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Prince Edward Island
THEIR HABITS ^^ CHARACTERISTICS.
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1"ka.N(.'is Bain,
in ih(j Orfiif of the M mister of Auriiuliurr. at Ottawa.
prp:face.
Tlie Antlwr of f/iis little booklet lias for many
years been a student of Birds in his native lionie,
and bas bad ))iany opportunities of observing:; their
habits and characteristics for himself in the ijuiet-
ude of a rural life. He does not pretend that all
here i^^iren is origi/ial but it has all been so checked
by actual observation that it is neic for Prince
Edivard Island.
OF FRIXCK EinVARl) ISLANM).
INTRODUCTORY.
Birds have always l)een objects of interest to
mankind. Our poetry is filled with referenc:es to
them.
They have been used to express the hii,^her
spiritual aspirations: "Oh! that 1 had win^^^.s like
a dove, then would 1 fly away and be at rest."'
In the freedom of their woodland homes the)-
are the types of happiness.
" Emblem of happiness,
Blest is Ihy d welling place.
Oh! to abide in the desert with thee."
In their elegance of form and brilliancy of
coloring they are the soul of beauty. Ivlontgomery
has it :
S JilRDS OK P. i:. ISLAND.
"Their forms all syinnictry, their niotiuns ^racc,
With wings that seem as they'd a soul within them,
They bear their owners with siieh sweet enchantment."
Hornc un c([iial winLi,s, tlicy arc the eiiihodi-
nieiit of intlcpeiidciU [)ower. Like the eagle,
*' Firm on iiis own mountain strength relying,
Breasting the dark storm, the red holt defying.
His wing on the wind and his eye on the sun,
lie swerves not a hair, hut hears onward, right on."
They are the emblem of love. T'he fond doves
are the spirit of tenderest devotion. And what
shall we sa)' of the mtisic of birds?
"Sounds of vernal showers
On the trickling grass,
Rain - awakened Mowers,
All that ever was
Joyous, and clear, and fresh, their music doth surpass."
AN'ords worth says to the skylark :
"Joyous as morning,
Thou art laughing and scorning ;
Thou hast a nest for thy love and thy rest ;
And though little troubled with sloth,
Drunken Lark ! thou wouldst be loth
To be such a traveller as L
Happy, happy liver !
With a soul as strong as a mountain river,-
Pouring out praise to the Almighty (liver."
INTRODUCTORY. 9
" Birds, the free tenants of land, and air, and
ocean," are such because of their marvelous powers
of fli^^ht. The heavy - winged heron in his lumber-
ing tlight still surpasses the speed of the fleetest
race -horse. The wild duck covers ninety miles
in an hour, and the duck hawk 150 miles in the
same time. The graceful swallow, in its ceaseless
wanderings through the blue fields of the summer
sky, travels a thousand miles in a day. And the
endless flittings of the minor bird tribes from si)ray
to si)ray, or darting into the sunny air for their
jewelled pre}', are ever marvels of grace, and free-
dom, and velocity of movements. You watch the
eagle, with scarce moving pinions, sweep for miles
and miles along the breezy coast, and, although
you cannot observe the movement, he exerts a
power sufficient to keep him from falling sixty-two
feet in a second. How tireless the exercise of
power put forth by the gull who wanders cease-
lessly for hours, and even days, over the restless
billow. ^rhe albatross and the frigate bird will
venture more than a thousand miles from land
in their foraying expeditions.
It is this wonderful power of flight which makes
the Bird a migrant, changing its home with the
TO BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
•
season, and becoming an inhabitant of every clime.
These migratory movements tliat sweep off the
flocks of our feathered famihes from tlie brown
fields and storm - beaten shores of autumn, and
bring their glad voices again with the sunshine
and blossoms of spring, form one of the most
interesting features of bird - life, and have always
attracted the attention of observers of Nature. A
Scottish poet thus greets the returning swallow :
" The littKi comer 's coming,
The comer o'er the sea,
Tlie comer of the summer, all
The summer days to he.
How pleasant, through the pleasant sleep,
Thy early twitter heard.
O swallow, l)y the lattice !
Glail days he thy reward."
'The weeping prophet of Israel observed that
"The stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed
times ; and the turtle, and the crane, and the
swallow."
Milton enriches his grand [joetical descriptions
by pictures from bird migrations :
" So steers the prudent crane
Her annual voyage, borne on winds ; the air
Floats as they pass, fanned with unnumbered plumes."
INTRODUCTORY. I I
Loniifellow says :
" Birds of passage sailed through the leaden air fr(Mii the ice-
l)oiind,
Desolate northern bays to the shores of the tropical islands,''
Tennyson calls them,
" Wild birds that change
Their season in the night, and wail their way
From cloud to cloud."
Our birds move southward on the approach
of autumn. vSome, like the swallows and the male
warblers, retreat when sunnuer luis just passed its
climax ; others tarr\- till the snows and frosts of
winter compel th.eir departure. Some, like the
robin and sj)arr()ws, merely go to the Northern
or Middle States ; while others, as the swallows,
the redstart, and some other warblers, fmd a winter
home on the sunny shores of the Mexican (iiilf,
or even in South America. Their line of miLira-
tion is down the Atlantic coast. 'I'hey cross the
Gulf of Mexico by ])assing from P'lorida to Cuba,
and thence to Yucatan.
Some of our birds, as the sparrows, thrushes,
and warblers, move leisurely in their migrations,
feeding their way from post to post, and occupy
12 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
weeks in coming from the Eastern States. Other
swift - winged species, as the night-hawk and the
swift, cover the same ground in two or three
days. Birds migrate mostly by night, rising to a
great height, often one or two miles, so as to
have a bioad view of the country and easily shape
their course. The vast numbers composing these
migratory flocks may be judged from the fact that
600 birds — warblers, finches, etc. — have been known
to kill themselves in a single night, by dashing
against the light -house of San Antonio, Cuba.
We have seen a fleet of a hundred robins arrive
in the early dawn of a spring morning. The
birds seemed much excited, flying al)OUt and call-
ing loudly, as if conscious that they had accom-
plished an important undertaking, and were excited
over a return to their old summer haunts. What a
scene of glad jollity it was ! Frozen snow covered
the landsca})e, and the crystal jewels of winter
flashed from every spray. But voices of friend-
ship, and joy, and love were ringing from every
tree top, and lading with rich music the golden
billows of morning. It came a carnival of joy
after winter's dreary barrenness, and bade us
remember how much the world does owe to the
INTRODUCTORY. 1 3
" Beautiful Ijirds of lightsome wing,
Glad creatures that come with the voice of spring."
As birds migrate at night, we seldom see the
winged armies on the march ; but many a morning
have we missed the thousands that the evening
before crowded our bay^ or our woodlands. We
always see the brant migrate. If the weather is
favorable, they leave the sixth or seventh of June
regularly. Just before sundown the flocks become
unusually restless and noisy. Then, while the
summer sky is aglow with the setting sun, and
evening sheds her calm beauty over land and sea,
in one dense cloud the birds rise directly from
the bay, and, hovering over its waters at a great
height for a few moments, with the hoarse clamor
of a thousand voices, they sweep away, and are
soon lost in the dimness of the northern sky.
In the early spring, during the period of mi-
gration, on a calm, clear night, if you take your
stand beneath the star -lit sky, where there is no
other noise to disturb, you will hear the almost
constant fanning of wings high in the scintillating
heavens, as the birds sweep on silently in their
journey to their northern breeding grounds.
14 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND,
Longfellow gives a poetical turn to these faintly
heard sounds of wings :
" Oh say not so !
Those sounds that flow
In murmurs of dehght and woe,
Come not from wings of birds,
This is the cry
Of souls, that high
On toiling, beating pinions fly,
Seeking a warmer clime."
"^if^^
THE ROBIN. 15
Jfatnil|) oi '^kntshes.
THE ROBIN.
(Tiirdus migratorius)
Foremost among our birds for perfection of
structure, intelligence, and ingenuity in architecture
stands the well - known Robin. Its sociable habits,
building its mud - lined nest in the corner of a
fence or in the garden, and constantly frequenting
the yard or the meadow in pursuit of its insect
prey, together with its soft notes, poured out
unrestrained by cottage door or orchard bough,
make it a general favorite. Its song is something
homely, but the notes are soft and agreeable ;
and heard at the dawn of a soft spring morning,
or when the sun breaks out after a summer
shower, floating soft echoes through the rural
scene, it is a melody to be remembered and loved.
1 6 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND
Robins arrive the first week in April ; and
their friendly calling from the dark fir tops is
always welcomed as the harbinger of spring. They
nest the last weeks in April, and raise two, some-
times three, broods in a season. Their nests are
not only built in low bushes and hedges, but on
the loftiest summits of the forest. The structure
is bulky, consisting largely of mud, lined outside
with coarse, and inside with fine vegetable fibres.
The eggs, three to five in number, are over an
inch in length, and of a uniform greenish blue
color, though speckled ones have been seen.
Robins feed chiefly on insects, worms, and grubs,
but are fond of ripe fruit from the garden.
When rearing their broods of young, they destroy
enormous quantities of insects, and are of the
greatest benefit to farmers.
In the mild season of 1889 flocks were here
all winter. They wandered much, feeding on
rowan berries and other soft fruits. Early arrivals
feed about the shores and springs. In autumn,
when their nesting duties are over, they gather
in flocks, and frequent old pastures where worms
are plenty. The summer flocks leave the last of
October.
THE HERMIT THRUSH. 1 7
HERMIT THRUSH.
(Turd lis Fa Ha si)
Closely allied to the Robin is that delicate
recluse, the sweet - voiced Hermit Thrush. It
never comes about our houses and gardens, but
keeps to the secret shadows of the wood - land,
pouring out from its hidden retreat a song of the
most exquisite delicacy and richness. It would
be but little known or cared for but for the
marvellous beauty of its plaintive melody, which
would entitle it to be called the Nightingale of
our groves. On a calm evening in June, when
the leafy bowers hang silent in shadowed beauty,
and the amber light steals softly through the
arches, and the holy stillness of the sunset hour
rests on nature, the Hermit's song is loudest,
clearest, and fullest. Then it fills the whole
wood -land with pure, liquid notes, thrilling with
emotion and delicate plaintiveness.
In singing, the bird chooses a lofty perch in
some retired glade. It sits motionless on the
bough, its speckled bosom swelled, its delicate bill
parted, and its head raised to the clear field of
the sky as it pours out those strains that seem
1 8 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
more intended for the realms of sunshine than
for the shadows of earth.
The Hermit is less in size than the Robin,
being two inches shorter, and of a much more
delicate structure. Color, brownish - olive above,
and white, marked with brown, below. The males
arrive the last of April, and mope solitary in the
shadows for some days, when the females arrive,
and soon the tender melodies ring through the
leafless groves. The nest of small twigs and
gra'sses is built on the ground, and contains four
or five greenish - blue eggs. It feeds on ground
beetles and such other insects as inhabit wood-
lands.
The Olive - backed Thrush is sometimes
heard singing here.
Of these diminutive birds we have the Ruby-
crowned and Gold -crested Kinglets. The former
(Regulus calendula) is a little over four inches in
length, bright olive -green on the back and whitish
below, tinged with yellowish ; two white bars on
FAMILY OF SYLVIANS. I9
the dusky wing, and a bright scarlet patch on the
crown. It is a summer visitant, with a soft-
whispered voice and a hair-hned nest in the
thick fir bushes.
The Gold - crest (Regulus satrapa) is a perma-
nent resident, flocking amid the winter snows with
the Chickadees and Nuthatches. It is the smallest
of our songsters, except the Humming-bird; and
its golden crest, and olive -green coat, and tiny
wings, barred with white, make it a gem of
featheud beauty. But what a mite ! It is a
perfect marvel, in the keenest winter weather, to
see the tiny ball of animated down whispering
its silvery song and foraging securely in the savage
forest scenes. Then it puckers up its feathers
and seems to suffer from the cold, but never
ceases its silvery, whispered call notes. It feeds
on insects and their eggs hidden in the chinks
of the forest trees.
The nest, built in June, is a ball of soft
mosses placed in a fir thicket, some four feet
from the ground, and, though only two inches in
diameter inside, contains ten creamy -white eggs.
20 UIRIJS OK V. E. ISLAND.
titmouse Jfamili).
BLACK-CAPPKD CHICKADEE.
(Parus atricapilliis)
The Chickadees are the most common birds in
in our winter woods. You no sooner enter the
snow -draped thicket than out bobs a tiny black
head to greet you with a merry pee-dee^ and you
see the httle songsters flitting everywhere in the
frozen boughs, perfectly at home as they pounce
on the dormant insects that infest the foliage.
Their activity is ceaseless. Flitting, twirling like
acrobats on the naked sprays, heels up, head up,
it makes no difference. Calling from the loftiest
tree top, whispering from the low thicket, they
are the very spirits of the winter wood - lands, with-
out which these would often be destitute of
animate life.
The Black -capped Chickadee is distinguished
by his clear -ashy coat, and whitish vest, and
conspicuous black crown and throat. Female
the same color. The nest is built in a hole in
a stump, which the little architect excavates for
HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE. 2 1
himself. It is well lined with grass and wool,
and contains eight or ten ver\' small whitish eggs.
The Chickadee is one of the boldest of birds.
He usually builds in retired woods, but will ap-
proach dwellings if it suits him. He meets the
wood -man in his native 1. me without fear and
as a friend ; and among his fellows is one of
the deadliest of combatants. Mr. H. D. Minot,
of New England, tells us that the Chickadee
sleeps with his head tucked under his wing.
HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE.
(Panes HiidsonicHs)
The Hudsonian Chickadee is distinguished from
the Black - capped by its olive - brown back, light
chestnut sides, and the distinctly brown crown of
its head. It is nearly as abundant as the Black-
cap here, and its habits are similar. It nests
in May, digging its own nest hole in a rampole,
eight or ten feet from the ground. It is quieter
and more retired in its disposition than the Black-
cap, and much less pugnacious.
4
F'.IRDS OF V. K. ISI.ANI)
jlu thatch .^i^amili).
WIirrE BKLLTKl) NUTHATCH.
( Sifia Ca roHneusis)
This is not a common bird with us, l)ut a
few arc met with in tlie older settled i)arts of
the country. We have seen them in the summer
and late autunm. It is larger than the next
sjXicies which it resembles in L^eneral appearance,
but the under parts are white, and there is more
white on the winL:;s. It is less active and noisy.
It is a beautiful, sedate little l)ird, wandering
over the trunks of the deciduous forest trees
uttering its peculiar ick, ick^ ick.
RED-BEITJEI) NUTHATCH.
( Sitta Canadensis)
This is one of our most common resident
birds, flocking with the Chickadees, and helping
to relieve the monotony of the winter woods by
its animated ways. From the Chickadees it is
FAMILY OF CRFF.rKKS. 23
distiiiL;uislK'(l by its more slLiulcr form, its sliort
cut tail, wt'clLie - shaped head, and harsh, ii<'^oty
voice. Its color is clear ashy - blue above, and
reddish - brown below, crown black, and white band
over the eye. These birds have the peculiar
habit of fastening a nut or seed in a chink of
a tree, and then pecking it to pieces at theii-
leisure. From this their name is derived. When
early spring suns begin to warm the dark In-
wood, the Ntithatches will mount the tallest sum-
mit, and, hitching round and roimd in an excited
manner, rattle out their harsh httle notes, like a
perfect scolding frolic. 'I'heir mode of nesting is
similar to the Chickadees'. S<Miie seasons the)-
are rare with us ; in 1889 the) were very com-
mon, exceeding the Chickadees in number.
Jjivnuli) of Crcc|jcc6.
The Brown Creeper (CcrtJiia familiaris) is a
small, brown bird, streaked and spotted with
white, somewhat resembling the Woodj^eckers in
its manners and habits. It lives on insects which
24 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
it takes from the chinks and cracks in the bark
of forest trees. It may be seen constantly running
up the great trunks, going round them in a spiral
manner. When it arrives at the top, it flies
down, and instantly begins the ascent on another
trunk. Its bill is long, curved, and too weak
for digging into wood. Its tail feathers are sharp-
pointed to assist it in climbing.
Creepers are by no means common with us,
but we have seen them both winter and summer.
(liOrcu JFamili).
In early spring days, before the leafy drapery
begins to shade the forest arches, but high aloft
in the sunny sky the ma])les flash their crimson
bloom, we will hear a varied song, unlike the
notes of either Finch or Warbler. We will not
be likely to see the songster, for this airy music
comes from the diminutive Winter W^ren (Anorth-
ura troglodytes hiemalis) feeding among the loftiest
sprays of sunny bloom. The shy little, brown-
colored songster has just arrived in our woods,
LARK FAMILY. 25
and though charmed with his melody, we have
little chance of seeincf him now or durini: all his
summer stay.
In July we hear the same sweet trill again,
this time from a low, silver -lined maple thicket.
If we follow the song cautiously and i)atiently it
may perhaps lead us to the nest, a ball of dry
green moss with a tiny aperture on one side for
the entrance of the bird, placed on a fallen tree
or stump. A friend informs me that one of
the most interesting wood - land sights he ever
saw, was a little Wren mother feeding her six
tiny fledgelings, arranged in a row on the fallen
tree where their nest was built.
iC iirk Jltamili).
Our only Lark is the Shore Lark ( EreniopJiila
alpestris). It is not common, but stray flocks
come in April searching the stul)l)le fields with
the Snow Buntiniis which thev much resemble.
They are a heavier - built bird, however, and are
easily distinguished by the large black area on
the breast, and a peculiar feather which makes a
sliuht horn on the head.
26 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
(mug-Araib.
'I'he Titlark (Anthus Lndoviciamis)^ like the
Shore Lark, is only a wanderer here, the flocks,
however, cominu; in the fall and wanderini:; rest-
lessly over the plowed fields, after the grain is
all gone. It is distinguished by its brown color
— olive above and lighter below — by its devious,
uncertain flight, and the habit of moving its tail
up and down, when resting on the ground.
Of these beautiful and sweet- voiced migrants
we ■ have fifteen si)ecies, which come during the
sunn}' months of summer to give fresh joy to
the leafy glory of the wood - land.
The modest - plumed Yellow -rump ( Deudra'ca
coronata) — so conspicuously marked by the bright
yellow patch on its rum}), exposed when it flies,
and the general slaty -l)lue of its plumage — comes
the first of May, searching for insects about the
hedges and farm buildings. Its song is slender
and homely, but the bird is robust and fearless,
staying with us till the last chill days of October.
AMERICAN WARBLERS. 27
The Yellow Red-|)oll ( Doidnvca palniani)n )
and the Pine -creeping Warbler ( Deudnrca pinus)
are early arrivals also. I'hey are rare birds here,
however. We see the yellow- })lumed Pine -creeper
very rarely in early spring, as it goes north to
nest. We have only observed the Yellow Red-
poll in the autumn on the barrens of Prince
County.
With the first days of June the Warblers
arrive in force. The bursting leaf then s[)reads
its tender greenness, and summer's sunny glory
rests on the wood -land which for two or three
short months is to be their glad honie. The
Black - and - White Cree[)er ( Muiotilta 7'ana) runs
over the trunks of trees, searching its food like
a true " Creeper," uttering the most tenderl)- whis-
pered little ditty of a song. Its color is described
by its name, being streaked black and white. It
nests with us, and, strangely enough for a persist-
ent tree -climber, places its nest on the ground.
The Blue Yellow -back sometimes is here early
in May. The Bay - breasted and Black - poll
Warblers are not common, a few being seen pass-
ing north to nest.
The Yellow, or Summer Warbler (Dendreeca
28 HIRDS OF P. K. ISLAND.
ccstwa)^ in his gilded livery, comes much about
our gardens and sliade trees. Its song is sprightly
and pleasing, one of the most agreeable that en-
livens our garden bovvers. It nests in low thickets,
like rasjjberry or rose shrubbery. Its brood is
raised in July, and, like most of its family, it is
away with the August suns to a fairer clime.
The lively Redstart is one of the gayest song-
sters of our groves. Its livery of sable and
brilliant flame darts evervwhere, like a restless
meteor, through the leafy shadows, and its loud,
clear song rings far from the lofty tree tops. It
is a nervous, restless bird, dashing in its song,
its action, and vigorous ])ursuit of insects which
it takes on the wing, like a Flycatcher. The
golden Mourner rings out its lay in company
with it — thee weet, thee a weet 7veet — and the
brilliant Tennessee is its roving companion.
The female Redstart wears a modest brown
dress trimmed with yellow, and in June builds
her nest of woven grass and fibers fifteen feet
from the ground. When the )oung are fledged
she feeds them assiduously on a retired leafy
perch. You may at any time see her perform
this loving duty, for there is always a subdued,
AMERICAN WARBLERS. 29
whispering chitter as she approaches the young ;
and, warned by this call, you can creep silently
into the thicket and watch the parent with her
tender brood.
The Golden - crowned Accentor, or Oven - bird
(Siiinis auricapillus) is a true Warbler, though
looking so much like a Thrush. In color it is
a beautiful olive -green above with orange crown,
and white below spotted with dusky on the
breast. It comes the last of May, but we would
not be aware of its presence if it were not for
its loud and oft -repeated chant of wee-cJiee^ ivee-
cJiee^ wee-chee^ uttered with inr-easing volubility to
the end. Follow this call and vou will find the
beautiful bird actively exploring the leaf -covered
ground for beetles, and looking nervously round
for the approach of a companion. The nest is
peculiar. It is a bulk) structure of dried leaves
and grasses, placed on the ground and roofed
over to hide its four mottled eggs from intruding
iiaze.
All the Warblers are insect - eaters, and these
crowds of restless songsters do immense service
in keeping down the destructive insect hosts.
The males mostly retire the first week of
5
30 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
August, but the females stay the whole of the
month, feeding their young on the myriad p)r-
alides that infest the ripened foliage.
vLiiuagev?.
The Scarlet 'I'anager (Pyra)i^a rubra) is one
of the most brilliant of American birds. Its color
is scarlet, with black wings and tail. Its song
is inferior, and it feeds on berries as well as on
insects. It is but a rare visitant here. The onl\'
authentic instan(^e I know of, being one seen at
Morcll bv Dr. F. Beer.
(r)rcculct$.
Intiniatel)- associated with the \Varl)lers in their
green - wood haunts is the Red - eyed Vireo, a
modest, olive - tinted bird that never leaves the
leaf) shadows. Its song consists only of two
notes, but so constantly rej)eated that they make
a ceaseless ripple of gentle melody flowing through
WAXWINGS AND SWALLOWS. ^j
>■)
the niurmuring bowers. Its nest is a cup -like,
hanging structure, woven of shreds of hark and
suspended from the flexuous extremity of a slender
hmh. 'I'h- eggs are three to five, white with a
few dark specks.
(Ltlaxlning$.
The Cedar VVaxwing is a beautiful, rinnamon-
colored bird, with conspicuous crest and peculiar,
vermilion appendag .s to its wings. It is not
common here, but,' in August, will come in small
numbers about the cherry trees, or call, like a
wandering si)irit of gentleness, in the lonelv cedar
swamps. It nests in the cedar bush, or, ])erhaps,
in an orchard, and the eggs are not laid till late
in July.
^liiaUolD'5.
Of this graceful family we liave four sjjecies.
The White -bellied Swallow (Iridoprocenc hicolor)
IS the earliest to arrive. With the first .May suns
32 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
he is here, sweeping the deep field of the gentle
spring sky. How buoyant his flight ! What a
grand spirit of strength, and joy, and freedom he
seems, as he rushes through the clear heaven,
over bay and barren field, shouting a cry of
gladness on his arrival in his summer home !
These birds congregate in great numbers about
mill - ponds or other sheets of water. Their circ-
ling and cycling, in spiral and maze, their darting
and doubling, now skimming the glassy surface,
then shooting upward into the blue sky till lost,
like fading stars, on its brow, form the most
wonderful and beautiful evolutions ever performed
by winged wanderers of the air. They nest in
hollow stumps in lonely wood - lands. 'I'he nests
are lined with feathers, and contain pure white
The Eave Swallows (P. lunifrons) build their
colonies of mud nests under the eaves of our
barns, and
"The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed"
is abundant poetry in many of our country dis-
tricts.
The Barn Swallow (H. Jiorreorum)^ with his
long, forked tail, is the largest of the group, and
SWALLOWS. 33
nest solitary, usually inside of barns. All these
Swallows are brilliantly plumed birds, with coats
of glossy steel-blue or green, and vested with
snowy white or rufus ; but the little Bank Swallow
( Cotile nparia) is a lustreless courser of the air,
draped only in dull, mouse - colored feathers.
It chooses, however, the grandest home of the
tribe. Sometimes it makes its nest in a low
bank, but more frequently in the lofty summits
of the towerinu; red cliffs that loom over ocean's
surges, on the wild sea -coast. How airy and
beautiful their ceaseless circling round the dark
summit of the great sea - battlement, while the
billows surge, and lash, and foam, and thunder
below !
The birds dig their nest - holes two or three
feet into the face of the clay top of the cliffs.
At the inner extremities the nests of i^rass and
feathers are })laced, having each four or five pure
white eggs.
Swallows stay with us but a short season.
No sooner does summer arrive at its full ma-
turity in August, and their young are fledged,
than they are away to sunnier fields of the
south. They gather in great flocks, whenever
34
I'.IUDS OK I'. r<:. ISLAND
iheii )()un.L; arc .sufficiently experienced on the
winii, and, first wandering south from one farm-
stead to another, finally sweej) (jff from the
Island.
Shrikes.
The l)Utcher - bird (Lanius Iwrenlis ) is an ash-
colored bird, with black wings and tail, the size
of a Kobin. When insects fail, it feeds on weaker
members of the feathered family. It has the
curious habit of impaling its victims on a thorn
or j)ointed spra)-. Even insects are hung up in
this way, as a butcher hangs tip his meat.
'i'he '* bold brigand '" is but seldom seen here.
Only in autumn have we (observed his solitary
grey form, with the war)', suspicious flight of a
felon, sweep our i)artly forsaken helds.
Jl^inchec^
Of this huLTe famih' we have man\- interestinii
and beautitul s[)ecies. The}' are wild, roving birds
FINCHES. 7,S
of tlie field and {\\c wood - land, strong of winu
and animated in manner, while many of them are
eminent songsters. The)- feed on insects in sum-
mer, hut during the severe season a few stra\
<eeds afford them a sui)|)ort, and some of them
are with us at every seascjn of the year.
The Pine Grosbeak ( Pinicola enncleator) comes
to us in the fall, sometimes in numbers, some-
times only a stray wanderer calling softly from
the i^rove. This bird is nearlv as larc;e as
a Robin, carmine red, [)aler or whitish on the
belly, wings and tail dusky, the former with two
white cross - bars. Females gre\, marked with
brownish - yellow. In dull November daws, fift\
of these forest beauties crowding on the c:one-
laden summit of a great s})ruce tree is one of
the most pleasing sights. They are generally so
tame that they are easih- approached, and their
soft voices and exceedingly gentle manners make
them the most attractive of forest vagrants. In
mid - winter they retire to the sheltered recesses
of the coniferous woods, feasting on the abundant
seeds, and enjoying the gentle music of their own
(\all - notes and ricli, IJnnet-like songs. In April
they are away to the wilds of the drear) North.
36 niKDS OK p. K. ISLAND.
'riic Purple I^'inch, or I.inncl ( Carpodaciis pur-
pureiis) is here also sonictiniL's in winter, but he
is always one of otu* gayest summer field -birds.
He is not iarger tlian a Sj)arrow, but his brilliant
red color, his vivacity of manner, and the beaut),
variety and gaiety of his song make him one of
our most attractive birds. In April his rich,
joyous rha])sody is heard from the naked wood-
lands. In May he mounts into the sky on
hovering wing, like the Lark, singing as he soars.
In June he is bounding over the fields, with a
quick, clear call - note, gathering hair and grass
for his nest in the thick si)ruce tree. And then,
while his mate quietly attends to the family
duties, he is awav on the tall fir to[) with the
summer brtc'-e an' the blue sky at)out him, pour-
ing out sui . oiiains of joyous melody that the
summer breeze and the sky seem only made to
bear them on their bosom.
The Crossbills are wayward wanderers which
come in large flocks some falls, and again
are unseen for years. The White - winged
( Loxia lencoptet'a) is a rich, red - ])lumed bird
with blackish wings and tail, the former with two
conspicuous white cross - bars. They have the
FINCHES. 37
reinarkahl'j habit of breeding in winter, or very
early in spriivj;, while the weather is still severe.
The mandibles are hooked and their [xjints are
crossed. This structure enables them to part tiie
scales of cones and readily abstract the seeds on
which they fetd.
The American Crossbill (L. AfnericaNn) is also
a red - plimied bird, but has no white bars on its
wings. Large flocks sometimes come in late
autumn about our spruce groves, feeding on the
seeds. They are exceedingly tame and easily
ap])roached.
The Red - poll Linnet (^Egiot/iHs linaria) is
one of our common winter birds, though some
winters it is scarcely seen at all. In size it is
less than a Sparrow ; color above dusky streaked
with flaxen ; crown dull crimson ; under i)arts .
white, heavily streaked with dusky. Males, in
late winter, may be seen with rosy breasts and
rumps. In autumn these little l)irds come in
compact flocks wandering from grove to grove in
search of the ripened seeds of the yellow birches.
On the swaying top of one of these great trees
they make a happy company, rifling the abundant
seeds and keeping each other society with soft,
38 BIRDS OF^ P. E. ISLAND
sweet whisj)ered notes. Sometimes a solitar)- bird
will get separated from the flock, then the loud
pe-cel rings through the autumn sky, and it is
repeated until an answer comes and the wanderer
is restored to the bosom of the loving flock. In
cold winter weather the birds crowd close to-
gether, as if for warmth. They come about hay-
stacks for seeds, and will fearlessly alight upon
the loads which the farmer is building, having the
innocence of creatures fresh from the untenanted
wilds of nature.
Sometimes a !Tre specimen stays with us all
summer and builds its nest in the dark fir thicket.
Then the song of the male is a full, rattling
melody, like that of the " Linnet," and scarce less
clear and vigorous.
The golden- plumed American Goldfinch (Astra-
ga/iniis tristis) is a gay rover in the fields of
summer. His coat of brilliant yellow, varied with
black on the long wing and tail feathers, and his
clear, lively twit make him an attractive birci as
he bounds about the summer pastures rifling seeds
from the downy groups of syngenecious plants.
He is here from May till October. The nest is
built on a small tree, and is the most neatlv
finchf:s. 39
constructed of any of our birds' nests, containing
five nearly ])ure white eggs.
The Pine (ioldfinch ( Clirysoiuitris pinus) is
a winter bird, sometimes seen in com[)any with
the Chickadees and Redpolls, from which it is
abundantly distinguished by its clear voice and
strong, buoyant flight.
The Snow Bunting ( Plectrophanes nivalis) is
the winged sprite of our winter wilds. Its plumes
mimic the purity of the crystal flakes, and it
comes in flocks wayward as the whirling drifts.
The Buntings are here in October, and th-^n
frequent lonely shores and sand - reefs, running
over the sands in pursuit of marine insects in
company with Sanderlings and Plovers. We see
little of them till snow covers up their food in
the wilds, then thev come about the farmsteads
looking for grain and stray seeds. They are very
fond of oats which they shell with address, eating
only the mealy kernel.
Among the roving winter flocks we only hear
the softly - uttered flocking call; but, as the breed-
ing season approaches, in April, the males will
sometimes sinLi; a sweet Linnet - like sonu,, when
enjoying the sunshine in some sheltered nook.
40 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
In this month also thev leave us for their nestinij; in
the far North. In the Arctic regions, Dr. Cowes
tells us, their nests are bulky structures, composed
of grass and moss and placed on the ground, in
the shelter of a tussock of grass or a stone. Eggs
are white, thickly mottled with brown.
The Sparrows form a familiar little group of
this family, interesting on account of their intimate
association with the scenes of our every - day life,
their brusque familiarity, and their musical voices.
The Song Sparrow (Melospiza fasciata) is the first
to tune his notes round our doors in the spring.
In fact the lively bird, in some cases, has been
here all winter, hiding in the sheltered nooks of
a barn or a stack-yard. I>ut now he is out with
his clear, musical ditty and his social ways, to
warn us that the season of love is coming with
the softening sky and the budding willow and
the Robin's loud call in the grove. The nest is
built on the ground, sheltered by a clod or stick,
and composed of grass and hair. Sometimes it
is placed on a low bush, if the intelligent bird
has been often disturbed on the ground. The
Black Snow - bird (Jiuico Jiienialis) mingles its
slender ditty with the first song of the Sparrows,
FINCHES. 41
for it, too, has braved the winter's frosts and
sported with the fleet -winged Buntings. In sum-
mer it nests in the same sunny borders as the
Song Sparrow, hiding more securely its very similar
nest, with lighter colored eggs. The Savanna
S])arrow is the bird of the grass fields where its
slender - built nest lies hidden in every clump of
tangled herbage. From the grass fields, in warm
June days, the slender whispers of these tiny
songsters come as a gentle undertone to the gen-
eral peal of summer's music. The loud burst of
the Orass Finch, the clear, ringing whistle of the
White -throat Sparrow, and the rai)id chipi)ing of
the Chi}) Sparrow burst on the ear at rapid in-
tervals ; but the gentle notes of the Savannas
never cease, mingling with the rustling of the
grasses and the murmurs of the shrubi)ery that
burden the passing breeze. The birds will some-
times mount a fence for a song, but on the least
alarm descend and run through the grass, like
mice. Savannas leave us early in September.
The Tree Sparrow ( Spezella uionticola) is a
handsome Sparrow with a chestnut crown and an
ashy - white breast. IJke the Fox Sparrow and
the White -crowned Si)arrow, it is but a wayward
42 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
wanderer here, i)assing us in nunii-ers during mi-
gration in spring and fall, but rarely stopping for
its summer nestings in our groves. Its nest is
in the lofty trees, and it is a bird of the groves,
not of the sunny fields. In the leafy home of
the Warbler and the mellow- tongued Thrush we
are surprised to heift* in mid -summer a loud twit-
tered song, exacth' like J unco's, and up in the
highest arch of the rustling foliage our homely
songster wooes his mate.
The Fox Sparrow (Passo'cUa iliaca) is the
largest of the Sparrows, and of a rich rusty - red
color. He comes, while the A[)ril snows fill the
wood -land, with a hnid, musical song that startles
the echoes of the lifeless scene.
The Sharp -tailed Sparrow and Sea -side Spar-
row ( Annnodraiiius maritimus) are not common
birds. The former is reported from Cascumpeque,
and I have seen the latter si)orting through the
meadows on the border of the great Tracadie
marshes. It is a blvthe fleet - winded bird that
loves to breast the rude sea - breezes and sport
its bright, yellow- trimmed dress where the fields
of purple irises blow.
The Black -throated Bunting (Spiza Anierica7ia)
AMERICAN STARLINGS. 43
is a square-built clumsy - looking, greyish - brown
bird, oddly marked with white eyelids and chin
and coal-black throat. It is a southern bird, a
member of the Carolinian fauna, and its regular
presence here attests the suitability of the rich
fields of P. E. Island as a home for the rovinij;
FringiUidae. •
The Rose -breasted (irosl)eak ( Za/nelodia tu-
doviciana) is the shy beauty of the family, hiding
its brilliant plumes and delightful song in the
deep shadows of the ].)rimitive forest. It has
been seen most frequentl) n the old timber
growths of Lot 30, where its rich rolling song
adds a finer charm to the wild music of the
foaming streams.
This bird is said to possess all the ciualities
of a first-class cage -bird, readily submitting to
confinement, and having vigor to endure it.
Jlmerican ^tiirliug?.
The Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) is a
rare bird with us. Last summer we saw
one on a sunny meadow oh the banks of the
44 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
ILlliot River. At first he tried to hide his stronof-
ly marked coat of black and white -among the
growing grass, but faihng in this was away in
his strong flight to the top of a poplar, then,
without uttering a note, was gone from us for-
ever.
|3altimore (!)i*iole.
(Icterus gal bill a)
This flashing beauty of bird -life is said to
ha\e been seen at Cascumpeque, though we our-
selves have never observed it.
liustj) Ojrackle.
Scolecop/iagiis fcrnigineiis is the awkward scien-
tific ap])endage to the name of this rather common
bird, that in early spring comes whistling so shrilly
and yet so sweetly along the l)orders of the glassy
l)onds. Blackbird is its common name, and who
does not remember a sunnner eve when the silvery
pond reflected the forms of the unbowed sedges,
CROWS AND JAYS.
45
and one lone swallow skimmed its surface, and
the Robin's vvarl)le in the distant grove was faintly
heard, and
" The sooty Blackbird
Mellowed his pipe, and softened every note."
The nest is built in a fir thicket. 1'he four
eggs are pale greyish marked with brown. In
autumn the birds wander in flocks, the young
conspicuous by their rusty coats.
l^he Purple Grackle (Quiscalus purpureus) is
a less common bird, with glossy, iridescent black
plumage. 1he nest is i)laced in a spruce or fir
tree and contains five eggs marked with curiously
arranged dark scrawls.
CrotDs anil Juds.
The Common Crow ( Connis fnigivoms) is very
common here. Winter and summer his familiar
cawing is about our doors. In the former season
he finds a subsistence by pilfering from stacks
and picking up refuse about yards and road -sides.
In summer various fields afford him abundant
food. He forages on the shores, digging clams
46 BIRDS OF P. K. ISLAND.
in the most expert manner, fishes smelts in the
l:)ro()k, and dcHghts in a nutting excursion in the
woods, while he never misses the opportunity of
a good meal on grassho])pers, locusts and June
bugs, on the sunny slopes of upland pastures.
Our Crows gather in great rookeries in the
autumn. Until recently a grove in Charlottetown
Park was the trysting place for central Queen's
('ounty. I have seen three thousand Crows going
at sundown, on a calm autumn evening, in one
long, black, silent stream of quivering pinions to
this favorite resting place.
lU.UE JAV.
( Cya nscitta cr is tat a )
The bright - i)lumed Jay is one of our most
familiar birds. In winter he comes, like a chief-
tain from the wilds, with gay crest and dainty
steps, picking up refuse at our doors. Stray nuts
in the forest afford him food now, too. In
summer he feeds more luxuriously, robbing the
nests of feebler birds and devouring their helpless
young. It is part of his foraying tactics to inii-
FIA'CATCHKRS. 47
tate the screech of the hawk, while he is hidden
in a thicket, and, iiaving thus driven away the
parent birds, i)roceed to desoUite tlieir lionie.
The nest is built in a tall tree and is of the same
loose structure as a Crow's. The eL!:u:s also are
dark olive - green thickly speckled.
His fluffy grey relative, the Canadian Jay
( PerisorcHs Canadensis)^ is not now very conmion.
Though seen more commonly in winter than in
summer, it has been found nesting here early in
Ai)ril. The nest is very warmly constructed,
beinir lined with moss and feathers.
Jflncatchin^^.
The Kingbird (Tyrannus Caroli)iensis) is the
most common of the Flycatchers. It is a dusky
colored, crested bird, white below and on tij) of
tail. The last week in May it comes fluttering
nervously about our fence l)orders, and remains
till September gales have driven the insects from
the dimming skies. It may be seen at any
time in summer sitting motionless, apparently list-
less, on a fence stake or naked bough for
4<S BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
several minutes. Then it makes a sudden dash
into the air and returns promptly to resume its
motionless position on the same perch. This is
its mode for catching insects, and is that followed
by all the family. 'I'he Kingbird's nest is
built on the limb of a lofty fir, and is defended
with great spirit by its brave occupant. It is
amusing to see the plucky little bird drive away
such great marauders as crows and hawks which
actually dread its persistent, bee -like assaults.
The Phcebe - bird ( Savior nis ftisca) arrives
with the Warblers, the first sunny days of June,
and for three months afterwards makes the wild
fells ring with its loud querulous cries of pewee^
pewce^ pewec. Trail's Flycatcher and the Least
Flycatcher are also with us during the summer
months.
Ilight - 3)uU)k.
( Chordediles popetiie)
This remarkable bird arrives wMth the Sw^allows
and spen(^N the same short summer season with
us. Its clear pe - ek, ringing high over wood - land
NIGHT HAWK. 49
and field, is the certain acconij)animent of the
dewy summer eve. What splendid [jowers of
flight these birds exhibit in their aerial i^ambols,
now mounting on steady wing till nearly lost to
sight, then rushing earthward headlong with a
booin that makes the whole field of air tremble !
In these movements they are constantly in pur-
suit of insects, winnowing the thin air for the
glittering motes that sport in the last ra)S of the
setting sun. In late June they lay their gre\-
mottled eggs in wild stum[) lands, on the bare
ground, without the least sign of a nest. The
downy young are found in such i)laces without
the least protection, the ])icture of heli)less desti-
tution. The quietness of the intelligent mother
and her ability at decoying seem to be their
protection, together with the fact that the a[)pear-
ance of the young is exactly that of the fragments
of decayed and lichened wood among which they
are placed. The first weeks of September, Night
Hawks are seen in large flocks, sweeping quickly
past in the high air, the individuals of the flock
constantly crossing and re -crossing one another's
path. Now they are on the move to warmer skies
where insect wings forever glitter in the sunny air.
50 BIRDS or p. K. ISLAND.
Cl'himneri ^luift.
( Chatura Pclasgicn)
'I'his bird, tliough p(Ji)ularly called "Swallow,"
is very distiiK^t from the ordinary Swallows. Its
sooty - hlae.k color, sliar}), cjuickly vibrating wings,
and very short tail mark it distinctl), wherever
seen coursing the sunnner blue. When the country
was in wilderness, these l)irds built in the hollows
of trees, hundreds sometimes occupxing one hol-
low trunk, and going to and frcjm their resort
in a black stream. The nest, now ordinarily
placed in chimneys, is built of twigs fastened to-
gether by the gelatinous saliva of the birds ; it
contains four or five pure while eggs.
J)ummiuc)-bivli.
Our Humming - bird is the Ruby - throated
( TrocJiiliis colubris), the only one that wanders so
far from the floral riches of tlie tropics. Its upper
l)arts are golden - green, sides green, a metallic
gorget on its throat reflecting rich ruby red,
KINGFISHl.K. 51
winj^s and forked tail purplish, hcluw while. It
comes in May, dashini^', like an emerald meteor,
throiiL^di the early ^^arden walks, and stayinj; while
the late Se[)tenil)er blossoms distil nectar aloni^
the faded borders. The tiny nest, with two
diminutive white eggs, is placed on the up[)er
side of a naked limb, and formed of the snowy
down of the prairie willow, but stuccoed outside
with the lichens jjeculiar to the limb on which
it is built, so as to completel)' conceal it froiVi
observation. This jewelled mite, so nervous and
delicate that if merel)' taken in the hand it may
die of fear, defends its nest with the utmost
bravery, dashing, like a mad hornet, at the head
of the intruder, and screeching with its sharp
squeak}- voice as it rushes to the assault.
Jlincjfishci'.
( Ceryle alcyou)
Who does not know that bold fisherman bird,
the Belted Kingfisher, with his great t[uadrangular
bill, his loud chattering laugh, his arrowy flight
and his deep -dug hole in the river bank? His
52 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND
delighted haunt is the upper river course, where
the foHaged banks make mystic shadows on the
moving crystal of the tide. Unseen he sits on
some shadowed perch, motionless until the glint
of scales passes in the stream below. Then, like
a winged javelin, he dashes, and in a moment
rises from the silvery spray with an exultant laugh,
bearing off his finny prey to his home in the
deep -drilled river bank. His nest - hole, seven
or eight feet deep, is sunk in the face of a clear
clay bank. The nest, where half a dozen hardy
young ones are reared, consists of a few scattered
fish bones lining the rude clay cavity.
|3lack-lnlleb Cuckoo.
( Coccygus erytJiropJitJialinus)
The Black - billed Cuckoo is a rare summer
visitant that spends but a few short weeks of the
leafy months with us. Tennyson says of the
English Cuckoo :
'&'
" To right and left
The cuckoo told his name to all the hills."
WOODPECKERS. 53
Our bird is more discreet, and never says any-
thing more than cook^ cook, as it wanders from
one shady perch to another. It is an exceedingly
sliy bird, hiding its rich, bronzed plumage most
jealously in the thick foliage. It is not a parasite,
like the English bird, but always builds a nest
for its own eggs.
(tiOoobpcchere.
We have seven species of these peculiar birds
which obtain their liviuLi by diii:gini: the l)urrow-
inu; larvae of insects out of their lairs in the solid
trunks of timl)er trees. Their bills are chisel-
pointed and of great strength, their feet are
eminently adapted for grasping and climbing, and
their rigid tail feathers are pointed to form a
fulcrum for their bodies while they stand erect
at their work of chipping into the firm wood.
The Downy, Hairy, and Black - backed W'ood-
peckers are all spotted, black and white birds
which stay with us winter and summer. During
the dreary months they add to the little life
found in the lonely wood - lands by Hitting
8
54 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND
from trunk to trunk and demurely digging for
their insect prey. But when the brightening suns
of March gleam o'er the forest, they mount the
hollow beech trees and, with a vigorous rap, rap-
ping, make the naked wood -land ring. Like
those of all Woodpeckers, their eggs are pure
white. They are six in number, placed in a nest-
hole excavated in the solid timber of lofty trees.
The great Black Woodpecker, or Logcock, is
a lonely bird of the forest, but rarely seen now
in the cleared state of our country. It is fifteen
inches in length, mostly black in color, with a
scarlet crest. It is a ])owerful wood -cutter, and
the amount of chips that it will knock out of a
decayed stump which it sup[)oses to contain a
meal of grubs, is something astonishing.
The Yellow - bellied Woodpecker (Sphyropicus
varius)^ with its beautifully varied plumage, is the
Sapsucker which is sometimes thoughtless enough
to strip the bark off orchard trees for the sake
of obtaininiif the sweet cambium which lies next
the wood.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a southern bird
which occasionally wanders here in mid -summer.
The Golden- winged Woodpecker (Colaptcs auratus)
WOODPECKERS. 55
is also a summer visitant and one of our com-
mon birds. In the soft days of April we listen
for his calling with the early songsters of
the grove. In May we catch him on a retired
sunny perch cooing to his mate — a loving pair,
thrilling with emotion and true wilderness affection.
They sit close together on the perch, silent for
a moment, then they rise slightly, stretch out their
scarlet - banded necks, flutter their rich brown
plumage, spread out their beautifully marked, fan-
shaped tails, then turn half round toward each
other, dodging their bodies and uttering a low
whistling chuckle. That's wild bird courting. In
the last of the month the)' have their nest dug
in a decayed stump about as high as one can
reach from the ground. They have twelve
beautiful white eggs. These birds are very fond
of ants and their nests are generally fragrant with
the odor of formic acid. The Flicker, as he is
sometimes called, will occasionally stay here till
chill October is well advanced. Nois\ and rest-
less in the first of the season, he is very quiet
and retired in autumn.
56 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
In Princf Edward Island \vc have seven Owls,
all fluffy grey, or brown, lovers of the darkness,
seeking their prey during the shadowy hours and
hiding in the darkest thickets during the day.
'I'he (Ireat Snowy Owl alone hawks over the
crystal fields of winter in broad daylight. It is
an Arctic bird cominsf down from the desolate
regions of Labrador only during the severest
weather to search for mice, shrews, and other
small (juadrupeds on our less deeply inundated
fields. Its |)lumage is white with dusky spots.
The Great Horned Owl (Bubo Vifginianiis ) is
is a huge, dark - colored owl of the primative
forest, two feet in length and four feet in extent
of wings, consi)icuously marked by two large tufts
of feathers which stand erect on its head like
i2;reat ears. It sometimes comes about farm
houses, robbing poultry yards, and making night
hideous with its dismal hooting. These great birds
lay l)ut two eggs in the naked hollow of a tree.
The Screech Owl is a miniature Bubo and not
half the size of Virgiiiiauus. It is strictly noc-
turnal and unable to stand the light of day.
OWLS. 57
Like other owls in this respect it is a great
destroyer of mice, in search of which it comes
into barns. I'he Great Grey Owl is a winter
bird of the lonely forest of larger size even than
the Great Horned Owl. The Ijarred Owl is a
smaller bird much resembling the last.
The Hawk Owl (Siirnia funerea) is a small-
sized, trimly- formed bird much resembling a hawk
both in its general ai)i)earance and diurnal habits.
The smallest of the family is the Acadian, or
Saw - whet Owl, a grey and brown - plumed little
fellow eight inches in length. Its most ))eculiar
characteristic is its call note of kook^ /wok,
sounded continuouslv durinu, the still hours of
calm, clear moonlit nights, in March and A[jril.
The constant and regular repetition of this single
note, echoing through the rigid forest, sounds
like, the tolling of a bell, ringing out its steady
peal on the starlit brilliancy of the crystal scene.
This curious little bird nests in the hollow of a
tree, laying five or six white eggs. Like most
other Owls, it nests in Aj^ril, having its young
well advanced when the summer's struggle begins.
58 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
Jjulconilicr, or Ijatuke.
'I'he Hawks are never abundant, but a fair
number visit us every season, sailing in their
majestic and buoyant flight over the shadu ved
summer fields, or dashing in cruel foray into the
trembling flocks of lesser birds. When lengthen-
ing April days bring us soft blue skies bowing
over the scarcely broken fields of snow, two or
three individuals of Cooper's Hawk will often be
seen in company wheeling leisurely round in the
sunny upper air. They may be distinguished by
their medium size and the light color of their
under parts. Soon afterwards the graceful little
S[)arrow Hawk ( Falco sparveniis) comes in i)airs
swee{)ing through the open groves and wild lands.
This little Hawk nests in the hollow of a tree.
The Harrier is a blue -colored Hawk that scours
our fields wmter and summer. It flies low, hav-
ing a wavering, uncertain gait as it pursues in-
ferior game on the ground. The Goshawk (Astirr
atricapilliis) is a large, dark - colored hawk that
stays with us winter and summer. Its home is
in the dark recesses of the forest and it is the
terror of the winter woods. Often do we see
HAWKS. 59
the ermine of winter stained with the blood of
a rabbit or the bright plumes of a jay where
this marauder has had his meal.
The Red - tailed and Red -shouldered Buzzards
are the Hen Hawks of Summer. They nest
with us, building their eyries in the summits of
lofty trees, and occupying the same nest for a
succession of years. It is the Red -tailed Buz-
zard that performs those wonderful aerial feats of
wheeling round in great circles on motionless
wings, steady as the revolution of a planet, but
ascending with each revolve, till at length he is
lost in the depth of the summer sk\'.
The Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle visit
us sometimes, and the Osprey juirsues his sum-
mer fishing along our well - stored coasts.
I'he Peregrine Falcon ( Faico peregrinns) is the
most powerful and beautiful of our resident hawks,
noted alike in Euroi)e and America. It builds
its eyrie in the lonely forest summits, and makes
its forays along the wild rocky coasts where fleets
of ducks and guillemots swarm the wave. Here
we may see him rush, like a plumed bolt, from
the cliffs, sweep up his quarry fcom the gleam-
ing wave and bear it off to his home on the
6o BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
hills. That winged thunderbolt of the Arctic
regions, the white -plumed and terrifically power-
ful Ciyrfalcon, visits us at times, like an electric
flash, licking his ha[)less prey from the crystal
fields of winter.
WILD PIGEON.
(Ectopistes mi^ratorius)
Only a rare straggler of this once abundant
and delicious species of game bird is now to be
seen in our well cultivated country. It is not
the want of food, we think, but the destructive
propensity of humanity which has frightened away
the Pigeons. They were here in great numbers
at the early settlement of the country, and they
still occasionally appear in large flocks in the
neighboring Provinces.
yiirtrilige?.
We have two species of Grouse, the Canada
Grouse, or Spruce Partridge, and the Ruffed
p;.ovERs. 6 1
Grouse, or Partridge. ^J'he first of these inhabits
evergreen tracts and swamps, while the other fre-
quents diy hardwoods and ui)lands. Both arc
quite common, particularly in less cultivated
districts, where they feed on berries of heath
plants and brambles in summer and on the seeds
and buds of birches in winter.
The Ruffed Grouse has a conspicuous ruffle
of dark feathers on each side of its neck. Dur-
ing the breeding season, in May and June, it
has the habit of making a peculiar drumming
noise, by beating the air with its wings. This
muffled drumming of the Partridge, on dull, quiet
spring days, is one of the most peculiar and
weird undertones of wood - land scenes. Part-
ridges nest on the ground, in a retired spruce
thicket, laying about a dozen eggs.
PLOVERS.
Leaving the Land Birds, we now turn to the
great section of the feathered families consisting
of birds which are seldom found except b)' the
62 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
water's edge, or on the unstable crystal of its bosom.
Most of these birds pass in great migratory waves
annnallv from warmer to colder regions. Thus
they jjass our Island twice in a season. In the
spring they go more directly northward, many of
them being unseen here ; but in the autumn, when
they return with their flocks of young, they spread
all over these Eastern Provinces filling the bays
and marshes with endless troops of wading and
swimminu; fowl.
Autumn days are glorious in Prince Edward
Island. The free range of the gilded autumn
fields, the blazing forests on the hills, the crystal,
dashing streams, the silvery bays, and the soft,
dreamy light of the mellow sky that rests its
beauty long on our sea-girt hills, make autumn,
in many respects, the most delightful season of
our year. It is then the bow - winged Plovers
come in large, compact flocks, with their soft
pij)ing calls and gentle ways, to add fresh charm
to the retirement of our streams and quiet marsh-
borders.
The Golden Plover, a beautiful bird, ten
inches in length, with its black coat all speckled
with golden yellow, is the favorite of the tribe.
PLOVERS. 63
In Sc[)tember it is common on our marshes and
damp meadows, being much pursued as a game
bird. Its breeding place is tlie barren grounds
of the desolate Northern Regions.
I'he Ring - neck Plover is a smaller and much
more abundant bird. It is the first to return
from the North, becoming conniion in August.
Indeed, some few individuals nest here, about
lonely shores and islands. I have seen them in
breeding time at St. Peter's Island. The color
is dark ashy - brown with a black ring on the
breast. It nests in a grassy spot on the marsh
and lays four speckled grey eggs.
The Pale Ring -neck is a very light - colored
Plover that may be seen any time during summer
on the sea -piled shingle beach in front of a salt
marsh. Here the bird is constantly running about
for insects on which it feeds, and, when disturbed,
uttering a peculiarly sad wailing cry which is
more than usually consonant with the grandeur
and solitariness of the scenes which it frequents.
I'he ceaseless voice of the deep, the grand soli-
tude of the shore, the ever restless buffeting wind
find a strange accompaniment in this sad, wail-
ing voice running through the discord of nature.
64 HIUDS OF P. v.. ISLAND.
The bird lays its eggs on the bare shingle, as a
gull docs on the sand, and it uses all its powers
of feint and decoy to allure the stranger away
from its strangely exposed treasures. Hut though
so exposed, they are very difficult to discover, so
well do they mimic the colors of the gre)-, sun-
bleached shingle and sand. Indeed the color of
the bird itself so closely resembles that of the
shingle, that when it squats down on the beach,
it is impossible for the eye to distinguish it.
The Kildeer Plover is a larger bird than the
Ring -neck, and has two black bands on its
•
breast. It stays late, being here the last of October.
NORTHERN PIIALAROPE.
( Lobipes hyperhoreus)
'I'his bird appears in our harbors in late fall,
when other water -fowl are getting scarce. It
appears in flocks of several hundreds, flying
about in the wildest manner — -dashing into the
water all together, and as they do so, making the
spray fly, dipping under the surface in an extreme
hurry, then rising to the wing again and off to
SNIPES, KTC. 65
ancnher station, as if the tlock were playing a
wild game of "follow your leader." A few days
at this time is all we see them.
cSuipco, (!:tc.
The Woodcock is common in Prince Edward
Island. It arrives early in May and makes its
chief resort along the wet meadows that border
streams, thougli at times it fretiuents any rich
open wood. Its long bill is intended to aid it
in exploring wet ground for worms and grubs,
and we have seen a little patch of wet marsh by
a creek quite studded with these bunchy brown
birds driving their long bills everywhere into the
richly stocked ooze. Then, what a whir of wings
there was when they observed the intruder ! It
is the choice game bird of this fcimily, and
most pursued by sportsmen.
I'he American Snipe, nearly as large, but
much less fat and clumsy than the Woodcock,
is a iTfraceful wanderer about our sea - shores and
stream borders. I have not seen it in flocks,
but a solitary Jack Snipe may meet you in any
sea- side excursion in late autumn.
66 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND
Not SO uncommon is the Semii)almated Sand-
})iper, endless flocks of which swarm along our
muddy shores in Sei)teml)er, tripping with dainty
steps among the mud and weeds, as they secure
their meal of marine insects. At first, you think
that the Pewits have increased suddenly in num-
bers. Hut then you observe their clear white
underparts, and that they have not the habit of
bobbing up and down their tails, and when they
rise and fly, their steady flight tells you that the
Northern birds have returned from their nesting.
Nearly related to the last is the Least Sand-
piper, or Peep. It too goes to nest among the
" fogs of rock - girdled T^abrador ; " but, as I have
seen it, during the breeding season, on the
l)orders of our own breezy marshes and sun -lit
ponds, I think it sometimes nests among those
green swells that lie on the southern side of the
(iulf of St. Lawrence. It is the least of the
Sandpipers, and, presuming on its own insignifi-
cance, it is the least inclined to fly at the
aj^proach of man. Often, when every other bird
un the marsh had taken wing at our approach,
we have found ourselves right among a group
t)f those peeping trifles, unconcernedly explormg
the riches of some muddy hole right at our feet.
SNIPES, ETC. 67
Bonaparte's Sandpiper is a large bird and a
common autumn visitant,
The Sanderling ( Calidris arenaria) is a light-
colored Sandpiper, larger than a Ring -neck Plover.
It appears in numbers on the sea -washed reefs
and dunes of our northern coast, during the
autumnal migrations, while the young are in their
immature plumage. They are very quiet [)irds,
running along the sands ahead of the traveller,
bobbing down to pick up seeds or insects, utter-
ing a soft, suppressed peep^ to preserve the
company of the flock, and caring little while they
are a stone's throw in advance of the intruder.
Its presence does much, in the late autumn, to
relieve the dreariness of the storm - lashed, desolate
dunes by the sea.
I'he W'illet (Symphoiiia semipahnata) is a large
Sandpiper, being sixteen inches in length. It is
light - ash, si)eckled with dusky above, and white
below. Willets are restless and noisy birds, mak-
inu; themselves well known round the marsh whicli
they frequent, but they are not common with us.
The (Greater Yellow - leirs is a bird somethinu;
less in size than the W'illet and of darker color,
but possessing the same gaunt, long - nosed appear-
68 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
ance. It comes to Prince Edward Island early
in May. We see little of it during all the early
})art of summer, for it is then quietly employed
about its nesting, far up the rivers, where islets
of bright green marsh grass bestud the silvery
border of the tide. When intruded on, it is
noisy and excited, flying round the marsh and
uttering its loud piercing cries. Its large dark-
colored eggs are placed in a carelessly built nest,
in a tuft of grass, on the border of the marsh.
In September it is common along the shores with
the other Sandpipers, the most noisy, wary, and
unapproachable of the crowd.
The Si)otted Sandpiper, or " Pee - weet," is our
really "home bird" of the family. It is with
us the whole summer from May till October,
enlivening with its mellow l)iping every sea -coast
pasture in the land. At eve, it is flitting along
the shadowed margin of the tide, sounding a rapid
note for its mate. At noon, it is swinging in
quick, nervous flights over the meadows, where
its nesting charge is hid in the scented grass, or
quietl)' foraging for a meal in the turnip patch.
Its curious dodging and tilting of its body, as it
pursues insects on the shore, its feints aud devices
GLOSSY IBIS. 69
as it endeavors to lead away the intruder from
its young, and its four great mottled eggs placed
in a most carelessly built nest make this bird
a curiosity to every amateur in ornithology ; and
its soft, piping voice, all summer long in the
romantic walks by the sea border, make it dear
to every lover of nature.
But a much greater favorite with the sports-
man is the Bartramian Sandpiper, or the " Upland
Plover," as it is usually called. This is a dark-
colored bird, a foot in length, that keeps in close,
swift - flying flocks, shifting often from one pasture-
ground to another. It is with us in September
and October, and in great numbers falls before
the sportsman's murderous piece.
The Sickle -bill Curlew is an uncommon bird
with us, but a few specimens are preserved in
private collections. Its long, curved bill makes
it a curiosity.
GLOSSY IBIS.
(Plegadis falcmellus)
This beautiful bird is an occasional visitant,
being known among sportsmen as " black curlew."
10
70 BIRDS OK P. E. ISLAND.
C.REAT BLUE IIKRON.
( A rdea herodias)
This is tlie largest of our wading [jirds, and
one of the most common. The tall, gaunt form
of the "crane" stntuling at low water in the
weedy shallows is everywhere a picturescjue feature
of our summer coast. A solitary bird or two comes
in April, while snow and ice are plenty. Then
it may be seen standing on the ice and patiently
watching at a hole for a })recarious meal. It is
the fu'st of June before "cranes" become com-
mon. Then they attend to their nesting, which
is conducted in great colonies, called heronries.
There is a noted heronry in an old spruce forest
at the head of Howell's Brook. The l)irds from
this encampment frequent the bays many miles
away on both sides of the Island. They are at
their fishing before l)reak of day, and the late
glim})se of twilight at evening sees the great
broad wings slowly coursing over the darkened
hills, as the faithful fisher returns with the late
l)urden to its young. Awkward as the "crane"
looks, it is very successful, in cai)turing game.
GREAT HLUE HERON. 7 1
The lank grey form stands motionless in the
ripplinp; tide until the unwary fishes fori^^et that
the crooked shadow is a thinu; of life at all.
Then, slowly the huge, rapier -like hill, poised on
the slender arched neck, is lowered to the level
of the water, and with rapid, hut silent move-
ments, the sportive fmnies are conve)ed one by
one to his i)Ouch. I have disturbed a Heron after
such a "haul," and he was unable to rise from
the ground until he had first disgorged ten good
sized fishes from his crop. In the latter part of
summer, the young, full-fledged, are down to the
fishing with their parents. 'I'hen, on a glowing
autumn evening, when the broad reach of the
weedy hay is all glinting with golden light, the
tall, light -colored forms of scores of these birds,
standing all over its surface, and enlarged in ap-
pearance b)- the vividly reflected light, look more
like phantoms of the deep than the very practical
fishers that they are. When the tide is up,
"cranes" rest themselves roosting on trees in the
vicinity of the water, or go to the meadows for
a meal of grasshoppers.
'I'he American Bittern ( Botanrns vuigitans) is
much less common than the Heron. A few
72 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
frequent the ponds and marshes of the north
shore, and an odd pair may be found nesting in
creek bottoms anywhere through the country ;
where, at night, their curious "booming," or "stake
driving," arouses the curiosity or superstition ot
country strollers. It nests in a soft reedy bog,
and feeds largely on frogs, lizards, and snakes.
'I'he American Coot, a dark -colored bird the
size of a 'I'eal, but distinctly allied to the Rails,
frequents our sedgy river borders in summer
time. The nest is built of a mass of dried
reeds, so as to float on the water. Its sharp-
l)ointed bill, webless feet, and general appearance
win for it the common name of "marsh hen."
Jfamili) JlnatibiC.
AMERICAN WILD SWAN.
(CygHus columbianus)
This magnificent bird but seldom visits our shores,
its line of migration being more inland, probably
up the Hudson River Valley. A specimen was
ANATID^.
73
taken at Wheatley River, by Mr. William Stead,
October 7th, 1885, and is now in a private collect-
ion in Charlottetovvn.
When the first soft skies of March bow
tenderly over the broken fields of snow, and
the bared head -lands stand red and flamin^^
above the crystal floor of the river, then, on
the amber verge of the southern heaven, the
faint lines of the Common Wild Goose are
seen, and the deep -voiced honk of its flock-
ing call sounds from afar, the advance herald of
approaching spring. After two or three weeks,
the V-shaped lines of the flocks become quite
common, as vast numbers press on to their
breeding grounds in the North. When the ice
breaks in the harbors, the flocks come into the
dappled blue spaces, noisy and restless, gathering
into larger flocks, composed of several hundred
individuals, as April advances; and finally, at its
close, nearly all disappear, leaving our bays to
the humbler tribes of Ducks and Brant. While
here, they feed largely on eel -grass (Vallisneria
spiralis). Some few individuals have been known
to breed here; and some remain during mild
winters.
74 niRDS OF p. E. ISLAND.
Individuals of the AVhite, or Snow Goose
sometimes appear in the flocks of common Wild
Geese, early in the season. The White - fronted
Goose is also here at times.
P'ollowing the Geese, soon after the ice breaks
up, Brant come into our harbors, always in large
flocks, of one hundred or more. They are much
smaller than Geese, being only two feet in length,
while (jccse are three feet. They remain in our
(juiet bays in great numbers all through the
sunn)' days of May, scattering in freedom over
the gleaming waters, dappling in the surface, and
sounding their hoarse, sonorous, croaking calls
through the still air of calm s])ring days. June
6th, if the weather is favorable, is their date for
leaving for the North, when they may be seen
departing in great flocks in the calm of declining
days. They are but little seen during their return
migration in October.
The dreary winters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
during which ice sometimes forms solid to the
Magdalens, offer little inducement for water - fowl
to stay with us ; yet in the severest months,
wherever a stretch of blue wave breaks among
the floes, Golden - eyes, or Whistlers, Pintails and
ANATID/E. 75
Goosanders defy the rigors of the season. In
midwinter, I liave been on the coast, when huge
masses of ice buried u\) the wliole shore -hne,
stretching seaward as far as the eye could see.
One opening remained, however, to leeward of a
reef. The blue waves rolled sullen 'neath the
weight of the wintry wind, and dashed angry,
frozen foam over the stranded floes. The air
was thick with frozen mist, obscuring the distant
visit)n, and making the dull winter sunlight more
hazy still. While gazing at the wild scene, where
frost and temjiest held terrific sway, I have been
startled to see the form of a Whistler shoot,
with sounding wings, through the misty tempest,
or observe the soft -voiced Pintail dip beneath
the angry wave, or the statel)' Ooosander sail
calmly on its surging bosom, while the Herring
(iull, with wild shriek, breasted the ten:ipest overhead.
The ^\'histler nests in our creeks, building under
brush on the ground, and in July leads its duck-
lings out on the bays. The beautiful little bird,
plumed with white, black, and glossy green, in
autumn days, sports innocently along the shores,
diving often and rajjidly, and resting quietl)' on
the glassy surface with little fear of the spectator
if it is not pursued.
76 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
The Black Duck (A^ias ohsciira) is sometimes
with us all winter too, but it is a bird of the
sheltered river, not of the foaming Gulf. In
summer, it disports on the broad estuary, chas-
ing its fellows through the splashing water, and
shouting loud quacks in its glee. It wanders in
companies of a score or more when out on the
bay, but disperses in very small numbers when
it goes up to the marshes to feed. At dusk, I
have seen large numbers going out to lonely
places at sea, for security over night. The
female hides her nest in the brushwood, near
the shores, or in long grass on the sand hills,
and deposits her seven to thirteen greenish eggs
in a bulky, comfortable receptacle, built of dry
grass, with some down. She lays in June or
July, and in August, has her brood around her
out on the river. So close do the ducklings
keep to the mother, that, from a distance,
you would take the whole group for one
object. Most wary is the mother now as she
floats the broad, silvery tide, or steals furtively to
the covert on the bank. In winter a few of
these ducks stay about the head - waters of rivers
and large springs. They do not dive for food,
DUCKS. 77
but take insects and mollusrs on the surface, and
their flesh is excellent.
The Green - winged Teal and the Blue -winged
Teal are small Ducks that appear in large flocks
during the spring and fall migrations.
Our most beautifully plumed water -fowl is the
Wood Duck (Atx sponsa). It is a small - sized
Duck, resplendent in l)lack and white, and bril-
liant coppery, purple, green, and chestnut. It is
peculiar for nesting in holes in trees.
When the leaden skies of late fall days cast
their sombre hues over our bays, if we approach
quietly the sheltered side of an islet or head-
land, sailing and diving actively with the Golden-
eyes and Mergansers, we will see another small
Duck, much resembling the first, but with a great
puffed, black head, all brilliant with green and
purple iridescence. This is the Buffle-head Duck,
a purely northern species, that is here only in
early winter and spring.
The Eider Duck is a large bird, two feet in
length. The male, in breeding plumage, is white,
with the under parts and rump black, and the
head washed with green. The females are mottled
brown. This is the bird which supplies the
II
78 BIRDS OF P. E, ISLAND.
prized cider down of commerce. 'I'he flocks come
round our shores in autumn, and are here early
in the spring, when the ice - laden bays and misty
air resemble their home of the North. They
are ([uiet northern birds, loving to sit in the lee
of the floes, uttering not a sound till dusk of
evening when they call their missing mates to
the nightly gathering.
The Black Scoter is a beautiful velvety -black
bird, with a prominent, orange -colored gil)bosity
at the base of its bill. It is common in the late
fall, and probably stays in the Gulf during mild
winters. The Velvet Sc(3ter, called "Sea -Coot,"
is quite common in autumn and spring. It is
distinguished by a large white patch on the wing
and another under the e)e.
The Surf Duck is another Scoter, distinguished
by having only a white patch on the forehead
and another on the nape. It is common here
in the fall with the general crowd of ducks that
swarm the bays at that time.
The Red - breasted Merganser f^J/^z-^/^j scrrator)
is much smaller than the boreal Goosander, and
is not a winter bird with us. Mergansers come
into our waters with the first breaking of the ice,
CAN NET, OK SOLAN GOOSE. 79
the middle of A|>ril. A few stay and breed
here, but the greater mass press northward in
the spring migration, and are not seen again till
the fiill. They are graceful birds, with long,
flat bodies, and slender bills. Males have
glossy green heads, with a thin crest, back and
wings white and black, breast reddish. They are
graceful and active divers, slipping under the
water without any s])lash or inverting of the
body, and in flight make no whistling, as Golden-
eyes do. They are among the most abundant
birds of our bays during the migratory seasons.
(i ANNEX, OR SOLAN GOOSE.
(Sida bassana)
The Gannei resembles a goose in general
appearance, but is white with black primaries,
like the ordinary Sea Gull, and fishes by dashing
into the water for its prey, as Sea Gulls do.
Gannets are common on the fishing grounds of
the Gulf, and breed on the lonely Bird Rocks,
in its mid - waters, north of the Magdalens.
The Common Cormorant — a heavy, black bird.
8o BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
as large as a goose — is common in the outer
bays late in the autumn. It breeds on lonely
rocky islets.
'I he Great Black - backed Gull ( Larus marinus)
is the largest of our (lulls, distinctly marked
by its blackish -])urple mantle. It is a winter
bird and may be seen sitting on the ice
floes, while a ])atch of blue water remains, leis-
urely awaiting the appearance of game. Here it
is acompanied by the more active Herring (kills
and the small - sized Kittawakes. Black - backs
are never very common, but even in mid-summer
a few of the great, lazy birds will be seen sit-
ting about the broad sandOats of the coast, where
they feed on the garbage thrown up by the
waves. Such lonely reefs as St. Peter's Bar
are its chief resort. When disturbed, it spreads
its great wings to the breeze, runs on tij) toe
along the sand, and swings heavily into the air ;
and, flying but a short distance, lights in a pool
with a contented kack^ kack^ while the Herring
HERRING GULL. 8l
Gull, on snowy wing, wheels high in the blue.
But* the Black - back can spread its five feet of
white pinions and sweep far over the sea. I'hen
its movements are majestic and grand, as with
keen eye it watches for the larger game of the
deep. Both this bird and the Herring Gull, feed
much on mollusca, breaking such strong shells as
those of Mactra solidissima with their bills.
The Herring Gull is the bird of the harbor
and the bay, its snowy pinions forever coursing
over the dappling blue, or dipping lightly into
its foam. It may be found wandering far in
tiie lonely Gulf, seeking adventurously for the
great schools of food fish, and it is perfectly at
home in the busiest sea - ports, gleaning the offal
of fishing piers and wharfs. We will even see
it contending for a meal off a carcass, on the
ice, in mid - winter, with a grouj) of hungry
crows. The Herring CiuU is withal a tyrant in
his own field, robbing the smaller gulls, when
they have mide a catch, or pirating from a
fleet of industrious ducks, as they bring their
game to the surface. Both these large Gulls go
away to lonely islands and reefs for their nesting,
depositing their eggs on the naked sand, where
82 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
there is nothing to disturb them, and trusting
to the heat of the July sun to hatch the
young.
Bonaparte's Gull ( Chroicocephalus pJiiladelphia)
is our smallest nnd most abundant species in
summer. Bonapartes come here the latter part
of May, in company with the 'J'erns, with whom
they had travelled all the way from their winter-
ing on the shores of Florida. "rhey appear in
large flocks at once, dipping, and whirling, and
crossing, like drifting snow flakes, over the sunny
wave. They love the (piiet river waters, going
up even into narrow creeks in pursuit of their
fishing. With the fleet - winged Terns, they are
the soul of life in our harbors, their soft cher
mingling harmoniously with the harsh shrieking
of the former. Bonapartes and Terns go, in
July, to the outer reefs and .sand l)anks for their
nesting. Great number nest together, and such
a place is then a scene of the most romantic
activity and eager parental solicitude. The swift
white wings are sweeping to and fro through the
clear summer sky. The birds wander far over
the sea in pursuit of their prey, and hastily re-
turn with the cai)tured prize for their young. If
TERNS. 83
an intruder approaches, in one dense cloud, iilvc
a flight of air - borne arrows, they sweep towards
him with piercing shrieks that plead for his
departure.
When their young are fledged, they delight to
rest in a great white flock in the calm water by
the edge of a reef. Many heads are tucked
under the snowy wings, in perfect composure.
Not a plume stirs, save that the sportive sea
breeze ruflles a downy feather now and then.
But a winged brother arrives from an excursion
to sea, instantly every graceful j)inion is raised
aloft to welcome him, and then they settle down
quietly again to their repose on the dai)pled
breast of the blue.
Our two species of Terns are the Wilson's, or
Cojiimon Tern, and the Arctic 'i'ern. The first
is marked by a black cap on its head. The
Arctic Tern is a smaller bird, but has a longer
forked tail, and is the least common of the two
PETRELS.
Leach's Petrel and Wilson's Petrel are !)oth
dark -colored little birds, about eight inches long.
84 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
They are deep-water birds, seldom seen on the
coast, but occasionally blown ashore during storms.
LOONS.
The Great Northern Divei, or Loon, (Colymlms
torquatus) is common in our waters, remaining
summer and winter, when there is oi)en water.
It is a large bird, three feet in length. Color
black, marked with numerous square white spots.
It breeds in our harbors, where we often see it
perform its surprising diving feats and hear its
weird cries.
The Red - throated Diver is seen here in
winter and fall.
^xiks.
SEA DOVE, OR DOVEKIE.
( Alle nigricans)
This beautiful little species of Auk — glossy
blue - black, with white front and white markings
SEA PIGEON. 85
on wing and over eye — is an Arctic species, seen
here only during the tempests of winter.
GUILLEMOT.
The Black Guillemot, or Sea Pigeon, makes
the red cliffs of our northern shore its nesting
place in summer. The birds deposit their two
dull -greenish eggs in the naked rlefts of the sand-
stone rocks. On quiet summer days they love to
sit upright in rows on the inaccessible rock ledges,
looking grotesquely like so many black bottles
ranged on a shelf, or float in dark groups on
the glassy billows below. As we wander over
the soft green sward that crowns these lofty
battlements of the dee[), and watch the heaving
blue, and »l),i<ik -in^ the fresh wanderinuf breeze
and the great •" .jay.' '-c^f , the su-nmer'o sky, the
plaintive Nvhistlji.lg; of- these [';^:ntle birds, coming
up with the vcfoaii (5f thf,\*deeif, f'jrms a wild note
in nature's music not soon to be forgotten.
NoTK. — The English, or House Sparrow, was first seen in I'. K. Island,
in Charlottetown, November 26lh, 1886. Since then it has multiplied rapidly
in the city. F''oragiiis^ in the streets and yards in vvinter, nesting in inacces-
ihle nooks of the tallest houses in summer, and making excursi(jns in autumn
to feast in suburban graiii-lields, it seems perfectly at home and well estab-
lished here.
12
86
BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND.
INDEX.
Accentor .... 29
Auks 84
]^ittern 71
Hlackbird 44
IJlack Snow-bird 40
Bobolink 43
lilai:k-throat Bunting ... .42
Butcher-bird 34
Buzzards 59
Chickadees 20
Coot 72
Cormorant 79
Crane 70
Creej^er • ■'^3
Crossbills , . . ''6
Crow 45
Cuckoo K,2
Curlew -. . 69
Diver C4
Dovekie . . . ." .'..!.. 84
Ducks 76
Kider Duck jy
V.ng\cs 59
Falcon 59
Finches 34
Crass 41
Purple 36
Flycatchers 47
(lannet 79
Cioldfinch, American 38
Bine 39
Golden-eye 74
Cioosander 75
lioose y_^
( loshawk 58
Cireenlets 30
(Irosl)eak, Bine 35
Rose-breasted 43
(irouse 60
(iuillemot 85
(adls 80
Hawks . 58
Heron 70
iluniiiiing-oird 50
Ibis 69
jay, B1m2 46
Crnr.diia. 47
Kingbird 47
Kingfisher 51
Kinglets 18
Lark, Shore 25
Tit 26
Linnet 36
Red-jioll 37
Loon 84
Maryland Yellow-throat . . .28
INDEX.
87
Mourning Warliler 28
Merganser 78
Night-hawk 48
Nuthatch 22
Oriole 44
Osprey 59
Oven-bird 29
Owls 56
Partridge 60
Petrel 83
Pewit [.[68
Ph(i;he-bird 48
Pigeon 60
Pintail 74
Plovers 61
Redstart 28
Ring-neck 63
Robin I e
Sanderling 67 j
Sandpipers 66 1
Scoter 7,S i
Sea-coot 78 !
Shrike 34 I
Snipe 65 '
Snow Bunting 39 j
Sparrow, Chip 41
I^ox 41
House 85
Savanna 41
Sea-side 42
Sharp-tailed 42
Song 40
Tree 41
White-crowned 41
White-throat 41
Tattler 67
Tanager 30
Teal 77
Terns S;^
Thrush, Hermit 17
Olive-back 18
Titlark 26
\ ireo JO
Warblers 26
Waxwing 31
Whistler 75
Willet 67
Woodcock 65
\\'ood peckers 53
Wren 24
Vellow-legs ; 67
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