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A Manual of the Ornithology of the
United States and of Canada
1832
a gift to
To the MBLAVHOI Library
From
Robert L. Edwards
Compliments
of the
MBL/WHOI LIBRARY
« A
MANUAL
OF THE
ORNITHOLOGY
4- ,
OF THE
UNITED STATES AND OF CANADA.
BY
THOMAS NUTTALL, A. M., F. L. S., &c.
THE LAND BIRDS.
CAMBRIDGE:
HILLIARD AND BROWN,
BOOKSELLERS TO THE UNIVERSITY.
M DCCC XXXII.
^
•*-t
Entered according to the 9,ct of Congress in the year 1832,
by Thomas Nuttall,
in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.
CAMBRIDGE:
E. W. METCALF AND COMPANY.
PREFACE.
" After so many excellent works have appeared on
the Birds of the United States, it may almost appear
presumptuous, at present, to attempt any addition to the
list. A compendious and scientific treatise on the sub-
ject, at a price so reasonable as to permit it to find a
place in the hands of general readers, seemed, however,
still a desideratum ; and to supply this defect has been
a principal object with the author of the present pub-
lication.
Besides exploring the ever fruitful field of nature in
this delightful and fascinating kingdom, every availa-
ble aid has been employed ; and, as might be expected,
invaluable assistance has been derived from the labors
of the immortal Wilson and of the justly celebrated
Audubon. In the scientific part of the Manual, con-
stant recurrence has also been had to the useful labors
of C. L. Bonaparte, Prince of Musignano, and also to
the well known treatise on European Ornithology by
the accurate and elaborate Temminck, as well as to
other authors of established reputation ; such as Bris-
son, BufFon, Latham, White, and Pennant.
To a number of obliging friends who have assisted
him in obtaining specimens, or relations concerning the
habits of our birds, the author offers his grateful ac-
knowledgments ; particularly to Charles Pickering,
M. D., to whom he is indebted for much valuable in-
VI PREFACE.
formation on their geographical limits ; to William
Cooper, Esq., well known by his devotion to the study
of ornithology ; to Mr. Oakes, of Ipswich ; to T. W.
Harris, M. D., Librarian of Harvard University; to
S. C. Greene, Esq. of Boston ; and to Mr. Nathaniel J.
Wyeth, Mr. James Brown, Mr. John Bethune, and
Mr. Russell, of Cambridge. ^'
The wood engravings, not sufficiently numerous, in
consequencjB of their cost, have been executed by
Mr. Bowen of Boston, and Mr. Hall, in the employ of
Messrs. Carter &z; Andrews, of Lancaster.
A larger work on the Ornithology of the United
States, with numerous engravings, and more extensive
details of Natural History, will also soon be issued, so
as to complete and embody, with every necessary il-
lustration, the History of the birds of the United States,
and of British America.
INTRODUCTION.
Of all the classes of animals by which we are surrounded in
the ample field of nature, there are none more remarkable in their
appearance and habits than the feathered inhabitants of the air.
They play aj-ound us like fairy spirits, elude approach in an element
which defies our pursmt, soar out of sight in the yielding sky,
journey over our heads in marshalled ranks, dart like meteors
in the sunshine of summer, or seeking the solitary recesses of the
forest and the waters, they glide before us like beings of fancy.
They diversify the still landscape with the most lively motion
and beautiful association ; they come and go with the chano-e of
the season, and as their actions are directed by an uncontrollable
instinct of provident nature, they may be considered as concomitant
with the beauty of the surrounding scene. With what grateful
sensations do we involuntarily hail the arrival of these faithful mes-
sengers of spring and summer, after the lapse of the dreary winter,
which compelled them to forsake us for more favored climes. Their
songs, now heard from the leafy groves and shadowy forests, inspire
delight, or recollections of the pleasing past, in every breast. How
volatile, how playfully capricious, how musical and happy, are these
roving sylphs of nature, to whom the air, the earth, and the waters
are almost alike habitable. Their lives are spent in boundless ac-
tion ; and nature, with an omniscient benevolence, has assisted and
formed them for this wonderful display of perpetual life and vigor,
in an element almost their own.
1
^ INTRODUCTION.
If we draw a comparison between these inhabitants of the air and
the earth, we shall perceive that, instead of the large head, formida-
ble jaws armed with teeth, the capacious chest, wide shoulders, and
muscular legs of the quadrupeds ; they have bills, or pointed jaws
destitute of teeth ; a long and pliant neck, gently swelling shoul-
ders, immovable vertebrae ; the fore-arm attenuated to a point, and
clothed with feathers, forming the expansive wing, and thus fitted
for a different species of motion ; likewise the wide-extended tail,
to assist the general provision for buoyancy throughout the whole
anatomical frame. For the same general purpose of lightness, exists
the contrast of sle»der bony legs and feet. So that, in short, we
perceive in the whole conformation of this interesting tribe, a struc-
ture wisely and curiously adapted for their destined motion through
the air. Lightness and buoyancy appear in every part of the
structure of birds ; to this end nothing contributes more than the
soft and delicate plumage with which they are so warmly clothed ;
and though the wings, or great organs of aerial motion by which
they swim, as it were, in the atmosphere, are formed of such light
materials, yet the force with which they strike the air is so great as
to impel their bodies with a rapidity unknown to the swiftest quad-
ruped. The same grand intention of forming a class of animals to
move in the ambient desert they occupy above the earth, is likewise
visible in their internal structure. Their bones are light and thin,
and all the muscles diminutive, but those appropriated for moving
the wings. The lungs are placed near to the back-bone and ribs ;
and the air is not, as in other animals, merely confined to the pul-
monary otgans, but passes through, and is then conveyed into a
number of membranous cells on either side the external region of
the heart, communicating Avith others situated beneath the chest. In
some birds these cells are continued down the wings, extending
even to the pinions, bones of the thighs, and other parts of the body,
which can be distended with air at the pleasure or necessity of the
animal. This diffusion of air is not only intended to assist in light-
ening and elevating the body, but also appears necessary to prevent
the stoppage or interruption of respiration, which would otherwise
follow the rapidity of their motion through the resisting atmosphere ;
and thus the Ostrich, though deprived of the power of flight, runs
almost with the swiftness of the wind, and requires, as he possesses,
the usual resources of air conferred on other birds. Were it possi-
ble for man to move with the rapidity of a Swallow, the resistance
of the air, without some such peculiar provision as in birds, would
INTRODUCTION. 3
quickly bring on suffocation. Tiie superior vital heat of this class
of beings is likewise probably due to this greater aeration of the
vital fluid.
Birds, as well as quadrupeds, may be generally distinguished
into two great classes from the food on which they are destined
to subsist ; and may, consequently, be termed carnivorous and
granivorous. Some also hold a middle nature, or partake of both.
The granivorous and herbivorous birds are provided with larger
and longer intestines than those of the carnivorous kinds. Their
food, consisting chiefly of grain of various sorts, is conveyed whole
into the craw or first stomach, where it is softenjpjd' aj^d acted upon
by a peculiar glandular secretion thrown out upon its surface ;
it is then again conveyed into a second preparatory digestive
organ ; and finally transmitted into the true stomach or gizzard,
formed of two strong muscles, connected externally with a tendinous
substance, and lined internally with a thick membrane of great
power and strength ; and in this place the unmasticated food is at
length completely triturated, and prepared for the operation of the
gastric juice. The extraordinary powers of the gizzard in commi-
nutinor food, to prepare it for digestion, almost exceeds the bounds
of credibility. Turkeys and common fowls have been made to
swallow sharp angular fragments of glass, metallic tubes, and balls
armed with needles, and even lancets, which Avere found broken
and compressed without any apparent pain to the subjects, or
wounds in the stomach. The gravel pebbles swallowed by this class
of birds with so much avidity, thus appear useful in bruising and
comminuting the grain they feed on, and preparing it for the solvent
action of the digestive organs.
Those birds which live chiefly on grain and vegetable substances,
partake in a degree of the nature and disposition of herbivorous quad-
rupeds. In both, the food and the provision for its digestion, are very
similar. Alike distinguished for sedentary habits and gentleness
of manners, their lives are harmlessly and usefully passed in col-
lecting seeds and fruits, and ridding the earth of noxious and
destructive insects ; they live wholly on the defensive with all the
feathered race, and are content to rear and defend their offspring
from the attacks of their enemies. It is from this tractable and
gentle race, as well as from the amphibious or aquatic tribes, that
man has long succeeded in obtaining useful and domestic species,
which, from their prolificacy and hardihood, afford a vast supply of
wholesome and nutritious food. Of these, the Hen, originally from
4 INTRODUCTION.
India ; the Goose, Duck, and Pigeon of Europe ; the Turkey of
America ; and the Pintado or Guinea-Hen of Africa, are the prin-
cipal : to which may also be added, as less useful, or more recently
naturalized, the Peacock of India; the Pheasant of the same coun-
try ; the Chinese and Canada Goose ; the Muscovy Duck ; and the
European Swan.
Carnivorus birds, by many striking traits, evince the destiny for
which they have been created ; they are provided with wings of
great length, supported by powerful mviscles, which enable them to
fly with energy, and soar ^itli ease at the loftiest elevations in whiclt
they are visiblj^.. <They are armed with strong and hooked bills;
and with the sharp and formidable claws of the tiger ; they are also
further distinguished by their large heads, short necks, strong muscu-
lar thighs in aid of their retractile talons, and a sight so piercing, as
to enable them, while soaring at the greatest height, to perceive
their prey, upon which they sometimes descend, like an arrow,
with undeviatiug aim. In these birds the stomach is smaller than.
in the granivorous kinds, and their intestines are shorter. Like
beasts of prey, they are of a fierce and unsociable nature ; and
so far from herding together like the inoffensive tribes, they drive
even their offspring from the eyry, and seek habitually the shelter
of desert rocks, neglected ruins, or the solitude of the darkest forest,
from whence they utter loud, terrific, or piercing cries, in accordance
with the gloomy rage and inquietude of their insatiable desires.
Besides these grand divisions of the winged nations, there are
others, which, in their habits and manners, might be compared to
the amphibious animals, as they live chiefly on the water, and feed
on its productions. To enable them to swim and dive in quest
of their aquatic food, their toes are connected bjr broad membranes
or webs, with which, like oars, they strike the water, and are im-
pelled with force. In this way even the seas, lakes, and rivers,
abounding with fish, insects, and seeds, swarm with birds of various
kinds, which all obtain an abundant supply. There are other aquatic
birds, frequenting marshes and the margins of lakes, rivers, and the
sea, which seem to partake of an intermediate nature between the
land and water tribes. Some of these feed on fishes and reptiles j
others, with long and sensible bills and extended necks, seek their
food in wet and muddy marshes. These birds are not made for
swimming; but, familiar with water, they wade, and many follow
the edge of the retiring waves of the sea, gleaning tlieir insect prey
at the recession of tlie tides : for this kind of life nature has provided
INTRODUCTION. 5
them with long legs, bare of feathers even above the knees ; their
toes, unconnected by webs, are only partially furnished with mem-
branous appendages, just sufficient to support them on the soft and
bocro-y sfrounds they frequent. To this tribe belong the Cranes,
Snipes, Sandpipers, Woodcocks, and many others.
In comparing the senses of animals in connexion with their in-
stinct, we find that of sight to be more extended, more acute, and
more distinct in birds, in general, than in quadrupeds. I say, in
general, for there are some birds, such as the Owls, whose vision is
less clear than that of quadrupeds ; but this rather results from the ex-
treme sensibility of the eye ; which, though dazzleii^with the glare of
full day, nicely distinguishes even small objects, 'bjf- the aid of twi-
light. In all birds the organ of sight is furnished with two mem-
branes, an external and internal, additional to those which occur
in the human subject. The former {memhrana nictitans) or external
membrane, is situated in the larger angle of the eye ; and is, in
fact, a second and more transparent eye-lid, whose motions are
directed at pleasure, and its use, besides occasionally cleaning and
polishing the cornea, is to temper the excess of light, and adjust
the quantity admitted to the extreme delicacy of the organ. The
other membrane, situated at the bottom of the eye, appears to be
an expansion of the optic nerve, which receiving more immediately
the impressions of the light, must be much more sensible than in
other animals ; and consequently the sight is in birds far more per-
fect, and embraces a wider range. Facts and observations bear out
this conclusion, for a Sparrow-Hawk, while hovering in the air,
perceives a lark or other small bird sitting on the ground, at twenty
times the distance that such an object would be visible to a man or
dog. A Kite, which soars beyond the reach of human vision, yet
distinguishes a lizard, field-mouse, or bird, and from this lofty station
selects the tiny object of his prey, descending upon it in nearly a
perpendicular line. But it may also be added, that this prodigious
extent of vision is likewise accompanied with equal accuracy and
clearness ; for the eye can dilate or contract, be shaded or exposed,
depressed or made protuberant, so as readily to assume the precise
form suited to the degree of light and the distance of the object ;
the organ thus answering, as it were, the purpose of a self-adjusting
telescope, with a shade for examining the most luminous and daz-
zling objects ; and hence the Eagle is often seen to ascend to the
higher regions of the atmosphere, gazing on the unclouded sun, as
on an ordinary and familiar object.
b INTRODUCTION.
The rapid motions executed by birds, have also a reference to the
perfection of their vision; for, if nature, while she endowed them
with great agility and vast muscular strength, had left them as short-
sighted as ourselves, their latent powers would have availed them
nothing ; and the dangers of a perpetually impeded progress would
have repressed or extinguished their ardor. We may then, in gen-
eral, consider the celerity with which an animal moves, as a just
indication of the perfection of its vision. A bird, therefore, shooting
swiftly through the air, must undoubtedly see better than one
which slowly describes a waving tract. The weak-sighted Bat,
flying carefully tjirpugh bars of willow, even when the eyes were ex-
tinguished, may seem to suggest an exception to this rule of relative
velocity and vision; but in this case, as in that of some blind indi-
viduals of tlie human species, the exquisite auditory apparatus seems
capable of supplying the defect of sight. Nor are the flickering-s of
the Bat, constantly performed in a narrow circuit, at all to be com-
pared to the distant and lofly soaring's of the Ea^le, or the wide
wanderings of the smaller birds, who often annually pass and repass
from the arctic circle to the equator.
The idea of motion, and all the other ideas connected with it,
such as those of relative volocities, extent of country, the propor-
tional heigiit of eminences, and of the various inequalities that
prevail on the surface, are therefore more precise in birds, and
occupy a larger share of their conceptions, than in the groveUing
quadrupeds. Nature would seem to have pointed out tliis superiority
of vision, by the more conspicuous and elaborate structure of its
organ ; for in birds the eye is lai-ger in proportion to the bulk of the
head than in quadrupeds ; it is also more delicate and finely fash-
ioned, and the impressions it receives must consequently excite
more vivid ideas.
Another cause of difference in the instincts of birds and quad-
rupeds, is the natm-e of the element in which they live. Birds
know better than man, the degrees of resistance in the air, its tem-
perature at different heights, its relative density, and many other
particulars, probably, of wliich we can form no adequate conception.
They foresee more than we, and indicate better than our weather-
glasses, the changes which happen in that voluble fluid ; for often
have they contended with the violence of the wind, and still oflener
have they borrowed tire advantage of its aid. The Eagle, soaring
above the clouds, can at will escape the scene of the storm, and
in the lofly region of calm, far within the aerial boundary of
INTRODUCTION. 7
eternal frost,* enjoy a serene sky and a bright sun, while the terres-
trial animals remain involved in darkness, and exposed to all the
fury of the tempest. In twenty-four hours it can change its climate,
and sailing over different countries, it will form a picture exceeding
the powers of the pencil or the imagination. The quadruped knows
only the spot where it feeds, its valley, mountain, or plain ; it has
no conception of the expanse of surface, or of remote distances, and
generally no desire to push forward its excursions beyond its im-
mediate wants. Hence remote journeys and extensive migrations
are as rare among quadrupeds, as they are frequent among birds. It
is this desire, founded on their acquaintance with jforeign countries,
on the consciousness of their expeditious course, and on their fore-
sight of the changes that will happen in the atmosphere, and the
revolutions of seasons, that prompts them to retire together at the
powerful suggestions of an unerring instinct. When their food
begins to fail, or the cold and heat to incommode them, their in-
nate feelings and latent powers urge them to seek the necessary
remedy for the evils that threaten their being. The inquietude
of the old is communicated to the young ; and collecting in troops,
by common consent, influenced by the same general wants, im-
pressed with the approaching changes in the circumstances of their
existence, they give way to the strong reveries of instinct, and wing
their way over land and sea to some distant and better country.
Comparing animals with each other, we soon perceive that smell,
in general, is much more acute among the quadrupeds than among
the birds. Even the pretended scent of the Vulture is imaginary,
a^ he does not perceive the tainted carrion, on which he feeds,
through a wicker basket, though its odor is as potent as in the
open air. This choice also of decaying flesh, is probably regulated
by his necessities, and the deficiency of his muscular powers to
attack a living, or even tear in pieces a recent prey. The structure
of the olfactory organ, in birds, is obviously inferior to that of quad-
rupeds ; the external nostrils are wanting, and those odors which
might excite sensation have access only to the duct leading from the
palate : and even in those, where the organ is disclosed, the nerves,
which take their origin from it, are far from being so numerous, so
large, or so expanded as in the quadrupeds. We may, therefore,
regard touch in man, smell in the quadruped, and sight in birds, as
* The mean heights of eternal frost, under the equator, and at the latitude of 30°
and 60", are respectively 15,507 ; 11,484, and 3,818 feet.
8 INTRODUCTION.
respectively the three most perfect senses, which exercise a general
influence on the character.
After sight, the most perfect of the senses in birds appears to be
hearing, which is even superior to that of the quadrupeds, and
scarcely exceeded in the human species. We perceive with what
facility they retain and repeat tones, successions of notes, and even
discourse ; we delight to listen to their unwearied songs, to the in-
cessant warbling of their tuneful affection. Their ear and throat
are more ductile and powerful than in other animals, and their voice
more capacious and generally agreeable. A Crow, which is scarcely
more than the thousandth part the size of an ox, may be heard as
far, or farther;' the Nightingale can fill a wider space with its music
tlian the human voice. This prodigious extent and power of sound
depend entirely on the structure of their organs ; but the support
and continuance of their song result solely from their internal
emotions.
The windpipe is wider and stronger in birds than in any other
class of animals, and usually terminates below in a large cavity that
augments the sound. The lungs too have greater extent, and com-
municate with internal cavities, which are capable of being expanded
with air, and, besides lightening the body, give additional force to the
voice. Indeed the formation of the thorax, the lungs, and all the
organs connected with these, seem expressly calculated to give force
and duration to their utterance.
Another circumstance, showing the great power of voice in birds,
is the distance at which they are audible in the higher regions of the
atmosphere. An Eagle may rise at least to the height of 17,000
feet, for it is there just visible. Flocks of Storks and Geese may
mount still higher, since, notwithstanding the space they occupy,
they soar almost out of sight ; their cry will therefore be heard from
an altitude of more than three miles, and is at least four times as
powerful as the voice of men and quadrupeds.
Sweetness of voice and melody of song are qualities, which in
birds are partly natural and partly acquired. The facility with
which they catch and repeat sounds, enables them not only to bor-
row from each other, but often even to copy the more difficult
inflections and tones of the human voice, as well as of musical
instruments. It is remarkable, that, in the tropical regions, while the
birds are arrayed in the most glowing colors, their voices are hoarse,
grating, singular, or terrific. Our sylvan Orpheus, the Mocking-bird,
the Brown Thrush, the Warbling Flycatcher ; as well as the Linnet,
INTRODUCTION. 9
the Thrush, the Blackbird, and the Nightingale of Europe, preemi-
nent for song, are all of the plainest colors and weakest tints.
The natural tones of birds, setting aside those derived from edu-
cation, express the various modifications of their wants and passions ;
they change even according to the different times and circumstances.
The females are much more silent than the males ; they have cries
of pain or fear, murmurs of inquietude or solicitude, especially for
their young ; but song is generally withheld from them. The song
of the male is inspired by tender eniotion, he chants his affectionate
lay with a sonorous voice, and the female replies in feeble accents.
The Nightingale, Avlien he first arrives in the spring, without his
mate, is silent; he begins his lay in low, faultering, and unfrequent
airs ; and it is not until his consort sits on her eggs, that his en-
chanting melody is complete ; he then tries to relieve and amuse
her tedious hours of incubation, and warbles more pathetically and
variabl}'^ his amorous and soothing tale. In a state of nature this
propensity for song only continues through the breeding season, for
after that period it either entirely ceases, becomes enfeebled, or loses
its sweetness.
Conjugal fidelity and parental affection are among the most con-
spicuous traits of the feathered tribes. The pair unite their labors
in preparing for the accommodation of their expected progeny ; and
during the time of incubation, their participation of the same cares
and solicitudes continually augments their mutual attachment.
When the young appear, a new source of care and pleasure opens
to them, still strengthening the ties of affection ; and the tender
charge of rearing and defending their infant brood requires the
joint attention of both parents. The warmth of first affection is thus
succeeded by calm and steady attachment, which by degrees ex-
tends, without suffering any diminution, to the rising branches of
the family.
This conjugal union, in the rapacious tribe of birds, the Eagles
and Hawks, as well as with the Ravens and Crows, continues com-
monly through life. Among many other kinds it is also of long endur-
ance, as we may perceive in our common Pewee and the Blue-bird,
who year after year continue to frequent and build in the same cave,
box, or hole in the decayed orchard tree. But, in general, this asso*
elation of the sexes expires with the season, after it has completed
the intentions of reproduction, in the preservation and rearing of
the offspring. The appearance even of sexual distinction, often
vanishes in the autumn, when both the parents and their young are
10 INTRODUCTION'.
then seen in the same humble and obhvious dress. When they
arrive again amongst us in the spring, the males in flocks, often
by themselves, are clad anew in their nuptial livery ; and with
vigorous songs, after the cheerless silence in which they have passed
the winter, they now seek out their mates, and warmly contest the
right to their exclusive favor.
With regard to food, birds have a more ample latitude than quad-
rupeds; flesh, fish, amphibia, reptiles, insects, fruits, grain, seeds,
roots, herbs ; in a word, whatever lives or vegetates. Nor are they very
select in their choice, but often catch indifferently at what they can
most easily obtain.. Tlieir sense of taste appears indeed much less
acute than in quadrupeds ; for, if we except such as are carnivorous,
their tongue and palate are, in general, hard, and almost cartilagin-
ous. Sight and scent can alone direct tliem, though they possess
the latter in an inferior degree. The greater number swallow with-
out tasting ; and mastication, which constitutes the chief pleasure in
eating, is entirely wanting to them. As their horny jaws are unpro-
vided with teeth, the food undergoes no preparation in the mouth,
but is swallowed in unbruised and untasted morsels. Yet there is
reason to believe, that the first action of the stomach, or its pre-
paratory veniriculus, aflfords in some degree the ruminating gratifica-
tion of taste, as after swallowing food, in some insectivorous and
carnivorous birds, the motion of the mandibles, exactly like that of
ordinary tasting, can hardly be conceived to exist without conveying
some degree of gratifying sensation.
The clothing of birds varies with the habits and climates they inhabit.
The aquatic tribes, and those which live in northern regions, are
provided with an abundance of plumage and fine down ; from which
circumstance often we may form a correct judgment of their natal
regions. In all climates, aquatic birds are almost equally feathered,
and are provided with posterior glands containing an oily substance
for anointing their feathers, which, aided by their thickness, pre-
vents the admission of moisture to their bodies. These glands are
less conspicuous in land-birds, unless, like the fishing Eagles, their
habits be to plunge in the water in pursuit of their prey.
The general structure of feathers seems purposely adapted both
for warmth of clothing and security of flight. In the wings of all
birds which fly, the webs composing the vanes, or plumy sides of
the feather, mutually interlock by means of regular rows of slender
hair-like teeth, so that the feather, except at and towards its base,
serves as a complete and close screen from the weather on the one
INTRODUCTION. 11
hand, and as an impermeable oar on the other, when situated in the
wing, and required to catch and retain the impulse of the air. In
the birds which do not fly, and inhabit warm climates, the feathers
are few and thin, and their lateral webs are usually separate, as in the
Ostrich, Cassowary, Emu, and extinct Dodo. In some cases
feathers seem to pass into the hairs, which ordinarily clothe the
quadrupeds, as in the Cassowary, and others ; and the base of the
bill in many birds is usually surrounded with these capillary plumes.
The greater number of birds cast their feathers annually, and
appear to suffer much more from it than the quadrupeds do from a
similar change. The best fed fowl ceases at this time to lay. The
season of moulting is generally the end of summer or autumn, and
their feathers are not completely restored till the spring. The male
sometimes undergoes, as we have already remarked, an additional
moult towards the close of summer ; and among many of the waders
and web-footed tribes, as Sandpipers, Plovers, and Gulls, both sexes
experience a moult twice in the year, so that their summer and
winter livery appears wholly dilferent.
The stratagems and contrivances instinctively employed by birds for
theii support and protection, are peculiarly remarkable ; in tliis way
those which are weak are enabled to elude the pursuit of the strong
and rapacious. Some are even screened from the attacks of their
enemies by an arrangement of colors assimilated to the places which
they most frequent for subsistence and repose : thus the Wryneck
is scarcely to be distinguished from the tiee on which it seeks its
food ; or the Snipe from the soft and springy ground which it fre-
quents. The Great Plover finds its chief security in stony places,
to which its colors are so nicely adapted, that the most exact observer
may be deceived. The same resort is taken advantage of by the
Night-Hawk, Partridge, Plover, and the American Quail, the young
brood of which squat on the ground, instinctively conscious of being
nearly invisible, from their close resemblance to the broken ground
on which they lie, and trust to this natural concealment. The same
kind of deceptive and protecting artifice is often employed by birds
to conceal, or render the external appearance of their nests ambigu-
ous. Thus the European Wren forms its nest externally of hay, if
against a hay-rick ; covered with lichens, if the tree chosen is so
clad; or made of green moss, when the decayed trunk in which it
is built, is thus covered ; and then, wholly closing it above, leaves
only a concealed entry in the side. Our Humming-bird, by external
12 INTRODUCTION.
patches of lichen, gives her nest the appearance of a moss-grown
Icnot. A similar artifice is employed by our Yellow Breasted Fly-
catcher or Vireo, and others. The Golden-Crowned Thrush (Sylvia
aurocapilla) makes a nest like an oven, erecting an arch over it, so
perfectly resembling the tussuck in which it is concealed, that it is
only discoverable by the emotion of the female when startled from
its covert.
The Butcher-bird is said to draw around him his feathered
victims by treacherously imitating their notes. The Kingfisher of
Europe is believed to allure his prey by displaying the brilliancy
of his colors, as he sits near some sequestered place on the margin
of a rivulet ; th^ fish, attracted by the splendor of his fluttering and
expanded wings, are detained, while the wily fisher takes an un-
erring aim.* The Erne, and our Bald Eagle, gain a great part of
their subsistence by watching the success of the Fish-Hawk, and
robbing him of his finny prey as soon as it is caught. In the same
way also the rapacious Burgomaster or Glaucus Gull (Larus glaucus)
of the North, levies his tribute of food from all the smaller species
of his race, who knowing his strength and ferocity, are seldom in-
clined to dispute his piratical claims. Several species of Cuckoo,
and the Cow-Troopial of America, habitually deposit their eggs in
the nests of other small birds, to whose deceived aftection are com-
mitted the preservation and rearing of the parasitic and vagrant
brood. The instinctive arts of birds are numerous ; but treachery,
like that which obtains in these parasitic species, is among the
rarest expedients of nature in the feathered tribes ; though not un-
common among some insect families.
The art displayed by birds in the construction of their temporary
habitations, or nests, is also deserving of passing attention. Among
the Gallinaceous tribe, including our land domestic species, as well
as the aquatic and wading kinds, scarcely any attempt at a nest is
made. The birds which swarm along tlie sea-coast, often deposit
their eggs on the bare ground, sand, or slight depressions in shelving
rocks J governed alone by grosser wants, their mutual attachment is
feeble or nugatory, and neither art nor instinct prompts attention to
the construction of a nest, the less necessary, indeed, as the young
take to the water as soon as hatched, and early release themselves
from parental dependence. The habits of the other aquatic birds
* The bright feathers of this bird enter often successfully, with olliers, into the
composition of the most attractive artificial flies employed by anglers.
INTRODUCTION. 13
are not very dissimilar to these ; yet it is singular to remark, that
while our common geese and ducks, like domestic fowls, have no
permanent selective attachment for their mates, the Canadian Wild-
goose, the Eider>duck, and some others, are constantly and faithfully
paired through the season ; so that this neglect of comfortable ac-
commodation for the young in the fabrication of an artificial nest,
common to these with the rest of their tribe, has less connexion
with the requisition of mutual aid, than with the hardy and pre-
cocious habits of these unmusical, coarse, and retiring birds. It is
true, that some of them show considerable address, if little of art,
in providing security for their brood ; in this way some of the
Razor-bills (including the Common PufSn) do not trust the exposure
of their eggs, like the Gulls, who rather rely on the solitude of their
retreat, than art in its defence ; but with considerable labor some
of the Alcas form a deep burrow for the security of their eggs and
young.
Birds of the same genus differ much in their modes of nidification.
Thus the Martin makes a nest within a rough-cast rampart of mud,
and enters by a flat opening in the upper edge. The Cliff Swallow
of Bonaparte, seen about Portland in Maine and Nova Scotia, as
well as in the remote regions of the West, conceals its warm and
feathered nest in a receptacle of agglutinated mud, resembling a
narrow-necked purse or retort. Another species, in the Indian seas,
forms a small receptacle for its young entirely of interlaced gelatin-
ous fibres, provided by the mouth and stomach ; these fabrics, stuck
in clusters against the rocks, are collected by the Chinese, and boiled
and eaten in soups as the rarest delicacy. The Bank-Martin, like
the King-Fisher, burrows deep into the friable banks of rivers to
secure a depository for its scantily feathered nest. The Chimney-
Swallow, originally an inhabitant of hollow trees, builds in empty
chimneys a mere nest of agglutinated twigs. The Woodpecker,
Nuthatch, Titmouse, and our rural Blue-Bird, secure their young
in hollow trees; and the first oflen gouge and dig through the
solid wood with the success and industry of instinctive carpenters,
and without the aid of any other chisel than their wedged bills.
But the most consummate ingenuity of ornithal architecture is
displayed by the smaller and more social tribes of birds, who, in
proportion to their natural enemies, foreseen by nature, are provided
with the means of instinctive defence. In this labor both sexes
generally unite, and are sometimes occupied a week or more in
completing this temporary habitation for their young. We can only
2
14 INTRODUCTION.
glance at a few examples, chiefly domestic ; since to give any thing
like a general view of this subject of the architecture employed by
birds would far exceed the narrow limits we prescribe. And here
we may remark, that, after migration, there is no more certain
display of the reveries of instinct than what presides over this
interesting and necessary labor of the species. And yet so nice are
the observable gradations betwixt this innate propensity and the
dawnings of reason, that it is not always easy to decide upon the
characteristics of one as distinct from the other. Pure and unde-
viating instincts are perhaps wholly confined to the invertebral class
of animals.
In respect to the habits of birds, we well know, that, like the
quadrupeds, they possess, though in an inferior degree, the capacity
for a certain measure of what may be termed education, or the power
of adding to their stock of invariable habits, the additional circum-
stantial traits of an inferior degree of reason. Thus in those birds
who have discovered, like the faithful dog, that humble companion
of man, the advantages to be derived from associating round his
premises, the regularity of their instinctive habits gives way, in a
measure, to improvable conceptions. In this manner our Golden
Robin (Icterus baUimora) or Fiery Hang-Bird, originally only a
native of the wilderness and the forest, is now a constant summer
resident in the vicinity of villages and dwellings. From the de-
pending boughs of our towering Elms, like the Oriole of Europe,
and the Cassican of tropical America, he weaves his pendulous and
purse-like nest of the most tenacious and durable materials he can
collect. These naturally consist of the Indian hemp, flax of the
silk- weed {Asdejnas species), and other tough and fibrous sub-
stances : but with a ready ingenuity he discovers that real flax and
hemp, as well as thread, cotton, yarn, and even hanks of silk, or
small strings, and horse and cow hair, are excellent substitutes for
his original domestic materials ; and in order to be convenient to
these accidental resources, a matter of some importance in so tedious
a labor, he has left the wild woods of his ancestry, and conscious
of the security of his lofty and nearly inaccessible mansion, has taken
up his welcome abode in the precincts of our habitations. The
same motives of convenience and comfort have had their apparent
influence on many more of our almost domestic feathered tribes ;
the Blue-birds, Wrens, and Swallows, original inhabitants of the
woods, are now no less familiar than our Pigeons. The Cat-bird
often leaves his native solitary thickets for the convenience and
INTRODUCTION. 15
refuge of the garden, and watching, occasionally, the motions of
the tenant, answers to his whistle with complaisant mimicry, or in
petulant anger scolds at his intrusion. The Common Robin, who
never varies his simple and coarse architecture ; tormented by the
parasitic Cuckoo, or the noisy Jay, who seek at times to rob him of
his progeny ; for protection, has been known fearlessly to build his
nest within a few yards of the blacksmith's anvil, or on the stern
timbers of an unfinished vessel, where the carpenters were still
employed in their noisy labors. That sagacity obtains its influence
over unvarying instinct in these and many other familiar birds, may
readily be conceived, when we observe, that this venturous associa-
tion with man vanishes with the occasion which required it ; for no
sooner have the Oriole and Robin reared their young, than their
natural suspicion and shyness again return.
Deserts and solitudes are avoided by many kinds of birds. In an
extensive country of unvarying surface, or possessing but little va-
riety of natural productions, and particularly where streams and
waters are scarce, few of the feathered tribes are to be found. The
extensive prairies of the west, and the gloomy and almost intermin-
able forests of the north, as well as the umbrageous, wild, and
unpeopled banks of the Mississippi, and other of the larger riv^ers,
no less than the vast pine barrens of the southern states, are nearly
without birds, as permanent residents. In crossing the desolate
piny glades of the south, with the exception of Creepers, Wood-
peckers, Pine Warblers, and flocks of flitting Larks (Sturnella),
scarcely any birds are to be seen till we approach the meanders of
some stream, or the precincts of a plantation. The food of birds
being extremely various, they consequently congregate only where
sustenance is to be obtained; watery situations and a diversified
vegetation is necessary for their support, and convenient for their
residence ; the fruits of the garden and orchard, the swarms of in-
sects which follow the progress of agriculture, the grain v\'Iiich we
cultivate, in short, every thing which contributes to our luxuries
and wants, in the way of subsistence, no less than the recondite and
tiny enemies, which lessen or attack these various resources, all
conduce to the support of the feathered race, which consequently
seek out and frequent our settlements, as humble and useful depen-
dents.
The most ingenious and labored nest of all the North American
birds, is that of the Orchard Oriole or Troopial. It is suspended or
pensile, like that of the Baltimore, but, with the exception of hair,
16 INTRODUCTION.
constantly constructed of native materials, the principal of which is
a kind of tough grass. The blades are formed into a sort of platted
purse, but little inferior to a coarse straw bonnet; the artificial labor
bestowed is so apparent, that Wilson humorously adds, that on liis
showing it to a matron of his acquaintance, betwixt joke and earnest,
she asked, ^- if he thought it could not be tavight to darn stockings."
Every one has heard of the tailor bird of India (Sylvia sutoria) -j^'
tliis little architect, by way of saving labor, and gaining security for
its tiny frabric, actually, as a seamstress, sows together the edges of
two leaves of a tree, in which her nest, at the extremity of the
branch, is then secured for the period of incubation. Among the
Sylvias or Warblers, in which are included the Nightingale, and
familiar Robin Redbreast, there is a species inhabiting Florida and
tlie West Indies, the Sylvia pensilis, which forms its woven, covered
nest to rock in the air at the end of two suspending strings, rather than
trust it to the wily enemies by which it is surrounded } the entrance,
for security, is also from below, and through a winding vestibule.
Our little cheerful, and almost domestic Wren (Troglodytes
fulviis), which so often disputes Avith the Martin and the Blue-
bird the possession of the box, set up for their accommodation in
the garden or near the house, in his native resort of a hollow tree,
or the shed of some neglected out-house, begins his fabric by form-
ino- a barricade of crooked interlacing twigs, a kind of chevaux-de-
frise, for the defence of his internal habitation, leaving merely
a very small entrance at the upper edge ; and so pertinacious is the
instinct of this little petulant and courageous warbler, that, v/ithout
perceiving the inutility of his industry, in the artificial mansion pre-
pared for him, he still laboriously encumbers the interior of the box
with the same mass of rude sticks. The industry of this little bird, and
his affection for his mate, ai-e somewhat remarkable, as he frequently
completes his habitation without aid, and then searches out a female on
whom to bestow it; but not being always successful, or the premises
not satisfactory to his mistress, his labor remains without reward, and
he continues to warble out his lay in solitude. The same gallant habit
prevails also with our recluse Wren of the marshes. Wilson's
Marsh Wren (Troglodytes pahistris), instead of courting the advan-
tages of a proximity to our dwellings, lives wholly among the reed
fens, suspending his mud-plastered and circularly covered nest
usually to the stalks of the plant he so much aflfects. Another
marsh species inhabits the low and swampy meadows of our vicinity,
* For the curious nest of this bird, see the vignette on page 30.
INTRODUCTION. 17
{Troglodytes ^'brevlrostris), and, with ready address, constructs its
globular nest wholly of the intertwined sedge-grass of the tussuck
on which it is built ; these two species never leave their subaquatic
retreats but for the purpose of distant migration, and avoid and
deprecate in angry tmtterings every sort of society but their own.
Among the most extraordinary habitations of birds, illustrative of
their instinctive invention, may be mentioned that of the Bengal
Grosbeak, whose pensile nest, suspended from the lofty boughs of
the Indian fig-tree, is fabricated of grass, like cloth, in the form of a
large bottle, with the eutrance downwards; it consists also of two
or three chambers, supposed to be occasionally illuminated by the
fire-flies, which, however, only constitute a part of the food it proba-
bly conveys for the support of its young. But the most extraordi-
nary instinct of this kind known, is exhibited by the Sociable or
Republican Grosbeak {Floceus socius, Cuvier) of the Cape of Good
Hope. In one tree, according to Mr. Paterson, there could not be
fewer than from iSOO to 1000 of these nests, covered by one general
roof, resembling that of a thatched house, and projecting over the
entrance of the nest. Their common industry almost resembles
that of bees. Beneath this roof there are many entrances, each of
which forms, as it were, a regular street, with nests on either side,
about two inches distant from each other. The material which they
emplo}'^ in this building, is a kind of fine grass, whose seed, also, at
the same time, serves them for food.
That birds, besides their predilection for the resorts of men, are
also capable of appreciating consequences to themselves and younor,
scarcely admits the shadow of a doubt : they are capable of commu-
nicating their fears, and nicely calculating the probability of danger,
or the immunities of favor. We talk of the cunning of the Fox, and
the. watchfulness of the Weasel ; but theEagle, Hawk, Raven, Crow,
Pye, and Blackbird, possess those traits of shrewdness and caution,
which would seem to arise from reflection and prudence. They
well know the powerful weapons and wiles of civilized man. With-
out being able to smell powder, a vulgar idea, the Crow and Black-
bird at once suspect the character of the fatal gun ; they will alight
on the backs of cattle without any show of apprehension, and the
Pye even hops upon them with insulting and garrulous playfulness ;
but he flies instantly from his human enemy, and seems, by his
deprecating airs, aware of the proscription that affects his existence.
A man on horseback, or in a carriage, is much less an object of sus-
picion to those wily birds, than when alone ; and I have been fre-
2*
18 INTRODUCTION.
quently both amused and surprised, in the Southern states, by the
sagacity of the Common Blackbirds,* in starting from the ploughing
field, with looks of alarm, at the sight of a white man, as distinct from
and more dangerous than the black slave, whose furrow they closely
and familiarly followed, for the insect-food it afforded them, without
betraying any appearance of distrust. Need we any further proof
of the capacity for change of disposition, -than that which has so
long operated upon our domestic poultry, " those victims," as Buffon
slightingly remarks, " which are multiplied without trouble, and
sacrificed without regret." How different the habits of our Goose
and Duck in their wild and tame condition. Instead of that ex-
cessive and timid cautiousness, so peculiar to their savage nature,
they keep company with the domestic cattle, and hardly shufile out
of our path; nay, the Gander is a very ban-dog; noisy, gabbUng,
and vociferous, he gives notice of the stranger's approach, is often the
terror of the meddling school-boy, in defence of his fostered brood ;
and it is reported of antiquity, that by their usual garrulity and
watchfulness, they once saved the Roman capitol. Not only is the
disposition of these birds changed by domestication, but even their
strong instinct to migration, or wandering longings, are v^-holly
annihilated. Instead of joining the airy phalanx which wing their
way to distant regions, they grovel contented in the perpetual
abundance attendant on their willing slavery. If instinct can thus
be destroyed or merged in artificial circumstances, need we wonder
that this protecting and innate intelligence is capable also of another
change by improvement, adapted to new habits and unnatural re-
straints. Even without undergoing the slavery of domestication,
many birds become fully sensible of immunities and protection; and
in the same aquatic and rude family of birds, already mentioned, we
may quote the tame habits of the Eider Ducks. In Iceland, and
other countries, where they breed in such numbers, as to render
their valuable down an object of commerce, they are forbidden to
be killed under legal penalty, and, as if aware of this legislative
security, they sit on their eggs undisturbed at the approach of man,
and are entirely as familiar, during tliis season of breeding, as our
tamed Ducks ; nor are they apparently aware ot the cheat habitually
practised upon them of abstracting the down with which they line
their nests, though it is usually repeated until they make the third
attempt at incubation. If, however, the last nest, with its eggs and
down, to the lining of which the male is now obliged to contribute,
* Quiscalus versicolor.
INTRODUCTION. 19
be taken away, they sagaciously leave the premises without return.
The pious Storks, in Holland, protected by law for their usefulness
build their nests on the tops of houses and churches, often in the
midst of cities, in boxes prepared for them, like those for our Mar-
tins; and, walking about the streets and gardens, without apprehen-
sion of danger, perform the useful office of domestic scaveno-ers.
That birds, like our more sedentary and domestic quadrupeds are
capable of exhibiting attachment to those who feed and attend them
is undeniable. Deprived of other society, some of our more intelli-
gent species, particularly the Thrushes, soon learn to seek out the
company of their friends or protectors of the human spe ies. The
Brown Thrush and Mocking-bird become, in this way, extremely
familiar, cheerful, and capriciously playful ; the former, in particular,
courts the attention of his master, follows his steps, complains when
neglected, flies to him when suffered to be at large, and sing-s and re-
poses gratefully perched on his hand ; in short, by all his actions he
appears capable of real and affectionate attachment; and is jealous
of every rival, particularly any other bird, which he persecutes from
his presence with unceasing hatred. His petulant dislike to par-
ticular objects of less moment is also displayed by various tones and
gestures, which soon become sufficiently intelligible to those who
are near him, as well as his notes of gratulation and satisfaction.
His language of fear and surprise could never be mistaken, and an
imitation of his guttural low tsherr tsherr, on these occasions, an-
swers as a premonitory warning when any danger awaits him
from the sly approach of cat or squirrel. As I have now descended
as I may say, to the actual biography of one of these birds, wliich
I raised and kept uncaged for some time, I may also add, that be-
sides a playful turn for mischief and interruption, in which he would
sometimes snatch off the paper on which I was writing, he had a
good degree of curiosity, and was much surprised one day by a
large springing beetle or Elater (E. ocellatus), which I had caught
and placed in a tumbler. On all such occasions, his looks of ca-
pricious surprise were very amusing ; he cautiously approached the
glass with fanning and closing wings, and in an under tone con-
fessed his surprise at the address and jumping motions of the huge
insect. At length he became bolder, and perceiving it had a relation
to his ordinary prey of beetles, he, with some hesitation, ventured to
snatch at the prisoner between temerity and playfulness. But when
really alarmed or offended, he instantly flew to his loftiest perch,
forbid all friendly approaches, and for some time kept up his low
20 INTRODUCTION.
and angry tsherr. My late friend, the venerable William Bartram,
was also much amused by the intelligence displayed by this bird,
and relates, that, one which he kept, being fond of hard bread
crumbs, found, when they grated his throat, a very rational remedy
in softening them, by soaking in his vessel of water ; he likewise,
by experience, discovered that the painful prick of the wasps on
which he fed, could be obviated by extracting their stings. But it
would be too tedious and minute to follow out these glimmerings of
intelligence, which exist as well in birds as in our most sagacious
quadrupeds. The remarkable talent of the Parrot for imitating the
tones of the human voice has long been familiar. The most ex-
traordinary and well authenticated account of the actions of one
of the common Ash-colored species, is that of a bird which Colonel
O'Kelly bought for a hundred guineas at Bristol. This individual
not only repeated a great number of sentences, but answered many
questions, and was able to whistle a variety of tunes. While thus
engaged, it beat time with all the appearance of science ; and pos-
sessed a judgment, or ear so accurate, that, if by chance it mistook
a note, it would revert to the bar where the mistake was made,
correct itself, and still beating regular time, go again through the
whole with perfect exactness. So celebrated was this surprising bird,
that an obituary notice of its death appeared in the General Even-
ing Post for the 9th of October, 1802. In this account it is added,
that, besides her great musical faculties, she could exp^ress her wants
articulately, and give her orders in a manner approaching to ration-
ality. She was, at the time of her decease, supposed to be more
than thirty years of age. The Colonel was repeatedly oifered five
hundred guineas a year for the bird, by persons who wished to make
a public exhibition of her; but out of tenderness to his favorite, he
constantly refused the offer.
The story related by Goldsmith of a Parrot belonging to King
Henry the Seventh, is very amusing, and possibly true. It was kept
in a room in the palace of Westminster, overlooking the Thames,
and had naturally enough learnt a store of boatmen's phrases ; one
day sporting somewhat incautiously. Poll fell into the river, but had
rationality enough, it appears, to make a profitable use of the words
she had learnt, and accordingly vociferated, " Jl boat ! twenty
pounds for a boat r' This welcome sound reaching the ears of a
waterman, soon brought assistance to the parrot, who delivered it to
the king, with a request to be paid the round sum so readily promised
by the bird ; but his majesty, dissatisfied with the exorbitant demand.
INTRODUCTION. 21
agreed, at any rate, to give him what the bird should now award;
in answer to which reference, Poll shrewdly cried, '• Give the knave
a groat.'''
The story given by Locke, in his '• Essay on the Human Under-
standing," though approaching closely to rationality, and apparently
improbable, may not be a greater effort than could have been accom-
plished by Colonel O'Kelly's bird. This Parrot had attracted the
attention of Prince Maurice, then governor of Brazil, who had a
curiosity to witness its powers. The bird was introduced into tlie
room, where sat the prince in company with several Dutchmen. On
viewing them, the Parrot exclaimed, in Portuguese, " What a com-
pany of white men are here ! " Pointing to the prince, they asked,
" Who is that man.? " to which the Parrot replies, •• Some general
or other." The prince now asked, '•' From what place do you come ? "
The answer was, '' From Marignan." *- To whom do you belong.?"
it answered, "To a Portuguese." "What do you do there.?" to
which the Parrot replied, " I look after chickens ! " The prince,
now laughing, exclaimed, " You look after chickens ! " To which
Poll pertinently answered, " Yes, I; — and I know well enough
how to do it;" clucking at the same instant in the manner of a
calling brood-hen.
The docility of birds in catching and expressing sounds depends,
of course, upon the perfection of their voice and hearing; assisted
also by no inconsiderable power of memory. The imitative actions
and passiveness of some small birds, such as Goldfinches, Linnets,
and Canaries, are, however, quite as curious as their expression of
sounds. A Sieur Roman exhibited in England some of these birds,
one of which simulated death, and was held up by the tail or claw
without showing any active signs of life. A second balanced itself
on the head, with its claws in the air. A third imitated a milkmaid
going to market, Avith pails on its shoulders. A fourth mimicked a
Venetian girl looking out at a window. A fifth acted the soldier, and
mounted guard as a centinel. The sixth was a cannonier, with a
cap on its head, a firelock on its shoulder, and with a match in its
claw discharged a small cannon. The same bird also acted as if
wounded, was wheeled in a little barrow, as it were, to the hospital;
after which it fl^ew away before the company. The seventh turned
a kind of windmill ; and the last bird stood amidst a discharge of
small fireworks, without showing any sign of fear.
A similar exhibition, in which twenty-four Canary birds were the
actors, was also shown in London in 1820, by a Frenchman named
22 INTRODUCTION.
Dujon ; one of these suffered itself to be shot at, and, falhng down,
as if dead, was put into a little wheelbarrow, and conveyed away
by one of its comrades.
The docility of the Canary and Goldfinch is thus, by dint of se-
vere education, put in fair competition with that of the Dog ; and
we cannot deny to the feathered creation a share of that kind of
rational intelligence, exhibited by some of our sagacious quadrupeds,
an incipient knowledge of cause and effect far removed from the
unimprovable and unchangeable destinies of instinct. Nature, proba-
bly, delights less in producing such animated machines than we are
apt to suppose ; and amidst the mutability of circumstances by which
almost every animated being is surrounded, there seems to be a
frequent demand for that relieving invention, denied to those animals
which are solely governed by inflexible instinct.
The velocity with which birds are able to travel in their aerial
element, has no parallel among terrestrial animals ; and this power-
ful capacity for progressive motion, is bestowed in aid of their pe-
culiar wants and instinctive habits. The swiflest horse may perhaps
proceed a mile in something less than two minutes, but such exertion
is unnatural, and quickly fatal. An Eagle, whose stretch of wing ex-
ceeds seven feet, with ease and majesty, and without any extraordinary
effort, rises out of sight in less than three minutes, and therefore
must fly more than 3,500 yards in a minute, or at the rate of sixty
miles in an hour. At this speed a bird would easily perform a
journey of 600 miles in a day, since ten hours only would be required,
which would allow frequent halts, and the whole of the night for
repose. Swallows, and other migratory birds, might therefore pass
from Northern Europe to the equator in seven or eight days. In
fact, Adanson saw, on the coast of Senegal, swallows that had
arrived there on the 9th of October, or eight or nine days after their
departure from the colder continent. A Canary Falcon, sent to the
Duke of Lerma, returned in sixteen hours from Andalusia to the
island of Teneriffe, a distance of 750 miles. The Gulls of Bar-
badoes, according to Sir Hans Sloane, make excursions in flocks
to the distance of more than 200 miles after their food, and then
return the same day to their rocky roosts.
If we allow that any natural powers come in aid of the instinct
to migration, so powerful and uniform in birds, besides their vast
capacity for motion, it must be in the perfection and delicacy of their
vision, of which we have such striking examples in the rapacious
tribes. It is possible, that at times, they may be directed principally
INTRODUCTION. 23
by atmospheric phenomena alone ; and hence we find that their ap-
pearance is frequently a concomitant of the approaching season,
and the wild Petrel of the ocean is not the only harbinger of storm
and coming change. The currents of the air, in those which make
extensive voyages, are sedulously employed ; and hence, at certain
seasons, when they are usually in motion, we find their arrival or
departure accelerated by a favorable direction of the winds. That
birds also should be able to derive advantage in their journeys from
the acuteness of their vision, is not more wonderful, than the ca-
pacity of a dog to discover the path of his master, for many miles
in succession, by the mere scent of his steps. It is said, indeed, in
corroboration of this conjecture, that the Passenger or Carry inor
Pigeon, is not certain to return to the place from whence it is
brought, unless it be conveyed in an open wicker basket, admitting
a viev*^ of the passing scenery. Many of our birds, however, follow
instinctively the great valleys and river courses, wliich tend towards
tlieir southern or warmer destination ; thus the great valleys of the
Connecticut, the Hudson, the Delaware, the Susquehannah, the
Santee, and more particularly the vast Mississippi, are often, in
part, the leading routes of our migrating birds. But, in fact, mys-
terious as is the voyage and departure of our birds, like those of
all other countries where they remove at all, the destination of many
is rendered certain, as soon as we visit the southern parts of the
Union, or the adjoining countries of Mexico, to which they have
retired for the winter ; for now, where they were nearly or wholly
imknown in summer, they throng by thousands, and flit before our
path like the showering leaves of autumn. It is curious to observe
the pertinacity of this adventurous instinct in those, more truly and
exclusively insectivorous species, which wholly leave us for the
mild and genial regions of the tropics. Many penetrate to their
destination through Mexico over land ; to these the whole journey
is merely an amusing and varied feast ; but to a much smaller num-
ber, who keep too far toward the sea-coast, and enter the ocean-bound
peninsula of Florida, a more arduous aerial voyage is presented ;
the wide ocean must be crossed, by the young and inexperienced,
as well as the old and venturous, before they arrive either at the
tropical continent, or its scattered islands. When the wind proves
propitious, however, o\ir little voyagers wing their unerring way
like prosperous fairies; but, baffled by storms and contrary gales,
they often suffer from want, and at times, like the Quails, become
victims to the devouring waves. On such unfortunate occasions,
24 INTRODUCTION.
(as Mr. Bullock * witnessed in a voyage near to Vera Cruz late in
autumn,) the famished travellers familiarly crowd the decks of the
vessel, in the hope of obtaining rest and a scanty meal, preparatory
to the conclusion of their unpropitious flight.
Superficial observers, substituting their own ideas for facts, are
ready to conclude, and frequently assert, that the old and young,
before leaving, assemble together for mutual departure ; this may be
true, in many instances, but in as many more a diiferent arrange-
ment obtains. The young, often instinctively vagrant, herd together
in separate flocks previous to their departure, and guided alone by
tlie innate monition of nature, seek neither the aid nor the company
of the old ; consequently in some countries flocks of young of par-
ticular species are alone observed, and in others, far distant, we
recognise the old. From parental aid, the juvenile company have
obtained all that nature intended to bestov*^, existence and education ;
and they are now thrown upon the world among their numerous com-
panions, with no other necessary guide than self-preserving instinct.
In Europe it appears that these bands of the young always affect
even a warmer climate than the old ; the aeration of their blood
not being yet complete, they are more sensible to the rigors of cold.
The season of the year has also its effect on the movements of
birds; thus certain species proceed to their northern destination
more to the eastward in the spring ; and return from it to the south-
westward in autumn.
The habitudes and extent of the migrations of birds admit of con-
siderable variety. Some only fly before the inundating storms of
winter, and return with the first dawn of spring ; these do not leave
tlie continent, and only migrate in quest of food, when it actually
beo-ms to fail. Among these may be named our common Song
Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Blue-bird, Robin, Pewee, Cedar-bird,
Blackbird, Meadow Lark, and many more. Others pass into warmer
climates in the autumn, after rearing their young. Some are so
given to wandering, that their choice of a country is only regulated
by the resources which it offers for subsistence ; such are the Pigeons,
Herons of several kinds. Snipes, Wild Geese and Ducks, the wan-
dering Albatros, and Waxen Chatterer.
The greater number of birds travel in the night ; some species,
however, proceed only by day, as the diurnal birds of prey. Crows,
Pies, Wrens, Creepers, Cross-bills, Larks, Blue-birds, Swallows, and
* Travels in Mexico.
INTRODUCTION. 25
some others. Those which travel wholly in the night are the Owls,
Butcher-birds, Kingfishers, Thrushes, Flycatchers, Night-Hawks,
Whip-poor-wills, and also a great number of aquatic birds, whose mo-
tions are often principally nocturnal, except in the cold and desolate
northern regions, where they usually retire to breed. Other birds are
so powerfully impelled by this governing motive to migration, that
they stop neither day nor night; such are the Herons, Motacillas,
Plovers, Swans, Cranes, Wild Geese, Storks, &c. When untoward
circumstances render haste necessary, certain kinds of birds, which
ordinarily travel only in the night, continue their route durino- the
day, and scarcely allow themselves time to eat : yet the singing
birds, properly so called, never migrate by day, whatever may hap-
pen to them. And it may here be inquired, with astonishment, how
these feeble but enthusiastic animals are able to pass the time, thus
engaged, without the aid of recruiting sleep .' But so povrerful is
this necessity for travel, that its incentive breaks out equally in those
which are detained in captivity ; so much so, that although, during
the day, they are no more alert than usual, and only occupied in
taking nourishment, at the approach of night, far from seekincr
repose, as usual, they manifest great agitation, sing without ceasino-
in the cage, whether the apartment is lighted or not ; and when
the moon shines, they appear still more restless, as it is their custom
at liberty, to seek the advantage of its light, for facilitatino- their
route. Some birds, while engaged in their journey, still find means
to live without halting ; the Swallow, while traversing the sea
pursues its insect prey ; those who can subsist on fish, without any
serious effort, feed as they pass or graze the surface of the deep. If
the Wren, the Creeper, and the Titmouse rest for an instant on a
tree to snatch a hasty morsel, in the next they are on the wino- to
fulfil their destination. However abundant may be the nourishment
which presents itself to supply their Avants, in general, birds of pas-
sage rarely remain more than two days together in a place.
The cries of many birds, while engaged in their aerial vovawe are
such as are only heard on this important occasion, and appear ne-
cessary for the direction of those which fly in assembled ranks.
During these migrations, it has been observed, that birds fly ordi-
narily in the higher regions of the air, e^xcept when fogs force them
to seek a lower elevation. This habit is particularly prevalent with
Wild Geese, Storks, Cranes, and Herons, which often pass at such a
height as to be scarcely distinguishable.
3
26 INTRODUCTION.
We shall not here enter into any detailed description of the man-
ner in which each species conducts its migration ; but shall con-
tent ourselves with citing the single remarkable example of the
motions of the Cranes. Of all migrating birds, these appear to be
endowed with the greatest share of foresight. They never under-
take the journey alone : throughout a circle of several miles, they
appear to communicate the intention of commencing their route.
Several days previous to their departure, they call upon each other
by a peculiar cry, as if giving warning to assemble at a cen-
tral point; the favorable moment being at length arrived, they
betake themselves to flight, and, in military style, fall into two
lines, which, uniting at the summit, form an extended angle with
two equal sides. At the central point of the phalanx, the chief
takes his station, to whom the whole troop, by their subordination,
appear to have pledged their obedience. The commander has not
only the painful task of breaking the path through the air, but he
has also the charge of watching for the common safety ; to avoid
tlie attacks of birds of prey; lo range the two lines in a circle, at
the approach of a tempest, in order to resist with more effect the
squalls which menace the dispersion of the linear ranks; and, lastly,
it is to their leader that the fatigued company look up to appoint
the most convenient places for nourishment and repose. Still, im-
portant as is the station and function of the aerial director, its
existence is but momentary. As soon as he feels sensible of fatigue,
he cedes his place to the next in the file, and retires himself to its
extremity. During the night, their flight is attended with con-
siderable noise ; the loud cries which we hear, seem to be the march-
ing orders of the chief, answered by the ranks who follow his
commands. Wild Geese, and several kinds of Ducks, also make
their aerial voyage nearly in the same manner as the Cranes. The
loud call of tlie passing Geese, as they soar securely through the
higher regions of the air, is familiar to all ; but as an additional
proof of their sagacity and caution, we may remark, that when
fogs in the atmosphere render their flight necessarily low, they steal
along in silence, as if aware of the danger to which their lower path
now exposes them.
To assist the efforts of birds, and sustain them through their long
journeys, it is often necessary to borrow the aid of the winds ; but
that this element may assist, it is proper that it meet them ; or be
in the reverse of its aid to the navigator. This observation is so
far verified, that to succeed in the chase of birds upon the water, it
INTRODUCTION. 27
is necessary to approach them by cutting the wind upon them ; conse-
quently, by the disposition of their wings, they are obhged to come
towards the boat, which is also at the same time pushed towards them.
Our common Passenger Pigeons and Wild Geese, decided migra-
tors, may be observed, when moving in the largest bodies, flying in
a path contrary to the wind. The direction of the winds is then of
great importance to the migration of birds, not only as an assistance
when favorable, but to be avoided when contrary, as the most dis-
astrous of accidents, when they are traversing the ocean. If the
breeze suddenly change,, the aerial voyagers tack to meet it, and
diverging from their original course, seek the asylum of some land
or island, as is the case very frequently with the Quails, who conse-
quently, in their passage across the Mediterranean, at variable
times, make a descent in immense numbers on the islands of the
Archipelago, where they wait, sometimes for weeks, the arrival
of a propitious gale to terminate their journey. And hence we
perceive the object of migrating birds, when they alight upon a
vessel at sea; it has fallen in their course while seeking refuge
from a baffling breeze, or overwhelming storm, and after a few
hours of rest, they wing their way to their previous destination.
That nature has provided ample means to fulfil the wonderful in-
stinct of these feeble but cautious wanderers, appears in every part
of their economy. As the period approaches for their general depar-
ture, and the chills of autumn begin to be felt, their bodies begin
to be loaded with cellular matter, and at no season of the year are
the true birds of passage so fat as at the approach of their migration.
The Gulls, Cranes, and Herons, almost proverbially macilent, are
at this season loaded with this reservoir of nutriment, which is in-
tended to administer to their support through their arduous and
hazardous voyage. With this natural provision, dormant animals
also commence their long and dreary sleep through the winter ; a
nutritious resource, no less necessary in birds while engaged in ful-
filling the powerful and waking reveries of instinct.
But if the act of migration surprise us when performed by birds
of active power of wing, it is still more remarkable when under-
taken by those of short and laborious flight, like the Coots and Rails,
who, in fact, perform a part of their route on foot. The Great Penguin
(Jltca impennis) , the Guillemot, and the Divers, even make their
voyage chiefly by dint of swimming. The young Loons (Colymbus
glacialis), bred in inland ponds, though proverbially lame (and
hence the name of Lom or Loon), Avithout recourse to their wings,
28 INTRODUCTION.
which are at this time inefficient, continue their route from pond to
pond, floundering over the intervening land by night, until at length
they gain some creek of the sea, and finally complete their necessary
migration by water.
Birds of passage, both in the old and new continents, are observed
generally to migrate south-west in autumn, and to pass to the north-
east in spring. Parry, however, it seems, observed the birds of
Greenland proceed to the south-east. This apparent aberration from
the usual course, may be accounted for by considering the habits of
these aquatic birds. Intent on food and shelter, a part, bending their
course over the cold regions of Norway and Russia, seek the shores
of Europe ; while another division, equally considerable, proceeding
south-west, spread themselves over the interior of the United States
and the coast and kingdom of Mexico.
This propensity to change their climate, induced by whatever
cause, is not confined to the birds of temperate regions ; it likewise
exists among many of those who inhabit the tropics. Aquatic birds,
of several kinds, according to Humboldt, cross the line on either
side about the time of the periodical rise of the rivers. Waterton,
likewise, who spent much time in Demerara and the neighbouring
countries, observed, that the visits of many of the tropical birds were
periodical. Thus the wonderful Campanero,* whose solemn voice is
heard, at intervals, tolling like the convent bell,, was rare to Water-
ton, but frequent in Brazil, where they most probably retire to
breed. The failure of particular food at any season, in the mildest
climate, would be a sufficient incentive to a partial and overland mi-
gration with any species of the feathered race.
The longevity of birds is various, and, different from the case of man
and quadrupeds, seems to bear but little proportion to the age at which
they acquire maturity of character. A few months seems sufficient to
bring the bird into full possession of all its native powers ; and there
are some, as our Marsh Titmouse or Chicadee, which, in fact, as
soon as fledged, are no longer to be distinguished from their parents.
Land animals generally live six or seven times as long as the period
required to attain maturity ; but in birds the rate is ten times greater.
In proportion to their size, they are also far more vivacious and
long-lived, than other animals of the superior class. Our know-
ledge of the longevity of birds is, however, necessarily limited to
the few examples of domesticated species, which we have been able
* Casmarhynchos carunculatM.
INTRODUCTION. 29
to support through life ; the result of these examples is, that our
domestic fowls have lived twenty years ; Pigeons have exceeded
that period ; Parrots have attained more than thirty years. Geese
live probably more than half a century ; a Pelican has lived to eighty
years ; and Swans, Ravens, and Eagles have exceeded a century :
even Linnets, in the unnatural restraints of the cage, have survived
for fourteen or fifteen years, and Canaries twenty-five. To account
for this remarkable tenacity of life, nothing very satisfactory has
been offered ; though Bufibn is of opinion, that the soft and porous
nature of their bones contributes to this end, as the general ossifica-
tion and rigidity of the system perpetually tends to abridge the
boundaries of life.
In a general way it may be considered as essential for the bird to
fly, as it is for the fish to swim, or the quadruped to walk ; yet in
all these tribes there are exceptions to the general liabits. Thus
among quadrupeds, the Bats fly ; the Seals, and other animals of
that description, swim; and the Beaver and Otter, with an inter-
mediate locomotive power, swim better than they can walk. So
also among birds, the Ostrich, Cassowary, Dodo, and some others,
incapable of flying, are obliged to walk ; others, as the Penguins,
Dippers, and Razor-bills, fly and swim, but never walk. Some, in
fine, like the Birds of Paradise, Swallows, and Humming-birds, can
neither walk nor swim, but pass their time chiefly on the wing.
A far greater number of birds live on the water than of quadrupeds,
for of the latter there are not more than five or six kinds furnished
with webbed or oar-like feet; whereas of birds with this structure
there are above three hundred. The lightness of their feathers and
bones, as well as the boat-like form of their bodies, contributes
greatly to facilitate their buoj^ancy and progress in the water, and
their feet serve as oars to propel them.
Thus in whatever way we view the feathered tribes which surround
us, we shall find much both to amuse and instruct. We hearken to
their songs with renewed delight, as the harbingers and associates
of the season they accompany. Their return, after a long absence,
is hailed with gratitude to the Author of all existence ; and the
cheerless solitude of inanimate nature is, by their presence, attuned
to life and harmony. Nor do they alone administer to the amuse-
ment and luxury of life ; faithful aids as well as messengers of the
seasons, they associate round our tenements, and defend the various
productions of the earth, on which we so much rely for subsistence,
from the destructive depredations of myriads of insects, which, but
3*
I
30
INTRODUCTION.
for timely riddance by unnumbered birds, would be followed by a
general failure and famine. Public economy and utility, then,
no less than humanity, plead for the protection of the feathered
race ; and the wanton destruction of birds, so useful, beautiful, and
amusing, if not treated as such by law, ought to be considered as a
crime by every moral, feeling, and reflecting mind.
Nest of the Tailor-Bird.
BIRDS OF PREY.
Rapacious birds seem to occupy among the feathered
race, the same situation as the carnivorous order amonsf
the quadrupeds. All obtain their subsistence from the
animal kingdom, and most of them live essentially on
flesh. Some, dastardly and indolent by nature, as well
as unprovided with the means of seizing prey, live on
carrion and garbage, and act the useful part of scaven-
gers in ridding the earth of such offensive matters. Oth-
ers boldly or insidiously attack living animals, quadru-
peds or birds. Some again there are, that subsist almost
wholly on fish and reptiles ; and a few of small size are
contented with crustaceous-winged insects. Less attach-
ed to the earth than other birds, they traverse the aerial
regions with a rapid flight, and often disappear from
view in the ambient space, from whence, ever watchful
and keen of sight, they survey the wide landscape and
mark out their distant quarry. Some peculiarities of their
skeleton are in accordance with the power of their
wings ; thus the sternum is broad and completely ossified
in order to give more extensive insertion to the muscles.
The fourchette also, semicircular and widely separated,
serves effectually to resist the violent motions of the hu-
merus in the act of rapid flying. Endowed with such
powerful means of flight, and natural weapons of destruc-
tion, they are justly the terror of all other birds. Wan-
32 BIRDS OF PREY.
derers and vagabonds, they live in solitude, or only asso-
ciate by pairs. Their parental feeling, indeed, com-
monly vanishes with the growth of their offspring ; the
young are driven forth with violence, and sometimes
even savagely destroyed by these, their fierce, though
natural protectors. Nature, apparently willing to dimin-
ish or abridge the number of such cruel animals, has
limited their annual progeny to a single brood, and their
eggs, sometimes 2, never exceed the number of 4.
For this purpose their nests are hidden in the clefts of
inaccessible rocks, or fixed in the summits of the tallest
trees ; and in the nocturnal kinds, in hollow trunks, or
the ruins of desolate buildings which their discordant
cries fill with sounds of horror ; the diurnal, also in-
quiet, gloomy, and suspicious, utter often loud, squealing
plaints, or, in the larger kinds, almost wolfish barkings,
sounds consonant with their insatiable and sanguinary ap-
petites : indeed, when their victims are sufficiently abund-
ant, their sole drink is often blood, and like the vptary
of intemperance, water, to quench their thirst, is only a
last resort. The more powerful birds of this order see
with proverbial perfection in the day, and like most oth-
ers have the eyes directed sideways. The nocturnal
tribe pass away this period in sleep and indolence, only
perceiving their prey distinctly in the twilight, and in
these the eyes are placed in front. The structure of
their digestive organs indicates the stern necessity of this
life of rapine. Their prey is either torn to pieces or
swallowed whole ; in either case the hair, bones and
feathers, indigestible to them, are successively ejected
from the stomach, by the mouth, in small balls or pellets.
They eat largely when occasion offers, and can also fast
for several days. In all this tribe the female is larger
than the male, and this disparity sometimes amounts to a
I
VULTURES. 33
third ; she alone hatches the brood, and probably, finds
the occasional necessity of defending them from her un-
feeling mate.
This order of birds are well distinguished by their short,
robust bill, compressed at its sides, and curved towards
its extremity ; the upper mandible is also covered at its
base by a particular coating called the cere. The nos-
trils are open. The feet strong, short, or of middling
length, feathered to the knees, or sometimes down to the
toes. The toes are three before, and one behind, all
equally touching the ground, and wholly divided, or
united at the base by a membrane ; the sole is rough, to
assist in holding the animals on which they feed, and
more remarkably so in those which live on fish, and re-
quire this additional aid to retain their slippery prey.
The toes are armed with powerful, sharp, retractile, and
curved nails.
VULTURES.
These are ignoble, cowardly, and gregarious birds, generally con-
fined to mild or warm climates, where, feeding on unburied carcases
and filth, they render an important service to man, and in the South-
ern parts of the United States they are consequently protected from
destruction by law. They sometimes also prey upon small living
animals, reptiles, and the eggs of birds. They are exceedingly indo-
lent, and in their mean and disgusting figure, slovenly attitude,
fcEtid scent, and heavy gait, they are strikingly distinguished from
those birds of rapine which give a preference to living animals, and
seize their prey by stratagem or strength. In the conformation of
their feet and claws, they are destitute of that powerful armature
which is peculiar to the other rapacious birds ; they are unable to
make use of these members either in attacking or conveying their
prey, which must consequently be consumed on the spot. Their
head and neck wholly naked, or partially clothed with a woolly
down, is small compared with the size of the body, and the lat-
ter is frequently long and slender. Although their flight is slow,
34 BIRDS OF PREY.
they can elevate themselves to a prodigious height, ascending and
descending in wide spiral circles. Their sight, like that of the
Hawks ;iiid Eagles, is keen; and the organ of scent was improp-
erly supposed to be very perfect. They nest often amidst inaccessi-
ble rocks, laying l)ut two eggs, and bear in their ample craw nour-
ishment for their young, which they disgorge before them. They
moult once in the year : and difference of size alone distinguishes
the sexes in appearance.
None of the Vultures, properly so called, exist out of the ancient
continent ; but the genus Cathartes, which comprehends our Vul-
tures, admits of geographical and natural sections, the transatlantic
species being still separable from those of America.
1. CATHARTES.
Is this genus the bill is long and straight, merely curved towards
the point ; the cere is naked and extending beyond the middle of
the beak ; the nostrils oval, naked and pervious ; and situated
about the centre of the bill : the tongue channeled, with the edges
serrated. — Head elongated, flattened, and wrinkled. The tarsus
or leg rather slender and naked ; the side toes equal, the mid*
die toe long and united to the exterior at its base ; the hind one
shortest. The first primary, or quill, rather short, the third long*
est. In the American section of the genus, the bill is rather
Stout J and the tail consists of 12 featliersx
THE CONDOR.
(^Cathurtes gryphus, Temmixck. VuUur gryphus, Linn^us.)
Specific Character. — Blackish; wings varied with white, and
not extending beyond the tail ; collar white ; the head furnished
with a fleshy crest. — Female destitute of tlie caruncle. The
youvg wholly brown.
The Condor derives its name from an Indian word
which alludes to its supposed sagacious scent. It inhab-
its the whole chain of the Andes of Mexico, Peru, and
Chili, and, on the authority of Lewis and Clarke, they are
not uncommon in the range of the Rocky Mountains,
towards the sources of the Missouri, where, in their jour-
ney, they are mentioned as enormous bustards ; though
the bill and talons of one which was presented to Peale's
^^6.0
,.-.;. y iAAO^%t>
36 BIRDS OF PREY.
museum proved the bird to be either the present species,
or the nearly allied Vultur calif ornianus. The migra-
tion of these birds into this cool alpine region is in con-
formity with their habits in the milder climates of Mexico
and South America, where, according to Humboldt, they
are known to soar to an elevation almost six times greater
than that at which the clouds are ordinarily suspended
over our heads. At the immense height of nearly 6 per-
pendicular miles, the Condor is seen majestically sailing
in the ethereal space, watchfully surveying the vast ex-
panse in quest of his accustomed prey. Elevated farther
above our planet than any other animal, impelled by hun-
ger alone he descends into the nearest plains "which bor-
der the Cordilleras ; but his stay in this region is only
for a few hours, as he prefers these desolate and lofty
mountains, and this rarified aerial space, in which the
barometer only attains an elevation of about 16 inches.
These rocky eyries of the Peruvian Andes (whose plain
is elevated about 15,000 feet above the level of the sea,)
have hence obtained the vernacular name o£ Conddrnests.
Here, perched in dreary solitude, on the crests of scat-
tered rocks, at the very verge of the region of perpetual
snow, these dark gigantic birds are seen silently reposing
like melancholy spectres, rousing only from their slum-
bers at the calls of hunger. Their peculiar residence is
the great chain of the high Andes, where they associate
3 or 4 together upon the points of cliffs without either
fearing or injuring men, so that they may be approached
within 4 yards without showing alarm, or making on
their part any attempt at attack. Hardly an instance is
really known of their even assaulting an infant, though
some credulous naturalists, with the exaggerating privi-
lege of travellers, have given accounts of their killing
yourig. persons of 10 or 12 years of age. Their ability
CONDOR. 37
for such rapine is not to be doubted, but their natural
cowardice forbids the attempt. At the same time, it is
not uncommon to see them follow and hover around a
young bull until they have torn out his eyes and tongue.
A pair of Condors will not only in this way attack the
Deer of the Andes, the Puma or American Lion (our
Panther), the Vicogne, and the Lama (or American
Camel), but also the Wild Heifer. They will pursue it
for a long time, occasionally wounding it with their bill
and claws, until the unfortunate animal, now stifled and
ovisrcome with fatigue, extends its tongue and groans ;
on which occasion the Condor seizes this member, being
a very tender and favorite morsel, and tears out the eyes
of his prey, which at length falls prostrate to the earth
and slowly expires. The Condor then gorges himself,
and rests in stupidity, and almost gluttonous inebriation,
perched upon the highest neighbouring rocks. The for-
midable hunter now loaded with his meal, may be driven
about without his attempting to fly ; and in this state the
Indians sometimes pursue them with the lasso or noose,
and easily take them captive. Thus restrained, the Con-
dor makes extraordinary efforts to rise into the air ; but
fatigued by the attempt, he begins to disgorge himself
freely, an effort he appears to assist by lengthening and
shortening the neck, and bringing forward the sheath of
his beak. They will approach dwellings when allured
by the scent of food ; and a dead animal will draw down
a crowd of these gluttons, where none at the time are at
all visible ; they tear and eat with the greatest voracity,
pushing sometimes with their feet, and flapping their
wings.
They make no nest, but deposit their' eggs upon the
naked rock ; these are wholly white, and 3 or 4 inches
in length. It is said that the female remains with her
4
38 BIRDS OF PREY.
young for the space of a year. The young Condor has
no feathers. His body, for several months, is covered
only with a very fine down or whitish frizzled hair, which
resembles that of young owls. This down disfigures the
young bird so much, that in this state it appears almost
as large as an adult.
The Condor at the end of the second year changes from black to
blackish brown. The female as well as the male, at this age, ac-
quires the white color at the base of the naked neck, consisting of
longer feathers than those on the rest of the body. The bill is
straight, but strongly hooked at the point ; the lower mandible
consideral)ly shorter than the upper ; the plumage is white in front,
everywhere else of a brownish grey. The head and neck are naked,
and covered with a hard, dry, and wrinkled skin of a reddish color,
and scattered over with short, rigid, brown, or blackish hairs. The
cranium is remarkably flattened, as in most other ferocious animals.
The fleshy, or almost cartilaginous crest, peculiar to the male, occu-
pies the summit of the head, and is about one fourth the length of the
.bill; it is of an oblong figure, and thin and wrinkled. The skin of
the head in the male forms, behind the eye, folds or rugosities, and
beard-like tufts, which descend towards the neck, and there unite
into a loose membrane, which the animal has the power of rendering
more or less visible, and swelling out at pleasure, somewhat after
the manner of the Turkey. The ear is large, and hidden under a
membranous fold. The eye is remarkably elongated, farther remov-
ed from the bill than in the eagles, very lively, and of a purple
color ; the whole neck is covered with parallel wrinkles, but the
skin is not so loose as that which covers the throat. The wrinkles
are placed longitudinally, and originate in the habit this Vulture has
of drawing in its neck, and hiding it in the collar, which serves it
as a hood. This collar, formed of silky down, is common to the
adult of both sexes ; it is a white band which separates the naked
part of the neck from the rest of the body covered with true
feathers. The back, the v\dngs, and the tail are of a greyish black.
The feathers of the Condor are sometimes of a brilliant black ;
but most frequently the black borders on grey. The primary quill
feathers of the wing are black, and the secondaries are both in
the male and female exteriorly edged with white. In the female,
the wing coverts are of a greyish-black, but tlie points, and even
CALIFORNIAN VULTURE. 39
the half of these feathers, are white in tlie male, so that the wino-
appears in this sex ornamented with a large white patch. The
tail is wedge-shaped, rather short, and blackish in both sexes. The
feet are very stout, of a greyish blue, and ornamented with vrhite
wrinkles ; the nails are blackish, but Utile crooked, and very long ;
the 4 toes are connected by a very loose but strongly marked mem-
brane 5 the 4tli toe is very small, and the nail more curved.
Total length, 2 to 3 feet 2 lines (French measure) ; bill 1 inch 10
lines ; extent of the wings about 9 feet and a half our measure ;
the tail about 1 foot 2 inches ; intermediate or longest toe, with the
nail, near half a foot. The measurements of this bird have been
greatly exaggerated ; an individual, in the Leverian Museum in Eng-
land, is said to have extended, from the end of the wings, 13 feet
1 inch (French measure.) Desmarchais gave it a stretch of 18 feet,
and adds, that the excessive magnitude of its wings hindered it from
entering into the forests ! It always, however, from choice, perches
on the ground, or on elevated rocks, its talons, by their situation, not
affording it a sufficient support on the branches of trees.
CALIFORNIAN VULTURE.
{ Cathartes californianus, Kxy:z. Bonaparte, Annal. Lye. vol.11,
p. 22. Cath.artes viilturimis, Temm. Vultur cali/ornianus,
Latham. Shaw's Naturalist's Miscellany, vol. ix. p. 301.)
Spec. Charact. — Blackish : feathers of the collar and breast lanceo-
late ; the wings reaching much beyond the tail.
This bird which Menzies brought from California,
and deposited in the British Museum, seems, according
to Latham, to have some affinity with the Condor, and
almost equals it in size. Considering the great predi-
lection all this part of the Vulture section (Cathartes)
have for temperate regions, seeking out, in the warmer
latitudes, the high Andes for their favorite abode, we
may naturally enough expect to meet with this species
in some part of the extensive range of the Rocky Moun-
tains ; and indeed we are by no means certain but that
the Vulture met with by Lewis and Clarke may, in fact,
40 BIRDS OF PREY.
prove to be the present. Nor is it likely that this spe-
cies can remain wholly confined to the narrow limits of
the Andes of California, but probably it associates with
the true Condor over an extensive range, agreeably to
the habit of all the other species ; and notwithstanding
Humboldt's criticism, it is not improbable, that the
hlach Condor of the Peruvians may be the present
species.
The general color of this bird is black ; but the secondary quill
feathers are whitish at their extremities, and the coverts of the
wings incline to brown ; the folded wings extend beyond tlie tail.
The skin of the head and neck is destitute of feathers, smooth and of
a dusky red ; across the forehead passes a blackish bar, and 2 other
parallel ones are seen on the hind-head. The bill is of a pale color ;
the base of the neck, as usual, is surrounded with a ruff of narrow
hlack feathers ; and the under parts of the body are covered with
loose and downy plumes. The tail is equal at its extremity, and the
feet black.
KING VULTURE.
(Cafhartes papa, Illiger. Bonap. Vulturpapa, Lix.and Latham.
Gypagus papa, Vieillot, Dictionaire Hist. Nat. vol. xxxvi.
p. 4-56. tab. ii. fig. 1.)
Spec. Charact. — Reddish- white j wings and tail black; nostrils
carunculated. — Young, dark bluish ; belly and sides of the rump
whitish.
This beautiful species is found in America from the
30th degree of north latitude to the 3'2d in the southern
hemisphere ; but they become more numerous as we ad-
vance towards the torrid zone. They are met with in
Peru, Brazil, Guiana, Paraguay, and Mexico.
The king of the Vultures, which the Spaniards of Par-
aguay call the White Crotv, from the color which pre-
vails in its plumage, is very shy when found upon the
b
KING VULTURE. 41
ground or upon an isolated tree, but may be approached
and readily killed, when in the woods, or in some place to
which carrion has attracted it. While this bird is feed-
ina, either through fear or aversion, the common Vul-
tures or Turkey-Buzzards keep at a distance, and are
contented with the fragments left by their monarch.
According to M. de Azara, it makes its nest in hollow
trees, where it lays 2 eggs.
The bill of this species is straight for one third of its length, then
strongly curved, and surrounded at its base by a membrane which
forms, on either side up to the eyes, a large depression, in which are
situated the ample openings of the nostrils ; between these arises a
kind of loose, soft crest, which moves readily from one side to the oth-
er, its extremity terminating in a remarkable cluster of warts. The
crown of the head is naked and of a scarlet color ; a band of very
short black hairs goes from one eye to the other across the hind-
head. Below the naked part of the neck there is a very handsome
plumy, greyish collar, with the feathers directed backward and for-
ward ; it is sufficiently large to allow the bird at will to retract and
hide his neck and part of his head. Behind the eye are some large
wrinkles which come together on the hind-head and form a salient,
fleshy, orange band, which descends from thence to the collar ; these
wrinkles hide the auditory canal, which is very small, and after-
wards unite with the other wrinkles which extend to the bill ; be-
twixt these wrinkles we perceive a down as well as on the other
sides of the head. The quills and the great coverts of the wings, the
tail, a space over the back, and the bill up to the membrane, with
the feet, are black. The membrane and the fleshy crest of the beak
are orange ; the naked skin at the base of the bill is purple ; the
edges of the eye-brows are of a lively red ; the sides of the neck are
flesh-colored, purple below the head, yellow above, and of a darkish
violet near to the band, and the wrinkles of the hind-head. The iris,
and all the rest of the plumage, are white. Some individuals, sup-
posed to be males, have a feeble tint of red with the white of the
upper part of the back. Total length 29 J inches (French). This
description applies to the bird when it has accomplished its 4th
year.
At 3 years of age there is some black in the middle of the white
wing coverts. At 2 years of age, the whole head and the naked
4*
42 BIRDS OF PREY.
part of the neck are of a black inclining to violet, with a little yellow
upon the neck ; all the upper parts blackish 5 the lower similar, but
with long blotches of white. The crest black, scarcely movable, and
having its extremity divided into 3 very small protuberances. In
ita first year, it is throughout of a dark greyish blue, with the excep-
tion of the belly and the sides of the rump, which are white; the
under part of the feathers also beneath the body are white. The feet
greenish. The upper mandible is blackish red ; the lower, orange
mixed with blackish, and with long black spots. The naked parts
of the head and neck black, and the iris also dark, as well as the
crest, which consists, at this age, of only a single solid and fleshy
excrescence.
The White-tailed Vulture of Bartram, called also the Sacred Vul-
ture, from its veneration by the Creeks, seems in this particular of
the color of the tail to differ essentially from the true King Vulture,
to which it is referred by Latham. Mr. Vieillot considers it as a dis-
tinct species, and describes it as follows : It has the bill long and
straight almost to its extremity, where it is curved abruptly and be-
comes very pointed ; the head and neck are naked almost to the
stomach, where the feathers begin to cover the skin ; they then
lengthen by degrees, and form a ruff in which the bird, contracting
its neck, hides it up to the head. The naked skin of the neck is
spotted, wrinkled, and of a lively yellow, mixed with coral red;
the posterior part is almost covered with short thick hairs, and the
skin is of a deep purple, which becomes more clear and red as it
approaches the yellow at the sides of the fore part of the neck ;
the crown of the head is red ; there are some orange red appendices
at the base of the upper mandible. Its plumage is ordinarily white,
with the exception of the wing and 2 or 3 ranges of small feathers
covering it, which are of a fine deep brown. The tail is large, white,
and sprinkled with the same brown or black color. The legs and
feet are of a clear white. The eye is surrounded with a golden-col-
ored iris.
The Creeks, according to Mr. Bartram, form their royal standard
with the feathers of this bird, to which they give the name of the
Eagle's tail. These birds are scarcely ever seen in Florida, except
after the burning of the prairies, when they assemble from all quar-
ters, and approaching by degrees the scorched plains, collect, amidst
the still warm ashes, the roasting reptiles, snakes, lizards, frogs, &c.
on which they feed. Having thus gorged themselves, they become
TURKEY-BUZZARD. 43
an easy prey, and, even during their repast, seem so employed as to
fear no danger. During a late journey to West Florida I made
many inquiries respecting this rare bird, but could only learn, that
they were occasionally seen near the sea-coast of the Gulf of
Mexico.
TURKEY-BUZZARD.
{Cathartes aura, Illig. Bonap. Vultur aura, Lin. and Lath.
Wilson. Am. Orn. Vol. ix. p. 95. pi. 75. f. 1.)
Spec. Charact. — Blackish; neck feathered equally all round;
wings not extending beyond the tail, which is rounded ; the nos-
trils oval. — Young, dark brown ; with the wing-coverts and
secondaries somewhat spotted with white.
This common Turkey-like Vulture is found abund-
antly in both North and South America, but seems
wholly to avoid the North-eastern or New England states,
a straggler being seldom seen as far as the latitude of 41
degrees. Whether this limit arises from some local an-
tipathy, their dislike of the cold eastern storms which
prevail in the spring till the time they usually breed, or
some other cause, it is not easily assignable ; and the fact
is still more remarkable, as they have been observed
in the interior, by Mr. Say, as far as Pembino in the 49th
degree of north latitude, and by Lewis and Clarke
near the Falls of the Columbia. They are, however,
much more abundant in the warmer than in the colder
regions ; and are found beyond the equator, even as far,
or farther than the La Plata. All the West India isl-
ands are inhabited by them, as well as the tropical con-
tinent, where, as in the Southern states of the Union,
they are commonly protected by law, for their services
as scavengers of carrion, which would prove highly dele-
terious in those warm and humid climates. In the win-
ter they generally seek out warmth and shelter, hovering
44 BIRDS OF PREY.
often like grim and boding spectres in the suburbs, and
on the roofs and chimneys of the houses, around the
cities of the Southern states. A few brave the winters
of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey ; but the
greater part migrate south at the approach of cold
weather.
The Turkey-Buzzard has not been known to breed
north of New Jersey in any of the Atlantic states. Here
they seek out the swampy solitudes, and, without forming
any nest, deposit fwm 2 tp 4 eggs in the stump of a
hollow tree or log, on the mere fragments of rotten wood
with which it is ordinarily strewed. Occasionally, in
the Southern states, they have been known to make
choice of the ruined chimney of a deserted house for
this purpose. The eggs are larger than those of a Tur-
key, of a yellowish white, irregularly blotched with dark
brown and blackish spots, chiefly at the larger end.
The male often attends while the female is sitting ; and,
if not materially disturbed, they will continue to occupy
the same place for several years in succession.
The young are covered with a whitish down, and, in
common with the habit of the old birds, will often eject,
upon those who happen to molest them, the filthy con-
tents of their stomachs.
In the cities of the south they appear to be somewhat
gregarious ; and, as if aware of the protection afforded
them, present themselves often in the streets, and partic-
ularly near the shambles. They also watch the empty-
ing of the scavengers' carts in the suburbs, where, in com-
pany with the still more domestic Black Vultures, they
search out their favorite morsels amidst dust, filth, and
rubbish of all descriptions. Bits of cheese, of meat,
fish, or any thing sufficiently foetid, and easy of digestion,
is greedily sought after, and eagerly eyed. When the
TURKEY-BUZZARD. 45
opportunity offers they eat with gluttonous voracity, and
fill themselves in such a manner as to be sometimes in-
capable of rising from the ground. They are accused at
times of attacking young pigs and lambs, beginning their
assault by picking out the eyes. Mr. Waterton, how-
ever, while at Demerara, watched them for hours together
amidst reptiles of all descriptions, but they never made
any attack upon them. He even killed lizards and frogs
and put them in their way, but they did not appear to
notice them until they attained the putrid scent. So
that a more harmless animal, living at all upon flesh, is
not in existence, than the Turkey Vulture.
At night they roost in the neighbouring trees, but, I
believe, never in flocks like the Black kind. In winter
they sometimes pass the night in numbers on the roofs
of the houses, in the suburbs of the southern cities, and
appear particularly desirous of taking advantage of the
warmth which they discover to issue from the chimneys.
Here, when the sun shines, they and their black rela-
tives, though no wise social, may be observed perch-
ed in these conspicuous places basking in the feeble
rays, and stretching out their dark wings to admit the
warmth directly to their chilled bodies. And, when not
engaged in acts of necessity, they amuse themselves on
fine clear days, even at the coolest season of the year,
by soaring, in companies, slowly and majestically into the
higher regions of the atmosphere ; rising gently, but rap-
idly, in vast spiral circles, they sometimes disappear
beyond the thinnest clouds. They practise this lofty
flight particularly before the commencement of thunder
storms ; when, elevated above the war of elements, they
float at ease in the ethereal space with outstretched
wings, making no other apparent effort than the light
balloon, only now and then steadying their sailing pin-
46 • BIRDS OF PREY.
ions as they spread them to the fanning breeze, and be-
come abandoned to its accidental sports. In South
America, according to Humboldt, they soar even in com-
pany with the Condor in his highest flights, rising above
the snowy summits of the tropical Andes.
Mr. Waterton is of opinion that this Vulture is not
truly gregarious, arriving at their food from various
quarters, and coming singly. It is indeed certain that
on all other occasions they keep only in pairs.
The Turkey Vulture is about 2^ feet in length, and 6 in breadth.
Eyes dark or reddish-hazel. The head and neck for about an inch
and a half below the ears, furnished with a reddish wrinkled skin,
and some tints of blue, sprinkled with short black hairs. From the
hind-head to the neck-feathers the space is covered with a black
down. The fore-part of the neck is bare to the breast-bone. The
plumage of the neck is large and tumid, and, with that of the back and
shoulders, nearly black; almost all the rest of the body is of the same
color, in parts inclining to brown. 3d primary longest. The wings
extend to the end of the tail. The upper plumage is generally glossed
with green and bronze, having purplish reflections. Legs feathered
to the knees ; the feet somewhat webbed. The bill nearly white,
often tipped with bright olive green. Weight from 4^ to 5 pounds.
BLACK VULTURE, or 'CARRION-CROW.'
(Cathartes jota, Bonaparte. Vultur joia, Molina. V. atratus.
Wilson. Am. Orn. ix. p. 104. pi. 75. f. 2.)
Spec. Charact. — Black; neck more feathered above than below;
wings not extending beyond the tail ; 5th primary longest ; tail
a little emarginated ; the nostrils linear-oblong, and the head
black. — Young, entirely brown.
This smaller, black, and truly gregarious species of
Vulture, in the United States, appears to be generally
confined to the narrowest limits of the Southern states,
BLACK VULTURE. 47
being scarcely found beyond Wilmington in North Car-
olina, and seems to be most numerous and familiar in
the large maritime towns of South Carolina, Georgia,
and Florida : thus, though abundant in Savannah, there
are much fewer of this species at Augusta than of the
Turkey Vulture. In the tropical regions of America
they are also very common, and extend at least as far as
Chili. Like the former species, with which they associ-
ate only at meal-times, they are allowed a public protec-
tion for the service they render in ridding the earth of
carrion and other kinds of filth. They are much more
familiar in the towns than the preceding ; delighting, dur-
ing winter, to remain on the roofs of houses, catching the
feeble rays of the sun, and stretching out their wings to
admit the warm air over their foetid bodies. When the
weather becomes unusually chilly, or in the mornino's,
they may be seen basking upon the chimneys in the
warm smoke, which, as well as the soot itself, can add
no additional darkness or impurity to such filthy and
melancholy spectres. Here, or on the limbs of some of
the larger trees, they remain in listless indolence till
aroused by the calls of hunger.
Their flight is neither so easy nor so graceful as that of
the Turkey-Buzzard. They flap their wings and then
soar horizontally, renewing the motion of their pinions
at short intervals. At times, however, they rise to con-
siderable elevations. In the city of Charleston and
Savannah they are to be seen in numbers walking the
streets with all the familiarity of domestic fowls, exam-
iningthe channels and accumulations of filth in order to
glean up the offal, or animal matter of any kind, which
may happen to be thrown out. They appeared to be very
regular in their attendance around the shambles, and
some of them become known by sight. This was partio-
48 BIRDS OF PREY.
ularly the case with an old veteran who hopped upon
one foot, (having by some accident lost the other,) and
had regularly appeared round the shambles to claim the
bounty of the butchers for about 20 years. In the coun-
try, where I have surprised them feeding in the woods,
they appeared rather shy and timorous, watching my
movements alertly like hawks ; and every now and then
one or two of them, as they sat in the high boughs of a
neighbouring oak, communicated to the rest, as I slowly
approached, a low bark of alarm or ivaugh, something
like the suppressed growl of a puppy, at which the whole
flock by degrees deserted the dead hog upon which they
happened to be feeding. Sometimes they will collect
together about one carcase to the number of 250 and up-
wards ; and the object, whatever it may be, is soon
robed in living mourning, scarcely any thing being visi-
ible but a dense mass of these sable scavengers, who
may often be seen jealously contending with each other,
both in and out of the carcase, defiled with blood and
filth, holding on with their feet, hissing and clawing each
other, or tearing off morsels so as to fill their throats
nearly to choaking, and occasionally joined by growling
dogs ; the whole presenting one of the most savage and
disgusting scenes in nature, and truly worthy the infer-
nal bird of Prometheus.
In Carthageua, however, according to Ulloa, this spe-
cies is highly serviceable to man, in the destruction it
makes of the eggs of the Alligator or Cayman, the latter
being one of the most formidable and destructive ani-
mals of South America. The Vulture watches the Alli-
gator as she lays her eggs in the sand, and, immediately,
on her disappearance, darts upon the deposit, and joined,
as usual, by numerous comrades, soon extinguishes these
nests of reptiles.
FALCON. 49
According to Mr. Abbott, this species chooses similar
situations for its nest with the Turkey-Buzzard, fixing
upon hollow trees in retired swamps. As no particulars,
however, are given, this information is merely hearsay.
I made frequent inquiries of many individuals in all the
Southern states about the nest of this species, but no
person could inform me that they had ever seen it. Mo-
lini, in his History of Chili, says, that it makes a careless
nest of a few dry leaves or feathers, either on the ground,
or sheltered by rocks, and lays 2 eggs of a dirty white.
The Black Vulture is about 26 inches long ; and 4 feet 4 inches in
the stretch of the wings. The bill 2^ inches, of a dark brown color
for about an inch, the remainder black. The head, and a part of the
neck, are covered with a black, wrinkled skin, scattered with papil-
lose excrescences, and set with short black hairs, and downy be-
hind. Iris reddish-hazel. The general color of the plumage is of a
dull black. A dark cream-colored spot is visible on the primaries
when the wing is unfolded. The legs whitish grey. The body,
when opened, smells strongly of musk.
2. FALCON.
(Falco. Linn, and Temminck.)
Generic Charact. — With the head covered with feath-
ers. The BILL hooked ; and commonly curved from
its origin ; provided with a colored cere, more or less
hairy at its base ; the lower mandible obliquely round-
ed, and both sometimes notched. The nostrils lat-
eral, rounded or ovoid, situated in the cere and open.
The TARSUS clothed with feathers, or naked, and
then scaly ; the toes are 3 before, and 1 behind ;
the exterior commonly united at its base to the ad-
joining by a membrane. Nails sharp, strongly hook-
ed, movable, and retractile. Tail of 12 feathers.
5
50 BIRDS OF PREY.
These are the noble birds of pre}^ ; their aspect, entire form, and
actions indicate the different manner of living they pursue, from
that of the Vultures. Strength, temerity, and stratagem are the
attributes of this great family of rapacious birds ; they are provided
with offensive arms denied to the ignoble race who feed on carrion ;
the means of flight, the power of seizing their prey, as well as the
vision, are very different in each. In these, the size of the head is
in proportion to the body, and wholly covered with feathers, as well
as the neck, which is short and thick. Their vision is acute and
extensive, their flight rapid and long sustained ; and they are able
to soar to a prodigious height. They live either solitary or in pairs :
and their nourishment, by choice, consists almost always of living
animals, which they seize and convey in their talons ; the different
manner of seizing their prey, and the courage they display in its pur-
suit, distinguish them one from another. The larger species siibsist
on quadrupeds and birds ; others on fish ; some only attack reptiles ;
but the greater number of the small species are content to live on
insects, and principally devour beetles. The plumage, at different
periods of age is extremely different ; the young are several years
before they acquire the stable livery of the advilt; this fixed charac-
ter only takes place in rheir 3d, 4th, or even, in some species,
their 6th year. The young are always distinguished from the old
by having more numerous and variable spots and lines ; when the
colors of the plumage in old individuals are disposed in transverse
lines and bands, the young of such species have the same marks dis-
posed lengthwise. The females are usually a third larger than the
other sex; besides vvhich disparity, the}^ have often also a different-
colored plumage. The moulting takes place only once in the year.
— It appears scarcely possible, that amidst a genus only distinguish-
ed for harsh and quailing cries, a musical species should occur; yet
according to Daudin the Falco musicus, of Caffraria, chants a song
morning and evening, a,nd sometimes like the nightingale even con-
tinues his lay throughout the night.
^ 1. FALCONS PROPERLY SO CALLED.
In these the bill is short, and curved from the base ; the edges of
the upper mandible provided with a tooth which closes into a
corresponding notch in the lower ; the nostrils rounded, and hav-
GYRFALCON. 51
ing a central tubercle. Feet strong; tarsi rather short; toes
strong and considerably extended ; nails long, sharp, and curved.
The wings long ; the 1st primary equal in length to the 3d ;
the 2d longest ; the 1st and 2d have an abrupt emargination on
the inner web near their extremities.
These exist wholly on living prey, and show great address in seiz-
ing or surprising it; pursuing birds swiftly, or povmcing directly up-
on them from above. They nest usually in the crevices of rocks,
ruins, or hollow trees. These were the species used in Fal-
conry, and called no6/6 because of the high prerogative of those who
followed this amusement. The smaller species live much on insects
or reptiles. In the island of Java their exists a species of this divi-
sion no larger than a lark.
GYRFALCON.
(Falco islandicus, Lathaai. Ind. Orn. v. i. p. 32. sp. GO. [the adult],
and Falco gyrfalco. Ibid. Ind. v. i. p. 32. sp. G6. [the young.] )
Spec. Charact. — Cere and round the eyes livid 3'ellow; feet yel-
low ; plumage white, lined and spotted with brown ; iris brown ;
bands of the tail 12 to 14. — Female more spotted, also banded on
the flanks. — Young. Upper plumage greyish-brown, with small
white terminal spots ; feet plumbeous, slightly inclining to yel-
low ; cere light bluish.
This elegant and celebrated falcon is about 2 feet in
length : the female 2 or 3 inches longer. They particu-
larly abound in Iceland and Greenland, and are found
also throughout Siberia, and the North of Europe ; Mr,
Hutchins, according to Pennant, saw them commonly
about Fort Albany, at Hudson's Bay. Occasionally a
pair is also seen in this vicinity in the depth of winter.
They brave the coldest climates, for which they have
such a predilection as seldom to leave the arctic regions ;
the younger birds are commonly seen in the North of
Germany, but very rarely the old, which are readily dis-
52 BIRDS OF PREV.
tinguished by the superior whiteness of their plumage
whicli augments with age, and by the increasing narrow-
ness of the transverse stripes that ornament the upper
parts of the body. The finest of these Falcons were
caught in Iceland by means of baited nets ; the bait was
commonly a Ptarmigan, Pigeon, or common Fowl, and
such was the velocity and power of his pounce, that he
commonly severed the head from the baited bird as
nicely as if it had been done by a razor. These birds
were reserved for the kings of Denmark, and from thence
they were formerly transported into Germany, and even
Turkey and Persia. The taste for the amusement of
falconry was once very prevalent throughout Europe,
and continued for several centuries, but at this time it
has almost wholly subsided. The Tartars, and Asiatics
generally, were also equally addicted to this amusement.
A Sir Thomas Monson, no later than the reign of James
the First, is said to have given a thousand pounds for a
cast of Hawks.
Next to the Eagle, this bird is the most formidable,
active, and intrepid, and was held in the highest esteem
for falconry. It boldly attacks the largest of birds ; the
Stork, Heron, and Crane are to it easy victims ; in its
native regions it lives much on the hare and Ptarmigan;
upon these it darts with astonishing velocity, and often
seizes its prey by pouncing upon it almost perpendicu-
larly. They breed in the cold and desert regions where
they usually dwell, fixing their nests amidst the most
lofty and inaccessible rocks, and are said to lay from
3 to 5 eggs.
In the old male, the bottom of all the plumage is white, striped upon
the upper parts of the body and the tail with narrow brown bands.
The lower parts are equally white, but marked with small brown
spots in the form of tears ; these spots are larger and more numer-
ous upon the flanks. The bill is yellowish.
:v«N
COMMON OR WANDERING FALCON.
{Falco peregrinus. Lix. Great-footed Hawk, Wilso.^, Am. Orn.
ix. p. 120. t. 70. Audubon, pi. 16. [a spirited group in the act of
devouring Teal.] Le Faucoii. Buff. pi. 421. Le Lanier, ibid,
pi. 430, [an old male.])
Spec. Charact. — Brownish-black ; beneath, whitish, transversely
barred with blackish brown ; cheeks with a widening space of
black ; middle toe as long as the tarsus ; inner web of the 1st
primary only indented near the summit. — Female inclining to
ash-color; beneath, tending to ferruginous. — Young alone,
greyish-black, the feathers edged with pale brown; beneath,
whitish, with large longitudinal central brown spots ; also with the
fore and hind head and cheeks whitish yellow with black spots.
The celebrated, powerful, and princely Falcon is com-
mon both to the continent of Europe and America. In
the former they are chiefly found in mountainous regions,
and make their nests in the most inaccessible clefts of
rocks, and very rarely in trees, laying 3 or 4 eggs of a
reddish-yellow v,ith brown spots. In Europe, they seldom
descend to the plains, and avoid marshy countries. The
period of incubation lasts but a short time, and com-
mences in winter, or very early in the Spring, so that
5*
54 BIRDS OF PREY.
the young acquire their full growth by the middle of
May. They are supposed to breed in the tall trees of
the desolate Cedar swamps in New Jersey; which ap-
pears to be a situation very different from their usual
choice in Europe. When the young have attained
their growth, the parents drive them from their haunts,
with incessant and piercing screams and complaints, an
unnatural propensity which nothing but dire necessity,
the difficulty of acquiring sustenance, alone can palliate.
In strength and temerity, the Falcon is not exceeded
by any bird of its size. He soars with easy and grace-
ful motions amidst the clouds or clear azure of the sky ;
from this lofty elevation he selects his victim from among
the larger birds, Grous, Pheasants, Pigeons, Ducks, or
Geese. Without being perceived, he swiftly descends,
as if falling from the clouds in a perpendicular line, and
carries terror and destruction into the timid ranks of his
prey. Instead of flying before their relentless enemy,
the Partridge and Pheasant run and closely hide in the
grass, the Pigeons glance aside to avoid the fatal blow^
which is but too sure in its aim, and the water fowls
seek a more certain refuge in diving beneath their yield-
ing element. If the prey be not too large, the Falcon
mounts into the air, bearing it off in his talons, and then
alights to gorge himself with his booty at leisure. Some-
times he attacks the Kite, another fellow plunderer,
either in wanton insult, or more probably to rob him of
his quarry.
The name of Wandering or Passenger Falcon was ap-
plied to the darkest individuals, a character merely de-
pending on age. These frequently migrate across the
Mediterranean from the islands to the neighbouring con-
tinent, and hence were looked upon as foreign. They
do not, however, essentially differ from the common spe-
COMMON OR WANDERING FALCON. 55
cies. Edwards' Black Falcon of Hudson's Bay is this
kind in the same state of plumage. In New Jersey, it
has, from its noted depredations, acquired the name of
the Duck-Hawk along the sea-coast, where it is not un-
frequent. Wilson's figure represents, apparently, an old
bird, as the cere and feet are bright yellow : at an earlier
period these parts much incline to green : at this age
the Falcon is in its fullest vigor, and, when well trained,
was highly esteemed in the times when the princely
amusement of Falconry was in fashion. Great care
even was employed in selecting the young at a proper
age for acquiring docility. When taken too early they
often proved noisy and obstinate ; if removed from the
nest they were not to be handled, but put into another
artificial one. Their food was to be wild animals or
chickens, so as to foster their perfect and natural growth.
The sorrel-colored or light-brown Falcons, caught late
in autumn, were considered the most hopeful and easiest
to breed and teach ; later, the habit of freedom, and the
commencement of selective attachments, rendered them
less patient in captivity, and their fidelity could not be
relied upon. The dark Falcon moults in August. The
dispositions of these birds vary in individuals, some prove
indolent and cowardly, others are so fierce that they
can not be restrained. They no doubt, like other large
muscular birds, live to a great age. In the year 1793 a
Falcon was reported to have been caught at the Cape of
Good Hope, and brought to England with a golden col-
lar about its neck, dated 1610, and an inscription im-
porting that the bird belonged to King James ; therefore
the collar must have been on this bird 183 years !
It still appeared lively, but its eyes were dim, and
the feathers round the collar were changed to white.
To show the swiftness of the Falcon, it is related, that
56 BIRDS OF PREV.
one belonging to Henry the Second, which flew after a
little Bustard at Fontainebleau, was caught next morn-
ing at Malta, and recognised by the ring which it bore.
When caught, a ring was put round the leg of the
Falcon to which was attached a label bearing the name
of the owner, and a small round bell was suspended from
the neck in order to discover the bird when wandering
astray in the chase. As no durable attachment could be
expected from a bird of so rapacious a nature, obedience
was obtained only by punishment and privation. At first
the captive was muffled by a cap thrown over the head
and retained for some days, during the greater part of
which time the Hawk was suffered to fast ; and his appe-
tite was even Avhetted by a cleansing dose of tow which
he was made to swallow rolled up in pellets for the pur-
pose. In a short time this severe discipline had the
effect of producing a passive obedience, and he became
accustomed to the muffle, and submitted quietly to the
privation of light ; if still wild, the discipline was contin-
ued longer, and occasionally, the head of the malcontent
was dipped into cold water. He soon became inured to
the finger of the falconer, a morsel of food being held
out as an inducement ; at length, he was taught,
after another fast, to eat his food from amongst a lure or
string of legs and wings of birds ; next he approached
the sole object of his education, and flew at the prey
shown to him, while retained to his keeper at the end of
a long string ; and, finally, he was carried out and suffered
to fly at large, to soar, and pounce upon his quarry from
on high, in all the elegance and fierceness of unrestrain-
ed nature. Some of these birds, like modern dogs and
horses, became the greatest favorites ; and as the amuse-
ment was restricted to the privileged ranks alone, it ex-
cited the admiration and envy of all. The male or Tier-
COMMON OR WANDERING FALCON. 57
eel (a third less than the female) was employed to catch
Partridges, Blackbirds, Magpies, Jays, and small birds ; but
the task of the female was to engage in the noble chase
of the Hare, the Kite, the Crane, and other large objects.
This recreation, not unknown even to the Romans in the
early part of the Christian era, was also practised
throughout the East, and still continues in Persia, Tar-
tary, and China, where the most extravagant prices are
given to the Russians and other Northern nations for
these favorite birds, which appear to be more energetic
in proportion to the coldness of the climates where they
happen to be raised. According to Chardin, the Jer-
Falcon of Russia, taken to Persia, is not allowed to be
kept by any person less than the king, and each bird is
valued at the extravagant price of 1500 crowns ; if any
of them die on the road, the ambassador brings the head
and wings to his majesty, to show that he has been faith-
ful to his charge.
The Falcon, long as it has been subjected to the
caprice of man, has never been subdued or domesticat-
ed ; it refuses to breed in slavery ; the species at large
still rove in all the freedom of their savage nature, and
disown the empire of man. Their ferocity is broken by
restraint and privation, so that they submit to perform a
task for the hope of an accustomed reward ; but they
serve from habit and necessity, and not from attachment ;
they remain obedient captives, but never become willing
domestics.
The length of this species in Europe, is 15 to 16 inches; the
female is from 17 to 18. The female given by Wilson is said
to be 20 inches, and 3 feet 8 inches in extent of wings. Bill grey-
ish blue. A space around the eyes, iris, feet, and cere, yellow.
Upper parts blackish-brown, the scapulars and tertials barred with
faint ash (in the European adult of a cinereous blue, with bands of
a darker color.) Wings not extending to the tip of the tail (in the
58 BIRDS OF PREY.
European the wings extend to the end of the tail.) Tail rounded,
black ; crossed with 8 narrow ash-colored bands. Beneath, yellow-
ish-white, with the breast spotted with dark brown; sides, femorals,
and beneath, barred rather broadly with the same. The primaries
and secondaries marked transversely on their inner vanes, with
large oblong spots of ferruginous white. — Female. Note. This
bird appeared to live along the sea coast, having in its stomach the
remains of small birds, and of the Sanderling. As this species is not
quoted by Temminck in his account of the Falcon, there is some
reason to doubt the identity of the American and European species.
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK.
(Falco sjjarverius. Lin. Wilson, Am. Orn. ii. p. 117. pi. 16. fig. 1.
[female,] and iv. p. 57. pi. 32. fig. 2. [male.] )
Spec. Charact. — Rufous, beneath nearly white, spotted with
blackish-brown ; seven black curved spots disposed around the
head. — Male, with the wing-coverts slate-blue; tail with a sin-
gle subterminal band, the two exterior feathers spotted with
black. — Female and young, more banded and spotted; tail
with numerous bands.
This beautiful and singularly marked bird, appears
to reside principally in the warmer parts of the United
States. They are particularly abundant in the winter
throughout South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Flor-
ida, whither they assemble from the remote interior of
the Northern States, wandering in summer as far as the
Rocky Mountains, and were even seen by Dr. Richard-
son in the remote latitude of 53 degrees ; these appear,
however, to be only stragglers ; nor do they seem at all
to visit the maritime districts of New England. As they
were seen in St. Domingo, by Veillot, abundantly in April
and May, the breeding season, we may naturally con-
clude that this species has a much greater predilection
for the warm than the cold climates. On the south
side of the equator, even in Cayenne and Paraguay, they
AMERICAN SPARROW-HAWK. 59
are still found, in all of which countries they probably
breed.
According to the habits of this tribe of rapacious birds,
it appears that the nest is built in a hollow, shattered, or
decayed tree at a considerable elevation ; the eggs are
said to be 4 or 5, of a light brownish yellow and spotted
with brown.
Its motions appear somewhat capricious, it occasion-
ally hovers with beating wings, reconnoitring for prey,
and soon impatiently darts off to a distance to renew the
same manoeuvre. In the winter, however, it is most
commonly seen perched on some dead branch, or
on a pole or stalk in the fields, often at a little dis-
tance from the ground, keeping up a frequent jerking of
the tail, and attentively watching for some such humble
game as mice, grasshoppers, or lizards. At this time it
is likewise so familiar as to enter the garden, orchard, or
premises near to the house, and shows but little alarm
on being approached. It is however by no means defi-
cient in courage, and like the larger true Falcons, often
makes a fatal and rapid sweep upon sparrows, or those
.small birds which are its accustomed prey.
The female is 11 inches long, the stretch of the wings 23 inches.
The male about 9^ or 10 inches. The cere and legs are yellow.
The bill bluish-grey. Space round the eye greenish-blue. Iris, dark
hazel. The head bluish-ash ; crown, rufous ; 7 large black spots,
G of them curving, surround the head on a white ground. The whole
upper parts are of a reddish bay, striped transversely with dusky
brown ; the primary and secondary quills black, spotted on their inner
vanes with brownish- white. Lower parts pale yellowish white, mark-
ed with longitudinal spots of brown, except the chin, vent, and
thighs, which are white; the claws, black. — Note. The St. Do-
mingo bird appears to be a distinct species ; in it the spots on the
neck are round, and are wanting altogether at some periods of its
existence.
60 BIRDS OF PREY.
PIGEON-HAWK.
(Falco columbarms. Lin. Wilson, Am. Orn. ii. p. 107. pi. 15.
fig. 3. Audubon, pi. 92.)
Spec. Charact. — Dusky brown; beneath brownish- white, with
blackish longitudinal stripes ', the tail with 4 narrow white bands.
This species is a little larger than the last, but by no
means so abundant ; though met with in latitude 48 de-
grees by Long's North-Western Expedition, and occa-
sionally extending its migrations as far as Hudson's Bay.
Like the former, it is, I believe, never seen in New Eng-
land, and chiefly inhabits and rears its young in the
Southern States. It is shy, skulking, and watchful, sel-
dom venturing beyond the unreclaimed forest, and flies
rapidly, but, I believe, seldom soars or hovers. Small
birds and mice constitute his principal food ; and, accord-
ing to Wilson, he follows often in the rear of the gregari-
ous birds, such as the Black-Birds, and Reed-Birds, as
well as after the flitting flocks of Pigeons and Robins,
picking up the stragglers, the weak and unguarded, as
his legitimate prey. Sometimes, when shot at without
effect, he will fly in circles around the gunner and utter
impatient shrieks, probably in apprehension for the safety
of his mate, or to communicate a cry of alarm.
The 7nale is 11 inches long, and 23 broad. The female an inch
and a half longer. The whole upper parts are of deep dusky brown,
except the tail, which is thinly barred with white. The bill is of a
light bluish-grey, tipped with black. The skin round the eye green-
ish as well as the cere ; a line over the eye of lighter brown. The
lower parts brownish- white, striped with dark brown. Legs yellow ;
claws black. The thigh feathers remarkably long and striped. Iris
deep hazel. — The female darker, with some white on the hind-
head.
LITTLE CORPORAL HAWK. AQUILA. 61
LITTLE CORPORAL HAWK.
{Falco temerarius. Audubon, plate 75.)
Spec. Charact. — Head, wings, and tail, deep dusky; back and
rump cinereous ; tail with 3 black bands, the terminal one broad
and tipped with white ; beneath, whitish with dark oblong spots j
cere and legs yellow.
Of this beautiful small species, discovered by Audu-
bon, we as yet know nothing on this side the Atlantic.
It is probably a Southern bird, and will in due time be
described by the author.
Length about 10 inches. Chin, white ; back, lead color; 3 cine-
reous and 3 black bands on the tail. Beneath, white, tinged with
pale rufous ; femorals pale rufous with black lines along the shafts.
EAGLES (properly so called), Aquila.
Bill strong and elongated, straight at the base. Feet very ro-
bust ; tarsus often feathered to the toes. Toes stout, armed with
very large incurved nails ; the middle one pectinated on the inner
side and connected to the outer by a membrane. The wings long ;
the 1st primary very short ; the 4th and 5th longest.
These are the most powerful birds of the genus, and indeed of the
whole feathered race. They pursue their prey with rapid flight,
seizing it in their talons, and, bearing it yet palpitating to their
young, they present it to them by tearing it to pieces. The greater
kinds carry off large animals and birds ; a few attack reptiles and
even insects. Impelled by extreme hunger they sometimes feed
upon carrion. Their sight is keen, but their sense of smell imper-
fect. The larger kinds_ inhabit and breed generally in mountainous
districts.
62 BIRDS OF PREY.
ROYAL OR GOLDEN EAGLE.
(Falcofulvus. Linn. Falco chrysadtos. Ibid. WiiTson, vii. p. 13.
pi. 55. fig. 1. [young] ).
Spec. Charact. — Dark brown; cere and toes yellow ; tail much
rounded, extending beyond the folded wings ; nostrils elliptic ;
3 scales only upon the last joint of each toe; no white scapulary
feathers. — Young, of an uniform, ferruginous brown, and with
the feathers nearly all white towards the base ; tail white, with
a broad terminal brown and mottled band, and no bars.
This ancient monarch of the birds is found in all the
cold and temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere,
taking up his abode by choice in the great forests and
plains, and in wild, desert, and mountainous regions.
His eyry, commonly formed of an extensive set of
layers of large sticks, is nearly horizontal, and occa-
sionally extended between some rock and adjoining tree,
as was the one described by Willughby in the Peak of
Derbyshire. About 30 miles inland from the Mandan
Fort on the Missouri, I once had occasion to observe the
eyry of this noble bird, which here consisted of but a
slender lining of sticks conveyed into a rocky chasm on
the face of a lofty hill rising out of the grassy, open plain.
It contained one young bird, nearly fledged, and almost of
the color of the Gyrfalcon. It appears they lay 2 and rare-
ly 3 eggs, of an impure white, blotched with red or red-
dish. Near their rocky nests they are seen usually in
pairs, at times majestically soaring to a vast height, and
gazing on the sun towards which they ascend until they
disappear from view. From this sublime elevation they
often select their devoted prey, sometimes a kid or a lamb
from the sporting flock, or the timid rabbit or hare
crouched in the furrow, or sheltered in some bush. The
largest birds are also frequently their victims ; and in
extreme want they will not refuse to join with the alarm-
ROYAL OR GOLDEN EAGLE. 63
ed Vulture in his cadaverous repast. After this gorg-
ing meal the Eagle can, if necessary, fast for several
days. The precarious nature of his subsistence, and
the violence by which it is constantly obtained, seems
to produce a moral effect on the disposition of this rapa-
cious bird ; though in pairs, they are never seen associ-
ated with their young ; their offspring are driven forth
to lead the same unsocial, wandering life, as their un-
feeling progenitors. This harsh and tyrannical disposi-
tion is strongly displayed, even when they lead a life of
restraint and confinement. The weaker bird is never
willingly suffered to eat a single morsel ; and though he
may cower and quail under the blow, with the most ab-
ject submission, the same savage deportment continues
towards him as long as he exists. Those which I have
seen in confinement frequently uttered hoarse and stridu-
lous cries, sometimes almost barkings, accompanied by
vaporous breathings, strongly expressive of their ardent,
unquenchable, and savage appetites. Their fire-dart-
ing eyes, lowering brows, flat foreheads, restless disposi-
tion, and terrific plaints, together with their powerful nat-
ural weapons, seem to assimilate them to the tiger rather
than the timorous bird. Yet it would appear that they may
be rendered docile, as the Tartars (according to Marco
Paulo in 1269) were said to train this species to the
chase of hares, foxes, wolves, antelopes, and other kinds
of large game, in which it displayed all the docility of the
Falcon. The longevity t)f the Eagle is as remarkable
as its strength ; it is believed to subsist for a century,
and is about 3 years in gaining its complete growth and
fixed plumage. This bird was held in high estimation
by the ancients on account of its extraordinary magni-
tude, courage, and sanguinary habits. The Romans
chose it as an emblem for their imperial standard ; and
64
BIRDS OF PREY.
from its aspiring flight and majestic soaring, it was fabled
to hold communion with heaven, and to be the favorite
messenger of Jove. The Tartars have a particular esteem
for the feathers of the tail, with which they supersti-
tiously think to plume invincible arrows. It is no less
the venerated War-Eagle of our northern and western
aborigines ; and the caudal feathers are extremely valu-
ed for talismanic head-dresses, and as sacred decora-
tions for the Pipe of Peace.
The Eagle appears to be more abundant around Hud-
son's Bay than in the United States ; but they are not
unfrequent in the great plains of the Mississippi and
Missouri, as appears from the frequent use of the feath-
ers by the natives. The wilderness seems their favorite
resort, and they neither crave nor obtain any advantage
from the society of man. Attached to the mountains in
which they are bred, it is a rare occurrence to see the
iEagle in this vicinity ; and, as with some other birds,
it would appear that the young only are found in the
United States, while the old remain in Labrador and
the northern regions. The lofty mountains of New
Hampshire afford suitable situations for the eyry of the
Eagle, over whose snow-clad summits he is seen majes-
tically soaring in solitude and grandeur. A young bird
from this region, which I have seen in a state of domesti-
cation, showed considerable docility. He had, however,
been brought up from the nest, in which he was found
in the month of August ; he appeared even playful, turn-
ing his head about in a very antic manner as if desirous
to attract attention ; still his glance was quick and fiery.
When birds were given to him, he plumed them very
clean before he began his meal, and picked the subject
to a perfect skeleton.
ROYAL OR GOLDEN EAGLE. 65
The ferocious and savage nature of the Eagle, in an
unreclaimed state, is sometimes displayed in a remarkable
manner. A peasant attempted to rob an eyry of this
bird situated in the lake of Killarney ; for this purpose
he stripped and swam over to the spot in the absence of
the old birds ; but, on his return, while yet up to the chin
in water, the parents arrived, and missing their young,
instantly fell on the unfortunate plunderer, and killed
him on the spot.
There are several well authenticated instances of their
carrying off children to their nests. In 1737, in the par-
ish of Norderhougs, in Norway, a boy, over 2 years old,
on his way from the cottage to his parents at work in
the fields at no great distance, fell into the pounce of
an Eagle, who flew off with the child in their sight and
was seen no more. Anderson, in his history of Iceland,
says, that in that island children of 4 or 5 years of age have
occasionally been borne away by Eagles : and Ray re-
lates, that in ,one of the Orkneys a child of a year old
was seized in the talons of this ferocious bird, and car-
ried above 4 miles to its nest ; but the mother knowing
the place of the eyry, followed the bird, and recovered
her child yet unhurt.
The Common, or Ring-tailed Eagle, is now found to be
the young of the Golden Eagle. These progressive
changes have been observed by Temminck on two living
subjects which he kept for several years.
In the adult bird the summit of the head to the nape of the neck
is ornamented with yellowish ferruginous pointed feathers ; all the
other parts of the body are of a dark brown, more or less inclining
towards black according to age ; the inner side of the thighs, and
the feathers of the legs are of a clear brown. The primaries, in the
old bird, or F. chrysaetos, according to Brisson have the inner barbs
of the first 3 indented or shortened ; in a specimen which I obtained
in this vicinity, the first 4 are so indented, and in the young, or
6*
66 BIRDS OF PREY.
F. fulvus, the whole of the first 5 are shortened : so that this char-
acter appears to advance with the age of the bird to a certain limit.
Tail of a deep grey, banded somewhat regularly with blackish-
brown, and terminated, towards the point, by a wide band of the
same color. Bill horn color. Iris always brown. Cere and feet
yellow.
Length about 3 feet. The female as much as 3 feet 6 inches.
In the young, of the first or second year, the whole plumage is of
a ferruginous brown or clear reddish-yellow, with the under tail-
coverts whitish ; the inner side of the legs and femorals pure white ;
the tail white for | of its length, the rest brown. Nearly all tlie
feathers are white towards their base. As the young advances in age,
the plumage becomes browner, the white of the tail lessens in ex-
tent, and appearances of transverse bars commence. — Very rarely,
individuals occur almost wholly white.
WASHINGTON EAGLE.
[Falco TVashingionianus, Audubon, Plate. Loudon's Magaz. Nat.
Hist. No. 2. July, lc28. p. 115.)
Spec. Charact. — Tail and upper parts dark brown, beneath red-
dish brown, with darker lines ; cere and naked tarsus yellow ;
bill blackish. — Young, more or less spotted with white, particu-
larly beneath.
It is to the indefatigable Audubon, that we owe the
distinct notice and description of this noble Eagle, which
68 BIRDS OF PREY.
first drew his attention while voyaging far up the Mis-
sissippi, in the month of February, 1814. At length, he
had the satisfaction of discovering its eyry in the high
cliffs of Green River in Kentucky, near to its junction
with the Ohio ; two young were discovered loudly hiss-
ing from a fissure in the rocks, on the approach of the
male, from whom they received a fish. The female now
also came, and with solicitous alarm for the safety of her
young, gave a loud scream, dropped the food she had
brought, and hovering over the molesting party, kept up
a growling and threatening cry by way of intimidation ;
and, in fact, as our disappointed naturalist soon discov-
ered, she, from this time, forsook the spot, and found
means to convey away her young. The discoverer con-
siders the species as rare ; indeed, its principal residence
appears to be in the northern parts of the continent, par-
ticularly the rocky solitudes around the great north-
western lakes, where it can at all times collect its finny
prey, and rear its young without the dread of man. In
the winter season, about January and February, as well
as at a later period of the spring, these birds are occa-
sionally seen in this vicinity^* rendered perhaps bolder
and more familiar by want, as the prevalence of the ice
and cold, at this season, drives them to the necessity of
wandering farther than usual in search of food. At this
early period, however, Audubon observed indications of
the approach of the breeding season, and Mr. N. J.
Wyeth, of Fresh Pond, in this neighbourhood, has seen
them contending ocasionally in the air, so that one of
the antagonists would sometimes suddenly drop many
feet downwards as if wounded or alarmed. My friend.
Dr. Hayward of Boston, had in his possession one of
these fine docile Eagles for a considerable time : but de-
* Cambridge, Mass.
WASHINGTON EAGLE. 69
sirous of devoting it to the tiien Linnaean Museum, he
attempted to poison it, by corrosive sublimate of mercu-
ry ; several times, however, doses even of 2 drams were
given to it, concealed in fish, without producing any in-
jurious effect on its health.
The Washington Eagle, bold and vigorous, disdains
the piratical habits of the Bald Eagle, and invariably ob-
tains his own sustenance without molesting the Osprey.
The circles he describes in his flight are wider than
those of the White-headed Eagle ; he also flies nearer to
the land or the surface of the water ; and when about to
dive for his prey, he descends in circuitous, spiral rounds,
as if to check the retreat of the fish, on which he darts
only when within the distance of a few yards. When
his prey is obtained, he flies out at a low elevation to a
considerable distance to enjoy his repast at leisure. The
quantity of food consumed by this enormous bird is very
great, according to the account of those who have had
them in confinement. Indeed they appear almost always
plump and fat. Mr. Audubon's male bird weighed 144-
pounds avoirdupois. One in a small museum in Phila-
delphia (according to the account of my friend Mr.
C. Pickering), also a male, weighed much more, by
which difference it would appear that they are capable
of becoming exceedingly fat ; for the length of this bird
was about the same as that of Audubon, 3 feet 6 or 7
inches. The width, however, was only about 7 feet,
agreeing pretty nearly with a specimen now in the New
England Museum ; so that I must necessarily believe
that the measure, given by Mr. Audubon, of 10 feet 2
inches is a typographical error, and should be probably
7 feet 2 inches. The male of the Golden Eagle, the
largest hitherto known, is seldom more than 3 feet
long.
70 BIRDS OF PREY.
That this bird is not the White-tailed Eagle {Falco
alhicilla), or its young, the Sea Eagle {F. ossifragus), is
obvious from the difference in size alone, the male of
that bird being little over 2 feet 4 inches in length, or a
little less even than the Bald Eagle. The female of the
Washington Eagle must, of course, be 6 or 8 inches
longer, which will give a bird of unparalleled magnitude
amongst the whole Eagle race. This measurement of
the Sea Eagle is obtained from ' Temminck's Manual of
Ornithology,' who has examined more than 50 individu-
als. At the same time I have a suspicion that the Wash-
ington Eagle, notwithstanding this, exists also in Europe ;
as the great Sea Eagle of Brisson is described by this au-
thor as being 3 feet 6 inches in length from the point of
the bill to the end of the tail, and the stretch of the
wings about 7 feet ! These measurements also are
adopted by Buffon, but the individuals were evidently in
young plumage, in which state, as described by Brisson,
they again approach the present species. Nor need it be
considered as surprising if 2 different species be con-
founded in the Sea Eagle of Europe, as the recently
established Imperial Eagle had ever been confounded
with the Golden. Another distinguishing trait of the
Washington Eagle is in the length of the tail, which is
1^ inches longer than the folded wings. In the White-
tailed species this part never extends beyond the wings.
The upper parts of the body were generally, in the adult, describ-
ed by Audubon, of a dark, shining, coppery-brown. The throat,
front of the neck, breast, and belly, of a rich and bright cinnamon
color, the feathers of the whole of which were long, narrow, sharp-
pointed and of a somewhat hairy texture, each dashed along the cen-
tre with the dark brown of the back. Lesser wing-coverts rusty
iron-grey, the same color extending from the shoulders to the lower
end of the secondaries, and gradually passing into the brown of the
back as it meets the scapulars. Primaries brown, darker on their
WASHINGTON EAGLE. 71
inner vanes, very broad and firm ; the outer 2^ inches shorter than
the 2d, the longest 24 inches to its roots, and about f^ an inch in
diameter at the barrel. [In Mr. Pickering's specimen, the longest
quill gave 25«^ inches, and in a specimen of the Bald Eagle the same
corresponding feather gave only 22^ inches, though the specimen
was a female.] The under wing-coverts iron-grey. Foot warty
beneath like a rasp, enabling the bird to secure its slippery prey.
Leg feathers brown-cinnamon, pointed backwards. Iris hazel, in-
clining to chesnut. The head more convex than in the Bald Eagle.
Subgenus — Haliaetos.
Nostrils crescent-shaped. Legs half-feathered ; toes divided to
the base.
These live chiefly upon fish ; and keep generally near the sea-
shores, lakes, and rivers, though their superior size and strength en-
able them to prey upon large animals.
WHITE-HEADED or BALD EAGLE.
(Falco leucocephalus. Linn. Wilson, iv. p. 89. pi. 36. [adult,] and
vii. p. 16. pi. 55. f. 2. [young ; as the Sea Eagle.] Audu-
bon, pi. Peale's Museum, No. 78.)
Spec. Charact. — Dark brown; head and tail white ; tail extend-
ing beyond the folded wings ; cere, bill, and feet yellow ; iris
whitish-yellow. — Young, spotted and varied irregularly with
darker and lighter brown ; bill black ; irids pale brown.
This noble and daring Eagle is found along the sea-
coasts, lakes, and rivers throughout the arctic circle,
being met with in Asia, Europe, and America. In
Behring's isle, Mackenzie's river, and Greenland, they
are not uncommon. But while they are confined in the
old world to this cheerless region, so constantly, that only
WHITE-HEADED OR BALD EAGLE. 73
two* instances are known of their appearance in the
centre of Europe, in the United States, they are most
abundant in the milder latitudes, residing, breeding, and
rearing their young in all the intermediate space from
Nova Scotia or Labrador to the shores of the Gulf of
Mexico. The rocky coast of this part of New England
(Massachusetts), is however, seldom tenanted by this
species though they are occasionally seen in the spring,
and about the commencement of winter. In the United
States it is certain that they show a decided predilection
for the milder climates. It is probable, that in Europe
they are deterred in their migrations by the tyrannical
persecution of the White-tailed Eagle (F. alhicilla)
which abounds in that country, living also principally
on fish and therefore selecting the same maritime situa-
tions as our Eagle. In the United States, he sways
almost without control the whole coast of the Atlantic,
and has rendered the rival Osprey his humble tributary,
proscribing, in his turn, the appearance of the Sea Eagle,
which, if it exist at all with us, is equally as rare as the
present species appears to be in Europe,
Though on Behring's Isle the Bald Eagle is said to
nest on cliffs, as the only secure situation that probably
offers, in the United States, he usually selects, near the
sea-coast, some lofty pine or cypress tree for his eyry ;
this is built of large sticks, several feet in length, form-
ing a floor, within and over which are laid sods of earth,
hay, moss, dry reeds, sedge-grass, pine tops, and other
coarse materials, piled to the height of 5 or 6 feet, and
4 or 5 feet in breadth. On this almost level bed the fe-
male early in February deposits 2 eggs, one of which is
said to be laid after an interval so considerable that the
* One of these, an old male, was killed in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland j
the other, a very old female, in the kingdom of Wurtemburg.
7
74 BIRDS OF PREY.
young are hatched at different periods. Lawson, however,
says, that they breed so often as to commence laying again
under their callow young, whose warmth assists the hatch-
ing of the eggs. This eyry or breeding-place continues to
be perpetually occupied and repaired as long as the tree
endures ; indeed their attachment to particular places
is so strong, that after their habitation has been de-
molished, by the destruction of the tree that supported
it, they have very contentedly taken possession of an
adjoining one. Nor is the period of incubation the only
lime spent in the nest by this species ; it is a shelter
and common habitation at all times and seasons, being a
home like the hut to the savage, or the cottage to the
peasant.
The helpless young, as might be supposed, are fed
with great attention, and supplied with such a superflu-
ity of fish and other matters, that they often lie scattered
around the tree, producing the most putrid and noisome
effluvia. The young are at first clothed with a whitish
down ; they gradually become grey, and continue of a
brownish grey until the 3d year, when the characteristic
white of the head and tail becomes perfectly developed.
As their food is abundant, the young are not forcibly
driven from the nest, but fed for some time after they
have left it. They are by no means shy or timorous,
will often permit a near approach, and sometimes even
bristle up their feathers in an attitude of daring defence.
Their cry is sonorous and lamentable, like that of the
Great Eagle, and when asleep they are said to make a
very audible snoring sound.
The principal food of the Bald Eagle is fish, and though
he possesses every requisite of alertness and keenness of
vision for securing his prey, it is seldom that he obtains
it by any other means than stratagem and rapine. For
WHITE-HEADED OR BALD EAGLE. 75
this habitual daring purpose, he is seen perching upon the
naked limb of some lofty tree which commands an ex-
tensive view of the ocean ; in this attitude of expecta-
tion he heedlessly surveys the active employment of the
feathered throng, which course along the wavy strand, or
explore the watery deep with beating wing, until from
afar he attentively scans the motions of his provider, the
ample-winged and hovering Osprey. At length, the
watery prey is espied, and the feathered fisher descends
like a falling rock ; cleaving the wave, he now bears
his struggling victim from the deep, and mounting in the
air, utters an exulting scream. At this signal, the Eagle
pirate gives chase to the fortunate fisher, and soaring
above him, by threatening attitudes obliges him to
relinquish his prey ; the Eagle now poising for a
surer aim, descends like an arrow, and snatching his
booty before it arrives at the water, retires to the
woods to consume it at leisure. These perpetual depre-
dations on the industrious Osprey sometimes arouse him
to seek for vengeance, and several occasionally unite to
banish their tyrannical invader. When greatly pressed
by hunger, the Bald Eagle has sometimes been observed
to attack the Vulture in the air, obliging him to disgorge
the carrion in his craw, which he snatches up before it
reaches the ground. He is sometimes seen also to drive
away the Vultures, and feed voraciously on their car-
rion. Besides fish, he preys upon Ducks, Geese, Gulls,
and other sea-fowl, and when the resources of the ocean
diminish, or fail from any cause, particularly on the
southern migration of the Osprey, his inland depreda-
tions are soon notorious, young lambs, pigs, fawns, and
even deer often becomnig his prey. So indiscriminate in-
deed is the fierce appetite of this bold bird, that instan-
ces are credibly related of their carrying away infants.
76 BIRDS OF PREY.
An attempt of this kind, according to Wilson, was made
upon a child lying by its mother as she was weeding a
garden at Great Egg-Harbour in New Jersey ; but the
garment seized upon by the Eagle giving way at the
instant of the attempt, the life of the child was spared.
I have heard of another instance said to have happened
at Petersburgh in Georgia, near the Savannah river,
where an infant, sleeping in the shade near the house,
was seized and carried to the eyry near the edge of a
swamp 5 miles distant, and when found, almost imme-
diately, the child was dead. The story of the Eagle and
child, in "The history of the house of Stanley,'' now the
crest of that family, shows the credibility of the exploit,
as supposed to have been effected by the White-tailed
Eagle, so nearly related to the present. Indeed, about
the year 1745, some Scotch reapers, accompanied by the
wife of one of them with an infant, repaired to an island
in Loch Lomond ; the mother laid down her child in the
shade at no great distance from her, and while she was bu-
sily engaged in labor, an Eagle of this kind suddenly'darted
upon the infant, and immediately bore it away to its rocky
eyry on the summit of Ben Lomond. The alarm of this
shocking event was soon spread ; and a considerable
party, hurrying to the rescue, fortunately succeeded in
recovering the child alive.
The Bald Eagle, like most of the large species, takes
wide circuits in its flight and soars at great heights.
In these sublime attitudes he may often be seen hovering
over water-falls and lofty cataracts, particularly that of
the famous Niagara, where he watches for the fate of
those unfortunate fish and other animals that are destroy-
ed in the descent of the tumultuous waters.
In the adult, at the age of 3 years, all the plumage of the body
and of the wings is of a deep and very lively brown or chocolate
WHITE-HEADED OR BALD EAGLE. 77
color ; the head and upper part of the neck, as well as the tail and
its coverts, are of a pure white, (but in the female incline a little
to straw-color). The bill, cere, and feet yellow, with the sole of the
feet rough and warty, suited for holding slippery objects. The iris
whitish-yellow. The female about 3 feet long, with the stretch of
the wings about 7 feet. The male 2 or 3 inches shorter. — In the
first year, the white of the head and neck is blended with greyish-
brown. These parts are variegated with the two colors in the
seeond year.
The young of the first year are distinguished with difficulty from
the young of the White-tailed Eagle ; their plumage is however less
regularly varied with brown colors, and the tail is always somewhat
longer.
Subgenus. — Pandion.
Bill rounded above, and with the cere hispid ; nostrils obliquely
curved ; membranaceous on the upper edge. Tarsi naked, reticu-
lated, rough; toes divided to the base, the outer versatile ; nails
equal and rounded beneath. Wings long ; 1st primary equal with
the 3d ; the 2d longest.
Of a cowardly disposition, and living on fish, they inhabit near
waters, retiring from them, when frozen, to warmer climates. They
seize their prey in their talons near the surface of the water, or
plunge for it as occasion requires ; they very rarely hunt birds.
FISH-HAWK, OR OSPREY.
(Falco haUatus. Linn. Audubon, pi. 81, [excellent.] Wilson, v.
p. 13, pi. 5. fig. 1. Philadelphia Museum, No. 144.)
Spec. Charact. — Dark brown, beneath white ; cere and feet grey-
ish-blue.— Female with the breast thinly spotted with pale
brown. — Young, nearly all the feathers above terminated with
yellowish- white tips.
This large and well known species, allied to the
Eagles, is found near fresh and salt water in almost
every country in the world. In summer it wanders into
the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and America ; it is
also found equally prevalent in the milder parts of both
continents, as in Greece and Egypt. In America it
is found in the summer from Labrador, and the in-
FISH-HAWK OR OSPREY. 79
teiior around Hudson's Bay, to Florida ; and, according
to Buffon, it extends its residence to the tropical regions
of Cayenne.
Its food being almost uniformly fish, it readily acquires
subsistence as long as the waters remain unfrozen ; but
at the commencement of cool weather, even as early as
the close of September, or at farthest the middle of Octo-
ber, they leave New York and New Jersey, and migrate
further south. This early period of departure is, in all
probability, like their arrival towards the close of March,
wholly regulated by the coming and going of the shoals
of fisli on which they are accustomed to feed.* Their
arrival in the spring is welcomed by the fisherman, as
the sure indication of the approach of those shoals of
shad, herring, and other kinds of fish which now begin
to throng the bays, inlets, and rivers near the ocean ;
and the abundance with which the- Avaters teem affords
ample sustenance for both the aerial and terrestrial
fishers, as each pursues in peace his favorite and neces-
sary employment. In short, the harmless industry of the
Osprey, the familiarity with which he rears his young
around the farm, his unexpected neutrality towards all
the domestic animals near him, his sublimely picturesque
flight, and remarkable employment, with the strong af-
fection displayed towards his constant mate and long
helpless young, and the wrongs he hourly suffers from
the pirate Eagle, are circumstances sufficiently calcu-
lated, v.ithout the aid of ready superstition, to ensure the
public favor and tolerance towards this welcome visitor.
Driven to no harsh necessities, like his superiors, the
Eagles, he leads a comparatively harmless life ; and
* Towards the close of March, or bcginningof April, they arrive in the vicinity of
Boston with the first shoal of alewives or herrings, but yet are seldom known to
breed alons the coast of Massachusetts.
80 BIRDS OF PREY.
though unjustly doomed to servitude, his address and
industry raise him greatly above his oppressor, so that
he supplies himself and his young with a plentiful sus-
tenance. His adroitness and docility in catching fish
have also sometimes been employed by man for his ad-
vantage.
Intent on exploring the sea for his food, he leaves the
nest and proceeds directly to the scene of action, sail-
ing round in easy and wide circles, and turning at
times as on a pivot, apparently without exertion, while
his long and curving wings seem scarcely in motion.
At the height of from 100 to 200 feet he continues to
survey the bosom of the deep. Suddenly he checks his
course and hovers in the air, with beating pinions ; he
then descends with rapidity, but the wily victim has
escaped. Now he courses near the surface, and by a
dodging descent, scarcely wetting his feet, he seizes a
fish, which he sometimes drops or yields to the greedy
Eagle ; but, not discouraged, he again ascends in spiral
sweeps, to regain the higher regions of the air, and re-
new his survey of the watery expanse. His prey again
espied, he descends perpendicularly like a falling plum-
met, plunging into the sea with a loud rushing noise,
and with an unerring aim. In an instant he emerges
with the struggling prey in his talons, shakes off the wa-
ter from his feathers, and now directs his laborious
course to land, beating in the wind with all the skill of
a practised seaman. The fish which he thus carries
may be sometimes from 6 to 8 pounds ; and so firm some-
times is the penetrating grasp of his talons, that when,
by mistake, he engages with one which is too large, he is
dragged beneath the waves, and at length both fish and
bird perish.
FISH-HAWK OR OSPREY. 81
From the nature of his food, his flesh, and even the
eggs, are rendered exceedingly rank and nauseous.
Though his prey is generally taken in the bold and spir-
ited manner described, he sometimes sits on a tree over
a pond for an hour at a time, quietly waiting its expected
approach ; indeed, my friend Mr. N. J. Wyeth informs
me, that he once saw one of these Hawks with a gold-
fish in his talons, for which he must have cautiously
stolen into some neighbouring garden.
Unlike other rapacious birds the Ospreys may be almost
considered gregarious, breeding so near each other, that,
according to Mr. Gardiner, there were on the small isl-
and on which he resided, near to the eastern extremity
of Long Island (New York), no less than 300 nests with
young. Wilson observed 20 of their nests within half a
mile. I have seen them nearly as thick about Rehoboth
Bay in Delaware. Here they live together at least as
peaceably as rooks ; and so harmless are they consid-
ered by other birds, that, according to Wilson, the Crow-
Blackbirds, or Grakles, are sometimes allowed refuge by
the Ospreys, and construct their nests in the very inter-
stices of their eyry. It would appear sometimes, that, as
with Swallows, a general assistance is given in the con-
structing of a new nest ; for, previous to this event, a flock
have been seen to assemble in the same tree, squealing
as is their custom when any thing materially agitates
them. At times they are also seen engaged in social
gambols high in the air, making loud vociferations, sud-
denly darting down, and then sailing in circles ; and
these innocent recreations, like many other unmean-
ing things, are construed into prognostications of stormy
or changing weather. Their common friendly call is a
kind of shrill whistle, ^pJiew^ 'phew, 'phew, repeated about
5 or 6 times, and somewhat similar to the tone of a fife.
82 BIRDS OF PREY.
Though social, they are sometimes seen to combat in
the air, instigated probably more by jealousy than a love
for rapine, as their food is always obtained from an un-
failing source.
The ancients, particularly Aristotle, pretended that
the Ospreys taught their young to gaze at the sun, and
that those who were unable to do so were destroyed.
Linnseus even believed, on ancient authority, that one
of the feet of this bird had all the toes divided while the
other was partly webbed, so that it could swim with one
foot, and grasp a fish in the other. Aristotle likewise
remarked, that the young of the White-tailed Eagle were
driven from the nest before they could feed themselves,
and that they would perish but for the aid and education
which they received from the Osprey.* This opinion
arose, no doubt, from the fact, that that species, no less
than the Bald Eagle, is in the habit of plundering the
Fish-Hawk for its sustenance.
The Fish-Hawk, according to the convenience of the
site where it takes up its abode, forms its nest upon rocks,
more rarely upon the ground among reeds, or amidst ruin-
ed and deserted buildings, or on trees ; the last situa-
tion, however, appears to be universally preferred in the
United States. It is commonly situated at a considera-
ble elevation, and, like the eyry of the Eagle, continues
to be occupied as long as the tree exists. The materi-
als, however, of which the nest is composed are often of
such a nature, and in such quantity, as to hasten the de-
cay of its support. The following, according to Wilson,
is the ordinary composition of this rude but substantial
fabric. The external floor is made of large sticks,
from J an inch to 1^ inches in diameter, and 2 or 3
* Buffon considers the bird here alluded to as the Sea Eagle, which is, however,
only the young of the White-tailed species.
FISH-HAWK OR OSPREY. 83
feet in length ; these are piled to the height of 4 or 5
feet, and from 2 to 3 feet in breadth, the whole inter-
mixed with corn-stalks, sea-weeds, and mullein-stems,
filled in with large quantities of turf, and lined with the
dry sea-grass (or Zostera marina) ; the materials so
well matted together as often to adhere in large pieces
after being blown down by the wind, and forming a mass
observable at the distance of half a mile, and sufficient
to form a cart-load for a horse.* As with the Rooks,
they repair their nests in the autumn, previous to their
southern emigration.
Early in May the Osprey commences laying, and has
from 2 to 4 eggs. They are a little larger than those of
the common fowl, and are from a reddish or yellowish
cream color to nearly white, marked with large blotches
and points of reddish brown. During the period of incu-
bation the male frequently supplies his mate with food,
and she leaves her eggs for very short intervals.
The young appear about the last of June, and are
most assiduously attended and supplied. On the ap-
proach of any person towards the nest, the parent utters
a peculiar plaintive, whistling note, which increases as it
takes to wing, sailing round, and at times making a
quick descent, as if aiming at the intruder, but sweeping
past at a short distance. On the nest being invaded,
either while containing eggs or young, the male displays
great courage, and makes a violent and dangerous oppo-
sition. The young remain a long time in the nest, so
that the old are sometimes obliged to thrust them out,
and encourage them to fly ; but they still, for a period,
continue to feed them in the air by supplying them with
fish from their talons.
* According to CEdman, the Osprey, in Sweden, makes its nest in the highest trees,
chiefly of Pine tops, and lines it Tvith the leaves of the Polypody (Poylpodium vulgare),
a structure, as to materials, extremely different from that of our bird.
84 BIRDS OP PREY.
The length of the male Osprey is from 21 to 22 inches. The fe-
male is about 2 feet. The summit of the head, and particularly the
upper part of the neck, is furnished with long and narrow feathers,
darkish in the middle, and edged with yellowish white ; these feath-
ers are erectile at the will of the animal. Upper parts dark brown ;
there is often a white band above the eyes ; a long band of deep
brown along the sides of the neck j lower parts white ; upon the
breast some faint fawn-colored or yellowish traces j plumage of the
thighs streaked down the fore-part with pale brown. Cere and feet
pale greyish blue ; the latter very large, covered with scales, and
rough beneath like a rasp, (for the purpose of holding its finny prey.)
Tail crossed with 8 bars of very dark brown, (only six in the Euro-
pean, according to Temminck.) Iris fiery yellow. Bill black. The
wings (according to Wilson) extend about an inch beyond the tail
(more than two inches, Temminck). — When young they have more
or fewer fawn-colored spots beneath. The feathers of the upper
parts are terminated with yellowish white margins ; also a consider-
able space upon the breast of a pale fawn-color spotted with brown ;
the feet likewise darker.
Subgenus. — Astur. (Autours, TemmincTc.)
The bill strong ; with the tooth or lobe of the upper mandible well
defined. Nostrils roundish, or inclining to oval and oblique. Tarsi
rather long, shielded with a row of parallel scales. The middle toe
much longer than the side ones ; the outer connected at the base by
a membrane, and shorter than the inner. The nails are long, much
curved, and very acute. — Wings short; the first primary much
shorter than the 2d ; the 4th longest. The female similar in color
with the male, but a third larger.
These are bold, sanguinary, and malignant birds ; skimming the
earth with a rapid flight, seizing their prey upon the wing, and
sometimes pouncing upon it from above. They are not inclined to
soar at great elevations, and only describe wide circles in their
flight about the commencement of the breeding season.
AMERICAN GOSHAWK. 85
AMERICAN GOSHAWK.
{Falco atricapillns, Wilson. Am. Orn. vi. p. 80. pi. 52. fig. 3.
F. regalis, Temminck. Philadelphia Museum, No. 406.)
Spec. Charact. — Dark bluish-grey ; eyebrows nearly white; be-
neath white, everywhere transversely and narrowly banded and
longitudinally lined with dark brown ; tail ash-colored, banded
with dark brown ; cere greenish-yellow. — Young, dusky brown,
skirted with ferruginous ; beneath yellowish- white with oblong
spots of dark brown ; tail with 4 dark bands and tipped with white.
The foreign representative of this elegant and spirited
species of Hawk appears to be common in France, Ger-
many, the northern parts of Great Britain, Russia, and
Siberia, and extends into Chinese Tartary. Our species,
so nearly related to the European bird, is very rare, mi-
grating to the south apparently at the approach of win-
ter. On the 26th of October, 1830, I received one of
these birds from the proprietor of Fresh Pond Hotel, in
the moult, having the stomach crammed with moles and
mice, and it was shot in the act of devouring a Pigeon.
The Goshawk "was held in considerable esteem for
falconry, and, according to Bell, was employed for this
amusement by the emperor of China, who moved some-
times to these excursions in great state, often bearing a
hawk on his hand, to let fly at any game that might
be raised ; which was usually Pheasants, Partridges,
Quails, or Cranes. In 1269, Marco Paulo witnessed this
diversion of the emperor, which probably had existed for
many ages previous. The Falconers distinguished these
birds of sport into two classes, namely, those of falconry
properly so called, and those of hmohing ; and in this
second and inferior class, were included the Goshawk,
the Sparrow-hawk, Buzzard, and Harpy. This species
does not soar so high as the longer-winged Hawks, and
darts upon its quarry by a side glance, not by a di-
86 BIRDS OF PREY.
rect descent, like the true Falcon. They were caught
in nets baited with live pigeons, and reduced to obedi-
ence by the same system of privation and discipline as
the Falcon.
A pair of these birds were kept for a long time in a
cage by Buffon ; he remarks, that the female was at least
a third larger than the male, and the wings, when clos-
ed, did not reach within 6 inches of the end of the tail.
The male, though smaller, was much more fierce and
untamable. They often fought v/ith their claws, but
seldom used the bill for any other purpose than tearing
their food. If this consisted of birds, they were plucked
as neatly as by the hand of the poulterer ; but mice were
swallowed whole, and the hair and skin, and other indi-
gestible parts, after the manner of the genus, were dis-
charged from the mouth rolled up in little balls. Its cry
was raucous, and terminated by sharp, reiterated, pierc-
ing notes, the more disagreeable the oftener they were re-
peated, and the cage could never be approached without
exciting violent gestures and screams. Though of different
sexes, and confined to the same cage, they contracted no
friendship for each other which might soothe their im-
prisonment, and finally, to end the dismal picture, the fe-
male, in a fit of indiscriminate rage and violence, mur-
dered her mate in the silence of the night, when all the oth-
er feathered race were wrapped in repose. Indeed their
dispositions are so furious, that a Goshawk, left with any
other Falcons, soon effects the destruction of the whole.
Their ordinary food is young rabbits, squirrels, mice,
moles, young geese, pigeons, and small birds, and, with
a cannibal appetite, they sometimes even prey upon
the young of their own species. They construct their
nests in the highest trees, and lay from 2 to 4 eggs of a
bluish-white, marked with lines and spots of brown.
AMERICAN BROWN OR SLATE-COLORED HAWK. 87
The length of this American kind is, according to Wilson, 21
inches ; the male individual in my possession is 25 inches long, and
37 inches in the stretch of the wings. The European is 2 feet
(French) for the male, and a 3d, or 8 inches, less (16 inches), for the
female. Our bird is therefore much larger, and the wings extend to
within 2 inches of the end of the tail ; it is likewise darker on the
head, and has a broad dusky stripe passing from the e^-e to the
back of the head which is pale ; the under parts also, to the vent,
are not merely barred with a single line, but each feather is crossed
by numerous zig-zag, undulating, dark lines, longitudinally crossed
by a central line of the same color, and the vent is also white. Wil-
son's name may therefore be retained for this peculiar American
species. The bill is blackish-blue : the cere and legs yellow. Irids
orange yellow. The superciliary line very distinct and nearly
white, proceeding backwards to meet on the hind-head. Above, the
plumage is dark cinereous, tinged with brown ; the primaries some-
what lighter. Legs feathered half way down. Tail mottled with
about 5 imperfect bands of dark brown, chiefly visible on the inner
vanes; the central tail feathers dark grey, with about 4 imperfect,
broad, dusky bars.
AMERICAN BROWN or SLATE-COLORfD
HAWK. ^-1^^.. ^:^^4*v.^^M.^
(FaZco /uscifs, Gmelin. F. i:)ennsylvanicus, Wilson, vi. p. 13. pi.
46. fig. 1. [adult male], and F. velox, (Sharp-shinned Hawk),
Ibid. v. p. 116. pi. 45. fig. 1. [young female]. Bonap. Ann. Lye
vol. ii. p. 434.)
Spec. Charact. — Tail even, with 4 blackish bands, and tipped
with white ; wings extending to the 2d band ; 2d primary much
shorter than the 6th ; and the 3d than the 5th. Length about
12 inches. Mult, dark slate-color, beneath white, broadly
barred with ferruginous. — Young, dark brown, skirted with fer-
ruginous; beneath white, with narrow, oblong, ferruginous spots.
This bold and daring species possesses all the coura-
geous habits and temerity of the true Falcon ; and, if
the princely amusement to which these birds were de-
voted, were now in existence, few species of the genus
88 BIRDS OF PREY.
would be found more sanguinary and pugnacious than
the present. The young bird is described by Pennant
under the name of the dubious Falcon, and he remarks
its affinity to the European Sparrow-Hawk. It is, how-
ever, somewhat less, differently marked on the head, and
much more broadly and faintly barred below. The nest
of our species is yet unknown. It probably, like its
European prototype, builds in hollow trees, or conceals
its eyry among rocks. The true Sparrow-Hawk shows
considerable docility, is easily trained to hunt Partridges
and duails ; and makes great destruction among Pigeons,
young poultry, and small birds of all kinds. In the
winter they migrate from Europe into Barbary and
Greece, and are seen in great numbers out at sea, mak-
ing such havock among the birds of passage they hap-
pen to meet in their way, that the sailors in the Mediter-
ranean call them Corsairs. Wilson observed the female
of our species descend upon its prey with great velocity
in a sort of zig-zag pounce, after the manner of the Gos-
hawk. Descending furiously and blindly upon its quarry,
a young Hawk of this species broke through the glass of
the green-house, at the Cambridge Botanic Garden ; and
fearlessly passing through a second glass partition, he
was only brought up by the third, and caught, though
little stunned by the effort. His wing-feathers were much
torn by the glass, and his flight in this way so impeded
as to allow of his being approached. This species feeds
principally upon mice, lizards, small birds, and some-
times even squirrels. In the thinly settled states of
Georgia and Alabama, this Hawk seems to abound, and
proves extremely destructive to young chickens, a single
bird having been known regularly to come every day un-
til he had carried away between 20 and 30. At noon-day,
while I was conversing with a planter, one of these Hawks
AMERICAN BROWN OR SLATE-COLORED HAWK. 89
came down, and without any ceremony, or heeding the loud
cries of the house-wife, who most reluctantly witnessed
the robbery, snatched away a chicken directly before us.
At another time, near Tuscaloosa, in Alabama, I observ-
ed a pair of these birds furiously attack the large Red-
tailed Hawk, squalling very loudly, and striking him on
the head until they had entirely chased him out of sight.
This enmity appeared to arise from a suspicion, that the
Buzzard was prowling round the farm-house for the
poultry, which these Hawks seemed to claim as their
exclusive perquisite. As this was, however, the 13th of
February, these insulting marauders might possibly be
already preparing to breed, and thus be incited to drive
away every suspicious intruder approaching their nest.
In fine weather, I have observed this species soar to a
great elevation, and ascend above the clouds ; in this
exercise, as usual, the wings seem but little exercised,
the ascent being made in a sort of swimming gyration,
though while near the surface of the earth the motion of
the^wings in this bird is rapid and continuous.
The male of this species is 12 inches long, and 21 inches in extent,
(the /e??icf7e 14 inches long, and 25 in stretch of the wings.) The
bill is bluish-black. Cere greenish-yellow. Eye-brows strongly
projecting. The iris reddish orange. The upper parts of a deep
slate-blue, the feathers shafted with black. Primaries brownish-
blacky barred with dusky ; lining of the wing crowded with heart-
shaped black spots. Tail 3 inches longer than the wings, nearly
even, ash-colored, crossed with 4 broad bands of black, and tipped
with white. Over the eye extends a narrow stripe of dull white.
Chin white, mixed with black hairs. Breast, belly, and femorals
variegated with broad, transverse, brownish spots. Vent pure
white. Legs long, slender, and bright yellow. Claws black, re-
markably sharp and large. — In a young female which I obtained,
of the length of about 14 inches, the feathers of the breast and sides
are marked with broadish transverse pale brown bars, which are ter-
minated with pointed oblanceolate spots. This particular stage of
plumage appeared to be anterior to the last.
90 BIRDS OF PREY.
COOPER'S HAWK.
(Falco Cooperii, Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. pi. 10. fig. 1. [young], Phila-
delphia Museum, No. 403.)
Spec. Charact. — Tail rounded, with 4 blackish bands, and tipped
with white ; wings extending, when folded, to the 2d band ;
2d quill nearly equal in length to the 6th, and the 3d to the
5th. Length 18 or more inches. — Young, dusky-brown, skirted
with ferruginous ; beneath white, with oblanceolate, dusky brown
spots.
This fine species of Hawk is found in considerable
numbers in the Middle States, particularly New York
and New Jersey, in the autumn, and at the approach of
winter. His food appears principally to be birds of vari-
ous kinds ; from the Sparrow to the Ruffed Grous, all
contribute to his rapacious appetite. I have also seen
this species as far south as the capital of Alabama, and in
common with the preceding, his depredations among the
domestic fowls are very destructive. Mr. Cooper in-
forms me that the plumage of the adult male bears the
same analogy to the adult of JP. fuscus, as the young
of that species does to the present, excepting that the
rufous tints are paler. The difference in size between
the two is as 2, or even 3, to 1.
The length of this species is about 18 inches ; and nearly 30 in
alar extent. The general color of the young bird above is chocolate-
brown, and the head and neck blackish, edged with rufous and
white. The body beneath is white, the feathers being marked each
with a long, dusky stripe down the shafts, which spots become broader
and oblanceolate on the breast and flanks. The vent and lower tail
coverts white. The wings about 9 inches long, and when folded,
scarcely extend to the 2d bar of the tail ; the quills crossed by black-
ish bands. 1st primary very short, more so than the secondaries ;
2d equal to the Gth, and the 3d to the 5th, the 2 last being scarcely
shorter than the 4th, which, as in all the birds of this section, is the
longest. Tail 8 inches, extending 5 beyond the wings, ashy brown,
Stanley's hawk. 91
tipped with whitish, and crossed by 4 equidistant blackish bands.
Legs and feet yellow. The cere greenish-yellow. Iris bright yel-
low. — Female J 2 inches longer, but with similar plumage.
STANLEY'S HAWK.
(Falco Stanleii, nobis. Astur Stanleii, Audubon, pi. 36.)
Spec. Charact. — Above dusky brown, a little varied with white j
beneath cinereous with oblong dusky spots. Tail long and
rounded, extending much beyond the wings, with 5 broadish
dusky bars ; cere and legs pale yellow.
With this fine new species of Audubon we are yet
unacquainted. It appears, however, nearly allied to
JP. Cooperii, with which it ought to be compared. It is
spiritedly represented, with its mate, in the act of pursu-
ing and nearly overtaking a Bluebird,
About 18^ inches long. Wings barred. 1st primary very short
as well as the 2d. The 5th longest. — Male, Avith the head marked
with dusky white and rufous on each feather. Female, with the
head dusky. Beneath cinereous, with oblong dusky brown spots ;
feraorals rufous-white, with oblong, pointed spots.
Subgenus. — Ictinia. (Viellot. Bonap.)
Bill short, narrowed above ; the upper mandible angularly lobed ;
the lower distinctly notched ; cere glabrous ; nostrils rounded.
Tarsi short, slender, scutellated (or covered in front with a row of
broad scales) feathered for a short space ; the outer toe connected at
base by a membrane. The nails short and not very acute. — Wings
very long, extending to the end of the tail. 3d primary longest.
Tail nearly even.
Bold species ; feeding on small birds, reptiles, &c., but chiefly
on insects. They fly out in easy sailing circles at a considerable
elevation. — Note. The birds of this section appear to be intermedi-
ate between the Falcons and true Kites, and in manners they are
somewhat related to the Buzzards.
92
BIRDS OF PREY.
MISSISSIPPI KITE.
(Falco plumbeus, Gmelin. Bonap. Annal. Lye. p. 30. Faico MiS'
sissij)2nensis, Wilson. Am. Orn. iii. p. 80. pi. 25. fig. 1. [adult
male]. )
Spec. Charact. — Blackish-ash; head, neck, and beneath whitish-
ash color ; the tail and cere black ; feet and irids bright red. —
Young, bluish-black ; head and beneath whitish, spotted with
bluish-brown ; the tail with 3 white bands beneath; the cere yel-
lowish.
This remarkably long-winged and beautiful Hawk
does not appear to extend its migrations far within the
United States. Wilson observed it rather plentiful about,
and below Natchez, in the summer season, sailing in
easy circles, sometimes at a great elevation, so as to keep
company occasionally with the Turkey-Buzzards in the
most elevated regions of the air : at other times they
were seen among the lofty forest trees, like Swallows
sweeping along, and collecting the locusts (Cicadcs)
which swarmed at this season. My friend Mr. Say ob-
served this species pretty far up the Mississippi, at one
of Major Long's cantonments. But, except on the banks
of this great river, they are rarely seen even in the most
southern states. Their food, no doubt, abounds more
along the immense valley of the Mississippi than in the
interior regions, and, besides large insects, probably
often consists of small birds, lizards, snakes, and other
reptiles, which swarm in these their favorite resorts.
On the failure of their food, they migrate by degrees
into the Mexican and South-American provinces ; and
were observed by De Azara in Guiana, about the latitude
of 7 degrees. Of the nest, and other habits of this uncom-
mon bird, we are yet entirely ignorant. It is very prob-
able, that like the Kite it builds in lofty trees. From
the very narrow limits within which this bird inhabits
WHITE-TAILED HAWK. 93
in the United States, it is more than probable, that the
principal part of the species are constant residents in the
warmer parts of the American continent.
In length this species is 14 inches, and 36 in the stretch
of the wings. (The European Kite is 24 inches to CO or up-
wards in alar extent, which is nearly the same proportion.)
The bill, cere, lores, and narrow line round the eye are black.
Wings very long and pointed, the 3d quill longest ; the primaries
black, marked down each side of the shaft with reddish sorrel, and
their coverts slightly touched with the same. All the upper plum-
age at the roots white ; the scapulars are also spotted with white
beneath. Tail slightly forked, and, as well as the rump, black.
Subgenus. — Elanus. {Cuvier. Bonap.)
Bill moderately strong, compressed and rounded above ; the mouth
cleft beyond the eyes ; the lobe of the upper mandible obtuse ; cere
villous ; nostrils oval. — Tarsi short, thick, reticulated (or with the
scales scattered) in front, feathered half way down ; toes cleft to
the base ; the nails large and acute, the outer very small. Wings
very long ; the 1st and 3d primaries nearly equal ; the 1st and 2d
strongly indented on the inner web ; the 2d longest.
These are timorous birds with a comparatively small and weak bill ;
they excel in flight, describing graceful circles in the air ; yet they
seldom attack their prey flying, but dart upon it when at rest. They
feed on small birds, insects, more particularly reptiles, and occasion-
ally devour dead animals.
WHITE-TAILED HAWK.
{Falco dispar, Temm. Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 18. pi. 11. fig. 2.
[adult female] . )
Spec. Charact. — Bluish-grey, beneath white ; wing-coverts black ;
tail even, outer feathers shortest.
This beautiful Hawk, scarcely distinguishable from a
second, African species of this section, chiefly inhabits
94 BIRDS OF PREY.
the continent of South America, as far as Paraguay. In
the United States it is only seen occasionally in the pen-
insula of East Florida, confining its visits to the south-
ern extremity of the Union. It appears to be very shy
and difficult of approach, flying in easy circles at a mod-
erate elevation, or at times seated on the deadened
branches of the majestic live-oak, it attentively watches
the borders of the salt marshes and watery situations for
the field-mice of that country, or unwary Sparrows, that
approach its perch. The bird of Africa and India is
said to utter a sharp and piercing cry, which is often re-
peated, while he moves in the air. They build in the
forks of trees, a broad and shallow nest, lined internally
with moss and feathers. The eggs are 4 or 5.
The female of this species is about 16J inches long, and 3 feet 5^
inches in alar extent. Sides of the head, neck, and body, and all be-
neath white. Head pearl-grey, becoming gradually darker towards the
neck and back, from the front, which is white. Above bluish ash ;
smaller and middle wing-coverts black ; primaries slate color. 1st
primary a little shorter than the 3d ; the 2d longest. The closed
wings attain within an inch to the tip of the tail ; the latter being
7 inches long, slightly notched, and with the outer feather more
than half an inch shorter than the adjoining one ; the middle feath-
ers pale bluish-slate, all the rest pure white. Legs and feet orange-
yellow ; tarsus covered with small reticulated scales ; toes all separ-
ated to the base ; the nails, except the middle one, rounded beneath.
Bill black ; cere orange-yellow and bristly. Iris brownish red. —
The male, smaller and somewhat darker, tinged with ferruginous.
SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK.
(Falcofurcatus, Lin. Audubon, pi. 72. [descending with a snake in
liis talons.] Wilson, Am. Orn. vi. p. 70. pi. 51. fig. 2. [adult
male]. Philad. Museum, No. 142.)
Spec. Charact. — White; back, wings, and tail black, with green-
ish and purple reflections; tail deeply forked.
This beautiful Kite breeds and passes the summer in
the warmer parts of the United States, and is also proba-
bly resident in all tropical and temperate America, mi-
grating into the southern as well as the northern hemis-
phere. In the former, according to Viellot, it is found
in Peru, and as far as Buenos Ayres ; and though it is
extremely rare to meet with this species as far as the
latitude of 40 degrees in the Atlantic states ; yet, tempt-
96 BIRDS OP PREY.
ed by the abundance of the fruitful valley of the Missis-
sippi, individuals have been seen along that river as far
as the Falls of St. Anthony, in the 44th degree of north
latitude. Indeed, according to Fleming, tvi^o stragglers
have even found their devious way to the strange climate
of Great Britain.
They appear in the United States about the close of
April or beginning of May, and are very numerous in
the Mississippi territory, 20 or 30 being sometimes visi-
ble at the same time, often collecting locusts and other
large insects, which they are said to feed on from their
claws while flying ; at times also seizing upon the nests of
locusts and wasps, and like the Honey-Buzz ard, devour-
ing both the insects and their larvae. Snakes and lizards
are their common food in all parts of America. In the
month of October they begin to retire to the south, at
which season Mr. Bartram observed them in great num-
bers assembled in Florida, soaring steadily at great ele-
vations for several days in succession, and slowly pass-
ing towards their winter-quarters along the Gulf of
•Mexico.
In length this species is about 2 feet ; and 4 feet 6 inches in
the stretch of the wings. (The true Kite is 2 feet by upwards of 5
feet stretch.) The bill is black; the cere yellow, as well as the
legs. Iris orange-red. The head and neck white ; beneath also
white. Upper parts black, glossed with green and purple. Wings
reaching within 2 inches of the tip of the tail. Tail very long, and
remarkably forked, of 12 feathers. Several of the tertial feathers
white, or edged with that color ; lining of the wings white. — The
plumage of the male ^nd female very similar.
ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. 97
Subgenus. — Buteo (Buzzards.)
Bill short, suddenly curving from its base, and much hooked ; lobe
blunt ; the sides of the lower mandible bent inwards. Head rather
large, with the neck thick and short; the body also rather stout. —
Tarsus short and thick, scutellated, partially or wholly feathered ;
outer toes connected at base by a membrane ; nails rather weak,
those of the inner and hind toe largest. Wings usually long, with
the 4 first primaries indented on the inner web ; the 1st very short,
and the 4th longest.
Female, larger, but similar in color. The young very different.
By their heavy flight, inferior boldness, and massive form, they often
appear to make an approach towards the owls ; in captivity indeed
they habitually hide themselves, and appear dastardly. They feed
on young rabbits, squirrels, mice, rats, moles, snakes, frogs, large in-
sects, and small birds, which they commonly watch for while
perched.
§ 1. With the tarsi feathered to the toes.
ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.
(Falco lagopus, Lin. Wilson. Am. Orn. iv. p. 59. pi. 33. fig. 1.
[male.] )
Spec. Charact. — Varied with dark brown and ferruginous; a
blackish brown belt on the belly ; tail white, dark brown to-
wards the extremity, terminated by a dull white edging. — Female,
generally lighter, though more brown along the sides and belly.
— Young, the belt only indicated by large brown spots at the
sides, with the feathers of the thighs transversely barred ; the
tail with 3 bands towards its extremity ; and with the iris of a
brownish yellow.
This remarkable species of Buzzard appears to take
up its residence chiefly in the northern wilds of Amer-
ica, where probably it builds in large trees, as it is known
to do in Europe. It is said to lay 4 eggs, clouded with
reddish. It is common also to the north of Europe, if
not to Africa. Its usual station is on the outskirts of
9
98 BIRDS OF PREY.
woods, in the neighbourhood of marshes ; situations suit-
ed for supplying it with its usual humble prey of frogs,
mice, reptiles, and straggling birds, for which it patiently
watches for hours together, from day-break to late twi-
light. When his prey is perceived, he takes a cautious,
slow, circuitous course near the surface, and sweeping
over the spot where the object of pursuit is lurking, he
instantly grapples it, and flies off to consume it at leis-
ure. The inclement winters of the high northern re-
gions, where they are usually bred, failing to afford them
food, they are under the necessity of making a slow mi-
gration towards those countries which are less severe.
According to Wilson, no less than from 20 to 30 indi-
viduals of this species continued regularly to take up
their winter-quarters in the low meadows below Philadel-
phia. They are never observed to soar, and, when dis-
turbed, utter a loud, squealing note, and only pass from
one neighbouring tree to another. In the course of the
winter they proceed into Maryland, and probably further
south. In Europe they seldom migrate so far to the
south as Holland.
The length of this species is (in the male) about 19 to 20 inches;
in the female, 2 feet 2 or 3 inches (Wilson's measurement of 22
inches can only belong to the following species.) Cere and feet
yellow. Bill blackish. Iris yellow. Upper part of the head pale
ochreous, streaked with brown. Back and wings dark brown and
ferruginous ; first 4 primaries nearly black about the tips ; rest of
the quills dark brown, with the lower side and inner vanes white ;
tail coverts white. Body beneath pale ochreous, spotted and striped
with blackish brown.
'':/ : - '^ ^!^ Av j.g -^■/- "/>^f C[
V'
BLACK HAWK.
{Falco sancti'johannis, Gmelin. Bonap. F. niger, Wilson. Am.
Orn. vi. p. 82. pi. 53. fig. 1. [adult,] and fig. 2. [the young.]
Philad. Museum, 404, 405.)
BLACK HAWK. 99
Spec. Charact. — Black; front and line round the eye white ; tail
rounded, crossed with 5 bands of white, and terminated with dull
white. — Young, according to age, varied with white, brown,
blackish, and ferruginous ; at first palish brown ? Tail half
way white, with 1 or 2 external dusky bars and a broad subter-
minal band of black; — the feathers sometimes merely blotched
with black and white on their inner vanes.
This somewhat rapacious and sombre-colored species
chiefly inhabits the northern parts of America, particu-
larly Hudson's Bay and Newfoundland, from whence it
sallies, at the approach of winter. It appears, occasion-
ally at such seasons, in this part of Massachusetts, sail-
ing over the wet meadows, at a low elevation, in search
of mice, moles, and frogs, and is very shy and transitory
in its visits. Like the other birds of this natural section,
it watches for its prey while seated on the dead limb
of a tree, or on a ledge of rock, from whence, accord-
ing to Pennant, it is in the habit of watching the Ducks,
and striking them as they rise. I have seen them soar-
ing and traversing the marshes about Reedy Island in
the Delaware, probably in the same pursuit, though
sometimes contenting themselves with crabs and shell-
fish when nothing better offered.
This species seems to present a great diversity in its plumage. In
Pennant's figure the tail is broadly barred with white, and the upper
parts are varied with black and dull white, with indications of trans-
verse bars on the femorals. In length it is from 21 to 22 inches ;
and 4 feet 2 inches in the stretch of the wings. The biJl blackish.
Cere, sides of the mouth, and feet yellow. Eye large, with the iris
bright hazel. General color above brown black with lighter shades.
Nape of the neck white below the surface. Lower parts black with
slight shades of brown. The wings extend a little beyond the tip of
the tail. The 5 first primaries are white on their inner vanes. Tail
rounded, deep black, crossed with 5 narroiv bands of white, and
broadly tipped with dull white ; the vent black, spotted with white.
Toes very short.
100 BIRDS OF PREY.
§ 2. With the tarsi partly feathered.
SHORT-WINGED BUZZARD.
{Falco * Buteoides. Nobis. F. ^w^co, Pennant, not of Lin. Arctic
Zool. vol. i. p. 241.)
Spec. Charact. — Dusky brown ; beneath yellowish-white with
oblanceolate dusky spots ; wings not extending to the end of the
tail ; tail dusky with about 9 bars and tipped with dull white ;
cere and legs yellow. — Male, darker, with hastate spots on the
femorals, and the external feathers of the tail wholly dusky, the
under ones barred only on their inner vanes ; also more inclined
to ferruginous beneath, and with the throat scarcely spotted. —
Female, 4 inches longer, lighter, with the tail distinctly barred,
and the femorals scarcely spotted.
This large American Buzzard is not uncommon in
this vicinity, but more abundant towards winter. He
appears to have very much the manners of the European
Br.zzard, remaining inactive for hours together on the
edges of wet meadows, perched upon the larger limbs of
trees, and at times keeping up a regular quailing and
rather hoarse keigh-oo keigh-oo, which, at intervals, is
answered by his mate. When approached he commonly
steals off to some other tree at no great distance from the
first, but if the pursuit be continued, he flies out and
hovers at a considerable height. His prey is probably
mice, frogs, and reptiles ; and in New York he possesses,
according to Pennant, the name of the Great Hen-Hawk,
from his occasional depredations on the poultry, a fault
with which he is seldom charged here. Pennant also adds,
that it continues in that state the whole year, and lays 5
eggs in the month of May. It is also an inhabitant of
Hudson's Bay and Newfoundland. The true Buzzard
is said to be of a cowardly and indolent disposition ; con-
structing, in old oaks and birch-trees, a nest of small
branches, or taking possession of one deserted by the
Crows, and lining it with wool and other soft substanceSj
SHORT-WINGED BUZZARD. 101
in which it lays only 2 or 3 whitish eggs, waved with
greenish, and spotted with yellowish. But, if deficient
in courage, it is not so in natural affection, feeding and
tending its young with much assiduity ; and even the
male, according to Ray, on the death of the female, pa-
tiently feeds and rears the brood till able to provide for
themselves.
According to Buffon, a Mr. Fontaine succeeded in
taming and domesticating a Buzzard, so completely that
he exhibited a real attachment to his master, attended at
the dinner-table, caressing with his head and bill. He
managed to conquer the dogs and cats of the house,
seizincr the food from them when there were several
together ; and, as a last resort, when hard pushed by his
assailants, took wing with a tone of exultation. He had
also a singular antipathy to red caps, which he dexter-
ously snatched from the heads of the working peasantry
without being perceived ; he likewise purloined wigs in
the same manner, and after carrying this strange booty
to the tallest tree of an adjoining park, he left them there
without injury. Although he sometimes attacked the
neighbouring poultry, he lived on amicable terms with
those of his master, bathing even among the chickens
and ducklings without offering them the least injury.
The length of this species, according to Pennant, is 26 inches.
This must doubtless be the female, which I have found about 25
inches ; the male is only 20 inches. The bill is dusky, and the
cere yellow. The head and hind part of the neck is brown, broadly
edged with white, or brownish white. The back, scapulars, and
wing-coverts dark brown edged with ferruginous ; the rump brown,
but the immediate tail coverts as well as the scapulars are barred
with white below the surface. The 3 first primaries black, white at
their bases and notched on their inner vanes ; the 3d primary a very
little longer than the Ath ; the inner vanes of all the rest of the quills
barred but not to their edges, the intervening white bars above
strongly tinged with ferruginous. Throat, breast, and belly, ferru-
9*
102 BIRDS OF PREY.
ginous white, marked rather thinly with oblong or ob lanceolate
brown spots ; belly nearly spotless, the vent wholly so ; femorals
ferruginous- white with hastate transverse, and some terminal point-
ed bars. Legs short, strong, and yellow. Irids dark brown. —
Note. In my larger specimen (or the female) , the lower part of the
breast, approaching the belly, is marked with a few large roundish dark
spots ; the whole under side is nearly white, with the spots fewer
and larger ; the chin is also thickly spotted, which is not so in the
male ; the femorals are likewise covered with long thin feathers
almost entirely spotless ; the bars on the quills are less prominent,
and the tail distinctly barred on both sides ; no bars appearing on
the upper side of the tail in the male. The 4 first primaries notched
on their inner vanes, and the Ath primary longest !
RED-TAILED HAWK or BUZZARD.
{Falco borealiSfGiiiEi.. Audubon, pi. 51. Wilson, Am. Orn. vi. p. 7.5.
pi. 52. fig. 1. [adult] and American Buzzard, F. leverianus,
Ibid. vi. p. 78. pi. 52. fig. 2. [young].)
Spec. Charact. — Dusky brown; beneath whitish with dark has-
tate spots ; wings considerably shorter than the tail. — Female
very similar to the male. In the adult the tail is ferruginous,
with a blackish subterminal band. — Young, with the tail pale
dusky brown, crossed by 9 or 10 narrow blackish bands.
This beautiful Buzzard inhabits most parts of the
United States, being observed from Canada to Florida ;
also, fal- westward up the Missouri, and even on the
coasts of the northern Pacific Ocean, by Lewis and
Clarke.* Wilson found the young to be fully grown
in the month of May, about latitude 31 degrees on the
banks of the Mississippi ; at this period they were very
noisy and clamorous, keeping up an incessant squealing.
They also occasionally nest and breed in large trees in
the secluded forests of this part of Massachusetts. The
young birds soon become very submissive, and allow
* Vol. ii. page 88.
RED-TAILED HAWK, OR BUZZARD. 103
themselves to be handled with impunity by those who
feed them. The older birds sometimes contest with each
other in the air about their prey, and nearly or wholly
descend to the earth grappled in each others talons.
Though this species has the general aspect of the Buzzard,
its manners are very similar to those of the Goshawk ; it
is equally fierce and predatory, prowling around the farm
often when straitened for food, and seizing, now and then,
a hen or chicken, which it snatches by making a lateral
approach; it sweeps along near the surface of the ground,
and grasping his prey in his talons, bears it away to
devour in some place of security. These depredations on
the farm-yard happen, however, only in the winter ; at
all other seasons this is one of the shyest and most diffi-
cult birds to approach. They will at times pounce upon
rabbits, and considerable sized birds, particularly Larks,
and have been observed in the southern states persever-
ingly to pursue squirrels from bough to bough until they
are overtaken and seized in their talons. They are
frequently seen near wet meadows where mice, moles,
and frogs are prevalent : and also feed upon lizards, ap-
pearing indeed, often content with the most humble game.
They usually associate in pairs, and seem much at-
tached to each other ; yet they often find it conven-
ient and profitable to separate in hunting their prey,
about which they would readily quarrel, if brought into
contact. Though a good deal of their time passes in in-
dolence, while perched in some tall and deadened tree,
yet at others they may be seen beating the ground as
they fly over it in all directions in quest of game. On
some occasions they amuse themselves by ascending to
a vast elevation like the aspiring Eagle. On a fine
evening, about the middle of January, in South Carolina,
I observed one of these birds leave his withered perch,
104 BIRDS OF PREY.
and soaring aloft over the wild landscape, in a mood
of contemplation, begin to ascend towards the thin skirt-
ing of elevated clouds above him. At length he passed
this sublime boundary, and was now perceived and soon
followed by his ambitious mate, and in a little time, by
circular ascending gyrations, they both disappeared in
the clear azure of the heavens ; and though I waited for
their re-appearance half an hour, they still continued to
be wholly invisible. This amusement, or predilection
for the cooler regions of the atmosphere, seems more or
less common to all the rapacious birds. In numerous
instances this exercise must be wholly independent of the
inclination for surveying their prey, as few of them be-
side the Falcon descend direct upon their quarry. Many,
as well as the present species, when on the prowl, fly near
to the surface of the ground, and often wait and watch
so as to steal upon their victims before they can take the
alarm. Indeed the Condor frequents and nests upon the
summits of the Andes, above which, they are seen to soar
in the boundless ocean of space, enjoying the invigorat-
ing and rarefied atmosphere, and only descending to the
plains when impelled by the cravings of hunger.
The Red-tailed Hawk is 20 to 22 inches in length, and 3 feet 9 or
more inches in the stretch of the expanded wings. The bill greyish
black ; cere, sides of the mouth, and legs yellow. Upper parts dark
brown, touched with ferruginous. Wings dusky, barred with black-
ish, scapulars barred beneath the surface. Sides of the tail coverts
white, barred with rusty, the middle ones dark. Tail rounded, ex-
tending 2 inches beyond the wings, of a bright brown or brick
color, with a single band of black near the end, and tipped with
brownish white ; on some of the lateral feathers indications of bars.
Beneath brownish white, the breast somewhat rust-colored, streak-
ed with dark brown ; across the belly a band of interrupted spots of
brown. Chin white ; vent and femorals pale ochreous, the latter
with a few small heart-shaped spots of brown. Iris yellow.
BLACK BUZZARD. BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 105
BLACK BUZZARD.
(Falco Harlani, Audubon, pi. 80. [male and female]. )
Spec. Charact. — Purplish-black with some brown; the tail longer
than the wings, with 7 or 8 black bands ; cere and legs yellow ;
beneath purple with oblong black spots ; the femorals with has-
tate ones.
This fine species was discovered by the author during
his last excursion in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and
is, I believe, at times also seen in this vicinity.
About the size of the Red- tailed Buzzard. Cere yellowish-green
Legs pale yellow. The wings a few inches shorter than the tail.
1st primary rather short, 4th longest.
BROAD-WINGED HAWK.
{Falco pennsylv aniens, Audubon, pi. [male and female.] Wilson.
Am. Orn. vi. p. 92. pi. 54. fig. 1. [male.] Bonap. An. Lye. 2.
p. 29. Philad. Museum, No. 407.)
Spec. Charact. — Dark brown ; head streaked with whitish; be-
neath white, thickly spotted on the breast with brownish sagit-
tate spots ; tail short, black, with 2 bars of white and tipped with
whitish, cere and feet yellow. — Young. Tail indistinctly banded
with black and dusky; lower parts pure white, with rare black-
ish oblanceolate spots.
This very rare species was obtained by Wilson, in the
vicinity of Philadelphia, in the act of feeding on a mead-
ow mouse. On being approached, it uttered a whining
whistle, and flew to another tree where it was shot. Its
great breadth of wing, as well as of the head and body,
compared with its length, appears remarkably character-
istic. The following day the mate was observed sailing
in wide circles, the wings scarcely moving, and present-
ing almost a semicircular outline. These 2 individuals
106 BIRDS OF PREY.
appear to be all that were known to Wilson of this
species.
The Buzzardet, of Pennant, No. 109, vol. i. p. 245,
described from a specimen in the Leverian Museum, is
doubtless this species.
The length of this specimen (a, male) was 14 inches (according
to Pennant, 15 inches), extent 33. Bill black, bluish near the base,
slightly toothed ; cere and corners of the mouth yellow. Irids am-
ber color. Frontlet and lores white. From the mouth backwards
runs a patch of blackish brown. Upper parts dark brown, beneath
the surface spotted and barred with Avhite. Head large, broad,
and flat, streaked with whitish. Tail short, the exterior and inte-
rior feathers somewhat shorter ; tail coverts spotted with white.
Wings dusky brown, obscurely barred with black ; most of the inner
vanes partly white ; lining of the wing brownish- white, marked
with small arrow-heads of brown. Chin white, surrounded with
streaks of black. Belly and vent, like the breast, white, but more
thinly marked with pointed spots of brown. Femorals pale brownish
white, thickly marked with small touches of brown and white.
Legs stout ; feet coarsely scaled, both of a dirty orange yellow. —
Female, much larger, lighter colored over the eye, being rufous-
white with minute spots ; femorals and beneath the wing marked
with cordate spots. Beneath rufous-white with oblong dusky -brown
spots. Belly and rump the same color, but spotless-
WINTER FALCON, or RED-SHOULDERED
HAWK.
(Falco hyemalis, Gmel. Audubon, pi. 71. Wilson, Am. Orn. iv.
p. 73. pi. 35. fig. 1. [adult male] and Red-shouldered Hawk ?
F. lineatus, id. G. p. 86. pi. 53. fig. 3. [young male.] Audubon,
pi. Philad. Museum, 205, 272, and 273.)
Spec. Charact. — Brownish, varied with white and ferruginous;
tail always banded, extending considerably beyond the closed
wings. — jidult , hrown ; beneath, head, neck, and tail coverts
white, spotted longitudinally with brown ; tail with 8 or 9 bands
of dark and light brown. — Voimg, brown and ferruginous, be-
neath rusty, slightly varied with faint bars ; wings dusky and
barred ; tail black, crossed and tipped with 5 bands of white.
WINTER FALCON, OR RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. 107
This very elegant Hawk does not probably migrate or
inhabit very far to the north. They are never seen, I
believe, in Massachusetts, nor perhaps much further
than the state of New York. In the southern states,
during winter, they are very common in swampy situa-
tions, where their quailing cry of mutual recognition may
be heard from the depths of the dark forest, almost every
morning of the season. This plaintive echoing note re-
sembles somewhat the garrulous complaint of the Jay,
hee-o6, kee-o6^ lcee-o6, continued with but little intermis-
sion sometimes for near 20 minutes ; at length, it be-
comes loud and impatient, but on being distantly an-
swered by the mate, the sound softens and becomes
plaintive like kee-oo. This morning call is uttered most
loudly and incessantly by the male, inquiring for his ad-
venturous mate whom the uncertain result of the chase
has perhaps separated from him for the night. As this
species is noways shy, and very easily approached, I
have had the opportunity of studying it closely. At
length, but in no haste, I observed the female approach
and take her station on the same lofty, decayed limb
with her companion, who, grateful for this attention,
plumed the feathers of his mate with all the assiduous
fondness of a dove. Intent upon her meal, however,
she soon flew off to a distance, while the male still
remained on his perch dressing up his beautiful feathers
for near half an hour, often shaking his tail, like some
of the lesser birds, and occasionally taking an indifferent
survey of the hosts of small chirping birds which sur-
rounded him, who followed without al^rm their occupa-
tion of gleaning seeds and berries for subsistence. This
Hawk, indeed, lives principally upon frogs, and proba-
bly insects and Cray-fish in the winter. In this pursuit
I have occasionally observed them perched on low bushes
108 BIRDS OF PREY.
and stakes in the rice-fields, remaining thus for half an
hour at a time, and then darting after their prey as it
comes in sight. I saw one descend upon a Plover, as
I thought, and Wilson remarks their living on these
birds, Larks, and Sandpipers. The same pair that I
watched also hung on the rear of a flock of Cow-buntings
which were feeding and scratching around them. It is
possible that they sometimes attack squirrels, as I have
been informed ; and Wilson charges them with preying
also upon Ducks.
I never observed them to soar, at least in winter, their
time being passed very much in indolence, and in watch-
ing their ignoble game. Their flight is almost as easy
and noiseless as that of the owl. In the early part of
the month of March they were breeding in West Flor-
ida, and seemed to choose the densest thickets, and not
to build at any great height from the ground. On ap-
proaching these places, the kee-o6 became very loud and
angry.
All the individuals I have seen in the southern states, some scores,
ao-reed so nearly with Wilson's and Pennant's Red-shouldered
Hawk, that I can scarcely avoid the conclusion, that this is the state
of the adult plumage ; if, indeed, the Winter Hawk is at all identic
with ours, the very different number of bars in the tail of the two
birds is sufficiently remarkable. The male Red-shouldered spe-
cies, according to Wilson, is 19 inches in length ; that of Pennant
was 22 inches, having seven bands, however, on the tail ; this must
have been a female, which differs from the other sex chiefly in
the colors, which are less dark and pure. Bill blackish. Cere and legs
yellow. The head and back are brownish and rustj^. The greater
wing-covers and secondaries pale olive-brown, thickly spotted with
white and yellowish white. Primaries nearly black, barred with
white. Tail black, rounded, extending about 1^ inches beyond the
wings, crossed by 5 bands of white, and broadly tipped with the
same. Beneath bright rusty, with indistinct darker transverse bands
(the disposition of which, being contrary to that of the spots of the
Winter Hawk, are in the order usually occurring in old birds rather
HEN-HARRIER, OR MARSH-HAWK. 109
than in the young) ; the dark shafts of some of these feathers also pre-
sent partly the narrow oblong spots of the Winter Hawk. Vent
pale ochreous. Legs long, and feathered a little below the knees ;
femorals pale rusty, and barred faintly with a darker tint. Iris red-
dish-hazel.
In the Winter Hawk, the head, neck, throat, breast, and belly
are white, each feather having a narrow dark-brown, oblong, pencil-
like spot. The lesser coverts of the wings more strongly ferrugin-
ous ; secondaries pale brown, faintly barred with darker ; the pri-
maries brownish-orange, spotted with black, and wholly so at the
tips. Tail barred alternately with dark and pale brown, the inner
vanes white, the exterior brownish-orange. Tail coverts white,
with heart-shaped spots of brown. Femoral feathers pale ochre-
ous, with slender streaks of pale brown.
Subgenus. — Circus. (Harriers.)
These are principally distinguished from the Buzzards by having
a kind of collar of small rigid feathers surrounding the face, as in
Owls. They are, however, bold and active birds, with a graceful
flight, but are inferior to the true Falcons, not chasing so well on
the wing, and feeding principally on mice, reptiles, fish, young birds,
and insects. They pass their time chiefly about marshes and ponds,
near wiiich situations, amidst weeds on the ground, or in the woods,
they construct their nests. At the pairing season the males pass
much of their time in soaring at considerable elevations, and seem to
take delight in dwelling in the cooler regions of the air. The female
and young differ considerably in color from the male.
HEN-HARRIER, or MARSH-HAWK.
{Falco cyaneus, Lix. F. uliginosus, Wilson, Am. Orn. vi. p. 67.
pi. 51. fig. 1. [young female], and Bonap, Am. Orn. ii. pi. 11.
fig. 1. [adult male.] )
Spec. Charact. — With the wings extending to three fourths the
length of the tail ; the 3d and 4th primaries equal; rump white.
— Adult male bluish-grey; inner vanes of the primaries and be-
10
110 BIRDS OP PREY.
neath wliite without spots ; the quills black towards the end. —
Female and young dark brown ; beneath pale yellowish-brown
with dark spots ; the wings on the under side banded with black
and white ; tail, except the 2 middle dusky feathers, barred with
blackish and pale brown.
This species is common to the northern and temper-
ate, as well as the warmer parts of the old and new
continents, being met with in Europe, Africa, South
America, and the West Indies. In the winter season it
extends its peregrinations from Hudson's Bay to the
southern parts of the United States, frequenting chiefly
open, low, and marshy situations, over which it sweeps
or skims along, at a little distance usually from the
ground, in quest of mice, small birds, frogs, lizards, and
other reptiles, which it often selects by twilight, as well
as in the open day ; and at times, pressed by hunger, it
joins the Owls, and seeks out its prey even by moonlight.
Their propensity for marsh birds renders them very ser-
viceable to the rice plantations of the southern states,
over which they frequently hover, and thin and rout the
destructive ranks of the Rice Buntings while feeding
among this grain. Instances have been known in Eng-
land, in which this bird has carried his temerity so far
as to pursue the same game with the armed fowler, and
even snatch it from his grasp, after calmly waiting for it
to be shot, and without even betraying timidity at the
report of the gun. The nest of this species is made on
the ground, in swampy woods, or among rushes, occa-
sionally also under the protection of rocky precipices; and
is formed of sticks, reeds, leaves, straw, and similar mate-
rials heaped together, and finished with a lining of feath-
ers, hair, or other soft substances. The eggs are 4 or 5,
of a dirty bluish white and without spots. In the
F. cineraceus, so nearly related to this species, the eggs
are of a pure white. When their young are approached,
.it.i
NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY, OR OWLS. Ill
the parents, hovering round the intruder, .and uttering a
sort of uncouth syllable, like geg geg gag, or ge ge ne
ge ge, seem full of afright and anxiety. The Crows,
however, are their greatest enemies, and they often suc-
ceed in demolishing their nests.
In the old male the upper parts are of a bluish grey. The quill-
feathers are white at their origin, and black the rest of their length;
the internal part of the base of the wings, rump, belly, sides, thighs,
abdomen, and beneath the tail is white and without spots. Upper
part of the tail of a cinereous grey, with the ends of the feathers
whitish. Iris and feet yellow. The length 20 to 21 inches. — The
old female is dirty brown above, with the feathers of the head, neck,
and upper part of the back, bordered with rusty. Beneath rusty-
yellow, with large longitudinal brown spots. The quills banded
exteriorly with dark brown and black, but interiorly with white and
black. Rump white, with rusty spots. The 2 middle tail feathers
banded with blackish, and very dark grey ; the lateral feathers
banded with yellowish red, and blackish. The length 1 or 2 inches
greater than in the male — The young very similar to the adult
female. •
NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY, or OWLS.
These, in the order of nature, appear to occupy among
the birds, the same situation as the Feline tribe among
the mammalia. Like cats, which they externally resem-
ble in the face, many of them are only able to hunt their
prey in the evening or morning twilight, or aided by the
uncertain light of the moon. There are a few of the
species who are qualified to endure the light of day,
pursuing their prey on the wing, or laying wait for it in
the thickest parts of the forest ; these species may be
known by the absence of the ear-like tufts of feathers on
their heads, and by the emarginated tail, which, as in
most of the Hawks, extends beyond the extremity of the
112 BIRDS OF PREY.
wings. In the other species (either with or without ear-
tufts, and with a short and rounded tail seldom extending
beyond the wings,) the pupil of the eye is so large, and
admits so many rays, that they are dazzled by the light
of day, and endeavour, like cats, to obviate this defect
by contracting the pupil into a narrower circle of vision.
In consequence of this peculiar organization, they seek,
in the day, the retirement of the thickest forest, the cran-
nies of the desolate ruin, or the humble and more natural
retreat of a hollow and decaying tree. At times,
routed from their refuge, or suddenly surprised by the
approach of day, they may be seen dozing on some
exposed branch or trunk of a tree. On such occasions,
cries and insult are poured upon the nocturnal depre-
dator from most of the neighbouring birds who make
the discovery,* and detest the feline prowler ; the Jay
and Titmouse, themselves plunderers, are often the
most ready to assail the bewildered Owl with scolding
invective ; but the lesser birds, full of sympathy for their
mates and young, seem only employed in extenuating the
cry of alarm. The purblindness of these nocturnal birds
arises rather from the delicacy than the defect of the
eye ; their sense of hearing and its apparatus are also ex-
quisite, perhaps superior to that of any other animal, and
sufficient probably to direct them to the slightest motions
of their skulking prey ; the drum of the ear is propor-
tionally larger than in the quadrupeds, and the ear itself
generally provided with an operculum which can be open-
ed or shut at pleasure. The almost spectral flight of the
Owl is rendered thus inaudible and gliding by the downy
softness of his feathers, which is perhaps assisted by the
recurved barbs that commonly edge the exterior of the
* So constant is this persecution of the Owl by a variety of birds, that advantage
is taken of their antipathy, and niuny are caught by liming the neighbouring twigs.
NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY, OR OWLS. 113
i3 or 4 first quills. Thus provided, like the insidious
assassin, with a noiseless and easy approach, sallying out
under cover of the approaching shades of night, sacred
to repose, he snatches the dormant bird from its perch,
and turns the music of the grove into wailing and
silence, consonant with his own malignant destiny and
boding cries. Like the Hawks, his powerful talons are
the arms with which he makes the fatal sweep amongst
his prey ; it is only when greatly pressed by hunger that
he deigns to feed on dead animals ; and his drink is
rarely ever other than the blood of his victims, and their
recent juices. The bones, hair, feathers, and hard parts,
not digestible in the membraneous stomach with which
alone he is provided, are brought up, and ejected by the
mouth, in the form of pellets or little balls. In anciently
settled countries, frugal of labor, they content themselves
to nest in old towers and ruins, sometimes in the holes
of hollow trees, or the deserted nests of other large birds ;
in this country, decayed trees, as well as the fissures
of rocks, and retired barns, are chosen for this purpose ;
their eggs are from 2 to 6. Their moult takes place
only once in the year ; and the striking disparities of
plumage which occur among the Hawks, is generally
unknown among the Owls. The young, however, before
their first moult, have usually a darker face than the
adult, thus appearing as it were masked ; but after
this period they no longer differ from the old. The
species are spread all over the northern and temperate
parts of the globe, and some are common even to both
hemispheres.
10*
114 BIRDS OF PREY.
OWLS. (Strix. Lin.)
In these birds the bill is short, compressed, and curved from its
origin ; the base surrounded by a cere, and covered wholly or in part
by bristly feathers. Head large and very much feathered ; the face
surrounded by a sort of rigid plumy collar. Nostrils lateral, com-
ing out upon the anterior edge of the cere, rounded, open, and con-
cealed by the incumbent setaceous feathers. Eyes very large, di-
rected forwards ; the iris brilliant. Legs and feet often covered with
feathers to the very nails ; the toes entirely divided to their base ;
the exterior toe capable of being brought round. Nails strong, sharp,
and very retractile (so as to secure very small prey). Wings some-
what pointed ; the 3 first primaries generally provided with loose
recurved barbs on their outer edge 5 the first primary short ; the 2d
not extending to the extremity of tlie 3d, which is the longest.
§ 1. With the hill curved from the base.
Subgenus. — Surnia.
With the opening of the ears oval, of moderate size, and without
operculum or cover ; the disk round the face rather small, not very
distinct, and composed of slender feathers. These are somewhat
allied to the Hawks.
f Head without tufts or feathers.
Feathered to the claws ; outer webs of the primaries not recurved.
With the tail extending beyond the wings. The North American
species are nearly all diurnal.
HAWK OWL.
{Strixfunerea, Gm. S. hudsonia, Wilson, Am. Orn. vi. p. 64. pi.
50. fig. 6. Philad. Museum, No. 500.)
Spec. Charact. — Blackish-brown, thickly spotted with white ;
beneath white, barred with brown ; tail wedge-shaped, extending
far beyond the wings, marked with several narrow whitish bands;
feet thickly feathered : the bill yellow. — Female, with the tints
less clear, and of a little larger size. — Young, with the plumage
of a rusty brown.
This remarkable species, forming a connecting link
with the preceding genus of the Hawks, is nearly confin-
ed to the arctic wilds of both continents, being frequent
116 BIRDS OF PREY.
in Siberia and around Hudson's Bay. A few stragglers,
now and then, at distant intervals, and in the depths of
winter, penetrate on the one side into the northern parts
of the United States ; and, on the other, they occasion-
ally appear in Germany, and more rarely in France. At
Hudson's Bay they are observed flying high, and preying
on the White Grous and other birds, sometimes even at-
tending the hunter like a Falcon, and boldly taking up
the w^ounded game as it flutters on the ground. They are
also said to feed on mice and insects, and (according to
Meyer) they nest upon trees, laying 2 white eggs.
The length of the male of this species is about 15 inches. The
bill yellow, varied with black spots, according to the age, and almost
hid among the feathers. The iris also bright yellow. Cheeks
white ; crown and hind-head scattered with round spots of dusky
brown) a black band commences behind the eye, extends to the ori-
fice of the ears, and terminates angularly on the sides of the neck.
The upper parts variously spotted with dark brown and white.
Throat whitish ; below, white, transversely barred with greyish brown.
Tail rounded, near 7 inches long, extending 3 inches beyond the
points of the wings, the feathers greyish-brown, crossed by 6 or
7 narrow bars of whitish, and tipped with the same. Feet
thickly feathered to the toes ; the nails horn-color.
SNOWY OWL.
(Strix nydea, Linn. Wilson, iv. p. 53. pi. 32. fig. 1. [male]. Philad.
Museum, No. 458.)
Spec. Charact. — White, more or less spotted and barred with
dusky-brown according to sex and age ; tail rounded, reaching
but little beyond the wings ; feet thickly clothed with long feath-
ers ; the bill black.
This very large, and often snow-white, species of Owl
is almost an exclusive inhabitant of the arctic regions of
SNOWY OWL. 117
both continents ; being common in Iceland, the Shetland
islands, Kamtschatka, Lapland, and Hudson's Bay. In
these dreary wilds, surrounded by an almost perpetual
winter, he dwells, breeds, and obtains his subsistence.
His white robe renders him scarcely discernible from the
overwhelming snows, where he reigns, like the boreal
spirit of the storm. His loud, hollow, barking growl,
'whowh, 'whowh, 'whoicli, hah, hah, hah, hah,* and
other more dismal cries, sound like the unearthly ban of
the infernal Cerberus ; and heard amidst a region of cheer-
less solitude, his lonely and terrific voice augments rather
than relieves the horrors of the scene.
Clothed with a dense coating of feathers, which hide
even the nostrils, and leave only the talons exposed, he
ventures abroad boldly at all seasons, and like the
Hawks seeks his prey by day-light as well as dark, skim-
ming aloft, and reconnoitring his prey, which is com-
monly the White Grous or some other birds of the same
genus, as well as hares. On these he darts from above,
and rapidly seizes them in his resistless talons. At times
he watches for fish, and condescends also to prey upon
rats, mice, and even carrion.
It is very rare that this species leaves its dreary do-
main to penetrate even into the north of Europe. They
appear to have a natural aversion to settled countries ; for
which reason, perhaps, and the still greater severity of
the climate of arctic America, they are frequently known
to wander in the winter south through the western thinly
settled interior of the United States, as far even as the
the confines of Florida. They migrate probably by pairs;
and, according to Wilson, two of these birds were so
stupid, or dazzled, as to alight on the roof of the court-
* These latter syllables with the usual quivering sound of the Owl.
] 18 BIRDS OF PREY.
house in the large town of Cincinnati. In South Caro-
lina, Dr. Garden saw them occasionally, and they were,
in this mild region, observed to hide themselves during
the day in the Palmetto groves of the sea-coast, and only
sallied out towards night in quest of their prey. Their
habits, therefore, seem to vary considerably according to
circumstances and climate. According to Temminck
they nest among the steepest rocks, or upon the old pine
trees of the glacial regions, and lay 2 eggs of a pure
white. According to Vieillot, they are spotted with
black, but these were probably the eggs of the Great
Grey Owl {S. cinerea), another nocturnal inhabitant of
Hudson's Bay.
The length of the female of this species is 2 feet 2 inches or up-
wards (according to Wilson the male is only 22J inches), and 4 feet
6 inches in the stretch of the wings. The iris bright yellow. The
claws black. The female more spotted than the male ; the latter only
becoming wholly white by age. The young, as they issue from the
nest, are covered with a brown down ; the first feathers also are of
a pale brown.
BURROWING OWL.
{Strix cunicularia, Molina. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 68. pi. 7. fig. 2.
Philad. Museum, No. 472.)
Spec. Charact. — Cinnamon-grey spotted with whitish; beneath
whitish, spotted with cinnamon-brown ; tail even, reaching but
little beyond the wings ; feet covered with short, scattered bris-
tles.
It is to Mr. Say that we are indebted for the first au-
thentic materials towards establishing the character of
this remarkable species of Owl, which was known even
to Molina as a resident in Chili, and by Father Feuillee
as indigenous to the plains of Peru. In these countries,
as well as in St. Domingo, where Vieillot observed it, it
BURROWING OWL. 119
is said to excavate the burrow it inhabits, not only as a
nest, but as a retreat and place of refuge in the bosom of
the earth, instead of the hollow of a tree or the cranny
of a ruin, according to the more usual habits of these
nocturnal wanderers ; indeed, this species appears to be
nearly as diurnal as a Hawk, to which he bears no bad
resemblance in the lightness and bareness of his long
legs, and the projection of his bill from an unusually
small head. With these indications of activity, he really
enjoys the light of the full glare of day, and is seen at
this time flying about, and searching for his exclusive
food of hard-shelled insects. His habits on the plains, at
the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where the specimen
figured in the splendid work of Prince Charles Bona-
parte, was obtained by Mr. Say, are somewhat different
in circumstances, from those of the same bird in Chili
and the West Indies ; for, like almost all the other
smaller Owls, he appears to shun the labor of forming an
independent dwelling, and takes up his abode in the de-
serted burrows of the Prairie Marmot, in consequence of
which he often appears singularly and amicably associ-
ated with this little barking quadruped, whose note even
he seems to have acquired, '* 'tsheh, 'tsJieh, 'tsheh, 'tsheJij"
rather than the more natural howling of his frater-
nity. Vieillot attributes to him the usual Jioo, hoo, 06,
00, 06, and brings him round the farm-houses of St. Do-
mingo like other common nocturnal species ; but these
habits would much better suit the Mottled Owl than the
present, and may therefore justly be doubted. Like the
other species it lays 2 white and round eggs, and lijies
the nest with moss and dry grass. The burrowing habit,
constant in this species, seems not altogether peculiar,
as the Aluco Owl, according to Latham, also burrows
sometimes like a Rabbit.
120
BIRDS OF PREY.
The Burrowing Owl is 9^ inches long, and 2 feet in extent. The
bill is yellowish horn color. Irids yellow. The breast banded with
pale brown. Wings darkish, much spotted and banded with brown-
ish white. The primaries have 5 or 6 bands ; the 3d feather longest.
Tail slightly rounded, of the color of the primaries, also 5 or 6 band-
ed. Leers long and slender ; the feet dusky ; the feathers towards
the toes degenerating into mere bristles. The nails black and rather
small.
1 1. With the head furnished with ear-like tufts of feathers. (Prey-
ing only by night.)
MOTTLED AND RED OWL.
{Strix asio, Lin. Audubon, pi, 97, [a very natural and beautiful
group]. S. ncevia, Wilson, iii. p. 16. pi. 19. fig. 1. [adult] and
Red Owl. S. asio, id. v. p. 83. pi. 42. fig. 1. [young]. Pliilad.
Museum, No. 444, and 428.)
\
MOTTLED AND RED OWL. 121
Spec. Charact. — Dark brown, inclining to ferruginous and ash,
mottled with black ; wings spotted with white ; beneath whitish,
spotted with black and brown ; the tail even, reaching to the tip
of the wings ; feet covered with short feathers nearly to the
claws. — Young, tawny red, with narrow dark spots along the
shafts of the feathers. — The adult, covered with transverse, mi-
nute, zigzag lines and points.
This common, small, and handsome species, known
as the Little Screech-Owl, is probably resident in every
part of the United States, and, in fact, inhabits from
Greenland to Florida. They appear more abundant in
autumn and winter, as at those seasons, their food failing,
they are obliged to approach habitations and barns, in
which the mice they chiefly prey on now assemble ; they
also lay wait for small birds, and feed on beetles, crick-
ets, and other insects. Their nest is usually in the hollow
of an old orchard tree, about the months of May or
June ; it is lined carelessly with a little hay, leaves, and
feathers, and the eggs are commonly 4 to 6, white,
and nearly round. Aldrovandus remarks, that the Great
Horned Owl provides so plentifully for its young, that a
person might obtain some dainties from the nest, and yet
leave a sufficiency for the owlets besides ; the same re-
mark may also apply to this species, as in the hollow
stump of an apple tree, which contained a brood of these
young Owls, were found several Bluebirds, Blackbirds,
and Song-Sparrows, intended as a supply of food.
During the day they either retire into hollow trees and
unfrequented barns, or hide in the thickest evergreens.
At times they are seen abroad by day, and in cloudy
weather they wake up from their diurnal slumbers a con-
siderable time before dark. In the day they are always
drowsy, or, as if dozing, closing, or scarcely half opening
their heavy eyes ; presenting the very picture of sloth
and nightly dissipation. When perceived by the smaller
11
122 BIRDS OF PREY.
birds, they are at once recognised as their insidious ene-
mies ; and the rareness of their appearance, before the usu-
al roosting-time of other birds, augments the suspicion they
entertain of these feline hunters. From complaints and
cries of alarm, the thrush* sometimes threatens blows ;
and though evening has perhaps set in, the smaller birds
and cackling Robins re-echo their shrill chirpings and
complaints throughout an extensive wood, until the noc-
turnal monster has to seek safety in a distant flight.
Their notes are most frequent in the latter end of sum-
mer and autumn, crying in a sort of wailing quiver, not
very unlike the whining of a puppy dog, ho, ho ho ho ho
ho ho, proceeding from high and clear to a low guttural
shake or trill ; these notes, at little intervals, are answer-
ed by some companion, and appear to be chiefly a call of
recognition from young of the same brood, or pairs who
wish to discover each other after having been separated
while dozing in the day. On moonlight evenings this
slender wailing is kept up nearly until midnight.
I have had an opportunity of verifying all that Wilson
relates of the manners of this species in a Red, or young
Owl, taken out of a hollow apple tree, which I kept for
some months. A dark closet was his favorite retreat
during the day. In the evening he became very lively
and restless, gliding across the room in which he was
confined, with a side-long, noiseless flight, as if wafted by
the air alone ; at times he clung to the wainscot, and,
unable to turn, he brought his head round to his back,
so as to present, by the aid of his brilliant eyes, a most
spectral and unearthly appearance. As the eyes of all
the Owls, according to Wilson, are fixed immovably in
the socket by means of a many-cleft capsular ligament,
this provision for the free versatile motion of the head
* At least Wilson's Thrush, which I have observed in the act.
I
MOTTLED AND RED OWL. l^S
appears necessary. When approached towards evening,
he appeared strongly engaged in reconnoitring the ob-
ject, blowing with a hissing noise (shay, shay, shay),
common to other species, and stretching out his neck
with a waving, lateral motion, in a threatening attitude,
and, on a nearer approach, made a snapping with the bill,
produced by striking together both mandibles, as they are
equally movable. He was a very expert mouse-catcher,
swallowed his prey whole, and then, after some time,
ejected from the bill, the bones, skin, and hair, in pel-
lets. He also devoured large flies, which at this time
came into the room in great numbers, and even the dry
parts of these were also ejected from the stomach with-
out digestion. He never showed any inclination whatever
to drink.
H\\e female Mottled Owl, or old bird, is 10 to 11 inches long, and
22 or more in extent. The upper parts are dark brown, shaded with
paler, and thickly lined and spotted with zigzag points of black and
ash. The wings lighter, and spotted with white. Tail mottled with
black, brown, and whitish on a dark ground; beneath, grey. Horns
or auricular tufts, prominent, each composed of 10 graduated feath-
ers. Face whitish, with small dusky spots, and bounded on either
side by a black circle. Breast and belly whitish, variegated with
broad lines and zigzag bars of black, with blended touches of brown.
The legs feathered nearly to the claws, with hairy down of a pale
brown. Vent and under tail coverts nearly white, the latter faintly
marked with brown. Iris brilliant yellow. The bill and claws grey-
ish horn color. The male is smaller and darker, and the white on
the wing-coverts less pure.
124
BIRDS OF PREY
Subgenus. — Bubo.
Conch of the ear moderate, oval, with a membranous cover. Feet
thickly covered to the claws wnth short feathers. The disk or rim
of feathers round the face not very distinct.
t With the head furnished with ear-like tufts.
GREAT HORNED OWL, or CAT OWL.
(Strix virginiana, Gm. Wilson, vi. p. 52. pi. 50. fig. 1. Audubon,
pi. 61, [unusually dark and large]. Philad. Museum, No. 410.)
Spec. Charact. — Mottled } primaries and tail feathers banded with
black and dusky ; shell of the ear moderate } wings not extend-
ing to the tip of the tail ; a very large species.
This species, so nearly related to the Great Eared
Owl of Europe, is met with occasionally from Hudson's
Bay to Florida, and exists even beyond the tropics, being
very probably the same bird described by Marcgrave as
inhabiting the forests of Brazil. All climates are alike
to this Eagle of the night, the king of the nocturnal tribe
GREAT HORNED OWL, OR CAT OWL. 125
of American birds. The aboriginal inhabitants of the
country dread his boding howl, dedicating his effigies to
their solemnities, and, as if he were their sacred bird of
Minerva, forbid the mockery of his ominous, dismal, and
almost supernatural cries. His favorite resort, in the dark
and impenetrable swampy forests, where he dwells in
chosen solitude secure from the approach of every enemy,
agrees with the melancholy and sinister traits of his char-
acter. To the surrounding feathered race he is the Pluto
of the gloomy wilderness, and would scarcely be known
out of the dismal shades where he hides, but to his victims,
were he as silent as he is solitary. Among the choaking,
loud, guttural sounds which he sometimes utters, in the
dead of night, and with a suddenness which always
alarms, because of his noiseless approach, is the 'loaugh
ho ! 'toangh ho ! which, Wilson remarks, was often ut-
tered at the instant of sweeping down around his camp
fire. Many kinds of owls are similarly dazzled and at-
tracted by fire-lights, and occasionally finding, no doubt,
some offal or flesh, thrown out by those who encamp in
the wilderness, they come round the nocturnal blaze
with other motives than barely those of curiosity. The
solitary travellers in these wilds, apparently scanning the
sinister motive of his visits, pretend to interpret his ad-
dress into "'TWio ^ cooks for you all!" and with a
strong guttural pronunciation of the final syllable, to all
those who have heard this his common cry, the resem-
blance of sound is well hit, and instantly recalls the
ghastly serenade of his nocturnal majesty in a manner
which is not easily forgotten. The shorter cry, which we
have mentioned, makes no inconsiderable approach to that
uttered by the European brother of our species, as given
by BufTon, namely, 'he-hoo, 'hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo, &c. The
Greeks called this transatlantic species 3yas, either
IP
126 BIRDS OF PREY.
from its note, or from the resemblance this bore to the bel-
lowing of the ox. The Latin name Bubo has also reference
to the same note of this nocturnal bird. According to
Frisch, who kept one of these birds alive, its cries varied
according to circumstances ; when hungry it had a muling
cry like Puhu. I have remarked the young, probably,
of our species utter the same low, quailing cry, while yet
day-light, as it sat on the low branch of a tree ; the sound
of both is, at times, also not unlike that made by the
Hawks or diurnal birds of prey. Indeed,, in gloomy
weather, I have seen our species on the alert, flying
about many hours before dark, and uttering his call of
'yto ho, ko ko ho. Their usual prey is young rabbits,
squirrels, rats, mice, quails, and small birds of various
kinds ; and when these resources fail or diminish, they
occasionally prowl pretty boldly around the farm-yard in
quest of chickens, which they seize on the roost. Indeed
the European Horned Owl frequently contends with the
Buzzard for his prey, and generally comes off con-
queror ; blind and infuriate with hunger, one of these
has been known to dart even upon a man, as if for con-
flict, and was killed in the encounter.* My friend Dr.
Boykin, of Milledgeville, in Georgia, assured me that one
of our own daring nocturnal adventurers, prowling round
his premises, saw a cat dozing on the roof of a smoke-
house, and supposing grimalkin a more harmless, rabbit-
like animal than appeared in the sequel, blindly snatched
her up in his talons ; but finding he had caught a Tartar,
it was not long before he allowed puss once more to
tread the ground. In England the same error was com-
mitted by an Eagle, who, after a severe conflict with a
cat he had carried into the air, was at length brought to
* This circumstance happened to a relative of the author's in Lancashire, in
whose possession he saw the mounted specimen of the bird.
GREAT HORNED OWL, OR CAT OWL. 127
the ground before he could disengage himself from the
feline grasp.*
An Owl of this species, which I have observed in a
cage, appeared very brisk late in the morning, hissed
and blew when approached with a stick, and dashed at
it very heedlessly with his bill ; he now and then uttered
a 'ko-koh, and was pretty loud in his call at an earlier
hour. When approached, he circularly contracted the
iris of the eyes to obtain a clearer view of the threatened
object ; he also listened with great quickness to any
sound which occurred near his prison, and eyed the
flying pigeons, which passed by at some distance, with a
scrutinizing and eager glance. When fed, he often had
the habit of hiding away his superfluous provision.
As far as I have been able to observe the retiring man-
ners of this recluse, he slumbers out the day chiefly in
the dark tops of lofty trees. In these, according to
Wilson, he generally begins to build in the month of
May, though probably earlier in the Southern States.
The nest is usually placed in the fork of a tree, made of
a considerable pile of sticks, and lined with dry leaves
and some feathers: and, as a saving of labor, sometimes
they select a hollow tree for the purpose. The eggs are
said to be 4, round, of nearly the size of those of a com-
mon hen and equally white ; those of the Buho, often de-
posited in the crannies of ruins, or holes of rocks, only
2 and rarely 3, exceed in size the egg of the domestic
fowl, and are also of the same color.
The male of this species is about 20 inches in length. The bill is
black. The irids bright yellow. The horns are broad, and 3 inches
in length, formed of 12 or 14 feathers, with black webs and edged
with brownish yellow; the face ferruginous, bounded by a band of
black ; a whitish space between the bill and eyes. Beneath, marked
* A Mr. Barlow, who saw this cnconnter, published a drawing of the action as he
had witnessed it.
128 BIRDS OF PREY.
with numerous transverse dusky bars on a yellow and white ground j
the vent paler. The feet covered with hair-like pale brown feath-
ers. Claws black. Tail rounded, and broad, passing an inch be-
yond the wings, mottled Avith brown and tawny, and crossed with
6 or 7 narrow bars of brown. Above, whitish and ferruginous,
thickly mottled with dusky. Chin whitish, beneath a band of brown,
and then another narrow one of white. — The Female is about 2 feet,
with the white on the throat less pure, and is also less ferruginous
below.
1 1. With the head not tufted; — and the disk of feathers round the
face distinctly developed.
GREAT GREY or CINEREOUS OWL.
(Strix cinerea, Gm. Pjennant. vol. i. p. 268. No. 120. Bonap. Am.
Orn. ... pi. 23. fig. 2. S. lapponica, Tem.)
Spec. Charact. — Dark umber-brown mottled with whitish ; the
face cinereous, with narrow black concentric circles ; the tail
extending beyond the wings, both of which are banded, and the
bands mottled ; bill yellowish-white ; the irids yellow ; feet and
legs grey and unspotted.
This is the largest American species known, and,
if the S. lapponica, common also to the arctic circle,
and seldom leaving it ; being only accidental about Lake
Superior, and occasionally seen in Massachusetts in the
depth of severe winters. One was caught perched on a
wood-pile, in a state of listless inactivity, in the morning
after day-light, at Marblehead, in February, 183L This
individual survived for several months, and showed a
great partiality for fish and birds. At times he uttered a
tremulous cry or ho ho ho ho hoo, not very dissimilar
to that of the Mottled Owl. At Hudson's Bay and Lab-
rador it resides the whole year. They associate in
pairs ; fly very low, and feed on mice and hares, which
they seize with such muscular vigor as sometimes to
sink into the snow after them a foot deep. With ease
I
GREAT GREY OR CINEREOUS OWL. 129
it is able to carry off the alpine hare alive in its tal-
ons. In Europe, the species appears wholly confined to
the desert regions of Lapland ; two or three stragglers
being all that have been obtained out of that country by
naturalists. Pennant adds, that it constructs its nest in
a pine tree about the middle of May, with a few sticks,
and lines it with feathers ; the eggs are 2, and spotted
with a darkish color. The young take to wing about the
close of July.
The male of this species is 2 feet one or two inches in length, in
alar extent 4, and weighs about 3 pounds. The irids are yellow.
Bill pale yellow, almost hid in the feathersof the face. From the
breast to the vent there is said to be a space about an inch in
breadth bare of feathers (whether this is constant or accidental we
have yet to learn). Disks of the face dark grey, edged with black,
and about 9 in number. Feathers round the inner angle of the eye
and bill black. A whitish space immediately under the chin /border-
ed below by dusky feathers. Head, hind part of the neck, back, and
coverts of the wings, brownish sooty black, mottled or curdled with
dirtv vrhite. The primaries dusky, inclining to white on tiieir edgeg,
with broad bars, composed of dusky and pale cinereous stripes ; each
pale bar, being bordered on either side with a dusky one. Tail
wedge-formed, extending nearly 3 inches beyond the points of the
closed wings, irregularly marked with oblique or zigzag strokes of
brown and muddy white, and barred in the manner of the wings with
5 or 6 pale stripes ; the middle feather without bars and covered
with zigzags. The breast, belly, and rump cinereous white, cover-
ed with large oblong, partly arrow-shaped, blotches of pale dusky
brown, becoming narrower and longitudinal towards the vent. The
legs feathered to the feet, dark cinereous, and without either the
spots or bars (said to exist in S. lapponica). Claws black and mod-
erate.— The /emaZe has probably (as described by Bonaparte) the
face whitish, with black circlets.
Subgenus. — Ulula.
The shell of the ear very large, extending semicircularly from the
bill to the top of the head, closed with a membranaceous operculum ;
130 BIRDS OF PREY.
and with the disk of slender feathers round the face well marked
and complete. The feet thickly covered to the claws with short
feathers. (The habits chiefly nocturnal.)
t With the head tufted with ear-like appendages.
LONG-EARED OWL.
(Strix otus, Lin. Wilson, vi. p. 73. pi. 51. fig. 3. Philad. Museum,
No. 434.)
Spec Charact. — Mottled; primaries banded with ferruginous ;
ear-tufts, long, of about 6 feathers ; wings extending to the tip of
the tail.
This species, like several others of the genus, appears
to be almost a denizen of the world, being found from
Hudson's Bay to the West Indies, throughout Europe,
in Africa, northern Asia, and probably China, in all
which countries it appears to be resident ; but seems
more abundant in certain places in winter, following rats
and mice to their retreats in or near houses and barns.
They commonly lodge in ruined buildings, the caverns
of rocks, or in hollow trees. It defends itself with great
spirit from the attacks of larger birds, making a ready
use of its bill and talons, and when wounded is danger-
ous and resolute.
The Long-Eared Owl seldom, if ever, takes the trou-
ble to construct a nest of its own ; it seeks shelter amidst
ruins, and in the accidental hollows of trees, and rests
content with the dilapidated nursery of the Crow, the
Magpye, that of the Wild Pigeon, of the Buzzard, or
even the tufted retreat of the squirrel. True to these
habits, Wilson found one of these Owls sitting on her
eggs in the deserted nest of the Q,ua-bird, on the 25th of
April, near Philadelphia, in the midst of the gloomy en-
swamped forest which formed the usual resort of these
solitary Herons. So well satisfied was she in fact with
LONG-EARED OWL. 131
her company, and so peaceable, that one of the Quas
had a nest in the same tree with the Owl. The eggs
are 4 or 5, white and round at both ends. The young,
until nearly fully grown, are greyish white, and roost
close together on a large branch, during the day, shelter-
ed and hid amidst the thickest foliage ; they acquire
their natural color in about 15 days. Besides mice and
rats, this species also preys on field-mice, moles, and
beetles. The plaintive cry, or hollow moaning made by
this bird, '* doio cloud," incessantly repeated during the
night, so as to be troublesome where they frequent, is
very attractive to the larger birds, who, out of curiosity,
and for persecution, assemble round this species when
employed as a decoy, and are thus shot, or caught by
limed twigs.
The length of this species is about 14 inches. The tufts or ear-
like feathers from 6 to 10, black, edged with ochreous and whitish.
Irids bright yellow. Above, the plumage is ferruginous yellow, irreg-
ularly spotted with dark brown and light grey. Below, of a pale
ochre yellow, with oblong spots of blackish brown. Bill black. The
female has the throat and face white ; the latter marked at the sides
with brown spots. All the plumage is also more tinged with grey-
ish white. The young before moulting are of a ferruginous white,
marked with transverse blackish lines. The tail and the wings
grey, with numerous brown points ; and with 7 or 8 transverse dark
brown bands. The whole face of a blackish brown. The iris paler,
and the cere inclining to olive.
132
BIRDS OF PREY.
SHORT-EARED OWL.
{Stru brachyotos, Latham. Wilson, iv. p. 64. pi. 33. fig. 3. [male.]
Philad. Museum, No. 440.)
Spec. Charact. — Ear-like tufts inconspicuous, of 2 or 3 very short
feathers ; general color ochreous, spotted with blackish-brown ;
face round the eyes blackish; tail, with about 5 bands, not ex-
tending beyond the tips of the wings. — Female with the gen-
eral tints paler. In the young the face is blackish.
This is another of those nocturnal wanderers which
now and then arrive amongst us from the northern re-
gions where alone they breed. It comes to Hudson's
Bay from the south about May ; where it makes a nest
of dry grass on the ground, and, as usual, has white
eggs. After rearing its brood it departs for the south in
September, and in its migrations has been met with as
far as New Jersey, near Philadelphia, where, according
to Wilson, it arrives in November, and departs in April.
Pennant remarks, that it has been met with in the south-
ern continent of America at the Falkland islands. It is
likewise spread through every part of Europe, and is
common in all the forests of Siberia ; it also visits the
Orkney islands, and Iceland. In England it appears
and disappears with the migrations of the Woodcock.
Its food is almost exclusively mice, for which it watches,
seated on a stump, with all the vigilance of a cat, listen-
ing attentively to the low squeak of its prey, to which it
is so much alive as to be sometimes brought in sight by
imitating the sound. They are readily attracted by the
blaze of nocturnal fires, and on such occasions have some-
times had the blind temerity to attack m-sn, and come so
close to combat, as to be knocked down with sticks. When
wounded, they also display the same courageous ferocity,
so as to be dangerous to approach. In dark and cloudy
weather it sometimes ventures abroad by day-light, takes
BARRED OWL. 133
short flights, and when sitting and looking sharply round,
it erects the short ear-like tufts of feathers on the head,
which are at other times scarcely visible. Like all other
migrating birds, roving indifferently over the country in
quest of food alone, they have sometimes been seen in
considerable numbers together ; Bewick even remarks,
that 28 of them had been counted at once in a turnip-
field in England. They are also numerous in Holland
in the months of September and October, and in all
countries are serviceable for the destruction they make
among house and field mice, their only food Although
they usually breed in high ground, they have also been
observed in Europe to nest in marshes, in the middle of
the high herbage, a situation chosen both for safety and
solitude.
The length of this species is from 13 to 15 inches (the latter the
length of Wilson's bird, whose extent was 3 feet 4 inches). The
head small. Tail ochreous, with brown bands and tipped with white.
Beneath isabella yellow, with longitudinal spots of blackish brown.
Bill black. Feet and toes feathered. Iris of a bright yellow.
1 1. With the head destitute of ear-like tufts.
BARRED OWL.
{Strix nebulosa,L.ii^. Wilson, iv. p. 61. pi. 33. fig. 2. Philad. Mu-
seum, No. 464.)
Spec. Charact. — Greyish-brown with transverse whitish spots;
beneath whitish, neck and breast with transverse bars, the belly
and vent with longitudinal stripes of brown ; irids brown ; bill
yellow ; the tail extending considerably beyond the tips of the
wings. — Female with the scapulars of a dark brown, and the
wings more spotted with white. — The young have the tints
deeper; and the bill horn-colored.
This species inhabits the northern regions of both the
old and new continent, but with this difference, as in the
12
134 BIRDS OF PREY.
Bald Eagle, that in the ancient continent they seldom
wander beyond the arctic circle, being found no farther to
the south than Sweden and Norway ; while in America,
they dwell and breed, at least, in all the intermediate re-
gion from Hudson's Bay to Florida, being considerably
more numerous even than other species throughout the
swamps and dark forests of the southern states. Their
food is principally rabbits, squirrels, grous, quails, rats,
mice, and frogs. From necessity, as well as choice,
they not unfrequently appear around the farm-house and
garden in quest of the poultry, particularly young
chickens. At these times they prowl abroad towards
evening, and fly low and steadily about, as if beating for
their prey. In Alabama, Georgia, West Florida, and
Louisiana, where they abound, they are often to be seen
abroad by day, particularly in cloudy weather, and, at
times, even soar and fly with all the address of diurnal
birds of prey. Their loud guttural call of ^Jcoli 'Tcoh 'ho
'ko ho, or 'wJiah 'whaJi 'ivJtah 'tvhah-aa ,may be heard occa-
sionally both by day and night, and, as a note of recogni-
tion, is readily answered when mimicked, so as to decoy
the original towards the sound. One which I received,
in the month of December (1830), was hovering over a
covey of quails, in the day-time ; and though the sports-
man had the same aim, the owl also joined the chase,
and was alone deterred from his sinister purpose by re-
ceiving the contents of the gun intended only for the
more favorite game. Audubon says, that they usually
nestle in hollow trees, without adding any lining even
to the cavity; though they sometimes also take pos-
session of the old nests of the Crow or Red-tailed Hawk.
The eggs, globular and white, are from 4 to 6. When the
young leave the nest, they still keep together for mutual
warmth and safety, in the high, shaded branches of the
ALUCO, OR BROWN OWL. 135
trees where they have probably been hatched : and, hud-
dled together near the trunk, they escape pretty readily
the notice of their enemies. On being approached,
however, by the parents, they utter a hissing call, audible
for some distance. According to Audubon, when kept
in captivity they prove very useful in catching mice.
Their flesh is also eaten by the Creoles of Louisiana and
considered as palatable.
The length of the male of this species, according to Wilson, is 16|
inches, according to Temminck 21^ ! I have found the female
to measure, as given by Wilson, 22 inches; Temminck's meas-
urement of the same sex is nearly 23^. The face cinereous, striped
with brown. Above, as well as the tail, of a cinereous brown,
barred transversely with whitish and yellowish. Wing-coverts
thickly spotted with white. Tail remarkably convex above, barred
with 5 or 6 broad stripes of brown. Fore part of the neck and breast
whitish, barred transversely with pale brown ; below, striped longi-
tudinally with the same, to the tail. Legs clothed with short feath-
ers; the extremity of the toes covered with scales.
ALUCO, OR BROWN OWL.
{Strix aluco, Gmelin. Latham, Ind. Orn. i. p. 59. [adult.] S. stridula,
Latham, Ind. i. p. 56. sp. 25. [the young, or Tawny Owl.}
Sp. Charact. — Tawny, with dark brown and small white spots;
below yellowish- white, with transverse bars of brown, crossed by
narrow longitudinal ones of blackish ; iris of a blackish blue ;
the wings extending a little beyond the tail ; 4th and .5th primaries
longest. — Female more tawny, often inclining to ferruginous
red. The Young of a year resemble the female, and have the
iris brown.
This species, hitherto seen only in Newfoundland, and
the young suspected to occur at Hudson's Bay by Pen-
nant, is common in Europe, and usually frequents the
136 BIRDS OF PREY.
thickest forests. It is a nocturnal kind, lodging con-
stantly in hollow trees, and commencing its rambles about
dusk. It flies lightly and sideways like most of the genus,
is a keen mouser, and may be decoyed within gun-shot by
imitating the squeak of that animal. It is however ob-
served to be rather dainty, seldom eating more than the
fore-quarters of its prey, and leaving the rest in its nest
untouched. It is said now and then to burrow like a
rabbit, probably after its prey when heard or seen, in
which particular it seems to follow, in a measure, the
habit of the S. cunicularia, or Burrowing Owl, already
mentioned. Like the Long-Eared species, it takes but
little trouble about a nest, constantly occupying those of
other large birds which have become neglected, such as
that of the Buzzard, Kestril, Crow, or Magpie. Its eggs,
4 or 5 in number, are whitish, and round as usual.
Although, during summer, it lodges constantly in the
hollow trees of the forest, in winter it occasionally
ventures to approach habitations and farm-yards, assisting
the cat in ridding the premises of rats and mice. It
also pursues and catches small birds, or picks them off
their roost, and devours frogs and beetles. Early in the
morning durins summer, it retires into the woods, and
conceals itself in the thickest copse, or sleeps away the
day, hidden amidst the foliage of the most shady trees.
Its dismal cry, hod, ody 66, 66, do, 66, 66, resembling the
howling of the wolf (uJidare), originated its nameof w/w/a
among the Romans. The cry of the young bird, or Tawny
Owl, is like a shouting or hallooing h6h6, h6Ii6, hdJi6h6h6,
which, however unpleasant, has the curious effect of draw-
ing great numbers of small birds around him, at
which times, it is probable, he repays their insolent curi-
osity by seizing and feeding on the plumpest of them.
ACADIAN OWL. 137
The length of this species is from 15 to 16 inches. The head is
large and flattened behind. Above, spotted with large touches of deep
brown; on the scapulars are some large spots of white. Primaries
and tail banded alternately with blackish and greyish rufous. The
feet feathered to the toes. Occasionally varying to a pure white,
peppered over with numerous triangular little spots ; also round the
eyes white, with a black zone ; the down of the legs likewise white,
with black points. This appears to be nearly an albino.
ACADIAN OWL.
(Strix acadica, Gm. Little Owl, S. passerina, Wilsox, iv. p. 66. pi. 34.
fig. 1. Philad. Museum, No. 522.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark greyish brown spotted with white; beneath
white, spotted with chesnut brown ; tail short, not exceeding the
tips of the wings, with 3 narrow bands of white spots ; bill black-
ish : a small species. — Female, with the tints deeper, and with the
white spots shaded with yellowish.
This very small species is believed to be an inhabitant
of the northern regions of both continents, from which in
Europe it seldom wanders, being even very rare in the
north of Germany. In the United States it is not un-
common as far to the south as Pennsylvania and New Jer-
sey, where it is resident, having apparently a predilection
for the sea-coast, living and nesting in the Pine trees, or
in the clefts of rocks, and laying 2 white eggs as usual.
It is generally nocturnal ; and if accidentally abroad by
day, it flies quickly to some shelter from the light. It is
very solitary in its habits, living wholly in the evergreen
forests, and coming out only towards night, or early in
the morning, in search of mice, beetles, moths, and grass-
hoppers.
The note of this species is as yet unknown, it is not
probably silent, any more than the Strix passerina, or Lit-
12*
138 BIRDS OF PREY.
tie Owl to which it is nearly related. This latter kind has a
reiterated cry, when flying, like Poopoo poapoo. Another
note, which it utters sitting, appears so much like the
human voice, calling out alme, heme, edme, that, accord-
ing to Buffon, it deceived one of his servants who lodged
in one of the old turrets of the castle of Montbard ; and
waking him up at 3 o'clock in the morning, with this sin-
gular cry, he opened the window and called out, " Who's
there below ? my name is not Edme, hut Peter ! "
The length of the Acadian owl is about 7^ inches, and 18 in alar ex-
tent. Above, dark greyish-brown, scattered with spots and points of
white. Below, white w^ith large spots of light brown or chesnut; [upon
the flanks, in the European adult, transverse spots of the same color.]
On the throat and sides of the neck large white spaces. 3 or 4 narrow
bands of white on the tail, formed of spots of that color; the prima-
ries also crossed obliquely with 5 bars of white. The feet thickly
featherd to the toes. The bill dark lead color, approaching black and
yellowish at the point, (in Strix Tengmalmi it is yellow.) Iris pale yel-
low.
Note. Prince Bonaparte, in a letter to W. Cooper, Esq. says, he
has recently ascertained that this species differs from all the other Eu-
ropean small kinds of the genus.
Subgenus. — Strix.
Shell of the ear very large, and with the operculum or lid still
larger than in the preceding subgenus : disk of feathers round the
face much dilated ; the bill lengthened out and curved only at the
tip; the legs thickly feathered, and the toes covered with scattered
bristles ; the head without any ear-like tufts of feathers. — Habits
nocturnal.
WHITE OR BARN OWL. 139
WHITE OR BARN OWL.
(Strixflammea, Lin. Wilson, vi. p. 57. pi. 50. fig. 2. Philad. Museum,
No. 486.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellowish-tawny, or pale yellowish with darkish
zigzag lines, and small spots of whitish ; beneath whitish, or
yellowish white, generally with dark brownish points ; wings ex-
tending far beyond the tail ; bill whitish.
There is scarcely any part of the~ world in which this
common species is not found ; extending even to both sides
of the equator, it is met with in New Holland, India, and
Brazil ; it is perhaps no where more rare than in this part
of the United States, and is only met with in Pennsylva-
nia and New Jersey in cold and severe winters. Nor is it
ever so familiar as in Europe, frequenting almost uniform-
ly the hollows of trees. In the old continent it is almost
domestic, inhabiting even populous towns, and is particu-
larly attached to towers, belfries, the roofs of churches,
and other lofty buildings, which afford it a retreat during
day. The elegant, graphic lines of Gray, describing its
romantic haunt, are in the recollection of every one.
•' from yonder ivy-mantled tower.
The moping owl does to the moon complain
Of such, as wand'ring near her secret bower,
Molest her ancient solitary reign."
It leaves its dark abode, usually at twilight, at which
time it makes a blowing hiss after the manner of the
Mottled Owl, something like shai, sTiaie, shaieai. It
also utters other different sharp and grating notes either
on the wing or at rest, resembling, craie^ graie, 6i,c., all
of which are so uncouth and disagreeable, that, connected
with the awful scenery of churches and of tombs, in the
hours of darkness, they inspire dread and terror in the
minds of the weak, timid, and superstitious. The owl.
140 BIRDS OF PREY.
therefore, has been long regarded as a funereal spectre, or a
messenger of death, and its unwelcome and familiar visits
around the abode of the sick are thought to be little better
than a summons to the regions of mortality, among which it
delio-hts to dwell. But so unreasonable is superstition that
bad and good are sometimes derived from the same omen.
Thus the Mongul Tartars pay divine honors to this mis-
represented bird, attributing the preservation of the foun-
der of their empire, Gengis Khan, to one of its acciden-
tal visits to the bush under which he lay hid, his pursuers
naturally supposing, that no person could be concealed
where this friend of solitude would venture to perch.
The cry of this nocturnal bird, discordant as it some-
times appears, is still in harmony with the scenes and cir-
cumstances it accompanies, and we may say with Cowper,
" The jay, the pie, and e'en the boding owl,
That hails the rising moon, have charms for me :
Sounds inharmonious in themselves and harsh,
Yet, heard in scenes where peace for ever reigns,
And only these, please highly for their sake."
Nor are we to suppose that the cries of the Owl are
only plaints and sounds of distress and inquietude.
They are not left by nature as spectacles of derision, but
have their calls of complaisance, of recognition, and at-
tachment, which, though discordant to human ears, are
yet only ordinary expressions of agreement and necessity.
Superstition laid aside, the owl renders essential
service to the farmer by destroying mice, rats, and shrews,
which infest houses and barns ; it also catches bats and
beetles. They likewise clear churches of such vermin,
and now and then, pressed by hunger, probably, they have
been known to sip, or rather eat, the oil from the lamps
when congealed by cold. A still more extraordinary appe-
tite, attributed to the owl, is that of catching fish, on
WHITE OR BARN OWL. 141
which they fed their voracious young.* In autumn also
they have been known to pay a nightly visit to the places
where springes were laid for wood-cocks and thrushes.
The' former they killed and ate on the spot, but some-
times carried off the thrushes and smaller birds, which,
like mice, they either swallowed entire, rejecting the
indigestible parts by the bill ; or, if too large, they plucked
off the feathers and then bolted them whole, or only took
them down piecemeal.
In fine weather they venture out into the neighbouring
woods at night, returning to their usual retreat at the
approach of morning. When they first sally from their
holes, their eyes hardly well opened, they fly tumbling
along almost to the ground, and usually proceed side-
ways in their course. In severe seasons, 5 or 6, probably
a family brood, are discovered in the same retreat, or
concealed in the fodder of the barn, where they find sjhel-
ter, warmth, and food. The Barn Owl drops her eggs
in the bare holes of walls, in the joists of houses, or in
the hollows of decayed trees, and spreads no lining to re-
ceive them : they are 3 to 5 in number, of a ^vhitish
color, and rather long than round. The season of laying,
in Europe, is from the end of March to the beginning of
April.
When out abroad by day, like most of the other species,
they are numerously attended by the little gossiping and
insulting birds of the neighbourhood : and to add to their
distraction, it is not an uncommon practice, in the north
of England, for boys to set up a shout and follow the Owl,
who becomes so deafened and stunned as at times nearly to
fall down, and thus become an easy prey to his persecutors ;
* This happened in England ; gold-fish being missed from a pond, they were sap-
posed to be stolen in the night, and the thief turned out at length to be an owl.
142 BIRDS OF PREY.
and the probability of such an effect will not be surprising,
when we consider the delicacy and magnitude of the au-
ditory apparatus of this bird, the use of which is, probably,
necessary to discover the otherwise silent retreats of their
tiny prey. When taken captive, according to Buffon, they
do not long survive the loss of liberty, and pertinacious-
ly refuse to eat ; a habit very different from that of the
young Mottled Owl, who allowed himself to feed from my
hand, and tugged greedily and tamely at the morsel held
out to him until he got it into his possession ; small birds
also he would instantly grasp in his talons, and hiss and
shaie, sJiaie, when any attempt was made to deprive him of
his booty.
A superstitious legend prevails in the north of England,
that Pharaoh's daughter was transformed into an Owl,
and the common distich, which I have often heard when
a child, and while the Owl was screaming on a winter's
night, ran thus :
O/i,' 060 00
" I once was a king's daughter and sat on my father's knee,
But now I'm a poor Hoolet, and hide in a hollow tree !"
an invention that might do credit to the genius of Ovid,
who thus describes this species of Strix, and the etymolo-
gy of its name :
" Large is their head, and motionless their eye,
Hook-billed, sharp-clawed, and in the dusk they fly.
Screech-Olds they're called; because with dismal cry,
In darkhng night, from place to place they fly." *
* Grande caput, stantes oculi, rostra apta rapinao
Canities pennis, unguibus hamus inest.
** **** * *
Est illis strigibus nomen ; sed nominis hujus
Causa quod horrenda stridere node sclent.
Fasti, lib. vi. 139.
m
WHITE OR BARN OWL. 143
How this feared and despised bird came to be the em-
blem of wisdom, the sacred bird of Minerva, among so
grave and wise a people as the ancient Grecians, is not easy
to imagine, further, than that it was one of the ever fruit-
ful inventions of superstition, adopted by accident ; and
as the loquacity of this stupid and generally silent bird
would never betray the real defect of his character, his
solemn looks and taciturn behaviour continued to com-
mand the veneration of the public.
The young of this species, when they have just attained
their growth, are, in France, considered good food, as they
are then fat and plump. At Hudson's Bay, a large Owl,
resembling the cinereous, is likewise eaten and esteemed
a delicacy, according to Pennant.
The Barn Owl is about 14 inches long, and upwards of 3 feet 6
inches in the stretch of the wings. The bill is whitish, and longer
than usual. The face white, surrounded by a border of narrow,
thick-set feathers, of a reddish cream color externally. In some in-
dividuals the under side of the body is entirely without spots. Tail
pale yellow, crossed with 5 bars of brown, and thickly dotted with
the same. In the female the tints are paler and clearer. Sometimes
a variety occurs whitish, or wholly white.
Note. Besides these established species of the genus, we have had
information of a bird in this vicinity which approaches the \ Scandina-
vian Eared Owl of Linnesus, but have not yet proved fortunate enough
to possess a specimen : it is described as a very large Black and White
Owl with ears. This is probably, the Strix maxima, capite aurito^
corpore niveo, or Great Horned White Owl of Bartram, p. 289. In-
formation concerning this doubtful species would be very acceptable
to the author, and fill up a blank in Natural History.
ORDER SECOND.
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS. (TemmincL)
With the 6z7? of moderate size, strong, stout, and edged
at the sides ; the upper mandible more or less notched at
the point. The feet provided with 4 toes, 3 of which are
in front and 1 behind. The wings of moderate size, and
with the quills pointed.
Habits. The birds which compose this order live in
bands, or companies, and are monogamous. They nest
upon trees, in the crannies of ruins or old towers, and
some of the species occupy the natural cavities of decayed
trees. The male and female also hatch the eggs in turn.
They live on insects, worms, and carrion, and often add
likewise to this nourishment grain and fruits. Their
flesh is usually hard, tough, and unpalatable.
Family — Gregarii. (Illiger. Bonaparte.)
With the bill moderate in size, hard, straight, acute, and sharp on
the edges ; the nostrils at its base, and partly hid ; the tongue incapa-
ble of extension, and cleft or notched at the extremity. The feet ro-
bust, and the legs naked. The wings of moderate length, and the
quills pointed at the tips.
These birds are generally omnivorous, and gregarious at certain
seasons of the year. They build in trees, some also on cliffs, ruins,
or round inhabited dwellings, and also on the ground. Their voice
STARLINGS. 145
is generally loud, quaint, and harsh, seldom harmonious ; some have
a remarkable talent for mimickry. The plumage, when of more
than a single color, is often eminent for beauty, splendor, and sin-
gularity. They are in general, easily domesticated, and readily fed.
§ 1. Birds more usually Gregarious.
In these the bill is in the form of an elongated cone, entire on its
edges, and bare at the base, where it presents a sort of open sinus in
tlie feathers of the forehead. The outer and middle toes united at
the base. The tail of 12 feathers.
STARLINGS. (Sturnus, Lin.)
The BILL in the form of a lengthened cone, depressed, and some-
what blunt, with the edges vertical ; above somewhat rounded. Nos-
trils half closed by an arched membrane. The tongue narrowed,
sharp, and cleft at the point. The hind nail longest and largest.
The 2d and 3d primaries the longest.
The female is scarcely distinguishable from the male by
the plumage ; but the young differ from the adult. There
is also a double and periodical change in the colors of
the bill and feet, as well as in the tints and spots with
which the plumage is decorated, which takes place inde-
pendently of the annual moult, so that the feathers appear
to undergo this alteration by the friction of their barbs, as
well as the action of the air and light ; and in spring,
after the true moult, the numerous spots of the autumnal
feathers disappear.
The Starlings feed principally on insects which they
find on the ground ; some of the species follow the cattle
paths to pick up those they disturb, and often alight
familiarly on their backs; they also feed on different kinds
of seeds, and search for them, like pigeons and common
13
146 OxMNlVOROUS BIRDS.
fowls, in the ordure of domestic animals. The foreign
species nest in hollow trees, under the tiles and roofings
of houses, and in the holes of walls ; but the ambiguous,
American kind, confined to low meadows and savannahs,
constructs its nest in tufts of rank grass. Species are
found in all parts of the globe. The common Starling
has been taught to articulate words, and sings pretty well
in confinement, though with something of the monoto-
nous jingle of our common Blackbird.
Subgenus. — Sturnella. (American Starling.)
In thes^the sinus at the base of the bill is deep and rounded.
With the hind toe as long as the middle one, and greatly exceeding
the lateral. The wings shortish and somewhat rounded. No spuri-
ous or additional wing feather at the shoulder. The 1st and 5th pri-
maries about equal ; the 2d, 3d, and 4th longest ; two of the seconda-
ries also much elongated. Peculiar to America, very distinct from
the common Stare, and allied to the following genus, but more re-
motely to the Larks.
AMERICAN STARLING, or MEADOW LARK.
{Stumus ludovicianus, L. Mauda magna, Wilson, 3. p. 20. pi. 19.
fig. 2. Philad. Museum, No. 5212.)
Sp. Charact. — Beneath and line over the eye bright yellow; a
black crescent on the breast; and with the 4 lateral tail feathers
white.
This well known harmless inhabitant of meadows and
old fields is not only found in every part of the United
States, but appears to be a resident in all the intermediate
region, from the frigid latitude of 53°,* to the mild table
land of Mexico, t and the tropical savannahs of Guiana.
In the winter, they abound in Alabama and West Florida,
so that in some degree, like the Jays, and the legitimate
Starlings, they partially migrate in quest of food during
the severity of the weather in the colder states. It is not
however improbable, but that most of the migrating fami-
lies of this bird, which we find at this season, have merely
travelled eastward from the cold western plains that are
annually covered with snow. But although they are now
* According to Richardson in Franklin's Journal.
f Bullock's Travels.
148
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS,
seen in considerable numbers, any single flock is never
greater than a pair and their attendant brood, or from 6
to a dozen, in the case of a second covey. The true
Starlings, on the contrary, have all the habits of our com-
mon Blackbirds ; they assemble in winter, like dark
clouds, moving as one body, and when about to descend,
perform progressive circular evolutions in the air like a
phalanx in the order of battle ; and when settled they
blacken the earth with their numbers, as well as stun the
ears with their chatter. Like crows also, they seek the
shelter of reed marshes to pass the night, and in the day
take the benefit of every sunny and sheltered covert.
Our Starling, like the American Quail, is sociable,
but scarcely gregarious; and though many, no doubt,
wander some distance after food, yet a few, in Pennsyl-
vania, as well as in this rigorous climate, may be seen in
the market after the ground is covered with snow. Wil-
son even observed them in the month of February, du-
ring a deep snow, among the heights of the Alleghanies,
gleaning their scanty pittance on the road, in company
with the small snow birds.
The flesh of our bird is white, and for size and delica-
cy it is considered little inferior to the Partridge ; but
that of the European species is black and bitter.
The flight of the Sturnella is laborious and steady like
that of the Quail, with the action of the wings renewed
at short intervals. They often alight on trees, and select
usually the main branches or topmost twigs on which to
perch, though their food is commonly collected from the
ground. At various times of the day, and nearly through
the winter, in the milder states, their very peculiar lisping,
long, and rather melancholy note is heard at short inter-
vals ; and, without the variations which are not inconsid-
erable, bears some resemblance to the slender sing-
AMERICAN STARLING OR MEADOW LARK. 149
ing and affected pronunciation of et se dee «/«, and psc-
dee etsilio, or tai sedilw in a slow, wiry tone, and sometimes
differently varied and shortened. The same simple ditty
is repeated in the spring, when they associate in
pairs ; the female also, as she rises or descends, at this
time, frequently gives a reiterated guttural chirp, or hur-
ried twitter like that of the female Red-winged Black-
bird. I have likewise at times heard them utter notes
much more musical arid vigorous, not very unlike the fine
tones of the Sky-Lark, which
'• Shrill-voiced and loud, the messenger of morn,
Ere yet the shadows fly, [high] mounted, sings
Amid the dawning clouds, and from their haunts
Calls up the tuneful nations,"
but I can by no means compare our lisping songster with
that blithe '* harbinger of day." There is a monotonous
affectation in the song of our Lark, which appears indeed
somewhat allied to the jingling though not unpleasant
tune of the Starling.* The Stare, moreover, had the
faculty of imitating human speech, (which ours has not,
as far as we yet know,) and could indifferently speak
even French, English, German, Latin, and Greek, or any
other language v.ithin his hearing, and repeat short phra-
ses, so that " ' / canH get out, I can't get out,' says the
Starling," which accidentally afforded Sterne such a
beautiful and pathetic subject for his graphic pen, was
probably no fiction.
At the time of pairing our Lark exhibits a little of the
jealous disposition of his tribe, and, having settled the
dispute which decides his future condition, he retires from
his fraternity, and, assisted by his mate, selects a thick
tuft for the reception of his nest, which is pretty compact,
* Sturnus pisitat ore, isital, pisistrat, was the cry of the Stare to the ears of the
Romans.
13*
150 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
made of dry, wiry grass, and lined with finer blades of
the same. It is usually formed with a covered entrance
in the surrounding withered grass, through which a hid-
den and almost winding path is made, and generally
so well concealed, that the nest is only to be found when
the bird is flushed.
The eggs are 4 or 5, white, with a very faint tint of blue,
almost round, and rather large for the size of the bird,
marked with numerous small reddish brown spots more
numerous at the greater end, blended with other lighter
and darker points and small spots of the same. They
probably often raise 2 broods in the season. About the
time of pairing, in the latter end of the month of April,
they have a call like 'tship, twee, the latter syllable in a
fine and slender tone, something again allied to the occa-
sional notes of the Red-winged Blackbird, to which genus,
(/fi^erws)our Sturnellaisnot very remotely allied. Towards
the close of June, little else is heard from the species,
but the noisy twitter of the female, preceded by a hoarse
and sonorous ^fijiip or ^fip^ accompanied by an impatient
raising and lowering of the wings, and, in short all the
unpleasant and petulant actions of a brood hen, as she is
now assiduously engaged in fostering and supporting
her helpless and dependent offspring.
Their food consists of the larvae of various insects, as
well as worms, beetles, and grass seeds ; to assist the di-
gestion of which they swallow a considerable portion of
gravel. It does not appear that this species ever adds
berries or fruits of any kind to his fare like the Starling,
but usually remains the whole summer in moist meadows,
and in winter retires to the open grassy woods, having
no inclination to rob the orchard or garden, and, except
in winter, is of a shy, timid, and retiring disposition.
AMERICAN STARLING, OR MEADOW LARK. 151
The length of the SturneUa is 10:^ inches, its extent 16«|. Above
variegated with black, bright bay, and ochreous. Tail wedged, the
feathers pointed, the 4 outer nearly all white. Sides, thighs, and
vent pale ochreous, spotted with black. Upper mandible brown, the
lower bluish white. Iris hazel. Legs and feet large, pale flesh
color. In the young bird the yellow is much fainter, than in the
adult. Another species of this subgenus is found at the Straits of
Magellan, darker tlian ours, and beneath of a bright carmine red.,
They form truly a very distinct genus.
TROUPIALS. (Icterus, Bnsson.)
In these birds the bill is in the form of an elongated, sharp-pointed
cone, somewhat compressed, rounded above, and rarely somewhat
curved; with the margins inflected. Nostrils oval, and covered by
a membrane. Tongue sharp, and cleft at tip. The tarsus rather lon-
ger than the middle toe ; inner toe but little shorter than the outer
and nearly equal to the hind one ; the middle toe longest ; the hind
nail twice as large as the others. Wings sharp. The 1st primary
but little shorter than the 3d and 4th, which are longest.
The Female is very different from the male ; but the yoxing are
very like the former. They generally moult once a year, but the
colors are brighter in spring ; in autumn and winter the plumage of
the male somewhat resembles that of the female. — They are grega-
rious, and usually omnivorous ; building mostly in trees or bushes ;
some of them are partly polygamous. Their gait is rather quick,
with the body almost erect, the flight vigorous. Their flesh not
usually esteemed. — A genus exclusively American. Some of those
of the first section, Cassicus, possess considerable melody and power
of voice ; as well as those of the subgenera Icterus, and Emherizoides,
Subgenus. — Icterus.
With the bill narrower and slightly bent towards the point ; the
frontal sinus of the bill acute, but not deep. Female scarcely differ-
ing in size from the male, — These are not constantly gregarious,
only so during the period of migration, and before incubation ; they
also frequent forests ; feeding chiefly on insects and berries, though
when in confinement capable of digesting other vegetable food. In
152
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
the breeding season they are usually seen in pairs ; and make very in-
genious pensile nests. Allied somewhat to the warblers of the sub-
genus Dacnis.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, or GOLDEN ROBIN.
{Icterus haltimorc, Bonap. Oriolns haltimore, Wilson, 1. p. 23. pi. 1.
fig. 3. [male] and 6. p. 88. pi. 53. fig. 4. [female.] Audubon,
pi. 12. [a nest, and very fine group.] Philad. Museum. No.)
Sp. Charact. — Tail nearly even. — Male orange; head, neck
back, wings, and tail, black ; the lateral tail feathers orange
at the summit. — Female and yovvg, with the orange color pale ;
the black also greyish, mottled with yellow, and the tail orange.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR GOLDEN ROBIN. 153
These gay, lively, and brilliant strangers, leaving their
hibernal retreat in South America, appear among us
about the 1st week in May, and more than a month
earlier in Louisiana, according to the observations of Au-
dubon. They were not seen, however, in West Florida
by the middle of March, although vegetation had then so
far advanced, that the oaks were in leaf, and the white
flowering Cornel* in full blossom.
It is here that they pass the most interesting period of
their lives ; and their arrival is hailed as the sure harbin-
ger of the approaching warm and mild season. Full of life
and activity, these fiery sylphs are now seen vaulting and
darting incessantly through the lofty boughs of our tallest
trees ; appearing and vanishing with restless inquietude,
and flashing at quick intervals into sight, from amidst the
tender waving foliage, they seem like living gems in-
tended to decorate the verdant garment of the new clad
forest. But the gay Baltimore is neither idle nor capri-
cious ; the beautiful small beetles and other active winged
insects on which he now principally feeds, are in con*
stant motion, and require perpetual address in their cap-
ture. At first the males only arrive, but without appear-
ing in flocks; their mates are yet behind, and their social
delight is incomplete. They appear to feel this tempora-
ry bereavement, and in shrill and loud notes, they fife out
their tender plaints, in quick succession, as they pry and
spring through the shady boughs for their tiny and elu-
ding prey. They also now spend much time in the apple
trees, often sipping honey from the white blossoms over
which they wander with peculiar delight, continually
roving amidst the sweet and flowery profusion. The mel-
low whistled notes which they are heard to trumpet from
- the high branches of our tallest trees and gigantic elms,
*Comv^ florida.
154 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
resemble, at times, 'tshippe-tshayia too too, and some-
times 'tshippee 'tshippee, (lispingly) too too, (with the 2
last syllables loud and full.) These notes are also varied
by some birds so as to resemble 'tsh 'tsh 'tsheetshoo tsliou,
tshoo * also 'tsh 'tsheefd 'tshccfd Hsiieefd, tshoo, and 'k'tuf
a tuf a tdf a tea kerry ;t another bird I have occasionally
heard to call for hours, with some little variation, tu, teo
teoteotoo in a loud, querulous, and yet almost ludicrously
merry strain. At other intervals, the sensations of soli-
tude seem to stimulate sometimes a loud and interrogato-
ry note, echoed forth at intervals, as, k'l^ry kerry 1 and
terminating plaintively kWry k'rry kWry 'tu, the voice
falling off very slenderly in the last long syllable, which
is apparently an imitation from the Cardinal Grosbeak,
and the rest is derived from the Crested Titmouse whom
they have already heard in concert as they passed through
the warmer states. Another interrogatory strain which I
heard here in the spring of 1830 was precisely, 'yyp
*kWry, 'yyp, 'yyp k'rry, very loud and oft repeated. Anoth-
er male went in his ordinary key, tsherry tsherry, tship-
ee tsh'rry, notes copied from the exhaustless stock of the
Carolina Wren (also heard on his passage), but modulated
to suit the fancy of our vocalist. The female likewise
sings, but less agreeably than the male. One which I had
abundant opportunity of observing, while busied in the toil
of weaving her complicated nest, every now and then, as a
relief from the drudgery in which she was solely engaged,
sung, in a sort of querulous and rather plaintive strain, the
strange, uncouth s)llables, 'kd ked 'kowd, kcka keka, the
final tones loud and vaulting, which I have little doubt were
* The first 3 of these notes are derived from the Summer Yellow Bird, though
not its most usual tones.
t The last phrase loud and ascending , the tea plaintive, and the last syllable tender
and echoing.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR GOLDEN ROBIN. 155
an imitation of the discordant notes of some South Ameri-
can bird. For many days she continued this tune at inter-
vals without any variation. The male, also while seeking
his food in the same tree with his mate, or while they are
both attending on their unfledged brood, calls frequently
in a low friendly whisper 'twait, 'twHt. Indeed, all the
individuals of either sex, appear pertinaciously to adhere
for weeks to the same quaint syllables which they have
accidentally collected. .
This bird then, like the Starling, appears to haveataste
for mimickry, or rather for sober imitation. A Cardinal
Grosbeak happening, very unusually, to pay us a visit,
his harmonious and bold whistle struck upon the ear of a
Baltimore with great delight, and from that moment his
ordinary notes were laid aside for 'woit 'laoit tea, and
other phrases previously foreign to him for that season.
I have likewise heard another individual exactly imitating
the soft and somewhat plaintive vit yu, vit yiu of the same
bird, and in the next breath the pent, or call of Wilson's
Thrush ; also, at times the earnest song of the Robin.
Indeed his variations and imitations have sometimes led
me to believe that I heard several new and melodious
birds, and I was only undeceived when I beheld his bril-
liant livery. So various, in fact, are the individual phrases
chanted by this restless and lively bird, that it it scarcely
possible to fix on any characteristic notes by which he may
be recognised ; his singular, loud, and almost plaintive tone,
and a fondness for harping long on the same strinc, are
perhaps more peculiar than any particular syllables, which
he may be heard to utter. When alarmed or offended
at being too closely watched or approached, they both ut-
ter an angry, rattling tsher tsh'r, or hiss, tsh' tsh' tslv 'tsh.
156 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS,
The beautiful Baltimore bird is only one of the tribe of
true Icteri, which, except the present and following spe-
cies, remain within the tropical regions, or only migrate
to short distances in the rainy season. Ours wing their
way even into Canada, and breed in every intermediate
region to the table land of Mexico. A yellow Brazilian
species of the section of this genus called Cassicus, ac-
cording to Waterton, inhabits also Demerara, where, like
our bird, he familiarly weaves his pendulous nest near the
planter's house, suspending it from the drooping branches
of trees, and so low that it may be readily looked into even
by the incurious. Omnivorous like the Starling, it feeds
equally on insects, fruits, and seeds. It is called the
Mocking-bird, and for hours together, in gratitude as it
were for protection, he serenades the inhabitants with
his imitative notes. His own song, though short, is sweet
and melodious. But hearing perhaps the yelping of
the Toucan, he drops his native strain to imitate it, or
place it in ridicule by contrast. Again, he gives the
cackling cries of the Woodpecker, the bleating ,of the
sheep; — an interval of his own melody, then probably
a puppy dog, or a Guinea fowl, receives his usual atten-
tion ; and the whole of this mimickry is accompanied by
antic gestures, indicative of the sport and company which
these vagaries afford him. Hence we see that the mim-
icking talent of the Stare is inherent in this branch of the
gregarious family, and our own Baltimore, in a humbler
style, is no less delighted with the notes of his neighbour-
ing feathered songsters.
There is nothing more remarkable in the whole instinct
of our Golden Robin than the ingenuity displayed in the
fabrication of its nest, which is, in fact, a pendulous, cy-
lindric pouch of 5 to 7 inches in depth, usually suspended
from near the extremities of the high, drooping branches of
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR GOLDEN ROBIN, 157
trees, (such as the elm, the pear, or apple-tree, wild-
cherry, weeping-willow, tulip-tree, or button-wood.) It
is begun by firmly fastening natural strings of the flax of
the silk-weed,* or swamp-holyhock, t or stout artificial
threads, round two or more forked twigs, corresponding
to the intended width and depth of the nest. With the
same materials, willow down, or any accidental ravellings,
strings, thread, sewing-silk, tow, or wool, that may be lying
near the neighbouring houses, or round the grafts of trees,
they interweave and fabricate a sort of coarse cloth into
the form intended ; towards the bottom of which they place
the real n€St, made chiefly of lint, wiry grass, horse and
cow hair, sometimes, in defect of hair, lining the interior
with a mixture of slender strips of smooth vine bark, and
rarely with a few feathers, the whole being of a con-
siderable thickness, and more or less attached to the ex-
ternal pouch. Over the top, the leaves, as they grow out,
form a verdant and agreeable canopy, defending the young
from the sun and rain. There is sometimes a considera-
ble difference in the manufacture of these nests, as well
as in the materials which enter into their composition.
Both sexes seem to be equally adepts at this sort of labor,
and I have seen the female alone perform the whole with-
out any assistance, and the male also complete this labo-
rious task nearly without the aid of his consort ; who,
however, in general, is the principal worker. I have ob-
served a nest made almost wholly of tow, which was laid
out for the convenience of a male bird ; who, with this aid,
completed his labor in a very short time, and frequently
sung in a very ludicrous manner, while his mouth was
loaded with a mass larger than his head. So eager are
they to obtain fibrous materials, that they will readily tug
* Jisdepias species. \ Hibiscus palustris.
14
Jfl-:
158 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
at, and even untie, hard knots made of tow. In Audu-
bon's magnificent plates, a nest is represented as formed
outwardly of the Long-Moss ; * where this abounds, of
course, the labor of obtaining materials must be greatly
abridged. The author likewise remarks, that the
whole fabric consists almost entirely of this material,
loosely interwoven, without any warm lining, a labor
which our ingenious artist seems aware would be super-
fluous in the warm forests of the lower Mississippi. A
female, which I observed attentively, carried off to her nest
a piece of lamp-wick 10 or 12 feet long. This long string,
and many other shorter ones, were left hanging out for
about a week before both the ends were wattled into the
sides of the nest. Some other little birds, making use of
similar materials, at times twitched these flowing ends,
and generally brought out the busy Baltimore from her
occupation in great anger.
I may perhaps claim indulgence for adding a little more
on the biography of this particular bird, as a representa-
tiv^e also of the instinct of her race. She completed the
nest in about a week's time, without any aid from her
mate ; who, indeed, appeared but seldom in her company,
and was now become nearly silent. For fibrous materials,
she broke, hackled, and gathered the flax of the Asclepias
and Hibiscus stalks, tearing off long strings, and flying
with them to the scene of her labors. She appeared
very eager and hasty in her pursuits, and collected her
materials, without fear or restraint, while three men were
working in the neighbouring walks, and many persons
visiting the garden. Her courage and perseverance were
indeed truly admirable. If watched too narrowly, she
* Tillandsia usneoides.
%
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR GOLDEN ROBIN. 159
saluted with her usual scolding 'tslier, ^tslirr, 'tslirr,
seeing no reason, probably, why she should be interrupt-
ed in her indispensable occupation.
Though the males were now comparatively silent on the
arrival of their busy mates, I could not help observing
this female, and a second, continually vociferating, ap-
parently in strife. At last, she was observed to attack
this second female very fiercely, who slyly intruded her-
self at times into the same tree where she was building.
These contests were angry and often repeated. To ac-
count for this animosity, I now recollected, that tioo fine
males had been killed in our vicinity ; and I therefore
concluded the intruder to be left without a mate ; yet she
had gained the affection of the consort of the busy female,
and thus the cause of this jealous quarrel became appa-
rent. Having obtained the confidence of her faithless
paramour, the second female began preparing to weave a
nest in an adjoining Elm, by tying together certain pen-
dant twigs as a foundation. The male now associated
chiefly with the intruder whom he even assisted in her
labor, yet did not wholly forget his first partner, who call-
ed on him one evening in a low affectionate tone, which
was answered in the same strain. While they were thus
engaged in friendly whispers, suddenly appeared the ri-
val, and a violent rencontre ensued, so that one of the
females appeared to be greatly agitated, and flattered
with spreading wings as if considerably hurt. The male,
though prudently neutral in the contest, showed his cul-
pable partiality by flying off" with his paramour ; and for
the rest of the evening left the tree to his pugnacious
consort. Cares of another kind, more imperious and ten-
der, at length reconciled, or at least, terminated these
disputes with the jealous females ; and by the aid of the
neighbouring bachelors, who are never wanting among
160 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
these and other birds, peace, at length, was completely
restored, by the restitution of the quiet and happy condi-
tion of monogamy. We therefore perceive, that though
the quarrels of jealousy are usually confined to the
bosoms of the males among birds, yet under peculiar cir-
cumstances the females are far from passive ; and though
this spring (1830) I witnessed many contests with the
other sex, the country teeming with these beautiful birds,
yet the war was only threatening and predatory, compar-
ed with the close combats of these of the weaker sex.
The eggs of this species are usually 4 or 5, white, with
a faint, indistinct tint of bluish, and marked, chiefly at
the greater end, though sometimes scatteringly, with
straggling, serpentine, dark brown lines and spots, and
fainter hair streaks,* looking sometimes almost like real
hair, and occasionally lined only, and without the spots.
The period of incubation is 14 days.f In Louisiana, accord- |
ing to Audubon, they frequently raise two broods in the !
season, arriving in that country with the opening of the
early spring. Here they raise but a single brood, whose
long and tedious support in their lofty cradle absorbs their
whole attention ; and at this interesting period, they seem, ,
as it were, to live only to protect, cherish, and educate j
their young. The first and general cry which the, infant j
brood utter while yet in the nest, and nearly able to take >
wing, as well as for some days after, is a kind of Te-did^ ,
te-did, te-did, kai-te-te-did, or ^te He 'te He 'ti 't-did, which j
becomes clamorous as the parents approach them with j
food. They soon also acquire the scolding rattle and :
short notes which they probably hear around them, such I
as Peet locct, the cry of the spotted Sandpiper, and others,
* The egga which I liave seen do not resemble Wilson's figure, plate 4; though
they may vary as much,
f Audubon, vol. i. p. 68.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR GOLDEN ROBIN. 161
and long continue to be assiduously fed and guarded by
their very affectionate and devoted parents. Unfortunately,
this contrivance of instinct to secure the airy nest from
the depredations of thieving and rapacious monkeys, and
other animals which frequent trees in warm or mild climates,
is, also, occasionally attended with serious accidents, when
the young escape before obtaining the perfect use of their
wings. They cling, however, with great tenacity, either to
the nest or neighbouring twigs ; yet sometimes they fall
to the ground ; and, if not killed on the spot, soon become
a prey to numerous enemies. On such occasions it is
painful to hear the plaints and wailing cries of the parents.
And when real danger offers, the generous and brilliant
male, though much the less querulous of the two, steps in
to save his brood at every hazard ; and I have known one so
bold in this hopeless defence, as to suffer himself to be
killed, by a near approach with a stick, rather than desert
the offspring, in whose existence and safety his life seem-
ed absorbed. Sometimes, after this misfortune, or when
the fell cat has devoured the helpless brood, day after day
the disconsolate parents continue to wail their irretrieva-
ble loss. They almost forget to eat amidst their distress,
and after leaving the unhappy neighbourhood of their
bereavement and fruitless toil, they still come, at inter-
vals, to visit and lament over the fatal spot, as if spell-
bound by despair. If the season be not too far advanced,
the loss of their eggs is generally soon repaired by con-
structing a second nest, in which, however, the eggs are
fewer.
The true Oriole (O. galhula), "which, migrates into
Africa, and passes the breeding season in the centre of
Europe, also makes a pendulous nest, and displays great
courage in the defence of its young, being so attached to
its progeny, that the female has been taken and conveyed
14*
162 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
to a cage on her eggs, on which, with resoltue and fatal
instinct, she remained faithfuly sitting until she expired.
The Baltimore bird, though naturally shy and suspicious,
probably for greater security from more dangerous enemies,
generally chooses for his ne.st the largest and tallest spread-
ing trees near farm-houses, and along frequented lanes and
roads ; and trusting to the inaccessiblenss of his ingenious
mansion, he works fearlessly, and scarcely studies con-
cealment. But, as soon as the young are hatched, here,
towards the close of June, the whole family begin to leave
the immediate neighbourhood of their cares, flit through
the woods, a shy, roving, and nearly silent train ; and
when ready for the distant journey before them, about the
end of August or beginning of September, the whole at
once disappear ; and probably arrive, as with us, amidst
the forests of South America, in a scattered flock, and
continue, like Starlings, to pass the winter in celibacy,
wholly engaged in gleaning a quiet subsistence until the
return of spring. Then, incited by instinct to prepare
for a more powerful passion, they again wing their
way to the regions of the north ; where, but for this won-
derful providential instinct of migration, the whole race
would perish in a single season. As the sexes usually
arrive in different flocks, it is evident, that the conjugal
tie ceases at the period of migration, and the choice of
mates is renewed with the season ; during which the
males carry on their jealous disputes with much obstina-
cy. From the similarity in the circumstances of mating
among most other migratory birds, it would appear that
they obey the same law, depending on the transitory na-
ture of the sexual feeling, which in autumn is nearly an-
nihilated.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR GOLDEN ROBIN. 163
That our Oriole is not familiar with us, independent of
the all powerful natural impulse which he obeys, is suf-
ficiently obvious when he nests in the woods. Two of
these solitary and retiring pairs had this summer, contrary
to their usual habits, taken up their abode in the lofty
branches of a gigantic Button-wood in the forest. As
soon as we appeared, they took the alarm, and remained
uneasy and irritable until we were wholly out of sight.
Others, again, visit the heart of the populous city, and
pour forth their wild and plaintive songs from the trees
which decorate the streets and gardens, amid the din of
the passing crowd, and the tumult of incessant and
noisy occupations. Audubon remarks, that their migra-
tions are performed singly, and during the day, and that
they proceed high, and fly straight and continuous.
The food of the Baltimore appears to be small caterpil-
lars, sometimes those of the apple-trees, some uncommon
kinds of beetles, cimices, and small flies, like a species
of cynips. Occasionally I have seen an individual collect-
ing Cicindeli by the sides of sandy and gravelly roadff.
They feed their young usually with soft caterpillars, which
they swallow, and disgorge on arriving at the nest ; and
in this necessary toil both sexes assiduously unite. They
seldom molest any of the fruits of our gardens, except a
few cherries and mulberries, and are the most harmless,
useful, beautiful, and common birds of the country.
They are, however, accused of sometimes accompanying
their young to the garden peas, which they devour
while small and green, and, being now partly gregarious,
the damage they commit is at times rendered visible.
Occasionally they are seen in cages, being chiefly fed
on soaked bread, or meal and water ; they appear also
fond of cherries, strawberries, currants, raisins, and figs,
so that we may justly consider them, like the Cassicans
164 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
and Starlings, as omnivorous, though in a less degree.*
They sing, and appear lively in confinement or domestica-
tion, and become very docile, playful, and friendly, even
going in and out of the house, and sometimes alighting at
a whistle on the hand of their protector. The young, for
a while, require to be fed on animal food alone, and the
most suitable appears to be fresh minced meat, soaked
in new milk. In this way they may be easily raised al-
most from the first hatching ; but at this time vegetable
substances appear to afford them no kind of nutrition,
and at all times they will thrive better, if indulged with a
little animal food or insects, as well as hard-boiled eggs.
The Baltimore Bird is 7 inches in length ; the bill bluish black.
Exterior edges of the greater wing-coverts, edges of the secondaries,
and part of those of the primaries, white. The tail-feathers under
the coverts, orange; the 2 middle ones from thence to the tips, black ;
the next 5 on each side black near the covert, and orange towards
the extremities. Legs and feet lead-color. The iris, hazel. — The
white on the wing-coverts in the female is yellowish ; the under parts,
not so brilliant an orange, approaching scarlet on the breast, are, in this
sex, much duller ; the back also of a dull black, and each feather
skirted with olive yellow. The wing-feathers of a deep dirty brown.
The tail olive yellow ; but in others, according to age, the 2 middle
feathers become partially or wholly black. Some of the males wliich
arrive in the spring have the tail wholly yellow : at times, only the
2 middle feathers black, and frequently the black on the back is still
skirted with orange, and the tail tipped with the same color. It
would therefore appear that 2 or 3 seasons are requisite to complete
the plumage of this brilliant bird. The male moults, before his
departure, into the same brilliant dress in which he arrives.
♦ The true Oriole, scarcely distinct from our Vireo, lives upon insects, is very
fond of cherries and fresh figs, and will also eat peas.
SPURIOUS OR ORCHARD ORIOLE. 165
SPURIOUS OR ORCHARD ORIOLE.
{Icterus spurius, Bonap. Oriolusspurius, Lin. Wilson, i. p. 64. pi.
4. fig. 1. [female.] fig. 2. [a male of 2 years.] fig. 3. [a male of 3
years.] fig. 4. [the adult male.] Audubon, pi. 42. Philad. Muse-
um, No. 1508.)
Sp. Charact. — Tail wedge-formed. — JWaZe bright chesnut ; the
head and neck, back, wings, and tail, black. — Female and young
of one year, yellow olive, inclining to brown, beneath yellow;
wings and tail dusky brown. — The young male of more than one
year, the same, but with the throat black.
This smaller and plainer species has many of the hab-
its of the preceding, and arrives in Pennsylvania about
a week later. They enter the southern boundary of the
United States early in March, and remain there until Oc-
tober.* They do not however, I believe, often migrate
farther north and east, than the state of Connecticut.
I have never seen or heard of them in Massachusetts,
any more than my scientific friend, and a close observer,
Mr. C. Pickering. Their stay in the United States, it
appears from Wilson, is little more than 4 months ; as
they retire to South America early in September, or, at
least, do not winter in the Southern States. According
to my friend Mr. Ware, they breed at Augusta, in Georgia;
and Mr. Say observed the Orchard Oriole at Major
Long's winter quarters on the banks of the Missouri. Au-
dubon has also observed the species towards the sources
of the Mississippi, as well as in the state of Maine. The
same author likewise remarks, that their northern mio-ra-
tions, like those of the Baltimore Bird, are performed by
day, and that the males arrive a week or ten days sooner
* Andubon's Ornithological Biography, vol. i. p. 224.
166
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
than their mates. They appear to affect the elevated and
airy regions of the Alleghany mountains, where they are
much more numerous than the Baltimore.
The Orchard Oriole is an exceedingly active, sprightly,
and restless bird ; in the same instant almost, he is on
the ground after some fallen insect, fluttering amidst the
foliage of the trees, prying and springing after his lurking
prey, or flying, and tuning his lively notes, in a manner
so hurried, rapid, and seemingly confused, that the ear is
scarce able to thread out the shrill and lively syllables of
his agitated ditty. Between these hurried attempts, he also
gives others, which are distinct and agreeable ; but still, his
tones are neither so full nor so mellow as those of the brill-
iant and gay Baltimore. In choosing the situation of his
nest he is equally familiar with that bird, and seems to enjoy
the general society of his species, suspending his most in-
genious and pensile fabric from the bending twig of the
apple-tree, which, like the nest of the other, is constructed
in the form of a pouch from 3 to 5 inches in depth, ac-
cording to the strength or flexibility of the tree on which he
labors ; so that in a weeping-willow, according to Wilson,
the nest is one or two inches deeper, than if in an apple-
tree, to obviate the danger of throwing out the eggs and
young by the sweep of the long, pendulous branches.
It is, likewise, slighter, as the crowding leaves of that
tree afford a natural shelter of considerable thickness.
That economy of this kind should be studied by the
Orchard Oriole, will scarcely surprise so much, as the
laborious ingenuity, and beautiful tissue of its nest. It
is made exteriorly of a fine woven mat of long, tough, and
flexible grass, as if darned with a needle. The form is
hemispherical, and the inside is lined with downy sub-
stances ; sometimes the wool of the seeds of the Button-
wood, forming thus a commodious and soft bed for the
SPURIOUS OR ORCHARD ORIOLE. 167
young. This precaution of a warm lining, as in the pre-
ceding species, is, according to Audubon, dispensed with
in the warm climate of Louisiana. The eggs are
4 or 5, of a very pale bluish tint, with a few points of
brown, and spots of dark purple, chiefly disposed at the
greater end. The female sits about 14 days; and the
young continue in the nest 10 days before they become
qualified to flit along with their parents; but they are gen-
erally seen abroad about the middle of June, Previously
to their departure, the young, leaving the care of their
parents, become gregarious, and assemble sometimes in
flocks of separate sexes, from 30 to 40 or upwards ; in
the south frequenting the savannahs, feeding much on
crickets, grasshoppers, and spiders ; and at this season
their flesh is much esteemed by the inhabitants.* Wil-
son found them easy to raise from the nest, but does not
say on what they were fed, though they probably require
the same treatment as the Baltimore Oriole. According
to Audubon, they sing with great liveliness in cages, be-
ing fed on rice and dry fruits, when fresh cannot be
procured. Their ordinary diet, it appears, is caterpillars
and insects, of which they destroy great quantities. In
the course of the season they likewise feed on various
kinds of juicy fruits and berries, bat their depredations
on the fruits of the orchard are very unimportant.
The Orchard Oriole is about 6.^ inches in length. The bill and
legs of the same color nearly as in the preceding species ; the former,
however, is a little bent, and very sharp at the point. The iris ha-
zel. The male, in the 3d year, is mottled on the upper parts of the
back with black and olive, and on the belly, sides, and breast the
reddish bay begins irregularly to appear, blended with yellow ; and
generally the 2 middle feathers of the tail are black, the others being
centered with the same color.
* Audubon's Ornithological Biography, vol. i. p. 224.
168 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
Subgenus — Xanthornus. (Cuv. Bonap,)
With the bill robust and straight, horizontally flattened above, and
the frontal sinus ending in an acute but shallow angle. — The female
somewhat less than the male. These birds are constantly gregari-
ous, and live chiefly in meadows, or round open bushy swamps.
They feed principally on insects and seeds ; build in society, and
construct convenient, but not very artful nests.
RED-WINGED BLACK-BIRD.
(Icterus ph(Bniceus, Daud. Bonap. Audubon, pi. 67. [the male, a
small specimen]. Sturnus prcedatorius, Wilson, 4. p. 30. pi. 30. fig.
1. [male in summer dress], fig. 2. [female]. Pliilad. Museum, No.
1466, 1467.)
Sp. Charact. — Black; lesser wing coverts vermilion red. —
Young diiid autumnal male, above, with the feathers, skirted with
ferruginous. — Female, dasky brown, varied with ferruginous
and whitish, sometimes also with the lesser wing-coverts spotted
with black and the red of the male.
The Red-Winged Oriole in summer inhabits the whole
of North America from Nova Scotia to Mexico, and is
found in the interior of the continent from the 53d degree
of latitude, probably to the sources of the Missouri. They
are migratory north of Maryland, but pass the winter in
great numbers in all the southern states, frequenting
chiefly the settlements and rice and corn-fields, towards
the sea-coast, where they move about like blackenino-
clouds, rising suddenly at times with a noise like thunder,
15
170 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
and exhibiting amidst the broad shadows of their funereal
plumage, the bright flashing of the vermilion with which
their wings are so singularly decorated. After whirling a
little distance, like the Starling, they descend as a torrent,
and darkening the branches of the trees by their numbers,
they commence a general concert that may be heard for
more than two miles. This music seems to be something
betwixt chattering and warbling ; jingling liquid notes
like those of the Bobolink with their peculiar kong-quer-
ree and bob a le, o-bob a lee ; then complaining chirps,
jars, and sounds like saw-filing, or the motion of a sign-
board on its rusty hinge, the whole constituting a novel and
sometimes grand chorus of discord and harmony, in which
the performers seem in good earnest, and bristle up their
feathers, as if inclined, at least, to make up in quantity
what their show of music may lack in quality.
When their food begins to fail in the fields, they as-
semble with the Purple Grakles, very familiarly around
the corn-cribs and in the barn-yards, greedily and dexter-
ously gleaning up every thing within their reach. In the
month of March, Mr. Bullock found them very numerous
and bold near the city of Mexico, where they followed
the mules to steal a tithe of the barley with which they
were fed.
From the beginning of March to April, according to the
nature of the season, they begin to visit the Northern
States in scattered parties, flying chiefly in the morning.
As they wing their way towards the north, they seem to
relieve their mutual toil by friendly chatter, and being the
harbingers of approaching spring, their faults are forgot
in the instant, and we cannot help greeting them as old
acquaintances in spite of all their predatory propensities.
Selecting their accustomed resort, they make the low mead-
ows resound again with their usual notes, particularly
RED-WINGED BLACK-BIRD. 171
in the morning and evening before retiring to or leaving the
roost; previous to settling themselves for the night, and
before parting in the day, they seem all to join in a gene-
ral chorus of liquid warbling tones, which would be very
agreeable but for the interruption of the plaints and jarring
sounds with which it is blended. They continue to feed in
small parties in swamps and by slow streams and ponds till
the middle or close of April, when they begin to separate
in pairs. Sometimes, however, they appear to be partly
polygamous, like their cousins the Cow Troopials, as amids
a number of females enorao;ed in incubation, but few of
the other sex appear associated with them ; and as among
the Bobolinks, sometimes two or three of the males may
be seen in chase of an individual of the other sex, but
without making any contest or show of jealous feud with
each other, as a concubinage rather than any regular
mating seems to prevail among the species.
Assembled again in their native marshes, the male
perched upon the summit of some bush surrounded by
water, in company with his mates, now sings out, at short
intervals, his guttural 1cong-quer-ree, sharply calls ftsheah,
or, when disturbed, plaintively utters 'ttshdy ; to which
his companions, not insensible to these odd attentions,
now and then return a gratulatory cackle or reiterated
chirp, like that of the native Meadow Lark. As a pleas-
ant and novel, though not unusual accompaniment, per-
haps the great Bull Frog elevates his green head and brassy
eyes from the stagnant pool, and calls out in a loud and
echoing bellow, 'lo^rroo, ^warroo, ^worrorroo, 'bod?'oo,
which is again answered, or, as it were, merely varied, by
the creaking or cackling voice of his feathered neighbours.
This curious concert, uttered as it were from the still
and sable waters of the Styx, is at once both ludicrous
and solemn. About the end of April or early in May,
172 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
in the middle and northern parts of the union the Red-
Winged Blackbirds commence constructing their nests.
The situation made choice of is generally in some marsh,
swamp, or wet meadow, abounding with alder (Ahms)
or Button-bushes {Cephalantlms) ', in these, commonly at
the height of 5 to 7 feet from the ground, or sometimes in
a detached bush or tussock of rank grass in the meadow,
the nest is formed. Outwardly it is composed of a consid-
erable quantity of the long dry leaves of Sedge-grass
(Carex), or other kinds collected in wet situations, and
occasionally the slender leaves of the flag {Iris) carried
round all the adjoining twigs of the bush by way of
support or suspension, and sometimes blended with
strips of the lint of the swamp Asdepias or silk-weed.
The whole of this exterior structure is also twisted in
and out, and carried in loops from one side of the nest to
the other, pretty much in the manner of that of the Orioles,
but made of less flexible and handsome materials. The
large interstices that remain, as well as the bottom, are
then filled in with rotten wood, marsh-grass roots, 'fibrous
peat, or mud, so as to form, when dry, a stout and substan-
tial, though concealed shell, the whole very well lined
with fine dry stalks of grass or with slender rushes, (Scir-
pi.) When the nest is in a tussock, it is also tied to the ad-
joining stalks of herbage ; * but when on the ground this
precaution of fixity is laid aside. The eggs are from 3 to
5, white, tinged with blue, marked with faint streaks of
light purple, and long straggling serpentine lines and
dashes of very dark brown ; the markings not very nu-
merous, and disposed almost wholly at the greater end.
They raise two broods commonly in the season. If the
nest is approached while the female is sitting, or when
* This description, drawn from nature, agrees very nearly .with that given by Pen-
nant, Arctic Zoo!, vol. i. p. 30Q.
RED-WINGED BLACK-BIRD. 173
the young are hatched, loud cries of alarm are made by
both parties, but more particularly by the restless male,
who flies to meet the intruder, and generally brino-s
together the whole sympathizing company of his fel-
lows, whose nests sometimes are within a few yards of
each other. The female cries ^quedli, 'quedk, and at
length, when the mischief they dreaded is accomplished,
the louder notes give way to others which are more still,
slow, and mournful ; one of which resembles fai, far, or
tea and t'tshedh. When the young are taken or destroyed,
the pair continue restless and dejected for several days,
but from the force of their gregarious habit they again
commence building, usually soon after, in the same mead-
ow or swamp with their neighbours. In the latter part of
July and August the young birds, now resembling the fe-
male, begin to fly in flocks, and release themselves partly
from dependence on their parents, whose cares up to this
time are faithful and unremitting ; a few males only
seem inclined to stay and direct their motions.
About the beginning of September, these flocks, by
their formidable numbers, do great damage to the unripe
corn, which is now a favorite repast, and they are some-
times seen whirling and driving over the devoted corn-
fields and meadows so as to darken the air with their
numbers. The destruction at this time made among them
by the gun and the Hawks produces but little effect upon
the remainder, who continue fearlessly, and in spite of
all opposition, from morning to night, to ravage the corn-
fields while any thing almost remains to be eaten. The
farms near the sea-coast, or alluvial situations, however,
are their favorite haunts; and towards the close of Sep-
tember, the corn becoming hard, it is at length rejected
for the seeds of the wild rice ( Zizania aquatica)^ and oth-
er aquatic plants, which now begin to ripen, and afford
15*
174 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
a more harmless and cheap repast to these dauntless
marauders. At this time, also, they begin to roost in the
reeds, whither they repair in large flocks every evening
from all the neighbouring quarters of the country ; upon
these they perch or cling so as to obtain a support above
the surrounding waters of the marsh. When the reeds
become dry, advantage is taken of the circumstance to
destroy these unfortunate gormandizers by fire ; and those
who might escape the flames are shot down in vast num-
bers as they hover and scream around the spreading con-
flagration. Early in November, they generally leave the
northern and colder states ; with the exception of strag-
gling parties, who still continue to glean subsistence, in
the shelter of the sea-coast, in Delaware, Maryland, and
even in the cold climate of the state of Massachusetts.*
To those who seem inclined to extirpate these erratic
depredators, Wilson justly remarks, as a balance against
the damage they commit, the service they perform in the
spring season, by the immense numbers of insects and
their larvae which they destroy, as their principal food, and
which are of kinds most injurious to the husbandman.
Indeed Kalm remarked, that after a great destruction
made among these and the common Black-birds for the
legal reward of 3 pence a dozen, the Northern States, in
1749, experienced a complete loss of the grass and grain
crops, which were now devoured by insects.
Like the Troopial (^Oriolus icterus, Lath.) the Red-
wing shows attachment and docility in confinement, be-
coming, like the Starling, familiar with those who feed
him, and repaying the attention he receives, by singing
his monotonous ditty pretty freely, consisting, as we have
already remarked, of various odd, grating, shrill, guttural,
* My friend, Mr. S. Green, of Boston, assures me, that he bus seen these birds near
Newton, in a Cedar Swamp, in January.
RED-WINGED BLACK-BIRD, 175
and sometimes warbling tones, which become at length
somewhat agreeable to the ear ; and instances are said to
have occurred of their acquiring the power of articula-
ting several words pretty distinctly.
The flesh of this bird is but little esteemed, being dark
and tough like that of the Starling ; yet in some of the
markets of the United States they are at times exposed
for sale.
The male Red-winged Troopial is from 8J to 10 inches in length :
of a glossy black, with the exception of the lesser wing-coverts, in
which the lower rows of feathers are of a reddish cream-color, the
rest of a bright scarlet. Legs and bill black. Irids hazel. Tongue
nearly as long as the bill, slender, and torn at the end.
The female is from 8 to 9 inches long. Throat and below thickly
streaked with black and whitish, or cream color; under the throat
sometimes pale reddish. Above black, the feathers edged with pale
brown, white, or bay. Young 7?iflZe, black, the shoulder of the wing
the color of red lead, fading at the edges into buff yellow. Above,
with the feathers edged with brownish ferruginous and brownish
white, except the rump, in which the feathers are faintly edged with
cinereous ; over the eye-brows a pale line. Beneath, from the chin
downwards, black, the feathers edged with greyish white.
Note. The size and markings of tliis bird vary in so extraordina-
ry a degree, that, with Du Pratz, I should, from the inspection of a
few specimens, have been inclined to create a second species. The
old males are sometimes only 8.J inches in length, the largest 10.
The females likewise vary from 8 to 9 inches. In the young female
also the feathers are edged with ferruginous and whitish, and beneath
and around the base of the bill nearly yellow. Other females have
the edges of the feathers as described above. Some have the shoulder
of the wing almost as red as in the male, but the same feathers spot-
ted with dusky. As females of the same age, apparently, are without
this mark, I suppose it to be accidental. Taking into consideration,
then, the extreme differences in the size of either sex, the supposed
disparity of the pair vanishes. This occasional diminution of size
is probably, as in other birds, peculiar to the latest broods.
176 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
YELLOW-HEADED TROOPIAL.
{Icterus icteroccphalus, Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 26. pi. 4. [male], fig.
2. [female]. Philad. Museum, No. 1528, 1529.)
Sp. Charact. — Black ; head, neck, and breast yellow-orange ; with
a white spot on the wing. — Female and young dark brown ;
wings without spots ; throat whitish ; also a rounded yellow patch
on the breast.
The Yellow-headed Blackbird or Troopial, though
long known as an inhabitant of South America, was only
recently added to the Fauna of the United States by
JVIajor Long's expedition. They were seen in great
numbers near the banks of the River Platte, around the
villages of the Pawnees, about the middle of May ; and
the different sexes were sometimes observed associated in
separate flocks, as the breeding season had not yet proba-
bly commenced. The range of this fine species is, ap-
parently, from Cayenne, in tropical America, to the banks
of the river Missouri ; though I have never seen them
near that river in an excursion of 1600 miles. At all
events, its visits are yet wholly confined to the west side
of the Mississippi, beyond which, not even a straggler
has yet been seen. They are known to assemble in dense
flocks, and in all their movements, aerial evolutions, and
predatory character, appear as the counterpart of their
Red-winged relatives. They are also seen to frequent
the ground in search of food, in the manner of the Cow-
Bunting, or Troopial. In the spring season they wage
war upon the insect tribes and their larvae, like the Red-
wings, but in autumn they principally depend, doubt-
less, on the seeds of vegetables. At Demerara, Water-
ton observed them in flocks, and, as might have been
suspected from their habits, they were very greedy after
YELLOW-HEADED TROOPIAL. 177
Indian corn. Their notes are said to be similar to those
of the Red-winged Troopial, but more agreeable, though
Waterton bluntly, and perhaps truly, asserts, that their
attempts at song, compared with the true Troopial, are
" not worth attending to." The very beautiful, accurate,
and animated figures of the two sexes of this species,
given by Prince C. Bonaparte, leave nothing more to be
desired in graphical execution.
The male of this species is 10^ inches in length (according to
Prince Bonaparte, but the figure purporting to be the size of life is
only 9^.) The bill dark horn-color. Feet black. The irids dark
brown. The head, neck, and breast are brilliant orange-yellow, more
vivid and silky on the head. The feathers round the base of the bill,
chin, and a wide stripe passing through the eye, are black. The rest
of the feathers glossy black, tinged with brownish. Some of the
exterior wing-coverts are white with black tips, constituting 2 white
spots on the wing. The 1st, 2d, and 3d primaries are longest and
equal. Tail 4 inches long, slightly rounded. — The female Scinches
long (in the figure about the same size as the male, 9|), dark brown,
the margin of the feathers a shade lighter. The chin and throat whit-
ish. On the breast a large round patch of yellow. On the lower
part of the breast the feathers are skirted with white. — The young
are very similar to the female.
Species related to the Bunting. (Emberizoides.)
In these the bill is straight, short, thick, conic, and not much point-
ed. The sinus at the base of the bill sharp and shallow.
Note, These are somewhat allied to the Finches ; yet still more
so to the birds of the preceding section.
cow TROOPIAL, OR COW BLACK-BIRD.
(Icterus pccoris, Temm. Audubon, pi. 99. Emheriza pecoris, Wilson, 2.
p. 145. pi. 18. fig. 1. [male], fig. 2. [female], fig. 3. [the young].
Philad. Museum, No. 6378, 6379.)
Sp. Charact. — Glossy black ; head and neck blackish-brown. —
Female wholly sooty-brown, beneath pale. — Young smiilar to
the female, with the breast spotted.
The Cow-pen Bird, perpetually gregarious and flit-
ting, is observed to enter the Middle and Northern States
in the latter end of March or the beginning of April.
They make their migration now chiefly under cover of the
night, or early dawn ; and as the season becomes milder
they pass on to Canada, and perhaps follow the Warblers
and other small birds into the farthest regions of the
north, for they are seen no more after the middle of June,
cow TROOPIAL, OR COW BLACK-BIRD. 179
until the return of autumn, when, with the colds of Oc-
tober, they again reappear in numerous and augmented
flocks, usually associated with their kindred Red-wings,
to whom they bear a sensible likeness, as well as a
similarity in notes and manners. They pass the winter
in the warmer parts of America as well as in the South-
ern States, where I have observed them in the ploughed
fields, gleaning along with the Red-wings and the common
Black-birds. They are also very familiar around the cattle,
picking up insects which they happen to disturb, or that
exist in their ordure. When on the ground, they scratch up
the soil and appear very intent after their food. Some-
times even, infringing on the rights of the Plover, individ-
uals, in the winter, frequent the margins of ponds in
quest of aquatic insects and small shell-fish ; and they may
be seen industriously occupied in turning over the leaves
of the water-plants to which they adhere. They also fre-
quent occasionally the rice and corn fields, as well as
their more notorious associates, but are more inclined to
native food and insects at all times, so that they are
more independent and less injurious to the farmer. As
they exist in Mexico, it is probable, that they are also
bred in the higher table land, as well as in the regions
of the north. In Louisiana, however, according to Audu-
bon, they are rare visitors at any season, seeming more in-
clined to follow their route through the maritime districts.
Over these countries, high in the air, in the month of
October, they are seen by day winging their way to the
remoter regions of the south.
We have observed that the Red-wings separate in par-
ties, and pass a considerable part of the summer in the
necessary duties of incubation. But the Cow-pen Birds
release themselves from all hindrance to their wanderino-s.
The volatile disposition and instinct, which prompt
180 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
birds to migrate, as the seasons change and as their food
begins to fail, have only a periodical influence; and for a
while they remain domestic, and pass a portion of their
time in the cares and enjoyments of the conjugal state.
But with our bird, like the European Cuckoo, this season
never arrives ; the flocks live together without ever pair-
ing. A general concubinage prevails among them,
scarcely exciting any jealousy, and unaccompanied by
any durable affection. From the commencement of their
race, they have been bred as foundlings, in the nests of
other birds, and fed by foster-parents, under the perpet-
ual influence of delusion and deception, and by the sac-
rifice of the eoncurrent progeny of the nursing birds !
Amongst all the feathered tribes hitherto known, this and
the European Cuckoo, with a few other species indigenous
to the old continent, are the only kinds who never make
a nest or hatch their young. That this character is not
a vice of habit, but a perpetual instinct of nature, appears
from various circumstances, and from none more evidently
than from this, that the eggs of the Cow Troopial are
always earlier hatched than those of the foster-parent, a
singular and critical provision, on which perhaps the
existence of the species depends. For did the natural
brood of the deceived parent come first into existence,
the strange 'egg, on which they sat, would generally be
destroyed.
The number of nurses selected by this vagrant is
somewhat considerable. The greatest favorite appears to
be the Red-cycd Fly-catcher, the Wliitc-eycd species,
and the Mcirylancl Yclloio-throat ; but the Blue-bird , In-
digo-hird, Chipping-Sparroio , Song-Sparrow , Blue-eyed
Yellow Warbler, Blue-grey Fly-catcher, Golden-crown-
ed and JVihon^s Thrush, are also at times enlisted
in the number of foster parents for the black and
cow TROOPIAL, OR COW BLACK-BIRD. 181
greedy brood of our Cow-bird. When the female is dis-
posed to lay, she appears restless and dejected, and sepa-
rates from the unregarding flock. Stealing through the
woods and thickets, she pries into the bushes and bram-
bles for the nest that suits her, into which she darts, in
the absence of its owner, and in a few minutes is seen
to rise on the wing, cheerful and relieved from the anx-
iety that oppressed her, and proceeds back to the flock,
she had so reluctantly forsaken. If the egg be deposited
in the nest alone, it is uniformly forsaken ; but if the nurs-
ing parent have any of her own, she immediately begins
to sit. The Red-eyed Fly-catcher, in whose beautiful
basket-like nests I have observed these eggs, proves a
very affectionate and assiduous nurse to the uncouth
foundling. In one of these I found an egg of each bird,
and the hen already sitting.* I took her own egg and
left the strange one ; she soon returned, and, as if sensi-
ble of what had happened, looked with steadfast attention,
and shifted the egg about, then sat upon it, but soon
moved off", again renewed her observation, and it was a
considerable time before she seemed willing to take her
seat ; but at length I left her on the nest. Two or three
days after, I found that she had relinquished her
attention to the strange egg, and forsaken the premises.
Another of these birds, however, forsook the nest on
taking out the Cow-bird's egg, although she had still 2 of
her own left. The only example, perhaps, to the contrary
of deserting the nest when solely occupied by the stray
egg, is in the Blue-bird, who, attached strongly to the breed-
ing places, in which it often continues for several years,
has been known to lay, though with apparent reluctance,
after the deposition of the Cow-bird's egg. My friend,
* I have observed this present season (1831) the hen sitting on 2 eggs, and one of
the Cow-bird.
16
182 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS,
Mr. C. Pickering, found two nests of the Blue-eyed Yel-
low-warbler, in which had been deposited an egg of the
Cow-bird previously to any of their own ; and unable to
eject it, they had buried it in the bottom of the nest and
built over it au additional story! I also saw, in the
summer of 1830, a similar circumstance with the same
bird, in which the Cow-bird's egg, though incarcerat-
ed, was still visible on the upper edge, but could never
have been hatched. At times, I think it probable, that
they lay in the nests of larger birds, who throw out the
Ggg, oi* that they drop their eggs on the ground without
obtaining a deposit, as I have found an egg of this kind
thus exposed and broken. I have also remarked some-
times 2 of these eggs in the same nest, but in this case
one of them commonly proves abortive.
The most usual nurse of this bird appears to be
the Red-eyed Vireo, who commences sitting as soon as
the Cow-bird's egg is deposited. On these occasions, I
have known the Vireo to begin her incubation with only
an egg of each kind, and in other nests I have observed
as many as 3 of her own, with that of the intruder. From
the largeness of the strange egg, probably the nest im-
mediately feels filled, so as to induce the nurse directly to
sit. This larger egg, brought nearer to the body than
her own, is consequently better warmed and sooner hatch-
ed ; and the young of the Cow-bird, I believe, appears
about the I2th or 13th day of sitting. The foundling is
very faithfully nursed by the affectionate Vireo, along
with her own brood, who make their appearance about a
day later than the Troopial. From the great size of the
parasite, the legitimate young are often stifled, and, when
dead, are conveyed, as usual, by the duped parent to a dis-
tance before being dropped ; but they are never found im-
mediately beneath the nest, as would invariably happen
cow TROOPIAL, OR COW BLACK-BIRD. 183
if they were ejected by the young Troopial. Indeed, as
far as I have had opportunity of observing, the foundling
shows no hostility to the natural brood of his nurses, but
he nearly absorbs their whole attention, and early displays
his characteristic cunning and self-possession. When
fully fledged, they quickly desert their foster-parent, and
skulk about in the woods, until, at length, they instinc-
tively join company with those of the same feather, and
now becoming more bold, are seen in parties of 5 or 6,
in the fields and lanes, gleaning their accustomed sub-
sistence. They still, however, appear shy and watchful,
and seem too selfish to study any thing more than their
own security and advantage.
The egg of this bird is almost oval, scarcely larger
than that of the Blue-bird, thickly sprinkled with points
and confluent touches of olive brown, of two shades, some-
what more numerous at the greater end, on a white ground
tinged with green. But in some of these eggs the ground
is almost pure white, and the spots nearly black.
The sonff of the Cow-bird is oruttural and unmusical,
uttered with an air of affectation, and accompanied by a
bristling of the feathers and a swelling of the body in the
manner of the Turkey. These are also all the notes of
the species in the season of their attachment ; so that
their musical talent rates lower than that of any other bird
perhaps in the genus. Sometimes the tones of the male
resemble the liquid clinking of the Bobolink and Red-
winged Black-bird. Sitting on the summit of a lofty
branch, he amuses himself perhaps for an hour with an
occasional 'kliicJc Usee, the latter syllable uttered in a
drawling hiss like that of the Red-wing >• accompanied
by his mates, he also endeavours to amuse them by his
complaisant chatter ; and watching attentively for their
safety, they flit together at the instant he utters the loud
184 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
tone of alarm ; and they are always shy and suspicious
of the designs of every observer. On a fine spring morn-
ing, however, perched towards the summit of some tree in
the forest, where they seek rest after their twilight wan-
derings, small and select parties may be seen gratefully
baskincT in the mild beams of the sunshine. The male on
such occasions, like many other egotists, seems as
proud of his uncouth jargon, and as eager to please his
favorite companions, as the sentimental Nightingale with
his pathetic and varied lay.
The length of this species is 7 inches, its breadth 11. The head
and neck blackish brown ; the rest black, glossed with violet on the
breast, and with greenish above. Legs and claws black. Iris hazek
RICE BUNTING, or BOB-O-LINK.
(Icterus agripainis, Bonap. Audubon, pi. 54. Emheriza oryzivora,
Wilson J ii. p. 48. pi. 12. fig. 1. [male in spring dress.] fig. 2. [fe-
male.] Philad. Museum, No. G02G.)
Sr. Charact. — Tail feathers very acute. — Adult male in spring
dress, black; the hind head yellowish white; scapulars, rump,
and tail coverts, white, tinged with ash. — Female, young, and
male, in early autumn and winter dress, varied with brownish
black and brownish yellow 3 beneath dull yellow. The male with
much more yellow.
The whole continent of America, from Labrador to
Mexico, and the great Antilles, are the occasional resi-
dence of this truly migratory species. About the middle
of March, or beginning of April, the cheerful Bob-o-
link makes his appearance in the southern extremity of
the United States, becoming gradually arrayed in his nup-
16*
186 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
tial livery, and accompanied by troops of his companions,
who often precede the arrival of their more tardy mates.*
Their wintering resort appears to be rather the West In-
dies than the tropical continent, as their migrations are
observed to take place generally to the east of Louisiana,
where their visits are rare and irregular. t At this season
also they make their approaches chiefly by night, obeying,
as it were, more distinctly, the mandates of an overrul-
ing instinct, which prompts them to seek out their natal
regions ; while in autumn, their progress, by day only, is
alone instigated by the natural quest of food. About the
1st of May the meadows of Massachusetts begin to re-
echo their lively ditty. At this season, in wet places, and
by newly ploughed fields, they destroy many insects and
their larvae, but while on their way through the Southern
States, they cannot resist the temptation of feeding on the
early wheat and tender barley. According to their suc-
cess in this way, parties often delay their final northern
movement as late as the middle of May, so that they ap-
pear to be in no haste to arrive at their destination at any
exact period. The principal business of their lives how-
ever, the rearing of their young, does not take place until
they have left the parallel of the 40th degree. In the
savannahs of Ohio and Michigan, and the cool grassy
meadows of New York, Canada, and New England, they
fix their abode, and obtain a sufficiency of food throughout
the summer, without molesting the harvest of the farmer,
until the ripening of the latest crops of oats and barley,
when, in their autumnal and changed dress, hardly now
known as the same species, they sometimes show their
taste for plunder, and flock together like the greedy and
predatory Black-birds. Although they devour various
* Bartram's Travels, p. 295. (Ed. London.)
t Audubon, Ornithological Biography, i. p. 283.
RICE BUNTING, OR BOB-0-LINK. 187
kinds of insects and worms on their first arrival, I have
found that their frequent visits among the grassy
meadows were often also for the seeds they contain ; and
they are particularly fond of those of the Dock and Dan-
delion, the latter of which is sweet and oily. Later in
the season, and previously to leaving their native regions,
they feed principally on various kinds of grass seeds, par-
ticularly those of the Pajiicums, which are allied to mil-
let. They also feed on crickets and grasshoppers, as well
as beetles and spiders. Their nest is fixed on the ground
in a slight depression, usually in a field of meadow orass
either in a dry or moist situation, and consists merely of a
loose bedding of withered grass, so inartificial, as scarcely
to be distinguishable from the rest of the ground around it.
The eggs are 5 or 6, of a dull white, inclining to olive,
scattered all over with small spots and touches of lilac
brown, with some irregular blotches of dark rufous brown
chiefly disposed towards the larger end.
The males, arriving a little earlier than the other sex,
now appear very vigorous, lively, and familiar. Many
quarrels occur before the mating is settled ; and the fe-
males seem at first very coy and retiring. Emulation
fires the Bob-6-link at this period, and rival songsters pour
out their incessant strains of enlivening music from every
fence and orchard tree. The quiet females keep much on
the ground, but as soon as they appear, they are pursued
by the ardent candidates for their affection, and if either
seems to be favored, the rejected suitor is chased off the
ground, as soon as he appears, by his more fortunate rival.
The song of the male continues with little interruption as
long as the female is sitting, and his chant, at all times very
similar, is both singular and pleasant. Often, like the Sky-
lark, mounted, and hovering on the wing, at a small
height above the field, as he passes along from one tree
188 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
top or weed to another, he utters such a jingling medley
of short variable notes, so confused, rapid, and continuous,
that it appears almost like the blending song of several
different birds. Many of these tones are very agreeable,
but they are delivered with such rapidity that the ear can
scarcely separate them. The general effect, however, like
all the simple efforts of nature, is good, and when several
are chanting forth in the same meadow, the concert is
very cheerful, though monotonous, and somewhat quaint.
Among the few phrases that can be distinguished, the
liquid sound of Boh-6-lee, or Bob-n-lhik, Boh-o-Iinke, is
very distinct. To give an idea of the variable extent of
song, and even an imitation, in some measure, of the
chromatic period and air of this familiar and rather fa-
vorite resident, the boys of this part of New England
make him spout among others, the following ludicrous
dunning phrase, as he rises and hovers on the wing
near his mate, " 'B6h-6-link, 'Bob-d-Utik, 'Tom Denny
' Tom Denny. — 'Come pay me the two and six pence
you've owed more than a year and a half ago ! — 'tshe
Hshe 'tshe, 'tsh Hsh 'tshe," modestly diving at the same
instant down into the grass as if to avoid altercation.
However puerile this odd phrase may appear, it is quite
amusing to find how near it approaches to the time, and
expression of the notes, when pronounced in a hurried
manner. It would be unwise in the naturalist to hold in
contempt any thing, however trifling, which might tend to
elucidate the simple truth of nature. I therefore give the
thing as I find it. This relish for song and merriment,
confined wholly to the male, diminishes as the period of
incubation advances, and when the brood begin to flutter
around their parents and protectors, the song becomes less
frequent, the cares of the parents more urgent, and any
approach to the secret recess of their helpless family is
RICE BUNTING, OR BOB-0-LlNK. 189
deplored with urgent and incessant cries, as they hover
fearfully around the intentional or accidental intruder.
They appear sometimes inclined to have a second brood,
for which preparation is made while they are yet engaged
in rearing the first ; but the male generally loses his
musical talent about the end of the first week in July ;
from which time, or somewhat earlier, his nuptial or pied
dress begins gradually to be laid aside for the humble
garb of the female. The whole, both young and old, then
appear nearly in the same songless livery, uttering only a
chink of alarm when surprised in feeding on the grass
seeds, or the crops of grain which still remain abroad.
When the voice of the Bob-o-link begins to fail, with the
progress of the exhausting moult, he flits over the fields
in a restless manner, and merely utters a broken 'bob'Iee,
'bob^lee, or with his songless mate, at length, a 'iveet \veet,
b'leet b'leet, and a noisy and disagreeable cackling chirp.
At the early dawn of day, while the tuneful talent of the
species is yet unabated, the effect of their awakening and
faultering voices from a wide expanse of meadows, is
singular and grand. The sounds mingle like the noise
of a distant torrent, which alternately subsides and rises
on the breeze, as the performers awake or relapse into
rest ; it finally becomes more distinct and tumultuous, till
with the opening day it assumes the intelligible charac-
ter of their ordinary song. The young males, towards
the close of July, having nearly acquired their perfect
character, utter also in the morning, from the trees which
border their favorite marshy meadows, a very agreeable
and continuous low warble, more like that of the Yellow-
bird than the usual song of the species ; in fact, they
appear now in every respect as Finches, and only become
jingling musicians, when robed in their pied dress as
Icteri !
190 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
About the middle of August, in congregating numbers,
divested already of all selective attachment, vast foraging
parties enter New York and Pennsylvania, on their way
to the south. Here, along the shores of the large rivers,
lined with floating fields of the Wild Rice,* they find an
abundant means of subsistence during their short stay ;
and as their flesh, now fat, is little inferior to that of the
European Ortolan, the Reed or Rice birds, as they are
then called in their Sparrow-dress, form a favorite sport
for gunners of all descriptions, who turn out on the occa-
sion, and commit prodigious havock among the almost
silent and greedy roosting throng. The markets are then
filled with this delicious game, and the pursuit, both for
success and amusement, along the picturesque and reedy
shores of the Delaware, and other rivers, is second to
none but that of Rail-sliooting. As soon as the cool
nights of October commence, and as the Wild Rice crops
begin to fail, the Reed-birds take their departure from
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in their further pro-
gress through the southern States they swarm in the Rice
fields, and before the crop is gathered they have already
made their appearance in the islands of Cuba and Ja-
maica, where they also feed on the seeds of the Guinea
grass, t become so fat as to deserve the name of ^Butter-
birds,'' and are in high esteem for the table.
The Rice-Troopial is 7^ inches long, and W^'vn. extent. The dress
of the male, on arriving, is with the upper part of the head, wings,
tail, sides of the neck, and whole lower parts, black ; the feathers
frequently skirted with brownish yellow, but more particularly so as
he puts on the livery of the female ; the back of the head yellowish
white ; scapulars, rump, and tail coverts white, and all except the
first tinged with ash. Feathers of the tail sharp at the end, (as
among the Woodpeckers.) Iris hazel. Bill bluish black ; in the
female, young bird, and autumnal male, pale flesh-color.
* Zizania species. t Sorghum.
AMERICAN BLACKBIRDS. 191
§ 2. Birds related to the Crow. (Coraces.)
In these the bill is cultrate, and the edges sharp. The outer toe is
also free, and scarcely united at base to the middle one.
AMERICAN BLACKBIRDS. (Quiscalus. Vieill)
With the BILL bare, compressed from the base, and entire ; the
edges sharp, and somewhat bent inwards ; the upper mandible car-
ried back so as to form an acute angle on the foreliead, curved from
the middle, projecting considerably over the lower, and provided
with a long keel within. Nostrils oval, half closed by a membrane.
The TONGUE cartilaginous, flattened, torn at the sides, and cleft at the
point. The tarsus a little longer than the middle toe, the lateral
toes nearly equal, with the inner free, and the outer united at base
to the middle one. Wings moderate in length ; the 1st primary equal
to the 5th, and but little shorter than the 2d, 3d, and 4th, which are
longest. The tail composed of 12 feathers, and more or less
rounded.
The TTiale black ; female generally brownish. The young differ-
ing from the adult. They moult annually, but, by the wearing of
the tips of the feathers, one species undergoes an additional change
like the Starling, — They are gregarious, retiring to warmer climates
in winter ; usually build socially in trees, and lay about 5 eggs.
Their flesh is dark and not esteemed.
192 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
GREAT CROW-BLACKBIRD.
(Q^isca Jus major, Vieill.Bonap. Am. Orn. vol. i. p. 35. pi. 4. fig. 1.
[male.] fig. 2. [female.] Philad. Museum, No. 1582, 1583.)
Sp. Charact. — Glossy -black ; tail wedge-shaped, reaching very
far beyond the wings (nearly 5 inches) ; bony keel (of the upper
mandible) small; length IG inches. — Female light brown, be-
neath and eye-brows whitish : length 12^ inches.
This large and Crow-like species, sometimes called
the Jackdaw, inhabits the southern parts of the Union
only, particularly the states of Georgia and Florida,
where they are seen as early as the close of January or
beginning of February, but do not begin to pair before
March, previously to which season the sexes are seen in
separate flocks. But about the latter end of November,
they quit even the mild climate of Florida, generally, and
seek winter quarters probably in the West Indies, where
they are known to be numerous, as well as in Mexico
and Louisiana ; but they do not ever extend their north-
ern migrations as far as the Middle States. Previous to
their departure, at the approach of winter, they are seen
to assemble in large flocks, and every morning flights of
them, at a great height, are seen moving away to the
south.
Like most gregarious birds, they are of a very sociable
disposition, and are frequently observed to mingle with
the common Crow-Blackbirds. They assemble in great
numbers amonor the sea-islands, and neishbouring marsh-
es on the main land, where they feed at low- water, on the
oyster-beds and sand-flats. Like Crows, they are omniv-
OTous, their food consisting of insects, corn, and small
grain, so that by turns they may be viewed as the friend
or plunderer of the planter.
GREAT CROW-BLACKBIRD. 193
The note of this species is louder than that of the com-
mon kind, and some of its jarring tones are said to bear
a resemblance to the noise of a watchman's rattle. They
are only heard to sing in the spring, and their concert,
though inclining to melancholy, is not altogether disa-
greeable. Their nests are built in company, on reeds
and bushes, in the neighbourhood of marshes and ponds ;
they lay about 5 eggs which are whitish, blotched and
lined nearly all over with dusky olive.
The general appearance of the male is black, but the head and
neck' have bluish-purple reflections; the rest presents shades of steel-
blue, excepting the back, rump, and middling wing-coverts which
are glossed with copper green ; the vent, inferior tail coverts, and
thighs are plain black. The tail, wedge-shaped, is nearly 8 inches in
length, and like that of the common species, is capable of assuming
a boat-shaped appearance. Iris pale yellow. The bill and feet black.
The female is of a light dusky brown, with some feeble greenish
reflections, and beneath of a dull brownish white. The young, at
first, resemble the female, but have the irids brown, and gradually
acquire their appropriate plumage.
17
COMMON CROW-BLACKBIRD.
( Quiscalus versicolor, Vieill. Audubon, pi. 7. [stealing corn, very
spirited and natural.] Bonap. Am. Orn. vol. ii. p. 42. pi. '5. fig. 1.
[female.] Gracula quiscala, Wilson, iii. p.' 44. pi. 21. fig. 4. [male.])
Sp. Charact. — Glossy-black; tail wedge-formed, extending far
beyond the wings (nearly 3 inches) ; bony keel within the bill
large ; length about II.^ inches; vertical breadth of the bill at
base nearly ^ an inch. — Female similar to the male, but some-
what less brilliant : length 11 inches.
This very common bird is an occasional or constant
resident in every part of America, from Hudson's Bay
and the northern interior to the Great Antilles, within
the tropic. In most part of this wide region they also
breed, at least from Nova Scotia to Louisiana, and proba-
bly farther south. Into the states north of Virginia they
begin to migrate from the beginning of March to April,
leaving those countries again in numerous troops about
COMMON CROW-BLACKBIRD. 195
the middle of November. Thus assembled from the north
and west in increasing numbers, they wholly overrun, at
times the warmer maritime regions, where they assemble
to pass the winter in the company of their well known
cousins the Red-winged Troopials or Blackbirds ; for
both impelled by the same predatory appetite, and love
of comfortable winter quarters, are often thus accidental-
ly associated in the plundering and gleaning of the plan-
tations. The amazing numbers in which the present
species associate are almost incredible. Wilson relates
that on the *20th of January, a few miles from the banks
of the Roanoke in Virginia, he met with one of those
prodigious armies of Blackbirds, which, as he approach-
ed, rose from the surrounding fields with a noise like
thunder, and descending on the stretch of road before
him, covered it and the fences completely with black ;
rising again, after a few evolutions, they descended
on the skirt of a leafless wood, so thick as to give the
whole forest, for a considerable extent, the appearance of
being shrouded in mourning, the numbers amounting
probably to many hundreds of thousands. Their notes
and screams resembled the distant sound of a mighty
cataract, but strangely attuned into a musical cadence,
which rose and fell with the fluctuation of the breeze, like
the magic harp of .^olus.
Their depredations on the maize crop or Indian corn
commence almost with the planting. The infant
blades no sooner appear than they are hailed by the
greedy Blackbird as the signal for a feast ; and, without
hesitation, thev descend on the fields, and resale them-
selves with the sweet and sprouted seed, rejecting and
scattering the blades around as an evidence of their mis^
chief and audacity. Again, about the beginning of Au-
gust, while the grain is in the milky state, their attacks
196 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
are renewed with the most destructive effect, as they now
assemble as it were in clouds, and pillage the fields to
such a degree that in some low and sheltered situations, in
the vicinity of rivers, where they delight to roam, one
fourth of the crop is devoured by these vexatious visitors.
The gun, also, notwithstanding the havock it produces,
has little more effect than to chase them from one part of
the field to the other. In the Southern States, in winter,
they hover round the corn-cribs in swarms, and boldly
peck the hard grain from the cob through the air openings
of the magazine. In consequence of these reiterated
depredations they are detested by the farmer as a pest to
his industry ; though, on their arrival their food for a long
time consists wholly of those insects which are calculated
to do the most essential injury to the crops. They, at
this season, frequent swamps and meadows, and familiar-
ly following the furrows of the plow, sweep up all the
grub-worms, and other noxious animals, as soon as they
appear, even scratching up the loose soil, that nothing of
this kind may escape them. Up to the time of harvest,
I have uniformly, on dissection, found their food to con-
sist of these larvge, caterpillars, moths, and beetles, of
which they devour such numbers, that but for this provi-
dential economy, the whole crop of grain, in many places,
would probably be destroyed by the time it began to ger-
minate. In winter they collect the mast of the Beech
and Oak for food, and may be seen assembled in large
bodies in the woods for this purpose. In the spring
season the Blackbirds roost in the cedars and pine
trees, to which in the evening they retire with friendly
and mutual chatter. On the tallest of these trees, as well
as in bushes, they generally build their nests, which work,
like all their movements, is commonly performed in socie-
ty, so that 10 or 15 of them are often seen in the same
COMMON CROW-BLACKBIRD. 197
tree, and sometimes they have been known to thrust
their nests into the interstices of the Fish-hawk's eyry,
as if for safety and protection. They begin their breed-
ing operations from the commencement of April to May.
The nest is composed outwardly of mud, mixed with
stalks and knotty roots of grass, and lined with fine dry
grass and horse-hair. The eggs, usually 5 or 6, are of a
dull green like those of the Crow, blotched and spotted
with dark olive, more particularly towards the larger end.
According to Audubon, the same species in the Southern
States nests in the hollows of decayed trees, after the man-
ner of the Woodpecker, lining the cavity with a few
weeds and feathers. They seldom produce more than a
single brood in the season. In the autumn, and at the
approach of winter, numerous flocks after foraging
through the day, return from considerable distances to
their general roosts among the reeds. On approaching
their station, each detachment, as it arrives, in strao-alino-
groups like crows, sweeps round the marsh in waving
flight, forming circles ; amidst these bodies, the note of
the old reconnoitering leader may be heard, and no sooner
has he fixed upon the intended spot, than they all descend
and take their stations in an instant. At this time they
are also frequently accompanied by the Ferruginous spe-
cies, with which they associate in a friendly manner.
The Blackbird is easily tamed, sings in confinement,
and may be taught to articulate some few words pretty
distinctly. Among the variety of its natural notes, the
peculiarly affected sibilation of the Starling is heard in
the ivottitsheCy wottitshee, and whistle, which often accom-
panies this note. Their intestines and stomach are
frequently infested by long, cylindric, tapering worms,
which probably increase sometimes in such numbers as
to destroy the bird.
17*
198 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
The male is 12 inches long, and 18 in alar extent. The prevailing
black color of the body is relieved by glossy reflections of steel blue,
dark violet and green ; the violet is most conspicuous on the head
and breast, and the green on the hind part of the neck. The back,
rump, and whole lower parls, with the exception of the breast, reflect
a cupreous gloss. The wing-coverts, secondaries, and coverts of
the tail, are light violet, with much of the red ; the rest of the wings
and rounded tail are black, with a steel-blue gloss. Iris silvery. —
The female is rather less, but very similar in color, and glossy parti-
colored reflections.
BLACK ORIOLE, or SLENDER-BILLED BLACK-
BIRD.
( Quiscalus harittts, Bonap. Gracula barita, Lin. Oriolus niger, Gia.
Latham, i. p. 185. Black Oriole, Pennant. Buf. pi. enlum. 534.)
Sp. Charact. — Glossy black, with uniform bluish reflections faint-
ly inclining to green on the wings ; head and throat slightly
edged with ferruginous j tail nearly even, extending beyond the
wings more than 2 inches; osseous carina small; length 10^
inches ; vertical breadth of the bill at base about | of an inch. —
The female scarcely smaller, dull brownish ; beneath and eye-
brows whitish.
Of this species I know little more than that it is occa-
sionally seen in this vicinity in the spring, and has habits
very similar to the Ferruginous Blackbird. It is, how-
ever, distinguished at once, both from this and the com-
mon species, by its more slender elongated form, al-
most unvaried color, and general look even of a Thrush.
According to Pennant, they migrate as far north as Hud-
son's Bay, arriving there about the beginning of June,
and feed on insects and their larvae, singing agreeably
till the time of incubation, but afterwards only utter a
chucking noise till the young take to flight, when they
resume their song. They build their nests in trees, about
RUSTY BLACKBIRD. 199
8 feet from the ground, and form them of a mixture of
moss and grass. The eggs are 5, of a dark color, spotted
with dusky. They assemble in great flocks, and retire
southwardly in September. — Some part of this descrip-
tion probably applies to the Ferruginous Blackbird, with
which it may easily be confounded. This species is also
known to inhabit the West Indies, and South America.
The prevailing color of this bird is a deep glossy black, with faint
steel-blue reflections inclining to greenish on the wings and tail.
The head small, and the bill somewhat acute. The tail about 4 inch-
es, almost exactly even, but with the outermost pair of feathers a little
shorter than the rest. The individual I describe appears new moult-
ed, and on the throat and breast, the feathers, less glossy black than
above, are very faintly tipt with brownish dirty white ; on the front,
superciliary ridge, and back of the neck, these tips are dark chestnut,
and scarcely visible on the latter. The bill, from the opening of the
mouth, is about 9 lines, black, and a little paler at the base of the
under mandible. The legs are black, the tarsus full an inch, or as
long as in the Common Blackbird.
RUSTY BLACKBIRD.
(Qulscahis ferrugineiis, Bonap. Chaculaferruginea, Wilso>", iii. p,
41. pi. 21. fig. 3. [male, in the spring]. Philad Museum. No. 5514.)
Sp. Charact. — Glossy-black, more or less skirted with ferruginous ;
tail rounded : the length about 9 inches ; vertical breadth of the
bill at base about ^ of an inch : — Female nearly equal to the male,
head, neck, and breast ferruginous-brown; the belly and rump
ash color.
This species, less frequent than the preceding, is often
associated with it, or with the Red-winged Troopial or
the Cow-pen Bird, and, according to the season, they are
found throughout America, from Hudson's Bay to Flori-
da. Early in April, according to Wilson, they pass hastily
through Pennsylvania, on their return to the north to
breed. In the month of March he observed them on the
200 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
banks of the Ohio, near Kentucky river, during a snow
storm. They arrive in the vicinity of Hudson's Bay
about the beginning of June, and feed much in the man-
ner of the Common Crow-Blackbird on insects, which
they find on or near the ground. Dr. Richardson, saw
them in the winter as far as the latitude of 53^. They
sing in the pairing season, but become nearly silent
while rearing their young ; though when their brood re-
lease them from care they again resume their lay, and
may occasionally be heard until the approach of winter.
Their song is quite as agreeable and musical as that of
the Starling, and greatly surpasses that of any of the
other species. I have heard them singing until the mid-
dle of October.
They are said to build in trees, at no great distance
from the ground, making a nest similar to the other
species, and lay 5 eggs, rather dusky, and spotted with
blfick. The young and old, now assembling in large
troops, retire from the northern regions in September.
From the beginnincr of October to the middle of Novem-
ber, they are seen in flocks through the Eastern States.
During their stay in this vicinity, they assemble towards
night to roost in or round the reed marshes of Fresh Pond,
near Cambridge. Sometimes they select the willows by
the water for their lodging, in preference to the reeds,
which they give up to their companions the Crow-Black-
birds. Early in October they feed chiefly on grasshoppers
and berries, and at a later period pay a transient visit to
the corn-fields. They pass the winter in the Southern
States, and like their darker relatives, make familiar visits
to the barn-yard and corn-cribs. Wilson, remarks, that
they are easily domesticated, and in a few days become
quite familiar, being reconciled to any quarters while
supplied with plenty of food.
CROWS. 201
The male is about 9 inches in length ; and 14 in alar extent j at
first appearing black, glossed with dark green; with the tail some-
what rounded ; the plumage at length becomes more or less tinctured
with brown,, or skirted with ferruginous. This change in the plum-
age appears to be analogous to that which takes place in the Euro-
pean Starling. Iris silvery. — The fcvialc is of about the same size
with the male, and the young of the first season, of both sexes, are
nearly of the same color.
CROWS. (CoRvus. Lin.)
In these the bill is thick, straight at the base, curved towards the
point, and compressed and edged at the sides. Nostrils at the base
of the bill, open, and hidden in advancing hairs. The feet have 3
toes before, and 1 behind, almost entirely divided to their base ; the
tarsus longer than the middle toe. The wings sharp-pointed ; the 1st
primary short ; the 3d and 4th, longest. The tail of 12 feathers.
These birds appear to have the sense of smell very perfect. Sus-
picious to excess they instinctively avoid all sorts of snares ; they
have also the cunning and caprice, to take and hide things which
are useless to them. They can be rendered amusing domestics; may
be taught to articulate words, and to obey the voice of their master.
All kinds of nourishment is acceptable to them ; and they sometimes
commit great waste, which they compensate in a measure, by the
destruction they make of the larvae of insects. The larger species
occasionally prey on small birds, and most of them have a great ap-
petite for eggs. They moult once a year. The sexes are scarcely
distinguishable from each other, and the young, after casting their
first feathers resemble the adult. They travel and unite always in
bands; and are spread over the whole globe.
THE TRUE CROWS
Have the bill thick and stout; the feathers of the head, incapable
of erection ; the tail moderate in length, even, or slightly rounded.
Their color is black, without any variegation. — They also walk
jgravely, and have an elevated and long sustained flight.
^'~fffrrS^^f;^fy''^^T^
THE RAVEN.
(Corvus corax, Lin. Wilson, ix. p. 113. pi. 75. fig. 3. Philad. Muse-
um, No. 175.)
Sp. Chakact. — Black; back glossed with bluish purple; tail much
rounded extending far beyond the wings : 3d primary longest ;
(length about 26 inches.)
The sable Raven has been observed and described from
the earliest times, and is a resident of ahnost every coun-
try in the world; but is more particularly abundant in
the western than the eastern parts of the United States.
This ominous bird has been generally despised and fear-
ed by the superstitious, even more than the nocturnal
Owl^ though he prowls abroad in open day. He may be
RAVEN. 203
considered as holding a relation to the birds of prey, feed-
ing not only on carrion, but, occasionally seizing on
weakly Iambs, young hares, or rabbits, and seems indeed
to give a preference to animal food ; but, at the. same time,
he is able to live on all kinds of fruits and grain, as well
as insects, earth-worms, even dead fish, and in addition
to all, is particularly fond of eggs, so that no animal
seems more truly omnivorous than the Raven,
If we take into consideration his indiscriminating
voracity, sombre livery, discordant croaking cry, with
his ignoble, wild, and funereal aspect, we need not
be surprised, that in times of ignorance and error, he
should have been so generally regarded as an object of
disgust and fear. He stood preeminent in the list of
sinister birds, or those whose only premonition was the
announcing of misfortunes ; and, strange to tell, there are
many people yet in Europe, even in this enlightened age,
who tremble and become uneasy at the sound of his
harmless croaking. According to Adair, the southern
aborigines also invoke the Raven for those who are sick,
mimicking his voice ; and the natives of the Missouri, as-
suming black as their emblem of war, decorate them-
selves, on those occasions, with the plumes of this dark
bird. But all the knowledge of the future, or interest in
destiny, possessed by the Raven, like that of other inhab-
itants of the air, is bounded by an instinctive feeling of
the changes which are about to happen in the atmosphere,
and which he has the faculty of announcing by certain
cries and actions produced by these external impressions.
In the southern provinces of Sweden, as Linnaeus re-
marks, when the sky is serene, the Raven flies very high,
and utters a hollow sound, like the word clong, which is
heard to a great distance. Sometimes he has been seen
in the midst of a thunder storm, with the electric fire
204 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
Streaming from the extremity of his bill,* a natural,
though extraordinary phenomenon, sufficient to terrify
the superstitious, and to stamp the harmless subject of it
with the imaginary traits and attributes of a demon.
In ancient times when divination made a part of reli-
gion, the Raven, though a bad prophet, was yet a very
interesting bird ; for the passion for prying into future
events, even the most dark and sorrowful, is an original
propensity of human nature ; accordingly, all the actions
of this sombre bird, all the circumstances of its flight,
and all the different intonations of its discordant voice,
of which, no less than 64 were remarked, had each of
them an appropriate signification ; and there were never
wanting impostors to procure this pretended intelligence,
nor people simple enough to credit it. Some even went
so far, as to impose upon themselves, by devouring the
heart and entrails of the disgusting Raven, in the strange
hope of thus appropriating its supposed gift of proph-
ecy, t
The Raven indeed not only possesses a great niany nat-
ural inflections of voice, corresponding to its various feel-
ings, but it has also a talent for imitating the cries of
other animals, and even mimicking language. Accord-
ing to Buffbn, colas is a word which he pronounces with
peculiar facility. Connecting circumstances with his
wants, Scaliger heard one, which when hungry, learnt
very distinctly to call upon Conrad the cook. The first
of these words bears a great resemblance to one of the
ordinary cries of this species, Mwallah, koioallah. Be-
sides possessing, in some measure, the faculty of imitating
human speech, they are at times, capable of manifesting
a durable attachment to their keeper, and become famil-
* Scala Naturalis, apud Aldrovand. torn. i. page. 704.
t PoRPHYR. De abslinendo ab animant. Lib. ii.
RAVEN. 205
iar about the house. Pliny speaks of the Raven being
tamed, and taught to chase like the Falcon ; and Scaliger
affirms, that Louis the Twelfth had one that was trained
to attack the Partridge. Albert saw another at Naples,
which not only caught Patridges and Pheasants, but birds
of its own species, when urged by the presence of the
Falconer,
The sense of smell, or rather that of sight, is very
acute in the Raven, so that he discerns the carrion, on
which he often feeds, at a great distance. Thucydides
even attributes to him the sagacity of avoiding to feed on
animals which had died of the plague. Pliny relates a
singular piece of ingenuity employed by this bird to quench
his thirst ; he had observed water near the bottom of a
narrow-necked vase, to obtain which, he is said to have
thrown in pebbles, one at a time, until the pile elevated
the water within his reach. Nor does this trait, singular
as it is, appear to be much more sagacious than that
of carrying up nuts and shell-fish into the air, and drop-
ping them on rocks, for the purpose of breaking them to
obtain their contents, otherwise beyond his reach ; facts
observed by men of credit, and recorded as an instinct of
the Raven, by Pennant and Latham. It is however seldom
that this bird, any more than the rapacious kinds, feels
an inclination for drinking, as their thirst is usually
quenched by the blood and juices of their prey. The Ra-
vens are also more social than the birds of prey, which
arises from the promiscuous nature and consequent abun-
dance of their food, which allows a greater number to sub-
sist together in the same place, without being urged to the
stern necessity of solitude or famine, a condition to which
the true rapacious birds are always driven. The habits
of this species are much more generally harmless, than is
18
206 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
usually imagined ; they are useful to the farmer in the
destruction they make of moles and mice, and are often
very well contented with insects and earth-worms.
Though spread over the whole world, they are rarely
ever birds of passage, enduring the winters even of the
arctic circle,* or the warmth of Mexico, St. Domingo,
and Madagascar. t They are particularly attached to the
rocky eyries where they have been bred and paired.
Throughout the year they are observed together in nearly
equal numbers, and they never entirely abandon this
adopted home. If they descend into the plain, it is to
collect subsistence ; but they resort to the low grounds
more in winter than summer, as they avoid the heat
and dislike to wander from their cool retreats. They
never roost in the woods, like Crows ; and have sufficient
sagacity to choose in their rocky retreats a situation de-
fended from the winds of the north, commonly under the
natural vault formed by an extending ledge or cavity of
the rock. Here they retire during the night in compa-
nies of 15 to 20. They perch upon the bushes which
(rrow straggling in the clefts of the rocks ; but they
form their nests in the rocky crevices, or in the holes of
the mouldering walls, at the summits of ruined towers ;
and sometimes upon the high branches of large and soli-
tary trees. After they have paired, their fidelity appears
to continue through life. The male expresses his attach-
ment by a particular strain of croaking, and they are often
observed caressing, by approaching their bills, with as
much semblance of affection as the truest turtle doves.
In temperate climates, the Raven begins to lay in the
months of February or March. The eggs are 5 or 6, of a
pale muddy bluish-green, marked with numerous spots and
lines of dark olive-brown. She sits about 20 days, and
* Richardson, in Parry's Voyage. t See Flacour.
RAVEN. 207
during this time the male takes care to provide her with
abundance of nourishment. Indeed, from the quantity of
grain, nuts, and fruits, which have been found at this time
in the environs of the nest, this supply would appear to be a
store laid up for future occasions. Whatever may be their
forethought regarding food, they have a well known
propensity to hid things which come within their reach,
though useless to themselves, and appear to give a prefer-
ence to pieces of metal, or any thing which has a bril-
liant appearance. At Erfurt, one of these birds had the
patience to carry and hide, one by one, under a stone in
the garden, a quantity of small pieces of money, which
amounted, when discovered, to 5 or 6 florins ; and there
are few countries which cannot afford similar instances
of their domestic thefts.
Of the perseverance of the Raven in the act of incuba-
tion, Mr. White has related the following remarkable anec-
dote : in the centre of a grove near Selborne, there stood
a tall and shapeless oak, which bulged out into a large
excrescence near the middle of the stem. On this tree a
pair of Ravens had fixed their residence for such a series
of years, that the oak was distinguished by the title of
"The Raven Tree." Many were the attempts of the
neighbouring youths to get at this nest; the difficulty
whetted their inclinations, and each was ambitious of
accomplishing the arduous task ; but when they arrived at
the swelling, it jutted out so in their way, and was so far
beyond their grasp, that the boldest lads were deterred,
and acknowledged the undertaking to be too hazardous.
Thus the Ravens continued to build, and rear their young
in security, until the fatal day on which the wood was to
be levelled. This was in the month of February, when
these birds usually begin to sit. The saw was applied
to the trunk, the wedges were driven, the woods echoed
208 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
to the heavy blows of the beetle or mallet, and the tree
nodded to its fall; but still the devoted Raven sat on.
At last, when it gave way, she was flung from her an-
cient eyry ; and, a victim to parental aifection, was whip-
ped dov/n by the twigs, and brought lifeless to the ground.
The young, at first more white than black, are fed by
food previously prepared in the craw of the mother, and
then disgorged by the bill, nearly in the manner of pi-
geons. The male, at this time, doubly vigilant and in-
dustrious, not only provides for, but defends his family
vigorously from every hostile attack, and shows a particu-
lar enmity to the Kite, when he appears in his neighbour-
hood, pouncing upon him and striking with his bill^ until
sometimes both antagonists descend to the ground. The
young are long and affectionately fed by the parents, and
though they soon leave the nest, they remain, perching
on the neighbouring rocks, yet unable to make any ex-
tensive flight, and pass the time in continual complaining
cries, till the approach of the parent with food, when their
note changes into crmv, craio, craw. Now and then, as
they gain strength, they make efforts to fly, and then re-
turn to their rocky roost. About 15 days after leaving the
nest, they become so well prepared for flight as to accom-
pany the parents out on their excursions from morning to
night ; and it is amusing to watch the progress of this af-
fectionate association, the young continuing the whole
summer to go out with the old in the morning, and as
regularly return with them again in the evening, so that
however we may despise the appetite of the Raven, we
cannot but admire the instinctive morality of his nature.
Like birds of prey, the Ravens reject from the stomach,
by the bill, the hard and indigestible parts of their food,
as the stones of fruit, and the bones of small fish which
they sometimes eat.
RAVEN. 209
The Raven is remarkable also for his longevity, being
known to live more than a century. Although closely
related to the tribes of smaller birds, with which he is
very properly associated, yet he may still be considered
as holding the place also of an additional link in the
order of nature between the two preceding tribes of rapa-
cious birds, namely, the Vultures and Hawks.
The color of the Raven is a fine black, relieved with purple reflec-
tions above; tail black and much rounded. Bill strong, and, as well
as the feet, black. The iris with 2 circles, greyish white, and cinere-
ous brown. The female is a little smaller. It varies sometimes to
total whiteness, or is of a yellowish white. Occasionally some parts
of the body are white, and others black or rufous.
THE CROW.
(Corvus coro7ie, Lin. Wilson, iv. p. 79. pi. 35. fig. 3. Phil. Museum,
No. 1246.)
Sp. Charact. — Black and glossy, with violet- colored reflections;
the tail somewhat rounded, extending but little beyond the
wings ; the feathers of the tail acute ; the 4th primary longest,
with the 1st equal to the 9th. [Length 18^ inches.]
The Crow, like the Raven, which it greatly resembles,
is a denizen of nearly the whole world. They are found
even in New Holland, and the Philippine Islands ; they
are, however, rare in Sweden, where the Raven abounds,
as they are in the western part of the United States,
where this superior species likewise frequents ; nor are
they common in the warmer parts of the Union, in conse-
quence of the same antipathy or persecution which they
experience from the Vultures. They are also common
in Siberia, and plentiful in the artic deserts beyond the
Lena.
18*
210 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
The Crow is a constant and troublesomely abundant
resident in most of the settled districts of North America.
They only retire into the forests in the breeding season,
which takes place from March to May. At this time they
are dispersed through the woods in pairs, and roost in the
neighbourhood of the spot which they have selected for
their nest; and the conjugal union, once formed, continues
for life. They are now very noisy and vigilant against any
intrusion on their purpose, and at times appear influenced
by mutual jealousy, but never proceed to any violence.
The tree they select is generally lofty, and preference
seems often given to some dark and concealing ever-
green. The nest is formed externally of small twigs,
coarsely interlaced together, plastered and matted with
earth, moss, and long horse-hair, and thickly and carefully
lined with large quantities of the last material, wool, or
the finest fibres of roots, so as to form a very comfortable
bed for the helpless and naked young. The eggs are 4 to 6,
of a pale and dirty green, marked with numerous blotches
and streaks of blackish brown or olive.
The male at this season is extremely watchful, recon-
noitring the neighbourhood, and giving an alarm as any
person happens to approach towards their nest, when both
retire to a distance till the intruder disappears ; and in
order the better to conceal their helpless brood, they re-
main uncommonly silent, until these are in a situation to
follow them on the wing. The male also carries food to
his mate while confined to her eggs, and at times relieves
her by sitting in her absence. In Europe, when the
Raven, the Buzzard, or the Kestril makes his appear-
ance, the pair join instantly in the attack, and sometimes,
by dint of furious blows, destroy their enemy ; yet the
Butcher-bird, more alert and courageous, not only resists,
but often vanquishes the Crows, and carries off their
CROW. 211
young. Like the Ravens, endued with an unrestrained
and natural affection, they continue the whole succeed-
ing summer to succour and accompany their offspring in
all their undertakinors and excursions.
The Crow is equally omnivorous with the Raven ; in-
sects, worms, carrion, fish, grain, fruits, and in short
every thing digestible by any or all the birds in existence,
being alike acceptable to this gormandizing animal.
His destruction of bird-eggs is also very considerable.
In Europe they are often detected feeding their voracious
young with the precious eggs of the Partridge, which they
very sagaciously convey by carefully piercing and sticking
them expertly on the bill. They also know how to
break nuts and shell-fish by dropping them from a great
height upon the rocks below.* They visit even the snares,
and devour the birds which they find caught, attacking
the weak and wounded game. They also sometimes seize
on young chickens and ducks, and have even been observ-
ed to pounce upon pigeons, in the manner of hawks, and
with almost equal success. So familiar and audacious are
they in some parts of the Levant, that they will frequent
the courts of houses, and like harpies alight boldly on the
dishes, as the servants are conveying in the dinner, and
carry off the meat, if not driven away by blows. In turn
however the Crow finds enemies too powerful for him to
conquer, such as the Kite and Eagle Owl, who occasion-
ally make a meal of this carrion bird, a voracious pro-
pensity which the Virginian Owl also sometimes exhibits
towards the same species. Wherever the Crow appears,
the smaller birds take the alarm, and vent upon him their
just suspicions and reproaches. But it is only the re-
* It is related of a certain ancient philosopher, walking along the sea-shore to
gather shells, that one of these unlucky birds, mistaking his bald head for a stone,
dropped a shell-fish upon it, and thus killed at once a philosopher and an oyster.
212 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
doubtable King-bird who has courage for the attack, begin-
ning the onset by pursuing and diving on his back from
above, and harassing the plunderer with such violence, that
he is generally glad to get out of the way and forego his
piratical visit ; in short, a single pair of these courageous
and quarrelsome birds are sufficient to clear the Crows
from an extensive corn-field.
The most serious mischief, of which the Crow is guilty,
is that of pillaging the maize field. He commences at
the planting-time, by picking up and rooting out the
sprouting grain, and in the autumn, when it becomes
ripe, whole flocks, now assembled at their roosting-places,
blacken the neighbouring fields as soon as they get into
motion, and do extensive damage at every visit, from the
excessive numbers who now rush to the inviting feast.
Their rendezvous, or roosting-places, are the resort in
autumn of all the Crows and their families for many miles
round. The blackening silent train continues to arrive
for more than an hour before sun-set, and some still strag-
gle on until dark. They never arrive in dense -flocks,
but always in long lines, each falling into the file as he
sees opportunity. This gregarious inclination is common
to many birds in the autumn, which associate only in pairs
in the summer. The forests and groves, stripped of their
agreeable and protecting verdure, seem no longer safe and
pleasant to the feathered nations. Exposed to the birds of
prey, which daily augment in numbers ; penetrated by the
chilling blasts, which sweep without control through the
naked branches, the birds, now impelled by an overruling
instinct, seek in congregated numbers some general,
safer, and more commodious retreat. Islands of reeds,
dark and solitary thickets, and neglected swamps, are the
situations chosen for their general diurnal retreats and
roosts. Swallows, Black-birds, Rice-birds, and Crows
CROW. 213
seem always to prefer the low shelter of reed-flats. On
the river Delaware, in Pennsylvania, there are two of these
remarkable Crow-roosts. The one mentioned by Wil-
son is an island near Newcastle, called the Pea-Patch,
a low, flat, alluvial spot, just elevated above high-water
mark, and thickly covered with reeds, on which the Crows
alight and take shelter for the night. Whether this
roost be now occupied by these birds or not, I cannot
pretend to say, but in December, 1829, 1 had occasion
to observe their arrival on Reedy Island, just above the
commencement of the bay of that river, in vast numbers ;
and as the wind wafted any beating vessel towards the
shore, they rose in a cloud, and filled the air with clamor.
Indeed, their vigilant and restless caiving continued till
after dark.
Creatures of mere instinct, they foresee no perils be-
yond their actual vision, and thus, when they least expect
it, are sometimes swept away by an unexpected destruc-
tion. Some years ago, during the prevalence of a sudden
and violent northeast storm, accompanied by heavy rains,
the Pea Patch island was wholly inundated in the night,
and the unfortunate Crows, dormant and bewildered, made
no attempts to escape, and were drowned by thousands,
so that their bodies blackened the shores the following
day for several miles in extent.
The Crow, like many other birds, becomes injurious
and formidable only in the gregarious season. At other
times they live so scattered, and are so shy and cautious,
that they are but seldom seen. But their armies, like all
other great and terrific assemblies, have the power, in
limited districts, of doing very sensible mischief to the
agricultural interests of the community ; and in conse-
quence, the poor Crow, notwithstanding his obvious ser-
vices in the destruction of a vast host of insects and their
214 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
larvae, is proscribed as a felon in all civilized countries,
and, with the wolves, panthers, and foxes, a price is put
upon his head. In consequence, various means of ensnar-
ing the outlaw have been had recourse to. Of the gun
he is extremely cautious, and suspects its appearance at
the first glance, perceiving with ready sagacity the wily
manner of the fowler. So fearful and suspicious are they
of human artifices, that a mere line stretched round a
field is often found sufficient to deter these wily birds
from a visit to the corn-field. Against poison he is not
so guarded, aud sometimes corn steeped in hellebore is
given him, which creates giddiness and death. Accord-
ing to Buffbn, pieces of paper in the form of a hollow cone,
smeared inside with bird-lime, and containing bits of raw
meat, have been employed. In attempting to gain the
bait, the dupe becomes instantly hood-winked, and, as
the safest course out of the way of danger, the Crow flies
directly upwards to a great height, but becoming fatigued
with the exertion, he generally descends pretty near to the
place from which he started, and is then easily taken.
Another curious method, related by the same author, is
that of pinning a live Crow to the ground by the wings,
stretched out on his back, and retained in this posture
by two sharp, forked sticks. In this situation, his loud
cries attract other Crows, who come sweeping down to
the postrate prisoner, and are grappled in his claws. In
this way each successive prisoner may be made the in-
nocent meaas'of capturing his companion. The reeds in
which they roost, when dry enough, are sometimes set on
fire also to procure their destruction ; and, to add to the
fatality produced by the flames, gunners are also station-
ed round to destroy those that attempt to escape by flight.
In severe winters they suffer occasionally from famine and
CROW. 215
cold, and fall sometimes dead in the fields. According
to Wilson, in one of these severe seasons, more than 600
Crows were shot on the carcass of a dead horse, which
was placed at a proper shooting distance from a stable.
The premiums obtained for these, and the price procured
for the quills, produced to the farmer nearly the value of
the horse when living, besides affording feathers sufficient
to fill a bed !
The Crow is easily raised and domesticated, and soon
learns to distinguish the different members of the family
with which he is associated. He screams at the approach
of a stranger ; learns to open the door by alighting on the
latch ; attends regularly at meal times ; is very noisy and
loquacious ; imitates the sound of various words which he
hears ; is very thievish, given to hiding curiosities in
holes and crevices, and is very fond of carrying off
pieces of metal, corn, bread, and food of all kinds ; he is
also particularly attached to the society of his master,
and recollects him sometimes after a long absence.
It is commonly believed and asserted in some parts
of this country, that the Crows engage at times in gene-
ral combat ; but it has never been ascertained whether
this hostility arises from civil discord, or the opposition
of two different species, contesting for some exclusive
privilege of subsisting-ground. It is well known that
Rooks often contend with each other, and drive away, by
every persecuting means, individuals who arrive among
them from any other rookery.
The Crow is much smaller than the Raven, and is of a deep black
with violet reflections. The bill and feet are also black. The iris
hazel. (The European bird is 20 inches, or nearly.) The female is
smaller, and the reflections of the plumage are less lively. It varies
sometimes to yellowish or greyish v»'hite, and occasionally the plu-
mage is more or less varied with white feathers. Sometimes one part
or other of the body will be white or rufous grey.
216 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
Note. Occasionally (in Europe) the Crow produces a hybrid with
the Hooded Crow, which appears intermediate between the two spe-
cies. This circumstance occurs in the south and east of Europe,
where the black Crow is rare ; but never happens where both species
are common.
THE FISH CROW,
(Corvus ossifragus, Wilson, v. p. 27. pi. 37. fig. 2. Philad. Muse-
um, No. 1369.)
Sp. Charact. — Glossy black, with violet reflections ; the chin na-
ked ; tail slightly rounded, extending more than an inch beyond
the folded wings ; the 4th primary longest ; the 1st much shorter
than the 9th ; (length 16 inches.)
Wilson was the first to observe the distinctive traits of
this smaller and peculiar American species of Crow along
the sea-coast of Georgia. It is also met with as far north
as the coast of New Jersey. It keeps apart from the
common species, and instead of assembling to roost among
the reeds at night, retires, towards evening, from the
shores which afford it a subsistence, and perches in the
neighbouring woods. Its notes, probably various, are at
times hoarse and guttural, at others weaker and higher.
They pass most part of their time near rivers, hovering
over the stream to catch up dead and perhaps living fish,
or other animal matters which float within their reach ; at
these they dive with considerable celerity, and seizing
them in their claws, convey them to an adjoining tree,
and devour the fruits of their predatory industry at leisure.
They also snatch up water-lizards in the same manner;
and, last winter, on the broad bosom of the Santee, at
Charleston, where they were abundant, I observed a strife
between a pair of these birds and a Herring-Gull, whom
they attempted to plunder of his legitimate prey. It is
FISH CROW. 217
amusing to see with what steady watchfulness they
hover over the water in search of their precarious food,
having, in fact, all the traits of the Gull ; but they subsist
more on accidental supplies, than by any regular system
of fishing. On land they have sometimes all the famil-
iarity of the Magpye, hopping up on the backs of cattle, in
whose company they, no doubt, occasionally meet with a
supply of insects when other sources fail. They are also
regular in their attendance on the fishermen of New Jer-
sey for the purpose of gleaning up the refuse of the fish.
They are also less shy and suspicious than the common
Crow, and, showing no inclination for plundering the
corn-fields, are rather friends than enemies to the farmer.
They appear near Philadelphia, from the middle of
March to the beginning of June, during the season of the
shad and herring fishery.
They breed in New Jersey in tall trees, and have a
brood of 4 or 5 young, with whom they are seen in com-
pany in the month of July.
The Fishing Crow is 16 inches long, and 33 in alar extent. The
chin is bare of feathers around the base of the lower mandible.
The eye very small. Irids dark hazel. Claws black, sharp, ^and
long, the hind one largest. Male and female much alike.
This species bears some resemblance to the Rook in general ap-
pearance, and by the bare space near the bill, but it is smaller, lono-er
tailed, and wholly different in its habits and mode of living. The
gregarious character of the Rook is very remarkable ; more than a
dozen nests may be counted in the same tree, and some scores are
seen in the same vicinity. They very seldom remove from the
places thus chosen, and if a straggling pair attempt to intrude into
the rookery, as they are apt to do from their instinctive dislike of
solitude, severe contests ensue. In the year 1783, a pair of these
birds, driven from settling in the general resort in the neighbourhood
of the exchange at Newcastle, took refuge, at length, on the spire of
that building, and though still interrupted by the neighbouring Rooks,
they contrived to fix their nest on the top of the vane, and undis-
turbed by the noise of the populace below, they reared their young,
19
218 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
who, with the nest and its owners, were turned about by every
change of the wind. They returned and continued to refit the nest
for 10 successive years, until the taking down of the spire put an end
to their aerial castle.
COLUMBIAN CROW.
(Corvus cobimbianus, Wilson, iii. p. 29. pi. 20. fig. 2. Philad. Mu-
seum. No, 1371.)
Sp. Charact. — Brownish-white ; wings, and 2 middle tail feathers
bluish shining black ; the secondaries white at the summits ;
outer tail feathers white.
Of the habits of this curious small species nothing more
is known, than that its discoverers, Lewis and Clarke
and their party, met with it abundantly on the shores of
the Columbia river, in Northwestern America, and that
they were noisy and gregarious like the common species,
for which some of the party mistook them. From its
formidable claws, and its resorting to the banks of rivers
and the sea-coast, it probably feeds on fish.
The length of this Crow, of which this was the only specimen
brought, was 13 inches. The 2 middle tail-feathers, and the interi-
or vanes of the next, except at the tip, are black, and, as well as the
wings, glossed with steel blue. The tail rounded, and about the
same length with the folded wings ; the 2 middle tail-feathers are
somewhat shorter than the adjoining. Vent white. The claws black
and large. Bill dark horn-color.
Subgenus. — Pica. (3Iagpies.)
The feathers of the head not erectile. The tail very long and
wedo-e-shaped. The general color of these birds is black and white,
sometimes variegated, also wholly dark.
They advance by leaps instead of steps ; and have usually a low
and short flight.
MAGPIE.
{Corvus 2)ica, Lix. Wilson, iv. p. 75. pi. 35. fig. 2. Philad. Muse-
um, No. 1333.)
Sp. Charact. — Of a deep velvety black; the belly, primaries on
the inner web, and scapulars white ; the tail about 10 inches
long, greenish black with bronzed reflections.
This bird is much more common in Europe than in
America, being confined in this country to the northern
regions, and to the extensive plains of the Rocky Moun-
tains west of the Mississippi. Thence they continue
to the banks of the Columbia, and on the opposite side of
northern and temperate Asia, are found in Kamschatka,
Japan, and China. They are sometimes met with as far
down the Missouri as Boonsborough in the severity of
winter, driven from the western wilderness, only by the
imperious calls of hunger. In summer they are so rare,
even in the Missouri territory, that from March to Octo-
ber, and from St. Louis to the trading-house at the Man-
dans, a distance by the river of 1600 miles, a party of
220
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
near 70 men, attended by constant hunters, never met
with a single Pie, nor were any appearances of their nests
any where visible. 1100 miles up the Arkansa, and
more than 1000 up Red River, countries which I
visited in summer never presented a specimen of this
otherwise familiar and roving bird. The season of incu-
bation with the American Pies, so different from their
familiar habits in the old continent, is passed, no doubt,
in the wooded recesses of the Rocky Mountains, which
abound with berries and acorns, and with small birds and
their eggs. They are known to make so great a destruc-
tion among the eggs of Grous, Pheasants, Partridges, and
even among young chickens, in many parts of Europe, as
to be proscribed by law, and destroyed for the premium
justly set on their heads. The absence of food and shelter
for their nests in summer, suitable for the Magpie, on the
vast prairies of the Arkansas and Missouri, particularly
toward the sandy deserts at the base of the Rocky Moun-
tains, will probably continue as a perpetual barrier to the
eastern migrationsof this mischievous species, whose means
of flight and travelling are still more circumscibed than
those of the common Crow. They consequently experience
annually, in the terrible vicissitudes of climate incident
to the countries they inhabit, like the Esquimaux of the
arctic regions, either a feast or a famine, and are rendered
so bold and voracious by want, that in the vicinity of
the northern Andes, towards New Mexico, Colonel Pike
was visited by them in the month of December, in lati-
tude 41°, while the thermometer was at the dreadful line
of 17° below zero, on the scale of Reaumur. They now
assembled round the miserable party in great numbers for
the purpose of picking the sore backs of their perishing
horses, and, like the Vulture of Prometheus, they did not
await the death of the subjects they tormented, but fed
MAGPIE. 221
Upon them still living, till their flesh was raw and bleed-
ing. They were even so bold and familiar as to alight on
the men's arms^ and eat flesh out of their hands.*
To the party of Lewis and Clark the Magpies were
also very familiar and voracious, so that they penetrated
into their tents, and without ceremony, like the Harpies
of Virgil, snatched the meat even from the dishes, pre-
ferring the chance of any death to that of pining hunger.
They were also frequent attendants on the hunters, and
while these were engaged in dressing and skinning their
game, the Pies would venture to seize the meat sus-
pended within a foot or two of their heads.
Impelled by hunger, this species does not refuse to feed
on carrion, but their usual familiar visits to the backs of
cattle have a beneficial tendency, as they rid them of the
larvae which burrow and nestle in the skin ; they also eat
various kinds of grain, acorns, seeds, fruits, and other
vegetable substances, and are greedy of worms, and in-
sects of all kinds.
The Pie is also easily domesticated, and taught to imi-
tate the human voice, articulating words with distinctness
and emphasis. One which I saw, thus familiarized, was
very fond of accosting passengers by ivliat ? what ? what ?
and hearing the inmates where he dwelt energetically
pronounce oaths, he became an adept at profane language.
He is readily accustomed to the sight of man, being very
familiar in the house, of which, in time, he makes him-
self the master; not fearing even the cats, with whom he
has been known to live securely, and even pass upon
them various tricks.
He is extremely restless, active, and capricious on the
ground, over which he leaps with antic gait, and con-
* Pike's Journal, p. 170.
18*
222 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
tinues briskly moving his tail in different directions ; he is
also very mischievous, and given to mocking and imitat-
ing all he sees and hears. His common prate is like
that of the Crow, but, besides his imitations of speech, he
will sometimes counterfeit the lowino; of the calf, the
bleating of the goat, the sheep, and even the flagelet of
the shepherd. One has been heard to imitate the flour-
ish of a trumpet ; and Willughby saw several that could
pronounce whole phrases.
Like the Crow, the Pie has the habit of stealing and
hiding provisions or pieces of money, which it per-
forms with so much art, that they are often difficult to be
found. It is pretended by hunters, that the Pie has a
knowledge of arithmetic up to 5, so that when from 2 to
that number of men entered a hut near the nest, it would
not venture into it, while 2, 3, or 4 of the 5 came out, and
only lost count when the experiment was made with 6.
Cunning and precaution indeed prevail in all the ac-
tions of the Pie, and are in nothing more evident than in
the construction of his nest, which is situated either in a
large tree, or a high and close bush on the edge of the
forest or the orchard, and often in the tall hedge-row near
the cottage. They both unite in the necessary labor, and
begin by fortifying it externally with flexible twigs, fil-
ling in towards the bottom pieces of turf and clay ; it is
then wholly covered with a canopy or defence formed
with small thorny branches, well interlaced together, and
leaving an entrance only in the best defended and least
accessible side. Internally the nest is covered with a
thick layer of well-wrought clay ; this is then lined with a
mass of pliable root fibres neatly interlaced together, which
is in reality the true nest or bed for the tender young,
and is only about 6 inches in diameter, while the whole of
the defensive outworks give a diameter of at least 2 feet
MAGPIE. 223
The eggs are 3 to 6 in number, rather long, and of a
whitish green, spotted with cinereous grey and olive
brown. Near Portsoy, in Scotland, a pair of Magpies for
several succeeding years built their nest, and brought up
their young in a gooseberry bush ; and the more secure-
ly to defend this lowly mansion, they encircled the bush
with briars and thorns in such a manner, that no sort of
enemy but man could gain access to it. They annually
repaired and fortified their dwelling in each succeeding
spring with strong thorny twigs, sometimes so large that
the pair jointly employed their force, dragging, at either
end, a stick that they were unable to lift from the
ground.
The Pies also defend their nest and young with great
courage from the approach of the Crow, or even the Fal-
con and Eagle, and are said occasionally to carry off the
eggs, if the nest be too curiously observed. As might have
been anticipated from his sagacity, the Pie has been con-
sidered as a messenger of fate in the north of Europe, and
I have myself, when a boy, been often delighted or vexed,
by the augural destiny of their appearance in certain
lucky or unlucky numbers. The antiquity of this super-
stition, still in existence, goes back probably to the time
of the Romans.
This species is 18 to 19 inches in length. The feathers of the tail
axe of very unequal lengths. The bill, iris, and feet are black. The
secondaries purplish blue. — The Pie varies sometimes to pure white,
with a reddish iris, being then an albino. Sometimes the whole plum-
age is variegated with tints of rufous grey, or black. Occasionally,
according to BuiFon, it occurs wholly black.
Note. A second North American Magpie was met with in Frank-
lin's Arctic Expedition, which has been described by Sabine under
the name of Cortms hudsonius.
224
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
Subgenus. — Garrulus. {Jays,)
With the bill rather short and straight ; the upper mandible some-
what inflected at tip ; the lower keeled. Feathers of the head ca-
pable of being erected at will. The wings not extending to the tip
of the tail. The colors usually brilliant, frequently with more or
less of blue, or of the still brighter colors of the Roller (Coracias.)
They appear noisy and inquisitive ; like the Pies, progress by
leaps, and with them, have a low and unprotracted flight.
BLUE JAY.
{Corrms cristatus, Lin. Wilson, i. p. 11. pi. 1. fig. 1. Philad. Muse-
um. No. )
Sp. Charact. — Crested, and blue; beneath whitish with a black
collar ; the wing-coverts transversely barred with black ; the tail
wedge-shaped.
BLUE JAY 225
This elegant and common species is met with through-
out America. In the interior, from the remote north-
western regions near Peace river in the 54 degree, Lake
Winnipique in the 49° ; and southwestward to the
banks of the Arkansa, and New California; also along
the Atlantic regions from Newfoundland to the peninsula
of Florida, and the shores of the Gulph of Mexico.
The Blue Jay is a constant inhabitant both of the wood-
ed wilderness and the vicinity of the settled farm, though
more familiar at the approach of winter and early in
spring, than at any other season. These wanderings or
limited migrations are induced by necessity alone ; his
hoards of grain, nuts, and acorns, either have failed, or
are forgotten ; for, like other misers, he is more assiduous
to amass, than to expend or enjoy his stores, and the fruits
of his labors very frequently either devolve to the rats or
squirrels, or accidentelly assist in the replanting of the for-
est. His visits at this time are not unfrequent in the gar-
den and orchard, and his usual petulant address, of djdy^
jdy, jdy, and other harsh and trumpeting articulations,
soon make his retreat known to all in his neighbourhood.
So habitual is this centinel cry of alarm, and so expres-
sive, that all the birds within call, as well as other wild
animals, are instantly on the alert, so that the fowler and
hunter become generally disappointed of their game by
this his garrulous and noisy propensity ; he is therefore,
for his petulance, frequently killed without pity or profit,
as his flesh, though eaten, has but little to recommend it.
His more complaisant notes, when undisturbed, though
guttural and echoing, are by no means unpleasant, and
fall in harmoniously with the cadence of the feathered
choristers around him, so as to form a finishing part to
the general music of the grove. His accents of blandish-
ment, when influenced by the softer passions, are low and
326 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
musical, so as to be scarcely heard beyond the thick
branches where he sits concealed ; but, as soon as dis-
covered, he bursts out into notes of rage and reproach,
accompanying his voice by jerks and actions of temerity
and defiance. Indeed the Jay of Europe, with whom our
beau agrees entirely in habits, is so irascible and violent
in his movements, as sometimes to strangle himself in the
narrow fork of a branch from which he has been found
suspended.* Like the European species, he also exhibits
a great antipathy to the Owl, and by his loud and savage
vociferation soon brings together a noisy troop of all the
busy birds in the neighbourhood. To this garrulous at-
tack the night-wanderer has no reply, but a threatening
stare of indifference ; and, as soon as opportunity offers,
he quietly slips from his slandering company. Advan-
tage, in some countries, is taken of this dislike for the
purpose of catching birds; thus the Owl being let out of
a box, sometimes makes a hoot, which instantly assem-
bles a motley group, who are then caught by liming the
neighbouring twigs on which they perch. In this gossip
the Jay and Crow are always sure to take part, if within
sight or hearing of the call, and are thus caught or des-
troyed at will. The common Jay is even fond of imitating
the harsh voice of the Owl and the noisy Kestril. I have
also heard the Blue Jay mock with a taunting accent the
he 00, ki 00, or quailing of the Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Wilson likewise heard him take singular satisfaction in
teasing and mocking the little American Sparrow Hawk,t
and imposing upon him by the pretended plaints of a
wounded bird, in which frolic several would appear to
join, until their sport sometimes ended in sudden con-
sternation, by the Hawk, justly enough, pouncing on one
of them as his legitimate and devoted prey.
* See Gtesner de AvUms^ p. 702. f Falco Sparverius.
BLUE JAY. 227
His talent for mimicry when domesticated, is likewise
so far capable of improvement, as to enable him to imitate
human speech, articulating words with some distinct-
ness ; and on hearing voices, like a parrot, he would en-
deavour to contribute his important share to the tumult.
Bewick remarks of the common Jay, that he heard one
so exactly counterfeit the action of a saw, that though on
a Sunday, he could scarcely be persuaded but that some
carpenter was at work. Another, unfortunately, render-
ed himself a serious nuisance by learning to hound a cur
dog upon the domestic cattle, whistling and calling him
by name, so that at length a serious accident occurring in
consequence, the poor Jay was proscribed. The Blue
Jay becomes also, like the Crow and Magpie, a very
mischievous purloiner of every thing he is capable of con-
veying away and hiding.
One which I have seen in a state of domestication, be-
haved with all the quietness and modest humility of Wil-
son's caged bird with a petulant companion. He seldom
used his voice, came in to lodge in the house at night in
any corner where he was little observed, but unfortunate-
ly perished by an accident before the completion of his
education, or the proper developement of his intellect.
The favorite food of this species is chestnuts, acorns,
and Indian corn or maize, the latter of which he breaks
before swallowing. He also feeds occasionally on the
larger insects and caterpillars, as well as orchard fruits,
particularly cherries, and does not even refuse the hum-
ble fare of potatoes. In times of scarcity he falls upon
carrion, and has been known to venture into the barn,
through accidental openings ; when, as if sensible of the
danger of purloining, he is active and silent, and if
surprised, postponing his garrulity, he retreats with noise-
less precipitation, and with all the cowardice of a thief.
228 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
The worst trait of his appetite, however, is his relish for
the eggs of other birds, in quest of which he may fre-
quently be seen prowling, and with a savage cruelty he
sometimes also devours the callow young, spreading the
plaint of sorrow and alarm wherever he flits. The whole
neighbouring community of little birds, assembled at the
cry of distress, sometimes, however, succeed in driving
off the ruthless plunderer, who, not always content with
the young, has been seen to attack the old, though with
dubious success ; but to the gallant and quarrelsome King-
bird, he submits like a coward, and driven to seek shel-
ter, even on the ground, from the repeated blows of his
antagonist, sneaks off, well contented to save his life.
The Blue Jay often builds his nest in the cedar, and
sometimes on an orchard tree, displaying little art in its
construction, forming it of twigs and other coarse materials,
and lining it with the fibres of roots. The eggs, about 5,
are of a dull olive, and spotted with brown. He is par-
ticularly cautious to make his visits to the spot as silent
and secret as possible. Although a few of these birds
are seen with us nearly through the winter, numbers, no
doubt, make predatory excursions to milder regions, so
that they appear somewhat abundant at this season in the
Southern States; yet they are known to rear their young
from Canada, to South Carolina, so that their migrations,
may be nothing more than journeys from the high-lands
towards the warmer and more productive sea-coast, or
eastern frontier.
The Jay is 11 inches in length. The crest is pale blue. A narrow
line of black runs along the frontlet, rising on each side higher than
the eye, but not extending over it. A collar of black passes down so
as to form a crescent on the breast. Back and upper parts of the neck
of a fine liofht purple, in which blue predominates. Chin, cheeks,
throat, and belly, white, with some blue, except in the last. Greater
wing-coverts rich blue. Coverts and secondaries barred with cres-
steller's jay. 229
cents of black, and tipt with white. Tail of 12 feathers, long, and
wedged, of a glossy bright blue, marked at small intervals with trans-
verse curves of black, each feather, except the 2 middle darker ones,
being tipt with white. Breast and sides under the wings, greyish
white, tinged with vinaceous. Mouth, tongue, bill, legs, and claws
black. Iris hazel.
STELLER'S JAY.
{Corvus Stelleri, Gmelin. Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 44. pi. 13. fig. 1.)
Sp. Gharact. — Crested ; blue ; head and neck blackish ; seconda-
ries and tail-feathers slightly banded with black, tail rounded.
This beautiful Jay was first obtained by the naturalist
Steller, when Behring' s crew landed upon the northwest
coast of America ; it has also been found at Nootka Sound,
and contiguous to the Oregon, or Columbia river, and
probably extends its residence along the American coast
as far as California, and the contiguous table land, as a
specimen has likewise been received from Mexico. Of
its habits and manners nothing is yet known.
This species is more than 12 inches long. The crest, head, and
neck deep brownish black ; the feathers on either side the front
slightly tipped with azure ; neck and upper part of the back lighter
brown than the head, lower part of the back becoming light blue, as
well as the rump and upper tail-coverts. Below, from the neck, blue.
4th, 5th, and 6th primaries nearly equal and longest ; outer wing-
coverts and secondaries blue, faintly crossed with obsolete blackish
lines. Primaries dark dusky, and except the outer ones, at tip, are
edged or tinged v/ithblue. Tail slightly rounded, 5^ inches long, of
a deep glossy azure, with faint traces of bars. Bill and feet black.
20
230 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
COLUMBIA JAY.
(Garrulus Bullockii, Wagler. Audubon, pi. 96. Garrula gubcrna-
trix, Temminck.)
Sp. Charact. — Bright blue ; with a lofty crest of separate plumes ;
capistrum, throat, and breast black ; belly whitish 5 tail-feathers
largely tipt with white, except the 4 upper, which are longer, the
2 central ones curved, and nearly twice the length of the lat-
erals.
Of this large and magnificent species, scarcely any
thing is, as yet, known, but the splendid figure in Audu-
bon's unparalleled work. It is not uncommon in Mexico
and California, and the individual figured by Audubon
was obtained on the banks of the Columbia river. The
size appears to be equal to that of a Raven, and the bright
blue, graduated, fan-like tail, with 2 of the central
feathers extended far beyond the rest, appears more like
the train of some tropical Parrot, than a near relation to
the common Crow.
Length 31 inches. The crest formed of long and distinct feathers ;
region round the eyes, throat, and upper part of the breast, black.
3d and 4th primaries longest ; the 1st very short. Bill and legs
brownish black. Inner webs of the quills dusky, and no stripes on
any part.
FLORIDA JAY.
(Corvus Jloridanus, Bartram. Audubon, pi. 87. Orn. Biog. i. p. 444.
Garrulus floridanus, Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 59. pi. 14. fig. 1.
Philad. Museum, No. 1378, 1379.)
Sp. Charact. — Not crested; bright azure-blue ; the back brownish ;
beneath whitish-grey ; tail wedge-shaped.
This elegant species is, as far as yet known, almost
wholly confined to the interior of the mild peninsula of
FLORIDA JAY. 231
East Florida. In my late tour through the lower parts
of Georgia and West Florida, protracted to the middle of
March, I saw none of these birds, and at the approach of
of winter, they even retire to the south of St. Augustine,
as Mr. Ord did not meet with this Jay until about the
middle of February ; from that time, however they were
seen daily, flying low, and hopping through the luxuri-
ant thickets, or peeping from the dark branches of the
live-oaks, which adorn the outlet of the St. Juan. They
appear to possess the usual propensities of the subgenus,
being quarrelsome, active, and garrulous. Their voice is
less harsh than that of the common Blue Jay, and they have
a variety of notes, some of which, probably imitations, are
said to have a resemblance to the song of the Thrush,
and the call of the common Jay.
According to Audubon, the nest of this species is form-
ed of a few dry sticks, so slightly interwoven as readily
to admit the light through their interstices. It is then
lined with fibrous roots. The eggs, 4 to 6, are of a light
olive, marked with irregular blackish dashes. They
raise only a single brood in the season. Their food is
very similar to that of the other species, namely, berries,
fruits, mast, and insects ; it likewise collects snails from
the marshy grounds, feeds largely on the seeds of the
sword palmetto ; and in the manner of the Titmouse it
secures its food between its feet, and breaks it into pieces
previous to swallowing. Like other species of the genus,
it destroys the eggs and young of small birds, despatching
the latter by repeated blows on the head. It is also
easily reconciled to the cage, and feeds on fresh or dried
fruits, and various kinds of nuts. Their attempts at
mimickry in this state are very imperfect.
The length of this species is about 11^ inches, and nearly 14 irj
alar extent. Head, neck above, and on the sides, with the wings
232 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
and tail, bright azure. Front and line over the eyes bluish white.
Back yellowish brown, with some blue on the rump ; upper tail-cov-
erts azure. Inner vanes and tips of the quills dusky. Below pale
yellowish grey. From the cheeks and sides of the neck, the blue
passes down along the breast, and forms a sort of collar. The wings
scarcely extend beyond the coverts of the tail, which is partly wedge-
shaped and about 5^ inches long. The 1st primary as short as the
secondaries, the 3d and 4th rather the longest. Feet and bill black.
Iris hazel brown. — Female perfectly similar with the male, but a
little less. — This species is nearly allied to the Mexican Garrulus
ultramarinus of Bonaparte.
CANADA JAY.
(Corviis canadensis, Lin. Wilson, iii. p. 33. pi. 21. fig. 1.)
Sp. Char ACT. — Dark leaden grey ; hind-head black ; forehead, col-
lar, beneath, and tip of the tail brownish-white j tail wedge-
shaped.
This species, with the intrusive habits and plain
plumage of the Pie, is wholly confined to the high north-
ern regions of America, being met with around Hudson's
bay, but becoming rare near the St. Lawrence, and in
winter only straggling along the coast as far as Nova
Scotia. Westward, occasionally driven by the severity
of the weather and failure of food, they make their ap-
pearance in small parties in the interior of Maine, and
northern parts of Vermont ; they also descend into the
state of New York as far as the town of Hudson, and
the banks of the Mohawk. It was likewise seen the
12th of September by Major Long's exploring party in
latitude 49, in the northwestern interior.
According to Mr. Hutchins, like the Pie, when near the
habitations and tents of the inhabitants and natives, it is
given to pilfering every thing within reach, and is some-
times so bold as to venture into the tents, and snatch the
CANADA JAY. 233
meat from the dishes, even whether fresh or salt. It
has also the mischievous sagacity of watching the hun-
ters set their traps for the martin, from which it purloins
the bait. Its appetite, like that of the Crow, appears
omnivorous. It feeds on worms, various insects, and their
larvae, and on flesh of different kinds ; lays up stores of
berries in hollow trees for winter ; and, at times, with the
Rein-deer, is driven to the necessity of feeding on Lich-
ens. The severe winters of the deserts he inhabits,
urges him to seek support in the vicinity of habitations.
Like the common Jay, at this season, he leaves his native
woods to make excursions after food, trying every means
for subsistence ; and, tamed by hunger, he seeks boldly the
society of men and animals. They are such praters as
to be considered Mocking-birds, and perhaps supersti-
tiously dreaded by the aborigines. They commonly fly
in pairs or rove in small families, are no way difficult to
approach, and keep up a kind of friendly chattering, some-
times repeating their notes for a quarter of an hour at a
time, immediately before snow or. falling weather. When
caught, they seldom long survive, though they never ne-
glect their food. Like most of their genus, they breed
early in the spring, building their nests, which are formed
of twigs and grass, in the Pine trees. They are said to lay
blue eggs, probably to the amount of 3 or 4, as they have
rarely more than 2 or 3 young at a brood, which, at first,
are perfect Crows, or quite black, and continue so for
some time.
The Canada Jay is 11 inches in length, and 15 in extent. The
tail is long and cuneiform. Interior vanes of the wings brown, and
also partly tipped with white ; plumage of the head loose and prom-
inent. The drab of the under parts extends so as to form a sort of
collar round the neck. The bill and legs black. Irids dark hazeh
The sexes appear alike in color.
20*
234 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
Note. This species is nearly allied to the Mocking Jay of Siberia
(Corvus inf an stus) ,a.nd the two appear to forma gradual passage
from the proper Crows to the Nut-crackers {JVucifraga of Brisson.)
Family. — iEGITHALI. (VieilL Bonap.)
The bill short, stout, straight, compressed, conic and pointed.
Nostrils, towards the base of the bill, half closed by a membrane, and
covered by small incumbent feathers. The feet rather robust ; legs
naked ; the outer toes united, at least, at the base ; hind toe and nail
largest. Tail of 12 feathers.
These are lively and active little birds, living in woods and on
trees, frequently suspending themselves by the claws to the under-
side of the branches, and climbing up or down. They feed much on
insects, and sometimes on fruits and seeds ; they breed chiefly in the
holes of decayed trees ; a few build very artful nests ; they have
many eggs. The voice is rather unpleasant.
The titmouse. (Parus. L.)
Bill short, straight, strong, conic, compressed, entire, edged and
pointed, having bristles at the base : the upper mandible longer,
rounded above, and slightly curved. The nostrils, at the base of
the bill, rounded, and concealed by the advancing feathers. The
tongue blunt and cleft, or entire and acute. Feet rather large, the
toes almost wholly divided ; the nail of the hind toe strongest, and
most curved. Wings, the 1st primary of moderate length, or very
short ; the 2d much shorter than the the 3d ; the 4th and 5th are
longest. — The female and young differ little from the adult. They
moult annually ; and their plumage is long and slender.
These are familiar, active, and restless birds, of a peevish and cour-
ageous disposition, and great enemies to insects. They move by
short and sudden leaps and flights from branch to branch, suspend-
ing themselves readily in all attitudes. They live in famihes, in
woods or marshes, and approach gardens and orchards during au-
tumn and winter. They are strictly omnivorous, feeding on grain,
TITMOUSE. 235
fruits, insects and their larvae, which they dislodge from every re-
treat, and in this pursuit sometimes injure, in some degree, the buds
of trees. They perforate seed-vessels, hard seeds, and even nuts and
almonds, to obtain their contents ; they likewise feed on flesh, and
are fond of fat. Sometimes they carry their depredations so far as to
pursue and attack sickly birds, even of tlieir own species, commenc-
ing, like Jays, by piercing the skull, and devouring the brain. They
are of a quarrelsome disposition, and oflen attack larger birds, killing
the weaker, and are very resolute in defence of their young. They
breed once a year, lay many eggs, in some species even 18 or 20
Their voice is commonly unpleasant, and their chatter monotonous.
Their flesh is scarcely better than that of the Rook or Crow. They
are readily tamed, and may be fed with cheese, nuts, and oily seeds.
They inhabit all climates, except that of South America. In many
respects (as justly observed by the Prince of Musignano) they ap-
proach the character and manners of the Jays.
The genus presents 2 sections in the habits of the species, in the
§ 1st or Sylvans, of Temminck,
The 1st quill feather is of a moderate length. — These live in
the woods and thickets, and nest in the accidental holes of trees. —
The 2d section, which construct artful nests, do not exist in America*
TUFTED TITMOUSE.
{Parus hicolor, L., Wilson, i. p. 137. pi. 8. fig. 5. Audubon, pi. 39.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 199. Philad. Museum, No. 7364.)
Sp. Charact. — Crested; dark bluish ash-color; beneath whitish;
flanks tinged with dull reddish-orange.
From the geographic limits of this species, as it occurs
to me, I am inclined to believe, that the bird seen in
Greenland may be different from the present ; as it does
not appear to exist north beyond the the states of Pennsyl-
vania, or New York. They are scarcely, if ever, seen or
heard in this part of Massachusetts, and instead of being
more abundant to the north, as believed by Wilson, they
TUFTED TITMOUSE. 237
are probably not known there at all. In the Southern
States, at least in winter and spring, they are very com-
mon, and present all the usual habits and notes of the
genus. Near Chester, in Delaware, I heard the peculiar
call of this bird, and the notes of the Carolina Wren on
the 17th of April, 1831, and from the tardiness of ve-
getation at this season, it appeared probable that they
might pass the winter in their present quarters. The
numbers which I saw in the Southern States, from Janua-
ry to March, would seem to indicate a migratory habit ;
but whether they had arrived from the northeast, or
from the great forests of the west, could not be conjec-
tured.
The Peto, as I may call this bird from one of his char-
acteristic notes, and the Carolina Wren, were my constant
and amusing companions during the winter, as I passed
through the dreary solitudes of the Southern States. The
sprightliness, caprice, and varied musical talent of this
species are quite interesting, and more peculiarly so,
when nearly all the other vocal tenants of the forest are
either absent or silent. To hear, in the middle of January,
when, at least, the leafless trees and dark cloudy skies
remind us of the coldest season, the lively, cheering,
varied pipe of this active and hardy bird, is particularly
gratifying ; and, though his voice, on paper, may appear
to present only a list of quaint articulations, mere skele-
tons of musical compass, yet the delicacy, energy, pa-
thos, and variety of his simple song, like many other
things in nature, are far beyond the feeble power of de-
scription; and if in these rude graphic outlines of the in-
imitable music of birds, I am able to draw a caricature
sufficient to indicate the individual performer, I shall
have attained all the object to be hoped for in an attempt
at natural delineation.
238 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
The notes of the Peto generally partake of the high,
echoinof, clear tone of the Baltimore Bird. Among his
more extraordinary expressions, I . was struck with
the call of 'tohip-tdm-kiUt/ killy, and now and then
*w1iip-tdm-killy , with occasionally some variation in the
tone and expression, which was very lively and agreeable.
The middle syllable {torn) was pronounced in a hollow
reverberating tone. In a few minutes after the subject
and its variations were finished, in the estimation of the
musical performer, he suddenly twisted himself round the
branch on which he had sat, with a variety of odd and fan-
tastic motions ; and then, in a lower, hoarser, harsh voice,
and in a peevish tone, exactly like that of the Jay and the
Chicadee, went ddy-ddy-ddy-ddy , and day-day-ddy-day-
ddit ; sometimes this loud note changed into one which
became low and querulous. On some of these occasions
he also called HsMca dee-dee. The jarring call would
then change occasionally into kai-tee-did did-dit-did.
These peevish notes would often be uttered in anger at
being approached ; and then again would perhaps be
answered by some neighbouring rival, against whom they
appeared levelled in taunt and ridicule, being accom-
panied by extravagant gestures.
Later in the season, in February, when in the lower
part of Alabama the mild influence of spring began al-
ready to be felt, our favorite, as he gaily pursued the
busy tribe of insects, now his principal food, called, as
he vaulted restlessly from branch to branch, in an echoing
rapid voice, at short intervals, peto-pcto-peto-pcto. This
tender call of recognition was at length answered, and
continued at intervals for a minute or two ; they then
changed their quick call into a slower pjeto peto peto ; and
now the natural note passed into the plaintive key, sound-
ing like que-dli quc-dli ; then in the same breath a jarring
TUFTED TITMOUSE. 239
note like that of the Cat-bird, and in part like the sound
made by putting the lower lip to the upper teeth, and cal-
ling 'tsh'vah, 'tsh'vah. After this the call oi kcrry-herry'
kerry-kerry struck up with an echoing sound, heightened
by the hollow bank of the river whence it proceeded.
At length, more delicately than at first, in an under tone,
you hear anew, and in a tender accent, ^e^o^cifo^^e^o. In
the caprice and humor of our performer, tied by no rules
but those of momentary feeling, the expression will per-
haps change into a slow and full peet-peet-a-pcct-a-pect ,
then a low and very rapid ker-ker-kcr-ker-lcer-kcrry, some-
times so quick as almost to resemble the rattle of a watch-
man. At another time, his morning song commences
like the gentle whispers of an aerial spirit, and then be-
coming high and clear like the voice of the nightingale,
he cries keeva keeva kceva kecva, but soon falling into the
querulous, the day-day-day-day-day-dait of the Chica-
dee, terminates his performance. Imitative, as well as
inventive, I have heard the Peto also sing something like
the lively chatter of the Swallow, leta-leta-leta-lctalit , and
then vary into peto-peto-peto-peto-peto extremely quick.
Unlike the warblers, our cheerful Peto has no trill, or any
other notes than these simple, playful, or pathetic calls ;
yet the compass of voice and the tone in which they are
uttered, their capricious variety and their general effect,
at the season of the year when they are heard, are quite as
pleasing, to the contemplative observer, as the more ex-
quisite notes of the summer songsters of the verdant
forest.
The sound of hvhip-tom-kelly , which I so distinctly
heard this bird utter, on the 1 7th of January, 1830,
near Barnwell, in South Carolina, is very remarkable,
and leads me to suppose that this species is also an in-
habitant of the West India islands, where Sloane attri-
240 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
butes this note to the Red-eyed Fly-catcher, certainly the
same bird as that which exclusively takes up its summer
residence with us. But it is impossible, with the most
inventive imagination, to construe this strongly marked
phrase out of the simple and almost invariable warble of
our Fly-catcher.
The Peto, besides insects, like the Jay, to which he is
allied, chops up acorns, cracks nuts and hard and shelly
seeds, to get at their contents, holding them meanwhile
in his feet. He also searches and pecks decayed trees
and their bark with considerable energy and indus-
try in quest of larvae ; he often also enters into hollow
trunks, prying after the same objects. In these holes they
commonly roost in winter, and occupy the same secure
situations, or the holes of the small Woodpecker, for de-
positing and hatching their eggs, which takes place early
in April or in May, according to the different parts of the
Union they happen to inhabit. Sometimes they dig out
a cavity for themselves with much labor, and always line
the hollow with a variety of warm materials.* Their
eggs, about 6 to 8, are white, with a few small specks of
brownish-red near the larger end. The whole family,
young and old, may be seen hunting together throughout
the summer and winter, and keeping up a continued
mutual chatter.
According to the observations of Wilson, it soon be-
comes familiar in confinement, and readily makes its way
out of a wicker cage by repeated blows at the twigs. It
may be fed on hemp-seed, cherry-stones, apple-pippins,
and hickory-nuts, broken and thrown in to it. In its
natural state, like the rest of its vicious congeners, it
sometimes destroys small birds by blows on the skull. f
* Audubon, Cm. Biog. i. p. 200. t Ibid.
CHICADEE, OR BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE,
241
This species is 6J inches long, and 9 in the stretch of the wings.
Above, dark bluish-ash ; the front black tinged with reddish. Beneath
sulHed white, except the sides under the wings, which are pale red-
dish-brown. Legs and feet greyish blue. Bill black. Iris hazel.
The crest high and pointed, like that of the common Blue Jay. Tail
shghtly forked. Tips of the wings dusky. Tongue blunt ending in
4 sharp points. Female very similar to the male.
CHICADEE, OR BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE.
{Parus pplustris, h., P. atricapillus, Ib. Wilson, i. p. 134. pi. 8. fig. 4.
Philad. Museum, No. 7380.)
Sp. Charact. — Not crested; grey, tinged with brown; the head
above and ridge of the neck black ; the black on the throat not
extended ; cheeks and beneath white, faintly tinged with greyish
brown ; tail 2 inches long. — In the fejnale the black is less deep,
and less apparent on the throat.
This familiar, hardy, and restless little bird inhabits
both Europe and North America. In the latter conti-
nent it is even resident in winter around Hudson's
Bay, and h.as been met with at 62'^ on the Northwest
Coast. It is, indeed, difficult to say in what part
of the United States it is most common, so generally
and equally has it colonized the temperate parts. In
2i
242 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
winter they abound in all the forests of the Southern
States to Florida, and probably extend their visits into
Mexico. In all these countries, in autumn, families of
ihem are seen chattering and roving through the woods,
busily engaged in gleaning their multifarious food, along
with the preceding species. Nuthatches, and Creepers,
the whole forming a busy, active, and noisy group, whose
manners, food, and habits bring them together in a com-
mon pursuit. Their diet varies with the season, for be-
sides insects, their larvae, and eggs, of which they are
more particularly fond, in the month of September they
leave the woods and assemble familiarly in our orchards
and gardens, and even enter the thronging cities in quest
of that support which their native forests now deny them.
I^arge seeds of many kinds, particularly those which are
oily, as the Sun-flower, and Pine and Spruce Kernels
are now sought after. These seeds, in the usual manner
of the genus, are seized in the claws and held against the
branch, until picked open by the bill to obtain their con-
tents. Fat of various kinds is also greedily eaten, and
they regularly watch the retreat of the hog-killers, in the
country, to glean up the fragments of meat which adhere
to the places where the carcases have been suspended. At
times they feed upon the wax of the Candle-berry Myrtle
[Myrica cerifera) ; they likewise pick up crumbs near
the houses, and search the weather-boards, and even the
window-sills, familiarly for their lurking prey, and are
particularly fond of spiders and the eggs of destructive
moths, especially those of the canker-worm, which they
oreedily destroy in all its stages of existence. It is said
that they sometimes attack their own species when the in-
dividual is sickly, and aim their blows at the skull with a
view to eat the brain ; but this barbarity I have never wit-
nessed. In winter, when satisfied, they will descend to
CHICADEEj OR BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE. 243
the snow-bank beneath and quench their thirst by swal-
lowing small pieces ; in this way, their various and frugal
meal is always easily supplied ; and hardy, and warmly
clad in light and very downy feathers, they suffer little
inconvenience from the inclemency of the seasons. In-
deed in the winter, or about the close of October, they
at times appear so enlivened as already to show their
amorous attachment, like our domestic cock, the male
approaching his mate with fluttering and vibrating wings ;
and in the spring season, the males have obstinate en-
gagements, darting after each other with great velocity
and anger. Their roost, I suspect, is in the hollows of de-
cayed trees, where they also breed, laying their eggs
merely in the dry rotten wood, without any attempt at a
nest;* these are from 6 to 12 in number, white, with
specks of brown-red. They begin to lay about the mid-
dle or close of April, and though they commonly make
use of natural or deserted holes of the Woodpecker, yet
at times, they are raid to excavate a cavity for them-
selves with much labor. The first brood take wing
about the 7th or 10th of June, and they have sometimes
a second towards the end of July. The young, as soon
as fledged, have all the external marks of the adult, the
head is equally black, and they chatter and skip about,
with all the agility and self-possession of their parents,
who appear nevertheless very solicitous for their safety.
From this time the whole family continue to associate to-
gether through the autumn and winter. They seem to
move by concert from tree to tree, keeping up a contin-
ued ' tslie-de-de-de-de , and Hshe-dc-de-de-dait , preceded by
a shrill whistle, all the while busily engaged, picking
* In Europe, however, this kind, if the same species, as asserted by Temminck, is
said to dig out an excavation in decayed willows, in which it makes a nest of moss,
thistle down, and sometimes a little wool and feathers.
244 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
round the buds and branches, hanging from their extremi-
ties and proceeding often in reversed postures, head down-
wards, like so many tumblers, prying into every crevice of
the bark, and searching around the roots, and in every
possible retreat of their insect prey or its larvse. If the
object chance to fall, they industriously descend to the
ground and glean it up with the utmost economy.
On seeing a cat, or other object of natural antipathy,
the Chicadee, like the peevish Jay, scolds in aloud, angry,
and hoarse note, like Hshe, ddigh cldigh ddigJi. Among
the other notes of this species, I have heard a call like
tshe-de-jay^ tshe-dc-jay, the two first syllables being a slen-
der chirp, with the jay strongly pronounced. The only
note of this bird which may be called a song, is one which*
is frequently heard at intervals in the depth of the forest,
at times of the day usually when all other birds are silent.
We then may sometimes hear in the midst of this solitude
two feeble, drawling, clearly whistled, and rather melan-
choly notes, like 'te-derry, and sometimes 'ye-perrit, and
occasionally, but much more rarely, in the same wiry,
whistling, solemn tone ^phehe. The young, in winter, also
sometimes drawl out these contemplative strains. In all
cases, the first syllable is very high and clear, the second
word drops low, and ends like a feeble plaint. This is
nearly all the quaint song ever attempted by the Chicadee ;
and is perhaps the two notes sounding like the whetting of
a saw, remarked of this bird in England by Mr. White, in
his Natural History of Selborne.* On fine days, about
the commencement of October, I have heard the Chicadee
sometimes, for half an hour at a time, attempt a lively, pet-
ulant warble, very different from his ordinary notes. On
these occasions he appears to flirt about, still hunting for
his prey, but almost in ai^ ecstasy of delight and vigor.
* Vol. i. p. 177. (1st Ed.)
CHICADEE, OR BLACK-CAPT TITMOUSE. 245
But after a while the usual drawling note again occurs.
These birds, like many others, are very subject to the at-
tacks of vermin, and they accumulate in great numbers
around that part of the head and front which is least
accessible to their feet.
The European bird is supposed to be partial to marshy
situations. Ours has no such predilection, nor does the
American bird, that I can learn, ever lay up or hide any
store of seeds for provision, a habit reported of the foreign
family. In this fact, with so many others, we have an
additional evidence of affinity between the Titmouse and
Jay.* Even the blue color, so common with the latter, is
possessed by several species of this genus. Indeed from
their aggregate relation, and omnivorous habit, we see no
better place of arrangement for these birds than succinct-
ly after the Garruli or Jays.
The Cliicadee is o^ inches in length, and 6.^ in alar extent. The
throat, head, and ridge of the neck black. Cheeks, ears, and a line
to the base of the bill, white. Above cinereous, tinted with brown.
The wings darker, edged with whitish. Beneath, the rest of the plu-
mage is white, tinted with greyish-brown. The bill black. Tongue
blunt. Legs bluish-grey. Iris dark hazel. The sexes and ijoimg, to
me, are hardly distinguisable apart. I have never seen the young
with brown heads ; they have tlie head quite black from the time they
leave the nest.
Note. — Although in compliance with the opinion of Temminck,
I have referred the Cliicadee to the European species, yet there is a
considerable discrepancy in the habits of the two. The latter appears
to form a soft nest of down and feathers ; ours makes, I believe no
bedding for its nest whatever.
The Hudson's Bay Titmouse is said to have a ferruginous broxcn
head ; to utter scarcely any note beyond a chirp ; and to dwell chiefly
among Juniper thickets. It is also said to build in the same bushes,
in June, a nest of grass, lined with feathers, containing usually 5
eggs. It is also known by the aborigines under a different name
from the Chicadee.
* This curious relation was, I believe, first pointed out by Prince Bonaparte in the
history of Steller's Jay.
21*
246 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
Family. — SERIC ATI.
Not strictly omnivorous. Gregarious and sociable. Voice weak
and lisping, just audible.
WAXEN CHATTERERS. (Bombycilla. Brisson.)
The BILL short, straight, and elevated : the upper mandible slightly
curved towards its extremity, and provided with a strongly marked
tooth. Nostrils at the base of the bill, oval, open, hidden by stiff
hairs directed forwards ; the tongue cartilaginous, broad at the tip
and lacerated. The feet with 3 toes directed forward and one back-
ward, the exterior united to the middle toe. Wings moderate ; the
1st and 2d primaries longest ; the spurious feather very short.
The sexes are alike, and both crested; some of the tips of the se-
condaries are terminated by small, red, oblong appendages, like seal-
ino'-wax. The plumage close, soft, and silky. They moult annually j-
live in numerous flocks ; and are given to wandering at all seasons,
except the mere time necessary for incubation. In disposition they
are simple, and readily tamed, but do not long survive confinement.
They feed chiefly on juicy fruits, and small larvse or caterpillars ;
building in trees, and often laying twice a year ; the eggs about 5.
The genus composed of only 3 species, one peculiarly American, the
2d common to Europe, Asia, and America, and the 3d in Japan.
WAXEN CHATTERER.
(Bomhycilla garrula, Vieill. Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 16. fig. 2.
Avipclis garrulus, Lin.)
Sp. Charact. — Brownish grey; head, except the posterior part of
the crest, chestnut ; chin, frontlet, and line partly surrounding the
eye, black ; belly cinereous ; vent chestnut color ; wings with two
series of white marks.
The Wax-Wing, hitherto in America, seen only in
the vicinity of the Athabasca river, near the region of the
WAXEN CHATTERER. 247
Rocky Mountains, in the month of March, is of common
occurrence, as a passenger throughout the colder regions
of the whole northern hemisphere. Like our Cedar
Birds, they associate in numerous flocks, pairing only
for the breeding season ; after which the young and old
give way to their gregarious habits, and collecting in nu-
merous companies, they perform extensive journeys, and
are extremely remarkable for their great and irregular
wanderings. The circumstances of incubation in this
species are wholly unknown. It is supposed that they re-
tire to the remote northern regions to breed, yet in Nor-
way, they are only birds of passage, and it has been con-
jectured that they pass the summer in the elevated table
land of central Asia. Wherever they dwell at this season,
it is certain that in spring, and late autumn, they visit
northern Asia or Siberia, and eastern Europe in vast
numbers, but are elsewhere only uncertain stragglers,
whose appearance, at different times, has been looked
upon as ominous of some disaster by the credulous and
ignorant.
The Waxen Chatterers, like our common Cedar Birds,
appear destitute of song, and only lisp to each other their
usual low reiterated call of ze ze re, which becomes more
audible when they are disturbed, and as they take to
wing. They are also very sociable and affectionate to
their whole fraternity, and sit in rows often on the same
branch, when not employed in collecting their food,
which is said to consist of juicy fruits of various kinds,
particularly grapes ; they will also eat juniper and laurel
berries, as well as apples, currants, and figs, and are often
seen to drink.
Length 8^ inches ; alar extent about 15. Anterior part of the head
bay, passing posteriorly into reddish drat, which is the prevailing
color above as well as on the breast. Lower part of the back and rump
248
OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
cinereous. Belly and femorals pale ash ; vent reddish chestnut.
Quills dusky, the 1st spotless, the 2d with a small mark of white on
the tip of the outer web, which mark gradually increases on the fol-
lowing feathers, forming a longitudinal spot which is much larger on
the secondaries, 4 of which have the vermilion, wax-like appendages.
Each feather of the bastard wing is also largely tipt with white, thus
producing an additional spot of white ; there is however no yellow
on the wing. Tail 3 inches, black, broadly terminated with pale yel-
low. Feet and legs black. Iris reddish.
CEDAR BIRD, or CHERRY BIRD.
{Bombycilla carolinensis , Briss. Bonap. Audubon, pi. 43. [extremely
fine and natural]. Jlmjjelis americana, Wilson, i. p. 107. pi. 7.
fig. 1. Philad. Museum, No. 5608.)
Sp. Charact. — Brownish grey, the crest inclining to rufous ; chin,
frontlet, and line over the eye, black; belly yellow, and the vent
white ; wings and tail dusky grey, the latter tipt with yellow.
I
CEDAR BIRD, OR CHERRY BIRD, 249
This common native wanderer, which in the summer
extends its migrations to the remotest unpeopled regions
of Canada,* is also found throughout the American conti-
nent to Mexico, and parties occasionally even roam to
the tropical forests of Cayenne. In all this extensive
geographical range, where great elevation or latitude
tempers the climate so as to be favorable to the produc-
tion of juicy fruits, the Cedar Bird will probably be
found either almost wholly to reside, or to pass the season
of reproduction. Like its European representative (the
Waxen Chatterer), it is capable of braving a consid-
erable degree of cold, for in Pennsylvania and New Jer-
sey some of these birds are seen throughout the winter,
where, as well as in the early part of the summer and
fall, they are killed and brought to market, generally fat,
and much esteemed as food. Silky softness of plumage,
gentleness of disposition, innocence of character, extreme
sociability, and an innate, inextinguishable love of free-
dom, accompanied by a constant desire of wandering,
are characteristic traits in the physical and moral por-
trait of the second as well as the preceding species of
this peculiar and extraordinary genus.
Leaving the northern part of the continent, situated
beyond the 40th degree, at the approach of winter, they
assemble in companies of 20 to a hundred, and wander
through the Southern States and Mexico to the confines
of the equator, in all of which countries they are now
either common or abundant. As observed by Audubon,
their flight is easy, continued, and often performed at a
considerable height ; and they move in flocks or compa-
nies, making several turns before they alight. As the
mildness of spring returns, and with it their favorite food,
they reappear in the Northern and Eastern States about
* Seen hy Mr. Say near VVinnJpique river in Ifttitqde 50,
250 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
the beginning of April, before the ripening of their favor-
ite fruits, the cherries and mulberries. But at this sea-
son, to repay the gardener for the tythe of his crop, their
natural due, they fail not to assist in ridding his trees of
more deadly enemies which infest them, and the small
caterpillars, beetles, and various insects now constitute
their only food ; and for hours at a time they may be
seen feeding on the all-despoiling Canker-worms,* which
infest our Apple trees and Elms. On these occasions,
silent and sedate, after plentifully feeding, they sit dres-
sing their feathers, in near contact on the same branch
to the number of 5 or 0 ; and as the season of selective
attachment approaches, they may be observed pluming
each other, and caressing with the most gentle fondness ;
a playfulness, in which, however, they are even surpassed
by the contemned Raven, to which social and friendly
family our Cedar Bird, different as he looks, has many
traits of alliance. But these demonstrations of attach-
ment, which, in a more vigorous kind, would kindle the
feud of jealousy, apparently produce in this bird scarcely
any diminution of the general social tie ; and as they are
gregarious to so late a period of the inviting season of incu-
bation, this affection has been supposed to be independent
of sexual distinction. This friendly trait is carried so
far, that an eye-witness t assures me he has seen one
among a row of these birds seated upon a branch dart
after an insect, and offer it to his associate when caught,
who very disinterestedly passed it to the next, and each
delicately declining the offer, the morsel has proceeded
backwards and forwards before it was appropriated.
Whatever may be the fact, as it regards this peculiar so-
ciability, it frequently facilitates the means of their de-
* The caterpillar larva of a Phalieiia. \ My friend S. Green, Rsq., of Boston.
CEDAR BIRD, OR CHERRY BIRD. 2^51
struction with the thoughtless and rapacious sportsman ;
who, because many of these unfortunate birds can be
killed in an instant, sitting in the same range, thinks the
exercise of the gun must be credited only by the havock
which it produces against a friendly, useful, and innocent
visitor.
Towards the close of May, or beginning of June, the
Cherry-birds, now paired, commence forming the cradle of
their young ; yet still so sociable are they, that several nests
may be observed in the same vicinity. The materials
and trees chosen for their labors are various, as well as the
ojeneral markings of their ecras. Two nests, in the Botanic
Garden at Cambridge, were formed in small hemlock *
trees, at the distance of 16 or 18 feet from the ground,
in the forks of the main branches. One of these was com-
posed of dry, coarse grass, interwoven roughly with a con-
siderable quantity of dead hemlock sprigs, further con-
nected by a small quantity of silk-weed t lint, and lined
with a few strips of thin grape-vine bark, and dry leaves of
the silver fir. In the second nest the lining was merely
fine root fibres. On the 4th of June this nest contained 2
eggs ; the whole number is generally about 4 or 5 ; these
are of the usual form (not remarkable for any disproportion
of the 2 ends), of a pale clay white, inclining to olive,
with a few well defined black or deep umber spots at the
great end, and with others seen, as it were, beneath the
surface of the shell. Two or three other nests were made
in the Apple-trees of an adjoining orchard, one in a place
of difficult access, the other on a depending branch easily
reached by the hand. These were securely fixed hori-
zontally among the ascending twigs, and were formed
externally of a mass of dry, wiry weeds ; the materials
being firmly held together by a large quantity of Cud-
* Abies canadensis. L. f Ascleftias, species.
253 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
weed down,* in some places softened with glutinous saliva
so as to be formed into coarse connecting shreds. The
round edge of the nest was made of coils of the wiry stolons
of a common Cinquefoil,t then lined with exceedingly fine
root fibres ; over the whole, to give elasticity, were laid fine
stalks of a slender Jiincus or minute rush. In these nests
the eggs were, as described by Wilson (except as to form),
marked with smaller and more numerous spots than the
preceding. From the lateness of the autumn, at which
period incubation is still going on, it would appear that this
species is very prolific, and must have at least two hatches
in the season ; for as late as the 7th of September a brood,
in this vicinity, were yet in the nest. The period of sit-
ting is about 15 or 16 days, and while the young are still
helpless, it is surprising to witness the silence of the pa-
rents, uttering no cries, nor making any approaches to
those who may endanger or jeopard the safety of their
brood ; still they are flying round, and silently watching
the dreaded result, and approach the nest the moment the
intruder disappears. They feed the young, at first, with
insects and smooth catterpillars, but at the end of the
3d or 4th day they are fed, like the old ones, almost ex-
clusively on sweet and juicy fruits, such as whortle and
service berries, wild and cultivated cherries, &c. A
young bird from one of the nests described, in the Hem-
lock, was thrown upon my protection, having been by
some means ejected from his cradle. In this critical situ-
ation however he had been well fed or rather gorged with
berries, and was merely scratched by the fall he had re-
ceived. Fed on cherries and mulberries, he was soon
well fledged, while his mate in the nest was suffered to
perish by the forgetfulness of his natural protectors.
Coeval with the growth of his wing-feathers, were already
* Gnaphalium plantagineum. f PotmUlla simplex.
CEDAR BIRD, OR CHERRY BIRD. 253
seen the remarkable red waxen appendages, showing,
that their appearance indicates no particular age or sex ;
many birds, in fact, being without these ornaments during
their whole lives. I soon found my interesting protogee
impatient of the cage, and extremely voracious, gorging
himself to the very mouth with the soft fruits on which
he was often fed. The throat, in fact, like a craw, ad-
mits of distention, and the contents are only gradually
passed off into the stomach. I now suffered the bird to
fly at large, and for several days he descended from the
trees, in which he perched, to my arm for food ; but the
moment he was satisfied, he avoided the cage, and ap-
peared by his restlessness unable to survive the loss of
liberty. He now came seldomer to me, and finally joined
the lisping muster-cry of tze tze tze, and was enticed
away, after two or three attempts, by his more attractive
and suitable associates. When young, nature provided
him with a loud, impatient voice, and te-did, te-did, kai-
te-dul, (often also the clamorous cry of the young Balti-
more,) was his deafening and almost incessant call for
food. Another young bird of the first brood, probably
neglected, cried so loud and plaintively to a male Bal-
timore-bird in the same tree, that he commenced feeding
it. Mr. Winship of Brighton informs me, that one of the
young Cedar-birds, who frequented the front of his house
in quest of Honey-suckle berries, at length, on receiving
food, probably also abandoned by his roving parents, threw
himself wholly on his protection. At large, day and
night, he still regularly attended the dessert of the dinner-
table for his portion of fruit, and remained steadfast in
his attachment to Mr. W. till killed by an accident, being
unfortunately trodden under foot.
Though harmless, exceedingly gentle, and artless, they
make some show of defence when attacked, as a second
22
254 OMNIVOROUS BIRDS.
bird which I brought up, destitute of the red appendages
on the wings, when threatened, elevated his crest, looked
angry, and repeatedly snapped with his bill.
Almost all kinds of sweet berries are sought for food by
the American waxen-wing. In search of whortle-berries,
they retire in Pennsylvania to the western mountain
chains of the Alleghany range ; and in autumn, until the
approach of winter, they are equally attached to the ber-
ries of the Virginia juniper,* as well as those of the
sour-gum tree, and the w^ax-myrtle. They also feed,
late in the season, on ripe persimmons, f small winter
grapes, bird-cherries, the fruit of the Pride of China, and
other fruits. The kernels and seeds of these, uninjured
by the action of the stomach, are strewed about, and thus
accidentally planted in abundance wherever these birds
frequent. Like their prototype, the preceding species, the
migrations, and time and place of breeding are influenc-
ed by their supply of food. In the spring of the pre-
sent year (1831), they arrived in this vicinity, as usual,
but, in consequence of the failure of cherries, scarcely
any have bred here, to my knowledge, and very few were
either to be heard or seen in the vicinity. In this part
of New England this bird is frequently known by the
name of the Canada Robin, and by the French Canadians
it is fancifully called Recollct, from the color of its crest
resembling that of the hood of this religious order.
The length of our bird varies from 7^ to full 8 inches, so that at
times it arrives at the full size of the European species. Head, neck,
breast, back, and wing-coverts of a brownish-grey ; becoming darker
on the back, and brightest on the front and elevated crest. A deep
black line from the nostril over the eye to the hind-head, bordered
* Improperly called Red Cedar.
\ In many parts of Georgia, and particularly the vicinity of Milledgeville, these
trees are observed to spring up in whole groves on cleared or burnt lands, and this
Towth must undoubtedly be due to the dissemination produced by these birds.
CEDAR BIRD, OR CHERRY BIRD. 255
above by a slender line of white ; another line of the same color passing
from the lower mandible. The chin black, gradually brightening into
greyish brown. The belly yellow ; vent white ; wings dusky-grey.
Rump and tail-coverts dark ash-color ; tail of the same color deep-
ening into dusky, and broadly tipt with yellow. Six or 7, and some-
times the whole 9 secondaries of the wings curiously ornamented
with small vermilion oblong appendages, resembling sealing-wax,
which are a prolongation of the shafts ; occasionally these processes
also terminate some of the tail-feathers. Many of these birds are
destitute of these singular ornaments, which answer no economical
purpose whatever to the individual. The bill, legs, and claws are
black. Iris blood-red. In the female, the tints are duller.
ORDER THIRD.
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
In these the bill is either short, or of moderate length,
straight, rounded, and weakly edged or pointed like an
awl. The upper mandible is curved and notched to-
wards the point, most commonly provided at its base with
stiff hairs, directed forwards. The feet have 3 of the
toes before, and one behind, all on the same level. The
outer united to the middle toe at its base as far as to the
first articulation.
The voice of these birds is often agreeable and harmo-
nious : all of them feed principally upon insects, particu-
larly during the time of reproduction ; berries also afford
aliment to many of the species, but they are ordinarily
only an accessory nourishment. They have often sever-
al broods in the year, and dwell in the woods and thickets,
or among reeds and marshes, where they nest in single
pairs.
Family — CANORI.
With the bill short or moderate, the tail of 12 feathers. — They
feed on insects, at large ; excel in musical powers ; and their flesh
is palatable.
BUTCHER-BIRDS. 257
BUTCHER-BIRDS, (Lanius. Lin.)
The BILL of moderate size, robust, straight from its origin, and
much compressed, with advancing bristles at the base ; the upper
mandible rounded above, hooked, and acute at the tip, near to which,
on either side, there is a small sharp tooth ; the lower notched, and
also toothed near the tip. Nostrils basal, lateral, almost round, partly
hidden in the hairs at the base of the bill, and half closed by a vault-
ed membrane. Feet, with the tarsus longer than the middle toe ;
the toes entirely divided. Wings moderate, the spurious feather very
short, and the 3d and 4th primaries longest. — The female and
young of the American species scarcely differ from the adult male.
Some others have a partial moult a second time in the year.
The larger species possess the courage and cruelty of birds of ra-
pine. Their prey, which they seize and convey in the bill, consists,
however, principally of large insects ; they often also attack small
birds, for which they commonly lie in wait on the high branches of
trees ; they hold their victim usually in one foot, and tear it to pieces
with the bill. They fly precipitately and irregularly to short dis-
tances and frequently move the tail. They defend their nests from
the largest birds of prey with dauntless temerity ; live in families ;
build in trees and bushes, and lay from 5 to 7 eggs. Their voice is
loud and somewhat musical, and they have a propensity for imitat-
ing the calls and notes of other birds. — They are found in all parts
of the world ; but in South America they are principally represented
by other allied forms. In habit they approach the birds of prey, have
some relation at the same time to Magpies, and pass almost into the
Flycatchers, Thrushes, and other small insectivorous birds.
22*
GREAT AMEPvICAN SHRIKE, or BUTCHER-
BIRD.
(Lanius septentrionalis, Gsi. Bonap. L. excuhitGr, Wilson, i. p. 74.
pi. 5. fig. 1. Philad. Museum, No. G64,)
Sp. Charact. — Light slate-color, beneath white, undulated with
pale brown ; wings and tail black ; tail-feathers, excepting the 2
middle ones, partly white ; third primary longest ; 4th, equal to
the 2d. — Female paler, with the band of black on the face ob-
scure. — Young, greyish drab-color, wing spot obscure, 3d and 4th
primaries nearly equal, the 2d much shorter, with four of tlie
middle tail-feathers wholly black.
This little wary northern hunter is most commonly seen
in this part of the continent at the commencement of
winter, a few remaining with us throughout that season ;
and it is remarked by Wilson, that they do not extend
their wanderings further than the state of Virginia. In
March they retire to the north, though some take up their
GREAT AMERICAN SHRIKE, OR BUTCHER-BIRD. 259
summer abode in the thickest forests in Pennsylvania, and
New England. The nest is said to be large and compact,
in the fork of a small tree, and sometimes in an apple-
tree, composed externally of dried grass, with whitish moss,
and well lined with feathers. The eggs are about 6, of a
pale cinereous white, thickly marked at the greater end
with spots and streaks of rufous. The period of sitting
is about 15 days. The young appear early in June, or
the latter end of May.
The principal food of this species is large insects, such
as grasshoppers, crickets, and spiders. With the surplus
of the former, as well as small birds, he disposes in a very
singular manner, by impaling them upon thorns, as if
thus providing securely for a future supply of provision.
In the abundance however, which surrounds him in the
ample store-house of nature, he soon loses sight of this
needless and sportive economy, and like the thievish Pie
and Jay, he suffers his forgotten store to remain drying and
bleaching in the elements till no longer palatable or diges-
tible to their hoarder. As this little Butcher, like his more
common European representative, preys upon birds, these
impaled grasshoppers were imagined to be lures to at-
tract his victims, but his courage and rapacity render such
snares both useless and improbable, as he has been
known, with the temerity of a Falcon, to follow a bird
in to an open cage sooner than lose his quarry. Mr.
J. Brown, of Cambridge, informs me, that one of these birds
had the boldness to attack two Canaries, in a cage, sus-
pended one fine winter's day at the window. The poor
songsters in their fears fluttered to the side of the cage,
and one of them thrust its head through the bars of his
prison, at this instant the wily Butcher tore oif his head,
and left the body dead in the cage. The cause of the
accident seemed wholly mysterious, till, on the following
260 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
day, the bold hunter was found to have entered the room,
through the open window, with a view to despatch the
remaining victim ; and, but for timely interference, it
would have instantly shared the fate of its companion.
On another occasion, while a Mr. Lock, in this vicinity,
was engaged in fowling, he wounded a Robin who flew
to a little distance and descended to the ground ; he soon
heard the disabled bird uttering unusual cries, and on
approaching found him in the grasp of the Shrike. He
snatched up the bird from his devourer ; but having tasted
blood, it still followed the gentleman, as if determined not
to relinquish its proposed prey, and only desisted from
the quest on receiving a mortal wound. The propensi-
ty for thus singularly securing its prey, is also practised
on birds, which it impales in the same manner, and after-
wards tears them to pieces at leisure.
From his attempts to imitate the notes of other small
birds, in Canada, and some parts of New England, he is
sometimes called a Mocking-bird. His usual note, like
that of the following species, resembles the discordant
creaking of a sign-board hinge ; and my friend Mr.
Brown has heard one mimicking the quacking of his ducks,
so that they answered to him as to a decoy fowl. They
also imitate other birds, and I have been informed
that they sing pretty well themselves, at times, or rather
chatter, and mimic the songs of other birds, as if with a
view to entice them into sight, for the purpose of making
them their prey. This fondness for imitation, as in the
Pies, may however be merely the result of caprice.
The parents and their brood move in company in quest
of their subsistence, and remain together the whole sea-
son. The male boldly attacks even the Hawk or the
Eagle in their defence, and with such fury that these gen-
erally decline the onset.
LOGGER-HEAD SHRIKE. 261
This species is from 10 to 10;^ inches in length, and 13 to 14 in
alar expansion. Above, the adult is pale cinereous, with the sides of
the head nearly white, crossed with a bar of black that passes from
the nostril through the eye to the middle of the neck. Beneath some-
times nearly ichite, at other times inclining to dusky, and marked
rather thickly with varied lines of a darker hue (each of the feathers
marked with 2 or 3 of these rounding transverse bars) . The wings are
black, with a spot of white on the primaries just below their coverts.
Rump and tail coverts light ash. Tail cuneiform of 12 feathers
(in the adult), the 2 middle ones only black (in the young 4), the
others are tipt with white, and the outer pair nearly all white. The
legs, feet, and bill towards its point, black. Iris bright hazel. In the
specific character it will be seen that the young differs so much from
the adult as to disannul the marks of specification.
LOGGER-HEAD SHRIKE.
(Lanius ludoviciamis, Lin. L. carolinensis, Audubon, pi. 57. [a fine
group]. Wilson, iii. p. 57. pi. 22. fig. 8. Philad. Museum, No.
557.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark slate color; beneath white ; frontlet, wings,
and tail black ; the tail-feathers, with the exception of the 4 mid-
dle ones, partly white ; 2d primary longest ; the 1st and 5th equal.
This species, much resembling the last, inhabits only
the warmer parts of the United States, residing and breed-
ing from North Carolina to Florida, where I have ob-
served it likewise in winter. It was also seen in the
table-land of Mexico by that enterprising naturalist and
collector, Mr. Bullock. According to Audubon, it always
affects the low countries, being seldom met with in the
mountainous districts, though they may happen merely
to intersect the parts it inhabits. Its farthest inland
migrations are only into the states of Mississippi and
Louisiana, where it is observed merely to pass the winter
months.
262 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
Its habits are shy and retiring, and it renders itself
useful, and claims protection, by destroying mice around
the plantation, for which it sits and watches near the
rice stacks for hours together, seldom failing of its prey
as soon as it appears. Like most of the genus, he is also
well satisfied with large insects, crickets, and grasshop-
pers. He has no song, and Wilson and Audubon com-
pare his call to the creaking of a sign-board in windy
weather ; he probably, however, has the usual talent for
mimicry. The latter informs us, that the species begin
to pair about March, and show very little affection in
their mutual deportment. The nest is fixed in a low
bush, generally a hawthorn, and is but little concealed.
It is coarsely made of dry crooked twigs, and lined with
root fibres, and slender grass. The eggs, 3 to 5, are
greenish white. Incubation is performed by both sexes
in turn, but each bird procures its own food in the inter-
vals. They rear only one brood in the season. Its
manners resemble those of a Hawk ; it sits silent and
watchful, until it espies its prey on the ground^ when
it pounces upon it, and strikes first with the bill, in
the manner of small birds, seizing the object immedi-
ately after in its claws ; but it never attacks birds or
impales its prey like the preceding species.*
The Logger-head Shrike is 9 inches long, and 13 in alar expansion.
Above dark grey ; the scapulars and line over the eye whitish.
Wings black, with a small spot of white at the base of the primaries,
and tipt with white. Forehead and sides of the head included in a
broad black band. Tail cuneiform, tlie 4 middle feathers wholly
black (in the adult ?), the rest more or less tipt with white, to the
outer one, which is nearly all white. Below white, sometimes (ac-
cording to age) marked with faint, waving, pale, dusky lines; the
sides tinged with brown. Iris dark hazel. Bill and legs black. —
The Female is somewhat smaller and darker.
* Audubon, Cm. Biog. i. p. 300, 301.
FLYCATCHERS. 263
Note. The Red-backed Shrike (Lanius coUurio, L.) was sent
to Count de BufFon from Lomsiana, and as (according to Tem-
minck) it is common in South America, there is little doubt but that
it may occasionally visit the warmer parts of the United States and
Mexico.
This species is only 7^ inches in length, with a grey crown and
rump ; the back and coverts of the wings of a rufous chestnut color ;
the throat and abdomen white, the flanks and vent roseate, inclining
to rufous. Wings nearly, and 2 middle tail-feathers wholly black,
the other tail-feathers white for two thirds of their length. Tail
nearly even. The 2d primary longer than the 5th. — The feinale
sullied rust-color, with the breast and belly impure wliite with dusky
semicircular lines.
The Red-backed Shrike breeds in Sweden in the latter end of
April. The nest is large, made in a low, thorny bush, formed of
wool and soft withered grass, &c., well put together. The ego-s
are 5 or 6, blunt, of a roseate tint with reddish spots ; or even
yellowish, with greyish-green spots in the form of a zone. The male
feeds his mate while sitting, and displays great courage in the de-
fence of his brood. They feed on large insects, flies, spiders, younor
mice, small lizards, grasshoppers, frogs, &c.
THE FLYCATCHERS. (Muscicapa. Li?i.)
In these the bill is of moderate magnitude, rather stout, angular,
considerably Avidened and flattened towards the base, which is guard-
ed with longish bristles ; the upper mandible is notched towards the
end, and bent at the tip. The Nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and
partly hid in the advancing hairs. Feet, with the tarsus of the
length of, or a little longer than, the middle toe ; inner toe free, or
merely united at the base } hind nail more curved than the rest, and
larger than that uf the middle toe. Wings rather long and some-
Avliat sharp ; with the 1st primary very short, the 3d and 4th longest.
These are, in Europe and North America, birds of passage, usually
arriving late, and retiring earlier or later in the autumn. They sub-
sist during summer almost wholly upon flies, moths, and other
winged insects, which they catch on the wing. They walk badly,
and scarcely ever descend to the earth after their food. In autumn
they feed much on berries of various kinds, (and here chiefly on
264 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
those which are bitter or astringent.) They have generally but a
single brood in the season ; they perch on the summits of trees, living
in single pairs in the forest where they form their nests, often morn-
ing and evening, and sometimes nearly the whole day, taking a
station near some stagnant water, and flying to and from this perch
alternately after hovering insects. The broad-billed North American
species are taciturn, or have only a few quaint, stridulous calls and
cries, and form no attachment to those who feed them in a state of
domestication, yet eat greedily ; these also have only one moult in
the year. — In another section, or rather genus, allied to Sylvia, the
voice is melodious, and the moult of the male double, arriving in the
spring in a more brilliant nuptial plumage. The young differ from
the adult only during the first year. The shells and drier parts of in-
sects, as well as the skins and seeds of fruits, are brought up from
the stomach, and ejected by the bill.
t MusciPETA. With the moult single, and the voice without cadence.
* Larger species (or Tyranni).
These are unusually petulant, tyrannical, and courageous, driving
sometimes from the vicinity of their nests the most powerful birds
of prey.
KING-BIRD, OR TYRANT FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa tyrannus, Briss. Bonap. Audubon, pi. 79. Lanius
f?/?-arenM5, Wilson, ii. p. 67.pl. 13. fig. 1. Phil. Museum, No. 578.)
Sp. Charact. — Blackish, beneath nearly white; tail even, extend-
ing far beyond the wings, black, tipped with white. — Adult wiXh.
a scarlet spot on the crown.
This well known, remarkable, and pugnacious bird
takes up his summer residence in all the intermediate
region, from the temperate parts of Mexico to the unin-
23
266 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
habited and remote interior of Canada.* In all this vast
geographical range the King-bird seeks his food and
rears his young. According to Audubon, they appear in
Louisiana by the middle of March, and about the 20th
of April, Wilson remarked their arrival in Pennsylvania,
in small parties of 5 or 6 ; but they are seldom seen in
this part of New England before the middle of May.
They are now silent and peaceable, until they begin to
pair, and form their nests, which takes place from the
1st to the last week in May, or early in June, according
to the advancement of the season in the latitudes of 40
and 43 degrees. The nest is usually built in the orchard,
on the horizontal branch of an apple, or pear tree, some-
times in an oak, in the adjoining forest, at various
heights from the ground, seldom carefully concealed, and
firmly fixed at the bottom to the supporting twigs of the
branch. The outside consists of coarse stalks of dead
grass and wiry weeds, the whole well connected and bed-
ded with cud-weed * down, tow, or an occasional rope-
yarn, and wool ; it is then lined with dry, slender grass,
root fibres, and horse-hair. The eggs are generally 3 to
5, yellowish white, and marked with a few large, well de-
fined spots of deep and bright brown. They often build
and hatch twice in the season.
The King-bird has no song, only a shrill guttural twit-
ter, somewhat like that of the Martin, but no way musi-
cal. At times, as he sits watching his prey, he calls to
his mate with a harsh tsheup, rather quickly pronounced,
and attended with some action. As insects approach
him, or as he darts after them, the snapping of his bill is
heard, like the shutting of a watch-case, and is the cer-
tain grave of his prey. Beetles, grasshoppers, crickets,
and winged insects of all descriptions form his principal
* Being seen by Mr. Say at Pembino, lat. 49». f Oiiaphalium plantagineum.
KING-BIRD, OR TYRANT FLYCATCHER. 267
summer food. T have also seen them collecting the can-
ker-worms from the Elm. Towards autumn, as various
kinds of berries ripen, these constitute a very considera-
ble and favorite part of his subsistence ; but, with the ex-
ception of currants (of which he only eats perhaps when
confined), he refuses all exotic productions, contenting
himself with black-berries, whortle-berries, those of the
sassafras, cornel. Viburnum, elder, poke, and 5-leaved
ivy.* Raisins, foreign currants, grapes, cherries, peach-
es, pears, and apples were never even tasted, when offer-
ed to a bird of this kind, which I had many months as
my pensioner ; of the last, when roasted, sometimes,
however, a few mouthfuls were relished, in the absence
of other more agreeable diet. Berries he always swal-
lowed whole, grasshoppers, if too large, were pounded
and broken on the floor, as he held them in his bill. To
manage the larger beetles was not so easy ; these he
struck repeatedly against the ground, and then turned
them from side to side, by throwing them dexterously in-
to the air, after the manner of the Toucan, and the
insect was uniformly caught reversed as it descended,
with the agility of a practised cup-and-ball player. At
length, the pieces of the beetle were swallowed, and he
remained still to digest his morsel, tasting it distinctly,
soon after it entered the stomach, as became obvious by
the ruminating motion of his mandibles. When the
soluble portion was taken up, large pellets of the indiges-
tible legs, wings, and shells, as likewise the skins and
seeds of berries, were, in half an hour or less, brought up
and ejected from the mouth in the manner of the Hawks
and Owls. When other food failed, he appeared very well
satisfied with fresh minced meat, and drank water fre-
quently, even during the severe frosts of January, which he
*Cissur'} hederacea.
268 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
endured without much difficulty ; basking, however, like
Diogenes, in the feeble beams of the sun, which he fol-
lowed round the room of his confinement, well satisfied,
when no intruder or companion threw him into the shade !
Some very cold evenings he had the sagacity to retire
under the shelter of a depending bed-quilt ; was very much
pleased with the warmth and brilliancy of lamp-light, and
would eat freely at any hour of the night. Unacquaint-
ed with the deceptive nature of shadows, he sometimes
snatched at them for the substances they resembled.
Unlike the Vireos, he retired to rest without hiding his
head in the wing, and was extremely watchful, though not
abroad till after sunrise. His taciturnity, and disincli-
nation to friendship and familiarity in confinement, were
striking traits. His restless, quick, and side glancing
eye, enabled him to follow the motions of his flying insect
prey, and to ascertain precisely the infallible instant of
attack. He readily caught morsels of food in his bill be-
fore they reached the ground, when thrown across the
room ; and, on these occasions, seemed pleased with
making the necessary exertion. He had also a practice
of cautiously stretching out his neck, like a snake, and
peeping about, either to obtain sight of his food, to watch
any approach of danger, or to examine any thing that
appeared strange. At length we became so well ac-
quainted, that when very hungry, he would express his
gratitude on being fed, by a shrill twitter, and a lively
look, which was the more remarkable, as at nearly all
other times he was entirely silent.
In a natural state he takes his station on the top of
an apple-tree, or a stake, or tall weed, and betwixt the
amusement of his squeaking twitter, employs himself in
darting after his insect food. Occasionally he is seen
hovering over the field, with beating wing, almost like a
KING-BIRD, OR TYRANT FLYCATCHER. 269
Hawk, surveying the ground or herbage for grasshoppers,
which are a favorite diet. At other times, they may be
observed in small companies flickering over still waters in
the same employment, the gratification of appetite. Now
and then, during the heat of summer, they are seen to
dip and bathe, in the watery mirror, and with this wash-
ing, drying, and pluming, they appear to be both gratified
and amused. During the season of their sojourn, the
pair are often seen moving about in company, with a
rapid quivering of the wings, and a continued tremulous
shrieking twitter. Their energetic and amusing mo-
tions are most commonly performed in w^arm and fine
weather, and continue, with little interruption, until to-
wards the close of August.
One of the most remarkable traits in the character of
the Kincr-bird is the courage and affection which he dis-
plays for his mate and young ; for on his first arrival he
is rather timid, and readily dodges before the Swallow
and Purple Martin. Indeed at this season I have seen
the spotted Sandpiper* drive away a pair of King-birds,
because they happened to approach the premises of her
nest. But he now becomes, on this important occasion, so
tenacious of his rights as readily to commence the attack
against all his feathered enemies, and he passes several
months of the summer in a scene of almost perpetual con-
test, and not overrating his hostile powers, he generally
finds means to come off with impunity. Eagles, Hawks,
Crows, Jays, and in short every bird which excites his
suspicion, by their intentional or accidental approach, are
attacked with skill and courage ; he dives upon the heads
and backs of the larger intruders, who become so annoy-
ed and tormented as willingly to make a precipitate re-
treat. He pursues his foes sometimes for a mile ; and at
* Totanas macidarius,
23*
270 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
length, assured of conquest, he returns to his prominent
watch-ground, again quivering his vi^ings in gratulation,
and rapidly uttering his shrill and triumphant notes.
He is therefore the friend of the farmer, as the scourge
of the pilferers and plunderers of his crop and barn-yard.
But that he might not be perfectly harmless, he has some-
times a propensity for feeding on the valuable tenants of
the bee-hive ; for these he watches, and exultingly twit-
ters at the prospect of success, as they wing their way
engaged in busy employment ; his quick-sighted eyes
now follow them, until one, more suitable than the rest,
becomes his favorite mark. This selected victim is by
some farmers believed to be a drone rather than the
stinging neutral worker. The selective discernment of
the eyes of this bird has often amused me ; berries of
different kinds, held to my domestic King-bird, however
similar, were rejected or snatched, as they suited his in-
stinct, with the nicest discrimination.
As the young acquire strength for their distant journey,
they may be seen in August and September, assembling
together in almost silent, greedy, and watchful parties of
a dozen or more, feeding on various berries, particularly
those of the sassafras and cornel, from whence they some-
times drive away smaller birds, and likewise spar and
chase each other as the supply diminishes. Indeed, my
domestic allowed no other bird to live in peace near him,
when feeding on similar food, and though lame of a wing,
he often watched his opportunity for reprisal and revenge,
and became so jealous, that instead of being amused by
companions, sometimes he caught hold of them with his
bill, and seemed inclined to destroy them for invading his
usurped privileges. In September the King-bird begins to
leave the United States, and proceeds to pass the winter
in tropical America. During the period of migration
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 271
southward, Audubon remarks that they fly and sail
through the air with great ease, at a considerable eleva-
tion ; and they thus continue their silent retreat through-
out the night, until about the first of October, when they
are no longer to be seen within the limits of the Middle
States.
The King-bird (called also Field Martin in Maryland and the
Southern States) is about 8 inches in length, and 14 in alar extent.
The general color above is a dark ash color approaching to black.
The head and tail are nearly black, the latter tipt with white ; the
wings have something of a brownish umber cast. Upper part of the
breast tinged with ash, the rest of the lower parts are pure white.
The plumage of the crown, though even when the bird is at rest, can
be, at will, erected, so as to form a rough crest ; below the black surface
of which is seen a bed of scarlet inclining to orange, surrounded and
based often with white ; this constitutes the crown of our feathered
monarch. The bill is very broad at the base, and black. The legs and
feet are also black. The iris hazel. The young birds receive the
orange on the crown the first season.
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa crinita, L. Wilson, ii. p. 75. pi. 13. fig. 2. Philad. Mu-
seum, No. 6645.)
Sp. Charact. — Greenish-olive; throat pale ash; belly yellow;
wing and tail feathers ferruginous on the inner webs.
This species, nearly unknown in New England, arrives
in Pennsylvania early in May, and builds his nest in the
deserted holes of the Woodpecker or Blue-bird. He also
frequents the orchard, and is equally fond of Bees with the
King-bird. He has no other note than a harsh squeak,
which sounds like ^paiip, 'paip or payup, 'payivip, with
a strong accent on the first syllable. He preys actively on
insects which he collects from his stand ; and, in short,
272 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
has most of the manners and physiognomy of the whole
section or family to which he belongs. The nest being
formed in the hollow of a tree, the materials are conse-
quently scant, but somewhat novel ; being, according to
Catesby and Wilson, a little loose hay, and large feathers,
with hogs' bristles, dogs' hair, and pieces of cast snake-
skins, the last of which, though an extraordinary mate-
rial, is rarely wanting, its elastic softness forming a suita-
ble bed for the young. ^ The eggs are said to be 4, of a
dull white, thickly marked with scratches and purple
lines of various tints, as if laid on with a pen. The note
of the male appears often delivered in anger and impa-
tience, and he defends his retreat from the access of all
other birds with the tyrannic insolence, characteristic of
the King-bird.
Towards the end of summer they feed on berries of
various kinds, being particularly partial to whortle-berries,
which, for a time, seem to constitute the principal food of
the young. They remain in Pennsylvania till about the
middle of September, when they retire to tropical Ameri-
ca. In July, 1831, I observed a pair in an orchard at
Acton, in this State (Mass.) They had reared a brood in
the vicinity, and still appeared very stationary on the
premises ; their harsh ^payup, and sometimes a slender
twittering as they took the perch, were heard almost
from morn to night, and resembled at first the chirp of a
young Robin. They fed on the caterpillars or vermin
of some kind which happened to infest the apple-trees.
I was told that it uttered a different and more musical
note about sunrise, but of this I cannot speak from my
own knowledge. They are unknown in the vicinity of
the sea-coast of Massachusetts.
This species is 8.j^ inches long, and 13 in alar extent. Above, the
color is dull greenish olive ; the feathers of the head pointed, and
ARKANSA FLYCATCHER. 273
centred with dark brown, the whole forming a sort of spreading cap
or crest. Wing-coverts crossed with two irregular bars of yellowish
white. Primaries bright ferruginous. Tail slightly forked. Bill,
legs, and feet greyish black. Iris hazel. The female is scarcely diS'
tinguishable from the male.
ARKANSA FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa verdcalis, Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 18. pi. 2. fig. 2. Ty-
r annus verticalis, Say. Philad. Museum, No. 6G24.)
Sp. Charact. — Head and throat ash ; a small orange spot on the
crown ; belly yellow ; tail blackish, the exterior feather v/hite on
the outer web.
We are indebted to Mr. Say, the well known natural-
ist, for the discovery of this recently known species of
Flycatcher, which appears to inhabit all the region west
of the Missouri river. The specimen obtained, in the
beginning of July, near the banks of the river Platte,
and only a few days' march from the Rocky mountains,
was a male.
The length of this species is 8 inches. The head above, and hind-
head are pale lead-color. Beneath the surface of the crown there is
a small bright orange spot, also a dusky space between the bill and
eyes. The lead-color of the back is tinged with olive, the rump and
upper tail coverts approaching to blackish. Throat and upper part
of the breast very pale plumbeous, beyond which all the under parts
are yellow. The wings umber brown ; the 1st primary very narrow.
Tail deep brown-black, very slightly forked ; the exterior feather is
white on the outer web. It is allied to the Muscicapa ferox of South
America.
274 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER.
(Miiscicajia savana, Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 1. pi. 1. fig. 1. M. tyran-
nus, Lin. Philad. Museuirij No. 6620.)
Sp. Charact. — Cinereous; head black; a fulvous spot on the
crown ; beneath white; tail 10 inches long, extremely forked and
black.
This splendid bird is a resident in the tropical wilds
of Guiana, where it is said to be common, and was found
also by Commerson near the banks of La Plata and in
the woods of Monte Video. It is only a straggler in the
United States, from one of which accidental visitors,
near Bridgetown in New Jersey, in the first week in
December, was made the splendid engraving which ac-
companies the account of this bird in Prince Bonaparte's
Ornithology.
In its habits it resembles the other native species of
the genus, is a solitary bird, remaining for a long time
perched on the limb of a tree, from whence it occasion-
ally darts after passing insects, or flying downwards, it
alights on the tufted herbage arising above the partially
drowned savannas, beyond whose limits this sedentary
species but seldom strays. While seated, his long train is
in motion like that of the Wagtail. Besides insects, like
our King-bird, he feeds on berries, and this individual
had his stomach distended with those of the Poke plant.*
South America affords two other species resembling the
present, and equally remarkable for the singular length
and forking of the tail-feathers.
The length of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher is 14 inches, its tail
alone measuring nearly 10. The alar extent is also 14 inches. The
upper part of the head and cheeks is deep black. The feathers of
* Paptolacea deeandra. L.
SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 275
the crown are somewhat slender, elevated, of a yellow-orange, form-
ing a brilliant spot, only visible, however, when the crested cap is
elevated ; the remaining part of the neck and back are greyish-ash ;
the rump is darker, and gradually passes into the blaxik of the supe-
rior tail-coverts. Beneath white. Wings dusky ; the 1st primary
edged with whitish on the outer web, and equal in length to the
4th J the 2d longest ; the 3 outer have a deep sinus on their inner
webs near the tip, so as to terminate in a slender process. The tail
is black and very deeply and widely forked ; the 2 exterior feathers
10 inches, the 2 next succeeding only 5, and the other feathers be-
come gradually and proportionally shorter, until those in the middle
are scarcely 2 inches in length ; the long exterior tail-feather is
white on the remarkably narrow outer web, and on the shaft beneath
for nearly | of its length.
SWALLOW-TAILED FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapaforficata, Gm. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 15. pi. 2. fig. 1.
Philad. Museum, No. G623.)
Sp. Charact. — Light cinereous ; beneath white; axillary feathers
scarlet ; tail greatly elongated, deeply forked, black, the outer
feathers chiefly rosaceous.
This very beautiful and singular species of Fly-catcher
is confined wholly to the open plains and scanty forests
of the remote southwestern regions beyond the Missis-
sippi, where they, in all probability, extend their resi-
dence to the high plains of Mexico. I found these birds
rather common near the banks of Red River, about the
confluence of the Kiamesha. I again saw them more
abundant, near the Great Salt River of the Arkansa in
the month of August, when the young and old appeared,
like our King-birds, assembling together previously to their
departure for the south. They alighted repeatedly on
the tall plants of the prairie, and were probably preying
upon the grasshoppers, which were now abundant. At
276 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
this time also they were wholly silent, and flitted before
our path with suspicion and timidity. A week or two
after we saw them no more, having retired probably to
tropical winter quarters.
In the month of May, a pair, which I daily saw for
three or four weeks, had made a nest on the horizontal
branch of an Elm, probably 12 or more feet from the
ground. I did not examine it very near, but it aj>-
peared externally composed of coarse dry grass. The fe-
male, when first seen, was engaged in sitting, and her
mate wildly attacked every bird which approached their
residence. This harsh chirping note of the male, kept up
at intervals, as remarked by Mr, Say, almost resembled
the barking of the Prairie Marmot, 'tsh 'tsh Hsh. His
flowing, kite-like tail, spread or contracted at will while
flying, is a singular trait in his plumage, and render-
ed him conspicuously beautiful to the most careless ob-
server.
This fine bird is about 11 inches in length. The upper part of the
head and neck is light grey ; back and scapulars dark- cinereous,
tinged with reddish-brown; the rump of the same color but inclined
to black, upper tail-coverts deep black. Beneath milk white, the
flanks tinged with red; the inferior tail-coverts pale rosaceous.
Wings brownish black, the upper coverts and secondaries margined
externally and at tip with dull whitish; under wing-coverts white,
tinged with rose ; axillary feathers above and beneath of a vivid
scarlet. The tail very long and deeply forked, of a perfect black,
each feather with its terminal margin of a dull whitish tint ; the 3
exterior feathers on each side are of a pale rosaceous color, on a con-
siderable part of their length from their bases ; the external one is
5^ inches long, the 2d and 3d decrease gradually, but the 4th is dis-
proportionately shorter ; from this feather there is a gradual decrease
to the 6th, which is little more than 2 inches long. Bill and feet
blackish. Irids brown. Female nearly similar to the male.
say's flycatcher. ^11
* * Smaller species (or ordinary MusciPEXiE.)
These hardly require separation from the former division, with
which they agree in every thing but size.
SAY'S FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa Saya, Bonap. i. p. 20. pi. 2. fig. 3. Philad. Museum,
No. 6831.)
Sp. Charact. — Dull cinnamon-brown ; belly pale rufous ; tail near-
ly even ; the 1st primary longer than the 6th.
This species was obtained by Mr. T. Peale, one of
the naturalists who accompanied Major Long's expedition,
in the vicinity of the Arkansas River, and about 20 miles
from the Rocky Mountains. Prince Bonaparte imagines
it may be a tropical American species, indicated under
the inadmissible name of 31. ohscura by Veillot.
This Flycatcher strongly resembles the Common Pe-
wee [31. fusca.), having even the same note, but deliver-
ed in a different and distinguishing tone. Its nest, found
in July, was built in a tree, and consisted chiefly of moss
and clay, interwoven with a few blades of dried grass.
The young were just ready to fly.
The length of Say's Fly-catcher is 7 inches. Above, dull cinnamon-
brown, becoming darker on the head. Beneath, throat, and breast
of the same dull cinnamon tint, gradually passing into the pale ru-
fous of the abdomen 3 the under wing-coverts white, slightly tinged
with rufous. The primaries dusky, tinged with cinnamon ; the 1st
a quarter of an inch shorter than the 2d, which is nearly as long as
the 3d; the 3d longest; the 4th and 5th gradually decrease, and the
6th is shorter than the 1st. The tail is scarcely notched and black-
ish-brown. The bill is remarkably flattened, the upper mandible
blackish, the lower pale horn-color below. The feet are also black-
ish ; and the irids brown.
24
PEWIT FLYCATCHER, or PHCEBE.
(Muscicapa atra Gm. M. Phoebe, Lath. M.fusca. Bonap. M. nunciola,
Wilson, ii. p. 78. pi. 13. fig. 4. Phil. Museum, No. 6t318.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark olive-brown, darker on the head; beneath
pale yellowish ; bill black; tail emarginate, extending an inch
and a half bej^ond the closed wings ; the exterior feather whitish
on the outer web.
This familiar species inhabits the continent of North
America, from Canada to Florida, retiring from the
Northern and Middle States at the approach of winter.
How far they proceed to the south at this season is not
satisfactorily ascertained ; a few, no doubt, winter in the
milder parts of the Union, as Wilson saw them in Februa-
ry in the swamps of North and South Carolina, where they
were feeding on smilax berries, and occasionally even
giving their well known notes ; but in the winter, and
early spring of 1830, while employed in an extensive
pedestrian journey from South Carolina to Florida and
PEWIT FLYCATCHER, OR PHGEBE. 279
Alabama, I never heard or met with an individual of the
species.
This faithful messenger of spring returns to Pennsylva-
nia as early as the first week in March, remains till
October, and sometimes nearly to the middle of Novem-
ber. In Masachusetts, they arrive about the beginning
of April, and at first chiefly frequent the woods.
Their favorite resort is near streams, ponds, or stag-
nant waters, about bridges, caves, and barns, v/here they
choose to breed ; and, in short, wherever there is a good
prospect for obtaining their insect food. Near such
places our little hunter sits on the roof of some out-build-
ing, on a stake of the fence, or a projecting branch, call-
ing out, at short intervals, and in a rapid manner pliehe
phebt, and at times in a more plaintive tone phee-bh-ee-
This quaint and querulous note, occasionally approaching
to a warble, sometimes also sounds like pewait pewait,
and then J) e-wai-ee, a.\so, pkebt phe-bec-ee, twice alternated,
the latter phrase somewhat soft and twittering. In the
spring this not unpleasing guttural warble is kept up for
hours together, until late in the morning, and though not
loud, may be heard to a considerable distance. From a
roof I have heard these notes full half a mile across the
water of a small lake ; and this cheerful, though monoto-
nous ditty, is only interrupted for a few seconds, as the
performer darts and sweeps after his retreating prey of
flies, frequently flirting and quivering his tail and ele-
vating his feathery cap, while sharply watching the mo-
tions of his fickle game.
In the Middle States he begins to construct his nest
about the latter end of March, in Massachusetts not be-
fore the first week in April. The nest is situated under
a bridge, in a cave, the sides of a well 5 or 6 feet down,
under a shed, or in the shelter of the low eaves of a cot-
280 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
tage, and even in an empty kitchen ; sometimes it rests
on a beam, though it is" frequently attached to the side of
a piece of roofing timber in the manner of the Swallow.
The outside is generally made of a mixture of moss {Hyp-
num) and clay, and formed with considerable solidity ;
inside it is lined with flaxy fibres, films of bark, wool, horse-
hair, or only with dry grass. The nest is also sometimes
made merely of mud, root-fibres, and withered grass.
The eggs are about 5, pure white, without any spots.
According to the touching relation of Wilson, this
humble and inoffensive bird, forms conjugal attachments,
which probably continue through life ; for, like the faith-
ful Blue-birds, a pair continued for several years to fre-
quent and build in a romantic cave, in the forest which
made part of the estate of the venerable naturalist, Wil-
liam Bartram. Here our unfortunate birds had again taken
up their welcome lease for the summer, again chanted
forth their simple lay of affection, and cheered my aged
friend with the certain news of spring ; when unexpect-
edly a party of idle boys, one fatal Saturday, destroyed
with the gun the parents of this old and peaceful settle-
ment ; and from that time forward no other pair were
ever seen around this once happy, now desolate spot.
Their attachment to particular places is indeed re-
markable. About the middle of April, 1831, at the Fresh
Pond Hotel, in this vicinity, 3 different nests were begun
in the public boat-house, which may be here considered
almost as a thoroughfare ; only one nest, however, was
completed : and we could not help admiring the courage
and devotedness with which the parents fed their young,
and took their alternate station by the side of the nest,
undaunted in our presence, only now and then uttering
a 'tship when observed too narrowly. Some ruffian at
length tore down the nest, and carried off the brood, but
PEWIT FLYCATCHER, OR PHCEBE. 281
our Phebes immediately commenced a new fabric, and
laid 5 additional eggs in the same place with the first ;
and, in haste to finish their habitation, they had lined it
with the silvery shreds of a Manilla rope, which they
had discovered in the contiguous loft over the boat-
house. For several previous seasons they had taken up
their abode in this vicinity, and seemed unwilling to re-
move from the neighbourhood they had once chosen in
spite of the most untoward circumstances.
Towards the time of their departure for the south,
which is about the middle of October, they are silent, and
previously utter their notes more seldom, as if mourning
the decay of nature, and anticipating the approaching
famine which now urges their migration. In Massachu-
setts the Phebe rarely raises more than a single brood in
the season, unless, as in the instance related, they have
had the misfortune to lose the first hatch. The young,
dispersed through the woods in small numbers, may now
and then be heard to the close of September, exercising
their feeble voices in a guttural phehe. But the old birds
are almost wholly silent, or but little heard, as they flit tim-
idly through the woods, when once released from the cares
of rearing their infant brood ; so that here the Phebe's
note is almost a concomitant of spring and the mildest
opening of summer ; it is, indeed, much more vigorous in
April and May than at any succeeding period.
The Pewee is 7 inches in length, and 9^ in alar extent. Above
dark dusky olive ; the head brownish black, with an erectile crested
cap, like all the rest of this North American family of Flycatchers,
with the exception of the Redstart (M. ruticilla). Wings and tail
dusky, approaching to black, the former edged on every feather with
yollowish white, the latter forked. Below pale whitish yellow, bright-
er on the abdomen. Legs and hill wholly black. Iris hazel. The
sexes almost entirely similar.
24*
282 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, or ' Pe-PE.'
(Muscicapa * Cooperi, M. inornata, Nobis, Nat. Sci. Philad. et D.
CoopjERinlitt.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky-brown, head darker, without discolored
spot ; sides olive-grey ; lateral space beneath the wing white ;
lower mandible purplish horn-color; tail nearly even, and extend-
ing but little beyond the closed wings ; 2d primary longest.
This undescribed species, which appertains to the group
of Pewees, was obtained in the woods of Sweet Auburn,
in this vicinity, by Mr. John Bethune, of Cambridge, on the
7th of June, 1830. This, and a second specimen, acquired
soon afterwards, were females on the point of incubation.
A third individual of the same sex was killed on the 21st
of June, 1831. They were all of them fat, and had their
stomachs filled with torn fragments of wild bees, wasps,
and other similar insects. I have watched the motions
of two other living individuals, who appeared tyrannical
and quarrelsome even with each other ; the attack was
always accompanied with a whirring, querulous twitter.
Their dispute was apparently, like that of savages, about
the rights of their respective hunting-grounds. One of
the birds, the female, whom I usually saw alone, was un-
commonly sedentary. The territory she seemed deter-
mined to claim was circumscribed by the tops of a
cluster of tall Virginia junipers or red cedars, and an
adjoining elm, and decayed cherry tree. From this
sovereign station, in the solitude of a barren and sandy
piece of forest, adjoining Sweet Auburn, she kept a sharp
lookout for passing insects, and pursued them with
great vigor and success as soon as they appeared, some-
times chasing them to the ground, and generally re-
suming her perch with an additional mouthful, which she
swallowed at leisure. On descending to her station,
the occasionally quivered her wings and tail, erected her
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, OR 'pE-Pe/ 283
blowsy cap, and kept up a whistling, oft repeated, whining
call of 'j)^ 'P^i then varied to ^pu 'pip, and 'pip pu^ also
at times 'pip 'pip 'pu, 'pip 'pip 'pip, 'pu 'pupip, or 'tu 'tu
'til, and 'tu 'tu. This shrill, pensive, and quick whistle
sometimes dropped almost to a whisper, or merely 'pu.
The tone was in fact much like that of the 'phu 'phu 'phu
of the Fish Hawk. The male, however, besides this note,
at long intervals, had a call of 'eh'phebee, or 'h'phehed,
almost exactly in the tone of the circular tin whistle, or
bird'Call, being loud, shrill, and guttural at the commence-
ment. The nest of this pair I at length discovered, in the
horizontal branch of a tall red cedar 40 or 50 feet from
the ground. It was formed much in the manner of the
King-bird, externally made of interlaced dead twigs of
the cedar, internally of the wiry stolons of the common
cinquefoil, dry grass, and some fragments of branching
Lichen or Usnea. It contained 3 young, and had prob-
ably 4 eggs. The eggs had been hatched about the 20th
of June, so that the pair had arrived in this vicinity about
the close of May.
The young remained in the nest no less than 23
days, and were fed from the first on beetles and per-
fect insects, which appeared to have been wholly digest-
ed without any regurgitation. Towards the close of this
protracted period the young could fly with all the celerity
of the parents ; and they probably went to and from the
nest repeatedly before abandoning it. The male was at
this time extremely watchful, and frequently followed me
from his usual residence, after my paying him a visit, near-
ly half a mile. These birds, which I watched on several
successive days, were no way timid, and allowed me for
some time, previous to visiting their nest, to investigate
them and the premises they had chosen, without showing
any sign of alarm, or particular observation.
284 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The Tyran ofBuffon, (vol. v. pi. 537,) or Pe pc re, ap-
proaches near to this species both in size and color, but
is distinguishable by the bed of yellow on the head, be-
neath the surface of the feathers. The habits of both are
very similar. The South American birds live in the soli-
tude of the forest by pairs, nesting in hollow trees, or in
the bifurcation of some branch, chanting forth their
quaint pe pe re, about the break of day, which they an-
nounce with more precision even than our domestic cock.
They are likewise very pugnacious in defence of their
young. Muscicapa harbata of Cayenne, has also some
affinity with our species, and utters apepe, or somewhat
similar note. (Vol. v. p. 277 of the same author.)
My friend W. Cooper, Esq., so well known for his de-
votion to Ornithology, received this bird likewise the
preceding summer from the vicinity of Cape May, and
Egg-harbour, in New Jersey. The supposed young bird
of the Crested Fly-catcher, cinereous above and white
on the belly, mentioned by Pennant, might perhaps
have been the present species.
The length of the Olive-Sided Pewee is about 6^ to 7 inches.
Like the rest of the family to which it belongs, it has a blowsy cap or
crest, erectile at will ; the color of this part is very dark brown, but
with the hind-head inclined to dark ash, which is the prevailing color
of the back. The wings and tail are dusky-brown, without any par-
ticle of white ; the secondaries and their coverts edged with whitish ;
the second primary longest and the 1st and 3d equal. The tail
emarginate, extending only about | of an inch beyond the closed
wings. Bill very broad, nearly ^ an inch ; rictus bright yellow, as
well as the inside of the mouth and tongue ; the latter somewhat cor-
date and bifid at tip ; the upper mandible distinctly carinated, and
black; the lower, purplish horn-yellow, lighter towards the base.
Chin white. The sides dusky olive, a broad line down the middle of
the breast, with the abdomen and rump yellowish white ; a broadish
white space on the side, beneath the wing towards the back, extend-
ing almost to the region of the rump. Legs and feet black- Irids
dark hazel. This species, though of the size of the King-bird, is near-
ly related to the Wood Pewee, yet perfectly distinct.
WOOD PEWEE. 285
Mr, Cooper, by letter, has obligingly informed me, that Prince
Musignano, thinks this bird may be described by Pennant. His
dusliy Flycatcher, is evidently, our Phebe. the M. atra of Gmelin.
M.fusca does not essentially differ from that species, either accord-
ing to Catesby's bad figure, or Brisson's exact description ; in both au-
thors the bill is black, and the tail long, circumstances wanting in
our bird. I have therefore dedicated it to our friend who tells ine
that the appropriate name we had mutually thought of, M- inornata^
is already given to the East India species^,
WOOD PEWEE.
(Muscicajya virens, Lix. M. rapax, Wilsox, ii. p. 81. pi. 13. fig. 5.
Philad. Museum, No. 6G60.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky brownish-olive, beneath pale yellowish ; bill
black, beneath dilate yellow; 2d primary longest; 1st much
shorter than the 3d and longer than the 6th.
This species has much the appeai*ance of the Common
Pewee, or Phebe, but difTers essentially by its note and
habits. The Wood Pevvee appears to winter south of the
United States, and scarcely arrives in Pennsylvania or
New England before the middle of May ; its migrations,
in all probability, extend to Canada. It is a solitary
species, frequenting gloomy forests, and dark orchards,
where watching on some dead and projecting branch for
its insect prey, it sweeps at intervals amidst the shade, and
the occasional snapping of its bill announces the success
of its flight. It then again alights as before, sometimes ut-
tering a sort of gratulatory low twitter, accompanied by a
quivering of the wings and tail, and in the lapse of its em-
ployment, in a feeble, sighing tone, often cries pee-ivee or
pee-e, and sometimes pe-wee petoittitee or petoittee pe-ioee.
This note is continued often till quite late in the evening,
at which time many of the insect brood and moths are
abundant. Most of these birds, indeed, appear capable
of collecting their food by the feeblest light, the only
286 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
season when some of their favorite prey ever stir abroad.
This species also appears particularly fond of small wild
bees. From June to September, its solitary notes are
heard in the field and forest, after which time, preparing
for its departure, and intently gleaning food in every
situation, it sometimes approaches the city, often exam-
ines the courts and gardens, at the same time feeding
and training its young to the habits of their subsistence,
and, about the first week in October, it retires south to
pas3 the winter.
The Pcivce is a very expert and cautious flycatcher,
and as if aware of the drowsiness of insects in the ab-
sence of the sun's broad light, he is on the alert at day-
dawn after his prey. At this early period, and often in
the dusk of evening, for the most part of summer till
the middle of August, he serenades the neighbourhood
of his mansion from 3 to 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning,
with an almost uninterrupted chanting ditty, sweet, but
monotonous, like pe-ay pdi/-wee, pe-ay pay-wee , then in a
little higher and less sinor-sonor tone, his usual and more
serious pec-d-tace. In dark and damp mornings, this
curious warble is sometimes continued nearly to 8 o'clock ;
and the effect of this tender, lulling lay, in the grey dawn,
before the awakening of other birds, and their mingling
chorus, is singular, and peculiarly pleasing. It is a
gratulatory feeling of unmixed and placid delight, con-
comitant with the mild reviving light of the opening day,
and the perfect joy of the mated male, satisfied in every
reasonable desire; in short, a hymn of praise to the be-
nevolent Author and Supporter of existence !
Towards the period of departure they become wholly
silent, and, driven to extremity, they may now be seen
watching the stagnant pools and ponds, dipping occasion-
ally into the still surface after their drowsy and languid
prey. Like the King-bird, this species at times displays
WOOD PEWEE. 287
a tyrannical disposition, and I have observed one to chase
a harmless Sparrow to the ground for safety, who merely
by inadvertence happened to approach the station he had
temporarily chosen for collecting his insect game.
The notes of peto-way peto-wdy pee-way are never ut-
tered by this species; but on the 12th ofFebuary, 1830,
in Alabama, I heard, at that season, a bird uttering
this note, and several times afterwards I saw a rather
large and dark Flycatcher in the Pine woods, to which
I attributed this call, and which must be a distinct spe-
cies, as its notes bear no resemblance to those of the
Wood Pewee, at this season, probably, in South America.
The Pewee, I believe, raises here but a single brood,
which are not abroad before the middle of July. The
nest is extremely neat and curious, almost universally
saddled upon an old moss-grown and decayed limb in
an horizontal position, and is so remarkably shallow, and
incorporated upon the branch, as to be very easily over-
looked. The body of the fabric consists of wiry grass or
root fibres, often blended with small branching lichens,
held together with cob-webs, and caterpillar's silk, moist-
ened with saliva ; externally it is so coated over with blue-
ish crustaceous lichens as to be hardly discernible from
the moss upon the tree. It is lined with finer root fibres
or slender grass-stalks. Some nests are, however
scarcely lined at all, being so thin as readily to admit the
light through them, and are often very lousy with a spe-
cies of acarus, wiiich probably infests the old birds. The
eggs, 3 or 4, are of a yellow cream-color, spotted and
blotched, though not profusely, towards the great end with
two shades of lilac, and dark brown.
The Wood Pewee is about 6 inches in length ; alar extent 10.
Above dusky olive. Head, as usual, partly crested, brownish black.
Below pale yellowish, inclining to white. Tail forked. The female
a little smaller.
288 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
SMALL PEWEE.
(Muscicapa acadica, Gm. M. querula, Wilson, ii. p. 77. pi. 13. fig. 3.
M. Trailing Audubon, pi. 45. Philad. Museum. No. 6825.)
3
Sp. Charact. — Dusky olive-green, below yellowish white; bill
black, beneath dull flesh-color; 3d primary longest, 1st and 6th
equal.
This is one of our most common summer birds in this
part of New England, arriving from the South about the
last week in April, and leaving us, to retire probably to
tropical America, about the beginning of September, or
sometimes a little later. They also extend their migra-
tions to Labrador, and seem most abundant in the North-
ern and Eastern States. Though^ like the preceding, it
is a solitary, retiring bird, and fond of the shade of the
forest, yet in this vicinity, their nests are numerous. On
their first arrival, previous to pairing, they are engaged in
constant quarrels about their mates, and often molest
other birds whom they happen to see employed in pursuit
of the same kind of food with themselves. Like the pre-
ceding species, they take their station on a low branch to
reconnoitre the passing insects on which they feed, and
from time to time make a circular sweep for their prey.
When seated, they utter very frequently a sharp, unpleasant
squeak, somewhat resembling that of the King-bird, sound-
ing like quedh, and sometimes 'tsh'aJi, or tshedh, tslicdh,
and tsJtooe, with a guttural, snapping sound, succeeded by
a kind of querulous, low twitter, uttered as they fly from
tree to tree, and chiefly at the instant of alighting. At
other times they have a recognising, rather low call of 'whit
'lahit, repeated at short intervals ; again, in the warmest
weather, I have heard one of these Pewees call something
like the whistling of *tveet 'iveet 'weet 'will. Occasionally,
when fighting or in flying, it also makes an echoing
SMALL PEWEE. 289
tshirr. It possesses all the habits of the King-bird,
catches bees, flies, and moths, exhibits a variety of quiv-
ering motions, and defends its nest with great courage
against the approach of larger birds.
The nest of the Small Pewee is usually fixed in the
slender, upright forks of a young forest tree, from 6 to 20
or 30 feet from the ground. I have also found the nests
on the horizontal branch of an apple tree or forest tree.
In most instances, in the woods, a gloomy, solitary situa-
tion is chosen. The materials of this fabric vary accord-
ing to circumstances ; for the first brood, a very soft and
warm nest is usually made of dry grass, willow, and cud-
weed down, in large quantities, partly felted or mat-
ted together externally with the saliva of the bird.
Common tow, if convenient, is also occasionally em-
ployed, when the nest is in an apple tree, for which
some neighbouring graft is probably unravelled. They
likewise sometimes employ bits of wool. The interi-
or is usually formed of slender, narrow strips of bark,
bass, and dry grass ; the lining is commonly of fine root
fibres, slender tops of bent grass, and at times a few
hairs and feathers. Occasionally the principal external
material consists of strips or strings of silk-weed lint, and
the bark of the common virgin's-bower.* The nest is ex-
tremely neat and uniform, resembling a complete hemi-
sphere. The eggs are 5, and pure white. As nefets may
be found late in July, it is probable they have a second
brood in the course of the season. They are extremely
attached to their offspring, and keep up an incessant,
almost choking tshedli tshedli, when any person approach-
es towards the tree where they have their brood. The
young and old now move about in company, and at this
time feed on various kinds of berries, particularly those
* Clematis virginiana.
25
290 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
of the cornel and the vvhortle-berry. At length, the young
are seen to select each other's society, and rove about
without any fixed resort, previous to their gradual de-
parture. A pair, probably of the same brood, still lin-
gered here in September, and like the little Parrots, call-
ed Inseparable, appeared fondly to cherish each other's
company. It was towards evening when I saw them, and
at first they appeared inclined to roost in the shady wil-
low tree on which they had alighted. They nestled close
to each other with looks and notes of tenderness and af-
fection ; wherever one went the other instantly followed,
and the same branch continually presented the same con-
stant pair.
This species is 5^ inches in length, and 9 in alar extent. Above
it is dusky olive green. Beneath yellowish- white, inclining to ash
color on the breast. The wings are dusky brown, crossed with two
bars of brownish or sulhed white ; a ring of the same surrounds the
eye ; secondaries edged with whitish, the outer edge of the i^lst pri-
mary white, under wing-coverts pale yellow; 2d, 3d, and 4th prima-
nes nearly of a length, with the 1st and 6th also equal. Tail pale
dusky brown, decidedly emarginate, as in the preceding species;
the outer feather margined with whitish. Legs and feet black. Bill,
upper mandible blackish-brown, the lower, between horn and flesh
color, not remarkable for its breadth. The sexes nearly alike.
The white marks considerably clearer in the young before moulting.
Subgenus. — Sylvania.* (Genus Setophaga,
Sioainson. )
Bill depressed, of moderate width, with elongated bristles at the
base, the mandibles of equal length and acute ; the upper scarcely
notched, slightly bent at tip, but scarcely inflected over the lower.
Tarsus longer than the middle toe. 2d and 3d primaries about equal
and longest, with the 1st scarcely shorter. Tail rather long and
wedge-shaped.
* In reference to its affinity witli Sylvia,to which genus it was referred by Pennant
and Gmelin.
AMERICAN REDSTART.
291
The moult of the male is double, and the voice musical like that
of the Sylvias and Vireos, to which it is related, but sufficiently dis-
tinct. Nearly allied to the foreign Malurus of Vieillot, as well as to
the Indian Plmnicornis of Swainson, in which the brilliant colors
and their distribution are very similar, but in that the tail is long,
and unequally graduated, and the bill more robust and strongly
notched. The nest not pendulous, neat and somewhat artful, re-
sembling that of the Sylvias. This section, including several spe-
cies, holds probably the rank of a genus, but requires further com-
parison.
AMERICAN REDSTART.
(Muscicapa riiticilla, L. Wilson, i. p. 103. pi. 6. fig. 6. [adult male].
v. p. 119. pi. 45. fig. 2. [young]. Audubon, pi. 40. [in the act of
attacking a nest of hornets]. Philad. Museum, No. 6C58.)
Sp. Charact. — Black ; belly white ; sides of the breast, base of the
primaries and tail-feathers (the two middle ones excepted) red-
dish orange. — Feviale, young, and autumnal male greenish-olive ;
head cinereous ; beneath whitish ; sides of the breast and base of
the tail-feathers, yellow.
This beautiful and curious bird takes up its summer
residence in almost every part of the North-American
292 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
continent, being found in Canada, in the remote interior
near Red river in the latitude of 49°, and throughout
Louisiana and Arkansa, probably as^far as Mexico ; in all
of which vast countries it familiarly breeds and resides
during the mild season, withdrawing early in September
to tropical America, where, in the perpetual spring and
summer of the larger West India islands, the species
again finds means of support. At length, instigated by
more powerful feelings than those of ordinary want, the
male, now clad in his beautiful nuptial livery, and ac-
companied by his mate, seeks anew the friendly but far
distant natal regions of his race. In no haste, the play-
ful Redstart does not appear in Pennsylvania until late in
April. The month of May, about the close of the first
week, ushers his arrival into the states of New England ;
but in Louisiana he is seen as early as the beginning of
March. He is no pensioner upon the bounty of man.
Though sometimes seen, on his first arrival, in the dark-
est part of the orchard or garden, or by the meander-
ing brook, he seeks to elude observation, and now, the
great object of his migrations having arrived, he retires
with his mate to the thickest of the sylvan shade. Like
his relative Sylvias, he is full of life and in perpetual
motion. He does not, like the loitering Pewee, wait the
accidental approach of his insect prey, but carrying the
war amongst them, he is seen flitting from bough to
bough, or at times pursuing the flying troop of winged
insects from the top of the tallest tree in a zig-zag, hawk-
like, descending flight, to the ground, while the clicking
of his bill declares distinctly both his object and success.
Then alighting on some adjoining branch, intently watch-
ing, with his head extended, he runs along upon it for an
instant or two, flirting like a fan his expanded brilliant
tail from side to side, and again suddenly shoots off like
AMERICAN REDSTART. 293
an arrow in a new direction, after the fresh game he has
discovered in the distance, and for which he appeared to
be reconnoitring. At first the males are seen engag-
ed in active strife, pursuing each other in wide circles
through the forest. The female seeks out her prey with
less action and flirting, and in her manners resembles the
ordinary Sylvias.
The notes of the male, though not possessed of great
compass, are highly musical, and at times sweet and
agreeably varied like that of the Warblers. Many of
these tones, as they are mere trills of harmony, cannot be
recalled by any words. Their song on their first arrival is
however nearly uniform, and greatly resembles the ^tsh
Hsh tsh tshee, tsM, tshe, tshe tsJiea, or 'tsh 'tsh Hsh 'tshiishee
of the summer Yellow-bird (Sylvia cBstiva), uttered in a
piercing and rather slender tone ; now and then also
agreeably varied with a somewhat plaintive flowing 'tshe
tshi tshe, or a more agreeable 'tshit 'tshit a 'tshee, given al-
most in the tones of the Common Yellow-bird ( Fringilla
tristis). I have likewise heard individuals warble out a
variety of sweet, and tender, trilling, rather loud and
shrill notes, so superior to the ordinary lay of incubation,
that the performer would scarcely be supposed the same
bird. On some occasions the male also, when angry or
alarmed, utters a loud and snapping chirp.
The nest of this elegant Sylvan Flycatcher is very
neat and substantial ; fixed occasionally near the forks of a
slender hickory or beach sappling, but more generally
fastened or agglutinated to the depending branches or
twigs of the former ; sometimes securely seated amidst
the stout footstalks of the waving foliage * in the more
usual manner of the delicate cradle of the Indian Tailor-
* See the vignette at the close of this article, which represents one of the nests
here described.
25*
294 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
bird,t but in the deep and cool shade of the forest, in-
stead of the blooming bower. Security being obtained
by a firm adhesion of the materials, our little brilliant
and active architect is seldom solicitious about a great
elevation, the height of the nest being probably rarely
more than 6 to 12 feet from the ground ; except in erect
sapplings, when the height may be 20 to 30 feet. The
external materials (of 3 nests from which I now describe)
are short and rather coarse strips of Hemlock fir bark,
and also stalks of small tree leaves, or tough blades of
grass (Poa compressa) agglutinated by saliva, and thinly
tied over with caterpillar's silk and the linty bark of the
dog's bane {Apocynum Sp.) ; to the outside appear also
attached bits of snow-white fibrous touch-wood, and
films of paper-birch bark ; within this first layer are
more scraps of touch-wood, and bits of a white fungus
{Agaricus tomentosus) ; after which, the rest of the man-
ufacture, to the thickness of more than half an inch,
consists almost wholly of slender brown strips of grape-
vine bark, becoming thinner towards the ultimate lining
surface, so as to appear no thicker, at length, than the
finer sewing-thread. Sometimes, as in one of these nests,
while making the first tenacious layer, sparing and acci-
dental bits of thread are not refused when convenient,
which must however seldom happen from the solitary and
secluded habits of the species. This nest, never pensile,
bears a great resemblance to that of the Pine Warbler,
but the lining is neither soft nor downy. The eggs, 3
or 4, are cream white, and pretty thickly sprinkled with
yellowish-brown spots of two shades, becoming more
numerous towards the greater end. Both parents, but
particularly the male, exhibit great concern for the safety
of their nest, whether containing eggs only or young, and
f Sylvia sutoria ; the nest as given in Forbes's History of India.
AMERICAN REDSTART.
295
on its being approached, the male will flit about within
a few feet of the invader, regardless of his personal safe-
ty, and exhibiting unequivocal marks of distress. The
parents also, in their solicitude and fear, keep up an in-
cessant - 'tship when their infant brood are even dis-
tantly approached.
The length of the Redstart is 5^ inches ; alar extent about 6j|-
Above, the general color is black, in places glossed with steel blue ;
the sides of the breast below the black, the inside of the wings, and
upper half of the primaries are of a fine reddish orange, sometimes
approaching scarlet. The 4 middle feathers of the tail are black, the
rest orange and black towards the tips. The belly and vent white,
tinged with pale orange. Legs blackish, long and slender, (better
suited for walking than those of the other Flycatchers of the United
States.) Bill brownish flesh-color. — The young males resemble
the female in most respects, but differ in having a yellow band
across the wings ; the back is also browner, the inside of the wings
is yellow. In the 3d season he acquires his perfect livery.
296
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
BONAPARTE'S SYLVAN FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa Bonapai'tii, Audubon, pi. 5. Orn. Biog. i. p, 27.)
Sp. Charact. — Cinereous, front and beneath dull yellow, mixed
with grey, the breast sparingly spotted ; tail wedge-shaped.
This species was discovered by Audubon in a cypress
swamp, in Louisiana, on the 13th of August, 1821, which
was the only time he ever met with it. Its manners ap-
peared very similar to those of the preceding species,
and it now uttered merely a plaintive 'iweet.
Size apparently a little more than 5 inches. Primaries edged with
white. Bill pale. Quills-dusky, their outer webs blue ; 2d. prima-
ry longest Legs yellowish flesh color. I believe, I have once seen
this species in a grove of the Botanic Garden in Cambridge.
SELBY'S SYLVAN FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa Selbii, Audubon, pi. 9. Orn. Biog. i. p. 46.)
Sp. Charact. — Olive green, below and line over the eye yellow;
tail forked, three lateral feathers with white spots on their inner
webs.
This very rare species was also met with by the above
author in the same swamp with the preceding, but in the
early part of July, so that it is probably a summer resi-
dent in some of the neighbouring Spanish provinces.
About the size of the preceding. Wings and tail brownish black,
edged with yellow, the 3d quill longest. A few spots on the cheeks.
Bill almost triangular, dusky. Legs rose flesh-color.
SMALL-HEADED SYLVAN FLYCATCHER.
(Musdcapa minuta, Wilson, vi. p. 62. pi. 50 fig. 5, Sylvia mi-
nuta, BoNAP.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark yellow-olive ; beneath pale dull yellow ; wings
and tail dusky brown ; the wing-coverts tipt with white ; two
lateral tail-feathers with a.white spot on the inner vanes.
BLUE-GRAY SYLVAN FLYCATCHER. 297
This rare species, of a doubtful genus, was first dis-
covered by Mr. Audubon, by whom it was communicated
to Wilson as well as the drawing which accompanies his
description. He afterwards met with this bird himself in
Pennsylvania, towards the close of April in an orchard,
where with remarkable activity it was running and dart-
ing about among the opening buds and blossoms in quest
of winged insects. Its notes and other habits are at
present unknown. It is not uncommon ; being seen in
New Jersey, particularly in swamps, and may breed
there, as it is found in the month of June. In the south-
ern parts of the Union, in summer, it is probably more
frequent than in the Middle States. My friend, Mr. C.
Pickering, also obtained a specimen several years ago
near Salem, (Massachusetts.)
Length 5 inches ; alar extent 8^. Below dirty white, stained with
dull yellow towards the upper part of the breast. Bill dusky yellow,
broad at the base, notched near the tip, with porrected bristles at the
base. Legs dark brown ; feet yellowish. Iris hazel.
BLUE-GRAY SYLVAN FLYCATCHER.
(Muscicapa coerulea, Wilson, ii. p. 164. pi. 18. fig. 5. Sylvia ccsruha,
Lath. Audubon, pi. 84. Philad. Museum, No. 6829.)
Sp. Charact. — Bluish-grey; beneath pale bluish- white ; tail longer
than the body, rounded, black ; outer tail-feathers nearly white,
the two succeeding tipt with white. — Female bluish white below,
without the black line over the eye and front.
But for the length of the tail, this would rank among
the most diminutive of birds. It is a very dexterous,
lively insect hunter, and keeps commonly in the tops of
tall trees ; its motions are rapid and incessant, appearing
always in quest of its prey, darting from bough to bough
298 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
with hanging wings and elevated tail, uttering only at
times a feeble song of isec tsce tsee, scarcely louder than
the squeak of a mouse. It arrives in the state of Penn-
sylvania from the south about the middle of April, and
hardly passes to the north of the states of New York
and Ohio. Its first visits are paid to the blooming wil-
lows, along the borders of water courses, and, besides
other small insects, it now preys on the troublesome
musquetoes. About the beginning of May it forms its
nest, which is usually fixed among twigs, at the height
of 10, or sometimes even 50 feet from the ground,
near the summit of a forest tree. It is formed of slight
materials, such as the scales of buds, stems and parts of
fallen leaves, withered blossoms, fern* down, and the silky
fibres of various plants, lined with a few horse-hairs,
and coated externally with lichens. In this frail nest, the
Cow Troopial sometimes deposits her egg, and leaves
her offspring to the care of these affectionate and pigmy
nurses. In this case, as with the Cuckoo in the nest of
the Yellow Wren and that of the Red-tailed Warbler, the
egg is probably conveyed by the parent, and placed in
this small and slender cradle, which would not be able to
sustain the weight or receive the body of the intruder.
The eggs of this species, 4 or 5, are white, with a few
reddish dots towards the larger end. They are said to
raise two broods in the season.
This species leaves the Middle States for the south to-
wards the close of September, wintering in tropical
America, where they have been observed in Cayenne.
Early in March, it arrives in Louisiana, Florida, and
Georgia from its tropical winter-quarters, but none pass
that season within the boundaries of the Union.
* Of the Osmunda cinnamomea, &c.
ICTERIA. 299
Length of the Blue-grey Flycatcher 4^ inches ; alar extent 6^.
Front and line over the eye black. Above, light bluish-grey, bright-
est on the head. Below bluish-white and pale (white, in the fe-
males.) Tail edged with blue, its coverts black. Wings brownish
black, some of the secondaries next the body edged with white.
Legs pale blue. Iris hazel. Bill black, broad, notched somewhat
more at the tip, than the rest of this subgenus.
ICTERIA. (ViEILLOT, BONAP.)
The BILL robust, rather long, convex, curved, compressed, entire,
and pointed, with divergent bristles at its base ; the mandibles nearly
equal, with the edges somewhat bent inwards. Nostrils rounded,
half covered by an arched membrane. Tongue cartilaginous, slightly
cleft at the point. — The inner foe unconnected with the adjoining
one. First primary a little shorter than the 2d, 3d, and 4th, which
are longest. — Female similar to the male in color.
They feed on insects and berries j are fond of concealment ; alight
occasionally on the ground near the thickets where they hide.
Their flight is irregular, and their song quaint and varied. — The
genus contains but a single species, and is peculiar to America. It
is allied to Muscieapa as well as to the Vireo and Thrush.
YELLOW-BREASTED ICTERIA.
(Icteria Viridis, Bonap. Pipra piolyglotta, Wilsox i. p. 90. pi. 6.
fig. 2. Muscieapa viridis. Gmel. Philad. Museum, No. 6661.^
Observ. The general color of this bird above is deep olive-green ;
the throat and breast is yellow ; with the abdomen and a line
encircling the eyes white.
This remarkable bird is another summer resident of
the United States, which passes the winter in tropical
America, being found in Guiana and Brazil, so that its
migrations probably extend indifferently into the milder
regions of both hemispheres. Even the birds essentially
300 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
tropical are still known to migrate to different distances
on either side the equator, so essential and necessary is
this wandering habit to almost all the feathered tribe.
The Icteria arrives in Pennsylvania about the first
week in May, and does not appear to proceed further
north and east than the states of New York or Connecti-
cut. In the distant interior, however, near the Rocky
mountains, towards the sources of the Arkansa, this bird
was observed by Mr. Say. It retires to the south about
the middle of August, or as soon as the only brood it
raises are fitted to undertake their distant journey.
The males, as in many other migrating birds, who
are not continually paired, arrive several days before the
females. As soon as our bird has chosen his retreat,
which is commonly in some thorny or viny thicket,
where he can obtain concealment, he becomes jealous of
his assumed rights, and resents the least intrusion, scold-
ing all who approach in a variety of odd and uncouth
tones, very difficult to describe or imitate, except by a
whistling, in which case the bird may be made to ap-
proach, but seldom within sight. His responses on such
occasions are constant and rapid, expressive of anger and
anxiety ; and still unseen, his voice shifts from place to
place amidst the thicket, like the haunting of a fairy.
Some of these notes resemble the whistling of the wings
of a flying duck, at first loud and rapid, then sinking till
they seem to end in single notes. A succession of other
tones are now heard, some like the barking of young
puppies, with a variety of hollow, guttural, uncommon
sounds, frequently repeated, and terminated occasionally
by something like the mewing of a cat, but hoarser ; a
tone, to which all our Vireos, particularly the young,
have frequent recurrence. All these notes are uttered
with vehemence, and with such strange and various
YELLOW-BREASTED ICTERIA. 301
modulations, as to appear near or distant, like the mancEU-
vres of ventriloquism. In mild weather, also, when the
moon shines, this gabbling, with exuberance of life and
emotion, is heard nearly throughout the night, as if the
performer were disputing with the echoes of his own voice.
Soon after their arrival, or about the middle of May,
the Icterias begin to build, fixing the nest commonly in
a bramble-bush, in an interlaced thicket, a vine, or small
cedar, 4 or 5 feet from the ground. The outside is
usually composed of dry leaves, or thin strips of grape-
vine bark, and lined with root-fibres and dry, slender
blades of grass. The eggs are about 4, pale flesh-color-
ed, spotted all over with brown or dull red. The young
are hatched in the short peried of 12 days ; and leave
the nest about the second week in June. While the
female is sitting, the cries of the male are still more loud
and incessant. He now braves concealment, and, at
times, mounts into the air almost perpendicularly 30 or
40 feet, with his legs hanging down, and, descending as he
rose, by repeated jerks, he seems to be in a paroxysm of
fear and anger. Its usual mode of flying is not, howev-
er, different from that of other birds.
The food of the Icteria consists of beetles and other
shelly insects ; and, as the summer advances, they feed on
various kinds of berries, like the Flycatchers, and seem
particularly fond of whortleberries. They are frequent
through the Middle States, in hedges, thickets, and
near rivulets and watery situations,
The Icteria is 7 inches long, and 9 in alar extent. Above, it is of a
rich deep olive-green, with the exception of the tips of the wings, and
the inner vanes of the wing and tail-feathers, which are dusky
brown; throat and breast of a bright yellow; the abdomen and vent
white ; the front dull cinereous ; lores black ; a line of white extends
from the nostril to the upper part of the eye, which it nearly encir-
cles ; a spot of white also at the base of the lower mandible. Bill
26
302 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
black. Legs and feet bluish-grey, the hind claw rather the largest.
— The female merely differs by having the black and white adjoin-
ing the eye less pure and deep.
VIREOS (or Warbling Flycatchers.)
In these the bill is rather short, a little compressed, and furnished
with bristles at its base ; the upper mandible curved at the extremity
and strongly notched ; the lower is shorter, and recurved at tip.
Nostrils, at the base of the bill, rounded. Tongue cartilaginous and
cleft at the point. Tarsus longer than the middle toe. Winga
rather acute; the 2d or 3d primary longest. — Female resembling
the male. The species more or less tinged with olive-green.
These birds, in the early part of summer, live exclusive-
ly on insects ; towards autumn they feed on small bitterish
or astringent berries, the hard, indigestible parts of which
are regurgitated by the bill, as with the Flycatchers.
They live almost wholly in trees, rarely ever alighting on
the ground. The voice is highly musical, and their song
long continued. At the approach of winter they migrate
to tropical climates. — They are peculiar to America.
Besides their other affinities, they are related to the true
Orioles, in which the young and females are also olive-
green : both build pendulous nests ; have similar colored
eggs ; their song is not very different ; and the young
of both mew somewhat like cats.
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.
(Vireo flavifrons, Vieill. Bonap. Muscicapa sylricola, Wilson, i.
p. 117. pi. 7. fig. 3. Phil. Museum, No. 6661 ?)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive; throat, breast, frontlet, and line
round the eye, yellow ; belly white ; wings with 2 white bands,
and, as well as the tail, blackish.
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. 303
This species of Vireo, or Warbling Flycatcher, visits
the Middle and Northern States of the Union about the
beginning of May, or as soon as his insect food allows
him a means of subsistence. He resides chiefly in the
forest, where he hunts his tiny prey among the high
branches, and as he shifts from twig to twig in the rest-
less pursuit, he often relieves his toil with a somewhat sad
and indolent note, which he repeats, with some variation,
at short intervals. This song appears like 'preea 'preed,
&.C., and it sometimes finishes with a complaining call
of recognition, 'prreaigli ^prreaigh. These syllables rise
and fall in different tones as they are repeated, but though
usually sweet and impressive, are delivered too slow and
solemn to be generally pleasing ; in other respects they
considerably resemble the song of the Red-Eyed Warb-
ling Flycatcher, in whose company it is often heard,
blending its deep but languid warble, with the loud, ener-
getic notes of the latter, and their united music, uttered
during summer, even at noon day, is rendered peculiarly
agreeable, as nearly all the songsters of the grove are
now seeking a silent shelter from the sultry heat. In the
warmest weather, the lay of this bird is indeed peculiarly
strong and lively ; and his usually long drawn, almost
plaintive notes are now delivered in fine succession, with
a peculiar echoing and highly impressive musical ca-
dence ; appearing like a romantic and tender reverie of
delight. The song, now almost incessant, heard from
this roving sylvan minstrel, is varied in bars nearly as
follows : pred pred preoi, preait preoit p'?'rhoeet preeai,
petcai praioii, yreeai preed praoit, preeo predioit preeoo.
When irritated, he utters a very loud and hoarse mewing,
praigh^ pralgli. As soon, however, as the warm weather
begins to decline, and the business of incubation is
finished, about the beginning of August, this sad and
304 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
slow, but interesting musician, nearly ceases his song, a
few feeble farewell notes only being heard to the first
week in September.
This species, like the rest of the genus, constructs a
very beautiful pendulous nest, about 3 inches deep, and
'H^ in diameter. One, which I now more particularly
describe, is suspended from the forked twig of an oak, in
the near neighbourhood of a dwellinghouse in the coun-
try. It is attached firmly all round the curving twigs by
which it is supported ; the stoutest external materials or
skeleton of the fabric is formed of interlaced folds of
thin strips of red cedar bark, connected very intimately
by coarse threads, and small masses of the silk of spiders'
nests, and of the cocoons of large moths. These threads
are moistened by the glutinous saliva of the bird. Among
these external materials are also blended fine blades of
dry grass. The inside is thickly bedded with this last
material, and fine root fibres, but the finishing layer, as
if to preserve elasticity, is of rather coarse grass-stalks.
Externally the nest is coated over with green lichen, at-
tached very artfully by slender strings of caterpillars' silk,
and the whole afterwards tied over by almost invisible
threads of the same, so as to appear as if glued on ; and
the entire fabric now resembles an accidental knot of
the tree grown over with moss. Another nest was fixed
on the depending branches of a wild cherry tree, 40 or
50 feet from the ground. This was formed of slender
bass strips wound crosswise, and held down with cater-
pillars' silk. The bottom was also principally floored with
large fragments of white paper, the whole scattered over
sparingly with bits of lichen and spiders' nests, and very
delicately lined with tops of fine bent grass. The eggs,
about 4, are white, with a few deep ink-colored spots
of two shades, a very little larger than those on the eggs of
SOLITARY VIREO, OR FLYCATCHER. 305
the Red-Eyed Vireo, and chiefly disposed towards the
larger end.
The food of this species, during the summer, is insects,
but towards autumn they and their young feed also on
various small berries. About the middle of September,
the whole move off and leave the United States, probably
to winter in tropical America.
The Yellow-Throated Vireo is 5^ inches long, and 9 in alar extent.
Above yellowish-olive ; throat, breast, and line over the eye lemon-
yellow } vent and belly white ; lesser wing-coverts, lower part of
the back, and rump, ash. Wings deep brown, almost black, with 2
white bars ; primaries edged with pale ash, secondaries with white ;
tail a little forked, of the color of the wings ; the 3 exterior feathers
edged on each vane with white. Legs, feet, and bill, greyish-blue,
Iris hazel. The female and young have the yellow on the breast,
around the eye, and the white on the wings, duller.
SOLITARY VIREO, or FLYCATCHER.
(Vireo solitarius, Vieill. Bonap. Audubon, pi. 28, Orn. Biog. i.
p. 147. Muscicapa solitaria, Wilsox, ii. p. 143. pi. 17. fig Q.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky olive; head bluish-grey ; line from the up-
per mandible round the eye whitish ; the breast pale cinereous ;
the belly white, yellow on each side ; wings with 2 white bands,
and with the tail dusky brown.
This is one of the rarest species of the genus, and from
Georgia to Pennsylvania seems only as a straggler or ac-
cidental visitor. One was obtained by Wilson in Mr.
Bartram's woods in the month of October. According
to Audubon, it inhabits and breeds occasionally in the
cane-brakes, and vast alluvial lands of Louisiana near
the banks of the Mississippi. The nest, as usual, is
partly pensile from the forked twigs of a low bush. It is
slightly put together, coated externally with grey lichens,
26*
306 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
and lined with the hair of wild animals. The eggs, 4
or 5, are white, tinged with flesh-color, with brownish
red spots at the larger end.
It possesses all the unsuspicious habits of the genus,
allowing a near approach without alarm, and is at no
period known to possess any song. It seldom rises be-
yond the tops of the canes or low bushes, amidst which
it is commonly seen hopping in quest of its subsistence,
which consists of insects and berries. Its flight is gen-
erally tremulous and agitated.
This uncommon species is 5 inches long, and 8 in alar extent.
The cheeks, upper part of the head, and neck, dark bluish-grey ;
breast, pale cinereous, inclining to reddish-grey on the throat; flanks
and sides of the breast yellow ; back and tail-coverts dusky-olive ;
the wings dusky-brown, with 2 white bands; primaries and tail-
feathers bordered with light green ; tail emarginate, nearly black ;
a line of white from the nostrils to the eye, which it also encircles.
Belly and vent white. Bill very short, and nearly as broad as
in the true Flycatchers. Upper mandible black ; lower pale blu-
ish-grey ; legs and feet, bluish-grey. Irids hazel. — Female with
the head dusky-olive, and the throat greenish.
WHITE-EYED VIREO, or FLYCATCHER.
(Vireo novehoracensis, Bonap. Audubon, pi. 63. Ornith. Biog. i. p.
328. Muscicapa cantatrixf Wilson, ii. p. 166. pi. 18. fig. 6. Phil.
Museum, No. 6778.)
Sr. Charact. — Yellow-olive; beneath white, sides yellow; line
round the eye, and spot near the nostrils yellow ; wings with 2
pale yellow bands, and with the tail blackish ; irids white.
This interesting little bird appears to be a constant
resident within the limits of the United States ; as, on the
12th of January, I saw them in great numbers near
Charleston, S. C. feeding on the wax-myrtle berries, in
company with the Yellow-Rumped Sylvias. At this season
they were silent, but very familiar, descending from the
"" WHITE-EYED VIREO, OR FLYCATCHER. 307
bushes when whistled too, and peeping cautiously, came
down close to me, looking about with complacent curios-
ity, as if unconscious of any danger. In the last week of
February, Wilson already heard them singing in the
southern parts of Georgia, and throughout that month'to
March, I saw them in the swampy thickets nearly every
day, so that they undoubtedly reside and pass the winter
in the maritime parts of the Southern States. The arri-
val of this little unsuspicious warbler in Pennsylvania
and New England is usually about the middle of April
or earlier. On the 12th of March I first heard his voice
in the low thickets of West Florida. His ditty was now
simply — ss't (with a whistle) tod toitte loittc we-ivd, (the
1st part very quick.) As late as the first week in May,
I observed a few stragglers in this vicinity peeping
through the bushes ; and in the latter end of the month
a pair had taken up their abode in the thickets of Fresh
Pond, so that those which first arrive leave us and pro-
ceed further to the north. On the 22d of June I heard
the male in full song, near his nest, in our neighbourhood,
where incubation was going on. His warble was very
pleasing, though somewhat monotonous and whimsical.
This affectionate note, often repeated, near to his faithful
mate while confined to her nest, was like HsMppeicee-wdf
say HsMppeioee-wee-ioas-say , sweetly whistled, and with
a greater compass of voice and loudness, than might
have been expected from the size of the little vocalist.
The song is sometimes changed two or three times in the
course of twenty minutes ; and I have heard the following
phrases ; 'att tsliippeioat hourr, tshippeivat ^wurr ; at an-
other time, 'tsliipeioay Hslie 6 et Hslierr. On another visit
the little performer had changed his song to ^pip te
waigli a tsliewa, with a guttural trill, as usual, at the last
syllable. He soon however varied his lay to 'whip te woi wee^
308 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
the last syllable but one considerably lengthened and clear-
ly whistled. Such were the captious variations of this lit-
tle quaint and peculiarly earnest musician, whose notes
are probably almost continually varied. On the 6th of Oc-
tober, I still hearcj one of these wandering little minstrels,
who, at intervals, had for several weeks visited the gar-
den, probably in quest of berries. His short, quaint, and
more guttural song, was now atshee-vait, (probably the
attempt of a young bird.) A.s late as the 20th of October
the White-Eyed Vireo still lingered around Cambridge,
and, on the margin of a pond, surrounded by weeds and
willows, he was actively employed in gleaning up insects
and their larvae : and now, with a feebler tone of voice,
warbled with uncommon sweetness, wholly different
from his usual strain, soundinor somethincr like the sweet
whisperings of the Song Sparrow, at the present season,
and was perhaps an attempt at mimickry. Occasionally,
also, he blended in his harsher, scolding, or querulous
mewing call. From this journal, it must be evident,
that the present species retires no further for winter quar-
ters than the southern parts of the United States, where
many also breed, as would appear, from the concomi-
tant circumstance of their music ; nor is it at all improb-
able that the species may likewise inhabit the maritime
parts of Mexico, as well as Louisiana.
This species, like the rest, builds commonly a pensile
nest, suspended by the upper edge of the two sides on the
circular bend, often, of the smilax or green-briar vine.
It is composed of slender twigs, grassy fibres, pieces of
paper, sometimes newspapers, or fragments of hornets'
nests ; the interior is lined with slender root fibres. The
whole fabric appears to me, as far as my opportunities
have extended, like the Cat-Bird's nest in miniature.
The eggs are 4 or 5, white, marked at the larger end
WARBLING VIREO. 309
with a few small* spots of blackish brown. In the Middle
States they often raise 2 broods in the season, generally
make choice of thorny thickets for their nest, and show
much concern when it is approached, descending within
a few feet of the intruder, looking down, and hoarsely
mewing and scolding with great earnestness. This pet-
ulant display of irritability is also continued when the
brood are approached, though as large and as active
as their vigilant and vociferous parents. In the Middle
States this is a common species, but in Massachusetts
rather rare. Its food, like the rest of the Vireos, is in-
sects and various kinds of berries ; for the former of
which it hunts with great agility, attention, and industry.
The White-Eye is 5^ inches long, and 7 in extent ; wings
and tail dusky brown, edged with olive-green, the latter forked.
Bill, legs, and feet light bluish-grey ; the sides of the neck incline
to greyish-ash. Female and young scarcely distinguishable in plu-
mao;e from the male.
WARBLING VIREO.
{Vireo gilvus, Bonap. Muscicapa melodia, Wilson, v. p. 85. pi. 42.
fig. 2. M. gilva, ViEiLL.)
Sp. Charact. — Pale green olive; head and neck dilute ash-color j
beneath, and line over the eye, whitish ; wings pale dusky
brown, without bands ; irids brown ; 1st and 5th primaries about
equal ; tail extending more than an inch beyond the closed wings.
This sweetest and most constant warbler of the for-
est, extending his northern migrations probably to the
confines of Canada, arrives from tropical America in
Pennsylvania about the middle of April, and reaches this
part of New England early in May. His livery, like
that of the Nightingale, is plain and unadorned ; but
the sweet melody of his voice, surpassing, as far as na-
ture usually surpasses art, the tenderest airs of the flute,
310 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
poured out often from the rising dawn of day to the ap-
proach of evening, and vigorous even during the sultry
heat of noon, when most other birds are silent, gives ad-
ditional interest to this little vocalist. While chanting
forth his easy, flowing, tender airs, apparently without
effort, so contrasted with the interrupted emphatical song
of the Red-Eye, he is gliding along the thick and leafy
branches of our majestic Elms, and tallest trees, busied in
quest of his restless insect prey. With us, as in Penn-
sylvania, the species is almost wholly confined to our vil-
lages, and even cities. They are rarely ever observed in
the woods ; but from the tall trees which decorate the
streets and lanes, the almost invisible musician, secured
from the enemies of the forest, is heard to cheer the
house and cottage with his untiring song. As late as
the 2d of October I still distinguished his tuneful voice,
from amidst the yellow fading leaves of the linden, near
which he had passed away the summer. The approach-
ing dissolution of those delightful connexions, which
had been cemented by affection, and the cheerless still-
ness of autumn, still called up a feeble and plaintive
reverie. Some days after this late period, warmed by
the mild rays of the morning sun, I heard, as it were,
faintly warbled, a parting whisper ; and about the middle
of this month, our vocal woods and fields were once
more left in dreary silence.
" And through the sadden'd grove [now] scarce is heard
One dying strain, to cheer the woodman's toil.
While congregated Thrushes, Linnets, Larks,
And each wild throat, whose artless strains so late
Swell'd all the music of the swarming shades,
Robb'd of their tuneful [songs], now shivering sit
On the dead tree, a dull, despondent flock ;
With nought save [plaintive] discord in their note."
THE WARBLING VIREO. 311
The Warbling Vireo is indeed allied to the genus of
the Nightingale {Sylvia), whose song, from the descrip-
tion of Mr. White in his Natural History of Selbourne,
bears considerable resemblance to that of the Black-capt
Flycatcher {3Iuscicapa alhicollis of Temminck.) When
offended or irritated, our bird utters an angry Hshay Hshay,
like the Cat-Bird and the other Vireos, and sometimes
makes a loud snapping with his bill. The nest of the War-
bling Vireo is generally pendulous, and ambitiously and
securely suspended at great elevations. In our Elms I
have seen one of these airy cradles at the very summit
of one of the most gigantic, more than 100 feet from the
ground. At other times they are not more than 50 to 70
feet high. The only nest I have been able to examine
was made externally of flat and dry sedge-grass blades,
for which, as I have observed, is occasionally substituted
strings of bass. These dry blades and strips are con-
fined and tied into the usual circular form by caterpillars'
silk, blended with bits of wool, silk-weed lint, and an
accidental and sparing mixture of vernal -grass tops and
old apple blossoms. It was then very neatly lined with
the small flat blades of the meadow grass, called Poa com-
pressa. The eggs, 4, on which the bird was already sit-
ting, were pure white, with a few small blackish purple
spots of two sizes, and some confluent, straggling, hair-like
lines, disposed chiefly around the greater end. The size
of these eggs is very perceptibly smaller than those of
the Red-Eyed Vireo, in one of whose nests I have seen
two eggs of this species deposited, as well as one laid by
the Cow Troopial ! an accidental parasitic practice,
urged probably by the neglect of not providing a nest for
the immediate occasion.
The length of this bird is about 5 inches. Above pale olive-green,
much mixed with ash on the neck and shoulders. Line over the
312
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
eye and lower parts whitish ; near the breast and sides under the
wings tinged with pale-greenish yellow. Wings greyish-brown,
edged with pale olive-green, inclining to grey. The tail also simi-
larly edged, and slightly forked. Legs, feet, and bill above, lead-
color ; the lower mandible pale flesh-color. Iris dark hazel. The
sexes nearly alike.
RED-EYED VIREO, or FLYCATCHER.
(Vireo olivaceus, Bonap. Musicapa olivacea, Lin. Wilson^ ii. p. 55.
pi. 12. fig. 3. Philad. Museum, No. 6675.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive ; crown ash, with a dark lateral line ;
line over the eye, and all beneath, whitish ; wings without bands ;
irids red ; 1st primary much longer than the 5th. — Young with
the eye dark hazel.
This common and indefatigable songster appears to
inhabit every part of the American continent from Lab-
rador to the large tropical islands of Jamaica and St.
Domingo ; they are likewise resident in the mild table
land of Mexico.* Those who pass the summer with us,
however, migrate to the warmer regions at the com-
mencement of winter, as none are found at that season
within the limits of the United States. The Red-Eyed
* Bullock's memoirs on the birds of Mexico.
RED-EYED VIREO, OR FLYCATCHER. 313
Vireo arrives in Pennsylvania late in April, and in New
England about the beginning of May. It inhabits the
shady forests or tall trees near gardens and the suburbs
of villages, where its loud, lively, and energetic song is
often continued, with little intermission, for several hours
at a time, as it darts and pries among the thick foliage
in quest of insects and small caterpillars. From its first
arrival, until August, it is the most distinguishable warb-
ler of the forest, and when almost all the other birds
have become mute, its notes are still heard with unabat-
ed vigor. Even to the 5th of October, still enlivened by
the feeble rays of the sun, he faintly recalls his song, and
plaintively tunes a farewell to his native woods. His
summer notes are uttered in short, emphatical bars, of 2
or 3 syllables, and have something in them like the sim-
ple lay of the Thrush or American Robbin when he first
earnestly and slowly commences his song. He often makes
use, in fact, of the same expressions, but his tones are
more monotonous as well as mellow and melodious, like
the rest of the Vireos. In moist and dark summer
weather, his voice seems to be one continued, untiring
warble of exquisite sweetness ; and in the most populous
and noisy streets of Boston, his shrill and tender lay is
commonly heard from the tall Elms ; and as the bustle
of carts and carriages attempt to drown his voice, he
elevates his pipe with more vigor and earnestness, as if
determined to be heard in spite of every discord. The
call of " Whip-Tom'TieUy ,'' attributed to this species
by Sloane and even Wilson, I have never heard, and,
common as the species is throughout the Union, the most
lively or accidental fit of imagination never yet, in this
country, conceived of such an association of sounds. I
have already remarked, indeed, that this singular call is,
in fact, sometimes uttered by the Tufted Titmouse.
27
314 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
When our Vireo sings slow enough to be distinctly
heard, the following sweetly warbled phrases, variously
transposed and tuned, may often be caught by the atten-
tive listener : 'tshooe pcioce peeai musik 'du 'du 'du,
'tshoove 'here 'here, hear hhre, 'kHng 'ritshard, 'jj'shegru
'tshevu, Hsheevoo 'tshuvee peeait 'p^roi. The whole de-
livered almost without any sensible interval, with earnest
animation, in a pathetic, tender, and pleasing strain, well
calculated to produce calm and thoughtful reflection in
the sensitive mind. Yet while this heavenly reverie
strikes on the human ear with such peculiar effect, the
humble musician himself seems but little concerned ;
for all the while, perhaps, that this flowing chorus enchants
the hearer, he is casually hopping from spray to spray
in quest of his active or crawling prey, and if a cessa-
tion occurs in his almost untiring lay, it is occasioned
by the caterpillar or fly he has just fortunately captured.
So unaffected are these delightful efforts of instinct, and
so unconscious is the performer, apparently, of this pleas-
ing faculty bestowed upon him by nature, that he may
truly be considered, as a messenger of harmony to man
alone, appointed by the fiat of Creative power. Wanton-
ly to destroy these delightful aids to sentimental happi-
ness ought therefore to be viewed, not only as an act of
barbarity, but almost as a sacrilege !
The Red-Eye, in the month of May, builds a small, neat,
pensile nest, suspended between the forked and depending
twin's of some young and slender forest tree.* It is firmly
attached by the whole of the 2 upper edges, and fixed at
a height of from 4 or 5 to 20 feet from the ground. It
is commenced by narrow loops of tenaceous materials
passed from twig to twig, which are successively increas-
* These nests are chiefly made in the maple, beech, birch, oak, hornbeam, and tree
cornel,) Cornus florida, L.)
RED-EYED VIREO OR FLYCATCHER. 315
ed in width to the size intended ; the front is then car-
ried upwards in the same manner to complete the circu-
lar frame, the whole being sufficiently agglutinated into
a thin pouch, to which is attached all the other necessary
parts of the fabric. The external circular layers or
loops consist of thin strips of grape-vine, paper-birch, or
red cedar bark and bass, agglutinated together. These
coarse materials are then well tied over each other, out-
side with slender strings of bass, and others of caterpil-
lars' webs, or the silk of cocoons of the larger moths, all
rendered more or less manageble by the assistance of the
adhesive saliva. Refractory fragments of rotten wood,
coiled ends of white-birch bark, and spiders' nests com-
monly remain outside, as if for ornament; but some of
them are often only the extra remains of materials or
their ends, parts of which are interwoven or filled into
the nest. At other times the outside appears wrought
evenly, and without any attempt at fanciful decoration.
The inside of the nest is closely and elegantly lined
with fibrous grass, minute wiry leaf-stalks, and some-
times very slender hemlock fir twigs, but chiefly with
fine, dry pine leaves, and almost similar minute strips or
strings of grape-vine bark. These nests, like little cir-
cular baskets, are put together with so much neatness and
firmness, that they sometimes survive the action of the
weather for a year ; and Wilson knew an instance where
the nest of the Yellow-bird was built in the cavity of one
which had survived the season. When thus left, they are
sometimes also taken possession of very economically by
the mice, who make use of other nests likewise for the
same purpose. The eggs are about 3 or 4, white ; with
a few distinct small spots of blackish brown, of 2 shades,
disposed at the greater end. They often raise 2 broods
in the season.
316 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The Red-Eyed Vireo is one of the most favorite of all
the adopted nurses of the Cow-bird, and the remarkable
gentleness of its disposition and watchful affection for
the safety of its young, or of the foundling confided to
its care, amply justifies this selection of a foster parent.
The male, indeed, defends his nest, while his mate is
sitting, with as much spirit as the king-bird, driving
away every intruder, and complaining in a hoarse mew-
ing tone when approached by any inquisitive observer.
By accident, the eggs were destroyed in a nest of this
species in the Botanic Garden, in a sugar-maple about
20 feet from the ground. At this time no complaints
were heard, and the male sang all day as cheerful as
before. In a few days, unwilling to leave the neigh-
bourhood, they had made a second nest in a beech at
the opposite side of the same premises; but now the
male drove away every feathered intruder with the great-
est temerity. The young of this species are often hatch-
ed in about 13 days, or 24 hours later than the parasitic
Troopial ; but for want of room the smaller young are
usually stifled or neglected. I have, however, seen in
one nest a surviving bird of each kind in a fair way for
being reared ; yet, by a singular infatuation, the supposi-
titious bird appeared by far the most assiduously attend-
ed, and in this case the real young of the species seemed
to be treated as puny foundlings.
In the month of August, the young fed greedily on
the small berries of the bitter cornel, and astringent
Viburnum dentatum, as well as other kinds. One of these
inexperienced birds hopped close round me in an adjoin-
ing bush, without any fearful apprehension ; and, as late
as the 26th of October, two young birds of the Red-Eye
were still lingering in this vicinity, and busily engaged
in gleaning subsistence. Eager after flies, about the
25th of August, a young bird with hazel instead of red
RED-EYED VIREO, OR FLYCATCHER. 317
eyes, entered a chamber in the neighbourhood, and be-
came my inmate. I clipped his wing, and left him at
large in a room ; he soon became very gentle, took grass-
hoppers and flies out of my hand, eat Viburnum berries
with a good appetite, and, in short, seemed pleased with
his quarters. A fly could not stir but it was instantly
caught ; his only difficulty was with a lame King-bird
who occupied the same apartment. The king appear-
ed very jealous of this little harmless companion ; snap-
ped his bill at him when he approached, and begrudged
him his subsistence, when he perceived that he fed on
the same food with himself. At length, he would come
to me for provision, and for protection from his tyranni-
cal associate. But the career of my interesting and live-
ly companion was soon terminated by death, occasioned, in
all probability, by a diarrhoea, produced in consequence of
swallowing a small lock of hair with his food which was
found in his stomach. This bird, very different from o. Syl-
via autiaiiiialis , which I afterwards had in my possession,
regurgitated by the bill, like the King-bird, pellets of the
indigestible parts of his food, such as the legs and wings
of grasshoppers and flies, and the skins and seeds of
berries. Unlike the King-bird, in one particular, how-
ever, he folded his head under his wing when at rest,
and reposed with great soundness, whereas for eight
months I was never able to detect the former asleep.
This species is about 6 inches long. The crown deep ash, bor-
dered on each side by a line of blackish, below which is a line of
white passing a little beyond the eye ; the bill rather long, dusky
above, and pale below. Inner webs of the wings and tail dusky, the
outer, like the rest of the upper parts, yellow olive, the folded wings
extend within about ^ an inch of the tip of the tail. Beneath white,
tinged on the breast and sides with pale yellow. Tail slightly fork-
ed. Legs and feet light bluish-grey. Iris of the adult red. In the
female the colors are a little more obscure.
27*
318 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
VIGOR'S VIREO.
(Vireo Vigorsii. Audubon, pi. 30. male. Orn. Biog. i. p. 1.53.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky olive, throat greyish, breast ochre yellow;
belly nearly white ; wings and tail blackish, the former with 2
white bands ; some of the lateral tail-feathers white on their in-
ner webs.
An individual of this very rare bird was shot by its
discoverer many years ago on an island in Perkiomen
creek, in Pennsylvania, and has never since been seen
by any naturalist.
Some part of the throat and breast pale lemon yellow. Rump
greenish. Wings edged with dusky brown ; 2d primary longest.
Bill dusky. Feet and legs yellowish flesh color. Iris dark brown.
Tail a little forked.
Note. In the text, vol. i. p. 153, this bird is described as a Sylvia,
THE THRUSHES. (Turdus. Lin.)
In these birds the bill, is of moderate dimensions with cutting
edges, and compressed and curved towards the point ; the upper man-
dible is generally notched towards the extremity, the lower round-
ish ; there are also a few scattered bristles near the opening of the
bill. Nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and half closed by a naked
membrane. Tongue fringed and notched at tip. — Feet rather stout,
the tarsus longer than the middle toe, which is attached at base to
the outer one. Wings short or moderate ; the first primary short, or of
moderate length ; 3d, 4th, or 5tli primaries longest. Scapulars hardly
longer than the secondaries. — The female and young differ little
from the male. The young, however, are more spotted. The moult
is annual.
They generally live in pairs only during the period of reproduc-
tion ; both sexes sometimes assist in incubation, and the male is
often observed to feed his mate while thus engaged. They migrate
in large companies, or remain sedentary in the warmer parts of
Europe, and the milder states of the American union. They live on
THE THRUSHES. 319
insects, worms, and berries, swallow earth and gravel to assist diges-
tion, but disgorge the kernels and hard seeds of fruit, and are also
easily fed on bread and other farinaceous food. They excel in song,
and are the most powerful of feathered musicians. Their flesh is
also esteemed (but their lives and labors to the husbandman are in-
finitely more valuable). Every country and climate possesses spe-
cies of this interesting genus.
Subgenus. — Orpheus.
With the bill elongated and considerably curved throughout. In
these the voice is powerful and eminently melodious, and they dis-
play usually a talent for mimickry. By the uniformity of their
haunts, they live apparently paired for several seasons, and evince
more sagacity and intelligence than any other musical birds hitherto
known.
THE MOCKING BIRD.
(Turdus polyglottus, Lin. Wilson, ii. p. 13. pi. 10. fig. 1. Audubon,
pi. 21. [a spirited group and nest attacked by a Rattle Snake.]
Orpheus polyglottus, SwAi^soT<!. Philad. Museum, No. 5288.)
Sp. Charact. — Cinereous ; beneath whitish ; tips of the wing-
coverts, primaries at base, and lateral tail-feathers, white; tail
cuneiform.
This unrivalled Orpheus of the forest, and natural
wonder of America, inhabits the whole continent, from
the state of Rhode Island to the larger isles of the West
Indies, and continuing through the equatorial regions, is
found in the southern hemisphere as far as Brazil. Nor
is it at all confined to the Eastern or Atlantic states. It
also exists in the wild territory of Arkansa more than a
thousand miles from the mouth of Red River. It breeds
MOCKING BIRD. 32l
at the distant western sources of the Platte, near the very
base of the Rocky Mountains ; * and Mr. Bullock saw it
in the table land of Mexico. The Mocking Bird rears
its young, and consequently displays its wonderful pow-
ers, in all the intermediate regions of its residence in the
United States to the peninsula of Florida, f It appears,
in short, permanently to inhabit the milder regions of the
western world in either hemisphere ;| and the individuals
bred north of the Delaware, on this side the equator, are
all that ever migrate from their summer residence. A
still more partial migration takes place also, probably,
from west to east, in quest of the food and shelter which
the maritime districts afford. Though now so uncommon
in that vicinity, 50 or 60 years ago, according to Bartram,
they even wintered near Philadelphia, and made a tem-
porary abode in the mantling ivy of his venerable mansion.
In summer, a few proceed as far as Rhode Island, fol-
lowing the mild temperature of the sea-coast ; but fur-
ther north, they are, I believe, nearly unknown, except
rarely and occasionally in Massachusetts. With the ad-
vance of the season, also, in the country which it inhab-
its, varies the time of incubation. Early in April they
begin to build in the maritime parts of Georgia, but not
before the middle of May in Pennsylvania.
In the winter season they chiefly subsist on berries,
particularly those of the Virginia juniper (called red ce-
dar), wax myrtle, holly, smilax, sumach, sour-gum, and
a variety of others, which furnish them, and many other
birds, with a plentiful repast. Insects, worms, grass-
hoppers, and larvae, are the food on which they princi-
pally subsist, when so eminently vocal, and engaged in
* Mr. Say. t Mr. Ware.
I Mr Litchfield informs me, that the song of the Mocking-Bird is commonly heard
in Venezuela, where of course it breeds and permanently resides.
322 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
the task of rearing their young. In the Southern States,
where they are seldom molested, with ready sagacity they
seem to court the society of man, and fearlessly hop
around the roof of the house, or fly before the planter's
door. When a dwelling is first settled in the wilderness,
this bird is not seen sometimes in the vicinity for the
first year ; but, at length, he pays his welcome visit to
the new comer, gratified with the little advantages he
discovers around him, and seeking out also the favor and
fortuitous protection of human society. He becomes
henceforth familiar, and only quarrels with the cat and
dog, whose approach he instinctively dreads near his nest,
and never ceases his complaints and attacks until they
retreat from his sight.
On the 26th of February I first heard the Mocking-
Bird, that season, in one of the prairies of Alabama.
He began by imitating the Carolina Woodpecker, tshooai
tshooai, Hsliow Hslcoio Hshow ; then, in the same breath,
the sweetoot sioeetoot of the Carolina Wren ; by and by,
woolit wonlit 'tu Hu oi the Cardinal bird, and the pe^^o
peto peto of the Tufted Titmouse, with connecting tones
of his own, uttered with an expression so refined and
masterly, as if he aimed, by this display of his own powers,
to make those inferior vocalists ashamed of their own
song. It was tni|j astonishing, what a tender sweetness
le contrived to blend amidst notes so harsh and disso-
nant as those of the Woodpecker, which ever and anon,
made, now, the chorus of his varied and fantastic
song. In the lower parts of Georgia, by the beginning of
March, they are already heard vying with each other,
and with the Brown Thrush, rendering the new-clad
forest vocal with the strains of their powerful melody.
Like the Ferruginous Thrush, to which he is so nearly
related, the Mocking^Bird chooses a solitary briar-bush
MOCKING BIRD. 323
or a thicket for his nest ; sometimes an orchard tree con-
tiguous to the house is selected for the purpose, at little
more than the height of a man from the ground. The
composition of this cradle of his species is, generally, an
external mass of dry twigs, leaves, and grass, blended
with bits of decayed wood, and then surmounted with a
thick layer or lining of root-fibres of a light brown color.
The eggs are about 4 or 5, pale green, with blotches of
brown scattered nearly all over. The female sits 14
days, usually producing two broods in a season, and is
often assiduously fed^ while so engaged, by the atten-
tive male. She is jealous of her nest, and complains
with a mournful note, their usual low call, when her eggs
have been touched, but does not readily abandon the spot
she has once chosen.* None of the domestic animals
or man himself, but particularly the cat and doo-, can
approach, during the period of incubation, without re-
ceiving an attack from these affectionate guardians of
their brood. Their most insidious and deadly enemies
however, are reptiles, particularly the black snake, who
spares neither the eggs nor young. As soon, as his fatal
approach is discovered, by the male, he darts upon
him \vithout hesitation, eludes his bites, and striking
him about the head, and particularly the eyes, where
most vulnerable, he soon succeeds in causino- him to re-
treat, and by redoubling his blows, in spite of all pre-
tended fascination, the wily monster often falls a victim
to his temerity ; and the heroic bird, leaving his enemy
dead on the field he provoked, mounts on the bush above
his affectionate mate and brood, and in token of victory
celebrates his loudest song.
The Mocking-bird, like the Nightingale, is destitute
of brilliant plumage, but his form is beautiful, deli-
■ Audubon, Orn. Biog. vol. i. p. 111.
324 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
cate, and symmetrical in its proportions. His motions
are easy, rapid, and graceful, perpetually animated with
a playful caprice, and a look that appears full of shrewd-
ness and intelligence. He listens with silent attention
to each passing sound, treasures up lessons from any
thing vocal, and is capable of imitating with exactness,
both in measure and accent, the notes of all the feathered
creation. And, however wild and discordant the tones
and calls may be, he contrives with an Orphean talent,
peculiarly his own, to infuse into them that sweetness of
expression, and harmonious modulation which character-
izes this inimitable and wonderful composer. With the
dawn of morning, while yet the sun lingers below the
blushing horizon, our sublime songster, in his native
wilds, mounted on the topmost branch of a tall bush or
tree in the forest, pours out his admirable song, which,
amidst the multitude of notes from all the warbling host.
Still rises preeminent, so that his solo is heard alone, and
all the rest of the musical choir appear employed in mere
accompaniments to this grand actor in the sublime opera
of nature. Nor is his talent confined to imitation ; his
native notes are also bold, full, and perpetually varied,
consisting of short expressions of a few variable syllables,
interspersed with imitations, and uttered with great em-
phasis and volubility, sometimes for half an hour at a
time, with undiminished ardor. These native strains
bear a considerable resemblance to those of the Brown
Thrush, to whom he is so nearly related in form, habits,
and manners ; but, like rude from cultivated genius, his
notes are distinguished by the rapidity of their delivery,
their variety, sweetness, and energy. As if conscious of
his unrivalled powers of song, and animated by the har-
mony of his own voice, his music is, as it were, accom-
panied by chromatic dancing and expressive gestures ;
M..
MOCKING BIRD. 325
he spreads and closes his light and fanning wings, ex-
pands his silvered tail, and, with buoyant gayety and en-
thusiastic ecstacy, he sweeps around, and mounts and de-
scends into the air from his lofty spray, as his song swells
to loudness, or dies away in sinking whispers. While
thus engaged, so various is his talent, that it might be
supposed a trial of skill from all the assembled birds of the
country ; and so perfect are his imitations, that even the
sportsman is at times deceived, and sent in quest of birds
that have no existence around. The feathered tribes
themselves are decoyed by the fancied call of their
mates ; or dive with fear into the close thicket, at the
well-feigned scream of the hawk.
Soon reconciled to the usurping fancy of man, the
Mocking-bird often becomes familiar with his master ;
playfully attacks him through the bars of his cage, or at
large in a room ; restless and capricious, he seems to
try every expedient of a lively imagination, that may
conduce to his amusement. Nothing escapes his dis-
cerning and intelligent eye or faithful ear. He whis-
tles perhaps for the dog, who, deceived, runs to meet his
master ; the cries of the chicken in distress bring out
the clucking mother to the protection of her brood. —
The barking of the dog, the piteous wailing of the puppy,
the mewing of the cat, the action of a saw, or the creak-
ing of a wheelbarrow, quickly follow with exactness.
He repeats a tune of considerable length ; imitates the
warbling of the Canary, the lisping of the Indigo bird,
and the mellow whistle of the Cardinal, in a manner so
superior to the originals, that mortified and astonished,
they withdraw from his presence, or listen in silence,
as he continues to triumph by renewing his efforts.
In the cage also, nearly as in the woods, he is full of
life and action, while engaged in song ; throwing him-
28
326 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
self round with inspiring animation, and, as it were, mov-
ing in time to the melody of his own accents. Even the
hours of night, which consign nearly all other birds to
rest and silence, like the Nightingale, he oft employs
in song, serenading the houseless hunter and silent cot-
tager to repose, as the rising moon illumines the dark-
ness of the shadowy scene. His capricious fond-
ness for contrast and perpetual variety appears to de-
teriorate his powers. His lofty imitations of the musi-
cal Brown Thrush are perhaps interrupted by the crow-
ing of the cock, or the barking of the dog ; the plaintive
warblings of the Blue-bird are then blended with the
wild scream and chatter of the Swallow, or the cackling
of the hen ; amid the simple lay of the native Robin, we
are surprised with the vociferations of the Whip-poor-
will ; while the notes of the garrulous Jay, Kildeer,
Woodpecker, Wren, fifing Baltimore, and many others
succeed, with such an appearance of reality, that we al-
most imagine ourselves in the presence of the originals,
and can scarcely realize the fact, that the whole of this
singular concert is the effort of a single bird. Indeed, it
is impossible to listen to these Orphean strains, when de-
livered by a superior songster in his native woods, with-
out being deeply affected, and almost riveted to the spot,
by the complicated feelings of wonder and delight, in
which, from the graceful and sympathetic action, as well
as enchanting voice of the performer, the eye is no less
gratified than the ear. It is, however, painful to reflect,
that these extraordinary powers of nature, exercised with
so much generous freedom in a state of confinement, are
not calculated for long endurance, and after this most won-
derful and interesting prisoner has survived for 6 or 7
years, blindness often terminates his gay career ; and
thus shut out from the cheering light, the solace of his
MOCKING BIRD. 327
lonely but active exsitence, he now, after a time, droops
in silent sadness and dies.
Successful attempts have been made to breed this bird
iu confinement by allowing them retirement and a suffi-
ciency of room. Those which have been taken iu trap-
cages are accounted the best singers, as they come from
the school of nature, and are taught their own wild
wood notes. The prices of these invaluable songsters
are as variable as their acquired or peculiar powers, and
are from 5 to 50 dollars ; even a hundred has been re-
fused for an extraordinary individual. The food of the
young is thickened meal and water, or meal and milk,
mixed occasionally with tender fresh meat, minced fine.
Animal food, almost alone, finely divided and soaked
in milk, is at first the only nutritive food suited for raising
the tender nurslings. Young and old require berries of
various kinds, from time to time, such as cherries, straw-
berries, whortleberries, ^c, and, in short, any kind of
wild fruits of which they are fond, if not given too freely,
are useful. A few grasshoppers, beetles, or any insects
conveniently to be had, as well as gravel, are also neces-
sary ; and spiders will often revive them when drooping
or sick.
The young male bird, which must be selected as a
singer, may be distinguished by the breadth and purity
of the white on the wings. This white spot, in a full
grown male, spreads over the whole 9 primaries, down
to, and considerably below their coverts, which are also
white, sometimes slightly tipt with brown. The white
of the primaries, also, extends to the same distance on
both vanes of the feathers. In the female, the white is
less clear, spreads only over 7 or 8 of the primaries, does
not descend so far, and extends considerably farther down
on the hroad than on the narrow side of the feathers.
The black is also more inclined to brown.
328 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The length of the Mocking-bird is 9^ inches, and 13 in alar ex-
tent. Individuals of the first brood in the season are larger and more
robust than those produced later. Above ash-color, at length inclin-
ed to brown. The wings and tail nearly black, the first and second
rows of coverts tipt with white ; the primary coverts in some males
are wholly white, in others tinged with brown. The 3 first prima-
ries are white from their roots as far as their coverts ; the white on
the next 6 extends from an inch to 1| farther down, and equally on
both sides of the feather. The tail is wedge-shaped, the 2 outer
feathers white, the rest, except the middle ones, tipt with white.
Chin white ; the remaining parts below, a brownish white, and
clearer in wild than domesticated birds. Iris inclining to golden,
but lighter. Bill, legs, and feet black ; the base of the lower man-
dible whitish. The difference in the female is already given. The
breast of the young is spotted like that of the Thrush.
FERRUGINOUS THRUSH, or THRASHER.
{Turchis rufiis, Lin. Wilson. Am. Orn. ii. p. S3, pi. 14, fig, 1. Phil.
'"* Museum, No. 52S5.)
Sf. Chract. Reddish-brown j beneath whitish, spotted with black ;
tail very long and rounded ; wings with 2 whitish bands ; the bill
long, and without notch.
This large and well known songster, inferior to none
but the Mocking-bird in musical talent, is found in every
part of this continent, from Canada to the shores of the
Mexican Gulph, breeding in all the intermediate space,
though more abundantly towards the north. They retire
to the south, early in October, in the states north of the
Carolinas, and probably extend their migrations at this
season through the warmer regions towards the borders of
the tropics.
From the 15th of April to early in May they begin to
revisit the Middle and Northern States, keeping pace, in
some measure, with the progress of vegetation and the
'FERRUGINOUS THRUSH, OR THRASHER. 329
comparative advancement of the season. They appear
always to come in pairs, so that their rhutual attachment
is probably more durable than the season of incubation.
Stationed on the top of some tall orchard or forest tree,
the male, gay and animated, salutes the morn of his
arrival with his loud and charming song. His voice,
somewhat resembling that of the Thrush of Europe, but
far more varied and powerful, rises preeminent amidst all
the vocal choir of the forest. His music has the full
charm of innate originality ; he takes no delight in mim-
icry, and has therefore no title to the name of Mocking-
bird.* On his first appearance, he faulters in his song,
like the Nightingale, but when his mate commences her
cares and labors, his notes attain all their vigor and
variety. The young birds, even of the first season,
in a state of solitary domestication, without the aid of
the parent's voice, already whisper forth in harmonious
reverie the pathetic and sweet vrarble, instinctive to the
species. In the month of May, while the blooming or-
chards perfume and decorate the landscape, the enchant-
ing voice of the Thrasher, in his affectionate lay, seems
to give grateful utterance for the bounty and teeming
profusion of nature, and falls in pleasing unison with the
harmony and beauty of the season.
From the beginning to the middle of May the Thrash-
er is engaged in building his nest, selecting for this pur-
pose usually a low, thick bush, in some retired thicket or
swamp, a few feet from the earth, and sometimes even on
the ground, in some sheltered tussuck, or near the root
of a bush. It has a general resemblance to the nest of
the Cat-bird ; outwardly being made of small interlacing
twigs, then layers of dry oak or beech leaves, either whole
*He is called in the Southern States, the French Mocking-bird.
28*
330 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
or dissected. To these materials usually succeeds a stra-
tum of strips of grape-vine or red cedar bark, and with
them I have once seen a piece of old tape, collected prob-
ably from the vicinity of some cottage ; over the whole is
piled a mass of coarse root-fibres, often of a dark color, and
the finishing lining is made of a finer layer of the same.
The eggs, never exceeding 5, are thickly and very ele-
gantly sprinkled all over with minute spots of palish
brown, on a greenish white ground. In the Middle
States they have probably two broods in the season ; here
seldom more than one. They display the most ardent
affection for their young ; attacking snakes, dogs, and
cats in their defence. One of the parents, usually the
male, seems almost continually occupied, in guarding
against any dangerous intruder. The cat is attacked
commonly at a considerable distance from the young,
and the woods echo with his plaintive ye-oiv, ye-bw^ and
the low, guttural, angry Hsli 'tsli 'tsh 'tsh. The enemy is
thus pursued off the field, commonly with success, as
guilty grimalkin appears to understand the threatening
gestures and complaints with which she is so incessant-
ly assailed. Towards their more insidious enemies of
the human species, when approaching the helpless or
unfledged young, every art is displayed ; threats, en-
treaties, and reproaches, the most pathetic and power-
ful, are tried in no equivocal strain; they dart at the
ravisher in wild despair, and lament, in the most touch-
ing strains of sorrow, the bereavement they suffer. I
know of nothing equal to the burst of grief manifested
by these affectionate parents, excepting the afflicting
accents of suffering humanity.
Their food consists of worms and insects generally ;
also caterpillars, beetles, and other coleopterous tribes,
as well as various kinds of berries. In the month of
FERRUGINOUS THRUSH, OR THRASHER. 331
January I observed this Thrush and the Mocking-bird
feed on the berries of the sumach. Sometimes they
raise up a few grains of planted corn, but this is more
the effect of caprice than appetite, as the search for
grubworms is what commonly induces this resort to
scratching up the soil. The Thrasher is an active,
watchful, shy, and vigorous species, generally flying
low, dwelling .among thickets, and skipping from bush to
bush, with his long tail sometimes spread out like a fan.
About the first week in October after moulting, they
disappear for the season, and pass the winter in the
Southern States. By the middle of February, or early
in March, they already display their vocal powers in the
warmer parts of Georgia and West Florida. They are
easily reared, and become very familiar and amusing
companions, showing a strong attachment to the hand
that feeds and protects them. In their manners, intelli-
gence, song, and sagacity, they nearly approach to
the Mocking-bird, being equally playful, capricious,
petulant, and affectionate.*
The Brown Thrush is 11^ inches long, and 13 in alar extent. The
whole upper parts are of a bright reddish-brown ; the wings are
crossed with 2 bars of whitish, relieved with black. Tail very long,
rounded at the end, broad, and of the same color with the back.
Below yellowish-white, with the breast and sides marked with long
pointed or pencillate dusky spots. Bill without notch ; black
above, whitish below near the base. Legs dusky brownish. Iris
yellow, (much paler in the young bird.j In the female the white
bars on the wing are narrower, and the spots on the breast small-
er.
* For additional traits of this species, see the Introduction.
M:
CAT-BIRD.
{Tardus felivox, Vieill. T. lividus, Wilson, ii. p. 90. pi. 20. fig. 3.
Phil. Museum, No. 6770.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark slate color, paler beneath ; the vent rufous;
the crown and tail black, the latter rounded.
This quaint and familiar songster probably passes the
winter in the southern extremities of the United States,
and along the coast of Mexico, from whence, as early as
February, they arrive in Georgia. About the middle of
April they are first seen in Pennsylvania, and at length
leisurely approach this part of New England, by the
close of the first or beginning of the second week in
May. They continue their migration also to Canada;
but whether they proceed into the desolate arctic wilder-
ness or not, we are ignorant. They are said, however,
CAT-BIRD. 333
to inhabit Kamtschatka, and consequently penetrate very
far to the north. Throughout this extent, and to the
territory of the Mississippi, they likewise pass the period
of incubation and rearing their young. They remain in
New England till about the middle of October," at which
time the young feed principally upon wild berries.
The Cat-bird often tunes his cheerful song before the
break of day, hopping from bush to bush, with great
agility after his insect prey, while yet scarcely distin-
guishable amidst the dusky shadows of the dawn. The
notes of different individuals vary considerably, so that
sometimes his song, in sweetness and compass, is scarce-
ly at all inferior to that of the Ferruginous Thrush. A
quaintness, however, prevails in all his efforts, and his
song is frequently made up of short and blended imita-
tions of other birds, given, however, with great emphasis,
melody, and variety of tone ; and, like the Nightingale,
invading the hours of repose, in the late twilight of a
summer's evening, when scarce another note is heard,
but the hum of the drowsy beetle, his music attains its
full effect, and often rises and falls with all the swell and
studied cadence of finished harmony. During the heat
of the day, or late in the morning, the variety of his song
declines, or he pursues his employment in silence and
retirement.
About the 25th of May, one of these familiar birds
came into the Botanic Garden, and took up his summer
abode with us. Soon after his arrival he called up in low
whisperings the notes oiiheWhip-poor-unll, the Red Bird,
the peto peto of the Tufted Titmouse, and other imitations
of southern birds, which he had collected on his leisure-
ly route from the south. He also soon mocked the
'tshe-1/dh Hshe-yah of the little Acadian Flycatchers, with
which the neighbourhood now abounded. He frequent-
334
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
answered to my whistle in the garden, was very silent
during the period of incubation, and expressed great anxi-
ety and complaint on my approaching the young after their
leaving the nest. According to Latham, the Cat-bird is
also capable of imitating the variable airs of instrumental
music, and will sometimes mimic the cry of chickens so
as to deceive and distress the hen that attends them.
One of the most remarkable propensities of the Cat-
bird, and to which it owes its name, is the unpleasant,
loud, and grating cat-like mnv {'puy, 'pay, 'p^^y), which it
often utters, on being approached or offended. As the
irritation increases, this note becomes more hoarse, reit-
erated, and vehement ; and sometimes this petulance
and anger are carried so far, as to persecute every intru-
der who approaches the premises. This temper often pre-
vails after the young are fledged, and though originating,
no doubt, in parental anxiety, it sometimes appears to
outlive that season, and occasionally becomes such an
annoyance, that a revengeful and fatal blow from a
Gtick or stone, is but too often, with the thoughtless and
prejudiced, the reward of this harmless and capricious
provocation. At such times, with little apparent cause,
the agitation of the bird is excessive, she hurries backward
and forward, with hanging wings, and open mouth, mew-
ing and screaming in a paroxysm of scolding anger, and
alighting almost to peck the very hand that offers the
insult. To touch a twig or branch in any part of the gar-
den or wood is often amply sufficient to call down the
amusing termagant. This harmless excess, and simula-
tion of grimalkin's tone, that wizard animal, so much
disliked by many, are unfortunate associations in the cry
of the C«^-bird ; and thus coupled with an ill name, this
delightful and familiar songster, who seeks out the very
society of man, and reposes an unmerited confidence in
CAT-BIRD. 335
his protection, is treated with undeserved obloquy and
contempt. The flight of the Cat-bird is laborious, and usu-
ally continued only from bush to bush ; his progress, how-
ever, is very wily, and his attitudes and jerks amusingly
capricious. He appears to have very little fear of ene-
mies, often descends to the ground in quest of insects,
and though almost familiar, is very quick in his retreat
from real danger.
This common and abundant species begins to con-
struct its nest some time in the month of May. The
situation, in which he delights to dwell, is commonly
a dark thicket, in the woods, or close bush in some re-
cluse part of the garden, at the distance of 5 to 10 feet
from the ground, according to the convenience of the
situation. The materials are coarse but substantial ;
the external part is commonly made of small interlaced
twigs, old grass, and dry leaves ; to these succeed thin
strips of bark, often of the red cedar, somewhat aggluti-
nated. The inside is lined and bedded with black root-
fibres of ferns ; other accidental materials sometimes
make a fantastic part of the fabric. One has been known
to carry away an edging of lace which was missed, and
at length again recovered after the rearing of the brood,
whose dainty bed it assisted to form. I have frequently
found in the external coat of the nest, the cast off skins
of snakes, more rarely bits of newspapers, wood shavings,
strings, and bass-mat strips. The eggs are 4 or 5, of a
bright and deep emerald green, and without spots. Ac-
cording to the time of their arrival they raise two or even
three broods in the season. The Cat-bird is not easily
induced to forsake its nest, Wilson removed one con-
taining 4 eggs, nearly hatched, from a grape-vine into a
thicket of briars close by, which was soon occupied by
the female, as if nothing had happened to it. Other
336 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
birds' eggs, those of the Thrasher, and young of the same
species, were instantly turned out of the nest in which
they had been placed. Yet the male, divesting himself
of selfish jealousy, observing the distress and helplessness
of the young thus dislodged by his mate, began to feed
them as his own. Their sagacity is therefore superior to
that of the ordinary Thrushes, as the Turdus Wilsonii is
even one of the duped nurses occasionally employed by
the Cow-Bird.
The food of the Cat-bird is similar to that of the preced-
ing species, being insects and worms, particularly beetles,
and various garden fruits ; feeding its young often on
cherries, and other kinds of fruits. Sometimes they
are observed to attack snakes when they approach the
vicinity of their brood, and commonly succeed in driving
off the enemy ; when bitten, however, by the poisonous
kinds, it is probable, as related, that they may act in such
a manner, as to appear laboring under the influence of
fascination. The Cat-bird, when raised from the nest, is
easily domesticated, becomes a very amusing inmate,
and seems attached to his cage, as to a dwelling or place
of security. About dawn of day, if at large, he flirts
about with affected wildness, repeatedly jerks his tail
and wings with the noise almost of a whip, and stretch-
ing forth his head, opens his mouih and mews. Some-
times this curious cry is so guttural as to be uttered w^ith-
out opening the bill. He often also gives a squeal as he
flies from one place to another ; and is very tame, though
pugnacious to all other birds which approach him for
injury. When wanting food, he stirs round with great un-
easiness, jerks every thing about within his reach, and
utters the feeble cry of the caged Mocking-bird. A very
amusing individual, which I now describe, began his vo-
cal powers by imitating the sweet and low[]warblc of the
CAT-BIRD. 337
Song Sparrow, as given in the autumn ; and, from his
love of imitation on other occasions, I am inclined to be-
lieve that he possesses no original note of his own, but
acquires and modulates the songs of other birds. Like
the Robin, he is exceedingly fond of washing, and dash-
es about in the water till every feather appears drench-
ed ; he also, at times, basks in the gravel, in fine weather.
His food, in confinement, is almost every thing vegetable,
except unbruised seeds ; as bread, fine pastry, cakes,
scalded corn-meal, fruits, particularly those which are
juicy, and now and then insects and minced flesh.
The length of this species is about 9 inches. Above deep slate-
color, lightest on the edges of the primaries, and also considerably
paler below. The under tail-coverts reddish chestnut. Tail round-
ed. Upper part of the head, legs, and bill, black. — It occurs rarely
pye-bald, with the head and back white, being nearly an albino.
In a caged bird, I have also observed one or two of the tail-feathers
and primaries partly white on their inner webs. — In the youno-^
before the first moult, the rufous vent is paler, and the black of the
head indistinct.
29
Thrushes, pi^pci-ly so called.
AMERICAN ROBIN, or MIGRATING THRUSH.
(Turdus migratortus, Lin. Wilson, i. p. 35. pi. 2. fig. 2. Lath.,
Synops. iii. p. 26.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark ash-color ; beneath rufous ; head and tail
black, the two exterior feathers of the latter white at the inner
tip.
The familiar and welcome Robin is found in summer
throughout the North American continent, from the des-
olate regions of Hudson's Bay, in the 53d degree, to the
table land of Mexico ; * it is likewise a denizen of the
territory of the Oregon, f on the western base of the
Rocky Mountains. In all this vast space, the American
Fieldfare rears its young, avoiding only the warmer
maritime districts, to which, however, they flock for
support during the inclemency of winter. In like man-
* Bullock's Memoir. f Found, according to Latham, at Nootka Sound.
AMERICAN ROBIN, OR MIGRATING THRUSH. 339
ner the common Fieldfare migrates at a late season from
the northern deserts of Siberia and Lapland to pass the
winter in the milder parts of Europe. The Robin has
no fixed time for migration, nor any particular rendez-
vous ; they retire from the higher latitudes only as their
food begins to fail, and so leisurely and desultory are
their movements, that they make their appearance in
straggling parties even in Massachusetts, feeding on win-
ter berries, till driven to the south by deep and inundat-
ing snows. At this season they swarm in the Southern
States, though they never move in large bodies. The
holly, prinos, sumach, smilax, candle-berry myrtle, and
the Virginian juniper now aiford them an ample repast in
the winter, in the absence of the more juicy berries of
autumn, and the insects and worms of the milder season.
Even in the vicinity of Boston, flocks of Robins are seen,
in certain seasons, assembling round open springs in the
depth of winter, having arrived probably from the colder
interior of the state ; and in those situations they are
consequently often trapped and killed in great numbers.
Towards the close of January, in South Carolina, the
Robin, at intervals, still tuned his song ; and about the
second week of March, in the Middle States, before the
snows of winter have wholly disappeared, a few desultory
notes are already given. As soon as the 10th of this
month, they may, at times, also be heard in this part of
New England. Early in April, however, at the close of
the jealous contests, v\^hich are waged with obstinacy,
they are only seen in pairs, and now, from the orchard or
the edge of the forest, deliver their simple thrilling lays,
in all the artless energy of true affection. This earnest
song recalls to mind the mellow whistle of the Thrush,*
which, in the charming month of May, so sweetly rises
* TurdusmusicxiSjliiN,
340 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
in warbling echoes from the low copse and shady glen.
Our American bird has not, however, the compass and
variety of that familiar and much loved songster ; but his
freedom and willingness to please, render him an univer-
sal favorite, and he now comes, as it were, with the wel-
come prelude to the general concert, about to burst upon
us from all the green woods and blooming orchards. With
this pleasing association with the opening season, amidst
the fragrance of flowers, and the improving verdure of the
fields, we listen with peculiar pleasure to the simple song
of the Robin. The confidence he reposes in us by mak-
ing his abode in our gardens and orchards, the frankness
and innocence of his manners, besides his vocal powers
to please, inspire respect and attachment even in the
truant school-boy, and his exposed nest is but rarely mo-
lested. He owes, however, this immunity in no small
degree to the fortunate name which he bears ; as the
favorite Robin Redbreast, said to have covered, with a
leafy shroud, the lost and wandering " babes in the
wood,"* is held in universal respect in every part of
Europe, where he is known by endearing names, and so
familiar in winter that he sometimes taps at the window,
or enters the house in search of crumbs, and, like the
domestic fowls, claims his welcome pittance at the
farmer's door.
The nest of this species is often on the horizontal
branch of an apple tree, or in a bush or tree in the
woods, and so large, as to be scarcely ever wholly con-
cealed. The materials, chiefly leaves, old grass, and some-
times whitish moss [Bceomyces Sp.), are cemented to-
gether inside by a plastering of bog-mud, often filled
with fibrous roots, somewhat after the manner of the
Thrush, but the interior is lined with short, dry, rotten
* A well known legend to this effect.
AMERICAN ROBIN, OR MIGRATING THRUSH. 341
Straw, and a mat of old grass. The eggs, about 5, are of
a bluish green and without spots. So nearly domestic at
times are their habits, that an instance is known, where
they successively raised two broods out of the same nest.
They show great affection and anxiety for the safety of
their young, keeping up a noisy cackling chirp when the
place is approached ; and they have often serious contests
with the piratical Cuckoo, who slily watches the absence
of the parents to devour their eggs. To avoid these visits
and the attacks of other enemies, the Robin has been
known to build his nest within a few yards of the black-
smith's anvil ; and in Portsmouth (New Hampshire) one
was seen to employ for the same purpose the stern timbers
of an unfinished vessel, in which the carpenters were con-
stantly at work ; the bird appearing, by this adventurous
association, as if conscious of the protection of so singu-
lar and bold a situation. I have also seen a nest of the
Robin bottomed with a mass of pine shavings, taken with-
out alarm from the bench of the carpenter. The Euro-
pean Thrush is sometimes equally familiar ; a pair be-
ing known to make a nest on a harrow, among some
other agricultural implements suspended on the joists of
a cart-shed, in which 3 men Vvere at work at the time ;
and here they built and reared their young in safety. In
this instance, the female was in such haste, that she laid
an egg before the finishing of the nest, and while the
male carried on the necessary labor for its completion ;
so that this singular resort had apparently been forced
upon the pair immediately after the loss of the object of
their first labor, and they now successfully threw them-
selves and their concerns upon the protection of the
human species. From the petulant and reiterated
chirp so commonly uttered by the Robin, when sur-
prised or irritated, the Indians of Hudson's Bay call
29*
342 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
him, from this note, Pee-pee-tshu. They often also
utter a loud echoing 'kk 'kh 'kh, and sometimes chip in
a high or slender tone when alarmed, and with an affec-
tation of anger sharply flirt the tail and ends of the
wings. They raise several broods in a season, and
considerable numbers flock together in the latter end of
summer and autumn. When feeding on cherries, poke,
sassafras, and sour-gum berries, they are so intent as to
be easily approached and shot down in numbers ; and
when fat, are justly esteemed for food, and often brought
to market. In the spring they frequently descend to the
ground in quest of worms and insects, which then consti-
tute their principal support.
They are commonly brought up in the cage, and seem
very docile and content. They sing well, readily learn to
imitate lively parts of tunes, and some have been taught
to pipe forth psalms even to so dull and solemn a measure
as that of " Old Hundred" ! They acquire also a consid-
erable taste for mimicry, imitating the notes of most of
the birds around them, such as the Blue-bird, Pewee,
Whip-poor-will, and others. On being approached with
the finger, they usually make some show of anger by
cracking and snapping the bill. At times they become
very tame, and will go in and out of the house with do-
mestic confidence, feel uneasy when left alone, and on
such occasions, have sometimes the sagacity of calling
attention by articulating endearing words, as pretty,
pretty, &lc. connecting, apparently with these expres-
sions, their general import of attentive blandishment.
They become almost naked in the moulting season, in
which they appear to suff'er considerably, yet have been
known to survive for 17 years or upwards. The rufous
color of the breast becomes deeper in those birds which
thus live in confinement. Their principal song is in the
WOOD THRUSH. 343
morning, and commences before sunrise, at which time
it is very load, full, and emphatic.
The Robin is 9^ inches in length. Head, back of the neck, and
tail, black ; the back and rump ash-color. The wings black, edged
with pale ash. Three small spots of white border the eye. Throat
and upper part of the breast black, the former streaked with white.
Below, dark orange or rufous. Belly and vent "white. Legs dark
brown. Bill yellow, as in the European Blackbird; sometimes
dusky brown above towards the tip. The colors of the female are
paler. The young, during the 1st season, are spotted with white and
dusky on the breast, and at that time bear a considerable resemblance
to the Fieldfare of Europe.
WOOD THRUSH.
{Turdus inustelinus, Gm. Audubon, pi. 73. T. melodus, Wilsopt,
i. p. 35. pi. 2. fig. 1. Tawney Thrush, Pennant's Arctic Zoology,
ii. p. 19. No. 198. Latham, Synops. iii. p- 28. No. 15.)
Sf. Charact. — Cinnamon-brown, rufous on the head ; rump and
tail inclining to olive ; beneath white, spotted with blackish ; tail
short, slightly emarginate ; the bill of moderate length.
This solitary and retiring songster, during summer,
inhabits the whole continent from Hudson's Bay to
Florida ; and, according to my friend Mr. Ware, breeds as
far south as the vicinity of Natchez, in the territory of
Mississippi. Whether they leave the boundaries of the
United States in the winter, is not satisfactorily ascertain-
ed ; as the species is then silent, and always difficult of
access, its residence is rendered peculiarly doubtful.
The lateness of the season in which they still linger, ren-
ders it probable, that they may winter in the Southern
States, as a young bird, gleaning insects and berries, has
been caught in a garden in Boston on the 26th of Oc-
tober.
344 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
From the southern parts of the Union, 6r wherever he
may winter, the Wood Thrush arrives in the Middle
States from the 1st to the 15th of April ; though his ap-
pearance here, where the species is scarce, does not take
place earlier than the beginning of May. At the dawn
of morning he now announces his presence in the woods,
and from the top of some tall tree, rising through the
dark and shady forest, he pours out his few, clear, and
harmonious notes in a pleasing reverie, as if inspired by
the enthusiasm of renovated nature. The prelude to
this song resembles almost the double tonguing of the
flute, blended with a tinkling, shrill, and solemn warble,
which reechoes from his solitary retreat, like the dirge
of some sad recluse, who shuns the busy haunts of life.
The whole air consists usually of 4 parts or bars, which
succeed, in deliberate time, and finally blend together in
impressive and soothing harmony, becoming more mel-
low and sweet at every repetition. Rival performers
seem to challenge each other from various parts of the
wood, vying for the favor of their mates, with sympathetic
responses and softer tones ; and some, waging a jealous
strife, terminate the warm dispute by an appeal to com-
bat and violence. Like the Robin and the Thrasher,
in dark and gloomy weather, when other birds are
sheltered and silent, the clear notes of the Wood
Thrush are heard through the dropping woods, from
dawn to dusk, so that, the sadder the day, the sweeter
and more constant is his song. His clear and interrupt-
ed whistle is likewise often nearly the only voice of melo-
dy heard by the traveller, to mid-day, in the heat of sum-
mer, as he traverses the silent, dark, and wooded wilder-
ness, remote from the haunts of men. It is nearly impos-
sible by words to convey any idea of the peculiar warble
of this vocal hermit ; but amongst his phrases, the sound
WOOD THRUSH.
of 'airdee, peculiarly liquid, and followed by a trill, re-
peated in two interrupted bars, is readily recognisable.
At times their notes bear a considerable resemblance to
those of Wilson's Thrush; such as eh rliehu 'vrliehu, then
varied to 'eA villla villia, 'eh villia vrhehu, then, 'eh vein
villu, high and shrill.
The Wood Thrush is always of a shy and retiring dis-
position, appearing alone, or only in single pairs, and
while he willingly charms us with his song, he is content
and even solicitous to remain concealed. His favorite
haunts are low, shady glens by water-courses, often ren-
dered dark with alder bushes, mantled with the trailing
grape-vine. In quest of his insect prey, he delights to
follow the meanders of the rivulet, through whose leafy
shades the sun-beams steal only in a few interrupted rays
over the sparkling surface of the running brook. So
partial is this bird to solitude, that I have known one to
sing almost uniformly in the same place, though nearly
half a mile from his mate and nest. At times indeed he
would venture a few faltering, low notes in an oak near
his consort, but his mellowest morning and evening war-
ble was always delivered from a tall hickory, overtopping
a grove of hemlock firs, in which the dimness of twilight
prevailed even at noon. The Wood Thrush, like the
Nightingale, therefore feels inspired in darkness, but in-
stead of waiting for the setting sun, he chooses a retreat
where the beams of day can seldom enter. These "shady
retreats have also an additional attraction to our Thrush ;
it is here that the most interesting scene of his instinc-
tive labor begins and ends ; here he first saw the light,
and breathed into existence ; and here he now bestows
his nest in a sapling oak, or in the next thick laurel or
blooming alder, whose berries afford him an ample repast
in the coming autumn. Outwardly it presents a warm bed
346 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
of withered beech or oak leaves, above these a layer of
coarse old grass and leaf-stalks is laid, tempered with a
mixture of mud and decayed wood smoothly plastered, so as
to form a crust like the nest of the Robin. The whole is
then surmounted by a thin lining of the black, fibrous
radicles of the fern. The eggs, 4 or 5, scarcely distin-
guishable from those of the Robin, are of an uniform
bright greenish blue and destitute of spots. Beetles,
caterpillars, various insects, and, in autumn, berries
constitute the principal food of the Wood Thrush. The
young remain for weeks around gardens in quest of ber-
ries, and are particularly fond of those of the various
species of cornel and viburnum. At this season they
occasionally leave their favorite glens, and in their devi-
ous wanderings, previous to their departure, sometimes
venture to visit the rural suburbs of the city. The
young are easily reared, and sing nearly as well in the
cage as in their native wilds.
The Wood Thrush measures about 8 inches in length, and 13
in alar extent. Above, bright cinnamon-brown, brightening into
rufous on the head, and inclining to olive on the rump and tail.
Beneath, whitish, thickly marked with pencil-shaped dvisky spots.
The vent pure white. Orbits of the eye white. Bill dusky brown,
slightly notched, the lower mandible flesh-colored towards the base.
Legs and claws very pale flesh-color. Iris dark chocolate.
LITTLE OR HERMIT THRUSH.
(Turdus minor, Gai. Pennant, ii. p. 20. No. 201. T. solitariits,
Wilson, v. p. 95. pi. 43. fig. 2. Audubon, pi. 58. [excellent.]
Phil. Museum, No. 3542.)
Sp. Charact. — Olive-brown, inclining to rufous on the tail ; be-
neath brownish white, spotted with dusky brown on the breast
and under the wings ; tail short and emarginate j the bill short.
LITTLE OR HERMIT THRUSH. 347
This species, so much like the Nightingale in color,
is scarce inferior to that celebrated bird in its powers of
song, * and greatly exceeds the Wood Thrush in the
melody and sweetness of its lay. It inhabits the United
States, from the lofty alpine mountains of New Hamp-
shire to Florida. It is also met with on the table land
of Mexico, and in the warmer climate of the Antilles.
In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England, at the
close of autumn, it appears to migrate eastward to the
sea-coast in quest of the winter berries, on which it now
feeds; in spring and summer it lives chiefly on insects
and their larvae, and also collects the surviving berries of
the Mitchella repens.
Like the preceding species, it appears to court solitude,
and lives wholly in the woods. In the Southern States,
where it inhabits the whole year, it frequents the dark
and desolate shades of the cane swamps. In these, almost
Stygian regions, which, besides being cool, abound prob-
ably with its favorite insect food, we are nearly sure to
meet our sweetly vocal hermit flitting through the settled
gloom, which the brightest rays of noon scarcely illumine
with more than twilight. In one of such swamps, in the
Choctaw nation, Wilson examined a nest of this species,
which was fixed on the horizontal branch of a tree, form-
ed with great neatness and without using any plastering
of mud. The outside was made of a layer of coarse
grass, having the roots attached, and intermixed with
horse-hair ; the lining consisted of green filiform blades
of dry grass, very neatly wound about the interior. The
eggs, 4 to 6, of a pale greenish blue, were marked towards
the great end with specks and blotches of olive.
* My friend, Mr. C. Pickering, remarks, that the song of this species is far superior
to that of the Wood Thrush. Wilson considered it mute.
34^
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
In the Middle States this species is only seen for a
few weeks in the spring and fall. They arrive in this
part of New England about the 10th of April, and dis-
perse to pass the summer in the seclusion of the forest.
They are often seen on the ground in quest of their food,
and frequent low and thick copses, into which they com-
monly fly for concealment when too attentively observed ;
though when in small companies, in the spring season,
they do not appear very shy, but restless, from the
unsettled state of their circumstances. When dispersed,
they utter alow, chirping call, and for some time continue
to frequent the same secluded part of the forest in soci-
ety. At times, like the Wagtail, they keep this part of
their body in a slow, vertical motion. In manners it
strongly resembles the following species ; but its song
seems to be unusually lively and varied, warbling almost
like the Yellow Bird, and then chanting like the Robin.
In Lower Louisiana, they are said to raise two broods in
the season.
The length of the Hermit Thrush is about 7^ inches ; alar extent lOi.
Above, plain deep olive-brown. Below, dull white ; upper part of the
breast and throat of a delicate cream color, inclining to nankeen ; the
dusky brown pencillated spots carried over the breast and under the
wings where the sides are pale olive ; 3d primary longest, inner webs
inclinincr to dusky, the outer nearly as rufous as the tail ; on the inner
webs of the secondaries a large oval spot of bright nankeen color.
Tail and coverts, as well as the wings, strongly tinged with rufous.
Legs pale flesh-color, the tarsus very long. Bill black above the
lower mandible, flesh-colored below. Iris nearly black, and large. —
T^he female darker, and with the spots on the breast larger and more
dusky.
Note. The Brown Thrush of Pennant and Latham agrees pretty
nearly with the Hermit Thrush (T. soUtarius) of Wilson, and dif-
fers, in several important particulars, with the bird of this article.
The bird of Wilson's figure, if correctly done, I have never seen
in Massachusetts.
Wilson's thrush, or veery. 349
WILSON'S THRUSH, or VEERY.
{Turdus Wilsonii, Bonap. T. mustelinus, Wilson (not of Gmel.),
V. p. 98. pi. 43. fig. 3. Little Thrush, Lath. Synops. iii. p. 20.
(not of Pennant, &c.) Phil. Museum, No. 5.570.)
Sp. Charact. — Tawny-brown; beneath whitish, with dusky spots
on the throat, which is inclined to tawny yellow ; tail short,
nearly even, the feathers pointed ; bill short.
This common northern species arrives in Pennsylva-
nia and New England about the beginning of May. How
far they extend their northern migration is uncertain,
though probably to Labrador. They appear to retire to
the south early in October, and are more decidedly in-
sectivorous than any other native species. According to
Wilson, many winter in the myrtle swamps of South
Carolina. I have not, however, seen them in the South-
ern States at that season, and most part of the species
pass on probably as far as the coast of the Mexican
Gulf They do not, according to Wilson, breed in the
lower parts of Pennsylvania, though undoubtedly in the
mountainous districts, where they are seen as late as the
20th of May. They propagate and are very common in
Massachusetts.
In its retiring habits and love of concealment this
Thrush resembles the preceding. They frequent the
dark and shady borders of small brooks and w^oods, and
sometimes the bushy and retired parts of the garden ;
from whence, without being often seen, in the morning,
and particularly the evening, to the very approach of
night, we often hear the singular, quaint, and musical
note of this querulous species, at short intervals, as he
perches upon some low branch of a tree or bush. This
curious whistling note sounds like 'vehu 'v'r^hu 'v'rehu
'v'rehu, and sometimes 'vca ved *vrehd 'vreha vehu, run-
ning up the notes till they become shrill and quick at
30
350 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
the close, in the first phrase ; but from high to low, and
terminating slender and slow, in the latter ; another ex-
pression seems to be, 've vcd vehurr, ascending like a
whistle. The song of another individual was expressed in
the following manner , 've 'villdl 'villill 'tuIluU 'fiillul. It
was then repeated with variation, 've villillil villlll villill ;
then viUiilUl villillitl, tiillilill tulUlUl ; the whole agreea-
bly and singularly delivered in a shrill, hollow voice,
almost like the sound of liquor passing through a
funnel into a bottle. I have also heard several of these
sounds, sometimes occasionally prefaced by a mewing or
chirping warble. These sounds, though monotonous,
are possessed of greater variety than is at first imagined,
the terminating tone or key changing through several
repetitions, so as to constitute a harmony and melody,
in some degree approaching the song of the more
musical Wood Thrush. From this habit of seren-
ading into the night, the species is sometimes here digni-
fied with the nickname of the Nightingale. Occasion-
ally he utters an angry, rather plaintive mew, like the
Cat-bird, or a quivering bleat, almost similar to that of a
lamb, and, when approached, watches and follows the
intruder with an angry or petulant quedh quedh ; at other
times, a sort of mewing, melancholy, or complaining
y'eoio 'y'eow is heard ; and then, perhaps, a hasty and
impatient yeut pent follows. The food of this species,
at least during the early part of summer, appears to be
shelly insects of various kinds, particularly ChrysomelaSy
or lady-bugs, and those many Idgged hard worms of the
genus lulus.
A good while after the commencement of the period
of incubation, I have observed the males engaged in ob-
stinate quarrels. On the 4th of June (1830) I observed
two of these petulant Thrushes thus fiercely and jeal-
Wilson's thrush, or veery. 351
ously contending ; one of them used a plaintive and
angry tone as he chased his antagonist up and down
the tree ; at length, however, a cousin Cat-bird, to which
this species has some affinity, stept in betwixt the com-
batants, and they soon parted. One of these birds had
a nest and mate in the gooseberry bush of a neighbour-
ing garden ; the second bird was thus a dissatisfied her-
mit, and spent many weeks in the Botanic Garden,
where, though at times sad and solitary, yet he constantly
amused us with his forlorn song, and seemed at last, as
it were, acquainted with those who whistled for him,
peeping out of the bushes with a sort of complaisant cu-
riosity, and from his almost nocturnal habits became a
great persecutor of the assassin Owl, whenever he dared
to make his appearance.
The nest of Wilson's Thrush (commenced about the
close of the first week in May) is usually in a low and
thorny bush, in the darkest part of the forest, at no great
distance from the ground (1 to 3 feet), sometimes indeed
on the earth, but raised by a bed of leaves, and greatly
resembles that of the Cat-bird. This species seems,
indeed, for security artfully to depend on the resemblance
of itself and its leafy nest with the bosom of the forest on
which it rests, and when approached it sits so close as
nearly to admit of being taken up by the hand. The
nest sometimes appears without any shelter but shade
and association of colors with the place on which it rests.
I have seen one placed on a mass of prostrated dead
brambles ; on a fallen heap of lilac twigs in a ravine ; and
also in a small withered branch of red oak, which had
fallen into a bush ; below, it was also bedded with exactly
similar leaves, so as easily to deceive the eye. But with
all these precautions they appear to lose many eggs and
young by squirrels and other animals. The nest is usu-
352 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
ally bottomed with dry oak or beech leaves, coarse stalks
of grass and weeds, and lined very generally with natur-
ally dissected foliage, i;s stalks, some fine grass, and,
at other times, a mixture of root-fibres ; but no earth is
employed in the fabric. The eggs, 4 or 5, are of an em-
erald green, without spots, and differ from those of the
Cat-bird only in being a little smaller and more inclined
to blue. So shy is the species, that though I feigned a
violent chirping near the nest containing their young,
which brought Sparrows, and a neighbouring Baltimore
to the rescue, the parents, peeping at a distance, did not
venture to approach, or even express any marked con-
cern, though they prove very watchful guardians when
their brood are fledged and with them in the woods.
They have commonly two broods in the season : the sec-
ond being raised about the middle of July ; after which
their musical notes are but seldom heard. I afterwards,
by an accident, obtained a young fledged bird, which re-
tained in the cage the unsocial and silent timidity pe-
culiar to the species.
Wilson's Thrush is about 7 inches long, and 12 in alar extent.
Above, of an uniform tawny-brown. Beneath white ; the sides of
the breast and under the wings, slightly tinged with ash-color j chin
white ; throat and upper part of the breast creams-color, marked with
pointed spots of brown. The tail nearly even, the shafts, as well as
those of the wing-quills, continued a little beyond their webs. Bill
black above, below flesh-colored at base. Iris dark. Legs slender,
pale brown.
Subgenus. — Se'iurus. (Genus Seiurus, Swainson.)
Bill scarcely depressed at base, and with the bristles at the open-
ing of the mouth scarcely visible. — The two species here associated
have little affinity in character and habit ; they are however insep-
arable from the true Thrushes, and are rather remarkable for the
NEW YORK OR AQUATIC THRUSH. 353
habit of moving the tail. In T. aurocapillus, the white and spotted
eggs, very artful nest, and usual monotonous rattling notes, are ex-
ceptions to its arrangement either in Sylvia or Turdus^ except as a
subgenus.
NEW YORK OR AQUATIC THRUSH.
{Turdus 7ioveboracenis, Nobis. T. aquaticus, Addubon, pi. 19.
Wilson, iii. p. QQ. pi. 23. fig. 5. Sylvia noveboracensis , Latham
and BoNAP. Phil. Museum, No. G89G.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark olive ; beneath and line over the eye yellow-
ish white ; breast and sides with dusky pencil-shaped spots.
This shy and retiring sylvan species extends its sum-
mar migrations throughout the United States, breeding
rarely in Pennsylvania, proceeding principally to the
mountainous Western and Northern regions at the pe-
riod of incubation.
The New York Warbler has a particular partiality for
the vicinity of waters, wading in the shallow streams in
search of aquatic insects, moving its tail as it leisurely
follows its pursuit, and chattering as it flies. During its
transient migrating visits it is very timid, and darts into
the thickets as soon as approached, uttering a sharp and
rather plaintive tshq)' of alarm. About the beginning of
May, it appears in Pennsylvania from the South, and
stays around dark and solitary streams for 10 or 12 days,
and then disappears until about the middle of August,
when, on their way to their tropical winter quarters, they '
leave the swamps and mountains of their summer retreat,
and, after again gleaning a transient subsistence for a
few days towards the sea-coast, depart for the season. In
Massachusetts, they are scarcely ever seen except in the
autumn, and continue in shady gardens, probably feed-
30*
354 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
ing on small wild berries till nearly the close of Septem-
ber.
It appearSj according to AVilson, that the favorite re-
sort of this, or a nearly allied species (the Turdus luclo-
vicianus of Audubon), is in the cane-brakes, swamps,
river shores, and watery solitudes of Louisiana, Tennes-
see, and Mississippi. Here they are abundant, and are
eminently distinguished by the loudness, sweetness, and
expressive vivacity of their notes, which, like the Night-
ingale's, beginning high and clear, flow and descend in
a cadence so delicate as to terminate in sounds, scarcely
audible above the whispering breeze. At such times he
sits perched on some branch which stretches impending
over the flowing stream, and pours out his charming mel-
ody with such eflect as to be heard at the distance of
nearly half a mile, giving a peculiar charm to the
dark and solitary wilds he inhabits. The silence of
night is, also, at times, relieved by the incessant warble
of this Western Philomel, whose voice, breaking upon the
ear of the lonely traveller in the wilderness, seems like
the dulcet lay of some fairy vision. His song is also
heard in the winter, when the weather proves mild. In
this habit he appears considerably allied to the Reed
Thrush * or River Nightingale of Europe, which night
and day almost ceaselessly sings and soothes his sitting
mate, anions; the reeds and marshes of his favorite re-
sorts. This bird, in Louisiana, commences its nest
early in April. It is placed usually at the foot of a tree,
or by the side of a decayed log, and is formed of dry
leaves, moss, and fine grass, being lined with hair or
the similar fibres of the Spanish moss ( Tilandsia).
The eggs are 4 or 5, flesh-color, with dark red spots at
the greater end. When startled from her eggs or young,
* Tardus arundinaceus.
GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH, OR OVEN-BIRD. 355
the female tumbles in the path and simulates lameness.
In this bird, according to Audubon, the legs and feet are
of a deep bluish brown, and the tail forked. It does not
appear to be strictly aquatic. The northern bird, also,
is never heard to sing, and the country in which it
breeds is unknown.
The Aquatic Thrush is about 6 inches long, and 9^ in alar extent.
Above very dark olive, with a line of whitish extending over the
eye, and along the sides of the neck. Below, white, tino-ed with
pale yellow ; the whole breast and sides marked witli dark brown
pencil-shaped spots. Bill dusky brown. Legs flesh-colored. Tail
nearly even. The sexes almost alike in plumage.
GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH, or OVEN-BIRD.
{Turdus aurocapillus, Wilson, ii. p. 88. pi. 14. fig. 2. Sylvia auro-
capilla, BoNAP.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive; crown brownish-orange, maro-ined
on each side by a dusky line ; beneath white, the breast spotted
with blackish.
This rather common bird, so nearly allied to the true
Thrushes, is found throughout the forests of the United
States during the summer, arriving in the Middle and
Northern States about the beginning of May or close of
April, and departing for tropical America, Mexico, and
the larger West India islands early in September.
The Golden-crowned Thrush, shy and retiring, is
never seen out of the shade of the woods, and sits and
runs along the ground often like the Lark ; it also fre-
quents the branches of trees, and sometimes moves its
tail in the manner of the Wagtails. It has few preten-
sions to song, and while perched in the deep and shady
356 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
part of the forest, it utters, at intervals, a simple, long
reiterated note of Hsh'e tshe tshe tshe tshe, rising from
low to high and shrill, so as to give but little idea of the
distance or place from whence the sound proceeds, and
often appearing from the loudness of the closing cadence
to be much nearer than it really is. As soon as discov-
ered, like the Wood Thrush, it darts at once timidly into
the depths of its sylvan retreat. During the period of
incubation, the deliberate lay of the male, from some
horizontal branch of the forest tree, where he often sits
usually still, is a 'tshe te tshe te tshe te tshcc, gradually ris-
ing and growing louder. Towards dusk in the evening,
however, it now and then utters a sudden burst of notes
with a short agreeable warble, which terminates, common-
ly in the usual 'tshe te tshe. Its curious oven-shaped nest
is known to all the sportsmen who traverse the solitary
wilds which it inhabits. This ingenious fabric is sunk
a little into the ground, and generally situated on some
dry and mossy bank contiguous to bushes, or on an un-
cleared surface ; it is formed with great neatness of dry
blades of grass, and lined with the same ; it is then sur-
mounted by a thick inclined roof of similar materials, the
surface scattered with leaves and twigs so as to match the
rest of the ground, and an entrance is left at the side.
Near Milton hills, in this vicinity, the situation chosen was
among low whortleberry bushes, in a stunted cedar and
oak grove. The eggs, 4 or 5, white, are irregularly spot-
ted near the greater end, with reddish brown. When sur-
prised, the bird escapes, or runs from the nest with the
silence and celerity of a mouse. If an attempt be
made to discover the nest from which she is flushed, she
stops, flutters, and pretends lameness, and watching the
success of the manoeuvre, at length, when the decoy
seeras complete, she takes to wing and disappears. This
WATER OUSELS. 357
bird is another of the foster-parents sometimes chosen by
the Cow Troopial ; and she rears the foundling with her
accustomed care and affection, and keeps up an incessant
tsMp when her unfledged brood are even distantly ap-
proached. They have often two broods in a season in
the Middle States. Their food is wholly insects and
their larvae, particularly small coleopterous kinds and ants,
chiefly collected on the ground.
This species is 6 inches long, and 9 in alar extent. Above rich
yellow-olive ; the tips of the wings and inner vanes of the quills dusky
brown ; the 3 first primaries are about equal. From the nostrils a
dusky line passes to the hind head ; crown brownish-orange. Be-
low white, the breast covered with deep brown pencil-shaped spots.
Legs pale flesh-color. Bill dusky, below whitish. In the female
the crown is paler.
WATER OUSELS. (Cinclus, Cuvier.)
In these birds the bill is of moderate size, straight, compressed,
the edges sharp and slightly incurved, and with the point of the up-
per mandible curved over the lower. Nostrils basal, lateral, con-
cave, longitudinal, and covered by a membrane. — Tarsus longer
than the middle toe ; outer toe attached to the inner at the base, the
lateral toes equal. Wings, with the 3d and 4th primaries longest.
The female scarcely differs in plumage from the male ; — the
young more tinged with rufous. The moult is annual ; and the plu-
mage water-proof.
These curious birds associate only in single pairs, and frequent
brooks and clear streams, diving and walking on the gravelly bottom
beneath the surface of the water, which constitutes their favorite
element. They feed on aquatic insects, small Crustacea, and the
spawn of the trout. They build in the vicinity of rivulets, a well
concealed, covered, and very artful nest. Their flight is rapid,
straight, and skimming along the surface of the water. The voice
is feeble and shrill. — r The genus consist of only 2 or 3 species indige-
nous to the northern, or mild regions. *
358 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
BLACK WATER-OUSEL, or DIPPER.
(Cinclus Pallasii, Temm. Bonap. Am. Orn. 3. pi. 16. fig. 1. Phil.
Museum, No. )
Sp. Charact. — Wholly dark cinereous.
This species, of a very remarkable genus, chiefly dis-
tinguished from that of Europe by the absence of the
white on the chin and throat, seems to have been first
noticed by Pallas in the Crimea,* and afterwards by Mr.
Bullock in Mexico, from whence it appears, by an ex-
clusive interior route, to penetrate into the wild and re-
mote interior of Canada as far as the shores of the Atha-
baska lake, where the specimen was obtained which afford-
ed the figure for Bonaparte's splendid Continuation of the
American Ornithology.
Of the particular habits of this bird, nothing is yet
known. The common European species are shy and sol-
itary birdsj dwelling near clear and tumultuous moun-
tain streams, from the torrents of the Alps and Appen-
nines, to the wilds of Scotland. It is also seen, even by
the close of March, in Sweden, and Finland on the banks
of the Tornea, near to cataracts, in the vicinity of the
polar circle. t They are never seen to perch on branches,
frequent the gravelly beds of rivulets strewn with rocks,
and flit from stone to stone, at times, attentively watching
their aquatic prey ; as soon as it is espied, they plunge
after it, beneath the water to the bottom, and never
hesitate to enter the stream, and precipitate themselves
without fear or danger amidst the eddies of the brawling
flood. They even nest, occasionally, in the cavities, be-
* Bonaparte is of opinion that the specimens of Temminck, received from Pallas,
were probably derived from America, and not from Tartary.
t Skioldebrand's Picturesque Voyage to Cape North, p. 15, (French translation. )
BLACK WATER-OUSEL, OR DIPPER. 359
hind the waterfall when it overshoots the impending
rocks. Water is, in fact, their proper element, though
they are neither fitted to swim nor to wade with ordinary
aquatic birds, but they walk or fly with ease beneath it,
across streams from bank to bank ; they even walk in this
way submerged, among the gravel against the force of the
current. When the water becomes deep enough for
them to plunge, they open and drop their wings, with an
agitated motion, and with the head stretched out, as in
the ordinary act of flying in the air, descend to the bot-
tom, and there, as if on the ground, course up and down
in quest of food. While under the water, to which their
peculiar plumage is impermeable, they appear silvered
over with rapidly escaping aerial bubbles, and bid defi-
ance to every enemy while defended in so singlar a re-
treat. When out of the water they also run with rapidi-
ty, and fly direct and swift as an arrow, skimming the
surface of their favorite element, in the manner of the
Kingfisher ; and at the next moment, as the case may be,
they are perhaps seen to plunge out of sight without
alighting, and, like the Loon, again come into view in
the eluding distance. While on the wing they utter a
shrill and feeble cry, occasionally varied ; and in the
very depths of winter and early spring contribute to cheer
their wild and dreary haunts by their simple, clear, and
sweetly warbled notes.
They pair early, and are said to raise two broods in
the season. The young, while yet unfledged, escape
from threatening danger by dropping from their impend-
ing nest into the surrounding water. This curious cra-
dle, by the side of some romantic mountain rivulet, on
the ledge of a rock, steep mossy bank, or near some fallen
block from the clifl*, is made in the form of a dome, the
frame-work often of moss ijiypna) and sweet wood-roof
360 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
(Asperula odorata), neatly arched over, perhaps, by a
withered fern leaf, surmounted by a coating of green
moss, and a few additional pieces of other slender ma-
terials. The lining is similar, but finer and smoothly
arranged. Sometimes, under a bridge, the same pair
have been known to renew their labors in the same place
for three successive times. The young, from their situa-
tion, are readily supplied with fish, their appropriate food.
The eggs are 4 to 6, and white. Such are the habits
of the common Dipper, which, in great part, also prob-
ably apply to the American bird.
The length of Pallas's Dipper or Ousel is about 8^ inches. The
whole bird is of a dark grayish slate color ; at the upper orbit of the
eye there is a slight indication of whitish. The general color some-
what deeper on the head, and a shade lighter beneath. The prima-
ries incline somewhat to brown. Tail even. Feet flesh-color.
THE WARBLERS. (Sylvia, Lath.)
In these the bill is slender, straight, awl-shaped, higher than
it is wide at the base, and furnished with scattered bristles ; the lower
mandible straight. Nostrils basal, lateral, oval, half closed by a
membrane. Tongue lacerated at tip. Tarsus longer than the mid-
dle toe ; inner toe free ; posterior nail shorter than the toe. ~
Wings moderate or short ; spurious feather generally short ; 1st and
2d primaries, 2d and 3d, or 3d and 4th longest; scapulars considera-
bly shorter than the quill feathers.
The female generally distinguished by a less vivid plumage. The
young usually resume the adult livery after the first moult. They
moult once, though in some species twice in the year.
Of this numerous genus there are species spread over the whole
globe. They are generally small, sprightly, and endowed with an
incessant activity, in accordance with the subtleness of their flying
insect prey ; they therefore approach both in habit and character the
Flycatchers, Vireos, Thrushes, Saxicolas, and Wrens so nearly, that
YELLOW-CROWNED WARBLER, OR MYRTLE-BIRD. 361
it is rendered, at times, doubtful to which of these several genera they
ought to be referred. They principally inhabit forests or thickets
and some affect watery situations or reed marshes. Many are remark-
able for the melody of their song, and the sprightliness of the airs,
which in the period of incubation they almost incessantly pour forth.
The Nightingale, so celebrated for his powerful, varied, and pathetic
lay, as well as the humble, but tuneful Robin Red-breast, belong to
this highly vocal genus ; and though many species seek out the arc-
tic solitudes in which to waste their melody, or sooth alone their
mates, yet other species may be numbered among the more familiar
tenants of our gardens, groves, and orchards. Living almost exclu-
sively on the winged insects of summer, which they dexterously
catch in the air, or pick from off the leaves, they migrate to the south
in autumn, and pass the winter in the warm or tropical regions.
Some exist, more or less generally, on berries in the latter end of
the year, and consequently find means thus to winter in the milder
climates which are exempt from severe extremes. Among many of
the species, the more active and vigorous male, intent on the object
of his migration, precedes the arrival of the female.
Subgenus. — Sylvia, (or True Warblers.)
With the upper mandible slightly curved, and notched near the tip.
YELLOW-CROWNED WARBLER, or MYRTLE-
BIRD.
{Sylvia cor onata, Latham. Wilson, ii. p. 138. pi. 17. fig. 4. [sum-
mer plumage] and 5. p. 121. pi. 45. fig. 3. [young]. Philad. Muse-
um, No. 7134.)
Sp. Charact. — Blackish slate-color, streaked with black ; beneath
white ; breast spotted with black; crown, sides of the breast, and
rump yellow ; wings bifasciate with white, and with the tail
black ; three lateral tail-feathers spotted with white. — Winter
plumage edged with brownish-olive, the yellow of the crown
partly concealed by a margin of the same olivaceous color ; no
black on the head or face. — Young more brown, with the yel-
low much paler, and nearly without black
31
362 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The history of this rather common Warbler remains
very imperfect. In the Middle and Northern States, it
is a bird of passage, arriving from the South about the
close of April or beginning of May, and proceeding, as is
supposed, north to pass the summer season in the cares of
breeding and rearing their young. As early as the 30th
of August, or after an absence of little more than three
months, they again appear ; and being a hardy species,
passing parties continue with us in gardens and woods
till about the close of Novembei', feeding now almost ex-
clusively on the myrtle-wax berries [Myrica cerifera), or
on those of the Virginian juniper. These, other late
and persisting berries, and occasional insects, constitute
their winter food in the Southern States, where, in con-
siderable numbers, in the swamps and sheltered groves
of the sea-coast, they pass the cold season. In fine
weather, in the early part of October, they may be seen,
at times, collecting grasshoppers and moths from the
meadows and pastures, and like the Blue-bird, they often
watch for the appearance of their prey from a neighbour-
ing stake, low bough, or fence rail ; and at this time are
so familiar and unsuspicious, particularly the young, as
fearlessly to approach almost within the reach of the si-
lent spectator. At the period of migration, they appear
in an altered and less brilliant dress ; the bright yellow
spot on the crown is now edged with brownish-olive, so
that the prevailing color of this beautiful mark is only
seen on shedding the feathers with the hand ; a brownish
tint is also added to the whole plumage ; but Wilson's
figure of this supposed autumnal change only represents
the young bird. The old is, in fact, but little less brilliant
than in summer, and I have a well-founded suspicion,
that the wearing of the edges of the feathers, or some
other secondary cause, alone produces this change in the
YELLOW-CROWNED WARBLER, OR MYRTLE-BIRD. 363
livery of spring, particularly as it is not any sexual dis
tinction.
While feeding they are very active, in the manner of
Flycatchers, hovering among the cedars and myrtles
with hanging wings, and only rest when satisfied with
gleaning food. In spring they are still more timid,
busy, and restless. Of their nest we are wholly ignorant.
When approached, or while feeding, they only utter a
feeble, plaintive tship of alarm. This beautiful species
arrives here about the 7th or 8th of May, and now chiefly
frequents the orchards, uttering, at short intervals, in the
morning, a sweet and varied, rather plaintive warble, re-
sembling, in part, the song of the Summer Yellow-bird,
but much more the farewell, solitary, autumnal notes of
the Robin Red-breast of Europe. The tones, at times,
are also so ventriloqual and variable in elevation, that it
is not always easy to ascertain the spot from whence they
proceed. While thus engaged in quest of small cater-
pillars, it seems almost insensible to obtrusion, and fa-
miliarly searches for its prey, however near we may ap-
proach.
The Myrtle-bird is from o to G inches long, and 8 to 9 inches in
alar extent. This difference in tlie size of individuals is very con-
siderable. Above, a fine slate-color, the feathers centered with
black ; crown, sides of the breast, and rump, rich lemon-yellow; the
wings and tail black, the former crossed with 2 bands of white, the 3
exterior feathers of the latter spotted with white ; cheeks and front
black ; chin, line over and under the eye, white. Breast cinereous,
with black spots extending also under the wings ; belly and vent
white, the latter spotted with black. Bill and legs black. The fe-
male with fainter colors, and with a brownish tinge. — The princi-
pal distinction between the spring and autumnal plumage, besides
the clearness of the yellow crown, is the blackness of the cheeks.
The plumage of the spring birds is very obviously worn, so that the
brown edges of the feathers have nearly disappeared ; even the ends
of the quills are completely rounded. This effect might naturally be
364 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
expected, from the continual brushing of their feathers among the
junipers and myrtles, in quest of the berries on which they feed.
YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER.
(Sylvia petechia, Lath. Wilson, iv. p. 19. pi. 28. fig. 4. S. palmartim,
BoNAP. (not of Latham j, Am. Orn. 2. pi. 10. fig. 2. [adult male],
Philad. Museum, No. 7124.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive, streaked with dusky; beneath and
line over the eye yellow ; crown and spots of the breast bright
bay J wings and tail blackish, edged with olive. — Female, desti-
tute of the rufous crown.
This species, in small numbers, arrives in the Middle
and Northern States in the month of April ; some also
probably proceed as far as Labrador. While here, like
many other transient passengers of the family, they ap-
pear extremely busy in quest of their restless insect prey.
They frequent low, swampy thickets, are rare, and their
few feeble notes are said scarcely to deserve the name of
a song. These stragglers remain all summer in Penn-
sylvania, but the nest is unknown. They depart in Sep-
tember, or early in October, and some probably winter in
the southernmost States, as they were met with, in Febru-
ary, by Wilson, near Savannah. This is a different spe-
cies from the Palm Warbler, which probably does not
exist in the United States.
This bird appears yet to be very little known. Pen-
nant has most strangely blended up its description with
that of the Ruby-crowned Wren ! his supposed female
being precisely that bird.
The length of this species is about 5^ inches, and the alar extent 8
to 9. The breast streaked with bay ; crown of the head, from the base
of the bill, the same color. Rump yellow ; tail coverts greenish yel-
low; the wings dark blackish brown, edged with yellow olive ; cov-
SUMMER YELLOW-BIRD OR WARBLER.
365
erts and tertials edged with pale brown (in the spring when the feath-
ers are worn). Tail a little forked, and of the color of the wings ; the
2 lateral feathers with a large spot of pure white near to their tips.
Legs and bill dusky brown, the latter shorter and more slender than
in S. cBstlva. — In the young' male the bay of the crown is edged,
and the breast spotted with olive.
SUxAIMER YELLOW-BIRD or WARBLER.
{Sylvia cBstiva, Lath. Audubon, pi. 95. Orn. Biog. i, p. 476.
S. citrinella Wilson, ii. p. 111. pi. 15. fig. 5. [male.] Buffon, pi.
enl. 53. No. 1. [female.] Phil. Museum, No. 726C.)
Sp. Charact. — Greenish-yellow; crown and beneath bright yel-
low ; breast and sides streaked with rufous orange ; lateral tail-
feathers interiorly yellow. — Female with the breast unspotted.
— Young greenish, inclining to oUve above ; and with the throat
nearly white.
This very common and brilliant summer species is
found in all parts of the American continent from the
confines of the arctic circle to Florida, where it spends
the mild season. About the middle of March, I already
heard their song amidst the early blooming thickets and
31*
366 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS*
leafy woods of the Altamaha ; but they do not arrive in
Pennsylvania and this part of New England before the
1st of May. About the close of August in the Northern,
and by the middle of September in the central states of
the Union, or as soon as their second brood are capable
of joining the migrating host, they disappear, probably in
the twilight, and wing their way by easy stages to their
tropical destination, passing through Louisiana in Octo-
ber, and appearing, at length, about Vera Cruz, from
whence they spread their numerous host through tropical
America to Guiana, Cayenne, St. Domingo, and other of
the larger contiguous islands of the West Indies.
This is a very lively, unsuspicious, and almost familiar
little bird, and its bright golden color renders it very
conspicuous, as in pursuit of flitting insects, it pries and
darts amoncr the bloominor shrubs and orchards. It is
particularly attached to wiJlow trees and other kinds in
moist and shady situations, that afford this and other
species a variety of small larvae and caterpillars, on which
they delight to feed. While incessantly and busily em-
ployed, it occasionally mounts the twig, and with a loud,
shrill, and almost piercing voice, it earnestly utters, at
short and irregular intervals, 'tsh' 'tsh' 'tsh' 'tsh' 'tshata,
or tshe tshe tsh tshayia tslie tshe, this last phrase, rather
plaintive and interrogatory, as if expecting the recogni-
tion of its mate. Sometimes, but particularly after the
commencement of incubation, a more extended and
pleasingly modulated song is heard, as se te te tsMtshoo,
or tsh' tsh' tsh' tsheetshoo, 'tshe 'tshe 'tshe 'tshoo 'peetshee^
and 'tshe 'tshe 'tshe 'tshe 'tshdia 'tship 6 way, the termi-
nation tender, plaintive, and solicitous. I have heard this
note also sometimes varied to 'soit 'soit 'soit 'soit 'tship d
wee. The female sometimes sings nearly as well as the
male, particularly about the time she is engaged in fabri-
SUMMER YELLOW-BIRD OR WARBLER. 367
eating her nest. Although their song may be heard,
less vigorously, to the month of August, yet they do not
here appear to raise more than a single brood.
The nest, in Massachusetts, is commonly fixed in the
forks of a barberry bush, close shrub, or sapling, a few
feet from the ground ; at other times, I have known the
nest placed upon the horizontal branch of a horn-beam,
more than 15 feet from the ground, or even 50 feet high
in the forks of a thick sugar-maple or orchard tree.
These lofty situations are, however, extraordinary ; and
the little architects, in instances of this kind, sometimes
fail of giving the usual security to their habitation. The
nest is extremely neat and durable ; the exterior is form-
ed of layers of Asclepias or silk-weed lint, glutinously
though slightly attached to the supporting twigs, mix-
ed with some slender strips of fine bark and pine leaves,
and thickly bedded with the down of willows, the nan-
keen-wool of the Virginian cotton-grass,* the down of
fern stalks, the hair from the downy seeds of the button-
wood (Platanus), or the pappus of compound flowers ; and
then lined either with fine-bent grass (Agjwstis), or down,
and horse-hair, and rarely with a few accidental feath-
ers. Circumstances sometimes require a variation from
the usual habits of the species. In a garden in Roxbury,
in the vicinity of Boston, T saw a nest built in a currant-
bush, in a small garden very near to the house ; and, as
the branch did not present the proper site of security, a
large floor of dry grass and weeds was first made betwixt
it and a contiguous board fence ; in the midst of this
mass of extraneous materials, the small nest was excava-
ted, then lined with a considerable quantity of white horse-
hair, and finished with an interior bed of soft cow-hair.
The season proving wet and stormy, the nest in this
*Eriophorum virginicum.
368 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
novel situation fell over, but was carried with the young
to a safe situation near the piazza of the house, where the
parents now fed and reared their brood. In an apple-
tree, in another garden, a nest of this bird was made
chiefly, to the lining, of loose white cotton strings, which
had been used for training up some raspberry bushes,
and looked as white and conspicuous as a snow-ball.
Sometimes they condescend to the familiarity of picking
up the sweepings of the seamstress ; such as thread,
yarn, sewing-silk, fine shreds of cotton stockings, and
bits of lace and calico ; and it is not uncommon to ob-
serve hasty disputes between our little architects and
the Baltimore birds, as they sometimes seize and tug up-
on the loose or flowing ends and strings of the unfinished
nest, to the great annoyance of tlie legitimate operators.
The labor of forming the nest seems often wholly to de-
volve on the female. On the 10th of May, I observed one
of these industrious matrons busily engaged with her
fabric in a low barberry bush, and by the evening of the
second day, the whole was completed to the- lining,
which was made, at length, of hair and willow down, of
which she collected and carried mouthfuls so large that
she often appeared almost like a mass of flying cotton, and
far exceeded in industry her active neighbour, the Balti-
more, who was also engaged in collecting the same ma-
terials. Notwithstanding this industry, the completion
of the nest, with this and other small birds, is sometimes
strangely protracted or not immediately required. Yet,
occasionally, I have found the eggs of this species im-
providently laid on the ground. They are usually about 4
or 5, of a dull white, thickly sprinkled near the great
end with various sized specks of pale brown. It is amus-
ing to observe the sagacity of this little bird in disposing
of the eggs of the vagrant and parasitic Cow Troopial.
I)
SUMMER YELLOW-BIRD OR WARBLER. 369
The egg, deposited before the laying of the rightful ten-
ant, too large for ejectment, is ingeniously incarcerated
in the bottom of the nest, and a new lining placed above
it, so that it is never hatched to prove the dragon of the
brood. Two instances of this kind occurred to the obser-
vation of my friend, Mr. Charles Pickering ; and last sum-
mer I obtained a nest with the adventitious egg about
two thirds buried, the upper edge only being visible, so
that in many instances, it is probable, that this species
escapes from the unpleasant imposition of becoming a
nurse to the sable orphan of the Cow-bird. She, howev-
er, acts faithfully the part of a foster-parent when the
egg is laid after her own.
The Summer Yellow Bird, to attract attention from its
nest, when sitting, or when the nest contains young, some-
times feigns lameness, hanging its tail and head, and flut-
tering feebly along, in the path of the spectator ; at other
times, when certain that the intrusion had proved harm-
less, the bird would only go off a few feet, utter a feeble
complaint, or remain wholly silent, and almost instantly
resume her seat. The male, as in many other species of
the genus precedes a little the arrival of his mate. To"
wards the latter end of summer the young and old feed
much on juicy fruits, as mulberries, cornel berries, and
other kinds.
This species is about 5 inches long, and 7 in alar stretch. Above,
greenish yellow. Crown, front, and below, golden yellow ; breast
and sides spotted with rufous orange. Wings and tail deep brown,
edged with yellow. Tail emarginated. Bill and eye-lids light
greyish-blue. Legs pale. — Female generally without streaks on the
breast. The young, at first, olive, with but little yellow below.
370 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
CHILDREN'S WARBLER.
(Sylvia childreni, Audubon, pi. 35. Orn. Biog. vol. i. p. 180.)
Sp. Charact. — Olive green, beneath and front golden yellow;
wings and tail dusky ; tail with the inner vanes of the lateral
feathers whitish yellow. — Female, beneath, yellowish white.
This new species appears to be nearly allied to S. cbs-
tiva ; but the male seems to be destitute of spots on the
breast. The author discovered this species near the
town of Jackson, in Louisiana. The nest was attached
by the sides to two twigs of the herbaceous fcetid Cassia,*
and was formed of the dry bark of the same plant, mixed
with silky substances. The lining consisted of goat's or
deer's hair.
A little larger than the preceding species. Wings edged with yel-
lowish. Tail, except the two central feathers, whitish yellow on
the inner webs. Legs yellowish flesh-color. Bill dusky, lower
mandible yellowish white. Iris hazel. Tail wedge-shaped.
BLACK AND YELLOW or SPOTTED WARBLER.
(Sylvia maculosa, Lath. Synops. ii. p. 481. No. 104. S. magnolia,
Wilson, iii. p. 63. pi. 23. fig. 2. [male.] Phil. Museum,
No. 7783.)
Sp. Charact. — Crown ash; rump and beneath bright yellow;
breast spotted with black ; wings with 2 white bars ; tail black ;
the lateral feathers white on the middle of their inner vanes. — ■
Female with the breast whitish and the colors duller.
This rare and beautiful species is occasionally seen
in very small numbers, in the Southern, Middle, and
Northern States, in the spring season, on its way to its
* Cassia Occidentalis.
CAPE MAY WARBLER. 371
northern breeding-places. In Massachusetts, I have seen
it in this vicinity about the middle of May. Its return
to the South is probably made through the western inte-
rior, a route so generally travelled by most of our birds of
passage at this season, in consequence of which they are
not met with, or but very rarely, in the Atlantic States in
the autumn. In this season they have been seen at sea
off the island of Jamaica, and have been met with also in
Hispaniola, whither they retire to pass the winter. Like
all the rest of the genus, stimulated by the unquiet pro-
pensity to migrate, they pass only a few days with us,
and appear perpetually employed in pursuing or searching
out their active insect prey or larvae ; and, while thus en-
gaged, utter only a few chirping notes. According to Mr.
Hutchins, around Hudson's Bay, it builds in the willows
a nest composed of grass and feathers, lays 4 eggs, and
hatches its young in July. It has a shrill song, more
than usually protracted on the approach of wet weather,
so that the Indians bestow upon it the name of Rain
Bird.
The length of this species is about 5 inches; alar extent?.^. Front,
lores, and behind the ear black, a white line over the eye, and a
small touch of the same immediately under. The back nearly all
black ; rump yellow ; tail coverts deep black. Below rich yellow,
spotted from the throat downwards with black ; vent white ; tail
emarginate. Wings black, crossed with 2 broad bars of white.
Crown fine ash. Legrs brown. Bill black.
CAPE MAY WARBLER.
{Sylvia maritima, Wilson, vi. p. 99. pi. 54. fig. 3. [male.] Bonap.
Am. Orn. i. p. 32. pi. 3. fig. 3. [female ?])
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive spotted with black ; crown and line
through the eyes black ; cheeks and beneath yellow ; the breast
spotted with black ; a broad white band on each wing ; 3 lateral
tail-feathers with a spot of white. — Female dull olive ; beneath
whitish, spotted with dusky,
372 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
This very rare Warbler has only been seen near t>.e
swamps of Cape May, in New Jersey, and near Philadel-
phia, about the middle of May, probably as a straggler
on its way to some northern breeding-place. Its notes
and further history are yet unknown.
The length of this bird is 5^ inches ; the alar extent 8J. Line
from the nostril over the eye, chin, and sides of the neck, rich yel-
low ; the feathers round the ear orange. Wings dusky, edged with
dark olive yellow. Below bright yellow ; breast and sides under
the wings, spotted with black; belly and vent yellowish white. Tail
dusky black and forked, edged with yellow olive. The yellow on
the throat and sides reaches nearly round it.
CANADA WARBLER.
{Sylvia pardalina, Bonap. Muscicapa canadensis, L. Wilson, iii.
p. 100. pi. 26. fig. 2. [male.] Phil. Museum, No. 6969.)
Sp. Charact. — Cinereous-brown; crown ash, spotted with black;
beneath and line over the eyes yellow ; breast with a crescent of
black spots ; tail immaculate.
This is a very rare summer species in the Atlantic
States, appearing singly, and for a few days only, on
their passage north or south in the spring and autumn.
They probably breed in Canada or Labrador, and are
more abundant in the mountainous interior, the route by
which they principally migrate. They winter probably
in the tropical regions ; are then silent, and, like the
rest of their tribe, very active in darting through the
branches after insects.
This species is only 4^ inches long, and 8 in alar extent. Front
black ; line from the nostril to and around the eye yellow ; below the
eye a stripe of black, descending along the sides of the throat, which
with the breast and belly is bright yellow. A broad rounding band
HOODED OR MITRED WARBLER. 373
of black on the breast composed of black spots; vent white.
Bill, the upper mandible dusky, the lower flesh-color;; legs. and feet
the same. Eye hazel,.
HOODED OR MITRED WARBLER.
{Sylvia mitrata, Latham. Muscicapa cucuUatai Wilson", iii. p. 101.
pi. 26. fig. 3. [male.] Phil. Museum, No. 7062. )
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive; head, neck, and throat black; fore-
head, cheeks, and body beneath, yellow ; 3 lateral tail-feathers
white on one half of their inner webs.
This beautiful and singularly marked summer species,
common in the South, is rarely seen to the north of the
state of Maryland. It retires to Mexico or the West In-
dies probably to pass the winter. At Savannah, in
Georgia, it arrives from the south about the 20th of
March, according to Wilson. It is partial to low and
shady situations darkened with underwood, is frequent
among the cane-brakes of Tennessee and Mississippi, and
is exceedingly active, and almost perpetually engaged in
the pursuit of winged insects. While thus employed, it
now and then utters three loud, and not unmusical, very
lively notes, resembling the words, twee tioee 'ttoittshe.
In its simple song and general habits it therefore much
resembles the Summer Yellow Bird. Its neat and com-
pact nest is generally fixed in the fork of a small bush,
formed outwardly of moss and flax, lined with hair, and
sometimes feathers ; the eggs, about 5, are greyish-white,
with reddish spots towards the great end.
This species is about 5^ inches long, and 8 in alar extent. The
forehead, cheeks, and chin yellow, surrounded with a hood of
black that covers the crown, hind-head, and part of the neck, and
descends rounding over the breast ; all the rest of the lower parts
yellow. Above, yellow-olive. Bill black. Legs flesh-colored-
32
374 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
Tail emarginate, exteriorly edged with olive-yellow. — In the female,
the throat and breast are yellow, only slightly tinged with blackish j
the black does not reach so far down the upper part of the neck, and
is less deep. The young ? have little or no black on the head or neck
above.
YELLOW-THROATED GREY WARBLER.
(Sylvia pensilis, Lath. Audubon, pi. 85. Orn. Biog. i. p. 434.
5. flavicollis, Wilson, ii. p. 64. pi. 12. fig. 6.)
Sp. Charact. — Bluish-grey; frontlet, ear-feathers, lores, and a
space above the eyes, black ; throat and breast yellow; belly and
line over the eye white ; sides spotted with black ; wings and
tail black, varied with white. — Female duller colored ; the young
without the yellow and black marks.
This elegant and remarkable species resides in the
West Indies, and also migrates in considerable num-
bers into the southern parts of the United States, partic-
ularly Louisiana, from whence indeed they only absent
themselves in the two inclement months of December
and January. They are seen in February in Georgia,
but very rarely venture as far north as Pennsylvania.
Their song is pretty loud and agreeable, according to
Wilson, resembling somewhat the notes of the Indigo
bird. In the tropical countries it inhabits, this delicate
music is continued nearly throughout the year, and par-
ticipated also by the female, though possessed of inferior
vocal powers. It appears to have many of the habits
of the Creeping Warbler {S. varia), running spirally
around the trunks of the Pine trees, on which it alights,
and ascending or descending in the active search of its
insect fare.
The sagacity displayed by this bird in the construction
and situation of its nest is very remarkable. They are
YELLOW-THROATED GREY WARBLER. 375
occasionally found in West Florida, and perhaps may
also occur in South Carolina, where the bird is known
likewise to reside. This curious fabric is suspended to
a kind of ropes, which hang from tree to tree, usually de-
pending from branches that bend over rivers or ravines.
The nest itself is made of dry blades of grass, the ribs of
leaves, and slender root-fibres, the whole interwoven to-
gether with great art ; it is also fastened to, or rather
worked into, the pendent strings made of the tough silky
fibres of some species of Echites, or other plant of that
family. It is, in fact, a small circular bed, so thick and
compact as to exclude the rain, left to rock in the wind
without sustaining, or being accessible to any injury. The
more securely to defend this precious habitation from the
attacks of numerous enemies, the opening or entrance
is neither made on the top nor the side, but at the bot-
tom ; nor is the access direct, for after passing the vesti-
bule, it is necessary to go over a kind of partition, and
through another aperture, before it descends into the
guarded abode of its eggs and young. This interior
lodgment is round and soft, being lined with a kind of
lichen, or the silky down of plants.*
This species is about 5^ inches in length, and 8 in alar extent.
Tail emarginate, black, edged with grey ; wings black, the first row
of wing-coverts edged and tipped with white, the second row almost
wholly white. Line between the eye and nostril, whole throat and
middle of the breast, yellow ; the lower eye-lid, line over the eye, and
spot beliind the ear-feathers, as well as the whole lower parts, pure
white ; the yellow on the throat bordered with touches of black,
which also extend on the sides under the wings. Bill black. Legs
yellowish-brown.
* A very difFerent nest, resembling that of the Wood Pewee, is attributed to this
species by Audubon, who also describes the eggs as white, with a few purple dots at
the large end.
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.
{Sylvia vir ens, Latham. Wilson, ii. p. 137. pi. 17. fig. 3. Green
Warbler, Pennant's Arct. Zoology, vol. ii. No. 297.)
Sp, Charact. — Yellowish-green ; front, cheeks, sides of the neck,
and line over the eye, yellow ; beneath whitish ; chin and throat
to the breast black ; 2 white bajs on the wings, which, as well as
+he tail, are dusky • the 3 lateral tail-feathers marked with white.
— Female with the chin yellow, and the throat blackish, tinged
with yellow.
This rather rare species arrives from its tropical win-
ter-quarters in Pennsylvania towards the close of April
or beginning of May. About the 12th of the latter month
it is seen in this part of Massachusetts ; but never more
than a single pair are seen together. At this season, a
silent individual may be occasionally observed, for an hour
at a time, carefully and actively searching for small cater-
pillars and winged insects, amidst the white blossoms of
the shady apple tree, and so inoffensive and unsuspicious
is the little warbler, that he pursues, without alarm, his
busy occupation, as the spectator, within a iew iaet of
him, watches at the foot of the tree. While thus harm-
IBLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. 377
^essly employed, he sometimes encounters the capricious
malice of the larger birds, and the cowardly Chipping
Sparrow, although itself a pigmy, sometimes insultingly
chases this little stranger from his silent retreat and
necessary employment. Early in October they are seen
in small numbers roving restlessly through the forest,
preparatory to their departure for the South.
Though the greater part of the species probably pro-
ceed farther north to rear their young, a few spend the
summer in the Middle and Northern States ; but, from
their timorous and retiring habits, it is not easy to trace
out their retreats at the period of breeding. Last sum-
mer (1830), however, on the 8th of June, I was so for-
tunate as to find a nest of this species in a perfectly soli-
tary situation, on the Blue Hills of Milton. The female
was now sitting, and about to hatch. The nest was in a
low, thick, and stunted Virginia juniper. When I ap-
proached near to the nest, the female stood motionless
on its edge, and peeped down in such a manner that I
imagined her to be a young bird; she then darted directly
to the earth and ran, but when, deceived, I sought her
on the ground, she had very expertly disappeared ; and I
now found the nest to contain 4 roundish eggs, white,
inclining to flesh-color, variegated, more particularly at
the great end, with pale, purplish points of various sizes,
interspersed with other large spots of brown and black-
ish. The nest was formed of circularly entwined fine
strips of the inner bark of the juniper, and the tough
white fibrous bark of some other plant, then bedded with
soft feathers of the Robin, and lined with a few horse-
hairs, and some slender tops of bent-grass (Agrostis). The
male was singing his simple chant, at the distance of a
quarter of a mile from the nest, and was now nearly in
the same dark wood of tall oaks and white pines in which
32*
378 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
I had first heard him a fortnight before. This simple,
rather drawling, and somewhat plaintive song, uttered at
short intervals, resembled the syllables, He de teritscd,
sometimes te derisca, pronounced pretty loud and slow,
and the tones proceeded from high to low. In the inter-
vals he was perpetually busied in catching small cynips,
and other kinds of flies, keeping up a smart snapping of
his bill, almost similar to the noise made by knocking
pebbles together. This quaint and indolent ditty I have
often heard before in the dark and solitary woods of
West Pennsylvania ; and here, as there, it affords an
agreeable relief in the dreary silence and gloom of the
thick forest. This note is very much like the call of the
Chicadee, and at times both are heard amidst the reign-
ing silence of the summer noon. In the whole district of
this extensive hill or mountain, in Milton, there appeared
to exist no other pair of these lonely warblers but the
present. Another pair, however, had probably a nest in
the vicinity of the woods of Mount Auburn in Cam-
bridge ; and in the spring of the present year (1831)
several pair of these birds were seen for a transient
period.
This species is about 5 inches in length*, and 7^ to 8 in alar extent.
Chin and throat, to the breast, black ; sides under the wings spotted
with the same ; breast and belly white, tinged with very pale yellow ;
vent white. Wings dusky , with 2 white bars. The 3 exterior tail-feath-
ers spotted on their inner webs with white ; the spots on the 2 outer
tail-feathers very extensive. Bill black. Legs and feet brownish-
yellow.
Nearly related to the present species, apparently, is the Yelloio-
Fronted Warbler of Latham and Pennant, said to be a spring pas-
sage bird through Pennsylvania. — In this the forehead and crown
are of a bright yellow ; from the bill extends through the eyes a
band of black, bounded on each side with white. The chin, throat,
and lower side of the neck are black. Breast and belly Avhite. The
upper part of the neck, back, rump, and lesser coverts of the wings
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 379
are of a light bluish-grey, the greater coverts and lower order of
lesser bright yellow, forming a large spot on each wing. Primaries
and tail deep ash-color; the inner webs of the exterior tail-feathers
spotted with white.
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.
(Sylvia Blackhurnm, Lath. Wilson, iii. p. 64. pi. 23. fig. 3. Phil.
Museum, No. 7060.)
Sp. Charact. — The head striped with black and orange ; throat
and breast orange, bounded by black spots ; wings with a large
white space ; the 3 lateral tail-feathers white on the inner web.
— Female yellow, without orange, and the black spots fewer.
This is one of the rarest and most beautiful species of
the genus, which, from the 1st to the 15th of May, or
sometimes later, pays a transient visit to the Middle and
Northern States, on its way to its remote boreal place of
retirement for the breeding season. It is still more
rarely seen in the autumn, about the month of Septem-
ber, on its passage to tropical America, where it winters,
as may be presumed from its occurrence late in autumn
about Vera Cruz, according to Mr. Bullock. Little
more is known of it than its external appearance. It is
an exceedingly nimble insect-hunter, keeping towards the
tops of trees, scarcely uttering even an audible chirp,
and at this season, no song, as far as is yet known ;
but its habits at the period of incubation are wholly
unknown.
The Blackburnian Warbler is only about 4^ inches long, and about
7 in alar extent. A stripe of rich orange passes over the eye, and
there is a small touch of the same beneath it ; the throat and breast
almost approach the fiery color of red-lead, bounded by spots and
streaks of black ; the belly dull yellow, also streaked with black ;
vent white. The back black, skirted with ash ; wings the same,
marked with a large lateral patch of white ; tail a little forked.
Cheeks black. Bill and leors brown.
380 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
ORANGE-THROATED WARBLER.
(^Sylvia auricoUis, Latham, iv. p. 481. No. 103. Pennant, Arct,
Zool. No. 304.)
Sp. Charact. — Olive-green; rump and tail-coverts cinereous ; pri-
maries brown ; throat and under side of the body, orange ; vent
white. — Female with the colors paler.
This is another rare and transient species, which pro-
ceeds from its winter-quarters in Mexico and the South-
ern States as far as Canada, in summer, to breed. About
the 23d of March, I saw numbers of these birds in the
lower parts of Georgia, feeding partly on berries, and on
insects, in the pursuit of which they were busily engag-
ed. I have, very rarely, seen an individual in this part of
Massachusetts towards the close of spring ; and it ap-
pears that Brisson received it from Canada.
Above olive-green, except the lower part of the back, rump, and
greater wing-coverts, which are cinereous ; primaries brown, edged
with dark ash, on the inner webs with dirty white. Beneath
orange, except the vent, which is white.
CHESNUT-SIDED WARBLER.
^Sylvia icterocephala, Lath. Audubon, pi. 59. Orn. Biog. i. p. 306.
S. pennsylvanica, Wilson, ii. p. 99. pi. 14. fig. 5. Phil. Museum,
No. 7006.)
Sp. Charact. — Crown yellow; under side of the body white 3
sides from the throat chesnut ; wings with 2 pale yellow bands ;
the 3 lateral tail-feathers marked with white. — Female with the
crown and chesnut sides paler.
This rare and beautiful Sylvia, which probably win-
ters in tropical America, appears in the Middle and
Northern States early in May on its way north to breed ;
they are also seen in the spring in Canada and around
Hudson's Bay. A few remain, no doubt, to rear their
young in secluded mountainous situations, in the North-
CHESNUT-SIDED WARBLER. 381
ern States ; as, on the 22d of May (1830), a pair appear-
ed to have fixed on their summer abode, near the
summit of the Blue Hills of Milton. The note of the
male was very similar to that of the Summer Yellow Bird,
being only a little louder, and less whistling ; it resem-
bles Hsh 'tsh 'tsh 'tshi/'ia, given at about an interval of
half a minute, and answered by his mate at some dis-
tance, near which, it is probable, there was a nest. He
appeared to be no way suspicious of our approach ; his
restlessness was subdued, and he quietly sat near the
same low bushes, amusing himself and his consort for an
hour at a time, with the display of his lively and simple
ditty. On their first arrival, previous to pairing, they
are like the rest of the genus, generally restless, and in-
tently engaged in the chase of insects amidst the blos-
soms and tender leaves ; they likewise pursue common
and green bottle flies with avidity and success. On the
27th of June (1831) I observed a pair selecting food
for their young, with their usual address and activity, by
the margin of a bushy and secluded swamp on the west
side of Fresh Pond, in this vicinity ; but I had not the
good fortune to discover the nest. 1 have, however,
since, I believe, discovered the nest of this bird, in a
hazel copse in a wood in Acton, in this state. It is fixed
in the forked twigs of a hazel about breast high. The
fabric is rather light and airy, being made externally of
a few coarse blades and stalks of dead grass, then filled
in with finer blades of the same, the whole matted and
tied with caterpillars' silk, and lined with very slender
strips of brown bark and similar white pine leaves. It
appeared to have been forsaken before its completion,
and the eggs I have never seen.
Length from 5 to 5^ inches, alar extent about 8. The front, line
over the eye, and ear-feathers white ; crown brilliant lemon yellow ;
382 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
a triangular patch of black beneath the eye and connected with the
lores ; hind-head grey and black ; feathers of the back and rump
black, edged with greenish yellow. Wings dusky, the primaries edg-
ed with whitish ; the 1st and' 2d row of coverts broadly tipt with
pale 3^ellow ; the secondaries edged with greenish yellow. Tail
forked, dusky exteriorly, edged with ash or with greenish-grey.
Sides from the black beneath the eye to the thighs, furnished with a
broad stripe of bright chesnut, the rest of the parts below pure white.
Legs and feet dusky. Bill black. Iris hazel.
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.
{Sylvia castanea, Wilson, ii, p. 97. pi. 14. fig. 4. Audubon, pL 69.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 358. Phil. Museum, No. 731 1.)
Sp. Charact. — Forehead and cheeks black; crown, throat, and
sides under the wings, bay ; the wings with 2 white bars ; 3 lat-
eral tail-feathers marked with white. — The female with less and
paler bay on the breast, and less black on the head.
This is a still rarer and more transient visitor than the
last. It arrives in Pennsylvania from the South some time
in April, or about the beginning of May, and towards the
12th or 15th of the same month it visits Massachusetts,
but seldom stays more than a week or ten ten days, and
is very rarely seen on its return in autumn. Audubon
once observed these birds in Louisiana late in June, so
that they probably sometimes breed in very secluded
places, without regularly proceeding to the Northern
regions. It is an active insect-hunter, and keeps much
towards the tops of the highest trees, where it darts
about with great activity and hangs from the twigs with
fluttering wings. One of these birds, which was wound-
ed in the wing, soon became reconciled to confinement,
and greedily caught at and devoured the flies which I
off'ered him ; but from the extent of the injury, he did
not long survive. In habits and manners, as well as
markings, this species greatly resembles the preced-
ing.
BLACK-POLL WARBLER. 383
Its length is about 5 inches or a little more ; the alar extent 11.
The crown a very bright bay. Beneath, except the sides, ochreous
white ; hind-head and back streaked with black on a greyish buff
ground. Wings brownish-black with 2 bars of white. Tail forked,
brownish-black, edged with ash. Behind the eye is a broad oblong
spot of yellowish-white, inclining to buff. Legs dusky. Bill black.
Iris hazel.
BLACK-POLL WARBLER.
{Sylvia striata. Lath. Wilson, iv. p. 40. pi. 30. fig. 3. [male] ; and
vi. p. 101. pi. 54. fig. 3. [female.] Phil. Museum, No. 7054.)
Sp. Charact. — Crown black ; cheeks and beneath white 3 wings
with 2 white bands, the tail blackish ; 2 or 3 lateral tail-feathers
marked internally with white. — Female and young dull yellow-
ish-olive, streaked with black and grey ; beneath white ; cheeks
and sides of the breast tinged with yellow.
This rather common and well marked species is ob-
served to arrive in Pennsylvania from the South about
the 20th of April, but in Massachusetts hardly before the
middle of May ; it returns early in September, and ap-
pears to feed wholly on insects. In the Middle States it is
confined chiefly to the woods, where, in the summits of the
tallest trees, it is seen in busy pursuit of its favorite prey.
On its first arrival it keeps usually in the tops of the ma-
ples, darting about amidst the blossoms. As the woods
become clothed with leaves, it may be found pretty gen-
erally as a summer resident ; it often also seeks the banks
of creeks and swamps, in which situations it probably
passes the breeding season, but its nest is yet unknown.
In this vicinity they are sometimes familiar visitors in
the lowest orchard-trees, where they feed on canker-
worms and other small caterpillars, as well as flies of dif-
ferent kinds, &c. At this time, towards the month of
June, it is no longer a restless wanderer, but having fixed
upon its station for the summer, it now begins, in a hum-
ble way, to display its musical talents in the cherished
384 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
and constant company of its faithful mate. This note,
uttered at intervals of half a minute, is like the sound of
tsh' tsh tsh tshe tshe, from low to high, but altogether so
shrill and slender as to sound almost like the faint filing
of a saw. This species extends its migrations to New-
foundland according to Pennant. Its nest, like that of
the following species, to which it is much allied, will
probably be found on the ground, or in the hollow of a
decayed tree.
The Black-Poll Warbler is 5^ inches long, and 8^ in alar extent.
The crown and hind-head is black (in the male), the latter bounded
behind by greyish white. Cheeks white ; from each side of the
lower mandible runs a chain of small black spots becoming larger on
the sides ; primaries black, edged with greenish yellow. Back ash,
a little inclining to olive, and largely spotted with black. Tail black,
edged with ash ; vent white. Bill black above, yellowish white be-
low. Iris hazel. Legs and feet yellow.
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER, or CREEPER.
(Sylvia varia, Lath. Audubon, pi. 90. Orn. Biog. i. p. 4-52. Certhia
maculaia, Wilson, iii. p. 26. pi. 19. fig. 3. Phil, Museum, No.
7092.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with black and white; the crown striped
with black ; belly pure white. — Male, with the throat black. —
Female and young, with the throat greyish white.
This remarkable bird, allied to the Creepers, and of
which Vieillot forms a distinct genus,* is another rather
common summer resident in most parts of the United
States, and probably migrates pretty far to the North. It
arrives in Louisiana by the middle of February, visits
Pennsylvania about the second week in April, and a
week later appears in the woods of New England, pro-
tracting its stay in those countries till the beginning of
October, and lingering on the southern limits of the
+ Mniotilta.
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER, OR CREEPER. 385
Union a month later, so that it does not appear to be
much affected by the commencement of frost, and proba-
bly, at this season, occasionally feeds on berries. As
they are observed round Vera Cruz towards the com-
mencement of winter, and are described as inhabiting
the West India islands, it is probable they wholly pass
the extremity of the winter beyond the southern boun-
dary of the United States.
Like the Creepers and Nuthatches, this species is
seldom seen to perch upon the branches of trees, but
creeps spirally around the trunk and larger boughs up
and down, in quest of insects which alight upon or hide
within the crevices of the bark. In this employment they
display all the dexterity of the more regular climbers.
For this purpose the hind toe is rather stout, and extends
backward so as to balance with the rest of the anterior
part of the foot, and allow a motion like that of the
Creepers, from which genus they are, at the same time,
wholly distinct.
At the period of nesting the male scrapes out a little
monotonous ditty in recognition of his mate, resembling
somewhat the syllables te tshe tsJie tshe tsh' tshete, pro-
ceeding from high to low, in a tolerably strong and
shrill, but somewhat filing tone. As the season of incu-
bation advances, this note, however, becomes more mel-
low and warbling, and, though feeble, is very pleasing,
bearing at this time some resemblance to that of the Red-
start (Si/Ivcmia ruticilla.) This song is like the ascend-
ing call of 'ticee 'twee 'twee 'tivee 'tweet. At the romantic
estate of the Cold Spring place in Roxbury, the proprie-
tor, Mr. Newman, pointed out to me the nest of this
bird, which, on the 27th of June, contained 4 young
about a week old. Other birds of this species, I had
seen fledged this year about the I7th of the same month,
33
386 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
and as Wilson remarks the flight of the young in July,
we may suppose that they raise 2 broods in the season.
The nest was niched in the shelving of a rock, on the
surface of the ground, and was externally composed of
coarse strips of the inner bark of the hemlock* trees,
which overshadowed the situation. With these were mix-
ed soft, dissected, old leaves, and a few stalks of dead
grass ; the lining was made of a thin layer of black hair.
The eggs were 5, whitish, said to be marked at the larger
end with brownish red spots. According to Audubon,
they nest in Louisiana in some small hole in a tree, and
employ dry moss, and a lining of downy substances. The
pair fed the young before us with affectionate attention,
and did not seem more uneasy at our presence than the
common and familiar Summer Yellow-bird. They crept
about the trunks of the neighbouring trees, often head
downwards like the Sittas, and carried large, smooth
caterpillars to their young. This is, in fact, at all times,
a familiar, active, and unsuspicious little visitor of the
shady gardens and orchards, as well as woods and soli-
tudes.
The length of the variegated Warbler is from 5 to 5^ inches ; the
alar extent 7J. The crown white, bordered on each side by a band
of black, which is again bounded by a line of white passing over
each eye ; ear-feathers black, as well as the chin and throat ; wings
the same, with 2 white bars ; breast, back, sides, and rump spotted
with black and white. Tail and primaries edged with light grey,
the coverts black, bordered with white. Belly white. Legs and
feet dusky yellow. Bill black above, paler below, rather long and
slender, curved, with the upper mandible keeled and compressed at
the sides. Tongue long, and fine pointed. — Female with the crown
wholly black, and without the black auricular feathers } the prima-
ries edged with olive. Legs pale yellow.
* Mies canadensis.
PINE WARBLER. 387
PINE WARBLER.
(Sylvia pinus, Lath. Wilson, iii. p. 25. pi. 19. fig. 4. Phil. Muse-
um, No. 7312.)
Sp. Charact. — Bright olive-yellow, tinged with green j beneath
yellow, clouded with obscure spots; vent white; wings with 2
whitish bands, and with the tail dusky brown ; 2 lateral tail-
feathers partly white ; lores not black. — Female greyish brown,
tinged with olive green on the back ; beneath pale yellow on the
breast. — Young dusky olive above, yellowish obscure white be-
low.
This common species, to the commencement of win-
ter, inhabits all parts of the United States, and probably
extends its northern migrations to the forests of New-
foundland. They arrive in Pennsylvania at the close of
March and beginning of April, and soon after are seen
in all parts of New England, amidst the pine and juniper
forests, in which they principally reside. Both the old
and young remain with us till nearly the close of Octo-
ber ; stragglers have even been seen in mid-winter in the
latitude of 43 degrees.* In winter they rove through
the pine forests and barrens of the Southern States in
companies of 20 to 50 or more, alighting at times on the
trunks of the trees, and attentively searching them for
lurking larvaj, but are most frequently employed in cap-
turing the small insects which infest the opening buds of
the pine, around which they may be seen perpetually
hovering, springing, or creeping, with restless activity ;
in this way they proceed, from time to time, foraging
through the forest : occasionally, also, they alight on
the ground in quest of worms and grubs of various kinds?
or dart irregularly after hovering flies, almost in the
manner of the Flycatchers. In these states they are by
far the most numerous of all the Warblers. In the month
* Mr. Charles Pickering.
388 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
of March they already began to show indications for
pairing, and jealous contests ensued perpetually among
the males. The principal body of the species probably
remain the year round in the southern forests, where I
saw them throughout the winter; great numbers are also
bred in the Northern States. In summer their food is
the eggs and larvse of various insects, as well as flies
or cynips, caterpillars, coleoptera, and ants. In au-
tumn, the young frequent the gardens, groves, and
orchards, feeding likewise on berries of various kinds, as
on those of the cornel, wild grape, and five-leaved ivy ; at
this season they are very fat, and fly and forage in fami-
lies. They now only utter a shrill and plaintive chip.
I have had a male Pine Warbler, domesticated for a
short time ; he fed gratefully, from the instant he was
caught, upon flies, small earth-worms, and minced flesh,
and was so tame and artless, as to sit contented on every
hand, and scarcely shift himself securely from my feet.
On offering him drink he walked directly into the vessel,
without using the slightest precaution or exhibiting any
trace of fear. His tsliip and manner in all respects were
those of the Autumnal Warbler.
The song of the Pine Warbler, though agreeable,
amidst the dreary solitude of the boundless forests which
he frequents, has but little compass or variety ; sometimes
it approaches the simplest trill of the Canary, but it is
commonly a reverberating, gently rising, or murmuring
sound, like er 'r 'r 'r 'r 'r 'r ah; or, in the spring, Hwe
Hwe 'ttv 'tw UiD Hid 'tw, and sometimes like Ush 'tsh 'tsh
'tw 'tw 'tw 'tio 'tw ; when hearkened to some time, there
is a variation in the cadence, which, though rather fee-
ble at a distance, is not unpleasant, as the little minstrel
tunes his pipe during the heat of the summer day, while
he flits gently and innocently fearless through the shady
PINE WARBLER. 389
boughs of the pine or cedar in perpetual quest of his un-
tiring prey. This song is commonly heard at a consid-
erable distance from his mate and nest, from whom he
often widely strays, according to the success of his pre-
carious pursuit. As the sound of the warble varies from
slender to high or low, it is often difficult to discover the
retreat of the little busy musician, which appears far or
near with the modulation of his almost ventriloquous note.
The female likewise tunes, at times, her more slender
lay in a wiry tone, almost like that of the S. varia, in
early spring-
About the 7th of June (1830) I discovered a nest of
this species in a Virginian juniper, near Mount Auburn
in this vicinity, at the height of about 40 feet from the
ground. It was firmly fixed in the upright twigs of a
close branch. The nest was thin, but very neat ; the
principal material was the wiry old stems of the slender
knot-weed [Polygonum tenuc), circularly interlaced, and
connected externally with rough linty fibres of some spe-
cies of Asclepias, and blended with caterpillars' webs.
The lining was made of a few hogs' bristles, slender
root-fibres, a mat of the down of Fern stalks, and one or
two feathers of the Robin's breast ; a curious medley,
but all answering the purpose of warmth and shelter for
the expected brood. I saw several of these nests, which
had at different times been thrown to the ground, and in
all, the wiry grass and general material were the same
as in the one now described ; and this, of course, is en-
tirely different from that given by Wilson on the author-
ity of Mr. Abbot. The nest, there mentioned, is noth-
ing more than the usual pendulous fabric of the Red-
eyed Warbling Flycatcher. The eggs in ours were 4,
and, advanced towards hatching, they were white, with a
slight tinge of green, very full of small pale brown spots,
33*
S90
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
somewhat more numerous towards the larger end, where
they appear connected or aggregated around a purplish
ground. The female made some little complaint, but
almost immediately resumed her seat, though 2 of the
eggs were taken away ; the male made off immediately,
and was but seldom seen near the place.
I have a suspicion that Wilson's Hemlock Warhler, or
the following species, is little more than a variety or ac-
cidental state of plumage of the present species.
The length of the Pine Warbler is about 5^ inches ; the alar extent
8^ to 9. Above, yellowish-green, inclining to olive ; throat, sides, and
breast yellow, clouded at the sides near the breast with a few olive
spots. Wings and tail dusky brown, the former marked with 2
bars of whitish. Tail forked and edged with ash, the two exterior
feathers marked near the tip with abroad spot of white ; vent white.
Iris hazel. — The young in their first plumage, while fed by the old,
are above dusky-olive, and below greyish-white, with scarcely any
yellow. Before leaving us in the autumn, the male, however, very
different from the Autumnal Warbler, acquires below, a yellow,
more brilliant than at any other period of its existence.
AUTUMNAL WARBLER.
(Sylvia autumnalis, Wilson, iii. p. 65. pi. 23. fig. 4. AuDUBOif,
pi. 83. Orn. Biog. i. p. 447.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellovs^-olive with dusky spots on the back; be-
neath and cheeks pale yellow ; belly white ; wings with 2 white
bands and as well as the tail dusky ; two (rarely 3) of the lateral
tail-feathers with a white spot.
This plain-looking species enters the southern ex-
tremity of the United States early in March, and pro-
ceeds to the Northern and Eastern States to breed- Gre-
garious flocks are seen in the larger solitary forests of
Massachusetts as early as the 20th of July, assembled
from the neighbouring districts probably, in which they
have been reared. They remain with us usually until the
AUTUMNAL WARBLER. 391
close of October, at which time they are also seen in the
Middle States. Their food consists of small insects and
berries. Late in the season on a fine autumnal morning,
troops of them may be seen in the fields and lanes,
sometimes descending to the ground, and busily employ-
ed in turning over the new fallen leaves, or perambulat-
ing and searching the chinks of the bark of trees, or the
holes in the posts of the fence in quest of lurking moths
and spiders ; and while thus eagerly engaged, they are
occasionally molested or driven away by the more legiti-
mate Creepers or Nuthatches, whose jealousy they thus
arouse by their invasion. Earlier in the season, they
prey on cynips, flies, and more active game, in pursuit
of which they may be seen fluttering and darting through
the verdant boughs of the forest trees. One of these
little visitors which I obtained, by its flying inadvertent-
ly into an open chamber, soon became reconciled to con-
finement, flew vigorously after house flies, and fed greed-
ily on grasshoppers and ivy-berries (Cissus hederacea) ;
at length it became so sociable as to court my acquaint-
ance, and eat from my hand. Before I restored it to
liberty, its occasional tioect attracted several of its social
companions to the windows of its prison.
In the autumn, when these birds are most observable,
they are destitute of song, and only utter a plaintive call
of recognition. The male, however, in the season of in-
cubation has a variety of soft and pleasing notes, but
without much of musical compass. Audubon found
them breeding in the vincinity of Cayuga lakes, and on
the borders of Lake Champlain, in the retirement of the
forest : he has likewise observed them at this season in
the Great Pine Swamp or forest of Pennsylvania near the
Blue Mountains. The nest, according to him, is placed
in the slender fork of a low bush, and is made of the thin
392 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
bark of vines, and lined with downy vegetable substan-
ces. The eggs, 4 to 6, are white, with a reddish tint,
and sprinkled with brownish dots at the larger end. As
he observed the female sitting so late as the 20th of Au-
gust, it is probable they raise two broods in the season.
It is very nearly allied to the preceding species, and does
not differ from it in size.
The Autumnal Warbler is from 5^ to 6 inches long, and about 9 in
alar stretch. Individuals vary considerably in their color and mark-
ings, some being darker above, and more yellow below. The under
mandible and legs are yellowish. Audubon's specimens are unusu-
ally pale, as well as Wilson's, but I have seen individuals nearly
yellow beneath.
HEMLOCK WARBLER.
(Sylvia parus, Wilsoiv, v. p. 114. pi. 44. fig. 3. [male.]
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive with black spots ; head above yellow,
dotted with black ; line over the eye, sides of the neck, and breast,
yellov/ ; wings with 2 broad white bands, and with the tail black ;
the 3 lateral tail-feathers white on their inner vanes.
This very rare species was found by Wilson in the
spring, in the Great Pine Swamp in Pennsylvania ; and
appeared to take up its residence in the dark hemlock
trees* of that desolate region. It was very lively and
active, climbing among the branches and hanging from
the twigs like a Titmouse. It darted after flies to a
considerable distance, and beginning with the lower
branches, hunted with regularity upward? to the summit
of the tree, and in this way it proceeded very industrious-
ly to forage through the forest till satisfied. At intervals,
it stopped an instant to warble out a few low and sweet
notes, probably for the recognition or company of its
mate, which the discoverer, however, did not see.
* Mies canadensis.
BLUE-GREEN WARBLER. 393
The Hemlock Warbler is about 5^ inches long, and 8 in alar extent.
Above yellow-olive, spotted with black. The belly of a paler yel-
low than the breast, and streaked with dusky ; round the breast some
small streaks of blackish. Wings black, the greater coverts and
next superior row broadly tipt with white, forming 2 bars ; prima-
ries edged with olive, tertials with white. Tail-coverts black, tipt
with olive ; the tail slightly forked, and also edged with olive. Bill
black above, pale below. Legs and feet dusky yellow. Iris hazel.
— The greater quantity of white on the wing and tail, and yellow
on the head, are all the essential marks which in any way distin,-»
guish this supposed species from the Pine Warbler.
BLUE MOUNTAIN WARBLER.
(Sylvia tigrina, Lath. S. montana, Wilson, v. p. 113. pi. 44. fig. 2.
[male.]
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive ; front, cheeks, chin, and sides of the
neck yellow ; breast and belly pale yellow, streaked with dusky j
wings with 2 white bars, and with the rounded tail black ; the 2
lateral tail-feathers white on the inner vanes below the summits^
This is another very rare species allied to the Pine
Warbler, which visits the United States during Summer.
Its habits are much the same as the preceding^ and its
song a feeble screep, three or four times repeated. Its
rounded tail is a striking external trait of distinction.
It is 4| inches long. Vent pale yellow ; quills edged with whitish ;
tail edged with pale olive. Bill dark brown. Legs and feet purple
brown. Iris hazel. — Female unknown.
BLUE-GREEN WARBLER.
(Sylvia vara, Wilson, iii. p. 119. pi. 27. fig. 2. Audubon, pi. 49.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 258. Phil. Museum, No. 7788.)
Sf. Charact. — Pale greenish blue ; lores, line over the eye, and all
beneath white; wings with 2 white bars, and]with the emargina-
ted tail blackish-brown ; the 3 lateral tail-feathers with a white
patch near the extremities of the iuner vanes.
294 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The first individual of this species known to natural-
ists, was obtained in the month of April, by Wilson, on
the banks of Cumberland river. It was actively gleaning
up insects among the high branches of the tallest trees,
with all the agility of the Flycatchers. Its note was a
feeble chirp. According to Audubon it appears in Lou-
isiana only about the beginning of April, and soon pro-
ceeds further to the north or west, though it is rare
in Kentucky and Missouri, and unknown entirely in
New England. In the spring it has a soft and mellow
song, but so feeble as to be audible only for a short dis-
tance. Its nest is yet unknown. Although it dwells
chiefly in high forest trees, in the autumn it often de-
scends to feed on the berries of neighbouring shrubs.
It possesses in some degree the manners of the Vireos,
catching insects on the wing with a slight clicking of
the bill, and in the same manner, at times, cautiously
scanning any approaching individual.
The length is 4^ inches ; and the alar extent 8. Above pale green-
ish blue, brightest on the front and forehead ; cheeks slightly tinged
with greenish ; tail forked, edged with greenish. Bill and legs light
blue ; the upper mandible dark brown. Audubon's specimen ap-
pears cinereous blue, beneath white, with the tail nearly even and
dusky ; primaries edged for a distance below the coverts with pale
blue.
PRAIRIE WARBLER.
{Sylvia discolor, Vieill. Audubon, pi. 14. Orn. Biog. i. p, 76.
S. minuta, Wilson, iii. p. 87. pi. 25. fig. 1. Phil. Museum, No.
7784.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive, spotted on the back with bay; be-
neath yellow, spotted at the sides with black; wings with 2 .''
yellow bars, and with the tail dusky ; 3 lateral tail-feathers broad-
ly spotted with white. — Male with a black crescent under the
eye. — Female less spotted, and without the crescent.
PRAIRIE WARBLER. 395
This species, rare in the Atlantic states, appears to be
somewhat more common in the solitary barrens of Ken-
tucky, and the open woods of the Choctaw country ; here
they prefer the open plains thinly covered with trees ;
and without betraying alarm at the visits of a spectator,
leisurely pursue their search for caterpillars and small
flies, examining among the leaves or hopping among
the branches, and, at times descending pretty near, and
familiarly examining the observer, with a confidence and
curiosity seldom witnessed in these shy and retiring spe-
cies. Such was the conduct of a m.ale bird in this vi-
cinity, on the 4th of June, whom I discovered by his
slender filing notes, which were uttered every half min-
ute, and like those of the Black Poll Warbler, resembled
the suppressed syllables Hsh 'tsh 'tsh 'ishea', beginning low
and gradually growing louder, having nearly the same slen-
der whistle as that species, though somewhat stronger.
The pair were busily engaged collecting flies and larvae
from a clump of young locust trees, in the woods of Mount
Auburn, and occasionally they flitted among the Virgini-
an junipers ; the familiar visit of the male appeared for
the purpose of discovering my intentions near the nest,
about which he was naturally solicitous, though he made
his approaches w^ith the appearance of accident. The
female was more timid ; yet, while I was still engaged
in viewing this little interesting and secluded pair,
she, without any precaution or concealment, went directly
to the nest, in the forks of a low barberry bush, near by,
and when there, she sat and looked at me some time be-
fore she removed. She made, however, no pretences to
draw me away from the spot, where she was sitting on
4 eggs, of which I took away 2 ; her approaches to the
nest were now more cautious, and she came escorted
and encouraged by the presence of her mate. Two eggs
396 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
were again soon added, and the young brood, I believe,
reared without any accident.
The nest was scarcely distinguishable from that of the
Summer Yellow Bird, being fixed in a trifid branch (not
pensile), and formed of strips of inner red-cedar bark
and Asclepias fibres, also with some caterpillars' silk, and
thickly lined with cud-weed down {Gnaphalium planta-
gineum) and slender tops of bent-grass (Agrostis — sp.)
The eggs, 4 or 5, were white, rather sharp at the lesser
end, marked with spots of lilac-purple, and others of two
different shades of brown rather numerous at the great
end, where they appear almost collected together into a
circle. The nest, according to Audubon, like that of
the Vireos, is j>endulous from two twigs, or 3 or 4 blades
of grass, and is coated externally with grey lichens. The
great difference in the nest, described by Wilson and
Audubon, is to me unaccountable ; my opportunity for
examination, so long continued, seemed to preclude the
possibility of error in the investigation ; neither can I
compare the slender note of this species to any^ lohirring
sound, which would more nearly approach to the song
of the Pine Warbler. They visit this part of Massachu-
setts about the first or second week in May, and, ac-
cording to the observations of my friend Mr. Cooper, are
seen probably about the same time in the vicinity of New
York, in small numbers, and in pairs, and retire to winter
in the West Indies, about the middle of September.
The Prairie Warbler is about 5 inches in length, and 7 in alar ex-
tent. Above yellow-olive, inclining to green, and considerably
brighter on the crown ; a few pale bay spots mingled with the olive
on the upper part of the back. From the nostrils, over and under
the eye, yellow. Lores black. Below rich yellow ; vent pale yel-
low. Wings dusky ; coverts edged and tipt with pale yellow ; quills
and dusky tail edged with yellow olive.
PARTICOLORED WARBLER, OR FINCH CREEPER. 397
PARTICOLORED WARBLER, or FINCH
CREEPER.
(Sylvia americana, Lath. Audubon, pi. 13. Orn. Biog. i. p. 78.
S. pusilla, Wilson, iv. p. 17. pi. 28. fig. 3. Phil. Museum, No.
6910.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky blue; interscapular region brownish yel-
low olive; throat and lower mandible yellow; belly white;
wings with 2 white bars ; lateral tail-feathers marked interiorly
with white. — Male with a black crescent, and with the breast
tinged with orange. — Female without the crescent and orange
color on the breast. — Young, brownish-grey ; beneath muddy
white.
This remarkable species visits the Middle and North-
ern States about the 1st to the loth of May, and is seen
again early in October on its way to the West Indies
(St. Domingo and Porto Rico), whither it retires at the
approach of winter. A few, according to Catesby, pass
the whole year in South Carolina. It is very abundant
in the summer in the woods of Kentucky ; is active and
restless on its first arrival, and frequents the summits of
the highest trees, being particularly fond of the small cat-
erpillars and flies of various kinds, which are, in the early
part of spring, attracted to the opening blossoms and
tender shoots. It also possesses in some degree the
creeping and prying habits of the Titmouse, to which
genus it was referred by Linnaeus and Pennant ; it is,
however, a true Sylvia. Entering the southern extremi-
ty of the Union by the first approach of spring, it is now
seen searching for its insect food on shrubs and plants in
moist places, by the borders of lakes and streams. In
this vicinity it is not common ; but as it was singing as
late as the 22d of May, in the woody solitudes of the
Blue Hills of Milton, it must undoubtedly breed there.
The nest, according to Audubon, is placed in the fork of
34
398 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
a small twig towards the extremity of the branches, and
is formed of lichens and other materials, and lined with
downy substances. The eggs, about 4, are white, with a
few reddish dots at the larger end. The notes of this
species resemble those of the Prairie Warbler in some
respects, though sufficiently different ; the tones rising
from low to high are rather weak and insignificant.
This bird is from 4^ to 5 inches long, and 6^ to 7 in alar extent.
Above pale or dusky blue ; the head brightest. Wings and tail
black, the former crossed with 2 conspicuous white bars and edged
with blue. Between the bill and eyes black ; above and below the
eye a small toucli of white. The upper mandible black ; the lower
as well as the throat and breast bright yellow ; the latter deepening
about its middle into a brownish orange, and marked on the throat
with a small crescent of blackish or dusky. On the edge of the
breast, below the shoulder, is a cloud of bay. Belly and vent white.
Legs and feet dull yellow.
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.
(Sylvia canadensis. Lath. Wilson, ii. p 115. pi. 15. fig. 7. Phil.
Museum, No. 7222.)
Sp. Charact. — Slate blue; beneath white; cheeks and throat
black : a white spot on the wings ; 2 or 3 lateral tail-feathers
with white on the inner web.
Of this uncommon species we know very little. It
appears only as a transient visitor in the month of April,
in the Middle States, and, after staying to feed for a week
or ten days, it proceeds to its northern breeding-place in
the wilds of Canada, of which we are wholly ignorant.
In November, I have observed a few on their return to
the South, and, according to Vieillot, they winter in St.
Domingo, and other of the larger West India islands.
The length of this species is about 5 inches ; and 7.J in alar dimen-
sions. Above wholly of a fine slate color, inclining to azure ; the throat,
cheeks, and upper part of the breast, and sides under the wings, are
KENTUCKY WARBLER. 399
deep black ; the wings and tail dusky black ; the primaries marked
with a spot of white, and edged with olive green. Tail wedge-shaped,
edged with dusky blue, the feathers pointed ; 2 and sometimes 3 of
the external ones with a large white spot. Belly and vent white.
Legs and feet dusky yellow. Bill black. — The black of the female
inclined to dusky ash, or wanting. — The blue feathers of the hind
part of the head and back, as well as the dark ones on the flanks,
are edged with bright olive green ; perhaps a mark of the young
bird.
CONNECTICUT WARBLER.
{Sylvia agilis, Wilson, v. p. 6-1. pi. 39. fig 4.)
Sp. Charact. — Bright yellow-olive ; beneath yellow ; throat pale
ash ; wings dusky. — Female, with the throat pale buflT.
This very rare bird is a spring visitor in Pennsylva-
nia, New York, and New England. It appears to fre-
quent low thickets, and is exceedingly active in pursuit
of its prey, scarcely remaining a moment in the same
place. It probably winters in tropical America.
Length 5| inches ; alar extent 8. Above rich yellow-olive, nearly
green ; wings dusky-brown, edged with olive. Throat dirty-white
or pale ash ; upper part of the breast dull greenish-yellow ; below
pure yellow. Round the eye a narrow ring of yellowish- white.
Bill, upper mandible pale brown ; the lower whitish. Iris hazel.
Legs long and slender, pale flesh-color.
KENTUCKY WARBLER.
{Sylvia formosa, Wilsox, iii. p. 85. pi. 25, fig. 3, Audubon, pi. 38.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 196.
Sp. Charact. — Deep olive-green; beneath and line over the eye
golden yellow ; crown black, spotted behind with pale ash ; lores
and space curving down the neck, black. — Female without the
black under the eye, and nearly destitute of it on the crown, and
with the sides under the wings pale green.
This beautiful species, first described by Wilson, fre-
quents the dark forests of the southwestern parts of the
Union, being particularly abundant in Louisiana, and
400 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
not uncommon in Kentucky and Tennessee, and from
thence inhabiting throughout the country to the estuaries
of the Mississippi. It frequents low, damp woods, and
the desolate borders of the lagoons, cane-brakes, and
swamps, near the banks of the great rivers. It arrives
in Kentucky about the middle of April, but enters the
southern extremity of the Union from Mexico by the
same time in March, and by the middle of September
retires south of the United States. The males are very
pugnacious in the pairing season of spring, and utter
some loud notes, in threes, resemblinor the sound of
Hweedle tweedle tioeedle. They attach the nest often
to stems of stout weeds, or place it in a tuft of grass. It
is made of the dry bark of herbaceous plants, mixed with
downy substances, and lined with the cotton of the seed
of the wild poplar. The eggs, 4 to 6, are pure white,
and sprinkled with specks of reddish. The female begins
to sit early in May, and they have usually two broods in
the season, They now associate in families, and live in
the greatest harmony. The species is scarcely known
to the east of North Carolina.
This Warbler is 5^ inches long, and 8 in alar extent. Above deep
green, tinged with olive, darkest on the upper part of the back. Tail
nearly even, rich olive-green. Legs whitish flesh-color. Upper
mandible blackish, the lower flesh-color.
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT.
(Sylvia trichas, Lath. Audubon, pi. 23. Orn. Biog. i p. 121 5. ma-
njlandica, Wilson, i. p. 88. pi. G. fig. 1. [male.] and ii. p. 163. pi.
18. fig. 4. [female.] Phil. Museum, No. 7282.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive; beneath yellow; front and wide
patch through the eye black, bounded above by whitish-grey ;
tail cuneiform. — Female vv^ithout black on the face, and beneath
dull yellow.
Tins common and familiar species extends its summer
migrations from Florida to Nova Scotia, arriving in Penn-
sylvania towards the middle of April, and in this part of
New England about the first Vveek in May. They return
to the south in September ; a few stragglers of the young,
however, may be seen to the first week of October, and
though some may remain and winter in the Southern
States, it is more probable thai the main body retire at
this season into the interior of tropical America ; as they
were seen late in autumn, around Vera Cruz, by the nat-
uralist and traveller Mr. Bullock. Early in the month
of March, however, I heard this species singing in the
forests of West Florida.
34*
402 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The Maryland Yellow-Throat, with cheerful devoted-
ness to the great object of his summer migration, the
attachments and cares of his species, passes his time
near some shady rill of water, amidst briars, brambles,
alders, and such other shrubbery as grow in low and wa-
tery situations. Unambitious to be seen, he seldom as-
cends above the tops of the underwood, where he dwells
busily employed in collecting the insects on which he
feeds. After these, like the Wren, he darts into the
deepest thicket, and threads his dev^ious way through
every opening ; he searches around the stems, examines
beneath the leaves, and raising himself on his peculiarly
pale and slender legs, peeps into each crevice in order
to seize by surprise his tiny lurking prey. While thus
engaged, his affection to his neighbouring mate is not
forgotten, and with a simplicity, agreeable and charac-
teristic, he twitters forth, at shf)rt intervals, his 'whititetee
'whititetee 'whititetee, but his more common song is
'whittitsJiee 'ivhittitshee, or 'wetitshee 'wetitshee wee ; and
sometimes I have heard his note like, ^wetitshee wetit shee,
'wiVyu we. On this last syllable a plaintive sinking of the
voice renders the lively, earnest ditty of the active minstrel
peculiarly agreeable. Copying apparently from the Cardi-
nal Bird, the song was, in one instance, which came to my
notice,' yz^i'j/M 'vitiyu ^vitiyu. The whole is likewise often
varied and lowered into a slender whisper, or tender reve-
rie of vocal instinct. Sometimes he calls out, teetshoo, teet-
shoo, and sewaidedit sewaidedit sewaiditsewee, or sewaidi-
dit sewaiditshvce, as he busily darts through the bloom-
ing and odor-breathing shrubs of the grove or garden,
which he examines with minute attention, and sometimes
springs perpendicularly after his retreating and discovered
prey. He appears by no means shy or suspicious, as
long as his nest is unapproached ; but for the safety of
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 403
that precious treasure, he scolds, laments, and intreats
with great anxiety. The species generally nest in the
recluse thickets of the forest, or the low bushy meadow,
but sometimes they take up their abode in the garden,
or the field contiguous to the house ; and, if undisturb-
ed, show a predilection for the place which has afforded
security to themselves and their young. They commence
their labor of building about the middle of May, fixing
the nest on or near the ground, among dry leaves, with-
ered grass, or brush, and choose often for security the
most intricate thicket of briars, so that the nest is often
sheltered and concealed by projecting weeds and grass.
Sometimes a mere tussuck of grass or accidental pile of
brush is chosen. It is made of dry sedge-grass {Carex),
and a few leaves loosely wound together and supported
by the weeds or twigs where its rests ; the lining con-
sists entirely of fine bent-grass (Agrostis).
The eggs, about 5, are white, inclined to flesh-color, with
touches, specks, and small spreading blotches, and some-
times with a few lines of two or three shades of reddish
brown, chiefly disposed towards the greater end. I have
also seen the eggs a whole size smaller, pure white, with
a few small spots only at the greater end. This is perhaps
the egg of a different, but allied species. The young
leave the nest, here, about the middle of June, and a
second brood is sometimes raised in the course of the
season. The parents and young now rove about in rest-
less prying troops, and take to the most secluded bushy
marshes, where they pass their time, in comparative
security, till the arrival of that period of scarcity which
warns them to depart. As early as the close of July,
the lively song of the male ceases to be heard, and the
whole party now forage in silence.
404 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
This species is about 5 inches in length, and 6^ to 7 in alar dimen-
sions. Above yellow-olive, inclining to cinereous on the crown.
Throat, breast, and vent yellow, fainter on the belly. Wings, and
unspotted, toedge-shaiTped tail, dusky brown; the quills of both edged
with yellow olive. Bill black above, paler beneath. Legs pale flesh-
color and remarkably delicate. Iris dark hazel. — Sometimes male
birds occur with the pale grey line over the eye exalted into white
as in BufFon's figure. — The yoimg, at first, resemble the female,
but the male of the season, before his departure in autumn, exhibits
the brilliant yellow throat, as well as some appearance of the grey
and black, which ornament the sides of the face in the adult.
MOURNING WARBLER.
(Sylvia Philadelphia, WilsoxV, ii. p. 101. pi. 14. fig. G. [female.?]
Sp. Charact. — Dark greenish- olive ; head dark grey ; a crescent
of alternate white and black lines on the breast ; belly yellow ;
tail cuneiform.
Wilson, the discoverer of this curious species, never
met with more than a single individual, which, in its
habits of frequenting marshy ground, and flitting through
low bushes in quest of insects, appears very similar to
the preceding species, of which Prince Bonaparte con-
jectures it to be only an accidental variety. The dis-
coverer, however, also distinguished it more importantly
by the novelty of its sprightly and pleasant warble ; we
may therefore perhaps consider it as a solitary straggler
from the main body in the western regions of this vast
continent. It was shot in the early part of June near
Philadelphia.
On the 20th of May (1831) I saw, as I believe, the
male of this species in the dark shrubbery of the Botanic
Garden (in Cambridge.) It possessed all the manners
of the preceding species, was equally busy in search of
insects in the low bushes, and, at little intervals, warbled
out some very pleasant notes, which, though they resem-
DUSKY WARBLER. 405
bled the lively chant of the Maryland Yellow-Throat,
even to the wetitshee, yet they were more agreeably va-
ried, so as to approach, in some degree, the song of the
Summer Yellow-bird (Sylvia cBstiva). This remarkable
note, indeed, set me in quest of the bird, which I follow-
ed for some time, but, at last, perceiving himself watch-
ed, he left the garden. As far as I was able to observe
this individual, he was above of a dark olive-green, very
cinereous on the fore part of the head, with a band of
black through the eyes, which descended from the sides
of the neck where at length it joined with a crescent of
dusky or black spots upon the breast ; the throat was
yellow and the under parts paler.
This species, if such it may be considered, is 5 inches long, and 7
in alar extent. Above deep greenish olive ; tips of the wings and
centre of the tail-feathers brownish. Head dark, almost sooty-grey.
Crescent of the breast formed of alternate transverse lines of pure
white, and deep black ; below yellow. Legs and feet (as in the pre-
ceding) pale flesh-color. Bill dusky above, lighter below. Iris
hazel.
DUSKY WARBLER.
(Sylvia carhonata, Audubon, pi. 60. Orn. Biog. i. p. SOS.)
Sp. Charact. — Crown and front black ; above dark olive-green,
spotted with black ; throat, sides of the neck, and line over the
eye, yellow ; below yellowish olive and darkly spotted ; two light
bands on the wings.
This new species was obtained by Audubon near the
village of Henderson in Kentucky. The only two indi-
viduals met with were males, not yet arrived at perfect
plumage. Their actions and food appeared very similar
with those of other Warblers.
Rump yellowish ; tail emarginate, dusky. A white band on the
wing formed by the margins of the upper coverts, also a yellowish
one below. Bill dusky. Legs flesh-colored. Iris hazel.
406 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
YELLOW WREN, or WILLOW WREN.
(Sylvia Trochilus, Lath. ii. p. 512. Temminck, i. p. 224. (Ed. 2.)
Yellow Titmouse, Catesby, i. p. 63.)
Sp. Charact. — Pale olive ; above the eye a line of dull yellow ; be-
low yellowish, fading to white on the belly ; wings and tail grey-
ish-brown, edged with olive ; the tail emarginate, exceeding the
length of the wings 12 lines ; 2d primary the length of the Gth.
This hardy species, more rare in America, inhabits
also every part of Europe from Italy to Sweden. From
the United States, at the approach of winter, it migrates
to Jamaica, and other islands of the West Indies. In
the month of October they visit this vicinity on their way
to the South, and keep busily but silently foraging among
the low bushes of the gardens. They feed upon flies,
gnats, caterpillars, and various larvae. They frequent the
tops of trees, more particularly willows and alders, from
whence they often rise singing. The notes, though rath-
er low, are soft, and sweetly varied, and in Europe,
where they breed, continue to the month of October. It
makes its nest in holes, at the roots of trees, among moss
and leaves, or in dry banks, and arches it over like that
of the European Wren ; it is made chiefly of moss, lined
with wool and hair. The ecrors are 5 to 7, of a reddish
white, with large purplish-red spots, rather numerous at
the great end. According to Catesby they breed in
North Carolina.
Length about 5 inches. Iris hazel. Legs yellowish-brown. In
the fcjnale the lower parts are of a paler and less pure yellow.
PINE-SWAMP WARBLER.
{Sylvia sphagnosa, Bonap. S. pusilla, Wilson, v. p. 100. pi. 43.
fig. 4.)
Sp. Charact. — Deep green olive ; beneath pale ochreous ; wings
with a triangular spot of yellowish- white ; 2 or 3 lateral tail-feath-
CERULEAN WARBLER. 407
ers with a whitish spot on the inner vanes ; 2d primary much
longer than the 6th ; tail wedge-shaped, with the feathers
pointed.
The most gloomy pine and hemlock swamps of the
mountainous regions in the Middle and Northern States
are, in the spring, the resort of this species, which,
though not uncommon, was first described by the inde-
fatigable Wilson. Whether they breed in those dark
and moss-grown morasses is yet unknown. They visit
Pennsylvania from the South about the middle of May ;
and are occasionally seen in the thick woods of Massa-
chusetts in the month of October. It is not known to
have any note or song, associates with other species of
the genus, and is an active fly-catcher, nimbly darting
through the branches and flirting its wings as it collects
its prey.
The Pine-Swamp Warbler is about 5 inches in length ; alar extent
7^. Above a rich dark-green oUve, with slight bluish reflections on
the edges of the tail. Wings and tail dusky, the former widely edg-
ed with olive. Immediately below the primary coverts there is a tri-
angular spot on the quills of a yellowish-white where exposed, but
enlarging, and pure white below. Tail wedge-shaped, the feathers
very acute ; 2 or 3 of the exterior feathers obscurely spotted with
whitish. From the nostrils over the eye extends a whitish line, with
a touch of the same on the lower eyelid ; lores blackish. Below pale
ochreous, less pure on the throat, and inclined to brownish on the
sides beneath the wings. Bill black, without notch. Leo-s flesh-
colored. Iris hazel. — The plumage of the female is similar to that
of the male.
CiERULEAN WARBLER.
(Sylvia azurea, Stephens. Audubon, pi. 48. 6". cierulea, Wilson,
ii. p. 141. pi. 17. fig. 5. [male] and Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 27.
pi. 11. fig. 2 [female.] Phil. Museum, No. 7309.)
Sp. Charact. — Verditer blue ; beneath and line over the eye white •
wings with 2 white bars, and with the tail black ; tail-feathers
with a spot.
408 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
This very delicately colored species is among the
rarest summer residents of the Atlantic states, and does
not probably migrate or rather stray farther north than
the state of New York. In the Southwestern states,
particularly Tennessee and West Florida, it is one of
the most abundant species ; it is also found in the West-
ern wilderness beyond the Mississippi. Its nest, how-
ever, and manners at the interesting period of incuba-
tion, are unknown. It is only in the summer that it ever
ventures into the Middle States, from which it retires
almost before the first chills of autumn, or by the middle of
August. It frequents the borders of streams and marshes,
and possesses many of the habits of the Flycatchers,
warblinff also at times in an under tone like that of the
following species.
Length 4.^ inches ; alar extent 7^. Alove verditer blue (in Audu-
bon azure) with a few streaks of black on the upper part of the back.
Wings and tail black, edged with pale blue. Tail forked, a white
spot in the 5 lateral feathers on each side ; the 2 middle more slightly
marked with the same. From the eye backwards a line of dusky
blue. Bill dusky above, light blue below. Legs and feet light blue.
— Female, with the sides of the breast spotted or streaked with dusky
bluish.
GREEN BLACK-CAPT WARBLER.
{Sylvia Wilsonii, Bonap. Muscicapa pusilla, Wilsojv, iii. p. 103. pi.
26. fig. 4. Phil. Museum, No. 7785.)
Sp. Charact. — Olive-green ; crown black ; front, line over the
eye, and all beneath, yellow ; tail rounded. — Female without the
black crown, and dull yellow olive.
This rare species inhabits the swamps of the Southern
States, and is occasionally seen in the lower parts of the
states of New Jersey and Delaware. It keeps mostly in
the deepest swampy thickets, and has a sharp squeaking
note no way musical. It leaves the Southern States early
in October.
WORM-EATING WARBLER. ^^^
Length 4^ inches ; and 6^ in alar dimensions. Belly and vent
yellow, tinged with olive. Wings and tail dusky -brown, the former
very short. Legs and bill flesh-colored. Iris hazel.
Subgenus. — Dacnis.
Bill thick at base, rounded, quite straight. ,
These are very active birds ; creeping and hanging by the claws,
after the manner of the Titmouse, which they also somewhat resemble
in voice and action.
WORM-EATING WAPvBLER.
(Sylvia vermivora, Lath. Wilson, iii. p. 74. pi. 24. fig. 4. Dacnis
vermivora, Audubok", pi. 34. Phil. Museum, No. 6848.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky-olive ; head striped with black and buff;
beneath dull buff, brighter on the breast; bill stout.
This species arrives in Pennsylvania about the middle
of May, and migrates to the South towards the close of
September ; they were seen feeding their young, in that
state, about the 25th of June, by Wilson, so that some pairs
stay and breed there. They are very active and inde-
fatigable insect-hunters, and have much of the manners
and even the note of the Marsh Titmouse or Chicadee.
About the 4th of October, I have seen a pair of these
birds roving through the branches of trees with restless
agility, hanging on the twigs and examining the trunks,
in quest, probably, of spiders and other lurking and dor-
mant insects and their larvcE. One of them likewise
kept up a constant complaining call, like the sound of
tshe de de.
Length 5| inches, and 8 inches in alar extent. Above dark olive,
except the quills and tail, which are umber-brown. Tail scarcely fork-
ed. Head buff, marked with 4 longitudinal stripes of umber-brown.
Breast orange-buff, mixed with dusky. Vent waved with du^ky
olive. Bill blackish above, below flesh-colored. Legs pale flesh-
color. Iris hazel. — Female nearly similar to the male.
35
410 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.
{Sylvia protonotarius, Lath. WiLsopf, iii. p. 72.pl. 24. fig. 3. Dacnis
protonotarius, Audubon, pi. 3. Phil. Museum, No. 7020.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow; back and small wing-coverts yellow-
olive ; wings black ; rump and tail-coverts greyish-blue ; all the
tail-feathers, except the 2 middle ones, with a spot of white on
their inner vanes ; tail nearly even ; bill short.
This beautiful species inhabits the Southern States
commonly in summer, being plentiful in the low, dark,
and swampy forests of the Mississippi near New Orleans,
and in the wilds of Florida. In these solitary retreats
they are seen nimbly flitting in search of insects, cater-
pillars, and larva3, and every now and then utter a few
creaking notes, scarcely deserving the name of song.
They sometimes, though very rarely, pjbceed as far north
as Pennsylvania.
The usual length of this species is 5^ inches ; alar stretch 8^.
Inner vanes of the quills and tail black, edged with pale blue. Vent
white. Bill black, rather long and robust. Legs and feet leaden-
grey. Iris hazel. — In the female the yellow and blue are rather
duller.
BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER.
{Sylvia solitaria, Wilson, ii. p. 109. pi. 15. fig. 4. Dacnis solitaria,
Audubon, pi. 20. Phil. Museum, No. 7307.)
Sp. Charact. — Olive-green; forehead and all beneath yellow;
lores black ; wings with 2 whitish bands, and with the tail grey-
ish-blue ; the 3 lateral tail-feathers with their inner vanes almost
wholly white.
About the beginning of May this species enters Penn-
sylvania from the South, and frequents thickets and
shrubberies in quest of the usual insect food of its tribe.
At the approach of winter, very different from the Pine
Warbler, with which it has sometimes been confounded, it
retires to pass the winter in tropical America, having been
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER. 411
seen around Vera Cruz in autumn by Mr. Bullock. On
its arrival it frequents gardens, orchards, and willow trees,
gleaning among the blossoms, but at length withdraws
into the silent woods remote from the haunts of men, to
pass the period of breeding and rearing its young in
more security. The nest, according to Wilson, is placed
in a thick tuft or tussuck of long grass, occasionally
sheltered and concealed by a briar. It is usually built
in the form of an inverted funnel, the bottom thickly
bedded with dry leaves ; the sides are framed of the dry
bark of stout plants, and the interior lined with slender
dry grass. The materials, instead of the usual circular
arranorement, are inclined, or shelve downwards on all
sides from the top to the bottom, which is narrowed.
The eggs, 5, are pure white, with a few pale spots of red-
dish near the greater end ; the young are hatched by the
first week in June.
Length 5^ inches ; alar extent 7^, Vent white. Wings and tail
deep brown, edged with pale blue. Bill black above, lighter below.
Legs pale bluish. Feet dirty yellow. — The female scarcely differs
from the male.
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.
(Sylvia chrysoptera, Lath. Wilsojv, ii. p. 113. pi. 15. fig. 6. [male].
BoNAP. Am. Orn. i. p. 12. pi. 1. fig. 3. [female], Phil. Museum.
No. 7010.)
Sp, Charact, — Dark^bluish-grey ; crown and wing-coverts golden-
yellow ; beneath white ; throat and band through the eye black.
— Female olive ; front and wing-coverts yellow ; breast, and over
the eye, dusky.
This scarce species appears only a few days in Penn-
sylvania about the last of April or beginning of May.
It darts actively through the leafy branches, and like the
Titmouse examines the stems for insects, and often walks
with the head downwards ; its notes and actions are also
ii
412 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
a good deal similar, in common with the Worm-eating
Warbler. I have never yet seen it in Massachusetts, and
if it really does proceed north to breed, it must follow a
western route.
The length of this species is from 4^ to 5 inches, and 7 in alar
extent. The 3 lateral tail-feathers with a spot of white on their in-
ner vanes. Tail a little forked. The black band through the eye
separated from the yellow crown by a line of white. Bill black.
Legs dark ash. Iris hazel.
TENNESSEE WARBLER.
{Sylvia peregrina, Wilson, iii. p. S3, pi. 25. fig. 2. <S'. hicolor ? Vieill.
Phil. Museum. No. 7787.)
Sp. Chakact. — Yellow-olive, bluish on the head; line over the
eye pale yellow ; beneath whitish ; wings without bands ; bill
very short.
This rare and plain species was discovered by Wilson
on the banks of Cumberland river in the state of Ten-
nessee. It was hunting with great agility among the
opening leaves in spring, and like the rest of the section
to which it appertains, possesses a good deal of the hab-
its of the Titmouse. Its notes were few and weak, and
its food, as usual, smooth caterpillars and winged insects.
This species is 4| inches long ; and 8 in alar extent. Wings dusky,
edged with olive. Tail forked, olive, relieved with dusky. Throat
and breast pale cream-color; belly and vent white. Legs purplish-
brown. Bill dark dusky, somewhat paler below. Iris hazel. — In
the female the colors are more obscure.
NASHVILLE WARBLER.
(Sylvia rubricapiUa, Wilsox, iii. p. 120. pi. 27. fig. 3. Audubojn-,
pi. 89. Orn. Biog. i. p. 450. Phil. Museum, No. 7789.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow-olive ; head and neck ash, inclining to
olive ; crown deep chesnut ; beneath greenish-yellow ; centre of
the belly nearly white ; wings without bands.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. 413
This rare species was discovered by Wilson in the vi-
cinity of Nashville in Tennessee ; it also exists in the
neighbouring states in summer, and occasionally pro-
ceeds as far north as Philadelphia, and even the neigh-
bourhood of Salem in this state. Its discoverer was first
attracted to it by the singular noise which it made,
resembling the breaking of small dry twigs, or the strik-
ing together of pebbles, for six or seven times in succes-
sion, and loud enough to be heard at the distance of
thirty or forty yards. A similar sound, produced, no
doubt, by the smart snapping of the bill, is given by the
Stone-chat of Europe, which hence in fact derives it name.
Audubon says, the male, while standing in a still and
erect posture, utters a few low, eagerly repeated, creak-
ing notes. This species has all the active habits of the
family to which it more particularly belongs.
Its length was 4^ inches ; alar extent 7. Wings dusky, edged
with olive ; the primaries with yellow. Tail slightly forked, dark
olive. Legs and feet-yellow. Bill dusky ash. Iris hazel. — Female,
beneath paler, mixed with grey, and without the chesnut patch on
the head.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.
{Sylvia celata, Say. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 45. pi. 5. fig. 2. Phil.
Museum, No. 7013.)
Sp. Charact. — Greenish-olive ; crown with a fulvous spot ; be-
neath olive-yellow ; vent yellow ; wings without bands.
This species, first discovered early in May, on the
banks of the Missouri, by my friend, Mr. T. Say, appear-
ed to be on its passage further north, and in all proba-
bility seldom penetrates into the Atlantic States. It is
not uncommon, in winter, in the orange groves of West
Florida, where it proceeds to pass the season, around
St. Augustine ; and its note is described as a mere chirp
and faint squeak, scarcely louder than that of a mouse.
35*
414 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
This species is 5 inches long, and 7 in alar stretch. Above dull
greenish-olive; rump and tail-coverts bright yellow-olive. Feathers
of the head rather thick and orange at base ; tliis color only visible
when the feathers are elevated. Inferior tail-coverts pure yellow.
Primaries dark brown olive on the edges ; tail-feathers similar to
the quills, edged with white on the inner vanes. Bill dark horn-color.
Legs dusky. Iris dark brown. — Female nearly similar.
REGULUS. (Crested Wrens.)
In these birds the bill is short, straight, very slender, subulate^
compressed from the base, and narrowed in the middle, furnished
with bristles at the base, and with the edges somewhat bent in ; the
upper mandible is slenderly notched, and a little curved at the tip.
Nostrils basal, oval, half closed by a membrane, and additionally
covered also with 2 small projecting, rigid, and decompound feathers.
TojVGUE bristly at the tip. The feet slender ; tarsus longer than
the middle toe } lateral toes nearly equal with each other ) the inner
one free ; the hind toe stoutest, and furnished with a larger and thick-
er nail. — Wings short, rather acute, with the spurious feather very
short ; the 3d and 4th primaries longest ; the 1st and 7th equal.
Tail notched.
The female differs but little from the male; hui the. young are
considerably duller in color. They moult annually. The plumage
long and somewhat bristly ; the head is ornamented with a brilliant
spot on the crown. These are among the smallest of birds in tem-
perate climates, and withstand the rigor of winter, but migrate, as it
approaches, to more temperate countries. In summer they penetrate
into the arctic regions, and are possessed of great activity, being un-
weaiiedly diligent in pursuit of small flying insects, and in collecting
their eggs and larvae. Like the Titmouse, they are seen vaulting on
the extreme twigs of trees, and prying in all directions for their
lurking prey. The nest is constructed with great art, and affixed
to depending branches. They have one or two broods in the sea-
son ; and the eggs are sometimes as many as 12. — They inhabit
the north of both continents, migrating indifferently probably
through either, and are intermediately and closely allied both to
Sylvia and Parus.
RUBY-CROWNED WREN. 415
RUBY-CROWNED WREN.
(Regulus calendulus, Stepheivs^Bonap. Sylvia calendula, Wilson, i.
p. 83. pi. 5. fig. 3. Phil. Museum, No. 7244.)
Sp. Charact. — Olivaceous; beneath whitish; crown vermilion,
and without the black margin.
This beautiful little species passes the summer and
breeding season in the colder parts of the North-Ameri-
can continent, penetrating even to the dreary coasts of
Greenland, where, as well as around Hudson's Bay,
they probably rear their young in solitude, and obtain
abundance of the diminutive flying insects, gnats, and
cynips, on which, with small caterpillars, they and their
young delight to feed. In the months of October and
November, the approach of winter in their natal regions
stimulates them to migrate towards the South, when
they arrive in the Eastern and Middle States, and fre-
quent in a familiar and unsuspicious manner the gardens
and orchards : how far they proceed to the south is un-
certain. On the 12th of January I observed them near
Charleston, South Carolina, with companies of Sylvias,
busily darting through the evergreens in swampy situa-
tions, in quest of food, probably minute larvae. About
the first week in March I again observed them in West
Florida in great numbers, busily employed for hours to-
gether in the tallest trees, some of which were already
unfolding their blossoms, such as the maples and oaks.
About the beginning of April they are seen in Pennsyl-
vania on their way to the dreary limits of the continent,
where they probably only arrive towards the close of
May, so that in the extremity of their range they do not
stay more than three months. Wilson, it would appear,
sometimes met with them in Pennsylvania even in sum-
mer ; but, as far as I can learn, they are never observ-
416 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
ed in Massachusetts at that season ; and with their
nest and habits of incubation we are unacquainted. In the
fall they seek society apparently with the Titmouse and
Golden-Crested Wren, with whom they are intimate-
ly related in habits, manners, and diet ; the whole form-
ing a busy, silent, roving company, with no object in
view but that of incessantly gleaning their now scanty
and retiring prey. So eagerly, indeed, are they engaged
at this time, that scarcely feeling sympathy for each oth-
er, or willing to die any death but that of famine, they
continue almost uninterruptedly to hunt through the
same tree from which their unfortunate companions have
just fallen by the destructive gun. They only make at
this time, occasionally, a feeble chirp, and take scarcely
any alarm, however near they are observed.
The Ruby-crowned Wren is a httle more than 4 inches long, and
6 in alar extent. Above green-olive. Wings and tail dusky greyish-
brown, edged with olive-yellow ; secondaries and first row of wing-
coverts edged and tipt with whitish. The hind head ornamented
with a vermilion spot ; round the eye a ring of yellowish- white.
Beneath yellowish- white. Legs and feet dusky brown. The colors
of the female are less lively.
CUVIER'S CRESTED WREN.
{Regulus Cuvierii, AvBVBOn , pi. 55. Orn. Biog. i. p. 288.)
Sp. Charact. — Cinereous olivaceous, beneath greyish-white ;
crown vermilion, anteriorly margined with black ; cheeks cine-
reous, a black band from the front, through the eyes.
This is another interesting addition to the North
American Fauna, which we owe to the talent and supe-
rior devotion to ornithology of its celebrated discoverer.
No species can be better marked or more strikingly dis-
tinguished. It has the ruby-crown of jR. calendulus with
the black border of the R. cristatus. The only specimen
yet known was shot by its describer, on the 8th of June,
GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.
417
on the banks of the Schuylkill, not far from Philadel-
phia. Its manners appeared similar to those of the pre-
ceding species.
Length 4^ inches, alar extent 6. Front, and line through the eye
extending to the back of the neck, black. Wings and tail dusky, edged
with yellowish-white; two narrow short bars of white across the
wings ; alula dusky. Vent yellowish-white. Legs and feet yellowish-
brown. Bill black, slender, and subulate, brighter at its base. Iris
hazel.
GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.
{JRegulus cristatus, Vieill. Sylvia regulusj Wilson, i. p. 126. pi. 8.
fig. 2. [male.] Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 22. pi. 2. fig. 4. [female.]
Phil. Museum', No. 7246.)
Sp. Charact. — Olivaceous ; beneath whitish, tinged with rufous-
olive ; crown orange, margined with black ; cheeks pale grey-
ish } bill subulate and slender from the base. — Female with the
crown lemon-yellow.
This diminutive bird, if indeed the same in different
countries, is found, according to the season, not only
throughout North America, but even in the West Indies,
and almost every part of Europe. A second species with
418 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
a Fiery Crest (R. ignicapillus), and a ^/«/rr/ indigenous to
Asia, are very nearly related to the present ; the first
having been generally confounded with it, or considered
as a variety of the same species. Learned ornithologists
have referred our bird without hesitation to the Fiery-
crested Wren, with which, however, it only agrees in
the brilliance of the crown ; and, instead of being less,
is indeed larger than the true Golden-crested species.
Like the former, they appear associated only in pairs,
and are seen on their southern route, in this part of Mas-
sachusetts, a few days in October, and about the middle
of the month, or a little earlier or later according to the
setting in of the season, as they appear to fly before the
desolating storms of the northern regions whither they re-
tire about May to breed. Some of these birds remain in
Pennsylvania until December or January, proceeding
probably but little farther south during the winter. They
are not known to reside in any part of New England,
retiring probably to the same remote and desolate limits
of the farthest north with the preceding species^ of which
they have most of the habits. They are actively engaged
during their transient visits to the South in gleaning up
insects and their lurking larvae, for which they perambu-
late the branches of trees of various kinds, frequenting
gardens and orchards, and skipping and vaulting from
the twigs, sometimes head downwards like the Chica-
dee, with whom they often keep company, making only
now and then a feeble chirp. They appear at this time
to search chiefly after spiders and dormant concealed
coleopterous or shelly insects ; they are also said to feed
on small berries, and some kinds of seeds, which they
break open by pecking with the bill in the manner of
the Titmouse. They likewise frequent the sheltered ce-
dar and pine woods, in which they probably take up their
GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 419
roost at night. Early in April they are seen on their re-
turn to the north in Pennsylvania ; at this time they
dart among the blossoms of the maple and elm in com-
pany with the preceding species, and appear more vola-
tile and actively engaged in seizing small flies on the
wing, and collecting minute, lurking caterpillars from the
opening leaves.
In the autumn they succeed so well in obtaining food as
to become very fat, and, though so diminutive, are in
some parts of Germany caught in great numbers, exposed
in the market for food, and among epicures command a
high price.
In England this species abides throughout the year ;
but though in Scotland they breed in the Orkneys, at
the approach of winter they migrate to the Shetland
islands over sea, a distance of 60 miles , yet, according
to Mr. CEdman, they sustain themselves through the
winter in the pine forests of Sweden. At the period of
breeding they are said to sing melodiously, but weaker
than the common Wren ; but Manduyt, in the Encyclo-
pedie Methodique, assures us they have no song, merely
a feeble screep or chirp, the note attributed to it being
probably that of the true Wren. The nest is built usu-
ally towards the extremities of the branches of the pine
and fir, being of a spherical form, with a small entry at
the side ; it is externally formed of moss and lichen, and
lined with downy substances, and filaments, believed to
be cobwebs, or probably silk of caterpillars or cocoons.
The eggs, scarcely larger than peas, are from 6 to 12,
dusky yellowish white, with very minute points or red-
dish spots, scarcely distinguishable except on narrow in-
spection. Like the Titmouse, for some time, the whole
busy family hunt in company, and appear very lively,
active, and amusing.
420 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
The American Golden^crested Wren is from 4 to 4^ inches long,
the female 3|, or thereabouts. Above yellow-olive, with the hind
head and sides of the neck inclining to ash ; a dull whitish line,
passing round the frontlet, extends over and beyond the eye on eith-
er side ; above passes a broadish stripe of deep black in the same
manner ; the inner webs and tips of the interior of these dark feath-
ers are of a bright lemon-yellow, forming a line of that color, and
the lowest of these feathers on the front are almost wholly of the
same yellow ; the inner crown then presents a bed of rich flame
color, which passes over the top of the head. The lateral black
and particolored feathers are much the longest, and the two tufts
are capable of widening or approaching, so as at will either to display
or conceal the splendor of the crown. From the upper mandible to
the bottom of the ear-feathers runs a line of black, accompanied by
another which is whitish, from the lower mandible. Beneath grey-
ish-white inclining to yellow. Wings and tail dusky, edged with yel-
low-olive, edges of the inner vanes of the former whitish ; greater
wing-coverts dusky, tipped with white, and edged with olive, form-
ing a whitish bar on the wing ; another smaller bar appears also near
the shoulder, formed by the tips of the upper coverts ; immedi-
ately below the greater white bar there is a large dark spot on the
secondaries, below which the same feathers continue to be edged
with olive. Tail rather long and forked. Legs brownish-yellow,
feet and claws yellow. Bill black and slender, widish and depress-
ed at the base. The nostrils, as usual, covered each by a decompound,
recumbent feather. — The female is much more dusky, and dull
whitish beneath. As the American bird is probably a distinct spe-
cies, we propose to distinguish it as follows :
^;^_ AMERICAN FIERY-CROWNED WREN.
(Regulus ^tricolor. Sylvia regulus, Wilson, i, p. ;126. pi. 8. fig. 2.
[male]. Bonap. i. p. 22. pi. 2. fig. 4. [female.]
Sp. Charact. — Yellowish-olive ; beneath whitish, tinged with olive-
grey ; cheeks greyish-white ; crown flame-colored, bordered with
yellow and black ; bill slender and rather short. Length more
than 4 inches. — Female, beneath greyish- white ; crown lemon-
yellow. — Young male, with the crown golden-yellow.
Note. — The true Reguhts cristaUis is also probably a passenger
through the United States in winter and spring. On the 15th of
WRENS. 421
October last, I observed a busy pair of these little birds, for some
time, in a garden in the city of Boston ; they kept up a perpetual
mutual call, in a querulous note like Chicadees, and had the crown
simply orange-yellow. They pursued their eager search for eggs and
dormant larvae of insects, without taking any alarm at my near ap-
proach. On striking the tree, on which they 9, e, sharply with a
stick or stone, these little timid birds have been found to drop down
dead.
My friend, Mr. C. Pickering, informs me, that in the European
specimen in the Philadelphia Museum (apparently a young bird) the
bright colors of the crest are not very visible, and that the black ex-
ternal band seems to be mixed with white feathers ; there is also
a tint of yellow on the sides of the neck and back, brighter towards
the breast, which is not at all observable on the American speci-
mens, of either sex. The bill is likewise longer and more slender
than in our R. tricolor.
WRENS. (Troglodytes.)
In these birds the bill is slender, subulate, somewhat arched and
elongated, also acute, compressed, and without notch ; mandibles
equal. Nostrils basal, oval, half closed by a membrane. Tongue
slender, the tip divided into 2 or 3 small bristles. Feet slender,
tarsus longer than the middle toe ; inner toe free ; posterior v/ith a
larger nail than the rest. — The icings short, concave, and rounded,
furnished often with a conspicuous spurious feather or short prima-
ry; 3d, 4th, and 5th primaries longest.
The female and young hardly differ in plumage from the adult
male. The moult is annual. The plumage thick and long, is
always composed of sombre colors. The body is roundish, and the
tail almost constantly erected. They are small musical birds, active,
courageous, and capricious in their movements, almost always hid in
thickets and bushes, keeping near the ground, to which they often
descend to forage for worms and insects, and showing a fondness for
prying into holes and dark places, as well as among logs, &c., where
they more particularly surprise their prey of spiders and moths. The
nest is constructed with much art, and the eggs are commonly nu-
merous.
36
422
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
Subgenus. — Troglodytes (or Proper Wrens.)
Ijv these birds the middle toe is rather long, and the nails of mod-
erate length. In the Common Wren the bill is also somewhat straight.
These are remarkable for their almost domestic habits, building
often from preference about houses, either empty or inhabited ; they
also sing agreeably ; species of which exist in both continents.
HOUSE WREN.
( Troglodytes fulvus, Bonap. T. aedon, Vieill. Audubok, Orn.
Biog. i. p. 427. pi. 83, (truly admirable.) Sylvia domestica, Wil-
son, i. p. 129. pi. 8, fig. 3. Sylvia furva, (fulva?) Lath. Phil.
Museum, No. 7283.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark brown, banded with blackish; beneath dull
pale grey, with obsolete indices of bands ; the tail rather long and
rounded.
This lively, cheerful, capricious, and well known little
minstrel is only a summer resident in the United States.
Its northern migrations extend to Labrador. But it re-
sides and rears its young principally in the Middle
States. My friend, Mr. Say, also observed this species
near Pembino, beyond the sources of the Mississippi,
HOUSE WREN. 423
in the Western wilderness of the 49th degree of latitude.
It is likewise said to be an inhabitant of Surinam within
the tropics, where its delightful melody has gained it the
nickname of the Nightingale. This region, or the inter-
mediate country of Mexico, is probably the winter quar-
ters of our domestic favorite. In Louisiana it is unknown
even as a transient visitor,* migrating apparently to the
east of the Mississippi, and sedulously avoiding the re-
gion generally inhabited by the Carolina Wren. It is a
matter of surprise how this, and some other species,
with wings so short and a flight so fluttering, are ever
capable of arriving and returning from such distant
countries. At any rate, come from where he may, he
makes his appearance in the Middle States about the
12th or loth of April, and is seen in New England
in the latter end of that month or by the beginning of
May. They take their departure for the South towards
the close of September, or early in October, and are not
known to winter within the limits of the Union.
Some time in the early part of May, our little social vis-
itor enters actively into the cares as well as pleasures
which preside instinctively over the fiat of propagation.
His nest, from preference, near the house, is placed be-
neath the eaves, in some remote corner under a shed,
outhouse, barn, or in a hollow orchard tree ; also in the
deserted cell of the Woodpecker, and when provided
with the convenience, in a wooden box alonsf with the
Martins and Blue-birds. He will make his nest even in
an old hat, nailed up, and perforated with a hole for
entrance,! and Audubon saw one deposited in the pocket
of a broken down carriage. So pertinacious is the
* Audubon, Orn. Biog. i. p. 427.
t This incident, with all the truth and beauty of nature, is given by Audubon ia
his best style.
424 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
House Wren in thus claiming the convenience and pro-
tection of human society, that according to Wilson, an
instance once occurred where a nest was made in the
sleeve of a mower's coat, which, in the month of June,
was hung up accidentally for two or three days in a shed
near a ba ii.
The nest of this species, though less curious than that
of some other kinds, is still constructed with considera-
ble appearance of contrivance. The external approach
is barricaded with a strong outwork of sticks inter-
laced with much labor and ingenuity. When the nest
therefore is placed beneath the eaves, or in some other
situation contisruous to the roof of the buildinof, the
access to the inner fabric is so nearly closed by this
formidable mass of twigs, that a mere portion of the
edge is alone left open for the female, just sufficient
for her to creep in and out. Within this judicious fort is
placed the proper nest, of the usual hemispherical figure,
formed of layers of dried stalks of grass and lined with
feathers. The eggs, from 6 to 9, are of a reddish flesh-
color, sprinkled all over with innumerable fine grains of a
somewhat deeper tint. They generally rear two broods
in the season ; the first take to flight about the beginning
of June, and the second in July, or August. The young
are early capable of providing for their own subsistence,
and twittering forth their petulent cry of alarm. It
is both pleasant and amusing to observe the sociability
and activity of these recent nurslings, who seem to move
in a body, throwing themselves into antic attitudes,
often crowding together into the old nests of other birds,
and for some time roosting near their former cradle,
under the affectionate eye of their busy parents, who
have perhaps already begun to prepare the same nest for
a new progeny. Indeed, so prospective and busy is
HOUSE WREN. 425
the male, that he frequently amuses himself with erect-
ing another mansion even while his mate is still sitting
on her eggs ; and this curious habit of superfluous labor
seems to be more or less common to the whole genus.
One of these Wrens, according to Wilson, happened
to lose his mate by the sly and ravenous approaches
of a cat, an animal which they justly hold in abhor-
rence. The day after this important loss our little wid-
ower had succeeded in introducing to his desolate man-
sion a second partner, whose welcome appeared by the
ecstatic sonsf which the brideo;room now uttered : after
this they remained together, and reared their brood.
Last summer (1830), I found a female Wren who had
expired in the nest in the abortive act of laying her
first egg. I therefore took away the nest from under
the edge of the shed in which it was built. The male,
however, continued round the place as before, and still
cheerfully uttered his accustomed song. Unwilling to
leave the premises, he now went to work, and made,
unaided, another dwelling, and after a time brought a
new mate to take possession, but, less faithful than Wil-
son's bird, or suspecting some lurking danger, she for-
sook the nest after entering, and never laid in it ; but
still the happy warbler continued his uninterrupted lay,
apparently in solitude.
The song of our familiar Wren is loud, sprightly, and
tremulous, uttered with peculiar animation, and rapidly
repeated ; at first the voice seems ventriloqual and dis-
tant, and then bursts forth by efforts into a mellow and
echoing warble. The trilling, hurried notes seem to
reverberate from the leafy branches in which the musi-
cian sits obscured, or is heard from the low roof of the
vine-mantled cottage like the shrill and unwearied pipe
of some sylvan elf The strain is continued even dur-
36*
426 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
ing the sultry noon of the summer's day when most of
the feathered songsters seek repose and shelter from the
heat. His lively and querulous ditty, is however still
accompanied by the slower measured, pathetic chant of
the Red-eyed Flycatcher, the meandering, tender war-
ble of the Musical Vireo, or the occasional loud mim-
icry of the Cat-bird ; the whole forming an aerial,
almost celestial concert, which never tires the ear.
Though the general performance of our Wren bears
no inconsiderable resemblance to that of the Euro-
pean species, yet its voice is louder and its execution
much more varied and delightful. It is rather a bold
and insolent intruder upon those birds, who reside near
it, or claim the same accommodation. It frequently
causes the mild Blue-bird or the Martin to relinquish
their hereditary claims to the garden box, and has been
accused also of sucking their eggs. Nor is he any bet-
ter contented with neighbours of his own fraternity who
settle near him, keeping up frequent squabbles, like
other little busy bodies, who are never happy but in mis-
chief; so that upon the whole, though we may justly ad-
mire the fine talents of this petulant domestic, he is,
like many other actors, merely a good performer. He
is still upon the whole a real friend to the farmer and
horticulturist, by the number of injurious insects and
their destructive larvae on which both him and his numer-
ous family subsist. Bold and fearless, seeking out every
advantageous association, and making up in activity
what he may lack in strength, he does not confine his
visits to the cottage or the country, but may often be
heard on the tops of houses, even in the midst of the city,
warbling with his usual energy.
COMMON OR WINTER WREN. 427
The House Wren is from 4^ to 5 inches in length ; and 5| to 6
inches in alar extent. Above deep brown, darkest on the head and
neck, and becoming much brighter on the rump. All the feathers,
except those of the head and neck, barred with dusky. Below dirty
whitish grey, nearly white towards the belly, feathers of the vent,
and a little above, elegantly barred with dusky, white, and ferrugin-
ous ; those just above the rump have large round spots of white be-
low, not visible unless separated by the hand. Tail and wings
strongly barred. Tail rather long and wedge-shaped. Bill some-
what long, upper mandible dusky brown, the lower pale, almost
flesh-color. Legs and feet pale whitish yellow. — The female differs
very little from the male in plumage.
COMMON OR WINTER WREN.
{Troglodytes europceus, Leach. Sylvia troglodytes, Wilson, i. p.
139. pi. 8. fig. 6. Troglodytes hyemalis, Vieill. Fhil. Museum,
No. 7284.)
Sp. Charact. — Brown, banded with dusky j beneath dull rufous-
grayish with obsolete bands ; the tail very short ; bill almost
straight.
This little winter visitor, which approaches the Mid-
dle States in the month of October, seems scarcely in
any way distinguishable from the Common Wren of
Europe. It sometimes passes the winter in Pennsylva-
nia, and according to Audubon even breeds in the Great
Pine Swamp in that state, as well as in New York.
Early in the spring it is seen on its returning route to
the northwest. Mr. Say observed it in summer near
the base of the Rocky Mountains ; it was also seen,
at the same season, on the White Mountains of New
Hampshire by the scientific exploring party of Dr. Bige-
low, Messrs. Boott, and Gray, so that it must retire to the
Western or mountainous solitudes to pass the period of
incubation. During its residence in the Middle States it
frequents the broken banks of rivulets, old roots, and de-
cayed logs near watery places in quest of its insect food.
428 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS,
As in Europe, it also approaches the farm-house, examines
the wood-pile, erecting its tail, and creeping into the
interstices like a mouse. It frequently mounts on some
projecting object and sings with great animation. In
the gardens and out-houses of the city, it appears equally
familiar as the more common House Wren.
The nest of the European Wren is often in a bush
near the ground, stump of a tree, or on the ground itself;
they also seek the asylum of some corner of the out-
house near habitations, or some stack of wood, or hole
in the wall. The form of this fabric is nearly oval, with
a small entry in the side, and varies externally according
to contiguous objects ; thus, if near a hay-rick it is com-
posed sometimes outwardly of hay, if on a tree clothed with
lichens, these are attached to the outside of the nest; but
if in a mossy stump, the exterior has almost exactly the
aspect of a mere rude and larger mass of the same moss.
The eggs, proverbially numerous, are said to be from 10
to 18, nearly white, with a few reddish spots at the larger
end.
The Wren has a pleasing warble, and much louder
than might be expected from the diminutive size of the
performer. Its song likewise continues more or less
throughout the year, even during the prevalence of a
snow storm it has been heard as cheerful as ever ; it like-
wise continues its note till very late in the evening,
though not after dark.
The length of the "Winter or Common Wren, is 3^ inches, and the
alar extent 5. Above dark-brown, crossed with transverse dusky
touches, except the head and neck which are plain ; the black spots
of the back terminate in minute points of dull white ; the same col-
ored points are seen on the first row of wing-coverts ; the primaries
are crossed with alternate rows of black and cream-color. Throat,
line over the eye, sides of the neck and breast, dirty white, with mi-
nute transverse touches of drab. Belly and vent thickly mottled
COMMON OR WINTER WREN.
429
with sooty black, deep brown, and white, in bars. Tail very short.
Legs and feet pale clay-color. Bill straight, half an inch long, dark
brown above, whitish beneath. Iris light hazel.
GREAT CAROLINA or MOCKING WREN.
(^Troglodytes ludovicianus, Boxap. Audubon, pi. 78. Orn. Biog. i. p.
399. Sijlvia ludoviciana, sp. 150. Lath. Certhia caroliniana,
WiLsox, ii. p. 6L pi. 12. fig. 5. Phil. Museum, No. 7248.)
Sp. Charact. — Chesnut-brown ; wings and tail with dusky-bars,
the coverts tipt with white ; beneath pale rusty, inclining to grey
on the throat ; the vent white, barred with black ; a whitish stripe
over the eye, extending down to the side of the neck. — Female,
lighter, without the white on the wing coverts.
This remarkable, mimicking, and musical Wren is a
constant resident in the Southern states, from Virginia to
Florida, but is rarely seen at any season north of the line
430 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
of Maryland or Delaware, though, attracted by the great
river courses, they are abundant from Pittsburg to New Or-
leans. A few individuals stray, in the course of the spring,
as far as the line of New York, and appear in New Jersey
and the vicinity of Philadelphia early in the month of May.
On the 17th of April, returning from a Southern tour of
great extent, I again recognised my old and pleasing
acquaintance, by his usual note, near Chester on the Del-
aware, where, I have little doubt, a few remain and pass
the summer, retiring to the South only as the weather
becomes inclement. On the banks of the Patapsco near
Baltimore their song is still heard to the close of Novem-
ber. According to Audubon, the nest of this bird is
usually placed in a hole in some low and decayed tree,
or in a fence-post; sometimes also in a stable, barn, or
out-house. The materials employed are hay, dry grass,
and leaves, for the outer part ; with a lining of horse-
hair, or the capillary dry fibres of the Long-moss ( Tillan-
dsia). Sometimes the nest is 5 or 6 inches deep, but,
with the usual precaution of the family, so narrow in the
entrance as only to admit of one of the birds at a time.
The eggs, 5 to 8, are oval, and greyish-white, spotted
with reddish-brown. Like the common species, an in-
dividual (probably one of the young birds) has been
observed to roost for a time in an old Wood Thrush's
nest which had been filled with fallen leaves. They are
so prolific as to raise two, and sometimes three broods in
a season.
Our bird has all the petulance, courage, industry, and
familiarity of his particular tribe. He delights to survey
the meanders of peaceful streams, and dwell amidst the
shady trees which adorn their banks. His choice seems
to convey a taste for the picturesque and beautiful in
nature, himself, in the fore-ground, forming one of the
GREAT CAROLINA OR MOCKING WREN. 431
most pleasing attractions of the scene. Approaching the
water-fall, he associates with its murmurs the presence
of the King-Fisher, and modulating the hoarse rattle of
his original into a low, varied, desponding note, he sits
on some depending bough by the stream, and calls,
at intervals, in a slow voice, tee-y\lrrh tee-yHrrh, or
chr^rWrWli, In the tall trees by the silent stream, he recol-
lects the lively, common note of the Tufted Titmouse, and
repeats the j?e^o ^e^o^e^o ^ecf, or his peevish Jja^c^ec?ic?,
katetedid^ katedid. While gleaning low, amidst fallen
leaves and brush-wood, for hiding and dormant insects
and worms, he perhaps brings up the note of his indus-
trious neighbour the Ground Robin, and sets to his own
sweet and liquid tones the simple toioeet toweet toweet.
The tremulous trill of the Pine Warbler is then recol-
lected, and trWWWWrWli is whistled. In the next breath
comes his imitation of the large Woodpecker, i^ozYy woity
woity and wotcliy wotcliy lootchy, or tsJiovee tshovee tshqf,
and tshooadee tshooadee tshooadect, then varied to tshuvai
tshuvai tshuvat, and toovai'iah toovai'iah toovaiiatoo.
Next comes perhaps his more musical and pleasing ver-
sion of the Blackbird's short song, wottitsliee luottitshee
wottitshee. To the same smart tune is now set a cho-
sen part of the drawling song of the Meadow Lark,*
precede precedo preceet, then varied recede recedo receet
and tecedo tecedo teceet ; or changing to a bass key, he
tunes sooteet sootect soot. Once, I heard this indefatiga-
ble mimic attempt delightfully the warble of the Blue-
bird in the month of February. The bold whistle of the
Cardinal Bird is another of the sounds he delights to
imitate and repeat in his own quaint manner ; such as,
vit-yil vit-yu vit-yu, and vishmc vishnu vishnu, then his
woitee ivoitee woitee and wiltee wiltee iviltee. Soon after
* Sturnus ludovicianus.
432 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
I first heard the note of the White-eyed Vireo in March,
the Carolina Wren immediately mimicked the note of
teeah ivewd, witte toeeivd. Some of these notes would
appear to be recollections of the past season, as imita-
tions of the Maryland Yellow-Throat [wittiscc wittisee
wittisee loit, and shcioaicUt, shewaidit, shcioaidit) not yet
heard or arrived within the boundary of the United
States. So also his tsherry tsherry tsherry tshup is one
of the notes of the Baltimore Bird, yet in South America.
While at Tuscaloosa, about the 20th of February, one
of these Wrens, on the borders of a garden, sat and
repeated for some time, tshe-ivhiskee ivhiskee ivhiskee,
then soolait soolait soolait ; another of his phrases is
tshukddee tshukddee tshukddeetslioo , and chjihicay
cTijihioay chjibivay, uttered quick ; the first of these ex-
pressions is in imitation of one of the notes of the Scar-
let Tanaser. Amidst these imitations and variations
which seem almost endless, and lead the stranger to im-
agine himself, even in the depth of winter, surrounded
by all the quaint choristers of the summer, there is
still, with our capricious and tuneful mimick, a favor-
ite theme more constantly and regularly repeated than
the rest. This was also the first sound that I heard from
him, delivered with great spirit, though in the dreary month
of January. This sweet and melodious ditty, tsee-toot
tsee-toot tsee-toot, and sometimes tsec-toot tsee-toot seet^
was usually uttered in a somewhat plaintive or tender
strain, varied at each repetition with the most de-
lightful and delicate tones, of which no conception can
be formed without experience. That this song has a
sentimental air may be conceived from its interpretation
by the youths of the country, who pretend to hear it say,
sweet-heart sweet-heart sweet ! nor is the allusion more
than the natural truth, for, usually, this affectionate ditty
I
GREAT CAROLINA OR MOCKING WREN. 433
is answered by its mate, sometimes in the same note,
at others in a different call. In most cases it will be
remarked, that the phrases of our songster are uttered in
3s ; by this means, it will generally be practicable to
distinguish its performance from that of other birds, and
particularly from the Cardinal Grosbeak, whose expres-
sions it often closely imitates both in power and delivery.
I shall never, I believe, forget the soothing satisfaction
and amusement I derived from this little constant and
unwearied minstrel, my sole vocal companion through
many weary miles of a vast, desolate, and otherwise
cheerless wilderness. Yet with all his readiness to amuse
by his Protean song, the epitome of all he had ever
heard, or recollected, he was still studious of conceal-
ment, keeping busily engaged near the ground, or in
low thickets in quest of his food ; and when he mounted
a log or brush pile, which he had just examined, his
color, so similar to the fallen leaves and wintry livery of
nature, often prevented me from gaining a glimpse of this
wonderful and interesting mimic.
Like the preceding species, he has restless activity,
and a love for prying into the darkest corners after his
prey, and is particularly attached o the vicinity of
rivers and wet places, when not surrounded by gloomy
shade. His quick and capricious motions, antic jerks,
and elevated tail, resemble the actions of the House
Wren. Eager and lively in his contracted flight,
before shifting he quickly throws himself forward so as
nearly to touch his perch previous to springing from his
legs. In Tuscaloosa and other towns in Alabama, he
appeared frequently upon the tops of the barns and out-
houses, delivering with energy his varied and desultory
lay. At Tallahassee, in West Florida, I observed one
of these birds chanting near the door of a cottage, and
37
434
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
occasionally imitating, in his way, the squalling of the
crying child within, so that, like the Mocking Bird, all
sounds if novel, contribute to his amusement.
The Mimicking Wren is about 5^ inches long, and 7 in alar dimen-
sions. Above chesnut-brown, the wings and tail barred with dusky;
a streak of yellowish- white passes over the eye and descends to the
sides of the neck ; below that, a streak of reddish brown extends from
behind the eye to the shoulder. The chin is yellowish-white or pale
gray, the rest of the body below is of a pale rust-color; the vent
white, barred with black. Wing-coverts minutely tipt with white.
Legs and feet dusky flesh-color. Bill | of an inch long, with the
upper mandible bluish-black, the lower lighter. Tail wedge-shaped,
the 2 exterior feathers on each side | of an inch shorter. — As in the
two preceding species, the feathers of the lower part of the back when
parted appear below spotted with white, but broadly tipt above with
reddish-brown.
BEWICK'S WREN.
( Troglodytes Bewickii, Audubon, pi. 18. Orn. Biog. i. p. 96.)
Sp. Charact. — Chesnut-brown; beneath cinereous inclining to
white ; stripe over the eye pale yellowish-brown ; tail long, and
rounded, the lateral feathers spotted, and the external t)arred on
the outer webs with black and white.
For the discovery of this beautiful species of Wren,
apparently allied to the preceding, with which it seems
nearly to agree in size, we are indebted to the indefati-
gable Audubon, in whose splendid work it is for the first
time figured, almost with the spirit and animation of
life itself It was observed by its discoverer, towards the
approach of winter, in the lower part of Louisiana. Its
manners are very similar to those of other species, but
instead of a song, at this season, it only uttered a low
twitter.
Length 5 inches, alar extent 6^. Wings slenderly barred with
dusky. Tail long, the central feathers chesnut, barred with dusky,
the rest nearly black, with the outer webs crossed with white. The
ROCKY-MOUNTAIN WREN. 435
outer tail-feathers not more than half the length of the middle ones.
Legs and bill dusky-brown, the lower mandible paler.
ROCKY-MOUNTAIN WREN.
(Troglodytes obsoleta, Say. Myothera obsoleta, Bonap. Am. Orn. i.
p. 6. pi. 1. fig. 2. Phil. Museum, No. 2420.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky-brownish, waved with paler lines; beneath
whitish marked with brown ; tail long and rounded, bordered with
ferruginous yellow ; bill one inch long.
This large species was discovered near the Arkansa
river, in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, by
Major Long's exploring party, and first described by Mr.
T. Say. The individual was a male, obtained in the
month of July. The only note at this time heard from it
was harsh like the voice of the Tern, (probably a note of
alarm from the parent in cautioning its young.) It ap-
peared to inhabit a sterile district devoid of trees, hopped
along the ground, or flitted through the branches of the
low stunted junipers which bordered the river, in small
families of five or six individuals. While thus engaged, it
spread out its tail, but showed no inclination to climb,
perching merely in the usual manner of the other Wrens.
The Rocky Mountain Wren is 6 inches long. The bill an inch or
more from the corner of the mouth to the point, is very slender, and
of a dark color. The feet are also dusky ; the tarsus Jth of an inch.
Iris dark brown. Above dusky-brownish, slightly undulated with
pale lines, and tinted on the top of the head and upper part of the
back with dull ferruginous. Sides of the head dull whitish, a brown
line passing through the eye. Beneath whitish, with pale brown
lines, except the belly which is wholly white, and the flanks slightly
tinged with ferruginous. The primaries spotless ; tail-coverts pale,
with fuscous bands ; inferior tail-coverts white with dark brown
bands. Tail nearly 2 inches, rounded, and obsoletely banded.
436
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
Section — Thryothorus, (Marsh-Wrens.)
These birds scarcely merit any separation from the preceding,
differing merely in their habits ; their feet, better formed for climb-
ing among reeds and rank herbage, have all ihe toes nearly of equal
length, the middle one only a trifle longer, and the hinder toe more
robust ; the claws, however, are all long, slender, and very sharp.
There is no sensible difference in the bill of these from the preceding
section, except that it may be a little more slender. The spurious
feather in the wings is the same as in the true Wrens.
These birds frequent, and live exclusively in watery and en-
swamped situations, sometimes among reeds, which they grasp and
ascend by hops. Their voice is less musical than in the birds of the
preceding section, but not without some degree of similar harmoni-
ous modulation. They are peculiar to America, and extend to the
extremity of the South American hemisphere.
SHORT-BILLED MARSH-WREN.
{Troglodytes *hrevirostris, Nobis. Read in Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil.
Transactions of the American Academy, v. p. 98. with a figure.)
Sp. Charact. — Bill shorter than the head, which is striated ; above
dark brown, varied with rufous and whitish ; beneath, except the
white throat and centre of the breast, pale rufous ; wings barred.
SHORT-BILLED MARSH-WREN. 437
This amusing and not unmusical little species inhabits
the lowest marshy meadows, but does not frequent the
reed-flats. It never visits cultivated grounds, and is at all
times shy, timid, and suspicious. It arrives in this part
of Massachusetts about the close of the first week in May,
and retires to the South by the middle of September at
farthest, probably by night, as it is never seen in pro-
gress, so that its northern residence is only prolonged
about four months.
Its presence is announced by its lively and quaint song
of'tsh Hship, a day day day day, delivered in haste and
earnest at short intervals, either when he is mounted on
a tuft of sedge, or while perching on some low bush near
the skirt of the marsh. The Hsh 'tship is uttered with a
strong aspiration, and the remainder with a guttural
echo. While thus encrasred, his head and tail are alter-
nately depressed and elevated, as if the little odd per-
former were fixed on a pivot. Sometimes the note va-
ries to 'tsliijj 'tship 'tshia, dlV dli* dh' dh\ the latter part
being a pleasant trill. When approached too closely,
which not often happened, as he permitted me to come
within two or three feet of his station, his song becomes
harsh and more hurried, like 'fship da, da da, and de, de,
de de c/' rf' dh, or tslie de de de de, rising into an angry,
petulant cry, which is sometimes also a low hoarse and
scolding daigli daigh ; then again on invading the nest,
the sound sinks to a plaintive 'tsli tsJiip, 'tsh tsJiip. In the
early part of the breeding season, the male is very lively
and musical, and in his best humor he tunes up a 'tship
'thsip tship a dee, with a pleasantly warbled and reiterated
de. At a later period, another male uttered little else
than a hoarse and guttural daigh, hardly louder than the
croaking of a frog. When approached they repeatedly de-
scend into the grass, where they spend much of their
37*
438 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
time in quest of the insects, chiefly crustaceous, which,
with moths, constitute their principal food ; here unseen
they still sedulously utter their quaint warbling ; and tsliip
tship a day day day day, may, for about a month from
their arrival, be heard pleasantly echoing on a fine
morning from the borders of every low marsh and wet
meadow, provided with tussucks of sedge-grass, in which
they indispensably dwell, for a time engaged in the cares
and gratification of raising and providing for their young.
The nest of the Short-Billed Marsh-Wren is made
wholly of dry, or partly green sedge, bent usually from
the top of the grassy tuft in which the fabric is situated.
With much ingenuity and labor these simple materials
are loosely entwined together into a spherical form, with
a small and rather obscure entrance left in the side ; a
thin lining is sometimes added to the whole, of the linty
fibres of the silk weed, or some other similar material.
The eggs, pure white, and destitute of spots, are proba-
bly from 6 to 8. In a nest containing 7 eggs, there were
3 of them larger than the rest, and perfectly fresh, while
the 4 smaller were far advanced towards hatching ; from
this circumstance we may fairly infer that ^?ro different
individuals had laid in the same nest ; a circumstance
more common among wild birds than is generally imag-
ined. This is also the more remarkable, as the male of
this species, like many other Wrens, is much employed
in making nests, of which not more than one in three or
four are ever occupied by the females !
The summer limits of this species, confounded with
the ordinary Marsh-Wren, are yet unascertained ; and
it is singular to remark how near it approaches to an-
other species inhabiting the temperate parts of the south-
ern hemisphere in America, namely the Sylvia platen-
sis, figured and indicated by Buffbn. The description.
MARSH-WREN. 439
however, of this bird, obtained by Commerson on the
banks of La Plata, is too imperfect for certainty. It
was found probably in a marshy situation, as it entered
the boat in which he was sailing. The time of arrival
and departure in this species, agreeing exactly with the
appearance of the Marsh-Wren of Wilson, inclines me to
believe that it also exists in Pennsylvania with the fol-
lowing, whose migration, according to Audubon, is more
than a month earlier and later than that of our bird. Mr.
Cooper, however, has not been able to meet with it in
the vicinity of New York.
The Short-Billed Marsh-Wren is about 4^ inches long. The bill
^ an inch from the tip to the gape of the mouth. Above blackish-
brown, varied with white and rufous, chiefly along the shafts of the
feathers ; top of the head also lined. Wings dusky, conspicuously
barred with whitish and rufous on the outer webs. 3d and 4th prima-
ries longest and nearly equal to each other. Upper tail-coverts, ele-
gantly barred with the three colors above mentioned. Tail rounded,
barred with dusky and rufous grey. Below, centre of the breast and
throat, white ; sides of the breast, belly, and vent pale rust-color ;
beneath the wings the flanks are faintly barred, the feathers having
a single subterminal band. Legs and feet pale brownish flesh-color ',
claws scarcely more than half the length of those of the common
Marsh-Wren. Bill rather dusky above, pale beneath, considerably
curved, but much compressed at the sides, — The female and young
scarcely distinguishable from the adult male.
MARSH-WREN.
{Troglodytes palustris, Bonap. Audubon, pi. 98. Orn. Biog. vol. i.
p. 500. Certhia palustris, Wilson, ii. p. 58. pi. 12. fig. 4. Phil.
Museum, No. 7282.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark brown; crown dusky brown; neck and
back the same streaked with whitish ; a white stripe over the
eye ; beneath silvery-whitish, the vent only tinged with pale
brown ; bill | of an inch.
This retiring inhabitant of marshes and the wet and
sedgy borders of rivers, arrives in the Middle States of
440 INSECTIVOROUS BIRrS.
the Union early in April, and retires to the south about
the middle of October. According to Audubon many
individuals of this species pass the winter near the shores
of West Forida, and the estuaries of the Mississippi.
They are scarcely known to the north of the state of
New York, their place, in New England, being appar-
ently occupied by the preceding species ; westward they
were met with on the banks of the Missouri, within the
wooded regions, by Mr. Say. It is a remarkably active
and quaint little species, skipping about with great ac-
tivity after its insect food and their larvae among the
rank grass and rushes, near ponds, and the low banks of
rivers, where alone it affects to dwell, laying no claims
to the immunities of the habitable circle of man ; but con-
tent with its favorite marshes, neglected and seldom seen,
it rears its young in security. The song of this species,
according to the observations of a friend,* is very simi-
lar to that of the preceding, a sort of short, tremulous,
and hurried warble. Its notes were even yet heard in an
island of the Delaware, opposite to Philadelphia, as late
as the month of September, where they were still in
plenty in this secluded asylum. It does not appear that
Wilson had ever heard the voice of this species ; or he
seems indeed to have confounded it with the actual bub-
bling of the marshy ground on which he trod. Audubon
compares its quickly repeated notes to the grating of a
rusty hinge, and adds, that its merry song is continued
nearly through the whole of the fore part of the day.t
The nest according to Wilson, is generally suspended
among the reeds, and securely tied to them at a suffi-
* Mr. R. Howarth.
t Orn. Biog. i. p. 500. If, in fact, this species sings like the preceding, with all def-
erence to Mr. Audubon, from whom 1 am sorry ever to be obliged to differ, I cannot
perceive any resemblance to the grating sound of a hinge.
MARSH-WREN. 441
cient height above the access of the highest tides. It is
formed of wet rushes well intertwisted tocrether, mix-
ed with mud, and fashioned into the form of a cocoa
nut, having a small orifice left in the side for entrance.
The inside is lined with fine, soft grass, sometimes with
feathers, and the outside, when hardened by the sun,
resists all the injuries of the weather. The principal
material of this nest, as in the preceding species, is, how-
ever, accordinor to Audubon, the leaves of the sedcre-orrass,
on a tussuck of which it also occasionally rests. The eggs
are commonly 6 to 8, of a dark fawn, or almost mahoga-
ny color. The young quit the nest about the 20th of
June, and they generally have a second brood in the
course of the season. From the number of empty nests
found in the vicinity of the residence of the Marsh
Wren, it is pretty evident that it is also much employed
in the usual superfluous or capricious labor of the genus.
The pugnacious character of the males, indeed, forbids
the possibility of so many nests being amicably occupied
in the near neighbourhood in which they are commonly
found.
The Marsh-Wren is a little more than A\ inches long. The tail is
short, rounded and barred with blackish ; the wings slightly barred ;
the sides of the neck are mottled with touches of alight clay-color on
a whitish ground ; the rump is also faintly spotted. The legs and
feet are pale brownish yellow, and large for the size of the bird ; the
tarsus is | of an inch ; the nails very long, slender, sharp, and arch-
ed ; the hind one particularly long, and the toe itself stout, the mid-
dle toe but slightly exceeds the lateral ones. The bill slender, and
greatly curved ; the upper mandible dark brown, the lower testa-
ceous, and paler brown towards the tip. Tongue sharp-pointed, at-
tenuated, and entire. Iris hazel.
442 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
COTINGAS. (Ampelis. Lin.)
In this family of birds the bill is short, somewhat depressed,
higher than it is wide, hard, solid, triangular at the base, compress-
ed and notched at the point, a little convex above, and somewhat
abruptly reflected at the point. Nostrils basal, lateral, rounded,
half way closed by a membrane, and thinly covered by the advanc-
ing hairs of the face. The feet of moderate size ; the tarsus about
the length, or shorter than the middle toe, the lateral toe united to
the adjoining up to the 2d joint. Wings moderate in size, the 1st
quill not so long as the 2d, which is the longest.
These birds are remarkable for the brilliance of their plumage, and
with the exception of our Blue-Bird, are peculiar to the warmer
parts of America. Inhabiting the tropics, their migrations are con-
fined to a narrow compass. They appear in numbers twice a year
in the vicinity of habitations, but in the breeding season associate
only in pairs. They frequent the borders of rivulets and marshes,
and live much on insects, particularly the destructive Termes. They
also frequent the rice fields, devouring the grain probably while in
the unripe state ; they also feed on fruits. The Pampadour builds
in large trees on the borders of rivers, and selects the higher branches,
but does not dwell in the great forests. The Guiraroo utters a some-
what disagreeable cry. Our bird is also related to the section Saxi-
COL-s: of Tardus, and particularly to the Blue Thrush, which it so
much resembles in color. This bird like ours has sometimes the same
habit of nesting in hollow trees, and lays even pale greenish, spotless
eggs ; more commonly however, it quits its wild retreats in the
mountains, selecting an elevated tower or steeple for its nest ; and
here the male passes much of his time in song, daring the period of
incubation. His tones are rather tender and plaintive ; while thus
employed his lively emotions display themselves in action, he rises
upw^ards, erects the feathers of his head, spreads his tail, and flutters
with his wings. They are also daring in the defence of their young ;
arrive in the warmer parts of Europe in April, departing at the close
of August, and like our Blue-Bird, they faithfully return to the same
place where they have once taken up their residence : they are en-
deared and venerated even to superstition by the inhabitants. The
greater length of the bill, which is however of the same general form,
opposes its artificial association with our Blue-Bird, though its man-
"^^"^-^ COTINGAS . 443
ners are so strikingly similar. To the Thrushes generally, our bird
has a near affinity, and his song is nearly similar to that of the Amer-
ican Robin, but more tender and languid in the delivery. Besides
his other affinities, he seems allied to the Red-Breast of Europe {Syl-
via rubecola) , as well as to the Blue-throated Warbler (S. sulcica)^
which are sufficiently distinct from true Sylvias.
Subgenus — Sialia. (Genus Sialia. Swainson.)
The BILL, rather robust, short, and cleft to the eyes, about as wide
as high at the base ; upper mandible rounded, carinated towards the
base, notched and curved at the tip, the lower scarcely shorter,
straight, compressed at the sides. Tongue cartilaginous, shortly
lacerate at the base, and emarginate at the point. Nostrils basal,
open, oval, partly obstructed by an internal tubercle, the nasal fosse
extensive and depressed. Tarsus rather robust, a little shorter than
the middle toe ; inner toe free ; the hind one stoutest, longer than the
nail. Wings rather long and acute ; 1st and 2d primaries longest,
the 3d scarcely shorter ; (spurious feather about an inch long.)
The Blue-Bird is familiar to the orchard, dwells much in trees,
forming its nest in their hollow trunks, with a coarse lining of dry
grass or hay ; it lays 5 or 6 pale blue and spotless eggs ; lives on cole-
opterous insects, grasshoppers, worms, and berries, in the manner of
the Thrush, and possesses the same pleasing and musical voice.
It does not affect solitude or retirement, often takes possession of an
artificial box near the house or barn, and flits along the public path,
in preference to the woods or secluded retreats.
^
XX
BLUE-BIRD.
{Jlmpelis sialis. Nobis. Sialia Wilsonii, Swainson. Sylvia sialis,
Wilson, i. p. 56. pi. 3. fig. 3. [male.] Saxicola sialis, Bonap.
Ann. Lye. ii. p. 88.)
Sp. Charact. — Blue; beneath ferruginous; the belly whitish. —
Female dull blue. — Young, dusky, spotted with white ; beneath
greyish white, clouded with dusky ; wings and tail bluish.
This well known and familiar favorite inhabits prob-
ably the whole continent of America to the very line of
the tropics. Some appear to migrate in winter to the Ber-
mudas and Bahama islands, though most of those which
pass the summer in the North only retire to the Southern
States, or the table land of Mexico. In South Carolina
and Georgia they were abundant in January and Febru-
ary, and even on the 12th and 28th of the former month,
the weather being mild, a few of these wanderers war-
bled out their simple notes from the naked limbs of the
long-leaved pines. Sometimes they even pass the winter
in Pennsylvania, or at least make their appearance with
almost every relenting of the severity of the winter or
BLUE-BIRD. 445
warm gleam of thawing sunshine. From this circum-
stance of their roving about in quest of their scanty food,
like the hard-pressed and hungry Robin Red-Breast, who
by degrees gains such courage from necessity, as to en-
ter the cottage for his allowed crumbs ; it has without
foundation been supposed that our Blue-Bird, in the in-
tervals of his absence, passes the tedious and stormy time
in a state of dormancy ; but it is more probable that he flies
to some sheltered glade and warm and more hospitable
^situation, to glean his frugal fare from the berries of the
cedar, or the wintry fruits which still remain ungather-
ed in the swamps. Defended from the severity of the
cold, he now also, in all probability, roosts in the hol-
lows of decayed trees, a situation which he generally
chooses for the site of his nest. In the South, at this un-
promising and gloomy season, they are seen to feed on the
glutinous berries of the mistletoe, the green-briar, and the
sumach. Content with their various fare, and little affect-
ed by the extremes of heat and cold, they breed and spend
the summer from Labrador to Natchez, if not to Mexico,
where great elevation produces the most temperate and
mild of climates. They are also abundant at this season,
to the west of the Mississippi, in the territories of the
Missouri and Arkansas.
In the Middle and Northern States, the return of the
Blue-Bird to his old haunts round the barn and the or-
chard, is hailed as the first agreeable presage of return-
ing spring, and he is no less a messenger of grateful tid-
ings to the farmer, than an agreeable, familiar, and use-
ful companion to all. Though sometimes he makes a
still earlier flitting visit, from the 3d to the middle of
March he comes hither as a permanent resident, and is
now accompanied by his mate, who immediately visits
the box in the garden, or the hollow in the decayed or-
38
446 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
chard tree, which has served as the cradle of preceding
generations of his kindred. Affection and jealousy, as
in the contending and related Thrushes, have considera-
ble influence over the Blue-Bird. He seeks perpetually
the company of his mate, caresses and soothes her with
his amorous song, to which she faintly replies ; and, like
the faithful Rook, seeks occasion to show his gallantry
by feeding her with some favorite insect. If a rival
make his appearance, the attack is instantaneous, the
intruder is driven with angry chattering from the pre-
cincts he has chosen, and he now returns to warble out
his notes of triumph by the side of his cherished consort.
The business of preparing and cleaning out the old nest
or box now commences ; and even in October, before
they bid farewell to their favorite mansion, on fine days,
influenced by the anticipation of the season, they are
often observed to go in and out of the box as if examin-
ing and planning out their future domicil. Little pains,
however, are requisite for the protection of the hardy
young ; and a substantial lining of hay, and now and then
a few feathers, is all that is prepared for the brood be-
yond the natural shelter of the chosen situation. As the
Martin and House Wren seek out the favor and conven-
ience of the box, contests are not unfrequent with the
parties for exclusive possession ; and the latter, in vari-
ous clandestine ways, exhibits his envy and hostility to
the favored Blue-Bird. The eggs are 5 or 6, of a very
pale blue, and without spots. As they are very prolific,
and constantly paired, they often raise 2 and sometimes
probably 3 broods in the season ; the male taking the
youngest under his aff'ectionate charge, while the female
is eno-acred in the act of incubation.
Their principal food consists of insects, particularly
beetles, and other shelly kinds ; they are also fond of
BLUE-BIRD. 447
spiders and grasshoppers, for which they often, in com-
pany with their young, in autumn, descend to the earth,
in open pasture fields or waste grounds. Like our
Thrushes, they, early in spring, also collect the common
wire-worm, or lulus, for food, as well as other kinds of
insects, which they commonly watch for, while perched
on the fences or low boughs of trees, and dart after them
to the ground as soon as perceived. They are not, how-
ever, flycatchers, like the Si/lvias and 3Iuscicapas, but
are rather industrious searchers for subsistence, like the
Thrushes, whose habits they wholly resemble in their
mode of feeding. In the autumn, they regale themselves
on various kinds of berries, as those of the sour gum,
wild cherry, and others ; and later in the season, as win-
ter approaches, they frequent the red cedars and several
species of sumach for their berries, eat persimmons in
the Middle States, and many other kinds of fruits, and
even seeds, the latter of which never enter into the diet
of the proper Flycatchers. They have also, occasionally,
in a state of confinement, been reared and fed on soaked
bread and vegetable diet, on which they thrive as well as
the Robin.
The song of the Blue-Bird, which continues almost
uninterruptedly from March to October, is a soft, rather
feeble, but delicate and pleasing warble, often repeated
at various times of the day, but most frequently in early
spring, when the sky is serene, and the temperature mild
and cheering. At this season, before the earnest Robin
pours out his more energetic lay from the orchard tree or
fence-rail, the simple song of this almost domestic favor-
ite is heard nearly alone ; and if, at length, he be rival-
ed, at the dawn of day, by superior and bolder songsters,
he still relieves the silence of later hours, by his unwea-
ried and affectionate attempts to please and accompany
448 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
his devoted mate. All his energy is poured out into this
simple ditty, and with an ecstatic feeling of delight he
often raises and quivers his wings like the Mocking Or-
pheus ; and, amidst his striving rivals in song, exerts his
utmost powers to introduce variety into his unborrowed
and simple strain. On hearkening some time to his notes,
an evident similarity to the song of the Thrush is observ-
able, but the accents are more weak, faltering, and in-
clining to the plaintive. As in many other instances,
it is nearly impossible to give any approximating idea of
the expression of warbled sounds by words, yet their re-
semblance to some quaint expressions, in part, may not
be useless, as an attempt to recall to memory these pleas-
ing associations with native harmony ; so the Blue-Bird,
often, at the commencement of his song, seems tenderly
to call in a whistled tone ^hcar — 'Mar hiity, huty ? or
merely hear — huty, and instantly follows this interrogato-
ry call with a soft and warbling trill. So much is this sound
like that which they frequently utter, that on whistling
the syllables in their accent, even in the cool days of au-
tumn, when they are nearly silent, they often resume the
answer in sympathy. During the period of incubation,
the male becomes much more silent, and utters his notes
principally in the morning. More importantly engaged,
in now occasionally feeding his mate as well as himself,
and perhaps desirous of securing the interesting occupa-
tion of his devoted consort, he avoids betraying the resort
of his charge by a cautious and silent interest in their
fate. Gentle, peaceable, and familiar, when undisturb-
ed, his society is courted by every lover of rural scenery,
and it is not uncommon for the farmer to furnish the
Blue-Bird with a box as well as the Martin, in return for
the pleasure of his company, the destruction he makes
upon injurious insects, and the cheerfulness of his song.
BLUE-BIRD. 449
Confident in this protection, he shows but little alarm for
his undisturbed tenement; while, in the remote orchard,
expecting no visitor but an enemy, in company with his
anxious mate, he bewails the approach of the intruder, and
flying round his head and hands, appears, by his actions,
to call down all danger upon himself rather than suffer
any injury to arrive to his helpless brood.
Towards autumn, in the month of October, his cheerful
song nearly ceases, or is now changed into a single plain-
tive note of tshdy-iuit, while he passes with his flitting
companions over the fading woods ; and as his song first
brought the welcome intelligence of spring, so now his mel-
ancholy plaint presages, but too truly, the silent and
mournful decay of nature. Even when the leaves have fal-
len, and the forest no longer affords a shelter from the
blast, the faithful Blue-Bird still lingers over his native
fields, and only takes his departure in November, when, at
a considerable elevation, in the early twilight of the morn-
ing, till the opening of the day, they wing their way in
small roving troops to some milder regions in the South.
But yet, after this period, in the Middle States, with every
return of moderate weather, we hear his sad note in the
fields, or in the air, as if deploring the ravages of winter ;
and so frequent are his visits, that he may be said to
follow fair weather through all his wanderings till the
permanent return of spring.
The Blue-Bird is about 7^ inches long. The wings remarkably full
and broad. Above a rich sky-blue. Inner vanes of the quills and their
shafls dusky, the outer blue. Beneath ferruginous ; belly and vent
white. Bill and legs black. Inside of the mouth and soles of the
feet yellow; the claws very sharp. Iris golden. — The female is of
much duller colors both above and beneath ; the whole back and
head, except the wings, is almost of a lead-color, with faint tints
only of blue. — From an accidental injury to the upper mandible, 1
have seen a specimen in which the bill was much lengthened and
nearly crossed as in the Loxia.
38*
450 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS,
Genus. — ANTHUS. (Larks of Lin.)
In these birds the bill is straight, slender, cylindric, and subulate
towards the point, with the edges somewhat inflected towards the
middle, and at the base destitute of bristles; the base of the upper
mandible carinated, with the point slightly notched and declining.
Nostrils basal, lateral, half closed by a membrane. Feet slender;
tarsus longer than the middle toe ; inner toe free ; hind toe shortest
with the nail almost always long, and somewhat straight. — Wings
moderate, no spurious feather; 1st, 2d, and 3d primaries longest;
secondaries notched at tip ; 2 of the scapulars nearly equal to the
longest primaries. Tail rather long and emarginate.
The female and young are usually much like the adult male,
who assumes somewhat more brilliant colors only during a few
days of the breeding season. The moult is annual. — These birds
have many of the habits of the Wagtails and also of the Larks ; they
sing when rising on the wing in the same manner as the latter.
They live habitually on the ground in open places, in fields, and
along the gravelly borders of streams and other bodies of water ;
while thus employed in collecting their sole insect food, they keep
their tails vertically moving like the Motacillas ; they also nest on
the ground, and most of the species never alight on trees. The spe-
cies, though few, are spread over the whole globe. ^'
BROWN OR RED LARK.
{Anihus spinoletta, Bonap. A. aquaticus, Audubon, pi. 10. Orn.
Biog. i p. 49. Mauda rufa, Wilson, v. p. 89. pi. 42. fig. 4.
[young.] Phil. Museum, No. 5138.)
Sp. Charact. — Beneath and line over the eye white ; breast and
flanks spotted with blackish ; tail-feathers nearly black, the outer
one half white, upon the 2d and often upon the .3d, a conic white
spot ; hind nail long and curved. — Female more spotted below.
— Young dark-brown inclining to olive, with blackish-brown
spots ; line over the eye and beneath pale yellowish rufous, the
breast strongly spotted. — The old male, for a short time in the
breeding season, is below of a pale rufous rose-color.
This is a winter bird of passage in most parts of the
United States, arriving in loose, scattered flocks from the
North, in the Middle and Eastern States, about the sec-
BROWN OR RED LARK. 451
end week in October. According to its well known hab-
its, it frequents open flats, commons, and ploughed fields,
like a Lark, running rapidly along the ground, and tak-
ing by surprise its insect prey of flies, midges, and other
kinds. They also frequent the river shores, particularly
where gravelly, in quest of minute shell-fish, as well as
aquatic insects and their larvae. At this time they utter
only a feeble note or call, like tiveet tweet, with the final
tone often plaintively prolonged, and, when in flocks,
wheel about and fly pretty high, and to a considerable
distance before they alight. Sometimes families of these
birds continue all winter in the Middle States, if the sea-
son prove moderate. In the Southern States, particu-
larly North and South Carolina, they appear in great
flocks in the depth of winter. On the shores of the San-
tee, in January, I observed them gleaning their food
familiarly amidst the Vultures, drawn by the rubbish of
the city conveyed to this quarter. They likewise fre-
quent the corn-fields and rice-grounds for the same
purpose. They also migrate to the Bermudas islands,
Cuba, and Jamaica, and penetrate in the course of the
winter even to Mexico, Guiana, and Brazil. They are
again seen on their return to the North, in Pennsylvania,
about the beginning of May or earlier. It is also curi-
ous to remark, that nearly all the individuals which thus
flock to the South to pass the winter are young birds, as
it does not appear that any naturalist in the United
States is yet acquainted with the ivhite-hxe^isied or adult
bird. So strong is the predilection of this species for
rocky coasts, that in Holland they are known only to fre-
quent the artificial break-waters which are made of large
stones.
The Red Lark (or Pepit, from its querulous note,)
makes its nest in mountainous countries, even upon the
452 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.
sterile plains of those which are most elevated, as the
Pyrenees and others ; more rarely in salt marshes, or
in tufts of grass on shelving rocks near the sea. This
fabric is made, in the fissures of cliffs, of dry grass, and a
little moss, lined with finer blades of the former and a
few long hairs. The eggs are 4 or 5, of a sullied white,
covered with small brown spots, collected chiefly towards
the larger end. The younger birds, or Dusky Lark,
breed on the sea-coast of the South of England.
This species is about 7 inches long. Legs chesnut. Lower man-
dible straight and livid, the upper blackish. Eye hazel. Above (in
the adult) greyish-brown, with a darker shade in the centre of each
feather. Small coverts of the wings bordered and edged with grey-
ish-white. Spots of the breast, pale greyish-brown. In the young
the spots below are dark and conspicuous, and the 2 bands on the
wings are of a greyish-brown ; upon the 1st and 2d primaries there
is also a large spot of Avhite.
ORDER FOURTH.
GRANIVOROUS or PASSERINE BIRDS.
In these the bill is strong, short, thick, more or less
conic, and advancing back upon the forehead ; the ridge
of the upper mandible is usually samewhat flattened, and
both portions of the bill are generally without the toothed
notch. The feet are arranged with three of the toes for-
ward and one backward, and the anterior digits are
divided. The wings are of moderate dimensions.
The general habits of this numerous order of birds
are to live in pairs, until by instinct they assemble to-
gether and migrate in numerous troops. According to
the climates they happen to inhabit, they are either seden-
tary, or birds of passage. The greater number migrate
periodically, or sometimes only accidentally from coun-
tries unequally subjected to the influence of frost. Their
nourishment consists principally of grain and seeds, from
which they usually shell the husk. Insects principally
constitute their food during the time they are engaged
in raising their progeny, and their young are fed wholly
on this kind of diet ; all of them, when adult, may be
nourished with seeds in a state of captivity. Among all
the feathered race, after the Pigeons and Gallinaceous
birds, these associate the most freely with man, and are
very susceptible of being trained to a domestic state. —
454 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
In a few of the European species the moult is double,
but the greater number of kinds, inhabiting other coun-
tries, usually undergo this double change. The males,
among some of the species, put on extraordinary nuptial
ornaments, while others, on this occasion, are docorated
with a brilliant-colored plumage ; all of them, however,
in the winter season, assume the humble garb of the
female. These remarkable changes take place chiefly
among those species which inhabit the warmer countries,
as but few of the species ?n the United States, any more
than in Europe, undergo this external transformation.
Many of them are distinguished for the melody of their
song ; and some for their extraordinary docility in edu-
cation.
LARKS. (Alauda, Lin.)
In these the bill is straight, rather short, and in the form almost
of an extended cone ; the upper mandible convex and entire, slightly
curved, and nearly of equal length with the lower. Nostrils at the
base of the bill, oval, and covered by the advancing feathers of the
forehead. Tongue bifid. Feet, toes free, hind nail nearly straight,
and generally longer than the toe. — Wings of moderate extent, the
spurious feather very short or wanting ; the 2d and 3d primaries
longest, the first scarcely shorter ; secondaries emarginated ; two of
the scapulars nearly as long as the primaries. The tail is usually
forked. Feathers of the head more or less elongated and capable of
erection. — Female and young scarcely different from the adult male.
These birds live in flocks or families, dwelling on the ground, on
which they form their nests ; they have also the habit of dusting
themselves by fluttering on the earth ; they feed on seeds, and
rarely on insects ; fly well, run with rapidity, and sing briskly as
they rise almost perpendicularly into the air. The moult is annual.
Their flesh is esteemed ; and the species are spread almost over the
whole globe.
SHORE LARK. 455
SHORE LARK.
{Alauda alpestris, Lin. Wilson, i. p. 85. pi. 5. fig. 4. [female]. Phil.
Museum, No. 5190.)
Sp. Charact. — Reddish-grey, inclining to brown; beneath, except
the sides, whitish; throat and stripe over the eye pale-yellow;
a broad patch on the breast, and another under and through each
eye, with the lateral tail-feathers black ; the two outer exteriorly
white. — Female with the front yellowish, and with black and
brown on the top of the .head, the black collar on the throat small-
er, and the tail terminated by a narrow whitish band.
This beautiful species is common to the north of both
the old and new continent, but, as in some other instan-
ces already remarked, the Shore Lark extends its migra-
tions much further over America than over Europe and
Asia. Our bird was met with in the Arctic regions by
the late adventurous voyagers, and Mr. Bullock saw
them in the winter around the city of Mexico, so that
in their migrations over this continent they spread them-
selves across the whole habitable Northern hemisphere to
the very equator ; while in Europe, according to the care-
ful observations of Temminck, they are unknown to the
south of Germany. Pallas met with these birds round
Lake Baikal and on the Wolga, in the 53d degree of lati-
tude. Westward they have also been seen in the inte-
rior of the United States, along the shores of the Mis-
souri.
As yet the nest of this wandering species is unknown
and must probably be sought only in the coldest and
most desolate of regions. They arrive in the Northern
and Middle States late in the fall or commencement of
winter, in New England they are seen early in October,
and disappear generally on the approach of the deep storms
of snow, though straggling parties are still found nearly
throughout the winter. In the other States to the South
456 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
they are more common at this season, and are particu-
larly numerous in South Carolina and Georgia, frequent-
ing open plains, old fields, common grounds, and the dry
shores and banks of bays and rivers, keeping constantly on
the ground, and roving about in families under the guid-
ance of the older birds, who, watching for any approaching
danger, give the alarm to the young in a plaintive call, very
similar to that which is uttered by the Sky-Lark in the
same circumstances. Inseparable in all their movements,
like the hen and her fostered chickens, they roost together
in a close ring or company, by the mere edge of some
sheltering weed or tuft of grass on the dry and gravelly
ground ; and, thickly and warmly clad, they abide the
frost and the storm with hardy indifference. They fly
rather high and loose, in scattered companies, and follow
no regular time of migration, but move onward only as
their present resources begin to fail. They are usually
fat, esteemed as food, and are frequently seen exposed for
sale in our markets. Their diet, as usual, consists of
various kinds of seeds which still remain on the grass
and weeds they frequent, and they also swallow a con-
siderable portion of gravel to assist their digestion. They
also collect the eggs and dormant larvae of insects when
they fall in their way. About the middle of March they
retire to the North, and are seen about the beginning of
May round Hudson's Bay, after which they are no more
observed till the return of autumn. They are said to
sing well ; rising into the air and warbling as they as-
cend, in the manner of the Sky-Lark of Europe.
The length of the Shore Lark is something more than 7 inches,
and the alar extent about 12. A broad fan-shaped portion of black on
the breast, in which as well as in the black spot beneath the eye, the
feathers are slenderly edged with pale yellow ; back of the neck and
towards the shoulders greyish-brown, tinged with obscure rose-red.
Lesser coverts of the wings bright cinnamon ) greater wing-coverts
BUNTINGS. 457
the same, interiorly dusky and tipt with whitish ; back and wings
rufous-grey, the feathers each with a dusky centre ; primaries dusky,
tipt and edged with whitish ; secondaries broadly edged with pale
drab, and widely notched at the tips. Tail black and forked, the two
middle feathers reddish-grey centered with dusky, the tivo outer
with the exterior webs white ; breast with a dusky vinous tinge and
marked with very faint greyish spots. Sides streaked with pale red-
dish-grey. Belly and vent white. Bill dusky. Tongue truncate
and bifid. Legs and claws black. Hind-heel very long and almost
straight. Iris hazel. — Above the eye-brow on either side of the head
there is a tuft of long black feathers which the bird has, at will, the
power of erecting like the horns of the owl.
BUNTINGS. (Ejiberiza, Lin.)
lu these the Bill is short, robust, conic, somewhat compressed
and without notch ; the margins contracted inward, a little angular
near the base ; the upper mandible rounded above, acute, smaller
and narrower than the lower ; the palate with a longitudinal bony
tubercle : the lower mandible rounded beneath and very acute. Nos-
trils basal, small, partly covered by the feathers of the forehead.
Tarsus about equal to the middle toe ; the lateral toes equal; outer
united at base to the middle one. Wings, first primary almost equal
to the 2d and 3d which are longest. Tail even or emarginate.
The female diff'ers from the male. The young xes,en\h\Q the female,
but are darker and more deeply spotted. The European and North
American species moult annually. They live in pairs, or move in
small families, and feed on farinaceous seeds, and sometimes on in-
sects, which they kill previous to swallowing. They build amidst
low bushes and grass ; are somewhat musical, and breed several
times a year ; the eggs being 4 to 6, They extend themselves widely
in temperate climates.
39
458 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
SNOW-BUNTING.
(Emberiza nivalis, Lin. Wilson, iii. p. 36. pi. 21. fig. 2. [female in
winter dress]. Phil. Museum, No. 5900.)
Sp. Charact. — Quills white on the lower part, black upwards; tail
black, the 3 lateral feathers white, tipt with blackish ; hind nail
rather short and curved. — Male in full dress, with the head,
neck, and beneath white. — In the female, young, a.nd male in
winter dress, the white parts are tinged with rufous.
This messenger of cold and stormy weather chiefly
inhabits the higher regions of the arctic circle, from
whence, as the severity of the winter threatens, they
migrate, indifferently over Europe, Eastern Asia, and
the United States. On their way to the South, they
appear round Hudson's Bay in September, and stay till
the frosts of November again oblige them to seek out
warmer quarters. Early in December, they make their
descent into the Northern States in whirling roving
flocks, either immediately before, or soon after, an inun-
dating fall of snow. Amidst the drifts, and as they ac-
cumulate with the blast, flocks of these illwars fogel, or
bad-weather birds of the Swedes, like the spirits of the
storm, are to be seen flitting about in restless and hungry
troops, at times resting on the wooden fences, though
but for an instant, as, like the congenial Tartar hordes
of their natal regions, they appear now to have no other
object in view, but an escape from famine, and to carry
on a general system of forage while they happen to stay
in the vicinity. At times, pressed by hunger, they alight
near the door of the cottage, and approach the barn, or
even venture into the out-houses in quest of dormant
insects, seeds, or crumbs wherewith to allay their hun-
ger ; they are still, however, generally plump and fat,
and in some countries much esteemed for the table. In
fine weather they appear less restless, somewhat more
SNOW-BUNTING. 459
familiar, and occasionally, even at this season, they
chant out a few unconnected notes as they survey the
happier face of nature. At the period of incubation they
are said to sing agreeably, but appear to seek out the
most desolate regions of the cheerless north in which to
waste the sweetness of their melody, unheard by any ear
but that of their mates. In the dreary wastes of Green-
land, the naked Lapland Alps, and the scarcely habita-
ble Spitzbergen, bound with eternal ice, they pass the
season of reproduction, seeking out the fissures of rocks
on the mountains in which to fix their nests, about the
month of May or June. The exterior of this fabric is
made of dry grass, with feathers, and the lining is usu-
ally obtained from the scattered down of the Arctic Fox.
The eggs are said to be 5, obtuse, whitish, marked with
numerous spots of brown and grey. A few are known
to breed in the alpine declivities of the White Mountains
of New Hampshire. The nest is here fixed on the ground
in the shelter of low bushes, and formed nearly of the
same materials as that of the Common Song-Sparrow.*
In Europe these birds sometimes migrate in winter in
such numbers into Sweden, Siberia, Russia, and the
Scottish Highlands, as nearly to cover the country for a
great extent. They are less numerous in Britain, and
chiefly remain in the North ; they also visit Germany,
Holland, France, and some parts of Italy. At times
they proceed as far south in the United States as the
state of Maryland. They are here generally known by
the name of the White Snow-bird, to distinguish them
from the more common dark-bluish Sparrow, so called.
They vary in their color, acccording to age and season,
* For this interesting information, I am indebted to Wright Boott, Esq. who acci-
dentally found a nest of this species, about the middle of July (1831), then containing
young.
460 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
and have always a great predominance of white in their
plumage.
The Snow-Buntings are seen in spring to assemble
in Norway and its islands in great numbers ; and, after a
stay of about three weeks, they disappear for the season,
and migrate across the arctic ocean to the farthest known
land. On their return in winter to the Scottish High-
lands their flights are said to be immense, mingling, by
an aggregating close flight, almost into the form of a ball,
so as to present a very fatal and successful mark for
the fowler. They arrive lean, but soon become fat ; in
Austria they are caught in snares or traps, and, when
fed with millet, become equal to the Ortolan in value
and flavor. When caged, they show a very wakeful dis-
position, instantly hopping about in the night when a light
is produced. Indulgence in this constant train of action,
and perpetual watchfulness, may perhaps have its influ-
ence on this species, in the selection of their breeding
places within the arctic regions, where, for months, they
continue to enjoy a perpetual day.
The food of these birds consists of various kinds of
seeds, and the larvse of insects and minute shell-fish ; the
seeds of aquatic plants are also sometimes sought by them,
and I have found in their stomachs those of the Riippia,
species of Polygonum, and gravel. In a state of confine-
ment they shell and eat oats, millet, hemp-seed, and
green peas, which they split. They rarely perch, and,
like Larks, live much on the ground.
The Snow-Bunting is about 7^ inches in length. The old male in
summer dress has the head, neck, and all the lower parts, as well as
the lesser wing-coverts, and the inferior half of the quills of a pure
white. Upper part of the back, the 3 secondary feathers of the
wings nearest to the body, the bastard wing, and the upper half
of the quills, black. The 3 lateral feathers of the tail white, with
black marks towards their ends, the 4th white on the upper part of
SNOW-BUNTING. 461
the outer vane ; the other tail-feathers black. Bill yellow, blackish
towards the point. Feet and claws black. Iris deep brown. — In
the/<?ma/e all the white of the head, neck, and the region of the ears,
shaded with chesnut-brown inclining to tawny ; a sort of half collar
on the breast of the same color. The black feathers of the back and the
secondaries nearest to the body are all terminated with rufous-white ;
the quills and middle tail-feathers are edged and terminated with
whitish ; the rest of the plumage is as in the male.
Winter plumage ; the adult male in autumn is clad in the livery of
the female. All the black feathers of the back, the wings, and the
tail, have then a wide border of ferruginous-grey ; the head, neck,
temples, and the breast are stained with light rusty; upon the rump
and tail-coverts are spread some touches of brown and rulous. The
greater part of the rufous and reddish-cinereous tints at length dis-
appear by the action of the air, and by the wearing of the ends of the
feathers, so that the male by spring appears such as he is described
above.
The young of the year, such as they appear when emigrating in
autumn, have the crown the color of cinnamon, the auriculars, throat,
and wide collar on the breast of a deep rufous, the flanks the same
but paler ; the eyebrows and fore part of the neck of a whitish cine-
reous ; back of the neck greyish-rufous ; the black feathers above
are deeply bordered with dark-rufous ; only the middle of the wing
and its lower parts of a pure white ; the quills and middle tail-feath-
ers bordered with pale rufous ; the three lateral tail-feathers have
each a large black spot. The bill yellowish. — It varies some-
times to pure white, yellowish white, or with the plumage irreg-
ularly marked with brown and black.
BLACK-THROATED BUNTING.
( Emberiza americanajWiLso^!! ,i. p. 54. pi. 3. fig. 2. [male]. Fringilla
americana, Bonap. Phil. Museum, No. 5952.)
Sp. Charact. — The breast, line over the eye, and at the lower an-
gle of the bill, yellow ; chin white ; throat with a black patch ;
above, chiefly dull ferruginous varied with blackish. — Female
with little or no black on the breast, nor yellow over the eye.
These birds arrive in Pennsylvania and New England,
from the South, about the middle of May, and abound in
the vicinity of Philadelphia where they seem to prefer
39*
462 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
level fields, building their nests on the ground, chiefly
of fine withered grass. The eggs are 5 and white, with
specks and lines of dark brown or blackish. They also
inhabit the prairies of Missouri, the state of New York,
the remote northern regions of Hudson's Bay, and are
not uncommon in this part of New England, dwelling
here, however, almost exclusively in the high, fresh mead-
ows near the salt marshes. Their song, simple and mo-
notonous, according to Wilson, consists only of five notes,
or rather two ; the first being repeated twice and slowly,
the second thrice and rapidly, resembling islisp tship, tshe
tslic tsJie* ; with us their call is 'fie 'tic — tshe tshe tshe
tshlp, and tship tship, tshe tshe tshe tship. From their ar-
rival nearly to their departure, or for two or three months,
this note is perpetually heard from every level field of grain
or grass ; both sexes also often mount to the top of some
low tree of the orchard or meadow, and there continue to
cherup forth in unison their simple ditty for an hour at
a time. While thus engaged, they may be nearly ap-
proached without exhibiting any appearance of alarm or
suspicion, and though the species appears to be numer-
ous, they live in harmony, and rarely display any hos-
tility to the birds around them or amongst each other.
In August they become mute, and about the beginning
of September depart for the South, wintering probably
in some part of Mexico, as they are not seen in the
Southern States at any period of the winter. Their food
consists of seeds, eggs of insects, and gravel, and in the
early part of summer, they subsist much upon caterpillars
and small coleopterous insects ; they are, also, one among
the many usual destroyers of the ruinous canker-worm.
This species is about 6 inches in length. The upper part of the
head is of a dusky greenish-yellow ; the neck dark ash ; inside
* This note, I believe, more properly belongs to the Grass Finch.
LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 463
shoulders of the wing yellow. Wings dusky-brown, edged with
paler ; lesser coverts and whole shoulder of the wing bright bay.
Belly and vent dull white. Bill bluish, dusky above. Legs and
feet light brown. Iris hazel.
Subgenus. — Plectrophanes. Bonap.
In these the hind nail is long and sometimes almost straight. The
tubercle of the palate, not very conspicuous. First and second pri-
maries longest. — Though they moult only annually, the plumage
assumes a difference from age and exposure, as the tips of the feath-
ers wear away. — They live in open countries, plains, and mountains,
in desert regions, and never seek the shelter of the thicket or the
forest ; they likewise, in common with Larks, which they resemble
in habits, and the length of the hind nail, run with rapidity.
LAPLAND LONGSPUR.
(Emberiza lapponica, Nilsson. Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 1. pi. 13.
fig. 1. [male.] fig. 2. [young female.]
Sp. Charact. — Quills black ; 2 outer tail-feathers brownish-black,
with a white spot at tip ; hind nail very long, straight. — Adult
male, head and breast black ; beneath white ; neck above bright
rufous. — Male in winter, /emaZe and young, blackish skirted with
rufous, beneath white.
This species generally inhabits the desolate arctic re-
gions of both continents. In the United States a few
stragglers from the greater body show themselves in win-
ter in the remote and unsettled parts of Maine, Michigan,
and the North-Western Territory. Large flocks also at
times enter the Union, and contrary to their usual prac-
tice of resting and living wholly on the ground, occa-
sionally alight on trees. In Europe, at the commence-
ment of the inclement season, they penetrate into Ger-
many, France, England and Switzerland, but in all these
countries the old birds are never seen. Flocks like
clouds descend sometimes into the north and middle of
Germany in the fall and winter, and rarely in the spring.
464 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
They leave the colder arctic deserts, in the autumn, and
are found around Hudson's Bay in winter, not mak-
ing their appearance there before November. Near Sev-
ern river they haunt the cedar trees, upon whose berries
they now principally feed. They live in large flocks, and
are so gregarious that when separated from their own
species, or in small parties, they usually, in Europe, as-
sociate with the common Larks, or, in America, they
join the roving bands of Snow-Birds. They feed princi-
pally on seeds, and also on grass, leaves, buds, and in-
sects. They breed on small hillocks in open marshy
fields, and the nest is loosely constructed of moss and
grass, and lined with a few feathers. The eggs are 5 or
6, yellowish rusty, somewhat clouded with brown. The
Longspur, like the Lark, sings only as it rises in the air,
in which, suspended aloft, it utters a few agreeable and
melodious notes.
The male of this species is about 7 inches long ; and 12 in alar ex-
tent. Bill yellow, dark at the point. Iris hazel, and the feet dusky.
The fore part of the neck, throat, and breast are black, the hind-head
bright reddish-rusty ; a white line runs from the base of the bill to
the eye, behind which it widens and descends on the sides of the neck
somewhat round the breast. Belly and vent white. Back and scap-
ulars brownish-black, the feathers skirted with rusty ; smaller wing-
coverts blackish, margined with white, the greater coverts edged
with rufous and tipped with white, forming 2 white bands across the
wings. Tail 2^ inches, rather forked, and blackish, the outer feath-
er on each side with a white spot. Hind nail nearly an inch long. —
Female a little smaller, with the top of the head, shoulders, back, and
wing-coverts brownish black, edged with rusty ; sides of the head
blackish and rusty. Line over the eye tinged with rusty ; throat
white, encircled with brown j the rest, below, white. — The dress
of the young and autumnal birds vary more or less.
TANAGRAS. 465
TANAGRAS.
In these the Bill is short, robust, hard, in the form of a flattened
cone and somewhat depressed at the base ; the upper mandible
bluntly keeled, curved and notched near the tip, longer, wider, and
projecting over the lower } the inferior mandible inflected at the
edges. Nostrils basal, rounded, open, partly covered by the feath-
ers of the frontlet. Tongue short, sharp, and cleft at tip. Tarsus
rather longer than the middle toe ; inner toe united at base to the
middle one ; hind toe-nail largest. — Wings of moderate dimensions ',
tlie 3 first primaries nearly of equal length and longest. —The female
and young diff'er much from the male in complete plumage, which is
subject to great changes according to the season. The moult is half-
yearly, and the general colors of the species peculiarly brilliant.
These are active, but not very cautious birds, leading a solitary
life, or roving about only in families, and frequenting shady and
recluse woods. They are sudden and capricious in their movements,
seldom alighting on the ground, flying briskly, and progressing by
hops. Their voice is sometimes rather musical, though not gener-
ally agreable. They build in trees ; feed indifferently on seeds,
berries, and insects, which last they seize on ihe wing, or collect in-
dustriously from the branches of trees. — They are peculiar to Amer-
ca, and chiefly tropical.
Subgenus. — Pyranga.
The upper mandible with an obtuse tooth on either side near
the middle.
SCARLET TANAGER or BLACK-WINGED SUM-
MER RED-BIRD.
{Tanagra rubra, Lin. Wilson, ii. p. 42. pi. 11. fig. 3. [male] and
fig. 4. [female]. Phil. Museum, No. 6128.)
Sp. Charact. — Scarlet-red; wings and emarginate tail black ; the
base of the plumage ash, then white. — Female, young, and au-
tumnal 'male, dull green, in the latter inclining to yellow ; beneath
yellow ; wings and tail dusky.
This splendid and transient resident, accompanying
fine weather in all his wanderings, arrives from his win-
466 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
ter station in tropical America, from the beginning to
the middle of May, and extends his migrations probably
to Nova Scotia as well as Canada. With the shy, unso-
cial and suspicious habits of his gaudy fraternity, he
takes up his abode in the deepest recess of the forest,
where timidly flitting from observation, he darts from tree
to tree like a flashing meteor. A gaudy sylph, conscious
of his brilliance, and the exposure to which it subjects
him, he seems to avoid remark, and is only solicitous to
be known to his humble mate, and hid from all beside.
He therefore rarely approaches the habitations of men,
unless perhaps the skirts of the orchard, where he some-
times however, builds his nest, and takes a taste of the
early and inviting, though forbidden cherries.
Among the thick foliage of the tree in which he seeks
support and shelter, from the lofty branches, at times, we
hear his almost monotonous tsliip ivitee, tsMp-'idee, or
tsliuhadee, tsliukadee repeated at short intervals, and in a
pensive under-tone, heightened by the solitude in which
he delights to dwell. The same note is also uttered, by
the female, when the retreat of herself and young is ap-
proached ; and the male occasionally utters in recogni-
tion to his mate, as they perambulate the branches, alow
whispering ^tait in a tone of caution and tenderness. But,
besides these calls on the female, he has also during the
period of incubation, and for a considerable time after, a
more musical strain, resembling somewhat in the mellow-
ness of its tones the song of the fifing Baltimore. The syl-
lables to which I have barkened, appear like 'tshoove
'wait'tvait, 'vehoivit wait, and 'loait, 'vehowif vea ivait, with
other additions of harmony for which no words are ade-
quate. This pleasing and highly musical meandering
ditty is delivered for hours, in a contemplative mood, in
the same tree with his busy consort. If surprised, they flit
SCARLET TANAGER. 467
together, but soon return to their favorite station in the
spreading boughs of the shady oak or hickory. This
song has some resemblance to that of the Red-eyed Vi-
reo in its compass and strain, though much superior, the
^wait wait being whistled very sweetly in several tones,
and with emphasis, so that, upon the whole, our Pyrari'
ga may be considered as duly entitled to various excel-
lence, being harmless to the farmer, brilliant in plumage,
and harmonious in voice.
The nest of this beautiful bird is built about the mid-
dle of May, on the horizontal branch of a shady forest
tree, commonly an oak, though sometimes in a tree in
the orchard. It is but slightly put together, and usually
composed of broken rigid stalks of dry weeds, or slender
fir twigs, loosely interlaced together, and partly tied with
narrow strips of Indian hemp {Apocynum), some slender
grass leaves, and pea-vine runners (Amp hi car pa), or oth-
er frail materials ; the interior is sometimes lined with the
slender, wiry, brown stalks of the Canadian cistus [Heli'
anthemiwi) ; or with slender pine leaves ; and the whole
of the substances is so thinly platted, as readily to ad-
mit the light through their interstices, thus forming a
very clean and airy bed for the brood, well suited for the
mildness and warmth of the season in which they are
produced. The eggs, 3 or 4, are of a dull blue, spotted
with two or three shades of brown or purple most numer-
ous towards the larger end. They only sojourn long
enough to rear their single brood, which are here fledged
early in July, leaving us already for the South about the
middle or close of August, or as soon as the young are
well able to endure the fatigue of an extensive migration
in company with their parents. The female shows great
solicitude for the safety of her only brood, and on an ap-
proach to the nest appears to be in great distress and
468 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
apprehension. When they are released from her more
immediate protection, the male, at first cautious and dis-
tant, now attends and feeds them with activity, being
altooether indifferent to that concealment which his
gaudy dress seems to require, from his natural enemies.
So attached to his now interesting brood is the Scarlet
Tanager, that he has been known, at all hazards, to fol-
low for half a mile one of his young, submitting to feed
it attentively through the bars of a cage, and, with a
devotion which despair could not damp, roost by it in
the branches of the same tree with its prison ; so strong,
indeed, is this innate and heroic feeling, that life itself
is less cherished than the desire of aiding and supporting
his endearing progeny.
The food of the Scarlet Tanager, while with us, con-
sists chiefly of winged insects, wasps, hornets, and wild
bees, as well as smaller kinds of beetles and other shelly
tribes ; they probably also sometimes feed on seeds, and
are particularly partial to whortleberries, and other kinds
which the season affords.
About the commencement of August the male begins to
moult, and then exchanges his nuptial scarlet for the
greenish yellow livery of the female. At this period they
leave us, and having passed the winter in the celibacy
indicated by this humble garb, they arrive again among
us on its vernal renewal, and so soon after this change,
that individuals are at this time occasionally seen with
the speckled livery of early autumn, or with a confused
mixture of green and scarlet feathers in scattered patches.
The length of this species is about 6^ inches ; and 10.^ in alar di-
mensions. The plumage of the male is of a brilliant scarlet, except
the wings and tail, which are black. The tail is forked, and some-
times minutely tipt with white ; the inner edges of the quills are also
nearly white. Bill yellowish horn-color. Legs and feet bluish-grey.
Iris cream-color. — The female is more green above than the autum-
nal male.
SUMMER RED-BIRD. 469
SUMMER RED-BIRD.
{Tanagra astiva, Gm. Wilson, i, p. 95. pi. "6. fig. 3. [male],%and
fig. 4. [female]. Audubon, pi. 44. Orn. Biog. i. p. 232. Phil.
Museum, No. 6134.)
Sp. Charact. — Vermilion-red; inner vanes and tips of the quills
tinged with brown ; the tail even. — Female, young, and autum-
nal male, yellow-olive, below brownish-yellow; the moulting
young spotted with buff.
This brilliant and transient resident, like the former
species, passes the greatest part of the year in tropical
America, from whence in his gaudy nuptial suit, prepar-
ed by nature for the occasion, he presents himself with his
humble mate in the Southern States in the latter end of
April or by the first of May. In Pennsylvania they are
but rarely seen, though in the warm and sandy barren
forests of New Jersey several pairs may usually be ob-
served in the course of every season ; farther north they
are unknown, ceding those regions apparently to the
scarlet species. They are not confined to any particular
soil, though often met with in bushy, barren tracts, and
are consequently common even to the west of the Missis-
sippi in Louisiana and the territory of Arkansas, as well
as Mexico ; they also breed near the banks of that river
around Natchez.
The nest is built in the woods on the low horizontal
branch of a tree, often in an evergreen 10 or 12 feet from
the ground ; like that of the former, it is slightly put to-
gether, and made of broken, tough, and fibrous weeds,
and lined with fine grass. The eggs are from 3 to 5,
and of a light blue color, according to Wilson. Both
parents assist in incubation, and the young are fledged
by the middle or latter end of June. They only raise a
single brood in the season ; and towards the middle or
close of August, the whole party disappear on their way
40
470 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
to the South ; though the young remain later than the
old and more restless birds.
The note of the male, like that of the Baltimore Bird,
is said to be a strong and sonorous whistle, resembling
the trill or musical shake on the fife, and is frequently
repeated. The note of the female is more of a chatter-
ing, and appears almost like the rapid pronunciation of
tsliicky-tukhy-tuk, tshicky-tuhky-tuk, and is chiefly ut-
tered in alarm when any person approaches the vicinity
of her nest. From the similarity of her color to the foliage
of the trees, she is, however, rarely seen, and usually
mute ; while the loquacity and brilliance of the male ren-
der him, as he flits timidly and wildly through the branch-
es, a most distinguished and beautiful object.
The food of the Summer Red-Bird is very similar to that
of the preceding species ; bugs, beetles, and stinging bees
make part of his repast, as well as flies and cynips of vari-
ous kinds, after which they often dart about until hindered
by the approach of night. This habit, however, is prob-
ably necessary from the almost nocturnal manners of
some of these insect tribes. After the period of incuba-
tion, and until their departure, whortleberries and other
kinds of berries form no inconsiderable part of their food.
The male of this species is 7^ inches, the alar extent about 12. He
is of a rich vermilion color, most brilliant below, except the inner
vanes and tips of the wings, which are tinged with brown. The legs
and feet are pale greyish-blue, inclining to purple. The iris light
hazel. — The Female is above of a brownish yellow-olive, below
brownish-yellow.
LOUISIANA TANAGER. 47'1
LOUISIANA TANAGER.
{Tanagra ludoviciana, Wilson, iii. p. 27. pi. 20. fig. 1. Phil. Mu-
seum, No. 6236.)
Sp. Charact. — Yellow; anterior part of the head orange- scarlet ;
back, wings, and tail black ; wings with 2 yellow bands.
This species was first made known by the exploring
party of Lewis and Clark. It is a frequent inhabitant of
the extensive prairies or grassy plains of Upper Missouri,
and is seen occasionally as low as the cantonment of
Major Long, or but a little beyond the line of settlements.
They are continually flitting over these vast downs, oc-
casionally alighting upon the stems of tall weeds, or the
bushes which border only the streams, and in which, as
well as in the grass, they build their nests. From their
almost terrestrial habits, it is evident they must derive
their food chiefly from the insects they find near, or on
the ground, as well as from the seeds of the herbage in
which they principally dwell ; they also probably feed
on the grasshoppers with which these plains abound ;
and are upon the whole a common and numerous species
west of the Mississippi, remaining in that country near-
ly until the approach of October. For amusement, they
are frequently shot with bow and arrows by the Indian
boys, in defect of more important game. Though I have
seen many of these birds throughout the season, I have
no recollection of hearing them utter any modulated or
musical sounds ; and they appeared to me like Sparrows,
shj, flitting, and almost silent.
The length of this bird is about 6^ inches. Bill yellowish horn-
color. Legs greyish-blue. Tail slightly forked, and edged with dull
whitish. — The female or yourighiid had the wings and back brown-
ish.
472 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
FINCHES. (Fringilla, Lin.)
In these birds the bill is short, robust, conic on all sides, and
generally without notch ;. upper mandible wider than the lower,
somewhat turgid, and a little inclined at tip ; without keel, depress-
ed at the upper part, and often prolonged into an angle entering the
feathers of the forehead. Nostuils basal, round, covered by the
feathers of the frontlet. Tojvgue thick, acute, compressed, and bifid
at tip. Feet, tarsus shorter than the middle toe ; toes disconnected
to the base ; hind nail largest. — Wings short ; 1st and 2d primaries
but little shorter than the 3d or 4th, which is longest.
The male differs from the female principally in the breeding sea-
son. The young in the 2d season resemble the adult ; and the Eu-
ropean and North American species generally moult only once in
the year ; those of warmer climates usually undergo a double
moult.
These birds live on all sorts of seeds and grain, which they shell
before swallowing ; at times they also add insects to their fare ; they
inhabit all parts of the world, and are particularly numerous in the
warmer regions ; they are prolific, raising several broods in the sea-
son, and display often considerable art in the fabrication of their nests,
which are usually built in trees and bushes. They flock together in
considerable numbers, and migrate in bands; live in woods and
thickets, and are familiar often in gardens and orchards ; many alight
also on the ground, in quest of their multifarious, but principally veg-
etable food. Of all the winged tribes, after Pigeons and Gallinace-
ous birds, these are the most easily accustomed to the domestic state,
and many are esteemed for the vigorous music of their song, which
is often a loud and fifing trill ; some of them have likewise been
taught to perform a variety of actions evincing an extraordinary de-
gree of docility.* The North American species are divided into 4
subgenera by Prince C. Bonaparte, which all, at the same time, pass
insensibly into each other.
§ I. With the palate rather prominent, and sometimes with the
rudiment of a tubercle.
* For an account of which see the Introduction, pp. 2], 22.
LAZULI FINCH. 473
Subgenus. — Spiza. [Bonap.)
With the edges of the lower mandible narrowed in.
t Species allied to Tanagra. With the bill somewhat curved.
LAZULI FINCH.
{Fringilla amcena, Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 61, pi. 6. fig. 5. Emberiza
aitioena, Say. Phil. Museum, No. 5919.)
Sp. Charact. — Verdigris-blue ; beneath white ; breast pale red-
dish ferruginous; wings with 2 white bars; the bill notched. —
Young SLud female ?
For the first notice of this beautiful bird we are in-
debted to Mr. Say, who met with it in Long's expedition.
It was observed, though rarely in the summer months,
along the banks of the Arkansas, near to the base of the
Rocky Mountains, frequenting the bushy valleys, keeping
much in the grass after its food, and but seldom alight-
ing on the trees or shrubs. It greatly resembles the In-
digo Bird ; yet its note is wholly different.
The length of this Finch is 5| inches. Head, neck, and rump,
bright verdigris-blue ; the back brownish-black, mixed with blue and
with touches of rusty-brown. Superior part of the breast pale ferru-
ginous, inclining to rose-red ; lower part of the breast, belly, and infe-
rior tail-coveits white ; quills blackish, obscurely margined with
blue externally ; under wing-coverts whitish with some mixture of
blue. Tail slightly notched, blackish, edged with blue on the outer
vanes, and with white on the inner webs at tip. The dress of the
female and young is unknown.
INDIGO BIRD.
(Fringilla cyanea, Wilson, i. p. 100. pi. 6. fig. 5. [male]. Bonap. ii.
pi. 11. fig. 3. [female]. Audubon, pi. 74. Orn. Biog. i. p. 277.
Phil. Museum, No. 6002.)
Sp. Charact. — Bright blue with a green reflection; wings and
tail dusky, the latter edged with blue. — Female brownish flaxen,
40*
474 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
beneath pale yellowish- white. — Young and autumnal male, as
the female, but more tinged with bluish.
This very beautiful and rather familiar messenger of
summer, after passing the winter in tropical America,
towards the 15th of May, decked in his brilliant azure
livery, of the nuptial season, again joyfully visits his natal
regions, in the Middle States ; and about a week or ten
days later his lively trill in the garden, orchard, or on
the top of the house, its chimney, or vane, is first heard
in this part of New England. Still later, accompanied by
his mate, he passes on to Nova Scotia, and probably to
the, precincts of Labrador. After raising and training
their only brood, in an uniform and more humble dress,
the whole family, in color like so many common Spar-
rows, begin to retire to the South from the first to the
middle of September. They are also known in Mexico,
where, as well as in the Southern States to the penin-
sula of Florida, they probably breed and pass the sum-
mer as with us. There is reason, however, to believe
that they are less abundant, if seen at all, to the west of
the Mississippi ; but yet they are met with in the Western
States up to the alluvial lands of that great natural boun-
dary.
Their food in the early part of the season, as well as
that of their young for a considerable time, is chiefly
insects, worms, and caterpillars, as well as grasshoppers,
of which they are particularly fond. They likewise eat
seeds of various kinds, and are readily reared in a cage
on the usual diet of the Canary.
Though naturally shy, active, and suspicious, particu-
larly the brilliant male, they still, at this interesting pe-
riod of procreation, resort chiefly to the precincts of hab-
itations, around which they are far more common than in
the solitary woods, seeking their borders, or the thickets
INDIGO BIRD. 475
by the sides of the road ; but their fayorite resort is the
garden, where, from the topmost bough of some tall tree,
which commands the whole wide landscape, the male
regularly pours out his lively chant, and continues it for
a considerable lenorth of time. Nor is this sons^ confined
to the cool and animating dawn of morning, but it is
renewed and still more vigorous during the noon-day
heat of summer. This lively strain seems composed of
a repetition of short notes, commencing loud and rapid,
and then, slowly falling, they descend almost to a whisp-
er, succeeded by a silent interval of about half a minute,
when the song is again continued as before. The most
common of these vocal expressions sounds like tshe tshe
tsJie — tshe tsliec tsliee — tshe tshe tshe. The middle sylla-
bles are uttered lispingly in a very peculiar manner, and
the three last gradually fall ; sometimes it is varied and
shortened into tshea tshca tshea tshrhh, the last sound
being sometimes doubled. This shorter song is usually
uttered at the time that the female is enoracred in the
cares of incubation, or as the brood already appear, and
when too great a display of his music might endanger
the retiring security of his family. From a young or
imperfectly moulted male, on the summit of a weeping
willow, I heard the following singularly lively syllables,
tie tie tie td lee, repeated at short intervals. While thus
prominently exposed to view, the little airy minstrel is
continually on the watch against any surprise, and if he be
steadily looked at or hearkened to with visible attention,
in the next instant he is off to seek out some securer ele-
vation. In the village of Cambridge, I have seen one of
these azure, almost celestial musicians, regularly chant
to the inmates of a tall dwelling-house from the summit of
the chimney, or the point of the forked lightning-rod. I
have also heard a Canary, within hearing, repeat and
476
GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
imitate the slowly lisping trill of the Indigo Bird, whose
warble indeed, often greatly resembles that of this species.
The female, before hatching her brood, is but seldom
seen, and is then scarcely distinguishable from a common
Sparrow ; nor is she ever to be observed beyond the hum-
ble bushes and weeds in which she commonly resides.
The nest of our bird is usually built in a low bush,
partly concealed by rank grass or grain ; I have also
seen one suspended in a complicated manner in a trel-
lised grape-vine in a garden ; and, being left undisturbed,
it built near the same spot the succeeding year. When
in a bush, the nest is suspended betwixt two twigs, pass-
ing up on either side. Externally it is composed of
coarse sedge-grass, some withered leaves, and lined with
fine stalks of the same, and the slender hair-like tops of the
bent-grass (Agrostis), with a very few cow-hairs, though
sometimes they make a substantial lining of hair. The
nest which I saw, in the vine, was composed outwardly
of coarse strips of bass-mat, weeds, and some strings
picked up in the garden, and lined with horse-hair and a
few tops of bent-grass. The eggs, about 5, are greenish
white, and without any spots. (Wilson speaks of a blotch
of purple at the great end.) The young here scarcely
leave the nest before the end of July, or the first week in
August ; and they raise probably but a single brood in
the season. They appear to show great timidity about
their nest, and often readily forsake it when touched, or
when an egg is abstracted. Their usual note of alarm,
when theaselves or their young are approached, is a
sharp ts ij, quickly and anxiously repeated, resembling
almost the striking of two pebbles. They will not forsake
their young, however ready they may be to relinquish
their eggs ; and they have been known to feed their brood
very faithfully through the bars of a cage in which they
were confined.
PAINTED BUNTING OR FINCH. 477
The length of this species is from 5^ to 6 inches, and 7 to 8 in
alar dimensions. Above, the body is of a bright sky-blue, deepening
on the head and throat to an ultramarine ; the rest of the blue, by
reflection in certain lights, appears of a luminous verdigris-green.
Wings and tail dusky, the former edged with bluish-grey, the latter
with blue ; the tail forked, beneath presenting a pale silvery reflec-
tion; coverts of the wings black, broadly edged and tipt with blue,
lesser coverts blue and black at the base, lining of the wing blue,
near the body grey, only tinged with that color. Upper mandible
black, the lower paler towards the point, (in young birds pale horn-
color.) Legs and feet dusky. — Female of a flaxen color tinged with
pale ferruginous, the wings and tail dusky-brown, the latter edged
with greyish-blue. Cheeks and below pale ferruginous- white, darker
at the sides; about the rump, lower part of the back, and upper wing-
coverts tinged with pale bluish-green; the lower mandible very
pale.
PAINTED BUNTING or FINCH.
{Fringilla ciris, Temm. Audubon, pi. 53. Orn. Biog. i. p. 279.
Emberiza ciris, Wilson, iii. p. 68. pi. 24. fig. 1. [male] and fig.
2. [female]. Phil. Museum, No. 6062 and 6063.)
Sp. Charact. — Vermilion-red; head and neck above purplish-
blue ; back yellowish-green ; wings dusky-red ; lesser coverts
purple ; the greater, and the tail, green. — Female and young
of the first season, green-olive; beneath Naples yellow. [The
young gradually change until the 4th or 5th year ?]
This splendid, gay, and docile bird, known to the
Americans as the Nonpareil, and to the French Louisi-
anians as the Pape, inhabits the woods of the low
countries of the Southern States, in the vicinity of the
sea, and along the borders of the larger rivers, from North
Carolina to Mexico. They arrive from their tropical
quarters in Louisiana and Georgia from the middle to
the 20th of April. Impatient of cold, they retire to the
South early in October, and are supposed to winter about
Vera Cruz. For the sake of their song as well as beauty
of plumage, they are commonly domesticated in the
478 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
houses of the French inhabitants of New Orleans and its
vicinity ; and some have succeeded in raising them in
captivity, where plenty of room was allowed in an
aviary. In England they have been known to build and
lay their eggs in the orange trees of a menagerie. They
are familiar also in the gardens and orchards, where their
warbling notes are almost perpetually heard throughout
the summer. Their song much resembles that of the
Indigo Bird, but their voice is more feeble and concise.
Soon reconciled to the cage, they will sing even a few
days after being caught. Their food consists of rice,
insects, and various kinds of seeds ; they collect also the
grains of the ripe figs, and, frequenting gardens, build
often within a few paces of the house, being particularly
attached to the orangeries.
Their nests are usually made in the hedges of the
orange, or on the lower branches of the same tree, like-
wise occasionally in a bramble or thorny bush. Exter-
nally they are formed of dry, withered grass, blended with
the tenacious silk of caterpillars, lined with hair, and
internally finished with fine fibrous roots. The eggs are
4 or 5, white, or pearly, and marked with dark purplish
brown spots. In the mildest climates in which they pass
the summer, they raise two broods in the season. They
are commonly caught in trap-cages, to which they are
sometimes allured by a stuffed bird, which they descend
to attack ; and they have been known to survive in do-
mestication for upwards of ten years.
The Nonpareil is about 5| inches long, and 8| in alar extent.
Back and scapulars glossy yellow, stained with green, and in old
birds with red. Tail slightly forked, purplish brown (generally
green). Legs and feet leaden-grey. Bill black above, plain grey-
ish-blue below. Iris hazel. — Female a little less. — In the waZe, in
the 2d season, the blue on the head appears ; in the next year the
WHITE-CROWNED BUNTING OR FINCH. 479
yellow is seen on the back and rump, as well as the red below in
spots ; the colors are completed only in the 4th year.
Note. Those who have kept these birds in England are of opinion
that they gain their complete and varied plumage sooner even than
the third year.
t t Species of Fringilla, allied to Emberiza.
WHITE-CROWNED BUNTING or FINCH.
(Fringilla leucophrys, Temm. Emberiza leucoplirijs, Wilson, iv.
p. 49. pi. 31. fig. 4. [male], Phil. Museum, No. 6587.)
Sp. Charact. — The head white, line surrounding the crown and
through each eye black ; beneath pale ash ; vent pale ochreous ;
chin white ; wings dusky, with 2 white bands.
This rare and handsome species is very little known in
any part of the United States, a few stragglers only being
seen about the beginning of winter, and again in May or
earlier, on their way back to their Northern breeding-
places, said to be in the country round Hudson's
Bay, which they visit from the South in May, and
construct their nests in June in the vicinity of Albany
fort and Severn river. These are fixed on the ground, or
near it, in the shelter of the willow trees which they
glean, probably with many other birds, for the insects
which frequent them. The eggs, 4 or 5 in number, are
said to be of a dusky or chocolate color. Their flio-ht is
short and silent, but, probably, near the nest, like our
familiar Song-Sparrows, they sing with melody. As
they depart from the Bay in September, it is probable
that they winter in the Canadian provinces, otherwise,
as passengers further south, they would be seen more
abundantly in the United States than they are. Indeed,
as they approach this part of New England only in small
desultory parties in the winter, as in November and
December, it is evident, that they only migrate a short
distance in quest of food, and return to the North at the
480 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
approach of fine weather. While here they appear silent
and solitary, and are not difficult to approach. Their
food, as usual, is seeds of grasses, insects, and their larvae.
The length of this species is 7^ inches ; alar extent about 10.
The back streaked with dark rusty-brown and pale bluish-white ;
tlie wings dusky, edged broadly with brown ; 2 white bands pro-
duced on the wing by the broad white tips of the greater and lesser
wing-coverts ; tertials black, edged with brown and white. Rurnp
and tailcoverts drab tinted with lighter. Tail long, rounded, dusky,
broadly edged with drab ; belly white ; vent pale ochreous. Bill
cinnamon-brown. Legs and feet, about the color of the bill, but
lighter. Iris reddish-hazel. — In the female the white on the head
is less pure, the black smaller in extent, and the ash on the breast
darker ; she is also somewhat less.
LARK FINCH.
(Fringilla grammacea, Say. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 47. pi. 5. fig. 3.
Phil. Museum, No. 62S8.)
Sf. Charact. — Head striped with black and whitish ; tail rounded,
the lateral feathers partly white ; a white patch on the wing ;
above greyish-brown with dusky spots.
For this species we are again indebted to Mr. Say,
who observed it in abundance near the Council Bluffs and
the neighbouring country of the Missouri in the spring as
well as in the month of June. It appears to be wholly
confined to the west side of the Mississippi, and probably
extends to Mexico. They frequent the prairie grounds,
and seldom if ever alight on tr^es ; they sing sweetly,
and, like Larks, have the habit of continuing their notes
while on the wing.
This species is C^ inches long. On the top of the head there are
2 widish dark lines, passing into ferruginous behind and separated
from each other by a light grey line ; another whitish line extends
from the base of the upper mandible over the eye to the sides of the
neck ; another small, interrupted, almost similarly colored line passes
from the bill beneath the eye ; a broadish space of umber extends
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 481
from the mouth over the auriculars ; and then from the base of the
lower mandible extends another broad, curving, white line ascending
towards the ears ; another very dark, unequal line stretches from the
same mandible along the sides of the throat, which last with the
chin is, apparently, of a cream white. The neck and breast dull
cinereous, a dusky brownish spot on the latter ; belly and vent nearly
white. Above cinereous umber-brown, the back feathers centred
with a more dusky hue, and the wings and tail edged with very pale
brown ; 2d primary longest ; a white angular spot on the wing. A
white spot on all the tail-feathers but the 2 central ones, increasing
in size to the outer. Bill pale horn-color. Legs and feet pale yel-
lowish-brown. Iris dark-brown. — The female is duller in color.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.
{Fringilla pennsylvanica, Lath. x\udubon, pi. 8. Orn. Biog. i. p.
42. F. alhicollis, Wilson, iii. p. 5L pi. 22. fig. 2. [male]. Phil,
Museum, No. 6486,}
Sp. Charact. — The head striped with dusky and white ; a yellow
line from the nostril to the eye ; shoulder of the wing edged with
greenish-yellow ; cheeks and breast cinereous ; throat and belly
white ; above varied with dusky, bay, and light brown, — Female,
below, and stripes on the head, light drab.
This large and handsome Sparrow is seen in this part
of Massachusetts, only as a transient visitor at the ap-
proach of winter, or in spring, about the first week in
May. In the Middle and Southern States, they pass the
inclement season, and appear there as a numerous spe-
cies. A flock even of these birds has been observed in
the state of New York in the month of January. In
their hibernal resorts, they are seen in bands, and show
a predilection for thickets, swamps, small streams, and
the borders of ponds, where, among the tall and bleach-
ing weeds, they continue to collect the seeds, and proba-
bly insect larvae, which constitute their usual fare. While
here they keep much on the ground, and seek out cool
and shady situations, scratching up the fallen leaves in
41
482
GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
quest of worms and other insects, and are at this time
often very unsuspicious, allowing a near approach with-
out betraying any alarm ; but when in large flocks, they
move about in timorous haste as soon as approached.
About the 15th of April, they leave the Middle States,
and probably retire to the high northern latitudes to
breed, having been seen in Newfoundland in summer ;
but of their nest and eggs we are ignorant. At the pe-
riod of breeding, the male is probably musical, as already
in the early spring, before their departure to the North,
on fine mornings, they are heard to whisper forth a few
sweet and clear notes, as in a reverie of the approaching
happiness of their more lively and interesting condition.
The length of this species is about 7 inches ; the alar dimensions
9 to 9^. A stripe of white or whitish passes from the base of the
upper mandible to tJie hind-head, which is bordered on either side
by a stripe of brownish-black ; another pale line passes over the eye,
becoming yellow between that and the nostril ; this line is again
bordered by a narrow stripe of brownish-black proceeding from the
lower angle of the eye. Tail somewhat wedge-shaped. Legs pale
flefh-color. Bill bluish horn-color, pale beneath. Iris hazel.
BAY-WINGED or GRASS FINCH.
{Fringilla graminea, Gmel. Audubon, pi. 94. Orn. Biog. i. p. 473.
Emberiza graminea, Wilson, iv. p. 51. pi. 31. fig. 5.)
Sp. Charact. — Breast and flanks spotted with brown; lesser wing-
coverts bay ; the 2 outer tail-feathers partly white ; above brown-
ish-grey, varied with dusky.
This plain-looking Finch chiefly frequents dry pas-
tures and meadows, and is often seen perched on the
fences and in the orchard trees ; it also frequently ap-
proaches the public roads and gathers its subsistence
tamely from various sources. It is abundant in the Mid-
dle States, where many pass the whole year, yet great
numbers also winter in the southern parts of the Union,
BAY-WINGED FINCH. 483
proceeding as far as the maritime districts of Georgia.
From the commencement of April to the beginning of
June, they sing with a clear and agreeable note, scarcely
inferior to that of the Canary, though less loud and vari-
ed. On their first arrival, as with the Song Sparrow,
their notes are often given in an under tone of consider-
able sweetness. Their song begins at early dawn, and
is again peculiarly frequent after sun-set until dark,
when, from the fence of some elevated pasture-field, in
the cool of the summer evening, when other songsters
have retired to rest, the Grass Sparrow, more than
usually wakeful, after a silence which has perhaps con-
tinued nearly through the warmer part of the day, pipes
forth his clear and slender, though now almost monoto-
nous song, near to the favorite spot where his mate hatches
or fosters her tender brood ; and from all the neighbour-
ing meadows, at this silent hour, as the last rays of the
sun are reflected from the dusky horizon, we hear a con-
stant repetition of an echoing and shrill tsh 'tsh 'tshe te
tshete fsJiete, with warbling tones blended and varied, at
the beginning and close of this simple, rather pensive,
but agreeable ditty. They are more common in fields
than thickets, and run along the ground in the manner
of the Lark. They likewise frequent ploughing fields,
searching on the ground for insects, and are very fond of
dusting themselves and basking in dry places.
The nest is built on the ground, in tufted grass, sunk
below the surface, well concealed, and formed principally
of withered, wiry grass, also lined with the same and
some hair. The eggs, 4 or 5, are flesh-colored white,
with 2 or 3 shades of reddish-brown confluent spots,
chiefly disposed at the greater end. Being nearly seden-
tary, they raise probably several broods in the season.
Sometimes when started from the nest, the female simu-
484 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
lates lameness with remarkable dexterity so as very
readily to draw off the attention of her enemies or in-
truders. The young are easily raised from the nest, and
become very tame, clean, and domestic, but readily quar-
rel with each other.
The length of the Grass Finch is about 6 or 6| inches, and 10^ in
alar dimensions. Primaries edged with whitish. Tail partly wedg-
ed, the outer feather almost wholly white, except towards the base
of the inner web } the next feather white on the outer vane, and
(sometimes) also with a spot of the same color. Breast and flanks
white, tinged with very pale brown, and spotted with dark pointed
spots along the shafts of the feathers ; belly and vent white ; 2d and
3d primaries longest. Bill above dusky, notched near the tip: be-
neath paler. Legs and feet pale flesh-color. Tarsus | of an inch. —
Female hardly distinguishable from the male ; the spots of the breast
somewhat fewer and smaller.
AMBIGUOUS SPARROW.
{Fringilla *ambigua, Nobis.)
Observ. — Dusky brownish-grey, varied with edgings of brownish-
white ; below yellowish- white, faintly spotted with dull grey j
rump grey ; chin without spots ; tail immaculate, cuneiform ;
3d primary much longer than the 5th ; legs and feet very ro-
bust. A young bird. Adult .?
Of this very distinct, and plain, mouse-colored Spar-
row, I, at present, know scarcely any thing, excepting
that it was shot in this vicinity (Cambridge) in the early
part of the summer of 1830. The specimen is in fresh
plumage ; and in its general color, both above and below,
with the very unusual length and pointedness of the
wings, and the distinct graduation of the feathers, it
might, without looking at the bill, be at once taken almost
for the common Pevvee. The only American species,
to which it bears any affinity, is the Cinereous Finch of
Aoonalashka, and the Dusky Grosbeak of Pennant, but
it is still sufficiently different.
AMBIGUOUS SPARROW. 485
This bird is in fact a congener of the Cow-Troopial,
an Icteria ; yet it differs essentially from the young of
that species, not only in the colors of the plumage, but in
that of the bill and legs, which are not black. The bill
is also narrower at the sides. The size is likewise much
smaller. May not this be the offspring of the white and
more sparingly spotted egg, deposited, occasionally in the
nests of the Cow Bird's nurses ? I saw one of these
foundlings soon after hatching, this summer, in the nest
of a Wilson's Thrush ; it was then clothed in a pale al-
most lohitish-grey down, and already differed from the
ordinary parasite ; but the nest was robbed soon after
this occurrence, and I am yet unable to offer any thing
certain upon the subject, excepting, that the eggs are
easily, and certainly, recognizable from all others.
The Long- Winged or Mouse-colored Sparrow is Q^ inches in length.
Length of the closed wing from the summit of the shoulder to the
point 3|, (or | of an inch longer than in the preceding species.)
Tarsus 1 inch, (in the B y-winged Sparrow | of an inch.) Bill
yellowish-brown, rather long and robust, without notch. Legs and
feet very stout, pale brown; the claws short, thick, and rather
blunt. Above, of a;- almost uniform brownish-grey, the tail only being
a shade deeper ; most of the feathers below the neck and down to the
rump are just sensibly terminated by a slight edge of dull brownish-
white } the coverts, tertials, and wing-feathers more broadly margin-
ed with the same ; the 1st primary longest, the 2d and 3d but little
shorter ; the ith, 5th, and 6th rapidly decreasing; the 1st longer than
the 5th by | of an inch ! (in the preceding species the 1st and 5th are
not very different in length.) Inner lining of the wing dusky. Tail
plain dusky-grey and cuneiform. Beneath pale yellowish-white,
the chin without spots, below to the belly thickly clouded with shad-
ed ill-defined pale dusky spots. The rump almost plain dark grey. —
The long wings, stout le .s, and p^ain color, at once distinguish this
from all other North American Sparrows. The specimen is, however,
a young bird, and may undergo some alteration of plumage.
41*
COMMON SONG-SPARROW.
{Fringilla melodia, Wilson, ii. p. 125. pi. IG. fig. 4. Audubon,
pi. 25. Orn. Biog. i. p. 123. F.fasciata? Gmel. Phil. Museum,
No. 6573.)
Sp. Charact. — Crown chesnut, divided by a greyish line ; breast
and flanks spotted with blackish-brown ; tail cuneiform, unspot-
ted ; 1st primary shortest: body above varied with^ blackish,
chesnut, and olive-grey.
This familiar and almost domestic bird is one of the
most common and numerous Sparrows in the United
States; it is, also, with the Blue-Bird, which it seems to
accompany, one of the two earliest, sweetest, and most
enduring warblers. Though many pass on to the South-
ern States at the commencement of winter, yet a few
seem to brave the colds of New England, as long as the
snowy waste does not conceal their last resource of nutri-
ment. When the inundating storm, at length, arrives,
they no longer, in the sheltering swamps, and borders
of bushy streams, spend their time in gleaning an insuf-
ficient subsistence, but in the month of November, begin
to retire to the warmer states ; and here, on fine days,
COMMON SONG-SPARROW. 487
even in January, whisper forth their usual strains. As
early as the 4th of March, the weather being mild, the
Song-Sparrow and the Blue-Bird here jointly arrive, and
cheer the yet dreary face of nature with their familiar
songs. The latter flits restlessly, through the orchard
or neighbouring fields ; the Sparrow, more social, fre-
quents the garden, barn-yard, or road-side in quest of
support, and from the top of some humble bush, stake,
or taller bough, tunes forth his cheering lay, in fre-
quent repetitions, for half an hour or more at a time.
These notes have some resemblance to parts of the Ca-
nary's song, and are almost uninterruptedly and daily
delivered, from his coming till the commencement of
winter. When he first arrives, while the weather is yet
doubtful and unsettled, the strain appears contemplative,
and often delivered in a peculiarly low and tender whisper,
which, when hearkened to for some time, will be found
more than usually melodious, seeming as a sort of reverie,
or innate hope of improving seasons, which are recalled
with a grateful, calm, and tender delight. At the approach
of winter, this vocal thrill, sounding like an Orphean
farewell to the scene and season, is still more exquisite,
and softened by the sadness which seems to breathe al-
most with sentiment, from the decaying and now silent
face of nature. Our songster, never remarkable for
sprightliness, as the spring advances, delivers his lay
louder and more earnestly. He usually begins with a tsh^
tsh' tshe te tshete tshetc, and blends in a good deal of
quivering notes. Individuals also excel, and vary their
song from time to time with very agreeable effect; and
it is only because our familiar vocalist is so constantly
heard and seen, that so little value is set upon his
agreeable, cheerful, and faithful performance. When
not attached to the garden, our Sparrow seems fond of
488 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
frequenting low bushy meadows, streams, swamps, and
watery situations, which afford him ready shelter, and
his usual food of worms, insects, larvae, and seeds. Such
situations are also their favorite resorts, when, in gregari-
ous and miscellaneous flocks with other congeneric kinds,
they are seen to crowd the sheltered marshes of the South-
ern States. They are also commonly seen nimbly running
along the ground, and gliding through low thickets in quest
of their insect fare ; and in fine weather they dust them-
selves, and bask in the sun. They often likewise frequent
the water, being fond of washing ; and sometimes are
seen to swim across small streams, particularly when dis-
abled from flying, by a gun-shot wound.
This species appears to abound from Canada to the
Southern States, and breeds probably more or less in
all the intermediate region. It builds usually on the
ground, a little below the level, under a tuft of grass, or in
a low bush, and occasionally in an evergreen, as the red
cedar, 4 or 5 feet from the ground. Sometimes pushed
for a situation of suflScient concealment from enemies, I
have known it make a nest in the hole of a decayed trunk,
5 or 6 feet from the ground. It is usually formed of a
considerable portion of fine dry grass, neatly put togeth-
er, and mostly lined with horse-hair. The eggs, 4 or 5,
are greenish or bluish-white, thickly spotted with one or
two shades of brown, the spots sometimes larger, and
chiefly disposed towards the larger end ; at other times,
very small and numerous, scattered over the greater part
of the surface. They are very prolific, raising as many
as 3 broods in a season, the young being occasional-
ly hatched, in the Middle States, from the close of
April to the end of August. They are very solicitous
for the safety of their young, keeping up at this time
often a tiresome chirping ; and on the destruction of
SAVANNAH SPARROW. 489
the female and most of her young, I have known the re-
maining male, with unceasing and anxious attention,
raise a solitary survivor of his ruined family, with the
most devoted affection. As they keep the young and
their habitation so very clean, and are so prolific, it is a
matter of surprise, that they do not re-occupy the premis-
es ; instances are, however, not wanting in which they
have been known to raise two broods in the same nest.
Both parents join in the duty of incubation, and alter-
nately feed each other while so engaged.
The Song-Sparrow is about 6^ inches long, and 8^ in alar extent.
Head chesnutand dusky,, obscurely divided by a grey line ; line over
the eye ash, becoming nearly white towards the bill ; stripe from the
lower mandible, opening of the mouth, and posterior angle of the
eye, dark chesnut. Breast and flafiks pointedly spotted with chesnut,
the spots centered with black. Chin, belly, and vent white, the last
obscurely and faintly spotted with pale chesnut. Tail 2| inches
long, brown, the upper feathers centered with dusky. Wings pale
dusky, coverts dusky-brown and bay, edged with greyish-wliite, ter-
tials darker ; under-coverts, or lining, and the ridge of the shoulder
white ; 3d and 4th primaries longest ; 1st primary much shorter than
the 6th. Legs flesh-colored. Iris hazel. Bill above dusky, below
purplish. — The female scarcely differing in plumage.
SAVANNAH SPARROW.
(Fringilla Savanna, Wilson, iv. p. 72. pi. 34. fig. 4. [male], and
iii. p. 55. pi. 22. fig. 3. [female.] Fringilla hiemalis? Gmel.
Lath. Penjvant, No. 254. [young.] Phil., Museum, No. 6583,
6584.)
Sp. Charact. — Line over the eye and ridge of the wings yellow j
breast and flanks spotted with blackish ; tail emarginate, extend-
ing about an inch beyond the tips of the closed wings ; 1st pri-
mary equal to the 2d : above varied with blackish, brown and
grey, or white. —Fe/naZe darker. — Young without the yellow
marks, and with the spots of the breast greyish-dusky.
This Sparrow, allied to the preceding, but far less
familiar, is commonly seen in this part of New England
490 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
from April to October ; migrating towards the South in
severe weather, though many pass the whole winter in
the Middle States. In Georgia and West Florida they
are rather numerous at this season, migrating in quest of
food probably from the West ; and the whole species gen-
erally show a predilection for the warm and sheltered
vicinage of the sea, where the seeds and insects they feed
on are most abundant. On their first arrival in Massa-
chusetts, they frequent the sandy beaches and shores of
the bays in quest of CicindelcB and other coleopterous in-
sects, which frequent such situations ; and they are at this
time exceedingly fat, though their moult is not completed.
In summer this shy and timid species lives wholly in pas-
ture or grass fields, and often descends to the ground in
quest of food. Its nest, also laid in the grass, very
similar to that of the Song-Sparrow, is usually built about
the close of April.
In the month of March, in Georgia, I observed these
Sparrows in the open grassy pine woods, on the margins
of small swamps or galls. On being suddenly surprised,
they often flew off a little distance, and then, if followed,
descended to the ground and ran and hid closely in the
tall tufts of grass. Their notes, at this time, were very
long, piping, and elevated, and resembled often tslie tship
tship tship tship tship tship, then tshe ch' tsh' tsh' tsh' tsh^
and tsh'' tsh' tsh' tsh' tsh\ Some of these notes were as
fine and lively as those of the Canary, loud, echoing,
and cheerful. At times, this species also utters a note
almost exactly similar to the chirpings of a cricket, so
that it might easily be mistaken for that insect.
The length of this species is about 6 inches, and 9 in alar dimen-
sions. (The female about 5^ inches long.) The head is dusky-
brown, with some shades of bay, and divided indistinctly in the cen-
tre by a yellowish- white line. The rest of the plumage above is a
COMMON SNOW-BIRD. 491
mixture of dusky brownish-black, with grey, white, or bay edgings
to the feathers, the white edgings chiefly on the upper part of the
back. Wings and tail dusky, edged with whitish, the tail only 2
inches long, with the feathers pointed. Chin white ; sides of the
neck, breast, and flanks with dark pointed spots edged with bay.
Belly white. Inner ridge of the wings touched with pale yellow;
tertials very dark ; (the black predominates much more in this
than in the preceding species.) Legs pale flesh-color, the hind claw
long and sharp. Bill above dusky, below purplish, inclining to yel-
low, notched slightly near the point. — Male with more white on the
chin, breast, and sides of the face.
Note. There is little doubt, but that the young of this species
is the F. hiemalis of Gmelin and Pennant, though the wing-coverts
are not edged with real white ; Wilson's name, however, must re-
main, as the Linnaean hiemalis is also a synonyme of the Snow-Bird.
COMMON SNOW-BIRD.
(Fringilla nivalis, 'Li's. {F. hudsonia) , W iLsoy , ii. p. 129. pi. 16.
fig. 6. [in winter plumage,] F. hiemalis, Audubon, pi. 13. Orn.
Biog. i. p. 72. Phil. Museum, No. G532.)
Sp. Charact. — Bluish-black, inclining to grey ; belly and lateral
tail-feathers white.
This hardy and very numerous species, common to
both continents, pours in flocks from the northern re-
gions into the United States aboat the middle of October,
where their appearance is looked upon as the presage of
approaching winter. At this season they migrate into
the Southern States in great numbers, and seem to arrive
in augmenting hosts with the progress of the wintry
storms and driving snows, before which they fly for food
rather than shelter ; for, even during the descent of the
whitening inundation, and while the frightful tempest still
rages without abatement, these hardy and lonely wander-
ers are often seen flitting before the blast ; and, seeking
advantage from the sweeping current, descend to collect
492 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
a scanty pittance from the frozen and exposed ground,
or stop to collect the seeds, which still remain upon the
unshorn weeds, rising through the dreary waste. At
such times they are also frequently accompanied by the
Snow Bunting, the humbly dressed Yellow Bird, and
the querulous Chicadee. Driven to straits, however, by
hunger, they at length become more familiar, and are now
seen about the barns and out-houses, spreading them-
selves in busy groups over the yard, and even approach-
ing the steps of the door in towns and cities, and glean-
ing thankfully from the threshold any crumbs or acciden-
tal fragments of provision. Amidst all this threatening
and starving w^eather, which they encounter almost alone,
they are still lively, active, and familiar. The roads,
presenting an accidental resource of food for these north-
ern swarms, are consequently more frequented by them
than the fields. Before the severity of the season com-
mences, they are usually only seen moving in families ;
and the parents, watchful for the common safety, still
continue by reiterated chirpings to warn their fuJl-grown
brood of every approach of danger, and, withdrawing
them from any suspicious observation, wander off to se-
curer ground. At this time they frequent the borders of
woods, seek through the thickets and among the fallen
leaves for their usual food of seeds, and dormant insects,
or their larvae. Their caution is not unnecessary, for on
the skirts of the larger flocks the famished Hawk prowls
for his fated prey, and descending, with a sudden and
successful sweep, carries terror through all the wander-
inor and retreatincr ranks.
In the latter end of March or beginning of April, as
the weather begins to be mild, they reappear in flocks
from the South, frequenting the orchard trees, or retreat-
ing to the shelter of the woods, and seem now to prefer
COMMON SNOW-BIRD. 493
the shade of thickets or the sides of hills, and frequently
utter a few sweet, clear, and tender notes, almost similar
to the touching warble of the European Robin Red-
breast. The jealous contest for the selection of mates
already also takes place ; soon after which they retire,
mostly to the remote northern or arctic regions to breed ;
though, according to Wilson, many also remove only to
the high ranges of the Alleghany Mountains, where, in the
interior of Virginia, and towards the western sources of
the Susquehanna, they also breed in great numbers ;
fixing their nests on the ground, or among the grass, the
pairs still associating in near communion with each other.
In Europe this species dwells almost wholly among the
wild recesses of the Alpine Mountains of Switzerland,
the Pyrenees, and the high northern chains on the limits
of the region of perpetual ice ! In the winter, less driv-
en by necessity, or less encouraged by the inviting scope
of an extensive continent, they there only migrate into
the mountainous countries, and rarely descend into the
plains. Their food is also observed to be insects, pine
seeds, and those of aquatic plants. They likewise nest
upon the rocks, or in their crevices, and lay 3 to 5 eggs, of
a pale green, scattered with irregular touches and points
of cinereous, blended with spots of dark green.
The Snow-Bird is 6^ to 7 inches long. The general color is bluish
or leaden black, inclining to grey ; the lower parts from the breast to
the tail white. ; Three secondary quills next the body edged with pale
brown, the primaries with white. Tail dusky, emarginate. Bill
and legs pale yellowish flesh-color in winter ; in summer the bill is
black, and the feet brown. Iris bluish-black. — Female smd young
tinged with brown, — By the wearing of the edges of the feathers,
in the course of the season, the male becomes of a deeper and clearer
color.
42
494 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
SAVANNA FINCH, or YELLOW-SHOULDERED
SPARROW.
(Fringilla savanarum, Gmel. Latham, i. p. 443. No. 31. and Sy-
nopsis, iii. p. 270. No. 27. F. passerina, Wilson, iii. p. 76. pi. 24.
fig. 5. Phil. Museum, No. 6585.)
Sp. Charact. — Breast pale brownish-yellow ; line over the eye,
shoulder, and lesser wing-coverts yellow ; tail-feathers rather
pointed, the outer partly whitish.
This small Sparrow is a summer resident in the United
States, and is likewise, according to Sloane, a common
species in the savannas or open glades of the island of
Jamaica. From what little is known of it, as a bird of
the United States, it appears to remain on the sheltered
plains of the sea-coast of New York and New Jersey un-
til the very commencement of winter. It is also observ-
ed in the lower parts of Pennsylvania, and about the mid-
dle of May or later, they are occasionally seen in the
gardens of this vicinity, on their way apparently to some
other breeding station. On these occasions they perch
in sheltered trees in pairs, and sing in an agreeable voice
somewhat like that of the Purple Finch, though less vig-
orously. In the West Indies, they live much on the ground,
and run like Larks, flying low when flushed, and soon
alighting. Their nest is likewise fixed on the ground,
among the grass, where they collect their usual fare of
seeds and insects. It is made of loose, dry stalks of dead
grass, and lined with hair and root-fibres. The eggs,
5, are of a greyish-white, spotted with brown, and the fe-
male has been observed sitting as late as the 1st of Au-
gust. They probably retire to the West Indies or Mexi-
co to pass the winter, as they are not seen at this season
in any of the Southern States.
The length of this species is from 4^ to 5 inches, alar extent about
8. Upper part of the head blackish, divided by a slight pale line;
TREE SPARROW. 495
hind-head and neck with touches of dusky-brown and white } cheeks
brownish-white } back varied with blackish, brown, and pale ash ;
shoulders of the wings above and below, and lesser coverts of the
same, olive-yellow; primaries and tail, drab, the feathers of the lat-
ter rather pointed ; breast without spots, yellowish-white with a
tinge of brown. Belly and vent white. Legs flesh-color. Bill dus-
ky, pale bluish- white below. — The two sexes are nearly alike.
TREE SPARROW.
{Fringilla canadensis, L. at h. F. arhorea, Wilson, ii. p. 123. pi. 16.
fig. 3. Phil. Museum, No. 6575.)
Sp. Charact. — Crown bright bay ; stripe over the eye, sides of the
neck, chin, and breast, pale ash ; wings with two white bars ; bill
black, the lower mandible yellow ; legs and feet dusky ; 1st pri-
mary shorter than the 5th and 2d.
This handsome winter Sparrow arrives from the
northern reo-ions in New England about the close of Oc-
tober, withdrawing from Hudson's Bay and the neigh-
bouring countries some time in the month of September.
The species, consequently, like many more of our Fringil-
las, only measures his speed by the resources of subsist-
ence he is able to obtain, and thus strao-alinff southward,
as the winter advances, he enters Pennsylvania only
about the beginning of November ; there, as well as in
the maritime parts of Massachusetts, and perhaps as far
south as Virginia, the Tree Sparrow is often seen as-
sociated with the hardy Snow-Birds, gleaning a similar
kind of subsistence : and when the severity of winter com-
mences, leaving the woods, gardens, and uplands in
which he is an occasional visitor, he seeks in company
the shelter of some bushy swamp, thickly shaded brook,
or spring. Near Fresh Pond, in this vicinity, they are
at that season numerous, and roost together near the
margin of the reeds, almost in the society of the Black-
birds, who seek out a similar place of warmth and shelter
as the chilling frosts begin to prevail.
496 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
At this cool and gloomy season, and down to the close
of the first week in November, as they pass from branch
to branch, and play capriciously round each other, they
keep up almost perpetually a low and pleasant liquid war-
ble, not much unlike that of the Yellow Bird {Fringilla
tristis), but less varied. Sometimes two or three at the
same time will tune up s'weedif s'tveedit weet, and s^wai-
dit s'loaidit weet, accompanied by some tremulous trilling
and variation, which though rather sad and querulous,
is heard at this silent season with peculiar delight. In
summer, during the breeding-time, it is likely they ex-
press considerable melody.
According to Mr. Hutchins, they breed around the
Hudson's Bay settlements, making a nest in the herbage,
formed externally of mud and dry grass, and lined with
soft hair or down, probably from vegetables, in the man-
ner of the Yellow Bird. The eggs, about 5, are said to
be pale brown, marked with darker spots of the same
color. About the beginning of April, they leave the
Middle States for their summer quarters, and arrive
around Severn river in May ; they also probably prop-
agate in Newfoundland, where they have been observ-
ed. With us, they are still seen in numbers to the 19th
of April.
The Tree Sparrow is about 6 to 6^ inches long, at the most, and 9
to 9^ in alar extent. — The whole upper part of the head bright bay
without any dividing line ; sometimes this color, however, is slightly
skirted with grey ; stripe over the eye white at its commencement
near the mandible, backwards fading into pale ash-color ; the centre
of the breast marked with an obscure spot of dark drown partly hid-
den beneath the other feathers. From the lower angle of the bill,
and behind the eye, proceeds a small stripe of chesnut. Sides under
the wings and towards the belly pale brown. The back varied with
brownish black, bay, and drab ; lower part of the back and rump
pale greyish-brown ; lesser wing-coverts deep ash-color ; wings
dusky, the primaries edged with dull white as well as the tail, the
CHIPPING SPARROW. ' 497
secondaries with pale brown ; the 1st and 2d row of coverts broadly
edged with bright bay and tipt with ichite. Tail dusky, forked, more
than 2^ inches long; centre of the belly and vent white. Bill black,
the under mandible yellow below the tip, | of an inch long. Legs
dusky brown, feet almost black, and robust.
CHIPPING SPARROW.
{Fringilla socialis^ WiLsojf, ii. p. 127. pi. 16. fig. 5. Phil. Museum,
No. 6571.)
Sp. Charact. — The 4 first primaries nearly of a length; frontlet
black ; crown chesnut ; chin and line over the eye whitish ;
breast and sides of the neck, pale ash ; bill black ; legs and feet
slender, pale flesh-color ; hind nail shorter than the toe.
This species, with the Song-Sparrow, is probably the
most numerous, common, and familiar bird in the Unit-
ed States ; inhabiting from Labrador to the table land of
Mexico, and westward to the banks of the Missouri.
Aware of the many parasitic enemies of the feathered
race which it has to encounter, who prowl incessantly,
and particularly in quest of its eggs, it approaches almost
instinctively the precincts of houses, barns, and stables,
and frequently ventures into the centre of the noisy and
bustling city to seek, in the cultivated court, an asylum
for its expected progeny. Soon sensible of favor or im-
munity, it often occupies with its nest the thick shrubs
of the garden within a i^w yards of the neighbouring
habitation, by the side perhaps of a frequented walk, in
the low rose-bush, the lilac, or any other familiar plant
affording any degree of shelter or security, and will at
times regularly visit the threshold, the piazza, or farm
yard for the crumbs which intention or accident may
afford it. On other occasions, the orchard trees are
chosen for its habitation, or in the lonely woods, an ever-
green, cedar, or fir is selected for the purpose. It makes
no pretensions to song, but merely chips, in complaint,
42*
498 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
when molested, or mounting the low boughs of some or-
chard tree or shrub, utters a quickly articulated ascend-
ing Ush 'tsh 'tsh 'tsh 'tsh tshe tshe, almost like the jing-
ling of farthings, and a little resembling the faint war-
ble of the Canary, but without any of its variety or loud-
ness. This note, such as it is, is continued often for half
an hour at a time, but is little louder than the chirping
of a cricket, and uttered by the male while attending his
brooding mate. For many weeks, through the summer,
and during fine weather, this note is often given from
time to time in the night like the reverie of a dream.
The nest of tlie Chipping Bird varies sometimes con-
siderably in its materials and composition. The external
layer, seldom so thick, but that it may be readily seen
through, is composed of dry stalks of withered grass, and
lined more or less with horse or cow hair. The eggs
are 4 and 5, of a bright though not deep greenish-blue
color, with a few spots of dark and lighter brown chiefly
disposed at the greater end. They are usually narrowed
considerably at the small end, though occasionally they
are almost oblong. The Cuckoo destroys many eggs of
this timid, harmless, and sociable little bird, as their
nests are readily discovered, and numerous ; on such oc-
casions, the little sufferer expresses great and unusual
anxiety for the security of her charge, and after being
repeatedly robbed, the female sits closely sometimes up-
on perhaps only two eggs, desirous at any rate to escape,
if possible, with some of her little offspring.
Towards the close of summer, the parents and their
brood are seen busily engaged collecting seeds and in-
sects, in the neighbouring fields and lanes, and now be-
come so numerous, as the autumn advances, that, flitting
before the path on either side as the passenger proceeds,
they almost resemble the falling leaves of the season.
FIELD OR RUSH SPARROW. 499
rustling before the cheerless blast ; and finally, as their
food fails, and the first snows begin to appear, advertis-
ed of the threatening famine, they disappear and winter
in the Southern States. In the month of January, in
Georgia, during the continuance of the cool weather, and
frosty nights, I frequently heard, at dusk, a confused
chirping or piping, like that of frogs, and, at length, dis-
covered the noise to proceed from dense flocks of the
Chipping Sparrows, roosting or huddling near together in
a pile of thick brush ; where, with the Song-Sparrow,
also, they find means to pass the cool nights.
This species is about 5 to 5^ inches in length, and 8 in alar extent.
The frontlet is nearly black ; chin and line over the eye whitish ;
crown chesnut ; the breast and sides of the neck pale ash ; rump
dark cinereous ; belly and vent white. Back varied with brownish-
black and bay. Wings dusky, broadly edged with bright chesnut.
Tail dusky, forked, edged with yellovvdsh-white. Bill in winter
black, in summer the lower mandible is flesh-colored. Legs and
feet pale flesh-color, tarsus | of an inch. — The female has less
black on the frontlet, and the bay duller.
FIELD OR RUSH SPARROW.
{Fringilla juncorum, Nobis, Sylvia juncorum, Lath. ii. p. 511.
Little Brown Sparrow, Catesby, Car. i, p. 35. F. pusilla, Wil-
son, ii. p. 121. pi. 16. fig 2. Phil. Museum, No. 6560.)
Sp. Charact. — The 1st primary shorter than the 6th ; crown ches-
nut; body above varied with bay, drab, and a little dusky;
cheeks, throat, and breast, pale brownish drab ; bill and slender
legs, brownish cinnamon-color, the latter paler ; hind nail as
long as the toe.
This small species, in size and general color, is scarcely
distinguishable from the Chipping Sparrow ; it is how-
ever much brighter, inclining more to bay above, and
the tail is about half an inch longer in relative propor-
tion.
500 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
The Small Brown Sparrow arrives in Pennsylvania
and New England from the Southern States, where it
passes the winter, in the beginning of April. It is with
us a shy, wild, and retiring species, partial to dry hills
and pastures, and open, bushy, secluded woods, living
much in trees. In autumn, indeed, the pair accompa-
nied by their brood in small flitting flocks, leave their
native wilds, and glean, at times, in the garden or orch-
ard ; yet but little is now seen of them, as they only ap-
proach cultivated grounds a few weeks before their de-
parture. These Sparrows, if indeed they are the same as
those described by Wilson, in winter, flock together in
great numbers in the Southern States, and mingling with
the Chipping Birds, and other species, they now line the
roads, fences, and straggling bushes, near the plantations
in such numbers, as, with their sober and brown livery,
to resemble almost a shower of rustling and falling leaves,
continually haunting the advancing steps of the travel-
ler, in hungry, active flocks, driven by the storms of
winter into this temporary and irksome exile. But, no
sooner does the return of early spring arrive, than they
flit entirely from the Southern wilds, to disperse in pairs
and seek out again their favorite native regions of the
North.
The nest of this species, built on the ground, in the
mere shelter of some grassy tuft or accidental small bush,
is made often wholly of the fine stalks of dried grass ;
sometimes it is lined also with horse-hair. The eggs, 5
or 6, are so thickly sprinkled with ferruginous as to ap-
pear almost wholly of that color. They raise usually
two broods in a season in the Middle States.
Our little bird has a pretty loud and shrill note, which
may be heard at a considerable distance, and possesses
some variety of tone and expression. Sometimes it is
FIELD OR RUSH SPARROW. 501
something like twe tivee tiudi, tio 'tic Hw Hw 'ho Hw, begin-
ning loud and slow, and going up and down, shrill and
quick, with a reverberating tone almost as rapid as the
drumming of the Ruffed Grous. At other times the sound
appears like te de de de de d' d' d' d^ d' d\dr\ rapid and
echoing ; then iceet toeet weed wat th 'd 'd VZ 'd 'd 'd, also
weet iveet weet weet, toV wV wV wV trr ; the whole of
these notes rising and running together into a short trill,
something like the song of the Canary, but less varied,
and usually in a querulous or somewhat plaintive tone,
though towards the close of summer, I have heard indi-
viduals, nearly as musical and warbling as the Common
Yellow-Bird, These tones are also somewhat similar to
the reverberations of the Chipping Bird, but quite loud
and sonorous, and without the changeless monotony of
that species. In fact, our bird would be worthy a place
in a cage as a sono-ster of some merit. Like most of the
Sparrows, the food of this species consists of seeds and
insects, and they also search the leaves and branches
at times in quest of moths, of which they appear fond.
The Field Sparrow is about 5| inches long. (In the New Eng-
land male bird) the head is simply chesnut without aaiy dividing
line, and the brownish tint beneath very obscure, the color being
more of a dirty white ; the belly, breast, and vent are almost pure
white. Above chesnut predominates, though the feathers are edged
with drab, and lined in the centre with dusky ; greater wing-coverts
edged and tipt with brownish-white ; rump drab, inclined to brown.
Tail, from the insertion of the rump nearly 3 inches, dusky, forked,
and edged with whitish. First primary shorter than the Cth, the 3d
longest. Bill reddish cinnamon-color, a hard knob in the upper
mandible as in Emberiza. Legs and feet pale yellow, scarcely in-
clining to brown, the tarsus | of an inch.
502 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
SWAMP SPARROW.
{Fringilla georgiana, Lath. i. p. 460. No. 86. F. palustris, Wil-
son, iii. p. 49. pi. 22. fig. 1. [male]. Audubon, pi. 64. Orn, i.
p. 331. Phil. Museum, No. 65C9.)
Sp. Charact. — The 1st primary shorter than the Gth ; front black-
ish ; crown bay, undivided ; line over the eye, sides of the neck,
and breast, ash-color; bill robust, dusky, the lower mandible yel-
lowish towai'ds the base ; legs and feet very stout, the hind nail
longer than the toe ; tarsus ^ of an inch.
The aquatic habits of this common though little known
species is one of its most remarkable peculiarities. In
New England they arrive from the Southern States,
where they winter, about the middle of April, and take
up their summer residence in the swamps and marshy
meadows, through which, often, without flying, they
thread their devious way with the same alacrity as the
Rail, with whom they are indeed often associated in
neighbourhood. In consequence of this perpetual brush-
ing through sedge and bushes, their feathers are fre-
quently so worn that their tails appear almost like those
of rats, and are very often flirted in the manner of the
Wagtail. Occasionally, however, they mount to the tops
of low bushes or willow trees and chant forth a few trill-
ing, rather monotonous minor notes, resembling, in some
measure, the songof the preceding species, and appearing
like ttoe tw' iw' tio' tio' tw twe, and tivV tw^l 'tiv tw' twe,
uttered in a pleasant and somewhat varied warble. These
notes are uttered with considerable effort, and sometimes
with a spreading of the tail. In the spring, on their first
arrival, this song is delivered with much spirit, and
echoes through the marshes like the trill of the Canary.
The sound now resembles the syllables 'tiu 'ho ho 'hoee
Hwee 'tw 'twe Hwe, or 'tshp 'tshp 'tshe 'tsh 'tsh 'tsh 'tshj
beginning loud, sweet, and somewhat plaintive, and the
SWAMP SPARROW. 503
song is, continued till late in the morning, and after sun-
set in the evening. This reverberating tone is again
somewhat similar to that of the Chipping Sparrow, but
far louder and more musical. In the intervals he de-
scends into the grassy tussucks and low bushes in quest
of his insect food, as well as to repose out of sight ;
and, while here, his movements are as silent and secret
as those of a mouse. The rice plantations and river
swamps are their favorite hibernal resorts in Louisiana,
Georgia, and the Carolinas ; here they are very numer-
ous, and skulk among the canes, reeds, and rank grass,
solicitous of concealment, and always exhibiting their
predilection for watery places. In the breeding-season,
before the ripening of many seeds, they live much on the
insects of the marshes in which they are found, particu-
larly the smaller coleopterous kinds, Carahi and Curcu-
Hones.
They form their nests in the ground, often in the shel-
ter of some dry tussuck of sedge or other rank grass, in
the midst of the watery marsh in which they dwell.
Their eggs are 4 or 5, of a dirty white, spotted with red-
dish brown. They probably raise 2 or 3 broods in the
season, being equally prolific with our other Sparrows.
They express extreme solicitude for their young, even
after they are fully fledged and able to provide for them-
selves ; the young also, in their turn, possess uncommon
cunning and agility, running and concealing themselves
in the sedge of the wet meadows. They are quite as
difficult to catch as field mice, and seldom on these emer-
gencies attempt to take wing. We have observed one
of these sagacious birds dart from one tussuck to another,
and at last dive into the grassy tuft in such a manner, or
elude the grasp so well, as seemingly to disappear or
burrow into the earth. Their robust legs and ^eei, as
504 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
well as long claws, seem purposely provided to accele-
rate this clinging and running on the uneven ground.
The length of the Swamp Sparrow is about 6 inches: (I have
measured young birds 5^,) and about 8 in alar dimensions. The
crown bright bay, margined behind and in front with blackish ; back
of the neck dark grey ; the anterior portion of the line passing
over the eye is whitish, inclining to ash ; chin whitish ; a stripe of
blackish proceeds from the lower mandible, and another from the
posterior angle of the eye. Back blackish-brown, the feathers mar-
gined with light bay, and some touches of yellowish-white ; wing-
coverts bright bay and a little black, without any edgings of whitish.
Winers and tail dusky, the primaries edged with brownish-white, the
secondaries with bay ; 3d and 4th primaries the longest. Belly and
vent brownish-white (in the female nearly white). Bill dusky, the
lower mandible yellowish below. Iris dark hazel. Legs very stout
and long, and, as well as the feet, pale brownish horn-color ; claws
strong and sharp. — Young spotted with black and olive-brown, not
bay, the breast also streaked with dusky.
SHORE FINCH.
{Fringilla *littoralis, Nobis. Oriolus caudacutus, Lath. Orn. i. p.
186. No. 43. F. caudacuta, Wilson, iv. p. 70. pi. 34. fig. 3.
Phil. Museum, No. 6442.)
Sp. Charact. — Two stripes of brownish-orange, inclining to buff
on each side of the head ; breast pale buff v/ith small blackish
spots ; tail wedge-shaped with the feathers acute.
The Shore Finch is an inhabitant of the low islands
and marshy sea-coasts from New York to Georgia, living
on small shrimps, marine insects, and probably grass-
seeds, moving through the rank herbage nearly with the
same agility and timidity as the Swamp Sparrow, to
which, in the structure of the feet and stoutness of the
bill, it bears considerable affinity. These birds are not
rare, though not so numerous as the Maritime Sparrow,
with which they commonly associate.
The Shore Finch is about 5^ inches long, and 7^ in alar extent.
Back yellowish-brown olive, some of the feathers edged with semi-
SEA-SIDE FINCH. 505
circles of white. Wing-coverts and tertials brown-black, broadly
edged with pale rufous. Tail short, wedge-shaped, all the feathers
sharply pointed. Chin whitish ; breast yellowish-white, with point-
ed dark spots ; belly white ; vent and rump dark buflf; the former
spotted with dusky. From the base of the upper mandible a broad
stripe of cinereous extends over the crown to the hind-head, bordered
on either side by one of dusky-brown. Bill dusky. Legs pale
brownish-yellow. Iris hazel.
t SHARP-TAILED FINCH.
(Fringilla caudacuta, Lath. Index Ornith. i. p. 459. No. 85.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with brown and pale rufous, throat of the
latter color and a line of the same over the eyes ; neck behind
darkish rufous ; tail even, the feathers sharp-pointed; bill and
legs pale.
V
This species, described by Latham as coming from
Georgia, known also by the name of Spotted Grey Spar-
row, appears to possess the same lowly habits as the two
preceding species, living chiefly among the grassy herb-
age, and probably near the coast. It has yet, however,
escaped all our ornithologists. Our Sparrows do not
change their plumage so much at any period, as to give
any probability to the opinion, that this bird may be a
variety of the preceding. Besides, the length of this indi-
vidual, only 4^ inches, is incompatible with the size of
the Shore Finch. With much doubt it is quoted by
Prince Bonaparte as a synonyme for Fringilla savana-
rum ; the feathers of the tail, however, in this species,
are scarcely at all pointed.
SEA-SIDE FINCH.
{Fringilla maritima, Wilsojv, iv. p. 68. pi. 34. fig. 2. Audubon, pi.
93. Orn. i. p. 470.)
Sp. Charact. — Stripe over the eye and edge of the shoulder yel-
low; breast cinereous; belly white ; ventbuif, spotted with dus-
ky ; tail rounded ; bill rather stout and long.
43
506 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
This species is not uncommon in the maritime marshy
grounds, and in the sea islands along the Atlantic coast,
from Massachusetts to the Southern States. It confines
its excursions almost wholly within the bounds of the
tide-water, leaving its favorite retreats for more inland
situations only after the prevalence of violent easterly
storms. In quest of marine insects, Crustacea, shrimps,
and minute shell-fish, it courses alonor the borders of the
strand with all the nimblenessof a Sandpiper, examining
the sea-weeds and other exuviae for its fare ; it seeks out
its prey also at dusk, as well as at other times, and usu-
ally roosts on the ground, like the Lark. In short, it de-
rives its whole subsistence from the margin of the ocean;
and its flesh is even imbued with the rank or fishy taste
to be expected from the nature of its food. At other
times it remains amidst the thickest of the sea-grass, and
climbs upon the herbage with as much dexterity as it
runs on the ground. Its feet and legs, for this purpose,
are robust, as in the Swamp Sparrow. According to
Audubon, they nest on the ground, in the bushy parts of
the salt marshes which are elevated above the flow of the
tides. This habitation is made of coarse grass and lined
with finer portions of the same. The eggs are 4 to 6,
greyish-white, speckled over with brown. They appear
to rear two broods in the season.
The length of this species is 6^ inches. Chin white, bordered by
a cinereous stripe ; crown brownish-olive, with a stripe of cinereous.
Above yellowish-brown olive, varied with pale greyish-blue ; greater
and lesser coverts tipt with dull white ; primaries edged with yellow
beneath the coverts. Bill dusky above, paler below. Legs and feet
pale bluish- white. Irids hazel. — The sexes nearly alike.
YELLOW-BIRD, OR AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 507
§ II. In these species the palate is scooped and grooved.
Subgenus. — Carduelis.
The bill somewhat lengthened, narrower than the head, straight,
and compressed ; both mandibles acute.
YELLOW-BIRD, or AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.
{Frlngilla tristis, L. Wilsox, i. p. 20. pi. 1. fig. 2. [male.] Bonap.
Am. Orn. i. p. 57. pi. 6. fig. 4. [female.] Auu. pi. 33. Orn. i. p. 172.
Sp. Charact. — Wings black, varied with white ; tail-feathers black,
interiorly white towards the tips. — Male, in summer dress, yel-
low; crown black. — Female, young, and autumnal male, hrown-
olive ; beneath yellowish- white.
This common, active, and gregarious Goldfinch is a
very general inhabitant of the United States. It is also
found in summer in the remote interior of Canada, near
Lake Winnipiq:ie, in the 49th degree of latitude. On
the other hand it is also met with in Mexico, and even in
Guiana and Surinam in tropical America, where they fre-
quent the savannas. Although many of these birds, which
spend the summer here, leave at the approach of winter,
yet hungry flocks are seen to arrive in this part of New
England throughout that season ; and sometimes, in com-
pany with the Snow Buntings, in the inclement months
of January and February, they may be seen busily em-
ployed in gleaning a scanty pittance from the seeds of the
taller weeds, which rise above the deep and drifted snows.
As late as the loth of September I have observed a
nest of the Yellow-bird, with the young still unfledged.
Their migrations are very desultory, an5 do not probably
extend very far, their progress being apparently governed
principally by the scarcity or abundance of food with
which they happen to be supplied. Thus, though they
may be numerous in the depth of winter, as soon as the
weather relaxes, in the month of March, scarcely any
508 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
more of them are to be seen, having at this time, in quest
of sustenance, proceeded probably to the southern ex-
tremity of the United States. Those observed in tropi-
cal America, may be hibernal wanderers from the cooler
parts of Mexico. At all events, they select the milder
climates of the Union, in which to pass the breeding
season, as at this time they are but rarely seen in the
Southern States, Kentucky being about the boundary of
their summer residence.
Naturally vagrant and wandering, they continue to live
in flocks, or in near vicinage, even throughout the great-
est part of the selective season. As the fine weather
of spring approaches, they put off their humble winter
dress, and the males, now appearing in their temporary
golden livery, are heard tuning their lively songs as it
were in concert, several sitting on the same tree, enjoy-
ing the exhilarating scene, basking and pluming them-
selves, and vying with each other in the delivery of their
varied, soft, and cheerful warble. They have also the fac-
ulty of sinking and raising their voices in such a delightful
cadence, that their music at times seems to float on the
distant breeze, scarcely louder than the hum of bees ; it
then breaks out, as it were, into a crescendo, which rings
like the loud song of the Canary. In cages, to which
they soon become familiar and reconciled, their song
is nearly as sonorous and animated as that of the lat-
ter. When engaged in quarrel, they sometimes hurl
about in a whole flock, some, as it were, interfering to
make peace, others amused by the fray, all uttering loud
and discordant chirpings. One of their most common
whining calls, while engaged in collecting seeds in gar-
dens, where they seem to be sensible of their delin-
quency, is, 'may be, ^mdy he. They have also a common
cry like 'tsheveet 'tshevee, uttered in a slender complain-
YELLOW-BIRD, OR AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 509
ing accent. These, and some other twittering notes, are
frequently uttered at every impulse, while pursuing their
desultory waving flight, rising and falling as they shut or
expand their laboring wings. They are partial to gar-
dens and domestic premises, in the latter end of sum-
mer and autumn, collecting oily seeds of various kinds
and shelling them with great address and familiarity, if
undisturbed often hanging and moving about head down-
wards, to suit their convenience, while thus busily and
craftily employed. They have, like the true Goldfinch, a
particular fondness for thistle seeds, and those of other
compound flowers, spreading the down in clouds around
them, and at this time feeding very silently and intently ;
nor are they very easily disturbed while thus engaged in
the useful labor of destroying the germs of these noxious
weeds. They do some damage occasionally in gardens, by
their indiscriminate destruction of lettuce and flov/er seeds,
and are therefore often disliked by gardeners ; but their
usefulness, in other respects, far counterbalances the
trifling injuries they produce. They are very fond, also,
of washing and bathing themselves in mild weather ; and
as well as tender buds of trees, they sometimes collect
the Confervas of springs and brooks as a variety to their
usual fare.
They raise sometimes two broods in the season, as
their nests are found from the first week in July to the
middle of September. The nests are often built in tall
young forest trees or lofty bushes, as in the sugar maple,
elm, spice-bush, and cornel. They are made of strips of
bass, hemlock bark, and root fibres, with a filling, at
times, of withered downy stalks of apple-tree leaves,
old oak catkins, and other softish rubbish ; then bedded
and lined within with thistle down, the pappus of the
button- wood (Plat emus), or sometimes cow-hair, and fine
43*
510 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
bent-grass. A few lint-threads of Indian hemp and cater-
pillars' silkj are occasionally thrown over the exterior ma-
terials, and agglutinated to them for the purpose of more
securely holding the whole together. They never make
use of any external patches of lichen^ nor use this sub-
stance in any manner ; and the eggs, 3 to 5, are white,
without any spots. This description is taken from 8 nests
of the same bird, which, with 3 or 4 more not inspected,
were all made towards the close of summer, chiefly in the
Botanic Garden at Cambridge. I have, the present sea-
son (1831), examined several more nests agreeing with
the above description ; and from the late period at which
they begin to breed, it is impossible that they can ever
act in the capacity of nurses to the Cow Troopial. This
procrastination appears to be occasioned by the lack of
sufficiently nutritive diet, the seeds on which they prin-
cipally feed not ripening usually before July.
The American Goldfinch is never less than 5 inches in length ; of
a rich lemon-yellow, but nearly white on the rump and vent, and a
little paler on the upper part of the back. The crown, wings, and
tail, black ; the shoulder and its coverts olive-yellow, fading into
white; the gi eater coverts and tertials tipt and edged with white;
the tail handsomely forked, with the feathers acute at the points, and
shaded off into white on the inner webs towards their tips. The bill
and legs pale reddish-yellow, the latter much fainter. — In the month
of September the male moults into a new and humble dress of brown-
ish olive, nearly similar to that of the female ; the wing-coverts and
tertials are now edged with white, slightly tinged with rufous. At
this time, the bill and feet are brownish. Some males are provided
with a white wing-spot, visible only when the coverts are elevated.
ARKANSAS SISKIN.
{Fringillapsaltria, Say. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 54. pi. 6. fig. 3.
[male]. Phil. Museum, No. 6278.)
Sp. Charact. — Olivaceous ; beneath wholly yellow ; crown, wings,
and tail black } a white wing-spot ; lesser wing-coverts dusky
ARKANSAS SISKIN. PINE FINCH. 51J
olive ; 3 outer tail-feathers white on the middle of the inner web,
black at tip.
This species, first described by Mr. Say, was met with
in the month of July, near the base of the Rocky Moun-
tains, south of the river Platte, and probably exists in
Mexico. As usual, it lives in trees and bushes, sings
sweetly, and much in the manner of the Yellow-Bird.
The specimen was a male : the female, and any other
vesture of plumage, are unknown.
The Arkansa Siskin is 4^ inches long. Crown black ; cheeks
dusky olive ; neck, back, and rump olivaceous, mingled with
dusky and yellowish ; upper tail-coverts black, varied with olive.
Beneath pure yellow. Wings brownish-black, smaller wing-coverts
the same, but slightly tinged with blue, and edged with olive ; great-
er wing-coverts tipt with white, forming a bar across the wino- ; 3d
to the 7th primaries white towards the base, producing a white spot
beyond the coverts 5 first 4 primaries nearly equal, 5th shorter; the
secondaries broadly margined with white exteriorly towards their
tips. Tail blackish, slightly emarginated, edged with dull whitish ;
the 3 exterior feathers pure white on the middle of their inner vanes.
Bill yellowish, tipt with blackish. Feet flesh-color. Irids dark brown.
PINE FINCH.
{Fringilla pinus, Wilson, ii. p. 133. pi. 57. fig. 1. [winter plum-
age]. Phil. Museum, No. 6577.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark flaxen, spotted with blackish ; wings black,
with 2 yellowish-w^hite bars ; shafts of the quills yellow ; lateral
tail-feathers yellow on the lower half.
Our acquaintance with this little northern Goldfinch
is very unsatisfactory. It visits the Middle States in
November, frequents the shady, sheltered borders of
creeks and rivulets, and is particularly fond of the seeds
of the hemlock tree. Among the woods, where these
trees abound, they assemble in flocks, and contentedly
pass away the winter. Migrating for no other purpose but
subsistence, their visits are necessarily desultory and
512 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
uncertain. My friend, Mr. Oakes, of Ipswich, has seen
them in large flocks in that vicinity in winter. With
us they are rare, though their favorite food is abundant.
They are by no means shy, and permit a near approach
without taking alarm, often fluttering among the branches
in which they feed, hanging sometimes by the cones, and
occasionally uttering notes very similar to those of the
American Goldfinch. Early in March they proceed to
the North, but their summer dress and breeding habits
are wholly unknown.
The length of this species is said to be 4 inches; and the alar ex-
tension 8. Rump and tail-coverts yellowish, spotted with dark-
brown; sides, under the wings, cream-color, with long streaks of
black ; breast light flaxen, with small pointed spots of blackish. Bill
dull horn-color. Legs purplish-brown. Irids hazel.
LESSER RED-POLL.
{Fringiila linaria, Lin. Wilson, iv. p. 42. pi. .30. fig. 4. [young
male.] and ix. p. 126. Phil. Museum, No. 6579.)
Sp. Charact. — Above greyish, inclined to rufous, and spotted with
dusky ; below, and rump, pale crimson, approaching to white on
the vent ; crown deep crimson ; frontlet and chin black ; wings
and tail dusky ; bill very sharply and slenderly pointed. — Female
without red on the rump, the throat black ; the breast generally
whitish ; belly with large dusky spots. — In the young, the space
round the bill is cinereous, the lower parts pale rufous, and spot-
ted, with tv.^o rufous bands upon the wing.
This elegant species, which only pays us occasional
and transient winter visits, at distant intervals, is an in-
habitant of the whole arctic circle to the confines of Sibe-
ria, and is found in Kamtschatka and Greenland, as well
as the colder parts of Europe. Arriving in roving flocks
from the northern wilds of Canada, they are seen, at times,
in the western parts of the state of New York with the
fall of the first deep snow, and occasionally proceed east-
LESSER RED-POLL. 513
ward to the very city of New York, where, in the
depth of winter, and for several weeks, they have been
seen gleaning their scanty food, of various kinds of
seeds, in the gardens of the town and suburbs. Flocks
are likewise sometimes seen in the vicinity of Philadel-
phia in severe winters, though at remote periods, as, ac-
cording to Mr. Ord, they have not visited that part
of Pennsylvania since the winter of 1813-14. They
appear very unsuspicious while feeding in the gardens,
or on the seeds of the alder-bush, one of their favorite
repasts, and, thus engaged, allow a near approach while
searching for their food in every posture, and some-
times head downwards. They are also fond of the
seeds of the pine, the linden, and rape, and in the
winter sometimes content themselves even with the buds
of the alder. According to Mr. CEdman, about Michael-
mas, they migrate from Sweden in flocks of more than
200 individuals, which are found all to be males. Wil-
son believed he heard this species utter a few interrupted
notes, but nothing satisfactory is known of its vocal pow-
ers. Mr. Ord remarks that their call much resembles
that of the Common Yellow-Bird, to which, indeed, they
are allied. They are said to breed in the Highlands of
Scotland, and to select the heath and furze for the situ-
ation of their nests ; though they more commonly choose
alder-bushes and the branches of the pine. The nest,
almost like that of the Yellow-Bird, is composed of stalks
of dried grass, intermixed with tufts of wool, and warmly
lined with hair and feathers. The eggs, about 5, are of
a bluish-white, varied with numerous reddish spots
disposed at the larger end. A nest, on an alder stump,
has been found in the South of England, according to
Latham, on which the bird sat with so much tenacity as
to suffer herself to be taken off by the hand, and when
released would not forsake it.
514
GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
A smaller variety of this bird sometimes is seen in whole compa-
nies. The usual length is about 5| inches. Upon the flanks and
inferior coverts of the tail are some longitudinal blackish spots.
Wings and tail black, the quills edged with greyish rufous ; the
former with two transverse bands. Bill yellow ; black at the point.
Feet brown. In the female only part of the crown is carmine.
Subgenus. — Fuingilla.
Bill short and thick, somewhat narrower than the head, almost
perfectly conic.
FERRUGINOUS FINCH.
(Fringilla iliaca, Merrem. Lath» F. rufa, Wilson, iii. p. 53. pi.
22. fig. 4. Phil. Museum, No. 6092.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with reddish-brown and grey ; beneath white,
largely spotted with bright bay and dusky; tail and coverts
bright ferruginous.
This large and handsome Sparrow, after passing the
summer and breeding-season in the northern regions of
the continent around Hudson's Bay, and farther north
and west perhaps to the shores of the Pacific, visits ns in
straggling parties or pairs from the middle of October ta
November. At this time it frequents low, sheltered
thickets in moist and watery situations, where they usu-
ally descend to the ground, and, like the next species, are
busily employed in scratching up the earth and rustling
among the fallen leaves in quest of seeds, worms, and
insects, but more particularly the last. They migrate
in a desultory manner, and sometimes arrive as far south
as Georgia, passing the winter in the Southern States,
and retiring early in the spring to their favorite boreal
retreats. They are silent, rather tame, and unsus-
picious ; when alarmed or separated, their call is simply
shep, shep ; yet, at times, in the spring, a little before
their departure, they whisper forth a few low and sweet
notes, indicative of the existence of vocal powers in the
pairing season.
GROUND ROBIN.
515
The Ferruginous Sparrow is about 6 inches long, and 9| in alar
dimensions. Head and neck cinereous, the feathers margined with
ferruginous. Wings and tail rust-color, inclined to reddish-
brown ; 1st and 2d rows of wing-coverts tipt with white. Legs and
feet robust, brownish-white. Bill stout, dusky, the lower mandible
yellowish. Irids hazel.
GROUND ROBIN, or TOWWEE FINCH.
{Fringilla erythrophthalma,L,is. Emberiza erytlirophthalma, "Wilson,
ii. p. 35. pi. 10. fig. 5. Phil. Museum, No. 5970.)
Sp. Charact. — Black; belly white ; flanks and vent bay; tail
rounded, 4 outer feathers partly white ; a white spot on the wing
below the coverts, and an interrupted white margin on the pri-
maries; bill black. — Female, olive-brown where the male is
516 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
black, the head and throat inclining to chesnut; (as in the young
male) 3 only of the lateral tail-feathers are marked with white.
— Youngish male with the outer primary partly edged with
white, and with the narrow white spots on the 3 inner tertials
partly obsolete, or tinged with brown.
This is a very common, humble, and unsuspicious
bird, dwelling commonly in thick dark woods and their
borders, flying low, and frequenting thickets near streams
of water, where it spends much time in scratching up the
withered leaves for worms and their larvae, and is partic-
ularly fond of wire- worms (or luli), as well as various
kinds of seeds and gravel. Its rustling scratch among
the leafy carpet of the forest is, often, the only indication
of its presence, excepting now and then a call upon
its mate {tow-iccc, tow-ioee, toio-weet,) with which it is al-
most constantly associated. While thus busily engaged
in foraging for subsistence, it may be watched and ap-
proached without its showing any alarm ; and taking
a look often at the observer, without suspicion, it
scratches up the leaves as before. This call of recogni-
tion is uttered in a low and somewhat sad tone, and if
not soon answered, it becomes louder and interrogatory,
tow-wee toioee ? and terminates often with towctt. They
are accused of sometimes visiting the pea-fields to feed,
but occasion no sensible damage.
In the pairing season, and through the period of incu-
bation, the male frequently mounts to the top of some
bush amidst the thickets, where he usually passes the
time, and from hence, in a clear and sonorous voice,
chants forth his simple guttural and monotonous notes
for an hour or so at a time, while his faithful mate
is confined to her nest. This quaint and somewhat
pensive song often sounds like, fsh'd iviiee te te te
te te, or 'bid-wi tee, tr tr Hr Hr, the latter part a sort of
quaint and deliberate quivering trill ; sometimes it sounds
GROUND ROBIN, OR TOWWEE FINCH. 517
like 'bid tslierr Wh Wh, rrh 'wt, then 't'wee twee f fsher'
r'r, also et se t/a, ya 'ya 'ya 'ya 'ya, the latter notes, at-
tempted to be expressed by whistled and contracted con-
sonant syllables, are trilled with this sound.
The Ground Robin, sometimes also called Tshe-wink
and Pee-wink from another of its notes, is a general in-
habitant of Canada and the United States, even to the
base of the Rocky Mountains, and the peninsula of Flori-
da, in all of which regions, except the last, with Louisia-
na and the contiguous countries, they pass the summer
and rear their young, migrating, however, from the North-
ern and Middle States in October, and returninor a^ain
about the middle or close of April, according to the ad-
vancement of the season, at which time, also, the males
usually precede the arrival of their mates. They pass
the winter generally to the south of Pennsylvania, and are
then very abundant in all the milder states of the
Union.
They are said to show some address at times in conceal-
ing their nest, which is fixed on the ground, in a dry and
elevated situation, and sunk beneath the surface amonor
the fallen leaves, sometimes under the shelter of a small
bush, thicket, or briar. According to the convenience
of the site, it is formed of different materials, sometimes,
according to Wilson, being made of leaves, strips of grape-
vine bark, lined with fine stalks of dry grass, and occa-
sionally in part hidden with hay or herbage. Most of
the nests in this vicinity are made in solitary dry pine
woods, without any other protection than some small bush,
or accidental fallen leaves ; and the external materials,
rather substantial, are usually slightly agglutinated strips
of red-cedar bark, or withered grass with a neat lining of
the same and fallen pine leaves ; the lining sometimes
made wholly of the latter. The nest is also at times ele-
44
518 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
vated from the ground by a layer of coarse leaf-stalks,
such as those of the hickory. The eggs are 4 or 5, white
with a tinge of flesh-color, thickly spotted with reddish-
brown of two shades, rather more numerous towards the
larger end. The first brood are raised early in June,
and a second is often observed in the month of July ; but
in this part of New England they seldom raise more than
one. The pair show great solicitude for the safety of
their young, fluttering in the path, and pretending lame-
ness, with loud chirping when their nest is too closely
examined.
The Towvvee Finch is about 8 inches in length; and 11 in alar
dimensions. Vent pale bay ; a few spots at times on the sides of the
bay of the breast. The wing in the adult and perfect male has the
1st primary wholly black. The next 3 with an interrupted white
edging, about ^ an inch in extent, running down across the wing ;
the white spot below, and just over the bastard wing, stretches over
the lower part of the 6 primaries after the 1st ; there are then 3 line-
ar, irregular, white blotches on the outer webs of the 3 tertials next
to the body ; in the younger males, even of the 2d season, these last
spots resemble a mere rufous- white edging, and the upper straggling
wing-spot extends now over the edges of the 5 primaries after the first.
The 1st primary is short, and the 3d, 4th, and 5th are nearly of equal
length, and longest, with the 6th but little shorter. The tail is long
(about 3.i inches), and the 3 first feathers on either side are regular-
ly graduated. The legs and feet are pale flesh-color, and remarka-
bly stout, with the claws very long. — Note. This, and some other
Mexican species, bearing a sort of family resemblance, have been
thrown into a genus apart by Vieillot, under the name of Pipilo ;
but we have not been fortunate enough to discover in this bird any
thing more than habit, to distinguish it from other species of true
FringlllcB.
Subgenus, — Coccothraustes.
In these birds the bill is very stout, and at base as wide as the
forehead ; it is likewise slightly curved at the point, and more or less
turgid at the sides.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK, or RED-BIRD.
(Fringilla cardinalis, Bonap. Loxia cardinalis, L. Wilson, ii. p. 88,
pi. 11. fig. 1. [male.] and %. 2. [female.] Phil. Museum,
No. 5668.)
520
GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
Sp. Charact. — Crested, scarlet, beneath brighter ; capistrum and
throat black ; bill coral red. — Female and young, drab ; beneath
reddish drab ; tip of the crest, wings, and tail, red ; capistrum
and chin cinereous.
This splendid and not uncommon songster chiefly oc-
cupies the warmer and more temperate parts of the Uni-
ted States from New York to Florida, and a few strag-
glers even proceed as far to the north as Salem in Mas-
sachusetts. They also inhabit the Mexican provinces,*
and are met with south as far as Carthagena ; adventur-
ously crossing the intervening ocean, they are likewise
numerous in the little temperate Bermuda islands, but
do not apparently exist in any of the West Indies. As
might be supposed, from the range already stated, the
Red Bird is not uncommon throughout Louisiana, Mis-
souri, and Arkansas Territory. Most of those which
pass the summer in the cooler and Middle States retire
to the South at the commencement of winter ; though a
few linger in the sheltered swamps of Pennsylvania and
near the shores of the Delaware almost through the win-
ter. They also, at this season, probably assemble to-
wards the sea-coast from the west, in most of the South-
ern States, where roving and skulking timid families are
now seen flitting silently through thickets and swampy
woods alone, eager to glean a scanty subsistence, and
defend themselves from prowling enemies. At all times,
however, they appear to have a pedilection for watery
groves, and shaded running streams, abounding with ev-
ergreens and fragrant magnolias, in which they are so fre-
quent as to be almost concomitant with the scene. But
though they usually live only in families or pairs, and at
all times disperse into these selective groups, yet in severe
weather, at sunset, in South Carolina, I observed a flock
passing to a roost in a neighbouring swamp and bushy
* In the month of March Mr. Bullock saw them round Vera Cruz.
CARDINAL GROSBEAK, OR RED-BIRD. 521
lagoon, which continued, in lengthened file, to fly over
my head at a considerable height for more than 20 min-
utes together. The beautiful procession, illumined by
the last rays of the setting sun, was incomparably
splendid as the shifting shadowy light at quick intervals
flashed upon their brilliant livery. They had been ob-
served to pass in this manner to their roost for a
considerable time, and, at day-break, they were seen
again to proceed and disperse for subsistence. How
long this timid and gregarious habit continues, I cannot
pretend to say ; but by the first week in February, the
song of the Red Bird was almost daily heard. As the
season advances, roving pairs, living, as it were, only
with and for each other, flit from place to place ; and fol-
lowing also their favorite insect or vegetable fare, many
proceed back to the same cool region in which they were
bred, and from which they were reluctantly driven ;
while others, impelled by interest, caprice, and adven-
ture, seek to establish new families in the most remote
limits of their migration. Some of these more restless
wanderers occasionally, though rarely, favor this part of
New England with a visit. After listening with so much
delight to the lively fife of the splendid Cardinal, as I
travelled alone through the deep and wild solitudes which
prevail over the Southern States, and bid, as I thought,
perhaps an eternal adieu to the sweet voice of my charm-
ing companions, what was my surprise and pleasure, on the
7th of May, to hear, for the first time in this State, and
in the Botanic Garden, above an hour together, the live-
ly and loud song of this exquisite vocalist, whose voice
rose above every rival of the feathered race, and rung al-
most in echoes through the blooming grove in which he
had chosen his retreat. In the Southern States, where
they every where breed, they become familiarly attached
44*
522 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
to gardens, which, as well as corn-fields, afford them a
ready means of subsistence ; they are also fond of the seeds
of most of the orchard fruits, and are said occasionally to
prey upon bees.
The lay of the Cardinal is a loud, mellow, and pleas-
ingly varied whistle, delivered with ease and energy for
a considerable time together. To give it full effect, he
chooses the summit of some lofty branch, and elevating
his melodious voice in powerful as well as soothing and
touching tones, he listens, delighted, as it were, with the
powers of his own music, at intervals answered and en-
couraged by the tender responses of his faithful mate.
It is thus the gilded hours of his existence pass away in
primeval delight, until care and necessity break in upon
his contemplative reveries, and urge him again to pursue
the sober walks of active life.
The song of the Red Bird, like that of so many others,
though possessed of great originality, often consists in part,
of favorite borrowed and slightly altered phrases. It
would be a difficult and fruitless task to enumerate all
the native notes delivered by this interesting songster ;
a few may be perhaps excused by those who wish, in
their rural walks, to be made, in any way, acquainted
with the language of the feathered vocalists that surround
them. All the tones of the Cardinal are whistled much in
the manner of the human voice. Late in February,
while travelling in Alabama, I heard one crying woolit,
woUt wolit ivoUt, then in a quicker tone butsh butsh butsJi
butsh, and Hsliooiccuj tshooway tshoowaij. At another time
the song was ^7i;it a ^ivit, 'teu; then tslicvi tsheve 'teu,'tchoit
^whoit ^whoit 'teu (the 'whoit an exact human whistle, and
the teil tenderly emphatic.) Another bird called, teo ieo
teOjtshaoi,tshooe tshooeishooe, then teo teo teo ieo alone, or
^woit ^woit 'ivoit ^woitf with the last word delivered slower,
CARDINAL GROSBEAK, OR RED-BIRD. 523
and in a sinking, delicately plaintive tone. These phras-
es were also answered in sympathy by the female, at a
little distance up the meandering brook where they were
engaged in collecting their food. In Florida, about the
12th of March, I heard a very fine Red Bird singing hvhlttoo
wittoo icidoo ■wirkloo. He began low, almost in a whisper,
but very clearly articulated, and gradually raised his voice
to loudness, in the manner of the Nightingale. He now
changed the strain into ^victu, wilt loilt Zcilt wilt ; then
^victu, tshooe 'tshdoc tshdoe tshdoe, afterwards tu til 'victu,
and victu tu tu, then varying Hsiiooee, &lc. in a lower key.
On approaching this bird, to see and hear him more dis-
tinctly, he exhibited his anger, by scolding in a hoarse
tone almost like that of a squirrel, and from the season,
and absence of respondence in the female, I imagine he
already had a nest in the neighbouring thicket. The
bird which frequented the Botanic Garden for several
days, in the morning sang fearlessly and loudly, but at
other times the pair hid themselves amongst the thickest
bushes, or descended to the ground to feed among the
grass and collect insects and worms ; now and then,
however, in an under-tone, as if afraid of attracting no-
tice, he whispered to his mate, ten tea teu, woit 'wait ^icuit^
elevating his tone of recognition a little at the close of
the call, and going over other of the usual phrases in the
same whispering and slenderly rising voice. About the
4th of July, the same pair, apparently, paid us a parting
visit, and the male sung with great energy, '^y' tw\ hceto
'weto hoeto ^weto 'weto icait, then waitup woitup waitup wai~
tup, tshoio tshoio tshow tshoiu tshoio. On whistling any of
these notes within hearing of the Cardinal, a response is
almost certain, as this affectionate recognition is fre-
quently answered by the female. His phrase may also
be altered at will, by whistling some other than that
524 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
which he repeats, as he often immediately answers in the
call he hears, supposing it to be that of his approaching
mate.
On their arrival in the Middle States, in spring, vio-
lent contests sometimes ensue between the unmated and
jealous males. When the dispute is for the present closed,
the pair, probably for greater security, and dreading a re-
curring quarrel of doubtful issue, wander off to a remote
distance from their usual abode, and in this way, no
doubt, occasionally visit countries but little frequented
by the rest of their species. Early in May, it seems,
in Pennsylvania, according to Wilson, they begin to pre-
pare their nests, which are often placed in an ever-
green bush, cedar, laurel, or holly. The external mate-
rials are small twigs, dry weeds, and slips of vine-bark,
the lining being formed of fine stalks of dry grass. The
eggs, 4 or 5, are of a dull white, thickly spotted all over
with brownish olive. They usually raise two broods in
the season. As they are so easily domesticated immedi-
ately after being caught in trap cages, it is unnecessary
to raise them from the nest. By this kind of unnat-
ural confinement, the brilliant color of the male is found
sometimes to fade until it becomes of a pale whitish
red. They live, however, long in confinement, and an
instance is known of one which had survived for 21
years. In the cage, they have not that variety of song
which they exhibit in their native wilds ; and this, judg-
ing from the frequent repetition of the same phrase,
would appear to be a monotonous performance, if the va-
riety of expression, tone, and key did not perpetually re-
lieve and enhance the character of the lay. His song
also continues for 6 or 8 months in the year, and is even,
as among the Thrushes, more lively in wet weather ; the
sadness of nature, softening and soothing the tender vo-
CARDINAL GROSBEAK, OR RED-BIRD. 525
calist into a lively, pathetic, and harmonious reverie.
So highly were these birds esteemed for their melody,
that according to Gemelli Careri, the Spaniards of Ha-
vana, in a time of public distress and scarcity, bought
so many of these birds, with which a vessel was partly
freighted, from Florida, that the sum expended, at 10
dollars apiece, amounted to no less than 18,000 dollars !
Indeed Latham admits that the notes of our Cardi-
nal " are almost equal to those of the Nightingale," the
sweetest feathered minstrel of Europe. The style of their
performance is, however, wholly different. The bold
martial strains of the Red Bird, though relieved by ten-
der and exquisite touches, possess not the enchanting
pathos, the elevated and varied expression of the far-
famed Philomel, nor yet those contrasted tones, which,
in the solemn stilness of the growing night, fall at times
into a soothing whisper, or slowly rise and quicken
into a loud and cheering warble. A strain of almost sen-
timental tenderness and sadness pervades by turns the
song of the Nightingale ; it flows like a torrent, or dies
away like an echo ; his varied ecstasies seem poured to
the pale moon-beams, and like the desponding lover, seek-
ing to hide his grief in solitude, his sapphic lays, wast-
ed, as it were, in the desert air, now meet with no re-
sponse but the sighing zephyr or the ever-murmuring
brook. The notes of our Cardinal are as full of hilarity
as of tender expression ; his whistling call is uttered in
the broad glare of day, and is heard predominant over
most of the feathered choir by which he is surrounded.
His responding mate is the perpetual companion of all
his joys and cares ; simple an(rcontent in his attachment,
he is a stranger to capricious romance of feeling ; and
the shades of melancholy, however feeble and transient,
find no harbour in his preoccupied affections.
526 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
The length of tlie Cardinal Bird is about 8 inches, and 11 in alar
dimensions. TJie whole upper parts are of a dull dusky-red, except
the sides of the neck, head, and whole lower parts, which are of a
clear vermilion. The chin, front, and lores black ; the head orna-
mented with a high-pointed crest. Tail nearly even and long. Bill
almost coral red. The legs and feet pale flesh-color, inclining to
brownish. Irids dark hazel.
EVENING GROSBEAK.
{Fringilla vespertina, Cooper. Boxap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 75. pi. 15.
fig.l.)
Sp. Charact. — Front and line over the eye yellow ; crown, wings,
and tail black ; secondaries and inner great wing-coverts white ;
bill pale yellow.
This recently discovered and beautiful species, like
the following, appears to inhabit the solitudes of the
Northwestern interior, being met with from the extrem-
ity of the Michigan Territory to the Rocky Mountains.
It is not uncommon towards the upper extremity of Lake
Superior and the borders of Athabasca Lake ; to the east
of these limits they only appear to be transient visitors in
spring and fall. Their habits at the breeding-season are
unknown ; but during the stay they make in the spring,
in their migrating route, they appear to pass most of
the day in the deep and lonely swamps, thickly over-
grown with a gloomy and almost impervious forest of resi-
nous evergreens. From these they sally forth in small fam-
ilies to feed towards the approach of night; and at this
season, in the dusk of twilight, their strange and mourn-
ful notes are heard from the forest, while the sad and
serenading minstrel himself remains concealed ; though
at other times they are ^ fearless or incautious as to
suffer themselves to be seized almost by the hand.
The Evening Grosbeak is 8^ inches long. The sides of the head,
neck, both above and beneath, with the interscapulars and breast,
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 527
are of a dark olive-brown, blending and becoming paler as they ap-
proach the other tints. The back, rump, sides, and below, with the
under wing and tail-coverts yellow. Legs and feet flesh-color. —
The sexes nearly alike.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
{Fringilla ludoviciana, Bonap. Loxia rosea (ludoviciana), Wilson,
ii. p. 135. pi. 17. fig. 2. [male.] and Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. p. 14.
fig. 2. [female.] Phil. Museum, No. 5806, 5807.)
Sp. Charact. — Black ; breast and inferior wing-coverts rosaceous j
belly, band on the wing, base of the primaries, and 3 outer tail-
feathers partly white ; bill whitish. — Female and young, varied
with pale flaxen, dark-olive, and whitish; no rose-color, and less
white on the wings.
The history of this splendid songster is very obscure,
the species being rare and accidental in the Atlantic
States. The remote Northw^estern Territories of the
Union, Canada, and the cool regions towards the Rocky
Mountains, appear to be the general residence of the
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Mr. Say met with it in the
spring, on the banks of the lower part of the Missouri
and at Pembino on the 5th of Auo-ust in the 49th deo-ree
of latitude. The enterprising Dr. Richardson, who ac-
companied Captain Franklin into the dreary northern re-
gions of Canada, also observed it in the latitude of 53°.
It has likewise been seen in Mexico. These are, no
doubt, its proper natal regions, and the course of its mi-
grations, from which it only ventures accidentally in se-
vere winters, and is then transiently seen in pairs east of
the Atlantic mountains, which constitute the general
boundary of its range. They are thus seen occasionally in
the vicinity of Philadelphia, in the state of New York, par-
ticularly along the borders of Lake Ontario, and in Con-
necticut, but rarely if ever in this part of New England.
Pennant speaks of its arrival in the state of New York in
528 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
May, where it has a nest of 5 eggs, and then retires in
Aufifust. It is also unknown in the Southern States. Ac-
cording to Bonaparte, its nest is concealed amidst the
thick foliage of the shady forests, where it delights to
dwell in solitude. Externally it is composed of twigs, and
lined with slender grass ; and the eggs are 4 or 5, white,
spotted with brown. My friend, Mr. Cooper, remarks,
that though this species is rare in the vicinity of New
York, a few probably breed in the woods of the Hudson,
as at Tappan, 30 miles up that river, they are frequently
seen in the cherry trees in the month of June ; and
they are said to be numerous in the forests along the
south shore of Lake Erie, and usually breed there. It
thrives very well in a cage, is a most melodious and in-
defatigable warbler, frequently, in fine weather, as in its
state of freedom, passing a great part of the night in sing-
ing, with all the varied and touching tones of the Night-
ingale; while thus earnestly engaged, it seems to mount
on tiptoe in an ecstasy of enthusiasm and delight, at the
unrivalled harmony of its own voice. The notes are wholly
warbled, now loud, clear, and vaulting, with a querulous
air, then perhaps sprightly, and finally lower, tender, and
pathetic. In short, I am not acquainted with any of our
birds superior in song, to the present, with the solitary
exception of our Orphean Mocking-Bird.
The Louisiana Grosbeak is fed upon the usual kinds of
bird-seed, and in their wild state seem to be peculiarly
fond of the kernels of the sour-gum berries ; they proba-
bly also feed upon the berri^ of the juniper, which
abound in the regions they usually inhabit.
This species is 8:^ inches long, and 13 in extent. Above black, -
except the 2d row of wing-eoverts, which are broadly tipt with
white ; a spot of the same exists on the primaries. The chin, neck,
and upper parts of the breast are also black. Lower part of the
PURPLE FINCH, OR AMERICAN LINNET. 529
breast, middle of the belly and lining of the wings, a light carmine
tint. The tail forked, black, the 3 exterior feathers on each side,
white on their inner vanes for an inch or more from the tips. Bill
white, (in the female rather dusky). Legs and feet greyish-blue.
Irides hazel.
BLUE GROSBEAK.
(Fringilla cmrulea, Bonap. Loxla coerulea, Wilson, iii. p. 78. pi.
. 24. fig. 6. [male.] Phil. Museum, No. 5826.)
Sp. Charact. — Deep blue ; lores and frontlet black, tail and wings
dusky , the latter skirted with pale bay ; bill dusky -blue. — Female
and young dark drab, tinged with blue. — The males probably
undergo a double moult ?
This shy, and almost solitary species, chiefly inhabits
the warmer parts of America from Brazil to Virginia;
stragglers occasionally also visit the lower parts of Penn-
sylvania and New Jersey, and Bullock observed them on
the talkie land of Mexico. According to Wilson, it is
nearly a silent bird, seldom singing in the cage, its usual
note of alarm being merely a loud chuck ; though, at
times, their musical capacity, under more favorable cir-
cumstances, would appear, by their uttering a few low
and sweet toned notes. They may be fed on Indian corn,
hemp seed, millet, and the kernels of several kinds of
berries.
This little known species is 6 inches long, and 10 in extent ; of a
rich purplish-blue, more dull and spotted with dusky on the back ;
coverts of the wings edged with bay ; quills skirted with blue. Tail
forked, edged with bluish, and sometimes slightly tipt with white.
Legs and feet lead-color. Bill dusky-blue, inclining to horn-color.
Eyes large, full, and black.
PURPLE FINCH, or AMERICAN LINNET.
{Fringilla purpurea, Gmel. Wilson, i. p. 119. pi. 7. fig. 4. [male.]
and V. p. 87. pi. 42. fig. 3 [male in winter plumage.] AuD.pl. 4.
Orn. i. p. 24. Loxia rosea, Vieill. Phil. Museum, No. 6504.)
45
530 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
Sp. Charact. — Crimson, deepest on the head and throat; wings
and emarginate tail, dusky, the back spotted with the same ; belly-
partly white. — Female and young varied with pale brown and
dusky, without crimson ; beneath yellowish-white, spotted with
dusky brown.
Tins brilliant and cheerful songster inhabits the North-
ern and Western States during the summer, where it
pairs and rears its young. They have been observed also
in Missouri territory by Mr. Say, and probably extend their
residence far to the North. They appear to have a great
predilection for resinous evergreens, pine and spruce,
and feed upon the berries of the juniper and red cedar,*
as well as the seeds of the tulip-tree, t and others; they
likewise frequent gardens for the same purpose, and are
particularly pleased with sun-flower seeds and other oily
kinds. When reduced to necessity, they are observed to
eat the buds of the beech, and those of the fruit trees,
probably for the sake of the stamens contained in* them,
of which they are greedy when displayed in the opening
blossoms. The stipules of the expanding buds of the elm,
which are sweet and mucilaginous, in the spring, also
make a common part of their fare. Their food, in sum-
mer, however, consists principally of insects, and juicy
berries, as those of the honeysuckle and others.
Although the Purple Finch breeds and passes the sea-
son in this vicinity, yet as early as the close of Septem-
ber they leave us for the South ; about which time, and
nearly to the close of October, small, hungry, roving
flocks arrive from the more Northern States, and Can-
ada, or Newfoundland. At the same time likewise great
numbers visit Pennsylvania, the maritime parts of New
York and New Jersey, and many pass the winter in the
Middle States ; while others proceed as far south as the
states of Louisiana and Florida, returning north in the
* Junipcrus virginiana. t Lyriodendron tulipij'era.
PURPLE FINCH, OR AMERICAN LINNET. 531
latter end of March, or early in April, and arriving with
us in the month of May, to pass the most important
period of their existence. Roving flocks are also seen
here as early as the 24th of March, singing while they
stay, with great energy and cheerfulness ; these, in all
probability, proceed to Labrador or Newfoundland to
breed. The males now have many bitter contests for
the choice of their mates, and are very bold and pugna-
cious in confinement, attempting to destroy every other
bird introduced into the same cage. They also bite
severely when taken up wounded, but are directly recon-
ciled to the cage, finding their most important wants so
amply supplied ; yet, in this state, they often refuse to
sing, and after moulting into the humble plumage of the
female, frequently remain so, without ever renewing their
crimson dress. They are here exposed in cages for sale
at high prices (by the name of Linnets), and sing pretty
commonly in confinement. Their notes are very similar
to those of the Warbling Vireo, but louder, and more
agreeably diversified. From the tops of our lofty and
spreading elms, or shadowy spruce-trees, where they de-
light to pass the time, their varied and very cheerful
melody is often continued almost without interval, and
poured forth like a torrent. After a combat with a rival,
his towering notes of victory burst out into rapture, and
he now seems to triumph with loud and petulant hilarity.
The song of this beautiful Finch is, indeed, much finer
than that of the Canary ; the notes are remarkably clear
and mellow, and the trilling, sweet, and various, particu-
larly on their first arrival. At times the warble is
scarcely audible, and appears at a distance ; it then, by a
fine crescendo, bursts into loudness, and fails into an ec-
stasy of ardent and overpowering expression ; at such times
the usual pauses of the song are forgotten, and, like the
532 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
varied lay of the Nightingale, the ravishing performer,
as if in serious emulation, seems to study every art to
produce the effect of brilliant and well contrasted har-
mony. As he sits on the topmost bough of some tall sap-
ling or more lofty tree, surveying the wide landscape,
his proud voice and elevated action seem to bid defiance
to competition, and while thus earnestly engaged, he
seems to fear no spectator, however near may be his ap-
proaches. The rapidity of his performance, and the pre-
eminent execution with which it is delivered, seem almost
like the effort of a musical box, or fine-toned, quickly
moving, delicate strain on the organ. While feeding,
in the month of March, they also utter a querulous
tshippee tshee, in nearly the same sad and liquid tone as
that uttered by the Yellow-birds while thus engaged.
The dull colored birds, in the attire of the female,
do not sing either so well, or in the same manner as the
crimson-colored individuals, though, as in the Pine Gros-
beak, it is probable, that the brilliant color is merely con-
fined to youngish birds ; and hence those in cages, which
lose that fine tint, are only the more adult individuals, in
which this deterioration of color is natural.
Although several pair of these birds usually pass the
summer in this vicinity, in spite of the utmost diligence
continued for three years, I have never yet been able
to discover their nests, although I have seen the female
collecting wool from a fence for the purpose, so that I
imagine it will be found to be very like that of the
Yellow-bird, matted and lined with soft substances.
General Dearborn, however, informed me, that he had
seen the nest of this species (in July, 1830) containing
young, fixed on the low, horizontal branch of a balsam-
fir, contiguous to a house, and even near a path. The
outside appeared to be lined with lichens, and the whole
BULLFINCHES. 533
was neatly and compactly formed. They seem indeed
much attached to evergreens, frequenting their shade,
during the heat of the day. They sing at various times,
but most vigorously in the morning and evening. From
another person who has also seen the nest of this species,
I learn, that it is commonly in an evergreen, contains
very few eggs or young, and that they raise but a single
brood in the season, which are not hatched before mid-
summer.
The Crimson Finch is from 6 to 6^ inches in length, and 9 or
more in alar extent. Crimson, much deeper on the head and chin ;
the breast and rump paler, inclining to rosaceous. The back appears
much spotted Avith dusky. The wings and tail are also dusky, edged
with reddish ; vent and centre of the belly white ; the sides under
the wings clouded with dull brownish. Legs brownish flesh-color.
Bill dull, dark horn-color. Irides hazel. In young males, the crim-
son feathers of the head and neck, are sometimes edged with rose-
color, so that the brilliant tint is only seen by reflected light ; as
the margins, however, wear off", the vesture, in early spring, attains
its proper color. Audubon observes, that among the flocks which
winter in the South, there are as man}'- red individuals as in sum-
mer ; here they are less common at that season ; it is therefore not
improbable that the young males proceed farther south, generally,
than either the females or younger birds. Mr. Cooper remarks, that
in the vicinity of New Yori the purple are as common as the brown
birds.
BULLFINCHES. (Pyrrhula. Briss.)
L\ these birds the bill is short, robust, thick, convex-conic, turgid
at the sides, compressed at the point, the upper mandible acute, and
obviousl}^ curved, as well as the inferior more or less j palate smooth
and scooped. Nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and most commonly
concealed by the feathers of the frontlet. Tongue thick, and some-
what fleshy. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe, which is united
at base to the outer. — Wings rather short ; the 3 first primaries
graduated, the 4th longest. Tail slightly rounded or square. — The
female differs considerably from the male. They moult generally
twice in the year.
45*
534 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
The Bullfinches possess many of the habits of the Crossbills, to
which they are nearly allied ; they subsist on the hardest seeds, from
which they separate the husk. Some of the foreign species have
exceedingly thick and strong bills, capable of cleaving the most com-
pact and woody shells of seeds. Most of the species inhabit cold
and temperate c. imates, b v^ng spread through Europe, America,
and Northern Asia ; there are a smaller number in Africa, and none
in Australia ; some exist also in tropical America. They live in for-
ests, building in trees and bushes, and lay 4 or 5 eggs.
CRIMSON-FRONTED BULLFINCH.
(JPyrrhula frontalis, Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 49. pi. 6. fig. 1. [male]
fig. 2. [female]. Frlngilla frontalis, Say, nee. LatH. Phil.
Museum, No. 6276-7.)
Sp. Charact. — Dusky -brownish ; fore part of the head, throat,
breast, and rump crimson ; belly whitish, spotted with dusky ; tail
nearly even. — Female dusky-brown, the feathers edged with
whitish ; no crimson ; beneath whitish, streaked with dusky.
For this new species we are again indebted to the
industry of Mr. Say, who described it in Long's Expedi-
tion. It was met with near to the base of the Rocky
Mountains, in the month of July, on the plains of the
Arkansa, and consequently passes the breeding season in
that country, having thus probably a very limited north-
ern range. To the South, however, they have since been
observed by Mr. Bullock on the table land of Mexico.
They live, like the Purple Finch, in small scattered flocks,
and were observed to frequent the tops of the cotton-
wood poplars (Popidus angulata?), feeding partially on
their buds. Their voice is said to resemble that of the
preceding bird, but we are not informed of their possess-
ing any musical powers.
This species is about 5^ inches long. The head near the front,
neck beneath, and upper portion of the breast crimson, deeper near
the bill and over the eye ; cheeks, and space from bill to eyes grey-
ish, he occiput, the neck above, and on the sides, brown, with a
PINE GROSBEAK OR BULLFINCH. 535
reddish cast. The back dusky-brownish ; rump crimson, less vivid
than the head. Inferior portion of the breast, belly, and vent whit-
ish, each feather having a broad, fuscous line. Wingsi_blackish-
brown.
PINE GROSBEAK or BULLFINCH.
(Pyrrhula enucleator, Temm. Loxia enudeator, Wilsox, i. p. 80. pi.
5. fig. 2. [young male of the first year.] Phil. Museum, No.
664.)
Sp. Charact. — The wings with 2 white bands, and the tail
black ; secondaries edged with white ; length about 9 inches. —
Mult male tinged with reddish-orange, beneath inclined more to
yellow, above varied with blackish-brown. — In the young male
the same parts and the rump are carmine of different shades, ex-
cept the flanks, abdomen, and vent, which are cinereous. — Fe-
male, with the top of the head and rump brownish-orange ; below
cinereous, with a faint tinge of orange.
This splendid and very hardy bird appears to dwell
almost wholly within the cold and arctic regions of both
continents, from whence only, in severe winters, a few
migrate into Canada and the United States, where they
are consequently of rare and uncertain occurrence.
They are common in the pine forests of Siberia, Lapland,
and the northern parts of Russia ; and are also observed
in the Scottish Highlands, and on the Northwest coast of
America. They have been seen in winter in the lower
part of Missouri, and at the same season, occasionally, in
the maritime parts of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The American birds of this species are observed to re-
turn to Hudson's Bay as early as April. Accordino- to
Mr. Pennant, they frequent the woods of pine and juni-
per, and are now possessed of musical talents ; but as the
period of incubation approaches, they grow silent. Their
nests are made in trees (probably their f.vorite ever-
greens), at a small height from the ground, with twigs
externally, and lined with feathers. The eggs, 4 or 5
536 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
are white?, and the young are hatched in June. Suited
to the sterile climates they inhabit, their fare, besides
the seeds of the pine, alpine plants, and berries, often
consists of the buds of the poplar, willow, and other north-
ern trees and shrubs ; so that they are generally secure of
the means of subsistence, as long as the snows are not
too overwhelming. The individuals, as yet seen in the
United States, are wholly young birds, which, it seems,
naturally seek out warmer climates than the adult and
more hardy individuals.
The length of the Pine Bullfinch is about 9 inches or under.
Tail considerably forked. Legs black. Bill brownish horn-color.
CROSSBILLS. (LoxTA. Briss.)
In these birds the bill, is robust and convex, with the mandibles
crossing each other and compressed towards the points, which are
extended in the form of crescents. Nostrils basal, lateral, rounded,
hidden by the advancing hairs of the front. Tongue cartilaginous,
short, entire, and pointed. The tarsus nearly equal with the mid-
dle toe ; toes divided to the base ; hind nail largest, much curved. —
Wings moderate, 1st and 2d primaries longest. Tail notched.
The female and young differ considerably from the adult male, and
from each other ; there is likewise a difference of plumage accord,
ing to age and season ; although they are believed to moult but once
a year. They inhabit the boreal and arctic regions, and possess
most of the manners of the Grosbeaks and Bullfinches. They live
principally in the forests of pine and fir ; feeding usually on the
seeds or nuts of that family of trees, their bills being singularly well
adapted for the opening of the pine cones ; they feed also on other
kinds of hard seeds of the trees and shrubs of cold and alpine re-
gions. In Europe they are observed to nest often in the depth of
winter, and still later in the cold and arctic regions whither they re-
tire at the approach of summer. Their migrations are irregular, and
influenced much by accidental circumstances ; sometimes they ap-
pear in great numbers, as if driven forth by the approach of famine.
They are active and not timorous ; and easily tamed. By the genus
Psittirostra, or Farrot-billed Grosbeak of New Holland, the Cross-
bills evidently approach the Parrots of the next order Zygodactyli.
PAROQUET CROSSBILL. 537
PAROaUET CROSSBILL.
{Loxia pijtiopsittacus, Bechst. Temminck, i. p. 325. (ed. alt.)
Sp. Charact. — Wings without bands ; bill shorter than the middle
toe, very stout, and greatly incurved, the point of the lower man-
. dible not crossing the upper edge of the bill.
This species, hitherto unseen in the limits of the
United States, inhabits, according to Temminck, the
high northern regions of America as well as Europe,
where they principally dwell and breed. They are some-
times, however, seen in summer in Poland, Prussia, and
Germany ; and disperse themselves in winter through the
pine forests for subsistence, returning again to the north
at the approach of summer. They live on the seeds of
the pine and alder, which they dexterously extract from
their cones and catkins. They nest in winter in Europe,
upon the branches of the same evergreens which afford
them their principal sustenance. In Livonia, they lay
in the month of May ; the nest is neatly and artfully con-
structed. The eggs, 4 or 5, are cinereous, marked at the
larger end with some large, irregular spots of blood-red,
and with lesser scattered spots of the same.
Length about 7^ inches. In the old male the general color is olive-
grey ; cheeks, throat, and sides of the neck cinereous ; upon the
head brown spots edged with greenish-grey ; rump greenish-yellow j
breast and belly of the same color, but shaded with greyish; some
longitudinal spots of dark cinereous upon the flanks. Wings and
tail blackish-brown, edged with olive-grey; rump brown, with a
wide and pale border. Iris dark brown. Bill blackish horn-color.
Feet brown. — Male, up to the age of a year. Above and below of a
scarlet red, more or less pure according to the time elapsed from the
commencement of their second moult, which takes place in April or
May. Tail and wings blackish, the feathers edged with reddish. A
little time after the completion of the first moult, the red of the plum-
age becomes shaded with greyish ; also some grey spots upon the
throat and cheeks ; the abdomen and rump rosaceous- white, upon the
538 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
latter a large brown spot occupying its centre. - The young of the year
are of a greyish-brown above, with darker spots upon the head and
back. Below whitish-grey with longitudinal brown spots ; rump of
a yellowish grey. — The female differs little from the young last
mentioned ; the upper parts are greenish grey, with large spots of
cinereous-brown ; the throat and neck greyish, shaded with brown ;
the rest of the lower parts cinereous, slightly shaded with greenish-
yellow ; rump yellowish ; belly and rump whitish, upon the latter
a large brown spot.
COMMON CROSSBILL.
(Loxia curvirostra, Lin. Curvirostra americana, Wilson, iv. p. 44.
pi. 31. fig. 1. [young male !] fig. 2. [adult male ?] Phil. Museum,
No. 5640.)
Sp. Charact. — Wings without bands; the bill as long as the mid-
dle toe ; the point of the lower mandible crossing the top of the
bill. — Adult male, greenish-yellow inclining strongly to cinere-
ous. — Female and young before ike fir st moult, shaded with green-
ish and yellowish tints ; rump yellowish ; beneath whitish, streak-
ed with dusky. — Young male, after the first moult, brick-red.
This more common species, like the preceding, inhab-
its the high northern and arctic regions of both conti-
nents, where it breeds, and is met with from Greenland
to Pennsylvania, or farther south, according to the sea-
son, and their success in obtaining food, when driven to
make their southern descent or migration. From Sep-
tember to April, they are found inhabiting the extensive
pine forests in the mountainous and interior districts of
Pennsylvania and other states to the North ; they also
extend their winter migrations into the lower parts of the
state of Missouri. They have occasionally been seen in
the maritime parts of Massachusetts, but are less com-
mon here than the following species, generally taking,
in their irregular incursions, a more interior and moun-
tainous route. In the eastern chain of the Alleghanies,
in Pennsylvania, according to Wilson, they appear to be
COMMON CROSSBILL. 539
at times very abundant visitors, feeding so steadily on
the seeds of the white pine and hemlock spruce, as to be
approached without taking alarm. They have also a loud,
sharp, and not unmusical note, chattering as they fly ;
and, during the prevalence of deep snows, become so
tamed by .hunger as to alight round the mountain cabins,
even settling on the roofs when disturbed, and, like
pigeons, descending in the next moment to feed as if
they had never been molested. They are then easily
trapped, and so eager and unsuspicious, as to allow an
approach so near that they may be knocked down with
sticks. In these very familiar visits they are observed
even to pick off the clay from the logs of the house, and
to swallow the mere earth to allay the cravings of hunger.
In cages they show many of the habits of the Parrot,
climbing up the sides and holding the pine cones given
them in one claw while they extract the seeds. Like
the same bird, in Louisiana, they also do considerable
damage at times in the orchard, by tearing apples to
pieces for the sake of getting at the seeds only. * They
feed likewise on the seeds of the alder, as well as the
kernels of other fruits, and the buds of trees. None
of these birds have yet been observed to breed within
the United States, as they retire for this purpose to
their favorite pine forests in high and more cool lati-
tudes, where in security and solitude they pursue the
duties of procreation. Like the preceding, they often
breed in winter in more temperate countries, as in Jan-
uary and February, and the young fly in March. The
nest is said to be fixed in the forks of fir-trees ; and the
eggs, 4 or 5, are of a greenish-grey, with a circle of red-
dish-brown spots, points, and lines, disposed chiefly at
the larger end ; the lines also often extend over the
whole surface of the egg.
540 GRANIVOROUS BIRDS.
The length of this species is about G^ inches. The bill brown
horn-color. Legs and feet light brown; claws large, much curved
and very sharp for the purpose of clinging to the cones and fruits on
which they feed. Irides brown.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.
^Loxia leucoptera, Gmel. Curvirostra leucoptera, Wilson, iv. p.
48. pi. 31. fig. 3. [young male]. Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. pi. 14. fig.
3. [female].
Sp. Charact. — Wings with 2 white bands. — The different states
of plumage very similar to the preceding. — Young male more in-
clined to crimson, and without any yellow.
This beautiful and well distinguished species inhab-
its the northern regions of the American continent only,
from whence, at irregular intervals, on the approach of
winter, they arrive in the Northern and Middle States ;
and, as usual, with the rest of this curious family, seek
out the pine and hemlock-spruce forests. Their visits
to this state are very irregular. About two years since
they were seen in large, gregarious, famished flocks,
near Newburyport, and other neighbouring towns in the
vicinity of the sea-coast, at which time many were
caught, killed, and caged. Their whole habits are
almost entirely similar to those of the preceding spe-
cies.
According to Mr. Hutchins in Latham,* this species,
as is supposed, arrives around Hudson's Bay in March,
and in May builds a nest of grass, mud, and feathers,
fixed generally about half way up a pine tree, and lays
5 white eggs, marked with yellowish spots. The young
fly about the end of June. It remains in this country
till the close of November, after which it retires, proba-
bly to the South ; and Wilson's bird was obtained in the
* Latham's General Synopsis, Supplement, i. p. 148. [4to.]
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 541
Great Pine Swamp or forest of the Pokono (Pennsylva-
nia), in the month of September, so that it may be pos-
sible that some few pairs breed in this situation.
This species is about 5^ inches long. (In the young male) the
wings and tail are of a deep black ; and the general color of the
plumage is dark crimson, partially spotted with dusky ; tertials
tipt with white ; vent white, spotted with dusky. Bill brown horn-
color, Feet and legs brown, and stout as in the preceding species.
46
ORDER FIFTH.
ZYGODACTYLI. (Birds with the toes disposed in
opposite pairs.)
The bill of various forms, but more or less arched and
much hooked, — often also straight and angular (in the
second family or sub-order.) The toes are always di-
rected two backward and two forward, the hind exterior
toe, however, often reversible.
This order contains birds which have the power of
directing at will the outer toe backward or forward ; it
also contains a considerable number (or subordinate
family) which retain habitually the digits in pairs. This
conformation, affording a more solid manner of attach-
ment, furnishes the means for clinging to and scaling the
trunks and branches of trees ; others also make use of
this support advantageously for the purpose of prehension
(as the Parrots.) The European and North American
genera of this order subsist principally upon caterpillars,
worms, and the larvae of insects ; other exotic genera,
with a thick and curved bill, give a preference to soft
fruits, while others, with very strong and hooked bills,
derive their subsistence from kernels and nuts. The
greater number of those birds which have the toes dis-
posed in pairs, nest in the natural cavities of old trees,
and some, by the aid of their cutting wedged, bills, form
PARROTS. 543
for themselves holes to answer this purpose. This order
is, therefore, naturally divisible, by the form of the bill,
into two families.
FIRST FAMILY.
In these birds the hill is more or less arched. The toes are usu-
ally disposed in pairs, two before and two behind ; sometimes, how-
ever, the external hind toe is reversible, or capable of being directed
backward or forward.
PARROTS. (PsiTTAcus, Lin.)
In these the bill is short, large, protuberant, extremely hard and
robust, somewhat compressed, convex above and below, furnished
with a cere at the base ; both the mandibles movable ; the up-
per curved from its origin, with the margins angular, the point
hooked, and more or less subulate ; lower mandible shorter, blunt,
and curved at the point, which by use then sometimes presents two
more or less obvious points. Nostrils basal, orbicular, open, and
perforated within the boundary of the cere. Tongue thick and
fleshy, entire, rounded at tip, and sometimes pencillated (or divided
into terminal threads, as in the Toucans.) Feet short and robust j
the tarsus naked and reticulated, shorter than the outer toe ; fore
toes united at base, opposable to the hind ones ; outer hind toe not
versatile ; sole of the foot broad and flat, nails incurved, rather large,
and acute. — Wings x^.\het long ; the 3 first primaries nearly equal,
or very slightly graduated. Tail of various forms, consisting of 12
feathers. — The female generally similar to the male ; the xjoung
difier much from the adult, and pass through several changes pre--
vious to attaining their perfect plumage ; the colors of which are
unusually brilliant.
These remarkable and gregarious birds dwell in forests, chiefly in
all the warm or mild climates, excepting Europe ; a single small spe-
cies exists however at the Straits of Magellan,* in the Southern hem-
isphere, which is much more prolific in kinds than the Northern.
They are naturally noisy and unmusical, having little or no variety
of note, until tamed and educated, when, in consequence of their
docility, aptness, and happy conformation of vocal organs, they are
* Psitlacus smaragdlnus, Emerald Parrakeet.
544 ZYGODACTYLI.
readily taught to articulate the sounds of the human voice, either in
speech or music, with a surprising exactness, and exhibit also by no
inconsiderable share of memory. They are, in short, perfect apes,
and deserve to rank with the most intelligent of irrational ani-
mals* They fly with the swiftness of wild pigeons, and climb
by means of the bill and feet, which last, indeed, supply the
place of hands, and are often employed for the prehension of their
food. They feed on fruits and seeds, breaking the hardest pericarps,
and inflicting powerful bites. They often build and roost in the cav-
ities of decayed trees, and sometimes also nest in the bifurcation of
large limbs, or in the cavities of rocks, laying from 2 to 4 roundish,
white eggs twice a year. They are said to macerate the food for
their young, and in captivity are nearly omnivorous, but give a pre-
ference to nuts and kernels. — Note. We have already remarked
their affinity to the Loxias, one of the species being called indeed, by
some, German Parrots ; and the intermediate link seems decided in
the Psittirostra ! They have likewise a more remote affinity to the
AccipiTRES, from which, at the same time, their habits are wholly
estranged. The Finches, allied to the Parrots in physical structure,
have, also, like them, a remarkable degree of docility, and have been
taught to perform feats with all the address and sagacity of monkeys. t
The Viduas, in their elongated tails, seem almost to represent the
section of the Parrakeets.
Subcrenus. — - Psittacus.
With the upper mandible furnished internally with a transverse
process near the point.
I
* For further particulars concerning the docility of the Parrot, see the Introduc-
tion, p. 20, 21.
t See the Introduction, p. 21. ■^':
CAROLINA PARROT.
(Pslttacus carolinensis, L. WiLso.v, iii. p. 89. pi. 26. iio-. 1. Au-
DUBOX, pi. 25. p. 135, Phil. Museum, No. 762.)
Sp. Charact. — Green; head and neck yellow; forehead and
cheeks orange ; tail elongated. — The young without the yellow
color.
Of more than 200 species now known to belong to
this remarkable and brilliant genus, the present is the
only one found inhabiting the United States ; it is also
restricted to the warmer parts, rarely venturing beyond
the state of Virginia. West of the Alleghanies, however
46*
546 ZYGODACTYLT.
circrastaunces induce them commonly to visit much
higher latitudes ; so that following the great valley of the
Mississippi, they are seen to frequent the banks of the
Illinois, and occasionally to approach the southern
shores of Lake Michigan. Straggling parties even have
sometimes been seen in the valley of the Juniata in
Pennsylvania, and a flock, to the great surprise of the
Dutch inhabitants of Albany, are said to have appeared
in that vicinity. This species constantly inhabits and
breeds in the Southern States, and is so far hardy as to
make its appearance, commonly in the depth of winter,
along the woody banks of the Ohio, the interior of Ala-
bama, and the banks of the Mississippi and Missouri
around St. Louis, and other places, when nearly all other
birds have migrated before the storms of the season.
The Carolina Parakeets in all their movements, which
are uniformly gregarious, show a peculiar predilection
for the alluvial, rich, and dark forests bordering the
principal rivers and larger streams, in which the tower-
ing cypress * and gigantic sycamore t spread their vast
summits, or stretch their innumerable arms, over a wide
waste of moving or stagnant waters. From these, the
beech, and the hack-berry, J they derive an important
supply of food. The flocks, moving in the manner of
wild pigeons, dart in swift and airy phalanx through the
green boughs of the forest ; screaming in a general con-
cert, they wheel in wide and descending circles round the
tall button-wood, and all alight in the same instant, their
green vesture, like the fairy mantle, rendering them
nearly invisible beneath the shady branches, where they
sit, perhaps arranging their plumage, and, shuffling side
by side, seem to caress, and scratch each other's heads
with all the fondness and unvarying friendship of affcc-
♦ Cupressus disticha. \ Platanus occidentalis. | Celtis occidentalis.
CAROLINA PARROT. 547
tionate Doves. If the gun thin their ranks, they hover
over the screaming, wounded, or dying, and returning and
flying around the place where they miss their compan-
ions, in their sympathy seem to lose all idea of impend-
ing danger. More fortunate in their excursions, they
next proceed to gratify the calls of hunger, and descend
to the banks of the river, or the neighbouring fields in
quest of the inviting kernels of the cockle burr,* and
probably of the bitter-weed, t which they extract from
their husks with great dexterity. In the depth of winter,
when other resources begin to fail, they, in common with
the Yellow-Bird, and some other Finches, assemble
among the tall sycamores, t and hanging from the ex-
treme twigs, in the most airy and graceful postures, scat-
ter around them a cloud of down, from the pendant balls,
in quest of the seeds, which now afford them an ample
repast. With that peculiar caprice, or perhaps appetite,
which characterizes them, they are also observed to fre-
quent the saline springs or lichs to gratify their uncom-
mon taste for salt. Out of mere wantonness, they often
frequent the orchards, and appear delighted with the
fruitless frolic of plucking apples from the trees, and
strewing them on the ground untasted. So common is
this practice ar.ong them, in Arkansas Territory, that
no apples are ever suffered to ripen. They are also fond of
some sorts of berries, and particularly of mulberries,
which they eat piecemeal, in their usual manner, as they
hold them by the foot. According to Audubon, they like-
wise attack the outstanding stacks of grain in flocks,
committing great waste ; and on these occasions, as well
as the former, they are so bold or incautious as readily
to become the prey of the sportsman in great numbers.
* Xanthium strumarium. | Ambrosia, species. XPlatanus ocddentalis.
548 ZYGODACTYLI,
Peculiarity of food appears wholly to influence the visits
and residence of this bird, and in plain, champaign, or
mountainous countries, they are wholly strangers, though
common along the banks of all the intermediate water-
courses and lagoons.
Of their manners at the interesting period of propaga-
tion and incubation we are not yet satisfactorily inform-
ed. They nest in hollow trees, and take little, if any
■pains, to provide more than a simple hollow in which to
lay their eggs, like the Woodpeckers. Several females
deposit their eggs in the same cavity ; the number laid by
each is said to be only 2, which are nearly round, and
of a light greenish-white.* They are, at all times, par-
ticularly attached to the large sycamores, in the hollow
trunks of which they roost in close community, and enter
at the same aperture into which they climb. They are
said to cling close to the sides of the tree, holding fast
by the claws and bill ; and into these hollows they often
retire during the day, either in very warm or inclement
weather, to sleep or pass away the time in indolent and
social security, like the Rupicolasf of the Peruvian caves,
at length only hastily aroused to forage at the calls of hun-
ger. Indeed from the swiftness and celerity of their aeri-
al movements, darting through the gleaming sunshine,
like so many sylvan cherubs, decked in green and
gold, it is obvious that their actions as well as their man-
ners are not calculated for any long endurance ; and shy
and retiring from all society but that to which they are
inseparably wedded, they rove abroad with incessant ac-
tivity, until their wants are gratified, when, hid from
sight, they again relapse into that indolence which seems
a relief to their exertions.
* AuDUBox. Dm. Biog. i. p. 139.
t Cock of the Rock of Peru, wlach is also somewhat related, apparently, to the Par-
rots
'I
J
CAROLINA PARROT. 549
The Carolina Parrot is readily tamed, and early shows
an attachment to those around who bestow any attention
on its wants ; it soon learns to recollect its name, and to
answer and come when called on. It does not, however,
evince much, if any capacity, for mimicking human
speech, or sounds of any kind ; and, as a domestic, is
very peaceable and rather taciturn. It is extremely
fond of nuts and almonds, and may be supported on the veg-
etable food usually given to other species. One which I
saw at Tuscaloosa, a week after being disabled in the
wing, seemed perfectly reconciled to its domestic condi-
tion ; and as the weather was rather cold, it remained the
greater part of the time in the house, climbing up the
sides of the wire fender to enjoy the warmth of the fire.
I was informed, that when first caught it scaled the side
of the room, at night, and roosted in a hanging posture
by the bill and claws ; but finding the labor difficult and
fruitless, having no companion near which to nestle, it
soon submitted to pass the night on the back of a chair.
When placed in a cage out of doors, in a suitable situ-
ation, the call of the prisoner instantly awakens the sym-
pathy of the passing flocks, who from the neighbouring
trees sometimes enter into communion with their disabled
or detained companion. A caged bird, as with some
of the other species, and particularly the ' Inseparable,' is
extremely pleased with the society of a companion, and
they are observed to roost side by side, even thrusting
their heads, at such times, into the plumage of each
other, and thus, by a variety of delicate attentions,
succeed in ameliorating the misfortunes of confinement
and unnatural restraint. Even her own image in a look-
ing-glass often seems to diminish the weariness of soli-
tude, and by the side of this pleasing phantom, the Parrot
or the Canary sinks satisfied to repose.
550 ZYGODACTYLI.
This species is about 13 inches long; and 2l in alar dimensions.
The forehead and cheeks are orange-red ; the rest of the head and
neck of a rich yellow ; shoulder and bend of the wing edged with or-
ancre-red. Above bright yellowish glossy green, with bluish reflec-
tions, diluted with yellow below; interior webs of the primaries
dusky-purple, exterior ones bluish-green. Tail long and graduated,
the exterior feathers only half the length of the middle ones ; shafts
of all the quills black. Knees and vent orange. Feet a pale whitish
flesh-color; claws black. Bill white, slightly tinted with cream-
color. Iris hazel. In the young birds the head and neck is wholly
green, except the front and cheeks, which are orange, as in the adults.
— Though tough, like the Pigeon, the flesh of this Parrot is com-
monly eaten in the Southern States, but, from my own experience, I
cannot consider it as very palatable. The brains and intestines have
likewise been said to be a poison to cats, though apparently without
any foundation, according to the experiment of Wilson.
COCCYZUS. (American Cuckoo.)
The BILL rather robust, long, compressed the whole length, cari- ^
nated, entire, with both mandibles gently curved from the base and
reflected at the points, the upper somewhat longer. Nostrils
basal, lateral, oval, half closed by a naked membrane. Tongue I;.'
short, narrow, acute. Feet slender ; tarsus naked, robust^ longer
or only about the length of the longest toe, the 2 anterior toes united
at the base ; nails short and but little curved. — JVings rather short ; jL
spurious feather short, 3d and 4th primaries longest. Tail moderate 8
or long, not emarginated, consisting of 10 feathers. ™
These birds inhabit the warmer parts of ^both continents, though i
there are none in Europe ; two or three species inhabit the United r
States durina: summer. They replace here the true Cuckoos of the 4
to J r ^ ^ |^„
old continent, from which they scarcely at all differ except in habit. ■^'"
They build, however , generally , a nest in tall thickets, trees, or hollow
trunks, and breed up their young. They usually reside in forests or
orchards, are shy, and fond of solitude, hiding and crouching beneath
the shady branches, and seldom if ever alight on the ground. They
feed on insects and berries, particularly on the hairy caterpillars re-
jected by other birds, in the digestion of which they are assisted by
disgorging at intervals the roughened skins ; they are also exceeding-
ly greedy of the eggs of other birds. They moult once a year, and
there is but little difference in plumage between the sexes, or be-
tween the old and the young ; the female is, however, somewhat larger.
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OR RAIN-CROW. 551
§ 1. Tarsus about the Ungtii of the longest toe, knees feathered.
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, or RAIN-CROW,
(Coccyzus americanus, Bonap. Audubon, pi. 2. Orn. i. p. 18.
Cuculus carolinensis, Wilson, iv. p. 13. pi. 28. fig. 1. C. ameri'
canns, L. Phil. Museum, No. 1778.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark greyish-brown with bronzy reflections ; be-
neath white ; inner vanes of tlie primaries reddish cinnamon-
color ; the lower mandible yellow.
The American Cuckoo arrives in the Middle and cold-
er States of the Union about the close of April or the
first week of May, but is scarcely known to the north of
Massachusetts. They probably winter in Mexico, and
some pass no farther than the forests of Louisiana.* La-
tham speaks of this species, also, as an inhabitant of the
tropical island of Jamaica. It delights in the shady re-
tirement of the forest, and is equally common in tall
thickets and orchards, where, like a piratical prowler
it skulks and hides among the thickest boughs ; and al-
though, unlike the European Cuckoo, they are faithfully
paired, yet the pair are seldom seen in the same tree, but
shy and watchful, endeavour to elude every thino- like
close observation. The male, however, frequently be-
trays his snug retreat by his monotonous and guttural
kow koio kow koiv, or koo koo koo koo, and ko kuk, ko kuk
koo koo koo kuk, koo ko koo, koo ko koo, uttered rather low
and plaintively, like the call of the Dove. At other times,
the koic koic kow, and 'tk Hk Hk Hk 'tak, or 'kh 'kh 'kli 'kh
'kah kow koiv kow kow, beginning slow, rises, and becomes
so quick as almost to resemble the grating of a watch-
man's rattle, or else, commencing with this call, termi-
nates in the distant cry of koto koic koic. From this note,
supposed to be most clamorous at the approach of rain,
* Audubon, Orn. Biog. i. p. 19.
552 ZYGODACTYLI.
it has received, in Virginia and other states, the name of
Rain-Croiv, and also Koio-Bird. At various seasons,
during the continuance of warm weather, the vigil koio
kbw kdw kow of the faithful male is uttered for hours,
at intervals, throughout the night. The same notes,
but delivered in a slower and rather tender strain, are
given with great regularity likewise in the day as long
as the period of incubation continues. He often stead-
fastly watches any approach to the nest, going to it oc-
casionally to assure himself that it is unmolested ; and,
at times, he may be observed darting even at the dor-
mant bat, who accidentally seeks repose beneath the
shady leaves of some contiguous tree, so that he is no less
vigilant in seeking the security of his own progeny, than
in piratically robbing the nests of his neighbours. There
are two or three other species in Jamaica and other parts
of tropical America, possessing a note very similar to
that of our bird, which also frequently approaches, when
delivered in the plaintive mood_, koo koo, and koo koo koo,
the usual sound of the European Cuckoo. There is a
Mexican species (Cuculus ridibundus) which so simu-
lates laughter, as to have awakened the superstition of
the natives, by whom it is consequently hated as a mes-
senger of misfortune, whose accidental note of sardon-
ic risibility, is construed into an ominous delight in
misery.
The whole tribe of Cuckoos are in disgrace for the un-
natural conduct of the European and some other foreign
species, who, making no nests, nor engaging in conjugal
cares, parasitically deposit their eggs, one by one, in the
nests of other, small birds, to whom the care of rearing
the vagrant foundling is uniformly consigned. This
whitish and darkly spotted Qgg, so different from that of
our dubious species, is supposed to be conveyed into sev-
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OR RAIN-CROW. 553
eral of the nests where it is found, in some way or other,
after being laid, for in no other manner could it be depos-
ited in the closed nest of the Common Wren, or that of
the Chiff-Chaflf* and other small kinds. The piratic habit
governs the Cuckoo from its very birth, and the deceived
foster-parent, by her kindness, has brought out, in the
ruthless foundling, the dragon of her own offspring, every
one of them being instinctively thrown out of the nest to
die by this intruder on nature's benevolence. So exclu-
sive, indeed, is this assumption of usurped existence, that
when two Cuckoos have been hatched (as sometimes hap-
pens) in the same nest, a continual contest ensued until
the stronger ejected the weaker, and exposed it to perish !
We shudder at the instinctive expression of so much de-
liberate treachery in nature, of a still deeper cast than
that which presides over the birth of our Cotc-Bunfing,
for here the supposititious charge comes into life before
the hatching of the other eggs of the nurse, and though
the genuine brood mostly perish, as soon as they appear,
the foundling exhibits no hostility towards them. But
where we cannot follow nor explain the decrees of crea-
tion, we must bow in reverence to those necessary and in-
scrutable laws which govern the universe in wisdom.
From reflections so appalling, on the birth of the
foreign Cuckoo, we may turn with satisfaction to the con-
jugal history of our present subject, which, early in May,
or soon after its arrival, may be, at times, observed obsti-
nately engaged in the quarrels of selective attachment.
The dispute being settled, the nest is commenced and
usually fixed either in the horizontal branches of an ap-
ple tree, or in a thicket, a thorn bush, crab, cedar, or
other small tree in some retired part of the woods. The
* Sylvia hypolais.
47
554 ZYGODACTYLI.
fabric is usually very slovenly and hastily put together,
and possesses scarcely any concavity for the reception of
the young, who, in consequence, often fall out of their
uncomfortable cradle. The nest is a mere flooring of
twigs put together in a zig-zag form, then blended with
green weeds or leaves, and withered blossoms of the ma-
ple, apple, or hickory catkins. A nest near the Botanic
Garden had, besides twigs, fragments of bass-mat, and
was now very uncomfortably heated and damp with the
fermentation of the green tops of a species of maple in-
troduced into it, and the whole swarmed with Thrush-
lice or Millipedes. The eggs, usually 2 to 4, are of a
bluish-green color, often pale, varying in the shade, and
without spots ; they are somewhat round and rather large.
If they are handled before the commencement of incuba-
tion, the owner generally forsakes the nest, but is very
tenacious and affectionate towards her young, and sits so
close, as almost to allow of being taken off by the hand.
She then frequently precipitates herself to the ground
fluttering, tumbling, and feigning lameness in the man-
ner of many other affectionate and artful birds, to draw
the intruder away from the premises of her brood. At
such times, the mother also adds to the contrivance, by
uttering most uncouth and almost alarming guttural
sounds, like qua qiidh gwaih, as if choaking, as she runs
along the ground. While the female is thus dutifully
engaged in sitting on her charge, the male takes his sta-
tion at no great distance, and gives alarm by his notes,
at the approach of any intruder ; and when the young are
hatched, both unite in the labor of providing them with
food, which, like their own, consists chiefly of the hairy
caterpillars, rejected by other birds, that so commonly
infest the apple trees, and live in communities within a
common silky web. They also devour the large yellow
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OR RAIN-CROW. 555
cock-chaffer*, Ccuribi, and other kinds of insects, as well
as various sorts of berries ; but their worst propensity
is the parasitic habit of sucking the eggs of other birds,
thus spreading ruin and dismay wherever they approach.
They hatch several broods in a season, and I have
seen a nest with eggs in it as late as the 28th of August !
though they usually take their departure in some part of
the month of September. Considering the time they are
engaged in breeding, they raise but few young, appearing
to be improvident nurses, and bad nest-makers, so that
a considerable part of their progeny are either never
hatched, or perish soon after ; a fortunate balance to check
the increase of their numbers, and circumscribe the
otherwise evil of their existence. They are greatly at-
tached to places where small birds resort, for the sake
of sucking their ecras ; and I have found it difficult at
times to eject them, as when their nests are robbed,
without much concern, they commence again in the same
vicinity, but adding caution to their operations, in pro-
portion to the persecution they meet with ; in this way,
instead of their exposing the nest in some low bush, I have,
with difficulty, met with one, at last, in a tall larch more
than 50 feet from the ground. When wholly routed, the
male kept up a mournful kow koio kow for several days,
appearing now sensible by experience of the misery of
his own predatory practices.
Careless in providing comfort for their progeny, the
American Cuckoo, like that of Europe, seems, at times,
inclined to throw the charge of her offspring on other
birds. Approaching to this habit, I have found an
Qgg of the Cuckoo in the nest of a Cat-Bird ; yet, though
the habitation had been usurped, the intruder prob-
ably intended to hatch her own eggs. At another time,
* Melolontha lanigera .
556 ZYGODACTYLI.
on the 15th of June (1830), I saw a Robin's nest with
2 eggs in it, indented and penetrated by the bill of a bird,
and the egg of a Cuckoo deposited in the same nest.
Both birds forsook the premises, so that the object of this
forcible entry was not ascertained ; though the mere ap-
propriation of the nest would seem to have been the in-
tention of the Cuckoo.
This species is about 12 inches long; and 16 in alar extent. Above
dark greyish-brown vv'ith greenish and yellowish silky reflections. Tail
long, the 2 middle feathers of the color of the back ; the others dusky
gradually shortening to the outer ones, with large white tips ; the
two outer scarcely half the length of the middle ones. Below white ;
the feathers of the thighs large, and hiding the knees as in the
Hawks. Legs and feet pale greyish-blue. Iris hazel, eyelids yel-
low or black. Lower part of the upper mandible also yellow. Inner
coat of the stomach villous. — In the female, which is larger, the 4
middle tail-feathers are without white spots.
ST. DOMINGO CUCKOO.
(Coccyzus dominicus, Nobis. Cuculus dominicus , LiJN . Black-billed
Cuckoo. C. erythrophthalmus, Wilson, iv. p. 16. pi. 28. fig. 2.
Audubon, pi. 32. Orn. i. p. 170. Phil. Museum, No. 1854.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark greyish-brown with faint bronzy reflections;
beneath white, inclining to cinereous on the throat and breast ;
inner vanes of the primaries partly yellowish- white ; bill black ;
a naked red space round the eye.
This species, so nearly related to the preceding, is also
equally common, throughout the United States in sum-
mer, and extends its migrations about as far as the line of
New Hampshire. This kind also exists in the island of
St. Domingo and Guiana, and those who visit us probably
retire to pass the winter in the nearest parts of tropical
America. They arrive in Massachusetts later than the
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and the first brood are hatched
here about the 4th of June. In Georgia they begin to lay
towards the close of April. Their food, like that of the pre-
ST. DOMINGO CUCKOO. 557
ceding, also consists of hairy caterpillars, beetles, and
other insects, and even minute shell-fish. They also,
like many birds of other orders, swallow gravel to assist
digestion.
They usually retire into the woods to breed, beinor
less familiar than the former, choosing an evergreen bush
or sappling for the site of the nest, which is made of
twigs, pretty well put together, but still little more than
a concave flooring, and lined with moss occasionally, and
withered catkins of the hickory. The eggs are smaller,
and 3 to 5 in number, of a bluish-green. The female
sits very close on the nest, admitting a near approach
before flying ; the young, before acquiring their feathers,
are of an uniform bright greyish-blue ; at a little distance
from the nest the male keeps up the usual rattling call of
hoio how kow koio, the note increasing in loudness and quick-
ness ; sometimes the call seems like M' kh' kk' kh' 'kh
'kah, the notes growing louder and running together like
those of the Yellow-winged Woodpecker. This species
has also, before rain, a peculiar call, in a raucous guttural
voice like orrattoioo, or loorratfotoo. This species is
less timorous than the Yellow-billed kind, and near the
nest with young, I have observed the parent compos-
edly sit and plume itself for a considerable time without
showing any alarm at my presence. This bird is also
equally addicted to the practice of sucking birds' eggs.
Indeed, one which I saw last summer, kept up for hours
a constant watch after the eggs of a Robin sitting in
an apple tree, who with her mate, kept up a running
fight with the Cuckoo for two days in succession.
The Black-billed species is about 12*^ inches long. The 2 central
tail-feathers unspotted, the white terminal spots on the rest smaller
and bordered with dusky. Inner lining, and inner webs of the wing
quills, of a delicate cream-color. Wings pointed, the 1st primary
yjav short, the 2d a little more than ^ an inch shorter than the 3d,
47*
558 ZYGODACTYLI.
which is scarcely longer than the 4th ; the rest of the quills are again,
beyond the 4th, all regularly graduated to the secondaries ; there is
a strong tinge of cinnamon-brown edging about the centre of the
wing, and on the anterior edges of the larger coverts. Bill bluish-
black, the base of the lower mandible and ridge paler. Feet and legs
dusky-bluish, the former very short, and hidden with feathers which
surround the knee. The naked dull vermilion spot around the eye
is very characteristic ; it is also attributed to the C. vetula or Long-
billed Rain Cuckoo by Linnaeus, though not given at all in Buffon's
figure. In fact, the specific definition of Vetula applies wholly to
our bird, and may be it instead of the species quoted under this name
by Latham. Although there appears to be a difference in the meas-
urement of our bird from the C. dominicus of authors, Buffon gives
it nearly 12 inches, and Brisson saw a specimen from Louisiana
which could be no other than the present ; from his figure, however,
no conclusion can be drawn on the subject.
§ II. Tarsus longer than the toes, and the knees naked.
t MANGROVE CUCKOO.
(Coccyzus Seniculus, Nobis. Cuculus Seniculus, Lath. Index i.
p. 219. No. 38. Ibid. Synops, ii. p. 537. No. 34. Buffon, pi.
Enlum. 813.)
Sp. Charact. — Cinereous-olive; throat white, body below pale-ru-
fous ; lower mandible yellowish- white.
This species, said principally to inhabit Cayenne, oc-
casionally visits the Southernmost States. Like the pre-
ceding, it lives upon insects, and is particularly fond of
the large caterpillars which prey upon the leaves of the
Mangrove, and in the dense forests of which it conse-
quently takes up its principal residence. This species I
have never seen, and introduce it only on the authority
of Vieillot. It is said to resemble the Rain-Bird of Ja-
maica {Coccyzus vetula) in almost every thing but size,
being only about 12 inches long. The bill, light-colored
below, is about 13 lines long (French measure), and the
tarsus 12. The tail is about 6 inches long, with the two
WOODPECKERS. 559
middle feathers not spotted at the extremity, as are the
rest. The bill is stouter and higher at the base appar-
ently than in our common kinds. The nakedness and
superior length of the tarsus, so different from the two
preceding species, appears to have afforded an exclusive
unmodified generic trait to the founder of the genus,
which we have endeavoured to remedy by sectional divi-
sions. The definition of C. vetula by Linnaeus, " be-
neath testaceous, above brownish, with red eyebrows,"
induced Mr. Abbot, on the authority of Latham,* to quote
the vetula as an inhabitant of Georgia (our C. domini-
cus) ; and there is little doubt but Linnaeus described from
this species, so wholly different from that assumed as
such by Latham (the Tacco), which has never yet been
seen within the boundaries of the United States. If the
synonyme of Linnaeus had not been so embroiled by
Latham, we should not have hesitated to give the name
of vetula to Wilson's C. erythrophthalma.
2d. Family. (Sagittilingues. Uliger. JBonap.)
In these the bill is generally long, straight, conic, and edged.
ThexoxGUE is also extremely long, capable of great extension, sharp
and rigid at the point, and armed at the edges with stiff reversed
bristles. The 4 toes are always disposed in opposite pairs, 2 before
and 2 behind } rarely there exists but a single hind toe.
PICUS. Lin. (Woodpeckers.)
The BILL long, or moderate, usually straight, pyramidal, compress-
ed, cuneate, and edged like scissars towards the point ; above, in gen-
eral, straightly carinated. Nostrils basal, oval, open, though part-
ly hidden by the advancing bristly feathers of the face. Feet short
and robust, suited for climbing; hind toes divided; the outer inca^
pable of being reversed, the inner toe minute or rarely wantino-; the
two anterior ones united at the base. Wings, moderate in length,
* Suppl.vol. ii. p. 135. No. 5.
560 . ZYGODACTYLI.
the 1st primary very short, tlje 2d of middling length, and the 3d and
4th Jongest. Tail cuneiform, of 12 feathers, the 2 lateral being very
short or wholly wanting, the shafts strong and elastic. — The
female resembles the male, though readily distinguishable. The
young sometimes considerably different.
These unmusical, coarse, robust, and laborious birds dwell gener-
all}^ in the solitude of the forest, are usually of a shy, suspicious, and
retiring habit, and not easily reconciled to domestication. The pe-
culiar structure of their feet and sharp nails enable them, by the ad-
ditional support of the rigid tail, to ascend the trunks of trees and
branches with singular address and celerity, either in straight or spi-
ral lines. They feed principally upon the larvse of those insects
which perforate the wood of trees, and are consequently extremely
useful scavengers to the public, and well deserve their protection.
Some also collect ants and other kinds of insects; and in the winter,
as well as the summer, they also add various kinds of wild berries to
their fare. Their operations are carried on chiefly in dead or decay-
ing trees, which they perforate and strip of the bark with repeated
strokes of their powerful wedged bills ; in obedience to their habits
they are seldom seen on the ground. By the acuteness of their
hearing they discover the lodgment of their prey, and seldom cease
till they have obtained it. While thus employed, the silent woods
reverberate the stridulous echoes of their rapid and tremulous blows ;
and at length, darting their long, viscid tongues into the burrows of
the insects, they extract them with ease and alacrity. Their nests
are also made either in the natural or artificial excavations of the
trunks of trees. They breed once in the year, and lay from 3 to 8, usu-
ally [white and spotless, eggs. Their moult is simple or only annu-
al. Species of the genus are found in almost every part of the world.
Subgenus. — Colaptes. (Genus Colaptes. Swains.)
The BILL long and gently curved, wedged at the point, and with
the under mandible not carinated. Feet 4-toed. — Distantly allied
to the American Cuckoos. Two other species of this section, or ge-
nus, inhabit South Africa, at the Cape of Good Hope. The American
species preys from preference on ants, in quest of which it oflen de-
scends to the ground, as well as perforates decayed trees ; they also
in winter live much upon berries.
FLICKER, OR GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER.
{Picus auratus, L. Wilson, i. p. 45. pi. 3. fig. 1. [male]. Audubon,
pi. 37. Orn. Biog. i. p. 191. Phil. Museum, No. )
Sp. Charact. — Umber-brown, barred with black ; beneath yellow-
ish-white, spotted with black: a black crescent on the breast}
a crimson red crescent on the hind head ; wings and tail beneath,
and shafts of all the larger feathers, golden-yellow. — The male
alone with black mustachios. — Young, dull grey, without either
the red or black crescent.
This beatiful and well known bird breeds and inhab-
its throughout North America, from Labrador to Florida,
being partially migratory only from Canada and the
Northern States, proceeding to the south in October, and
returning north in April. It has also been observed on
562 ZVGODACTYLI.
the Northwest Coast of the continent, as well as round
Nootka Sound, and in the interior of Canada, near to
the remote lake of Winnipique, From the great numbers
seen in the Southern States in winter, it is evident that
the principal part of the species migrate thither from the
North and West to pass the inclement season, which nat-
urally deprives them of the means of acquiring their
usual sustenance. At this time also they feed much on
winter berries, such as those of the sumach, smilax, and
misseltoe. In the Middle States, some of these birds
find the means of support through the most inclement
months of the winter. In New England, they reappear
about the beginning of April, soon after which they com-
mence to pair and build ; for this purpose they often
make choice of the trunk of a decayed apple tree, at
different heights from the ground. When an accidental
cavity is not conveniently found, confident in the formid-
able means provided them by nature, with no other aid
than the bill, they have been known to make a winding bur-
row through a solid oak for 15 inches in length. At this
labor, for the greater security and privacy, they continue
till late in the evening, and may be heard dealing blows
as loud and successive as if aided by the tools of the car-
penter. The eggs, about 6, and pure white, are deposit-
ed merely upon the fragments of wood which line the
natural or artificial cavity thus forming the nest. This
cell, before the young are fledged, has a rank and disa-
greeable smell ; and on inserting the hand into it, the
brood unite in producing a hissing, like so many hidden
snakes. They soon escape from this feted den in which
they are hatched ; and, climbing into the higher branch-
es of the tree, are there fed until able to fly. In the
month of March, in Florida and Alabama, I observed
them already pairing, on which occasion many petulant
FLICKER, OR GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER.
563
quarrels daily ensued, from a host of rival suitors, accom-
companied by their ordinary cackling and squealing. One
of their usual complaisant recognitions, often delivered
on a fine morning, from the summit of some lofty dead
limb, is 'loit a 'loit \oit 'wit huit 'wit 'wit weet, and woit
a woit, woit woit looit ivoit, commencing loud, and slow-
ly rising and quickening till the tones run together into
a noise almost like that of a watchman's rattle. They
have also a sort of complaining call, from which they
have probably derived their name of pee uf, pee lit ; and
at times a plaintive quedh quecili. Occasionally they
also utter in a squealing tone, when surprised, or engag-
ed in amusing rivalry with their fellows, ivee-cogh wee-
cbgli wee-cogh, or iveecup loeccup.
The food of this species varies with the season ; they
are at all times exceedingly fond of woodlice, ants, and
their larvee ; and as the fruits become mature, they also
add to their ample fare, common cherries, bird cherries,
winter grapes, gum berries, those of the red-cedar, as
well as of the sumach, smilax,*and other kinds. As the
maize too ripens, while yet in the milky state, the Flicker
pays frequent visits to the field, and the farmer, readily
forgetful of his past services, only remembers his present
faults, and, closing his career with the gun, unthinkingly
does to himself and the public an essential injury, in
saving a few unimportant ears of corn. In this part of
New England they are known by the name of Pigeon
Woodpeckers from their general bulk and appearance ;
and, to the disgrace of our paltry fowlers, they are, in the
autumn, but too frequently seen exposed for sale in the
markets, though their flesh is neither fat nor delicate.
It is exceedingly to be regretted that ignorance and wan-
* Particularly those of S, laurifolia.
564
ZYGODACTYLI.
tonness, in these particulars, should be so productive of
cruelty, devastation, and injurious policy, in regard to
the animals with whose amusing and useful company
nature has so wonderfully and beneficently favored us.
The length of this species is about 12 inches, the alar extent 20.
The back and wings above are of an umber-color, transversely barred
with black; the upper part of the head inclines to cinereous; cheeks
and region round the eye cinnamon-color, the throat and chin a light-
er tint of the same ; from the lower mandible a strip of black de-
scending to the throat ; a crimson crescent on the hind head ; sides
of the neck bluish-grey ; a black broadish crescent on the breast.
Below yellowish-white, each feather with a distinct round central
black spot, those on the thighs and vent heart-shaped. Lower side of
the wing and tail, as well as the shafts of most of the larger feathers
golden-yellow. Rump white ; the tail-coverts white, and curiously
serrated with black ; upper side of the tail and tip below black, the 2
exterior feathers serrated with whitish ; shafts black towards the tips,
the 2 middle ones almost wholly so. Bill 1^ inches long, of a dusky
horn-color. Legs and feet light blue. Iris hazel. In the group
given by Audubon, the size appears somewhat smaller, the crimson
crescent on the hind-head much duller, the head more grey, the
lower mandible pale bluish, and the under side of the tail, in the male,
almost entirely green. Can this southern bird be the same species
with ours .''
* With the bill straight, and carinated above and beloic (proper Wood-
peckers). — t The feet 4-toed.
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
{Picus principalis, L. Wilson, iv. p. 20. pi. 29. fig. 1. [male.] Au-
dubon pi. 66. Orn. i. p. 341. [a very imposing and spirited
group.] Phil. Museum, No. 1884.)
Sp. Charact. — Black; crest red and black; secondaries, rump,
and a stripe on each side, white ; the bill white. — In the female
and young the crest is wholly black.
This large and splendid species is a native of Brazil,
Mexico, and the Southern States, being seldom seen to
the north of Virginia, and but rarely in that state. It is
a constant resident in the countries where it is found, in
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 565
the warmer regions, breeding in the rainy season, and the
pair are believed to be united for life. More vagrant,
retiring, and independent than the rest of his family,
he is never found in the precincts of cultivated tracts ; the
scene of his dominion is the lonely forest amidst trees of
the greatest magnitude. His reiterated trumpeting note,
somewhat similar to the high tones of the clarionet {pait
pait pait pait), is heard, soon after day, and until a late
morning hour, echoing loudly from the recesses of the dark
cypress swamps, where he dwells in domestic security,
without showing any impertinent or necessary desire to
quit his native solitary abodes. Upon the giant trunk and
moss-grown arms of this colossus of the forest, and amidst
almost inaccessible and ruinous piles of mouldering
logs, the high rattling clarion and rapid strokes of this
princely Woodpecker are often the only sounds which
vibrate through, and communicate an air of life to these
dismal wilds. His stridulous, interrupted call, and loud,
industrious blows, may often be heard for more than
half a mile, and become audible, at various distances, as
the elevated mechanic raises or depresses his voice, or as
he flags or exerts himself in his laborious employment.
His retiring habits, loud notes, and singular occupation,
amidst scenes so savage yet majestic, afford withal a
peculiar scene of solemn grandeur, on which the mind
dwells for a moment with sublime contemplation, con-
vinced that there is no scene in nature devoid of harmo-
nious consistence. Nor is the performance of this indus-
trious hermit less remarkable than the peals of his sono-
rous voice, or the loud choppings of his powerful bill. He
is soon surrounded with striking monuments of his in-
dustry ; like a real carpenter (a nick-name given him by
the Spaniards), he is seen surrounded with cart-loads of
chips, and broad flakes of bark, which rapidly accumu-
48
56Q ZYGODACTYLI.
late round the roots of the tall pine and cypress where
he has been a few hours employed ; the work of half a
dozen men, felling trees for a whole morning, would
scarcely exceed the pile he has produced in quest of a
single breakfast upon those insect larvae which have al-
ready, perhaps, succeeded in deadening the tree prepara-
tory to his repast. Many thousand acres of pine trees, in
the Southern States, have been destroyed in a single sea-
son by the insidious attacks of insects, which in the dor-
mant state are not larger than a grain of rice. It is in
quest of these enemies of the most imposing part of the
vegetable creation that the industrious and indefatigable
Woodpecker exercises his peculiar labor. In the sound
and healthy tree he finds nothing which serves him for
food.
One of these birds, which Wilson wounded, survived
with him nearly three days, but was so savage and uncon-
querable as to refuse all sustenance. When taken, he
uttered a loud and piteous reiterated complaint, almost
exactly like the violent crying of a young child ; and on
being left alone in a tavern, in the course of an hour, he
had nearly succeeded in making his way through the
side of the wooden house. He also cut the author severe-
ly in several places while engaged in drawing his portrait,
and displayed, as long as he survived, the unconquerable
spirit of a genuine son of the forest. From his magnan-
imous courage and ardent love of liberty, the head and
bill are in high esteem among the amulets of the southern
Indians.
The nest of this species is usually made in the living
trunk of the cypress tree, at a considerable height, both
sexes alternately engaging in the labor. The excavation
is said to be two or more feet in depth. The eggs, 4 or
5, arc white, and nearly of equal thickness at either end.
PILEATED WOODPECKER, OR LOG-COCK. 567
The young are fledged and abroad about the middle of
June. It is usually known by the name of the Large Log-
cock. This species appears to live almost wholly upon
insects, and chiefly those that bore into the wood,
which never fail in the country he inhabits ; nor is he
ever known to taste of Indian corn, or any other sort of
grain, or orchard fruits, though he has a fondness for
grapes and other kinds of berries.
This species is about 20 inches in length, and about 30 in alar di-
mensions. The general color black, with a gloss of green. Fore
part of the head black, the rest of the crest crimson, with some white
at the base. A stripe of white proceeds, from a little below the eye,
down each side of the neck, and along the back (where the two are
about an inch apart), nearly to the rump. Tail black, tapering from
the 2 exterior feathers, which are 3 inches shorter than the middle
ones, the feathers concave below. Legs lead-color. Bill an inch
broad at base, of the color and consistence of ivory, and channelled.
The tongue also white. Iris vivid yellow.
PILEATED WOODPECKER, or LOG-COCK.
(Picus pileatus, L. Wilson, iv. p. 27. pi. 29. fig. 2. [male.])
Sp. Charact. — Brownish-black; crest red; chin, a stripe on either
side of the nepk, as well as the base of the quill-feathers, and un-
der wing-coverts, white ; the bill black. — The mustachios of the
male red ; in the feinale and young dusky.
This large and common Woodpecker, considerably
resembling the preceding species, is not unfrequent in
well timbered forests, from Mexico to the remote regions
of Canada, at least to the 50th degree of north latitude ;
and in all the intermediate region he resides, breeds, and
passes most of the year, retiring in a desultory manner
only into the Southern States for a few months, in the
most inclement season, from the north and west. In
Pennsylvania, however, they are seen as residents more
or less throughout the whole year ; and Mr. Hutchins
568 ZYGODACTYLI.
met with this species in the interior of Hudson's bay, near
Albany river, in the month of January. It is however,
sufficiently singular, and shows perhaps the wild timidity
of this northern chief of his tribe, that, though an inhabi-
tant towards the savage and desolate sources of the Mis-
sissippi, he is unknown, at this time, in all the maritime
parts of the populous and long settled state of Massachu-
setts. In the western parts of the state of New York he
is sufficiently common in the uncleared forests, which
have been the perpetual residence of his remotest ances-
try. From the tall trees, which cast their giant arms over
all the uncleared river lands, may often be heard his
loud, echoing, and incessant cackle, as he flies restlessly
from tree to tree, presaging the approach of rainy weath-
er. These notes resemble eherek rek rek I'ek rek rek rek,
uttered in a loud cadence, which gradually rises and
falls. The marks of his industry are also abundant-
ly visible on the decaying trees, which he probes and
chisels with great dexterity, stripping off wide flakes of
loosened bark, to come at the burrowing insects which
chiefly compose his food. In whatever engaged, haste
and wildness seem to govern all his motions, and by
dodging and flying from place to place, as soon as observ-
ed, he continues to escape every appearance of danger.
Even in the event of a fatal wound, he still struggles,
with unconquerable resolution, to maintain his grasp on
the trunk to which he trusts for safety, to the very in-
stant of death. When caught by a disabling wound, he
still holds his ground against a tree, and strikes with bit-
terness the suspicious hand which attempts to grasp him,
and, resolute for his native liberty, rarely submits to live
in confinement. Without much foundation, he is charg-
ed, at times, with tasting maize. In winter, in South
Carolina, I have observed them occasionally making a
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 569
hearty repast on holly and smilax berries. Like the
preceding, the Log-cock frequently digs out a cavity
in some tree, as a deposit for his eggs and brood. The
eggs are about 6, of a snowy whiteness ; and they are
said to raise two broods in the season.
The Pileated Woodpecker is about 18 inches in length, and 28 in
alar extent. The crest and mustachios bright scarlet, inclining to
crimson. Chin, stripe from the nostrils passing down the side of the
neck to the sides and extending under the wings, white ; the upper
half of the wings white, but concealed by the black coverts ; lower
extremities of the wings, and the rest of the body brownish-black.
Legs lead color. Bill fluted, bluish-black above, below, and at point
bluish-white. Iris golden.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.
(Picus erijthroccphalus, L. Wilson, 1. p. 142. pi. 9. fig. 1. Audubon,
pi. 27. Orn. 1. p. 141. [The male and female feeding their half
fledged young.] Phil. Museum, No. 1922.}
Sp. Charact. — Head, neck, and throat, crimson ; the back, wings,
and tail, black, with bluish reflections ; secondaries, rump, lower
part of the back, and under parts of the body, white. — Female
less brightly colored. — The Young with the head and neck dull
grey, varied with blackish.
The geographic limits of this common and well known
species are coextensive with the preceding. It is met
with, in short, from the sources of the Mississippi, in
latitude 50°, to the Gulph of Mexico, was observed
by Mr. Say in the region of the Rocky Mountains,
and by Lewis and Clarke in the forests near the Pacific.
In all the intermediate country, however extensive, it
probably resides and breeds. At the approach of winter,
or about the middle of October, they migrate from the
north and west, and consequently appear very numerous
in the Southern States at that season. Many of them also
probably pass into the adjoining provinces of Mexico,
and they reappear in Pennsylvania, (according to Wil-
570 ZYGODACTYLI.
son,) about the first of May. According to Audubon,
they effect their migration in the night, flying high above
the trees in a straggling file, at which time they are heard
to emit a sharp and peculiar note, easily heard from the
ground, although the birds themselves are elevated
beyond the sight. Like the preceding, the present
species is but rarely seen in the maritime parts of Mas-
sachusetts, this region is only occasionally visited by
solitary stragglers ; yet, in the western parts of the state,
they are said to be as common as in the middle states.
They live principally in old forests of tall trees, but
are much less shy than most of the genus, frequently
visiting the orchards in quest of ripe fruits, particularly
cherries, and juicy pears and apples, with which they
likewise occasionally feed their young. They also at
times, eat acorns, of which they are said to lay up a store,
and visit the maize fields, being partial to the corn while
in its juicy or milky state. In consequence of these depen-
dent habits of subsistence, the Red Headed Woodpecker
is a very familiar species, and even sometimes not only
nests in the orchard which supplies him with sustenance,
but ventures to rear his brood within the boundaries of
the most populous towns. In the latter end of summer,
their reiterated tappings and cackling screams are fre-
quently heard from the shady forests which border the
rivulets in more secluded and less fertile tracts. It is
also not uncommon to observe them on the fence rails
and posts, near the public roads, flitting before the pas-
senger with the familiarity of Sparrows. In the Southern
States, where the mildness of the climate prevents the
necessity of migration, this brilliant bird seems half
domestic. The ancient live oak, his cradle and resi-
dence, is cherished as a domicil, he creeps around its
ponderous weathered arms, views the passing scene with
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 571
complacence, turns every insect visit to his advantage,
and for hours together placidly reconnoitres the sur-
rounding fields ; at times he leaves his lofty citadel to
examine the rails of the fence, or the boards of the
adjoining barn ; striking terror into his lurking prey by
the stridulous tappings of his bill, he hearkens to their
almost inaudible movements, and discovering their re-
treat, dislodges them from their burrows, by quickly and
dexterously chiseling out the decaying wood in which
they are hid, and transfixing them with his sharp and
barbed tongue. But his favorite and most productive
resort is to the adjoining fields of dead and girdled trees ;
amidst whose bleaching trunks, and crumblingr branches,
he long continues to find an ample repast of depredating
and boring insects. When the cravings of appetite are
satisfied, our busy hunter occasionally gives way to a
frolicksome or quarrelsome disposition, and with shrill and
lively vociferations, not unlike those of the neighbouring
tree-frog, he pursues in a graceful curving flight his com-
panions or rivals round the bare limbs of some dead
tree to which they resort for combat or frolick.
About the middle of May, in Pennsylvania, they bur-
row out or prepare their nests in the large limbs of trees,
adding no materials to the cavity which they smooth out
for the purpose. As with the Blue-Bird, the same tree
continues to be employed for several years in succession,
and probably by the same undivided pair. The eggs,
about 6, are said to be white, marked at the great end
with reddish spots, in which last particular, they differ
from all others of the genus. The first brood make their
appearance about the 20th of June. The eggs and
young of this, and many other birds, occasionally fall a
prey to the attacks of the common Black Snake.
The length of this species is about 9^ to 10 inches, the alar stretch
about 17. Bill light-blue. Legs bluish green. Iris dark-hazel.
572 ZYGODACTYLl,
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.
(Picus carolinus, L. Wilson, 1. p. 113. pi. 7. fig. 2. [male,] Phil.
Museum. No. 1944.)
Sp. Charact. — Barred with black and white; head and neck
above red-lead color ; cheeks and parts beneath pale yellowish-
buff; the belly tinged with red. — Female and Young with the
fore part of the head without red.
This species inhabits the whole North-American con-
tinent, from the interior of Canada to Florida, and even
the island of Jamaica, in all of which countries it proba-
bly rears its young, migrating only partially from the
colder regions. This also, like the preceding, is un-
known in all the eastern parts of Massachusetts and
probably New Hampshire.
The Red-Bellied Woodpecker, dwells in the solitude of
the forest ; amidst the tall and decayed trees only he
seeks his less varied fare, and leads a life of roving
wildness and independence, congenial with his attach-
ment to freedom and liberty. Sometimes, however, on
the invasion of his native haunts by the progress of
agriculture, he may be seen prowling among the dead
and girdled trees which now afford him an augmented
source of support ; and, as a chief of the soil, he some-
times claims his native rights by collecting a small tythe
from the usurping field of maize. His loud and harsh
call of Hshow 'tsJioiv 'tsJiow Hslioiu, reiterated like the
barking of a cur, may often be heard, through the course
of the day, to break the silence of the wilderness in
which his congenial tribe are almost the only residents.
On a fine spring morning, I have observed his desultory
ascent up some dead and lofty pine, tapping at intervals,
and dodo-ino- from side to side, as he ascended in a
spiral line ; at length, having gained the towering
summit, while basking in the mild sunbeams, he sur-
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 573
veys the extensive landscape, and almost with the same
reverberating sound as his blows, at intervals, he utters
a loud and solitary 'cur'rh in a tone as solemn as the
tolling of the Campanero ; he thus hearkens, as it were,
to the shrill echoes of his own voice, and for an hour at a
time, seems alone employed in contemplating, in cher-
ished solitude and security, the beauties and blessings
of the rising day.
The nest, early in April, is usually made in some lofty
branch ; and in this necessary labor both the sexes unite
to dig out a circular cavity for the purpose, sometimes
out of the solid wood, but more commonly into a hollow
limb. The eggs, about 5, are white, and the young
appear towards the close of May or early in June, climb-
ing out upon the higher branches of the tree, where they
are fed and reared until able to fly, though in the mean
time from their exposure they often fall a prey to prowl-
ing Hawks. They probably raise two broods in the
season ; and may be considered, like the rest of their
insect-devouring fraternity, as useful scavengers for the
protection of the forest, their attacks, as might be rea-
sonably expected, being always confined to decaying
trees, which alone afford the prey for which they probe.
This species is about 10^ inches in length, and about 17 in alar
extent. The vent and femorals are dull- white, marked in their
centres with heart and arrow shaped spots of blackish. Wings and
back crossed with numerous bars of black and white ; rump
white, spotted with black. Tail of 10 feathers, the middle ones
black, their interior vanes white, crossed with diagonal spots of
black ; the next four feathers on each side are black, the outer edges
of the exterior ones barred with black and white, the extremities,
except the outer feathers, are black, sometimes touched with yel-
lowish white. Legs bluish-green. Bill bluish-black. Irides red.
574 ZYGODACTYLI.
YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER.
(Picus varius, Wilson. 1. p. 147. pi. 9. f. 2. [male]. Bonap. Am.
Orn. 1. p. 75. pi. 8. f. 1. 2. [young]. Phil. Museum, No. 2004.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with black and white, the back spotted with
pale yellow ; front, crown, and anterior part of the throat crim-
son ; breast and belly, light yellow. — Female, with the throat
and hind-head whitish. — Young, without yellow nearly on
the back, with a broad white band across the wings ; the belly
yellowish.
This species extends over the whole American conti-
nent, from the 53d degree to the tropic, where they are
seen in Cayenne. They likewise inhabit the table land
of Mexico ; and are believed to frequent the borders of
lake Baikal in Asia. In most part of this extensive
region, the species dwell and breed. During the sum-
mer, it is seldom seen beyond the precincts of the forests
in which it selects the most solitary recesses, leaving
its favorite haunts only at the approach of winter, and
seeking from neccessity or caprice, at this roving season,
the boundaries of the orchard. Its habits are but little
different from those of the Hairy and Downy Woodpeck-
ers with which they are often associated in their foraging
excursions. The nest, as usual, is made in the body of
some decayed orchard or forest tree, the circular en-
trance to which is left only just sufficient for the passage
of the parties, the depth of the cavity is about 15 inches,
and the eggs 4 or upwards, are likewise white. Their
principal food is insects, for which they sometimes bore
the trunks of the orchard trees.
This species is about 8^ inches long, with the alar extent (or stretch
of the wings) 15 inches. Sides under the wings, dusky yellow,
spotted longitudinally with black. The red of the throat surrounded
with black extending over the breast. Tail black, the two central
feathers white on their inner vanes and spotted with black. Legs
and feet dusky blue, inclining to green. Bill, dusky horn-color,
rather long and stout.
HAIRY WOODPECKER. 575
HAIRY WOODPECKER
{Picus xillosus, L. Wilson, Am. Orn. i. p. 150. pi. 9. fig. 3.
[male]. Phil. Museum, No. 1988.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with black and white; beneath white;
the back clothed with long, slender, loose feathers ; outer tail-
feathers white, and spotless. — Male, with a red occipital band
which in the /e?naZe is black.
This common species is a resident in most parts of
America from Hudson's Bay to Florida, being more
numerous than the last, and more familiar ; frequently
approaching the cottage or the skirts of the town. It
is likewise much attached to orchards, an active borer
of their trunks, and an eager hunter after insects and
larvae in all kinds of decayed wood, even to stumps and
the rails of the fences. In the month of May, like
the last, accompanied by his mate he seeks out the
seclusion of the woods, and taking possession of a hol-
low branch, or cutting out a cavity anew, he forms his
nest in a deep and secure cavern ; though sometimes a
mere stake of the fence answers the purpose. The eggs,
about 5, white as usual, are hatched in June. Their
call consists in a shrill and rattling whistle, heard to a
considerable distance. They also give out a single
querulous note of recognition while perambulating the
trunks for food.
The length of this species is about 9 inches, the alar extent 15.
The crown black Wings black, tipt and spotted with white. The
2 exterior feathers of the tail white, terminating in an umber tint.
Legs and feet greyish-blue. Bill bluish-horn color, straight, about
1^ inches long.
576
ZYGODACTYLI.
DOWNY WOODPECKER.
(Picus puhescens, L. Wilson, Am. Orn. i. p. 153. pi. 9. fig 4. [male.]
Phil. Museum,No. 1986.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with black and white ; beneath white ; back
with long, slender, loose feathers; outer tail-feathers white, with
four Mack sjwts. — Male, with a red occipital band, which in the
female is black.
This species, the smallest of American Woodpeckers,
agrees almost exactly with the preceding in its colors
and markinojs. It is likewise resident throughout the
same countries. About the middle of May also, the pair
begin to look out a suitable deposit for their eggs and
young. The entrance is in the form of a perfect circle,
and only just left large enough for an individual to pass
in and out. Both sexes labor for about a week at this
task with indefatigable diligence, carrying on the burrow
in some orchard tree, in two different directions, to the
depth of 16 to 20 inches down ; and to prevent suspicion
they carry out the chips, and strew them at a distance.
The eggs are about 6, white, and deposited on the smooth
bottom of the cavity. The male occasionally feeds his
mate, while sitting ; and about the close of June the
young are observed abroad, climbing up the tree with
considerable address. Sometimes the crafty House Wren,
interferes, and, driving the industrious tenants from their
hole, usurps the possession. No species can exceed the
present in industry and perseverance. While thus regu-
larly probing the bark of the tree for insects, it contin-
ues so much engaged as to disregard the approaches of
the observer, though immediately under the tree. These
perforations, made by our Scqi-Suckcrs, as the present
and preceding species are sometimes called, are carried
round the trunks and branches of the orchard trees in
regular circles, so near to each other, th^t according to
lewis's woodpecker. 577
Wilson, eight or ten of them may be coverad by a dollar.
The object of this curious piece of industry is not satis-
factorily ascertained, but whether it be done to taste the
sap of the tree, or to dislodge vermin, it is certain that
the plant escapes uninjured, and thrives as well, or bet-
ter than those which are imperforated.
The Downy Woodpecker is about 6| inches in length, and 12 in
alar extent. The bill only about | of an inch in length from the
gape. The plumage very similar to that of the preceding species.
RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER.
{Picus quei-ulus, Wilsoiv, Am. Orn. ii. p. 103. pi. 15. fig. 1. [niale.]
Phil. Museum, No. 2027.)
Sp. Charact. — Varied with black and white ; the back barred with
white ; below also white ; with the outer tail-feathers white, spot-
ted with black. — Male, with a short vermilion-red line on each
side of the head, wanting in the female.
This species, remarkable for the red stripe on the side
of its head, was discovered by Wilson in the pine woods
of North Carolina, from whence it probably exists to the
coast of the Mexican Gulph. Its voice resembled the
chirping of young birds, and had nothing of the sono-
rous cry of the other Woodpeckers.
This species is 7J inches long, and 13 in alar stretch. The back
barred with about twelve white, curving lines, and as many of black.
Tail-feathers spotted with black, except the^4 middle ones, which are
wholly black. The vermilion line on the side of the head seldom
occupies more than the edge of a single feather. In the female
this mark is wanting. Iris hazel.
LEWIS'S WOODPECKER.
(Picvs torquatus, Wilson^, Am. Orn, iii. p. 31. pi. 20. fig. 3. Phil.
Museum, No. 2020.)
Sp. Charact. — Black, glossed with green ; front, chin, and cheeks
dark red ; collar round the neck, and breast, silvery-white ; the
belly glossy vermilion.
49
578 ZYGODACTYLI.
Of this fine, species nothing more is known, than that
it commonly inhabits the remote interior of the Missouri
Territory, from whence several skins were brought by
Lewis and Clarke in their expedition across the Rocky
Mountains.
The length of the specimens were 11^ inches. The back, wings,
and tail, black. Legs and feet dusky. Bill dark horn-color.
* * Species loith 3 toes.
NORTHERN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER.
(Picus tridactylus, Lijvn. Bonap. Am. Orn. ii. pi. 14. fig. 2.)
Sp. Charact. — Bill very broad and depressed ; tarsus feathered
above ; sides of the head striped with black and white. — Male
glossy black, beneath white ; crown golden-yellow, in \he female
wholly black. — Youngs black, lined with white, with the crown
also similar.
This species, remarkable for its three-toed feet and
yellow crown, is an inhabitant of the northern regions of
both continents, being common in Siberia, Norway, and
Switzerland, though rare in the more temperate parts.
It is known to breed in Switzerland, dwelling among deep
forests, in mountainous regions, burrowing its nest in the
pine trees, and laying 4 or 5 white eggs, like the rest of
the genus. Its voice and habits are indeed precisely
similar to those of the Spotted Woodpeckers, to which
it is closely allied. Its food consists of insects, their
eggs, and larvae, to which it sometimes adds, according
to the season, seeds and berries. In the United States,
this species is rarely seen beyond the northern bounda-
ries of Maine or the borders of Lake Superior. Audu-
bon, however, had the good fortune to meet with it
in the pine forests of the Pokono Mountains in Penn-
sylvania. It is, however, sufficiently common in the
dreary wilds around Hudson's Bay and Severn River.
NORTHERN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 579
It is remarkable, that a second species, so nearly allied
to the present, as to have been confounded with it merely
as a variety, is found to inhabit the woods of Guiana. In
this, (the Picus undulatus of Vieillot,) the crown, howev-
er, is red instead of yellow ; the tarsi are also naked, and
the black of the back undulated with white.
The length of this species is about 10 inches, and 16 in alar stretch.
Iris bluish-black. Above glossy black, with green and purple re-
flections. Throat, breast, and middle of the belly white ; sides of
the breast, and flanks, thickly waved with black and white, as well
as the femorals and tarsal feathers. Primaries marked on both webs
with square white spots. Tail, 4 middle feathers plain black, the
rest white, except 2, which are tipt with black ; the exterior feather,
however, banded with black and white. Legs lead-color.
ORDER SIXTH.
SLENDER-BILLED BIRDS. (Tenuirostres.
Cuvier, Bonajp.)
In these birds the bill is long, or only moderately ex-
tended, partly arched, and elongated awl-shaped ; it is
also entire and acute, or sometimes wedge-shaped at the
extremity. The feet with 3 toes before, and 1 behind,
the outer united at base to the middle one, hind toe gen-
erally long, the nails extended and curved.
All the birds of this order bear a relation to those of
the 2d section of the preceding, or cUmhing Zygodactyli.
Like them they generally cling to, and vertically ascend
the trunks and branches of trees, or the facades of rocks,
as well as hold themselves firmly upon them. Nearly all
of them are insectivorous, and their food and means of
procuring it are almost similar to that of the Woodpeck-
ers. Their tongues are pointed, or divided at the extrem-
ity like a pencil, and more or less capable of extension.
They build generally in hollow trees, or the clefts of rocks,
and scarcely construct a nest. Their voice is quaint or
unpleasant ; and though often incautious, their usual
manners are shy and retiring.
NUTHATCHES. (Sitta. Lin.)
In these the bill is straight, moderate-sized, conic-awl-shaped,
rounded, and sharp-edged towards the point; lower mandible usually
recurved from the middle. The nostrils basal, orbicular, open,
WHITE-BREASTED AMERICAN NUTHATCH. 581
half closed by a membrane, and partly hid in the advancing bristly
feathers of the face. The tongue short, wide at the base, with a
torn notch at the indurated tip. Feet robust ; hind toe stout and
long, with a strong, hooked, and sharp nail. Wings moderate ; spurious
feather short, the 2d, 3d, and 4th primaries longest. Tail rather short,
of 12 feathers, even, or slightly rounded, with the shafts only of ordi-
nary strength.
The sexes are similar, the young scarcely differing'from the adult ;
and with the moult annual. These are generally hardy birds, dwell-
ing in woods, and climbing the trunks and branches of trees as well
down as up, practising the. reverted postures of the Titmouse and the
Certhias, being more agile and ambulatory than the Woodpeckers.
They generally live on insects, but sometimes perforate nuts by re-
peated blows or hatchings, as well as the kernels of hard fruits, with
the bill. They build in the hollows of trees, rearing a numerous
brood ; and inhabit cold and temperate countries.
WHITE-BREASTED AMERICAN NUTHATCH.
{Sitta carolinensis, Briss. Wilson, i. p. 40. pi. 2. fig. 3. Phil.
Museum, No. 2036.)
Sp. Charact. — Lead-color; head and neck above black; beneath
pure white ; vent tinged with ferruginous ; lateral tail-feathers
black and white. — Young with the head plumbeous.
This species, so nearly allied to the European Nut-
hatch, resides permanently throughout North America,
from Hudson's Bay to JMexico, appearing only more com-
mon and familiar at the approach of winter, in conse-
quence of the failure of its food in its favorite sylvan re-
treats, v/hich it now often forsakes for the open fields,
orchards, or gardens, where, in pairs, or small and some-
times contending parties, they cautiously glean a tran-
sient means of subsistence, and wander from place to
place as the supply diminishes. At the welcome return,
however, of the month of April, with the revival and re-
newal of its insect fare, the Nuthatch becomes more do-
mestic ; and retiring into the forest with its mate, it pre-
49*
582
SLENDER-BILLED BIRDS.
pares for its progeny in some hollow tree, or even in a
rail of the neighbouring fence. If the orifice to the nest,
in the dead tree, be too large, the female of the European
species contracts the entrance with plastic earth and
mud, like a potter, and this barricade is speedily rebuilt if
broken down. The eggs, about 5, are of a dull white,
spotted with brown at the greater end. The male is now
assiduously attentive to his sitting mate, supplying her
regularly with food ; on which occasion he affectionately
calls her from the mouth of her dark and voluntary pris-
on, where sometimes, in mere sociability, he attempts in
his rude way to soothe her with his complaisant chatter.
He is too affectionate to ramble from this favorite spot,
where he not only accompanies his consort, but, sentinel-
like, watches and informs her of every threatening dan-
ger. When the pair are feeding on the trunk of the same
tree, or near to each other in the same wood, the faithful
male is heard perpetually calling upon his companion at
short intervals, as he circumambulates the trunk. His ap-
proach is announced usually at a distance by his nasal
quank quank, frequently repeated, as in spiral circles
round the trunk of some tree, he probes, searches, and
shells off the bark in quest of his lurking prey of spiders,
ants, insects, and their larva3 in general. So tight and
secure is his hold, that he is known to roost indifferently
with his head up or down from the tree ; and when
wounded, while any spark of life remains, his convulsive
and instinctive grasp is still firmly and obstinately main-
tained. Sometimes with a sort of complaisant curiosity,
one of the birds, when there is a pair, will silently de-
scend nearly to the foot of the tree, where the spectator
happens to stand, stopping, head downwards, and stretch-
ing out his neck, as it were to reconnoitre your appear-
ance and motives ; and after an interval of silence, wheel-
RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 583
ing round, he again ascends to his usual station, trumpet-
ing his notes as before. He seldom wholly quits the for-
est, but when baffled by the slippery sleet which denies
him a foot-hold, he is sometimes driven to the necessity
of approaching the barn-yard and stables, or the pre-
cincts of the dwelling, where occasionally mixing among
the common fowls, entering the barn, or examining its
beams and rafters, he seems to leave no means untried
to secure a scanty subsistence.
Length 5^^ inches, alar extent 11. Bill black. Legs dusky flesh-
color.
RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH.
(Sitta canadensis, L. Wilson, Am, Orn. i. p. 40. pi. 2. fig. 4.)
Sp. Charact. — Lead-color; head and neck above, and line through
the eye, black; beneath rust-color; lateral tail-feathers black
and white. — Young plumbeous on the head.
The habits of this smaller species are almost similar
to the preceding ; they have, however, a predilection
for pine forests, feeding much on the oily seeds of
these evergreens. In these barren solitudes they are
almost certain to be found in busy employment, asso-
ciating in pairs, with the Chicadees and smaller Wood-
peckers, the whole forming a hungry, active, and noisy
group, skipping from tree to tree with petulant chat-
ter, probing and rattling the dead or leafless branches,
prying in every posture for their scanty food ; and, like
a horde of foraging Tartars, they then proceed through
the forest, and leisurely overrun the whole of the conti-
nent to the very confines of the tropics, retiring north
iirthe same manner with the advance of the spring.
The notes of this species of Nuthatch are sharper than
those of the preceding. Its motions are also quicker. In
winter, they migrate to the Southern States, where they
584 SLENDER-BILLED BIRDS.
are seen in October, and return to the North in April.
With its nest we are yet unacquainted.
Length 4^ inches, alar extent 8. Legs and feet, dusky greenish-
yellow.
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH.
(Sitta pusilla, Lath. Wilson, ii p. 105. pi. 15. fig. 2. Phil. Museum,
No. 2040.)
Sp. Charact. — Lead-color ; head and neck above light brown ;
beneath dull white ; lateral tail-feathers black, tipped with grey,
and crossed with a line of white.
This small species is seldom seen to the north of the
state of A^'irginia. In the Southern States it is rather
common, and is also met with in the island of Jamaica.
Like the last, which it resembles in manners, it is very
fond of pine trees, and utters a similar note, but more
shrill and chirping. Its food, besides the seeds of the
pine, is usually the insects which infest the forest trees.
Its nest is in hollow trees. In winter, families of this
species, of 8 or 10 individuals, may be seen busily, hunt-
ing in company, and keeping up a perpetual and monot-
onous screeping. It is less suspicious than most other
sylvan birds, sometimes descending down the trunk of a
tree, watching the motions of the by-stander, and if the
intrusion happens to be near the nest, or while engaged
in digging it out, the little harmless mechanic utters a
sort of complaining note, and very unwillingly relinquish-
es his employment, which is instantly renewed on the
removal of the observer.
Length 4^ inches, alar extent 8. Legs dull blue. Iris hazel.
CREEPERS. (Certhia. Lin.)
In these birds the bill, is long,"or of middling length, more or less
arched, entire, 3-sided, compressed, slender, and acute. Nostrils
BROWN CREEPER. 585
basal, naked, pierced in grooves, and half closed by a small mem-
brane. TojvGUE acute. Feet slender, inner toe free, and somewhat
shorter than the outer ; hind toe longer and more robust ; the nails
much curved, that of the hind toe largest. 1VingsTa.ih.eT short;
spurious feather small ; 3d and 4th primaries longest. Tail of 12
feathers, elastic, rigid, and acuminate.
The sexes and young nearly alike ; with the moult annual. They
live in pairs, or move in small families, and chiefly frequent woods,
particularly those of pine, climbing both upwards and downwardson
the trunks of trees, in performing which, like Woodpeckers, they
are aided by the support of the rigid tail. They feed on insects only ;
and nest in hollow trees, laying from 3 to 9 eggs. The species are
few, but widely spread.
BROWN CREEPER.
(Ccrthiafamiliaris, L. Wilson, i. p. 122. pi. 8. fig. 1. Phil. Muse-
um, No. .)
Sp. Charact. — Dark grey, varied with white, brown, and dusky ;
beneath white ; rump and tail rusty -brown.
This industrious forager for insects, chiefly dwelling
in the seclusion of the forest, is but seldom seen in the
summer ; but on the approach of winter, with other hun-
gry wanderers of similar habits, such as the small Wood-
peckers and Nuthatches, he makes his appearance on the
wooded skirts of the village, particularly among the pine
trees, and occasionally becomes familiar enough to pay
a passing visit to the orchard. In this country, however,
the species is neither common nor familiar, nor are they
more abundant in the Northern than the Middle States.
If this be, indeed, the same as the common European
species, its habits are considerably different, nor is it
quoted as common to America by the celebrated Tem-
minck in his Manual of European Ornithology.
The bill of the Creeper not being of sufficient strength
to probe the wood, it rests contented, with examining the
crevices of the bark for insects and their eggs, proceeding
586 SLENDER-BILLED BIRDS.
leisurely upwards or downwards, in straight or spiral lines
towards the top of the tree, dodging dexterously to the
opposite side from the observer, and only resuming his
occupation when assured of solitude and safety. Though
they live chiefly on insects, they also, according to Wil-
son, collect the seeds of the pine for food, and are partic-
ularly fond of the vermin which prey on those kinds of
trees. In the thick forests which they inhabit, in the
Northern and Western States, about the middle of April,
they commence their nest in the hollow trunk or branch
of a tree, which has been exposed to decay by injury or
accident. Here, in the accidental cavities or deserted
holes of the Squirrel or Woodpecker, the Creeper depos-
its her eggs, to the number of 7 or more, of a dull cinere-
ous, marked with small dots of reddish-yellow, and streaks
of dark brown. (According to Temminck, the eggs of
the European bird are pure white, scattered with numer-
ous pale and darker spots of ferruginous brown.) The
young creep about with great caution previous to taking
to their wings.
Length 5 inches, alar extent 7. Tail, as long as the body, of a pale
drab, with the inner webs dusky, the extremity of each sharp, rigid,
and attenuated to a point, in the manner of the Woodpeckers. Eyes
hazel. Legs and feet dirty clay-color.
Family. — ANTHOMYZI. Vieill Bonap.
The bill long or moderate, slender, entire, acute, or tubular at the
point ; the tongue long, slender, and extensile. Feet short, or mod-
erate, and slender. Tail of 10 or 12 feathers.
The moult semi-annual ; with the plumage usually brilliant. They
feed principally on the honeyed sweets of flowers, which they ex-
tract with their long and extensible tongues ; some also add small
insects to their fare. The nest is often constructed with much art,
and they raise several broods in the season. The voice is scarcely
audible.
HUMMING-BIRDS. 587
HUMMING-BIRDS. (Trochilus. Lin.)
The BILL long, straight or curved, very slender, the base depress-
ed, and as wide as the forehead, the point sharp ; the edges of the
upper mandible covering the lower so as to render the bill tubular;
MOUTH very small. Nostrils basal, linear, covered by a turgid mem-
brane. Tongue very long and extensible, entire at base, divided
from the middle upwards. Feet very short; tarsus short and slender,
more or less feathered ; fore toes almost wholly divided ; nails short,
much curved and retractile, compressed and acute, hind one often
shorter than the others. Wings long and acute, 1st primary longest
and curved, the others successively shortening. Tail mostly of 10
feathers.
These birds differ considerably in appearance according to age
and sex ; the colors are brilliant and metallic, and the high tinted
feathers of a rigid texture. They associate only in pairs; the young
often brought together accidentally in small companies, but live sep-
arate from the old. The flight is extremely rapid ; with the wungs
constantly moving with a humming sound, so as to produce a bal-
ancing suspension in the air while feeding on the nectar of flowers ;
each of the primaries even, provided with a separate motion. They
scarcely walk, resting and roosting upon the larger branches of trees.
The nest attached to a branch or a leaf, (rarely pensile.*) The eggs
are 2, and white. — They are peculiar to America, and almost exclu-
sively tropical.
Subgenus — Mellisuga. Briss. Bonap.
With the bill straight.
* A species with a widely decussated tail, described by Waterton, as inhabiting
Demerara, is said to make a pendulous nest, like paper, near water-courses ; it
is also nearly nocturnal, feeding on insects chiefly by the morning and evenin" twi-
light.
RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD.
(Trochilus coluhris, L. Wilson", ii. p. 26. pi. 10. fig'. 3 and 4. Audu-
bon, pi. 47, [a numerous group of old and young.] Orn. Biog, i.
p. 248. Fhil. Museum, No. 2520.)
Sp. ChaRact. — Golden-green; tail forked, dusky ; 3 outer tail-
feathers rusty- white at tip. — Male with a changeable ruby-colored
throat. — In the female and ijov.ng, the throat is nearly white,
strongly inclining to yellow in the young male.
This wonderfully diminutive and brilliant bird is the
only one of an American genus, of more than 100 species,
which ventures beyond the limit of tropical climates. Its
approaches towards the north are regulated by the advanc-
es of the season. Fed on the honeyed sweets of flowers,
it is an exclusive attendant on the varied bounties of
Flora. By the 10th to the 20th of March, it is already
seen in the mild forests of Louisiana, and the warmer mar-
itime districtsof Georgia, where the embowering and fra-
RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 589
grant Gelsemium (Carolina Jessamine), the twin-leaved
Bignonia,* and the white-robed Mylocarium,f with a host
of daily expanding flowers, invite our little sylvan guest
to the retreats he had reluctantly forsaken. Desultory
in his movements, roving only through the region of
blooming sweets, his visits to the Northern States are de-
layed to the month of May. Still later, as if determined
that no flower shall " blush unseen, or waste its sweet-
ness on the desert air, " our little sylph, on wings as
rapid as the wind, at once launches without hesitation
into the flowery wilderness which borders on the arctic
circle.
The first cares of the little busy pair are now bestowed
on their expected progeny. This instinct alone pro-,
pelled them from their hybernal retreat within the tropics ;
strangers amidst their numerous and brilliant tribe, they
only seek a transient asylum in the milder regions of their
race. With the earliest dawn of the northern spring,
in pairs, as it w^ere with the celerity of thought, they
dart, at intervals, through the dividing space, till they
again arrive in the genial and more happy regions of
of their birth. The enraptured male is now assiduous
in attention to his mate ; forgetful of selfish wants, he
feeds his companion with nectared sweets; and jealous of
danger and interruption to the sole companion of his de-
lights, he often almost seeks a quarrel with the giant
birds which surround him ; he attacks even the King-
Bird, and drives the gliding Martin to the retreat of his
box. The puny nest is now prepared in the long accus-
tomed orchard or neighbouring forest. It is concealed
by an artful imitation of the mossy branch to which it is
firmly attached and incorporated. Bluish-grey lichens,
agglutinated by saliva, and matched with surrounding
* Bignonia capreolata. f Called the Buck-wheat tree.
50
590 SLENDER-BILLED BIRDS.
objects, instinctively form the deceiving external coat ;
portions of the cunning architecture, for further security,
are even tied down to the supporting station. Within are
laid copious quantities of the pappus or other down of
plants ; the inner layer of this exquisite bed is finished
with the short wool of the budding Platanus, the mul-
lein, or the soft clothing of unfolding fern-stalks. The
eggs, as in the whole genus, are white, and only 2, so
nearly oblong as to present no difference of ends. Incu-
bation, so tedious to the volatile pair, is completed in the
short space of 10 days, and in the warmer States, a second
brood is raised. On approaching the nest, they dart
around the intruder, within a few inches of his face ; and
the female, if the young are out, often resumes her seat,
though no more than three or four feet from the observer.
In a single week the young are on the wing, and in
this situation still continue to be fed with their nursing
sweets by the assiduous parents. Creatures of such
delicacy and uncommon circumstances, the wondrous
sports of nature, every thing appears provided for the se-
curity of their existence. The brood are introduced to
life in the warmest season of the year ; variation of tem-
perature beyond a certain medium, would prove destruc-
tive to these exquisite forms. The ardent heats of Amer-
ica have alone afforded them support ; no region, so cool
as the United States, produces a set of feathered beings
so delicate and tender ; and, consequently, any sudden
extremes, by producing chill and famine, are fatal to our
Humming-Birds. In the present, remarkably wet sum-
mer (1831), very few of the young have been raised in
New England. In other seasons they comparatively
swarm, and the numerous and almost gregarious young
are then seen, till the close of September, eagerly engag-
ed in sipping the neciar from various showy and tubular
RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD. 591
flowers, particularly those of the trumpet Bignonia, and
wild balsam, with many other conspicuous productions
of the fields and gardens. Sometimes, they may also be
seen collecting diminutive insects, or juices from the ten-
der shoots of the pine tree. While thus engaged in strife
and employment, the scene is peculiarly amusing. Ap-
proaching a flower, and vibrating on the wing before it,
with the rapidity of lightening, the long, cleft, and tubu-
lar tongue is exserted to pump out the sweets, while the
buzzing or humming of the wings reminds us of the ap-
proach of some larger Sphinx or droning bee. No other
sound or song is uttered, except occasionally a slender
chirp while flitting from a flower, until some rival bird
too nearly approaches the same plant ; a quick, faint, and
petulant squeak is then uttered, as the little glowing an-
tagonists glide up in swift and angry gyrations into the
air. The action, at the same time is so sudden, and the
flight so rapid, that the whole are only traced for an in-
stant, like a grey line in the air. Sometimes without any
apparent provocation, the little pugnacious vixen will,
for mere amusement, pursue larger birds, such as the
Yellow-Bird and Sparrows. To man they show but
little either of fear or aversion, quietly feeding on their
favorite flowers often, when so nearly approached as to
be caught. They likewise frequently enter the green-
houses and windows of dwellings where flowers are kept
in sight. After feeding, for a time, the individual settles
on some small and often naked bough or slender twig,
and dresses its feathers with great composure, particu-
larly preening and clearing the plumes of the wing.
The old and young are soon reconciled to confinement.
In an hour after the loss of liberty, the little cheerful
captive will often come and suck diluted honey, or sugar
and water, from the flowers held out to it ; and in a few
592 SLENDER-BILLED BIRDS.
hours more it becomes tame enough to sip its favorite
beverage from a saucer, in the interval flying backwards
and forwards in the room for mere exercise, and then
resting on some neighbouring elevated object. In dark,
or rainy weather, they seem to pass the time chiefly doz-
ing on the perch. They are also soon so familiar as to
come to the hand that feeds them. In cold nights, or at
the approach of frost, the pulsation of this little dweller
in the sunbeam, becomes nearly as low as in the torpid
state of the dormouse ; but on applying warmth, the almost
stagnant circulation revives, and slowly increases to the
usual state.
The Humming-Bird is only 3^ inches in length, and 4;^ in alar ex-
tent. The bill, legs, feet, and eyes black. The feathers of the breast
in the male, according to the light in which they are viewed, vary
from a deep brownish black, to a fiery crimson or glowing orange. —
In the young hirds the bill is broader and shorter, and traces of the
rigid metallic glossed feathers begin to appear on the throat, towards
the close of autumn. At first the chin for a little space is palish-yel-
low.
ORDER SEVENTH.
HALCYONS. (Alcyones. Temm.)
Thr bill usually long, sharp-pointed, almost quadrangu-
lar, and slightly curved or straight. Feet very short ; the
tarsus reticulated ; the middle toe united with the outer,
commonly to the second joint, and with the inner toe to
the first articulation. Female and young usually almost
similar to the adult ; the moult annual.
These birds reside near waters ; fly swiftly ; perch on
trees or rocks, but seldom descend to the ground, the feet
being too short either for walking or leaping. They
subsist on insects, which they take while on the wing ; or
on fishes, seizing them as they approach the surface
of the water. They breed in holes burrowed in the fria-
ble banks of streams ; and the eggs are numerous. The
voice is harsh and monotonous ; and they are at all times
shy, and are tamed with difficulty.
KING-FISHERS. (Alcedo. Lin.)
In these the bill is long, robust, straight and quadrangular, com-
pressed and acute, rarely somewhat curved at the point. Nostrils
basal, lateral, oblique, almost wholly closed by a naked membrane.
Tongue very short and fleshy. Feet short and robust, tarsus shorter
than the middle toe, which is nearly equal to the outer ; inner toe
rarely wanting, hind toe wide at the base ; nail of the hind toe
smallest. Wings rather short, 1st and 2d primaries a little shorter
than the third, which is longest.
50*
594
HALCYONS.
These are shy, solitary, and abstemious birds, feeding on insects,
and diminutive aquatic animals, but principally on small fish, for which
they assiduously watch while perched on some projecting stake or
bough impending over the water ; these they dexterously catch and
swallow whole, at length casting up the scales, bones, and indigesti-
ble parts in the form of pellets. They fly for short distances with
considerable celerity, skimming directly over the surface of the land
or water. — Species are spread over the whole globe, but they abound
most in warm climates. In the United States, as in Europe, there
is but a solitary peculiar race in each country.
Boicen.
BELTED KING-FISHER.
{Alcedo Alcyon, L. Wilson, iii. p. 59. pi. 23. fig. 1. Axjd. pi. 77.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 394. Phil. Museum, No. 2145 )
Sp. Charact. — Crested ; bluish slate-color ; breast with a bluish
band ; a spot on either side of the eyes, with a large collar round
the neck, as well as the vent, white. — Female, with the sides, and
an additional belt on the breast, ferruginous.
BELTED KING-FISHER. 595
This wild and grotesque looking feathered angler is a
well known inhabitant of the borders of fresh waters
from Hudson's Bay to the tropics. His delight is to
dwell amidst the most sequestered scenes of uncultivated
nature, by the borders of running rivulets, the roar of the
water-fall, or amidst the mountain streamlets which
abound with the small fish and insects constituting his
accustomed fare. Mill-dams, and the shelving and fria-
able banks of water-courses, suited for the sylvan retreat
of his mate and brood, have also peculiar and necessary
attractions for our retiring King-Fisher. By the broken,
bushy, or rocky banks of his solitary and aquatic retreat,
he may often be seen perched on some dead and project-
ing branch, scrutinizing the waters for his expected
prey ; if unsuccessful, he quickly courses the meanders
of the streams or borders of ponds, just above their sur-
face, and occasionally hovers for an instant, with rapidly
moving wings, over the spot where he perceives his glid-
ing quarry ; in the next instant, descending with a quick
spiral sweep, he seizes a fish from the timid fry, with
which he rises to his post, and swallows it in an instant.
When startled from the perch, on which he spends many
vacant hours digesting his prey, he utters commonly a
loud, harsh, and grating cry, very similar to the interrupt-
ed creakings of a watchman's rattle, and almost, as it
were, the vocal counterpart to the watery tumult amidst
which he usually resides.
The nest, a work of much labor, is riow- burrowed in
some dry and sandy, or more tenacious bank of earth,
situated beyond the reach of inundation. At this task
both the parties join with bill and claws, until they have
horizontally perforated the bank to the depth of 5 or 6
feet. With necessary precaution, the entrance is only
left sufficient for the access of a single bird. The ex-
596 HALCYONS.
tremity, however, is rounded like an oven, so as to allow
the individuals and their brood a sufficiency of room.
This important labor is indeed prospective, as the same
hole is employed for a nest and roost for many succeed-
ing years. Here, on a few twigs, grass, and feathers,
the eggs, about 6, and white, are deposited. Incubation,
in which both parents engage, continues for 16 days ;
and they exhibit great solicitude for the safety of their
brood. The mother, simulating lameness, sometimes
drops on the water, fluttering as if wounded and una-
ble to rise from the stream. The male also perched on
the nearest bough, or edge of the projecting bank, jerks
his tail, elevates his crest, and passing to and fro before
the intruder, raises his angry and vehement rattle of com-
plaint.* They are very«fenacious of their cell, and seldom
forsake it, however molested. But at the commencement
of winter, the frost oblio;es our humble Fisher to seek
more open streams, and even the vicinity of the sea ; but
he is seen to return to Pennsylvania by the commence-
ment of April.
The length of this species is about 12 inches; alar extent 20.
Bill brownish-black, light greenish-blue at the base. Iris hazel.
Feet greyish-blue ; the claws black. Quills brownish-black, barred
with white at the base ; tail-feathers the same, but more barred with
white. — The blue of the female duller.
* Audubon, Orn. Biog. i. p. 396.
ORDER EIGHTH.
SWALLOW TRIBE. (Chelidones. Vieill)
With the bill very short, much depressed, and very
wide at the base, the upper mandible curved at the point.
Feet short and slender, 3 toes before, wholly divided, or
united at the base by a short membrane, the hind toe
often reversible : the nails hooked. Wings very long
and acute.
The sexes and young nearly similar ; with the moult
annual. These feed exclusively on insects, which they
swallow flying ; they consequently migrate to tropical
countries in winter. The flight is very rapid and long
continued; (the diurnal section scarcely walk.) The
vision very perfect ; and, according to their habits, diurnal
or nocturnal. The voice in the proper Swallows is rather
feeble and twittering ; in the nocturnal family quaint,
singular, or monotonous.
§ I. — Diurnal Family.
With the eyes and ears of moderate size. The plumage close and
compact ; and with the middle toe-nail like the rest.
SWALLOWS. (HiRUNDO. Linn.)
In these birds the bill is short, triangular, depressed, wide at
its base, and cleft nearly to the eyes ; the upper mandible notched
598 SWALLOW TRIBE.
and a little hooked at the point. Nostrils basal, oblong, behind
partly closed by a membrane, and covered by the advancing feathers
of the frontlet. Tongue short, bifid. Feet short, and slender ; middle
toe longer than the subequal lateral ones, united with the outer to
the first articulation, middle toe-nail largest. First priynanj longest.
Tail of 12 feathers, and generally forked.
These birds are remarkable for their sociability, living generally in
families, constructing their nests together, and often rendering mu-
tual assistance in its formation ; they also assemble and migrate in
large flocks. Some build in hollow trees, barns, out-buildings, chim-
neys, and even on the ground, or the larger branches of trees ; the ex-
ternal part of the nest is fortified with hardening materials, the interi-
or lined with soft substances. Constantly paired, they rear several
broods in the season, and unite in the labor of rearing the young.
They frequent watery places in pursuit of winged insects, which
they take with agility, swimming as it were in the air j they likewise
skim over the svirface of waters, and drink and bathe even without
alighting, the air being almost their peculiar element. In fair weath-
er they delight to ascend into the elevated regions of the atmos-
phere ; but previous to rain, which they thus prognosticate, they
lower their flight, and at length sail near the surface of the earth.
They inhabit every region, and moult once a year, in the depth of
our winter, and while in their tropical asylum.
PURPLE MARTIN.
{Hir undo purpurea, L. WiLsojf, v. p. 58. pi. 39. fig. 1. and 2. Aud.
pi. 22. Orn. i. p. 115. Phil. Museum, No. 2645, 2646.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark bluish-purple, and glossy; wings and forked
tail brownish-black. — Female and young bluish-brown ; belly
whitish.
According to the progress of the season in the very
different climates of the United States, is measured the
arrival of this welcome messenger of spring. Around the
city of New Orleans, for example, the Purple Martin is
seen from the 1st to the 9th of February. At the Falls
of the Ohio they are not seen before the middle of March,
and do not arrive in the vicinity of Philadelphia until the
first week in April ; on the 25th of that month or later,
PURPLE MARTIN. 599
they visit the vicinity of Boston, and penetrate even
to the cold regions of Hudson's Bay, where they arrive
in May, and retire in August ; about the 20th of the
same month they also leave the state of Pennsylvania.
In their haste to return to their natal climes, they some-
times expose themselves to fatal accidents from change-
ble and unfavorable weather. In the maritime parts of
Massachusetts, and probably throughout the state, a few
years ago, after a rainy midsummer, many were found
dead in their boxes, and they have since been far less
numerous than formerly.
This beautiful species, like many others of the fam-
ily, seeks out the dwellings of man, associating him-
self equally with the master and the slave, the colonist
and the aboriginal. To him it is indifferent, 'whether
his mansion be carved and painted, or humbled into the
hospitable shell of the calabash or gourd. Secure of an
asylum for his mate and young, while under the protec-
tion of man, he twitters forth his gratitude, and is ev-
ery where welcomed to a home. So eager is he to claim
this kind of protection, that sometimes he ventures hos-
tilities with the Blue-Birds and domestic Pigeons, whom
he often forces to abandon their hereditary claims. Satis-
fied with their reception and success, like so many con-
tented and faithful domestics, they return year after year
to the same station. The services of the Martin in
driving away Hawks and Crows from the premises he
claims, are also important inducements for favor ; he
has even the courage to attack the redoubtable Kinff-
Bird, when his visits are too familiar near the nest.
At the approaching dawn, the merry Martin begins
his lively twitter, which, continuing for half a minute,
subsides until the twilight is fairly broken. To this pre-
lude succeeds an animated and incessant musical chat-
600 SWALLOW TRIBE.
tering, sufficient, near the dwelling, to awaken the sound-
est sleeper. His early vigils are scarcely exceeded by
the domestic cock ; the industrious farmer hears the
pleasing call to labor, and associates with the favorite
bird tlieideaofan economical, cheerful, and useful guest.
In the Middle States, from the 15th to the 20th of
April, the Martins begin to prepare their nest, which is
usually made of small green or dry leaves, straws, hay,
and feathers, laid in considerable quantities. The eggs,
pure white, are from 4 to 6, and without spots. They
rear two broods in the season. Several pairs also dwell
harmoniously in the same box. The male, very atten-
tive to his sitting mate, also takes part in the task of in-
cubation ; and his notes at this time have apparently a
peculiar and expressive tenderness.
The food of the Martin is usually the larger winged
insects ; as wasps, bees, large beetles, such as the com-
mon Cctonias or goldsmiths, which are swallowed whole.
His flight possesses all the swiftness, ease, and grace of
the tribe. Like the Swift, he glides along, as it were,
without exertion. Sometimes he is seen passing through
the crowded streets, eluding the passengers with the
rapidity of thought ; at others he sails among the clouds
at a dizzy height, like something almost ethereal.
This species is about 8 inches in length, and 16 in alar extent.
Tail considerably forked.
BARN SWALLOW.
(Hirundo rufa, Gmel. H. americana, Wilson, v. p. 34. pi. 38.
fig. 1. and 2. Phil. Museum, No. 7609.)
Sp. Charact. — Above, and band on the breast, steel-blue; front
and beneath chesnut-brown, paler on the belly ; tail forked, with
a white spot on the lateral feathers, the outer ones narrow and
long.
The Barn Swallow arrives in Florida and the mari-
time parts of Georgia about the middle of March, but is
not seen in the Middle States before the last of that
month or the beginning of April. Their northern migra-
tion extends to the sources of the Mississippi, where they
have been seen by Mr. Say, at Pembino, in the latitude
of 49°. They retire from Massachusetts about the 18th
of September, and are observed, in the same month and
in October, passing over the peninsula of Florida on
their way to tropical America, where they probably pass
the winter. I have seen a straggling pair in this vi-
cinity even on the loth of October. In the months of
51
602
SWALLOW TRIBE.
January and February the common Chimney Swallow
of Europe has been observed to moult, by Mr. Pearson
of London, and Mr. Natterer of Vienna ; with the latter
they survived in cages, to which they are easily recon-
ciled, for 8 or 9 years, and showed no propensity to tor-
pidity. The fleetness with which they move, and the pe-
culiarity of their insect fare, are circumstances which
would impel a prompt transition to more favorable cli-
mates. Accidental fits of torpidity, like those which oc-
casionally and transiently take place with the Humming-
Bird, have undoubtedly happened to Swallows, without
proving any thing against the general migrating instinct
of the species.
Early in May they begin to build, against a beam
or rafter, usually in the barn. The external and round-
ing shell is made of pellets of mud, tempered with fine
hay, and rendered more adhesive by the glutinous sa-
liva of the bird ; within is laid a bed of fine hay, and
the lining is made of loosely arranged feathers. The
eggs are 5, white, spotted over with reddish-brown.
They have usually two broods in the season, and the last
leave the nest about the first week in August. Twenty
or thirty nests may sometimes be seen in the same barn,
and two or three in a cluster, where each pursues his
busy avocation in the most perfect harmony. When the
young are fledged, the parents, by their actions and twit-
terings, entice them out of the nest, to exercise their
wings within the barn, where they sit in rows amid the
timbers of the roof, or huddle closely together in cool or
rainy weather for mutual warmth. At length they ven-
ture out with their parents, and, incapable of constant ex-
ercise, may now be seen on trees, bushes, or fence-rails,
near some pond or creek, convenient to their food ; and
their diet is disgorged from the stomachs or crops of their
FULVOUS OR CLIFF SWALLOW. 603
attentive parents. When able to provide for themselves,
they are still often fed on the wing without either party
alighting ; so aerial and light are all their motions, that
the atmosphere alone seems to be their favorite element.
In the latter end of summer, parties of these social birds
may be often seen by the sides of dusty roads, in which
they seem pleased to bask.
About the middle of August they leave the barns, and
begin to prepare for their departure, assembling in great
numbers on the roofs, still twittering with great cheer-
fulness. Their song is very sprightly, and sometimes a
good while continued. Some of these sounds seem like
H'le 'fie 'fletalit, uttered with rapidity and great ani-
mation. Awhile before their departure, they are ob-
served skimming along the rivers and ponds after insects
in great numbers, till the approach of sunset, when they
assemble to roost in the reeds.
The length of the species is about 7 inches, alar stretch 13. Ex-
terior feathers of the tail an inch and a half longer than the next.
Iris dark hazel. Legs dark purple. — Female with the belly and
vent rufous- white.
FULVOUS OR CLIFF SWALLOW.
{Hirundo fulva,yiTAi.'L. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 63. pi. 2. fig. 1. Aud.
pi. G8. Orn. i. p. 353. Phil. Museum, No. 7G24.)
Sp. Charact. — Blue-black: beneath brownish-white; throat and
rump ferruginous; front with a paler semi-lunar band; tail even.
The Cliff Swallow has but recently come to the notice
of naturalists. Its summer residence in the temperate
parts of America is singularly scattered. They appear
to have long occupied the regions near the Rocky
Mountains, the cliffs of the Missouri, and probably other
large western rivers. In 1815, they appeared for the
first time at Henderson on the banks of the Ohio, and at
New Port in Kentucky. In 1817, they made their ap-
604 SWALLOW TRIBE.
pearance at Whitehall, near Lake Champlain, in the
western part of the state of New York. In these places
their increase seems to have kept pace with the time since
their arrival, augmenting their nests from a single clus-
ter to several hundreds in the course of 4 or 5 years.
Vieillot observed one at sea off Nova Scotia, and they
have, in fact, long been commonly known in that province.
In 1818, as I learn from J. W. Boott, Esq., they began
to build at Crawford's, near the base of the White Moun-
tains of New Hampshire. In the summer of 1830 a few
nests were seen by General Dearborn at Winthrop in
Maine ; he had also heard of one at Gardiner in the same
state. The hibernal retreat of this species would ap-
pear to be in the West Indies, as they were seen in Por-
to Rico by Vieillot, and one was also observed in St.
Domingo by the same author.
In the Western States they arrive from the south early
in April, and almost immediately begin to construct their
nests. They commence their labor at the dawn and
continue their operations until near mid-day. They are
made of pellets of sandy mud, disposed in layers until
the fabric with its entrance assumes the form of a pro-
jecting retort, agglutinated to cliffs or the walls of build-
ings, as convenience may offer. From the nature of the
friable materials employed, the whole is frail and crum-
bling in the possession of any but the airy owners. The
internal lining is of straw and dried grass, negligently
disposed for the reception of the eggs, which are usually
4, and white, spotted with dusky-brown. They raise but
a single brood, who with their parents, after several at-
tempts at mustering, finally disappear in August, as sud-
denly as they came.
Like the rest of their congeners, they are almost per-
petually on the wing in quest of flies and other small in-
WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. 605
sects, which constitute their ordinary food. Their note
does not appear to resemble a twitter, and according to
Audubon it may be imitated by rubbing a moistened
cork round in the neck of a bottle. In Kentucky, un-
til the commencement of incubation, the whole party re-
sorted to roost in the hollow limbs of the button-wood
trees [Platanus occidentalis). However curious, it is
certain, that these birds have but recently discovered the
advantage of associating round the habitations of men.
The Cliff Swallow is about 5^ inches long, the alar extent 12.
Iris hazel. The semi-lunar frontal band pale rufous white. Tail-
coverts pale yellowish-red. Wings and tail brownish-black. — Fe-
male similar.
WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.
{Hirundo bicolor, Vieill. H. viridis, Wilson, v. p. 44. pi. 33. fig. 3.
Phil. Museum, No. 7707.)
Sp. Charact. — Dark greenish-blue, beneath white ; tail forked ;
the tarsi naked.
This species, less common than the Barn Swallow,
and nearly allied to the Common Martin, arrives in Penn-
sylvania and New England about the middle of April,
and extends its migrations over the continent nearly to
the arctic circle, having been seen by Dr. Richardson in
the latitude of 53° ; they also breed around Hudson's
Bay, and throughout the Northern and Middle States.
On their arrival, like many other species, they seek out
the society of man, and frequently take possession of the
mansion of the Martin. When these advantages are unat-
tainable, they will content themselves with the eaves of
some deserted dwelling, a hollow tree, their ancient resi-
dence, or even an horizontal branch, when large and
convenient. The nest is made without mud, of fine dry
grass loosely put together, and copiously lined with feath-
51*
606 SWALLOW TRIBE.
ers. The eggs are 4 or 5, and pure white ; and they
commonly raise two broods in the season.
The voice of this species is rather low and guttural ;
they are likewise more quarrelsome and less sociable in
the breeding season, than the Barn Swallow. In the
spring their angry contentions and rapid chatter are
heard in the air for a quarter of an hour at a time. Their
food is similar to that of the species above mentioned, and
they make a snapping sound with the bill in the act of
seizing their prey. They proceed to the South in Sep-
tember, and according to the observations of Audubon,
pass nearly, if not quite the whole winter, in the cypress
swamps near to New Orleans, and probably in the Mexi-
can vicinity. He observed them about the middle of De-
cember, and also near to the close of January. " During
the whole winter many retired to the holes around houses,
but the greater number resorted to the lakes, and spent
the night among the branches of the wax myrtle," whose
berries, at this season, afford them a support on which they
fatten, and are then considered as excellent food. About
sunset they usually began to flock together, at a peculiar
call, and were then seen almost in clouds moving towards
the neighbouring lagoons, or the estuaries of the Missis-
sippi. Before alighting, they perform their aerial evolu-
tions to reconnoitre the place of roosting ; soon after
which they rapidly descend, as it were in a spiral vor-
tex, almost like the fall of a water-spout, and when with-
in a few feet of the wax myrtles, they disperse, and set-
tle at leisure ; but their twittering and the motions of
their wings are heard throughout the night. At dawn,
they rise, at first flying low over the waters, which they
almost touch, and then, rising, gradually separate in quest
of food. During their low flight, numbers of them are
BANK SWALLOW, OR SAND MARTIN. 607
often killed by canoe-men with the mere aid of their
paddles.*
The length of this species is about 5| inches, alar extent 12. Above
light glossy greenish-blue. Wings and tail brownish-black. The
closed wings extend about a quarter of an inch beyond^the tail. — The
female is less glossy green.
BANK SWALLOW, or SAND MARTIN.
(Hirundo riparia, L. Wilson, v. p. 46. pi. 38. fig. 4. Phil. Museum,
No. 7637.)
Sp. Charact. — Above, and band on the breast cinereous brown ;
beneath white; tail forked; the tarsi naked, with a few tufls
of downy feathers behind. — The young, at first, have the
feathers slightly bordered with rufous, this edging more con-
spicuous on the wing-coverts and tertials.
This plain looking and smaller species, though equally
gregarious with other kinds, does not court the protec-
tion or society of man ; at least their habitations are re-
mote from his. They commonly take possession for this
purpose of the sandy bank or bluff of a river, quarry, or
gravel pit, 2 or 3 feet below the upper surface of the
bank. In such places, in the month of April, they may
be observed burrowing horizontally with their awl-like
bills, when, at length, having obtained a foot-hold in the
cliff, they also use their feet, and continue this labor
to the depth of 2 or 3 feet. Several of these holes may
be often seen within a few inches of each other. The
nest itself, at the extremity of this cavern, is loosely made
of a little dry grass, and a few downy feathers. The
eggs are about 5, and pure white. They have generally
two broods in the season ; and on the egress of the
young, in the latter end of May, the piratical Crows often
await their opportunity to destroy them as they issue from
* AoDUBow. Orn. Biog. i. p. 356.
608 SWALLOW TRIBE.
the nest. In rocky countries they often take possession
of the clefts on the banks of rivers for their dwellincr, and
sometimes they content themselves with the holes of
trees.
Their voice is only a low mutter ; and, while busily pass-
ing backwards and forwards in the air around their nume-
rous burrows, they seem at a distance almost similar to
hiving bees. As they arrive earlier than other species,
the cold and unsettled weather often drives them for
refuge into their holes, where they cluster together for
warmth, and have thus been found almost reduced to a
state of torpidity. Dwelling thus shut up, they are often
troubled with swarms of infestinsf insects, resemblincr
fleas, which assemble in great numbers around their
holes. They begin to depart to the South from the close
of September to the middle of October. Although they
avoid dwelling near houses, they do not fly from settled
vicinities ; and parties of 6 or more, several miles from
their nests, have been seen skimming through the streets
of adjacent villages in the province of Normandy.
In the United States, they are known to breed from
Georgia to Maine, and were seen by Lewis and Clarke
near the coasts of the Pacific. They are also equally
common to Europe and South Africa, and Aristotle re-
lates that they were numerous in the narrow pass of the
mountains in Greece.
The Bank Swallow is 5 inches long, and 10 in alar stretch. Tail
forked, the outer feather slightly edged with whitish. Wings and
tail darker than the body.
SWIFTS. (Cypselus. Illig,)
In these birds the bill is extremely short, triangular, cleft to the
eyes, depressed, the upper mandible slightly notched and curved at
the point. Nostrils lateral, contiguous, large, partly covered by a
membrane, leaving a small tubular aperture. Tongue short, wide,
CHIMNEY SWIFT OR SWALLOW. 609
and bifid at tip. Feet very short, toes divided, hind toe shortest, versa-
tile, generally directed forward ; nails retractile, channeled beneath.
Wings extremely long, 1st primary a little shorter than the 2d, which
is longest. Tail of 10 feathers.
The sexes and young nearly alike in plumage ; with the moult
annual. The Swifts |live still more in the air than the Swallows,
generally flying at great elevations ; they flap their wings only at in-
tervals, and appear as if sailing in the atmosphere in wide circles.
They are rarely seen at rest, and then upon elevated places, but nev-
er on the ground. They make their nests in the clefts of rocks, in
ruins, and in chimneys, some choosing a plane surface on which to
rest the fabric ; in others the materials are perpendicularly aggluti-
nated. The foreign species employ soft substances for the nest,
often pilfered from the Sparrow. In ours, twigs only are used ; in
either, the materials are attached together by a viscous substance
secreted from the stomach of the bird, which acquires hardness and
consistence in drying. They pass the greater part of the day in
their roosting-places. The eggs, 2 to 4, are spotless, and white. Spe-
cies are spread over the whole globe.
CHIMNEY SWIFT or SWALLOW.
{Cypselus pelasgius, Temm. Hirurido pelasgia, Wilson, v. p. 48-
pl. 39. fig. 1. Phil. Museum, No. 7663.)
Sp. Charact. — Sooty -brown ; chin and line over the eye dull whit-
ish ; wings extending far beyond the tail ; tail even, with the
feathers mucronate.
This singular bird, after passing the winter in tropical
America, arrives in the Middle and Northern States late
in April or early in May. Their migrations extend, at
least, to the sources of the Mississippi, where they were
observed by Mr. Say. More social than the foreign spe-
cies, which frequent rocks and ruins, our Swift takes ad-
vantage of unoccupied and lofty chimneys, their original
roost and nesting situation being tall gigantic hollow
trees, such as the elm and button-wood {Platanus). The
nest is formed of slender twigs, neatly interlaced, some-
what like a basket, and connected sufficiently together
610 SWALLOW TRIBE.
by a copious quantity of adhesive gum or mucilage se-
creted by the stomach of the curious architect. This
rude cradle of the young is small and shallow, and at-
tached, at the sides, to the wall of some chimney, or the
inner surface of a hollow tree : it is wholly destitute of
lining. The eggs are usually 4, and white. They have
commonly two broods in the season. So assiduous are
the parents, that they feed the young through the greater
part of the night ; their habits, however, are nearly noc-
turnal, as they fly abroad most at and before sunrise,
and in the twilight of evening. The noise which they
make, while passing up and down the chimney, resem-
bles almost the rumbling of distant thunder. When the
nests get loosened by rains, so as to fall down, the young,
though blind, find means to escape, by creeping up and
clinging to the sides of the chimney walls ; in this situa-
tion they continue to be fed for a week or more. Soon
tired of their hard cradle, they generally leave it long
before they are capable of flying.
On their first arrival, and for a considerable time after,
the males, particularly, associate to roost in a general re-
sort. This situation, in the remote and unsettled parts
of the country, is usually a large, hollow tree, open at
top. These well known Sivalloiv-trees are ignorantly
supposed to be the winter quarters of the species, where,
in heaps, they doze away the cold season in a state of
torpidity ; but no proof of the fact is ever adduced. The
length of time such trees have been resorted to by par-
ticular flocks may be conceived perhaps, by the account
of a hollow tree of this kind described by the Rev. Dr.
Harris in his Journal. The Platanus alluded to, grew in
the upper part of Waterford in Ohio, two miles from the
Muskingum, and its hollow trunk, now fallen, of the di-
ameter of 5|- feet, and for nearly 15 feet upwards, con-
i
CHIMNEY SWIFT OR SWALLOW.
611
tained an entire mass of decayed Swallow feathers, mixed
with brownish dust and the exuviae of insects. In in-
land towns they have been known to make their general
roost in the chimney of the court-house. Before decend-
ing, they fly in large flocks, making many ample and cir-
cuitous sweeps in the air ; and as the point of the vortex
falls, individuals drop into the chimney by degrees, until
the whole have descended, which generally takes place
in the dusk of the evening. They all, however, disap-
pear about the first week in August. Like the rest of
the tribe, the Chimney Swift flies very quick, and with
but slight vibrations of its wings ; appearing as it were to
swim in the air in widening circles, shooting backwards
and forwards through the ambient space at great eleva-
tions, and yet scarcely moving its wings. Now and then
it is heard to utter, in a hurried manner, a sound like
tsip tsip tsip tsee tsec. It is never seen to alight but in
hollow trees or chimneys, and appears always most gay
and active in wet and gloomy weather. The wonderful
account of the Swallow roosts in Honduras, given by
Captain Henderson, appears to be entirely applicable to
this species.
The Chimney Swift is 4.^ inches in length, and 12 in alar extent.
Feet very muscular, the claws exceedingly sharp. The closed wings
extend 1^ inches beyond the tail, which is rounded, with the shafts
extending beyond their vanes into sharp, strong, and very elastic
points, which thus afford assistance in clinging to their singular roosts.
The eye black, surrounded by a bare blackish skin or orbit.
§ II. — Nocturnal Family.
With the head, eyes, and ears very large. The middle nail gene-
rally pectinated on the inner side. The plumage loose, soft, and
light, as in Owls.
612 SWALLOW TRIBE.
NIGHT-HAWKS. (Caprimulgus. L.)
With the BILL extremely short, feeble, and cleft beyond the eyes;
upper mandible almost always surrounded with spreading bristles,
and somewhat hooked at the tip, the margin turned outward. Nos-
trils basal, wide, partly closed by a feathered membrane, and leav-
ing usually a tubular opening. Tongue small, acute, and entire.
Feci, tarsi partly feathered, the anterior toes united by a small mem-
brane to the 1st articulation ; the hind toe reversible. Kails very
short, beneath channeled. Wings long, the Istprimar}'^ shorter than
the 2d and 3d, which are longest. Tail of 10 feathess. — Female
easily distinguishable from the male ; but the young similar with the
adult. They moult once or twice in the year ; and the plumage is of
dull and very blended colors.
These are solitary, shy, and sylvan birds, flying rapidly in the
twilight and night, when their vision is more acute. Except in
cloudy weather, they remain concealed by day, like Owls ; and in
consequence of the softness of their feathers, their flight is nearly si-
lent. They hunt for moths with the mouth extended open. They
remain constantly paired, and in the breeding season flutter their
wings like Pigeons. They lay one or two large eggs on the ground,
without nest, and rarely in a hollow tree, or in the cleft of a rock.
The voice is unpleasant, quaint, and monotonous. They sometimes
also utter a booming sound in flight, usually at the moment of rapidly
descending in their aerial gj^rations. Thej^ inhabit all parts of the
globe, but abound in the warmer parts of America.
' CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW.'
{Caprimulgtis carolinensis, Gm. Wilson, vi. p. 95. pi, 54. fig. 2.
AuD. pi. 52. Orn. i. p. 273. Phil. Museum, No. 7723.)
Sp. Charact. — Bristles of the mouth shorter than the bill ; tail
rounded, reaching an inch beyond the wings ; 3 outer tail-feath-
ers white on the inner web at tip. Length 12 inches. — Female,
with the tip of the 3 outer tail-feathers dark ochreous.
The Carolina Goatsucker is seldom seen to the north
of Virginia, though in the interior its migrations extend
up the shores of the Mississippi to the 38th degree. Af-
ter wintering in some part of the tropical continent of
'chuck-will's-widow.' 613
America, it arrives in Georgia and Louisiana about the
middle of March, and in Virginia early in April. Like
the following species, it commences its singular serenade
oi ' chuck- loilV s-ioidmu, in the evening soon after sunset,
and continues it with short interruptions for several hours.
Towards morning, the note is also renewed, until the open-
ing dawn. In the day, like some wandering spirit, it re-
tires to secrecy and silence, as if the whole had only been
a disturbed dream. In a still evening this singular call
may be heard for half a mile, its tones being slower,
louder, and more full than those of the Whip-Poor-Will.
The species is particularly numerous in the vast forests of
the Mississippi, where throughout the evening its echoing
notes are heard in the solitary glens, and from the sur-
rounding and silent hills, becoming almost incessant dur-
ing the shining of the moon ; and at the boding sound of
its elfin voice, when familiar and strongly reiterated, the
thoughtful, superstitious savage becomes sad and pen-
sive. Its flight is low, and it skims only a few feet
above the surface of the ground, frequently settling on
logs and fences, from whence it often sweeps around in
pursuit of the flying moths and insects which constitute
its food. Sometimes they are seen sailing near the
ground, and occasionally descend to pick up a beetle, or
flutter lightly round the trunk of a tree in quest of some
insect crawling upon the bark. In rainy and gloomy
w^eather, they remain silent in the hollow log which affords
them and the bats a common roost and refuge by day.
When discovered in this critical situation, and without
the means of escape, they ruffle up their feathers, spread
open their enormous mouths, and utter a murmur almost
like the hissing of a snake, thus endeavouring, appparent-
ly, to intimidate their enemy when cut off" from the
means of escape.
52
614
SWALLOW TRIBE.
This species, like most others, also lays its eggs, two
in number, merely on the ground, and usually in the
woods; they are of a dark olive, sprinkled with darker
gpecs, oval, and rather large ; if they be handled, or even
the young, the parents suspicious of danger, remove them
to some other place. As early as the middle of August,
according to Audubon, they retire from the U. States.
This species is about 12 inches long, and 26 in alar extent. The
whole body clothed with feathers more or less sprinkled and mottled
with brown, rufous, black and white ; the tail with zig-zag and her-
rinif-bone figures of black. Across the throat a slight band of whit-
ish, the breast black, powdered with ferruginous, the belly and vent
lighter.
'WIIIP.POOR-AVILL.'
(Caprimulgus vocifcrvs, Wilso.v, v. p. 71. pi. 41. fig. 1, 2, 3.)
Sp. Charact. — Bristles on the cheeks much longer than the bill ;
tail greatly rounded, reaching one half beyond the wings; prima-
'whip-poor-will.' 615
ries chequered with dark spots. — Male, with the 3 outer tail-
feathers white at the summits. — In the female the same part is
pale ochreous, as well as the crescent line on the throat.
This remarkable and well known nocturnal bird ar-
rives in the Middle States about the close of April, or
the beginning of IVIay, and proceeds, in his vernal migra-
tions along the Atlantic States, to the centre of Massa-
chusetts, being rare and seldom seen beyond the latitude
of 43° ; and yet in the interior of the continent, accord-
ing to Vieillott, they continue as far as Hudson's bay, and
were heard, as usual, by Mr. Say, at Pembino in the
high latitude of 49°. In all this vast intermediite space,
as far south as Natchez on the Mississippi, and the inte-
rior of Arkansas, they familiarly breed and take up their
temporary residence. In the eastern part of Massachu-
setts, however, they are uncommon, and always affect shel-
tered, wild, and hilly situations. About the same time
that the sweetly echoing voice of the Cuckoo is first
heard in the north of Europe, issuing from the leafy
groves, as the sure harbinger of the flowery month of
May, arrives amongst us, in the shades of night, the myste-
rious ' Whip'poor-icill.' The well known saddening sound
is first only heard in the distant forest, reechoing from
the lonely glen or rocky cliff; at length, the oft-told soli-
tary tale is uttered from the fence of the adjoining field or
garden, and sometimes the slumbering inmates of the
cottage are serenaded from the low roof or from some dis-
tant shed. Superstition, gathering terror from every ex-
traordinary feature of nature, has not suffered this harm-
less nocturnal babbler to escape suspicion, and his fa-
miliar approaches are sometimes dreaded as an omen of
misfortune.
In the lower part of the state of Delaware, I have found
these birds troublesomely abundant in the breeding sea-
616 SWALLOW TRIBE.
son, so that the reiterated echoes of 'ivhip-'iohip-poor-ioiU,
'whip-peri-ivill, isstiing from several birds at the same
time, occasioned such a confused vociferation, as at first
to banish sleep. This call, except in moonlight nights,
is continued usually till midnight, when they cease until
again aroused, for a while, at the commencement of twi-
light. The first and last syllables of this brief ditty receive
the strongest emphasis, and, now and then, a sort of guttu-
ral cluck is heard between the repetitions, but the whole
phrase is uttered in little more than a second of time.
But if superstition takes alarm at our familiar and simple
species, what would be thought by the ignorant of a South
American kind, large as the Wood Owl, which, in the lone-
ly forests of Demerara, about midnight breaks out, la-
menting like one in deep distress, and in a tone more
dismal even than the painful hexachord of the slothful Ai".
The sounds, like the expiring sighs of some agonizing
victim, begin with a high loud note, " ha, ha, ha ha ha !
ha! ha! " each tone falling lower and lower, till the last
syllable is scarcely heard, pausing a moment or two be-
tween this reiterated tale of seeming sadness.
Four other species of the Goatsucker, according to
Waterton, also inhabit this tropical wilderness, among
which also is included our present subject. Figure to
yourself the surprise and wonder of the stranger who
takes up his solitary abode for the first night amidst these
awful and interminable forests, when, at twilight, he be-
gins to be assailed familiarly with a spectral equivocal
bird, approaching within a few yards, and then accosting
him with " who-are-you, ^who-ivho^-icho-arc-you " ? An-
other approaches, and bids him, as if a slave under
the lash, '' work-aivay , work-worh'Worh'away " ,• a third
mournfully cries, " willy-comc-go ! \willy -willy ^icilly-come-
go ! " and as you get among the high lands, our old ac-
'whip-poor-will.' 617
quaintance vociferates '' wliip-poor-will^ 'whip- whip- whip-
poor-icill ! " It is therefore not surprising, that such un-
earthly sounds should be considered in the light of super-
natural forebodings issuing from spectres in the guise
of birds.
Although our Whip-Poor-Will seems to speak out in
such plain English, to the ears of the aboriginal Delaware
its call was wecoulis, thoughthis was probably some favor-
ite phrase or interpretation, which served it for a name.
The Whip-Poor-Will, when engaged in these nocturnal
rambles, is seen to fly within a few feet of the surface in
quest of moths and other insects, frequently, where abun-
dant, alighting around the house. During the day they
retire into the darkest woods, usually on high ground,
where they pass the time in silence and repose, the weak-
ness of their sight by day compelling them to avoid the
glare of the light.
The female commences laying about the second week in
May in the Middle States, considerably later in Massa-
chusetts ; she is at no pains to form a nest, though she se-
lects for her deposit some unfrequented part of the forest,
near a pile of brush, a heap of leaves, or the low shelving
of a hollow rock, and always in a dry situation ; here
she lays 2 eggs, without any appearance of an artificial
bed. They are of a dusky bluish-white, thickly blotched
with dark olive. This deficiency of nest is amply made
up by the provision of nature, for, like Partridges, the
young are soon able to run about after their parents ;
and, until the growth of their feathers, they seem such
shapeless lumps of clay-colored down, that it becomes
nearly impossible to distinguish them from the ground on
which they repose. Were a nest present in the expos-
ed places where we find the young, none would escape
detection. The mother, also, faithful to her charo-e, de-
52*
618 SWALLOW TRIBE.
ceives the passenger by prostrating herself along the
ground with beating wings, as if in her dying agony.
The activity of the young and old in walking, and the
absence of a nest, widely distinguishes these birds from
the Swallows, with which they are associated. A young
fledged bird of this species, presented to me, ran about
with great celerity, but refused to eat, and kept continu-
ally calling out at short intervals pe-ugh, in a low mourn-
ful note.*
After the period of incubation, or about the middle of
June, the vociferations of the male cease, or are but
rarely given. Towards the close of summer, previously to
their departure, they are again occasionally heard, but
their note is now languid and seldom uttered ; and early
in September they leave us for the more genial climate
of tropical America, being there found giving their usual
lively cry in the wilds of Cayenne and Demerara.
They enter the United States early in April, but are
some weeks probably in attaining their utmost northern
limit.
Their food appears to be large moths, beetles, grass-
hoppers, ants, and such insects as frequent the bark of
decaying timber. Sometimes, in the dusk, they will
skim within a few feet of a person, making a low chatter
as they pass ; they also, in common with other species,
flutter occasionally around the domestic cattle to catch
any insects which approach or rest upon them, and hence
the mistaken notion of their sucking goats, while they
only cleared them of molesting vermin.
The Whip-poor-will is 9^ inches long, and 19 in the stretch of the
wings. The bill blackish ; nostrils tubular. Mouth very large, pale
flesh-color within, and beset along the sides with a number of long
♦The resemblance of this tone to that of the Purple Martinis somewhat re-
markable.
NIGHT-HAWK, OR NIGHT-JAR. 619
thick bristles, the longest extending more than ^ an inch beyond the
point of the bill. Eyes bluish-black. The plumage above intricately
variegated with black, brownish-white, and rust-color, sprinkled and
powdered with numerous minute streaks and spots. Upper part of
the head light brownish-grey, marked with a longitudinal stripe of
black, with others passing out from it ; the back is darker, finely
streaked with a lighter color. The scapulars are very light yellow-
ish-white, variegated with a few oblique spots of black. Tail round-
ed, of 10 feathers, the exterior 1^ inches shorter than the middle
ones ; the 3 outer feathers on each side are blackish-brown for half
their length, and from thence white to their summits ; the exterior
one is edged with deep brown, studded with paler spots ; the 4 mid-
dle ones are without the white at the ends, and marked with herring-
bone figures of black and pale ochre finely powdered. Cheeks and
sides of the head nearly of a brick-color. The wings elegantly spot-
ted with very light and dark brown. Chin black, with small brown
spots. A narrow semicircle of white passes across the throat ; breast
and belly irregularly mottled and streaked with black and yellow
ochre. Legs and feet of a light purplish flesh-color, seamed with
white ; the former feathered before, nearly to the feet. Middle claw
pectinated. — The female is about an inch less.
NIGHT-HAWK, or NIGHT-JAR.
{CaprimuJgus xirginianus, Briss. C. americanus, Wilson, v. p. C5.
pi. 40. fig. 1. and 2. Phil. Museum, No. 7723, 7724.)
Sp. Charact. — Bill without bristles ; tail forked, not extending as
far as the tips of the wings ; primaries plain blackish, with a
white spot. — Male, with a triangular spot on the throat, and a
white band on the tail.
Towards the close of April the Night-Hawk arrives in
the Middle States, and early in May they are first seen
near the sea-coast of Massachusetts, which at all times
appears to be a favorite resort. In the interior of the
continent they penetrate as far, at least, as the sources of
the Mississippi ; they are likewise observed around the
dreary coasts of Hudson's Bay, and breed in the whole
intermediate region to the more temperate and elevated
620 SWALLOW TRIBE.
parts of Georgia. They are now commonly seen towards
evening, in pairs, sailing round in sweeping circles, high
in the air, occasionally descending lower to capture fly-
ing insects, chiefly of the larger kind, such as wasps,
beetles, and moths. About the middle of May, or later,
the female selects some open spot in the woods, the cor-
ner of a corn-field, or dry gravelly knoll, on which to de-
posit her eggs, which are only 2, and committed to the
bare ground, where, however, from the similarity of their
tint with the soil, they are, in fact, more secure from ob-
servation than if placed in a nest. They are nearly oval,
of a muddy bluish-white, marked all over with touches of
an umber color. Here the male and his mate reside dur-
ing the period of incubation, roosting at a distance from
each other on the ground, or in the neighbouring trees ;
and in consequence of the particular formation of their
feet, like the rest of the genus, they roost or sit lengthwise
on the branch. During the progress of incubation, the
male is seen frequently, for some hours before nightfall,
playing about in the air over the favorite spot, mounting
in wide circles, occasionally propelled by alternate quick
and slow vibrations of the wings, until at times he nearly
ascends beyond the reach of sight, and is only known by
his sharp and sudden squeak, which greatly resembles
the flying shriek of the towering Swift. At other times
he is seen suddenly to precipitate himself downwards for
60 or 80 feet, and wheeling up again as rapidly ; at which
instant a hollow whirr, like the rapid turning of a spin-
ning-wheel, or a strong blowing into the bung-hole of an
empty hogshead, is heard, and supposed to be produced
by the action of the air in the open mouth of the bird.
He then again mounts as before, playing about in his
ascent, and giving out his harsh squeak, till in a few
moments, the hovering is renewed as before ; and at this
NIGHT-HAWK, OR NIGHT-JAR. 621
occupation, the male solely continues till the close of
twilight. The European species is heard to utter the hol-
low whirr when perched, and while holding it head down-
wards, so that it does not appear to be produced by the
rushing of the air. The female, if disturbed while sitting
on her charge, will suffer the spectator to advance within
a foot or two of her before she leaves the nest ; she then
tumbles about and flutters with an appearance of lame-
ness, to draw off the observer, when, at length, she
mounts into the air and disappears. On other occasions,
the parent, probably the attending male, puffs himself up
as it were into a ball of feathers ; at the same time strik-
ing his wings on the ground, and opening his capacious
mouth to its full extent, he stares wildly, and utters a
blowing hiss, like that of the Barn Owl when surprised
in his hole. On observing this grotesque manoeuvre, and
this appearance so unlike that of a volatile bird, we are
struck with the propriety of the metaphorical French
name of ' Crapaud vola?is,' or Flying Toad, which it in-
deed much resembles while thus shapelessly tumbling be-
fore the astonished spectator. The same feint is also
made when they are wounded, on being approached.
Like some of the other species, instinctively vigilant for
the safety of their misshapen and tender brood, they also
probably convey them or the eggs from the scrutiny of
the meddling observer. In our climate they have no
more than a single brood.
Sometimes the Night-Hawk, before his departure, is
seen to visit the towns and cities, sailing in circles, and
uttering his squeak as he flies high and securely over
the busy streets, occasionally sweeping down, as usual,
with his whirring notes ; and at times he may be observ-
ed, even on the tops of chimneys, uttering his harsh call.
In gloomy weather, they are abroad nearly the whole
C22 SWALLOW TRIBE.
day, but are most commonly in motion an hour or two
before dusk. Sometimes, indeed they are seen out in the
brightest and hottest weather, and occasionally, while
basking in the sun, find means to give chase to the Ci-
cindeli, Carabi, and other entirely diurnal insects, as well
as grasshoppers, with which they often gorge themselves
in a surprising manner ; but they probably seldom feed
more than an hour or two in the course of the day.
About the middle of August, they begin their migra-
tions towards the south, on which occasion they may be
seen in the evening moving in scattered flocks, con-
sisting of several hundreds together, and darting after in-
sects, or feeding leisurely, as they advance towards more
congenial climes. For two or three weeks these proces-
sions along the rivers and their banks, tending towards
their destination, are still continued. Mingled with the
wandering host, are sometimes also seen the different
species of Swallow, a family to which they are so much
allied in habits and character ; but by the 20th of Septem-
ber the whole busy troop have disappeared for the season.
The Night-Hawk is 9^ inches in length, and 23 in alar extent.
Above deep blackish-brown, powdered, on the back, scapulars, and
head with innumerable spots and touches of a pale cream-color, and
interspersed with rufous specks. A spot of white extends over the 5
first primaries. Below marked with transverse lines of dusky and
yellowish. — Female an inch shorter.
ORDER NINTH.
PIGEON TRIBE. (Columbini, lUig., &c.)
The BILL of moderate size, compressed, vaulted, tur-
gid towards the tip, which is more or less curved ; the
base of the upper mandible covered with a soft skin, pro-
tuberant at its base, in which the nostrils are situated.
Nostrils medial, longitudinal. Tongue acute, entire.
Feet short and rather robust, the tarsi reticulated ; toes
divided. Wings xnoAexziie. Tail o^ 12 or 14 feathers.
— The female generally similar in plumage to the
male. The young differ considerably previous to the
first moult, which is annual.
The birds of this order, in their mild and familiar
manners, have a near relation with the Gallinaceous or-
der following. They are gregarious, living in thick for-
ests, or on high buildings. Their food, consisting of grain
and seeds, rarely of insects, undergoes a preparatory mace-
ration in the crop, before passing into the stomach, and
with the same kind of prepared and disgorged nutriment
they feed their young, which only quit the nest when in
a condition to fly. They generally build in forests, or in
the clefts of rocks, ruins, or hollow trees, and often make
a loose and shallow nest of small twigs, roomy enough to
accommodate both sexes ; they lay generally 2 eggs, sever-
al times in a year, and though so remarkably gregarious,
after the termination of the breeding season, they are
624 PIGEON TRIBE.
Still said to be paired for life. At this time the male is
remarkable for his assiduous and affectionate address,
rustling with the wings, billing, and cooing, with various
gallant evolutions. They commonly quench their thirst
at a single draught, at the same time immerging the bill
into the water. They have no song, or other note than
their plaintive and monotonous coo. Species are found
to inhabit all climates, but they are most numerous in
warm countries.
PIGEONS. (CoLUMBA, L.)
The character of the genus similar with that of the order.
Subgenus. — Columba. (Temm. JBonap.)
The bill moderately robust, straight, aad turgid at tip. Tarsus
rather short. Wings long and acute ; the 1st primary somewhat
shorter than the 2d, which is longest.
These live in wooded countries, building in trees or hollow trunks,
the nest of twigs, leaves, feathers, and similar substances. Flight
rapid and sonorous.
t Tail short and even, consisting of 1^ feathers.
BAND-TAILED PIGEON.
(Columba fasciata, Say, Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 77. pi. 8. fig. 3.
Phil. Museum, No. 4938.)
Sp. Charact. — Purplish-grey ; a white band behind the head ; tail
with a broad blackish bar near the middle ; bill j^ellow, black at
tip.
The male bird, from which the description is taken by
the Prince of Musignano, was, it appears, shot in July
by Mr. Titian Peale, near a saline spring, on a small
tributary of the river Platte, within the first range of the
Rocky Mountains ; a second individual, probably the
mate, was seen with it. Of its manners nothing is known,
though, from the season of the year, it is probable that
the pair had commenced incubation in the vicinity.
ZENAIDA DOVE. 625
The specimen was 13 inches long. The feet yellow, and the nails
black. Irids blackish. Back of the neck from the base of the head,
of a brilliant golden-green; under part of the neck pale vinaceous
purple, the vent paler. Tail slightly rounded.
WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON.
(Columba leucocephala, L. Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 15. fig. 1, [fe-
male.]
Sp. Charact. — Slate-blue ; crown cream-white ; bill red, whitish
at tip.
This species, well known as an inhabitant of Mexico
and the West Indies, is also gregarious, and found in
great numbers on the rocks of the Florida Keys, where
they breed in society, and, when first seen in the spring,
feed principally upon the beach plum, and the berries of
a kind of palm. From the peculiar selection of their
breeding-places, they are known, in some of the West
Indies, particularly Jamaica, St. Domingo, and Porto Ri-
co, by the name of Rock Pigeons. They likewise abound
in the Bahama Islands, and form an important article of
food to the inhabitants ; particularly the young, as they
become fully grown.
The length of the White-Crowned Pigeon is about 14 inches, the
alar extent 23. The bill red at the base, above bluish-white. Feet
carmine red. Iris orange. Cervical space small, deep purplish,
changing to violet, surrounded by a larger portion of scaly feathers,
of a bright green, with bluish and golden reflections. Primaries
dusky black. Tail even.
ZENAIDA DOVE.
{Columba zenaida, Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 15. fig. 2. [female.])
Sp. Charact. — Brownish-ash ; beneath vinaceous ; an amethystine
spot under each ear ; tail with a black band, 3 lateral feathers
pearl-grey at tip.
53
626 PIGEON TRIBE.
This beautiful little species inhabits the Keys of Flor-
ida with the preceding, but is rare. It is also known to
exist in the neighbouring island of Cuba. They keep
much on the ground, where they dust themselves and
swallow gravel to assist digestion. When rising on the
wing, the same whistling noise is heard from the motion
of their wings as in the case of the common Carolina
Turtle Dove.
The Zenaida Dove measures only 10 inches. Bill black. Iris dark
brown. Feet red. Beneath the ears a small bright and deep viola-
ceous spot ; above this also a smaller one. Anterior cervical region,
v/ith metallic golden-violet reflections, slightly passing into greenish.
Scapulars spotted with black. Quills dusky ; the secondaries broad-
ly terminated with white, 2d primary longest. Tail nearly even, of
12 feathers.
ft With the tail long, and cuneiform.
CAROLINA PIGEON, or TURTLE DOVE.
(Columba carolinensis, L. Wilson, v. p. 91. pi. 43. fig. 1. Phil.
Museum, No.)
Sp. Charact. — Forehead and breast vinaceous ; a black spot under
each ear ; tail of 14 feathers, with 4 of the lateral ones black near
the extremity, and white at the tip.
This almost fiimiliar Pigeon, in the course of the spring
leisurely migrates through the interior as far as to Cana-
da, though, in the Eastern States, they are very rarely
met with to the north of Connecticut. Many appear
sedentary in the warmer states, where they breed as
far south as Louisiana. They are also said to inhabit
the Antilles. In the warmer parts of the Union they
commence laying early in April ; and in South Carolina
I heard their plaintive coo on the 29th of January ; but
at the extremity of their range they scarcely begin to
breed before the middle of May. They lay, as usual, 2
eggs, of a pure white, and make their nest in the hor-
izontal branches of trees. It is formed of a mere layer
CAROLINA PIGEON, OR TURTLE DOVE. 627
of twigs, SO loosely and slovenly put together as to appear
scarcely sufficient to prevent the young from falling out.
By the first fine days of the early southern spring we
hear from the budding trees of the forest, or the already
blooming thicket, the mournful call of the Carolina Tur-
tle Dove, commencing as^it were with a low and plaintive
sigh, a'gh coo coo coo, repeated at impressive intervals of
half a minute, and heard distinctly to a considerable dis-
tance through the still and balmy air of the reviving sea-
son. This sad but pleasing note is also more distinguish-
ed at this time, as it seeks the noon-day warmth, in
which to utter its complaint, and where it is now heard
without a rival.
The flight of this species is rapid and protracted, and,
as usual in the genus, accompanied by a very audible
whistling noise ; they fly out often in wide circles, but sel-
dom rise above the trees, and keep out near the skirt
of the forest, or round the fences and fields, which they
visit with considerable familiarity, gleaning after the crop
has been removed, and seldom molestincr the farmer, ex-
cept by now and then raising up a few grains in sowing-
time, which may happen to be exposed too temptingly to
view. The usual food of this species is various kinds of
grain and small acorns, as well as the berries of the holly,
dogwood, poke, whortle and partridge berries, with other
kinds, according to the season. In the nuptial period,
the wide circling flight of the male is often repeated,
around his mate, towards whom he glides with wings
and tail expanded, and gracefully alights on the same or
some adjoining tree, where she receives his attentions, or
fosters her eggs and infant brood. On alighting they
spread out their flowing train in a graceful attitude, ac-
companying the motion by a clucking, and balancing of
the neck and head, evincing the lively emotion and mu-
628 PIGEON TRIBE.
tual affection they cherish. When the female now con-
fines herself to her eggs, her constant mate is seen feed-
ing her with a delicate and assiduous attention, and the
sentimental scene appears almost like the living reality
of the fable of Psyche and Love.
The roosting-places preferred by the Carolina Turtle
Dove are among the long and unshorn grass of neglected
fields, in the slight shelter of corn-stalks, or the borders
of meadows ; they also occasionally seek harbour among
the rustling and falling leaves, and amidst the thick
brances of various evergreens. But in every situation,
even though in darkness, they are so vigilant as to fly at
the instant of approach. They do not huddle together, but
take up their rest in solitude, though a whole flock may be
in the same field ; they also frequently resort to the same
roosting-places if not materially molested. It is a hardy
species, enduring considerable cold, and some remain
even in the Middle as well as the Southern States throuorh-
out the year ; they are far less gregarious and migratory
than the common Wild Pigeon. When their food be-
comes scanty in the fields, in the course of the winter,
they approach the farm, feeding among the poultry, with
the Blackbirds, Sparrows, and other guests of the same
accidental bounty, and, if allowed without reprisal, appear
as gentle as domestic Doves. Raised from the nest,
they are easily tamed, and instances are known of their
breeding in confinement. Their flesh is also much es-
teemed, and by some considered as scarcely inferior to
that of the Snipe or Woodcock.
The length of this species is about 12 inches, alar extent 17. Bill
blackish, purplish red at the base ; feet also of the latter color. Crown
and upper part of the neck, greenish-blue. The general color above
pale yellowish-brown. Some of the inner wing-coverts spotted with
black. Below brownish-yellow.
, — e^.o
PASSENGER PIGEON.
(Columba migratoria, L. Wilson, v. p. 102. pi. 44. fig. 1. [male,]
AuD. pi. 62. Orn. i. p. 319. Phil, Museum, No.)
Sp. Charact. — Bluish-grey ; belly white ; throat, breast, and sides
vinaceous ; tail black, of 12 feathers, the 5 lateral ones whitish. —
Female paler, with the breast cinereous brown. — Young of a dull
muddy grey, spotted with whitish.
The Wild Pigeon of America, so wonderful for its gre-
garious habits, is met with more or less according to
circumstances from Mexico to Hudson's Bay, in which
inhospitable region they are even seen in December,
weathering the severity of the climate with indifference,
and supporting themselves upon the meagre buds of the
juniper, when the ground is hidden by inundating snows.
To the west they are found to the base of the Northern
Andes or Rocky Mountains, but do not appear to be
known beyond this natural barrier to their devious wan-
53*
630
PIGEON TRIBE.
derings. As might be supposed from its extraordinary
history, it is formed with peculiar strength of wing, mov-
ing through the air with extreme rapidity, urging its
flight also by quick and very muscular strokes. During
the season of amorous address it often flies out in numer-
ous hovering circles; and while thus engaged, the tips of
the great wing feathers are heard to strike against each
other, so as to produce a very audible sound.
The almost incredible and unparalleled associations
which the species form with each other, appear to have
no relation with the usual motives to mio^ration amonor
other birds. A general and mutual attachment seems to
occasion this congregating propensity. Nearly the whole
species, which at any one time inhabit the continent, are
found together in the same place ; they do not fly from
climate, as they are capable of enduring its severity and
extremes. They are even found to breed in the lati-
tude of 51° round Hudson's Bay, and the interior of
New Hampshire, as well as in the 32d degree in the
dense forests of the great valley of the Mississippi. The
accidental situation of their food alone directs all their
movements ; while this continues to be supplied, they
sometimes remain sedentary in a particular district, as in
the dense forests of Kentucky, where the great body re-
mained for years in succession, and were scarcely else-
where to be found ; and here, at length, when the mast
happened to fail, they disappeared for several years.
The rapidity of flight, so necessary in their vast
domestic movements, is sufficiently remarkable. The
Pigeons killed near the city of New York, have been
found with their crops full of rice collected in the planta-
tions of Georgia or Carolina ; and as this kind of food is di-
gested by them entirely in 12 hours, they must have travel-
led probably 3 or 4 hundred miles in about the half of that
PASSENGER PIGEON. 631
time, or have sped at the rate of a mile in a minute.
With a velocity like this, our Pigeon might visit the shores
of Europe in less than three days ; and in fact, according
to Fleming, a straggler was actually shot in Scotland
in the winter of 1825. Associated with this rapidity of
flight, must also be the extent and acuteness of their vis-
ion, or otherwise the object of their motions would be nuga-
tory ; so that, while thus darting over the country almost
with the velocity of thought, they still keep up a strict
survey for their fare ; and, in passing over a sterile region,
sail high in the air with a widely extended front, but in-
stantly drop their flight, at the prospect of food, flying
low, till they alight near an ample supply.
The associated numbers of Wild Pigeons, the numerous
flocks which compose the general swarm, are without any
other parallel in the history of the feathered race ; they can
indeed alone be compared to the finny shoals of herrings,
which, descending from the arctic reo-ions, discolor and
fill the ocean to the extent of mighty kingdoms. Of their
amazing numbers, and the circumstances attendant on
it, the reader will do well to consult the indefatigable Wil-
son and the celebrated Audubon. Our limits, and more
bounded personal information, v/ill not allow us to enlarge
on this curious and extraordinary subject. To talk of
hundreds of millions of individuals of the same species
habitually associated in feeding, roosting, and breeding,
without any regard to climate or season, as an operating
cause in these gregarious movements, would at first ap-
pear to be wholly incredible, if not borne out by the num-
erous testimony of all the inhabitants of the neighbouring
districts. The approach of the mighty feathered army
with a loud rushing roar, and a stirring breeze, attended
by a sudden darkness, might be mistaken for a fearful tor-
nado about to overwhelm the face of nature. For several
632 PIGEON TRIBE.
hours together the vast host, extending some miles in
breadth, still continues to pass in flocks without diminution.
The whole air is filled with them ; their muting resembles
a shower of sleet, and they shut out the light as if it
were an eclipse. At the approach of the Hawk, their
sublime and beautiful aerial evolutions are disturbed like
the ruffling squall extending over the placid ocean ; as a
thundering torrent they rush together in a concentrating
mass, and heaving in undulating and glittering sweeps
towards the earth, at length again proceed in lofty mean-
ders like the rushing of a mighty animated river.
But the Hawk is not their only enemy, tens of thou-
sands are killed in various ways by all the inhabitants
far and near. The evolutions of the feeding Pigeons as
they circle round, are both beautiful and amusing.
Alighting, they industriously search through the wither-
ed leaves for their favorite mast ; those behind are con-
tinually rising and passing forward in front, in such rap-
id succession, that the whole flock, still circling over the
ground, seem yet on the wing.
As the sun begins to decline, they depart in a body
for the general roost, which is often hundreds of miles
distant, and is generally chosen in the tallest and thickest
forests almost divested of underwood. Nothing can ex-
ceed the waste and desolation of these nocturnal resorts ;
the vegetation becomes buried by their excrements to the
depth of several inches. The tall trees, for thousands of
acres, are completely killed, and the ground strewed with
massy branches torn down by the clustering weight of
the birds which have rested upon them. The whole re-
gion for several years presents a continued scene of de-
vastation, as if swept by the resistless blast of a whirlwind.
The Honorable T. H. Perkins, informs me that he has
seen one of these desolated roosting-grounds on the bor-
PASSENGER PIGEON. 633
ders of Lake Champlain in New York, and that the for-
est to a great extent presented a scene of total ruin.
The breeding-places, as might naturally be expected,
differ from the roosts in their greater extent. In 1807,
according to Wilson, one of these immense nurseries,
near Shelbyville in Kentucky, was several miles in
breadth, and extended through the woods for upwards of
40 miles ! After occupying this situation for a succession
of seasons, they at length abandoned it, and removed 60
or SO miles off to the banks of Green river in the same
state, where they congregated in equal numbers.* These
situations seem regulated by the prospect of a supply of
food, such as beech and oak mast. They also feed on
most kinds of pulse and grain, as well as whortle-berries,
with those of the holly and nettle-tree. Wilson often count-
ed upwards of 90 nests in a single tree, and the whole for-
est was filled with them. These frail cradles for the young
are merely formed of a few slender dead twigs, negli-
gently put together; and with so little art, that the con-'
cavity appears scarcely sufficient for the transient recep-
tion of the young, who are readily seen through this thin
flooring from below. The eggs are white, as usual, and
only two in number, one of them abortive, according to
Wilson, and producing usually but a single bird. Audu-
bon, however, asserts, that there are two, as in the tame
Pigeons, where the number of the sexes in this faithful
tribe are almost uniformly equal. Their cooing call,
billing, and general demeanor are apparently quite simi-
lar to the behaviour of the domestic species in the breed-
ing-season. Birds of prey, and rapacious animals gener-
ally, are pretty regular attendants upon these assailable
* By some remarkable inadvertence, this place, with all the circumstances, is de-
scribed by Audubon as a roost of 40 miles by 3 in breadth, about the dimensions of
Wilson's breeding-place.
634 PIGEON TRIBE.
communities. But their most destructive enemy is man ;
and as soon as the young are fully grown, the neighbour-
ing inhabitants assemble, and encamp for several days
around the devoted Pigeons with waggons, axes, and
cooking utensils, like the outskirts of a destructive army.
The perpetual tumult of the birds, the crowding and
fluttering multitudes, the thundering roar of their wings,
and the crash of falling trees, from which the young are
thus precipitated to the ground by the axe, produces al-
together a scene of indescribable and almost terrific
confusion. It is dangerous to walk beneath these clus-
tering crowds of birds, from the frequent descent of large
branches, broken down by the congregating millions ;
the horses start at the noise, and conversation can only
be heard in a shout. These squabs, or young Pigeons,
of which three or four broods are produced in the season,
are extremely fat and palatable, and, as well as the old
birds killed at the roosts, are often, with a wanton prodi-
gality and prodigious slaughter, strewed on the ground
as fattening food for the hogs ! At the roosts, the de-
struction is no less extensive ; guns, clubs, long poles,
pots of burning sulphur, and every other engine of de-
struction, which wanton avarice can bring forward, are
all employed against the swarming host. Indeed for a
time, in many places, nothing scarcely is seen, talked of,
or eaten, but Pigeons !
In the Atlantic States where the flocks are less abun-
dant, the gun, decoy, and net are put in operation against
the devoted throng. Twenty or even thirty dozen have
been caught at a single sweep of the net. Wagon
loads of them are poured into market, where they are
sometimes sold for no more than a cent a piece. Their
combined movements are also sometimes sufficiently ex-
tensive. The Honorable T. H. Perkins remarks, that
GROUND DOVE. 635
about the year 1798, while he was passing through New
Jersey, near Newark, the flocks continued to pass for at
least two hours without cessation ; and he learnt from the
neighbouring inhabitants, that, in descending upon a large
pond to drink, those in the rear alighting on the backs of
the first that arrived (in the usual order of their move-
ments on land to feed), pressed them beneath the surface,
so that tens of thousands were thus drowned. They
were likewise killed in great numbers at the roost with
clubs.
The Wild or Passenger Pigeon is about IG inches long, and 24 in
alar extent. The bill black. Iris fiery orange. Legs and feet lake
red. Lower part and sides of the neck with a metallic chano-eable hue
of gold, green, and purplish crimson, the last color prevalent.
Scapular region spotted with a few black blotches. Quill-feathers
dusky. — Female somewhat shorter, the changeable cervical spot
smaller and less brilliant.
Subgenus. — Goura. (Bonap.)
The BILL slender, flexible, scarcely turgid at tip ; the upper man-
dible furrowed at the sides. Nostrils small, orbicular, situated in
the furrow. Tarsi rather long. Wings short, rounded, and concave,
the 1st primary shorter than the 5th, the 3d longest. — Tail of 12
feathers.
These birds make some approaches to the Gallinaceous order. The
greater number dwell on the ground, where they breed. The young
of some of the species are said even to run as soon as hatched, and
seek out their own sustenance.
GROUND DOVE.
(Columba passerina, Wilson, vi. p. 1-5. pi. 46. fig. 2. &3. [male and
female.] Phil. Museum, No.^
Sp. Charact. — The scapulars with dark spots; tail rounded, lateral
feathers black, tipped and edged with white ; bill black at tip,
and with the feet yellow.
636 PIGEON TRIBE.
The Ground Dove is an inhabitant of all the states of
the Union south of Virginia, and is met with also in the
West Indies. They are common in the sea islands of
the Southern States, particularly in South Carolina and
Georgia, where they are seen in small flocks of from 15
to 20. They are found usually upon the ground, and
prefer the open fields and cultivated tracts to the woods ;
their flight is seldom protracted, as they fly out commonly
only to short distances ; though on the approach of win-
ter they retire to the islands and milder parts of the
continent, arriving again at their northern resorts early
in April. Like some other species they have a fre-
quent jetting motion with the tail, and the usual tender
cooing and gesticulations of the tribe. They feed on
various seeds and berries, particularly on those of the
tooth-ache tree, near which they are frequently seen
in the season. They likewise feed on rice and other
small grain, and become easily tamed and reconciled to
the cage ; in this way they are also occasionally fattened
for the table, and are particularly esteemed by the French
planters.
This species is 6^ inches long. Front, throat, breast, and sides of
the neck, pale vinaceous purple ; crown and hind-head pale blue,
blended with purple. Back cinereous brown, scapulars tinged with
pale purple and marked with oblong spots of glossy blue, reflecting
tints of purple. Belly pale vinaceous brown, inclining to cinereous
near the vent. Quills dusky, the inner vanes ferruginous. Tail
rounded, the 2 middle feathers cinereous brown, the rest black, tipt
and edged with white. Legs and feet yellow. Bill yellow, black at
tip. Iris orange red. — In the female the back and tail-coverts are
nearly of a plain mouse-color. The throat speckled with dull white,
dusky, and muddy yellowish white ; the spots on the scapulars dark
purplish blood-color, reflecting tints of blue.
ORDER TENTH.
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. (Gallinje, Lin. he.)
With the bill short, and convex ; the upper mandible
vaulted, curved from its base, or only at the point. Nos-
trils, lateral, half covered by an arched, rigid mem-
brane. Feet stout, tarsus long ; toes usually 3 before,
and generally 1 behind articulated with the tarsus higher
than the rest, and scarcely touching the ground at tip ;
hind toe short or vranting ; nails without any retractile
motion. JVi?igs generally short, rounded, concave, with
the quills rigid and curved. Tail of from 10 to 18 feath-
ers, very rarely wanting.
The female smaller, less brilliant, and differing from
the male in plumage. The young at first covered with
down only. The moult annual.
These birds are generally of considerable magnitude,
with the body very fleshy and heavy, and the head small.
They also keep much on the ground, scratching up the
earth often in quest of their food ; and are fond of bask-
ing and wallowing in the dust. They subsist essentially
on grain and seeds, and not unfrequently add buds, ber-
ries, and larger insects to their fare, and like mammalious
animals are provided with a muscular bag or crop in
which the food undergoes a preparatory digestion, and
for this purpose they also swallow gravel, &c. They
are chiefly polygamous ; the females alone rearing and
educating the young. The nest is made on the ground,
and without art, and they are very prolific, the eggs be-
ing numerous, and the breeding long continued ; the
54
638
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
young run about and feed as soon as hatched, under the
direction and at the call of the parent, who retains
them under her charge until autumn. They run swift-
ly, take to wing with difficulty, the flight being limited
and low, accompanied by a whirring produced by the
rapid vibration of the wings ; very few undertake any
extensive migrations. The voice unpleasant, consisting
usually of a crowing, or petulant cackling. The flesh is
greatly esteemed for food in all countries ; the domestic
kinds are termed poultry ; when wild, game.
Family. — Gallinacet. (Illig.)
The bill thick ; nostrils basal. Fore toes connected at base by a
membrane. With the hind toe and nail never wantinor.
TURKEYS. (Meleagris, Lin.)
With the BILL entire, and at base covered by a membrane which
is prolonged into a pendulous, fleshy, conic, erectile, hairy caruncle.
Nostrils oblique. The tongue fleshy and entire. Feet rather
long ; the tarsus naked, provided with a blunt spur in the male ; the
middle toe longest ; nails wide and blunt, flat beneath. IVings short,
the 1st primary smallest, 4th and 5th longest. Tail of 14 to 18 dilat-
ed feathers, and capable of a vertical expansion.
The head small, naked, and warty, as well as half the neck ; the
throat provided with a longitudinal, carunculous appendage ; and a
pendulous bristly tuft on the lower portion of the neck, at length,
common to both sexes. The feathers long, and dilated at the ex-
tremity, the colors metallic and brilliantly iridescent, varying by re-
flection. The female considerably smaller, with dull and obscure
plumage ; the young at first similar to the female.
The Turkey, though gregarious, is nearly sedentary in the districts
where it is bred. They dwell generally in forests, roosting on trees ;
and utter a gobbling noise at the dawn of day. They feed on grain
and mast, as well as other vegetable substances. They are very
pugnacious in the breeding-season, and address their mates in pomp-
ous attitudes, strutting and wheeling, &g. They are also easily do-
mesticated and betrayed, and are now naturalized over all the
WILD TURKEY.
639
temperate parts of the world ; their flesh being generally esteemed
before all other poultry. The genus is peculiar to North America,
consisting of but two species; the second {M. oculatus) existino- in
the tropical forests of Honduras. They are somewhat alhed to the
Peacock, the Menura. and the Bustard of the ancient continent, though
very distinct from every other type.
WILD TURKEY.
(Maleagris galloparo, L. Bonap. Am. Orn. i. p. 79. pi. 9. both sexes.)
Sf. Charact. — Primaries dusky, banded with white ; tail of 18
feathers, ferruginous, thinly waved with black, and with a black
band near the extremity. — The male, blackish, with a metallic
coppery reflection. The female a.nd young, dusky brownish-grey,
with but few metallic tints.
640 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
The Wild Turkey, once prevalent throughout the whole
continent of North America, from Mexico and the Antil-
les, to the forests of Lower Canada, is now by the progress
and density of population chiefly confined to the thickly
wooded and uncultivated tracts of the Western States, be-
ing particularly abundant in the unsettled parts of Ohio,
Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and throughout the vast forests
of the great valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri. On
the banks of the latter river, however, where the woods
disappear beyond the confluence of the Platte, the Tur-
key no longer appears, and the feathers of the wings, for
the purpose of pluming arrows, form an article of small
commerce between the other natives and their western
countrymen. For a thousand miles up the Arkansas and
Red River, in the wooded alluvial lands, they are not un-
common. They are likewise met with in small num-
bers, in Tennessee, Alabama, and West Florida. From
the Atlantic States generally they are now nearly exter-
pated.
The Wild Turkey is neither gregarious nor migratory,
but from the necessity of wandering after food ; it is oth-
erwise resident throughout the whole of the vast region it
inhabits, including the greatest diversity of climate ; and
it is prolific in proportion to its natural resources, so that
while in the United States and Canada it only breeds once
in the year, in Jamaica and the other West India is-
lands, it is said to raise two or three broods in the same
period. In quest of mast, they therefore spread them-
selves through the country, and insensibly assemble in
considerable numbers to the district where their food
abounds. These movements are observed to take place
early in October, (the Turkey moon of the aborigines.)
The males, or gobblers^ as they are often called, from
their note, are now seen apart from the other sex, in com-
WILD TURKEY. 641
panies varying from 10 to a 100. The females move sin-
gly, or accompanied by their almost independent brood,
who all at first shun assiduously the persecuting society
of the selfish male. Yet after a while, when their food
proves abundant, separate mixed flocks of all ages and
sexes often promiscuously join in the bounteous repast.
Their migration, very unlike that of the rapid Pigeons,
is made almost entirely on foot, until their progress is
perhaps arrested by a river. Their speed, however, is very
considerable, and when surprised they more commonly
trust to their legs than their wings, running nearly with
the velocity of a hound. On meeting with an impedi-
ment of this kind, after considerable delay, they ascend
to the tops of the tall trees, and at the cluck of the lead-
er, they launch into the air for the opposite shore. The
transit is a matter of little difficulty, though considerable
labor, for the older birds ; but the younger and less robust
sometimes fall short of the bank, and are either drowned
or attain the land by swimming. After crossing, it is
remarked, that they often become an easy prey to the
hunter, as they seem bewildered by the new country in
which they have arrived, or more probably are fatigued by
the novelty and extent of their excursion. After long
journeys and privations, particularly in frosty weather,
or while the ground is covered with snow, they are some-
times reduced to the necessity of making their appear-
ance near farm-houses, where they now and then even
associate with the poultry, and enter the stables and cribs
after grain. In this desultory and foraging manner they
spend the autumn and winter.
According to the latitude, and the advancement of the
season, though always very early in the spring, they be-
gin to be actuated by the instinct of propagation. The
males commence their gobbling, and court the society of
54*
642 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
their retiring mates. The sexes roost apart, but in the
same vicinity, and at the yelp of the female the gobbling
becomes reiterated, and extravagant. If heard from the
ground, a general rush ensues to the spot, and whether
the hen appears or not, the males, thus accidentally
brought together, spread out their train, quiver and de-
press their rigid wings, and strutting and puffing with a
pompous gait, often make battle, and directing their blows
at the head occasionally destroy each other in a fit of
jealousy. As with our domestic fowls, several hens usually
follow a favorite cock, roosting in his immediate neigh-
bourhood, until they begin to lay, when they withdraw
from his resort, to save their eggs, which he would
destroy if discovered. The females are therefore seen
in his company only for a few hours in the day. Soon
after this period, however, the male loses his ardor, and
the advances of affection now become reversed, the hen
seeking out the society of her reluctant mate. In moon-
light nights the gobbling of the male is heard, at inter-
vals of a few minutes, for hours together, and affords of-
ten a gratifying means of their discovery to the wakeful
hunter. After this period the males become lean and
emaciated, so as to be even unable to fly, and seek to
hide themselves from their mates in the closest thickets,
where they are seldom seen. They now also probably
undergo their moult, and are so dry, lean, and lousy, un-
til the ripening of the mast and berries, as to be almost
wholly indigestible and destitute of nutriment as food.
So constant is this impoverished state, that the Indians
have a proverb, " As lean as a Turkey in summer."
About the middle of April, in Kentucky, the hens be-
gin to provide for the reception of their eggs, and secure
their prospects of incubation. The nest, merely a slight
hollow scratched in the ground, and lined with withered
WILD TURKEY. 643
leaves, is made by the side of a fallen log, or beneath
the shelter of a thicket, in a dry place. The eggs, from
10 to 15, are whitish, covered with red dots. While lay-
ing, the female, like the domestic bird, always approach-
es the nest with great caution, varying the course at al-
most every visit, and often concealing her eggs entirely by
covering them with leaves. Trusting to the similarity of
her homely garb with the withered foliage around her,
the hen, as with several other birds, on being carefully
approached, sits close, without moving. She seldom in-
deed abandons her nest, and her attachment increases
with the growing life of her charge. The domestic bird,
has been known, not unfrequently, to sit steadfastly on
her eggs, until she died of hunger. As soon as the young
have emerged from the shell, and begun to run about,
the parent, by her cluck, calls them around her, and
watches with redoubled suspicion the approach of their
enemies, which she can perceive at an almost inconceiv-
able distance. To avoid moisture, which might prove
fatal to them, they now keep on the higher sheltered
knolls ; and in about a fortnight, instead of roosting on
the ground, they begin to fly, at night, to some wide and
low branch, where they still continue to nestle under the
extended wings of their protecting parent. At length they
resort during the day to more open tracts, or prairies, in
quest of berries of various kinds, as well as grasshoppers,
and other insects. The old birds are very partial to pe-
can-nuts, winter grapes, and other kinds of fruits. They
also eat buds, herbs, grain, and large insects ; but their
most general and important fare is acorns, after which
they make extensive migrations. By the month of Au-
gust the young are nearly independent of their parent,
and become enabled to attain a safe roost in the higher
branches of the trees. The young cocks, now show the
644 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
tuft of hair upon the breast, and begin to strut and gob-
ble, and the young hens already pur and leap.
One of the most crafty enemies which the Wild Turkey
has to encounter is the Lynx or Wild Cat, who frequent-
ly seizes his prey by advancing round, and waiting its
approach in ambush. Like most other Gallinaceous
birds they are fond of wallowing on the ground and
dusting themselves.
When approached by moonlight, they are readily shot
from their roosting-tree, one after another, without any
apprehension of their danger, though they would dodge
or fly instantly at the sight of the Owl. The gobblers,
during the season of their amorous excitement, have been
known even to strut over their dead companions while
CD the ground, instead of seeking their own safety by
flight.
In the spring, the male Turkeys, are called by a whistle
made of the second joint bone of the wing of the bird,
which produces a sound somewhat similar to the voice of
the female ; and on coming up to this call they are con-
sequently shot. They are likewise commonly caught in
quadrangular pens made of logs crossing each other, from
which is cut a slanting covered passage sufficient to allow
the entrance of the Turkey. Corn is then scattered in
a train to this cage for some distance, as well as within ;
and the neighbouring birds, in the surrounding woods,
having discovered the grain, call on each other by a
clucking, and entering one at a time, they become secured
in the pen, as, for the purpose of escape, they constantly
direct their view upwards, instead of stooping to go out
by the path by which they had entered.
The male Wild Turkey weighs commonly from 15 to
18 pounds, is not unfrequently as much as 25, and some-
times, according to Audubon, even 36. The hen com-
PARTRIDGES. 645
monly weighs about 9 pounds ; and the usual price for a
Turkey from the Indians is 25 cents ! The domestic
bird, when irritated by the sight of any remarkable object,
struts out with expanded tail, and drooping his stiffened
wincrs, swells out his wattles which become red and tur-
gid, and, advancing with a grave and haughty air, utters
a humming sound, now and then accompanied by a harsh
and dissonant ruk^ orook, orook, repeating it at every whis-
tle or unusual sound that strikes his ear. The exhibi-
tion of a red rag is also sure to excite his wrath, and
induce him to rush with stupid temerity at the disa-
greeable object, which he exerts himself to injure or des-
troy. A whole flock sometimes will unite in chasing a
common cock from the poultry yard, in consequence
merely of some whimsical antipathy. From these singu-
lar dislikes, this cowardice and folly, the Turkey bears in
France the same proverbial imputation of stupidity, which
in Encrland is bestowed on the Goose. The feathers of the
wild bird attached to strips of bass, were anciently employ-
ed by the aborigines, for tippets and cloaks, and were so
arrancred that the brilliant surface formed the outside of
the dress ; and in later times, similar dresses have also
been made by the Cherokees.
The Turkey was first sent from Mexico to Spain in the
16th century, and in the reign of Henry the Eighth, in
the year 1524, it was introduced into England, and soon
after into France and other portions of Europe.
The male Turkey is about 4 feet 1 inch in length ; the alar extent
5 feet 8 inches. (The female 3 feet 1 inch in length.) Legs and
feet purplish red. Iris hazel. Upper part of the back and wings
yellowish-brown, of a metallic lustre, changing to deep purple, the
retuse tips of the feathers broadly edged with velvet black. Quills
dusky, banded with greyish- white. Lower part of the back and tail-
coverts deep chesnut, banded with green and black. Tail feathers,
of the same color undulatingly barred and minutely sprinkled with
black, and with a broad subterminal blackish band. Beneath duller.
646 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
PARTRIDGES. (Perdix. Lath.)
In these birds the bull is entire and bare ; the upper mandible
vaulted, and strongly curved towards the point. Nostrils basal,
lateral, half closed by a vaulted and naked membrane. Feet naked,
fore toes united by a membrane to the first articulation, hind toe
less than half the length of the inner ; nails incurved, acute. Head
wholly feathered, often with a naked space round the eye. Tail
short, rounded, and deflected, consisting of from 12 to 18 close feath-
ers.
Female scarcely smaller, and diifering from the male only by some
small essential marks. Young after the first year similar with the
adult. The moult annual.
These birds sedentary in some countries, migrate in others, and
are verj- numerous in temperate and warm climates, in every quarter
of the world. They live in pairs, and form a conjugal union for life ;
when the young are hatched, the male takes them under his charge,
and by his cries warns them of any approaching danger, or calls
them together when scattered apart ; in this manner they dwell to-
gether as one family until the approach of spring. The Quails of the
4th section of the genus, are polygamous, and migrate extensively.
Most part of the whole genus live in open fields and meadows, seek-
ing out the advantage of cultivated districts, in the vicinity of man .
Subgenus. — COLINIA. (Colins, Buff, Ortyx. StepJi.)
The bill short, thick, higher than it is wide ; upper mandible curved
from the base ; no naked space around the eye. The tarsus destitute
of spur or tubercle in both sexes. The wings rounded ; with the 3d
and 4th primaries longest. Tail of 12 feathers, longer than the
coverts.
These birds alight on low trees or bushes, sometimes roosting in
them, but also dwell much on the ground, both by night and day.
Usually monogamous, the male taking charge of and protecting the
young, which associate with the old until the time of pairing. —
These are peculiar to America, where the other subgenera have no
representatives.
AMERICAN PARTRIDGE, or QUAIL.
{Perdix xirginiana, Lath. Wilsox, vi. p. 21. pi. 47. fig. 2. [male],
P. marilanda, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. C51. [male.] P. mexicana,
IBID. p. 653. [young.] La Caille de la Louisianc, Brisson, i. p.
258. pi. 22. fig. 2. BuFFON, Ornith. pi. enlum, pi. 149. Colenicui,
ii. p. 485. Colenicviltic, Fernandez, Hist. Nov. Hispan. p. 19.
cap. 25. Coturnicis simulacrum, JoH>rsTOiNr, Willughby, and
Ray.
Sp. Charact. — Without a crest ; plumage cinnamon brown, varied
with black and wliitish ; throat white, bounded with a black
crescent ; bill black ; the feet ash-colored. — Female, with the
stripe over the eye and throat, pale yellowish-brown. Youngs
for a while, without the black on the throat.
The Quail of America, exceedingly prolific, has ex-
tended its colonies from the inclement coasts of New
England to the mild latitudes of Mexico and Honduras.
In Jamaica, where it has long been introduced and natu-
ralized, the inhabitants distinguish it as the Partridge,
an appellation sufficiently prevalent in various parts of the
United States. At the north, the species is rarely seen
to the extremity of New Hampshire ; and this limit, no
648 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
doubt is determined by the length and severity of the
winters which prevail in this rigorous climate. They
seldom migrate, except to short distances, in quest of
food, and, consequently, often perish beneath deep drifts
of snow, so that their existence is rendered impossible in
the arctic winters of our high latitudes. Indeed, some-
times they have been so thinned in this part of the coun-
try, that sportsmen, acquainted with their local attach-
ments, have been known to introduce them into places
for breeding, and to prevent their threatened extermina-
tion. So sedentary are the habits of this interesting bird,
that until the flock is wholly routed by the unfeeling
hunter, they continue faithfully attached to the neigh-
bourhood of the spot where they have been raised and
supported.
Johnston, Willughby, and Ray distinguished the Mex-
ican bird by the quaint title of the Quail's Image.
The first settlers in New England also thought they saw
in this familiar bird the Cluail of the country they had
relinquished. The two birds, are, however, too different
to require any critical comparison. Ours is even justly
considered by European ornithologists as the type of a
peculiar American subgenus, to which has been given
the name of Ortyx by Stevens, the original appellation
of the Quail or Perclix coturnix, as known to the ancient
Greeks. The name of Colin, contracted by Buffon from
the barbarous appellation of some Mexican species, and
adopted by Cuvier, Temminck, and Vieillot is, however,
to be preferred, as free from the implied contradiction of
the Greek name.
Although there is some general resemblance between
the Quail of the old and the new continent in their ex-
ternal appearance, their habits and instincts are exceed-
ingly different. The true Quail is a noted bird of pas-
AMERICAN PARTRIDGE, OR QUAIL. 649
sage, with a favorable wind leaving Europe for the warm-
er parts of Asia at the approach of winter ; and with an
auspicious gale again returning in the spring, in such
amazing numbers that some of the islands of the Archi-
pelago derived their name from their abundant visits.
On the west coast of Naples, within the small space of
four or five miles, as many as 100,000 have been taken
in a day by nets. Our Partridge, though occupying so
wide an extent of the Atlantic and Western States, and
even penetrating into Mexico, is scarcely ever a bird of
passage ; they only assemble in single families, which may
sometimes be reduced to four or five by accidents, and
at others increased to twenty or thirty. Their instinc-
tive sociability continues uniformly, until interrupted in
the spring by the desire of pairing ; at this season, the
eager call of the male is often heard, but it nearly ceases
when he is mated, and is only long continued by those
who are dissatisfied, and have been unsuccesssful in their
connexions ; and by imitating the reply of the female,
the male is easily decoyed to approach towards the enemy
who thus allures him. On these occasions when the rival
candidates happen to meet, they exhibit, the only time in
their lives, a quarrelsome disposition, fighting with obsti-
nacy, until the contented victor at last gains the field with
his submissive mate. The conjugal selection being now
concluded, they are not exceeded by any of the feathered
race in their mutual attachment and common affection for
their brood. In the vagrant Quail, the want of reciprocal
and durable attachment gives rise to a wholly different
character in instinctive morality ; a common concubinage
prevailing among them, as with our Cow Troopials. In-
stead of the mild sociability so prevalent with our Par-
tridge, they are pugnacious to a proverb ; '* As quarrel-
some as Quails in a cage'' was an ancient reproof to
55
650 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
striving children. Their selfishness forbids all mutual
alliance, and they only find safety from each other in
roaming solitude.
The Partridge is not partial to the depths of the for-
est, though they sometimes seek the shelter of trees and
perch on the low branches, or hide amongst the brush
and underwood. Their favorite food, however, common-
ly conducts them to the open fields, where they glean up
various kinds of grain, and are particularly fond of rye
and buckwheat, as well as Indian corn ; and, when not
too much disturbed by the sportsman, will often, particu-
larly in the autumn and winter, fearlessly assemble along
the most public roads, or around the barn and stable, in
search of a scanty pittance among the domestic fowls ;
like them also very industriously scratching up straw,
and probably the ground, in quest of grain and insects ;
which, with seeds,* and various kinds of buds and berries,
as well as broken acorns, according to the season, often
constitute a considerable part of their native diet.
Remaining with us commonly the whole year, thj lit-
tle social band often suffer from the inclemency of the
seasons. At this time, they perch together on some ris-
ing ground, beneath the shelter of brush or briars, and
formino" a close circle, with their heads outward to dis-
cern any approach of danger, they thus greatly aid each
other by their mutual warmth to resist the chilling effects
of frost. It is probable, however, they have no great
fear of snow, when together, as they may often be seen
patiently encountering the storm, as its white wreaths
invade them, and frequently on the arrival of a thaw,
unfortunate coveys, suspecting no danger, are found
buried beneath the inundating waste, huddled together
* Among others, the oily seeds of the common Bitter- weed or Amhrosia bipinnat{fi-
da, according to the information of Mr. Cakes.
AMERICAN PARTRIDGE, OR QUAIL. 651
in their accustomed form. They are observed, even, on
the approach of danger, to rush into the snow for shelter,
and it is only when the drift becomes so consolidated by
a frozen orlazinor of sleet as to resist all their efforts to
move, that it proves their grave, rather than their retreat.
As they happen to afford a favorite and delicate article
of food, every means which gun and trap can effect are
put in operation against the innocent race. Their very
sociability often affords means for their destruction ; for
while crowded together in a ring, a dozen or more have
been killed at a shot, and the small remains of the unfor-
tunate covey, feeling their weakness and solitude, are
said to join some neighbouring brood, for whom they
soon form the same friendly attachment they had for the
fraternity they have lost.
From the latter end of August to the month of March,
the markets of all our principal cities are often cheaply
stocked with this favorite game.*
Some time in the month of May, the Quail, at the bot-
tom of a sheltering tuft of grass, scratches out a cavity
for her nest, which is usually lined substantially with
such withered leaves and dry grass as happen to be con-
venient. Though generally open, it is sometimes partially
covered by art and accident, but no studious concealment
is ever practised by this artless bird. The eggs are from
15 to 20 ; and unlike the spotted charge of the true Quail,
are pure white, and rather suddenly narrowed at the
smaller end. The period of incubation is about four
weeks. They have generally two broods in a season, as
young birds scarcely fledged may be observed here as
late as the beginning of October. When this happens,
it is not uncommon to find both coveys still associating
* The usual price in the markets of Boston and New York is from 10 to 15 cents a
pair.
652 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
with their parents. Like most other Gallinaceous birds,
the young run about as soon as they are freed from the
shell, and gain the complete use of their wings in about
a fortnight from hatching. They are now attentively
conducted by the mother, and occasionally by either pa-
rent, in quest of their appropriate food, and called togeth-
er in a voice resembling the low twittering of chickens.
At times they shelter beneath the wings of the mother ;
but if the little busy flock are startled by danger, artifice,
rather than courage, is the instinctive means of safety em-
ployed by all the party. The parents flutter in the path,
in real as well as simulated distress, and the young, in-
stantly aware of their critical situation, make no useless
attempts to fly, but vanish singly, and closely hiding among
the withered grass, which they almost resemble in color,
are thus fortunately rendered nearly altogether invisible.
The alarm at length dissipated, the tender, cautious call of
the parents, again reassembles the little grateful family.
The eggs of the quail have been often hatched by the
domestic hen ; but the vagrant disposition of the diminu-
tive brood, the difficulty of procuring their proper food,
and the superior attention they require over chickens,
prevent the possibility of their domestication ; and even
when they have survived the winter in this state, the re-
turn of spring leads them to wander off" in compliance
with that powerful instinct, which inspires them to a mu-
tual separation.
So familiar are these little birds, that occasionally, as
described by Wilson, they have been known to lay their
eggs in the nest of the domestic hen, when situated at
any considerable distance from the habitation. From
two eggs thus deposited were raised a pair of young
Cluails, which, when abandoned by the hen, showed their
social attachment by accompanying the cows. These
AMERICAN PARTRIDGE, OR QUAIL. 653
they followed night and morning from the pasture, and
when the cattle were housed for the winter our little
Partridges took up their humble abode in the stable.
But even these, so docile, and separated from all their
race, on the return of spring, obeyed the instinct of na-
ture, and wandered away to their congenial woods and
thickets. It is probable at times, as asserted by observers,
that our Quails, like some other birds, lay their eggs in
the nests of each other ; a fact which would only be in
accordance with their usual friendship and mutual famil-
iarity.
The American Quail, according to Wilson, has like-
wise, in turn, been employed to hatch the eggs of the
domestic hen, which she brought out, defended, and fed
as her own offspring. She even succeeded in imparting
to them a portion of her own instinct, to such a degree,
that when alarmed, they hid in the grass, and ran timidly
from sight like so many young Partridges, exhibiting all
the wildness of unreclaimed birds. A flock of these
duails, however attentively fed, and confined, always
exhibit a great degree of fear and shyness ; their at-
tachments remaining truly natural, they appear only to
recognise the company of each other. But a solitary indi-
vidual becomes friendly and familiar to the hand that
feeds it, and, for want of more congenial society, forms a
similar attachment to its keeper. In the month of Sep-
tember, the little brood, now nearly full grown, assemble
in families ; and at this period, as well as in the spring
and early part of summer, the clear, whistling call of the
male is often heard. This well known note, is very sim-
ilar to the pronunciation of the words, '' '5o6 tvhite,''^ to
which is often added a suppressed introductory whistle.
While seated, perhaps on a fence-rail, or the low limb of
an orchard tree, this peculiar note, sometimes interpreted
55*
654
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
in showery hay-weather into the augury of *' more 2oef,
more ioet," continues uninterruptedly, at short intervals,
for more than half an hour at a time. Du Pratz says they
are known to the aborigines by the name of Jio-oui/ ('ho-
wee), which is also imitative of notes they sometimes ut-
ter, as I have heard, early in a morning, from a partly
domesticated covey. When assembled in a corner, and
about to take wing, the same low, chicken-like twittering,
as is employed by the mother towards her more tender
brood, is repeated; but when dispersed, by necessary oc-
cupation, or alarm, they are reassembled by a loud and oft
repeated call of anxious and social inquiry. This note,
^ho-wcc, is however so strongly instinctive, as to be c>om-
monly uttered without occasion, by the male even in a
cage, surrounded by his kindred brood ; so that this ex-
pression, at stated times, is only one of general sympathy
and satisfaction like that of a singing bird uttered when
solitary and confined to a cage.
In consequence of the shortness and concavity of its
wings, in common with most other birds of the same
family, the American Quail usually makes a loud whir-
ring noise in its flight, which is seldom long continu-
ed, always laborious, and generally so steady as to afford
no difficult mark for the expert sportsman. According
to the observations of Audubon, the flight of our Partridge
and Grous, when not hurried by alarm, is attended with
very little more noise than that of other birds. Whatev-
er may be the fact, when our little Partridges alight on
the ground, they often run out to very considerable dis-
tances, when not directly flushed, and endeavour to gain
the shelter of briars and low bushes, or instinctively squat
among the fallen leaves of the woods, from which, with
their brown livery, it is difficult to distinguish them. No
great destruction is made among them while on the wing,
CALIFORNIAN QUAIL. 655
as they do not take a general alarm on being approached,
but rise at intervals only by two or three at a time.
The Anaerican Quail is about 9 inches long, and 14 in alar extent.
Line over the eye descending down the side of the neck, with the
chin and throat pure white, the latter (in the full grown bird) bound-
ed by a descending crescent of black. Crown, neck, and upper
part of the breast reddish-brown. The sides of the neck nearly be-
low the crescent, are spotted with white and black on a rufous ground.
Back, shoulders, and lesser wing-coverts cinnamon brown mingled
with ash-color, and minutely pointed with black. Wings dusky, the
coverts edged with yellowish-white. Lower part of the breast and
belly white, faintly tinged with yellow, and each feather elegantly
variegated with a wide arrow-head of black. Tail ash-colored, mi-
nutely spotted with reddish-brown. Bill black. Iris hazel. Legs
and feet pale a^h-color inclining to leaden blue. — By BufFon and oth-
ers, the bill of the full grown young, as the Mexican or Louisiana
Quail, is, by mistake, colored red. Mauduyt, however, in the Ency-
clopedie Methodique (Ornithol.) i. pp. 599, COO, says expressly, we
frequently receive this bird among collections made in Louisiana,
but in all that we have seen the bill is not red, but dark brown.
CALIFORNIAN QUAIL.
(Perdix caUfor7iica, Lath. Synops. Suppl. ii. p. 281. No, 7. Tetrao
californicus, Nat. Miscel, tab. 345.)
Sp. Charact. — Crested; cinereous brown, varied with yellowish;
the throat black, bounded with yellowish-white. — The female
lighter, destitute of black.
This curious species, discovered by Menzies, is said
to be chiefly, if not wholly confined to the west side of
the northern Andes, and is common throughout the prov-
ince of California, and the territory of the Oregon. Lit-
tle or nothing is known of the manners of this remote
bird. A covey, however, have been recently introduced
alive to the Zoological Gardens. Among these, the pug-
nacious character of the males was nearly as conspicuous
as in the Grous.
656 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
This species is a little larger than the Common Quail of Europe.
Crest of 6 dusky feathers ; front dull ferruginous. Region round
the eyes, chin, and throat, dusky black ; behind the eye a dull yellow-
ish-white streak ; a crescent of the same color bounds the black of the
throat; belly inclining to ferruginous yellowish with slender cres-
cents of black. Axillary feathers dusky, with a longitudinal yellow-
ish streak. Tail rather long, and partly cuneiform. Legs and bill
lead-color.
GROUS. (Tetrao, Lin.)
With the BILL short, entire, and naked at the base ; upper mandi-
ble vaulted, and curved from its origin. Nostrils basal, half closed
by an arched membrane, and hidden by the advancing feathers of
the front. Tongue short, fleshy, and acuminate. Eye-brows naked,
scattered with red papillae. Feet moderate ; tarsus feathered, and
spurless in both sexes; 3 toes before, united to the 1st articulation;
one toe behind half as long as the inner, the whole usually furnished
with dentellated borders. Wings short, rounded; the 1st primary
short, and the 2d not so long as the 3d and 4th which are longest.
Tail of 18 or 16 feathers.
The female of the larger species, very different in plumage from
the male ; in the smaller kinds the sexes differ little in appearance.
Young of the year, and in their 2d moult, similar to the female. The
general moult twice in the year, some (in inclement climates) chang-
ing greatly with the season.
These birds inhabit large forests, particularly in mountainous coun-
tries, although some are equally addicted to plains. The Ptarmigans,
associated in numerous flocks, are confined to the glacial regions of
the north, or inhabit towards the summits of the high mountains in
the centre of Europe. The Grous live in families, are polygamous,
abandoning the female to the charge of the progeny, and then
living in solitude. The eggs are from 8 to 14, In their manners
they are shy, wild, and incapable of permanent domestication. Their
food consists almost wholly of berries, buds, and leaves, to which
seeds are only an accessory, in extreme want. Their voice is sono-
rous, and they have particular cries at the period of reproduction.
Their flesh, as game, is considered superior to all others. They are
confined to the cold and temperate climates of the northern hemis-
phere, and the arctic species alone are common to both continents.
I?.UFFED GROUS, ^57
Subgenus. — Bonasia. (Bonap.)
Lower portion of the tarsus, and toes naked. Tail long and
rounded. The head adorned with a crest and ruff. The female
nearly similar to the male ; and the plumage almost alike through-
out the year. The flesh white. These live chiefly in thick forests
and affect the hills and uplands.
RUFFED GROUS.
( Tetrao umheUus, L. Wilson, vi. p. 45. pi. 49. [male.])
Sp. Charact. — Mottled; tail grey or ferruginous, of 18 feathers,
speckled and barred with black, and with a black subterminal
band. — Male with a ruff of broad black feathers on the sides of
the neck. — In the/emaZethe ruff smaller, dusky -brown.
This beautiful species of Grous, known by the name
of Pheasant in the Middle and Western States, and by
that of Partridge in New England, is found to inhabit
the continent from Hudson's Bay to Georgia, but are most
abundant in the Northern and Middle States, where they
often prefer the most elevated and wooded districts ; and
at the south they affect the mountainous ranges and
valleys which border upon, or lie within, the chains of the
Alleghanies. They are also prevalent in the Western
States as far as the line of the territory of Mississippi, but
appear to be unknown to the west of that great river,
where the Pinnated Grous is so abundant.
Although, properly speaking, sedentary, yet at the ap-
proach of autumn, according to Audubon, they make, in
common with the following species, partial migrations by
single families in quest of a supply of food, and sometimes
even cross the Ohio in the course of their peregrinations.
In the northern parts of New England they appear also
to be partially migratory at the approach of winter, and
leave the hills for lower and more sheltered situations.
658 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
So prompt, indeed, at times are their movements, that
in the present season (November, 1831), in travelling
nearly to the extremity of New Hampshire, not a single
bird of the species was now to be seen, as they had, no
doubt, migrated southward with the first threatening and
untimely snow which had fallen, being indeed, so unus-
ually abundant, previously to that period, as to sell
in the market of Boston as low as 12^ cents apiece.
Although elevated countries and rocky situations thickly
overgrown with bushes and dense evergreens, by rivers
and brooks, are their chosen situations, yet at times they
frequent the low lands and more open pine forests in the
vicinity of our northern towns and cities, and are even
occasionally content to seek a retreat, far from their fa-
vorite hills, in the depth of a Kentucky cane-brake. They
are somewhat abundant in the shrubby oak barrens of
Kentucky and Tennessee in which their food abounds.
This consists commonly in the spring and fall, of the buds
of trees, the catkins of the hazel and alder, even fern
buds, acorns, and seeds of various kinds, among which I
have met with the capsules, including the seeds, of the
common small Canadian Cistus {Helianthemum). At
times, I have seen the crop almost entirely filled with the
buds of the Apple tree, each connected with a portion of
the twig, the wood of which appears to remain a good
while undigested ; cinquefoil and strawberry leaves, buds
of the Azaleas and of the broad-leaved Kalmia, with the
favorite Partridge berries {Gaultheria procumhens), ivy
berries {Cissus hedcracea), and gravel pebbles, are also
some of the many articles which form the winter fare of
our bird. In summer, they seem often to prefer berries
of various kinds, particularly dew-berries, strawberries,
grapes, and whortleberries,
RUFFED GROUS. 659
In the month of April, the Ruffed Grous begins to be
recognised by his peculiar drumming, heard soon after
dawn, and towards the close of evening. At length, as
the season of pairing approaches, it is heard louder and
more frequent till a later hour of the day, and commenc-
es again towards the close of the afternoon. This sono-
rous crepitating sound, strongly resembling a low peal of
distant thunder, is produced by the male, who, as a pre-
liminary to the operation, stands upright on a prostrate
log, parading with erected tail and ruff, and with drooping
wings in the manner of the Turkey. After swelling out
his feathers, and strutting forth for a few moments, at a
sudden impulse, like the motions of a crowing Cock, he
draws down his elevated plumes, and stretching himself
forward, loudly beats his sides with his wings, with such
an accelerating motion, after the first few strokes, as to
cause the tremor described, which may be heard reverber-
ating, in a still morning, to the distance of from a quar-
ter to that of half a mile. This curious signal is repeat-
ed at intervals of about 6 or 8 minutes. The same sound
is also heard in autumn as well as spring, and given by
the caged bird as well as the free, being, at times, merely
an instinctive expression of hilarity and vigor. To this
parading ground, regularly resorted to by the male, for
the season, if undisturbed, the female flies with alacrity;
but, as with other species of the genus, no lasting individ-
ual attachment is formed, and they live in a state of lim-
ited concubinage. The drumming parade of the male is
likewise often the signal for a quarrel ; and when they
happen to meet each other in the vicinity of their usual
and stated walks, obstinate battles, like those of our do-
mestic fowls for the sovereignty of the dung-hill, but too
commonly succeed. When this sound, indeed, (according
to Audubon,) is imitated by striking carefully upon an
660 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
inflated bladder with a stick, the jealous male, full of
anger, rushes forth from his concealment, and falls an
easy prey to the wily sportsman.
Some time in May, the female selects some thicket or
the side of a fallen log, in a dense part of the woods, for
the situation of her nest. This is formed merely of a
handful of withered leaves, collected from the surround-
ing and similar surface of the ground. The eggs, 10 to
15, more or less, are of an uniform dull yellowish color.
The young run about as soon as hatched, and in about a
week or 10 days are able in some degree to make use of
their wings. The mother now leads them out in search
of their appropriate and delicate food, and broods them at
night beneath her wings, like the common hen ; she like-
wise defends them by every stratagem Avhich affection
can contrive. On the appearance of an enemy, she sim-
ulates lameness to impose on the unwelcome spectator ;
while the young themselves squat on the ground, by
which they are secured, from their similarity to its surface.
During summer, these birds are fond of basking and
dusting themselves, and for this purpose are now and
then seen in the public roads. When flushed, and on
the instant of rising from the ground, the bird usually
utters a cackling note, quickly repeated about half a
dozen times, and also before rising utters a very peculiar
lisping whistle. Like the Ptarmigan, the Ruffed Grous,
when alarmed in winter, is frequently known to plunge
into the soft snow, and burrow out at such a distance as
frequently to elude the pursuit of the hunter. Besides
other successful methods of destruction which await the
devoted Grous, snares and traps of various kinds are em-
ployed to arrest them. They are even smoked to death,
in the same manner as the Wild Pigeons, in the western
country, while sleeping harmlessly and unsuspectingly on
RUFFED GROUS. 661
their leafy roosts. By this system of indiscriminate extir-
pation, they are now greatly thinned throughout the more
populous parts of the Union; and sell in Philadelphia
and New York from 75 cents to a dollar apiece. The
common price of these birds, decidedly, as I think, with
Audubon, superior in flavor to the Pinnated Grous, is, in
the market of Boston, from 40 to 50 cents the pair, show-
ing how much more abundant the species is in the rocky
regions of New England than in any other part of Amer-
ica. Deleterious effects have sometimes occurred from
eating this game, supposed to arise from their feeding
on the buds of the broad-leaved Kalmia ; yet most persons
eat them with safety at all seasons of the year, even
when these kinds of buds have been found almost filling
the stomach.
The length of this species is about 18 inches, alar extent 2 feet.
Head, neck, and crest, black and pale chesnut in spots and bars. Low-
er part of the back and rump dusky, the feathers broadly terminated
with chesnut and grey, mottled with dusky, a roundish paler spot to-
wards the ends of the feathers. The black ruif presenting violet re-
flections ; coverts of the wings more mottled and rufous, a number of
the tertials, with conspicuous oblong whitish-brown spots on the outer
webs only ; primaries pale dusky, the inner webs brownish-white with
darkish spots : 4 th primary longest, long axillary feathers white with
grey bars. Throat pale rufous, with dusky spots below the feathers
with pale rufous and grey bars, and broad white tips; downy vent
feathers appearing nearly white ; the lower tail-coverts pale rufous
with inverse arrow-heads of white. The flanks most distinctly bar-
red. Feet and bill pale livid brown. Iris hazel. In many birds the
tail is almost wholly grey ; in others ferruginous, and the general
plumage brighter brown. — In Audubon's bird, much brighter than
they ever occur in New England ; the axillary feathers are said to
be light chesnut only.
56
662 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
Subgenus. — Tetrao.
Tarsus wholly feathered ; toes naked. Not varying sensibly with
the seasons. The flesh black. These inhabit temperate and almost
mild regions, and dwell in plains and level as well as mountainous
countries.
PINNATED GROUS.
{Tetrao cupido, L. Wilson, iii, p. 104. pi. 27. fig. 1. [male.] Phil.
Museum, No. 4700,4701.)
Sp. Charact. — Partly crested, mottled; tail rather short, much
rounded, formed of 18 nearly plain dusky feathers, tipped with
whitish 3 primaries externally spotted with brownish white. —
In the male the neck is furnished with wing-like appendages, —
Female and young without the cervical tufts.
Choosing particular districts for residence, the Grous,
or Prairie-Hen, is consequently by far less common than
the preceding species. Confined to dry, barren, and
bushy tracts, of small extent, they are in several places
now wholly or nearly exterminated. Along the Atlantic
coast, they are still met with on the Grous plains of New
Jersey, on the brushy plains of Long Island, in similar
shrubby barrens in Westford, Connecticut, in the island of
Martha's Vinyard on the south side of Massachusetts Bay ;
and formerly, as probably in many other tracts, according
to the information which I have received from Lieut. Gov-
ernor Winthrop, they were so common on the ancient bushy
site of the city of Boston, that laboring people or ser-
vants stipulated with their employers not to have the Heath-
Hen brought to table oftener than a few times in the week !
According to Wilson, they are also still met with among
the scrub-oak and pine-hills of Pocono, in Northampton
county, Pennsylvania. They are also rather common
throughout the barrens of Kentucky, and on the prairies
PINNATED GROUS. 663
of Indiana, and as far south as Nashville in Tennessee ;
but I believe, no where more abundant than in the plains
of Missouri, whence they continue to the Rocky Moun-
tains, and are even found in the remote region of Oregon.
Dislike of moisture, as with the Turkey, but principally "
the nature of their food, appears to influence them in the
choice of their resort. The small acorns of the dwarf
oaks, and various kinds of wild fruits, as strawberries,
whortle-berries, and partridge-berries, with occasional
insects, abounding in these wooded thickets, appear to
be the principal inducement to their residence ; from
which they rarely wander at any season, unless compel-
led by a failure of their usual food, and so become, not-
withstanding the almost inaccessible nature of the ground,
a sure prey to the greedy and exterminating hunter. In
the Western States, where they appear as an abundant
species, they are, at times, observed to traverse the plains
and even cross extensive rivers in quest of the means of
subsistence. In winter they likewise feed on buds as well
as mast, sometimes swallowing leaves, and occasion-
ally the buds of the pine. At times, if convenient, they
have been known to visit the buck-wheat field, for their
fare, or even devour the leaves of clover. In wintry storms
they seek shelter by perching in the evergreens ; but in
spring and summer they often roost on the ground in
company. They feed mostly in the morning and evening ;
and when they can stir abroad without material molesta-
tion, they often visit arable lands in the vicinity of their
retreats. In the inclemency of winter, like the Quail,
they approach the barn, basking and perching on the
fences, occasionally venturing to mix with the poul-
try in their repast ; and are then often taken in traps.
The season for pairing is early in the spring, in March
or April. At this time the behaviour of the male be-
664 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
comes remarkable. Early in the morning he comes forth
from his bushy roost, and struts about with a curving
neck, raising his ruff, expanding his tail like a fan,
and seeming to mimic the ostentation of the Turkey. He
now seeks out or meets his rival, and several pairs at a
time, as soon as they become visible through the dusky
dawn, are seen preparing for combat. Previously to this
rencontre, the male, swelling out his throat, utters what
is called a tooting, a ventriloqual, humming call on the
female, three times repeated, somewhat similar to the
humming jar of the Night Hawk ; and, though uttered in
so low a key, it may yet be heard 3 or 4 miles in a still
morninor. While eno-aored in fiorhtinor with each other,
the males are heard to utter a rapid, petulant cackle,
something in sound like excessive laughter. The tooting
is heard from before day-break till 8 or 9 o'clock in the
morning. As they frequently assemble at these scratching-
places^ as they are called, ambuscades of bushes are form-
ed round them, and many are shot from these coverts.
The female carefully conceals her nest in some grassy
tussuck on the ground, and is but seldom discovered.
The eggs are from 10 to 12; and of a plain brownish
color. The young are protected and attended by the fe-
male only, who broods them under her wings in the man-
ner of the common fowl, and leads them to places suitable
for their food, sometimes venturing with her tender
charge to glean along the public paths. When thus sur-
prised, the young dart into the neighbouring bushes, and
there skulk for safety, while the wily parent beguiles the
spectator with her artful pretences of lameness. The
affectionate parent and her brood thus keep together
throughout the whole season. By the aid of a dog they
are easily hunted out, and are readily set, as they are
not usually inclined to take wing. In the prairies, how-
COCK OF THE PLAINS. 665
ever, they not unfrequently rise to the low boughs of trees,
and then, staring about without much alarm, they be-
come an easy prey to the marksman.
The ordinary weight of a full grown bird is about three
pounds, and they now sell, when they are to be had, in
New York and Boston, from 3 to 5 dollars the pair.
They have been raised under the Common Hen, but
prove so vagrant as to hold out no prospect of domestica-
tion.
The Grous, or Heath-Hen, as it was also formerly called by the first
settlers, is about 19 inches long, and 27 in alar extent. The wing- like
tufts on the sides of the neck, each consisting of 18 feathers, of une-
qual length, are black, streaked with brown. I have not been able
to find the vesicular openings mentioned by Wilson, beneath these
appendages. Over the eye a warty bare space of an orange-color.
Chin cream-color. Above mottled transversely with black, pale ru-
fous, and white. Tail short, much rounded, and plain dusky, brown-
ish-white at the tip, with one web of the middle feather sometimes
mottled with black and pale brown. Below pale brown and white.
Feet dull yellow, the toes pectinated. Vent whitish. Iris reddish
hazel. — The female considerably smaller, and without the neck
wings and yellow space over the eye.
COCK OF THE PLAINS.
(Tetrao urophasianus , Bonap. Am, Orn. iii. pi. 21. fig. 1. [female.]
Leadbeater's Museum, London.)
Sp. Charact. — Tail wedge-shaped, of 20 narrow, acuminated
feathers. — Male very dark. — Female and young mottled.
This large and beautiful species of Grous, little infe-
rior to the Turkey in size, and the American counterpart
of the Cock of the Woods, was first seen by Lewis and
Clarke in the wild recesses within the central chains of
the Rocky Mountains, from whence they extend in ac-
cumulating numbers to the plains of the Columbia, and
are common throughout the Oregon Territory, as well
56*
666 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
probably as the neighbouring province of California. The
polygamous male, in the early part of the breeding sea-
son, is very pugnacious ; and the whole with their young
are at length seen in flocks foraging for their subsistence
in the usual way. Its favorite food, according to its dis-
coverers, is what they term the pulpy-leafed thorn ; and
as their mode of living is stated to be similar to that of
the Grous, there can be little doubt that they subsist
also equally on buds and berries. When roused, it is
heard to utter a cackling note, something similar to the
cry of the common fowl. Its flesh is dark and less pala-
table than that of other species.
The female ? or young male of this species is 28 to 30 inches in lengthy
Above blackish, minutely and closely dotted and mottled with brown-
ish white, and here and there slightly tinged with pale yellowish
rufous. Throat paler, a pure white space along the lower side of the
neck, approaching the breast. Primaries plain dusky, except the
outer web of the exterior feather, which is somewhat mottled ; sec-
ondaries tipped with white ; under wing-coverts and long axillary
feathers silvery white. Wings 12 inches long. Breast greyish, mot-
tled with black, and on each side below is a pure white space ; a
broad oblong patch of brownish-black occupies a space between the
lower part of the breast and belly. The vent appears pale brownish-
white, transversely mottled with dusky ; the sides beneath the wings
the same, but darker. Tail 10 inches, dusky, mottled with brownish-
white ; lateral feathers nearly spotless on their inner vanes, termina-
ted with pale tips ; 2 central feathers longest, the whole graduated
into a general oval, the tail when open being rounded.
DUSKY GROUS.
{Tctrao obscurus, Say, Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 18. [female.] Phil.
Museum. )
Sp. Charact. — Tail somewhat rounded, of 20 broad blackish feath-
ers, with a wide terminal greyish mottled band ; anterior primaries
spotless. — Male black. — Female and young dusky, somewhat
mottled.
SPOTTED GROUS. 667
Concerning this fine species, almost representing the
Black Grous (T. tetrix) of Europe, we know as yet noth^
ing more than that it was shot by Major Long's exploring
party, on the 10th of July, 1820, in one of the romantic
and wild bushy ravines of the Rocky Mountains, near to
where the lofty chain divides the waters of the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans. As it rose to fly, like other species
it uttered a cackling note. Mr. Sabine's specimen of
the male, mentioned by Bonaparte, was probably obtain-
ed in the interior of arctic America.
The female Dusky Grous is IS inches in length. (The male a
little larger, and wholly black, or very dusky, with the tail-feathers
of the same unvaried dark tint.) The general color of the female
blackish brown, much lighter on the neck and beneath, having all
the feathers barred and tipped with pale ochreous, inclining to brown ;
these lighter portions of most of the feathers are thickly mottled
with black. Sides of the head and throat whitish, with dusky spots.
The flanks varied with rufous. Abdominal region plain cinereous ;
3d and 5th primaries nearly equal ; primaries, secondaries, and outer
wing-coverts, plain dusky ; the secondaries have ochreous zig-zag
marks on their outer webs, and are slightly tipped with dull whitish ;
the primaries also somewhat mottled with dingy white externally,
but are wholly without the regular white spots, seen in other Grous ;
under wing-coverts, and long axillary feathers, pure white. Tail 7^
inches, the middle feathers only with rufous mottled bars, the whole
terminated with a broad terminal band of cinereous, speckled minute-
ly with blackish.
SPOTTED GROUS.
{Tetrao canadensis, Lin. Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 20. [male.] pi. 21.
fig. 2. [female.] Phil. Museum.)
Sp. Charact. — Tail moderate, rounded, of IG broad black feathers;
sides of the neck, breast, flanks, and tail-coverts spotted with
white. — Male black, waved with grey ; the throat and breast
deep black. — Female m\xc\\ lighter mottled ; throat and breast
banded with black and rufous.
668 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS,
This dark species of Grous inhabits the cold regions
of Hudson's Bay throughout the whole year, where it
frequents the bushy plains. To the south of this country,
it appears to seek out the alpine elevations, being met
with in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and
throughout a great portion of the northern Andes, to-
wards the sources of the Missouri and Oregon. In win-
ter it visits Canada, the interior of Maine, Michigan,
sometimes the state of New York : and it even breeds
around Halifax in Nova Scotia. In Canada it is known
by the name of the Wood Partridge ; by others it is called
the Cedar or Spruce Partridge. Sometimes they are
sent in a frozen state from Nova Scotia and New Bruns-
wick to Boston.
The favorite resort of this species is in pine and spruce
woods, and cedar swamps, which they frequent in the
winter for the purpose of feeding on the buds, oily seeds,
and evergreen foliage, to which they also add juniper
berries. Their flesh, though palatable at all times, is
considered best in summer, when they feed much on ber-
ries ; as the buds of the resinous evergreens communi-
cate an unpleasant flavor to the game. As usual, they
nest on the ground with little art, in the slight shelter of
fallen leaves and bushes, and are said by Pennant to lay
but 5 eggs, which are varied with white, yellow, and
black. They are readily approached, and sometimes so
unsuspicious, as, like the Ptarmigan, to allow of being
knocked down with a stick ; and, round Hudson's Bay,
are commonly caught by the aborigines in a simple noose
fastened to a stake. When much disturbed, however,
they betake themselves to trees, where they are readily
approached and shot down.
The Spotted Grous is only 15 inches in length, and weighs about
23 ounces. The general color is black and grey, mingled in trans-
SHARP-TAILED GROUS. 669
verse wavy crescents. The ground color of all the feathers is black.
Upper tail-coverts black-brown, mottled on their margins with grey-
ish rusty, and broadly tipped with whitish-grey. Breast deep black,
the feathers broadly terminated with white. Under tail-coverts deep
black, pure white for half an inch at their tips. Under wing-coverts
and axillary feathers brownish dusky, some of the largest having
white shafts and terminal spots. Primaries dusky, and without
white spots. Tail 6 inches long, almost entirely black, usuallyjwith a
broad rufous tip, which is sometimes probably worn off, though feath-
ers of this kind, with the rufous termination, have been found by Mr.
Oaks, in summer, on the summit of the White Mountains. — The
/ewiaZe is more than an inch shorter; and the general plumage is
much more varied, with less black, and more of the ferruginous.
SHARP-TAILED GROUS.
(Tetrao phasianelhts, Lin. Bonap. Am. Orn. iii. pi. 19. Phil. Museum.)
Sp. Charact. — Mottled; tail short, cuneiform, of 18 narrow, square
feathers, the middle ones much the longest, the outer white at
the point. — Female similar to the male. Winter plumage, dark-
er and more glossy.
This curious species of Grous is also principally an
inhabitant of the coldest habitable parts of the American
continent, being found around Hudson's Bay in the larch
thickets throughout the whole year. It is not uncommon
in the forests of the Rocky Mountains, is also met with
abundantly on the plains of Oregon, and Mr. Say saw it
in the spring likewise in Missouri, but little beyond the
settlements, at which season it also visits the vicinity of
Fort William, on Lake Superior. It is, as usual, shy and
solitary, living only in pairs throughout the summer,
when they subsist much upon berries. In autumn and
winter they are seen moving in families, and frequent
the thickets of juniper and larch, on whose buds, as
well as those of the birch, alder, and poplar, they now
principally live. They usually keep on the ground, but
if disturbed take to trees. When hard pressed by the
670
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
hunter, they sometimes seek safety by plunging into the
snow, and, quickly burrowing beneath it, come out at a
distance, and often from a situation the least expected,
so that they frequently make good their retreat from their
enemies.
The Sharp-Tailed Grous makes its nest on the ground,
near some bush, with loose grass and a few feathers ;
the eggs are from 9 to 13, white, with dusky spots. The
young are hatched about the middle of June, and utter a
puling note somewhat like chickens. Unsuccessful at-
tempts have been made to domesticate them. The male
has a shrill, rather feeble, crowing note ; and both sexes,
when disturbed, and on taking wing, repeat a reiterated
cry of Tcuh, kuk, kuk, accompanied by a smart flirting of
the tail-feathers, nearly similar to the opening and clos-
ing of a fan. In the breeding season the male struts
about proudly, in the usual manner of the genus and or-
der to which he belongs. The weight of this bird is
about two pounds, and the flesh is light brown when
cooked, and is much esteemed.
The length of the Sharp-Tailed Grous is 16 inches, alar extent 23.
The general color of the bird is a mixture of white, and different
shades of ferruginous on a darkish ground. Breast and sides white,
with arrow-shaped spots of dusky ; the belly paler, vent almost
wholly white, with a few very small dusky spots ; 3d and 4th pri-
maries longest, outer wing-coverts brown, each feather with a con-
spicuous terminal spot ; axillary feathers v/hite, with a small dusky
spot on each. Quills plain dusky, with white spots at certain dis-
tances on their outer webs; secondaries spotted and tipped with
white. Tail graduated, the middle feathers 5 inches long, the outer
2, all dark, varied with ferruginous of different shades and mottled
with dusky, tapering from the base toward the point, where they sud-
denly dilate, and are emarginated at the extremity. The spring plum-
age is more bright than the autumnal, and likewise presents some
differences in the spots and markings.
WHITE GROUS, OR PTARMIGAN. 671
Subojenus. — Lagopus.
Tarsus and toes feathered. Tail of 18 feathers. They moult twice
in the year, becoming white in winter, when they are gregarious.
They are probably monogamous.
WHITE GROUS, or PTARMIGAN.
( Tetrao lagopus, Lin. Lath. Ind. ii. p. 639. sp. 9. Ptarmigan and
Rock Grous, idem. Synops. iv. p. 741, et Suppl. i, p. 217.
Pennant, Arct. Zool. i. p. 364. No. 184.)
Sp. Charact. — Bill weak, compressed towards the point j nails
subulate, black, and curved ; the male constantly with a black
band through the eyes. — Female without the dark acicular band,
cicatrice over the eye smaller. — Summer jflumage, above greyish-
rufous marked with numerous zig-zag black lines, on the breast
and flanks a great number of black feathers, waved with pale ru-
fous ; wings, all below the breast, and feet pure white. The fe-
male and young less white.
The Ptarmigan is one among the very few animated
beings, which, by choice and instinct, constantly resides
in the coldest arctic deserts, and in the lofty mountains
of central Europe, where, as the snow begins to melt
away, it seeks out its frozen bed by ascending to the
limits of eternal ice. Like so many other animals of
this inclement boreal region, it is common to both the
old and new continent. It is met with in Siberia, Kam-
tskatka, Greenland, most parts of northern Europe, the
Highlands of Scotland, and even as far south as the roman-
tic scenes of the lakes of Cumberland, a few beino- still
seen* in the lofty hills which surround the vale of Kes-
wick, as well as in Wales. In arctic America, they have
been met with as far as it has ever been penetrated. They
are also seen in great numbers in the northern parts of
* Latham in 1783.
672
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
Hudson's Bay, where they probably breed ; and in Nova
Scotia, from their favorite fare, are known by the name
of Birch Partridges. Occasionally, no doubt, they visit
the hilly confines of the state of Maine.
They feed on many sorts of berries, particularly the
crow-berry (Empetrum nigrum) and cow-berry ( Vaccinium
Vitis IdcEo), as well as the tops of the same plant ; they
also collect catkins, buds, and the young shoots of the
pine, heath, rose-hips, and sometimes the different kinds
of lichens, which they search out in the extensive burrows
they make beneath the snow. To all this bill of frugal
fare, the Ptarmigan also sometimes adds a few insects.
They search out their food chiefly in the morning and
evening, and in the middle of the day are observed some-
times to bask in the sun. Like the Esquimaux of the
human family, whose lot is cast in the same cold and dreary
region, they seek protection from the extreme sever-
ity of the climate by dwelling in the snow ; it is here that
they commonly roost and work out subterraneous paths. In
the morning as soon as they leave their frozen dens, they
fly out vigorously into the air in an upward direction,
shaking the snow from their warm and white clothing.
While thus feeding they socially call on one another at in-
tervals, in a loud tone, and sometimes utter a sort of
cackling cry, almost like a coarse and mocking laugh.
The nest, about the middle of June, is made in open
places where moss abounds, or in the shelter of the low,
creeping bushes, forming the only woody growth of these
naked and sterile regions. The eggs, 1 to 15, are oblong, of
a rufous yellow, from the great number of large and small
spots of black or of reddish black with which they are cov-
ered. From the lincrering attachment of the male to his
mate when killed, it is probable that the species may be
monogamous, or even constantly mated. After the young
WHITE GROUS, OR PTARMIGAN. 673
are fully grown, and released from the care of their pa-
rents, they and the old are seen to assemble in flocks of
two or three hundred, about the beginning of October,
when they appear to migrate a little to the south in quest
of food, or rather from the mountains towards the plains.
At this time they are seen in great numbers round Hud-
son's Bay, where they assemble for subsistence; and, as
the store diminishes, they push their tardy migrations in
other directions for a fresh supply. Unsuspicious of the
wiles and appetites of man, the Ptarmigan appears often
as tame as a domestic chicken, more particularly when
the weather is mild ; they are allured even by crumbs of
bread, and on throwing a hat towards them, or any strange
object, they are so attracted by the appearance, as to
allow of an approach so near, that a noose may be thrown
round their necks, or, approached from behind, they may
be knocked down with poles. Sometimes, however, they
become wild enough to fly, but soon grow weary, and as
tame as usual. When about to fly off" to a distance from
the hunters, they are instantly brought to settle down by
imitating the cry of their enemy the Hawk. At times,
trusting to the concealment of their winter livery, they
will remain motionless upon the snow, from which they
are still distinguishable by their more dazzling whiteness.
They are much esteemed as food in every country where
they occur, and are commonly taken in nets, which are
merely made to fall over the place where they assemble,
or to which they are driven ; and so numerous are they
at Hudson's Bay, that 50 or 70 are sometimes obtained
at a single haul of a net about 20 feet square. Between
November and April, as many as 10,000 are taken for the
use of the settlement ,• and in Europe, during the winter,
they are carried in thousands to the market of Bergen
in Norway, and when half-roasted or jerked, are put into
57
674 GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
barrels and transported to other countries as an article
of commerce.
The weight of the Ptarmigan is about 24 ounces, the length 14 to
15 inches ; of a pure white, with a band of black proceeding from
the angle of the bill through the eyes. The lateral feathers of the
tail black, terminated with a white border. Feet and toes thickly
clad in woolly feathers A red dentellated cicatrice over the eyes.
Iris grey.
WILLOW GROUS, or LARGE PTARMIGAN.
(Tetrao saliceti, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. p. 475. [Ed. alt.] T. alhus,
Gmel. I.ath. Ind. ii. p. 639. White Partridge, Pennant, Arc.
Zool. i. p. 360. No. 183. Museum. Acad. Nat. Hist. Phil.)
Sp. Charact. — The bill short, strong, blunt, and depressed towards
the point; nails long and white, but little curved; no difference
between the sexes in winter. — Summer plumage above reddish
cliesnut with waving black lines and spots, except on the fore
part of the neck beneath and wings pure white. — Female and
young orange rufous, with larger black spots.
This larger species, called the Willow Grous by Hearne,
the Wood Grous of the Norwegians, is another inhabi-
tant of both continents, extending its residence to the
eternal limits of the polar ice. In Europe, they are very
rarely seen in the high mountains of central Europe.
They are abundant in Lapland, Norway, Sweden, Green-
land, Karntskatka, and Iceland, always frequenting the for-
ests in the elevated valleys, or the declivities of the highest
mounains. They are seldom seen further south than Li-
vonia and Esthonia ; and very rarely as far as Prussia. In
America they abound around Hudson's Bay, where they
are said to breed along the coast, making their nests on
dry ridges on the ground. In the ancient continent, they
shelter their nests in the high tufts of the heath, and in
the dwarf willows. Their eggs, 10 to 12, are longer than
WILLOW GROUS, OR LARGE PTARMIGAN.
675
those of the preceding species, of a muddy white, or in-
clining to pale rufous, covered and marbled with great
numbers of spots, of the color of clotted blood.
It is somewhat remarkable that this species, still more
boreal than the Common Ptarmigan in Europe and Asia,
should constantly inhabit to the south of that species in
North America, where it seems, as it were, to have usurp-
ed its residence. Their general habits are very similar
to those of the preceding. Like them, they become grega-
rious at the setting in of winter, roaming after their food
in flocks of as many as 200 ; living then, and at most
seasons, on the tops, buds, and even seeds of the dwarf
willow, and hence called Willow Partridges. They
also subsist on most kinds of northern berries, and many
other kinds of buds and leaves, with the tops of the
heath, and the seeds of the birch. As food, this species
is preferred to the smaller Ptarmigan.
The weight of this species is 24 ounces. The length 16| inches,
alar extent 25. Summer plumage. — Head, neck, back, scapulars,
middle tail-feathers and their coverts, of a rufous chesnut of different
shades, without spots on the fore part of the neck, but with black
zig-zag lines on the other parts, and black spots on the top of the
back ; inferior part of the breast, and all below, with the greater part
of the wing-coverts, and the quills, white. Lateral tail-feathers black,
tipped with whitish. Cicatrice over the eye scarlet. — In winter^
with the exception of the lateral tail-feathers, they become wholly
white ; and for the purpose of giving additional warmth at this in-
clement season, the feathers, except the quills and tail, are doubled,
a downy feather being added to the base of each } a provision com-
mon also to the preceding species.
INDEX.
A.
^GiTHALi (Family of), 234.
Anthomyzi (Family of), 586.
Anthus (Genus of), 450.
AsTUR (Subgenus of), 84.
B.
Barn Owl (Strix flammea), 139-
143.
Birds of Prey (Accipitres), 31,
32.
Blackbird Cow {Icterus peco-
ris), 178 -184.
American (Quiscalus,
genus of, IV'l.
Common Crow (Outs-
cahis versicolor). 194 - 197.
Great Crow (Quiscalus
major), 192, 193
Red-Winged (Icterus
phccniccus) , 169- 175.
Rusty (Quiscalus fe7-ru-
gineus), 1!)9, 20U.
Slender-Billed (Quisca-
lus baritiis). 198
Blue-Bird (Ampelis sialis), 444-
449.
Bob-o-Link, or Rice Bunting (Ic-
terus agripennis) . 185- 190.
BoNAsiA (Subgenus of), 657.
Bubo (Subgenus of) 124.
Bullfinches (Pyrrhula, Genus
of), 533.
Bullfinch Crimson-Fronted (P.
frontalis), 534.
Pine or Grosbeak (P.
enucleator), 535.
Buntings (E.mberiza, Genus of),
457.
Bunting Snow (Emberiza niva-
lis), 4oS- 460.
Bunting Black-Throated (Emberi-
za Americana), 461, 462.
Butcher-Birds (Lanius, Genus
of), 257.
Butcher-Bird Great American
(Lanius septentricTialis) , 258-
260.
BuTEo (Subgenus of), 97.
Buzzard Black (Falco Harlani).
105.
Red-Tailed or Hawk (F.
borealis), 102-104.
Short- Winged (F. *Bu-
teoides), 100, 101.
Canori (Family of), 256.
Carduelis (Subgenus of), 511.
Cat-Bird (Tardus felivox), 332-
Cedar- Bird, or Cherry Bird (Bom-
bycilla carolinensis), 248-255.
' Clmck- Wills- Widow ' ( Capri-
mulgiis carol inensis), 612, 613.
Circus (Subgenus of), 109.
CoccYZus (Genus of), 550.
CoLAPTEs (Subgenus of), 560.
CoLixViA (Subgenus of), 646.
CoLUMBA (Pigeons, Genus of,
which see), 624.
(Subgenus of), 624.
CoLUMBiNi (Order of), 623.
Condor (Cathartes gryphus), 35-
38.
Cotingas (Ampelis, Genus of),
442.
Creeper Brown (Certhia famUia-
ris), 585.
Creepers (Certhia, Genus of),
584.
Crossbills (Loxia, Genus of),
536.
Crossbill Paroquet (Loxia pytio-
psittacus), 537.
678
INDEX.
Crossbill Common (Loxia curvi-
rostra), 538, 539.
While- Winged (Loxia
leucoptera) , 540,
Crows (CoRvus, Genus of), 201.
Crow (Cori'us corone), 209-215,
Columbian (Corvus colum-
bianvs), 218.
Fishina ( Corvus ossifraffus) ,
216,217. J ^ J>
Cuckoo Yellow'Billed, or Rain-
Crow (Coccyzus americanus) ,
551,
Black-Billed (C. domini-
cus), 55C, 557.
Mangrove (C. senicultis),
558.
D.
Dacnis (Subgenus of), 409.
E.
Eagles (Subgenus of), 61.
Eagle Bald, or White-Headed
(FaJco le2/coccphaJus), 72- 77.
Royal or Golden (F. ful-
vus), 62-60.
— Washington (F. Washing-
tonianvs), 67 - 71.
Elanus (Subgenus of), 93.
Emberizoides (Subgenus of),
F.
Falcon (Genus of), 49, 50.
Common (Falco peregrt-
nus), 53- 57.
'- Rough- Legged (jP. la go-
pus), 97, 98.
Winter (F. Mcmalis),
106-108,
Finches (Frinvr'dla, Genus of),
472.
Finch Ferruginous (Fringilla ili-
aca). 514.
Bay- Winged, or Grass (F.
gr amine a), 482. 483.
Lark (F. grammacea), 480.
Lazuli (F. amana), 473.
Painted (F. ciris), 477-
478.
Pine (F. pinus), 511.
~ Purple or American Linnet
F, pvrpurca), 529 - 533,
Sea-Side (F. viantima),
505, 506.
Finch Sharp-Tailed (F. caudacu-
ta), 505.
Shore (F. littoralis), 504.
Savanna or Yellow-Shoul-
dered Sparrow (F. savanna-
rum), 494.
— VV hite-Crowned or Bunting
(F, leucophrijs), 479.
Fish-Hawk or Osprey (Falco ha-
licetos), 78-84.
Flycatchers (Muscicapa, Genus
of), 263,264.
Flycatcher Arkansas (Muscicapa
Tcrticalis), 273.
Fork-Tailed (M. sava-
7ia), 274.
Pewit or Phoebe (M.
atra), 278-28].
Say's (M. Saya.), 277.
Swallow-Tailed (M.
fcrficata), 275, 276.
Great-Crested (M. cri-
nita), 271, 272.
Flycatcher's Warbling (Vireo,
Genus of), 302.
Flycatchers Sylvan, Blue-Gray
(.Muscicapa cccrulea), 297, 298.
Bonaparte's
(M. Bonapartii), 29(5.
Selby's (M.
Selbii), ib.
Small-Head-
ed, (M. minuta), ib.
Fringilla (Subgenus of), 514.
G.
Goshawk American (Falco atri-
capiilus), 85 - 87.
GouRA (Subgenus of), 635.
Granivorous or Passerine Birds
(Order of), 453.
Gregarii (Family of), 144.
Grosbeak Blue (Frinsilla coe.ru-
Ica), 529.
Cardinal (F. cardinalis),
519.
na), 526
Evening (F. vesperti-
Rose-Breasted (F. ludo-
viciana), 527, 528.
Ground Robin or Towwee Finch
(F. crijthrophthahna), 515-518.
Grous (Tctrao, Genus of), 656.
(Subgenus of), 657.
INDEX.
679
Grous Dusky (Tetrao obscurus),
666.
Pinnated (T. cnpido), 662.
Ruffed (T. umhellus), 657.
Spotted or Canadian (T.
canadensis), 667.
Sharp-Tailed (T. phasia-
nellus), 669.
Pheasant-Tailed, or Cock
of the Plains (T. urophasianus),
665.
White, or Ptarmigan, (T.
lagopns), 671.
'»\ illow (T*. saliceti), 674.
Gyrfalcon (Falco islandicus), 51,
52.
H.
Halcyoxs (,'IIcyones, Order of),
593.
Hali.t:tus (Subsfenus of), 71.
Hawk (Fa/eo, Genus of), 49, 50.
American Brown (Falco
fuscus), S7 - 89.
Cooper's (F. Cooper it), 90.
Stanley's (F. Stanleii. F.
Cooper a f), 91
White-Tailed (F. dispar),
93,94
Little Corporal (F. temera-
rius), 61.
Black (F. Sancti-Johannis) ,
98, 99,
Broad- Winged (F. pennsyl-
vanirus), 105.
Hawk Owl (Strixfunerca), 115.
Swallow-Tailed (F. furca-
tus), 95, 96.
Hen-Harrier (Falco ajaneus), 109
-111.
HuMMixG-BiRDS (Trochilus, Ge-
nus of), 587.
— Ruby-Throated
(T. coluhris), 588-592.
IcTERiA (Genus of), 299.
Yellow-Breasted (Icteria
riridis),-2m -301.
Icterus (Troopials, Genus of),
151.
(Subgenus of), ib.
IcTiNiA (Subgenus of), 91.
Insectivorous Birds (Order of),
256.
Indigo Bird (Fringilla cyanea)j
473 - 476.
Introduction, 1-30.
Jays (Garrulus, Subgenus of),
224.
Jay Blue (Corvus cristatus), 224
- 228.
Columbia (C. BuUockii), 230.
Canada (C. canadensis), 232,
233.
Florida (C. floridanus), 230,
231.
Steller's (C. Stellerii), 229.
K.
King-Bird (Jlliiscicapa tyrannus).
2U5-270.
King-Fislier Belted (Alcedo Alcy-
o/i;,.594-.596.
Kite Mississippi (Falco plumb eus,
92, 93.
L.
Larks (Jlauda, Genus of), 454.
Lark Brown (Anthiis spinohtta),
450 - 4.52.
Shore (Alauda aJpestris),
455, 456.
Meadow, or American Star-
ling (Slurnus ludovicianus), 147
- 150.
Long-Spur Lapland (Emberiza
lappo}iica) , 463, 464.
M.
Magpies (Pica, Subgenus of),
218.
Magpie ( Corviis pica) , 219 - 223.
Marsh Wren (Troglodytes palus-
tris), 439 -441.
Short- Rilled (T. bre-
virostris), 436-438.
Martin Purple (Hirundo purpu-
rea), .598 - 600.
Mellisuga (Subgenus of), 587.
Mockinof-Bird (Tardus polyglot-
tus), 320-327.
N.
NiGHT-H AWKS (Caj9rimM/o-M5, Ge-
nus of), 612.
Night-Hawk (Caprimulgus vir-
ginianus), 619-622.
680
INDEX.
Nuthatches (Sitta, Genus of),
580, 581.
Brown-headed (S.
pusilla), 584.
Red-Bellied (S. can-
adensis), 583.
Nuthatch White-Breasted Amer-
ican (S. carolinensis), 561.
O.
Omnivorous Birds (Order of),
144.
Oriole Baltimore or Golden Robin
(Icterus Baltimore), 152 - 164.
Orchard (I. spurius), 165-
167.
Orpheus (Subgenus of), 318.
Owls ('S^riz, Genus of) 111-114.
Owl Burrowing (Strix cunicula-
ria), 118, 119.
Red and Mottled (S. asio),
120 - 123.
Snowy (S. nyctea), 116, 117.
Great Grey (S. cinerea),
128.
— Great Horned (S. vlrginia-
na), 124-127.
Long-Eared (S. otus), 130,
131.
Scandinavian (S. scandiaca) ,
note, 143.
-■ — Short-Eared (S. hrachyotos),
132.
Barred (S. nebulosa), 13'3, 134.
Brown or Aluco (S. aluco),
135, 136.
Acadian (S. acadicaf), 137,
138.
P.
Pandion (Subgenus of), 77.
Parrots (Psittacus. Genus of),
543.
Parrot Carolina (P. carolinen-
sis), 545- ^^4i).
Partridges (Pcrdix, Genus of),
645.
Pe-pe, or Olive-Sided Flycatcher
(Muscicajm Cooper i), 282-284.
Pewee Wood ( Muscicapa virens),
285 - 287.
Small (M. acadica), 288-
290.
Pigeon (Columha, Genus of),
624.
Pigeon Carolina, or Turtle Dove
(C. carolinensis), 626.
Band-Tailed {C.fasciata),
624.
Passenger or Common
(C. migrator ia), 629.
Ground, or Dove (C. pas-
ser ina), 635.
White-Crowned (C. leu-
cocephalaj , 625.
Zenaida, or Dove (C ze-
naida), 625.
Hawk (Falco columhari-
us), 60.
Plectrophanes (Subgenus of),
463.
Psittacus (Subgenus of), 544.
Pyranga (Subgenus of), 465.
Q.
Quail American (Perdix virgini-
ana), 646.
Californian (P. californi-
caj, 655.
R.
Raven (Corvus cor ax), 203-208.
Red-Bird, or Cardinal Grosbeak
( Fringilla cardinalis), 519-
525.
Summer (Tanagra testi-
va), 469-470.
Red-Poll Lesser ( Fringillar lina-
riaj, 512-514.
Robin American ( Turdas m.igra.-
torius), 338-342.
Redstart American (Muscicapa
ruticilla), 291 -295.
Regulus (Crested Wrens, Genus
of), 414.
S.
Seiurus (Subgenus of), 352.
Sericati (Family of), 246.
Shrike Logger-Head (Lanius lu-
dovicianusj, 261, 262.
SiALiA (Subgenus of), 443.
Siskin Arkansa (Fringilla psal-
triaj, 510.
Slender-Billed Birds (Tenui-
rostres. Order of), 580.
Snow-Bird Common (Fringilla
nivalis?), 491 -493.
Sparrow Ambiguous (Fringilla
amhigua), 484, 485.
INDEX.
681
Sparrow Common, or Song (F.
melodia) , 486 - 489.
Chipping (F. aocialis),
497, 498.
Field (F.juncorum), 499
-501.
Savannah (F. savanna),
489-490.-
~ Swamp (F. georgiana) ,
502, 503
— Tree (F. canadensis),
495, 496.
White-Throated (F. penn-
sylvanica), 481
Sparrow-Hawk American (Falco
sparrcrivs), 58, 59.
Spiza (Subgenus of), 473.
Starlings (Sturnus, Genus of),
145.
Strix (Olds, Genus of), 111-
114.
(Subgenus of), 138.
Sturnella (Subgenus of), 146.
SuRNiA (Subgenus of), 114.
Sylvania (Subgenus of), 290.
Sylvia, see Warblers.
(Subgenus of), 361.
Swallow Tribe (Chelidones,
Order of),. 507.
Swallows (Hirundo, Genus of),
ib.
Swallow CWf^fH.fulva), 603, 604.
Barn (H. rufa) , 601 , 602.
Bank or Sand Martin
(H. riparia), 607.
Chimney ( Cypselus pe-
lasgius) , 609
White-Bellied (H. bico
lor), 605, 606
Swifts (Cypselus, Genus of),
608.
Swift Chimney, or Swallow (C.
pelasgius), 609, 610.
T.
Tanagras (Tanagra, Genus of),
46o.
Tanagra Louisiana ( T. ludovicia-
na), 471.
Scarlet (T. rubra), 465-
468.
Thrushes (Tardus, Genus of),
318.
Thrush Aquatic (T. noveboraceit-
sis), 353, 3o4.
Golden-Crowned (T. au-
rocapillus), 355, 356.
Hermit, or Little (T. mi-
nor), 346-348.
Ferruginous (T. nifusj,
328-331.
Wilson's (T. Wilsonii),
349 - 352.
Titmouse (Parus, Genus of),
234, 235.
Black-Capt, or Chica-
dee (P. pahistris), 241 - 245.
Hudson's Bay (P. hud-
sonicaj, see note, 245.
Tufted (P. bicolor),
236 - 240.
Thryothorus (Section of), 436.
Troglodytes (Genus of), 422.
l^RoopiALS (Icterus, Genus of),
151.
Troopial Yellow-Headed (T. icte-
roccphulus), 176.
Turkey (Meleagris, Genus of),
638.
Turkey Wild (.¥. galloparo), 639
- 645.
Turkey -l^nzzard ( Cathartes aura),
43 - 45.
U.
Ulula (Subgenus of), 129.
V.
ViREo (Warbling Flycatchers, Ge-
nus of), 302.
Red-Eyed (Vireo oliva-
ceus), 312,317.
Solitary (V. solitarius),
305.
Yellow-Throated (V. flavi-
frons), 302-304.
Warbling (V. gilvus), 309
311.
White-Eyed (V. novebora-
censis), 306-308.
Vigor's fV. Vigorsii), 318.
Vultures (Vultur, Genus of), 33.
Vulture Black (Cathartes iota),
46-48.
Californian (C. calif omi-
anusj, 39.
King (C. papa), 40, 41.
White-Tailed, 42.
682
INDEX.
W.
Warbler Autumnal (Sylvia mi-
tumnalis), 390, 393.
Bay-Breasted (Sylvia cas
tanea), 3)^2.
Black-Throated Blue (S.
canadensis), 398,
Black-Throated Green
(S. virens), 376-378.
— Blackburnian (S. Black-
bur nice), 379
— Black-Poll (S. striata),
383.
— Black and White (S. va-
ria), 384 - 386.
" Blue Mountain (S. ti-
grina), 393.
Blue Green (S. rara),ih.
— Blued- Winged Yellow
(S. soUtaria), 410.
Canada fS. pardalina),
372.
371
— Cape May (S. maritima),
Chesnut-Sided (S. icte-
rocephala),380, 381,
Children's (S.childreni).
370.
— Connecticut fS. agilis),
399.
Coerulean (S. azurea).
407.
— Dusky (S. carhonata) ,
405.
Green Black-Capt (S.
JVilsmii), 408.
Golden-Winged (S. chry-
soptera), 411.
Hemlock (S.parus), 392.
Hooded, or Mitred (S.
mitrata), 373.
— Kentucky (S.formosa),
399, 400
" Maryland Yellow-Throat
(S. trichas), 401-403.
— Mourning fS. Philadel-
phia), 404
Nashville (S. ruhricapil
la), 412.
Orange-Throated fS. au-
ricollis), 380.
- Orange-Crowned (S. ce-
lataj, 413.
Warbler Particolored ^5'. ameri-
cana), 397.
Pine (S. pinus), 387 —
390.
Pine-Swamp (S. sphag-
nosa), 406.
Prairie (S. discolor), 394
-396.
Prothonotary (8. proto-
notarius), 410.
Spotted, or Black and
Yellow (S. maculosa). 370.
— Summer Yellow-Bird
(S. (Bstiva), 370.
— Tennessee (S. peregri-
na), 412.
— Yellow -Crowned (S. co-
ronata), 361 - 363.
Yellow Red-Poll (S. pc^
techia), 364.
- Yellow-Throated Grey
(S.pensilis), 374. 375.
- Yellow Wren, or Willow
Wren (S. Trochilus), 406.
— Worm-Eating (S. vermi-
vora), 409.
Water Ousels (Cinclus, Genus
of), 357.
Water Ousel Black, or Dipper
fC. P^i//«5ii;,358, 359.
Waxen Chatterers (Bombycil-
la, Genus of), 246.
Waxen Chatterer (B. garrula),
246, 247.
* Whip-poor-will ' ( Caprimulgus
zociferus), 614-618.
Woodpeckers (Picus, G^nus of),
559.
Woodpecker Lewis's (P. torqua-
tus), 577.
Red-Bellied (P. car-
olinus), 572.
Red-Cockaded (P.
qncrulus), 577.
Red-Headed (P. ery-
throcephalus), 569.
Northern Three-toed
(P. tridactylus), 578.
Golden-Winged (P.
auratus), 561.
• Ivory-Billed (P. prin-
cipalis), 564
tus), 567.
Pileated (P. pilea-
INDEX.
683
Woodpecker Downy (P. puhes-
cens), 576.
Hairy (P. villosus),
575.
Yellow-Bellied (P.
varius), 574.
Wood-Thrush (Turdus musteli-
WM*;, 343-345.
Wrens (Troglodytes, Genus of),
421.
Wren House (T. fulvus), 422-
426.
Common, or Winter (T.
europcEus), 427, 428.
Bewick's (T. Bewickii),
434.
Golden-Crested (Regulus
cristaUis), 417-419
lina (T. ludovicianus), 429-
433.
Wren Rocky Mountain (Trog-
lodytes obsoleta), 435.
Ruby-Crowned (Regulus
calendulus ), Alo.
Cuvier's Crested (R. Cu-
vierii), 416.
Fiery -Crowned('i2. Hricol-
or), 420.
X.
Xaxthornus (Subgenus of), 168.
Y.
Yellow-Bird, or American Gold-
finch (FiingiUa tristis), 507-
510.
Z.
Mocking, or Great Caro- 1 Zygodactyli (Order of), 542.
END.
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