vines, the Fish Crows
OF VIRGINIA 197
thus rob the hogs of a great amount of food, while many
pounds of nuts are taken from the stacks while the peanuts
are still on the vines drying. It would be a hard matter
to estimate the actual damage thus done, in hard cash,
but it must be quite a large item cach year. The nest is
generally placed in a pine tree, or in the island cedars,
generally at the extreme, topmost notch, the height vary-
ing from fifteen to seventy-five feet, according to the
variety and location of tree. The nest is composed of
sticks, twigs and bark fiber, lined with finer bark fiber,
preferably that of the cedar. Four to six eggs is a com-
plete set, greenish-white, blotched, specked, and spotted
with lilae or reddish-brown. A series of eggs presents a
great variation in size, ground color and markings. Size,
1.45x1.05. Nest building commences early in April,
from two to three weeks elapsing before any eggs are
deposited. The season also has much to do with the
depositing of the eggs. Only one brood a season. My
earliest record for fresh eggs is May 4th, while my latest
is May 28th. They remain throughout the year, though
probably many of the birds wintering with us come from
further north. Their food in this section consists chiefly
of insect life, refuse and dead fish cast upon the beaches,
peanuts, and berries of the dogwood, holly and sassafras.
It is a much smaller bird than the preceding species, and
one can easily distinguish it from that species by its notes,
uttered as though from a stuffed-up sore throat, and
through the nasal passage. I am still undecided as to
whether they do more good than harm.
198 THE BIRDS
FAMILY ICTERIDAE.—BLACKBIRDS,
ORIOLES, ETC.
GENUs MOoLOTHRUS.
[495]. Dolothrus ater ater (Boddaert). Cowbird.
[Cow Bunting. Cow Blackbird].
Rance.—North America. Breeds from southern
British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, Southern Kee-
watin, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick south to
northern California, Nevada, northern New Mexico,
Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina; winters from
southeastern California and the Ohio and Potomac valleys
(casually further north) to the Gulf Coast and central
Mexico.
Too much can not be said against this parasite of the
feathered tribe. I am well within bounds when I state
that they do more damage to the smaller breeding birds
than all other causes put together, not excluding the
oologists even. For the benefit of any possible reader not
knowing why I make such a broad statement, I will
explain that these birds build no nest or home of their
own, but deposit their egg or eggs in that of other species
of birds. Some species object most strenuously to hatch-
ing these large eggs, sometimes nearly twice as large as
their own, and either desert their nest entirely, or build a
platform over the Cowbird’s egg, sometimes including one
or more of their own, and commence laying again. As
the young Cowbird is nearly twice the size of the young
of the foster parent, and as they thus readily secure the
OF VIRGINIA 199
larger share of food brought to the uest by the parent
birds, they soon crowd and starve out the rightful young
of the nest. One ege is the average number found in the
nest of the foster parents, though two or more is not un-
common ; generally the eggs, judging from size, shape, and
markings, being from different birds. The greatest impo-
sition on a good-natured bird that I ever found, was that
of the Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus), having
four eges of the Cowbird in its nest and two eggs of the
warbler. .As they were almost uniform as to size, shape,
and color, I judged the eggs to be all from one bird. The
eges are a gravish-white, thickly spotted and specked
with light brown. Size, .85x.64. Fresh eges from May
15th to June 3rd. Their food consists of various kinds
of grain, weed seeds, grasshoppers, beetles, flies, bugs, and
ticks. One sees them in the pasture following the cattle,
or often on their backs, searching for ticks, and seeds in
their droppings; this close relation between beast and
bird probably is responsible for their vernacular name of
Cowbird. In the winter they congregate in large flocks,
while many may be found in flocks of the Red-winged
Blackbird. This is the only polygamous species we have,
though observations made on my own farm lead me to
believe that some birds remain paired during the laying
season at least. Were it not for the fact they are the means
of the destruction of so many small and useful birds, I
would class them as beneficial. Following is a list of
species imposed upon by the Cowbird in this section:
Scientific Name Vernacular Name
Dendroica eestiva estiva.............. Yellow Warbler.
Guiraca cerula eerula............00004 Blue Grosbeak.
Vireo griseus griseus. .............. White-eyed Vireo.
Vireo sylva olivacea.............0.... Red-eved Vireo.
200 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.
OF VIRGINIA 201
Wilsonia citrina........ 0... cee eee ee Hooded Warbler.
Dendroica discolor.............0.00. Prairie Warbler.
Vermivora pinus............... Blue-winged Warbler.
Icteria virens virens............. Yellow-breasted Chat.
GENUS AGELAIUS.
[498]. Agelaius pheniceus pheniceus (Linneus.)
Red-winged Blackbird.
[Marsh Blackbird].
Ranxer.—North America east of the Great Plains,
except Gulf Coast, and Florida. Breeds from Ontario,
Nova Scotia, and Quebee southward; winters mainly
south of Ohio and Delaware valleys, locally north to
Massachusetts.
While the majority of these birds go further south in
large flocks with the Purple and Boat-tailed Grackles,
many winter with us. These remaining birds commence
to build nests from two to three weeks earlier than the
migratory ones, often having eggs by April 20th, while
the regular season is at its height around May 5th to 10th.
The early breeding birds often have second sets, thus
extending the breeding time well into August, when at
this period they commence to flock again. A great deal
of damage is done by them in this section to the different
grain crops. In the season of 1911, I had a small crop of
popeorn totally ruined for marketable ears by these birds
destroving the tassel end of each ear and eating out the
half-hardened kernels while milk was still in them, Dur-
ing the latter part of March and first week in April, many
THE BIRDS
202
F, STonn.
PuHoTO By C.
MEADOWLARK’S NEST.
Cavity MApE By Cow’s Hoor.
In
OF VIRGINIA 203
flocks pass northward to their breeding grounds, while
those remaining with us to breed commence household
duties shortly. The nest is placed in the tall marsh grass,
low bushes, or cat-tails in marsh, from one to six feet up.
It is a well-woven affair of dry marsh grass and stems,
lined with finer marsh grass. Three to five eggs is a full
set, usually four in this section, the ground color a pale
bluish-white, lined, blotched and clouded with black,
brown, and purple. Size, 1.00x.70. During the early
spring, and nesting period, the male’s song is most cheer-
ful, while the bright scarlet on the wings make them easily
distinguishable. Their food consists wholly of insect life
and small seeds during the breeding season, such as cut
worms, caterpillars, grubs, flies and small weed seeds,
though they sometimes do some little damage to oats,
wheat, and rye, just before it is ripe enough to cut. They
do much damage, however, during the spring and winter
months, when immense flocks of these birds, in company
with the Cowbirds, Boat-tail, and Purple Grackles, descend
upon a grain field and literally strip it if not driven away.
I am inclined to think that the Redwing, alone, does more
good than harm.
GENUS STURNELLA.
[501]. Sturnella magna magna (Linneus).
Meadowlark.
[Field Lark].
Rawner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Transition
and Upper Austral zones from eastern Minnesota, southern
Ontario, southern Quebec, and New Brunswick south to
204 THE BIRDS
northern Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, and west
to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, and northwestern Texas;
winters regularly from the Potomac and Ohio valleys south
to the Gulf States, and north locally to the Great Lakes
and southern Maine.
A resident species the year round. Even though the
day be bitter cold, if the sun is shining brightly its cheery
song or whistle is heard floating across the field, only to
be answered by another in some other direction. The
warm days of spring, though, find them at their best;
then it is the fields are literally alive with the resident
and migratory birds, one answering the other in rapid
succession. Unfortunately, they had long been considered
game in this State, and while the law now prohibits the
shooting of them, many are still killed for the table, as
they are most abundant and easily shot during the winter
months, when countless numbers of migratory birds are
with us. As an article of food, though, they are not
satisfactory, their flesh having a strong, rank taste. The
nest is usually placed in a depression on the ground,
amongst the thick grass, or broom-sedge. It is an exceed-
ingly well-concealed affair of dry grasses, and arched over.
Four to five eggs is a full set, a glossy-white, specked with
purplish- and reddish-brown. Size, 1.10x.80. Fresh
eges May 5th. It is considered a most beneficial bird to
the agriculturist, its food being procured on the ground and
consisting of insects, moths, caterpillars, spiders, grass-
hoppers, worms, weed seeds and other forms of life
injurious to crops, while the small amount of grain seed it
eats amounts to a trifle compared to the good it does.
Northern birds arrive in numbers October 10th to 20th,
and go northward the middle of March. Two broods a
season in this section is not a rarity, though one is the
usual number raised.
OF VIRGINIA 205
PuoTO BY THE AUTHOR.
BUNCHES OF CONCORD GRAPES, SHOWING DAMAGE DONE
BY ORCHARD ORIOLES.
206 THE BIRDS
[501-C]. Sturnella magna argutula (Bangs).
Southern Meadowlark.
Ranezr.—Austroriparian zone from southern Illinois,
southwestern Indiana, and southeastern Virginia south to
the coast of southeastern Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
This is a subspecies of the former bird, the description
of which, together with its local name, food, habits, etc.,
apply equally as well to this form. It is supposed to be
a smaller and darker bird than the former species, their
ranges overlapping in the lower counties of Princess Anne
and Norfolk.
GENUs ICTERUS.
SUBGENUS PENDULINUS.
[506]. Icterus spurius (Linneus). Orchard Oriole.
Rance.—Eastern North America. Breeds from North
Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,
southern Ontario, central New York, and Massachusetts
south to northern Florida and the Gulf Coast to southern
Texas, and in Mexico to Oaxaca and Jalisco, and west to
central Nebraska and western Kansas; winters from
southern Mexico to northern Colombia; casual north to
Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New Brunswick,
and west to Colorado; occasional in southern Florida and
Cuba in spring migration.
This rather handsome bird and good songster does not
winter with us, arriving about April 30th. A sociable
bird when conditions are favorable; the trees around the
OF VIRGINIA 207
houses and orchards are selected for a nesting site. The
male is a good songster while nest building is going on
and during incubation. The female does all the nest
building, the male following her back and forth as she
procures material. Green grasses are used for the con-
struction of the nest, which are woven into a beautiful,
finely and strongly made structure or cup-shaped basket,
lined with plant down and suspended from a crotch or
supported by an upright crotch of limb. With the color
of the material used in the nest, and their habit of placing
it so as to be well concealed by surrounding green leaves,
it is not one of the easiest nests to find; watching the
flight of the parent birds is advisable. Only one instance
do I know of where these birds resorted to a pine tree.
This happened on my farm in 1910, the nest placed in a
small young pine’s topmost upright forks, about 20 feet
up. The eggs are three to five in number, bluish-white,
spotted, blotched, and slightly streaked with brown and
lavender. Size, .80x.55. Two and sometimes three
broods are raised a season. There is no doubt but what
they do some damage to berries, grapes and sometimes
fruit, but the amount of good they do around the place far
overbalances the harm done. One year when my vine-
yard was small, I found that four young orioles reached
the flying age just before my grapes ripened, and these,
with the two old birds, damaged many handsome bunches
of grapes by picking spots out of a few berries of each
bunch, thus ruining their marketable qualities. The
following season I experimented with this same pair of
birds, which nested each year in a dogwood tree on my
front lawn. The first set of eggs, four in number, May
20th, I took, and by the time they had layed, hatched and
reared their second setting, my grapes were marketed.
208 THE BIRDS
Puoto By C. F. STONE.
YOUNG BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
OF VIRGINIA 209
They not only raised their second set or first brood, but
another, the latter of three young. Last season, in follow-
ing along these lines, I had the same results; the first
brood or second setting, four young; second brood, three
young. The height of nest varies from ten to forty feet
up. Their food consists almost entirely of insects, mostly
taken from the foliage of near-by shrubs, bushes, and trees,
thus making them a most beneficial bird to have around
one’s farm. They leave us on their migration southward
about August 16th.
SUBGENUS YPHANTES.
[507]. Icterus galbula (Linneus). Baltimore Oriole.
[Weaver Bird. Basket Bird. Golden Robin].
Raner.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds mainly in Transition and Upper Austral
zones from central Alberta, central Saskatchewan, Mani-
toba, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia south to
northern Texas, central Louisiana, and northern Georgia,
and west to Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the
Rocky Mountains; migrates through eastern Mexico;
winters from southern Mexico through Central America
to Colombia; accidental at York Factory, Hudson Bay,
and in Cuba.
In our Tidewater region, even during the migrations,
this is a rare bird with us, and it was not until the season
of 1910 that I had positive evidence of their breeding
within that mit. During my visit to Northampton
County that year, I was shown a nest of this bird in an
210 THE BIRDS
apple orchard, and being familiar with the bird and the
construction of its nest, satisfied myself that it does breed
within Tidewater, though sparingly. The nest is a
beautiful basket-shaped affair of plant fibers, hair, string,
cotton, and other soft materials they chance to find, sus-
pended from the extreme end of a limb, more often the
elm, and from twenty to sixty feet from the ground.
Eges number from four to five, a grayish-white glossy
ground color, blotched, streaked and lined with black and
various shades of brown. Size, .90x.60. Fresh eggs May
15th. Only one brood a season. I consider Northampton
County their southern breeding range limit in the
Austroriparian zone. While with us their food consists
mainly of caterpillars, with a lesser assortment of various
insects injurious to agriculture, the good they do
destroying the tent caterpillar in the orchard, and home
shade trees, should offset many times the harm they do
by taking sparingly of the smaller fruits and_ berries.
They arrive on the Eastern Shore about May Ist, and
depart the latter part of August. The male is a noisy
fellow until incubation is over, after which one seldom
hears him sing. Maple and elm trees seem to be their
favorites for building their nests in. They become more
abundant as we go northward, and in Accomac County
they are not rare; and fairly common in central and
western sections.
GENUS QUISCALUS.
[511]. Quiscalus quiscula quiscula (Linneus). Purple
Grackle.
[Crow Blackbird].
Ranexr.—Middle Atlantic coast region of the United
States. Breeds in the Carolinian fauna from the north
OF VIRGINIA 211
shore of Long Island Sound and the lower Hudson Valley
west to the Alleghenies and south to the uplands of
Georgia, Alabama, and eastern Tennessee; winters mainly
south of the Delaware Valley.
If one really wants to see these birds at all seasons of
the year, I know of no better place or larger rookery than
the National Cemetery connected with the National
Soldiers’ Home at Hampton, Virginia. For vears, vast
numbers have used the firs and evergreens in the cemetery
for a roosting place in winter, while numbers use the
same trees and surrounding ones after foliage has come
out, for nesting sites. One standing outside the high
brick wall surrounding the cemetery, will be astonished
at the racket or noise the vast multitude of birds can pro-
duce after coming in to roost, while for over an hour
before dark each evening, flock after flock passes over our
head en route for the rookery. As the gates are closed at
night and no one is allowed to molest them they return
to it year after year as a safe haven. This species is,
however, fairly well distributed over our entire section.
On the islands off our coast they nest in the pines with
the Ospreys, and in cedar trees with Green Herons and
Fish Crows. Often on Hog, Smith, and Mock Horn
islands have I found that these birds had built their nests
among the large sticks in the side of the Osprey’s nest,
neither molesting the other. The nest is composed of
coarse grass, weed stems, and straw, lined with fine
grasses. Tall cedars and pine trees are their favorite
locations; some nests in the latter trees I have found as
high as 40 feet up, while on the other hand, a colony in
a small swamp, built in bushes, none over ten feet up.
Large numbers are shot during the winter months,
212 THE BIRDS
especially during the fall migration. While a great
number remain throughout the entire winter, like those
of the following species, the majority return from further
south the last week in March. By April 26th most of
the nests are finished, and many have their complement
of eges. Four to five is a complete set, the ground color,
like the following species, varving from grayish-white to
light brownish, spotted, specked, blotched and streaked
with brown and black. Size, 1.10x.80. A series shows a
decided variation as to size, shape, color, and markings.
They rear but one brood a season, and by October 15th
have flocked and commenced their fall migration. Their
vast numbers destroy much grain during the winter
months, thus bringing them under the injurious species,
and exempt from any protection; but they eat many of
the injurious weed seeds, insects, grubs and heetles, and
are thus highly beneficial, especially during the breeding
season. Some writers have laid to their record the bad
habit of eating small birds’ eggs, but in our section I have
never come across such an occurrence.
GENUS MEGAQUISCALUS.
[513]. Megaquiscalus major major (Vieillot). Boat-
tailed Grachle.
[Jack Daw].
Raner.—Austroriparian zone of the South Atlantic
and Gulf States from Accomac County, Virginia, to
Florida, and west to the eastern coast of Texas.
Although the 1910 A. O. U. check list gives their
northern breeding range as “Chesapeake Bay,” these
OF VIRGINIA 213
birds breed on the islands as far north as Accomac County.
Hog Island is now their greatest breeding ground in Tide-
water, while some few may be found breeding on Cedar
and Chincoteague islands further northward. They
seem to be extending their breeding range further north-
ward each season, possibly on account of the destruction
of suitable nesting sites on the islands further southward.
The extreme northern and southern ends of Hog Island
offer abundant nesting sites in the way of a dense growth
of myrtles, and now the majority of the birds resort to
it, where formerly cedars and pines were used. Some
few pair even build in the tall marsh grass on the inner
side of the island. On Mock Horn Island, a visit in 1910
disclosed about twenty pairs still breeding there; lke
the herons, Ospreys and Fish Crows, the lumberman’s axe
had driven elsewhere a once enormous colony. They are
a sociable bird if unmolested, and while their notes are
of a rasping, metallic sound, it is not offensive to the ear.
They are easily distinguished by their size, and when
in flight the long tail, resembling a boat’s rudder, is most
conspicuous, and an easy identification mark.
There was a time when this bird bred abundantly on
most of the islands off our coast; cccasionally a few pair
bred on the mainland in company with the preceding
species. Of late years, owing to most of the pines being
cut, as well as the cedars on some of the islands, causing
the small, scrubby growth to die out, less and less have
returned to breed each season, until, on a visit’to Smith’s
Island, their great stronghold in years past, only some
half dozen pair were found breeding. Nor have I found
any breeding on the mainland as of old, though some few
undoubtedly breed from Cape Henry southward to the
boundary line. The nest is a bulky affair of mud, coarse
214 THE BIRDS
weeds, stems and grass, lined with finer grasses. Three
to five eggs are a full set, though four is the general
number. Size, 1.25x.95. The ground color of the eggs
varies from grayish-white to light brownish, while the
markings, consist of spots, blotches and streaks of black and
brown. <A series shows a great variation in color and
markings. Mild winters many remain on the islands, but
the migratory of the birds arrive with the flocks of the pre-
ceding species, early in April. Their food is similar to
the former species, with the addition of marine life, such
as small mollusks, fiddler crabs, dead minnows and other
insect matter found along the mud flats and in the salt
marshes.
OF VIRGINIA 215
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
AN ORNITHOLOGICAL PARADISE.
216 THE BIRDS
HYPOTHETICAL.
FAMILY FRINGILLID/Z.—FINCHES,
SPARROWS, ETC.
GENus Loxia.
[521]. Loxta curvirostra minor (Brehm). Crossbill.
Raner.—Northern North America. Breeds from cen-
tral Alaska, northern Mackenzie, central Ungava and
Newfoundland south to California (Sierra Nevada and
San Bernardino mountains), southern Colorado, Michi-
gan, and casually in Massachusetts and the Alleghenies
south to Georgia; winters irregularly south to southern
California, New Mexico, northern Texas, Louisiana, and
Florida; casual in Lower California, Gaudalupe Island,
and Bermuda.
Giles, Grayson, Washington, and possibly Craig coun-
ties, offer the best nesting grounds for this bird of the
Canadian zone.
As the name would imply, the bird has its bills crossed,
and thus is easily recognized. I have only seen it once in
Tidewater Virginia; during the protracted cold weather
of early 1912. Professor Smyth reports it at Blacksburg
in January; and again a large flock in June, from which
specimens were shot. They are an erratic bird, seldom
found breeding in the same locality two successive sea-
sons, even though their food of seeds of the pine cones is
plentiful. The nest is placed on a branch or fork of a
OF VIRGINIA 217
limb of a conifer, from 20 to 60 feet up; of grass, twigs
and rootlets, lined with moss or feathers. The eges num-
ber four, the ground color a pale green, specked and spot-
ted with dark brown, and fainter markings of lilac. They
probably raise but a single brood each season. Birds were
noted at Mountain Lake on May 24th.
GENus ASTRAGALINUS.
[529]. Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linneus).
Goldfinch.
[Wild Canary. Yellow Bird. Thistle Bird].
Ranee.—Eastern North America. Breeds in lower
Canadian, Transition and Upper Austral zones from
southern Manitoba, central Quebec, and Newfoundland
south to eastern Colorado, southern Oklahoma, central
Arkansas, and northern Georgia; winters over most of
its breeding area and southward to the Gulf Coast.
These birds, locally called Wild Canary, are very
abundant with us until the usual cold spell of January
Ist or thereabouts, when most of them, with the migrants,
move further south, only to remain a few weeks thongh.
By February 27th the main body of the migrants join
with those brave enough to winter out our cold wave,
only remaining a few days, and then passing on through.
Many remain throughout the summer and breed. The
flower gardens in any of our towns and most cities, should
they contain either the dwarf or large varieties of sun-
flower, are sure to have these birds visit them for seed.
There seems to be no seed liked better by the Goldfinch
16
218 THE BIRDS
Puoro By C. F. STONE.
YouNG GOLDFINCHES ABOUT TO LEAVE NEST.
PuHoTo BY W. O. EMERSON.
NEstT AND Eces OF THE GOLDFINCH.
OF VIRGINIA 219
than the sunflower; one naturally associates these two
together. Their bright plumage and sweet song make
them an attractive bird to have around one’s home. They
are the latest breeding bird we have, the last of July and
first week in August finds them nest building for the first
time. The nest is placed in an upright fork of low bushes,
or on forks of lower limbs in fruit orchards, seldom
above twelve feet. Four to five bluish-white eggs are laid.
Size, .65x.50. The nest is a well-made, closely woven
affair of plant fiber and down, and when they can get it
(thistles being scarce in this section), thistle down is
used profusely. They raise but one brood a season, and
their food consists chiefly of seeds, such as thistle, sun-
flower, lettuce and turnip, after it has formed a stalk and
seed matured. They are particularly fond of the dwarf
sunflower, while seed from all the native weeds are eaten
almost entirely during the winter months. They breed
sparingly all over the State up to 4,000 feet altitude.
GENUS SPINUS.
[533]. Spinus pinus (Wilson). Pine Siskin.
Raner.—North America. Breeds mainly in Canadian
zone from central Alaska, southern Mackenzie, southern
Keewatin, and southern Ungava, south through the higher
mountains of western United States to San Pedro Martir,
Lower California, and southern New Mexico, and to
northern Minnesota, northern Michigan, New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, and in mountains to North Carolina, and
casually in the lower Hudson Valley and Massachusetts ;
occurs in winter over most of the United States south to
northern Mexico; casual in southern Lower California.
220 THE BIRDS
These little birds are residents of our higher mountain
region only, the Canadian zone of Giles, Craig and Gray-
son counties being ideal nesting grounds for them. Dur-
ing the winter months, if the weather be severe elsewhere,
small flocks are occasionally seen in Tidewater Virginia,
and Professor Smyth reports migratory birds in the
vicinity of Blacksburg, December 26th to May 4th. They
breed in the .\lleghenies in Giles, Grayson, and Washing-
ton counties, and have been taken also in the mountains
of North Carolina. It was, though, while in California
that I became better acquainted with these birds than in
my own State. They were breeding in small companies
in the cypress trees near San Francisco, placing their nests
near the extremity of a limb, far out from the trunk, and
from twenty to forty feet up. The nests were made of
fine grass and weeds, lined with hair, somewhat similar
to those of the Chipping Sparrow, but not so closely
woven. The eggs number four, the ground a pale
greenish, finely specked with blackish-brown sparingly
distributed over the entire shell, though more numerous
toward the larger end. Size, .65x.48. Their food con-
sists mostly of seeds taken from the coniferous trees they
usually inhabit, though often seeds from weeds and
grasses near the ground are taken. They rear but a single
brood each season, flocking and migrating early, as do
the goldfinches, for which they are often mistaken. Fresh
eges May 27th to June 10th.
OF VIRGINIA 221
INTRODUCED BREEDER.
Passer domesticus (Linneus). English Sparrow.
[ House Sparrow ].
This common pest needs no introduction to any of our
readers, as I feel sure every one knows at least this bird.
For the information of a certain class of readers I
will state, however, that the “English Sparrow’* was
imported from England to Brooklyn, N. Y., in the fall
of 1850, by the directors of the Brooklyn Institute,
notably Don. Nicolas Pike, eight pair being the first
shipment. These eight pair didn’t thrive well, and in
1852 another lot was introduced which managed to secure
a foothold. Now they are in nearly every state and
territory in the United States. I find them abundant
even on the islands off our coast; nesting sites varying
from woodpecker holes in trees to the usual one in the
rain spout of the house. In favorable localities one may
find nests with either eggs or young seven months out of
twelve. The eggs are grayish-white, spotted, specked, or
blotched with blackish. Size, .85x.71. Four to six eggs
is a full set with us. The nest is composed of dry grass,
weeds, straw, and trash, such as paper, rags, string, ete.,
lined with feathers and other soft materials they happen
to find. I consider them a pest, to be destroyed on all
occasions. Now and then we see them eating some grub,
worm, or caterpillar, but as a whole they do more damage
than good, and drive away many of the more beneficial
birds.
“The English Sparrow in North America, U. S. Dept. of Agyri-
eulture, Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy, Bulletin
No. 1.
222 THE BIRDS
GENUS POCCETES.
[540]. Powcetes gramineus gramineus (Gmelin).
Vesper Sparrow.
Ranex.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Lower
Canadian, Transition, and Upper Austral zones from
southwestern Keewatin, central Ontario, central Quebec,
and Cape Breton Island south to eastern Nebraska, central
Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina, west
to western Minnesota; winters from southern part of
its breeding range to the Gulf Coast, west to middle Texas,
casual in Bermuda and Yucatan.
This is a bird of our inland region, except in the early
fall and spring, when many tarry with us for a few weeks.
They are an abundant bird in the interior during the
breeding season, my father finding them very common at
Harrisonburg, Goshen, and Hot Springs, where young
and eggs in all stages of incubation lead him to believe
they raised not less than two broods, possibly three. The
nest is made in a slight hollow in the ground, of dry
grasses, and sometimes lined with hair. The eggs usually
number four, a grayish-white, blotched, lined and specked
with different shades of brown, and fainter markings of
lilac. Size, .80x.60. Around Harrisonburg the birds
built in the grain fields, which, when cut, destroyed many
outright, the others being deserted for lack of shelter or
protection. Fresh eggs May 10th to 20th (first sitting),
July 2nd (second brood), August 5th (third sitting).
Like all the sparrow family, they do a great amount of
good by destroying many noxious weed seeds and insects,
grasshoppers being a staple article. Professor Smyth
reports them as arriving at Blacksburg April 17th, where
OF VIRGINIA 223
they also breed, and last seen November 2nd, while in
the Tidewater region they arrive about the first of April,
and migrate southward November 1st to 15th.
SUBGENUS AMMODRAMUS.
[546]. Ammodramus savannarum australis (Maynard).
Grasshopper Sparrow.
Raneu.—FEastern North America. Breeds in Austral
zones (sporadically in transition) east of the Great Plains
from southern Wisconsin, southern Ontario, and southern
New Hampshire south to southern Louisiana, central
Alabama, northern Georgia, and northern South Carolina;
winters from southern Illinois and North Carolina south
to the Bahamas, Cuba, Cozumel Island, Yucatan, and the
Gulf Coast of Mexico; casual in Maine.
There is no mistaking this chunky little sparrow for
any other, especially during the breeding season and early
fall. Even within the town and city limits he sits on the
top of some low bush or weed stalk, pouring forth his
song, and when thus seen he seems as broad as he is long.
When he flies the rapid wing beats distinguish him from
any of the other resident sparrows, while the yellow on
the bend of wing also makes him an easily marked bird.
As the heat of the day advances he retires to the ground
amongst the long grass and broom sedge, and the song,
when given from such a location, seems far distant and
weak, suggestive of a grasshopper, as some writers put it.
The old name, “Yellow-winged Sparrow,” was far more
appropriate, I think. In this section the nest is one of
the hardest of all ground-nest-building birds to find, even
though it is so common. The nest is sunken in some slight
224 THE BIRDS
depression in the ground, arched over, and the female
seldom rises when flushed from it, running off some
distance in the tall grass before taking flight. It is com-
posed of fine grasses and rootlets, lined with finer grass
and rootlets. Fresh eggs, four to five in number, May
20th, are a glossy white, sparingly spotted and blotched
with reddish-brown, occasionally some lilac. Size, .72x.55.
Thev do not winter with us, arriving the latter part of
April. In going to and from work every day my path
led across a field having two or three pair of these birds
resident, and though I took a different route across
that field dozens and dozens of times, I was unable to
locate any of the pairs breeding in it until after the voung
were over half grown and had left the nest. They are
sociable little fellows, seldom minding man’s presence in
close proximity to their home; how much so one will
readily understand when I say a pair built in a straw-
berry patch while the patch was being worked, and later
picked. Occasionally two broods a season. They leave
for the south about September 20th. Their food consists
of ants, larvee, insects, and the seeds of weeds and grasses.
GENUS PASSERHERBULUS.
[547]. Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi (Audubon).
Henslow’s Sparrow.
Rancr.—Eastern United States. Breeds in Transition
and Upper Austral zones from central Minnesota, Ontario,
New York, and southern New Hampshire south to
southern Missouri and northern Virginia (on the seacoast
to southeastern Virginia, Norfolk and Princess Anne
counties); winters in southern United States to Texas
and southern Florida.
OF VIRGINIA yao
In 1910 a small colony of these birds, numbering about
ten pair, were found during the early breeding period in
Princess Anne County, but although a diligent search
was made by Mr. J. E. Gould and myself, no nests with
eges were discovered. This was on June 3rd. A partly
finished nest was, however, discovered, and the birds were
all paired off. My attention was called to this colony
by Ma, .A. H. Helme, who noticed birds apparently ready
to breed the latter part of May, the previous season.
This is the only colony I know of within Tidewater, thus
extending the breeding range given in the latest A. O. U.
check list to northern and southeastern Virginia. Their
song resembles somewhat that of the Grasshopper
Sparrow, though much shorter, and their flight and habits
closely resemble that bird. As many of this species winter
with us, it is not improbable that this colony mentioned,
found conditions and climate most favorable, and
remained over instead of migrating further north. The
land was low and wet, covered with broom straw and
scattering scrub bushes, corresponding to breeding placcs
of this species elsewhere. The nest is a well-concealed,
though loosely made structure of grasses, lined with finer
grass, placed in a depression in the ground. A full set
of eggs numbers four, a grayish-white, finely specked and
spotted with reddish-brown. Size, .73x.55. As 1911 was
rather a backward season, this colony probably was
influenced by it, and should have eggs by June 5th, jude-
ing by the breeding dates of those further northward.
Further notes on this colony I hope to furnish later. Their
food consists of insects and seeds similar to the preceding
species.
Since the above was written, Mr. Gould took a set of
three eggs, incubated, May 30th, 1913, other nests just
commenced.
226 THE BIRDS
[549]. Passerherbulus caudacutus (Gmelin). Sharp-
tailed Sparrow.
Ranez.—Salt marshes of Atlantic Coast. Breeds in
Transition and Upper Austral zones from Massachusetts
to Virginia; winters in salt marshes from New Jersey
(casually from Massachusetts) to Florida.
These birds breed more abundantly along the salt
marshes of the northwestern side of Chesapeake Bay than
on the Cape Charles Peninsula 01 coastal islands, the
latter place being the natural haunts of the following
species. During the mild winters many remain with us,
but during the last week in April and first week in May,
large numbers pass along our coastline northward. As
with the Seaside Sparrow, the nests are well concealed in
the long marsh grass at or near the foot of some bush
or large bunch of grasses, or under dry seaweed, and other
trash thrown up by the equinoctial tides. It is composed
of dry marsh grass and stems, lined with finer marsh
grasses, seldom placed over three or four inches above
ground, even when located in the foot of the sage bush.
The eges, four to five in number, average a trifle smaller
than the Seaside Sparrow, size, .75.x.55, the ground color
a grayish-white, and spotted and specked with reddish-
brown. The birds are hard to flush; even when disturbed
from the nest they prefer running away unless too closely
pursued, when they fly only a short distance to the top
of some near-by bush or tall bunch of grass, and disappear
below. Fresh eggs May 15th to 20th, only one brood a
season. Their food cosists of insects and marine life
gathered along the marsh flats and in the tall marsh grass
at low tide. During high tides they seek the higher
ground bordering the marshes, where from under the
serubby foliage it is almost impossible to flush them.
OF VIRGINIA 22
[550]. Passerherbulus maritimus maritimus (Wilson).
Seaside Sparrow.
Ranex.—Salt marshes of the Atlantic Coast. Breeds
chiefly in the Upper Austral zone from southern Massa-
chusetts to Virginia; winters from Virginia to Georgia.
On the chain of islands stretching northward from Cape
Charles, this is the most common sparrow. They prefer
the inner or landward side of the islands, and, like
hundreds of rats, they glide in and out among the drift,
low bushes, and grass, in search of food. Even when
incubating her eggs, the female is hard to make fly any
great distance, generally slipping from the nest and
running off amongst the grass or drift. The male has
a pretty habit of flying from a bush, skyward, all
the while uttering his song, at the end of which he
turns and sails back to his perch again. The nests are
either placed under banked-up seaweed caused by the
equinoctial storms, or in the tall grass, or in, or at the
foot of, a bush, the latter cases sometimes being six inches
above ground. The nest is composed of dry marsh and
eel grass, lined with finer grasses. The eggs, three to five
in number, a greenish-white, blotched and spotted with
reddish-brown, and some little lilac. Size, .77x.56. A
series shows a marked difference as to ground color, mark-
ings, size; and material used in the nest construction.
Fresh eggs May 20th to June 7th; their breeding date
depending much on the weather conditions, and late high
tides. Many birds of this species remain throughout the
entire year. Only one brood a season. Their food is
similar to the Sharp-tailed Sparrow, also their manner and
places for procuring same. They also breed on the main-
land from Cape Henry southward, and on the western
side of Chesapeake Bay.
THE BIRDS
228
F. STONE.
PuHoro By C.
, ABOUT TO LEAVE NEST.
NG SPARROWS
CHIPPI
YOUNG
OF VIRGINIA 229
GENUS SPIZELLA.
[560]. Sprzella passerina passerina (Bechstein).
Chipping Sparrow.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Canadian,
Transition, and Austral zones from central Saskatchewan,
southwestern Keewatin, northern Ontario, central Quebec,
and Cape Breton Island to central Texas, southern
Mississippi, and central Georgia; winters chiefly in
southern states, occasionally as far north as Oklahoma
and southern New Jersey; casual in Cuba and north-
eastern Mexico.
Large numbers of these sparrows winter with us, and,
in company with other species of sparrows and juncos,
are found working through the second growth and fields
in search of food, destroying many of the noxious seeds
and insects. I wouldn’t be without these sociable little
birds on my farm, especially during the early transplant-
ing period of cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, egg plant,
etc. Many a time have I watched them go the full length
of a hundred-and-fifty-foot row of young egg plant in my
truck garden, and running along underneath, hop up and
pick off the insects on the under side of the leaves. There
is no better remedy for the cut worms on a truck farm
than a few pairs of Chipping Sparrows. Would they
were as plentiful as that pest, the English Sparrow! They
nest about anywhere, from berry bushes, two and a half
feet up, to the extremity of a pine limb twenty-five feet
up and fifteen feet from the trunk. The nest is composed
of fine grasses, rootlets, or weed stems, lined with hair.
Eggs, three to four in number, greenish-blue, sparingly
230 THE BIRDS
specked, spotted or blotched with black and_ blackish-
brown. Size, .70x.52. Two and sometimes three broods
a season are raised. First setting May 10th to 20th.
These birds are much smaller than the English Sparrow,
and should not be confused with them when laying the
blame rightly belonging to that pest. We found them
breeding in the Alleghenian zone as high as 4,000 feet
altitude.
[563]. Spizella pusilla pusilla (Wilson). Field
Sparrow.
Ranex.—KEastern North America. Breeds in Transition
and Austral zones from southern Minnesota, southern
Michigan, southern Quebec, and southern Maine to central
Texas, central Louisiana, and northern Florida; winters
from Missouri, Illinois, southern Pennsylvania, and New
Jersey to the Gulf Coast; casually further north.
Wintering with us, as do many of the sparrows, the
warm days find them singing, but more softly than in the
spring, as though afraid some one would hear them and
tell them to stop. Around my farm their nesting sites
range from the currant bushes to the thorny french arti-
choke plants, and, with the Chipping Sparrow, they form
an important factor in keeping down the bugs and insects
in the truck patches. The nest is rather a flimsy-made
structure of coarse and fine grasses, lined with finer
grasses. Eges three to four in number, grayish-or bluish-
white, spotted and blotched with light brown and lilac.
Size, .65x.50. A series shows great variation in mark-
ings, shape, and size. The nest is placed a few inches
above ground, in any suitable place, from a clump of
OF VIRGINIA 231
weeds in an open field, down to the foot of a small bush
along the roadside. Two and sometimes three broods are
raised a season, May 2nd, first setting, second setting by
June 15th. One can hardly have a more beneficial bird
around one’s farm or suburban home than this species.
They also eat many seeds of the weeds and grasses. They
are common all over the State.
GENUS JUNCO.
[567-E]. Junco hyemalis carolinensis (Brewster).
Carolina Junco.
[Snowbird ].
Rance.—Southern Alleghenies. Breeds in the
Canadian zone (overlapping into the Upper Transition) of
mountains from western Maryland, Virginia, and West
Virginia south to northern Georgia; winters in adjacent
lowlands.
Nearly every one is familiar with this little bird,
especally during the winter months when they are very
common, and during our coldest weather one can see them
picking and scratching away in the woodland leaves or
along the roadside in search of insects and seeds. If the
ground be covered with snow, large flocks are seen in
company with numbers of the smaller sparrows, flitting
over the fields and gathering in the weed seeds from the
stalks, or working under the heavy brush or bank ledges,
where the ground is still bare. The great amount of
insects and weed seeds eaten by these birds, especially in
the Tidewater region of our State where they winter,
should make the farmer realize they are one of his best
Zaz THE BIRDS
friends. On my own farm I have scattered the sweepings
from the hay loft, with some cracked corn added, out on
top of the snow, and always have a large flock gather
within a few minutes. They breed in our higher
mountains, Washington, Grayson, and Giles counties
affording the best sites. They leave us in the coast region
the latter part of March, a few remaining into April.
The nest is a deeply cupped structure of fine grasses, lined
with hair, placed under some overhanging root, rock, ledge
or bank, thus well concealed and making them very hard
to find. The eggs number four to five, a grayish-white
ground, specked with reddish-brown. They have been
taken more extensively in the Carolina mountains just
south of our border, where they probably breed in greater
numbers than in our State. I found them very abundant
in Giles County, where they raise two broods. Fresh eggs
April 25th, first setting; July 1st, second setting. They
did not breed below 3,500 feet altitude.
GENUS PEUCZEA.
[575-A]. Peucea estivalis bachmani (Audubon).
Bachman’s Sparrow.
Rayer.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Carolinian and Austroriparian zones in central Illinois
(locally in southeastern Iowa), southern Indiana,
southern Ohio, and central Virginia south to central
Texas and extreme northwestern Florida; winters from
southern North Carolina southward into Florida; casual
near Washington, D. C.
OF VIRGINIA 233
Puoto By C. F. SToNnp.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE SONG SPARROW.
17
234 THE BIRDS
Throughout central Virginia there are many ideal
places as breeding grounds for this seclusive sparrow,
inhabiting as it does the more open pine woods, where it
places its nest on the ground, well concealed by low vege-
tation. The nests themselves are not unsimilar to those
of the Ovenbird, though lacking the underbody of leaves,
being made of fine grasses and weed stems, and arched
over. The eggs, though, which are white, unmarked,
make the nest easily distinguishable from that species.
Four eggs seem to be the general number. Size, .77x.62.
Fresh eges Mav 5th to 15th. Probably only one brood is
reared with us, and their food differs little from that of
the Grasshopper, Henslow’s, and Vesper sparrows.
GENUS MELOSPIZA.
[581]. Melospiza melodia melodia (Wilson). Song
Sparrow.
Rance.—North America east of the Rocky Mountains.
Breeds in the Canadian, Transition, and Upper Austral
zones from southern Mackenzie (Great Slave Lake),
central Keewatin, northern Ontario, central Quebec, and
Cape Breton Island south to southern Nebraska, central
Missouri, Kentucky, southern Virginia, and southern
North Carolina (mountains), and west to the Rocky
Mountains of Alberta; winters from Nebraska, Illinois,
Massachusetts (locally), and’ New Jersey south to the Gulf
Coast, and sporadically north to Michigan and Nova
Scotia.
A little bright sun even during our coldest days, finds
this happy songster in some warm, sheltered spot singing
OF VIRGINIA 235
away for dear life. And a sweet song it is, too, reminding
one of the warm days to come, not far off. Around the
buildings, especially if they be located near a creek or
river, finds a pair holding forth both winter and summer.
It is rather a late breeder for one raising two broods, first
settings from May 5th to June ist. Three to five eggs
is a full set, gravish-white ground color, spotted, blotched
or specked with brown, lavender, or reddish-brown, some-
times so profusely as to obscure almost the entire surface.
Size, .S0x.60. The nest is placed in some bush or rank
growth of grass near water, from two to six inches above
ground, a close-woven, well-made structure of grasses,
weed stems, and lined with fine grasses and hair. Never
will I forget my first day after these birds. It was near
the beginning of my collecting, way back in 1890, and it
was June 9th, I find from my data. I was working a
small hillside bordering a short arm of a creek, and the
day was excessively hot. The overhanging bank cut off
any possible breeze that might have been stirring, while
the sun beat straight down from above, for it was neariug
one o’clock and I was faint and weary after the morning’s
tramp. I was looking for just one more set of those
sparrows, when, parting a medium-sized sage bush sur-
rounded by tall grass, a large-sized hornet’s nest seemed
to be disturbed by my presence, and emptied forth its
inhabitants upon me. Pain, hunger, and heat had me
stretched out under a neighboring tree for over an hour,
if I remember rightly, the only accident of its kind I
ever had happen to me, though I have worked many such
places since. They are a sociable bird, and as their food
consists chiefly of insects, larvee, and seeds (occasionally
small grain), they must be of great benefit to agriculture.
Thev are distributed over our whole area, breeding also
236 THE BiRDS
on the islands off our coast, where, when using raw sheep
wool in their nest construction, they build some very hand-
some nests. Collecting on Hog Island during the summer
of 1912 was particularly attractive on account of the wool
used by many of the species when nest building. The
Song Sparrow, Boat-tailed Grackle, Kingbird, Prairie
Warbler, House Wren and White-bellied Swallows, all
used it to some extent, sheep being more numerous on the
island that season than usual. Our local birds probably
do not migrate, but are joined during the winter by many
from further north.
[584]. AMelospiza georgiana (Latham). Swamp
Sparrow.
Ranex.—North America east of the Great Plains.
Breeds in Canadian, Transition, and part of Upper Austral
zones from west central Alberta, central Mackenzie, central
Keewatin, central Quebec, and Newfoundland south to
northern Nebraska, northern Missouri, northern Illinois,
West Virginia (mountains), and northern Virginia;
winters from Nebraska, Ohio Valley and Massachusetts
(rarely) south to the Gulf Coast from central Florida to
southern Texas, southern Tamaulipas, and Jalisco,
Mexico; accidental in Utah and Colorado; casual in
Bermuda.
This is a rare breeding sparrow within the southern
half of our State, though abundant during the winter
time, as many from further north remain with us. Those
migrating northward from south of us, arrive about March
4th, while in the fall the height of the migration reaches
us about October 1st. Professor Smyth reports them at
OF VIRGINIA ZF
TR y. m”
Puotro by V. BurtcH.
THE HOME OF THE TOWHEE.,
238 THE BIRDS
Blacksburg from October 5th to March 11th, but not as
a breeding bird in that section. The bird is a fairly
common breeder, though, in the upper section of our
State near the Maryland line, the marshes bordering the
brackish streams affording the surroundings so liked by
these birds. Along the borders of these open marshes
one finds their nests, placed in a clump of grass on some
hummock or elevated knoll, and concealed entirely from
the eye by overhanging vegetation. The nest is com-
posed of fine marsh grasses and lined with finer grasses.
The eggs number four to five, the ground a pale greenish,
spotted and specked with blackish-brown and chestnut.
The markings vary greatly in color, though the greenish
ground makes them easily distinguishable from those of
the Song Sparrow, as well as being a trifle smaller.
Size, .75x.55. Although it is a rare occurrence, I have
taken eggs of this species as far south as Elizabeth City
County. Fresh eggs May 25th to June 7th. Their food
consists of grass and weed seeds, insects, and the smaller
worms and grasshoppers, found in, and bordering closely,
their swampy retreats. They rear but a single brood a
season.
GENUus PIPILo.
[587]. Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus
(Linneus). Towhee.
[Ground Robin. Wood Robin. Chewink].
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Transition
and Upper Austral zones east of the Great Plains from
southeastern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, southern
Ontario, and southern Maine south to central Kansas and
OF VIRGINIA 239
he ye es is
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR. °
A YOUNG TOWHEE.
240 THE BIRDS
northern Georgia; winters form southeastern Nebraska,
the Ohio and Potomac valleys (casually New England)
to central Texas, the Gulf Coast, and southern Florida.
A very common bird in our Alleghenian zone. Mild
winters may remain with us, but the migratory birds
begin to arrive from the south about April 1st, and
cn the 10th are with us in nwnbers. <A bird of the
woods, thick second growth, and swampy places, it
is rarely seen by the average visitor to the country,
although a fairly common and sbundant species. It
can, however, be veadily distinguished by the call notes
or song, its ‘“Chewink, chewink, chewink” being so plainly
heard as to readily place the bird in a class of its own.
Nest building commences the middle of April, and four
to five eggs are deposited in the well-made nest of dry
leaves, pine needles, strips of bark, and grasscs, lined
with fine grasses and rootlets. The nest is placed on the
edge of, or in the woods, or second growth, under some
bush and on the ground, or within a few inches of it.
The eggs are grayish-white, finely specked, spotted or
blotched, with reddish-brown. Size, .90x.70. Often
two broods a season. Northern birds migrating south-
ward arrive about October 27th. While they are a bird
of the woodland and procure their food almost entirely
therein, the great amount of insects, spiders, and larvee
eaten, must place them in the list beneficial to agriculture.
OF VIRGINIA 241
GENUS CARDINALIS.
[593]. Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis (Ianneus).
Cardinal.
[ Redbird].
Ranex.—Carolinian and Austroriparian zones east of
the Great Plains from southeastern South Dakota,
southern Towa, northern Indiana, northern Ohio, southern
Ontario (locally), southeastern and southwestern Penn-
sylvania, and southern Hudson Valley south to the Gulf
States (eastern Texas to northern Florida); casual in
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Brunswick, Massa-
chusetts, and Connecticut; resident in Bermuda.
This is the most highly colored plumaged bird that
remains throughout the winter with us, and with the first
warm days of early spring he commences to sing, keeping
it up until well into the middle of July, or about the time
a second brood is leaving the nest. As he is an expert
sengster, as well as a fine looker, large numbers were
taken for cage birds throughout the South until lately,
when good laws have put an end to this traffic. The
beautiful scarlet coat and crest make them very con-
spicuous, and unfortunately many fall prey to the so-
called sportsmcn’s gun if game is scarce. The nest is
rather a loosely made structure of grasses, weed stems,
strips of bark, dry leaves and fine rootlets, lined with fine
grasses. Three to four eggs is a full set, generally three,
grayish-white, spotted, specked and blotched with reddish-
brown or lavender. A series shows a great variation in
color and markings. Size, .99x.69. Nests are placed in
seccn(-growth bushes, vines, small trees, such as pines,
242 THE BIRDS
post oaks, and cedars; in fact, any suitable location from
four to nine feet above ground. Two broods are generally
raised, April 8th to 15th, the former being the earliest
set of eges found, while second sets come along about
May 15th to June 1st. The female is not a close sitter,
leaving the nest on the near approach of danger. There
is little danger of conflicting the Cardinal with our other
red-plumaged birds, the Summer Tanager, or Scarlet
Tanager; for the crest on the head of both male and
female Cardinal is not found with the other species,
and their plumage is much more brilliant and of a darker
shade of red. Their food consists of insects, small grain,
and a large variety of seeds, while in the fall the dog-
wood, black-gum, poke berries, and wild grapes form
a great part of their food. I consider them a beneficial
bird, as well as one of our most attractive ones.
GENUS ZAMELODIA.
[595]. Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linneus). Rose-
breasted Grosbeak.
Ranex.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Lower Canadian and Transition
zones from south central Mackenzie, northern Manitoba,
central Ontario, southern Quebec, and Cape Breton
Island south to central Kansas, central Missouri, central
Ohio, central New Jersey, and in mountains to northern
Georgia; winters from southern Yucatan and Mexico to
Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador; casual in migration
in Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas; accidental in Ari-
zona, Colorado, and California.
OF VIRGINIA 243
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE BLUE GROSBEAK IN YOUNG PEAR TREE.
THis Was THEIR THIRD SETTING AND CONTAINED YOUNG ON AUGUST
28TH. NoTE How THE LEAVES Hap BEGUN TO FALL
FROM THE TREE.
244 THE BIRDS
This species is not a common bird even in our mountain
region. My father found a nest with young at Hot
Springs, .\ugust 1, 1911. Professor Smyth reports it as
“A rare spring and fall migrant, and breeds in Taylors
Valley, near White Top Mountain.” He also reports it as
a migrant .\pril 29th to May 3rd, and September 23rd for
the vicinity of Blacksburg. The following data is from sets
in my collection which I took at Mountain Lake. Fresh
egos, four in number, May 25th to June 10th, a greenish-
blue ground color, heavily blotched with brown. Size, .98x
68. The nests are constructed of twigs, rootlets, and weeds,
a loosely made structure like those of the tanagers, and
placed in a bush or tree, from five to twenty feet up.
Their food varies greatly according to conditions. Some-
times they destroy much small fruit and fruit buds, while
at other times insects form the greater part of their
food. Thev are, however, so few with us even during
migration, that they can not be considered either bene-
ficial or harmful to any extent. At Mountain Lake, Giles
County, only two pair were found; breeding in the tall
tops of the rhododendrons.
GENUS GUIRACA.
[597]. Gutraca cerulea coerulea (Linneus). Blue
Grosbeak.
Rance.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Caro-
linian and Austroriparian zones from Missouri, southern
Tllinois, and Maryland south to eastern Texas and northern
Florida; winters in Yueatan and Honduras; casual in
southern Indiana and southern Pennsylvania; accidental
in Wisconsin, New England, the Maritime Provinces, and
Cuba.
OF VIRGINIA 245
Like the following species, it derives part of its name
from the plumage of the male; and a handsome blue it
is. But its only comparison with the Indigo Bunting
lies in its color, for, as a songster, it is found sadly want-
ing, its chief note being a loud chirp. A late arrival in
the spring, about April 26th, nest building seldom
commences before May 10th. My earliest record for eggs
is May 31st. The female seems to have a preference tor
securing the nest material, or most of it, from around the
barn and outbuildings of the farm, grasses and straws
dropped from the loads of hay, being used in the main
foundation. Second growth bushes, such as oaks and
locust, are preferred, and seem to be their natural nesting
sites, while around my farm they resort to the grape vines
trailed on longitudinal wires, and young trees in the
orchard, notably pear and cherry. <A single pair coming
under my personal observation during the season of 1910,
had three sets of three eggs each, two broods being raised,
first and last. The first set, June 5rd, second set August
5th, and last set, voung just hatched August 26th. I do
not think, as a rule, second broods are always undertaken.
The nest is rather a handsome atfair, and is well made,
from three to four feet up, placed in an upright crotch
and composed of weed stems, dry leaves and leaf skele-
tons, grasses and straws, snake skins and plant down;
lined with fine grasses or horse hair. Three to four eggs
is a complete set. Size, .85x.65. Pale bluish-white,
unmarked. The female is a close sitter, often allowing
one to almost touch her before flushing. While they
undoubtedly took some grapes for the seed, when having
young in my vineyard, their preference is for seeds, and
one can always find a pair of them feeding in the early
rye and oat fields, though their damage is so slight as
to be unnoticeable. Later on, as the weed stalks furnish
246 THE BIRDS
Puoto By F. N. Irvine.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE INDIGO BUNTING.
OF VIRGINIA 247
seed, we find these birds visiting the patches regularly,
thus making them a desirable bird to have around one’s
farm. They depart for the south about August 28th,
while those coming from further north pass through
about September 12th to 17th.
GENUS PASSERINA.
[598]. Passerina cyanea (Linneus). Indigo Bunting.
Ranex.—Eastern North America. Breeds chietly in
Transition and Austral zones east of the Great Plains from
east central North Dakota, central Minnesota, north-
western Michigan, southern Ontario, southern Quebee,
and southern New Brunswick south to central Texas,
southern Louisiana, central Alabama, and central Georgia ;
winters from Morelos, Yucatan, and Cuba through Central
America to Panama; occasional in the Bahamas in migra-
tion; casual in eastern Colorado, southern Saskatchewan,
and southern Manitoba.
In this bird we have one of the most beautiful summer
residents, well named from the male’s handsome indigo
dress, and quite the extreme in color from the following .
species. Second growth bushes bordering our roads and
fields are his favorite haunts, while the telegraph wires
seem to have been made expressly for him to perch on
and pour forth his liquid song. Quite the contrary to
her highly colored mate, the female is seldom seen on
the wires, or much in evidence until found sitting on her
three to four pale bluish, unmarked eggs. The uest is
a well-made structure, placed in an upright crotch of a
low bush, blackberry bush or vines, from two to four feet
above ground, and is composed of fine grasses and weed
248 THE BIRDS
stems, plant down and leaf skeletons, and lined with fine
grasses. Fresh eggs may be found from May 27th until
June 12th. Size, .75x.52. They do not winter with us,
and are one of the last birds to arrive, about April 28th
to May 2nd. <A second brood is not unusual, the eggs
being deposited about July 15th. Like the Blue Grosbeak,
they may be found feeding on some of the early rye and
oat heads, but very sparingly, their chief diet being
various insects gathered in and around the borders of
ditch bank hedges, and second growth. They depart
from this section about August 15th, and during: the
summer seem to be sparingly distributed over our whole
area.
OF VIRGINIA 249
FAMILY TANGARID/E.—TANAGERS.
GENUS PIRANGA.
[608]. Piranga erythromelas (Vieillot). Scarlet
Tanager.
Ranee.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds mainly in Transition and Upper Austral
zones from southeastern Saskatchewan, central Manitoba,
central Ontario, southern Quebee, New Brunswick, and
Nova Scotia south to southern Kansas, northern Arkansas,
Tennessee, northern Georgia, and mountains of Virginia
and South Carolina; winters from Colombia to Bolivia
and Peru; migrates through Cuba, Jamaica, and Yucatan,
and along the east coast of Central America; casual in
migration in Wyoming, Colorado, the Bahamas, and
and Lesser Antilles.
As a breeding bird, this species is not abundant with
us, though during the spring and fall migrations it is
quite common. Professor Smyth reports it in the vicinity
of Blacksburg from April 29th to May 9th, and again
August 22nd to September 23rd. My father found it
breeding at Goshen June 9th, though rare, also at Hot
Springs. The nest is similar to that of the Summer
Tanager, a loosely made structure of weed and grass
stems, and rootlets; lined with finer material of the same.
The eggs number three to four, a pale blue ground, spotted
and blotched with brown of various shades. For a nest-
ing site they prefer trees on the outer edge of woods or
clearings, placing it near the extremity of the limb, from
18
250 THE BIRDS
ten to forty feet up. Their food consists chiefly of insects
and caterpillars gathered from the higher foliage, though
wild fruit, such as cherries and mulberries, and berries,
are also eaten. They rear but a single brood each season.
The eggs are slightly larger than the Summer Tanager,
averaging .96x.67. I found a few pair breeding at
Mountain Lake, Giles County, elevation 4,500 feet.
[610]. Piranga rubra rubra. (Linneus). Summer
Tanager.
[Summer Redbird].
Rance.—Southeastern United States and northern
South America. Breeds in Carolinian and Austroriparian
zones from southeastern Nebraska, southern Iowa, south-
eastern Wisconsin, central Indiana, southern Ohio, Mary-
land (formerly New Jersey), and Delaware south to
northeastern Mexico and central Florida; winters from
central Mexico and Yucatan to Ecuador, Peru, and
Guiana; stragglers north to New Brunswick, Quebec,
Nova Scotia, Maine, and Ontario; migrant in western
Cuba; accidental in the Bahamas.
A beautiful bird, especially the male, but a lazy pair
when it comes down to nest building. Seldom it is that
you can’t walk along some path on the edge of a piece
of woods, or that bordering the main country road, and
look up throgh a flimsy-made nest of these birds, and see
the eggs. In this respect they may be classed with the
Mourning Dove and the Green Heron. Don’t misjudge
these remarks and think you can go along any road or
path and see nests easily, for they are not an over-common
2. Poa lhe
SUMMER TANAGER.
OF VIRGINIA 251
bird with us, though suitable localities seldom fail to have
their single pair. The casual observer is apt to confuse
them with the Cardinal, especially during the breeding
season, on account of the height of the nest, often not six
feet from the ground. The nest is placed on the crotch
of a lower limb of a tree, an oak, dogwood or pine, gener-
ally. Three to four eggs is a complete set with us, a
pale bluish-green, spotted and blotched with reddish-
brown, Size, .92x.64. Fresh eggs May 20th to June
12th. They do not winter with us. Nest composed of
fine straws or grasses, loosely made, or woven together.
Only one brood a season. The spring migratory birds
reach us about April 17th, and depart southward August
5th to. Sth. Their song is uttered from the tree tops,
seldom when in close proximity to the nest or ground,
and is rather pleasing to the ear, though it never varies,
being confined to three notes, and a short stanza similar
to the Red-eyed Vireo. Long distances are made in search
of food and nesting material, the male following his mate
back and forth while nest building is going on. While
they are not an abundant bird with us, still the amount
of food taken from the higher foliage, such as caterpillars,
beetles, and larve, must be reckoned with, and places
them in the beneficial list. Single pairs are scattered
sparingly over our whole area.
252 THE BIRDS
NESTING BOX ERECTED FOR AND OCCUPIED BY A COLONY
OF PURPLE MARTINS.
OF VIRGINIA 253
FAMILY HIRUNDINID/E.—SWALLOWS.
GENUS PROGNE.
[611]. Progne subis subis (Linneus). Purple Martin.
[House Martin],
Rayex.—North and South America, except the Pacific
coast region. Lreeds from west central Alberta, southern
Saskatchewan, central Manitoba, northwestern Ontario,
New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, west to Montana and
Idaho, and south to the Gulf Coast, Florida, Vera Cruz,
and Jalisco; occurs in migration in Venezuela and Guiana
and winters in Brazil; accidental in Bermuda and the
British Isles.
This is the largest of the swallow family, and one of
our most useful birds, especially so, should we have poultry
around, and small chickens running loose. As a protection
from hawks and crows, I do not place them second to the
Kingbird, but both on an equal footing. There is no
doubt but what they are diminishing in numbers, and it
seems strange that they should when so much is done to
help them raise broods. The two reasons for decrease in
this section is the introduction of the are (electric) light
in our cities, and the black snake, with possibly some
mortality now and then from a long rainy spell, when
young are just hatched and are partly grown. Year after
year they return and try and build up under the tin top
of the are lights, invariably to be torn down every morn-
ing or so, by the attendant when fixing the light. Some-
times a whole season is wasted in this manner. Probably
254 THE BIRDS
many eves and young are destroyed by black snakes
climbing the poles on top of which is attached the box
or bird house erected by those desiring them around.
While I have never personally seen a black snake in a
martin box, I have seen them in other artificial nesting
sites, such as Bluebird, House Wren, and Crested Fly-
catcher, which I had put up on my farm. A long rainy
spell checks the insect food supply materially, often result-
ing in the loss of many young birds. The nests are
generally placed in some box or house made for them,
placed on top of a pole; many also building on ledges
under the wide, overhanging roofs of houses. I do not
know of a case in this section of their resorting to their
old habit of building inside a hollow tree. Nests are com-
posed of grasses, pine needles, straw, or weed stems, lined
with a few green leaves and feathers. Eggs, white, four
to five in number. Size, .95x.65. May 3rd to 25th finds
a full set of eggs. They do not winter with us, arriving
about April 4th. Occasionally they raise a second brood,
June 15th. During the time the eggs are being incu-
bated, the birds keep the nest supplied with green leaves,
deposited around the rim, and continue to do so until the
young are partly grown. Aside from their being beneficial
as a poultry protector, the enormous amount of insect
food taken while on the wing, classes them as one of our
most beneficial birds. The colony remains around the
box a short time after the young are able to fly, return-
ing each night to roost in the box until they migrate south-
ward, about August 6th. Those comine from further
north pass through in flocks until September 10th.
OF VIRGINIA 255
GENUS PETROCHELIDON.
[612]. Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say). Cliff
Swallow.
[Eave Swallow].
Rancze.—North America. Breeds from lower edge of
the Arctic to Lower Austral zone from central Alaska,
upper Yukon Valley, north central Mackenzie, southern
Keewatin, northern Ontario, central Quebec, Anticosti
Island, and Cape Breton Island south over nearly all of
the United States except Florida and the Rio Grande
Valley (casual as a breeder south of latitude 38° east of
longitude 97°); also along the coast district of western
Mexico to Tepic; migrates through central America and
probably winters in Brazil and Argentina.
While not quite so common as the following species,
they are well represented all over Virginia. Like the
Purple Martin, their numbers seem to be diminishing, but
certainly not from having their nests destroyed like the
Martins that try and build in the arc lights. There is no
need for them to resort to their ancient custom of build-
ing on the face of a cliff, for buildings with overhanging
eaves there are in plenty, nor do the farmers, as a rule,
disturb them. They are, however, rapidly diminish-
ing as a breeding bird with us in Tidewater. Arriv-
ing a little later than the Barn Swallows and Martins,
about April 20th, nest building commences almost at once
if mud is easily procured, and their little semi-round bee-
hive of a nest with hole in one side is soon stuck to the
rafters under the eaves of the barn or shed. A few fine
grasses or straws on the inner surface, with a goodly lin-
256 THE BIRDS
ing of feathers, completes it; in which are laid from four
to five creamy-white eggs, spotted and specked with
reddish-brown and lilac, being indistinguishable from
those of the Barn Swallow, both in size and color. Size,
.80x.55. Fresh eggs May 3rd. Occasionally a second
brood. A most interesting sight is to sit by the well or
pump and watch them procure mud from a wet spot
caused by the overflow from the horse trough, carry it
to the near-by building, and attach it to the side of the.
rafter, adding to it bit by bit until the half circle is
complete. Often a long spell of wet weather keeps the
mud from drying out and hardening, causing it to break
away from the rafters and come tumbling down, thus
compelling the birds to start all over once again; or, if
a dry spell comes during nest building, the season is thus
postponed until mud can be procured, lengthening out
their breeding season. They are an interesting bird to
have around one’s premises, the constant twittering being
kept up until they depart in company with the Barn
Swallows, about August 8th. Large flocks of these mixed
birds from the north continue to pass through until the
middle of September. They are of much benefit around
the premises, gathering in numerous varieties of insects
while in flight, especially flies from around the barns and
stables.
GENUS HIRUNDO.
[613]. Hirundo erythrogastra (Boddaert). Barn
Swallow.
Raxezr—North America. Brecds from northwestcrn
Alaska, northern Mackenzie (Great Bear Lake), southern
Manitoba, and southern Ungava south to southern Cali-
OF VIRGINIA 257
fornia, southern Texas (west of longitude 97°), northern
Arkansas, and North Carolina, and in Mexico south to
Jalisco and Tepic; migrates through the Bahamas and
the West Indies and winters from southern Mexico to
Brazil, northern Argentina, and central Chile; accidental
in the Galapagos, Bermuda, and Greenland.
There is no doubt but that the swallows add more to
the beauty of the farm than any other bird, to say nothing
of the benefit done by the multitudes of insects destroyed
by them. The Barn Swallow especially, with his graceful
flight and twitterings in and around the buildings, is a
most sociable little fellow, and after once establishing his
nest on some sill or rafter in one of the outbuildings,
seems to mind very little the presence of man. Under
some wharf on a ledge or rafter is another favorite site
for a nest, while the greatest colony for a small place I
think I ever saw, was in the life-saving surf boathouse
on the back of Smith Island, Va. The shed was some
thirty-five or forty feet long, by twelve feet wide, open
at the south end, and sitting up on piles about six feet
above high water. There must have been at least one
hundred pairs of birds oceupying this ideal place. The
nest is composed of mud, straws and grasses, lined with
feathers, and is attached to the side of, or on, some beam
or joist. The eggs number three to five, ereamy-white,
spotted and specked with reddish-brown and lilac. Size,
80x.55. They do not winter with us, arriving in numbers
about April 14th, and commence nest building by May
5th. Fresh eggs May 12th; second broods quite common,
June 28th. Weather conditions affect nest building
materially, for unless near some mud hole, muddy bank
of stream, or other likely place, they are unable, during
258 THE BIRDS
dry weather, to procure mud for the foundation of their
nests. They migrate in large flocks with the preceding
species about August Ist to 8th, and are similar to the
Eave Swallow in habits and food. They can, however,
be easily distinguished from that species when in flight
and at rest, by their forked tail; the Cliff Swallows hav-
ing the tail feathers even.
GENUS IRIDOPROCNE.
[614]. Tridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot). Tree Swallow.
| White-bellied Swallow].
Raner.—North America. Breeds in Canadian, Tran-
sition and Upper Austral zones (and Lower Austral zone
in Virginia) from northwestern Alaska, southern and
western Mackenzie, southern Keewatin, and northern
Ungava to southern California, Colorado, Kansas,
Missouri, and Virginia; winters from central California,
southern Texas, southern parts of the Gulf States, and
southeastern North Carolina (casually New Jersey) south
over the greater part of Mexico to Guatemala and Cuba;
occasionally in Bermuda in migration; accidental in the
British Isles.
The favorite homes and haunts of this beautiful
swallow are among the dead pine trees and stumps along
our seacoast, and islands adjacent. Many a time when on
my way up some lofty dead pine en route to the Osprey’s
nest at the tiptop, have I stopped for breath and a
chance to peek into some deserted woodpecker’s hole,
occupied by a pair of these birds. At that period around
OF VIRGINIA 259
May 5th, it is somewhat early for eggs, but the nest 1s
well under construction, of fine straws and grasses, lined
with feathers. May 25th to 30th finds full sets of eggs,
four to six in number, pure white. Size, .75x.50.
Sociable little fellows, they take kindly to civilization and
advantage of any hole in the house, weather-boarding or
outbuildings, to use as a nesting cavity. I remember well
the first nest I found in a building, a knot having dropped
out of the weather-boarding over a window sill in a house
on one of the islands off our coast. We could easily stand
on a barrel and see the four well-feathered young, while
the old birds lit on the eves and watched us intently, not
more than four feet away. They do not winter with us,
arriving in numbers by April 1st, my record arrival being
March 21st, 1912. Our local birds begin to migrate south-
ward about September 1st, but as late as October 25th still
finds the northward birds passing through in countless
numbers. During this time thousands may be seen
perched on the telegraph wires along the roadside, or
skimming over some corn or hay field, gathering in winged
insects of all sorts, which form their principal food.
They are a most beneficial bird, though they raise but
one brood a season. They do not nest in our section
except in Northampton and Accomac counties, and then
principally on the islands off the mainland.
GENUs RIPaARIA.
[616]. Reiparia riparia (Linneus). Bank Swallow. ‘
Ranex.— Northern Hemisphere. In North America
breeds in Boreal, Transition, and Austral zones from near
limit of trees in northern Alaska and northern Ungava
260 THE BIRDS
south to southern California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana,
and Virginia; migrates through Mexico and Central
America (casually West. Indies), and probably winters
in South America to Brazil and Peru.
This species is somewhat similar to the following one,
although it is not as common throughout our area. It
arrives along with the Rough-winged Swallow, April 1st,
and departs about August Ist. They prefer the inland
banks for nesting sites, such as railway cuts and around
ponds and lakes, thus their homes are more secluded than
the Rough-winged Swallow, which prefers the open river
bank. One can easily identify their nesting cavities, for
the Bank Swallow makes a round hole, while the Rough-
winged makes an elongated hole, the greatest width
horizontally. The nest is composed of fine straws and
dry grass, lined with finer grass and sometimes feathers.
This is placed at the end of a burrow dug by the birds,
from two to three feet back in the bank, the end slightly
enlarged and deepened to hold the nest and afford room
for the birds. Four to six eggs are laid; May 5th to 10th
finds full sets. Size of eggs, .70x.49; a dull white,
unmarked. The birds procure all their food while on the
wing, which differs little from that of the Rough-winged
Swallow. They probably procure more gnats and
mcsquitoes than the following species, as these are always
more numerous around their inland habitat than along
the open river bank. Many are killed by the soft embank-
ments caving during wet weather, as well as by snakes
catching them on the nest. While they are not an
abundant bird with us, they undoubtedly do much good
in helping to keep down some of our local pests.
OF VIRGINIA 261
GENUS STELGIDOPTERYX.
[G17]. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon), Rough-
winged Swallow,
[Sand Martin].
Ranex.—North America. Breeds in Transition, Aus-
tral, and Tropical zones from southern British Columbia,
Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, southern Wisconsin,
Ontario, southern New York, central western Massachu-
setts, and Connecticut south to southern United States
from southern California to northern Florida, and to Vera
Cruz and Jaliseo; winters from central Mexico southward
to Costa Rica; casual in Manitoba.
The earliest swallow to depart in the fall, August 5th,
and the earliest to arrive in the spring, March 25th, is
the Rough-winged. April 4th, some vears, finds them
with us in numbers, though the main body may not arrive
until one or two weeks later. By the last week in April,
though, all those that remain to breed have their holes
in the river banks well excavated. Complete sets of fresh
egos are found as early as May 2nd. Undoubtedly, they
rid the surrounding country of many noxious insects,
such as sand flies, mosquitoes, gnats, etce., and, like the
other species of swallows, should be encouraged to breed
near houses where possible. With their large families,
five and six being the general run, they are kept busy
from davhreak until almost dark, still being found on
the wing after most birds have retired to their roost for
the night. The mortality in this section is great, their
chief enemy being the black snake, which, after sunning
itself on snine protruding root on the river bank, crawls
262 THE BIRDS
into their hole or nesting cavity for food. The poor bird
is caught like a rat in a trap, and, unlike the kingfisher
with his sharp beak, stands no chance of protecting itself,
eggs, or young. It is needless to say that the cases that
have come under my observation have found the snake
well filled, and that I have taken pleasure in laying him
out cold in more ways than one. Eggs, four to six in
number, pink when with fresh contents, and pure white
when blown. The nest, which is composed of dry pine
needles, grass, small leaves and seaweed, lined with fine
grasses and seaweed, is placed in a slight depression at
the end of a burrow or hole in a bank, from two to five
feet from entrance. I find the length of cavity depends
much on the character of the soil in which it is started.
Weather conditions also make a moist or hard soil for
them to work in. Size of eggs, .75x.52. They raise but
a single brood with us. The height of nesting cavity in
the bank also varies greatly, the nature of the soil stratas
affecting the drilling of the hole, which is made by the
birds using their feet to scratch with, and push the dirt
backward out of the tunnel. Unlike the kingfisher, their
beaks play a secondary part in the drilling of their home,
so they usually select a place in the soft strata where the
roof will be the under side of a hard strata of soil, and so
eliminate the chances of a cave-in.
OF VIRGINIA 263
4 :
»
MW, ie
Puoro spy C. F. StToneg.
HOME OF THE CEDAR WAXWING.
264 THE BIRDS
FAMILY BOMBYCILLID-.
GENUS BoMBYCILLA.
[619]. Bombycilla cedrorum (Vieillot). Cedar
Waxwing.
[Cedar Bird. Cherry Bird].
Raner.—North America. Breeds in Canadian, Tran-
sition, and Upper Austral zones (and Lower Austral zone
in Virginia), from central British Columbia, central
Alberta, southern Keewatin, northern Ontario, north-
western Quebec, and Cape Breton Island south to southern
Oregon, northern New Mexico, Kansas, northern
Arkansas, and North Carolina; winters throughout nearly
all the United States and southward to Cuba, Mexico and
Panama; accidental in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica,
and British Isles.
A most common bird with us during the fall migrations
about October 1st, when, in large flocks from twenty to
a hundred birds, they feed on the black-gum berries and
those of the mistletoe. I attribute the spread of the
mistletoe in this section more to them than from any other
cause. During the spring migration, March 15th, they
feed largely on holly berries, as the ones fed upon during
the fall are entirely gone. Some few remain with us
through the winter, but the greater amount go further
south. Only a few remain to breed with us in the low
country, especially on the lower side of the Chesapeake
Bay. From Cape Charles northward they become more
common breeders. The nests I have found were located
OF VIRGINIA 265
near the extremity of the limbs of large, spreading pies,
from twenty to forty fect up, composed of dry grass,
pine needles, strips of bark, aud lined with bark fiber.
Fresh cggs June 15th to 20th, from four to five in number,
eravish-blue when freshly taken, spotted and blotched
with black, or blackish-brown. Size, .85x.60. They
undoubtedly lay two broods, as my father has taken fresh
eges August Sth, though this record was in the western
part of the State. In some sections they do much damage
to small fruit, cherries in particular, but there is so much
wild food with us, that they practically do no damage.
19
266 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEARLY READY TO LEAVE.
YOUNG SHRIKE.
OF VIRGINIA 267
FAMILY LANIIDA:.—SHRIKES.
GENUs LANIUS.
[622-E]. Lanius ludovicianus migrans (W. Palmer)
Migrant Shrike.
[ Butcher Bird].
Ranex.—Eastern North America. Breeds chiefly in
Transition and Upper Austral zones from northern Minne-
sota, Wisconsin, Michigan, southern Ontario, southern
Quebec, Maine, and New Brunswick south to eastern
Kansas, southern Illinois, Kentucky, western North
Carolina, and interior of Virginia (locally in the east) ;
winters from the Middle States and southern New
England to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
This is rather a rare species with us, though a few are
found breeding in the northern part of our area, both on
the Cape Charles Peninsula, and the mainland west of
the Chesapeake Bay. They are known as the Butcher
Bird from their manner of catching small sparrows and
juncos and impaling them on the spikes of a barbed wire
fencing, osage orange and thorn trees. While they do
take many small birds, they also destroy many small mice,
shrews, grasshoppers, frogs and insects, which more than
offsets the harm done. In killing small birds they display
much skill and courage, often capturing a bird almost
as large as themselves, and which they find difficulty in
flying with to some near-by place of execution. When
once fastened, though, they make short work of their
victim with their powerful hooked beak. The nest is a
268 THE BIRDS
bulky affair of twigs, rootlets, weed stems and grasses,
well lined with feathers, wool, or hair. They are generally
placed on a low, horizontal limb of a roadside tree, or
in the thick young sprouts of a beheaded tree, from ten
to thirty feet up. The eggs number five to six, a dull
eravish-white, spotted and blotched with light brown and
olive, often forming a wreath around the larger end.
Size, .99x.71. Fresh eggs April 26th to May 5th. Only
one brood a season. They are somewhat more numerous
during the spring and fall, April 1st, December 20th,
but cven then they are not a common bird with us.
OF VIRGINIA 269
Puoro By C. FL Stone.
RED-EYED VIREO ON NEST.
270 THE BIRDS
FAMILY VIREONID/AZ.—VIREOS.
GENUS VIREOSYLVA.
[624]. Vureosylva olivacea (Linneus). Red-eyed
Vireo.
Ranezr.—North and South America. Breeds in
Canadian, Transition, and Austral zones from central
British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, southern Kee-
watin, northern Ontario, Anticosti Island, and Cape
Breton Island south to southeastern Washington, southern
Montana, eastern Wyoming, eastern Colorado, western
Texas, northern Coahuila, and central Florida; migrates
through eastern Mexico, Yucatan and Central America
(casually to Cuba and the Bahamas); winters in
Colombia and south to Ecuador and southern Brazil ; acci-
dental in Nevada, Greenland, and England.
This bird is a tolerably common breeder with us, though
not as much so as the White-eyed Vireo. Truly a bird
of the woods, its beautiful song during the hot summer
morning suggests coolness itself. The nest is placed near
the extremity of a limb of a fair-sized tree or bush over-
hanging bank of pond or stream, from four to fifteen feet
up, suspended between the crotch. They are extremely
well-made affairs of fine grasses, plant stems and down,
bits of rotten wood, bark fiber, and pine needles, invariably
lined with reddish material, such as cedar bark fiber, pine
needles, fine grasses or other material of like color. How
this beautifully made structure, seen in the dead of
winter when hunting for game, recalls pleasant memories
of bygone summer days! Fresh eggs May 15th to 30th,
OF VIRGINIA 271
three to four in number, white, sparingly specked with
dark or light reddish-brown. Size, .85x.55. The egg of
the Cowbird (Molothrus ater ater) is not an uncommon,
though unwelcome, addition to this household. They do
not winter with us, arriving about April 12th, and migrat-
ing southward about August 27th to 30th. It is probable
that they raise two broods some seasons. Their food
consists of numerous moths, insects, spiders, and the
smaller caterpillars; many are taken on the wing similar
to that of the flyeatchers. They are about evenly, though
sparingly, distributed over Tidewater, and become more
numerous as we go westward into the State.
[627]. Vireosylva gilva gilva (Vieillot). Warbling
Vireo.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Tran-
sition and Austral zones from southeastern Alberta,
northern Manitoba, central Ontario, and Nova Scotia
south to northwestern Texas, southern Louisiana, North
Carolina, and Virginia; winter home is unknown but
south of the United States.
This is the least common of all the vireos found within
our area. Unlike his cousin, the White-eyed Vireo, he is
a bird of the high foliage, even more so than the Red-
eyed, and procures his food and builds his nest seldom
below thirty or forty feet. They arrive about April 5th,
and migrate southward about the same time as the Red-
eyed Vireo. They may be called a sociable bird, for they
prefer the shade trees of gardens, yards, parks and streets
to that of the woodland, though the inaccessibility of
their nest makes close companionship or study almost
212 THE BIRDS
impossible. The nest is an extremely well-constructed
affair of fine grasses, fibers, dry leaves and bits of bark
fiber, lined with fine grasses or bark fiber. Like the other
members of the family, the nest is suspended between
the fork of a small branch, and is deeply cupped. The
eges number from three to four, a dull glossy white,
sparingly marked with reddish-brown. Size, .70x.50.
These birds are more numerous near the northern and
eastern boundaries of our area. Their food is similar to
that of the Red-eyed Vireo, but procured from foliage at
a height seldom ‘reached by the Red-eyed, and I think
their song far more beautiful than that species. We must
consider them a beneficial bird in keeping down the many
insects found amongst our cultivated shade trees.
GENUS LANIVIREO.
[628]. Lanivireo flavifrons (Vieillot). Yellow-
throated Vireo.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Tran-
sition and Austral zones from southeastern Saskatchewan,
southern Manitoba, southern Ontario, southern Quebec,
and Maine south to central Texas, central Louisiana, and
central Florida; winters from Yucatan and southern
Mexico through Central America to Colombia; casual in
winter in Cuba and the Bahamas.
A rare bird in this section, also the earliest of the
vireos to breed, only one nest with eggs falling to my lot
in twenty years. A handsome affair it was, too, only the
mass of spider-webs on its outside attracting my attention.
The nest was in a spruce pine tree in the thick pine woods,
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO
OF VIRGINIA ae.
about thirty feet from the ground, six feet from the
trunk, and suspended between a small fork, after the
manner of vireos’ nests in general. It was composed of
fine grasses and bark fiber. The female was such a close
sitter that it was not until I had left it for a week after
discovery, that I persuaded myself to climb to the
supposed-empty nest, only to find, to my surprise, however,
that it had been occupied all the time, as the eggs were
nearly hatched. The female allowed me to come within
three feet of her before flushing, and was collected to
make identification certain. The eggs numbered four,
white, specked with brown sparingly; more numerous
toward the larger end. Size, .78x.58. Fresh eggs May
Ist. Though we located one or two pairs of birds each
season by their beautiful song, we could not locate further
nests with eges. Judging by the birds, they are extremely
rare, though scattered over our entire area. They arrive
about April Sth, departing from us about September 1st.
Breeding as they do, so early in the season, and remaining
in song well into July, leads me to believe they raise two
broods, though I have no positive record of their doing: so.
Their food is similar to the other vireos’, though procured
almost entirely from the higher tree tops.
[629-C]. Lantwvireo solitarius alticola (Brewster).
Mountain Vireo.
Raner.—Breeds in Canadian and Transition zones in
the Alleghenies from western Maryland to eastern Ten-
nessee and northern Georgia; winters in lowlands frow
South Carolina to Florida.
This subspecies of the Solitary or Blue-headed Vireo
breeds in our higher mountains. Dr. Rives found it com-
274 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THH AUTHOR.
A WHITE-EYED VIREO’S NEST.
OF VIRGINIA 275
mon at White Top Mountain in July, 1888, but did not
find positive evidence of its breeding. It was not until
May 30th, 1913, that I had positive evidence of its breed-
ing in our State, my father finding on that date a nest sus-
pended from a lower limb of a giant balsam growing on
the edge of Mountain Lake. It contained three half-
grown young, which, with the parents, were collected.
They are a rare breeding bird with us, and their habits and
food differ little from that of the Yellow-throated Vireo.
On June 2nd I found another nest of this species, which,
on the completion of the set of eggs, was collected with
the parent birds. Their song is similar to that of the Red-
eyed Vireo, but much more harsh. Isolated pairs are
scattered widely apart, and the nests extremely hard to
locate. The construction of the nest, material used, and
eggs, are almost identical with those of the White-eyed
Vireo. Two broods a season, second settings July Ist.
Another nest, with young, was located on a lower limb
of a very large rhododendron, growing on the side of a
ravine.
GENUS VIREO.
[631]. Vireo griseus griseus. (Boddaert). White-eyed
Vireo,
Ranex.—Kastern United States. Breeds chiefly in
Austral zones from southeastern Nebraska, southern
Wisconsin, New York, and Massachusetts to central Texas
and central Florida; winters from Texas, Georgia,
Florida, and South Carolina through eastern Mexico to
Yucatan and Guatemala; casual north to Vermont,
Ontario, New Brunswick, and in Cuba.
276 THE BIRDS
This is the most common vireo of all the resident
species. A sorry clump of second growth or bush-fringed
woods it is that hasn’t a pair of these birds nesting in it.
The bubbling spring, with its cool outlet for bird bathing
purposes, also is seldom without a nesting pair within a
vard or two, often overhanging the sparkling pool itself.
How they do scold an intruder in their domain! The
nest is suspended between a crotch of a limb of bush or
tree, from two and a half to six feet from the ground.
Like those of our warblers, the Cowbird (molothrus ater
ater) has no scruples in depositing her egg or eggs in
this bird’s nest, and I have found more White-eyed
Vireos’ nests with Cowbirds’ eggs in them, deserted, than
all others birds combined. Their nest is composed of
weed stems, grasses, bits of bark fiber, moss, grasses,
spider-webs, string and paper; in fact, anything handy
that is soft. The nest is lined with fine grasses. Eggs,
three to four in number, white, sparingly specked and
blotched with brown, more numerous toward the larger
end. Size, .75x.55. Fresh eges May 20th to June 15th,
two broods a season. They arrive about April 10th, and
migrate southward about August 30th. Their food con-
sists of insects, caterpillars, and worms of various species.
OF VIRGINIA 277
as Po
PuHoTO BY C. F. STONE.
IN THE WARBLERS’ BREEDING GROUNDS.
278 THE BIRDS
FAMILY MNIOTILTIDAX.—WOOD
WARBLERS.
GENUS MNIOTILTA.
[636]. Mniotilta varia (Linneus). Black and White
Warbler.
Raner.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Canadian, Transition, and Austral
zones from central Mackenzie, southern Keewatin,
northern Ontario, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick to eastern Texas, Louisiana, central Alabama,
and northern Georgia, west to South Dakota and casually
to Wyoming and Colorado; winters from Colima and
Nuevo Leon to Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and
in Florida, the Bahamas and West Indies to Guadeloupe,
and casually in southern Texas; accidental in Washing-
ton, California, and Bermuda.
The Black and White Creeper, as called by many on
account of its habits, is rather a rare breeding bird with
us, though most numerous when migrating. Two pair
have bred on my own place for the last two seasons, 1909
and 710, though diligent search has failed to find a nest
with eggs. The old birds with young just able to fly have,
however, been seen later in the season. The first of these
birds to arrive in the spring reach us about April 5th,
and by the 10th the flight is well under way and numbers
greatly increased. The nest is placed on the ground or
in the cavity of, or near, a dead stump or log in the woods,
and composed of dry leaves, strips of bark and grasses,
lined with fine grasses. Eggs, four in number, white,
OF VIRGINIA 279
specked and spotted with reddish-brown, wreathed on the
larger end. Size, .64x.52. Fresh eggs May 15th to 20th.
Only one brood a season is reared. They are most active
birds, going up and down the tree trunks and under side
of the limbs, after the manner of the creepers, in search
of food, which consists of spiders, larva, insects, beetles,
caterpillars and moths. One can not but admire the ease
in which they work, sometimes head downward, some-
times up, inspecting every crack and crevice in the bark,
especially at the base of the limb where it joins the inain
trunk. Pine trees are their favorite wood with us. There
is no doubt but that they help greatly in keeping in
check the many insects that attack the bark of that tree.
They leave us about August 5th on the southward migra-
tion, and those coming from farther north pass through
up till August 30th; a few occasionally remain later. We
found them a common breeder in the mountains above
3,500 feet altitude.
GENUS PROTONOTARIA.
[637]. Protonotaria citrea (Boddaert). Prothonotary
Warbler,
Ranex.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Austroriparian zone and along river
bottoms or Carolinian zone from northeastern Nebraska,
southeastern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, southern
Michigan, Ohio, central Delaware, and eastern Maryland
south to eastern Texas and northern Florida; winters
from Nicaragua to Colombia and casually in Venezuela
and southern Mexico; apparently crosses the Gulf in
migration; accidental in the West Indies and not found
in Mexico north of Campeche; casual north to New York,
280 THE BIRDS
New England, Ontario, and New Brunswick, and west to
Arizona.
\ fine songster and rather a common resident in
suitable localities, feeding and breeding as it does in and
around the swamps, river bottoms and lakes. The Dismal
Swamp and its tributaries are the localities where found
must abundant in Tidewater, Va., although any old
pond or lake with dead stumps in it is a likely home for
a pair. The nest is placed in a cavity in a dead log or
stump, a few feet above the water, composed of dry
leaves, moss, and grasses. The eggs are creamy-white,
spotted with reddish-brown, lavender, or chestnut, four in
number, and measure .72x.55, Fresh eggs May 10th to
20th. They undoubtedly raise two broods a season. In
their northward migration they reach us around April
10th, and depart southward the first week in August.
The ponds or lakes in our section seldom have more than
two or three pair breeding in or around them, so their
food, consisting of caterpillars, ants, larve, and other
insects taken thereabouts, can not play a very important
part in our economic ornithology, but of course must be
considered beneficial. They are beautiful birds, especially
the male, and a magnificent songster.
GENUS HELINAIA.
[638]. Helinaia swainsoni (Audubon). Swainson’s
Warbler.
Ranex.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Austroriparian zone from southeastern Missouri, southern
Illinois, southern Indiana, and southeastern Virginia
SWAINSON’S WARBLER
OF VIRGINIA 281
(Warwick County) south to Louisiana and northern
Florida; winters in Jamaica; migrates through Cuba
and the Bahamas; casual in Nebraska, Texas and Vera
Cruz.
Truly a rare warbler, although throughout the Dismal
Swamp region it is numerous, nesting in and on the edge
of the cane brakes where it is extremely hard to find. I
believe the record for extending its breeding range north
of James River falls to my lot,*—a single set of three
eges taken on May 31st, 1908. The nest was placed about
three and a half feet up in a crotch of second-growth bush,
between the main stems and numerous small branches.
The bush, was on the edge of the bank of a mill pond and
in a thick clump of second-growth bushes. It was com-
posed of dry birch leaves, fine grass stems and pine
needles, a small amount of plant fiber and rootlets, lined
with fine grasses. Egos bluish-white, unmarked. Size,
.76x.58. Only one brood raised during the season with
us. They arrive about April 14th and depart about
August 4th. They are fine songsters and a beautiful bird
as well. Their food consists of beetles, worms, moths,
and other insects gathered in and around the swampy
places.
GENUS HELMITHEROS.
[639]. Helmitheros vermivorus (Gmelin). Worm-
eating Warbler.
Rance.—Eastern North America. Breeds mainly in
the Carolinian zone from southern Iowa, northern Illinois,
*See “Auk,” Vol. XXV, p. 478.
282 THE BIRDS
eastern and western Pennsylvania, and the Hudson and
Connecticut River valleys south to southern Missouri,
Tennessee, Virginia, and mountains of South Carolina
(casually further south); winters from Chiapas to
Panama, in Cuba and the Bahamas, and casually in
Florida; in migration casually to Massachusetts, Ver-
mont, western New York, southern Ontario, and southern
Wisconsin.
This is undoubtedly our rarest breeding warbler, and
I have not as yet positively found and identified a nest
with eggs or young within Tidewater. They do, however,
breed not far north and west of that area, becoming
common in the valley and mountain regions. In the spring
migration they reach us in numbers about April 26th, while
many are found with us around August 24th. They are a
ground-loving bird similar to the Ovenbird and Water
Thrush, procuring much of their insect food from the
near ground foliage and amongst the dry leaves. The
nest is placed on the ground under some overhanging
bush, or at the foot of a small sapling, on the hillside, or
side of a mound preferred. The nest is composed of dry
leaves and lined with fine grasses and a few horse hairs.
Fresh eggs May 12th to 20th; four to five in number,
a glossy-white, specked and spotted with reddish-brown
and chestnut, and undermarkings of lavender. Size,
.66x.50. They raise but a single brood each season, and
as their food is entirely insect matter, they must be
reckoned as a beneficial bird along with the others of the
warbler family.
OF VIRGINIA 283
HYPOTHETICAL.
GENUS VERMIVORA.
[640]. Vermivora bachmani (Audubon). Bachman’s
Warbler.
Rawnex.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in Aus-
troriparian zone in southeastern Missouri, northeastern
Arkansas, western Kentucky, and near Charleston, South
Carolina; and probably in southern Indiana, North Caro-
lina and Virginia; winters in Cuba; in migration occurs
in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida; casual
in Virginia and the Bahamas.
This warbler is one of the few species of birds sup-
posed to breed in our Tidewater area, and which I have
been unable to gain satisfactory evidence of their having
done so. This is not, however, surprising, for Mr. Arthur
T. Wayne, of South Carolina, states he “had looked for
their nest for nearly twenty-five years before finding it.”
From the south bank of the James River, to the North
Carolina line, there are many suitable places for them to
breed in our State, but as yet unfound. Mr. Wayne states
“they are a bird of the dense swampy thickets, the nests
being placed within one to three feet of the ground, com-
posed of Spanish moss, leaf skeletons, cane leaves and
pine needles, lined with a black fiber.” The eggs number
four and are pure white, unmarked. Size, .61x.46.
Judging from the time they breed in Carolina, they should
have fresh eggs with us about May 15th to 20th. Their
food probably differs little from that of the Kentucky
Warbler.
284 THE BIRDS
Puoro py T. H. JAcKSON.
Tue LARGE Ege AT THE FRONT OF THE NEST IS THAT OF THE COWBIRD.
NEST OF THE BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.
OF VIRGINIA 285
[641]. Vermivora pinus (Linneus). Blue-winged
Warbler,
Rayoge.—Eastern North America. Breeds from south-
eastern Minnesota, southern Michigan, western New York,
Massachusetts (rarely), and southern Connecticut south
to northeastern Kansas, central Missouri, Kentucky,
Maryland, and Delaware (casually further south) ; (War-
wick Co., Va.) ; winters from southern Mexico (Puebla)
to Guatemala and casually to Colombia; very rare
migrant in southeastern United States south of Virginia
and east of Louisiana; occasional in southern Ontario;
accidental in the Bahamas.
The 1910 A. O. U. check list does not give this bird’s
breeding range as far south as the James River Peninsula,
Va., though by the following can be seen its southern
breeding range on the coast.
It is not a common resident with us, although when it
takes a fancy to a place it seems to return each season
regularly. Finding two nests with eggs in twenty years
is not a great record, and those were found in practically
the same place, at the foot of low bushes in the head of
a swampy ravine emptying into a mill pond. Both nests
were found by my father, one with two eggs of the Blue-
winged Warbler and four eggs of the Cowbird, the other
set with four eggs, well advanced in incubation. While
we have worked this particularly likely spot and many
other suitable places, covering a period of twenty years,
we have failed to locate other breeding birds with eges.
They undoubtedly are more abundant as we go further
northward on the Cape Charles Peninsula. The nests
were well concealed, besides being partly arched over,
and composed of fine and coarse grasses, small, narrow,
dry leaves, and strips of bark; lined with fine grasses.
286 THE BIRDS
Eggs dull glossy-white, spotted sparingly with reddish-
brown, four in number. May 15th to 25th seems to be
the average time for fresh eggs. Size, .65x.50. They do
not winter with us, arriving about April 19th to 21st,
and depart the first week in August. They are a most
retiring bird, and even when with young they are very
skillful in hiding and keeping out of one’s reach, so
different from our other warblers, which, when the nest
is discovered, almost come within hand’s reach and try
and draw you away from it. My observations lead me
to believe they raise but a single brood each season. Their
food consists of numerous insects, spiders, larve, ants,
‘bugs, caterpillars, ete., placing them in the beneficial list
ot birds.
[642]. Vermivora chrysoptera (Linneus). Golden-
winged Warbler.
Rawer.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Alleghenian zone from central
Minnesota, southern Ontario, and Massachusetts south
to southern Iowa, northern Illinois, northern Indiana,
northern New Jersey, and northern Georgia; winters
from Guatemala to Colombia, and casually in southern
Mexico; very rare in Florida and southern Georgia;
accidental in Manitoba and Cuba.
This warbler arrives in the vicinity of Blacksburg
about May 5th, where it breeds sparingly, according to
Professor Smyth, who found young in nest June 5th.
They migrate southward the latter part of August. They
are a bird of the mountain regions, and I have never seen
them even in migration in Tidewater Virginia. The nest
OF VIRGINIA 287
is usually placed in a thick bush or clump of vines, from
six to eighteen inches above ground, composed of weed
stems, fine grasses and bark fiber, lined with fine grasses.
Four eges is a full setting, a dull white, spotted and
specked with reddish-brown or chestnut, and fainter under-
markings of lilac. Their food is similar to the preceding
species, the Blue-winged Warbler.
GENUS COMPSOTHLYPIS.
[648]. Compsothlypis americana americana (Linneus).
Parula Warbler.
Rance.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Austral zones from the District of Columbia and south-
eastern Virginia, south to Alabama and Florida; winters
probably in Florida and northern West Indies.
A most common breeding bird in its favorite haunts,
the cypress or juniper swamps of the southeastern section ;
Cape Henry southward. These trees seem to furnish
particularly fine feeding grounds, and whenever you find
one festooned with the long, hanging Spanish moss, here
also are you likely to find one or more nests. In this
section I should call them a colony bird, for in days past
I have seen on the trees in and surrounding one small
lake, as many as two hundred pair breeding in company.
The Dismal Swamp and its surrounding low territory
has been an ideal spot for a feeding and breeding home
in years past, but of late, the cutting of the juniper for
commercial purposes, and the disappearance of the moss
to a great extent, has driven the majority of the birds
elsewhere. Weather conditions seem to play an important
288 THE BIRDS
part with their time of breeding: some years fresh sets
were only found after June Ist, other years nearly full-
grown young were found by the latter part of May.
Three to four eggs is a full setting, the nest being made
in the bunches of hanging Spanish moss by pulling or
gathering it together at its thickest point, and lining it
with a yellow plant down. The eggs are a dull glossy-
cream, finely specked and blotched with lilac and brown,
forming a wreath on the larger end. Size, .66x.45. Their
food consists of small moths, worms, caterpillars, beetles,
and various insects gathered from the juniper foliage,
and trees bordering the water. Their song is a most
musical one, though soft. They arrive the 25th of March
or thereabout, unless the spring be unduly late, and
remain until the latter part of August. It is not
improbable that they sometimes raise two broods with us,
though the weather conditions affecting the food supply
probably is the governing factor in the case.
[648-A]. Compsothlypis americana usnew (Brewster).
Northern Parula Warbler.
Raner.—Eastern United States. Breeds mainly in
Transition and Austral zones from eastern Nebraska,
northern Minnesota, central Ontario, Anticosti Island,
and Cape Breton Island south to central southern Texas,
southern Louisiana, Alabama, northeastern Virginia, and
Maryland; winters probably in the Bahamas and West
Indies to Barbados, and from Vera Cruz and Oaxaca to
Nicaragua; casual in Wyoming and Colorado; accidental
in Greenland.
OF VIRGINIA 289
This is a subspecies of the former bird, a more northern
form, overlapping in our territory on the Cape Charles
Peninsula in Accomac County. The description of the
former species will answer equally as well for this form,
though the nest construction and material used varies
somewhat.
SUBGENUS DENDROICA.
[652]. Dendroica estiva cestiva (Gmelin). Yellow
Warbler.
Rayer.—North and South America. Breeds from
Hnudsonian through Upper Austral zone in North America
east of Alaska and the Pacific slope from tree limit south
to Nevada, northern New Mexico, southern Missouri, and
northern South Carolina; winters from Yueatan to
Guiana, Brazil, and Peru.
A most common bird, but not as much so as the two
following species: Yellow-throated and Pine warblers.
During the spring migration northward it arrives about
April 10th to 16th. During this flight it can be seen
even on the shade trees of our city streets and door yard
trees and shrubbery, thus making it fairly well known
to the average person. It is a more common breeder
further inland and nearer our northern limit than around
Hampton Roads vicinity and the coastal regions, though
distributed sparingly, but about evenly, over Tidewater
area. The nest is a most compact and well-woven affair
of fine grasses and plant down, lined with plant down
or hair. Little preference seems to be given as to its loca-
tion, from a low bush and an upright crotch, to a
290 THE BIRDS
horizontal limb of a tree being used, from four to ten feet
up. Eggs number four, a dull glossy-white, profusely
specked with brown or lilac over the entire surface.
Fresh eggs May 15th to June 15th. Size, .65x.50. Only
one brood a season is raised with us, though further north
they undoubtedly raise two broods. The southward
migration is at its height the middle of August. Their
food consists of worms, caterpillars, grubs, beetles, and
moths, gathered from the foliage, thus making them a very
beneficial bird.
[654-A]. Dendroica cerulescens cairnsi (Coues).
Cairns’s Warbler.
Ranee.——Breeds in Canadian and Transition zones in
the southern Alleghenies from Maryland to Georgia; win-
ters in the West Indies.
In North Carolina, where similar conditions exist as
in many of our higher altitudes, this warbler has been
found breeding extensively. The handsomest series of
eggs I have ever seen, and probably in existence, is in the
collection of Mr. J. Parker Norris, of Philadelphia, who
prizes them most highly. Professor Smyth does not re-
port them at Blacksburg, nor did my father find any evi-
dence of them at Goshen, Hot Springs, or Harrisonburg.
This form is a subspecies of the Black-throated Blue
Warbler (Dendrioca czrulescens), that being a more
northern form, and from which they differ onlv slightly.
The nest is placed in close proximity to the ground, of fine
moss and leaf skeletons, rootlets, strips of bark, and lined
with fine black grasses or hair. The eggs number three
OF VIRGINIA 291
to four, a creamy white, spotted with light brown (occa-
sionally black specks), and fainter markings of lavender.
Size of eggs, .65x.48. Their food probably differs little
from the insect food taken by the other warblers, such as
the Chestnut-sided and Blue-winged. I found them plen-
tiful at Mountain Lake, Giles County, where they were
nesting in low bushes near the tops of the ridges, altitude
about 4,000 feet. Fresh eggs June 5th to 15th. Only
one brood a season. Many nests were found in low
rhododendrons June 20, all with young.
[657]. Dendroica magnolia (Wilson). Magnolia
Warbler.
Ranere.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Cana-
dian and Upper Transition zones from southwestern Mac-
kenzie (casually Great Bear Lake), southern Keewatin,
northern Quebec, and Newfoundland south to central Al-
berta, southern Saskatchewan, Minnesota, northern Michi-
gan and northern Massachusetts, and in the mountains of
Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and
New York; winters from southern Mexico (Puebla and
Chiapas) to Panama, and also rarely in Haiti and Porto,
Rico; in migration west to base of the Rocky Mountains;
casual in California, British Columbia, the Bahamas and
Cuba.
In the vicinity of Blacksburg these birds are reported
“common on May 8th to 13th, and again in the fall Sep-
tember 10th to October 9th,” though Professor Smyth
does not list them as breeding birds with him there. These
are, of course, migratory birds in that section, but I found
292 THE BIRDS
them breeding sparingly in our Canadian zone near Moun-
tain Lake. They are a bird of the intermediate foliage
also, placing their nests from five to thirty-five feet above
ground, usually in some conifer bush or tree, composing
it of twigs, fine rootlets and grasses, lined with fine black
rootlets. The eggs, numbering four usually, are laid about
June ist. They are a dull white, finely spotted with a
light reddish-brown, and fainter markings of lavender.
Size, .64x.49. A few migrate through Tidewater Vir-
ginia about May ist to 5th; also again the first week in
September. The insects taken by our breeding birds can
not be taken as any great factor in their decrease, though
the migratory birds undoubtedly play a greater part in
helping to keep many in check.
OF VIRGINIA 293
HYPOTHETICAL.
[658]. Dendroica cerulea (Wilson). Cerulean Warbler.
Raner.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds mainly in Austral zones from southeast-
ern Nebraska, southeastern Minnesota, southern Michi-
gan, southern Ontario, western New York, western Penn-
svlvania, and West Virginia south to northeastern Texas,
Louisiana, and central Alabama, and locally in western
North Carolina, western Virginia, eastern Maryland, and
central Delaware; winters from Panama to Peru; in mi-
gration stragegles to New Mexico, Colorado, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania;
casual in Cuba and the Bahamas.
The last week in April, to May 1st, finds these warblers
migrating northward through our mountain region, feed-
ing in the higher tree tops, which altitude they prefer,
even when nesting. Professor Smyth reports it as rare
at Blacksburg May Ist and 2nd. Swampy spots or low-
lands, with high trees, are favorite places for them to se-
lect for nesting sites, all nests in my collection having
been taken from thirty-five feet and over, above ground.
The nests are placed near the extremity of the limbs, a
compact structure of rootlets, bark fiber and fine bark,
lined with finer material. The eggs number three to four,
the white ground having a greenish tint, specked and spot-
ted with dark brown, and fainter markings of lilac. Size,
.65x.50. Their food is similar to that of the Redstart,
Yellow-throated, and other warblers of the higher foliage.
I did not find them breeding at Mountain Lake, but I have
no doubt but that they bread sparingly all along the Alle-
gheny Ridge.
294 THE BIRDS
[659]. Dendroica pensylvanica (Linneus). Chestnut-
sided Warbler.
Ranee.—Eastern North America. Breeds mainly in
Transition zone from central Saskatchewan, northwestern
Manitoba, central Ontario, and Newfoundland south to
eastern Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, northern Ohio,
northern New Jersey, and Rhode Island, and south in the
Alleghenies to Tennessee and South Carolina, and
casually in southern Missouri and the Wabash Valley;
winters from Guatemala to Panama; in migration casual
in Florida, the Bahamas, and southern Mexico.
This is a fairly common warbler in our inland section,
especially during the migrations. Professor Smyth
reports them as “breeding at Blacksburg May 23rd,” while
it is common all along our mountains the last of April
and first week in May, migrating southward again in
early September. They are a bird of the lower foliage,
preferring the scrubby second growth, lower branches and
bushes, from which they gather their food of insects,
caterpillars, ants and worms. The nest is placed in an
upright crotch of a bush, or thick clump of weeds, from
eighteen inches to three feet above ground, composed of
dry weed stems, grasses, plant fiber and down, lined with
fine grasses. The eggs number four, a dull white, specked
and blotched with dark brown. Size, .66x.52. Fresh
eges May 20th to June 5th. This warbler of the lower
foliage is one of the many imposed upon by the Cowbird
when depositing eggs. (See Cowbird 495.) I found them
breeding very abundantly in Giles County, June 5th to
15th, where the nests were placed in blackberry bushes,
two to three and a half feet up.
OF VIRGINIA 295
[662]. Dendroica fusca (Miller). Blackburnian
Warbler.
Ranere.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Lower Canadian and Upper Tran-
sition zones from Manitoba, southern Keewatin, central
Ontario, Quebee and Cape Breton Island to central Minne-
sota, Wisconsin, northern Michigan, Massachusetts, and
Connecticut, and in the Alleghenies from Pennsylvania to
Georgia and South Carolina; winters from Colombia to
central Peru and less commonly north to Yucatan; in
migration to Nebraska, Texas, and Kansas, straggling to
Utah, New Mexico and the Bahamas.
Like all the warblers (except a few Pine), they do not
winter with us, arriving in Tidewater Virginia from the
south about May 2nd to 8th, and again in the fall August
15th to October ist. Professor Smyth reports it “at
Blacksburg as rare May 2nd-14th; but common through-
out September.” They are a breeding bird with us in the
Canadian zone only. They select generally coniferous
trees, placing their nests near the extremity of the limbs,
and at the highest possible elevation. The nest is com-
posed of weed and grass stems, fine rootlets and bark
fibers, lined with hair. The eggs number four, the ground
having a bluish tint, spotted and finely specked with red-
dish-brown, with under-markings of lavender. Size of
eggs, .69x.50. The birds are the handsomest of all our
mountain warblers, distinctive on account of the brilliant
spot on head and throat, of orange. Their food is similar
to that of the other warblers of our higher foliage. I
found them breeding abundantly at Mountain Lake,
altitude 4,000 feet, where they placed their nests in the
balsams bordering the lake, and other ravines having these
stately trees in them. Birds were first noted May 18th.
Only one brood a season.
296 THE BIRDS
[663]. Dendroica dominica dominica (Linneus).
Yellow-throated Warbler.
Rance.—Eastern North America. Breeds mainly in
Austroriparian zone from southern Maryland and central
Delaware to middle Florida; winters in southern Florida,
Bahamas, and Greater Antilles, and also casually north to
South Carolina and in the Lesser Antilles; in migration
casually to New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
This bird has long been a puzzle to me, as I generally
mistook it at a distance in the tree tops for the Pine
Warbler. It was not until the season of 1910 and 1911
that this breeding bird was firmly established on my list.
\ bird of the pine tree tops, with habits not unlike that
of the Pine Warbler, it was not strange that I should fail
to locate them, although their song could easily be dis-
tinguished after getting them separated once. The nests
are placed on the extremity of a horizontal limb of a pine,
from 20 to 50 feet up, of strips of bark, grasses, weed
stems, and lined with hair and sometimes feathers. Eggs
three to four, a dull greenish-white, spotted, specked or
blotehed with reddish-brown and gray, mostly on the
larger end. Size, .70x.51. Fresh eggs April 7th to 30th,
sometimes a second brood. They arrive as early as March
20th and depart the latter part of July. On April 2nd,
1911, I had a handsome male come into my house,
attracted to the front door by the hall light, which, when
opened, admitted the bird to the room. It is practically
impossible to find the nest unless one watches the bird
building, or with young, so well hidden is it by the bunches
of green needles and cones. They are shy birds and will
be seldom, if ever, seen, except by those actively engaged
in ornithological work. Their food consists of insects,
larvee, beetles, and caterpillars, gathered principally from
the pine trees.
OF VIRGINIA 297
[667]. Dendroica virens (Ginelin). Black-throated
Green Warbler.
Rayexz.—North America. Breeds in Lower Canadian
and Transition zones from west central and northeastern
Alberta, southern Manitoba, central Ontario, northeastern
Quebec, and Newfoundland south to southern Minnesota,
southern Wisconsin, northern Ohio, northern New Jersey,
Connecticut, and Long Island, New York, and in the
Alleghenies south to South Carolina and Georgia; in
migration west to eastern Texas; winters in Mexico
(Nuevo Leon to Chiapas and Yucatan), Guatemala, Costa
Rica, and Panama; occasional in West Indies; acci-
dental in Arizona, Greenland and Europe.
April 25th finds these birds passing through Tidewater
Virginia, and again, moving southward the middle of
September and until October 15th. Professor Smyth also
reports them at Blacksburg about the same time in the
spring, and July immature birds as “possible residents.”
Like the Blackburnian and Cerulean Warblers, they are
birds of the coniferous forests, and as a rule build in
such trees. The nest is placed from eight to forty feet
up, a neat structure of pine needles, bark fiber and rootlets,
and lined with hair and sometimes feathers. The eggs
number four to five, usually four; a creamy ground,
spotted and specked with dark brown, and minute black
specks, with fainter undermarkings of lilac, forming a
wreath around the larger end. Size, .64x.50. Fresh eggs
May 30th till June 15th. Their food consists of larve,
spiders, flies, beetles and other insects, taken from the
foliage of the trees.
THE BIRDS
298
gE AUTHOR.
PHOTO BY TH
HOME OF THE PINE WARBLER.
OF VIRGINIA 299
[671]. Dendroica vigorsi (sbudubon). Pine Warbler,
[Pine Creeper].
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Tran-
sition and Austral zones from northern Manitoba, northern
Michigan, southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and New
Brunswick south to east central Texas, the Gulf States,
and Florida; winters from southern [linois and coast of
Virginia to Florida, eastern Texas, and Tamaulipas, and
easually north to Massachusetts; occasional in Bermuda;
accidental in British Columbia.
Many birds winter with us; these I judge to be the
first to lay. This is our first migratory warbler to arrive
from the south, and the first to nest. March 13th finds
them with us and in song, while those that intend breed-
ing commence nest building almost at once. Non-resident
birds, though, are in full migration up to, and during, the
latter part of April. As fully feathered young in nests
have been found on the 7th of April, some birds must
be laying by March 15th or 18th. Weather conditions
seem to have little effect on their breeding time, although
many uests are blown down by the high winds during
the first part of April. Tall pine trees are invariably
selected, the nest either placed on a horizontal limb among
the cones, or in an upright crotch near the top amongst
the cones. So well concealed is the nest that even after
secing the bird fly to it one can not see the nest proper.
Of course there are exceptions to all cases, and I have
found them saddled on a lower limb of a pine, ten feet.
up, without protection of any kind. The song is not
unlike that of the Chipping Sparrow, though much softer
and sweeter, and this cause alone kept them from closer
300 THE BIRDS
PuHoTO BY F. N. Irvine.
HOME OF THE PRAIRIE WARBLER.
OF VIRGINIA 301
observations during a number of years with me. Color
protection is well demonstrated hy the material used in
the coustruction of their nests. Small pine needles, fine
bits and strips of bark, and fine rootlets and some plant
fibers form the aenertil structural part, with a lining of
very fine grasses; occasionally some feathers. Four
eggs is a complete set. Size, .68x.52. Eggs dull white,
spotted and blotched with a dull lilac, brown, or reddish,
mostly on the larger end and forming a wreath. Fresh
eges from March 15th to April 10th. Occasionally a
second setting, May 20th. As the severe storms and cold
spells of April blow out and destroy many nests and
young, the birds naturally lay again, thus extending the
breeding period over considerable time. One, therefore,
finds voung birds of all ages, nests with Prope egos, and
partly finished nests, from the last of March well into
June. They feed at long distances from the nest, and
it is only by uninterrupted following and watching of
the female until she flies to the nest, that makes its loca-
tion possible. Even after finding it, it may be many feet
beyond reach, and it was only by constructing a device
on the end of an eight-foot pole that I managed to collect
a good series. They are abundantly distributed over
Tidewater, even to the islands off our coast, where pine
timber still stands. Their food consists of larve, moths,
caterpillars, and various insects of the pine foliage.
[673]. Dendroica discolor (Vieillot). Prairie Warbler,
Raner.—Eastern United States and West Indies.
Breeds chiefly in Carolinian and Austroriparian zones
from southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, southern
Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey,
302 THE BIRDS
and (along the coast) from Massachusetts south to south-
western Missouri, northern Mississippi, northwestern
Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas, and north locally to
central Michigan, southern Ontario, and New Hampshire;
breeds rarely and locally in the Gulf States; winters from
central Florida through the Bahamas and the West Indies.
This warbler arrives from the south the second week
in April, and by the first week in May they are common.
Those remaining to breed usually start their nests by
the end of the first week in May. It is one of our most
common warblers and a good songster until the young are
hatched, when both birds are kept busy procuring food,
especially should there be in the nest an extra husky young
of the Cowbird. These warblers’ nests seem especially
suited for the depository for a Cowbird’s egg, few early
sets being without at least one in this section. I have
found it a rule with these warblers, that when the Cow-
bird’s egg is deposited before a second warbler egg is laid,
or two Cowbird eggs in an incomplete set of two or less
warblers, the nest is invariably deserted. The earliness
or lateness of the season has much to do with the location
of their nests. Late springs, when the foliage is retarded
and little shelter or protection is given the nest, it is
invariably placed in a clump of holly serub, or wax
myrtle, whose foliage remains green throughout the entire
winter. Sometimes I have found them in a small sapling
cedar, placed near the trunk and ten feet from the ground,
other times equally as high or higher, on a horizontal
limb of a tree on the edge of a clearing. The second-
erowth scrub of clearing, or low bushes on the edge of
woods is, however, their favorite nesting haunt, few of
such places being without one or more pair of these
warblers. The nests are handsome affairs in most cases,
OF VIRGINIA 303
o ae
Puoto By C. F. Sronp.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE OVENBIRD.
304 THE BIRDS
and well made, placed from four to twelve feet up, com-
posed of plant down and fiber, fine grasses, dry leaves,
and leaf stems, and spider-webs, lined in most cases with
a light yellow fine grass. Eggs number four, ground
white or creamish-white when fresh, spotted and blotched
with reddish-brown or lilac, the majority of which is
toward the larger end, often in the shape of a wreath.
The female is not a close sitter, seldom allowing a nearer
approach than four or five feet. Fresh eges May 13th
to 29th. Size, .64x.48. Occasionally a second setting
and young are raised. They are abundant breeders over
most of our area, the wooded islands off our coast having
a goodly number of breeding pairs. The nests from Hog
Island are particularly handsome, the birds using sheep
wool in the construction. They migrate southward about
August Ist to 4th, and as their food consists of caterpillars,
larvee, moths, worms, and insects, they must be classed as
highly beneficial birds. The nests on Hog Island are now
placed near the tops of myrtle bushes, in thick clumps,
owing, no doubt, to the large number of hogs there, which
cat all the homes of the lower-building species. It seems
strange to flush a female from her nest when she drops
to the ground (sometimes fifteen feet), and uses all the
artifices of a eround-breeding species to entice one away.
GENUs SEIURUS.
[674]. Seiurus aurocapillus (Linneus). Oven-bird.
Rayer.—North America. Breeds in Canadian, Tran-
sition, and Upper Austral zones from southwestern Mac-
kenzie (casually the lower Yukon Valley), northern
Ontario, southern Ungava, and Newfoundland south to
OF VIRGINIA 305
central Alberta, Colorado, Kansas, southern Missouri,
Ohio Valley, Virginia, in mountains to Georgia and
South Carolina, and east to the Atlantic coast from Nova
Scotia to North Carolina; winters from central Florida
(casually South Carolina) and the islands on the
Louisiana coast through the Bahamas and West Indies
to St. Thomas, and from Nuevo Leon to Colombia; casual
at Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
This bird of the woods entirely, is common over our
whole State, and ranks as one of our best songsters. It
is rather a shy bird except during nesting time, when
they become quite fearless should you happen to be close
to their nest. The broken-wing habit is practiced by
these birds when trying to entice vou from their abodes,
which are placed on the ground amongst the dry leaves,
arched over so as to almost completely hide the entrance
from the side, and from the front except when on a level
with it. On the side of a hill or slight raise of ground is
their preference for a nesting site, the nest being composed
of drv leaves and pine needles, lined with fine grasses.
The eggs number from four to five, a glossy-white, specked
and blotehed with reddish-brown and lilac, most of which
is on the larger end or in the form of a wreath. Fresh
egos May Sth to 25th. Size, .80x.60. We find them
plentiful over our whole area, increasing as we go further
inland. They arrive with us from the south about April
10th, and their loud song, as it resounds through the
woods, makes their presence known as soon as they arrive.
They prefer to be near a small woodland stream or over-
flow from a spring, in which they delight to bathe. They
leave us for the south about August 8th, and during their
sojourn with us, generally raise two broods. Their food
306 | THE BIRDS
NEST AND EGGS OF THE WATER-THRUSH.
OF VIRGINIA 307
consists of beetles, moths, worms, caterpillars, and other
insects gathered from the ground and low foliage, thus
comparing favorably with the good done higher up by the
Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers.
[G76]. Seiurus motacilla (Vieilot). Louisiana
Water-thrush.
Ranex.—Eastern United States to South America.
Breeds mainly in Carolinian zone from southeastern
Nebraska, southeastern Minnesota, and the southern parts
of Michigan, Ontario, New York, and New England
south to northeastern Texas, northern Georgia, and
central South Carolina; winters from northern Mexico
to Colombia, the Greater Antilles, Antigua, and the
Bahamas; accidental in California.
We have long suspected that this bird was a regular
breeder in this section, though not a common one. It
was not until the year of 1910 that we had positive
proof of it; by finding a nest at the foot of a tree
on the bank of a lake, containing four eggs, well advanced
in incubation. The nest was well concealed, like that of
the former species, the bird when flushing disclosing: it.
The nest was composed of pine needles, dry leaves, and
lined with fine grass and rootlets. Eggs white, slightly
glossy, well spotted and blotched with chestnut. Size,
.76x.61. Migrants pass northward in large numbers
about April 6th, those remaining to breed having eges by
May ist. They are easily distinguished from the former
species by the manner in which they constantly move
their tail up and down, similar to the Spotted Sandpiper.
They love the damp, moist woodland, and are seldom
308 THE BIRDS
Puoro py T. H. Jackson.
NEST OF THE KENTUCKY WARBLER.
OF VIRGINIA 309
found far from water, around the edges of which they
procure most of their food, consisting of grubs, larve,
beetles, and insects of numerous families. They leave
for the south the last week in July, and I think, hardly
rear more than one brood with us. i\s we go northward
they become more numerous, also as we go further inland
from the coast. They undoubtedly do much good by
destroying many noxious insects.
GENUS OPORORNIS.
[677]. Oporornis formosus (Wilson). Kentuchy
Warbler.
Ranee.—Eastern United States to northern South
America. Breeds in Carolinian and Austroriparian zones
from southeastern Nebraska, southern Wisconsin, south-
eastern and southwestern Pennsylvania, and the Hudson
Valley south to eastern Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and
northern Georgia; winters from Tabasco, Campeche, and
Chiapas through Central America to Colombia; acci-
dental in Vermont and Cuba.
I would not call this a common bird of residence, nor
does it remain throughout the winter. Its favorite haunts
and nesting sites seem to be at the head of, or along the
side of, some wooded ravine with running water or wet
ground in it. The borders of ponds and lakes also appeal
to them. The nest is rather a bulky affair for a warbler,
composed of dry leaves and pine needles, lined with fine
rootlets, straws, and sometimes a few hairs. Especially
well concealed is the nest, on, or very near, the ground
amongst bushes, weeds, or ferns. Four to five eggs is a
310 THE BIRDS
Puoto By C. F. STONE.
HOME OF THE MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT.
OF VIRGINIA 311
complete set. Fresh eges may be found from May 10th
to 20th. The eges are white, the entire surface sparingly
specked with reddish-brown and purple. Sets show a
decided difference in markings and coloring, one set in
particular in mv collection having a handsome wreath
around the larger end. Size of eggs, .70x.55. They
arrive the last days of April, and soon commence inhabit-
ing the fern-covered banks so suited to their retiring habits.
They leave us about August 2nd on their migration south-
ward. Their food consists of various insects, worms,
erubs, spiders, moths, ete., found on the ground and low
foliage bordering the wet ground near which they
invariably build.
GENUS GEOTHLYPIS.
[681]. Geothlypis trichas trichas (Linneus). Maryland
Yellow-throat.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Canadian,
Transition, and Upper Austral zones from North Dakota,
northern Minnesota, northern Ontario, and southern
Labrador south to central Texas, northern parts of the
Gulf States, and Virginia (south to Warwick and Princess
Anne counties); winters from North Carolina and
Louisiana to Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica,
Guatemala, and Costa Rica.
As winning the race doesn’t always lie with the swiftest,
go is not the nest of the common bird always the easiest
to find. Surely there are few birds more common in
suitable locations than the Maryland Yellow-throat is
with us, vet sometimes two or three seasons roll by with-
out finding a nest of this species. During all my years
312 THE BIRDS
of collecting, the nests found with eggs can be counted on
one hand, generally with good-sized or full-grown young.
By nature water-loving birds, there is seldom a wet or
swampy place without a pair of them. Especially
common did I find them along the fresh and brackish
waters of the rivers emptying into the Chesapeake Bay,
also on the islands off our coast. There is no mistaking
the bird after hearing his ‘Witchery, witchery, witchery,”
even though we don’t see him, for he keeps close to the
ground and long grass. The nests are composed of grass
and flag blades, lined with fine grasses or hair, located
at the foot of a bush or in the grass and weeds, and on
the ground, not far from water. Eggs generally number
four, white, specked with reddish-brown. Size, .70x.52.
May 14th to 18th we find fresh eggs. The nests are more
easily found on Hog Island than anywhere else in our
section, the birds being very abundant there. They
reach us April 6th to 12th and depart about August 18th,
the more northern birds passing through shortly, and on
until September 25th, which is my latest record. They
probably rear two broods with us, though I can not state
so positively. Their food consists of spiders, larvee, grubs,
beetles, and other insects. We find them abundant over
most of the State.
[681-B]. Geothlypis trichas ignota (Chapman).
Florida Yellow-throat.
Rance.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Austroriparian zone from southeastern Virginia (Princess
Anne County and Dismal Swamp), south to Florida and
along the Gulf coast at least to Louisiana; winters from
the coast of South Carolina to southeastern Texas and
Cuba.
OF VIRGINIA 313
This is a subspecies of the former bird, overlapping
in its breeding range with that species in our area from
Cape Henry southward. It is most eommon in the Dismal
Swamp region, and around Back Bay and Currituck
Sound; a natural habitat is the high marsh grass, flags,
and cane brakes. As it will take a specialist in speciation
to identify these birds and eggs from the former species,
the notes given with that form will apply equally as well
to this bird.
GENuUs ICTERIA.
[683]. Icteria virens virens (Linneus). Yellow-
breasted Chat.
Rayce.—Eastern North America. Breeds mainly in
Upper and Lower Austral zones from southern Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, central New York, and
southern New England south to southeastern Texas,
southern parts of Gulf States, and northern Florida;
winters from Puebla, Vera Cruz, and Yucatan to Costa
Rica; casual in Maine.
He rises from a clump of bushes, flapping his wings
lke a hawk over its prey, his tail moving in jerks as he
ascends, all the while whistling or mocking. Thus we
become acquainted the easiest way with the Chat; truly
he is a mocking bird also, but not equal to the original
(Minus polyglottos polyglottos). A common bird here
with us, they arrive from the south about April 18th, as
they do not remain throughout the winter. Every
suitable clump of bushes, or field with second growth in
it, has as its tenants a pair or two of these birds. Twice
only have I heard these birds sing at night, once during
314 THE BIRDS
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
NEST OF THE HOODED WARBLER.
OF VIRGINIA 315
1910, and once in 1909. The nights were those still,
wari, beautiful moonlight nights, seldom found except
in the far south or tropies. I sat at my desk writing,
and through the open windows came that clear, beautiful
whistle, ending by their peculiar note or squawk. This
was during the height of the breeding season, the pair of
birds having a nest with eggs in a mass of vines and
honeysuckle in one of my poultry yards, some two
hundred feet from the house. The nests are rather
loosely made, bulky affairs of dry leaves, weed stems,
grass and strips of bark, lined with fine grasses. Eges
number from three to four, white, with specks and
blotches of brown, lilac and lavender. A series shows a
great variation in color, size and markings. Size, .88x.68.
Fresh eggs from May 15th to June Ist, sometimes a
second setting. Their food consists chiefly of caterpillars,
white larve, and soft-bodied insccts, flies; also numerous
beetles and their eggs are eaten freely. They depart about
August 28th, too soon, I think, for we miss them from a
beneficial standpoint, as well as their pleasant song. We
find them numerous all over our area.
GENUS WILSONIA.
[684]. Welsonta citrina (Boddaert). Hooded Warbler.
Raneor.—Eastern United States. Breeds in Carolinian
and <Austroriparian zones from southeastern Nebraska,
southern Iowa, southwestern Michigan, central New York,
and the lower Connecticut Valley south to Louisiana,
Alabama, and Georgia; winters from Vera Cruz and
Yueatan to Panama; occasional in the Bahamas, Cuba,
and Jamaica; casual north to Wisconsin, Michigan,
Ontario, and Massachusetts.
316 THE BIRDS
The yellow face and forehead, and the contrasting
black throat, make him truly a beautiful bird; no casual
observer could help but notice these brilliant and pro-
nounced markings. It does not winter with us, arriving
about April 18th, soon after the Maryland Yellow-throat
and Prairie Warblers. Nest building commences early
in May, and fresh sets may be looked for between the
13th and up till June 3rd. Later sets have been found,
though, probably a second setting, caused by the first
one having been disturbed by Cowbirds or other
natural causes. There seems to be a great variation of
material and workmanship used by this species, some
making very handsome nests adorned with feathers, others
a slovenly affair without artistic beauty. Nests are gener-
ally placed in an upright fork of a second-growth bush,
about three to four feet up, and not far from water.
They are composed of strips of fine bark and bark fiber,
spider-webs, bits of dry leaves and grasses, and lined with
fine grasses. Eges number four, white, sparingly marked
with fine spots and blotches of reddish-brown, mostly on
or near the larger end. Size, .70x.50. Their food is
smiliar to that of the preceding species, and they do much
good during their short stay with us. They migrate south-
ward about August 13th. The female sits close during
incubating time, the male working long distances mean-
while in search of food. The young leave the nest quite
early, and are fed continuously by the parents with the
smaller caterpillars, millers, moths, and minute insects.
During this period of about a week, until the young are
able to fly well, the old birds are most tame and solicitous,
coming within a foot or two of one in their effort to
attract you away from their offspring. Thev are dis-
tributed sparingly throughout our section, except
Canadian zone.
OF VIRGINIA 317
[G86]. Wilsonia canadensis (Linneus). Canada
Warbler.
Rance,—KEastern North America. Breeds in the
Canadian zone and casually in the Transition from central
Alberta, southern Keewatin, northern Ontario, northern
Quebec, and Newfoundland south to central Minnesota,
central Michigan, southern Ontario, central New York,
and Massachusetts, and along the Alleghenies to North
Carolina and Tennessee; winters in Ecuador and Peru,
and casually to Guatemala; in migration to eastern
Mexico (Puebla and Tamaulipas) ; casual in Colorado.
May 1st to 5th finds these warblers passing northward,
one of the latest of the warbler family to reach us from
the south. They do not breed with us except in the
highest mountains or Canadian zone, and then not
abundantly. They migrate southward early in September.
Like the Kentucky and Hooded Warblers, they are a bird
of the lower foliage, gathering their food of beetles,
mosquitoes, small caterpillars, flies, grubs, spiders, and
other insects, seldom above fifteen feet, in the breeding
season. The nests are rather bulky affairs, resembling
those of the Kentucky Warbler, of dry leaves, weed stems,
strips of bark, moss, and lined with fine grass, or fine
rootlets. Fresh eggs May 25th to June 5th, four to five
in number, a dull glossy-white, specked and_ blotched,
mostly on the larger end, with reddish-brown, and under-
markings of lavender. Size, .67x.50. Probably only one
brood a season. They are experts at concealing their
nests, placing them on or near the ground, in some thick
clump of ferns, root sprouts, or bank, and usually near
wet or swampy ground. Nesting as they do in such high
318 THE BIRDS
altitude, the food during that period counts for little as
a factor in economic ornithology, but the migratory birds
passing back and forth must prove of much benefit to
us in helping to keep in check many injurious insects. My
father found two beautiful sets of eggs, and I two nests
with young, at Mountain Lake, Giles County, the last
week in May and the latter part of June.
GENUS SETOPHAGA.
[687]. Setophaga ruticilla (Linneus). Redstart.
Raner.—North America and northern South America.
Breeds in Canadian, Transition, and Upper Austral zones
from central British Columbia, west central Mackenzie,
southern Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland
‘to Washington, northern Utah, Colorado, central
Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Carolina; rarely breeds
in the southeastern United States south of latitude 35°;
casual in migration in Oregon, California, Lower Call-
fornia, Arizona, and northern Ungava; winters in the
West Indies and from central Mexico (Puebla) to Ecua-
dor and British Guiana.
This bird has long been a puzzle to me in our section,
knowing as I do that we should find them a breeding bird,
though possibly sparingly, in Tidewater. Large numbers
pass through during the spring migration; April 14th
finds it at its height, and many linger well into May,
leading me to think each season that many will surely
remain and breed. But year after year has gone bv with
no positive evidence of eggs or young birds, only old
nests found in the winter time corresponding favorably
OF VIRGINIA 319
with those in my collection and taken elsewhere, making
me promise to put forth greater efforts the nest season.
Undoubtedly they breed in Northampton and Accomac
counties, while inland they are quite abundant. The
nest is a well-made, compact structure of fine weed stcins,
grasses and bits of bark fiber, lined wth fine grasses or
hair, sometimes feathers. The eggs have a creamy,
grayish-white ground, and are specked, blotched and
spotted with various shades of brown, with undermarkings
of lavender. Size, .57x.49. Fresh egos May 25th to
June 3rd. Only one brood a season. They migrate south-
ward the first week in August. During their sojourn
they are most actively engaged in procuring the staple
warbler food, caterpillars; though they also take many
gnats, flies and winged insects while on the wing, similar
to the smaller flycatchers. The nest is generally placed in
the upright crotch of a low second-growth bush, from
eight to fifteen feet up. Undoubtedly they help to keep
in check many of the harmful insects found;in the wood-
land that would spread to our shade and fruit trees if
unchecked. I did not find them breeding above 3,500 feet
altitude in the mountains.
320 THE BIRDS
FAMILY MIMID/E.—THRASHERS, |
MOCKING BIRDS, ETC.
GENUs MIMUS.
[703]. Mimus polyglottos polyglottos (Linnwus).
Mockingbird.
Raneu.—Southeastern United States, chiefly in Austral
zones, from eastern Nebraska, southern Towa, Ihnois,
Indiana, Ohio, and Maryland, south to eastern Texas,
southern Florida, and the Bahamas, and sparingly to New
York and Massachusetts; accidental in Wisconsin,
Ontario, Maine, and Nova Scotia; introduced in
Bermuda.
Probably the Mockingbird is the best-known bird by
all classes of people of any in the southland, and this
State will prove no exception to the rule. Undoubtedly,
he is our finest songster, and as a mocker of other birds
he has no equal. In this section he remains throughout
the coldest winter, and no matter how severe the weather,
be the sun out ever so little, his cheery notes may be heard.
When singing at his best, during breeding season, his
finest notes are uttered from a lofty perch, and around.
the farm, the house chimney, or weather-vane on the barn,
seems his favorite place. <A cedar tree is generally selected
for a nest location if one be handy, though clumps of
honeysuckle, second-growth holly clumps, and other low
bushes are utilized. The nests are composed of fine
sticks and twigs, dry leaves and rootlets, lined with fine
evasses or rootlets, rather bulky and loosely made, and
OF VIRGINIA 321
placed from two to ten feet from the ground. The eggs
are dull bluish-green, spotted and blotched with reddish-
brown, the blotches heavier on the larger end. Eggs
number from three to four. Size, 1.00x.72. Fresh eggs
between April 25th and May 10th. A number of times,
as I have been sitting at my desk in the study writing,
during the breeding season and a brilliant full moon, have
I heard one of these songsters (presumably the male).
break forth into full song, ofttimes lasting four or five
seconds and repeated once or twice during the evening.
He was perched on or near the top of a lofty cedar tree
in which was located the nest, while the female was
sitting below on a set of eggs. Besides from being an
attractive bird and a fine songster, the Mockingbird
destroys many noxious insects, caterpillars and larve,
while some small fruit, such as grapes and berries, are
taken. This damage, however, is doubly offset by the
great amount of harmful matter destroyed by them.
They also eat lots of the wild grapes, both fox and
muscadine, as well as poke berries and mulberries. In
winter they feed largely on the black-gum, holly, cedar,
and myrtle berries. They are a common bird over Tide-
water, and westward up to 2,200 feet altitude; never yet
have I seen a good farm with cedars, without the Mock-
ingbird.
GENUS DUMETELLA.
[704]. Dumetella carolinensis (Linneus), Catbird.
Rance.—Eastern North America. Breeds mainly in
Transition and Austral zones from central British
Columbia, central Alberta, central Saskatchewan, southern
322 THE BIRDS
Manitoba, central Ontario, southern Quebec, and Nova
Seotia south to northeastern Oregon, northern Utah,
northeastern New Mexico, eastern Texas and northern
Florida; resident in Bermuda; winters from Southern
States to the Bahamas and Cuba and through Mexico to
Panama; casual in winter north to the Middle States;
accidental on the Farallon Islands and in Europe.
This bird is very common over our whole area, but
does not winter with us, arriving about April 4th from
the south. It is generally some weeks before they start
nest building after arrival, during which time every bush
and clump of vines is inspected by them for a suitable.
nesting site, all the while they are mocking or mimicking
notes of some other common species. A second-growth
bush, clump of briars, or honeysuckle, is a favorite loca-
tion, from four to eight feet up. Nest composed of twigs,
bark fiber, and lined with fine rootlets. Sometimes nests
have bits of paper, string and rags as additional nesting
material. Eggs bluish-green, unmarked, three to five in
number. Size, .96x.70. Fresh eggs May 15th to June
1st. Occasionally a second setting. During the berry
season they do quite a little damage to strawberries,
currants, raspberries (both black and red), blackberries
and dewberries, but the good they do around the place
far offsets the harm done. They seem particularly fond
of the wild fox and muscadine grapes in the early fall,
which are nearly ripe just before migration, large numbers
passing southward around September 27th. Their
earliest date of arrival is March 3rd, but this is an
unusual case. Aside from the fruit eaten, they destroy
a large amount of insects and their larve. Like the
Mockingbird, they are very fond of the poke berry, while
they also eat the dogwood and black-gum berries. They
OF VIRGINIA 323
are a sociable bird, and when nesting near one’s house
soon become accustomed to the presence of the inhabitants
at close range. I have have had a pair raise, within twenty
feet of my door, a brood of four, and their second setting
was raised in a new nest within three feet of the first. In
Tidewater a few remain throughout the winter, if mild,
GENUS TOXOSTOMA.
[705]. Toxostoma rufum (Linneus). Brown Thrasher.
[French Mocker. Wood Robin].
Ranex.—Eastern United States. Breeds mainly in
Transition and Austral zones from southern Alberta,
southern Manitoba, northern Michigan, southern Ontario,
southern Quebec, and northern Maine south to eastern
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and northern Florida,
and from base of the Rocky Mountains in Montana,
Wyoming, and Colorado eastward; winters from south-
eastern Missouri and Virginia (James River Peninsula),
to south central Texas, southern Florida, and casually
further north; accidental in Arizona and Europe.
This species was not given as a regular winter resident
in Virginia by the 1910 A. O. U. check list, although it
has always been a regular winter resident during my
sojourn in the State, covering a period of over twenty
years. It is a common breeder, and remains through the
winter, breeding with the earliest of birds. Known to
the residents and negroes as ‘‘Wood Robin”; many are
shot as game on account of their size. They are especially
fend of the wild fox grape and muscadine during the
324 THE BIRDS
fall. The female is a close sitter, especially if the eggs
are incubated a few days, one often being able to almost
touch her before she departs. The nest is a large, bulky
affair, loosely made of twigs, dry leaves and _ rootlets,
lined with fine grasses, placed in a low bush or vines,
from two to ten feet up. Three to four eggs is a complete
set, though one set of five eggs during the twenty years
collecting is a record set in this locality. April 20th to
May 15th finds fresh eggs. Occasionally a second brood.
Eggs grayish-white, spotted over entirely with reddish-
brown. Size, 1.05x.80. Few series of eggs show a more
yaried marking or coloring than those of this species.
They take a few cultivated berries from the patches, but
one generally finds them scratching in the dry leaves, after
the manner of chickens, for insects and their larve. Dur-
ing the time young are in the nest, they are constantly on
the move procuring all kinds of food, caterpillars and
worms at this time being the greater part of it. While
not as sociable as the two former species, the Thrasher can
always be found near the farm buildings. When dusting
themselves in the dry summer dusty road, they fluff up
their feathers to such an extent, and raise such a small
cloud of dust, that they look twice their natural size;
often have I mistaken them thus for the Bobwhite. They
are a common bird over our entire section.
OF VIRGINIA 325
FAMILY TROGLODYTID/E.—WRENS.
GENUS THRYOTHORUS.
[718]. Phryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus
(Latham). Carolina Wren.
Easter United States. Breeds in Carolinian
and .Austroriparian zones from southeastern Nebraska,
southern Iowa, Ohio, southern Pennsylvania, and lower
Hudson and Connecticut Valleys south to central Texas
(western Texas in winter), Gulf States, and northern
Florida; casual north to Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
RANGE.
Winter or summer, hot or cold, it’s “Cheerily, cheerilv”
with the Carolina Wren. Nothing seems to affect him,
not even when the saucy little House Wren rolls the eggs
out of his nest; off he goes and builds another. Around
the farm house and outbuildings he seems most at home;
the wood pile with its ever-present store of insects and
worms is his paradise. They nest anywhere, in a fruit
basket, can of nails, over the window sash, on a narrow
ledge, or on the sill under the barn, in racked-up wood,
and a dozen other places one would never expect them to.
Away from the outbuildings it’s another matter to find
a nest, under a brush pile, in a fallen hollow limb of a
tree or small log, upturned roots, or a decaved cavity in
a stump—all are their favorite places. In the woods if
vou find a nest just completed and don’t touch it or go
within a foot or two of it, nine hundred and ninety-nine
times out of a thousand they desert it. Around the farm
buildings it’s different; he may be over the door that is
326 THE BIRDS
in use a dozen times a day—he doesn’t mind you. The
nest is slightly arched over, composed of leaves, bark
fiber, fine grasses, pine needles; lined with finer rootlets,
bark fiber or very fine grasses or hair. Four to five eggs
is a complete set; from April 15th to May Ist is an
average date; June 15th for a second set. An exception
was a batch of young just able to fly the first week in
January; raised inside an old sawmill building, the
entrance through a broken pane of glass. They remain
the year round with us. Eggs white, spotted and
blotched with reddish-brown and purplish, becoming more
numerous toward the larger end. Size, .74x.58. I know
of no more cheerful bird to have around one’s dwelling,
for he is always singng, both winter and summer. There
are few more inquisitive birds than this wren; mouse,
rat and steel traps luring them to destruction. I have
also found a dead one in a box rabbit trap or hare gum,
while I have had them enter the open window of my
house in the summer time. As thev are thus around the
premises the entire year, the amount of spiders, wasps
and flies gathered in the outbuildings, as well as numerous
insects and their eggs and larvee, amounts to considerable.
The borers in dead trees or racked-up cord wood, are
choice morsels for these birds. One can not fail but to
identify this noisy, energetic wren, seldom seen with his
tail at any position but at right angles to his back, except
when pouring forth his song, when it is pointing down-
ward at a thirty degree angle. Some winters many are
frozen out, but they seem to recover in numbers rapidly.
They are evenly and abundantly distributed over our
whole area.
OF VIRGINIA 327
GENUS THRYOMANES.
[719]. Thryomanes bewicki bewichi (Audubon).
Bewick’s Wren.
Ranexr.—Eastern United States. Breeds chiefly in
Carolinian zone from southeastern Nebraska, northern
Illinois, southern Michigan, and south central Penn-
sylvania south to central Arkansas, northern Mississippi,
central Alabama (accidental in southeastern Virginia,
Warwick County), and along the Alleghenian highlands
to northern South Carolina; winters from near the
northern limit of its range southward to the Gulf Coast
and Florida; accidental in Ontario and New Hampshire.
This is not a common resident bird, although during
the years of 1891-189-L, a number of sets were taken,
along with a parent bird, a female, so as to be sure of
identification. All the nests that were found, though,
were in a small area, and within a short distance of each
other, a number of small apple trees near the bank of
the James River being their favorite spot. It was not
hard to locate these little fellows in the holes of the trees,
but quite another matter to reach them. One year there
were two pair, the other three seasons only one, and I
am inclined to think it was the same pair returning each
year. The old apple trees passed from sight, and with
them those wrens, nor have I found any in this section
since then. Five to six eggs is a full set. The nest is
composed of fine twigs, dry grass, and lined with feathers.
A close comparison with the eggs of “aédon” show a de-
cided difference both in color and size. May 12th to 28th,
fresh eggs. The ground color is white, entirely covered
with reddish-brown spots, more numerous toward the
328 THE BIRDS
larger end, where they form a complete ring or band,
though not as heavy as the House Wren. Size, .66x.52.
While they breed further inland these are my only records
for Tidewater. Their food undoubtedly differs little
from that of the House Wren, and they probably migrate
about the same time. They are an erratic bird through-
out their range, often a number of years passing by with-
out their returning to their regular breeding ground;
possibly some year we may find them again with us in
Tidewater. In our western part I found them breeding
up to +,500 feet altitude.
GENUS TROGLODYTES.
[721]. Troglodytes aédon aédon (Vierllot). House
Wren.
[Jenny Wren].
Rayex.—Eastern North America. Breeds chiefly in
Transition and Upper Austral zones from eastern Wiscon-
sin, Michigan, central Ontario, southern Quebec, and New
Brunswick south to Kentucky and Virginia; winters in
eastern Texas and Tamaulipas, and in the South .Atlantic
and Gulf states.
The House Wren will have to draw straws with the
Carolina Wren to find out which is the most common
summer resident here; sometimes I think one, sometimes
the other. The House Wren does not winter with us,
though, arriving about April 8th and leaving about
August 18th, according to the lateness of the last brood.
As soon as he arrives he sets about finding a suitable
hollow, box, tin can, or dozen other localities resorted
OF VIRGINIA 329
to by this saucy little fellow. Nest building commences
shortly, and by April 20th to 25th a full set of eggs can
generally be found. In the curry-comb box in the barn,
an old horse blanket, scare crow, and a shoe are unusual
places occupied by these birds on my farm. May 3rd
finds sets, fresh and incubated, located in previous-year
woodpecker holes in dead pine trees, bordering salt water.
Second sets similarly located were found numerous June
27th. Three broods were raised to my knowledge on
my place, the season of 1911. The nest consists of fine
twigs, lined with horse hair, feathers, fur, or numerous
other soft material as locality offers, placed in any of
the numerous above-mentioned locations. Eggs number
from five to seven. Of pugnacious disposition, he drives
the Carolina Wrens and Bluebirds out of any can or box
he desires to occupy, or away from his nesting site, often
rolling the eggs from the Carolinas’ nest out and causing
them to be broken, thus breaking up their home. A
pair of House Wrens repeated this act each morning after
the Carolina Wren had laid, for four consecutive morn-
ings, the House Wren being on a box in the back of the
outbuilding and the Carolina Wren over the window sill
inside. One season three pairs breeding within the vard
completely drove away the Carolina Wrens from the out-
buildings and wood pile, nor did they return until after
the last House Wren had left. Eggs a creamy-white,
spotted minutely with light reddish-brown, a much darker
shade on the larger end, generally forming a wide ring
or band. Size, .65x.52. They are abundantly distributed
over our whole area. The amount of food gathered dur-
ing the rearing of their two or three broods with us, is
appalling, one or the other parent birds making a trip
to the nest with food on the average of every three minutes
during daylight. One can naturally see that at this rate
330 THE BIRDS
HOME OF THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.
OF VIRGINIA 331
they are one of our best friends in keeping down the
smaller caterpillars, worms, small millers and insects of
numerous kinds. Their song is a most pleasing one, but
when uttered continuously in close proximity to a person,
as they must do when building in and around our
residences, it becomes very monotonous. Taking them as
a whole they are a very sociable and welcome breeding bird.
GENUS NANNUS.
[722]. Nannus hiemalis hiemalis (Vieillot). Winter
Wren.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Canadian
zone from central Alberta, southern Manitoba, northern
Ontario, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland south to
central Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, central Michigan,
and Massachusetts, and through the Alleghenies to North
Carolina; winters from about its southern breeding limit
to Texas and northern Florida.
The Canadian zone of our mountains is the summer
home of this wren, but during the fall and spring, the
middle of April, and again during October, a few may be
found in the lower altitudes. They are the smallest and
most seclusive of any of the species of wren we have with
us, and it is improbable if but few of our inhabitants
will ever come in direct contact with them, keeping as
they do in the dense undergrowth, and close to the ground.
They breed in Giles, Grayson, and Washington counties;
probably others in Alleghenian Range. They have also
been taken in the mountains of North Carolina by
Mr. William Brewster. The nests are not unlike those
23%
222 THE BIRDS
of the House Wren, a compact structure of fine twigs,
roots, leaves or moss, lined with feathers and fur, placed
in some crevice of a tree trunk, upturned roots, overhang-
ing bank, or under a slightly elevated log, but always in
close proximity to the ground. Frequenting as they do the
uninhabited or uncultivated areas, the food gathered by
these birds, which differs little from that of the Bewick’s
and House Wren’s, can not play any great part in our
economic ornithology. The eggs, which are laid the latter
part of May, are glossy-white, sparingly specked with
dark brown. Five to seven eggs is a full set. Size,
.65x.50. Possibly two broods are reared with us a season.
GENUS TELMATODYTES.
[725]. Telmatodytes palustris palustris (Wilson).
Long-billed Marsh Wren.
Ranex.—Eastern United States. Breeds in Tran-
sition and Upper Austral zones from southern Ontario
and southern Quebec south to the Potomac Valley and
coast of Virginia; winters from southern New Jersey to
South Carolina and casually to Florida; casual in New
Brunswick.
No salt or brackish marsh seems complete without
him, although I find it a more common breeder on the
west side of the Chesapeake Bay than the Eastern Shore.
Also a common breeder along Back Bay and Currituck
Sound. With an early spring, eggs have been found as
early as April 25th, but from May 15th till June 30th
one can always find fresh sets of eggs. Many dummy
nests are made, about one in every three being occupied.
OF VIRGINIA 335
The nests are placed in the long marsh grass, cat-tails,
or tules, and occasionally a low bush, between three to
four feet above ground or water, as case may be. Six
eggs is a large set for this section, five being the general
average. Nests are composed of coarse marsh grass and
blades, lined with plant down, cat-tail fur and fine
grasses; an oval affair with a little round hole entrance,
generally on the southern side. Color of eggs varies from
a pale to a dark chocolate; spotted and blotched with a
darker shade. Some sets have the entire larger end almost
entirely covered with a darker color. Size, .64x.48,
These birds do not winter with us, arriving about April
10th, and departing southward the first week in
September. The heads of the creeks and smaller streams
afford ideal nesting sites for these birds, the tall salt
marsh grass bordering the edges affording protection for
both nests and the birds, when feeding. During the
height of the tides they feed on the insects found in the
taller grass, but during low tide they feed on the muddy
tide flat and bottom of the grass stems, where all sorts of
marine life is secured. They are constantly singing while
at work, and, as many homes are located near to these
salt water or brackish streams, interested persons can
become easily acquainted with this cheerful little fellow.
They usually rear two broods with us, thus their breeding
season extends over quite a long period.
[725-E]. Telmatodytes palustris mariane (Scott).
Marian’s Marsh Wren,
Raner.—Coast of South Atlantic States. Breeds in
Lower Austral zone on the coast of North Carolina (and
Back Bay, Princess Anne County, Virginia); winters
south to South Carolina and west coast of Florida.
334 THE BIRDS
This is a subspecies of the former bird, the description
of which will apply equally as well to this bird, except that
it is found in our area only bordering Back Bay, Princess
Anne County, where it overlaps its breeding range with
the former species. Their nests, habits and eggs can not
be distinguished from those of the Long-billed Marsh
Wren, and they arrive about May 1st. They breed some-
what later than the former species, for, during a trip
covering their breeding ground, June 7th to 10th, I found
them with only incomplete nests. The first of September
finds them migrating southward.
OF VIRGINIA 335
FAMILY CERTHIIDAZ.—CREEPERS.
GENUS CERTHIA.
[726]. Certhia familiaris americana (Bonaparte).
Brown Creeper.
Rayes.—Eastern North America. Breeds mainly in
Canadian and Transition zones from southern Manitoba,
central Ontario, southern Quebec, and Newfoundland
south to eastern Nebraska, northern Indiana, northern
New York, and Massachusetts, and south along the
Alleghenies to North Carolina, and casually in south-
eastern Missouri; winters over a large part of its breeding
range and south to central Texas and northern Florida.
These little active birds do not winter with us, arriving
in Tidewater Virginia about April 8th, while in the
mountains, Professor Smyth reports them as arriving at
Blacksburg April 10th to May Ist, and migrating south-
ward the latter part of October. Like the nuthatches,
they never seem to be still a moment, moving in jerks,
up, down and around the tree trunks and limbs, first on
top and then on the under side, peeking into every crack
and crevice in search of the smaller insects, their eggs
and larve, of which their food consists mostly, thus mak-
ing them a very beneficial bird to have in our forests.
Our pine trees they seem particularly fond of, probably
on account of the rough and deeply cracked bark, which
harbors so much more food than other trees. The nest
is placed in a narrow crevice between the bark and the
tree trunk, various heights from the ground, and is com-
posed of fine twigs, strips of bark fiber and sometimes
moss. Four to six eggs constitute a full set, the eggs being
white, finely specked with reddish-brown. Size, .60x.50.
They raise but a single brood each season. Fresh eggs
May 5th to 10th.
336 THE BIRDS
FAMILY SITTIDAE.—NUTHATCHES.
GENUs SITTA.
[727]. Sitta carolinensis carolinensis (Latham).
Whate-breasted Nuthatch.
Raner.—North America east of the Plains. Breeds
in Canadian, Transition, and Upper Austral zones from
northern Minnesota, central Ontario, southern Quebec,
and Newfoundland south to the northern parts of the Gulf
States; casual in Keewatin.
This little fellow, like the former species, is a most
active bird in his search for food, though his larger size
and white underparts and slaty back make him much
more conspicuous. Nor are they as fond of the pine trees
as the Brown Creeper; more often have I seen them in
the numerous varieties of our oaks than other trees. They
become quite common in our Tidewater region during
April (16th), and again in October, during migrations,
though some few remain throughout the winter. My
father found them common at Massanetta, Goshen, and
Hot Springs, but raising only a single brood during the
season. Professor Smyth also reports them as a common
breeding bird at Blacksburg, some remaining throughout
the winter. They build their nests in natural cavities of
trees, or deserted holes of the woodpeckers (preferably
that of the Downy), of fine strips of bark fiber, lined with
fur or hair. The eggs number five to seven, six being the
general rule, a glossy creamy-white ground, profusely
specked with reddish-brown. Size, .76x.58. Fresh eggs
May ist. They do not breed in our Tidewater region,
OF VIRGINIA 337
being a bird of the Alleghenian fauna in that respect.
Their long sharp bills make them well fitted for gleaning
the bark cracks and crevices of insect life, while seeds are
also eaten to some extent. I found them fairly common
in Giles County at an elevation of 3,500 feet, and up.
[728]. Sitta canadensis (Linneus). Red-breasted
Nuthatch.
Ranex.—North America. Breeds in Canadian zone
from the upper Yukon Valley, southern Mackenzie, cen-
tral Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland south
to northern Minnesota, Michigan, and Massachusetts, and
south in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains to
California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and in the
Alleghenies to North Carolina; also on Guadalupe Island,
Lower California; winters from southern Canada south
to Lower California, New Mexico, Arizona and the Gulf
coast.
This nuthatch is similar to the former bird, though a
trifle smaller, and with a red breast instead of the white.
Their movements in search of food, so characteristic of
the whole family, are ably carried out by this bird as well,
and their food differs little from that of the Brown-headed
Nuthatch. They are, however, not as numerous as the
White-breasted Nuthatch, nor do they winter with us, ar-
riving from the north about the last of September and going
northward again the first part of April. They prefer the
pine trees in preference to all others, from which they
gather practically all their food. Professor Smyth reports
young birds taken on August 12th at Blacksburg, which I
would say were reared not far distant, either in our State
338 THE BIRDS
or West Virginia. They have also been found breeding in
the mountains of North Carolina. They select some
natural cavity or dead stub in which is a deserted wood-
pecker hole for a nesting site, lining it with fine strips
of bark. Fresh eggs June 1st, four to six in number, a
glossy creamy-white, sparingly specked with reddish-
brown. Size, .62x.52. They rear but a single brood each
season. Our Canadian zone offers ideal surroundings and
food for this bird during nesting time. I found them
searce in Giles County.
OF VIRGINIA _ 339
PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR.
THE ROUND HOLE IN CENTRE OF STUB NEAR TOP IS
ENTRANCE TO NEST OF BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH.
CROSS MARKS (xX) BELOW REPRESENT
PREVIOUS NESTING SITES.
340 THE BIRDS
[729]. Sitta pusilla (Latham). Brown-headed
Nuthatch.
Raner.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Austroriparian zone from southern Missouri, and southern
Delaware south to eastern Texas and southern Florida;
casual in southern Michigan, Ohio, New York, and the
Bahamas.
Along the borders of our salt water one seldom misses
seeing this noisy little fellow bobbing up and down a
tree trunk, or flitting from tree to tree examining the pine
cones in search of food. Without doubt he is the first to
tell us that spring is here by informing us, with his usual
knocking on a dead pine stub, that he is hunting a likely
nesting place. While the Bald Eagle may breed earlier
in the season, it is generally nearer the New Year
holidays, than springtime. Early in March, having
remained during the winter with us, he is digging away
at a rotten stub, about three or four feet from the ground,
the cavity being made from three to ten inches deep.
Both birds I have found oceupying this cavity at night,
sometimes two weeks before eggs are deposited. A pair
having established themselves on the water front of my
farm for the last four years, broke the record for early
dates the season of 1910; eggs deposited March 15th.
This same pair completed their second set (having raised
six the first time), April 15th: four eggs, slightly addled.
These were taken, and the birds drilled another hole in
the same stub six inches to the south side of the former,
where five eggs were laid by April 27th. These they
also reared. .\ few pine seed leaves on the bottom of the
cavity is the only pretense of a nest. Six eggs are a full
OF VIRGINIA 34]
set here. An unusual nesting site was a fallen pine tree
trunk from the river bank, whose limb stubs held it off
the beach about two feet. The birds had drilled a hole
on the under side in the rotten casing, only the tell-tale
pile of chips disclosing this unique position to me. The
eggs are white, heavily spotted with reddish-brown.
Size, .60x.49. Both birds work incessantly at the nesting
cavity until it is finished, one relieving the other as soon
as they become tired or hungry. I know of no more active
birds in our section, and, as they remain paired for life,
we always find one following the other around, or both
working the same pine tree in close proximity, in search
of food. Their flight has the same jerky motion to it as
the woodpeckers’, but their small size, and the shortness of
their tail make them easily distinguishable when in flight.
I have found them equally, though not abundantly, dis-
tributed over Tidewater, and if they were only more
numerous, they would be a great factor in preserving our
pine forests, for much of their food is taken from the bark
of that tree, consisting of spiders, minute insects, grubs
and egos, while seed from the pine cones seems to be one
of their staple articles of food at all seasons.
342 THE BIRDS
FAMILY PARID/E.—TITMICE.
GENUS BAOLOPHUS.
[731]. Beolophus bicolor (Linneus). Tufted
Titmouse.
Raner.—Carolinian and Austroriparian zones of eastern
United States from Nebraska, Iowa, LIlinois, Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey south to central
Texas, the Gulf Coast, and Florida; casual in southern
parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Connecticut.
This is rather a common breeder over the whole area;
its cheery whistle can be heard any time during the day
in the early part of the breeding season. After the female
commences to set, it is not so easy to induce the male to
whistle or come within a few feet of one by duplicating
his pleasant call. While a common bird, its nest is not
easily located, and when located it may be impossible to
get, or necessitate some hours work, or longer, chopping
an opening to the natural cavity in a live tree, preferably
an oak, poplar or black-gum. During eighteen years
of collecting, in which time numerous families of young
of different ages were found, not a set of fresh eggs were
found until the season of 1909. Even then it was a second
setting, taken May 26th, four in number. The early or
late springs seem to have no effect on their breeding time,
and, from finding young just hatched, I conclude their
regular time is from the first to fifteenth of April. Four
and five eggs seem to be a complete set in this locality.
The nest is composed of leaves and bark fiber, with a
lining of rabbit fur. The height of cavities varies from
OF VIRGINIA 343
fifteen to sixty feet, sometimes even higher. J have tried
to induce them into homemade nesting sites of boxes and
cans, placed in suitable places, as IT have seen practiced
in California with the Plain Titmouse, but without
success. From my observations I find two broods unusual.
They are resident birds throughout the year. Eggs,
creamish-white, specked and spotted with reddish-brown
and fainter markings of lavender. Size, .74x.54. Their
food consists of numerous insects gathered from the trunks
and limbs of the larger trees; the acrobatic feats per-
formed while doing so are an amusing and interesting
sight. During this activity, though, they take time to
utter their cheery whistle, and will, if imitated, come
down from lofty heights to within a few feet of the
intruder, so inquisitive is their nature. Like the chicka-
dees and nuthatches, the young when able to leave the
nest travel in company with the parents in search of food,
often two or more broods joining company. Never have
I yet found nests of these birds in a deserted woodpecker
hole; natural cavities of the hardwood trees were always
selected. A pair nested in 1912 within sixty feet of my
house, vet so distantly did they range from their nest,
and so cautious when approaching it before eggs were
hatched, that it was not until the birds made regular trips
with food for the young, that I discovered it. The female
is a very close sitter, allowing herself to be removed from
the eges or young, as she will not at that period flush.
344 THE BIRDS
HYPOTHETICAL.
GENUS PENTHESTES.
[735]. Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Linneus).
Chickadee.
Ranezn.—Canadian and Transition zones of eastern
North America from southeastern Keewatin, southern:
Ungava, and Newfoundland south to central Missouri,
Illinois, northern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, northern
New Jersey, and in the Alleghenies south to North Caro-
lina; somewhat further south in winter.
There is still some doubt but that all the Chickadees
breeding in our State are the following species, or Carolina
Chickadee, which is a common breeder both in Tidewater
Virginia and the Alleghenian zone. It is supposed to
breed in our Canadian zone, but a careful search on my
part, and a series of skins from that section, failed to clear
up this point. They migrate sparingly through our Alle-
ghenian zone in early September. There is, however,
little difference (except size) in these birds, their nesting
habits, food, etc., from that of the following species, to
which I refer my readers; other than advanced ornitholo-
gists. Even at Mountain Lake vicinity, with an altitude
of 4,000 feet and upwards, I found the breeding birds to
be the Carolina Chickadee, their nesting habits there
being similar to those of lower altitudes.
736]. Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis (Audubon).
Carolina Chickadee.
Rancre.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Carolinian and Austroriparian zones from central
OF VIRGINIA 345
Missouri, Indiana, central Ohio, Pennsylvania (spar-
ingly), and central New Jersey, south to southeastern
Louisiana, the Gulf coast, and northern Florida.
A very common breeding bird throughout the whole
area. For a nesting site a rotten sapling poplar, pine, or
holly stub is generally selected, a small hole being exca-
vated by the birds themselves. An exception to this general
rule is a natural knot hole cavity in a live tree, or some-
times a fence post. When once they have selected their
location they do not seem to mind being disturbed or
interrupted in their duties, either during nest building,
incubation, or feeding young, and it is rather hard to
dislodge the female while sitting. The nest cavity is
rarely above ground more than eight feet, generally from
three to five. Around some pond or marsh, or along a
river bank seems their favorite home site. The cavity
is well lined with bark fiber, fine green moss, rabbit fur,
and hair, six eggs being a large setting in this section,
generally four or five. April 19th finds fresh eggs,
casually as late as May 2nd. Sometimes two broods are
raised in one season. Many remain during the winter
season. Eggs, a creamy-white, dotted with reddish-brown.
Size, .56x.46 for an average, though there is a great
variation in size, and many sets have runt eggs. The nest-
ing cavity is excavated, from five to eight inches below
the entrance hole, and is a very neat piece of workman-
ship. They are persistent workers in the medium-sized
woods and sapling growths, in search of insects, larve,
and eggs; undoubtedly playing an important part in the
reduction of many of our forest pests. They travel in
small bands, and even during breeding time two or more
pair are found not far distant.
346 THE BIRDS
FAMILY SYLVIIDAE.—WARBLERS,
KINGLETS, GNATCATCHERS.
SUBFAMILY REGULIN/E.—KINGLETS.
GENUS REGULUS.
[748]. Regulus satrapa satrapa (Lichtenstein), Golden-
crowned Kinglet.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Boreal
zones from northern Alberta, southern Keewatin, south-
ern Ungava, and Cape Breton Island, south in Rocky
Mountains to northern Arizona and New Mexico, and to
Michigan, New York, and mountains of Massachusetts,
and in the higher Alleghenies south to North Carolina;
winters from Iowa (casually Minnesota), Ontario, and
New Brunswick to northern Florida and Tamaulipas,
northeastern Mexico.
During the spring and fall migrations many of these
birds are found in our mountain region. Professor Smyth
reports them abundant at Blacksburg March 28th to April
5th, and again October 15th to December 29th. It is,
however, only in the highest mountains that they breed
with us.
Many migrate through Tidewater Virginia the middle
of April. The birds themselves are about the smallest we
have in our State, and with their habits keeping them in
the highest tree tops, the casual observer will probably
never see them. Their food consists chiefly of insects,
mainly caterpillars, wasps, moths, beetles, bugs, ants, etc.,
OF VIRGINIA 347
thus making this tiny bird quite a factor in the decrease
of many harmful forest pests. The nests are beautiful-
made structures of moss, plant down, fine grasses and
strips of bark, lined with feathers, placed suspended near
the extremity of the limb of a conifer generally, from
forty to seventy feet from the ground. The eggs number
five to eight, the ground color a dull gray, finely specked
with light brown, giving the egg rather a dirty yellowish
appearance. Size, .55x.45. It is improbable they raise
more than one brood a season. Fresh eges May 25th to
June 15th.
348 THE BIRDS
SUBFAMILY POLIOPTILINAE.—GNAT-
CATCHERS.
GENUS POLIOPTILA.
[751]. Poloptila cerulea cerulea (Linneus). Blue-
gray Gnatcatcher.
Raner.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
Austroriparian and Carolinian zones from eastern
Nebraska and southern parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, and
Ontario, and southwestern Pennsylvania, Maryland, and
southern New Jersey south to southern Texas and central
Florida; winters from southern Texas, Gulf States, and
northern Florida to the Bahamas and Cuba, and through
eastern Mexico to Yucatan and Guatemala; casual north-
ward to southeastern Minnesota, New England, and New
York.
A common breeding bird below 1,800 feet alti-
tude throughout the whole area. Nest building com-
mences about April 20th if the weather be fair,
both birds procuring material; from seven to ten
days being taken to complete a nest. Many nests are
destroyed by heavy wind storms which generally occur
during this period, particularly those built on the top of
horizontal limbs. Cypress and post oak trees seem to be
their favorites in this section, although occasionally a pine
is resorted to. An unusual nesting location was in a young
sapling pine about three and a half inches in diameter,
twenty feet from the ground, the nest being fastened to the
side of the tree, with only a short stub a half inch long on
the under side. Only one brood is reared during the
OF VIRGINIA 349
Puoro By F. N. ——
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER’S NEST.
Nore How tHe LICHENS ON THE NEST BLEND WitH THOSE ON THR
Limes, THE Birps’ GREATEST PROTECTION DURING INCUBATION
or EecGs AND REARING OF YOUNG.
A
350 THE BIRDS
season, the latest nest found with fresh eggs being May
28th; this lateness I attribute to the first nest being
destroyed by a storm. Five and six eggs is a complete
set for this section. The nest is composed of very fine
pieces of grass or plant fiber, interwoven with plant down,
spider-webs, and fine strips of inner bark and lichens,
with an outside covering of lichens. Eggs, bluish-white,
specked with chestnut, somewhat pearform in shape.
Size, .56x.46. Fresh eggs May 5th to 15th. They arrive
about March 29th to April 3rd, and leave us about August
28th. Their song is soft and sweet, uttered constantly
while feeding, particularly in the cypress or juniper
foliage, which they seem to be particularly fond of.
Much of their food is taken on the wing, after the manner
of the flycatchers ; gnats, flies, small spiders, and numerous
small insects and their larve being their chief food, thus
placing them on the beneficial list of the agriculturist:
OF VIRGINIA | 251
FAMILY TURDID/E.—THRUSHES,
SOLITAIRS, STONECHATS,
BLUEBIRDS, ETC.
SUBFAMLIY TURDINAE.—THRUSHES.
GENUS HYLOCICHLA.
[755]. Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin). Wood Thrush.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds in Tran-
sition and Austral zones from southern South Dakota,
central Minnesota, central Wisconsin, southern Ontario,
and southern New Hampshire south to eastern Texas,
Louisiana, and northern Florida; winters from Puebla,
southern Mexico, to Nicaragua and Costa Rica; casual
in migration in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica; acci-
dental in Colorado, Maine and Bermuda.
A fairly common breeding bird over the whole area,
the nest as usual placed in the upright fork of, or on a
bent-over, slender. sapling growing along the border of
swampy ground, or along a stream. A full setting of eggs,
numbering from four to five, may be found from May
5th to 15th, while a second setting, which sometimes
oceurs, may be looked for about June 15th. The nest
is composed of dry leaves, grasses and stems, mud, paper,
and bits of string, and lined with fine rootlets. Eggs,
greenish-blue, unmarked. Size, 1.05x.70. These birds
arrive about April 15th, and soon make their presence
known by that beautiful liquid song so easy to identify
their presence by. As a breeding bird they are becoming
more numerous; for many years they were unknown as
352 THE BIRDS
PuHoto By F. N. Irvine.
NEST AND EGGS OF THE WOOD THRUSH.
OF VIRGINIA 353
a breeder on the James River Peninsula, while nowadays
they are fairly common there. During the southward
migration our native birds leave us about August 20th,
while those coming through from further north reach us
from September 15th to 20th. They are a sociable bird,
often nesting in close proximity to buildings, and when
doing so, soon lose their shyness of the woods and become
very tame. Their food consists of spiders, small cater-
pillars, and worms, beetles, and numerous wild berries,
such as the black cap, mulberry, dogwood and black-gum.
They procure much insect life from the ground, seratch-
ing and turning over with their bills the dry and wet
leaves bordering the wet places. They love to bathe in
the shallow pool or running stream, and at such times,
when thoroughly soaked, would not lead one to believe they
could produce such a marvelous song. I think the Wood
Thrush has the most beautiful song of any of our native
birds. I found them very abundant in the mountains at
4,500 feet altitude.
[756]. Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens (Stephens).
Veery.
[ Wilson’s Thrush].
Raynce.—Eastern North America and northern South
America. Breeds in Lower Canadian and Alleghenian
zones from northern Michigan, central Ontario, Anticosti
and Newfoundland south to northern Illinois, northern
Indiana, northern Ohio, and northern New Jersey, and
in the Alleghenies to North Carolina and northern Geor-
gia; migrates through Yucatan and Central America;
winters in Colombia, British Guiana, and Brazil.
354 THE BIRDS
The Veery is common in Tidewater Virginia from April
15th to May 5th, on his way northward; passing through
on his way southward from September 20th to October
20th. In the mountains Professor Smyth reports them
“at Blacksburg April 30th to May 6th.” Some remain
to breed in the higher mountains, or Canadian Zone.
They are not a common bird even in that area, and my
father reports them only from Hot Springs, where he was
unable to find evidence of their having bred. The song
of the Veery is acknowledged by all nature lovers to be one
of the sweetest of all bird songs, and rich indeed is the
person who can boast of having heard it and that of its
near relative, the Wood Thrush. Nor is the song of the
Veery its only gift to mankind, for its food of insects,
gathered from the forest undergrowth and ground, must
be counted as no little factor in helping to keep in check
many harmful species. They also are fond of all the
smaller wild fruit or berries, and distribute the seeds
freely in their flights both short and long. The nest is
placed close to, or sometimes on the ground, a rather
bulky affair of dry leaves, strips of bark, rootlets and
grasses. The eggs number four to five, the ground a pale
blue; a shade between that of the Wood Thrush and Cat-
bird. Usually they are unmarked, but sometimes sets are
found specked with faint markings of reddish-brown,
which sets, of course, are prized most highly. I have a
set in my collection with only a single egg thus marked,
the balance being perfectly spotless. Fresh eggs May 15th
to June Ist. Size, .88x.66. Only one brood a season.
We found them quite abundant at Mountain Lake, Giles
County, altitude 4,500; a beautiful series found between
May 25th and June 15th.
OF VIRGINIA 355
GENUS PLANESTICUS.
[761]. Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linneus).
Robin.
Raner.—North America. Breeds in Boreal, Transition,
and Upper Austral zones from limit of trees in north-
western Alaska, northern Mackenzie, central Keewatin,
northern Ungava, and Newfoundland south to Cook Inlet,
Alaska, central Alberta, southeastern Wyoming, Kansas,
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
southeastern Virginia, and in the Alleghenies to North
Carolina; winters from central Kansas, Ohio Valley,
and New Jersey (irregularly further north) to the Gulf
coast and Florida, and to Nuevo Leon, Mexico; acci-
dental in Bermuda and Cuba.
The Robin is not what you might call a common breed-
ing bird with us in the Tidewater section south of Cape
Charles, although it seems to be working southward along
the coast beyond this point gradually. To my knowledge
it has bred regularly in the live oaks inside the casement
at Fortress Monroe for the last twenty years, these pair
remaining the year around. A few pair have been found
by us breeding further southwest on the James River
Peninsula during the last few years. From Cape Charles
northward they are a common breeder. The usual nest
of mud and grasses, from ten to thirty feet up, with three
to four eggs as a full set, is the general thing. During the
fall and spring migrations it is still considered game by
the gunners in general,* and large quantities are
*Nore—Since the above was written, the 1912 Legislature has
passed an act prohibiting the shooting of robins at all seasons of
the year.
356 THE BIRDS
Puoto By F. N. IRVING.
ROBINS AT HOME.
OF VIRGINIA B37
slaughtered, and until a year or so ago they were sold in
the public markets as low as ten cents a dozen. The
resident birds, with the exception of those mentioned
above, seem to all migrate, those remaining being birds
from further north. Eges, greenish-blue, unmarked.
Size, 1.16x.80. Large flights of these birds reach us about
the 10th to 15th of October, at this time resorting to open
fields and pastures, where large quantities of insects and
worms are eaten. At this time, also, the black-gum, holly,
and dogwood berries are most plentiful, and are eaten by
these birds in great quantities. Many of these northern
migratory birds remain in sheltered localities through the
winter if it be not too severe, but the majority return to
us in the spring migration about March 15th to 30th,
during which time countless thousands pass over, remain-
ing long enough to strip the remaining berries from our
trees. Every one knows the Robin, and that it should be
protected from a beneficial standpoint, as well as senti-
mental. They rear two broods with us a season. Fresh
eggs May 2nd to 10th; second setting July 1st.
358 THE BIRDS
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR.
WING BONE OF THE GREATER SNOW GOOSE, SHOWING A
FRACTURE HEALED BY NATURE.
OF VIRGINIA 359
HYPOTHETICAL.
[761-B]. Planesticus migratorius achrusterus
(Batchelder). Southern Robin.
Raner.—Southeastern United States. Breeds in
southern part of Carolinian zone from southern Illinois
and Maryland to northern Mississippi, northern Georgia,
and South Carolina.
I have put this supposed subspecies in my Hypothetical
List because I do not consider it as a breeding bird within
our area. The 1910 A. O. U. check list has designated
the birds breeding from the Eastern Shore of Maryland
and Virginia southward along our coast region as
“achrusterus,” a southern form. Personally, and I am
joined in my views by some eminent ornithologists, I do
not consider this a good subspecies, or recognize it as such,
and my readers, other than specialists in speciation
(apologies to Joseph Grinnell), need not worry about the
slight differences in these supposed two forms. The data
of the Robin (Planesticus migratorius migratorius)
applies equally as well to this so-called southern form.
GENUS SIALIA.
[766]. Sialia sialis sialis (Linneus). Bluebird.
Raner.—Eastern North America. Breeds from Lower
Canadian to Lower Austral zone from southern Manitoba,
northern Ontario, southern Quebec, and Newfoundland
360 THE BIRDS
south to southern Texas, the Gulf Coast, and southern
Florida; casual west to base of the Rocky Mountains in
Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado; winters most
commonly south of the Ohio Valley and the Middle States ;
resident in Bermuda; accidental in Cuba.
One of our most common birds, and remains the entire
year with us. The earliest record of a set of eggs is
March 31, 1910, five in number. They were deposited
in an artificial nesting cavity, made by sawing off a section
of hollow log eight inches in diameter, and blocking up
one end entirely, and the other partly so. A number of
such nesting sites and tin cans are hung up around my
farm, forming breeding places for several varieties of
birds. The latest record for this bird is four young just
hatched, August 27, 1910, making the third setting and
brood hatched by this pair of birds in one season. The nest
is nearly always made of just fine grasses, placed in a
natural cavity or a deserted woodpecker’s hole in dead or
live trees, from fourteen to twenty feet up. Eggs from
four to five in number, a pale bluish-white, unmarked.
Size, .82x.61. Every one knows the Bluebird and loves
to have them around the premises. Since the introduction
of the English Sparrow (and it has become such a pest
around our outbuildings) Bluebirds have become less
common, being driven away by them. Those remaining
on my place seem to remain paired from year to year. In
the summer time they destroy many worms, grubs, cater-
pillars and beetles, while in the winter they offset a great
part of this animal life with berries of the dogwood,
mulberry, black-gum, holly, and dried-uwp poke berries.
In the early spring and warm days of winter they give
OF VIRGINIA 361
PuoTo BY THE AUTHOR.
THE BLUEBIRD LOVES A DESERTED FLICKER HOLE FOR A
NEST SITE.
362 THE BIRDS
their soft but short song, and reminds one of the nearness
of warm weather. During the hard winter of 1912,
January to March 15th, I picked up numbers of dead
Bluebirds on my farm, showing clearly they are not a
bird suitable for standing any protracted length of cold
weather. During these cold spells many migrate further
southward, returning with the first warm days of late
March and early April. The Bluebird is less numerous
than in former years. Whether climatic conditions or
the extra settling of farm lands and more numerous cats,
together with the restoring of old orchards, thus closing
the natural cavities so suited for nesting sites, has played
the most important part, I am unable to say. If all
farmers and suburbanites would supply suitable nesting
boxes or cans for them, protected from cats and snakes, 1
think we could soon have them as numerous as formerly.
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