IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / O ■^- 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■-IM |50 1^ IIIIM 1: i^ ||M 2.0 1.8 1.4 lo_ ( b" — ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 «««itatat«ifa;;,;~*ac— t

"w<*4illed tertiaries. F represents the throat. G is the upper part of the thiOuc, called the jugulum. H is the bill or beak : this is divided into two parts, called the upper and lower mandibles. I is the frons, or forehead: feathers at this point are called frontal feathers. J is the crown : feathers here are called coronal feathers, and occipital. K represents the scapular feathers. L is the back : feathers here are sometimes called interscapular. M represents the tarsus : called shank or leg sometimes. N is the abdomen. O is the rump. P shows the upper tail coverts. Q indicates the position of the lower tail coverts. joined INTRODUCTION. R shows on tho bill the culmcn, or crown, of the upper mandible. S is tho naked skin at tho base of the bill, called the cere. T shows tho position of the lores between tlio eyo and bill, U indicates tho gape, tho angle at the junction of the upjwT and lower mandibles : the feathers in this locality are called rictal. V is tho cominissuro, or the folding edges of the mandibles. In addition to these parts, tlioro are the flanks or sides of tho bird ; tho poctus, or breast ; the flexure, or bend of tiie wing ; the iris, or irides, tho colored circle which sur- rounds the pupil of the eye ; and tho toes and tibia : tho former are sometimes palmated, as with the swimmers, or natatores ; and the latter is that portion next above the tarsus on the leg. upper frontal cipital. { «fMl MP SYNOPSIS CHARACTERISTICS OP NORTH-AMERICAN BIRDS. THE following synopsis of the orders of birds, taken partly from Keyserling and Blasius, will serve to illus- trate the characteristics of the higher groups in American Ornithology : — A. — Hind Toe on the same Level with the Anterior ONi:8. a. Posterior face or the sides of the tarsus more or less reticu- lated, granulated, or with scales more numerous or smaller than in front ; sometimes naked. Anterior face of the tarsus never in one unbroken plate. Larynx without complex vocal muscles. Order L Raftores. — Base of the upper mandible with a soft skin or cere. Upper mandible compressed ; its point curving down over that of the lower, forming a strong, sharp hook. Claws generally retractile. Toes, never two behind. Birds usually of large size and of powerful frame, embracing the so-called birds of prey. Order IL Scansobes. — Toes in pairs ; two in front and two behind : the outer anterior being usually directed backwards ; the inner, in Trogonidce. Tail-feathers eight to twelve. Order IIL Strisores. — Toes either three anterior and one behind (or lateral), or four anterior : the hinder one is, however, usually versatile, or capable of direction more or less laterally for- ward. Tail-feathers never more than ten. Primaries always ten ; the first, long. [4] n 1 1 RDS. taken illus- iricau RIOB •eticu- r than ver in rith a irving Gaws llyof bii-ds i two i; the d one ?ever, y for- 3 ten; BYNOPrilS OF TUB 5 Order TV. Clamatohes. — Toc«, three anterior and one pos- terior (not versfttiie). Primaries always ton ; iho first nearly as long as the second. Tail-feathers usually twelve. b. Anterior face of the tarsus in one continuous plate, or divided transversely into large quadrate scales. Plates on cither tho pos- terior surface of tho tarsus or the sides, without subdivisions, never both divided together: when divided, the divisions correspond with tho anterior ones. Larynx with peculiar complex singing muscles. Order V. Oscines. — Toes, three anterior, one posterior. Primaries, either nine only ; or, if ten, the first usually short vr spurious. B. — Hind Toe raised above the Level or the Rest. Order VL Rasobes. — Nostrils arched over by an incumbent thick, fleshy valve. Bill not longer than tho head, obtuse anteri- orly. Nails broad, obtusely rounded. Order VIL Grallatores. — Legs lengthened, adapted for walking, naked above the knee. Nostrils naked. Thighs usually quite free from the body. Toes not connected by a membrane, or for a short distance only ; sometimes with a lobed margin. Order VIII. Natatores. — Adapted for swimming. Legs generally short. Toes united by a continuous membrane. Thighs mostly buried in the muscles of the body. CHABACTEIU8TICK OP NOBTH-AMERICAN UlttDS. ORDER I. — RAITORES. Rodders. The poculiarities already given of tlio order Raj)t>rea aio sufiicient to dofiiio It among the others mentioned, although many atWitional features might be named. The order em- braces tlireo families, which are characterized by Kcyserling and Blosius as follows : — A. — DiuRRAL Birds of Pret. Eyes lateral, with Inshes, surrounded by a naked or woolly orbi- tal circle ; the feathers above, below, and behind the eyes directeil backwards, as on the rest of the liead ; anterior to the eye, the lore imperfectly clothed with a radiating star of bristles, or with scalo- hke feathers. Tlie inner toe without the nail, shorter, or as long as the outer. Nostrils opening in the cere. VuLTURiDJK. — Bill contracted or indented on the anterior border of the cere, so that the culmen is bow-shaped, or ascending anterior to it. Eyes lying on a level with the sides of the head. Head sparsely covered with downy feathers only, or partially naked. Claws weak, rather slender, and only moderately curved ; the tarsi and bases of the toes reticulated. FalconidjE. — The bill not contracted, nor the culmen ascend- ing anterior to the cere. Eyes sunken. The head completely covered with compact, perfect feathers. Claws strong. B. — NOCTDRNAL BiKDS OF PrET. STBioiDiE. — Eyes directed forwards ; more or less completely surrounded by a crown of radiating bristly feathers. Lores and base of bill densely covered with bristly feathers directed forwards. The nostrils opening on the anterior edge of the cere. The inner toe without its claw longer than the outer, which is versatile. A crown of peculiarly formed feathers on ■ s'd of the head and above the thrort. Head fully feather«vi. "j. lage very f'oft and downy. UHEAT-FOOTED lUtVK. lore Family FALCON I DTE. 8uh-Fatnihj FAr,coNiN/«, The Fam'ons, FALCO, LiKHAlii. Fnlro, Lmii.TO*, Ry«t. Nut. I. 124 (1760). (Icneral furm robust nnd compact. Bill nhort, curved utrnngly IVom the baae to tile point, which l« very «hiir|>, and nc«r which i» ii (Hntinct and gcnorally prominent toiilli; noatrila circular, with a cvniral tuhorcle; winK" long, |>ointt'i|, tbnned for vi)(orouii, rapid, and ion^-continuod flight; tiill rather long and with;; tnriti nhiirl, rubuit, covered with cinular or hexagonal icalea; niiddio tou lon<(; clawa lar^e, itroDg, curved, and very tharp. FALCO AVKtVU. — Bonaparte. The Suek Hawk ; Oreat-Footed Hawk. f'aico analum, liontp. Comp. I.i«, p. 4 (1888). " Fatco pereyrinui," Wilion, Audubon, and other authors. Dkscihptioii. AMt. — Frontal band white; entire upper parts blulsh-oinereons, with trans- Tewe hands of brownlsh-hlaok, lighter on the rumpj under parts yellowish-white, with co-date and circular spots of black on the breast and abdomen, and trntuverie bandr> of black on the sides, under tail coverts, and tibim; quills and tail brownish- black, the latter with transverse bars of pale cinereous; cheeks with a patch of black; bill light-blue ; tarsi and toes yellow Sexes alike. Younffer. — Entire upper parts brownish-black; fVontal spot obscure; large space on the cheeks black; under parts dull yellowish-white, darker than in adult, and with longitudinal stripes of browniah-black ; tarsi and toes blui»h-lead color, iris hazel. Total length, eighteen to twenty inches; wing, fourteen to fifteen; tail, seven to eight inches. > The Duck Hawk, which by the name of Peregine Falcon is known to my readers as one of the most rapacious of our birds of prey, is not uncommon in many portions of New England. It is nearly identical with the European species, and its habits and destructivoness are equally great with that bird. In its habitat, it is oftener found in the neighborhood of the sea-coast than in the interior. It is a powerful bird, of rapid flight and great boldness and cour- ^ See Introduction. I 8 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. age, and is the terror of the water-fowl, which constitute the greater portion of its prey. Tlie breeding season of this species is very early. It commences building the nest usually on an inaccessible cliff, by the first of April. This is constructed of twigs, grasses, and sometimes seaweeds. The eggs are from two to four in number: their form is almost spherical, and their color is of a reddish-brown, covered with nximerous minute spots and blotches of a darker shade. The dimensions of the only two specimens accessible to me at present are 1.90 inch in length by 1.75 in breadth, and 1.85 inch in length by 1.72 inch in breadth. The following extracts from the writings of different authors comprise the most interesting observations made of this species : — « The flight of this bird is of astonishing rapidity. It is scarcely ever seen sailing, unless after being disappointed in its attempt to secure the prey which it had been pursuing; and rven at such times it merely rises, with a broad spiral circuit, to attain a suffi- cient elevation to enable it to reconnoitre a certain space below. It then emits a cry much resembling that of the sparrow-hawk, but greatly louder, like that of the European kestrel, and flies off swiftly in quest of plunder. The search is often performed with a flight resembling that of the tame pigeon, until, perceiving an object, it redoubles its flappings, and pursues the fugitive with a rapidity scarcely to be conceived. Its turnings, windings, and cuttings through the air, are now surprising. It follows and nears the timorous quarry at every turn and back-cutting which the latter attempts. Arrived within a few feet of the prey, the Falcon is seen protruding his powerful legs and talons to their full stretch. His wings are, for a moment, almost closed ; the next instant, he grapples the prize, which, if too weighty to be carried off directly, he forces obliquely toward the ground, sometimes a hundred yards from where it was seized, to kill it, and devour it on the spot. Should this happen over a large extent of water, the Falcon drops his prey, and sets off in quest of another. On the contrary, should it not prove too heavy, the exulting bird carries it off to a seques- tered and secure place. He pursues the smaller ducks, water-hens, L ■i f^^ GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 9 and other swimming birds ; and, if they are not quick in diving, seizes them, and rises with them from the water. I have seen this hawk come at the report of a gun, and carry off a teal, not thirty steps distant from the sportsman who had killed it, with a daring assurance as surprising as unexpected. This conduct has been observed by many individuals, and is a characteristic trait of the species. The largest bird that I have seen this hawk attack and grapple with on the wing is the Mallard. "Thd Great-footed Hawk does not, however, content himself with waterfowl. He is generally seen following the flocks of pigeons, and even blackbirds, causing great terror in their ranks, and forcing them to perform aerial evolutions to escape the grasp of his dreaded talons. For several days, I watched one of them that had taken a particular fancy to some tame pigeons, to secure which it went so far as to enter their house at one of the holes, 8eir.e a bird, and issue by another hole in an instant, causing such terror among the rest as to render me fearful that they would abandon the place. However, I fortunately shot the depredator. "They occasionally feed on dead fish, that have floated to the shores or sand-bars. I saw several of them thus occupied, while descending the Mississippi on a journey undertaken expressly for the purpose of observing and procuring different specimens of birds, and which lasted four months, as I followed the windings of that great river, floating down it only a few miles daily. During that period, I and my companion counted upwards of fifty of these hawks, and killed several ; one of which was found to contain in its stomach bones of birds, a few downy feathers, the gizzard of a teal, and the eyes and many scales of a fish. "Whilst in quest of food, the Great-footed Hawk will frequently alight on the highest dead branch of a tree, in the immediate neigh- borhood of such wet or marshy ground as the common snipe resorts to by preference. His head is seen moving in short starts, as if he were counting every little space below ; and, while so engaged, the moment he espies a snipe, down he darts like an arrow, making a rustling noise with his winge, that may be heard several hundred yards off, seizes the snipe, and flies away to some near wood to devour it. "It is a cleanly bird, in respect to feeding. No sooner is the prey dead, than the Falcon turns it belly upwards, and begins to BM^^^H^.^^..^,^..^.. 10 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. pluck it with his bill, which he does very expertly, holding it mean- time quite faot in his talons ; and, as soon as a portion is cleared of feathers, tears the flesh in large pieces, and swallows it with great avidity. " If it is a large bird, he leaves the refuse parts ; but, if small, swallows the whole in pieces. Should he be approached by an enemy, he rises with it, and flies off into the interior of the woods ; or, if he happens to be in a meadow, to some considerable distance, he being mori wary at such times than when he has alighted on a tree." — Audubon. The following very complete description of the breeding habits of the Great-footed Hawk is from the pen of J. A. Allen, of Springfield, Mass., one of our most enthusiastic students, published in the " Proceedings of the Essex Insti- tute," vol. IV. : — " All accounts agree that the nest is placed on almost inaccessible cliffs ; and often it can only be approached by a person being let down by a rope from above. The old birds are represented as bold in the defence of their nest approaching so near as generally to be easily shot. They arrive early at their nesting-place j and, though they often bestow no labor in the construction of a nest, beyond the scraping of a slight hollow in the ground, they defend their chosen eyrie for weeks before the eggs are laid, and are known to return for several years to the same site. Incubation commences very early, the young having been found in the nest at Mount Tom, May 30, nearly fledged,^ and on Talcott Mountain, in the same condi- tion, June 1 ; so that the laying of the eggs must occur by the last of March, or very early in April. The number of eggs has been known in several instances to be four. " Mountains Tom and Holyoke, in Massachusetts, afford several localities favorable for the nidification of the Duck Hawk; and sometimes several pairs, and probably usually more than one, breed about these mountains.* About the last of May, 1863, Mr. Bennett 1 According to B. B. Hildreth, Esq., of Springaeld, who visited this nert May 80, 1861, and noted the fact The nest on Talcott Mountain, Conn., was found the same season, and first visited only a few days later, — about June 1, 1881. 9 Since the above was written, I have been informed by Mr. Bennett, that a pair of these hawks actually raised their young on Mount Tom in the summer of 1864, notwithstanding one pair was broken up the same season. GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 11 saw five adult birds of this species about Mount Tom. Dr. W, Wood, of East-Windsor Hill, Conn., informs me, that two pairs of Duck Hawks were evidently breeding on Talcott Mountain in the summer of 1863. " Discovery of the Eggs on Mount Tom. — Although the Duck Hawk has been long known to breed at the localities in Massachu- setts mentioned above, those conT(^rsant with the fact were not aware that any special interest was attached to it, or that its eggs and breeding habits were but very little known to ornithologists ; and 80, until very recently, no particular efforts have been made to obtain the eggs. Mr. Bennett, becoming aware of this, resolved to procure the eggs. He accordingly visited Mount Tom for this purpose, April 7, of the present year, when ho searched the whole ridge of the mountain, discovered the old birds, and the particular part they most frequented, and also the site of a nest where young had been raised. The old birds were continually near this spot, and manifested much solicitude when it was approached, ofleu flying within six or eight rods ; and once the female came within three, screaming and thrusting out her talons with an expression of great rage and fierceness. The birds did not appear at all shy, being easily approacaed quite near to ; though, in walking, the crack- ing of sticks and the clinking of the splinters of trap-rock made no little noise. One of the bir3.s appeared to keep close to the eyrie ; and both would approach whanever it was visited, screaming at and menacing the intruder, notwithstanding that at that time there were no eggs, as was aAerwards proved. Mr. Bennett, suspecting that incubation had already commenced, visited the locality again on the 9th, but only saw the old nest ; the birds behaving as before. On April 19, ten days later, he made another visit; and creeping carefully to the summit of the cliff, at a point near the eyrie already spoken of, he saw the female, on looking over the cliff, sitting on the nest, and but five or six yards distant. She eyed him fiercely for an instant, and then, scrambling from the nest to the edge of the narrow shelf supporting it, launched into the air : in a twinkling, Mr. Bennett's unerring aim sent her tumbling dead at the foot of the precipice, several hundred feet below. The nest contained four eggs, which were soon safely secured, and the body of the female was obtained from the foot of the cliff. The male, soon coming about, was shot at ; but he was too shy to come within ^■m}*'^*i^A'^-'^'t * ™ ^°i t* <«l 12 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. range, except once, while the gun was being reloaded. The eggs were all laid after Mr. Bennett's visit, April 9 ; and their contents showed, April 19, that they had been incubated but a day or two. Incubation seems, in this case, to have commenced several weeks later than usual, which may be owing to the late snows and unusual coldness of the weather this year, during the first half of April. " Location and Description of the Eyrie. — The situation of the eyrie was near the highest part of the mountain, about one-third of the length of the mountain from the south end, on a narrow shelf in the rock, eight or ten feet from the top of a nearly perpenditular cliif, one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet in height, and was inaccessible except to a bold climber, and at one particular point. The nest was merely a slight excavation, sufficient to contain the eggn : no accessory material had been added. The site had been previously occupied, and probably for several years ; and, for weeks before the eggs were laid, was carefully guarded by the bold and watchful birds. " Description of the Eggs. — The eggs, four in number, as already stated, differ greatly both in shape and coloring ; the extremes in either being widely diverse. They are described in detail, and probably in the same order as laid. " No. 1. Longer diameter, 2.18 inches ; shorter diameter, 1.71 inches: the shorter diameter is .885 the longer. The form is somewhat ovoid, one end being slightly larger than the other ; but neither end is very pointed: the point of greatest transverse diameter is .645 the length of the egg from the smallest end. In form, this egg is very nearly like the egg from Greenland, figured by Dr. Brewer in the ' North- American Oology ' (pt. I. plate 11. fig. 11). The general color is chocolate-brown, darker and more dense and uniform about the ends, the part about the middle being lighter, varied with small irregular blotches and specks of a darker tint than the ground-color. The color of the smaller end is nearly a uniform dull-red ochre. There is also an irregular belt of scat- tered and apparently very superficial blotches of very dark brown, or nearly black. Something similar is often noticed on the eggs of many birds that lay brown or speckled eggs. " No. 2. Longer diameter, 2.21 inches ; shorter diameter, 1.67 inches : shorter diameter, .755 the longer. Form, nearly an ellip- soid, the point of greatest transverse diameter being scarcely to GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 13 f. one side of the middle (.54 the length of the egg from the smaller end) ; ends very nearly equal, and not very pointed. The distri- bution of the color in this is nearest of any of the four eggs before me to that figured by Dr. Brewer, and only differs from it in tint. One end (the smaller ?) is very light reddish, or reddish- white, becoming lighter from the middle towards this end, about which it is the lightest, and thinly marked with irregular mottlings of dark reddish chocolate, which present a very superficial grayish tinge that is very characteristic ; the other end (the larger ?) is of a uniform dark ferruginous-brown or dull-red ochre, varied towards the middle by the appearance of the light ground-color between the there scarcely confluent blotches of dark-brown that give the uniform deep tint towards and about this end. "No. 3. Longer diameter, 2.32 inches; shorter diameter, 1.70 inches: shorter diameter, .733 the longer. Form ovoid, the smaller end elongated and much pointed. This egg is the longest, and much larger in proportion to its diameter than either of the others. The point of greatest diameter is .656 the length of the egg from the smaller end. In this specimen, the contrast between the ground-color and the markings becomes very strong : the ground-color, which is seen chiefly in a broad band about the middle of the egg, being white or reddish-white ; and the markings very dark reddish-brown, nearly approaching purple, and are quite uniformly distributed in blotches of various sizes, the largest being near the larger end of the egg : the sub-markings are of a lighter reddish-brown, and are more blended. "No. 4. Longer diameter, 2.16 inches; shorter diameter, 1.65 inches: shorter diameter, .765 the longer. Form regular ovoid, the smaller end rather more pointed than the same in No. 1 ; point of greatest transverse diameter .60 the length of the egg from the smaller end. In this specimen, the contrast of the ground-color with the markings is very striking, especially when compared with specimens No. 1 and No. 2 ; and the most peculiar (lart is, that the greater end of the egg, which in the eggs of most birds is the end usually most subject to markings and to the greatest depth of color, is white, sprinkleJ sparingly with reddish specks, while the smaller end is deep, bright brick-red, here and there relieved by small specks and patches of white ground-color. About the middle of the egg, the colors are in more equal proportions ; the white patches «!ASji»!Ra«WW**--.'f'!v;,/s.i,-S?|f|Js::~5««?*^^ 14 ORNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. becoming larger on the smaller end towards the middle, and the red patches on the larger end increase towards the same point, where the colors meet and become mixed in irregular patches of various sizes, from mere dots to blotches. The smaller end has a few streaks and blotches of dark-purple overlying apparently the other colors, as in specimen No. 1. "These specimens are very interesting, as indicating the great amount of variation to which the American Peregrine's eggs are subject ; and especially so since they are all the product of one pair of birds, laid in one set, and identified as such beyond question. In coloration, a transition can be traced between the extreme in the order they are numbered, which is undoubtedly the order in which they were laid, as indicated by the thickness of the shell as well aa by the depth of color. TABLB OF COMPABATIVB MEASURBMKHTa. No. 1 No. 2 . . . : . . No. 3 No. 4 Average Greater extreme . . Lesser extreme • . Amount of Tariation L II 1 II II 1 11 II II II II 1 II II 1 II II 1 " From the above table, it will be seen that the range of varia- tion in the four specimens in length is .16 of an inch, or nearly seven and a half per cent of the average length; in breadth, .06 of an inch, or about three and a half per cent of the average breadth : in the proportion of breadth to length, about ^en por cent of the length, or nearly twenty per cent of the average pro- portion. The variation in the position of the point of greatest transverse diameter is about eleven and a half per cent of the whole length of the egg; the form of the eggs varying from an ellipsoid in No. 2 to an ovoid, which, in No. 8, has the smaller end considerably elongated. It will be observed that the egg meas- ured by Dr. Brewer is considerably smaller than my smallest specimen, and that the proportion of breadth to length scarcely differs from the same proportion in No. 1. ttmmmm GREAT-FOOTED HAWK. 16 " In comparing the eggs of the American and the European Peregrine Falcons, Dr. Brewer observes : * It [the American] closely resembles a variety of the eggs of the European species, but seems to present differences sufficiently well marked to be regarded as specific. . . . The ground-coU rs of both American and European are a reddish-yellow ; and both are thickly covered with fine dottings of chocolate and ferruginous brown, diffused over the whole egg in nearly equal degree, and to such an extent as nearly to conceal the ground. The length of the American egg is slightly less ; but it is of equal or greater capacity, and varies in its mark- ings from all the European specimens that I have ever met with. These variations, though readily traceable by the eye, are not so easily described. The shades of coloring in both are closely alike : the variation consists more in the distribution of these markings. In the European specimens, the fine markings of chocolate are distri- buted wkh nearly exact uniformity. In the American, the secondary colorings are now more thickly and now more thinly diffused, — here leaving the ground-color nearly unchanged ; there becoming con- fluent, and blending into waving lines, blotches, and bold dashes. The egg, in Consequence, presents a more varied appearance. These markings are also in greater proportion around the larger end of the egg, and the blotches are of a deeper shade ; so there is a variation in the shading between the smaller and larger extremities not no- ticeable in any European egg that I have met with.' " The amount of variation presented by the eggs of the Duck Hawk, described above, shows that but little dependence can be placed on the eggs in deciding specific differences. The eggs men- tioned by Dr. Brewer are not much different from those of the true European Peregrine. One or two of the specimens before me considerably resemble Dr. Brewer's, and likewise eggs of the European species, as figured and described by authors, while the others are very different, one being remarkably so. "The eggs of the different species of this group of Falcons seem to resemble each other greatly, and to be subject to consider- able variation in the same species. In the manner of laying the eggs, there is also a similarity, as might be expected among closely allied species ; the same species sometimes laying them on the bare rocks, and again in a bulky nest of sticks and other coarse materi- als. The nest of this species visited on Talcott Mountain, Couom 1 \' I 16 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. was of tho latter kind ; while on Mount Holyoke the eggs were laid on the bare earth. « Audubon thus (lescribes the neat and eggs of the Duck Hawk, as observed by him at Labrador : — '"I hare nowhere seen it so abundant as along the high, rocky sliores of Labrador and Newfoundland, where I procured several adult individuals of both sexes, as well as some eggs and young. The nests were placed on the shelves of rocks, a few feet from the top, and were flat, and rudely con- structed of sticks and moss. In some were found four eggs, in others only two, and in one five. In one nest only a single young bird was found. Tho eggs vary considerably in color and size, which, I think, is owing to a differ- ence of age in the females; the eggs of young birds behig smaller. Tho average length of four was two inches, their breadth one and five-eighths. They are somewhat rounded, though larger at one end than the other ; their general and most common color is a reddish or rusty yellowish-brown, spotted and confusedly marked with darker tints of the same, here and there intermixed with lighter. The young are at first thickly covered with soft white down. ... In several instances, wo found these I'alcons breeding on the same ledge with cormorants, Phalacrocorax carlo.' " * " Audubon adds that he is perfectly convinced that the 3reat- footed Falcon, or Duck Hawk of the later ornithologists, is not different from the Peregf ine Falcon of Europe. ' Since my first acquaintance with this species,' he says, • I have observed nothing in its habits, form, or marking on one continent that is different from what is found on the other.' Since the difference in breeding habits supposed to exist when Bonaparte separated them in 1838, and which influenced his judgment in the matter, has been found to be not real, there seems to be nothing whatever in the breeding habits or in the appearance of the egg ""i"' lml,mmnt~^ liiWl»'iiw Iliiwk, Tmnuneuius aparverius. Tieillot. „ 3. Shnrp-shinnril Hawk, Accipittr fuscus. Bonaparte. „ 4. IttHl-HlioiiMered Hawk, Buteo tineatus. Jardioe. „ S. Brotul-wiogetl Hawk, Batio Peniuylvimieua. Bonaparte. MM! I f THE SPARROW HAWK. 19 fir-trees, twelve feet from the ground; eggs three, dull yellowish-brown, with dark reddish-brown blotches." A single egg before me, kindly loaned for descriptions and figure by George A. Boardman of Milltown, Me., is of the above color. It is admirably figured, fig. 1, plate I., in this volume. It is a trifle more pointed than the eggs of rapacious birds usually are, and measures 1.50 inch in length, and 1.14 inch at its greatest breadth. TIHNUHCULTIS SPAEVEBIUS.— VieiUot. yHha Sparrow Hawk. — Falco ^xirverius, Linneeus. Syst. Nat, I. 128 (1768). Falco dominicemti, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 285 (1788). Falco gracilii, cinnamoninu$, and uabelUnus. Sw. Cab. Cy., p. 281 (1888). • Desckiptios. Adult. — Trontal band and space, including the eyes and throat, white; spot on the neck behind, two others on each side of the neck, and line running downwards from before the eye, black; spot on the top of the head, the neck behind, back, rump and tail, light rufous or cinnamon color; under parts generally a paler shade of the same rufous as the back, frequently nearly white, but sometimes as dark as the upper parts, and always with more or less numerous circular or oblong spots of black; quills browuish-black, witli white bars on their inner webs; tail tipped with white, firequently tinged with rafous, and with a broad subterminal band of black, outer frequently white, tinged with ashy, and barred with black; bill light-blue; legs yellow; back generally with transverse stripes of black, but frequently with very few, or entirely without; rufous spot on the head, variable in size, end some- times wanting. Younger Male Upper parts as above; wing coverts and tail ferruginous red, with numerous transverse bands of brownish-black; under parts with numerous longitudinal stripes, and on the sides with transverse bands of brownish-black; external feathers of the tail palest; broad subterminal band on the tail, obscure or wanting. Young. — All the rufous parts of the plumage with wider transverse bands of brownish-black; wing coverts, dark bluish -cinereous, with large circular spots of black; under parts with longitudinal ptripcd, and large circula' spots of black; iris very dark hazel. Tolal length, eleven to twelve inches; wing, seven to seven and a half; tail, five to five and a half inches. This beautiful little hawk is a summer inhabitant of all the New-England States, and, in the more southern districts, a resident throughout the year. It is not a very common species in any but the most northern sections of these .«! i wm 20 ORNITEOLOGY AND OOLOGY. states, but in those localities it is the most abundant of the birds of prey. I can add but little to Wilson's descrip- tion that will be of interest : it is as follows : — « The halite and manners of this bird are well known. It flies rather irregularly, occaaioually suspending itself in the au-, hover- ing over a particular spot for a mmute or two, and then shooting off in another direction. It perches on the top of a dead tree or pole, in the middle of a field or meadow, and, as it alights, shute its long wings so suddenly that they seem instantly to disappear: it site here in an almost perpendicular position, sometimes for an hour at a lime, frequently jerking ite tail, and reconnoitring the ground below, in every direction, for mice, lizards, &c. It approaches the farmhouse, particularly in the morning, skulkmg about the barn- yard for mice or young chickens. It frequently plunges into a thicket after small birds, as if by random, but always with a particular, and generally a fatal aim. One day I observed a bird of this species perched on the highest top of a large poplar, on the skirte of the wood, and was in the act of raismg the gun to my eye, when he swept down, with the rapidity of an arrow, into a thicket of briers, about thirty yards off, where I shot him dead, and, on coming up, found a small field-sparrow quivering in his grasp. Both our aims had been taken in the same instant; and, unfortunately for him, both were fatal. It is particularly fond of watching along hedge-rows and m orchards, where small birds usually resort. When grasshoppers are plenty, they form a con- siderable part of ite food. ) THE SPARROW HAWK. 21 " Though small snakes, mice, lizards, Ac, are favorite morsels with this active bird, yet we are not to suppose it altogether desti- tute of delicacy in feeding. It will seldom or never eat of any thing that it has not itself killed ; and even that, if not (as epicures would term it) in good eating order, is sometimes rejected. A very respectable friend, through the medium of Mr. Bartram, informs me, that one morning he observed one of these hawks dart down on the ground, and seize a mouse, which he carried to a fence-pos't, where, after examining it for some time, he left it, and, a little while after, pounced upon another mouse, which he instantly car- ried off to his nest in the hollow of a tree hard by. The gentle- man, anxious to know why the hawk had rejected the first mouse, went up to it, and found it to bo almost covered with lice, and greatly emaciated. Here was not only delicacy of taste, but sound and prudent reasoning : " If I carry this to my nest," thought he, " it will fill it with vermin, and hardly be worth eating." "The Blue Jays have a particular antipathy to this bird, and frequently insult it by following and imitating its notes so exactly as to deceive even those well acquainted with both. In return for all this abuse, the Hawk contents himself with now and then feasting on the plumpest of his persecutors, who are, therefore, in perpetual dread of him ; and yet, through some strange infatuation, or from fear that, if they lose sight of him, he may attack them unawares, the Sparrow Hawk no sooner appears than the alarm k given, and the whole posse of jays follow." Although I have had quite a number of the eggs of this bird, I have been able to meet with but one nest, notwith- standing I have repeatedly searched for it in many localities. This was built in a crow's nest of the previous year, in a hemlock-tree, about thirty feet from the ground. There had been apparently but few alterations of the old nest ; these consisting principally of the addition of a few loose sticks and twigs to the interior of the nest, making it nearly a flat platform. The locality was the valley of the Magalloway River, about twenty-tive miles north of Lake Umbagog, Me. The eggs were four in number; and these, with severd other specimens collected in Upton, Me., " 22 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Calais, Me., and Williamstown, Mass., are before me. I am inclined to think, from wliat I can learn from collectors and others, that four is the usual number laid by this bird, — probably seldom more. Their ground-color varies from a deep cream or yellowish-buff to a pale reddish-white : this is covered, more or less thickly in different specimens, with spots and confluent blotches of reddish-brown and Vandyke- brown, or chocolate. Their form is nearly spherical, being but very little pointed at either end. Their dimensions vary from 1.40 inch by 1.15 inch to 1.30 inch by 1.13 inch. This species breeds later than most of the other birds of prey, as the eggs which I found in Maine on the 11th of June, 1864, were newly laid. Tliis species usually nests in a hollow tree or a deserted woodpecker's nest. Suh-Family Accipitrinje. — The Hawks. Form rather long and Blender; tail and legs long; wings rather short; bill short, hooked; upper mandible lobed, but not toothed. Very active and vigilant, and swift of flight; pursuing their prey, which consists of birds and small quadrupeds, into the woods anc forests. ASTUB, Lao. Astur, Lacepbdb, Mem. Inst., III. p. 608. The largest birds of tliis sub-femily. General form strong, but rather long and Blender; wing rather short; tail long and broad; tarsi long, covered in front with / rathec wide transverse scales; toes and claws moderate, the latter fully curved, sharp; bill short, curved; nostrils large, ovate, inserted in the cere. This g«niu contains about twelve species of all countries. ASTUB ATEICAPILLUS.— SoBopart*. Tha Goshawk. Faloo atneapmu$,W\\BOH. Am. Om., VL 80 (1812). Filcoregalii, Temm. PI. col. L (liv. 84, about 1827). DtBdaiiofiinctam, Lesson. Traite d'Om., L 67 (1881). DE80RIFTION. jlrfuft.— Head above, neck behind, and stripe from behind the eye, black, generally mor« or less tinged with ashy; other upper parts dark ashy bluish or »kte color, with the shafts of the feathers black, and frequently with the feathers narrowly edged with black, presenting a squamate or scale-like appearance; a con- spicuous stripe over the eye, and an obscure and partially concealed occipital and BBS mmm lid lis ith te- »g •lis 3h. :d8 of in iiort, swift into snd with , ryed, :«niu )1ack, 9h or kthera icon- I and THE GOSHAWK. 28 nuchal band, white; entire nndcr parts mottled with white and lipht ashy-brown; every feather with a 1( ■•^itudinal line of dark -brown on its shaft, and with numerous irregular and imperfect transverse lines or narrow stripes of light ashy-brown, more distinct and regular on the abdomen a^d tibioj ; quills brown, with bands of a deeper shade of the same color, and of ashy-white on their inner webs; tail same color as other upper parts; under surface very pale, nearly white, and having about four obscure bands of a deeper shade of ashy-brown, and narrowly tipped with white ; under tail coverts white. Young. — Entire upper parts, including head, dark-brown, with the feathers, especially on the head and neck behind, edged and spotted with light-reddish, or nearly white ; tail light-ashy, with about Ave wide and conspicuous bands of ashy- brown, and narrowly tipped with ashy-white; quills brown, with wide bars of a darker shade of the same color, and wide bands of reddish-white on their inner webs; under parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, and frequently with red- dii-h; every featlier with a longitudinal stripe terminating in an ovate spot of brown; sides and tibiaj frequently with circular and lanceolate spots and irregular bands of the same color, the tibia) generally very conspicuously marked in this manner; under tail coverts white, with a few large lanceolate spots of brown. "Adult. — hiW black, light-blue at the base; cere greenish-yellow; eyebrow greenish-blue; iris reddish-orange; feet yellow. " Temn jr. — Bill as in the adult; iris light-yellow; feet greenish -yellow." — Audubon. Total length, female, twenty-two to twenty-four inches ; wing about fourteen ; tail, ten and a half to eleven inches. Male, about twenty inches; wing, twelve and a half; tail, nine and a half inches. This liandsome hawk .is a not very common winter visitor in the New-England States ; at least, such is my observar tion, which is corroborated by many others, although Mr. Verrill, in his catalogue of the birds of Maine,* says it is common, and that it breeds there. I have never met with a nest of this species, and have no authentic specimen of its egg in my collection. In 1864, a gentleman brought me two eggs that he found in a large hawk's nest in Woburn, Mass. He described the hawk, which he killed, . and which corresponded pretty closely with that of this bird. I showed him mounted specimens of the Goshawk, and he thought them identical with his bird. As there was still a doubt concerning the identity of the eggs, I did not label them as of this species, and for the same reason will not figure them in this work. So far as description goes, they . are almost exactly like the eggs of the Red-tailed Hawk % 1 Proceedings Essex Institute, vol. III. p. 140. MM »ii)iii«iii— ^"ttMMriMMi 24 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. (^Buteo horealiB), but are a little more of a bluiBh-white in the ground-color. For some reason, this species was quite abundant in the neighborhood of Boston in the winter of 1859-GO: probably a dozen or fifteen specimens were sent to me in the different plumages, and I have heard of many others being shot in the same season. I have had but few opportunities for studying the habits of this hawk, and, as my observations have been very meagre, I will give Audubon's description, which, so far as my experience goes, is very accurate ; it is as follows : — « The flight of the Goshawk is extremely rapid and protracted. He sweeps along the margins of the fields, through the woods, and by the edges of ponds and rivers, with such speed as to enable him to seize his prey by merely deviating a few yards from his course ; assisting himself on such occasions by his long tail, which, like a rudder, he throws to the right or left, upwards or downwards, \a check his progress, or enable him suddenly to alter his course. At times he passes like a meteor through the underwood, where he secures squirrels and hares with ease. Should a flock of wUd pigeons pass him when on these predatory excursions, he imme- diately gives chase, soon overtakes them, and, forcing his way into the very centre of the flock, scatters them in confusion, when you may see him emerging with a bird m his talons, and diving towards the depth of the forest to feed upon his victim. When travelling, he flies high, with a constant beat of the wings, seldom movuig m large circles like other hawks ; and, when he does this, it is only a few times in a hurried manner, after which he continues his journey. "Along the AUantic Coast, this species follows the numerous flocks of ducks that are found there during the autumn and winter ; and greatly aids ui the destruction of mallards, teals, black ducks, and other species, in company witii the Peregrme Falcon {Falco anatum). It is a restiess bird, apparently more vigilant and indus- trious than many other hawks, and it seldom alighta unless to devour its prey ; nor can I recollect ever having seen one aliglM for many minutes at a time, without havmg a bird in its talons. 't^^^^^^^ THE GOSHAWK. 26 When thus engaged with its prey, it stands nearly upright ; and in g^>iiviitl, when perched, it keeps itself more" erect than most species of hawks. It is extremely expert at catching snipes on the wing ; and so well do these birds know their insecurity, that, on its approach, they prefer squatting to endeavoring to escape by flight. "When the passenger pigeons are abundant in the western country, the Goshawk follows their close masses, and subsists upon them. A single hawk suffices to spread the greatest terror among their ranks; and the moment he sweeps towards a flock, the whole immediately dive into the deepest woods, where, not- withstanding their great speed, the marauder succeeds in clutching the fattest. While travelling along the Ohio, I observed several hawks of this species in the train of millions of these pigeons. Towards the evening of the same day, I saw one abandoning its ct^urse to give chase to a large flock of Crow Blackbirds ( Quis- calus versicolor), then crossing the river. The hawk approached them with the swiftness of an arrow, when the blackbirds rushed together so closely that the flock looked like a dusky ball passing through the air. On reaching the mass, he, with the greatest ease, seized first one, then another and another, giving each a squeeze with his talons, and suflering it to drop upon the water. In this manner he had procured four or five, before the poor birds reached the woods, into which they instantly plunged, when he gave up the chase, swept over the water in graceful curves, and picked the fruita of his industry, carrying each bird singly to the shore. Reader, is this instinct or reason ? " The nest of the Goshawk is placed on the branches of a tree, near the trunk or main stem. It is of great size, and resembles that of our crow, or some species oi owl ; being constructed of with- ered twigs and coarse grass, with a lining of fibrous strips of plants resembling hemp. It is, however, much flatter than that of the crow. In one I found, in the month of April, three eggs ready to be hatched: they were of a dull bluish-white, sparingly spotted with light reddish-brown. In another, which I found placed on a pine-tree, growing on the eastern rocky bank of the Niagara River, a few miles below the great cataract, the lining was formed of withered herbaceous plants, with a few feath •.s : the eggs were four in number, of a white color tinged with greenish-blue, large, much rounded, and somewhat granulated. JBMiJWVM 'i^-^^ 26 OKNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. « In another nest were four young birds covered with buff-col- ored down, their legs and feet of a pale yellowish flesh-color, the bill light-blue, and the eyes palc-griiy. They differed greatly in bize, one being quite small compared with the rest. I am of opinion that few breed to the south of the State of Maine." I once witnessed an attempt of this bird to capture a common gray squirrel, that was quite interesting to the beholder, but certainly not to the animal. While on a col- lecting excursion, a few miles from Boston, as I was seated beneath a huge oak, obsemng the movements of some small birds, I heard the barking of a squirrel; and, while looking for his whereabouts, I suddenly heard a whistling sound as of a body falling through the air, and, as quick as thought, a Goshawk struck on the limb, on the spot where, a second before, the squirrel had been seated : luckily for the squirrel, the hawk missed his aim, the animal giving a sudden dodge beneath the limb the moment the hawk appeared. All who are acquainted with the habits of this quadruped know that it is very successful in dodging behind the limb of a tree, and hugging i. closely. The hawk sat a few moments, apparently surprised at his disappointment, when, suddenly launching into the air, he espied it beneath the limb, hugging for dear life. As soon as he had moved, the squirrel turned adroitly on the limb, still keeping it between itself and its enemy. After several trials, the hawk always alighting and remaining perched on the limb a few seconds, he succeeded, by a dexterous feint, in securing his prey, when, on the instant, I fired, bringing the hawk and his victim to the ground. Tlie hawk dropped dead; but the squirrel, after lying on the ground a moment, got up, and staggered ofF beneath a pile of rocks, and I neither saw nor heard any thing more of it. ACCIPITER, Brwson. Aee^iUr, Bribbom, Om., I. 810 (1780). General fonn more slender and smaller than Attur, but otherwise slmflar; wings thort, tMl long, tarsi long and slender, frequently with the scales in front nearly THE COOPEB'8 HAWK. 27 ob«olete. Contains »bout twenty gpecieg of all countries, several of which Intimately resemble each other. Colors in North-American species very similar to each other, especially in adult specimens, though they differ materially in size. ' ACCIPITEE OOOPEEII. — flonnparto. V The Cooper's Hawk.— " Faho Cooptni, Bonaparte. Am. Om., II. 1 (1828). Falio StatUeii, Audubon. Om. Biog., I. 180 (1881). Descbiption. Adult. — neaA above brownish-black, mixed with white on the occiput, other upper parts dark ashy-brown, with the shnfts of the feathers brownish-black ; an obscure rufous collar on the neck behind; throat and under tail coverts white, the fonnorwith lines of dark-brown ; other under parts transversely barred with lifiht rufous and white; quills ashy-brown, with darker bands, and white irregular markings on their inner webs; tail dark cinereous, tipped with white, and with four wide bands of brownish-black. Young. — Head and neck behind yellowisl hito, tinged with rufous, and witli longitudinal stripes and oblong spots of bro other upper parts light amber- brown, with large partially concealed spots ai >ar8 of white; upper tail coverts tipped with white; under parts white, with narrow longitudinal stripes of light- brown; tail as in adult; bill bluish horn-color; tarsi yellow; iris in adult, reddish- orange ; in young, bright yellow. Total length, male fifteen to sixteen inches; wing, nine; tail, eight inches. Female, total length, seventeen to eighteen inches; wing, nine and a half to ten; tail, nine inches. It is a noticeable fact in the history of many of our birds, that in diiferent periods, from some cause or other, many species have increased in number to a remarkable extent, while others have diminished in like proportion. Some have moved from sections in which they were for years common residents, to others in which they were, compara- tively, strangers. The Cooper's or Stanley Hawk of Audubon has had one of these changes ; and throughout New England, where it was formerly a comparatively rare species, it is now one of the most abundant of our birds of prey. The habits of the Cooper's Hawk are generally well known. It is the smallest of those known by the name of " Hen Hawk ; " and the mischief it does among domestic poultry well earns for it this title. ... , - 4 ,4 28 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Powerful, active, and gifted with great rapidity of flif^l.t, he i8 able to attack and conquer birds and annuals greatl/ his superior in size and weight. The Common Hare (J.epu» AmericanuB) often falls a victim to his voracity. Ducks, glTse, squLlB, and small birds, are destroyed by Inm; and I have known of his capturing .nd eating snakes and other reptiles, and even grasshoppers and crickets. In hunting for prey, he usually flies just above the trees i„ the forest, and quite near the earth in the open countiT- His flight consists of a rapid succession of beatings of tho wings, with intervals of equal periods of soarings. Ou discovering a bird or other object that ho may wish to c pture he immediately gives chase. If the bird takes to the foliLge of the trees, he immediately follows, turmng at Ivery turn, doubling and twisting through the trees with wonderful speed and success ; and the chase is usually but Ivlry short one indeed before he alights to feed on the ouarry that he has secured. , , xu 4. He is very destructive to the flocks of young ducks that breed in the wilder districts of the country I re»«-^«; an instance of one of his raids on these birds that is not without interest. . ... -i^^ While on a hunting and collecting excursion m the wilds of Maine, up the Magalloway River,- a beautiful stream that empties into the Androscoggin, near Lake Umbagog, - I wandered down the river banks, that are, for nearly the entire length of the stream, fringed with a thick growth of rees, away from the camp perhaps a mile I was -atohing an old Black Duck (^«a« ob»cura) and her brood of eight "flappers" disporting themselves in the water, and impar tientirwaiting for an opportunity for a shot; or fand reader, I can assure you that a "broiled flapper, or wild duck about half grown, is a delicacy which, once enjoyed, is eagerly sought for by the frequenters of the wilderness Ab I was creeping cautiously within shot of the birds, I sud- denly heard a " ^k" and splash, and the whole bevy waa THE cooper's hawk. 3d . gone. At that instant, a Cooper's Hawk, that had evidently just made a swoop at the flock and missed it, alighted on a small tree that hung over tho water, and remained perfectly motioidess. Now, when man attempts to secure any of these young ducks, tho parent almost always flies off, while the young dive and swim under water to the hanks of the stream or pond whore they may bo. When a bird of prey makes his appearance, the whole family dives beneath the surface, and swims off; the mother in one direction, tho young in another. I have noticed the same fact several times, and conclude that tho parent, who frequently makes her appearance above the surface, does so because she is capable of enduring submersion bettor than her young, and shows herself often, a little farther from her offspring every time, until she had led their pursuer away from them ; giving them, in the mean time, a chanoe to swim off, and conceal themselves. The hawk, in this instance, was not to be deceived. He followed the parent but once, and then immediately returned to his perch. The banks of the river at this place were steep, there was no vegetation growing in the water, and the chances for obtaining a meal from one of the young ducks were decidedly in the hawk's favor. The young ducks are very expert divers. They have the faculty of sinking beneath the surface at any alarm, and will remain there perhaps half a minute. Unfortunately for them, they cannot gwim beneath the surface a great distance, and generally come up quite near the place where they went down. The hawk sat attentively inspecting the river in different places ; and, as one of the young birds made its appearance, ho marked it for his victim. The moment it rose to the surface, he made a swoop for it, when, of course, it dove. This was repeated several times, the young duck remaining beneath the water a shorter length of time at each dive. Soon it was manifest that the hawk would obtain his quarry, when, as ho flew for ao ORNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. tho duck tho last timo, I pulled trigger on him; for wo aro all onnneutly soUwb, and when ouo of tlio lower animals, as wo regard them, interferes with us in our pluusuios or comforts, oven if they aro fulfilling the dictates of tlioir natures, wo brush them from existence, as if toe wore tho only rightful possessors of this beautiful world. Fortu- nately for the hawk, unfortunately for tho llappor, and much to my chagrin, tho cap failed to explode, and tho poor duck was borne off for food for tho family of the hawk. The Cooper's Hawk breeds in all tho New-England States, and is partial to no particular locality. I have found tlie nest in sections not a mile from the seacoast; in the deepost woods of Northern Maine; and have had tho eggs sent rae from different localities in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Tho nest of this species is more often found than that of any other. In my collecting trips, pny experience has boon that I have found certainly two nests of this to one of all others. Audubon says, " Tho nest is usually placed in tho forks of the branch of an oak-tree, towards its extremity. In its general appearance, it resembles that of the common crow, for which I have several times mistaken it. It is com- posed externally of numerous crooked sticks, and has a slight lining of grasses and a few feathers." Thh does not agree with my observation ; for, in great numben uf nests that I have examined, in which I have found no groat variation in character, they were almost invariably in a fork of a tall tree near tho top, — in three cases out of five in the differ- ent pines. They were large, bulky affairs, constructed of twigs and sticks, some of them nearly half an inch in diameter: they were decidedly hollowed, and often lined with leaves and the loose bark of the cedar. Tho eggs of this species vary in number from two to four. I do not remember ever having found more than four, which number is usually laid. Their ground-color is a dirty bluish-white, with often thinly scattered spots of brown, or obscure TUB 8HARP-6UINNK0 HAWK. 81 blotohes aiul inarkingH of a sliade darker than tlio ground- color of tho egg. A grout miinlx.'r of HpecinioiiH in my col- lection cxhil)it a variation in diinmisionH of fVom 1.82 inch to 2 incl»08 in length, by from l.oO inch to 1.62 iit breadth. Tho average dimensions are about 1.78 inch by 1,52 inch. Tho breeding season varies considerably with this species, even in the same latitude. 1 have found nests with eggs an early us tho fust week in May, and as late as the first week in June. Usually the eggs are laid before the 20th of May in MassachuHOtts. Tho season for the northern district of Now England seems to bo from ono to two weeks later than this ; that of tho southern district, about a week (jarlier. A pair of birds that nested in Newton, Mass., in tho summer of 1806, wore robbed of their eggs four times in tho season. They built different nests in tho same grove, and laid in tho four litters four, four, five, and three eggs respectively. Tho eggs of the last littor were very small ; but little larger than tho eggs of the Sharp-shiiuied Hawk. ICOIMTES FUSCOS. — CmW.n. / The SharpHihiiuied Hawk.— Fakofuiau et dubiui, Gm. Syst. Nat, I. 280, 281 (1788). Acci/nter Uriiitut, Vieillot. Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 43 (1807). Falco vclvx et Penntylmniau, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. 116, and VI. p. 13 (1812). Sparvitu lineatut, Vieillot. Ency. Meth., III. 1260 (1823). yi$u* M't{/ini, Losgon. Traite d'Om., I. 68 (1831). Description. Adult. — SmaW; toil rather long; legs and toes slender; entire upper part* brownish-block, tinged with ashy; occiput mixed with white; throat and under tail coverts white, tho lormerwith lines of black oi. tho shafts of tho feathers; other under parts fine light Aifous, deepest on the tibia), and with transverse bands of white; shafts of the feathers with lines of dark-brown; tail ashy-brown tipped with white, and with about four bands of brownish-black; quills brownish-black, with bands of a darker shade, and of white on their inner webs; secondaries and tertiaries with large partially concealed spots of white. Young — Entire upper parts dull umber-brown, tinged with ashy; neck behind mixed with white; greater wing coverts and shorter quills with largo partially con- cealed spots of white; under parts white, with longitudinal stripes and circular and ovate spots of reddish-brown, changing into transverse bands on Uio flanks l!iP'l""*PW»* i 32 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. and tibi«, under tail coverts white, bill dark bluish horn-color, cere and tarsi ^"S/tV^f Its:: twelve to fourteen inches, .ing seven and a half to eightTtail. «i- and a half to seven mches. Male, Un to eleven mches, wmg, s.x to six and a half, tail, five to five and a half mches. This woll-known little species is a general and common Bummer inliabitant of all the New-England States: it makes its appearance with the arrival of the earliest fliglit of the smaller migratory birds in spring, and remains until the latter part of autumn ; and, in the southern portions of these States, even throughout the winter. The habits of the bird are so well described by Audubon, that I cannot do better than include the description here. He says : — "While in search of prey, the Sharp-shinned Hawk passes over the country, now at a moderate height, now close over the land, in so swift a manner, that, although your eye has marked it, you feel surprised that the very next moment it has dashed off, and is far awav. In fact, it is usually seen when least expected, and almost" alwavs but for a few moments, unless when it has procured some prey, and is engaged in feeding upon it. The kind of vaciUation or wavering with which it moves through the air appears perfectly adapted to its wants ; for it undoubtedly enables this little warrior to watch and to see at a single quick glance ot m keen eyes every object, whether to the right or to the left, as it pur- sues its course. It advances by sudden dashes, as if impetuosity of movement were essential to its nature, and pounces upon and strikes such objects as best suit its appetite, but so very suddenly that it appears quite hopeless for any of them to try to escape. Many have been the times, reader, when watching this vigilant, active, and industrious bird, I have seen it plunge headlong among the briery patches of one of our old fields, in defiance of all thorny obstacles ; and, passing through, emerge on the other side, bearing off with exultation in its sharp claws a sparrow or finch, which it had surprised when at rest At other times, I have seen two or three of these hawks, acting in concert, fly at a Golden-wmged Woodpecker while alighted against the bark of a tree, where it thought itself secure, but was suddenly clutched by one of the hawks throwing, as it were, its long legs with the quickness of I I ii I! < L Ni i 1 iJHAKi--sHi>NKD IIawk, Accipiter Juscus. Bouaparte. i^ m W -^ i . i - i U-"- i !B i> ■ .,-,riM^(tt--^'->^^t'- %ry;im^mmaiiMn--\imwrvmwm-iimmwmm« ^SwHIBIS'' L' ' THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 83 thought, protruding its sharp talons, and thrusting tliem into the back of the devoted bird, while it was endeavoring to elude the harassing attacks of another, by hopping and twisting around the tree. Then down to the ground assailants and assailed would fall, the woodpecker still offering great resistance, until a second hawk would also seize upon it, and, with claws deeply thrust into its vitals, put an end to its life, when both the marauders would at once commence their repast." Nuttall informs us that " descending furiously and blindly upon its quarry, a young hawk of this species broke through the glass of the greenhouse at the Cambridge Botanic Garden ; and, fearlessly passing through a second glass par- tition, 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." Whilst travelling to some point at a considerable distance, the Sharp-shinned Hawk flies high, though in a desultory manner, with irregular quick flappings of its wings ; and at times, as if to pause for a while and examine the objects below, moves in short and unequal circles, after which it is seen to descend rapidly, and then follow its course at the height of only a few feet from the ground, visiting, as it \i'ere, every clump of low bushes or brier patches likely to be inhabited by the smaller birds, on wuloh it principally feeds. Again, after having satisfied its hunger, it at times rises to a great height, and indeed now and then is scarcely discernible from the ground. Notwithstanding the comparative abundance of this spe- cies, its nest, until quite recently, has been quite rarely found. Audubon met with but three, and neither Wilson nor Nuttall ever saw one. I have been so fortunate as to find several, two of which had in each four eggs. They were built in the forks of pine-trees, about twenty-five feet from the ground : they were loosely constructed of sticks and twigs, were not much hollowed, and were lined with . -iii^He^WMW I W'f'^'PC ' tfJWff--- 84 OBMTHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. smaller twigs and a few leaves. Fourteen eggs in my col- lection, from different parts of New England, exlnbit but slight variations; thoy are of a bluish-white color, and covered at the larger end with spots and blotches of chocolate-brown : in some specimens these blotches are con- fluent, making a ring near the large end ; ^ others are covered nearly over their entire surface with these markings. Tlie form of the egg is nearly spherical ; the length varying from 1.50 inch to 1.23 inch, and the breadth from 1.24 inch to 1.06 inch. Average dimensions about 1.40 inch by 1.20 inch. I have found the eggs as early as the 10th of May; but usually they -are not laid before the 20th, in the latitude of Massachusetts. The same nest is occupied by the parent birds for several years, and the female is a per- sistent layer. A case came to my knowledge in the spring of 1864, when the nest was robbed three times: fourteen eggs were removed ; and, if the female had not been killed when the last eggs were taken, she would probably have laid another litter, as there were several found in her nearly formed. Both sexes, as with nearly all the other birds of prey, incubate f Sub-Family Bdteonin^. — The Buzzard-Hawla. General form heavy; flight vigorous and long continued, but not so rapid m in the preceding sub-families. Subsist mainly on small quadrupeds and reptiles. BUTEO, CuviKR. Buteo, CtrviKR, Regne Animal, I. 828 (1817). Bill short, wide at base; edges of upper mandible lobed; nostrils large, ovate, wings long, wide, fourth and fifth quills usually longest; tail moderate, rather wide; tarsi moderate, robust, with transverse scales before and behind, laterally with small circular and hexaganal scales; toes moderate, or rather short; claws strong. Con- tains about thirty species, inhabiting all countries. 1 The specimen, fig. 8, plate I., is marked with a ring of confluent blotches at thn wmaUer end, a peculiarity rarely met with. ■H )0h DUt md of ou- are gs. iiig .24 by of the by )er- ing een led ave her her u in rate, ride; imall Con- tthn ■;K *-->, E ^> t I I i I 1 ' tK THE RED-TAILED HAWK. 86 ¥ 1 X- m ,i^ , \^ ■■'■\ c '•V^. '33 > d under tail covert*; entire upper parte brown; on the head raxe- with rui. uh, and with white spote on the wing coverts and shorter quills and rump ; quills brownish-black, with white spots on their outer webs, and with bars of a lighter shade of brown and of while on their inner webs; tail brownish-black, with about five transverse bandi of white, •nd tipped with white. rot/«^.— Entire upper parts yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes and oblong gpoU of dark-brown ; throat dark brown; upper parte lighter ashy-brown, with mi.ny partially concealed spote and bars of white; quills dark-brown, with wide transverse bars of rufous and white on both webs; tail ashy-brown, with numerous bands of pale-brownish and rufous white; tail beneath silvery-white; bill light-blue at the base, bluish-black at the tip; cere, basal margin of the bill, edges of the eyelids and the feet, bright-yellow; iris hazel. Total length, female, twenty -one to twenty-three inches; wing, fourteen; tail, nine inches. Male, eighteen to twenty inches; wing, twelve; tail, eight inches. This bird is a rather common resident of all New Eng- land throughout the year. Its habits are so nearly like those of the preceding, that I can add nothing to that I have already written. The best account of the bird's habits in the breeding season, that I remember, is given by Audubon. It is as follows : — " This bird is one of the most noisy of its genus, during spring especially, when it would be difficult to approach the skirts of woods bordering a large plantation without hearing its discordant shrill notes, — ka-hee, ka-hee, — as it is seen sailing in rapid circles at a rery great elevation. Its ordmary flight is even and protracted, J— 1 mimmMam T 88 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. :> I! excepting when it is describing the circles just mentioned, when it often dives luul gambols. It is « more general inlialntant of the wootls than most of our other species, particularly during the sum- mer, and in autumn and winter ; now and then only, in early spring, showing iUelf in the open grounds, and alwut the vicinity of sniiill lakcR, for the purpose of securing red-winged starlings and wounded ducks. " The inierior of woods seems, as I have said, the fittest haunts for the Red-shouldered Hawk. He sails through them a few yards above the ground, and suddenly alighU on the low branch of a tree or the top of a dead stump, from which he silently watches, in an erect posture, for the appearance of squirrels, ujwn which ho pounces directly, and kills in an instant, afterwards devour- ing them on the ground. If accidentally discovered, he essays to remove the squirrel ; but, finding this difficult, he drags it, partly through the air and partly along the ground, to some short distance, until he conceives himself out of sight of the intruder, when he again commences feeding. The eating of a whole squirrel, which this bird often devours at one meal, so gorges it, that I have seen it in this state almost unable to fly, and with such an extraordinary protuberance on its breast as seemed very unnatural, and very injurious to the beauty of form which the bird usually diHF)lays. On all occasions such as I have described, when the bird is so gorged, it is approached with the greatest ease. On the contrary, when it is in want of food, it requires the greatest caution to get within shooting distance of it. " At the approach of spring, this species begins to pair ; and its flight is accompanied with many circlings and zigzag nnotions, during which it emits its shrill cries. The m'vle is particularly noisy at this time. He gives chase to all other hawks, returns to the branch on which his mate has chanced to perch, and caresses her. This happens about the beginning of March.* The spot adapted for a nest is already fixed upon, and the fabric is half finished. The top of a tall tree appears to be preferred by this hawk, as I have found its nest more commonly placed there, not far from the edges of woods bordering plantations. "When one ascends to the nest (which, by the way, is not J May in New England. Mm '» THE RED-HHOIJLDERED JIAWK. 80 always Rn may matter, an our beech-treeg are not only vory smooth, but frequently without iiny Iwughs to a considcrublo tl'm- tance from the ground, as well oa of rather large nizo), the female bird, if Hhe happens to be sitting, flies off silontly, and alighUt on a neighboring tree -to wait the result; but should the mule, who supplies her with food, and assisU in incubation, be there, or make his ap|)eiiranco, he immediately seU up a hue and cry, and plunges toward the assailant with such violence as to astonish him. " When, on several occasions, I have had the tree, on which the nest was placed, cut down, I have observed the same pair, a few days after, build another nest on a tree not far distant from the ipot in which tho first one had been. " The mutual attachment of the male and the female continue* during life. They usually hunt in pairs during the whole year; and, although they build a new nest every spring, they are fond of resorting to the same parte of the woods for that purpose.' " The young remain in the nest until fully fledged, and are fed by the parente for several weeks after they have begun to fly ; but leave them, and begin to shift for themselves, in about a month, when they disperse, and hunt separately, until the approach of the •ucceeding spring, at which time they pair. " This Hawk seldom attacks any kind of poultry, and yet fre- quently pounces on partridges, doves, or wild pigeons, as well as red-winged blackbirds, and now and then young rabbite. On one or two occasions, I have seen them make their appearance at the report of my gun, and try to rob me of some blue-winged teals, shot in small ponds. I have never seen them chase any other small birds than those mentioned, or quadrupeds of smaller size than the Cottou Rat." My experience has been different from the above para- graph ; for I have known of this Hawk attacking poultry, and, even several times in the same flock, killing a fowl each time. The breeding habits of this and the Red-tailed Hawk are so exactly similar, that the above description well answers for both. t I have known of the same nest being occupied by » pair of these bird* fw uveral seasons. — E. A. S. :,5?(Kj«f';v,;^;,;;^:j^. -- fit sm t 40 ORNI'^HOLOGY AND OOLOGY. I have found several nests of this species in different localities, all of which were placed in high forks of trees. They were built of twigs and sticks of different sizes, and usually were of large size. A nest that I found in Milton, Mass., was built in a fork of a large oak, against the trunk, about forty feet from the ground. It was of a bulk nearly sufficient to fill a bushel-basket : it was considerably hol- lowed, and lined with dry gi-ass and leaves. The eggs, two in number, are in the cabinet of Dr. Brewer, who describes them as follows : — " Two others belonging to this species, obtained in Milton, Mass., by Mr. E. A. Samuels, and identified by securing the parent birds, may be thus described: One measures 2-^ by 1^^ inch. The ground-color is a dirty-white, and is marked with large blotches, lines, and dottings of umber-brown of various shades, from qmte dark to light. The other is 2 mcbes by 1|§, has a bluish- white ground, and is only marked by a number of very faint blotches of yellowish-brown and a slate-drab. Except in their shape, which is an oval spheroid, slightly pointed- at one end, these bear but very _ slight resemblance to each other, though taken at the same time from one nest." A number of specimens in my collection bxhibit as great a variety as the above instances ; and one specimen, obtained in Connecticut, which measures 2.12 by 1.65 inches, has a dirty yellowish-white ground-color, which is nearly covered with blotches of faint^purple ; the appearance being as if the purple spots were laid on, and then a coating of white- wash laid over them. . BUTEO PEHN8T1VAHIOTS.— fiofM?par««. y. The Broad-winged Havk. — Fako Penruylvanictu, WUson. Am. Om., VI. 92 (1812). Aud. Ore. Biog., 1. 161. Falco WUtonii, Bonaparte. Joiir. Phila. Acad., III. 848 (1824). Description. j4rfu&.— Entire upper parts umber-brown; fisathers on the occiput and back of the neck white at their baaee; throat white, with longitudinal lines of brown, and 1 THE BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 41 with a patch of brown on each side running from the base of the lower mandible; breast with a wide band composed of large cordate and sagittate spots and trans- verse bands of reddish-ferruginous tinged with ashy; other under parts white, with numerous sagittate spots of reddish on the tlanks, abdomen, and tibia;. In some specimens, the ferruginous color predominates on all the under parts, except the under tail coverts, and all the feathers have large circular or ovate spots of white on both edges; under tail coverts white; quills brownish-black, widely bordered with white on their inner webs; tail dark-brown, narrowly tipped with white, and with one wide band of white and several narrower bands near the base. Young. — Upper parts dull umber-brown, many feathers edged with fulvous and ashy-white; upper tail coverts spotted with white; under parts white, generally tinged with yellowish, and having longitudinal stripes and oblong and lanceolate spots of brownish-black ; a stripe of dark-brown on each side of the neck from the base of the under mandible; tail brown, with several bands of a darker shade of the same color, and of white on the inner webs, and narrowly tipped with white. Bill bluish-black at the tip, blue towards the base; cere and margin yellow; iris hazel; feet gamboge-yellow; claws brownish-black. Total length, female, seventeen to eighteen inches; wing, eleven; tail, six and a half to seven inches. Male, total length, sixteen to sixteen and a half inches ; wing, ten inches; tail, six to six and a half inches. This bird, until quite recent! lias been regarded as rare in all the New-England States; and even now it is by no means common, although it is much oftener found here than formerly. It occurs in these States only as a summer visitor, arriving in the spring about the middle of April, and departing for the South in October. The flight of this Hawk is quite rapid, consisting of long intervals of soaring, with shorter periods of flappings of the wings. It seems to prefer the wilder districts to the more thickly settled ones, and is most often met with in tlie interior of the country. I noticed several individuals, in the course of a day's march in Northern Maine, soaring above the hemlock and pine forests, and uttering their shi-ill kei/, ky-ah, ky-ahrke-ee, ke-ee, as they were searching for prey beneath them. Small birds, reptiles, squirrels, and insects constitute the principal portion of their food ; and they seldom attack a bird larger than a pigeon or quail. Once, while listening to the beautiful song of the White- throated Sparrow, I was startled by the sudden appearance of one of these hawks, which, flying within a yard of my head, as I sat in some bushes on the shores of Lake Umba- f 42 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. y i gog, pounced at a Red Squirrel (*S. Eudsonius), that T7a8 chattering at me from the top of a hollow stump: the squirrel barely escaped by diving into the hollow, when the hawk, turning suddenly, rushed at my little songster, and, clutching him through the vitals, bore him oiF in exultation. So sudden was the attack, that 1 had no time to cock my gun before he was half a dozen rods oiF, when I fired, and brought him to the ground : the sparrow was, of course, dead. The hawk was only wing-tipped ; and, throw- ing himself on his back, his feet extended, he awaited my approach. As I drew near him, he emitted a sort of hiss ; and, as he glared at me with rage-enkindled eye, he appeared the very incarnation of wrath. On killing him, I found that he had had one of his tarsi broken before, apparently by a shot : it had healed, but had lost none of its strength ; for, as I touched him with a stick, he grasped it with both feet so powerfully that all his claws were thrust deep into the wood. The nest is rarely found. One that I visited in West Rox- bury, Mass., on the 20th of May, 1864, had four eggs; it was built in a tall pine-tree, in a fork near the top ; it was composed of coarse sticks and twigs, and was lined with the bark of the red cedar and a few leaves and feathers. The eggs, which are now before me, vary from 2 by 1.70 inches, to 2.15 by 1.72 inches ; their color is a dirly yellow- ish-white, covered more or less thickly in the diflFerent specimens with spots and blotches of reddish-brown : an- other egg, obtained in Newton, Mass., in the previous season, is somewhat smaller, and the markings are fainter, and of a lighter color. Two other specimens in my collec- tion, collected in New Hampshire, correspond to this description ; but the spots are much finer and of a darker color. AROHIBUTEO, Bkkhm. Archibuteo, Brehm, Isis, 1828, p. 1269. Tarsi densely feathered to the toes, but more or less naked behind, and then coh- ered with scales. Wings long and wide; toes short; claws moderate; tail rather short, wide. Other characters very similar to those of Buteo ij THE BOUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 4a This genus contains six or seven species, inhabiting Europe, Asia, and North America, all birds of heavy though robust organization, subsisting mainly on small quadrupeds and reptiles. The species of this genus are easily recognized by their having the tarti feathered. AaCHIBUTEO LAGOPUS.— Gray. The Bough-legged Hawk. FiUco lagopui, Gm. Syst. Nat., 260 (1788). Aud. Om. Biog., II. 877, and Wilson. Falco plumipei, Daudin. Traite d'Om., II. 163. Fdco penruUui, Cuvier. Reg. An., I. 823 (1817). ArchilnUeo aUicep$, Brehm. Vog. Deutsch, I. 40. Descbiption. Tarsus densely feathered in front to the toes, naked behind; wing long; tail rather short. Aduh. — UeiiA above yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes of brown tinged with reddish, especially on the occiput; back scapular, and shorter quills pale cine- reous, with partially concealed transverse bands of white and dark-brown, the latter frequently predominating, and giving the color on the back ; rump dark umber-brown ; longer quills and wing coverts umber-brown; primaries edged externally with ashy, and with a large space on their inner webs at their base, white with a silky lustre; under r 'Tts white; throat with longitudinal stripes of dark-brown; breast with large spots and concealed stripes of reddish-brown; abjomen with numerous transverse narrow bands of brownish-black, most conspicuous on the flanks, and tinged with ashy; tibita and tarsi barred transversely with white and dark-brown, aud tinged with reddish; under tail coverts white; upper tail coverts white at base and tipped with brownish-black ; tail white at base, with a wide subtenninal band of black, and about two other bands of black alternating with others of light-cinere- otis; cere and oes yellow; iria hazel; under wing coverta white, with spots of brownish-black, and on the longer coverts with a large space of ashy-brown. Young. — Upper parts light umber-brown, many feathers, especially on the head and neck behind, edged With yellowish- white and pale-reddish; a wide transverse band or belt on the abdomen brownish-black; other under parts yellowish-white, with a few longitudinal lines and spots of brownish-black; quills ashy-brown, with a large basal portion of their inner webs white; tail at its base white, with a sub- terminal band of light umber-brown, tip white; tibite and tarsi pale reddish-yellow, with longitudinal stripes and spots of dark-brown; cere and toes yellow; iris hazel. Total length, female, twenty-one to twenty-three inches ; wing, sixteen to seven- teen inches; tail, nine inches. Male, total length, nineteen to twenty-one inches; wing, fifteen to sixteen inches; tail, eight to eight and a half inches. This Hawk is rarely seen in Now England, appearing only in the late fall and winter months. I have had no opportu- nities of studying its habits and characteristics, and will give the short description by Audubon. He says, — p Jtk mm -AMI 44 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. " The Rough-legged Hawk seldom goes further south along our Atlantic Coast than the eastern portions of North Carolina ; nor have I ever seen it west of the Alleghanies. It is a sluggish bird, and confines itself to the meadows and low grounds bordering the rivers and salt marshes along our bays and inlets* In such places, you may see it perched on a stake, where it remains for hours at a time, unless some wounded bird comes in sight, when it sails after it, and secures it without manifesting much swiftness of flight. It feeds principally on moles, mice, and other small quadrupeds, and never attacks a duck on the wing, although now and then it pursues a wounded one. When not alarmed, it usually flies low and sedately, and does not exhibit any of the courage and vigor so con- spicuous in most other hawks, suiFering thousands of birds to pass without pursuing them. The greatest feat I have seen it perform was scrambling at the edge of the water to secure a lethargic' frog. " They alight on trees to roost, but appear so hungry or indolent at all times, that they seldom retire to rest until after dusk. Their large eyes, indeed, seem to indicate their possession of the faculty of seeing at that late hour. I have frequently put up one that seemed watching for 'food at the edge of a ditch, long after Bunset. Whenever an opportunity offer, they eat to excess, and, like the Turkey Buzzards and Carrion Crows, disgorge their food, to enable themselves to fly off. The species is more pocturnal in its habits than any other, hawk found in the United States." I have never met with the nest of this bird, and know but little of its breeding habits. It does not breed in New England, or, if it does, only very rarely, preferring the more northern sections of the continent. Two eggs in my collec- tion, from Canada, are of the following description. Their ground-color is a dirty bluish-white, which is covered more or less thickly on different parts of '^'leir surface with obscure spots and blotches of different shades of brown- ish-ochre and faint-uraber. They are broadly ovate in form, and are 2.87 by 1.76 inch and 2.87 by 1.63 inch in dimensions. tttrntm THE BLACK HAWK. 46 AECHIBUTEO SABCTI-JOHABHIS. —Cray. The Black Hawk. • • Fako tancthjohannit, Gm. Syst. Nat, 273 (1788). Falco nova4erra, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 274 (1788). Falco nigtr, Wilson. Am. Om., VI. 82 (1812). Debcription. Adult. — Entire plumage glossy black, in many specimens with a bro'B'n tinge; forehead, throat, and largo partially concealed spot on occiput, white; tail with one transverse well-defined band of white, and irregularly marked towards the base with the same color; quills with their inner webs white, readily seen from below; cere and toes yellow; iris hazel; tarsi densely feathered in front, naked behind. Other specimens are entirely dark chocolate-brown, with the head more or less striped with yellowish-white and reddish-yellow; tail with several transverse bands of white, more or less imperfect and irregular. Young. — Upper parts light umber-brown, witli the feathers more or less edged with dull-white and reddish-yellow; abdomen with a broad transverse band of brownish-black; other under parts pale yellowish-white, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black, frequently giving the predominating color on the breast and sides; wings and tail brown, tinged with cinereous, the former marked with white on their inner webs, the latter white at their base; tarsi and tibiaj pale reddish- yellow, spotted with brown; cere, feet, and iris the same as in adult. Totftl length, female, twenty-two to twenty-four inches ; wing, seventeen to seven- teen and a half; tail, nine inches. Male, twenty to twenty^wo inches; wing, sixteen to sixteen and a half; tail, eight to eight and a half inches. This species,^ so often confounded in the immature plu- mage with the preceding, but which may be separated from it by its greater size and more numerous dark spots beneath, is a rare winter visitor in New England. Like the Rough-legged Hawk, it prefers the marshes and low, swampy woods to the higher localities, and preys upon mice, wounded ducks, and small birds. I have known of it being killed while pursuing a flock of Snow Buntings (^Plectrophanes nivalis'), and have heard of its attacking a flock of domestic poultry. Its habits, therefore, are differ- ent from those- of the A. lagopus, as given by Audubon ; b"t it lacks the courage and vigor of most of our other rapacious birds, and is hardly worthy of the immortality it has received from the pens of some of our writers. The distribution of this species is limited to the north- ern regions of the continent in summer, and is very rarely ^ See Appendix. I '^^i^i^'**^'^^^'^^^'^-^ 46 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. found south of Maasachuaetts in winter. I do not rdmem- bor of an instance of ita being captured far inland, although J. A. Allen, before quoted, includea it in the catalogue of the birds of Springfield, Mass. A single egg in my collection, from Northern America, is of the following dimensions : 2.17 by 1.70 inch. Its form is a perfect ovoidal. Its primary color is a dirty white ; and it is marked with obscure blotches of lilac, and some obscure blotches of brown and brownish-yellow. None of the markings are decided ; and, at a little distance, the egg has the appearance of being of a dirty-white color. BMa • Sub-Family MiLviNJU. — The Kites. Size various, usually medium or small ; general form usually rather slender, and not strong; wings and tail usually long; bill short, weak, hooked, and acute; tarsi and 'n .; usually slender, and not strong, sometimes short. The birds of this group habiicaily feed on reptiles and other small animals, and are deficient in the strength and courage of the other groups of the falcons. CIRCUS, Lacepedb. Circtu, Lacepkdb, Mem. d'Inst. Paris, III. CXI. B08 (1803). Face partially encircled by a ring or ruff of short projecting feathers, aa in the owls; head rather large; bill short, compressed, curved from the base; nostrils large; wings long, pointed; tail rather long, wide; tarsi long and slender; toea moderate: claws rather slender and weak. COLCVS KUDSOVmS.— neUht. /The Harsh-havk; Harrier; Hoase-hawk. falco ffudsoniut, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., I. 128 (1768). Falco uliginotu*, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 278 (1788). Fako uUginotui, Wilson. Am. Om., VI. 67. Falco cyaneui, Aububon. Om. Biog., IV. 896. ' Description. Adult. — VoTta rather long and slender; tarsi long; ruff quite distinct on the neck in front: entire upper parts, head, nnd breast, pale bluish-cinei«ou8, on the back of the head miled with dark-fulvous; upper tail coverts white; under parts white, with small coffate or hastate spots of light-ferruginous ; quills brownish- black, with their outer webS tinged with ashy, and a large portion, of their inner "rijwiiiii- 1 iifiigiiMltit"rP'1''*°°y T " j n ' ' ^' THE MARSH-IIAWK ; HARRIER; MOUSE-HAWK. 47 webs wliito ; fail light-cincrcous, nearly white on the inner webs of the fcathen), and with obscure transverse Imnds of brown; under surface silky-white j under wing coverts white; bill blue-black at the extremity; cere and legs yellow, the former with a tinge of green ; iris hazel. Younger. — Entire upper ymna dull umber-brown, many feathers edged with dull rufous, especially on the neck ; under parts dull reddish-white, with longitudinal stripes of brown, most numerous on the throat and neck before; tibia) tinged with reddish; upper tail coverts white. young. — Entire upper parts dark umber-brown; upper tail coverts white; under parts rufous, with longitudinal stripes of brown on the breast and sides; tail reddish-brown, with about three wide bands of dark-fulvous, paler on the inner webs; tarsi, cere, and iris as in the adult. Total length, female, nineteen to twenty-one inches; wing, fifteen and a half; tail, fen inches. Male, fetal length, sixteen to eighteen inches ; wing, fourteen and a half; tail, eight and a half to nine inches. This species is pretty generally diffused throughout New England as a summer visitor. It is one of the least mis- chievous of all the hawks, as it destroys but few of the smaller birds. It is more common in districts that are low and marshy than in others ; and this fact gives it the name, in many localities, of the " Bogtrotter." Its flight is low and rapid, consisting of long intervals of flappings, with shorter periods of soaring. I do not remember of ever hearing it cry out in the manner that other hawks do, and think that it hunts silently. It arrives from the South from about the middle of April to the first of May. I am inclined to think that the birds are generally mated before their arrival ; for they are almost always seen in pairs from their first appearance. In choosing a situation for a nest, both birds are remarkably nervous and restless : they are almost constantly on the wing, prying into, and apparently taking into account, every thing with reference to future comfort. The following circumstances came to my observation, and, as I improved every opportunity to watch the proceedings, will serve to illustrate the breeding habits of this bird : A pair made their appearaince about the middle of April, a few years since, in a, large meadow in Dedham, Mass. They were apparently mated from the first ; and, as the neighborhood gave promise of an abun- 1- i» mi i w n n i i iiiii 48 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. dance of food (field-mice), I concluded that this would ho selected as a breeding- place, and watched accordingly. The male was very attentive to his mate, often talking to and caressing her. If she should alight on the ground or on a fence-rail, he would alight with her, and often fly and walk around her, bowing and chattering in a ludicrous manner. After a situation (luckily where I could watch them unobserved) was fixed upon for a nest, both birds were very active in its construction. It was built on a hummock, perhaps eighteen inches above the level of the meadow. The materials used in its construction were dried grasses, which were woven together rather neatly. It was considerably hollowed, — perhaps an inch and a half, — and lined with very soft grass. The external diameter of the nest was about eighteen inches ; internal diameter, about eight inches. The female laid four eggs of a dirty- white color, with a faint tinge of blue. In one specimen there were a few faint spots of brown ; but 1 think 'that generally the eggs of this species are without spots .^ I have seen a great many, and but a very few had spots, and these not at all distinct. A great number of specimens exhibit a variation of from 1.62 to 1.90 inch in length, and from 1.32 to 1.25 inch in breadth. The habits of this bird entitle it to the protection of the farmer. It subsists almost entirely upon the injurious field-mice, and the numbers of these animals which it destroys in the breeding season are incredible : from early dawn to dim twilight it may be seen busily searching for these pests, seldom molesting the small beneficial birds or poultry. I Dr. Brewer, in describing the eggs of this species, says; "With but a single exception, all these eggs (six) are very distinctly blotched and spotted. Their ground-color is a dirty bluish-white, which in one is nearly unspotted; the markings so f(iint as to be hardly perceptible, and only upon close inspection. In all the others, spots and blotches of a light shade of purplish-brown occur, in a greater or less degree, over their entire surface. In two, the blotches are large and well marked; in the others, less strongly traced, but quite distinct. This has led to a closer examination of eggs from other parts of the country, and nearly all are per- ceptibly spotted." .^^r<-r^', iMii^'ifVi^lfgffff^^K^^. . . THE GOLDEN EAGLE; THE RING-TAILED EAGLE. Suh-Family AqniLiNiE. — The Eaglet. 49 Siza large, uiiJ ull purta very atruiiKl.v organized; bill Urge, compresaed, straight at bane, curved and acute at tip; wingg long, pointed; tail ample, generally rounded; tarsi modorntc, very strong; claws curved, viiry sharp and strong. There are about seventy species of eagles of all countries. AQUILA, MoEiiRiNO. Aquila, MoEiiRiNO, kv. Gen., 49 (1762). General form large and very strong, and adapted to long-continued and swift flight; bill large, strong, compressed, and hooked at the tip; wings long, pointed; tarsi rather short, very strong, feathered to the toes ; claws sharp, strong, curved. This genus includes about twenty species, which are regarded as the true eagles. AQUILA OARASENSIS Ca$nn. The Golden Eagle ; the Bing-talled Eagle, Fako Canadensu, Linnojus. Syst. Nat., I. 126 (1766). Falco niger, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 260 (1788). AjuthnobiliSfFMna. Zoog. Ross. As., L 888(1811). Falco chryustot, Wilson. Aud., II. 464. Dkscription. Adult. — Large; tarsi densely feathered to the toes; head and neck behind light brownish-fulvous, varying in shade in different specimens, frequently light orange- folvous, generally darker; tail at base white, which color frequently occupies the greater part of the tail ; other terminal portion glossy black ; all other parts rich purplish-brown, frequently very dark, and nearly cleor black on the under parts of tlie body; primaries shining black; secondaries purplish-brown; tibioe and tarsi brownish-fulvous, generally mixed with dark-ashy; cere and toes yellow: iris reddish-hazel. Younger. — Entire plumage lighter, and mixed with dull-ftalvous ; under parts of the body nearly uniform with the upper parts ; cere, toes, and iris like adult. Total length, female, thirty-three to forty inches ; wing, about twenty-five ; tail, about fifteen inches. Male, total length, thirty to thirty-five inches ; wing, twenty to twenty-three: tail, twelve to fourteen inches. The above description is incomplete, so far as the markings of the tail are men tioned ; for in the adult bird the tail is entirely black, and the young have more or less white in proportion to their age, — the youngest birds having the widest white band at the base. This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that I have had no opportunities for studying its habits. It is occasionally found here in different seasons of the year, 4 ■Ma 60 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. and it luidoiibtcdly breeds in the wildcat districts of those States. The Ibllowing are tlio most interesting facts, given by Audubon, in relation to this speciios : — "Tie i^M'n Kagle, although a permanent resident in the TTnfua Ktiii . in of rare occurrence there; it being seldom th-xi one nee. more Laai a pair or two in the course of a year, unless he k^ an inhabitant of the mountains, or of t\w liiigo planis spread out at their base. I have seen a few of them on the wing along the shores of the Hudson, others on the upper parts of the Mississippi, some among the Alleghanies, and a pair in the SUUe of Mu.ne. At Labrador, we saw -u in.'.. < A sailing, at the height of a few • yards, over the moss-covered Mirface of tiio dreary rocks. "Although powerful in flight, it has not the speed of many hawks, nor even of the White-headed Eagle. It cannot, like the latter, pursue and seize, on the wing, the prey it longs for; but is obliged to glide down through the air for a certain iuM^iht to insure the success of its enterprise. The keenness of its eye, however, makes up for this defect, and enables it to spy, at a great distance, the objects on which it preys; and it seldom misses its aim, as it falls with the swiftness of a meteor towards the spot on winch they are concealed. When at a great height in the air, its gyrations are uncommonly beautiful, being slow and of wide circuit, and becom- ing the majesty of Iho king of birds. It often continues tbem for hours at a time, with apparendy the greatest ease. "The notes of this species are sharp and harsh; resembling, at times, the barking of a dog; especially about the breeding season, when the birds become extremely noisy and turbulent, flying more swiftly than at other times, alighting more frequently, and evincing a fretfulness which is not so observable after their eggs are laid. "They aro capable of remaining without food for several days at a time, and eat voraciously whenever they find an opportunity. "Young fawns, raccoons, hares, wild turkeys, and other large birds are their usual food ; and they devour putrid flesh only when hard pressed by hunger, none alighting on carrion at any other time. I regret that I am unable to add any thing to our knowl- edge of its habits and breeding peculiarities. Dr. Brewer . i iM i M i jmmiAiB i Mm ' ilJiBiMi THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 61 Bays, "It broods in tho inoiuitainous portions of Maine, Now Hampshire, Vermont, and New York." Tho Gohlon Eagle usually conHtruots its nest on tho sides of stoop roeky crags, where its materials aro coarsely heaped together on a projecting shelf of rock. Those consist of largo sticks loosely arranged. In rare instances, they aro said to have been built on trees in the Western States, whore rocky cliffs aro not to be met with. Tho eggs aro usually threo in nimibor ; sometimes two, or only one. Mr. Audu- bon describes them as measuring three and a half inches in length by two and a half in breadth ; tho shell thick and smooth, dull-wliito, brushed over with undefined patches of brown, which aro most numerous at the larger end. HALIiETUS, Saviont. Size large! tarsi short, naked, or feathered for a short distance below the joint 'of the tibia and tarsus, and with the toes covered with scales; toes rather long! claws very strong, curved, very sharp; bill large, very strong, compressed; margin of upper mandible slighUy lobed; wings long, pointed; tail moderate. . HALiaiTUS LEUCOCEPHALUS. The White-headed Eagle; the Bald Eagle; the Gray Eagle. Falcu UucocephtUut, Linnasus. Syst. Nat., I. 124 (1766). Fakoptjgargus, DsiUiMn. Traite d'Om., 11. 62 (1800). Falco oui/raffui, Wilson. Am. Om., "VII. 16 (1818). Descrhtion. Bill largo, strong, straight at the base, rather abruptly hooked; wings long; tarsi rather short. yldfi/t. — Head, tail, and its upper and uder coverts, white; entire other plumage brownish-black, generally with the edges of the feathers paler; bill, feet, and irides, or iris, yellow. Foun-rer. — Entire plumage, ncluding head and tail, dark-brown; paler on the throat; .dfres of the feathers paler or fulvous, especially on the under parts; tail more or Icp? mo.ttled with white, which color, in more advanced age, extends over a large portion of the tail, especially on the inner webs; bill brownish-black; irides brown. Tota\ length, female, about thirty-flve to forty inches; wing, twenty-three to twenty-live inches; tail, fourteen to fifteen inches. Mule, thirty to thirty-four inches: wing, twenty to twenty-two inches; tail, thirteen to fourteen inches. 62 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. This hoaiitifnl and woll-known bird h occasionally soon in difforoiit parts of Now England throughout tlio year, most conunonly near tho aeacoast or in Iho noighborl.ood of large tracts of water. I have had several opportunities of observ- ing and studying its habits, but have discovered nothing that has not been already presented to the public. Its flight is ss i ^s^.iSi!A'j Sisr,4sSS& i im»V)ii-MhMM^^it^ i)S'VwytN(»?^.?;i*;^{t^'^.j^ in serv- that ;ht is THE WHITE-HKAUKD EAGLE. 68 nipid and graceful, and is often prolonged for hourH witli apparent earn. It feeds upon wild-fowl, wild gocHe, and BnniU animalH, and Ih very j)urtial to TihIi, which it robs from the Firth Hawk (/^ Carolinemis), and linda cast upon the shore, dead. WiJHon, in describing its attacks on the Fish Hawk, says : — " Formed by nature for braving the severest cold ; feeding equally on the pnHluco of the sea and of the land; jMwsessing powers of flight capable of outstripping oven the tempests them- Belves ; unawcd by any thing but man ; and, from the ethereal heights to which he soars, looking abroad, at one glonce, on an im- measurable expanse of foresta, fields, lakes, and ocean, deep below him, — he appears indifferent to the little change of localities or seasons ; as, in a few minutes, he can pass from Hummer to winter, from the lower to the higher regions of the atmosphere, the abode of eternal cold, and thence descend, at will, to the torrid or the arctic regions of the earth. Ho is therefore found at all seasons in the countries he iidiabits, but prefers such places as have been mentioned above, from the great partiality he has for fish. " In procuring these, ho displays, in a very singular manner, the genius and energy of his character, which is fierce, contemi)la- tive, daring, and tyrannical, — attributes not exerted but on par ticular occasions, but, when put forth, overpowering all opposition. Elevated on the high dead limb of some gigantic tree that com- mands a wide view of the neighboring shores and ocean, he seems calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes that pursue their busy avocations below, — the snow-white gulls slowly winnowing the air; the busy tringee coursing along the sands ; trains of ducks streaming over the surface ; silent and watchful cranes, intent and wading ; clamorous crows ; and all the winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid magazine of nature. High over all these hovers one whose action instantly arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature of wing and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the Fish Hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight ; and, balancing himself, with half-opened wings. i M M iir Mi wr[i ii»*«i ^ i ii i i»n' i' f >* 54 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention ; the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam around. At this moment, the eager looks of the Eagle are all ardor; and, levelling his neck for flight, he sees the Fish-hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air with screams of exultation. These are the signal for our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives chase, and soon gains on the Fish-hawk: each exerts his utmost to mount above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unencumbered Eagle rapidly advances, and is just on the point of reaching bis opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest execration, the latter drops his fish : the Eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirl- wind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods. "These predatory attacks and defensive maucEuvres of the Eagle and the Fish-hawk are matters of daily observation along the" whole of our seaboard, from Georgia to New England, and frequently excite great interest in the spectators. Sympathy, however, on this as on most other occasions, generally sides with the honest and laborious sufferer, in opposition to the attacks of power, injustice, and rapacity ; qualities for which our hero is so generally notorious, and which, in his superior, man, are cer- tainly detestable. As for the feelings of the poor fish, they seem altogether out of the question. " When driven, as he sometimes is, by the combined courage and perseverance of the fish-hawks, from their neighborhood, and forced to hunt for himself, he retires more inland, in search of young pigs, of which he destroys great numbers. In the lower parts of Virginia and North Carolina, where the inhabitants raise vast herds of those animals, complaints of this kind are very general against him. He also destroys young lambs in the early part of spring ; and will sometimes attack old sickly sheep, aiming furiously at their eyes." It generally chooses for a breeding-place a retired spot in the neighiDorhood of a tract of water. The nest is , THE FI8H-HAWK. 55 usually placed lu the fork of a largo dead tree, and is occupied by the same pair of birds for successive years. I am informed, that a pair of these birds have, for a number of years past, made their eyrie on a shelf of an inaccessible cliff on the side' of what is called " Diamond Mountain," a few miles south of the Umbagog lakes. Mr. J. A. Allen (Catalogue of Birds of SpringBeld, Mass., in "Proceedings of Essex Institute," vol. IV., No. 2) says that this species "sometimes breeds on Mount Tom, about twenty miles north of Springfield, Mass." These are probably, how- ever, exceptional cases. The nest is constructed of large sticks, twigs, branches of seaweeds, turf, and moss : some of these sticks are nearly or quite an inch in thickness. It is a bulky affair ; its diameter often being five feet, and its thickness from two to three feet. It is not much hollowed, and is nearly level across the top. Of numbers of eggs of this bird, that I have examined, I could see no material difference as to shape or color; the form being nearly spherical, and the color a dirty yellowish-white. Length of specimens varies from 2.93 to 3.07 inches; breadth, from 2.31 to 2.47 inches. PANDION, Savigkt. Pandion, Savigny, Hist. Nat. d'Egypt, I. 95 (1809). Wings very long; general form heavy, and not adapted to vigorous or swift flight like the preceding eagles; bill short, curved from the base, compressed; tarsi thick and strong, and covered with small circular scales; claws large, curved, very sharp ; oes beneath rough ; tail moderate or rather short. This genus contains three or four species onlj, nearly alUed to each other, and inhabiting all temperate regions of the world. PAHPION OAEOLINENSIS. — Bonaparte. The Fish-hawk. Osprey. Falco'carolineruiB, Gm. Syst. Nat, I. 268 (1788). AquHa piicatrix, VieiUot. Ois. d'Am. Sept., I. 29 (180T). Pandion Americanus, VieiUot. Gal. Ois., I. 83 (1825). Falco halitetai, Linnseus. Wilson, Am. Om., V. 14. Falco haliahts, Linnseus. Aud. Om. Biog., I. 416. w^gmsmm^msmmmi: , MMi i 66 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Description. Wings long; legs, toes, and claws very robust and strong. Adult. — HcaA and entire under parts white; stripe tliroagh the eye, top of tho head, and upper parts of the body, wings and tail deep umber-brown, taU having about eight bands of blackish-brown; breasr, with numerous cordate and circular spots of pale yellowish-brown; bill and claws bluish-black; tarsi and toes green- ish-yellow ; iris reddish-yellow. Young. — Similar to the adult, but with the upper plumage edged and tipped with pale-brownish, nearly white; spots on the breast more numerous and darker colored. Total length, female, about twenty-flve taches; wing, twenty-one inches; tail, t«n and a half inches. Male, rather smaller. " Soon as the sun, great ruler of the year, Bends to our northern climes his bright career, And from the caves of Ocean calls from slee The fini.y shoals and myriads of the deep ; When freezing tempests back to Greenland ride, And day and night the equal hours divide, — True to the season, o'er our sea-beat shore, The sailing Osprey high is seen to sot. . With broad, unmoving wing ; and, cir. J».g slow, Marks each loose straggler in the deep below. Sweeps down like lightning, plunges with a roar, And bears his struggling victim to the shore. The long-housed fisherman beholds with joy The well-known signals of his rough employ ; And, as he bears his nets and oars along. Thus hails the welcome season with a song : — THE FISHERMAN'S HYMN. The Osprey sails above the sound ; The geese are gone, the gulls are flying; The herring-shoals swarm thick around ; The nets are launched, the boats are plying. Yo, ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep, Baise high the song, and cheerly wish her. Still, as tiie bending net we sweep, ' God bless the Fish-hawk and the flshcr I ' She brings us fish : she brings us spring. Good times, fair weather, wirmth, and plenty ; Fine store of shad, trout, herring, ling. Sheep's-head and drum, and old-wives dainty. «s'«; ar li- ed ul. THE FISH-HAWK. 67 Yo, ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep, Ply every oar, and cheerly wish her, Still as the bending net we sweep, ' God bless the Fish-hawk and the fisher ! ' She rears her young on yonder tree ; S!ie leaves her faithful mate to mind 'em ; Like us, for fish, she sails to sea, And, plunging, shows us where to find 'em. Yo, ho, my hearts ! let's seek the deep. Ply every oar, ajd cheerly wish her, While the slow-bending net we sweep, ' God bless the Fish-hawk and the fisher ! ' " Alexander Wilson. I The common and well-known bird which furnishes the theme of tlie above beautiful verses is a summer inhabitant of New England along the whole coast, and in the neighbor- hood of large sheets of water. The males arrive from the south about the middle of April, and the females about a week later. I believe that the same pair are constant to each other for several years: those that commence their matrimonial career in the spring usually mate about the first week in May, in our latitude. The movements of the male, while paying court to the female, are interesting; and, as Audubon has described them better than I can myself, I will give his descriptior : — " As Roon as the females make their appearance, which happens eight or ten days after the arrival of the males, the love-season commences, and, soon after, iBcubation takes place. The loves of these birds are conducted in a different way froji those of the other falcons. The males are seen playing through the air amongst themselves, chasing each other in sport, or sailing by the side or after the female which they have selected, uttering cries of joy and exultation, alighting on the branches of the tree on which their last year's nest i: yet seen remaining, and doubtless congratu- lating each other on finding their home again. Their caresses are mutual. They begin to augment their habitation, or to repair tlie injuries which it may have sustained during the winter, and are 1B^|!#k wmtHi 58 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Been sailing together towards the shore's, to collect the drifted seaweeds, with which they line the nest anew. They alight on the beach, search for the dryest and largest weeds, collect a mass of them, clench them in their talons, and fly towards their nest, with the materials dangling beneath. They both alight and labor together. In a fortnight, the nest is complete, and the female deposits her eggs." The nest is generally placed in a large tree in the imme- diate vicinity of the water, either along the seashore, on the margins of the inland lakes, or by some large river. It is, however, sometimes to be seen in the interior of a wood, a mile or more from the water. I have concluded, that, in the latter case, it was on account of frequent disturbance, or attempts at destruction, that the birds had removed from their usual haunts. The nest is very large, sometimes meas- iiring fully four feet across, and is composed of a quantity of materials sufficient to render its depth equal to its diam- eter. Large sticks, mixed with seaweeds, tufts of strong grass, and other materials, form its exterior, while the in- terior is composed of seaweeds and finer grasses. I have not observed that any particular species of tree is preferred by the Fish-hawk. It places its nest in the fork of an oak or a pine with equal pleasure. But I have observed that the tree chosen is usually of considerable size, and not un- frequently a decayed one. The Fish-hawk is gregarious, and often breeds in colonies of three or four nests in an area of a few acres. The males assist in incubation. I have heard of instances of as many as a dozen nests being found in the distance of. half a mile on the coast of New Jersey. In New England, the species is not so plentiful, and sel- dom more than one nest can be found in one locality. The fiight of the bird is strong, vigorous, and w^U sustained. Aa he flies over the ocean, at a height of perhaps fifty . 4±. THE FISH-HAWK. 59 feet, his long wings, as they beat the air in qtiick, sharp strokes, give the bird the appearance of being muqh hirger than he really is. When he plunges into the water, he invariably seizes tlio fish, his prey, in his talons, and is sometimes immersed to the depth of a foot or eighteen inclies in his efforts to capture it. He is of a peaceable disposition, and never molests any of his feathered neigh- bors. If the nest is plundered, the parent attacks the in- truder, and often inflicts ugly wounds in its defence. Mr. Allen, in his notes on the " Rarer Birds of Massa- chusetts," remarks while the osprey "breeds abundantly on the New Jersey coast, on portions of Long Island, on the coast of Maine and about the large lakes in the interior, it is now, only seen in this state, (Massachusetts,) so far as I can learn, during its migrations." During the past winter, I have had frequent conversa- tions with hunters and others, interested in our birds, who are residents of Plymouth and Barnstable counties, and their testimony is that in the large tracts of vroodland in those counties, such as the Plymouth and Sandwich woods, the osprey nests, not in communities, but so frequently that the birds and nests are often found. The eggs are usually laid before the 10th of May : they are generally three in number. They vary considerably, both in shape, size, and markings. In a majority of speci- mens in my collection, the ground-color is a rich reddish- cream, and covered with numerous blotches of different shades of brown. In a number of specimens, these blotches are confluent, and the primary color is nearly hidden. Their form varies from nearly spherical to ovoidal, and the dimen- sions from 2.28 to 2.44 inches in length, and from 1.65 to 1.83 in breadth. m 60 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family STRIGID^. The Owls. Form usually short and heavy, with the head disproportionately large, and fre- quently furnished with erectile tufts of feathers, resembling the ears of quadrupeds. General organization adapted to vigorous and noiseless, but not rapid, flight, and to the capture of animals in tiie morning and evening twilight. Eyes usually very large, directed forwards, and, in the greater number of species, formed for seeing by twilight or in the night; bill rather strong, curved, nearly concealed by projecting, bristlo-like feathers; wings generally long, outer edges of primary quills fringed; legs generally rather short, and in all species, except in one Asiatic genus (Ketiipa), more or less feathered, generally densely; cavity of the ear very large; face encircled by a ipore or less perfect disc of short, rigid feathers, which, with the large eyes, gives to those birds an entirely peculiar and frequently catlike expression. Female larger than the 1 1 Je. Sub-Family Bubonin^. — The Homed ^wls. Head large, with erectile and prominent ear-tufts; eyeslu-ge; facial disc not complete above the eyes and bill; legs, feet, and claws usually very strong;. BUBO, CoviEE. Bubo, CoviEK, E6gne Animal, L 831 (1817). Size large; general form very robust and powerflil; head large, with conspicuous ear-tufts; eyes very large; wings long; tail short; legs and toes very strong, densely feathered; claws very strong; bill rather short, strong, curved, covered at base by projecting feathers. This genus includes the large Homed Owls, or Cat Owls, as they are sometimes called. These birds are most numerous in Asia and Africa, and there are in all couatriei about fifteen species. BUBO TlUQlSlkTUVS.— Bonaparte. The Oraat Horned Owl. Strix Virginiana, Gm. Syst. Nat, I. 287 (1788). Bonap. Syn., p. 87. Nutt, L 124. Wilson, Audubon, and others. Bubo artioui, Swains. Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 86 (1831). Description. .ilrfuft.— Large and strongly organized; ear-tufts large, erectile; bill strong, fully curved; wing rather long; third quill usually longest; tail short; legs and toes robust, and densely covered with short, downy feathers; claws very strong, sharp, curved; variable in plumage, from nearly white to dark-brown, usually with the upper parts davk-brown, every feather mottled, and with irregular trans- verse lines of pale-ashy and reddish-fulvous, the latter being the color of all the nlumage at the bases of the feathers; ear-tufts dark-brown, nearly black, edged on »' .'l lPWI J i l» THE GREA.T HORNED OWL. 61 •e- Is. to 5S, ■!y of ne '■M rs, tly lot ong ely by nes aU .,1. •ng, and »ng. ally ina- thti I on their inner webs with dnrk-fulvoug ; a black ipot above the eye; radiating feathers behind the eye, varying in color from nearly white to dark rcddish-fulvoiia, usually the latter; feathers of the facial disc tipped with black; throat and neck before, white; breast with wide longitudinal stripes of black; other under parts variegated w'th white and fulvous, and every feather having transverse, narrow lines of dark-brown , middle of the abdomen frequently, but not always, white; legs and toes varying from white to dark-fulvous, usually pale-fulvous ; in most specimens unspotted, but frequently, and probably always in fully mature specimens, with transverse, narrow bars of dark -brown; quills brown, with wide transverse bands of cinereous, and usually tinged on the inner webs with pale fulvous; tail the same, with the fulvous predominating on the outer feathers; iris yellow; bill and claws bluish-black. Dimemions. — Vema]e, length, twenty-one to twenty-ilve inches; wing, fourteen and a half to sixteen; fail, ten inches. Male, eighteen to twenty-one inches; wing, fourteen to fifteen; tail, nine inches. THIS well-known bird is a resident in all the New-England States throughout the year. It is not so common in Mas- sachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island as in the other States, where, in the vast tracts of forest, it is quite-abun- dant ; so much so, that I have heard several of them at the same time making " night hideous with their discordant, mournful cries." Never sliall I forget a serenade I once had the pleasure of hearing in the State of Maine, in which this bird maintained the basso. We were encamped on the shores of Lake Umbagog : our tent was pitched on a bluff overlooking the lake, and behind us was the deep, dark forest of pines and hemlocks. We had just got fairly into our first nap, the sweet follower of our day's toils, when we were awakened by the hootings of one of these owls, " Waugh, hoo, hoo, hoo!" or "Who cooks for you?" as the Western traveller understood it, which seemed to be addressed to us from a tree almost over our tent. We listened : presently another took up the theme, and then both together. They had scarcely finished their duet, v/hen, from away up the lake, came the shrill, mournful cry or scream of the Loon : this was continued and answered by others, until, with owls and loons, the night was vocal with melodious sounds. After this had died away, and all was still, there came from a bush near our tent the almost heavenly song of the White- throateri "parrow, the "Nightmgale of the North." One i This gen,i8 contains ten or twelve species of vanons countnes, all of which are more handsome birds than are usually met with in this family. OTUS WILSOHIABTJS.— Z.e«»o«. •< The Long-eared Owl. "~ » OtM WiltonianvB, Lesson. Traite d'Om., 1. 110 (1881). Oiut Americanui, Bonaparte. Comp. List, 7 (1888). Syn., 87. Strix olu», Wilson. Bonaparte's edition, 449. Btrix otut, Linnaeus. Aud. Cm. Biog., IV. 672. Nuttall, L 130. DESCRIPnOR. Ear-tuft8 long and conspicuous; eyes rather small; wings long; tarsi and toe. densely fekthered; upper parU mottled with brownish-black, Mvous and ashy- whiie, the former predominating; breast pale-fulvous, with longUudmal stnpcs of brownish-black; abdomen white; every feather with a wide long.tudmal stnpe, and with transverse stripes of brownish-black; legs and toes pale-fulvous usually unspotted, but frequentiy with irregular narrow transverse stripes of dark-brown; eye nearly encircled witlrblack, other feathers of the face ashy-wh.te, with minute Unes of black; ear-tnfts brownish-black edged with fulvous and ashy-white; qudls pale-fulvous at their bases, with irregular transverse bands of brow^; inftrior TverU of the wing pale-fulvous, frequently nearly white; the larger ^dejy t'PPed with black; tail brown, with several irregular transverse bands of ashy-inlvous, which are mottled, as on the quills; bill and claws dark horn-color; mdes yellow. Total length, female, about fifteen inches; wing, eleven to eleven and a half; taU, •ix inches. Male rather smaller. This species is rather common in New England, rather preferring the less settled districts to the others. It is eminently nocturnal in its hahits, and has the power of see- ing in the daytime to a less degree than any of the other species with which I am acquainted. A specimen that I once had, as a pet, could not see my hand as it approached him, and would permit my finger to touch his eye before he drew over it the thin nictitating membrane given to all birds to protect this delicate organ. I do not remember of ever hearing this owl utter a cry 1 f m pHM* THE LONG-EARED OWL. 69 r in its nocturnal i-ambles; and I think that it Imnta in silence, except, perhaps, in the mating season. The specimen in my possession would not eat in the day- time ; and, if I fed it then, was obliged to push the food down its throat with my finger : at night, it fed readily on raw meat, but was rather loath to eat when I was by, or when a lamp was near its cage. I had water always accessible to it, but never saw it drink, and think, that, in the space of two months, it drank not more than two or three times ; or, if it did, the quantity it took was so small as not to be appreciable. Notwithstanding the comparative abundance of this spe- cies, its breeding habits are not well known. I have been so fortunate as to find several nests, all of which were built in forks of tall ^ines, and constructed of twigs and leaves. Audubon says : — " The Long-eared Owl is careless as to the situation in which its young are to be reared, and generally accommodates itself vrith the abandoned nest of some other bird that proves of sufficient size, whether it be high or low; in the fissure of a rock or on the ground. Sometimes, however, it makes a nest itself; and this I found to be the case in one instance near the Juniata River, in Pennsylvania, where it was composed of green twigs, with the leaflets adhering, and lined with fresh grass and wool, but without any feathers." Wilson describes its breeding habits as follows : — " About six or seven miles below Philadelphia, and not far from the Delaware, is a low sv -np, thickly covered with trees, and inundated during a great part of the year. This place is the resort of great numbers of the qua bird (Night Heron), wher^ they build in large companies. On the 25th of AprU, while wading through the dark recesses of this place, observing the habits of these birds, I discovered a Long-eared Owl, which had taken possession of one of their nests, and was setting. On mounting to the nest, I found it contained four eggs; and, breaking one of them, the young appeared almost ready to leave the shell. There were numbers of •mimmmmmmm 70 OIINITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. I if the qua birds' neats on the adjoining trees all around, and one of them actually on the same tree." Ths reader will perceive from the above account of the breeding habits of this bird, that it is variable in its choice of a nesting-place, although every nest that I have found, or known of, was built in tall pines, and constructed as above ; and I have known instances where the same nest was used for successive breeding seasons. T!ie eggs are generally four in number, seldom more. They are nearly spherical in form, and of a pure-white color. Dimensions of specimens in my collection vary from 1.40 to 1.60 inch in length, by from 1.30 to 1.40 inch iu breadth. BKACHYOTOS, Gould. k BrachyotuifGovisi, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 1837, 10. Ear-tuft» very short and inconspicuous; general form rather strong; wings long; tail moderate; legs rather long, which, with the toes, are fully covered with short feathers; claws long, very sharp, and rather slender; head moderate; eyes rather^ small, surrounded by radiating feathers; facial disc imperfect on the forehead and* above the eyes ; tail moderate. This genus contains four or five species only, the two best known of wulch are the European. BEACHTOTUS CA&StSll. — Brewer. The Short-eared Owl. Brachj/oltu Cauinii, Brewer. Proc. Boston Soc of Nat. Hist. Strix brachyotut, Forster. Phil. Trans., London, LXIL 884 (1772). Strix Wachyotut, Linnieus. Wilson and others. Dbscmption. •' Ear-tufts very short; entire plumage buff or pale-ftilvous; every feather on the upper parts with a wide longitudinal stripe of dark-brown, which color predominates on the back; nnder parts paler, frequently nearly white on the abdomen, with longitudinal stripes of brownish-bluck, most numerous on the breast, very narrow and less numerous on the abdomen and flanks; legs and toes usually of a deeper shade of the same color as the abdomen; quills pale reddish-fulvous at their bases, brown at their ends, with wide irregular bands and large spots of reddish-fulvous; tail pale reddish-fulvous, with about five irregular transverse bands of dark-brown, which color predominates on the two central feathers; under tail coverts usually nearly white; throat white; eyes enclosed by large spots of brownish-black; ear- tufts brown, edged witli fiilvous; bill and claws dark; irides yellow. Toial length, female, about fifteen inches; wing, twelve; tail, six inches. Male rathcJ' smaller. i "■ss^' t THE GRAY 0WL8. n I rogrct being iiiiahle to add any thing to our knowledge of tlio history of this bird. I have had no opportunities for observing its habits, and know of nothing tliat has been noted recently which will add to our information. It is not common in any part of New England, and is, I believe, more often met with in the neighborhood of the seacoast than elsewhere. I have never met with its nest, but have no doubt that it breeds in these States, as specimens are occasionally taken here in summer. Richardson says that its nest is formed of withered grass and moss, and is built on the ground. Dr. Bryant (" Pro- ceedings of Boston Society of Natural History," January, 1857) describes a nest found on an island in the Bay of Fundy as follows : — " A nest of this bird was found by Mr. Cubot in the midst of a dry peaty bog. It was built on the ground, in a very slovenly manner, of small sticks and a few feathers, and presented hardly any excavation. It contained four eggs on the point of being hatched." The eggs of this species are of a pure-white color, and vary in dimensions from 1.65 inch by 1.20 inch to 1.50 inch by 1.23 inch. Sub-Family STRNiWiE. — The Gray Owls. Head large, with very stnall and concealed ear-tufts, or entirely without. Facial disc nearly perfect; eyes small for the family of owls: wings rather short, or not so long as in the preceding; tarsi and toes generally fully feathered. This group con- tains some of the largest of owls; generally, however, the size is medium, and fre- quently small. 8TBNIUM, Savwhy. Symiuro, Savigny, Nat. Hist. Egypt, I. 112 (1809). Size usually large; head large, without ear-tufts; eyes rather small; facial disc somewhat imperfect in front; bUI strong, curved from its base; wings moderate, somewhat rounded; fourth and fifth quills longest; tail rather long, wide, and usu- ally rounded at the end; legs moderate, or rather long, which, with the toes, are densely covered with short feathers; claws long, strong, very sharp. 72 OKNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOY. Species of thi» genu« inhabit principally tlio northern part* of the world, and art generally characterized by the prevalence of gray or clnereoun, of varioua nhadea, in their plumage. BTRHItTK CIHEEEUM. — iiu<< The Barred Owl.— Strix nebulosa, Forster. Trans. Philosoph. Soc, London, LXII. 386, 424 (1772). Strix nebulosa, LinnDeus. Wilson, 804. Bonap. Syn., 38. Nutt., I. 133. Aud., I. 242. Descbiption. Head large, without ear-tufts; tail rather long; upper parts light ashy-brown, frequently tinged with dull-yellow, with transverse narrow bands of white, most numerous on the head and neck behind, broader on the back ; breast with transverse bands of brown and white ; abdomen oshj'-white, with longitudinal stripes of brown ; tarsi and toes asiiy-white, tinged with fulvous, generally without spots, but frequently mottled and banded with dark-brown; quills brown, with six or seven transverse bars, nearly pure-white on the outer weba, and ashy -fulvous on the inner webs ; tail light-brown, with about five bauds of white, generally tinged with reddish-yellow; discal feathers tipped with .vhite; face ashy-white, with lines of brown, and a spot of black in front of the eye; throat dark-brown; claws horn-color; bill pale-yellow ; irides bluish-black. Sexes alike. Total length, about twenty inches; wing, thirteen to fourteen; tail, nine inches. Sexes nearly of the same size. This Owl is rather common in most sections of New Eng- land; is more often seen in the more southern localities, and less frequently met wijh in sections where the Great Horned Owl is most abundant, and vice versd. Its flight is soft and rapid, the great breadth of the wings and compara- tive lightness of the body giving it remarkable speed. Its vision is almost as good in the daylight as in the night, and surpasses that of most of our other owls. A specimen that I kept alive for a few weeks, often, in the daytime, flew about the room in which his cage was placed : he alighted with 74 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. ease on the backs of chairs, or on other pieces of furniture ; seldom miscalculating the distance or missing a footing, as many of the other owls would in the same circumstances. This bird soon became ti\me, and would accept food at almost any time in the day or night : on receiving a piece of meat, he sometimes attempted to clutch it with his foot, and my fingers often had narrow escapes from his sharp, crooked talons. Usually, he would seize it with his mouth, and, if not too large, swallow it without tearing : if the piece was more bulky than he could manage, he stood on it, and tore it with his beak. Fish he invariably rejected, but greedily ate mice and small birds : a dead pigeon, that I put in his cage, was untouched for several days. He died in conse- quence of a hurt he received in flying against a window. The Barred Owl subsists principally upon small birds, field-mice, and reptiles. He is frequently seen, in early twilight, flying over the low meadow-lands, searching for the mice that dwell there : he usually takes a direct course, and sometimes flies so low that the tips of his wings seem to touch the grass. When he discovers his prey, he drops on it instantly, folding his wings and protruding his feet, in which his quarry is always secured : he often captures frogs that are sitting on the shores of ponds and rivers ; but 1 am inclined to think that the statement, quoted by Audubon, that he often catches fish, is incorrect. The Barred Owl usually nests in high trees, placing the structure of sticks and leaves in a crotch near the trunk. The eggs are usually three in number. I have one only in my collection : this is pure-white, almost globular, and, except in shape, hardly distinguishable from the egg of the domestic hen. It is 2 iaches in length by 1.68 in breadth. NYCTALE, Brehm. Nyctale, Brehm, Isis (1828), 1271. Size small; head with very small ear-tufts, only observable when erected; eyes email; bill moderate, or not very strong; facial disc nearly perfect; wings rather long; tail short; legs and toes densely feathered. ,-- I f THE SAW-WHET OWL. 76 * Contains five specios of small and quite peculiar owls, four of which are Ameri- can, and one European. HYCTALE EICHAEDSONII. — 5on(jr»or<«. The Sparrow Owl. Nyctale Richardionii, Bonaparte. Comp. List, 7 (1S38). " Strix Tengmalmi, Gm." Aud. Om. Biog., IV. 569. and other American authors. , Description. The largest of this genus; wings long; upper parts pale reddish-brown, tinged „;th olive, and with partially concealed spots of white, most numerous on the head and neck behind, scapulars, and rump; head in front with numerous spots of white; &ce white, with a spot of black in front of the eye; throat with brown stripes; under parts ashy-white, With longitudinal stripes of pale reddish-brown; legs and toes pale-yellmvish, nearly white, sometimes barred and spotted with brown; quills brown, with small spoU of white on their outer edges, and large spots of the same on their inner webs, tail brown, every feather with about ten pairs of white spots; bill light-yellowish horn-color; irides j'cUow. Total length, about ten and a half inches; wing, seven and a half inches; tall, four and a half inches. This species is an exceedingly rare winter visitor in New England. I have never met with it alive, and can give from my own observation no account of its habits. Dr. Richardson, in the " Fauna Boreali-Americaua," says : — " Whfc it accidentally wanders, abroad in the day, it is so much dazzled by the light of the sun as to become stupid ; and it may then be easily caught by the hand. Its cry in the night is a single melancholy note, repeated at intervals of a minute or two. Mr. Hutchins says that it builds a nest of grass half-way up a pine-tree, and lays two white eggs in the month of May." BTCTALE ACABICA. — £on(9ia>t«. The Saw-Whet Owl; Acadiotui Owl. Strix AcatSea, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 296 (1788). Bonap. Syr.., 88. Nuttall and other authors. " Strix patserina, Linnseus." Wilson, Am. Om., IV. 66. Description. Small; wings long; tail short; upper parts reddish-brown, tinged with olive; head in front with fine lines of white, and on the neck behind, rump, and scapulars, with large, partially concealed spots of white; face ashy-white; throat white; under parts ashy-white, with longitudinal stripes of pale reddish-brown; under coverts 76 OBNlTHOLOOy AND OOLOGY. of wingB and Uil white; quills brown, with small spots of white on their outer edges, and large spots of the same on their inner webs; tail brown, every feather with about three pairs of spots of white; bill and claws dark; irides yellow. Total length, about seven and a half to eight inches; wing, Ave and a half inches; tail, two and three quarters to three inches. Sexes nearly the same size, and alike in colors. This species is also quite rare in New England ; but, as it is occasionally found in the summer months, is probably a resident here through the year. 'Says Audubon, in his description of this bird, which is very full and perfect : — " The Little Owl is known in Massachusetts by the name of the ' Saw-whet,' the sound of its love-notes bearing a great resemblance to the noise produced by filing the teeth of a large saw. These notes, when coming, as they frequently do, from the interior of a deep forest, produce a very peculiar effect on the traveller, who, not being aware of their real nature, expects, as he advances on his route, to meet with shelter under a saw-mill at no great distance. Until I shot the bird in the act, I had myself been more than once deceived in this manner. " A nest of our Little Owl, which I found near tlie city of Natchez, was placed in the broken stump of a small decayed tree, not more than four feet from the ground. I was attracted to it by the snor- ing notes of the young, which sounded as if at a considerable elevation; and I was so misled by them, that, had not my dog raised himself to smell at the hole where the brood lay concealed, I might not have discovered them. In this instance, the number was five. It was in the beginning of June ; and the little things, which were almost ready to fly, looked exceedingly neat and beauti- ful. Their parents I never saw, although I frequently visited the nest before they left it. The Little Owl breeds more abundantly near the shores of the Atlantic than m the mterior of the country, and is frequent m the swamps of the States of Maryland and New Jersey during the whole year. Wherever I have found the young or the eggs placed in a hollow tree, they were merely deposited on the rotten particles of wood ; and, when in an old crow's nest, the latter did not appear to have undergone any repair. Being quite nocturnal, it shows great uneasmess when disturbed by day, and flies off in a hurried, uncertain manner, throwing itself mto the THE SNOWY OWL. 77 first covert that it meets with, where it is not diflRcult to catch it, provided the necessary caution and silence be used. Towards dusk, it becomes full of animation, flies swiftly — gliding, as it were — over the low grounds like a little spectre, and pounces on small quadrupeds and birds with the quickness of thought." The Saw-whet Owl' nests in hollow trees, in cavities of rocks, and in deserted prows' and woodpeckers' nests. The eggs are from three to five or six in number ; and, according to Dr. Brewer, are of a bright, clear white, and more like a woodpecker's than an owl's in their crystalline clearness. Dimensions, 1-^ by ^ inch. Sub-Family Ntcteinin^. — Tlie Day Owls. General form compact and robust; head moderate, without ear-tufts i wings and tail rather long; tarsi strong, which, with the toes, are more densely covered than in any other division of this family. This division embraces two species only, which inhabit the arctic regions of both continents ; migrating southward in the winter. and t 1. KYCTEA, Stephens. NycUa, Stephenb, Cont of Shaw's Zool., Xni. 62 (1826). Large; head rather large, without ear-tufts; no facial disc; legs rather short, and with the toes covered densely with long hair-like feathers, nearly concealing the claws; bill short, nearly concealed by projecting feathers, very strong; wings long; tail moderate, or rather long, wide; claws strong, ftilly curved. Contains one spe- cies only. HTCTEA NIVEA. — Gray. The Snowy OvL Stria! nivta, Daudin. Traite d'Om., 190 (1800). Strix nyctea, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat L 182 (1766). " .S«rta! nj^cteo, LinniBUs." Bonap. Syn., 86. Nutt L 116. Aud. IL 185. Wil- son ard others. Description. Bill nearly concealed by projecting plumes; eyes large; entire plumage white, fre- quently with a few spots or imperfect bands, only on the upper parts dark-bro^vn, and on the under parts with a few irregular and imperfect bars of the same; quills and tail with a few spots or traces of bands of the same dark-brown; the prevalence of 1 See Appendix. 78 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. the dark -brown color varies much in different specimens; frequently both upper and under parts are very distinctly banded transversely, and sometimes this color pre- dominates on the back ; plumage of the legs and toes pure snowy-white ; bill and claws horn-color J iridcs yellow. Total length, female, about twenty-six inches; wing, seventeen to nineteen; tail, ten inches. Male, about twenty-two inches; wing, seventeen; tail, nine inches. As a winter visitor, throughout all New England, this bird is a rather common species. It is often taken on the islands in Massachusetts Bay, where it feeds on fish that have been thrown up on the shore by the tide, birds, wounded sea- fowl, and even dead aninals, as I am informed by a reliable person who once shot one while perched on and eating a dead horse on the beach. The flight of this Owl is rapid and protracted. I have seen an individual chase and cap- ture a Snow Bunting (P. nivalis') from a flock ; and once saw one make a swoop at a flock of poultry which had come out from their house on a fine day, but which immediately retreated on the appearance of their enemy. The Snowy Owl hunts both in the daylight and twilight : he seems to prefer cloudy, gloomy days to bright ones, and is most active just before a storm. Audubon says that this Owl captures living fish in the water by standing quietly by the margin, and seizing its prey with its claws, as it appears near the surface : whether this is a regular habit or not, I cannot say. I never saw one do so ; and I have conversed with several hunters who have shot numbers of specimens, and they all were ignorant of such a fact. Of the breeding habits of this Owl, we are ignorant. The Hudson's Bay, and other northern countries, are its summer homes. Wheelwright, in his " Spring and Sum- mer in Lapland," gives the only description of its nest and eggs accessible to me at present. He says : — " The egg of the Snowy Owl measures 2| inches in length, and If inches in breadth : its color is pure-white. The nest is nothing more than a large boll of reindeei; moss, placed on the ledge of a bare fell. The old birds guard it most jealously ; in fact, the Lap- landers often kill them with a stick when they are robbing the - ■ ■III! twit r lly both upper and lies this color pre- ijy-whitc; bill and teen to nineteen; ; tail, nine inches. md, this bird 11 the islands lat have been rounded sea- by a reliable I and eating Owl is rapid ase and cap- k; and once ich had come immediately The Snowy he seems to and is most lat this Owl uietly by the 18 it appears bit or not, I ve conversed f specimens, re ignorant, tries, are its g and Siim- its nest and in length, and lest is nothing ho ledge of a fact, the Lap- ) robbing the J I i^mmftmaH^m^mm Snowy Owl, Nycieanivea, Gray. -At-Mmmm^ ^ III I ■— r.-»"" ""IW mm y^ THE HAWK OWL. 79 nest, which thoy do upon every occasion that present* itself. Th« Siio'vy Owl will occiwionftlly make its nest on the lurgo turf-hilloclu in some of the mossea. SUBNIA, DuMRRti. iSurnirt, DuMEKll., 7.oo\og\o Analytiqiie, 34 (1806), Uciiural Ibrm rather loii({, hut rohiiHt; aizo iimlium; head moderate, without e«r- tuftnj fiii'iol dl«c obsolete ; bill moderate, curved tViim the baitt', covered with pro- Jcctin« plumes; win^a long; tail long, wide, graduated; legs rathcmhort, and with the toes deuacly feathered; conlaini one (pncies only, which inhabita the arctic regions of both contiuenta. SURNIA VLVhA. — Bmnpnrte. The Hawk Owl; Day Owl. Strix uluUi, Linnaus. Syst. Nat., I. 183 (1766). " Sirix funerea," Gm. Bonap. Syn. 86. Nutt., I. 116. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. 650. " Sti-ix lludtoHica." Wilson, VI. 64. Heschiption. Wings rather long; first three quills incised on their inner webs; tail long, with its central feathers about two inches longer than the outer; tarsi and toes densely feathered; upper parts fuliginous-brown, with numerous partially concealed circular spots of white on the neck behind, scapulars and wing coverts; face grayish-white; throat white, with longitudinal stripes of dark-brown; a large brown spot on each side of the breast; other under parts with transverse lines or stripes of pale ashy- brown; quills and tail brown, with transverse bands of white; bill pale -yellowish; irides yellow; color of upper parts darker on the head, and the white markings more or less numerous in different specimens. Total length, female, sixteen to seventeen inches; wing, nine; tail, seven inchei. Male rather smaller. This bird is occasionally met with in difiFerent localities in New England ; rarely in the summer, most often in the winter. As its name implies, it is diurnal in its habils, and hunts its prey in the hours when most of the other owls are hidden in their retreats. Its food consists of small birds and mice, which it seizes in the manner of the hawks. A specimen was obtained in Vermont on a wood-pile in a door-yard, where it was eating a woodpecker that it had just captured. Dr. Richardson, in his "Fauna Boreali- Americana," says that, " when the hunters are shooting grouse, this bird is occasionally attracted by the report of so ORNITHOLOOY AND OOMKJV. Iho g»m, and is ofton bold enough, on a bird being killed, to ponnco down upon it, tliough unable, from its size, to carry it off. xiio Hawk Owl occasionally broods in New England. My IViend, Ooorgo A. Boardman of Milltown, Mo., has been ho for- tunate as to find its nest, witli eggs, in that neighborhood. It usually builds in a hollow troo, l)ut soniotiines constructs a habi- tation in the crotcli of a tall troo, of slii's, ^Tass, and feathers. Accoiuinc (•) Richardson, it lays two white globular eggs. Two beautiful spcciinens in my collection, from William Couper, Esq., Quebec, collected at North- ern Labrador by the Montanaz Indians, arc a trifle more elongated and pointed than tho eggs of the Red Owl {Scopa a%io^. They are of a pure- white color, and measure 1.50 by 1.25 inch and 1.47 by 1.22 inch. NOTES. I append tho following notes, that have been kindly fur- nished me by William Couper, of Quebec, Lower Canada, for the purpose of showing the northern distribution of tho birds of prey described in the preceding pages : — HTPOTEIOECHIS COtUMBABniS. ~ Only young specimens occur, and tliose rarely, in the latitude of Quebec : they are more common toward the western portions of Lower and Upper Canada. It has not, to my knowledge, been found breeding in Canada. TT'J'^USPULDS 8PABVEEIUS. — This species is more abundant than the pre r k'iJt t' e majority of the specimens shot in the neighborhood of Que'.-o irn »<">' IT. I «ni infr rnecl that it bleeds in the vicinity of tiie river 5* \ • /v. h fells into ..ic iiver St. Lawrence, west of Quebec. NOTES. 81 ASTUR ATBIOAPILLDS, — The ndnlt of thli ipocioi ia v«>ry rare In thij Intitudo, and it ocours in this pluinii|{0 about inldwinl«>r. Tlie young, how- ever, ar« loniotinioa common during the autumn. ACOIPITDB FtlSCUS. — TIiIh is one of the moat common of our ITnwki. It occur* in young phimngo in tlie fall alao. I nm told that it broedi in Canada; but I have not had the good fortune to And itd nuat Hportamon have told me incidonta of the audacity of thia little apccioa. Thoy aay it ia alwaya on the alert for wo(xlcock and snlpo, and knowa the moment that one of (hoae birds la w- anded. It ia aomethnos so bold, that, aa soon aa the shot strikes the intended game, the Ilawk pounces upon it to carry it away. BUTEO FENNSTIiVAHIOUS. — Thia species ia very common here during the months of Soptombor and October. It ia generally found preying upon fl-ogs and a species of common field locust. I have uut leoruod that it breiids in Upper or Lower Canada. ARCHIBUTGO LAOOPUS. — Somotimi'S thia species is vor\ abundant in the northern mountains, especially where there is • plenty of hares and grouse. It breeds in Labrador. CIBCTT3 HTIDSORIITS. — Occurs only in the fall, and then in young plum- age. Breeds in Western Canada. It has not been ili-tci ted breeding in tlie northern swamps of Lower Canada. AQUILA CABADENSIS. — The adult and young i»^ this species are occa^ sionally shot here during autumn and winter. I thiuk it breeds on some of our high northern mountains. The specimens that I have examined had their bodies and legs stuck full of porcupine quills. PANDIOH CABOLINENSIS. — This is a very rare visitor in the northern regions. I understand that a pair arrive annually, and breed at Lake St. Joseph, north of this city. I never saw an adult specimen in Quebec. BUBO TIBQINIABUS. — Thia Owl occurs here during summer and win- ter. I am almost certain it breeds in the mountains behind the city. I have had the young in the down fi-om Bay St. Paul, on the north side of the river St. Lawrence, below Quebec. OTUS WILSONIANUS and BBAOHTOTUS CASSINII are extremely rare here, and I cannot give any ikcts in relation to them. STBNITTM KEBTTLOSHH. — Thia is the common Owl of our forests. STBKIUM CINEBEUH. — Is an accidental winter visitor. SUBBIA UIiUIiA. — This bird is also very common during some winters. It breeds in the northern portions of Hudson's Bay and Labrador. NfCTEA HIVEA. — This Owl is more abundant this winter (1867) than it has been for years. NTCTALE BIGHABDSONII and N. ACADICA also occur here. The former Is occasional; but the latter, extremely rare. 6 1 - i 82 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. ORDER II. — SCANSORES. CLraBERS. The characteristics of this order are given on page 4 of this volume. It is represented in the New-England States by two families, — the Cucvlidce or Cuckoos, and the Picida or Wood- peckers. These families have the arrangement of two pairs of toes opposed to each other in common ; otherwise, they are much dif- ferent in their characteristics. The Ouculidce have "bill thin, usually slender, and rather long, the tip more or less decurved, the base usually without rictal bristles ; tarsi usually lather long, clothed with broad plates ante- riorly ; the tail feathers usually ten, sometimes eight or twelve, all long." The Picidce have " bill straight, rigid, and chisel-shaped at the tip, the base without rictal bristles ; the feet are stout, and clothed anteriorly with broad plates; tail feathers twelve, the exterior very small and concealed." ' i See Introduction. ^i THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 88 Family CUCULIDiE. The Cuckoos. 4 of this 3 by two or Wood- 's of toes much dif- ither long, lOut rictal lates ante- or twelve, ped at the ad clothed terior very COCCYGUS, ViEiLLOT. Cocajzui, Vieillot. Analyse (1818). Erythrophnjs, Swoinson. Class. Birds, II. (1887), 822. Head without crest ; feathers about base of bill soft ; bill nearly as long as the head, decurved, slender, and attenuated towards the end; nostrils linear; winjis lengthened, reaching the middle of the tail; tlie tertials short; tail of ten graduated feathers; feet weak; tarsi shorter than the middle toe. The species of Coccygus are readily distinguished from those of Geococcyx by their arborial habits, confining themselves mainly to trees, instead of living habitu- ally on the ground. The plumage is soft, fine, and compact. The American cuckoos differ from the European cuckoos ( Cuculus) by having lengthened naked tarsi, instead of very short feathered ones; the nostrils are elongated, too, instead of rounded. COCCYGUS AMEBICAHUS. — Bonaparte. X The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Cuctdut Americanw, Linnojus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766). Coccyms Americanus, Audubon. Cm. Biog., I. (1832). Cuculut Carolinentis. Wilson, 267. Description. Bonap. Syn., 42. Upper mandible, and tip of lower black ; rest of lower mandible, and cutting edges of the upper yellow ; upper parts of a metallic greenish-olive, slightly tinged with ash towards the bill; beneatli white; tail feathers (except the median, which are like the back) black, tipped with white for about an inch on the outer feathers, the external one with the outer edge almost entirely white ; quills orange-cinnamon ; the terminal portion and a gloss on the outer webs olive ; iris brown. Length, twelve inches; wing, five and ninety-five one-hundredths; tail, six and thirty-five one-hundredths. THIS bird is very irregularly distributed through New England as a summer visitor. A. E. Verrill, in his catalogue of birds found at Norway, Me., says that "it is not common as a summer visitor." George A. Board - man writes me, that, near Calais, Me., it is " extremely rare." J. A. Allen, in his paper on Springfield birds (before referred to), calls it " extremely rare." Dr. Wood says it is *' very rare " at East-Windsor Hill, Conn., whore 84 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. he has found it brooding. While I have noticod, that, though in former years it was equally abundant with the Black-billed Cuckoo, this bird is now growhig scarce in the neighborhood of Boston. This species arrives from the South from about the 25th of A.pril to the 1st of May. We are first notified of his arrival by hearing his harsh notes in the opening foliage ; and presently we see him moving about the" twigs, busily picking off and swallowing the caterpillars and other larvae which are so destructive to our fruit and shade trees. Soon "he passes to another t-ee, still pursuing his profitable search; and, when he has gleaned to his heart's — or rather stomach's — content, he launches himself into the air, and takes flight for another grove or orchard, perhaps a half-mile off, or even farther. His flight is rapid, con- sisting of repeated strokes of his wings, but it is not always direct; for he frequently turns from a straight course and hies off at an angle, then back again in a wavering manner. Occasionally, he pauses in his flight, and sud- denly descends and alights on a shrub or low bush, as if he perceived an enemy in the air or a friend in the bush. After repeating his song,— '-Krow-krow-krotv-krow-krow; km- kra, krvrkra, kru-kru," — he is off again, and is soon out of sight. The male arrives about ten days before the female. As soon as the latter makes her appearance, the male com- mences his courtship. He is very attentive to her, watch- ing her every movement, and following her every flight. Although usually very cowardly, he is at this period toler- ably brave, and will even attempt to molest any other bird that happens to be near, but usually with poor success ; for, as his cowardice is traditional among the birds, they will turn upon him, and drive him off discomfited. Wlien the couple have mated, they soon commence building. The nest is placed in a low bough of a tree, or in a shrub or barberry bush. Tt is a loose, straggling affair, composed of THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 86 sticks and twigs, and sometimes a few pieces of moss. The eggs are usually four in number; they are of a light greenish-blue color, and almost invariably larger than those of the Black-billed Cuckoo. A number of specimens before me vary from 1.07 to 1.25 of an inch in length, by from .84 to .96 inch in breadth. But one brood is reared in the season. COCCrOUS EBTTHBOPHTHALMUS. — J5oflrtpar<«. X The Blaok-billed Cuckoo.— Cuculus erythrophthalmu*, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811), 16. Coccyztu erythrcphthalmiu, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832), 170. Bonap. Syn., 42. DUBCRIPTION. Bill entirely black; upper parts generally of a metallic greenish-olive, ashy to- wards the base of the bill; beneath pure-white, with a brownish-yellow tinge on the throat; inner webs of the quills tinged with cinnamon; under surface of all the tail feathers hoary ash-gray ; all beneath the central, on either side, suffused with darker to the short, bluish-white, and not well-defined tip; a naked red skin round tho eye; iris, hazel.i Length about twelve inches; wing, five ; tail, six and a half. This species is quite abundantly distributed throughout New England as a summer visitor, reafhing to more north- ern latitudes than the other. It arrives from the South . about the first week in May ; and, like the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, the males precede the females. I have exan^ ined numbers of the first birds that arrived in differ- ent seasons, and they were invariably males ; the females making their appearance about ten days or a fortnight later. The habits of the two species are very similar, although the present bird prefers the more cultivated and open districts, while the other 1 In succeeding species, when the color of the iris is not given, it is understood to be dark-hazel or black. 86 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. i-i! 1^1 seems to delight in the more retired and wooded locali- ties. In flight, the Black-billed Cuckoo is more swift than the Other ; in breeding habits, the same ; and its food is similar, consisting principally of insects and their larvae, small fruits, and the eggs and young of small birds. Like the other, the Black-billed Cuckoo is very cowardly, and is quickly driven from the neighborhood of the nest of almost any of the other birds. If a robin, or other bird of equal size, discover one of these, to him pirates, in the vicinity of his nest, he immediately assaults the intruder, with loud outcries, poun- cing upon him, and pecking with great ferocity. Others of his neighbors, who are near, join in the attack : the Cuckoo, in retreating, dives into the recesses of a stofie wall, or the first secure retreat available; very seldom taking to his wings, as another bird would do. I have known of a cuckoo being driven into a barn by a Blue-bird {S. sialis'), who sat perching on a fence outside for several minutes, keeping his enemy prisoner ; and the latter, when pursued and captured by myself, preferred being my prisoner to facing his enemy outside. The nest of the Black-billed Cuckoo is usually placed in , a low tree or barberry-bush. It is constructed of twigs, roots, and sometimes a few leaves and moss. I have exam- ined a great number of these, from different sections ; and I have noticed that those from northern localities were inva- riably lined with gray moss, called Spanish moss, and leaves, while others, from more southern districts, were without such linings. The eggs are usually four in number : they are of a darker greenish-blue than those of the other bird, and average a little smaller ; their length varying from 1 to 1.12 inch, by from .84 to .92 inch in breadth. THE HAIBY WOODPECKEB. 87 • Family PICID^. The 'Woodpeckers. Sub-Family Picina;. Althoush all the woodpeckers have a certain resemblance to each other, and acree more or less in habits, there are distinctions among them which serve readdy ^division into sub-genera, genera, or even higher groups. Thus the difference between the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the common Flicker, which may be taken as representing the extremes of the scale in North-American species, will be palpable '° "iTthe woodpeckers inhabiting the United States, there are three distinct groups, which may be taken, with some authors, as so many sub-families; or if, with Bona- narte we unite all the Picid^ with stiffened, acuminate, and pointed tails mto a sub- Lily Picina>, they will constitute so many separate sections. They may bo severally characterized as follows: — PiciN^ or Pic«e. -Bill mor« or less long; the outlines above and below nearly straight; the ends truncated; a prominent ridge on the side of the mandible, spring- ing from the middle of the base or a little below, and running out cither on the commissure, or extending parallel to and a little above it, to the end; sometimes obliterated ^r confluent with the lateral bevel of the bill ; nostrils considerably over- Lg by the lateral ridge, more or less linear, and concea ed by thick b"J'y tufts o^ feathers at the base of the bill; outer posterior toe generally longer than the anterior. MrJNE.«.,N.«or Ce«mA THE DOWNT WOODPECKER. 89 h^ I Btrikog its object with both foot, and malcos no dlHcriinina- tion botwcon a horizontal branch or limb and a porpondiciilar one. It commoncos its building operations quite early, often by the 20tli of April. The nest is made by excavating in old trees in tlie woods, rarely in orchards : the hole made is often as much as eighteen inciics in deptii, in some cases hardly five inches. A post in a fence is sometimes taken for a breeding-place, the hole in whiuli the rail is inserted furnishing a starting-place for the excavation of the nest. The eggs are usually five in number ; seldom more, often less : they are of a beautiful clear-white color, and the shell is very smooth and rather thin ; and, before the contents of the egg are removed, they impart a rosy tint to it. Speci- mens vary in size from .77 to .84 inch in length, hy from .62 to .68 inch in breadth. The nest is never lined with loaves or other soft materials, 80 far as my observation has been ; but the eggs are depos- ited on a small pile of chips of tho rotten wood, which seem to be left by the bird designedly for this purpose. The food of tiiis species consistn principally of the eggs and larvae of injurious insects that are burrowing in the wood of our fruit and forest trees : these he is enabled to obtain by chiselling out a small hole with his powerful bill, and drawing them from their lurking-places with his long barbed tongue. He also eats some small fruits and berries, but never, so far as I am aware, the buds pr blossoms of trees, as some persons assert. ri KCUS PUBESCENS. — Z,inmw«. X The Downy Woodpecker,— Pinu pubueeni, LmnienB. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 16. Vieill. Ois. Am. (1807) 66. Ptau pubttcen$» Linnwiw, Wilson. Am. Ore. I. (1808) 168. Aud. Orn Biog. n. (1884). Description. A miniature of P. vilUm*. Above black, with a white band down the back ; two white stripes on the side of the headj the lower of opposite sides always separated, the upper sometimes confluent on the nape; two stripes of black on the side of the W I h i [ 90 ORNITHOLOOT AND OOLOOT. he«d, th« lower not runnlnR Into the forehead i beneath white; winR much upotted with whit.) I the Inrger coverlii with two (lori.w each; t.-rtiarien or inner mTon.larie* all ban.led with white; two outer i«il (V-nfhem white, with two l)aM(lii of hladi at the end, third while at tip and externally. Male, with red termlnat.Hg the white feathers on the niipe; Ickh and feet bluish-groen ; clawi li«ht-bluo tipped with black i iri» dark-hazel. Lcu«th, about alx and • quarter incheii wing, thiM and thtve-quarUn. Tills littlo Woodpockor— tho smallost wo havo — is abun- dantly (llstributod throughout Now England, and is a rosi- dont throughout tho year. Tho oxcoodingly intorosting description of its habits, by Wilson, is so full tliat I will givo it entire. Ho says : — " About the middle of Mny, the male and female look out for a suitable place for tho reception of their eggs and young. An apple, pear, or cherry tree — often in tho near neighborhood of tho furm- houBe — is generally fixed upon for this purpose. The tree is mi- nutely reconnoitred for several days previous to tho operation ; and the work is first begun by the male, who cuts out a hole in the solid wood as circular as if described with a pair of compasses. lie is occasionally relieved by the female, both parties working with the most indefatigable diligence. The direction of the hole, if made in the body of the tree, is generally downwards, by an angle of thirty or forty degrees, for the distance of six or eight mches, and then straight down for ten or twelve more : within, roomy, capacious, and as smooth as if polished by the cabinet-maker; but the entrance is judiciously left just so largo as to admit the bodies of the owners. During this labor, they regularly carry out the cliips, often strewing them at a distance, to prevent suspicion. This operation sometimes occupies the chief part of a week. Before she begins to lay, the female often visits the place, passes out and in, examines every part — both of the exterior and ulterior — with great attention (as every prudent tenant of a new house ought to do), and at length takes complete possession. The eggs are generally six, pure-white, and laid on the smooth bottom of the cavity. The iiiule occasionally supplies the female with food while she is sitting ; and, about the last week in June, the young are perceived making their way up the tree, climbing with considerable dexterity. All this goes on with great regularity where no interruption is met (If I mm mm i THE DOWNY WOODPKCKKR. 91 'r with ; but tho Ilouae Wron, who aNo huiliU in the hollow of » treo, hut who \» neithor f\imiMhe, 89, 184. /*., Bird* Am., IV. (1842), pi. 269. Nutt. Man., I. (2d ed. 1840) 692. Desobiption. Black above; the back vfith transveree bands of white to the ramp; a white line from behind the eye, widening on the nape, and a broader one under the eye from the loral region, but not extending on the forehead; occiput and sides of the head nniform black; quills spotted on both webs with white; under parts white; the sides banded transversely with black ; top of the head spotted with whit: ; the crown of the male with a yellow patch; bill bliish-black; iris dark-hazel. Length, about nine inches; wing, four forty-five one-hundredths; tail, three thirty-five one-hundredths. This bird is rarely fouud in New England, except in the midst of severe winters, and then it seldom penetrates so far south as Massachusetts. I have known of but two or three specimens being obtained in this State, and never heard of any being shot in the others south of it. Having had no opportunities for observing its habits, I can add nothing to our knowledge of this species. ; « .■oi i J i ttJiaaiiWiMMB ii mm hm^ ! 96 OBKITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. SPHYBAPICUS, Baibd. Pilumnu$, Bonaparte. Consp. Zygod. Ateneo Italinno, May, 1854. (P. tty- roideus.) Bill as in Picu$, but the lateral ridge, which is very prominent, running out dis- tinctly to the commissure at about its middle, beyond which the bill is rounded without any angles at all; the culmen and gonys are very nearly straight, but slightly convex, the bill tapering rapidly to a point; the lateral outline concave to very near the slightly bevelled tip; outer pair of toes longest; the hinder exterior rather longest; the inner posterior toe very short, less thnn the inner anterior with- out its claw; wings long and pointed, the fourth longest; taU feathers very broad, abruptly acuminate, with a very long linear poinL SPHTEAWCU8 VAMnS.--5atri • THE YELLOW-BELUED WOODPECKER. 97 So far as my own observation has been, it is not found at all abundant in any part of these States ; and I think, that, on the seaboard, it is rare. It arrives from the South, from about the 10th to the 20th of April, and soon commences pairing. I have never noticed' any great peculiarity in its habits. It seems to prefer the woods to the more open districts, and very seldom indeed makes its appearance, in the breeding season, in the orchards and nurseries, where, as it is often said by persons who are prejudiced, it does considerable damage in boring into apple- trees and sucking the^ sap ; hence it is called the " Sap- sucker." I am not sufficiently acquainted with its habits, in the Western States, to say positively that it does not eat some of the inner bark of trees, when in pursuit of its favorite insect-food ; but I cannot help thinking that the denunciations of it, so often seen in the Western papers, are exaggerated. Dr. Bryant, who has paid some attention to the examina- tion of the food of this bird, gives, in the " Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History," vol. X. 91, the fol- lowing remarks: — "It has long been known that some of our smaller woodpeckers pick out portions of the sound bark of trees, particularly of apple- trees, where there are r-.o larvae, and apparently no inducement for them to do so. What their object is has never been satisfactorily established. In Massachusetts, I am not aware that these holes are ever Bufflciently large or numerous to cause any material injury to the apple-trees: they are generally seen in circles round the limbs or trunks of small irregularly rounded holes, and in this vicinity are made almost exclusively by the Downy Woodpecker (P. pubescens), aided occasionally by the Hairy Woodpecker (P. viUosua). In certain parts of the West, however, it is said that great damage is done to orchards by the Yellow-bellied Wood- pecker (S. varius) ; and Dr. Hoy, of Racine, Wis., has advanced the theory that the object of the bird in so doing is to obtain the inner bark for food. A number of specimens of this bird, for- warded by Dr. Hoy to the Smithsonian Institution, have been 7 *■ ■ 98 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. ; f i placed in my hands by Professor Baird for examination : as the specimens are alcoholic, the soft parts are, as is always the case, too much distorted to be available for correct comparisons; the gizzard, however, seems smaller, and the proventriculus larger, than • in other species of this family with which I have compared them. The contents of the stomach are berries, small coleoptera, larvsB of boring beetles, ants, and fragments of the inner bark of the apple- tree." After giving minute analyses of the characteristics of the tongues and portions of the skulls of the different small woodpeckers, and comparing them with the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker's, showing how the latter dififer from the others, he says : — " The general shape of the whole tongue is not much unlike that of the Robin ; the ciliated edges show an analogy to the Melipha gidce, and indicate that the sap of the trees pecked by them may form a portion of their food. In the stomachs of the six individuals examined by me, fragments of the inner bark were found in all, so that it can hardly be presumed to have been accidentally introduced. It is evident, from the shape of the tongue, that it is not used as a dart, in the manner of the true Woodpecker, to draw out insects from their lurking-places, but that these are seized by the bill, as in other insectivorous birds. Insects, however, probably form their chief diet, as all the stomcchs examined also contained insects, the quantity of which was greater than that of the fragments of bark : in one bird, there were two larvae of a boring beetle, so large that there was not room for both in the stomach at once, and one re- mained in the lower part of the oesophagus. K these were, as is probable, the larvae of the Saperda, they would do more damage than twenty woodpeckers ; and I sincerely hope that these birds are not to be exterminated, unless it is clearly demonstrated that the injury caused by the destruction of the bark is not more than com- pensat«d by their destruction of noxious insects." About the 1st of May, the Tellow-bellied Woodpecker commences excavating its hole, which is usually in a de- cayed tree in the woods, but occasionally in a sound tree. niKiii-n'r— ^■'"''r"^"'-^"""'*r-^'*'^ "- THE PILEATED WOODPECKER. 99 This excavation is often eighteen or twenty inches deep. It is not lined with any soft material, and the eggs are depos- ited on chips of the wood left in the bottom. These are usually five in number ; tliey are of a pure-white color, and small for the size of the bird, measuring from .82 to .86 inch in length, by from .74 to .77 inch in breadth. HYLATOMTJS, Baird. Dryototmu, Maliierbe, Mem. Ac. Metz. (1849) 322. (Not of Swainson, 1831.) Zh-yopiau, Bojjap. Consp. Zygod. in Aten. Ital. (May, 1864). (Not of Malherbe.) Bill a little longer than the head ; considerably depressed, or broader than high at tlie base; shaped much as in Camptphilut, except shorter, and without the bristly feathers directed forwards at the base of the lower jaw; gon}-s about half the length of the commissure; tarsus shorter than any toe except the inner posterior; outer posterior toe shorter than the outer anterior, and a little longer than the inner anterior; inner posterior vety short, not half the outer anterior, about half the inner anterior one. Tail long, graduated, the longer feathers much incurved at the tip; wing longer than the tail, reaching to the middle of the exposed surface of tail, considerably graduated, though pointed, the fourth and fifth quills longest. Color uniform black, with white patches on the side of the head ; head with pointed crest. HTLATOBIUS MLEATUS — JSmVA The Pileated Woodpecker; Log Cock. Ptctti pileattu, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 178. Vicill. Ois. Am. Sept., II. (1807)58. Wilson, Am. Om., IV. (1811)27. Aud. Om. Biog., H. (1834) 74. Description. Fourth and fifth quills equal and longest, third intermediate between the sixth and seventh; bill blue-black; general color of body, wings, and tail, dull greenish- black; a narrow white streak from just above the eye to the occiput, a wider one from the nostril feathers (inclusive) under the eye and along the side of the head and neck ; side of the breast (concealed by the wing), axillaries, and under wing coverts, and concealed bases of all the quills, with chin and beneath tlio head, white, tinged with sulphur-yellow; entire crown, from the base pf the bill to a well-developed occipital crest, as also a patch on the ramus of the lower jaw, scarlet-red ; a few white crescents on the sides of the body and on the abdomen ; iris very dark hazel. Female without the red on the cheek, and the anterior half of that on the top )f the head replaced by black. Length, about eighteen inches; wing, nine and a half inches. T'.ils species is a resident in the northern districts of New England throughout the year. It has been known i ^ap ig P iiPJM i y" t!'W T MliiiiMlU J > I f 100 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. to breed in Massachusetts ; but, as a general thinjj, it is not found south of the northern border of this State. Verrill, in his Catalogue of Maine birds, bofoi* referred to, says " it is a common resident, and breeds : " he also says it is " most common in winter." The great size and strength of this bird enable it to pierce into and tear apart the decaying trees in which its food is burrowing, with wonderful facility and ease. I have at times, in passing through the forest, found huge trees that had died and fallen to the ground, with their bark stripped off, and large chips torn out, as if some animal had been at work on them ; and I always supposed that a bear had been amusing himself, as those animals sometimes do, in this employment. One day I discovered the author of the demolition, and it Jjroved to be the Pileated Woodpecker. While seated in the woods near the settlement known as Wilson's Mills in Maine, I heard a large animal, as I sup- posed, rooting and tearing into a dead tree a few rods off. I crept up near the sound, hoping to get a shot at a bear, when I discovered this bird, which looked very much like a black hen, busily at work. He was searching for the borers and large black ants that hide beneath the bark ; and so earnestly was hq employed, that he permitted me to approach very near him. He would force his powerful bill, by repeated strokes, into the bark, in holes in a direct line with the grain, until he had marked out a patch, perhaps six or eight inches square, and then, striking into it diagonally, tear it off, thus exposing the living vermin beneath, which he lost nf time in securing. After clearing that spot, he moved to another, and repeated the same operation, until, by a sud- den movement, I startled him, when he flew off, uttering a rattling cackle similar to that of a garrulous hen. His flight was similar to that of the other woodpeckers de- scribed in another place in this volume. In addition to insects, this Woodpecker eats acorns, beech-nuts, berries, and Indian corn, but is not at all troublesome to farmers ; MAMMMlMIMhHiMIMn mimiimtMtit^ i THE PILEATEO WOODPECKER. 101 and the little that it pilfers is mu(!h more than repaid by the immense numbers of injurious larvte that it destroys. Wilson, in a very interesting account of the general habits of this bird, says : — " Almost every trunk in the forest where he resides bears the marks of his chisel. Wherever he perceives a tree beginning to decay, he examines it round and round with great skill and dex- terity, strips off the bark in sheets of five or six feet in length, to get at the hidden cause of the disease, and labors with a gayety and activity really surprising. He is sometimes observed among the hills of Indian corn, and it is said by some that he frequently feeds on it. Complaints of this kind are, however, not general ; many farmers doubting the fact, and conceiving that at these times he is in search of insects which lie concealed in the husk. I will not be positive that they never occasionally taste maize, yet I have opened and examined great numbers of these birds, killed in various parts of the United States, from Lake Ontario to the Alatamaha River, but never found a grain of Indian corn in their stomachs." Audubon in his description of the breeding habits of this bird says, — " The hole was about eighteen inches deep, and I could touch the bottom with my hand. The eggs, which were laid on frag- ments of chips expressly left by the birds, were six, large, white, and translucent Before the woodpeckers began to set, I robbed them of their eggs, to see if th^ would lay a second time. They waited a few days, as if undecided, when, on a sudden, I heard the female at work again in the tree. She once more deepened the hole, made it broader at the bottom, and recommenced laying. This time she laid five eggs. I suffered her to bring out her young, both sexes alternately incubating, each visiting the other at inter- vals, peeping into the hole to see that all was right and well there, and flying off afterwards in search of food." -r-^mmmmmm^ •iWB* 102 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. MELANERPE8, iiwAWSoM. Melanet-pt; Swawson, F. B. A., IL (1881) (typo M. trythrocephalvt). Bill about equal to the head, broader than high at the ba«e, but becoming com- pressed immediately anterior to tha commencement of the gonys; culmcn and gonys with a moderately decided angular ridge; both decidedly curved from the very base; a rather promincut acute ridgo commences at the base of the mandible, a little below the ridge of the culmeo, and proceeds but a bhort distance anterior to the nos- trils (about one-third of the way), when it sinks down, and the bill is then smooth} the lateral outlines are genUy concave from the basal two-thirds, then gently convex to the tip, which does not exhibit any abrupt bevelling; nostrils open, brondly oval, not concealed by the feathers, nor entirely basal; the outer pair of toes equal; wings long, broad; third and fourth quills longest; tail feathers broad. The species all have the back black, without any spoU or streaks anywhere. MELAHBEPES EBYTHEOCEPHALIIS. — Btoaitmrn. The Bed-headed Woodpeoker. Picus trythroetpkahi, Linneus. Syst Nat., L (1766) 174. Wilson, Am. Om., L (1810) 142. Aud. Om. Biog., L (1882). Descbiptiok. Head and neck all round crimson-red, margined by a narrow crescent of black on the upper part of the breast; back, primary quills, and tail, bluish-black; under parts generally, a broad band across the middle of the wing, and the rump white; iris hazel; bill and feet bluish-black. The female is not different. Length about nine and three-quarters, inchea; wing, five and a half. This handsome Woodpecker is a not very common summer inhabitant of New England. It makes its appearance from the South about the 10th of Maj. Its habits are similar t- those of the other species ; and I recollect nothing of any importance that is peculiar to them except, perhaps, that these birds seem to be much fonder of the small fruits than either of the others. Wilson says of this fact : — "Wherever there is a tree, or trees, of the wild cherry, covered with ripe fruit, there you see them busy among the branches; and, in passing orchards, you may easily know where to find the earliest, sweetest apples, by observing those trees on or near which the Red-headed Woodpecker is skulking: for he is so excellent a con- noisseur in fruit, that, wherever an apple or pear is found broached by him, it is sure to be among the ripest and best flavored. When „ituimm0Ui^iekvtaM 1 ,.^igmmmmmmiiM WOODPKCKKR, Melanerpes erythrocephalas. Swaiimou. , jp i i .L ^m mmimettmmmemmmmmammmmmttflHk I III Jill' Swainiioii. mmmmum r THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 103 alarmed, he seizes a capital one by slrjking his open bill deep into it, and bears it off to the woods. When the Indian corn is in ite . rich, succulent, milky state, he attacks it with great eagerness, opening a passage through the numerous folds of the husk, and feeding on it with voracity. The girdled or deadened timber, so common among corn-fields in the back settlements, are his favorite retreats, whence he sallies out to make liis depredations. He is fond of the ripe berries of the sour gum, and pays pretty regular visits to the cherry-trees, when loaded with fruit. Towards fall, he often approaches the barn or farm-house, and raps on the shingles and weather-boards : he is of a gay and frolicsome disposition ; and half a dozen of the fraternity are frequently seen diving and vocif- erating around the high, dead limbs of some large tree, pursuing and playing with each other, and amusing the passenger with their gambols. Their note, or cry, is shrill and lively; and so much resembles that of a species of tree-frog, which frequents the same tree, that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the one from the other. " Such are the vicious traits, if I may so speak, in the character of the Red-headed Woodpecker ; and I doubt not but, from what has been said on this subject, that some readers would consider it meritorious to exterminate the whole tribe as a nuisance ; and, in fact, the legislatures of some of our provinces, in former times, offered pvtJiiums to the amount of twopence per head for their destruction.* But let us not condemn the species unheard: they exist, they must therefore be necessary. If their merits and usefulness be found, on examination, to preponderate against their vices, let us avail ourselves of the former, while we guard as well as we can against the latter. " Though this bird occasionally regales himself on fruit, yet his natural and most useful food is insects, particularly those numerous and destructive species that penetrate the bark and body of the tree to deposit their eggs and larvae, the latter of which are well known to make immense havoc. That insects are his natural food is evident from the construction of his wedge-formed bill, the length, elasticity, and figure of his tongue, and the strength and position of his claws, as well as from his usual habits. In fact. 1 Kalm.' ff ^jii!ii^;fiim j flKj^»f$,nf^^mh}i9^!fJ-*! f P^p!!^^^^ 104 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. uttBects form at least two-thirds of his subsistence ; and his stomach is scarcely ever found without them. He searches for them with a dexterity and intelligence, I may safely say, more than human : he perceives, by the exterior appearance of the bark, where they lurk below ; when he is dubious, he rattles vehemently on the outside with'his bill, and his acute ear distinguishes the terrified vermin shrinking within to their inmost retreats, where his pointed and barbed tongue soon reaches them. The masses of bugs, cater- pillars, and other larv£E, whica I have taken from the stomachs of these birds, have often surprised me. These larvae, it should be remembered, feed not only on the buds, leaves, and blossoms, but on the very vegetable life of the tree, — the alburnum, or newly forming bark and wood. The consequence is, that the whole branches and whole trees decay under the silent ravages of these destructive vermin ; witness the late destruction of many hundred acres of pine-trees in the north-eastern parts of South Carolina, and the thousands of peach-trees that yearly decay from the same cause. Will any one say, that, taking half a dozen, or half a hundred, apples from a tree, is equally ruinous with cutting it down? or that the services of a useful animal should not be rewarded with a small portion of that which it has contributed to preserve ? "We are told, in the benevolent language of the Scrip- tures, not to muzzle the mouth of the ox tliat treadeth out the corn; and why should not the same generous liberality be ex- tended to this useful family of birds, which forms so powerful a phalanx against the inroads of many millions of destructive ver- min?" About the middle of May, this spocies pairs, and soon commences excavating a hole in a tree, either in the woods or orchard, as he is not particular in his choice. This work is done by both the birds, who labor with industry and cheerfulness until the excavation is finished ; this is from fourteen to eighteen inches deep, and, like those of other woodpeckers, is roomy at the bottom, and tapering gradually to the entrance, which is only large enough for the comfort- able passage of the bird : it is not lined, but the bottom is partly covered with chips from the sides of the hole. The ■■Baae T THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 105 [lis stomach hem with a human: he e they lurk the outside fied vermin lointed and )ugs, cater- e stomachs it should be ossoms, but 1, or newly the whole es of these ny hundred h Carolina, a the same , or half a 1 cutting it luld not be itributed to ■ the Scrip- eth out the lity be ex- powerful a ructive ver- , and soon the woods This work lustry and lis is from 56 of other ; gradually 16 comfort- bottom is tiole. The eggs are generally five or six in number, and of a beautiful clear-white. Dr. Thompson says, in his " Birds of Ver- mont," that " they are marked with reddish spots at the large end." This was a mistake; for the eggs of wood- peckers are always immaculate. The shell is smoother than that of any other woodpecker's egg of my acquaint- ance. Length of specimens vary from 1.07 to 1.12 inch, breadth from .77 to .84 inch. COLAPTES, SwAiMBOM. Cohptet, SwAlNSON, Zool. Jonr., III. (Dec. 1827) 858 (type C. auratui). Bill slender, depressed at the base, thee compressed ; culmen much curved ; gonys straight, both with acute ridges, and coming to quite a sharp point with the com- missure at the end ; the bill consequently not truncate at tlie end ; no ridges on the bill ; nostrils basal, median, oval, and exposed ; gonys very short, about half the culmen; feet large, the anterior outer toe considerably longer uiuu l^b nosterior; tail long, exceeding the secondaries, the feathers su'ldenly acuminate, wit'i elongated points. COLAPTES AUBATUS. — Swatmion. y The Qoldan-winged Woodpecker; Flicker; Pigeon Woodpecker.— Picus auratut, Linnaua. Syst. Nat. (1768' 174. Wilson, Am. Om., I. (1810) 45. And. Om. Biog., I. (1882) 191. Desckiption. Shafts and under surfaces of wing and tail feathers gamboge-yellow; a black patch on each side of the cheek; a red crescent on the nape; throat and stripe beneath the eye pale lilac-brom ; back glossed with olivaceous-green ; female with- out the black cheek patch ; a crescentic patch on the breast, and rounded spots on the belly, black; back and wing coverts with interrupted transverse bands of block; neck above and sides ashy. Length, about twelve and a half inches; wing, six. This is a very common summer inhabitant of New Eng- land. It is probably the most abundant of all the wood- peckers, and is very generally known. It is in the southern districts of these States a resident throughout the year; and in Massachusetts I have often met with it in midwinter, when the season was not of the mildest either. They begin to arrive from the south at about the second week in March. ■^••ilfWMBlii r^"'" II — ai . iMii LiP i u i m »» ■ .>uwiiiii<.Wr.iiW WiliBWIIi 106 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. The habits of this bird are so well known, that any description here seems to be a work of supererogation. About the first week in May, the males begin to pay court to the females ; at this period their movements are amusing. " Their note is merriment itself, as it imitates a prolonged and jovial laugh, heard at a considerable distance. Several males pur- sue a female, reach her, and, to prove the force and truth of their love, bow their heads, spread their tails, and move sidewise, back- wards, and forwards, performing such antics as might induce any one witnessing them, if not of a most morose temper, to join his laugh to theii-s. The female flies to another tree, where she is closely fol- lowed by one, two, or even half a dozen of these gay suitors, and where again the same ceremonies are gone through. No fightings occur, no jealousies seem to exist among these beaux, until a marked preference is shown to some individual, when the rejected proceed in search of another female. In this manner, all the Grolden- winged Woodpeckers are soon happily mated. Each pair imme- diately proceed to excavate the trunk of a tree, and finish a hole in it sufficient to contain themselves and their young. They both work with great industry and apparent pleasure. Should the male, for instance, be employed, the female is close to him, and congratu- lates him on the removal of every chip which his bill sends through the air. While he rests, he appears to be speaking to her on the most ten''er subjects, and when fatigued is at once assisted by her. Irf this manner, by the alternate exertions of each, the hole is dug and fijiished." — Audubon. This is often as much as twenty inches in depth, and in a solid tree very often at ihat. On the bottom of this hole, the female lays six pure-white eggs : these are generally of uniform ovoidal shape, and vary in size from 1 to 1.16 inch in length, by from .82 to .92 in breadth. When the eggs are removed, the female, after a couple of days' deliberation, lays another litter ; and I have known of this being repeated several times by a bird that was unwilling to leave the nest whicL she and her mate had been at so much labor to prepare. Instances have occurred :iiown, that any supererogation. 3gin to pay court nts are amusing. 15 a prolonged and Several males pur- and truth of their )ve sidewise, back- ight induce any one r, to join his laugh re she is closely fol- ise gay suitors, and lUgh. No fightings aux, until a marked 16 rejected proceed r, all the Grolden- Each pair imme- and finish a hole in young. They both , Should the male, him, and congratu- hich his bill sends be speaking to her is at once assisted jrtions of each, the in depth, and in ttom of this hole, I are generally of am 1 to 1.16 inch lie, after a couple and I have known a bird that was md her mate had ices have occurred r Goi.DKN-WINOEn AV'i OOD,..CKKU, Colai„es a.,rata,. Swainaon. •'''"-^iiriiittrifiiTiiiiiriiiiiijijiiijij^^ i 1 • ', ■• -■^-■■'-■-'MaMt^iiitiigMiitti ^it^ i jjk V X II m^M r I « « ^ '" i Jirrt ii rtW^ati THE OOLDEN-WINOED WOODPECKER. 107 of this bird's laying eighteen or twouty eggs in a few days they being removed as soon as laid, and only two or three bcint- loft, in the nest at a time. Tlio food of this spe- cies consists of insects, borrios, and grains. Ants are greedily eaten by it, and constitute no inconsiderable por- tion of its diet. On visiting the nest at night, I have very seldom been able to catch the old bird in it; she almost always heard my approach, and took flight: once I caught her on the nest ; but, as I put my hand in to secure her, she attacked it with fierce pecks of her bill, and made such an onslaught that I was glad to permit her to escape. But one brood is roared in the season. -■"■-■—" '-t jMitiain HifnifriiT'it - 108 ORNITUOLOOY AND OOLOOY. ' \ ORDER III. — INSESSORES. Perohers. In accordance with the views of many systematic writers, \t may perhaps be as well to retain an order Jnsestorei, and to place in it the Strisores, Clamatoret, and 0$cine$ as sub-orders. The characters of the order will then consist chiefly in the posses- sion of three toes in front and one behind (or, at least, never with two toes directed backwards), as in Scansoret. The claws are not retractile, nor the bill with a cere, as in the JUaptorei ; nor is the hind toe situated appreciably above the plane of the others, as in Jiasorea, Grallatores, and Natatorei. The hind toe of the Insessores corresponds to the thumb or inner toe of the mammals, and is usually quite short. The joints of the anterior toes generally follow the law of number character- istic of birds ; namely, two to the hinder, three to the inner, four to the middle, and five to the outer toes : but a deviation is seen in some Strisores, where there are sometimes but three joints each to the anterior toes, and sometimes only four in the outer. The tarsi are generally covered anteriorly with plates, and furnished behind with granulations or small scales, or else with two long plates covering the sides, the latter feature especially characteristic of the Oscines, or singing-birds : in the latter alone is the tarsus some- times covered anteriorly with a single plate. Sometimes the tarsus is entirely or partly naked, or destitute of plates altogether. The carpal joint or the hand part of the wing is in most Jnsessores furnished with ten quills (primaries), although the first quill is sometimes very short, or even entirely wanting, as in many Oscines. The fore-arm has from six (In the Humming-birds) to thirteen quills, the average being eight or nine. There are certain peculiarities in the arrangement of he wing coverts of the diflferent sub-orders of Insessores, constituting important distinctive features. Some of these will "be hereafter referred to. >,"-SKiiSOS(B'?'-^"^''''i''''"'*"*"'*'''''*'*''**""**~ ORDER III. — IN8Efi80RR8. 109 ft The tail of the Insestores exhibits conHiderable differences. TVio number of feathers is usually twelve ; sometimes ten only, as in the Strisoret. The different groups of the order Imestorei are subject to con- siderable variations in respect to the structure of the lower larynx attached to the lachoa or windpipe just anterior to its division into the two bronchial t bes. Cuvior long since showed, that the true singing-birds had the larynx provided with a peculiar appa- ratus for the purpose of effecting a modulation of the voice, compesed of five pairs of muscles, of which other birds were destitute in greater part, or entirely. The characteristic of the groups Strisores, Clamatoret, and Oscines, and of their subdivisions, as will be shown hereafter, depend very much on these peculiarities of the larynx. The ti igue of the Insetsores varies to a considerable degree. In the Humming-birds, it is thread-like and bifurcated. In most other insessorial or perching birds, it is long or short, flat, and triangular, the posterior extremity bilobed, the anterior usually with the tip horny, serrated, or with fibres, more rarely smooth. These furnish important characteristics for the division into families, and even genera ; the variations being quite considerable. See Introduction, and vol. IX., Pacific R.R. ReporU, 128. ■■il ud OBNITHOLOOT AND OOLOGY. t SUB-ORDER STRISORES. FAMii^r TROCHILIDiE. Tnc Hdmmino-birds. There Is no group of birds so Interesting to the omitholngist or to tho caiua> observer as tho Ilumraing-birdsj at once the smallest in size, the most gorgeously beautif\il in color, and almost the most abundant in species of any single family of birds. They are strictly confined to 'ne continent and islands of America, and are most abundant in the Central- \uierican States; though single species range almost to the Arctic regions on the north and to Patagonia on tho south, as well an fh>m the seacoast to the frozen s immits of the Andes. The number of Icnown species considerably exceeds three h indrcd, and new ones are being constantly brought to light; so that an estimate o( four hundred species is, perhaps, not too large. Many are very limited in their raiige; some confined to particular islands, even though of small dimensions. The bill of the Humming-bird is awl-shaped or subulate, thin, and sharp- pointed, straight or curved; sometimes as long as the head, sometimes much longer. The m.indiblen are t^xcavated to the tip for the lodgement uf the tongue, and form a tube by the close ipposition of their cutting edges. There is no indica- tion of stiff bristly feathers at tho base of the mouth. The tongue has some resem- blance to that of the Woodi>cckcrs in the elongation of the comua backwards, ■o as to pass round tiie back of the akull, and then anteriorly to the base of the bill. The tongue itself is of very peculiar structure, consisting anteriorly of two hollow threads closed at the ends and united behind. Tho food of the Humming- bird consists almost entirely of insects, which are captured by protruding the tongue into flowers of various sliapcs, without opening the bill very wide. The wings of the Humming-birds are long and falcate; the shafts very strong; the primaries usually ten in number, the first always longest; there are six seconda- ries. The tail has but ten feathers. The feet ore small; the claws very sharp and strong.i The species known to inhabit the United States, lough few, are yet nearly twice as many as given by Mr. Audubon. It is probable that additional ones will here- after be detected, particularly on our southern borders. The different authors who have made a specialty of the Hamming-birds have named a great many sub-families and genera; but there has as yet been no published systematic description of the higher groups. It is probable that the North-Ameri- 1 Most of the above general remarks are borrowed fVom Burmeister (Thiere Bia- siliens, Vogel, 811), to which I would refer for an excellent article on the structure and habits of Humming-birds. Btilte(i iii« i»V i >) i iirr'ii i i) i :i ii .uj i Mi i i>jk i i i in i ri i< i iii — L THE RUBY-TnnOATED HUMMIN(J-BmD. Ill can ipecici belong to two diflTerent tub-fkitilllM, — th« Lnmparnilhxna uid th« 7V»> chilinii, — anil to at lca»t four (fenern! hiit the procliifl cliarHctcr anil llniits of then* I am unable to ^ive. Tho lulluwintt rvmarkii, liowovur, may lorva tu ikiitch out tba eharactere of tho North-American species i — A. Edgea of mandible serrated neaf the end; throat without metallic, tcate-tika fbalhcra. LampomU, — Bill d«pre««ed, tllKhtly curved; tail broad, uliphtly emarKlnate, the outjr fuather ai broad as the rest; wings reaching tho tip of tail; no metallic ft'utliorii on tho thront. II. Kdges of mandible nearly even towards the tip, without distinct tarratiouii throat with metallic, scale-like feathers. Truchiliu. — Feathers of tliroat but little elongated laterally, lateral tail feathers but little narrower than the others, and lanceolate-acute; tail forked. Sdaiphorut. — Feathers of the throat much elongated lateially into a niff; Intrral tail t'catliera much narrower than the middle ones, and linear in xhape, or with the sidoA parallel to the end, which U rounded; tail graduated or cuneate; outer primary attenuated at the tip; crown without metallic scales. Allhii. — Similar to the last, but the top of the head with metallic scales like tba throat; the outer primary not attenuated; tail emarginated, or deeply forked. TROCHILUS, LwiiiKUB. TS0CHILT7S COLUBBIS.- /:iNn*^a<»r«>"- 116 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family CYPSELID^. Thk Swifts. Bill very small, without notch, triangular, much broader than high, the culmen not one-sixth the gape; anterior toes cleft to the base, each with tliree joints (in the typical species), and covered with skin, the middle claw without any serrations, the lateral toes nearly equal to the middle; bill without bristles, but with minute feathers extending along the under margin of the nostrils; nostrils elongated, supe- rior, and very close together; plumage compact; primaries ten, elongated, falcate. CH^TURA, Stephens. Chixtura, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool. Birds, XIII. (1826) 76 (typo C. pdatgia). Tail very short, scarcely more than two-fifths the wings, slightly rounded, the shafts stiffened and extending some distance beyond the feathers in a rigid spine; first primary longest; legs covered by a naked skin, without Bcutellw or feathers; tarsus longer than middle toe ; lateral toes equal, nearly as long as the middle ; hind toe scarcely versatile, or quite posterior, with the claw, less than the middle anterior without it; toes slender, claws moderate; fieathers of the base of the bill not extend- ing beyond the beginning of the nostrils. CHSTUBA PEIiASQIA. — StepAefM. ^ The Chimney Swallow.o. Syst. Nat. I. (1766) 845. Wils. Am. Om. V. Birundo pelasgia, Linneeus (1812) 48. Cyptelus pelaigia, Audubon. Om. Biog. H. (1884) 329; V. 419. Chastura pelaigia, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool. Birds, XIII. (1826) 76. Description. Tail slightly rounded; of a sooty-brown all over, except on the throat, which becomes considerably lighter from the breast to the bill; above with a greenish tinge; the rump a little paler. Length, five and a quarter inches; wing, five ten one-hundredths; tali, two fifteen one-hundredths. THIS well-known bird is a common summer inhabitant ..f New England. It arrives in great numbers from the South, about the Ist to the 10th of May. Immediately on arriving, the birds pair, and commence building. The nest is usually constructed in an unused flue of a chimney ; but, before the country was settled, they bred, and I have no ■^t ? I .: ■ |i i | ii f.Mip B PJ i .0^^ THE CHIMNEY SWALLOW. m doubt that great ntimbers of them in thinly settled districts still breed in hollow trees. The nest is composed of twigs, which are glued together and to the side of the chimney with the saliva of the bird. It is very rarely lined with a few feathers. The strength of these structures is wonderful : and they are so durable that I have known of instances of their remaining in the chimney during three seasons. Usually, the bird displays great sagacity in the choice of a location for a nest, in securing protection from storms and from the attacks of animals ; but occasionally the nest is built in a chimney, open at the top sufficiently wide to permit the rain to trickle down the sides : the result is, that the moisture softens the glue by which the nest is attached to the chimney, and it is, with its living contents, precipi- tated to the bottom. Again, if the nest is built too low in the chimney, the young or eggs furnish agreeable food for rats, which, unfortunately, are sometimes found in dwelling- houses in the country in uncomfortable numbers. The eggs are generally four or five in number, pure-white in color, rather long in shape. Dimensions of five eggs, in a nest collected in Upton, Me. : .84 by .44 inch, .81 by .46 iuch, .80 by .46 inch, .78 by .48 inch, .76 by .61 inch. This species is somewhat nocturnal in its habits. From earliest dawn until seven or eight in the morning, it is busy in the pursuit of insects : it then retires to its roosting-places in the chimneys, and is seldom seen until late in the after- noon. Prom early twilight until late in the night, it is again actively employed ; and, having heard its notes, as it sped through the air, often as late as midnight, I have no doubt that, in pleasant weather, it is busy through the whole night. In descending the chimneys where their young are, the birds fly rapidly until they are immediately over them, when, partially closing their wings, they drop suddenly, and with apparent ease, down the flue. In ascending, the noise of their wings in the chimney is Jtim 118 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. like that of distant thunder. The flight of these hirds is very rapid, surpassing, I think, that of any other species: it is 80 peculiar, — the long wings vibrating in short, quick, energetic strokes, — that it furnishes a ready means of dia- . tinguishing it, from all other species, at a great height. About sunset, the great multitudes of these birds are out, and the numbers of insects they destroy must be immense. Everywhere they may be seen : away up in the blue sky, as far as the eye can reach, they are coursing in wide-extended circles, chasing each other in sport, and even caressing and feeding their mates while on the wing ; a little lower, they are speeding over the tops of the trees, gleaning the insects that have just left the foliage ; over the surface of the lake or river they fly so low, in the pursuit of aquatic insects, that their wings often touch the water ; everywhere they are busy. Truly, they are deserving of much better treat- ment than they too often receive at the hands of the farmer, to whom they are his best friends ; yet it is a fact, that, in a great many sections, they are driven from the chimneys of the farm-houses, and even destroyed, at every oppor- tunity. About the last of August, the Chimney Swallow, in large scattered flocks, leaves for the South, and spends the winter in Honduras and the West Indies. On returning in the spring, the same pair occupies the chimney used in the pre- vious bcason, as has been proved by actual observation. ni as THE WHIPPOOUWILL. 119 Family CAPBIMULGIDiE. The Goat-suckeks. Suh-Family Caprimulqin^. Bill very nhort, triangular, the culmcn less than one-sixth the gape; the anterior toc» united at the base by a membrane; the inner anterior toe with three joints, the others with four, all with distinct scutellai above; the too mueh elongated, its middle claw pectinated on the inner edge; hind toe dire.-ted a little more than half for- wanls; tarsi partly feathered superiorly ; the bill more or less bristled, the nostrils separated, rather nearer the commissure than the culmen; plumage soft, lax, and owl-like; primary quills, ten; secondaries, eleven or twelve. , ANTKOSTOMUS, Gould. AntrosUmv*, GoULt). Icones Avium (1838), Agassiz. Bill remarkebly small, with tubular nostrils, and the gape with long, stiff, some- times pectinated, bristles; wings long, somewhat rounded, second quill longest, the primaries eraarginated ; tail rounded; plumage loose and soft. ANTR0ST0MU3 VOCIFEEUS. — Bonaparte. The Wbippoorwill. Caprimrdgxa vocifenu. Wilson. Am. Om., V. (1812) 71; Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1882)443; V. 405. Antrostomut vocifenu, Bonaparte. List, 1838. Description. Bristles without !«tsral filaments; wing about six and a half inches long; top of the head ashy-brown, longitudinally streaked with black; terminal half of the tail feathers (except the four central) dirty-white on both outer and inner webs ; iris dark- hazel. Female, without white on the tail. Length, ten inches; wing, six and a half. THIS familiar species is a summer inhabitant of New England : it arrives from the South about the second week in May. Its habits are not well known, as it is not a very common species, and it inhabits the most secluded spots in the deep woods ; but its song is well known to all, as are its nocturnal wanderings in search for insect food. This bird, as also the Night-hawk, is, to the farmer, one of the most valuable among the feathered tribes : its food consists almost entirely of night-flying Lepidoptera, and the number of these insects destroyed is immense. MMH t¥. ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. The peculiar song of this bird is hoard at early eve, and until late into the night, during the mating and part of tlie breeding seasons. It is not uttered in tlio depths of the wil- derness alone ; but the bird, perching on the well-sweep, on the eaves of a low shed, or oven on the door-sill of the farm- er's house, pours out its melancholy strain. The descrij)- tion, by Alexander Wilson, of the habits of this bird, is so accu'rate and comprehensive, that I will not presume to attempt another. He says: — "The notes seem pretty plainly to articulate the words which have been generally applied to them, whip-poor-will, the first and last syllables being uttered with great emphasis, and die whole m about a second to each repetition ; but, when two or more males meet, their whip-poor-will altercations become much more rapid and incessant, as if each were straining to overpower or silence the other. When near, you often hear an introductory cluck between the notes. At these times. n« well as at almost all others, they fly low, not more than a few feet from the surface, skimmixig about the house and before the door, alighting on the wood-pile, or settling on the roof. Towards midnight, they generally become silent, unless in clear moonlight, when they are heard, with little intermission, till morning. If there be a creek near, with high, precipitous, bushy banks, they are sure to be found in such situations. During the day, they sit in the most retired, solitary, and deep-shaded parts of the woods, generally on high ground, where they repose in silence. When disturbed, they rise within a few feet, sail low and slowly through the woods for thirty or forty yards, and generally settle on a low branch or on the ground. Their sight appears deficient dui-.T the day, as, like owls, they seem then to want that vivacity for which they are distinguished in the morning and even- ing twilight. They are rarely shot at or molested ; and, from being thus transiently seen in the obscurity of dusk, or in the deep um- brage of the woods, no wonder their particular markings of plumage should be so little known, or that they should be confounded with the Night-hawk, whom, in general appearance, they so much re- semble. The female begins to lay about the second week in IMay, selecting, for this purpose, the most unfrequented part of the wood, li: ijl S' W^i^WS*^'^*'"™'"'"^ TOE WHIPPOORWILL. 121 often where some brush, old logs, heaps of leaves, &c., had been lying, and always on a dry situation." The Whippoorwill constructs no ucst, but lays its eggs, which uro two in number, in a slight liullow which it scratches in the earth, usually near a rock, or fallen trunk of a tree. These eggs are of an elliptical form, being as large at one end as at the other ; their ground-color is a delicate creamy-whito, with blotches, lines, and spots of different shades of lightrbrown and lavender : taken alto- gether, it is one of the handsow.cjst eggs found in New Eng- land. The length of several specimens before me varies from 1.21 to 2.27 inches, breadth from .75 to .79 inch. The bird commences laying about the last week in May, and the period of incubation is fourteen days. The young are soon able to walk, and in a very few days can run with considerable speed ; and they hide with such adroitness that it is a work of no little diihculty to capture them. The female, when her young are discovered, imme- diately throws herself before the intruder, counterfeiting lameness so well, that, unless ho is well acquainted with the habits of birds, he will quickly be misled into following her. As soon as the young birds are able to shift for them- selves, they are turned adrift by their parents, and are seen only singly, or at most in pairs, during the remainder of their stay. By the latter part of August, or seldom later than the 10th of September, all of them depart for the South, the old males remaining a few days later ; uttering, occasionally, their song, but always in the woods, or in localities far removed from human habitation. CHOBDEILES, Swainson. SwAiNSON. Fauna Bor. Amer. (1831) 496. Bill very small, the gapo with very short, feeble bristles; wings very long and pointed, with the tirst quill nearly or quite equal to the second, and the primaries not emarginated on the inner edge; taU long, slighUy forked in the Nortb-Ameiican gpecies; plumage rather compact. ^-^itms^mMmssi III iMin I "naBSsaaB^si-. ii i WPii 122 OBNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. CH0BDEILB8 POPETUE. — Baird. The Sight-hawk; Bull Bat.— Coprimu/ffia popttue, Vicillot. Ols. Am. Sept., I. (1807) 66. Caprimulyiu Amtricaniu, Wilson ''. (1812) 61. Caprimuli/ui rmjiniamu. Aud. Orn. Uiog., II. (1834) 278. DE8CRIPTI0X< Male, above grecnlsh-black, with but little mottling on the head an.l back; wing coverts varied with Rrayish, scapular, with yelU,» ish-rufous; a nuchal band of In. gray mottling, behind which Is another coarser one of rufous spots; a white V-shaped mark on the throati behind thi. a collar of pale-rufous blotches, and another on the breast of grayish mottling; under parts banded transversely w.th dull-yellowish or redu,.h-white and brown; wing quills quite uniformly brown ; the five outer primaries wi,. a white blotch midway between the tip and carpal joint, not extending on the outer web of the outer quill ; tail with a termmal white ^'Temale, without the caudal white patch, the white of the throat mixed with ""^iih of male, nine and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and twenty one-hundredths inches. This bird is ranch more abundantly distributed through- out New England than the preceding; and its habits are, consequently, better known. It arrives from the south about the 10th of May. At this time, great numbers may bo observed, at narly twilight, coursing through the air in different directions, sometimes at a great height, somet aos just above the trees in the country, or houses in the city; occasionally, very near the earth or water, or, when near the seacoast, but just above the marshes, where they destroy great numbers of insects. Their flight is very rapid, their long wings giving quick, powerful sweeps; and, as they dart about in many eccentric movementt, busily gleaning their food, they utter, at of(>repeated intervals, their short note or 8^eak, which almost exactly resembles that of the Com- mon Snipe. About the middle of May, or by the 20th of that month, in Maine, the male commences his attentions to the female. His movements at this time are interesting, and, firoi tlieir common occurrence, familiar to aU who live in the < antry. "^fi*^- 3a35ai*Hiaw»?«*ww»*w*' L. THE NIGHT-HAWK. 128 At oarly evening, and in cloudy weather throughout tlie greater part of the day, lie ascends into the air ; and when he has attained a couHideialilo height, partially closing his wings, he drops with groat velocity through the distance of sevonty-five or one hundred foot, somctinies nearly to the earth. The sound made hy the air passing through tlio wing quills is so loud that I Imvo often heard it at certainly the distance of half a mile: it rescmMos. as Nnttall truly says, the sound produced by blowing into the bung-hole of an empty hogshead. This act is often repeated, the bird darting about at the same time in every direction, and uttering Ins sharp squeak. Wilson was of the opinion, that this habit of the Night-hawk was confined to the period of incubatioii; the male acting in this manner, as he thought, to intimidate any person from approaching the nest. I have had abun- dant opportunities for observing the bird in all times of the summer, and during its stay with us; and I should unhesi- tatingly affirm, that, from the time of early courtship, untU the young are hatched, if not after, the male acts in this manner. This species constructs no nest, but lays its eggs on the bare ground in a slight hollow scratched by the female, or often on a bare rock. I have found numbers of these eggs, particularly in the northern parts of Maine, whore, in walk- ing over a pasture or rocky field, I have flushed, sometimes a bird in every ten rods. I remember a ledge of rocks back of the settlement known as Wilson's Mills, which seemed a favorite breeding-place for these birds ; and, in the space of every four or ftve rods, a female was sitting on her eggs. The eggs arc; two in number, elliptical in shape, of a dirty-whito color, which is covered with fine dottings of different shades of brown, with obscure markings of slate-color, and some spots of lavender. Length from 1.28 to 1.25 inch ; breadth, from .82 to .85 inch. A great num- ber of specimens from dilTerent sections do not exhibit an appreciable variation from these dimensions. In the south- II 124 OBNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. cm dietricts, it lays about the 20th of May ; in tho northern, abont thii K'th of Juno. Tho nialo assists tlio fcnmlo in incubatir.g, as I iiave wit- nossed majiy times. Wlion perched by lior on a tree or fence-rail, during tlie liglit of mid-day, he always sits alotiff tho limb or rail, instead of across it — a peculiarity which is also noticeable in the Whippoorwill. Some authors, in speak- ing of this fact, explain it by noticing the comparatively small size of tho feet, and apparent weakness of the logs. I think this can hardly be a sufficient cause ; for both these birds, while on the ground, can run with considerable speed, and, if captured, can not only porch across the finger of a hand or the back of a chair, as I have often proved, but can rest on one foot, drawing tho other up into the feathers of the belly, like other l)ird8. About tho 20th of August, after tho young have become able to provide for themselves, all the families in a neigh- borhood assemble in a large, scattered flock; and, after having become completely recruited from the labors of incu- bation, they all leave for the south. THE BELTED RfNOFISIlEIl. 126 rn, vit- or onff 1 iB lak- oly !gH. eso !cd, •f a can lera )mo igh- fter icu- SUB-OllDER CLAMATORES. ScnEAMEiis. Familt ALCEDINIDJE. The Kinofisiikrs. Head large t bill lonjf, dtronff, iitr«l(jht, and «ul>-pyramldal, unually lonjfer than (he head; tongue very small; wirin« sliort; Icrb pnmll, tlie oilier and middle tOM united to tholr middle; toeii with the iimial mimhcr of joints ("2, 3, 4, B). * The gape of the bill in the KinRtlnlierH i« larRc, reaching to l)enenth the cyo«t the tliird primary is generally longent, the (Irst decidedly nhorter; the necondarie* varj-from twelve to fifteen in numlwr, all nearly equal ; the necondaries cover at least three-(|uartcr« of the wing; the tail is short, the feathers twelve in number, they arc ratlier narrow, the outer usually shorter; the lower part of the tibia is hare, lenving the joint and the tarsus uncovered; the tarsus is covered anteriorly with plates, behind, it is shagrcen-likc or granulated; the hind toe is connected with the inner, bo as to form with it and the others a regular sole, which extends unbroken beneath the middle and outer as far as the latter are united; the inner toe is much shorter than the outer; the claw» are sharp, the middle expanded on its inner edge, but not pectinated. CERYLE, BoiB. Cenjle, BoiE, Isis (1828) 818 (type C. rtuKt). Bill long, straight, and strong, the culmcn slightly advancing on the forehead, »nd sloping to the acute tip; the sides much compressed; the lateral margins rather dilated at the base, and straight to the tip; the gonys long and ascending; tall rather long and broad; tarsi short and stout. CEBTLE ALCTON. — 5ot«. y The Belted Kingfisher. — Alcedo aleyon, Urnimxn. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 180. Wilson, Am. Om., IH. (1811 ) 69. Aud. Om. Biog., I. ( 1831 ) 394. Ceryle alct/on, Boie. Isis, (1828) 816. DESCRimoir. Head with a long crest; above blue, without metallic lustre; beneath, with a con- cealed band across the occiput, and a spot anterior to the eye, pure-white; a band across the breast, and tha sides of the body under the wings, like the back; prima- ries white on the basal half, the terminal unspotted; tail with transverse bands and spots of white. Young, with the sides of body and a transverse band across the belly below the pectoral one, light-chestnut; the pectoral band more or less tinged with the same Length of adult, about twelve and three-quarters inches; wing, six or more. Hob. — The entire continent of North America. 126 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. THIS species is a very common summer inhabitant of all the New-England States. It arrives from the soxith about the 1st of April, often earlier, particularly in early springs : indeed, Mr. Verrill says they are sometimes seen in Maine in winter, and they are often found in the southern districts of these States in this season. The birds, on arriv- ing, commence pairing ; and they soon begin excavating in a sand-bank a long, winding hole of about three inches and a half in diameter at the entrance, and gradually larger to the end, at which the nest, composed of grasses, leaves, and feathers, is built, — or laid, which would perhaps be the better term. This hole is sometimes as much as six or eight feet, usually, from four to six, in length. The female deposits in this nest six eggs usually : these are of a clear-white color, and of a nearly spherical shape, being from 1.35 to 1.42 inch in length, by from 1.05 to 1.08 inch in breadth. I am aware that these measurements exceed any heretofore given ; but they are accurately taken from a large number of speci- mens in my collection. Dr. Brewer gives the dimensions as averaging 1^^ in length by 1^ in breadth. The period of incubation is stated by Audubon and other ornithologists to be sixteen days. The habits of this bird are so well known that any description here is almost superfluous. Its food, as its name implies, consists almost entirely of fish, which he obtains by diving into the water, and seizing with his bill. "When passing over a sheet of water, he attentively scans the surface beneath him: if he observes a small fish, he pauses in his flight, and remains over it a few seconds, maintaining his position by short, quick vibrations of his wings. If the fish is sufficiet"+'" near the surface, he sud- denly dives at it, and, plunging into the water, seizes it, and bears it off to some rock or post, where he can eat it at his leisure. The note of the Kingfisher is a loud, harsh cry, similar to the sound of a watchman's rattle: it is easily heard above the rushing of the waters at a dam or other THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 127 waterfall, and, when heard in such a locality, is not -disagree- abie. When perched on a limb overhanging the water, he frequently jets his tail in the manner of the Pewee, and often descends from such a perch and seizes a frog or a fish ; and I once shot one that had just seized a meadow mouse (arvicola) in this manaer. The young usually remain in the hole in the bank until they are about fledged. I am inclined to think, that usually they return to these holes at night and in stormy weatlier, as I have frequently seen them about their nests long after they were fledged, and have even seen them passing into them at the close of the day. In migrating, the young leave their parents, and these even separate, and pursue their journey alone ; and it is a case of rare occurrence that two are seen together after the latter part of August. i ! €^^ 128 OBNITHOLOG'f AND OOLOOY. Family COLOPTERID^. The Flycatchers. Sub-Family TYRANNiNiE. — Tyrant Flycatchers. Bill broader than high at the base, much depressed, more or less triangular; cul- men nearly as long as the head, or shortur, straight to near the tip, then suddenly bent down into a conspicuous hook, with a notch behind it; tip of lower jaw also notched; commissure straight to near the notch; gonys slightly convex; nostrils oval or rounded in the anterior extremity of the nasal groove, and more or less concealed by long bristles which extend from the posterior angle of the jaw8 along the base of thi bill, becoming smaller, but reaching nearly to the median line of the forehead; thetd bristles with lateral branches at the base; similar bristles mixed in the loral feathers and margining the chin ; tarsi short, generally less than the middle toe, completely enveloped by a series of large scales which meet near the posterior edge of the inner side, and are separated either by naked skin or by a row of small scales. Sometimes a second series of rather large plates is seen on the posterior face of the tarsus; these, however, usually on the upper extremity only; basal joint of middle toe united almost throughout to that of the outer toe, but more than half free on the inner side; outer lateral toe rather the longer; wings and tail variable, first quill always more than three-fourths the second; the outer primaries sometimes attenuated near the tip. TVRANNUS, CuviBB. Tyrannus, Cuvikr, Lemons Anat. Comp., 1799-1800 (Agassiz). Tail nearly even, or moderately forked, rather shorter than the wings; the feathers broad, and widening somewhat at the ends; wings long and pointed; the outer primaries rather abruptly attenuated near the end, the attenuated portion not linear, however; head with a concealed patch of red on the crown. TTEANKDS CABOLIHENSIS. - JBaini. ^ King-bird ; Bee Martin.— Lantus tyranmis, Linnaeus. 3yst. Nat., I. (1766) 136. This belongs to the Cuban T. matutinus, according to Bonaparte. Muscicapa tijranntis (Brisson?), Wilson. Am. Om., I. (1808) 68. Aud. Om. Biog., L (1832) 403; V. (1839) 420. lb., Birds Amer., L (1840) 204. Descbiption. Two, sometimes three, outer primaries abruptly attenuated at the end ; second quill longest, third little shorter, first rather longer than fourth, or nearly equal; tail slightly rvyunded, above dark bluish-aah; the top and sides of the head to beneath the eyes bluish-black; a concealed crest on the crown, vermilion in the MMIMIi Mi mmm THE KING-BIRD. 129 centre, wfiite behind, and before partially mixed with orange; lower parts pure- white, tinged with pale bluiah-ash on the sides of the throat and across the breast; sides of the breast nnd under the wings similar to, but rather lighter than, the back; axillaries pale grayish-brown tipped with lighter; the wings dark-brown, darkest towards the ends of the quills; the greater coverts and quills edged with white, most 80 on the tertials; the lesser coverts edged with paler; upper tail coverts and upper surface of the tail glossy-black, the latter very dark brown beneath; all the' feathers tipped, nnd the exterior margined external!}' with white, form- ing a conspicuous terminal band about twenty-five one-hundredtfas of an inch broad. The young of the year is similar, the colors duller, the concealed colored patch on the crown wanting; the tail more rounded, the primaries not attenuated. Specimens vary in the amount of white margining the wing feathers ; the upper tail coverts are also margined sometimes with white. Length, eight and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, four and sixty-five one- hundredths inches ; tail, three and seventy one-hundredths inches ; tarsus, seventy- five one-hundredths inches. THIS common species is abundantly distributed through- out New England as a summer resident. It arrives from the South about the 1st to the 10th of May : the males precede the females in small parties of three or four, the latter arriving about a week or ten days later. Soon after the arrival of the females, the males begin their attentions to them ; and, as the season of courtship is comparatively short, the new-made couple soon begin their selection of a locality for their nest. This seems to be with them a rather difficult matier to settle ; for I have known of a pair remaining in an orchard a fortnignt, examining every tree and its peculiar advantages, before they made a selec- tion. At last, when the location is decided, both birds com- mence work, and the nest is soon completed. It is usually placed on the branch of an apple or pear tree, in a small cluster of twigs or a crotch of a limb : it is constructed outwardly of coarse grasses, laosses, twigs, roots, and weeds; and is deeply hollowed, and lined with fine roots, horse-hairs, and grasses. About the 1st of June, the eggs are laid : these are usually five in number ; their ground- color is a very delicate creamy- white, with irregular spatters and spots of different shades of brown, and some obscure 9 mm>r J30 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. spots of lavender. Dimensions of a nest 'complement of five eggs : 1.06 by .71 inch ; 1.04 by .70 in. li ; 1.02 by .72 inch ; 1 by .74 inch ; and .94 by .75 inch. During the mating and breeding season, the pugnacity and courage of the King-bird are proverbial: it any bird approach the neighborhood of his nest, he immed arcly attacks it; and, whether crow (his particular dislike), hawk, or eagle, the intruder is obliged to flee, so fierce an onslaught does this little warrior make on him. As soon as the cry of a crow is heard, he is all activity : he flies irom the tree where he is perching to reconnoitre, uttering his shrill twitter, and vibrating his wings in short, quick, nervous strokes; as soon as the crow appears the King- bird pursues it, his flight now being very swift and powertul. As soon as he nears his foe, he flies above him, and, dart- ing down on his back and head, attacks him with such vigor that the crow dives and dodges to avoid him. He repeats his attack, and follows his enemy, sometimes to the distance of a mile and more : then, returning to his mate he perches on the tree by her nest, and twitters a volley of courageous songs. . . „ ^ • „4.„ The food of the King-bird consists principally of insects, which he captures usually while on the wing. It seems a provision of nature, that all the Flycatchers shall only take those insects that have taken flight from the foliage of trees and shrubs, at the same time making the warblers and other birds capture those which remain concealed m such places. The King-bird, in seizing a flying insect, flies m a sort of half-flitting hover, and seizes it with a sharp snap of the bin Sometimes he descends from his percn, and captures a grasshopper that has just taken a short flight and oxasionally seizes one that is crawling tip some tall stalk c" grass. Those farmers who keep bees dishke this b-rd because of his bad habit of eating as many of those insects as show themselves in the neighborhood of his nest; but they should remember that the general ''^'iJilnJii^';J?8 W \lfe^^»^^' '^ **^'^^^^'^^'^'' ^ '* *^ " "'" c;i#'^" iiont of 2, by .72 ignacity my bird lediatcly dislike), ierco an As soon be flies littering t, quick, \G King- )Owerful. nd, dart- ith such lim. He les to the his mate, volley of f insects, , seems a only take ;e of trees blors and i in such flics in a harp snap lerch, and lort flight, some tall ;es dislike as many ghborhood lie general Kl>iu-BXBl), Tjfnuutus VarolincnuU- Baird. •f- Ill I *» II miiwii^i ^mr^ THK GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 131 interests of agriculture are greater than those of a hive of bees. About the middle of September, this bird with his family and neighbors gather into a scattered flock, and depart for the south,^ spending the winter in Central America and Southern Mexico. MYIARCHUS, Cabanh. Myiarchut, Cabants, Fauna Peruana (1844-46) 162. Burmeister, Tliicre Bra- giliens, II. VoKel(lH56)46U. Tarsus equal to, or not longer than, the middle toe, which is decidedly longer than the hinder one; bill wider at base than half the culmen; tail broad, long, even, or slightly rounded, about equal to the wings, which scarcely reach the middle of tho tail, the tirst primary shorter than the sixth ; head with elongated lanceolate distinct feathers; above brownish-olive; throat ash; belly yellow; tail and wing feathers varied with rufous. MTIAHCHUS CBINITUS. — Cabanu. The Great-crested Flycatcher. Mtueieapn erinita, Linna;us. Syst. Nat., 1. (1766) 826. Wilson, Am. Om., II. (1810) 76. And. Om. Biog., II. (1884) 176; V. 423. Tyramus crinitut. Nutt. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 803. Description. Head with a depressed crest; third quill longest, fourth and second successively but little shorter, first a little longer than seventh, much shorter th.in sixth; tail decidedly rounded or even graduated, the lateral feather about twenty-five one- hundredths of an inch shorter; upper parts dull greenish-olive, with the feathers of the crown, and to some extent of the back, showing their brown centres; upper tail coverts turning to pale rusty-brown; small feathers at the base of the bill, ceres, sides of the head as high as the upper eyelid, sides of the neck, throat, and forepart of tho breast, bluish-ashy; tho rest of the lower parts, including axillaries and lower wing coverts, bright sulphur-yellow; a pale ring round the eye; sides of the breast and body tinged with olivaceous; the wings brown, the first and second rows of coverts, with the secondary and tertial quills, margined externally with dull-white, or on the latter slightly tinged witt olivaceous-yellow; primaries margined exter- nally for more than halt their length from the base with ferruginous, great portion of the inner webs of all the quills very pale-feiTuginous ; the two middle tail feathers light brown, shafts paler, the rest have the outer web and a narrow line on the inner sides of the shaft brown, pale olivaceous on the outer edge, the remainder ferruginous to tho very tip; outer web of exterior feather dull brownish-yellow; feet black ; bill dark-brown above and at the tip below, paler towards the base. The female appears to have no brown on the inner web of the quills along the ihaft, or else it is confined chiefly to the outer feathers. Length, eight and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, four and twenty- t i \ ' 182 OUNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. five one-hundredths; tail, four tnd ten one-hundredth.; tarsui, eighty-Bve one- *""//,! -'t:.«tcm North Araeric to the-Mii»ouri, and south to Ewtem Texas (not yet observed l^jrther west). This species is a rare summer inhabitant of Now England. It arrives 1Vwn, the ouf^T primary, secondaries, and tertials edged with dull-white; in some individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull- white; tail brown, outer edge of lateral fi .ither dull-white, outer edges of the rest like the back; tibin- '' #^ &•■ w. ;/- 1.0 l.i 1.25 t 1^ — 6' IM zo 1.4 IIIIII.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation (v ip \ . -6^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques h THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. 186 are a little more shy than they were during the season of incubation, and their note is seldom heard ; and, when it is, it consists of a melancholy strain, quite different from that uttered in the spring and early summer. CONTOPUS,- Cabanis. (Type Cbntopta, Cabanis, Journal fUr Omithologie, III. (Nov., 1865) 479. Muscicapa virent, L.) Tarsus verj- short, but stout, less than the middle toe, and scarcely longer than the hinder { bill quite broad at the base, wider than half the culmen; tail mod- erately forked, much shorter than the wings (rather more than tliree-fourths) ; wings very long and much pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the tail, the first primary about equal to the fourth; all the primaries slender and rather acute, but not attenuated; head moderately crested ; color, olive above, pale-yellowish beneath, with a darker patch on the sides of the breast; under tail coverts streaked. BBtS^BS^Bit flv^' COBTOPUS BOBEALIS. — JSatrd The Olive-sided Flycatcher. Tyrannut borealis, Sw. and Rich. F. Bor. Am., II. (1831) 141; plate. Mmcicapa Coqperi, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 282. Aud. Om. Biog., 11. (1684) 422; V. (1839)422. Tyranmu Co(ipen, Bonaparte. List (1838). Nutt. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 298. Muscicapa irwrnala, Nuttall. Man. I. (1832) 282. Description. Wings long, much pointed the second quill longest, the first longer than the third; tail deeply forked ; tarsi short; the upper parts ashy-brown, showing darker brown centres of the feathers, this is eminently the case on the top of the head ; the sides of the head and neck, of the breast and body resembling the back, but with the edges of the feathers tinged with gray, leaving a darker central streak; the chin, throat, narrow line down tlie middle of the breast and body, abdomen, and lower tail coverts white, or sometimes with a faint tinge of yellow; the lower tpil coverts somewhat streaked with brown in the centre; on each side of the rump, generally concealed by the wings, is an elongated bunch of white silky feathers; the wings and tail very dark brown, the former with the edges of the secondaries and tertials edged with dull-white; the lower wing coverts and axillaries grayish- brown; the tips of the primaries and tail feathers rather paler; feet and upper mandible black, lower mandible brown; the young of the year similar, but the color duller; feet light-brown. Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches ; wing, four and thirty-three one- hnndredths ; tail, three and thirty one-hundredths ; tarsus, sixty one-hundredths. //.-. A!S5fia*!3iSai?'^i -jV^A'S^A^ •::A' 136 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. of May, and is most frequently observed in low growths of oak and chestnut: it seems always busily employed m tchhlg winged insects, of which its ^oo^^^^^ consists • these it seizes in tlie manner of the Kmg-b rd, wrcrWrdTresembles in both its habits and disposU^n Ih^e sometimes seen two birds of this species engaged m a St which, for fierceness, I have hardly seen surpassed. They would rU together in mid-air, snapping their bUls 2nl with their wings, and pecking each other, until «iey both descended to the trees beneath, actually exhausted with *'r vSl^ays that it breeds .^Ue -mm- -yhe Umbagog Lakes, Me. ; but 1 have never been able to find ts neTt tLL or elsewhere, although I have looked for it with "^B hrbeen found breeding in Vermont ; and Dr. Thomp- Bon in his work on the birds of that State, give-, a descnp- "; the nest and eggs. Three nests have boon found in MTIchusetts within two years ; two in West ^^^ one in Dorchester. These were all built "^forkeu twigs o apple-trees, in old negV .ted orchards, facing o t^e southward, and were constructed of the same materia tha he King-bird uses in its nest. In fact, they were almost exacdy Uke the King-bird's nest, but were a little smaller. Two orL nests had three eggs each, and the other had but two. They were all found in the first week m June, and the eggs were freshly laid : probably, if t^^-^^^-^ unmolested, more eggs would have been deposited^ Three of These eggs are in my cabinet. To compare them with the eggs of any other bird, I should say they seem like exceedfugly large Wood Pewee's : for they are almost exactly ie h m iu sh'ape, color, and markings; being of a creamy- white, with large blotches and spatters of Wac lavender and brownish-red. Their dimensions are .88 by .68 , .»» by .66 ; .86 by .68 inch. r^ v. -a Moao Mr. Nuttall, who found a nest in Cambridge, Mass., I THE WOOD PEWEE. 137 describes it as follows: "It was built in the horizontal branch of a tall red cedar, forty or fifty feet from the ground. It was formed much in the manner of the King- bird's, externally made of interlaced dead twigs of the cedar ; internally, of the wire stolons of the common Lichm or Umea. It contained three young, and had had probably four 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." He also describes the bird's note as follows : " The female had a whistling, oft-repeated, whin- ing call of 'pu 'pu, then varied to 'pti 'pip, and 'pip 'pti, also at times 'pip 'pip 'pu, 'pip 'p^P Yp, >« 'P" >>' <^^ '/^ ^" Hu, and 'tu 'tu. The male, besides this note, had, at long intervals, a call of seh' phSbee or 'h' pheMd, rated upon the ^anch, as to be easily overlooked. The body of the fabric con- sistfl of wiry grass and root fibres, often blended with small branch- ing lichens, held together with cobwebs and caterpillars sUk, moistened with saliva ; externally, it is so coated over with bluish, crustaceous lichens as to be hardly discernible from the moss upon the tree. It is Uned with finer root-fibres, or slender grass- stalks." » 1' I • ciiilfirSAiift^*^^'^"**-"^'*^'''**** ■hMilMli THE WOOD PEWEE. 189 'g- lie of aore ites. Eites, the bout saves and lum- , the raally zontal in the 3 con- ranch- ' silk, bluish, moss grass- Tho eggs are generally four in number. They are very beautiful, being of a delicate cream-color, with blotches and spots of lilac and brown around the larger end : there are two shades of lilac, — one obscure, and the other decided, even a lavender. The eggs are generally oval in shape, and but little larger at one end than at the other. Length from .72 to .78 inch ; breadth from .54 to .56 inch. But one brood is reared in the season in New England. The period of incubation is fourteen days. The habits of this species are not generally so well known as those of the Phebe, which bird it resembles in many respects. Although it is usually found in the wildest and most thickly wooded localities, it sometimes frequents the orchards and open pastures ; and I have occasionally seen individuals on the trees on Boston Common, busily engaged in hunting insects, and apparently having families in the neighborhood. The note is different from that of the Phebe, being more plaintive and drawling, sounding like the syl- lables '' pe-^oeiee;' '' pe-weSee." When the nest is ap- proached, both the parents fly to meet the intruder, hovering over his head, snapping their bills, and utternig short notes of complaint like chip-pee, pe-peu : they often alight on a twig near him, and flirt their tails and quiver their wings in a nervous, irritable manner. After the young have left the nest, the old birds separate ; and, though still frequenting the same localities they inhabited during the season of incubation, they are seldom seen together, each seeming to avoid the other. They are now generally silent, and, when approached, are quite shy. They leave the New-England States by the 10th of September, and probably winter in South America. EMPIDONAX, CABAN18. EmpiAmax, Cabanib, Journal flir Omithologie, III. (Nov., 1886) 480 (type TyfrannMla putiUa, Tyrannula of most authors. r 140 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. TsrsMltngthened, considerably longer than the middle toe, which is decidedly longer tlian the hind toe; bill variable; tail very slightly forked, even, or rounded, a little shorter only than the wings, which are considerably rounded, the first pn- inary much shorter than the fourth; head moderately crested; color ohvaceou* above, yellowish beneath; throat generally gray. EUFIDONAX TBAILLII. — SairA The Traill's Flyoatoher. Afuicicapa trmllii, Audubon. Cm. Biog., I. (1832) 236; V. (1889) 426. Tyramu, trainU, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 823. DEBCniPTION. Third quill longest, second scarcely shorter than fourth, first shorter than fifth, about thirty-flve one-hundrcdths shorter than the longest; primaries about seventy- five one-hundredths of an inch longer than secondaries; tail even; upper parts dark olive-green, lighter under the wings, and duller and mora tinged with ash on nope and sides of the n. k; centre of the crown feathers brown; a pale yellow.sh-wh.te ring (in some specimens altogether white) round the eye; loral eathers mixed with white: chin and throat white; the breast and sides of throat l.ght-ash tmged witii olive, its intensity varying in individuals, the former "ometimes family tinged with olive; sides of the breast much like the back; middle of the belly nearly white; sides of the belly, abdomen, and the lower tail coverts sulphur-yellow; the quills and tail feathers dark-brown, as dark (if not more so) as these parUm C mrem; two olivaceous yellow-white bands on Uie wing, formed oy (.^e tips of the first and second coverts, succeeded by a browa one, the edge of the first ,r.mary and of secondaries and tertials a little lighter shade of the same; the outer edge of the tail feathers like the back, that of the lateral one r..ther bghterj bUl above dark- brown, dull-brownish beneath. . , j.u » -i f„„ .«^ Length, nearly six inches; wing, two and ninety one-hundredths; tail, two and sixty one-hundredths. Hob. —Eastern United States, and south to Mexico. This bird is occasionally found as a spring and autnmn visitor VI New England, arriving about the 15th or 20th of May. lu its habits, it resembles the Least Flycatcher (K minimm), as it does also in its plumage: in fact, these two birds and the Green-crested Flycatcher have been so much mistaken for each other by different naturalists, the confu- sion in whose descriptions is so great, that it requires a very careful examination to identify either of these birds per- fectly and accurately. I have had no opportunities for observing the habits of the bird now before us, and can add nothing to its history. Tliompson, in his " Vermont Birds," 'r I THE LEAST FLYCATCHER, 141 gives it as breeding in that State ; and I have no doubt it occasionally passes the summer in each of the New-England States. I had a nost and four eggs brought me in June, 1864, found in Eastern Massachusetts, that were almost exactly like those of E. minimus ; but the bird brought with the nest was unquestionably of this specips : whether or not the two belonged together I cannot say, but think that they probably did. The norson who collected them informed me that the nest was found in an apple-tree in an ' old orchard : it was built in a small fork about twenty feet from the ground. The bird attacked the person who found it, courageously flying in his face, and snapping its bill with anger, and uttering a querulous twitter like that of the Phebo. The eggs were nearly hatched ; and, as they were found on the 20th of Juno, they must have been laid by the 10th of that month. Two eggs in my cabinet, from near Quebec, Lower Can- ada, collected by William Couper, Esq., who informs me this species is occasionally met with there, are of a creamy- white color, like that of the eggs of E. minimus ; each egg having a very few pale reddish-brown dots. The form of the eggs is more elongatod than that of the eggs of minimus, the dimensions being .77 by .53 inch, and .76 by .55 inch. i EMPIDONAX MIHIBIUS. — 5atrrf. XTha Least Flycatcher; Chehee. •^ Tyranmda minima, William M. and S. F. Baird. Pr. A. N. Sc. I. (July, 1!>43) 284. Ih., Sillim. Am. Jour. Sc. (July, 1844). And., Birds Amer. VH. (1844) 843, pi. 491. DESCHrmoN. Second quill longest, third and fourth but little shorter, fifth a little less, first intermediate between fitlh and sixth; tail even; above olive-brown, darker on the head, becoming paler on the rump and upper tail coverts; the middle of the back most strongly olivaceous; the nape (in some individuals) and sides of the head tinged with ash; a ring round the eye, and some of the loral feathers white, the chin and throat white; the sides of the throat and across the breast duU-ash, the color on the latter sometimes nearly obsolete; sides of the breast similar to the back, but of a lighter tint; middle of the belly very pale yelloivish-white, turning to pale sulphur- yellow on the sides of the belly, abdomen, and lower tail coverts; wings brown » M HMil .i f janiJiliw 1 1 ' \ II ' ""■"*' i=J finiMP mffipipppp?! 142 ORNITUOLOOY AND OOLOGY. two narrow wl.ito bnn.U on vrinR, formed by the tips of the flnt and .econd cov- ert., succeeded by one of brown; the edge of the flrrt prunar>-, and of the second- aries and tertial*, white; tail rother iJKhter brown, cdRcd cxternHlly like the back; feather, narrow, not acuminate, with the ends rather blunt. In autumn, the wh.l- parts arc KtronRlv tinned with yellow. Lensth, about (Ivo inches; wing, two and sixty-flve one-hundredths; tail, two and fifty one-hundredths. Hab. — Kaatem United States to Missouri plains. This species arrives from the South usually about the last week in April. The birds commence building about the 20th or 25th of May. Tlio nest is placed usually iu a small fork of a limb of an apple-tree, in the orchard, and often quite near the house : it is composed of soft, fine grass, cobwebs, twine, cotton, — in fact, almost any thing that will help to make a smooth, compact fabric : the interior is lined with soft grass, bristles, fine roots, feathers, and wool. The eggs are usually four in number, sometimes three, some- times five : they are of a beautiful creamy-white color ; and their form is nearly pyriform, being abruptly tapered to tho small end. Dimensions of a nest complement of four eggs, taken at random from a large number, collected in different parts of New England : .63 by .60 inch, .64 by .51 inch, .61 by .53 inch, .60 by .53 mch. This species often breeds twice in the season in New England. The period of incuba- tion is thirteen days. This bird, being very abundantly distributed as a summer resident throughout New England, is well known, and its habits are familiar to all. It prefers the neighborhood of civilization, and is most frequently found in orchards and gardciis. A pair once built in an apple-tree, immediately beneath my chamber window, — so near that I couhl touch the nest with a rod four feet in length. The nest was com- menced on the 5th of June, and was finished by the 10th ; both birds working in its construction. The female laid four eggs in three days' time, and commenced sitting when the fourth was laid. Both birds incubated, and the male remained on the nest nearly as long as his mate. When he J TUE SMALL OnEKN-CHESTED FLYCATCHER. 148 waH off tho nest, ho was very pugnacious ; attacking every bird that canio near, and even forcing a roliiu to retreat, so fieree was tho onslaught lie made on it. Hy always, in attacking other birds, uttered his shrill cry, chebilc, cheh'lc, and snapped his bill loudly and fiercely. When pciching, he often flirted his tail in tho manner of the Phebo ; and, every few seconds, he emitted his note, — chebSc, chebSc, cheMo; varied sometimes into chebeo-trree-treo, cheb^c-treee- cheu. The young were all hatched by the fourteenth day, and left the nest within a month from their birth. They wore fed abundantly, while on tho nest, by the parents, with insects, which they caught and crushed between their bills: they were fed a few days after they left tho nest, and then turned adrift ; the parents having begun another nest on the samo tree. Tho Least Flycatcher has often been called the Small Green-crested or Acadican Flycatcher. I would caution those who are interested in the history of those birds to observe groat care, and be certain of their identity before naming them. By the second week in September, it leaves on its south- ern migration. EHPIDONAX AOADICnS. — Baird. The Small Greeo-erested Flycatcher. t Mutdcapa acadica, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 947. (1884) 268; V. (1839) 429. Nutt. Man., L (1832) 208. Mmcicapa quentla, Wilson. Am. Orn., IL (1810) 77. Tyrannut acadica, Nuttall. Man. L (2d ed., 1840) 820. And. Orn. Biog., 11. Description. The second and third quills are longest, and about equal; the fourth a little shorter, the first about equal to the fifth, and about thirty-five one-Iiundrodtlis less than the longest; tail even; the upper parts, with sides of the head and neck, olive- green, the crown very little if any darker; a yellowish-white ring round the eye; the sides of the body under the wings like the back, but fainter olive, a tinge of the game across the breast; the chin, throat, and middle of the belly white; the abdo- men, lower tail and wing coverts, and sides of the body not covered by the wings, pale greenish-yellow; edges of the first primary, secondaries, and tertials margined ^ 144 OBNITHOLOGY AND OOLOaY. -Ith dull vellowLh-whlto, mo»t broadly on the Ittttcri two tr«nive«fl l.«nd. of p.le- y low . « OM the wlnK-. formed by .be tip, of .he -econdary .nd Vr'n.ry^^l'^' Lti; by . brown one, tail .l«ht-brown "'^'-V'T."— " t bw' upp*r mandlbU light-brown above, pale-yellow beneaU.. In autumi.. tht lower '"t:;,b::W.'at':ixty-flve o..e.hundredth. Inch.,, wing, three, UU. t.o and ieventy-flve one-hundredth« inches. ■ llab. — Eaatem United State* to the MiMi«»ippI- This bird is a rare summor inhabitant of any of the New- Entrland States, seldom coming so far north. 1 have had „o opportunities of observing its habits, and can give no description from my own observation. Mr. Allen says that it breeds in swamps and low moist thickets, which are its exclusive haunts. » t i t •* Giraud, in his « Birds of Long Island," says, « In habi s, it is solitary ; generally seen on the lower branches of the largest trees ; utters a quick, sharp note ; arrives among UB in the latter part of May, and retires southward early m ^"fhTve no nest, but understand that it resembles that of the Least Flycatcher. Five eggs before me, furnished by J P. Norris, Esq., of Philadelphia, are of a pale creamy- white color, with a few thin spots of reddish-brown scattered over their larger end. They vary in size from .78 inch in length by about .56 inch in breadth, to .72 inch in length by 55 inch in breadth. The form is like that of U. trailhi ; but the spots are larger and more numerous. 08C1NE8. SINGINU BHUW. 14ft SUB-ORDER OSCINES. Sinoinq Binns. To., three anterior, one behind, .11 .t «>« wme level, and none Tematile, the outJr'u or never entirely tVeeto the ba.«; tail feather, twelve; P^-r'-; «"' - nte only, or cl,e the fln,t i. .puriou. or much shorter th.n the .e«.n.., mak.nK 1 . "en h- t^l f-ll'«" -»"y '-'-' «""' '■•'»"^''""' '" "" '"""• '^" r .Ion ? Intl ior face either funed into one or with di.tinot divl.lcn., the ponter'or port.on of th r«. eovld by one eontinnou. plate on either .hie. meetin„ n a M.arp ed«e be .i or with only a few division, inferiorly. Occasionally, the hinder «.de ha. t«n ve'rse nTa es coLsponding In number to the anterior-, but there arc then usually iTne on th« 2 Ury'T.x provided with a peculiar muscular apparatus for .in«.ng. composed of Uve pair, of muucle.. n ■ Familt TURDIDiE. The Thrushes. The foUowinB characteristics of this ftmlly and its genera, repre-ented In New EnH nd are aiven by Trofcosor Spencer F. Kalrd, in his recent ' Kevlcw of the 2. of" North AmeHca," published in the Smithsonian Miscell.n^u, Collec ''°"" Primaries ten, the first of whicn I. either spurious or much shorter than the second The bill is elongated and subulate, moderately slender, and usually notched at ip nostrils uncovered, the culmen moderately curved i^om the base «.d the mouth well provided with bristles, except in a few ca«=,. Usually, the scutell» Tvering the front and sides of the tarsus are fused into <'"«'^<»-»'"'«'"« P""«' °' J' scare ly appreciable, except on the inner edge only, in 'heMock>rg Thrush s they rrhowever, di.tin tly marked. The lateral toes are neariy equal, the outer rath r re'longer." These general characteristics apply also to the Sax.coi.fa, more fully nrepe::ira:XSis3;f thefa^ Tur^ are: " Wing, moderate, more rouid!not reaching beyond middle of the often rounded Uil, and not more than one and a third the latter, usually more neariy equal. Spurious P"7'T,'.ome^'"e» haU the length of second quill, the «=cond quill shorter than the fourta In the closed wing, the outer secondary reaches three-fourths or more the length of longest ''" pSL Baird divide, this family into the .ub-familie. Turdif;^, which have "U^rcoTered anteriorly with a continuou. plate," and the 3fim.n». whose Ur.. are KUtellate anteriorly; Bcutellse seven. Sub-Family Titbdin*. Nctril. oval; bristles along the base of the b!'! from gape to nostnls, those of rictrnot rLhi'ng beyond nostrils, the loral feathers with bristly pomts; second quiU longer than sixth; outer lateral toes longer; wmgs long. Mm tmm iiMiir'''rfriii,irmt ■■'-■'•--•; n 146 OENJTHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. TURDTJS, LiNN^us. Turdm, LiNN^US, SyBt. Nat. (1735). "{Tj-pe T. t-Ucivoru., f.de G. R. Gray.) Bill rather stout; commissure straight to near the tip, which is quite Abruptly decurved, and usually distinctly notched; culmen gently ^"f^^.f;™ '''"^' ;' shorter than the head, both outlines curved ; tarsi longer than the middle toe ; ktera toes nearly equal, outer longer, wings much longer than the tai , PO>.f«d ;»'«««' quill spurious and very small, not one-fourth the length of longest; tail short, nearly even, or slightly emarginate. TUEDUS MUSTELIHtJS. — GmeSn. X The Sons: Thrush ; Wood Thrush. - T,irdus ««.«Kn«», Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 817. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 348. And. Cm. Biog., I. (1832) 372; V. (1839) 446. Tardus melodus, Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 35, pi. n. DESCRimON. Above, dear cinnamon-brown, on the top of the head becoming more rufous, < n tlie rump and tail olivaceous; the under parts are clear-white, sometimes tinged with buff on the bH«st or anteriorly, and thickly marked beneath, except on the chin and Uiroat, and about Uie vent and tail coverts, with sub-triangular, sharply dehned spots of blackish; the sides of the head are dark-brown, streaked with white and there is also a maxillary series of streaks on each side of the throat, the central por- tion of which sometimes has indications of small spots. Length, eight and ten-liundredths inches: wing, four and twenty-five one-han- dredths; tail, three and five one-hundredths, tarsus, one and twenty-six. one- hundredths. t x /^ » _ i- Ja*.- Eastern United States to Missouri River, south to Guatemala. THIS beautiful songster is a pretty common summer inhabitant of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. In the other New-England States, it is rarely seen ; and when we hear of a Song Thrush occurring there, refer- ence is probably made either to the Hermit or Olive-backed Thrush. It arrives from the South about the 10th of May, both sexes making their appearance at about the same time. They soon commence pairing, and frequent the moist thick- ets and thickly wooded glens, where their amours are con- ducted in privacy and peace. At this season, the beautiful song of the male is heard at early dawn and early twilight : it seldom sings in the middle of the day, unless the weather is dark and cloudy. This song is a beautiful, melancholy strain, similar to the tone "-J'Wmil^/^^'' THE SONG THRUSH. 147 III produced on a flute : the notes are difficult of description. Mr. Nuttall, who was particularly happy in his descriptions of bird-songs, speaks of this as follows : — "The prelude to this song resembles almost the double-tonguing of the flute, blended with a tinkling, shrill, and solemn warble, which re-echoes from his solitary retreat like the dirge of some sad recluse, who shuns the busy haunts of life. The whole air consists usually of four parts, or bars, which succeed, in deliberate time, and finally blend together in impressive and soothing harmony, becoming more mellow and sweet at every repetition. Rival {ser- formers seem to challenge each other from various parts of the wood, vying for the favor of their mates with sympathetic respon- ses and softer tones. And some, waging a jealous strife, terminate the warm dispute by an appeal to combat and violence. Like the Robin and the Thrasher, ia 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 interrupted whistle is likewise often nearly the only voice of melody heard by the traveller, to mid-day, in the heat of sum- mer, as he traverses the silent, dark, and wooded wilderness, remote from the haunts of men. It is nearly impossible by words to con- vey any idea of the peculiar warble of this vocal hermit; but, amongst his phrases, the sound of 'airoee, peculiarly liquid, and followed by a trill, repeated in two separate bars, is readily recog- nizable. At times, their notes bear a considerable resemblance to those of Wilson's Thrush: such as eh rhehu 'vrhrhu, then varied to 'eh villia viUia, 'eh villia vrhehu, then 'eh veiv. viUu, high and shrill." About the 20th of May, the Song Thrush builds its nest. This is placed usually in a low alder or birch shrub, in a retired locality, almost always in the deep woods. It is composed outwardly of gruss, leaves, and weeds, bent and twined together. In this is built a nest composed of mud and grass, and the whole is lined with fibrous roots and soft grass and moss. It is placed on a low branch of a tree, or in the branches of a shrub. I give Wilson's description of t ■ 148 c ( ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. the ne8t, not, because it is essentially different from my own, but to confirm my own observation, and to help clear up the confusion that exists in many districts concernmg the identity of the thrushes. It is as follows : — « The favorite haunts of the Wood Thrush are low, thick-;haded hollows, through which a small brook or rill meanders, overhung with cedar-bushes that are mantled with wild vmes. Near such scene, he generally builds his nest in a laurel or alder bush. Out- wardly, it is composed of withered beech-leaves of the precedmg year laid at bottom in considerable quantities, no doubt to proven damp and moisture from ascending through, being g^^^ly J^^'^' in low, wet situations : above these are layers of knotty stolks or withered grass, mixed with mud, and smoothly plastered, above which is laid a slight lining of fine black fibrous root« of plants. The eggs are usually four in number ; they are of a uni- form light-blue color, without spots, and with a very slight tint of green ; their form is rather long and pomted. Ihe following are the dimensions of a nest complement of four eggs, found in Milton, Mass. : 1.12 by .68 inch, 1.12 by .69 inch! 1.07 by 70 inch, 1 by .73 inch. But one brood is usually reared in the season in New England. TUEDUS PALIiASII.—Ca Jom». The Hermit Thrush. r«rdt«paZfa«ii,Cabani8. Wiegginan's Archiv. (1847), L 206. _. ,^,^ ?;r*««iiJar««, Wilson. Am. Cm., V. (1812) 95 (not of L,nn»u. The figure quoted pi. xHii. fig. 2, belongs to T. S«ai«<»ii). Aud. Syn. (1889). /6.,B.rd. ^-^iS.'il: Ob.. Wnson (1825). K. T2^ n Sjn^ (-8). 75. Nutt. Man., L (1880) 846. Aud. Om. Biog., L (1881) 808, V. 446, pi. 68. Descbiptioh. Fourth quill longest; third and fourth a litUe shorter; second about equal to th^ • th Slut a AiS of an inch shorter than the longest); tail slightly emargi- ZZ- ibove Ugh* ot^^wn, with a scarcely perceptible shade of reddish pacing how^verTnto decided rufous on the nunp, upper tail coverts, and ta.l and to a le . Se onTe outer surface of the wings, beneath white, with a scarcely apprecUb e S orpale-buff across the fore part of the breast, and somet.mes on the throat the rid s'^of the throat and the fore part of the breast with rather sharply defined ^^^^igggg^fsummmmmm •mm* • s • i- THE HEBMIT THRUSH. 149 lubtriangulnr spots of dark olive-brown ; the sides of the breast with paler and lest distinct spots of the same; sides of tlie body under the wings of a paler shade than the back ; a whitish ring round the eye ; ear coverts very obscurely streaked with paler. Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and eighty-four one- hundredths; tail, three and twenty-five one-hundredths; tarsus, one and sixteen one-hundredths. Hab. — Eastern North America to the Mississippi River. This bird, although not so well known in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, is quite familiar to the people of the other States in New England. It arrives from the South about the middle of April, and passes leisurely to the North, where it arrives about the middle of May. It very seldom breeds in any districts south of the latitude of the middle of Maine ; and from thence north it is quite abundant, where it is known by the name of the Swamp Robin. I have been so fortunate as to find several nests of this species ; and they were all built in very low scrubby trees or bushes, quite near the ground. They were com- posed of twigs, grasses, mosses, and leaves ; they were deeply hollowed, and no mud was used in their composition, as with several other species; they were lined with soft grasses, mosses, and fine fibrous roots. The eggs were, in one nest, three in number ; and, in the others, four. This was about the 10th of June. The localities were in the neigh- borhood of Lake Umbagog and in the valley of the Magal- loway River, in Maine. The eggs of this species are of a somewhat elongated oval form, and their color is a light- blue with a very faint tint of green : " about one in every four has very thinly scattered spots of reddish-brown, and occasionally one is met with having an abundance of coarser spots of two shades of brown." Dimensions of specimens from various localities vary from .92 by .65 to .88 by .60 inch. Mr. C. L. Paine, of Randolph, Vt., writes me that he has found numbers of the nests of this bird, and that they were invariably built on the ground. He a,l80 says that the eggs 160 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. are always blue in color, and he has never met with one that was spotted in any manner. I have quite a number of specimens in my collection, and mt one is spotted. 1 have also seen many others, and they were not marked; and I think that the above quotation must be received with cau- tion. A nest sent me from Upton, Me., is composed almost entirely of mosses. It contains five eggs, all unspotted. Mr Paine writes me that the Olive-backed Thrush breeds in his neighborhood, which, with the other, are the only thrushes breeding there. In answer to his remark that the Hermit Thrush always builds on the ground, I can only say that I found the nests as above. I have noticed that the Tawny or Wilson's Thrush builds on the ground in Bome localities and in bushes in others, and conclude that the Hermit is also variable in its choice of a nesting-place. The habits, song, and general characteristics of this bird Are almost exactly similar to those of the Song Thrush. Its song resembles it so much, that I always supposed the bird was the same, until I examined some of them that 1 heard singing, when I found my mistake. About the middle of October, the last individuals that are seen in Massachusetts leave for the Souta. At this time, as in the spring, they are silent and shy: their note is a faint chirp, uttered in a listless, melancholy tone ; and their whole appearance is in keeping with the great change whidi has come over the face of Nature. In fact, the Hermit Thrush is always associated in my mind with the falling of leaves, the rattling of acorns, and the whirring of the Rufted Grouse through the birches and alders of the swampy glens. TUEDUS niSCESCEHS. — S<«P*«M- /The Tawny Thrush; WUson's Thrush.-' Turdus fuscetcem, Stephens. ShaWs Zool. Birds, X. (1817) 182. Gray, Gener. '1849) " Turdu» mu»teUn«>, Wilson. Am. Cm., V. (1812) 98 (not of 6m.). Turdm WUsanii, Nuttall. Man., L a882) i'.'J. Aud. Om. Biog., II. (1884) 862, V. 446. lb., Birds Am., III. (1841) 27, pi. 146. " jmH]mi ii i»ii. i j>|i)mn« ■ i i lu i m i .itn i iU'l 111* " — i THE TAWNY THRUSH. 151 Description. Third quill longest, fourth i little shorter, second nearly a quarter of an Inch longer than the fifth ; above, and on sides of head and neck, nearly uniform light reddish-brown, with a faint tendency to orange on the crown and tail; beneath white, the fore part of the breast and throat (paler on the chin) tinged with pale brownish-yellow, in decided contract to the white of the belly; the sides of the throat and the fore part of the breast, as colored, are marked with smnll triangular spots of light-brownish, nearly like the back, but not well defined; there are a few obsolete blotches on the sides of the breast (in the white) of pale-olivaceous, the Bides of the body tinged with the same; tibial white; the lower mandible is brown- ish only at the tip; the lores are ash-colored. Length, Be^en and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, four and twenty-flve one- hundredths; tail, three and twenty one-hundredths inches ; tarsus, one and twenty one-hundredths. ZTh*. — Eastern North America to the Missouri, north to flir countries. This species is well distinguished among the American thrushes by the indis- tinctness of the spots beneath, and their being confined mainly to the fore part of the breast. In some specimens, there is a faint tendency to a more vivid color on the rump; but this is usually like the back, which is very nearly tbc color of the rump in T. paUam, This quite common species is a summer inhabitant of southern New England. It is quite abundant until we reach the southern portions of Maine, New Hampshire, and Ver- mont, when it begins to grow less common until we reach the latitude of the middle of these States, where it begins to be replaced by the Hermit Thrush, and soon ceases to occur to the north of this latitude. It makes its appearance from the South about the first week in May, often earlier, and commences building about the 20th of May. The nest is placed occasionally in a low shrub, or tangled clump of briers, usually on the ground. The situation is retired, often in the depths of the woods. The nest is constructed of grass, leaves, and weeds ; in some cases, the outer bark of the grape-vine is the principal material used : it is quite thoroughly made, and is deeply hollowed, and lined with fine roots and horsehair. The eggs are usually four in number, sometimes five ; their color is bluish-green, deeper than that of the eggs of the Hermit Thrush, but not so dark as in those of the Cat Bird ; their form is generally an oval, sometimes lengthened and sharpened; their average size is 152 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. about .90 by .66 inch. As in many other eggs, the longest gpecimeus are not always the broadest. Tlie following are the dimensions of four eggs, taken at random from a large number of this species : .92 by .64 inch, .88 by .64 inch, .86 by .66 inch, .87 by .67 inch. From the first arrival of this bird, during its whole stay here, it seems to prefer the neighborhood of a swampy wood for its home. There, during the mating and incubating seasons, the notes of the male may be heard at the earliest hours of the morning and evening ; and, in cloudy weather, through the day, and sometimes in the night. The song is a peculiar one, with a singular metallic ring, exceedingly difficult to describe: it begins qixite loud, the syllables chSHry, cUiiry, chidry, chSHry, decreasing in tone to a quite faint lisp; then, after a short pause, the notes, cheou Hwit, tritter, Hritter, are uttered ; and the whole is finished usually with the ejaculation, chichvhSu. This song is often re- peated ; and sometimes two or three males, perching on a low shrub or tree, emulate each other in a musical contest that is very pleasing to hear. This thrush, as are all the others, is eminently insectivorous ; and through the whole day he may be heard busily searching among the fallen leaves for his favorite food. About the 10th of September, it leaves for the South : at this time, like most of the others, it is silent and retiring, and is found only in localities that are thickly wooded with a groYTth of small birches arid oaks. TUBDUS SWAIHSOHU.— Ca6anw. The Olire-baeked Thrush; Swainson's Thnuh. Tttrdu$ Suxufiionu. Cab. in Tschudi F. Peruana (1844-46) 188. Turdui tolitariiu, Wilson. Am. Om., V. Description. Third quill longest, second and fourth but little shorter, and much longer than the fifth (by thirty-five one-hundredths of an inch); upper parts uniform olivaceous, with a decided shade of green; the fore part of breast, the throat, and chin, pale brownish-yellow; rest of lower parte white, the sides washed with brownish-oUves THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 168 sides of the throat and fore part of the breast with sub-rounded spots of well-defined brown, darker than the back; the rest of the breast (except medially) with rather less distinct spots that are more olivaceous j tibite yellowisb-brciwn ; broad ring round the eye; loral region, and a general tinge on the side of the head, clear reddish-buff. Length, seven inches; wing, four and fifteen one-hundredths ; tail, three and ten one-hundredths inches; tarsus, one and ten one-hundredths. Hab. — Eastern North America to the Black Hills, south to Mexico and Pern, north to Greenland. Accidental in Europe and Siberia. This species is at once distinguished from the others by the perfectly uniform and pure dull-olivaceous shade of iU upper parts, most strongly marked and appreciable on the rump and tall. The throat and breast are perhaps more reddish than in any of our species, and the tinge in the marking on the side of the head is very much more decided than in any other. The spots on the breast larger than in T. tutulalui, and rather more numeroui! than in pallasii. This species is the least common of all the New-England thrushes. It is rarely observed in its passage through the southern portions of these States, and only begins to choose a home for the summer on arriving at the northern districts. I have looked for it repeatedly, but have not been able to find it south of the latitude of Lake Umbagog, in the breed- ing season; and even there it is not often met with. It arrives in the localities where it breeds about the first week in June. In common with the Hermit Thrush, it is called the " Swamp Robin," and can hardly be distinguished from that bird, either by its song, which is beautiful, or by its breeding habits or nests. The «ggs are difierent, being of a deeper green color : they are always (so far as my experi- ence goes) thinly spotted with dots and blotches of reddish and brown. The following are the dimensions of four eggs that I found in a nest near Wilson's Mills, Me., on the 16th of June, 1864 : .93 by .64 inch, .93 by .63 inch, .92 by .60 inch, .90 by .61 inch. The only difference in the habits of this species from those of the Hermit Thrush is, that, while the latter is most usually found in swampy localities, the other is most often seen in dry, scrubby woods, where it is almost always busily engaged in the pursuit of its favorite insect food. J. A. Allen, in his paper on the birds of Springfield, Mass., before referred to, is of the opinion that this species I- 1 MtMMMNi 154 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. and the Tardus alicice are the same. In a conversation with Professor Baird, since the issue of Allen's paper, I was in- formed, that, in a large suite of specimens of both species, to which he had access, he could identify each by character- istics so fixed that any confusion was impossible : he was of the opinion that Mr. Allen had not seen the bird he calls alieice. I have therefore not given that species as a bird of New England, and think that it yet remains to be proved as such. Dr. Bryant, in describing the habits of the Olive-backed Thrush, says: — "Its note differs entirely from that of T. pallasii, and the birds also differ very much in their habits ; the latt«r species being gen- erally seen on the ground, while the Olive-backed Thrush prefers' to procure its food among the branches. The one seen at Big Mud Lake, Grand Manan, was perched on the top of a small dwarf-fir, and was liunting the passing bisects with all the dexterity of a typical Flycatcher." TURDUS MIGEATOaiUS. — iinweu*. / The Eobin. — Turdut migraUrriui, Linnieus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 292. Wilson, Am. Om., L (1808) 85. Aud. Om. Biog., IL (1834) 190. Merula migratoria^ Sw. and Rich. Fauna Bor. Amer., II. (1881) 176. Description. Third and fourth quills about equal, fifth a little shorter, second longer than Bixth; tail slightly rounded; above olive-gray, top and sides of the head black j chin and throat white, streaked with black; eyelids, and a spot above the eye an- teriorly, white; uijder parts and inside of the wings chestnut-brown; the under tell coverts and anal region with tibiae white, showing the plumbeous inner portions of the feathers; wings dark-brown, the feathers all edged more or less with pale-ash; tail still darker, the extreme feathers tipped with white ; bUl yellow, dusky along the ridge and at the tip. . . . , _x. .u Length, nine and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wmg, five and forty-three one-hundredths; tail, four and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; tarsus, one and twenty-five one-hundredths. J^ai. — Continent of North America to Mexico. It is very seldom that specimens exhibit the colors exactly a« described. Nearly always in winter, and in most cases at other times, the rufous feathers ar6 margined with whiUsh. sometunes quite obscnrinR the color. The black feathers of the head. J-4U..iJ.JJj.lJ-l- -ll'-l.. 1\ THE ROBIN. 156 too, have brownish edging*. The white spot above the eye sometimes extends for- wards towards the nostrils, but is usually quite restricted. The white patches on the two eyelids are separated from each other, anteriorly and posteriorly. This very common and well-known bird is a summer in- habitant of all New England, and, in mild winters, remains in the southern districts of these States through the year. The great body of Iho birds, however, arrive from the South about the middle of March. They commence build- ing from the middle of April to the first week in May, according to lati- tude. The nest is built more often in the trees of the orchards and gardens, near houses, than m the deep woods. It is a large, elaborately built affair, constructed first of a thick layer of straws, weeds, roots, and mosses : on this is built the nest proper, which is made of straws and weeds, woven together in a circular form, and plastered together with mud; this is lined with soft grasses and moss, the whole making a durable structure, often holding together through the entire year. The eggs are usually four in num- ber : their color is a beautiful greenish-blue, almost the same as that of the Wood Thrush's egg, which they resemble in shape, except they are a trifle broader. Dimensions of a nestrcomplement of four eggs : 1.16 by .82 inch, 1.16 by .82 inch, 1.10 by .75 inch, 1.10 by .80 inch. Many cases occur, in the southern districts of New England, of two broods being reared in the season, and I have known of three broods being reared in Massachusetts ; but, in the northern districts, I think that the second brood is the exception, instead of the rule. Perhaps none of our birds are more unpopular with horti- culturists than this ; and I will here give the observations nttC" 156 OUNITHOLOay AND OOLOuY. of difforont scientific men, and my own, to show that the prejudice against the bird is unjust and unfounded. Mr. Trouvelot, of Mcdford, Mass., who is engaged in rearing Hilkworms, for the production of silk, is troubled by the Robin to a degree surpassing most other birds. Ho has a tract of about seven or eight acres enclosed, and mostly covered with netting. He is obliged, in self-defence, to kill the birds which penetrate into the enclosure and destroy the worms. Through the season, probably ten robins, for one of all others, thus molest him ; and, of scores of these birds which ho has opened and examined, none had any fruit or berries in their stomachs, — nothing but insect?. It i? to be understood that this was not in a part of the summer when berries were unripe: on the contrary, it was all through the season. His land is surrounded with scrub- oaks and huckleberry-bushes. These latter were loaded with fruit, which was easier of access to the birds than the worms ; but none were found in them. He says they came from all quarters to destroy his silkworms, and gave him more trouble than all the other birds together. He said that, in his opinion, if the birds were all killed off, vegetar tion would be entirely destroyed. To test the destructive- ness of these marauders, as he regarded them, he placed on a small scrub-oak near his door two thousand of his silk- worms. (These, let me say, resemble, when small, the young caterpillar of the apple-tree moth.) In a very few days they were all eaten by Cat-birds and Robins, — birds closely allied, and of the same habits. This was in the berry season, when an abundance of this kind of food was easily accessible; but they preferred his worms. Why? Because the young of these, as well as those of most other birds, must be fed on animal food. Earthworms assist in the regimen ; but how often can birds like the Robin, Cat- bird, Thrush, &c. , get these ? Any farmer knows, that, when the surface of the ground is dry, they go to the subsoil, out of the reach of birds ; and it is not necessary here to say THE ROBIN. tr,7 what proportion of tho timo tlio ground is very dry through the summor. Catcrpillurs, grubs of various kinds, and insects, thorcforo constituto tho chief food of those birds ; and of tlicse, caterpillars and grubs being the most al)un- dant, and most easily caught, furnish, of course, tho larger proportion. In fact, tho Thrushes seem designed by nature to rid tho surface of tho soil of noxious insects not often pursued by most other birds. The warblers capture the insects that prey on the foliage of tho trees ; tho flycatchers seize these insects as they fly from tho trees; the swallows capture those which have escaped all these ; tho woodpeckers destroy them when in the larva state in the wood ; the wrens, nut- hatches, titmice, and creepers eat the eggs and young that live on and beneath the bark ; but the thrushes subsist on those that destroy the vegetation on the surface of the earth. They destroy nearly all kinds of grubs, caterpillars, and worms that live upon the greensward and cultivated soil, and large quantities of crickets and grasshoppers before they have become perfect insects. The grubs of locusts, of harvest-flies, and of beetles, which are turned up by the plough or the hoe, and their pupae when emerging from the soil ; apple-worms, when they leave the fruit and crawl about in quest of new shelter ; and those subterranean caterpillars, the cutworms, that come out of the earth to take their food, — all these, and many othors, are eagerly devourol by the Robin and other Tlirushes. The cutworms emerge from the soil during the night to seek for food ; and the Robin, which is one of the earliest birds to go abroad in the morn- ing, is very diligent at the dawn of day in hunting for these vermin before they have gone back into their retreat. The number of these destructive grubs is immense. " Whole cornfields," says Dr. Harris, " are sometimes laid waste by them. Cabbage-plants, till they are grown to a considerable size, are very apt to be cut off and destroyed by them. Po- tato-vines, beans, beets, 'aid various other culinary plants, 168 ORNITHOLOQY AND OOLOOT. BtifTor in tho samo way." The sorvicoB of tho robins, in dcHtroying tlicso alono, would moro than pay Ibr all tho fruit thoy devour. ludeud, during tho ijf coding season, a robin is Bcldoni soon without liaving in his mouth ono of these cator- pilliirs, or some similar grub, which ho designs for his young ; and as tho Robin often raises three broods of young duruig tho season, his species must destroy moro of this class of noxious insects than almost all other birds together. In my own g^udening experiences, I have had my full share of cutft orms ; and 1 have always noticed tho Robin, Brown Tlinish, and Catrbird busy early in tho morning, — almost before other birds are out of their feather-beds, figuratively speaking, — catching these vermin and eating them, or carrying them for food to their young. To show further tho food of this bird, I present the follow- ing experiment. At a meeting of tho Boston Society of Natural History, a communication was road from Professor Treadwell, of Cambridge, giving a detailed account of tho feeding and growth of this bird during a period of thirty- two days, commencing with the 5th of Juno. The following is the substance of this report : — When caught, the two were quite young, their tail feathers being less than an inch in length, and tho weight of each about twenty-five pennyweights, — less than half the weight of the full-grown birds : both were plump and vigorous, and had evidently been very recently turned out of tho nest. He began feeding them with earthworms, giving three to each bird that night. The second day, he gave them ten worms each, which they ate ravenously. Thinking this beyond what their parents could naturally supply them with, he limited them to this allowance. On the third day, he gave them eight worms each in the forenoon ; but in the afternoon he found one becoming feeble, and it soon lost its strength, refused food, and died. On opening it, he found the pro- ventriculus, gizzard, and intestines entirely empty, and con- cluded therefore that it died from want of sufficient food ; THB RODIN. 150 tho ofTect of hunger being incroaHed perhaps by the cold, as tho thoriuoniutor wim ubout sixty licgroos. Tho othor Ifird, still vigorous, ho put in a warninn placo, and increased its food, giving it tho tiiird day fifteen worms, on tho fourth day twonty-four, on tiio fifth twenty-fivo, on tho sixth thirty, and on tho seventh thi;-ty-ono worms. Thoy gocmed insniTiciont, and tho bird appeared to he losing phimpncss and woight. lie began to weigh both tho l)ird and its food, and tlu; results were given in a tal)ular form. On the fifteenth (lay, ho tried a small quantity of raw moat, and, finding it readily eaton, incroasod it gradually, to tho exclusion of worms. With it the bird ate a largo quantity of earth and gravel, and drank freely after eating. By tho table, it !i|ipears that though the food was increased to forty worms, weighing twenty pennyweights, on tlic eleventh day tho w'iujit of tho bird rather fell off; and it was not until the fourteenth day, when ho ate sixty-eight worms, or thirty- four pennyweights, that ho began to increase. On this day, tho weight of tho bird was twenty- four penny weights : he therefore ate forty-one per cent more than his own weight in twelve hours, weighing after it tv;enty-nino pennyweights, or fifteen per cent less than the food he had eatou in that time. Tho length of these worms, if laid end to end, would bo about fourteen feet, or ten times tho length of tho intes- tines. To meet the objection, that tho earthworm contains but a small quantity of nutritious matter, on the twenty-seventh day he was fed exclusively on clear beef, in quantity twenty- seven pennyweights. At night, the bird weighed fifty-two pennyweights, but litl^e more than twice the amount of flesh consumed during the day, not taking into account the water and earth swallowed. This presents a wonderful contrast with the amount of food required by tho cold-blooded vor- tebrates, fishes, and reptiles, many of which can live for months without food, and also with that required by mammalia. Man, at this rate, would eat about seventy 160 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. pounds of flesh a day, and drink five or six gallons of water. Tlie question immediately presents itself, How can this immense amount of food, required by the young birds, be supplied by the parents? Suppose a pair of old robins, with the usual number of four young ones. These would require, according to the consumption of this bird, two hundred and fifty worms, or their equivalent in insect or other food, daily. Suppose the parents to work ten hours, or six hundred min- utes, to procure this supply : this would be a worm to every two and two-fifths minutes ; or each parent must procure a worm or its equivalent in less than five minutes during ton hours, in addition to the food required for its own support. After the thirty-second day, the bird had attained its full size, and was intrusted to the care of another person during his absence of eighteen days. At the end of that period, the bird was strong and healthy, with no increase of weight, though i1;s feathers had grown longer and smoother. Its food had been weighed daily, and averaged fifteen penny- weights of weight, two or three earthworms, and a small quantity of broad each day, the whole being equal to eigh- teen pennyweights of meat, or thirty-six pennyweights of earthworms ; and it continued up to the time of the pres- entation of the report. The bird having continued in con- finement, with certainly much less exercise than in the wild state, to eat one-third of its weight in clear flesh daily, the Professor concludes that the food it consumed when young was not much more than must always be provide'd by the parents of wild birds. The food was never passed undi- gested; the excretions were made up of gravel and dirt, and a small quantity of semi-solid urine. He thought that every admirer of trees may derive from these facts a lesson, showing the immense power of birds to destroy the insects by which our trees, especially our apple-trees, elms, and lindens, are overy few years stripped of thour foliage, and often many of them killed. mmt uiiMfmaMm its position in the Liotrichidm, as given in vol. IX. Pac. R.R. Reports, and placed in the Turdidct by Professor Baird, in his recent Review of the Birds of North America. * See Appendix. m^l^ i KifjrrrTm-vt wj-a ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. streakB of dark-brown, excepting on the chin, throat, middle of the belly, and under tail covert.; these spoU, anteriorly, are reddish-brown in their terminal portion; the inner surface of the wing and the inner edges of the primaries are cinnamon ; the con- cealed portion of the quilU. otherwise is dark-brown; the median and greater wing CDvertB become blackish-brown towards the end, followed by white, producing two conspicuous bands; the tail feathers are all rufous, the external ones obscurely tipped with whitish ; the shafts of the same color with the vanes. Length, eleven and fifteen one-hundredths inches; wing, four and fifteen one- hundredths; tail, five and twenty one-hundredtha inches; tarsus, one and thirty one-hundredths; iris, golden-yellow. Probably none of our summer visitors are better known, and none are greater favorites than this bird. Its beautiful song and well-known beneficial habits have endeared it to the farmer, who takes it under his protection, as he should all the Thrushes, and encourages its approach to the garden and orchard. The Brown Thrush arrives from the South about the middle of April in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and the 10th of May in Maine and the other northern dis- tricts. The birds seem to be mated before their arrival here, as they are almost always observed in pairs at their first appearance. The nest is built about the middle of May, sooner or later, fi,ccording to latitude. It is usually placed in a bush or thicket of briers or vines, sometimes on the ground at the foot of a clump of bushes. It is com- posed first of a layer of twigs, then leaves and strips of cedar and grape-vine bark, and the whole is covered with fibrous roots : the nest is pretty deeply hollowed, and lined witb fine roots and hairs. The eggs are from three to five in number. Their color is a greenish or dirty white, over which are thickly sprinkled minute dots of reddish-brown : their shape is ovate, and their dimensions vary from 1.16 by .80 inch to IM-hj .76 inch. A great number before me exhibit these variations, which probably are the greatest of this species, as the eggs are generally nearly of a size. Four eggs in a nest collected in New Hampshire have the follow- ing measurements : 1.12 by .78 inch, 1.12 by .76 inch, 1.08 by .76 inch, 1.06 by .76 inch. But one brood is reared in the season in the Northern States. •iSm r. THE BROWN THRUSH. 165 Tlie song of this bird is difficult of description : it is a Bort of confused mixture of the notes of different birds, or rather seems to be, but is really its own song ; as different individuals all sing nearly alike. The fact that it resembles the Mocking-bird in its medley of notes has caused it to be called, in some localities, the Brown Mocker ; and it is also sometimes called the Mavis and Nightingale, from its habit of singing in the night during the mating season. The description of Wilson's, of the habits of this bird, is pretty comprehensive, in fact, the best that I have seen, and I give it almost entire. He says, — " It is the largest of all our Thrushes, and in a well-known and very distinguished songster. About the middle or 20th of April, or generally about the time the cherry-trees begin to blossom, he arrives in Pennsylvania; and, from the tops of our hedge-rows, sassafras, apple, or cherry trees, he salutes the opening morning with his charming song, which is loud, emphatical, and full of variety. At that serene hour, you may plainly distinguish his voice fully half a mile off. These notes are not imitative, as his name would import, and as some people believe, but seem solely bis own, and have considerable resemjplance to the notes of the Song Thrush {Tardus tnusicus) of Britain. Early in May he builds his nest, choosing a thorn-bush, low cedar, thicket of briers, dogwood-sapling, or cluster of vines, for its situation, generally within a few feet of the ground. Outwardly, it is constructed of small sticks; then, layers of dry leaves ; and, lastly, lined with fine, fibrous roots, but without any plaster. The eggs are five, thickly sprinkled with fer- ruginous grains, on a very pale-bluish ground. They generally have two broods in a reason. Like all birds that build near the ground, he shows great anxiety for the safety of his nest and young, and often attacks the black snake in their defence i generally, too, with success, his strength being greater, and his bill stronger and more powerful, than any other of his tribe within the United States. I^is food consists of worms, which he scratches from the ground, cater- pillars, and many kinds of berries. Beetles, and the whole race of coleopterous insects, wherever he can meet with them, are sure to raffer. He ia accused, by some people, of scratching up the hills "T'Mi 166 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. II I of Indian corn, in planting time. This may be partly true ; but, for every grain of maize he pilfers, I am persuaded he destroys five hundred insects, f)articu!arly a large dirty-colored grub, with a black head, which is more pernicious to the corn, and other grain and vegetablae, than nine-tenths of the whole feathered race. He is an active, vigorous bird, flies generally low, from one thicket to another, with his long, broad tail spread like a fan ; is often seen about brier and bramble bushes, along fences ; and has a single note or chuck, when you approach his nest. In Pennsylvania, they are numerous, but never fly in flocks. About the middle of September, ■ or as soon as they have well recovered from moulting, in which they suffer severely, they disappear for the season. In passing through the southern parts of Virginia, and south as far as Georgia, in the depth of winter, I found them lingering in sheltered situations, particularly on the border of swamps and rivers. On the 1st of March, they were in full song round the commons at Savannah, as if straining to outstrip the Mocking-bird, that prince of feathered musicians. " The Thrasher is a welcome visitant in spring, to every lover of rural scenery and rural song. In the months of April and May, when our woods, hedge-rows, orchards, and cherry-trees, are one profusion of blossoms ; when every object around conveys the sweet sensations of joy, and Heaven's abundance is, as it were, showering around us, — the grateful heart beats in unison with the varying, elevated strains of this excellent bird : we listen to its notes with a kind of devotional ecstasy, as a morning hymn to the great and most adorable Creator of all. The human being who, amidst such scenes, and in such seasons of rural serenity and delight, can pass them with cold indifference, and even contempt, I sincerely pity ; for abject must that heart be, and callous those feelings, and de- praved that taste, which neither the charms of nature, nor the melody of innocence, nor the voice of gratitude or devotion, can reach. " Concerning the sagacity and reasoning faculty of this bird, my venerable friend, Mr. Bartram, writ,es me as follows : ' I remember to have reared one of these birds from the nest,- which, when fiill grown, became very tame and docile. I frequently let him out of his cage, to give him a taste of liberty. After fluttering, and dusting musim THE MOCKING-BIRD. 167 himself in dry sand and earth, and bathing, washing, and dressing himself, he would proceed to hunt insects, such as beetles, crickot«, and other shelly tribes ; btit, being very fond of wasps, after catch- ing them, and knocking them about to break their wings, he would lay them down, then examine if they had a sting, and, with his bill, squeeze the abdomen to dear it of the reservoir of poison before he would swallow his prey. When in his cage, being very fond of dry crusts of bread, if upon trial the corners of the crumbs were too hard and sharp for hi^ throat, he would throw them up, cany and put them ia his water-dish to soften, then take them out and swallow them.' " By tho first week in October, the Brown Thrush deports on its southern migration, and passes the whiter in the West Indies and Mexico. MIMDS, Bou. Miimu, BoiE, Isis (Oct., 1826) 972. (Type Turdui polyghttu$.) Bin shorter than the head, decurved from the base, distinctly notched at tip; tarsi longer than the middle toe; lateral toes equal, not reaching the base of the middle claw, and shorter than the hind toe, the claw of which is half the total length; tail variable, equal to or longer than the wings, moderately graduated; wings rounded, the exposed portion of the first nearly or quite half that of the second, which is considerably shorter than the third. lOlIUS FOIiTOLOTTUS — Bote. The HooUng-bird. Turdm polyghttus, Linnreui. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 298. Wilson, Am. Om., II. (1810) 14. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1881) 108; V. (1889) 488. JTimtM polyglotiui, Boie. Isis (Oct., 1826), 972. Orpheut polyghttus, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 167. DESCniFTION. Third to sixth qnills nearly equal, second shorter than seventh; tail considerably graduated, above ashy-bro .., the feathers very obsoletely darker centrally, and towards the light plumbeous downy basal portion (scarcely appreciable, except when the feathers are lifted); the under parts are white, with a faint brownish tinge, except on the chin, and with a shade of ash across the breast; there is a pale super- ciliary stripe, but the lores are dusky; the wings and toil are nearly black, except the lesser wing co\erts, which are like the back, the middle and greater tipped with white, forming two bands, the basal portion of the primaries white, most extended on the inner primaries; the outer tail feather •) white, the second is mostly white, a«»3as8iS^SS@!!S- IW! -IUJ.|. I I i 168 ORNITHOLO(JY AND OOLOQT. except on the outer web »nd towordi the base, the third with a white ipot on th« end, the rest, except the middle, very slightly tipped with white; the bill and legs •re black. Length, nine 'and fifty one-hundredthg inchei; wing, four and fifty one-hun- dredths; tail, five inches; iris, light-yellow. This bird is so exceedingly rare in Now England, that it can scarcely be regarded otherwise than as an accidental visitor; and Massachusetts is certainly its northern limit. Mr. Allen, before referred to, saya that it has been known to breed in Springfield several times within five years, and in 1860 two pairs aested there. In June, 1860, he found a nest containing three freshly laid eggs, incubation not having been begun: the locality wa' a sandy field, growing up to pitch-pines, in one of which the nest was placed, about three feet from the ground; the pair was secured with the nest and eggs. As I have had no opportunities of observing the habits of this beautiful "songster, I will give the very interesting description by "Wilson. He says, — " The precise time at which the Mocking-bird begins to build his nest varies according to the latitude in which he resides. In the lower parts of Georgia, he commences building early in April, but in Pennsylvania rarely before the 10th of May ; and m New mmmm r r ■» THK MOCKING-BTRD. York, and the States of New England, still later. There are par- ticular situationa to which he gives the preference. A solitary thorn bush, an almost impenetrable thicket, an orange-tree, cedar, or holly bush, are favorite spots, and frequently selected. It is no great objection with him, that these happen, sometimes, to be near the farm or mansion-house. Always ready to defend, but never over-anxious to conceal, his nest, he very often builds within a small distance of the house, and not unfrequently in a pear or apple tree ; rarely at a greater height than six or seven feet from the ground. The nest varies a little in different individuals, according to the conveniency of collecting suitable materials. A very complete one is now lying before me, and is composed of the following substances : First, a quantity of dry twigs and sticks ; then, withered tops of weeds, of the preceding year, intermixed with fine straws, hay, pieces of wool and tow ; and, lastly, a thick layer of fine fibrous roots, of a light-brown color, lines the whole. The eggs are four, sometimes five, of a cinereous-blue, marked with large blotches of brown. The female sits fourteen days, and gener- ally produces two broods in the season, unless robbed of her eggs, in which case she will even build and lay the third time. She is, however, extremely jealous of her nest, and very apt to forsake it if much disturbed. It is even asserted by some of our bird-dealers, that the old ones will actually destroy the eggs, and poison the young, if either the one or the other have been handled. But I cannot give credit to this unnatural report. I know, from my own experience at least, that it is not always their practice; neither have I ever witnessed a case of the kind above mentioned. During the period of incubation, neither cat, dog, animal, nor man can approach the nest without being attacked. The cats, in particular, are persecuted whenever they make their appearance, till obliged to retreat. But his whole vengeance is most particularly directed against that mortal enemy of his eggs and young, the black snake. Whenever ihe insidious approaches of this reptile are discovered, the male darts upon it with the rapidity of an arrow, dexterously eluding its bite, and striking it violently and incessantly about the head, where it is very vulnerable. The snake soon becomes sensible of its danger, and seeks to escape; but the intrepid defender of his young redoubles his exertions, and, unless his 170 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. fi antagonist bo of great magnitude, often succeeds in destroying bin'. All its pretended powers of fascination avail it nothing against the vengeance of this noble bird. As the snake's strength begins to flag, the Mocking-bird seizes and lifts it up partly from the ground, beating it with his wings ; and, when the business is com- pleted, he returns to the repository of his young, mounts the summit of the bush, and pours out a torrent of song in token of victory. " The plumage of the Mocking-bird, though none of the home- liest, has nothing gaudy or brilliant in it, and, had^e nothing else to recommend him, would scarcely entitle him to notice ; but his figure is well proportioned, and even handsome. The ease, ele- gance, and rapidity of his mo\ements, tlie animation of his eye, and the intelligence he displays in listening and laying up lessons from almost every species of the feathered creation within hia hearing, are really surprising, and mark the peculiarity of his genius. To tliese qualities we may add that of a voice full, strong, and musical, and capable of almost every modulation, from the clear, mellow tones of the Wood Thrush, to the savage scream of the Bald Eagle. In measure and accent, he faithfully follows his originals. In force and sweetness of expression, he greatly im- proves upon them. In his native groves, mounted on the top of a tall bush or half-grown tree, in the dawn of dewy morning, while the woods are already vocal with a multitude of warblers, his adnurable song rises pre-eminent over every competitor. The ear can listen to hia music alone, to which that of all the others seems a mere accompaniment. Neither is this strain altogether imitative. His own native notes, which are easily distinguishable by such as are well acquainted with those of our various song-birds, are bold and full, and varied seemingly beyond all limits. They consist of short expressions of two, three, or, at the most, five or six syllables, generally interspersed with imitations, and all of them uttered with great eilnphasis and rapidity, and continued with undiminished ardor for half an hour or an hour at a thne. His expanded wings and tail, glistening with white, and the buoyant gayety of his action, arresting the eye, as his song most irresistibly does the ear, he sweeps round with enthusiastic ecstasy; he mounts and de- scends as his song swells or dies away ; and, as my friend Mr. m THE MOCKING-BIRD. 171 Bortram has beautifully expressed it, ' lie bounds aloft witii the celerity of an arrow, as if to recover or recall his very soul, expired in the last ulovated strain." While thus exerting him- self, a bystander destitute of sight would suppose that the whole feathered tribes had assembled together, ou a trial of skill, each striving to produce his utmost eflfect, so perfect are his imita- tions. He many times deceives the sportsman, and sends him in search of birds that perhaps are not within miles of him, but whose notes he exactly imitates ; even birds themselves are fre- quently imposed on by this admirable mimic, and are decoyerown, i*0"9d With plumlieoua; tki] greanUh-hlark, the lateral feathrrs ubficun-ly lipp«il with pluinbcouii; th« under tail covert* dark-lirowiiixh chpntnut; fumalu amnller. l.criKth, el{(ht and clKhty-nva one-hundrvdtlia Inclicii; win^, three and aixty-flr* oue-hundredtha ; tall, fuur; taraui, one and five one-hundr«dtha inch. This very common and well-known spocios orrives in Now England about tlin first week in May, — in Maine, poriiapg about the loth of t?'.at month. It is diHtributed abundantly throughout these States, and its habits are so well known that a description hero is hardly necessary. During the mating soaaon, and indeed through the greater part of the summer, the song of the male is heard in the woods, pastures, and gardens at early morning, and some- times through the day ; and, although most persons describe it as being harsh and uncouth, it is really very pleasing and melodious. It is a sort of medley, like that of the Brown Thrush, but not near so loud : the bird usually I'erches on a low tree, where, standing nearly erect, his wings slightly expanded, and his tail spread beneath him, ho pours forth his notes sometimes for half an hour at a time. In addition to this song, he, in common with the female, has a plaintive note almost exactly like the mewing of a cat ; and the spe- cific name of felivox, given it by some authors, is much more descriptive and appropriate than that of Garolinmsia^ which h neither descriptive nor proper. llio alarm-note is a rattling cry, like the sound of quick breaking of several strong sticks: it is perhaps well ex- pressed l>y the syllables trat-tat-tat-tat, uttered very quickly. I have noticed that this bird, as do many others, prefers the neighborhood of thickly settled districts, even a home in their midst, to others of a wilder character; and, when travelling through the deep forests, I have invariably found, that, when these birds became abundant, a settlement was near. Soon after mating, the birds build : this is' from about the ii 174 OBNITHOLOOT AND OOLOGY. 20th of May to the first week in June. The nest is usually placed in bushes and shrubs, seldom more than four or five feet from the ground; the location as often in the deep woods as in the fields or pastures. It is constructed first of a layer of twigs and sticks, on which is built the body of the nest, which is composed of strips of grape-vine bark, fine twigs, leaves, and straws : it is deeply hollowed, and lined with fibrous roots and hairs, and sometimes fine grass. The eggs are usually four in number, sometimes five : their color is a bright, deep emerald-green, and their form gener- ally ovate. A great number of specimens before me do not exhibit great variations in measurement from the dimen- sions of a nest complement of four collected in Thornton, N.H. ; they are as follows: .96 by .67 inch; .95 by .66 inch ; -93 by .67 inch ; .93 by .66 inch. Two broods are reared in the season, seldom three in this latitude. About the middle of October, this species moves in its Southern migration. 4 ^mmmi .;ie5ja?jr>'H?^r-fe^^^ita-^-;';^£:4i''^'-f-r-^-^^^-jij-r--^:-;vg.;.^ ■iWi ,»pvaaaa.,iv..,.a THE BLUE-BIRD. 176 sually 3r five ) deep i first ody of bark, i, and grass. : their gener- do not dimen- >mton, by .66 ids are in its Family SAXICOLIDiE.* The Rock Inhabitebs. Wings very long and much pointed, reacLing beyond the middle of the short M|uare or emarginated tail, and one and a half times or more the length of the latter; tlie spurious primary very short, the second quill longer than the fourth; in the closed wing, the outer secondary reaches only about two-thirds the length of th« longest primary. SIALIA, SwAiMSOK. Sialia, Swainson, ZooI. Jour., III. (Sept., 1827) 178. (S. Wibonii.) ■ Bill short, stout, broader than high at the base, then compressed, slightly notched at tip; rictus with short bristles; tarsi not longer than the middle toe; claws con- siderably curved; wings much longer than the tail, the first primary spurious, not one-fourth the longest; tail moderate, slightly forked. SIALIA SIAUS. — faini / The Blae-bird; Bed-breasted Blue-bird.-' MotadUa tiaKt, Linnssus. Syst Nat, I. (1768) 187. Gmelin, Syst. Nat, L (1788) 989. Sylvia rialis, Latham. Index Om., 11. (1790) 622. Wilson, Am. Om.,I. (1808) 66. Aud. Om. Biog., IT. (1834) 84; V. (1839) 452. An^elit tialis, Nuttall. Man., I. (1833) 444. Desckiftiok. Entire upper parts, including wings and tail, continnons and uniform azure-blue, the cheeks of a duller tint of the same ; beneath reddish-brown ; the abdomen, anal region, and under tail coverts white; bill and feet black; shafts of the quills and tail feathers black; female with the blue lighter, and tinged with brown on the head and back. Length, six and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wing, four inches; tan,-two and ninety one-hundredths inches. THIS beautiful bird is a very common summer inhabitant of all New England. It is one of the earliest in its arrival from the South, often making its appearance by the middle of March, sometimes even earlier. About the middle of April, immediately after mating, the birds commence pre- paring their nest : this is made in a deserted woodpecker's 1 I have adopted the arrangement given by IVvfessor Baird in his recent leview, in this family and the succeeding, as far as Stlvicolid.& i .T 176 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. hole, in a martin's box, or in a knot-bole in a fence-post. Tlie materials used in its .construction are generally soft grasses, featbers, and wools: tbese are tbrown together without any great care, the object being to get comfort and warmth in the early season in which the first litter of eggs is laid. The eggs are either four or five in number : they are of a light^blue color, with a very faint greenish tint. Five specimens, taken at random from a great number, exhibit the following measurements : .86 by .62 inch, .80 by .62 inch, .84 by .61 inch, .82 by .60 inch, .80 by .60 inch. This species raises two broods, usually in the same nest, in the season. The Blue-bird's habits are pretty well known; and its insectivorous character,. and social and happy disposition, have established it as a great favorite. ^n t ffiTtU-X'lfJI fc Wil k THE BLUE-BIRD. 177 post. soft ether Its song is a soft pleasing warblo, which is often repeated, and is uttered by the bird both wlien flying and perching. In capturing insects, it has many of the habits of the Fly- catchers. It remains perching on a post or twig until its prey shows itself, when it suddenly flies at it flapping its wings rapidly, seizes it, and returns to its perch to eat it. It often descends quickly, and seizes a grasshopper that is crawling on a straw or weed ; and, if it misses its aim, even follows it while flying. About the last week of October, the parents and young leave in a detached flock for tho South. i 12 rt and if eggs : they h tint, umber, 3h, .85 by .60 Q same ■i 'I and its osition. Mi gl i WH». »i J " < i < IW W 178 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family SYLVIID-E. The Wood-inhabiters. " Bill slender, broad, and depressed at the base, distinctly notched and dccnnred at the tip; culmen sharp ridged at base; frontal feathers reaching to the nostrils, which are oval, with membrane above, and overhung — not concealed —"by a few bristles or by a feather; rictal bristles extending beyond nostrils; tarsi booted or scutellate; basal joint of middle toe attached iu whole length externally, half-way internally; primaries ten; spurious primary about half the second, which is shorter than the seventh; lateral toes equal." — Baibd. KEGULUS, CoviKR. Begvlus, Cuviek, Lemons d'Anat. Comp., 1799-1800 (Agaasiz). (Type MotaciUa reguius, Linnieus; Begulut crutatut, Koch.) Bill slender, much shorter than tlie head, depressed at base, but becoming rapidly compresstd, moderately notched at tip; culmen straight to near the tip, then gently curved; commissure straight; gonys convex; rictus well provided with bristles; nostril covered by a single bristly feather directed forwards; tarsi elongated, exceeding considerably the middle toe, and without scutellas; lateral toes about equal, hind toe with the claw longer than the middle one, and about half the toe; claws all much curved; first primary about one-third as long as the longef ,-, second equal to fifth or sixth; tail shorter than the wings, moderately forked, the feathers acuminate; colors olive-green above, whitish beneath; size very small. BEOULUS CAUSHDULA. — XicA<. The Bttby-orowned Wren, MotaciUa calendida, Linnsans. Syst. Kat., I. (1766) 837. Sylvia calendula, Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 83. JJeTtt/u. co/enrfuia, NuttalL Man., I. (1882) 416. Aud.Om.Biog.,n.(1884) 546 PKSCmFTION. Above dark greenish-olive, passing into bright olive-green on the rump and outer edges of the wings and tail; crown with a large concealed patch of scarlet feathers, which are white at the base; the under parts are grayish-white tinged with pale olive-yellow, especially behind; a ring round the eye, two bands on the wing coverts, and the exterior of the inner tertials white. Young without the red on the crown. The female differs very little in color. It is quite probable that the species does not attain the red patch in the crown until the second year, as the spring migrations of the species always embrace a considerable number widi the head perfectly plain. Length, four and fifty on c-huiidredth» inches; wing, two and thirty-three one- handiedtha; tail, one and eighty-five oae^bundredtha. RS. nd docorrad the nostrils, i — "by a few rsi booted or lly, half-way ch is shorter ype MotaciUa )ming rapidly ), then gently with bristles; 'si elongated, al toes about half the toe; )ngefc'. second 1, the feathers 11.(1884)646 THE GOLDEN-CEESTED WREN. 179 THIS diminutive species is a quite common spring and autumn visitor in New England, arriving from tlio Soutli from April the 13th to the 20th in the different States. They are generally first seen in evergreen woods; but later are found among the opening foliage and blossoms of forest and orchard trees, — particularly the oak, elm, maple, and apple, — darting about, climbing on the small twigs, and prying in all directions in search of minute flying insects, their eggs and larvae, frequenting the tops of the trees as well as the lower branches. By the 12th of May, they depart for the North to rear their young, — breeding in Canada, Labrador, &c. From about the Ist of October to the last of that month, they are again with us, and are seen diligently engaged in pursuit of food in our woods and orchards. They are not shy in their Imbits, and will permit one to approach quite near them. I Jiave noticed that they remain' in one cluster of twigs until it is completely cleared of insects, and they often employ ten minutes in searching it thoroughly. The Ruby Crown winters in the more southern States of the Union and in Mexico. On clear, fine days in spring, I have heard this bird warble a beautiful song ; and it has also a peculiar guttural, querulous call-note, which often precedes this song. BEOULrS SATBAPA.— XtcA(. the mmp and atch of scarlet i-white tinged bands on the ithout the red :>able that the id year, as the number vriib. irty-three one- The Oolden-erested Wren. Befftilus satrapa, Lichtenstein. Verzeich. Doubl. (1828), No. 410 (Quotes Parut $(Urapa, Illiger, — probably a museum name). And. Syn. (1839), 82. 76., Birds Amer., II. (1841) 165. Sylvia regvlui, Wilson. Am. Om., I. (1808) 128. Regvlas tricolor, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832), 420. Aud. Om. Biog., II. (1834) 47B Description. Above olive-green, brightest on the outer edges of the wing; tail feathers tinged mth brownish-gray towards the head; forehead, a line over the eye and a space r 180 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. beneath it, white; exterior of the crown before and laterally black, embracing • central patch of orange-red. encircled by gamboge-yellow; a dusky space around the eye wing coverts with two yellowish-white bands, the posterior covering, a .imilar band on the quills, succeeded by a broad dusky one; under parts dull ^ The black of the head immediately succeeds the white frontal band as one of about the same width, passing behind on each side. Generally the white line over the eye is separated from the white forehead by a dusky lore. There is also a diisky space beneath the whitish under the eye. The yellow of the crown generally ovcrUes and conceals the orange. The orange is wanting in the fe- male. The young birds always appear to have at least the yellow and black of the . ""length, under four inches; wing, two and twenty-five one-hundredth s inches; tail, one and eighty one-hundredths inches. This handsome and active species is also a common bird, coming to us from the North the last of September, but, unlike the preceding, braving the rigors of our winter; and it leaves again by the 15th of April. Numbers, how- ever, winter fnrther south ; and it is in spring and autumn that the species is most abundant. On their arrival in autumn, they frequent orchard trees, feeding among the leaves of the apple-trees, which, at this season, are infested with insects. Later, and in winter, they resort more often to the evergreens, — such as the pine, spruce, and cedar, but rove wherever they can find food, generally in company with the Chickadees, and occasionally the White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Downy Woodpecker; the whole forming a lively, busy winter party, as they perambu- late the country, intent on gathering their now scanty food. Their call-note at this season, indeed the only note that I have heard at any time, is a faint pipe or whistle, sounded quickly three or four times. I have never heard this bird utter the querulous note assigned to it by Audubon and Nuttall, but have often heard the Euby Crown give this strain. In spring, having similar habits and diet with the Ruby CroN/ns, they frequent the same hunting-grounds, and are seen hanging to the extremities of twigs, head down- wards, and sometimes fluttering in the air in front of them, seizing small flies, « and often exposing the golden feathers S;:^:gfe'.irt'53fe.^i~=«^'^ 4i •llififi1')fffitr1Wiif''lfnTfr'' THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 181 of their head, which are opened and shut with great adroit- ness." This species may possibly breed in Maine, having been seen there in summer ; but I do not remember of its having been found in the breeding season south of that State. 182 OBNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. Family PARIDiE. Bill generally short, conical, not notched nor deciirvcd at tip; culmen brond and rounded, not Bharp-ridged at base; nostrils rounded, basal, and concealed by dense bristles or bristly feaUiers; loral feathers rough and bristly, directed forwards ; tarsi distinctly scutcllate; basal joints of anterior toes abbreviated, that of middle toe united about equally for three-fourths its length to the lateral, in Panna forming a kind of palm for grasping; outer lateral toe decidedly longer than the imier; prima- ries ten, the first much shorter than the second ; tail feathers without soft tips. The two sub-families may be thus distinguished: — Panna. — Body compressed; bill shorter than the head; wings rounded, equal to or shorter than the rounded tail, second quill as short as the tenth ; tarsus longer than the middle toe and claw, which are about equal to the hinder; soles of toes widened into a palm; plumage rather soft and lax. SiKiiKB. — Body depressed; bill about equal to or longer than the In wings much pointed, mucli longer than the nearly even tail ; tarsus shorter than mid- dle toe and claw, which are about equal to the hinder; plumage more compact Sub-Family PARiNiE. — The Titmice. PARUS, LiNN^cs. Parut, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 1735 (Agassiz). (Type P. mn;W.) Head not crested; body and head stout; tail moderately long, and slightly rounded; bill conical, not ver>' stout, the upper and under outlines very gently and slightly convex; tarsus but little longer than middle toe; crown and throat gener- ally black. FAfiUS ATEICAPIIiIiUS. — iinnofiM. X The Blaek-oap Titmouse ; Chick-a-dee. — Parus atncapillas, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 841. Wilson, Am. Cm., I (1808) 134. Aud. Cm. Biog., FV. (1838). Parut paluslris, Nuttall. JIan., I. (1832) 79. Descbiption. Second quill as long as the secondaries; tail very slightly rounded, lateral feathers about ten one-hundredths shorter than middle; back brownish-ashy; top of head and throat black, sides of head between them white, beneath whitish; brown- ish-white on tlie sides; outer tail feathers, some of primaries, and secondaries con- spicuously margined with white. Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, two and fifty one-hundredths inches. THIS well-known little bird is a very common resident of all Now England throughout the year. It is one of the very few species that are as abundant in the depths of 11 -iifWiliiKgi l iT BH WHraif^fff !■■"■"" THE BLACK-CAP TITMOUSE. 188 wings ■: mid- Hndson'i Bay Titmouse, upper flg. Mack-cap Tlunoiiae, lower flg. winter as through tho summor, and it is deservedly one of tho greatest favorites. It commences building as early as the second week in May. Tho nest is placed in a hole exca- vated in a dead tree or stump. This hole is, like that of the Woodpecker, gradually widened at tho bottom, and is about nine or ten inches in depth. The' nest is constructed of soft moss and the hairs of different ani- mals. One beautiful specimen that I found in the northern part of Maine is composed of the hair of the common duer, moose, and hare, a few feathers of the Raffed Grouse, and a few fragments of soft mosses. They are woven into a warm and comfortable tenement. The eggs are from six to ten in number, usually about six. They are of a nearly pure-white color, with a faint reddish tint, and are spotted thickly, at the greater end, with markings of reddish-brown : their form is nearly spher- ical, and their dimensions vary from .65 by .52 inch to .60 by .50 inch. Two broods are often reared in the season. The habits of this little bird are so well known, and have been written about so muoh, that any description here is almost superfluous. It is ^sminently kindly and sociable in its disposition ; and, although almost always in company with other birds, — such as the Golden-crested and Ruby- crowned Wrens, Nuthatches, &c., — it is never seen quar rolling with them, but fraternizes with them in the most cordial manner. Often, when seated in the woods, have 1 been surrounded by them ; and their curiosity to learn the cause of my presence and my employment was so great, that they would often perch on a twig within two feet of my T Mi mimm 184 OBNITUOLOOY AND OOLOGY* head, and scnitiiiizo mo with their shining black eyes in a manner amusing to witness. Ostensibly, tlicy were searching boneatli the baik for their food ; but really they were watching me. I once had one perch on my boot, and look in my face witli a perfectly plaiii " what-do-you-want-hero " expression on its countenance. Always at sl-.ort intervals, while perched in trees, and some- times while iiying, this bird utters its song, wliich consists of several notes, that may bo described by the syllables chcwcek-a-dee-dee-dee, chewSdk-a-dee-dee-deey emitted in a clear, sweet tone, easily recognized, and not to be mistaken for any other song. The flight of this species is wavering, and not protracted; the bird seldom extending it further than from one tree to another. Wlien in tlio air at any ' considerable height, it resembles tlie flight of the Wood- peckers, being undulating and partly gliding. In some localities, the Titmouse is regarded as injurious, from the fact that it is often seen among the branches and leaves of the fruit-trees and shrubs, pecking off and destroy- ing the buds. It does not do this to the bud for food, but really for the grul> contained in it. If these buds bo exam- ined after the ChlLk-a-dee has thrown them away, the bur- row of a grub or aterpillar will appear in the very heart of them. The bird is able to discover the presence of these vermin much more readily than man could ; and it is thus able to assail them at a period of their existence when they are doing tlie most harm. But it is not the insects and their larvae alone that he destroys. His microscopic eyes enable him to discover their eggs deposited on and in the crevices of the bark and in the buds, and in an instant he can destroy the whole future brood. The eggs of the moth of the destructive leaf-rolling caterpillar, those of the canker- worm, the apple-tree moth, and others of these well-known plagues, are greedily eaten by it ; and this is in the inclem- ent winter, when most of our other birds have abandoned us for a more genial climate. ■ THE HUDSON'8 BAT TITMOUSE. 186 In tho Bum.acr time, tho Cliick-a-doo's labors aro more easily noticed ; and an ho raises a largo brood of young, tho fonialo laying six or eight eggs at a litter, ho is very busy through tho wholo day in ca[)turing vast quantities of cater- pillars, flics, and grubs. It has been calculated that a blnglo pair of these birds destroy, on the average, not less than fivo hundred of those pests daily ; a labcir which could hardly be surpassed by a man, oven if he gavo lis whole time to the « Moreover, tho man could not bo as successful at so small a cost; for, setting aside tho value of his time and the amount of a laborer's daily wages, ho could not reach the denser and loftier twigs on which the caterpillars revel, and which tho Titmouse can traverse with perfect ease. No man can investigate tree, and clear it of tho insect hosts tliat constantly beleaguer it, without doing some damage to the buds and young leaves by his rough handling ; whereas tho Chick-a-dee trips along tho branches, peeps under every leaf, swings himself round upon his porph, spies out every insect, and secures it with a peck so rapid that it is hardly perceptible." In some observations made on tho habits of this and some other birds in Paris, it was found that tho Titmouse destroys, at tho lowest computation, over two hundred thousand eggs alone of noxious insects in the course of a year. That one small bird is thus able to accomplish so much good in destroying these myriads of vermin is an appeal to the good sense of the farmer, for the protection of tlie whole class, that should not bo slighted. PABUS HUDSONICUS. — for»«er. The Hudson's Bay Titmonse. Parw /rm&on.-c«., Forster. Philos. Trans, I-XII. (1772) 888, 480. Aud. Om. Biog., n. (1884) 543. lb., Birds Amer., II. (1841) 166. Descbiption. Above yellowish olivaccous-brown; top of liead purer brown, not very different in tint) chin and throat dark sooty-brown-, sides of head white; beneath white; 186 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. (idet and anal rcglona light bmwnliih-chMtntit; no whitl«h on winKti or tail; tail nearly evon, orBliglitly eniarKiiiato ami rmnidcil; latcial featliura about twenty oue- hundrcdlha iirty onc-hundredths Inchea; tail, two and iixly-nix onu-hundrvdthii incliei. J/oA. — Nortb-eaitem portioni of North America to the North Atlantic Statei. Tliis bird occurs in Now England only in tlio most northern parts of Maino, Now Ilunipshiro, and Vermont, where it is sometimes resident. I havo never mot with it alive, and will bo obliged to avail myself of Audubon's • description of its habits, nest, &o. He says, in describing the nest : — " It was placed at the height of not more than three feet from the ground, in the hollow of a decayed low stump, scarcely thicker than a man's leg ; the whole so rotten that it crumbled to pieces on being touched. I cautiously removed the woody enclosure, and took possession of the nest, which I obtained in perfect order. It was shaped like a purse, eight inches in depth, two in diameter inside ; its sides about half an inch thick. It was entirely com- posed of the finest fur of different quadrupeds, but principally of the great northern hare, so thickly and ingeniously matted through- out, that it looked as if it had been ' felted ' by the hand of man. It was quite elastic throughout, and rather wider at the bottom, probably in consequence of the natural growth of the young." This hardy little bird resembles in its manners the other species of its interesting and beautiful tribe : its notes resemble thoso of our southern Black-headed Titmouse, but are much weaker. Sub-Family Sittin^e. — ITie NuthatcAet. SITTA, LufKAua. Sitta, LwNiEns, Syst Not. 1735 (Agassiz). Bill subulate, acutely pointed, compressed, about as long as the head ; culmen and commissure nearly straight ; gonys convex and ascending ; nostrils covered bv a tuft of bristles directed forward; tarsi stout, scutellate, about equal to the middle toe, much shorter than the hinder, the claw of which is half the total length ; outer i *-" " [LI ll W llll THE WHITB-nELLrED NUTHATCH. 187 Ittf ril toe miirh lonKer thkn iDnnr, and nearly equal to the middin ; tail very abort, broad, and nearly »«vun, IIih rcBrlirm soft and truni'alB; wingn n'acliinK nearly to tlio end uf the tail, luug and acute, the firit primary one-third uf (or leu) the third, or loigeit. SITTA OABOMNENSIS. - Gmtlin. Tba White-bellied Nutbateb. Silta Carolintniit, Latham. Ind. Om., I. (1790) 268. 'inigon. Am. Om., I. (1808) 40. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 681. Aud. Om. Uiog., II. (18f 4) 308; V. (ISSU) 473. l)F.8Clliri !."«. Above adhy-blucj top of head and neck bluek; under partn and sidei. of head, to ■ short diittAnco above the eye, while; uudri tail coverts and tibial fuathera brown; concealed primariea white; bill atout. I.cn;{th, about aix iiicliea; wing, about three and thrce-quarten inchea. Hiifi. — Kaatern North America to the high central plains. West of thia, replaced by S. aculeata. This spccica is a not uncommon ono in Now England, where it is found through tho wintcr» In the more nortli- ern districts, it is a summer resident ; and it regularly breeds as far south as Massachusetts. A nest was found in Cambridge, Mass., in June, 1865, It was made in an exca- vation in a dead tree (or rather stump), which was carried to the depth of perhaps eight inches. The nest was com- posed of soft grasses, hairs, and a few feathers : these were arranged compactly in the bottom of the hole to the depth of perhaps an inch and a half. The eggs were six in num- ber, four of them are now before me : they are ovoidal in shape, of a beautiful roseate-white color, and covered more or less thickly with fine spots and dashes of light-reddish. Their dimensions are .80 by .61 inch, .80 by .60 inch, .78 by .58 inch, .75 by .57 inch. Another specimen, collected in the Adirondack Mountains, is marked more sparingly with coarser and darker spots : its dimensions are .70 by .57 inch. * The habits of this species are very similar to those of tho Bmall woodpeckers ; and they are equally industrious with those birds in their search for the larvae and eggs of insects, which they obtain by boring in the bark, aud knocking off . .'igiBiiir i i infiinfiinrrT i [iri M w«i» i 188 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY, the moss and dead pieces of trees -with their sharp, powerful bill. In traversing the limbs of trees, they resemble in their movements the Downy Woodpecker ; and their flight is also similar to that bird's. The note is a short, harsh call, simi- lar to the syllables cha-eha-cha-chd, uttered quickly, and with emphasis. SITTA CANADENSIS. — iinfKKM. X The Bed-bellied Nuthatch.- Sitta Canadenm, Linnteua. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 177. Nutt. Man., L (1832) 588. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 24; V. 474. Sitta vana, Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 40. DEscwmoN. Above ashy-blue; top of head black; a. white line above and a black one through the eye; chin white; rest of under parts brownish-rusty. Length, about four and a half inches; wing, two and two-thirds inches. J7a6. —North America to the Rocky Mountains, probably also to the Pacific. The same remarks as to distribution, habits, &c., will apply to this species as to the preceding. It is quite abun- dant as a summer resident in the vf ilds of Maine ; and its notes are almost the first sound heard by the traveller on awakening in the early morning. I have sometimes heard its note in the night, while floating in my canoe on the bosom of some tranquil lake or between the banks of a sombre river ; and frequently they seemed to be high up in the air, as if the bird had taken flight. These notes are a sort of drawling repetition of the syllable chape, like perhaps the following : Cheadpe, cheadpe, cheadpe. The nest is built in a hole in a tree or stump, usually excavated by the birds for the purpose : it is of the same description as that of the .preceding, as are also the eggs with the exception of 'size; the present being considerably smaller, averaging .64 by .63 inch. Audubon, in describing the nest of the Red-bellied Nut- hatch, says, — .^-L THE RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH. 189 " I found it building its nest near Eastport, in Maine, on the 19th of May, before the Blue-bird had made its appearance there, and while much ice still remained on the northern expcfsuies. The nest is dug in a low, dead stump, seldom more thau four feet from the ground ; both the male and the female working by turns until they have got to the depth of about fourteen inches. The eggs, four in number, are small, and of a white color, tinged with a deep blush, and sprinkled with reddish dots. They raise, I believe, only one brood in tlie season." Although I found a pair on Nantucket in June, 1866, which had young without doubt, the only other occurrence of this bird's breeding in New England that has come to my knowledge was in West Roxbury, Mass., in June, 1866, when a nest was found in an old stump by my young friend, William Minot, jun. The eggs were four in number, and were of the description given above. SJSSs^^tWSSas^ftSSjMfer-s - * *****' -■ lae 190 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family CERTHIIAD^. The Creepers. First primary veiy short, lesB than half the second; outer lateral toe much longest; hind toe exceeding both the middle toe and the tarsus, which is scutellate anteriorly, and very short; bill slender, as long as, or longer than, the head, much compressed and greatly decurved ; gonys concave, without any notch; entire basal joint of the middle toes united to the lateral, the feathers stiffened at the tips; tail long, cuneate. CERTHIA, L1NN.KU8. Certhia, Linn^s, Syst. Nat., 1736 (Gray). (Type C. Jhmiliaru.) Bill as long as the head, slender, much compressed and decurved from the base, without notch or rictal bristles ; tarsi distinctly scutellate, very short, not longer than the outer lateral toes, which much exceeds the inner, reaching nearly as far as the middle toe; hind toe longer than the middle one, its claw more than half the total length; clawp all very long and acute; tail rather longer than the wings, arched or vaulted, graduated or cuneate; the ftathers very acute at the tips, the shafts stiff- ened; first primary rather more than one-third the fourth or longest one; color above brown, streaked with white, beneath white. CEBTHIA AJtESlCASli. — Bonaparte. The Amerioan Creeper. Certhia Amtricana, Bonaparte. Consp. List (1888). Certhia familiarii, Wilson. Am. Om., I. (1808) 122. Aud. Cm, Biog., V. (1839) 168. Description. Bill about the length of the head; above dark-brown, with a slightly mfous shade, each feather streaked centrally, but not abruptly, with whitish; rump rusty; beneath almost silky-white; the under tail coverts with a faint rusty tinge; a white streak over the eye; the ear coverts streaked with whitish; tail feathers brown cen- trally, the edges paler yellowish-brown; wings with a transverse bar of pale reddish- white across both webs. Length, about five and fifty one-hnndredths inches; wing, two and sixty ono- hundredths inches; tail, two and ninety oue-hundredths inches. floJ.— North America generally. THIS species is a resident of the three southera New- England States through the year : in the other States, it is not a common summer visitor. It arrives from the South about the middle of April, and, on pairing, com- mences building about the second week in May. The nest •stmsmmip THE AMERICAN CREEPER. 191 is built in a hollow limb of a tree, in a deserted nest of a woodpecker or sqnirrel, or a hole in a fence-post. Usually the locality is chosen in the deep woods, and seldom near dwellings or in the orchards. The materials used in the construction are soft grasses, feathers, and the bark of the cedar and grape-vine. The eggs are usually about six in number : their color is a dull-gray ; and they are marked, thickest near the great end, with small spots of reddish- brown, and a few dabs of a darker color. Mr. Allen speaks of a nest being found " in a large elm in Court Square, Springfield, about ten feet from the ground, and built behind a strip of thick bark that projected in such a way as to leave a protected cavity behind it." Dimensions of eggs average about .70 by .£0 inch. But one brood is reared in the seaaon in New En,;land. i.iijy iijiii'iiiiiiiiiiiiitiwi . I'lmaiiiw* atm 192 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family TROGLODYTIDJE. The Wrens. " Rictal bristles wanting ; the loral feathers with bristly points ; the frontal feathers generally not reaching to nostrils; nostrils varied, exposed or not covered by feathers, and generally overhung by a scale-like membrane ; bill usually without notch; wings much rounded, about equal to tail, which is graduated; primaries ten, the first generally about half the second; basal joint of middle toe usually united to half the basal joint of inner, and the whole of that of the outer, or more; lateral toes about equal, or the outer a little the longer; tarsi scutellate." — Baikd. CISTOTHOBUS, Cabanis. Cistothorut, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. (1850-61), 77. (Type Troglodytes ttellarii.) Bill about as long as the head or much shorter, much compressed, not notched, gently decurved from the middle; the gonys slightly concave or straight; toes reaching to the end of the tail; tarsus longer than the middle toe; hind toe longer than the lateral, shorter than the middle, lateral toes about equal, hind too longer than or equal to its digit; wings rather longer than the tail, all the feathers of which are much graduated, the lateral only two-tliirds the middle; the feathers narrow; back black, conspicuously streaked with white. CISTOTH0EU3 PALUSTSIS. — CaianU. 1^ The Long-billed Marsh Wren. — Certhia palustrit, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 58. Troglodyte) palustrig, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1824), No. 66. Aud. Cm. Biog., »'. (1831)500; V. (1830)467. Tkryothorus paluitris, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 439. Description. Bill about aa long as head; tail and wing nearly equal; upper parts of a dull reddish-brown, except on the crown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertiaU, and tail feathers, which are almost black, — the first with a median patch like the ground-color; the second with short streaks of white, extending round on the sides of the neck; the third indented with brown; the fourth barred witli whitish, de- creasing in amount from the outer feather, which is marked from the base to the fifth, where it is confined to the tips; the two middle feathers above like the back, and barred throughout with dusky; beneath rather pure-white, the sides and under tail coverts of a lighter shade of brown than the back; a white streak over the eye. Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two aud eight one-hundredths inches; tau, two inches. ffai. — North America from Atlantic to Pacific, north to Greenland Rein- HARDT. ■■ I THE LONG-BILLKD MARSH WREN. 198 THIS interesting and not generally well-known little bird is a summer inhabitant of New England. Although not uncommon in Mas3achi\8etts and the other two southern States, it seldom ventures north of the first State, where it is confined to the neighborhood of the salt-water marshes. It makes its appearance about the middle of May ; and its presence is soon made known by its lively, chattering song, and grotesque dodgings among the reeds and tall grass in which it makes its home. I cannot refrain from giving the • exceedingly interesting account of its habits, &c., by Wilson. He says, — " The Marsh Wren arrives in Pennsylvania about the middle ot May, or as soon as the reeds and a species of nymphea, usually called splatter-docks, which grow in great luxuriance along the tide- water of our rivers, are sufficiently high to shelter it. To such places it almost wholly limits its excursions, seldom venturing fax from the river. , Its food consists of flying insects and their larvae, and a species of 'green grasshopper that inhabits the reeds. As to its Botes, it would be mere burlesque to call them by the name of song. Standing on the reedy bo.aers of the Schuylkill or Delaware, in the month of June, you hear a low crackling sound, somewhat similar to that produced by air-bubbles forcing their way through mudj)r boggy ground when trod upon. This is the song of the Marsh Wren : but as, among the human race, it is not given to one man to excel in every thing, and yet each perhaps has something pecu- liarly bis own ; so, among birds, we find a like distribution of talents and peculiarities. The little bird now before us, if deficient and contemptible in singing, excels in the art of design, and constructs a nest which, in durability, warmth, and convenience, is scarcely inferior to one, and far superior to many, of its more musical breth ren. This is formed outwardly of wet rushes mixed with mud, well intertwined, and fashioned into the form of a cocoanut. A small hole is left two-thirds up for entrance, the upper edge of which projects like a pent-house over the lower to prevent the admission of rain. The inside is lined with fine soft grass, and sometimes feathers; and the outside, when hardened by the sun, resists every, kind of weather. This nest is generally suspended f JL. 194 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. among the reeds, above the reach of the highest tides, and is tied 80 fast to every part of i! le surrounding reeds as to bid defiance to the winds and the waves. The eggs are usually six, of a dark-fawn color, and very small. The young leave the nest about the 20th of June, and they generally have a second brood in the same season." I am unable to add any thing of value to this description. Several nests in my collection, from various localities in New England and elsewhere, agree with the above descrip- " tion of nest. They are formed of reeds and grasses twined strongly together in a bulky fabric; and the entrance, a small round hole, is on one side (facing the south always, I believe). The cavity is deep, and lined with soft grasses and feathers. The cpc^s are of a mahogany-color, with fine dots covering the entire surface. These dots are darker than the ground-color, and so fine as to be hardly visible. A great number of eggs in my collection vary from .60 by .48 to .66 by .42 inch in dimensions. CISTOTHOBUS STELLAEIS. — Caianw. / The Short-billed Marsh Wren. — Cistothortu ttellarit, Cabanis. Miw. Hein. (1851), 77. Type. Troghdytei breviroitris, Nuttall. Trana. Amer. Acad. Arts and So., New Ser., L (1888) 98, with figure (quoted in Manual, though date of volume is subsequent to 1882). lb., Man., L (1882) 436. Aud. Orn. Biog., IL (1834) 427; V. (1839) 469. Description. Bin very short, scarcely half the length of the head; wing and tail about equal; hinder part of the crown and the scapular and interscapular region of the back and rump almost black, streaked with white; tail dusky, the feathers barred throughout with brown (the color grayish on the under surface); beneath white; the sides, upper part of the breast, and under tail coverte reddish-brown ; upper parts, with the excep- tions mentioned, reddish-brown. Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, one and seventy-five one. hundredths inch; tail, one and seventy-five one-hundredths inch. fldi.— Eastern United States to the Loup fork of Platte. Like the preceding species, this bird is limited to the southern districts of New England ; Massachusetts being its northern limit. It makes its first appearance about the middle of May, sometimes a little earlier. The nest is built TROGLODYTES. 196 about tho last week ia May : it is constructed of grasses and sedges, and is pensile, or rather suspended in tall grass in fresh-water meadows, which is woven into tho body of tho fabric. I have never noticed any mud in the materials, and doubt if any is used. The entrance is on the side ; it is a small hole, just under the greatest bulge of tho nest : tlie whole fabric is lined with soft down from flying-seeds, and sometimes a few feathers. Tho eggs are sometimes eight or nine in number, usually about six : their color is pure-white, and the shell is extremely thin and brittle. The dimensions vary from .67 by .44 to .60 by .40 inch. But one brood is reared in New England. The habits of this bird are not so well known as those of the preceding, as it is a much more shy bird, and always avoids tho presence of man. When its nest is approached, it hovers near the. intruder, chattering and scolding in a violent manner. It is hardly ever seen in the neighborhood of the salt water, and seems to be found only in the mead- ows in the vicinity of fresh water : its food consists princi- pally of small insects, and spiders, which it is almost constantly employed in capturing. Its song is short, and consists of a repetition of thp syllables, 'che, 'chet, de-de-de- de-de. This is uttered when the bird is perched on a low bush, or tuft of grass. A peculiarity of this bird, and also of the preceding species, is its habit of building a number of nests in the same season : it is believed by many persons, that this is done to secure protection; because, when a person searches for the nest occupied by the female, the male always decoys the intruder to the neighborhood of one of these empty ones. . _, TROGLODYTES, Vieillot. Troglodytet, Vikilm)t, Ob. Am. Sept., II. (1807) 6a: (Type T. adon.) Wings longer than the tail, or nearly equal; tail rounded, the lateral feathers graduated; hind claw shorter than the rest of the toe; back brown, obsoletcly waved wiUi dusky; bill nearly as long as the head. iMria^Mii^ if 198 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. TEOOLODTTES SJiOTt,— VieiUot. The House Wren. Troglodyte* adm, Vleillot. Ois. Am. Sept., II. (l«07j 62. Aud. Orn Biog., I. (1881)427! V. (1839)470. Sylvia domeitica, Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 129. rroi/Wi/«e»/Wm, Nuttall. Man., L (1832) 422. Dmcbiptios. Tail and wing* about equal; bill shorter than the head; above reddish-brown, darker towards the head, brighter on the rump; the feathers everj-where, except on the head and neck, barred with dusky; obscurely so on the back, and still less on the rump; all the tail fcatheu barred from tho base; the contrast more vivid on the exterior ones; beneath pale fulvous-white, tinged with light-brownish across the breast; the posterior parU rather dark-brown, obscurely banded; under tail coverU whiUsh, with dusky bars; an indistinct line over the eye, eyeUds, and loral region, whitish; cheeks brown, streaked with whiUsh. Length, four and ninety one-hundredthi inches; wing, two and eight one-hun- dredths inches; tail, two inches. iToA. — Eastern United States to the Missouri, or to the high central plains. The bill of this species, even from Uie extreme base, is shorter than the head. The wing is very nearly equal to the tail, and reaches over iU basal forrth. The tail is moderately graduated, the lateral feather about .32 of an inch shorter Uian the middle. The outstretched feet reach about to the end of the tail. There are a few whitish spots on the wing coverts. Tliia interesting and well-known little bird is very gen- erally distributed throughout New England. It arrives from the Sou ,h as early as the first week in May, and soon appears about its old haunts in the gar- den and orchard. The famili- •arity of this species with man is well known ; and comfortable quarters are provided for its reception, oftentimes in the piazza of a dwelling-house, or in the casement of a window. This little bird is rather quar- relsome, and often drives from its home the Blue-bfrd and Martin, occupying the prepared nest for its own domicile. When building a nest of its own, it selects a hole in a tree, or post in a fence, and fills the whole cavity with sticks and twigs : this mass is hollowed 1 1 ; ^^^^oi^jgfSfi^i^.'a^-t.'fmAv/^iaaiij f iWllto l i THE WINTER WREN. 19T in the centre, and lined with fine grasses, feathers, wool, and other soft materials. Tlio eggs are usually six in number, sometimes eight, and I have known as many as ten 1mm ng found in one nest : their color is a pale-reddish flesh-color, covered with fine dots or sprinkling of a darker color. Dimensions vary from .62 by .50 to .69 by .48 inch. Occar sionally, two broods are roared in the season; but, as a general thing, one brood only. Tlio wrens are extremely beneficial in the garden and orchard : they destroy immense numbers of insects and their larvaj, and are, in consequence of their sociable habits and pleasant dispositions, great favor- ites. It is hardly necessary to say a good word in their favor, as they are well appreciated and protected. As with many other birds, this species, although very . generally distributed, is not, by any means, regularly spread " through these States. It may be quite abundant in one town ; and in another, perhaps five miles off, not an indi- vidual is to be seen. In Cambridge, Mass., it is one of the most abundant of birds ; but, in Newton or Dorchester, it is comparatively rare. I cannot account for this irregularity, and have never heard a plausible or satisfactory reason for it given. Some species of insects, which are favorites with it for food, may possibly be found less abundantly in some localities than in others ; but I am unable to say if this is the case, since I do not know of any particular insect which this bird prefers. Numbers that I have examined, con- ' tained in their stomachs spiders in abundance ; but what species they were, or what were their peculiar localities, I am ignorant. TBOOLODTTES HTEMALIS. — FJditofc The 'VPinter Wren. Sukia troglodytes, Wihon. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 139. Troghdyte, hyemali,, VieiUot. Nouv. Diet., XXXIV. (1819) 614. Aud. Om. BioR., IV. (1838) 430. Troghdytu Europcetu, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1825), No. 137. Nutt. Man., I. 1882) 427. 198 OaNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. Pkscbiptioii. Bill very itraight, .lender, and conical i .hotter than the head; Uil con.iderably .horter than the wing,, which reml. to its middle ; upper parts reddi.h-hrown, becoming brighter to the rump and tail; everywhere, except on the head and upper part of the back, with tran.vcn-e bar. of du.ky and of lighter; -^apulan. and w.ng covert, with .poU of white; beneath pale reddi.h-brown. barred on the po.ter ..r half of the body with du.ky and whiti.h, and .potted with white more antor.orly ; outer web of primarie. .imilarly .potted with pale browni.h-white ; an indutinct pule line over the eye. . . j.i :_„i.. ..:i Length, about four inchc.; wing, one and .ixty-.ix one-hundredUi» inch; tail, one and twenty-six one-hundrcdtli. inch. i/oA. — North America generally. This bird is quite abundant in the three northern New- England States, and, as a winter visitor, is not uncommon in the others. Wilson gives the following account of iw habits : — " This little stranger visits us from the north in the month of , October, sometimes remaining with us all the winter, and is always observed, early in spring, on his route back to his breeding-place. In size, color, song, and manners, he approaches nearer to the European Wren {M. troglodytes) than any other species we liave. During his residence here, he irequeuts the projecting banks of creeks, old roots, decayed logs, small bushes, and rushes, near watery places : he even approaches the farm-house, rambles about the wood-pile, creeping among the interstices like a mouse. With tail erect, which is his constant habit, mounted on some projecting point or pinnacle, he sings with great animation. Even in the yards, gardens, and outhouses of the city, he appears familiar, and quite at home. In short, he possesses almost all the habits of the , European species. He is, however, migratory, which may be owing to the superior coldness of our continent Never having met with the nest and eggs, I am unable to say how nearly they approximate to those of the former." I know nothing of the breeding habits, nest, or eggs of this species. It has, while in its summer home, one of the most beautiful warbling songs that I ever heard. M t rirf i i> ' "i i »»«i i lii i Mliff i lKif THi!. VITARnLERS. 199 lOfmiderably (liih-hrown, 1 and u|ip«r m and wing ho |><»teri(>r 1 anteriorly; in Indiatinct « inch; tail, em Now- icommou mt of ii."* month of , 1 \a always ding-place, rer to the 1 we have. [ banks of ishes, near ibles about ise. With > projecting ven in the imiliar, and ibita of the !h may be iver havuig nearly they »r eggs of one of the Famii-t SYLVICOLIDiE. The Wakhlehs. Primarieii nine, tho flmt quill nearly a* long ai the necond or third; tanii di»- tinctly Dcutellate the whol« length aiiluriorly; bill coniral, .lender, or depreMed, UMinlly half the length of head, more or leas brintlcd or notched; nontriN oval or rounded; lateral toei nearly or quite equal, and ihoricr than the middle; tlie basal joint of the middle free nearly to iU base externally, united for about half Inter- nally. , ^ , This family is well marked by its scutellnte tarsi in front, the absence of any spurious or short first primary, and the rather weak, slender, conical, or depressed, sometimes decurvcd, bill. The base of the bill, *ith the nostrils, Ui not covered in any genera by setw, aa in ranu, Ahmin, &c. In many respccU, there is a close relationship to some FringiUida; and there are some forms, such as the Titnai/rida, which it is dillicult to assign to the one family rather than to the other. The chief ditference, however, is to be found in the longer, slenderer, and less abruptly conical bill of the Tanngera. The following synopsis will serve to point out the sub-familiea of the Syltn- coUda! — MoTACiLUN.B. — Bill slender; culmen slightly concave at base; legs long; claws but little curved; hind toe considerably longer than the middle one; iU claw much longer (twice) than the middle claw; all tho claws but slightly curved ; ter- tiola elongated, much longer than the secondaries. Sylvicolin.k. — Bill rather slender, conical or depressed; culmen straight or convex; hind toe shorter than the middle; tho cinws all much curved ; hind claw not conspicuously longer than the middle one; when the hind too is lengthened, it is usually in the digit, not the claw; tertials generally not longer than the second- aries. Tanaokin-k. — Bill very stout, conical, as high as broad, or considerably broader than high; tarsi short, not exceeding the bind toe; claws much curved, the binder scarcely larger than the middle anterior. Suh-Family MoxACiLLiNiE.— STAe Wagtails. ANTHUS, Bechstkik. (Type Alauda AnOitu, Bechstkim, Gemein. Naturg. Deutschl., 1802 (Agassiz). mnoletta.) . . , Bill slender, much attenuated, and distinctly notched; a few short bristles at the base; culmen concave at the base; tarsi quite disUnctly scuteUate, longer than the middle toe, inner lateral toe tlie longer; hind toe rather shorter than the tarsus, but longer than the middle toe, owing to Uie long, attenuated, and moderately curved hind claw, which is considerably more than half the total length of the toe; tail rather long, emarginate; wing very long, considerably longer than the length- ened tail, reaching to its middle; the first primary nearly equal to the longest; the tertials almost as long aa the primaries. 200 ORNITUOLOOY AND OOLOGY. AKTHU8 LUDOVlCIAHUS.-«c*<. Th8 Tit-lark. Al8t natural mce build- 5 end of a ind. It is moss that pshire, and a, found in cindly pre- f the most ig hairs of je mass, on mere hole same mate- lest of this !omparative :aine. The laid about ndi$, Bonaparte. Obs. Wilson (1826), No. 188. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 289. Aud. Orn. Biog., 11. (1834) 223, V. 433. Pipra polyghm, Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 90. Description. Third and fourth quills longest, second and fifth little shorter, first nearly equal to the sixth; tail graduated; upper ports uniform olive-green; under parts, including the inside of wing, gamboge-yellow as far as nearly half-way from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail; rest of under porta white, tinged with brown on the sides; the outer side of the tibia plumbeous; a slight tinge of orange across the breast; forehead and sides of the head ash, the lores and region below the eye blackish; a white stripe from the nostrils over the eye and involving the upper eyelid; a patrh on the lower lid, and a short stripe from the side of the lower mandible, and running to a point opposite the hinder border of the eye, white; bill black; feet brown. Female like the male, but smaller; the markings indistinct; the lower mandible not pure-black. Length, seven and forty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and twenty-five one-hundredths ; tail, three and thirty one-hundredths inches. Massachusetts seems to be the northern limit of this bird's habitat in New England ; and, even in this State, it is a very rare species. Every season, for the last three years, a pair has nested near Lynn, in this State ; and Mr. Allen says, that they are sometimes seen, in the breeding season, near Springfield. I have seen great numbers of these birds in the Western States; their habits, song, Ac, are well described by Nuttall in the following : "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 14 nr 210 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOr. difficult to describe or imitate, except by a whistling ; in wliich case the bird may be made to approach, but seldom within sight. His responses on such occasions are constant and rapid, expressive of anger and anxiety ; and, still unseen, his voice shifte 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, un- common 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 recur- rence. All these notes are uttered with vehemence, and with such strange and various modulations as to appear near or distiint, like the manoeuvres 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 dis- puting with the echoes of his own voice. " About the middle of May, soon after their arrival, the icterias begin to build, fixing the nest commonly in a bramble-bush, in an interlaced thicket, a vine, or small cedar, four or five feet from the ground. The outside is usually composed of dry leaves, or thin strips of grape-vine bark, and with root-fibres and dry, slender blades of grass. The eggs are about four, pale flesh-colored, spotted all over with brown or dull-red. The young are hatched in the short period of twelve days, and leave the neat about the second week in June." Four eggs in my collection exhibit the following dimen- sions : .71 by .60 inch, .70 by .60 inch, .68 by .59 inch, .67 by .58 inch. . The food of this bird consists of those small insects and spiders that are found in the thick shrubbery of brier patches, and on the ground among the fallen leaves. It also occa- sionally captures flying insects in the manner of the Vireos ; and this fact has caused it, more than its peculiarities of form, to be classed by some authors with those birds. By the first week in September, none are seen in New % THE WORM-EATINO WARBLEB. 211 England ; they having left for the tropical countries of South America, wliere they spend the winter. HELMITIIERUS, Rafinesquk. Helmithenu, Rafisesqub, Journal de Physique, LXXXVIII. (1810) 417. (Type MotacilUi vernmora. ) Bill large and Btout, compressed, almost tanagrine; nearly or quite as long as the head; culnicn very slightly curved; gonys straight; no notch in the bill; rictal bristles wanting; tarsi short, — but little long.r, if any, than the middle toe; tail considerably shorter than the wings, rather rounded; wings rather long, the first quill a little shorter than the second and third. 177. HELMITBOBBDS VEBMIVOBUS. — Sonoparle. The Worm-eatinfr Warbler. 1 MoUiciOa vtrmimra, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 951. Bylvia vermiwra, Wilson. Am. Om., III. (1811) 74. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1883) 7. £y{«ta (Dacmt) vermivora, Nuttall. Man., I. (1882) 409. Descriftioic. Bill nearly as long as the head; upper parts generally rather clear olive-green; head with four black stripes and three brownish-yellow ones, namely, a black one on each side of the crown, and one from behind the eye (extending, in fact, a little anterior to it), a broader median yellow one on the crown, and a superciliary from the bill ; under parts pale brownish-yellow, tinged with buff across the breast, and with olivaceous on the sides; tail unspotted. Female nearly similar. Length, five and fifty one-hundredth« inches j wing, three; tail, two and thirty- five one-hundredths inches. This species is so rarely seen in New England, that it can be regarded only as a straggler. I have never met with a specimen alive, although it has been taken in all these States. Audubon describes its habits as follows : -r- " It is an inhabitant of the interior of the forests, and is seldom found on the borders of roads or in the fields. In spring, faey move in pairs ; and, during their retrograde marches, in little groups, consisting each of a family, seven or eight in number: on which account I am inclined to believe that they raise only a single brood in the year. They are ever amongst the decayed branches of trees or other plants, such as are accidentally broken off by the wind, and are there seen searching for insects or cater- 212 OltNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. pillars. Tho.y also resort to tin- ground, and turn over the dried leaves in quest of the same kind of food. They are un8U8i)ecting, and will suflFer a pt'tson to approach within a few paces. When disturbed, they fly ofl' to some place where withered leaves are seen. They have only a few weak notes, which do not deserve the name of song. Their industry, however, atones for this defect, as they are seen continually moving about, rustling among the leaves, and scarcely ever removing from one situation to another, until after they have made a full inspection of the part in which they have been employed." Mr. T. H. Jackson, of Westchester, Pa., descrilios, in the Am. Naturalist, the nest and eggs of this bird as follows : — " On the 6th of June, 1869, 1 found a nest of this species containing five eggs. It was placed in a hollow on the ground much like the nest of the oven bird {Sdurus auroca- pi/lus), and was hidden from sight by the dry leaves that lay thickly around. The nest was composed externally of dead leaves, mostly those of the beech, while the interior was prettily lined with the fine thread-like stalks of the hair-moss ^^Polyti-ichium). Altogether it was a very neat structure, and looked to me as if the owner was habitually a ground-nesi. r. The eggs most nearly resemble those of the white-bellied Nuthatch (^Sitta Carolinmm'), though the markings are fewer and less distinct. So close did the female sit that I captured her without difficulty by placing my hat over the nest." HELMINTHOPHAQA, Cabanis. BelminChophaga, Cabanis, Mub. Hein. ( 1860-61) 20. (T vpe Sylvia ruficnpiUa.) Bill elongated, conical, very ai ite; the outlines very n arly straight, sometimes slightly decurvcd; no trace of notch at the tip; wings long and pointed ; the lirat quill nearly or quite the longest; tail nearly even or sliglitly emarginate; short and rather slender; tarsi longer than the middle toe. HEIiMIHTHOPHAOA HHUS.— Satri The Blue-winged Tellow Warbler. Cerrtwoin ^.Linnseua. Syst. Nat, I. (1768) 187. Gm.. I. (1788) 478. Sylriia Kliln , I. , Vilson. Am. O m., II. ( 1810) 109. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1882) 102. i^cia (D<'-W!NOED YELLOW WAUBLKR. 218 DUCRIFTIOil. Upper parts nid cheek* olive-green, brlfthteit on the nuiip! the wlnR», Uil, and upper tail covert., in p-rt, bluiBh-gray ; an intensely bUck jmtch «W.m lh« hlua- Waek liill to the eye, continued a nhort diitance behind it; crown, except behind, and the under parti ReneroUy, rich orange-yellow j the inner wing and under tail coverts white; eyelidi, and a short line above and behind the eye, brighter yellow; wing with two white bands; two outer Uil fcatherd with most of the inner web, third one with a spot at the end white. Female and young similar, duller, with more olivaceous on the crown. Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inohei; wing, two and forty one-hun- dredths inches; Uil, tw" «nd ten one-hundredths inchea. This species is also very rare in New England. In 1857, in the month of May, about the 12th or ISth, I found a small flock in a swamp in Dedham, Mass. They wore actively employed in catching flying insects, and were so little mistrustful, that they permitted mo to approach qtiite near, and observe their motions. I noticed nothing pecu- liar in them ; but they had all the activity and industry of the true arboreal Warblers. I know nothing of their breed- ing habits, and will give the descriptiou by Wilson of the .nest and eggs. He says, — " This bird has been mistaken for the Pine Creeper of Catesby. It is a very different species. It comes to us early in May from the South ; haunto thickets and shrubberies, searching the branches for insects ; is fond of visiting gardtms, orchards, and willow-trees, of gleaning among blossoms and currant-bushes ; and is frequently found in very sequestered woods, where it generally builds its nest. This is fixed in a thick bunch or tussock of long grass, sometimes sheltered ly a brier bush. It is built in the form of an inverted cone or funnel, the bottom thickly bedded with dry beech-leaves, the sides formed of the dry bark of strong weeds lined within with fine, dry grass. These materials are not placed in the usual manner, circularly, but shelving downwards on all sides from the top ; the mouth being wide, the bottom very narrow, filled with leaves, aud the eggs or young occupying the middle. The female lays five eggs, pure-white, with a few very faint dots of reddish near the great end ; the young appear the first week in June. I am not certain whether they raise a second brood m the same season. " I have met with several of these nests, always in a retired though open part of the woods, and very similar to each other." 214 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. HELMIHTHOPHAOA CHBT80PTEEA. - CitbanU. The Qolden-winged Warbler. MolaciUa chry»opUra, Llnn«u.. Sy.t. N.t., L (1788) 838 Gm. 8y.t N.t., 1.(1788)071. fly/wa eAryuytera, Wilion. Am. Om., 11. (1810) 118. Dkbchiptioii. Upper p»rt« uniform bluUh-grny; .he Lead above end a large patch «" the w'nR. rellow, a broad .treak from the bill through and boh.ud the eye w.th the ch.n, Sroat, and forepart of the breast, black, the external edge of the yellow crown con- Unuous with a broad pntch on the .ide of the occiput above the aur.cular, a broad max lary .tripe widening on the .ide of the neck, the m.der part« generally, w. h m" ofThe inner webs of the outer three tail feather, white, the ..de. of the body pale anhcolor. Female similar, but duller. . . ..u i„„i.„. »,il Length, about tlve inche., wing, two and .ixty-flve one-hundredth, inche., tail, two and tw«nty-flve one-hundredth, inches. i«Thia handsomely marked species has hitherto been con- sidered a very rare bird in New Engkiid ; but it is less uncommon than it is supposed to be. Tlie first one I saw was caught by a cat in a garden in West Newton, Mass. This was on May 16, 1861. That year, and since, I have found it occurring, in small numbers, from the 14th to the 30th of May. The higher branches of trees, in the vicinity of swampy land , appear to be its favorite hunting-places. It ■ may be seen seeking its food quite diligently along the branches and among the twigs, moving by short leaps, and stopping often to utter its drawling note, 'zee-zee-zee-zee or 'dee-dee-dee-dee.' ^ . , . u • « I once saw one, who, having seemingly fijushed his morning meal, was perched on tlie topmost twig of a tree, quite motionless, occasionally uttering the above song, which is easily recognized from that of any of our other Warblers. On my alarming him. he flew down among the undeigrowth of young birches, and permitted me to approach quite near him: while watching his movements, I observed a Nashville Warbler alight on the same bush in which he was moving, when the Golden-wing immediately gave fight, and chased the intruder away. I have never observed the 1 See Appendix. THE NASHVILLE WAKULKR. 216 Syit. Nkt., on the wlngi ith the chin, w crown con- ilarn, a broad sncrally, with I of the body I inches ; t«U, bcou con- it is less one I saw ton, Mass. ce, I have Ith to the' ho vicinity Dlacos. It along the leaps, and j-zee-zee' or nished his y of a tree, Dovo song, ' our other among the to approach I observed a which he gave fight, ^served the BpocicH in autumn, and all the specimens that I have met with wore males. It roars its young in the more northern regions probably ; and winters beyond tho southern limits of tho Union, in tho West Indies, Central Amt>rica, and oven as far south as Bogota, S.A. This VVarlder is not given in any of tho lists of the birds of Maine or Vermont that I have soon ; but, as it occurs in such small nunibors, it may have been overlooked, or perhaps is now becoming a regular visitor, during tho spring migratioixs, in New Eng- land." — Letter from Umry A. Furdie. HELMINTHOPHAGA RUFICAPItLA. — Baird. The Nashville Warbler.- Sylvia ruficnpilla, Wilson. Am. Om., IIL (1811) HO. Aud. Orn. Biog., 1. (1832) 460. Byhia rubricapiUa, Wilson. Am. Om., VI. (1812) 16. Bylvia (DacnU) rubncajnlta, Nuttall. Man., I. (1632) 412. Dkscriptiok. Head and neck above and on sides ash-gray, the crown with a patch of con- ccaled dark brownisli-oraiiKe hidden by ashy tips to tho feathers; uppor parts olive-grccii, brightest on tho rump; under parts generally, with the edge of the wing deep yellow; tho anal region paler; the sides tinged with olive; a brond yel- lowish-white ring round the eye ; the lores yellowis' ; no superciliary stripe ; the Inner edges of the tail feathers mnrgincd with dull-white. Female similar, but dullor; the under parts paler; but little trace of the red of the crown. The bill is very acute; the wings long and pointed; the Uil emarginate, not rounded. In autumn, the entire upper parts are olive-green, tinged with yellowish on the rump, sometimes with brownish on tlie head ; the patch on tho crown more or less concealed; the female hat the white on the middle of tlie belly more extended. Length, four and sixty-five one-hundredfhs inches; wing, two and forty-two one-hundrcdths inches; Uil, two and five one-hundredths inches. This species is quite common in the spring migrations, arriving about the first week in May ; but few breed in the southern districts of New England. Like some other spe- cies, it has grown much more abundant than it was a few years since, and is now quite common in localities whore it was once a stranger. Its habits are like those of the other Warblers, eminently active aud industrious: it seems always jk • F- ^^yi^^^ff^''- I 216 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. !i-i moving through the foliage, gleaning its insect food. Its note is a peculiar oe, and easily recognized : it is best described or illustrated by the sound produced by striking two pebbles together with some force. About the 20th of June, after the birds have paired, they commence building the nest : this is usually placed on the ground, in a slight depression usually made by the birds themselves. A specimen before me containing three eggs, collected in Maiden, Mass., by Mr. H. A. Purdie, is con- structed of the leaves of the pine, which are very neatly woven into a compact, circular fabric, deeply hollowed, and lined with horsehair and fine leaves of the pine : the eggs are of a white color, with a very faint rosy tint, and covered irregularly with dots of reddish-brown and obscure lilac. Dimensions of the three specimens : .61 by .60 inch, .60 by .48 inch, .58 by .48 inch. J. A. Allen, in his " Catalogue of the Birds of Springfield, Mass.," gives the following exceedingly interesting description of the nest and eggs of this bird: — " I have found the nest of this species for two successive seasons as follows : May 31, 18G2, containing four freshly iaid eggs. The nest was placed on the ground, and sunken so that the top of the nest was level with the surface of the ground, and protected and completely concealed above by the dead grass and weeds of the previous year. It wrs composed of fine rootlets and dry grass, lined with fine, dry grass and a few horsehairs, and covered exteriorly with a species of fine, green moss. The eggs were white, sprinkled with light reddish-brown specks, most thickly near the larger end. Longer diameter sixty, and the shorter fifty one-hundredths inch. The following year, June 5, 1863, I found another nest of this species, within three or four feet of where the one was discovered the previous year, and containing three eggs of this species, and one of the Cow Bunting, in all of which the embryos were far advanced. The nest, in every particular, was built and arranged like the one above described ; and the eggs must have been laid at just about the same season. In both cases, the female bird was secured, and the identity ascertained beyond I THE TENNESSEE WARBLER. 217 question. The locality of tne nests was a mossy bank, at the edge of young woods, sloping southward, and covered with bushes and coarser plants." HELUINTHOPEAOA PEEEOBINA. — Coianw. The Tennessee Warbler. iSjWt peregrim, Wilson. Am. Om., III. (1811) 83. Aud. Om. Biog., U. (1834) JOT. Sylvia {Dacnu) peregrim, Nuttall. Man., I. (1883) 412. Description. Top and sides of the head and neck ash-gray ; rest of upper parts olive-green, brightest on the rump; beneath dull-white, faintly tinged in places, especially on the sides, with yellowish-olive; eyelids and a stripe over the eye whitish; a dusky line from ^he eye to the bill; outer tail feather with a white spot along the inner edge, near the tip. Female, with the ash of the head less conspicuous; the under parts more tinged with olive-yellow. Length, four and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, two and ieventy-flve one- hundredths; tail, one and eighty-five one-hundredths inches. This bird is an extremely rare summer visitor in New England. Mr. Allen says he has taken it on Sept. 19 and May 29 : this shows that it passes north to breed, but where it passes the season of incubation we are ignorant. The species itself seems to be a very small one ; and, as the mem- bers are so few, they may be easily overlooked in the forest through the wliole season, particularly as they are quiet and retiring in habits. I think that, perhaps, the wilder sections of Maine and New Hampshire may give it a summer home, but of course can only judge from the above reasons. Mr. Geo. A. Boardman says in the Am. Naturalist that a few remain in his locality (Calais, Mo.) through the season, from which I judge that it breeds there. SEIURUS, SwAiNSON. Seiunu, Swainson, Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 171. (SuflSciently distinct flrom Sciurtu. Type Motacilla aurocapiUa, L.) Bill rather sylvicoline, compressed, with a distinct notch ; gonys ascending; rictal bristles very short; wings moderate, about three-quarters of an inch longer than the tail; first quill scarcely shorter than the secondj tail slightly rounded; feathers acu- — ^.=-villillil1 niBiiTfiMinmiiMf iiiBwr>»mM BairlliWr I ORNITHOLOGY .iND OOLOOy. minate; tarsi about as long a» the gkvdl, considerably exceediug the middle toe; under tail coverts rcacliing withiu about half an inch of the end of the tail; color above olivaceous; beneath whiUsh, thickly streaked on the breast and sides; wings and tail immaculate. SEIUEUS AUEOCAPILLTJS.— StooiMOB. /, The Oven-bird; Golden-crowned Thrrsh.- Gm., I. (1788) 982. Aud. Orp. Biog., II. MotaciUa aurocajnUa, Linnffius. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 884 Turdtu aurocajAUut,Vf ihon. Am. Om., II. (1810) 88, (1834)253; V. (1839) 447. TurAu (SetuiiM) aurocapiUus, Nuttall. Man., I. (1882) 856. Description. Above uniform olive-green, with a tinge of yellow; crown with two narrow streaks of black from the bill, enclosing a median and much broader one of brownish- orange; beneath white; the breast, sides of the body, and a maxillary line streaked with black. The female, and young of the year, are not appreciably different. Length, six inches; wing, three inches-, tail, two and forQr one-hundrodths inches. This beautiful and well-known bird is a common summer inhabitant of New England, brjeeding abiindautly in all the States. It arrives from the South about the last week in April or first in May, and soon commences builiing. The birds are not often paired on their arrival, and many are the little quarrels and battles that occur between two or three males for the possesision of one of the opposite sex. The birds both work diligently in tlie construction of the nest, which is a model of neatness and ingenuity. It is built on the ground in the woods, usually in a dry situation. The materials used are dry leaves and fe-rasses : these are arranged compactly together, and built over at the top, the entrance being on the side, like an old-fashioned oven; hence the familiar name of the " Oven-bird." The nest is usually placed in a slight hollow in the earth, scratched by the birds, and is lined with soft grasses and hairs. The eggs are from three to five in number, usually four. They are of a delicate creamy-white color, and spotted irregularly with different shades of reddish-brown ; and some specimens have a number of spots of obscure lilac-color. The mark- i^mmmm middle toe; ,e tail; color lides; wings 1788) 982. p. Biog., II. two narrow of brownish- line streaked iffcrent. le-hundrcdths 1 summer in all the t week ill iiig. The many are en two or losite sex. on of the ity. It is situation. these are le top, the led oven; he nest ia •atched by airs. The lur. They irregularly specimens The mark- THB OVEN-BIED. 219 ings are usually thickest at the larger end of the egg, where they are often confluent, and cover the primary color. Dimensions of four specimens collected in a nest in West Roxbury, Mass. : .80 by ,64 inch, .79 by .64 inch, .79 by .62 inch, .78 by .62 inch. A great number of specimens, collected in different localities of New England, show no great variations from these measurements. The habits of this bird are so well known that an ex- tended description here is scarcely needed. It is seldom found in any but the most retired and thickly wooded local- ities, and it generally prefers the neighborhood of a swamp for its home. Its song is a peculiar one, and easily recog- nized : it consists of the repeated utterance of the syllables, quicha, quicha, qiwilia, quicha, quicha, begun at first very low, and rapidly increasing in volume. I have heard this song, in the mating and incubatin?; seasons, at all hours of the night : the bird seems, at that time, to ascend into the air to a considerable height, and utters its notes while hover- ing and slowly descending. I have noticed the same habit in the Maryland Yellow-throat and some other birds ; and suppose tliat it is owing to, and to show, his great affection for his mate, and' to anxiety for the success of her labors. When on the ground, the Oven-bird runs with great rapidity, frequently jotting its tail and uttering its sharp alarm-note: if the nest is approached, the male throws himself in the way of the intruder, and endeavors to draw him from its vicinity, scolding all the time with the greatest vehemence. If the female is driven from her domicile, she suddenly flutters along the ground, her wings extended, counterfeiting lameness in a very natural and generally effective manner. This species, in consequence of its eminently terrestrial habits, often falls a victim to snakes and skunks. I have repeatedly found nests, and le^t them, in order that I might acquaint myself with the breeding peculiarities of the bird ; and in a day or two, on paying it a second visit, found i .J u 220 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 'that a ticunk or other depredator had destroyed the whole family. The Oven-bird feeds principally upon small insects and smooth caterpillars, which it obtains usually on the ground, among the fallen leaves : when berries are in season, it feeds occasionally upon them; and it seems particularly fond of small spiders, with which I have sometimes found its sto .» ach filled. About the 12th or 15th of September, after the young birds have become capable of providing for them- selves, the whole family leave for the South. SEIUEDS NOVEBOBAOENSIS.— ;V««a«. The Water Thrush; Water Wagtail. MntactUa NoveboracetUM, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 968. Turdu»(SeiurM) Noveboracensii, •SattoXl. Man., L (1832) 868. „„„.„, Turdmaquaticut, mhon. Am. Orn., IIL (1811) 68. Aud. Dm. Biog., V. (1889) 284. Description. Bill from rictus, about the length of the skull; above olive-brown, with « shade of green; beneath pale sulphur-yellow, brightest on the abdomen; region about the ba^ of the lower mandible, and a superciliary line from the base of the bill to the nape, brownish-yellow; a dusky lino from the bill through the eye; chm and throat finely spotted; all the remaining under parts and sides of the body, except the abdomen, and including the under tail coverts, conspicuously and thickly streaked with olivaceous-brown, almost black on the breast. Length, six and fifteen one-hundredths inches; wing, three and twelve one-hun- dredths inches; tail, two and forty one-hundredths inches; bill, from nctus, siyty- four one-hundredths of an inch. This bird is not very uncommon in New England in ihe spring and fall migrations (arriving about the Ist of May, and departing about the last week in September) ; and I have sometimes seen it in summer in Massachusotts. It undoubtedly breeds in the three northern of these States, and probably in them all. In its habits, it much resembles the preceding species ; but it is seldom found in any but a wet locality. Wilson says, " This bird is remarkable for its partiality to brooks, riv(;iM, bJ.vres, ponds, and streams of water; raiiiipiif^p^'^^^*^^^ THE WATBBrTHBUSH. 221 wading in the shallows in search of aquatic insects, wag- ging the tail almost continually, chattering as it flies ; and, in short, possesses many strong traits and habits of the Water Wagtail. It is also exceedingly shy, darting away on the least attempt to approach it, and uttering a sharp chip repeatedly, as if greatly alarmed." Although I have met with quite a number of these birds in their sylvan haunts, I have never heard them sing. That it possesses a beautiful song most writers agree ; it? notes are described as follows: "They are eminently distin- guished by the loudness, sweetness, and expressive vivacity of their notes, which begin very high and clear, falling with an almost imperceptible gradation till they are scarcely articulated. At these times, the musician is perched on the middle branches of a tree over the brook or river bank, pouring out his charming melody, that may be distinctly heard for nearly half a mile. The voice of this little bird appeared to me so exquisitely sweet and expressive, that I was never tired of listening to it, while traversing the deep- shaded hollows of those cane-brakes where it usually resorts." Although I have looked repeatedly for the nest of this species, I have never been able to find one, aui will be obliged to use the description of others. Mr. Verrill says, in his paper on Maine birds, before referred to : — « A nest foind, June 8, 1861 , in a dense cedar swamp, was built in an excavation in the side of a decayed, moss-iovered log, so that the excavation itself formed an arch over the nest, instead of one made by the bird, as in the preceding spec'es. The nest was con- structed of moss, and lined with fine roots. The five eggs were of a delicate fiesh-color, spotted with light reddiah-brown." Nuttall says of the nest : — " 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 ; bemg lined with hah: or the similar fibres of the Spanish moss i "VVM J. 222 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. (JXlandsia). The eggs are four or five, flesh-colored, with dark Bpots at the greater end." Several eggs in my collection agree with tlie above descrip- tion : they exhibit an average of .81 by .63 inch in dimen- sions. DENDROICA, Gkat. Sylvicola, Gkat, Genera Birds (2d ed., 1811), 82. (Not o( Humphreys or Swain- ion.) Dendroica, Gray, Genera Birds, Appendix (1842) 8. Bill conical, attenuated, depressed at the base, where it is, however, scarcely broader than high, compressed from the middle; culmen straight for the basal half, then rather rapidly curving, the lower edge of upper mandible also concave ; gonys slightly convex and ascending; a distinct notch near the end of the bill; bristles, though short, generally quite distinct at the base of the bill ; tarsi long, decidedly longer than middle toe, which is longer than the binder one; the claws rather small and much curved, the hiud claw nearly as long as its digit; the wings long and pointed; the second quill usually a very little longer than the first; the tail slightly rounded and emarginate. Colors. — Tail always with a.white spot; its ground-color never clear olive-green. DENDROICA VIRENS.— ^oirrf. The Black-throated Oreen Warbler. ifotacilia virens, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 985. Sylvia virens, Wilson. Am. Dm., U. (1810) 127. Nntt Man., I. (1882) 876. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1838) 70. Sylvicola virens. Descriftiok. Male, upper parts, exclusive of wing and tail, clear yellow olive-green, the feathers of the back with hidden streaks of black ; forehead and sides of head and neck, including a superciliary stripe, bright yellow; a dusky-olive line from the bill through the eye, and another below it ; chin, throat, and fore part of breast, extend- ing some distance along on the sides, continuous blach; rest of under parts white, tinged with yellow on the breast and flanks; wings and tail feathers dark-brown, edged with bluish-gray; two white bands on the wing; the greater part of the throe outer tail feathers white. Female, similar, but duller; the throat yellow; the black on breast much concealed by white edges; the sides streaked with black. Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty-eight one-hundredths ; tail, two and thirty one-hundredths inches. This beautiful bird is a quite common species in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and is not rare in the other New-England States, in which, I have no doubt, it ■r^-'^f'^S'^rfiifl irinti^if^'-"^-'^? ■-'■• r"r™T'V" THE BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. 228 breeds, though not nearly so abundantly as in those first me-itioned. It arrives from the South from about the 25th of April to the Ist of May, in Massachusetts. I have often seen this species, as late as the last week in May, busily engaged in destroying insects (of which its food, as also that of the other Warblers, consists), apparently without being mated, as several individuals of both sexes were together, seemingly in harmony, but without those little fondlings and attentions peculiar to mated birds. The nest is seldom built before the 10th of June in this latitude. It ig con- structed of fine grasses, fibrous roots, fine strips of bark from the cedar, and the leaves of the pine : these are entwined together strongly and neatly, and the interior of the nest is lined with horsehair and fine moss. JNuttall, in describing the only nest of this bird that he ever saw, says, — " On the 8th of June, I was so fortunate as to find a nest of this species in a perfectly solitary situation, on the Blue Hills of Milton, Mass. The ffemale was now sitting, and about to hatch. The nest was m a low, thick, and stunted Virginia juniper. When I ap- proached near 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 disap- peared, and I now found the nest to contain four roundish eggs, white, inclining to flesh-color, variegated, nore particularly at the great end, with pale, purplish points of various sizes, interspersed with other large spots of brown and blackish. The nest was formed of circularly entwined fine strips of the inner bark of the juniper, and the tough, fibrous bark of some other plant, then bedded with soft feathers of the Robin, and lined with a few horsehairs, and some slender tops of bent grass (Agrostis)." Early in June, 18d3, a nest of this species was discovered in a grove of pines in West Roxbury : it was built in a small fork of a pine, about ten feet from the ground. The nest and its contents, four eggs, were removed; but the birds remained in the neighborhood, and soon commenced I* !1 ( !l 224 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. I; building another nest in the same tree, but a few feet higher. In it the female laid three eggs, after which this nest and eggs were removed ; but soon after they built another nest in anotlier pine, near the first : this nest was perhaps twenty- five feet from the ground ; in this, two eggs were laid, which were allowed to be hatched. One of these nests, with four eggs, is in my collection, and is already described above. The eggs are a pale, creamy-white color, with a very faint roseate tint, and one marked with coarse and fine spots of brown of different shades, and obscure spots of lilac. These markings are quite thick at the large end of the egg,— in fact, are almost confluent into a sort of girdle. Their dimensions are .66 by .53 inch, .66 by .62 inch, .64 by .52 inch, and .62 by .51 inch. A large number of nests, with eggs collected in Massachusetts, have, within a few years, passed through my hands : they were all of the above de- scription. This bird prefers the foliage of high trees to the lower shrubbery, and I have noticed that it is most usually found in or near the different pines. Its song is heard through the mating and breeding seasons, as the bird is actively moving about the trees searching for its food. This song is something like the syllables, torte-te-it-ta-tee, uttered in a plaintive tone ; the first syllable low, the second higher, the third and fourth quickly together and high, and the fifth and sixth a little slower and lower. Its song is peculiar, and cannot be confounded with that of any other Warbler in New England. DKNDBOICA CANADEHSIS.— Soirrf. The Blaok-throated Blue Warbler. Mot^cma Canaderm., Linn»«a. 8y.t. Nat., L (1766) 88«- Qj- 1" {"JJ' ^..g Sylvia Canad^mi,, Wihon. Am. Om, IL (1810) 116. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 898. Aud."Orn.«'og.,lL (1884) 809. Bylvia puiiUa, Wilson. Am. Om., V. (1812) 100. Description. Above unifom continuous grayisU-bluc, including the outer edges of the quiU «x4 tail featherBi a narrow fronUl Une, the entire «d»s of head and neck, chiu and .jiMMiiiiMiWfiiiir THE BLACK-THKOATED BLUB WARBLER. 226 1 throat, lustrous black, this color extending in a broad lateral stripe to the tail ; rest of under parts, including the axillary region, white; wingn and tail black above, the former with a conspicuous white patch formed by the bascH •<( all the prinmriei (except the first); the inner webs of the secondaries and tertials with similar palchei towards the base and along the inner margin; all the tail feathers, except the inner- most, with a white patch on the inner web, near the end. Female, olive-green above and dull-yellow beneath ; sides of head dusky-olive, the eyelids and a superciliary stripe whitish; traces of the white spot at the base of the primaries and of the tail. Length, five nnd fifty one-hundrcdths inches; wing, twio and sixty one-hun- dredths; toil, two and twenty-five one-hundrcdths inches. This Warbler is not uncommon in the mountainous dis- tricts of Massachusetts, from tho middle to the end of May ; and I found several specimens in the Green-Mountain coun- try as late as the 10th of Juno. This occurrence, together with the fact that it has been found, in the breeding season, on Mount Holyoko, in Mass., and along the ridges in the western part of this State, shows that it probably breeds, sometimes at least, in Massachusetts. The individuals that I saw were in tall oaks and chest- nuts, actively moving about through the foliage, snapping at flies and other insects : they often uttered a faint, drawling loSest/, wSesy, and occasionally a louder chirp or chink, like that of the Nashville Warbler. Being unacquainted with the nest and eggs, I give Audu- bon's description of them : — " The nest is usually placed on the horizontal branch of a fir-tree, at a height of seven or eight feet from the ground. It is composed of slips of bark, mosses, and fibrous roots, and is lined with fine grass, on which is laid a warm bed of feathers. " The eggs, four or five in number, are of a rosy tint, and, like those of most other Sylvia, scantily bprinkled with reddish-brown at the larger end. Only one brood is raised in a season." About the first week in September, tliis species leaves New England on its southern migration. >? 16 II ii H II 226 onNiTOOLOOY and ooloot. BEHDBOICA COROSATA.— Grip. The TeUow-mmpad Warbler. Mctacilh coromtn, Ltan-us. 8yit N.t, I. (1766) 888. Qm. Syit N.t., I. (1788) *'s,Wa -"■^'^"^ W"""- '^™- O"- " ^""> ''*• """"• *"'"' ^- ^'^'"^ *" Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (1884) 303. Dbscriftiox. Above blui.h-a.h, streaked with black ; un.l-r parU ^hite ! the fore pwt of »"«••' Mid .he »ide» black, the feathers mostly edged with white; crown, rump, BOd «id«» of breast yellow; cheeks and lores black; the eyelids ul a superciliary rtripe, two bands on the wing, «nd spoU on the outer three tail . athers, wh.te. Female, of duller plumage, and browner above. ^ . . ..n ♦_„ Length, fi^ ■ and sixty-flve one-hundredth* inches; wing, three inches; tail, two and fifty one-hundretlis inches. The Yellow-rumped or Golden-crowned Warbler ia very abundant in all parts of Now England as a spring and faU visitor. It arrives from the South about the 20th of April, and passes quickly northward. But few breed south of the northern parts of Maine, and probably not a great many pasb the season of incubation there. When with us in the spring, they are found in the pastures, woods, orchards, and swamps, equally distributed, and evincing no partiality for any particular locality. They are then very active, and are constantly engaged in their search for insects. Their note is nothing but a kind of tcUp and a tinkling twSeter, which they utt r occasionally, both while on the wing and while perching. I have heard of no nest being found in either of the southern New-England States,— have met with but one in Massachusetts, and have heard of but two or three others. ■Hi ^^'^^^^^^ Jf r Mmyy^'*'"™'''^^^ THE BLACKIJUKNIAN WAHBLER. 217 This nest wan ImiU, in a low barboiTy-biLsh in Waltlmra : it was constructcii of fine grasses and tho «lowu from forns. Thcso material^ woro cnrofiilly woven togother into a nout fabric, which wa-* lined with cottony aulistuucea and a few horsehairs. Tho e^fy;s woro three in number: thcrto were of a creamy-white color, covered sparHcly with ^(Wts and blotches of different shades of reddisli-brown, tiiickcst at the largo end of tl\o egg. Dimensions of ''o eggs: .RS by .50 inch, .07 by .50 inch, .06 by .49 inch. AMdubou describes a nest and eggs sen^ him from Nova icotia as follows : — " It resembles that of the Sylvia astiva of Latham, beiug firm, compact, the outer parts formed of silky fibres fiu,. diflferent plants, attached to the twigs near it by means of glutinous matter, mixed with the inner bark of some tree unknown to mc. Within thi^" h a deep and warm bed of thistle-down, and the inner layer consists ot feathers and the fine hair of small quadrupeds. " The eggs are rathei lurgt-, of a light rosy tint, the shell thin and transparent : they are sparingly dotted with reddish-brown near the larger end, but in a circular manner, so that the extremity is unspotted." From the last of September until the middle of October, they become very plentiful again, and may bo seen in large detached flocks in all the ficlda, orchards, and woods of the country: they are very abundant in stubble-fields; and 1 have seen as many as fifty in a flock start at the report of my gun, when I have been quail-sliooting. DEHDBOICA BLACKBUENLil — Baird. The Blaokburnian Warbler. ifoia«7fa JSinci(A«mt«, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 977. ,„„„„,,-. SyMa BhckbumuM, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 67. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 87». Aud. Orn. Biog., 11. (1884) 208; V. 73. Sylviaparus, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 114. Hemhck Warbler, Anthora. m liiri i r i T i - i i Tfr' OBNITUOLOQY AND OOLOOT. DK8CBIiTI0». Cpper parts nearly uniform blmk, with a wliitinh urapular utripu and a lar^e white patch in the inlilJIe of the wiiig eoverto; an oblon^; patch in the middio of the crown, and the entire »ido of the head and npcic (inchidinj; • Htiperciliary strlpo fl'oin the nuHtriU), the chin, throat, and forepart of the breast, bright oranRe-rpdi a black itripo from the comminHure panaing over the lower half of the eve, and Including the car covert*, with, however, iin ornnK« crescent in it, ju»L below the eye, the extreme lid being blacl: W., A f/j m. 1.0 I.I 1.25 ;siiii 1.4 M Z2 2.0 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^^ ■i>' •n>^ 'S^ O o^ % "q. 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 1 ^^. % ^. w. CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques t «v O ;\ I > *<»■ '* wJ"'*-r"- T I - THE PINE-CREEPING WARBLER. 229 ternally with bluish-gray, the extreme outer ones with white; the secondaries edged with olivaceous; two bands on the wing and the edges of the tertials white ; the under parts are whitish with a tinge of buflT; the chin, throat, forepart of breast, and the sides, chestnut-brown, lighter than the crown; two outer tail feathers with a patch of white on the inner web near the end; the others edged internally with the same. Female with the upper parts olive, streaked throughout with black, and an oc- casional tinge of chestnut on the orawn; lower parts with traces of chestnut, but no stripes. Length of male, five inches; wirg, three and five one-hundijidths inches; tail, (wo and forty one-hundredths inchen. The Bay-breasted Warbler is, in most localities of New England, not common, in some quite rare. In the eastern localities of Massachusetts it is very seldom met with. Allen mentions instances when specimens could be obtained by the " bushel-basket full ; " but I think that generally it is rarely seen. Mr. Tripp, in the Am. Naturalist, says of this species : " It is not quite so active as the other warblers, and keeps more on the lower boughs, seldom ascending to the tops of the trees. The young are totally diiferent in their colors from the adults, and so closely resemble the young of the Black-polled Warbler that it is often very difficult to distinguish them apart." It is seen in New England only in the migrations. DENDBOICA tViVa. — Baird. The Pine-oreeping Warbler. Sylvia pinui, Wilson. Am. Om., lU. (llll) 25. Nutt Man., I. (1882) 387. Aud. Om. Biog., II. (1834) 282. Description. Upper parts nearly uniform and clear olive-green, the feathers of the crown with rather darker shafts; under parts generally, except the middle of the belly behind, and under tail coverts (which are white), bright gamboge-yellow, with obsolete streaks of dusky on the sides of the breast and body; sides of head and neck olive- green like the back, with a broad superciliary stripe; the eyelids and a spot beneath the eye very obscurely yellow; wings and tail brown; the feathers edged with dirty white, and two bands of the same across the coverts; inner web of the first tail feather with nearly the terminal half, of the second with nearly the terminal third, dull inconspicuous white. Length, five and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three inches; tail, two and forty one-hundredths inches. ,i«^^>3a^yiaitaftfai»aia-„ 280 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 'This species arrives from the South very early, often before the last snow-storm .of the season, and remains in the deep swamps of hemlocks or pines until the weather opens. About the first week in June, the birds become scarce, and soon but very few can be found. A nest with two eggs, found in Woburn, Mass. ; and another nest with three eggs, from West Roxbury,in the same State, — are all the specimens accessible to me at the present time. These nests were built in forks of pine-trees, about twenty feet from the grouJid. They are constructed of the bark of the cedar and leaves of the pine : these materials are intwined into a neat structure, which is warmly lined with mosses, and hairs of different animals. The eggs are of a bluish- white, with a slight roseate tint: this primary color is dotted with spots of two shades of brown and reddish, and some spots of purple. Dimensions vary from .69 by .50 inch to .67 by .51 inch. In the migrations, these birds associate in detached flocks : in the spring they are in company with the Red-poll Warblers ; and, in the fall, with the Yellow-rumps. They are, in the summer, almost always observed in the pine-groves, actively traversing the limbs and branches, sometimes with the movements of the Creepers and Titmice, sometimes with those of the Warblers, and often flying from the foliage and seizing an insect on the wing, like the Flycatchers. Their song is now somewhat similar to that of the Field Sparrow, or perhaps more like a mixture of that and the eong of the Indigo-bird, if such can be imagined. It con- sists of the syllables tweet 'weet 'weet 'weet 'weet 'weet, uttered at first slow and faint, but rapidly increasing in utterance and volume. Besides this, it has a sort of trilling note, like fre Ve Ve 're 're 're, uttered softly and listlessly. In the autumn, they add to their usual insect-food small berries and seeds : they are now nearly silent, having only a quick, sharp chirp. They are scattered through the fields Yi ofteu lains in weather become est with est with — are all These jnty feet ■k of the intwined mosses, a bluish- is dotted lud some inch to jd flocks : Red-poll ips. ed in the branches, 1 Titmice, ;en flying J, like the the Field ,t and the , It con- et, uttered utterance [ling note, tlessly. food small aving only \ the fields THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. 281 and woods, and seem to be as much on the ground as in the trees. They depart for the South by the 10th or 16th of October. DENDBOICA FEHRSTLVANIOA. — fain:. y^ The Chestnut-Bided Warbler. ^ Motacilh. Pentuyhanica, Linnieus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 883. Sylvia Pemuyhanica, Wilson. Am. Oni., I. (1808) 99. Sylvia iclerocephala, Audubon. Orn. Biog., I. (1832) 806. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 380. Descbiption. Male. — Upper parts streaked with black and pale bluish-gray, which becomes nearly white on the forepart of the back; the middle of the back glossed with greenish-yellow; the crown is continuous yellow, bordered by a frontal and super- ciliary band, and behind by a square spot of white; loral region black, sending off a line over the eye, and another below it, ear coverts and lower eyelid and entire under parts pure-white, a purplish-chestnut stripe starting on each side in a line with the black moustache, and extending back to the thighs; wing and tail feathers dark-brown, edged with bluish-gray, except the secondaries and tertials, which are bordered with light yellowish-green; t^'- t'loulders with two greenish-white bands; three outer tail feathers with white patcr-j near the end of the inner webs.- Female like the male, except that the upper parts are yellowish-green, streaked with black ; the black moustache scarcely appreciable. Length, five inches; wing, two and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, two and twenty one-hundredths inches. This bird is a rather common summer inhabitant of all New England, being most plentiful in Massachusetts and the States south, and gradually growing more rare as we advance north. It makes its appearance from the South about the first to the middle of May, according to latitude, and commences to build about the last week in this month * or the first in June. The nest is usually built in a small fork of a low tree, often in bushes, but a few feet from the ground. It is constructed of thin strips of pliable bark and fine grasses : these materials are bent and intwined together, and over the outside are pieces of caterpillar silk and cob- webs, which are plastered on, seemingly to give the fe,bric compactness and consistency. The nest is deeply hollowed, and lined with horsehairs and slender strips of the bark of * ■ tt 232 OUNITHOLOOY AND OOLOQX". ^ the grape-vine. Nuttall describes a nest found in Acton, Mass., as follows : — " It is fixed in the forked twigs of a hazel, about breatt-high. The fabric is rather light and airy, being made externally of a few coarse blades and stalks of dead grass, then fiUed in with fine 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." The nests which I have collected, and some I have before me, are of a different character from his description, being compactly and neatly made of bark from the cedar, and grasses, and lined with horsehair ; but I have no doubt that this species, like many others, varies in breeding habits in different localities. The. eggs are three or four in number, and are laid about the first week in June. They are of a delicate creamy-white color, and marked at the great end with spots of brown, which are often confluent : the spots are of two colors, .a reddish-brown and purplish-brown. The dimensions vary from .70 by .51 inch to .63 by .50 inch. But one brood is raised in the season in this latitude. This is another of those birds which seem to have become quite abundant within a few years. Wilson, Nuttall, and others speak of it as being a very rare species ; and it is now one of the most common of birds in localities where it was, a few years since, quite rare. It prefers a growth of low shrubs and scrub-oaks and birches to a forest of tail trees, and is seldom seen in the \atter. Its note consists of the syllables *che 'che 'ch 'ch^ea, repeated at short intervals : it has also, at times, a rattling cry something like the alarm-note of the Maryland Yellow- throat. The female has nothing but a sharp chirp, which she often emits in answer to the song of the male. When approached while on the nest, she sits quietly until the intruder is quite near. I once had a dog make a point Plate II. Fig 1. 2 3. 4. 5. 0. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Great-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitua. Cabanls. Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, Parula Amrricana. Bonapart*. Water Thrush, Seiurus Noveboractnsis. Nuttall. Black-throated Green Warbler, Dendroira virens. Balrd. White-bellied Nuthatch. Silta Carohnensis. Gmelln. Red-bellied Nut(iatch, Silta Canariensh. Udd^us. White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis. Bouaparte. Snow-bird, Jiinco hyrmalis. Sclater. Tree Sparrow, SpizeUa monticola. Baird. Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Guirara ludoviemna. Swainson. Orchard Oriole. Irtprus spurius. Bonaparte. Rusty Bhtckbird, Scoltcophagusfrrrusineus. Swainson. Jf^ "^mmmammmum ', -r^:;;;*^^ c n THE BLACK-POLL WABBLEU. 288 at ono whilo she was sitting on her nest, and she ahuost permitted me to touch her before slio flew off. By tijo first week in September, the old birds and young, apparently in a group by themselves, leave for the South, and winter in Panama and the Bahamas. DENDROIOA STBIATA Baird. The Blauk-poU Warbler. Philos. Trans., LXII. (1772) 888, 428 Qm. Syit. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 388. Mtueicapa $triala, Forster. Nat., I. (1788) 930. Sj/lvia ilnnta, Wilson. Am. Ora., IV. (1811) 40. Aud. Orn. Uiog., II. (1834) 201. Sylvia aulumnalU, Wilson. Am. Om., III. (1811) 65. Aud. Om. Diog., I. (1882) 447. Nutt. Man., I. (1832),.380. (Female or young in autumn.) Dkscription. ifak. — Crown, nape, and upper hair of the head black ; the loner half, including the ear coverts, white, the separating line passing through the middle of the eye; rest of upper parts grayish-ash, tinged with brown, and conspicuously streaked with black ; wing and tail feathers brown, edged externally (except the inner tail feathers) with dull olive-green; two conspicuous bars of white on the wing coverts, the ter- tialg edged with the same ; under parts white, with a narrow line on each side the throat from the chin to the sides of the neck, where it runs into a close patch of black streaks continued along the breast and sides to the root of the tail ; outer two tail feathers with an oblique patch on the inner web near the end, the others edged internally With white. Female similar, except that the upper parts are olivaceous, and, even on the crown, streaked with black; the white on the sides nnd across the breast tinged with yellowish ; a ring of the same round the eye, cut by a dusky line through it. Length of male, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, three inches ; tail, two and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. This bird, although very abundant in all parts of New England in the spring migrations, passes far to the north to breed ; but few remain in the States through the breed- ing season, and these in the most northern districts. It arrives from the South about the last week in May, and pro- ceeds leisurely on its journey, arriving at its destination about the second week in June. I have two nosts in my collection, both found in . the northern part of Maine : they were placed in low trees or saplings, and are con- structed of first a layer of twigs and grass, then the I 234 OIINITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. loaves of the pino, and moss ; those matoruils arc twinod into a compact atructuro, somewhat bulky, and deeply hollowed, and lined with feathers of wild birds and hairs of ditforont animals. A nest complement of four eggs in my collection, furnished by my friend, George A. Uoardmau, are of a grayish-white color, thickly marked with spots and blotches of two or three shades of brown and purplo. Dimensions vary from .71 by .54 inch, to .GO by .50 inch. Audubon describes the only nest of this bird that ho ever met with as follows: — " It was placed about three feet from the ground, in the fork of a small branch, close to the main stem of a fir-tree. lU diameter internally was two inches, the depth one and a half: externally, it resembled the nest of a white-crowned sparrow, being formed of green and white moss and lichens, intermixed with coarse dried grass; within this was a layer of bent grass, and the lining was of very dark-colorer, Vieillot Ois. Am. Sept., IL (1807) 87. Aud. Om. Biog., L (1881) 76. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 294. Sjfiria mimUa, Wilson. Am. Om., IIL (1811) 87, 16 ~^mm^&;^'s&i,vm^s^mms!m^&^^'7mmt» m i imi kn 242 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Descbiption. Above uniform olive-green; the middle of the back streaked with browni.h-red. Under parts and sides of the head, including a broad superciliary lino ffum'^e nos- trils to a little behind the eye, bright-yellow, brightest anteriorly; a well-defined arrow stripe from the commissure of the mouth through the eye, and another from the same point curving gently below it, also a series of streaks on each s.de of the body, extending from the throat to the flanks, black; quills and tail feathers brown, edged with white J the terminal half of the inner web of the first and «e<=on'l ""1 feathers white; two yellowish bands on the wings. Female similar, but duller; the dorsal streaks indistinct. . ^ . a .» Length, four and eightj'-sixone-hundredths inches; wing, two and twenty-five one-hundredths j tail; two and ten one-hundredths inches. This beautifvil bird is not very common in any part of New England ; and it appears, to be a rather rare species north of Massachusetts, whicii State seems to be its northern breeding limit. It makes its appearance about the third week in May, and commences building about the last of that month. I have been so fortunate as to find two nests in Norfolk County, and have had another nest and eggs sent me from Belmont, in this Sljate : I have also known of sev- eral other nests being found, and judge that the species breeds not uncommonly in Massachusetts and the other two southern New-England States. Tliese nests were all placed in low barberry bushes, in rocky localities. They are ex- ceedingly neat structures, the most so of any of our New- England Warblers' nests : they are constructed of various soft cottony substances, after the manner of the nest of the Yellow Warbler, and are lined with soft feathers and wool. The eggs are usually three in number. These are of a beau- tiful pearly-white color, with a slight roseate tint, and cov- ered irregularly with small spots of different shades of brown and lilac, thickest at the large end. Dimensions of three eggs collected in Belmont, Mass. : .64 by .62 inch, .63 by .52 inch, .60 by .60 inch. The above-described nests were invariably placed in the fork of the bush in which they were built: the materials were the same, consisting of the down from different plants, cotton, wool, and other like substances. I find, on referring to Audubon, Wilson, and THE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 243 owniah-red. om the nos- vrell-deflned nother from side of the here brown, second tail but duller; twenty-five T part of 3 species northern the third last of two nests eggs sent n of sev- .6 species other two all placed ly are ex- our New- )f various est of the and wool, of a beaii- , and cov- shades (»f nsions of I inch, .63 [bed nests in which isisting of other like ''ilson, and others, considerable differences in the description of the nest, &c. Wilson's description is as follows : — " The nest of this species is of very neat and delicate workman- ship, being pensile, and generally hung on the frjrk of a low bush or thicket. It is formed outwardly of green moss, intermixed with rotten bits of wood and caterpillars' silk : the inside is lined with extremely fine fibres of grape-vine bark; and the whole would scarcely weigh a quarter of an ounce." Audubon says, — " Its nest, which forms by far the most interesting part of its his- tory, is uncommonly small and delicate. Its eggs I have uniformly found to be four in number, and of a white color, with a few brown- ish spots near the larger end. The nest is sometimes attached to three or four blades of tall grass, or hangs between two small sprigs of a slender twig. At first sight, it seems to be formed like that of the Humming-bird; the external parts being composed of deli- cate gray lichens and other substances, and skins of black cater- pillars, and the interior finished with the finest fibres of dried vines." Nuttall says, in contradiction to these descriptions, — " The nest was hardly distinguishable from that of the Summer Yellow-bird (Yellow Warbler), being fixed in a trifid branch (not pensile), and formed of strips of inner red-cedar bark and atclepiat fibres, also with some caterpillar silk, and thickly lined with cud- weed down ( Gnaphalium plantagtneum), and slender tops of bent grass (Agrostis). The eggs, four or five, were white, rather sharp at the lesser end, marked with spots of lilac-purple, and others of two difiereut shades of brown, rather numerous at the great end, where they appear most collated together in a circle." Nuttall's description of the nest is certainly the most correct, so far as shown in all the specimens that I have : " probably, in different sections, the breeding habits of this bird are, like those of some others, subject to great varia- tiona. nr ■ ; 1: Hi! (! !■ 244 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Wilson says, in his description of the habits of those birds, — "They seem to prefer these open plains and thinly wooded tracte, and have this singularity in their manners, that they are not easily alarmed, and search among the leaves the most leisurely of any of the tribe I have yet met with ; seeming to examine every blade of grass and every leaf; uttering, at short intervals, a feeble chirr. I have observed one of these birds to sit on the lower branch of a tree for half an hour at a time, and allow me to come up nearly to the foot of the tree, without seeming to be in the leaat disturbed, or to discontinue the regularity of its occasional note. In activity, it is the reverse of the preceding species ; and is rather a scarce bird in the countries where I found it. Its food consists principally of small caterpillars and winged insects." In closing with the genus Dendroica, I give the remarks of J. A. Allen concerning the distribution of the diflferent species at Springfield, Mass. : — " Of the twenty-two species of Dendroica inhabiting the United States, thhteen have been found at Springfield, and one other (D. cceruUa) may occur as accidental or extremely rare. Four of them (B. virens, pinut, Pennsyhanica, astiva) are known to breed here, and two others (2). Blackbumia, castanea) have been taken in the breeding season. None are permanent residents, and none are seen in the winter. The remaining five (2). ccyronaia, striata, maculosa, tigrina, palmarum) are at present known merely as spring and autumn visitants. D. coronata is most abundant; striata next bo; virens. Canadensis, macuUsa, astiva, mA palma- rum are but little less common ; Elackhirnia is more rare ; casta- nea and discohr are quite rare, whUe tigrina is extremely rare. The eariiest to arrive are pinus and palmarum, commonly appearmg eariy m April; striata is rarely seen before May 80: the others commonly arrive ftom May 5th to May 12th, and stragglers remam till June. D. coronata is decidedly gregarious m its migrations, ' and is everywhere about equally abundant. The others are usuaUy ■een m small parties, and keep pretty closely to the woods, except D. astiva and palmarum, astiva, being never found in the deep woods." : ' I THE HOODED WARBLER, 246 MYIODIOCTES, Audubok. Afyiodioeiet, Audubon, Syn. (1889), 48. (Type MotaciHa mitraUi.) Bill (IcpreMed, Klycalcher like ; broader than high at the bate ; );apo with bristle* nearly as lon^ as the bill, which is distinctly notched at tip; both outlines gently convex; tarsi longer than the head, considerably exceeding the middle toe; claws all considerably curved ; tail decidedly rounded or slightly graduated ; the lateral feathers one-finh of an inch shorter; wing very little longer than the toil; the first quill decidedly shorter tlian the fourth ; colors yellow. MTICDIOCTES HITEATVS AudiAon. The Hooded Warbler. Motacilla mitrata, Gmelin. Syst. Ntt., I. (1788) 977. SyMa mitrata, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 873. Aud. Cm. Biog., II. (1884) 68. Sylvania mitrata, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 388. Muicicapa cucuUata, Wilson. Am. Om., III. (1811) 101. Dbbcription. Mah. — Bill black ; feet pale-yellow ; head aid neck all round, and fore part of the breast, black; a broad patch on the forehead extending round on the entire cheeks and ear coverts, with the under parts, bright-yellow ; upper parts and sides of the body olive-green; greater portion of inner web of three outer tail feathers white. Female siiailkT; the crown like the back; the forehead yellowish: the sides of the head yellow, tinged with olive on tlie lores and ear coverts. Length, five inches; w:^g, two and seventy-five one-hundredths; tail, two and flily-five one-hundredths inches. This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that it can be regarded only as a straggler. It has been known to occur in Connecticut, but its regular habitat is more a southern one. Audubon describes its habits as follows : — " The Hooded Flycatcher is one of the liveliest of its tribe, and is almost continually in motion. Fond of secluded places, it is equally to be met with in the thick cane-brakes of the high or low lands, or amid the rank weeds and tangled rushes of the lowest and most impenetrable swamps. You recognize it instantly, on seeing it ; for the peculiar graceful opening and closing of its broad tail distinguishes it at once, as it goes on gambolling from bush to bush, now in sight, now hidden from your eye, but constantly within hearing. I t46 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. " The nest of thi» species is always placed low, and is generally attached to the forks of small twig«. It is neatly and compactly formed of mosses, dried grasses, and fibrous roots, and is carefully lined with hair, and, not uufrequently, a few large feathers. The eggs are from fbur to six, of a dull-white, spotted with reddish- brown towards the larger end. The male and female sit by turns, and show extreme anxiety for the safety of their eggs or young." HTIODIOCTES r\}SlLLV&. — Botw^rte. The Green Blaok-otp Flycatcher ; Wilson's Blaok-esp. MuMcicapa putilla, Wilson. Am. Cm., IH. (1811) 108. Byhania putilla, Nuttall. Man., 1. (M ed., 1840) 886. Sylvia Wiltorui, Nuttall. Man., I. (1882) 408. Mmdcapa WUtonii, Audubon. Cm. Biog., IL (1884) 148. Debcriftion. Forehead, line over and around the eye and under parts generally bright-yellow; upper part olive-green; a square patch on the crown lustrous-black ; sides of body and cheeks tinged with olive; no white on wings or tail. Female simUar; the black of the crown obscured by olive-green. Length, fbur and seventy-five one-hundredths Inches; wing, two and twenty- five one-hundredths ; tail, two and thirty one-hundredths inches. ^ , Occurs in sparing numbers from May 12th to 27th. Ha,ve seen it in apple-orchards, actively engaged in hunting in- sects, at which times it was quite tame, uttering its song at intervals. It has also been observed in August. Probably breeds in Northern New England. "It has all the habits of a true Flycatcher, feeding on small insects, which it catches enturely on the wing, snapping its bill with a smart clicking sound. It frequents the borders of the lakes, and Buch streams as are frmged with low bushfc, from which it is seen every moment sallymg forth, pursuing iU insect prey for many yards at a time, and agam throwmg itself into its favorite thickets. "The nest is placed on the extremity of • a small horizontal branch, among the thick foliage of dwarf firs, not more than from three to five feet from the ground, and in the centre of the thickets of these trees so common in Labrador. The materials of which it i8 composed are bits of dry moss and delictite pine twigs, aggluti- nated together and to the branches or leaves around it, and beneath ii THE CANADA FLYCATCHER. 247 which it is suspended, with a lining of extremely flne and trans- parent fibres. The greatest diameter does not exceed three and a half inches, and the depth is not more than one and a half. The eggi are four, dull-white, sprinkled with reddish and brown dota towards the larger end, where the marks form a circle, leaving the extremity plain. The parents show much uneasiness at the approach of any intruder, skipping about and around among the twigs and in the air, snapping their bill, and uttering a plaintive note. They raise only one brood in the season. The young males show their black cap as soon as they are Ailly fledged, and before their departure to the South." — Audubon. f This bird, according to Audubon, is not very rare in Maino, and it becomes more abundant the farther, north wo proceed. He found it in Labrador and all the immediate districts ; it reaching that country early in June, and re- turning southward by the middle of August. MTIODIOCTES CkSAStTXSlS. — Audubon. The Canada Flyoatoher. ifutcicapa CanadentU, Linnieus. Syat Nat, I. (1760) 837. Wit. Am. Om., III. (1811) 100. And. Orn. Biog., II. (1834) 17. St/lvia pardalina, Bonaparte. Nutt Man., I. (1832) 873. • Dkscriftioh. , Upper parts bluish-ash; a ring round the eye, with a line runnin'r to the nos- trils, and the whole under part (except the tail coverta, which are whitu), Itright- yellow; centres of the feathers in the anterior half of the crovm, the cheeks, i in- tii)nous with a line on the side of the neck to the breast, and a series of spots across the fore part of the breast, black ; tail feathers unspotted. Female simihur, with the black of the head and breast leas distinct In the young obftlete. Length, five and thirty-four one hundredths inches ; wing, two and sixty-seven one-hundredlhs; tail, two and fifty one-bundredths inches. This beautiful species is a rather common spring and autumn visitor in all New England, and, in the northern sections of these States, is an inhabitant through the whole summer. It sometimes breeds in Massachusetts; and I have no doubt, that, in a few years, it will be found to breed abundantly in this State, as it has increased in num- ' JF- £48 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. berfl greatly within four or fivo years. It arrives from the South from about the 10th to the 2r)th of Miiy. Tho birds Bcom to bo mated on their arrival ; for I havo noticed, that, if a male is seen, a female is almost always to bo found in his immediate vicinity. About tho first week in June, tho nest is built.i This is fixed in a fork of a low cedar or pine bush, very near tho ground, and is constructed of pine leaves, fine roots and grasses, and a few hairs : it is loosely put together, and is lined with fine pieces of tho same materials and lichens. The eggs are four in number. Tlicy are small and abruptly pointed : they are of a grayish-whito color, with a slight roseate tint, and are marked with spots and fine blotches of lilac and brown, usually thickest near tho larger end. The only nest and eggs that I have seen were of this description: they were found in Quiucy, Mass., in an old pasture, partly grown up with bushes. Tho eggs were nearly of a uniform size and shape, and measured about .65 by .48 inch in dimensions. The habits of this species are so much like those of the preceding, that, if tho Wilson's Black-cap were more com- mon, the two birds might be easily confounded. Tho flight of the present is rapid ; and all the motions of the bird, when it is pursuing insects, are those of tho true Flycatchers. Its note is a shrill weichy, wiechy, which is uttered at short intervals by the bird, both while on the wing and when perching. About the first week in September, it begins to grow abundant; and, by tho 15th of that month, it has departed on its southern migration. SETOPHAGA, Swawsow. 8eU>phaga, Swawboh, L' ol. Jour., IH. (Dec., 1827) 8W. (Type :iuteieiq,a ruti- eiBa, Linnreug.) Bill depressed, broader than high; rictus with ■i*i ag* rounded, equal to or shorter than the tail; first quill shorter than the fourth; tail long, some- what grailuaii'd, the outer feathers about twenty onc-hundredths of an inch or more shorter; all the feathers unusually broad, and widened at the end; feet short; tarsuu 1 S«e Appendix. ^mttHmmmm THE BED START. 240 ibortcr than the hpad; hind to« eqa»l to the lateral ; culoratlnn einbrafing more or lea* of rvd in nortlii^rn iperlei. This ^jtnii.i (litrcn frsjiii Myindioctta fhicfly in the longer, broader tail, and rather •horter tami and toea, the hinder ei bundredtha inchea; tail, two and forty-five one-hundredths inches. This quite common species is a summer resident, and broods in all the New-England States. It arrives from the South from about the first to the middle of May, accord- ing to latitude, and commences building about the first week in June. The nest is usually placed on a low limb of a small tree, often in a hori- zontal fork, seldom more than ten feet from the ground. It is constructed of strips of cedar bark, grape-vine bark, grasses, and fine weeds : these materials are adjusted neatly, and agglutinated by the bird's saliva into a compact structure, to the exterior of which are attached, or plastered on by the bird's saliva, fragments s-^.'Sim^_^^. (T 250 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. of soft lichens, caterpillars' silk, and down from the ferns. It is deeply hollowed, and lined with thin strips of grape-vine bark and cottony substances, and sometimes a few hairs or fibrous roots. Nuttall, in dedcribing the nest, says " the lining is neither soft nor downy ; " but Wilson and Audubon both assert to the contrary. I have examined a great num- ber of the nests, and have found them to agree with the foregoing description. The eggs are usually four in number. Their color is a beautiful creamy-white, which is covered, more or lessithickly, with spots of reddish-brown and lilac. Average dimensions of eggs, about .63 by .50 inch. Perhaps the best description I can give of the habits of this bird is to say ihat they are a combination of those of the Flycatchers and Warblers ; for, like the former, it pursues flying insects. in the air, and seizes them with a . loud snapphig of the bill, and, like the latter, gleans indus- triously for them among the foliage and branches of trees. The note of the Red Start is a shrill chewSea, which is uttered at intervals of perhaps a half or whole minute. I have not noticed that it prefers any particular locality ; but it seems to frequent the woods, pastures, and orchards in equal abundance : and I have known of a pair building, and rearing a brood, in a garden, within five rods of a house. About the 16th of September, the Red Start leaves for the South ; and, after the 20th of that month, none are to be seen in New England*. Sub-Family Tanagrinje. — The Tanagers. PYEANGA, ViKiLLOT. Pyranga, Vibillot, Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807) TV. lb., Analyse (1816), 82. 8clat.,r, Pr. Zool. Soc (18B6), 128. Bill somewhat stroigbt; sub-conical, cylindrical, notched at tip; cnlmen moder- ately curved; commissure with a median acute lobe; wings elongated; the four first primaries about equal; tail moderate, slightly forked. Colors of the male chiefly scarlet, of the female yellowish. the ferns, rape-vine r hairs or ays " the Audubon 'eat num- with the I number. covered, and lilac. 1. habits of of those Former, it im with a ms indus- 1 of trees. which is minute, r locality ; i orchards • building, )f a house, leaves for )ne are to ve (1816), 82. mlmen moder- l; the four lint e male chiefly THE SCABLET TANAOER. 251 PTBAHQA BUBBA,— n«7to«. X The Soarlet Tanager. " Tamgranibra. Linn., I. (1766) 814. Wil. Am. Om., II. (1810) 42. And. Orn. Bl0g.,IV.(1838)888. Descriftion. Bill shortoT than the head; second quill longest; first and third a little shorter; tail moderately fork :d; general color of male bright-carmine; wings and tail velvet- black, the quills intornally edged with white towards the base. Female olive-green above, yellowish beneath; wing and tail feathers brown, edged with olivaccoui. The young males are colored like the females, but generally exhibit more or lees of red feathers among the greenish ones. Sometimes the full plumage is varied by a few yellow feathers, or by olivaceous edges to the wings; not unfrequently there is a partly concealed bar of red or yellow on the wing, across the median coverts. Young mnles are sometimes seen with the body like the female, the wings and tail like the male. Length, seven and forty one-hundredtha inches; wing, four inches; tail, three inches. This gaudy summer visitor breeds in all the New-England States ; less plentifully, however, in the northern than in the southern districts. It arrives from the South about the. fif- teenth of May, and commences building about the last of that month. The favorite localities of this bird seem to be oak-groves, situated near swamps : here I have often heard several males singing at the same time, and have watched them in their active movements in their pursuit of insects, of which this species destroys great numbers. The nest is placed on a horizontal limb of a tree, usually from fifteen to twenty feet from the ground, in the deep woods. It is constructed of slender twigs of the oak, huckleberry or whortleberry bush, and weeds: these are loosely put to- gether ; so much so, that, were it not for the interlacing of the small joints of the twigs, it would soon fall apart. It is not deeply hollowed, and is lined with thread-like fibrous roots and the leaves of the various pines. The whole structure is so thinly made as almost to fall to pieces on removal from the tree. The eggs are usually four in num- ber, sometimes three, seldom five. They are of a dull light greenish-blue color, of different shades, and spattered with 1 .;• 252 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. purplish-brown, in some specimens quite thickly, in others less so. The ground-color is the most prominent ; the mark- ings never completely hiding it, or sufficieutly confluent to be called blotches. A nost complement of four eggs, in a nest collected in Milton, Mass., exhibit the foUoifring meas- urements: .97 by .66 inch, .93 by .65 inch, .90 by .62 inch, .88 by .64 inch. Other specimens show no great variations from these dimensions. The Scarlet Tanager thrives well in confinement, and makes a beautiful and interesting pet. I once kept one caged for over six months. He eat seeds and small fruits, and, within a week after his capture, chanted his warbling song with perfect freedom. He had, and I have also noted that all of this species have, a sort of ventriloquism in his song: it at times sounded as if at quite a distance; and I have been deceived in this manner, by birds that were almost over my head, into supposing that they were far away. ■J- THE SCARLET TANA6ER. 253 The song is almost exactly like that of the Robin, but is often broken with a pensive call-note, sounding like the syllables chip churr. Early in September, the Tanagers leave for their Southern homes ; from which they seem, while here, hardly more than wanderers, so commonly do we associate gaudy plumages with tropical climes. They winter, probably, iu Central America and the Bahamas. i I 254 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family HIRUNDINIDiE. The Swallows. Sub-Family Hibundinik^. BUI triangular, very short and broad, much depressed; the ridge much less than half the head; the gonys two-thirds tliis lencth; the gape extending to below the eye; primaries nine; the first longest, and, with the second, c nsiderably longer than the others; the secondaries and tertiak not reaching the middle of the prima- ries; the secondaries deeply emarginate; wings very long, reaching beyond f4E »i i rrt\'i;i;iivaj^i!^»:rtyfj I, •'.-'.".. •■i,.;t,tici.TB); i ,.i| I I , 256 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. • H * HIBUNDO LUNIFHORS.— Soy. )< The Cliff Swallow; Bave Swallow. - Eirundo Imifrcmt, Sfly. Long's Exped. B. Mt»., II. (1823) 47. Birundo reymblicana, Audubon. Ann. N.Y. Lye, I. (1824) 164. Birundo ftdva, Audubon. Cm. Biog., I. (1831) 863. Bil-undo melanogatttr, Swainson. Philos. Mag., I. (1827) 866. Petrochelidon melanogattra, Cabanis. Mu». Hein., 47. Descriptiom. Crown and back steel-blue; the upper part of the latter with concealed pile edges to the feathers; chin, throat, and sides of the head dark-chestnut; breast fuKOUs; belly white; a steel-blue spot on throat; rump Uf ht^h«stnnt : foreb».ad brownish-white ; a pale nuchal band ; tail slightly emarginate. ., _ ^ Length, about five inches; wing, four and forty one-hundredths ; tad, two and twenty one-hundredths. fioi. — North America from Atlantic to Pacific. The Cliff Swallow is very generally distributed as a sum- mer inhabitant of New England. It arrives from the South from about the 25th of April to the 1st of May. It has all the habits and characteristics of the preceding species, and is probably as well known throu^out New England as that bird. About the 10th of May (sometimes earlier, sometimes later, according to latitude), it pairs, and commences build- ing. The nest is usually fixed beneath eaves or cornices, or other jutting portions of buildings, or on cliffs, beneath overhanging portions of rock: it is constructed externally of pellets of mud and earth, which are gradually plastered together into a large gourd-shaped structure ; the larger part attached to the building or cliff, and the neck curving out- ward and downward. At the part of the nest resembling the neck of the gourd is the entrance. The whole fabric is much more brittle than the nest of the Barn Swallow, for the reason that no grass or hay is worked into the mud to give it strength. A lining of fine grass and feathers is fixed in this, and the whole makes a very neat and comfortable structure. The eggs are usually five in number. They can hardly be distinguished from those of the preceding ncealed piale itnut; breast nt; foreb'tad tail, two and aa a sum- the South It has all 3cie8, and id as that lometimes ices build- cornices, 8, beneath externally ' plastered larger part irving out- •esembling le fabric is ow, for the ud to give is fixed in lomfortable jer. They preceding THE WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. 257 species ; and, in fact, identification is next to impossible. In a majority of the present species, the spots are somewhat coarser, and the eggs are generally longer. Four eggs, collected in Dorchester, Mass., are of the average dimen- sions of .84 by .64 inch; other specimens, from various localities, are about this size. Like the Barn Swallow, this species gathers into large flocks at the end of the summer, and frequents the same localities, but not at the same time ; as it leaves usually a week or ten days before the other bird. ' HIBnHSO BICOLOB. — FieiSot. > The White-bellied Svallov; Blae-baoked Swallow.-' J?inmibUcofor,yieniot Ois. Am. Sept, L (1807) 61. Aud. Orn. Biog. (1881), 481. Descbiptiom. Clossy metallic-green above; entirely white beneath. Female mach duller in col It. Length, six and twenty-five one-hmidredths inches; wing, five uiches; tail, two »ad sixty-five one-hundredths inches. This very common and well-known species is a summer inhabitant of all New England; being most abundant in localities near sheets of water, and less common in high, dry districts. Its habits are well known ; and arriving, as it does, early in the season, and fraternizing with man, it is a great favorite. It makes its appearance as early as the first week in April, but does not commence building before the middle of May. Near cities and towns, the nest is built in martin-boxes provided for its reception: but, in loss thickly settled districts, it is built in holes in stumps and trees ; and cases are on record of its being built in a deserted nest of the common Barn Swallow. When passing through the chain of the Umbagog lakes, in Maine, I observed great numbers of these birds whose nests were built in holes in dead trees standing in the lake near the shores. These nests were so plenty, that, in the area of 17 ' v\?«uifewii«aB.fflic«iMW3ji!Mi8'ii^ 258 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. I about ten rods square, I counted over fifty. Of course, the birds were in myriads, and the species constitutes the com- mon Swallow of the districts in that latitude. The materials used in the construction of the nest are fine grasses, hay, and feathers : these are adjusted loosely in the cavity of the tree, and without any form. Tlie eggs are, most commonly, five in number. Their color is a beautiful clear-white, with a roseate tint before their contents are removed : they are extremely thin and fragile, much more so than most of the other species ; and their form is a slender oval. Of a great number of specimens, collected in various localities, the largest is .79 by .66 inch ; the smallest, .69 by .61 inch. Two broods are generally reared in the season, and the period of incubation is fourteen days. This species leaves New England in the fall migration about the 10th of September. COTYLE, BoiK. Cb«!,/e, BoiE, I»i« (t822), 560. (Type IT. ripario.) Bill very flat, extremely broad at the bade, and gradually narrowed towards the Up; nostrils prominent and rounded) tail moderate, nearly straight, or .ome- what emarginated; tarsi rather shorter than the middle toe, slender and scutellated; toes very slender, the claws slightly curved; colors generaUy dull brown above, without gloss. COTTLE BIPARIA.— JJoM. <• ^ The Bank Swallow. - flirumto rvarfa, Linn«u«. Syst Nat., L (1T66) 844. Wils. Am. Om., V. 46. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) B84. Cotylt rvaria, Boie. Isis (1822), 560. Desckiftioh. The smaUest of American swallows; tail slightly emarginate; outer web of first primary soft, without hooks; lower part of the tarsus with a few scattered feathers; above grayish-brown, somewhat fUiginous, with a tendency to paler margins to the feathers; beneath pure-white, with a band across the breast and sides of the body like the back. ^ , ,^ Length, four and seventy-five one-hundredths inches; wmg, four; tan, two inches. i-^iiSii^ia^^^S^^kU^e> ^?l^k^M:>^^^^^^ ^i^5£sS!^ri iirse, the ;ho cora- naterials ses, hay, ty of the mmoiily, lite, with they are st of the )f a great ities, the .61 inch. , and the migration awed towards ght, or Bome- id scutellated; brotm above, n. Om., V. 46. ter web of first tered feathers; margins to the es of the bodj- four; tail, two THE BANK BWALLOW. 259 Unlike all our other swallows, this species avoids the neighborhood of man in selecting its bi'ccding-place ; and it is abundant only in the neighborhood of streams or other sheets of water. It is distributed, as a summer resident, in all the New-England States, and in many localities is very abundant. It arrives the first week in May, often earlier ; and soon pairs, and commences building, or rather excavating, for the nest. The excavations are made in sand-banks, in the same manner as those of the Kingfisher, and are often three or four feet in depth, usually about eighteen inches. At the end of this burrow, which is widened and enlarged, is placed the nest, composed of dried grasses, hay, feathers, and other like soft materials. The birds are sociable hi their habits, as are all the other species ; and often as many as twenty and thirty holes may be seen in the same bank. The number of eggs is either five or four. These are of a pure-white color, and vary but little in size or shape ; the latter being almost always oval, and the size ranging from .72 by .62 inch to .68 by .49 inch. Usually two broods are reared in the season, but often only one. In habits, this bird resembles the other swallows, but is not so quarrelsome as they, and I never noticed two of this species fighting : its note is not, like theirs, shrill and oft repeated, but is only a seldom-uttered lisping chatter. It leaves New England by the last week in August. PROGNE, BoiK. Progne, BlOE, Isis (1828), Ml. (Type Hinmdo purpurea, L.) Bill, strong, short; the gape veiy wide; the sides gradually compressed, the culmen and lateral margins arched to the tip, the latter inflected; the nostrils basal, lateral, open, and rounded; tail considerably forked; tarsi shorter than the middle toe and claw, about equal to the toe alone; toes long, strong; lateral ones equal. The large size, very stout bill and feet (for this fiimily), with the usually uni- form black glossy plumage, readily distinguish this genus among the swallows. But one species is well established as North American. I OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. rioon puspusea.— bo**- Ih« Purple Martin. - Ti a^t N»L 1. (1786)844. Aud. Cm. Biog., L ^*'5wsIi|««7««''.BoU. Wi (1826), 971. Dmcbiptioh. deeply fbrkedUil,Ur.i and .o..n.k.d^^^^^^^^^ .^^^7^^ ^^^ ^, .teel-Uu.., with purple «-» ''^'^'/HSed with darker or with blui.h. one-huXdth., tail. thr,>e and forty one-hundredth. Inche.. The Purple Martin \b the least abundant of all our Swallows, and, indeed, in some localities is quite rare. ?t S from the South about the first week in May and is distributed in single pairs through all New Eng- '"^The description, by Wilson, of the habits of the bird, ^ BO well written that 1 present quite a liberal extract from it. He says, — -The .ammer reside.ce of thU .«re»ble bW U mivemlly Ucta. ..a denving c.n«de™bl. »i-.^ » weH »^^ rrrr.!:f.r.'rix-"te:& Zropri^ed to the Blue-bird, or, if all these be wanting, in the appropriaiea "» "» ^ j ^ jjg Bometimes dove-house among the pigeons. In tms lasi u«», Sles possession of one quarter or tier of the premises, m which ^t a ^geoa dare for a moment set iU foot Some peop e have °C co-niences formed for the Martins, ^'^^J^^^^^ZZ Z^..h are usually full tenanted, and occupied regularly every :S "Id Tnlh places, particular indlvidu^s have been no.d to refum to the same box for several successive years. Even J^ «,litary Indian seems to have a particular respect for this bird. TBB PURPLE MARTIN. 261 1. Biog., L Br than tha rhere gloMf « male !«8S bluish. I. eighty-five r all our lite rare. in May, (few Eng- le bird, is ct from it. universally irest in his 1 as amnse- i protector, fitted up for le projecting in the box iting, in the e sometimes ses, in which , people have r apartments, ularly every e been noted ). Even the for this bird. The Choctaws and ChickoAaws cut off all the top branches from a •apling near tliP*iWnoiMCTT6?KRiWS«ii E»iW MS OnNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. hear the Martin's voice engaged in fight, all is alarm and conster- nation. To observe with what spirit and audacity this bird dives and sweeps upon and around the Hawk or the Eagle « astonish- ing He also bestows an occasional bastinading on the King-bird when he finds him too near his promises; though he wdl, at any time, instantly co-operate with him in atUcking the common *"^"The Martin differs from all the rest of our Swallows In the particular prey which he selecU. Wasps, bees, large beetles, par- ticularly those called by the boys gold,mith,, seem his favorn^ eame I have taken four of these large beetles from the stomach of a Purple Martin, each of which seemed entire, and even unbruised. t.^^.., "The flight of the Purple Martin unites m it oil the swiftness, ease, rapidity of turning, and gracefulness of motion of its tribe. Like the Swift of Europe, he sails much with little action of the wings He passes through the most crowded parte of our streete, eluding the passengers with the quickness of thought ; or plays among the clouds, gliding about at a vast height, like an aerial being His usual note, |>e«o, peuo, peuo, is loud and musical; but U frequently succeeded by otb.irs more low and guttural. Soon after the 20th of August, he leaves Pennsylvania for the South." In New England, this species begins to prepare its nest about the 20th of May: this is composed of dried grasses, leaves, and feathers, and is deposited usually in a box pre- pared for this purpose. The eggs are from four to six m number, of a pure-white color, and vary but little m form from exactly oval. Four specimens, collected in Connecti- cut, exhibit the following measurements: 1.04 by .70 mch, 1 by .70 inch, 1 by .68 inch, .97 by .68 inch. Other speci- mens vary but little from these dimensions. Two broods are often reared in the season, and the period of incubation is fourteen days. • In dismissing this family, it is hardly necessary, at this late day, to say a word in favor of their beneficial habits ; J^iU iiii iiiiil iHiiii THE PURPLE MARTIN. 268 conBter- rd dives agtoiUHh- [ing-bird 11, at any comnioD (vs ill the ties, par- favoriCio ) gtomach ind even gwiftness, its tribe. on of the ir streets, or plays an aerial musical ; guttural. ia for the ) its nest [ grasses, box pre- ■ to six in ) in form Connecti- .70 inch, her speci- vo broods incubation for every farmer has recognized them, and encouraged the presence of the bir! throat; forehead, loral region, space below the eye, and a line above it on the side of the head, intense black ; quills and tail dark-plumbeous, passing behind into dusky; the tail tipped with yellow; the primaries, except the first, margined with hoary; a short maxillary stripe, a narrow crescent on the infero- posterior quarter of the eye, white ; secondaries with homy tips, like red sealing-wax. Length, seven and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, four and five one- hundredths; tail, two and sixty one-hundredths inches. Bab, — North America generally, south to Guatemala. This very common and well-known bird is a summer inhabitant of all New England. It remains in the southern districts through the winter, but usually arrives, in flocks of twenty or thirty, as early as the first or second week in March. About the middle of May, these flocks are divided into smaller ones, and these soon into pairs, which commence building about the second week in June. The nest is placed in the midst of twigs on a horizontal S66 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. branch, generally of a tree in the orchard ; sometimes in a cedar or other tree in a pasture or wood. It is con- structed of stalks of weeds, long fine roots, grass, grape- vine bark, and leaves : it is deeply hollowed, and lined with fine roots, horsehairs, and fine grass. One specimen in my col- lection is partly composed of strips of twine and thread, which are woven together in a very neat and compact man- ner, and interlaced with nu- merous fine roots and weeds. The eggs are usually four or five in number: they are laid about the twentieth of June, , - . ;, ^ ..^ and a second litter often in Au- Lowerflg.,Cedar-bIrd. _ Upper flg., Bed-oyed vireo. gust. They arc of a ligli t-bluish or clay-white color, with a slight purple tint, and are marked, more or less thickly, with distinct spots of black, and more obscure spots of purplish-brown: the appearance of these latter spots is as if they were "beneath the surface of the shell." Dimensions of five eggs collected in Now Hampshire: .86 by .64 inch, .86 by .63 inch, .86 by .60 inch, .80 by .62 inch, .80 by .60 inch. A great number of specimens from difierent localities do not exhibit any great variations from tliese measurements. There is a great deal of ill feeling manifested towards this well-known bird by the farmers, on account of its occa- sionally helping itself to a few cherries or other small fruits. Its valuable services in the orchard and nursery seem to be overlooked, and its life is often forfeited for this little weak- ness. But if the farmer will observe it in its insect-destroy- ing labors, watch it as it devours caterpillar after caterpillar, or draws from its lurking-place the larva of some ii\jurious insect, he will come to the conclusion, as many have already THE CEDABrBIRD. 26T done, that this bird is worthy his protection, instead of deserving his anger. Says Nuttall, in speaking of this fact, — "At this spason (April), to repay the gardener for the tithe 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 dressing their feathers, in near contact on the same branch, to the number of five or six ; and, as the season of selective attach- ment approaches, they may be observed pluming each other, and caressing with the most gentle fondness. This friendly trait is carried so far, that an eye-witness 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 disin- terestedly passed it to the next ; and, each delicately declining the offer, the morsel has proceeded backwards and forwards before it was appropriated." The note of the Cedar-bird, like that of the Wax-wing, is a feeble, plauitive tw^e, twSe, uttered often, and by both sexes. i:"j«" nwiimi iiii—nwwwi^"''"'^ 968 OBNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. Familt LANHDiE. BiU strong and comprcsed, the tip abruptly hooked; both mandibles distinctly notched, the upper with a disUnct tooth behind, the lower with the poh,t bent up, tarsi longer than the middle toe, strongly scutellate; primanes ten, first primary half the second, or shorter (occasionally wanting). The sub-families of Laniidm belonging to the United States are as follows :- LA«i.j.A-BiU Tery powerful, much compressed, and abruptly hooked, w. h a very proriinent tooth behind the notch; wings considerably rounded; t«l tather longandgraduated; sides of the tarsi scutellate behind. , . , ,., ViEKOWN A - Bill moderate, cylindrical, somewhat compressed ; wings If "B- ^e first primary sometimes wanUng; taU short and nearly even; sides of the tarsi behmd not sctttellate. Sub-Family Jj^virsM.— The Shrikes. COLLYRIO, MoEHBiMO. • CoUyrio, MoEHBCfO, Genera Avium (1762), 28. (Type Laniu$ excubitor, L.) Laniui, of Authors. Feathers of forehead stiffened; base of bill, Induding nostrils, covered by bristly feathers directed forward; bill shorter than the head, much compressed, and very powerful; culmen decurved ftom base, the mandible abruptly bent down in a power- Z hook, what in acute lobe near the tip; tip of lower mandible bent »P^««l8 in a hook, the gonys very convex; rictus with long bristles; legs stout; Uie b«. a« rathe shorL longer than the middle toe; the lateral equal ; the claws all ^ryAarp a^d much curveTwings rounded , the first primary about hrff the second, which is equal to the sixth or seventh; taU longer than the wings, much graduated, the feathers broad. COILYBIO BOSfflALIS.— BoirA The Great N,r*lj9rB Shrike; Buteher-birf. Ile, rather long, I always gradu* lie middle toe; the middle ons. . Am. Om., IL , n. (1884) 287; DKscBimow. Second and third quilli about equal, and longest; first a little shorter than the lourth, but connlderably longer than the tlfth; back, rump, and edges of wing and tail feathers bright olivaceous-green; side of hond and nock piiler; crown dark-ash, sharply deflncd; a well-defined whitish line from the bill, over tlie eye, nearly to the occiput; a dark line separating it above from the ashy crown; a dusky line through the eye; beneath white; under tall coverts pale sulphur-yellow ; iris, red. Length, about six and fifty one-hundredths Inches; wing, three and flay on»> hundrrdthi. I feel that no description of mine can begin to do justice to the genial, happy, industrious disposition of this one of our most common, and perhaps best-loved birds. From the time of its arrival, about the first week in May, until its departure, about the first week in October, it is seen in the foliage of elms and other shade-trees in the midst of our cities and villages, in the apple-trees near the farm-houses, and in the tall oaks and chestnuts in the doop forest^. Everywhere in these States, at all hours of the day, from early dawn until evening twilight, his sweet, half-plaintive, half-meditative carol is heard. I know that I am not singu- lar in my preference, when I say, that, of all my feathered acquaintances, this is the greatest favorite I have. I always loved it ; and I can never look upon one, after it is killed, no matter how naturally it is preserved, without a sad feel- ing, as if it wore one of my own most dear friends dead before me. The Red-eyed Yireo is one of the most industrious of our birds. Whenever we see him, we notice that he is busily searching in the foliage of trees for caterpillars and noxious larvae, or pursuing winged insects that have taken flight from the trees. While thus engaged, he utters at short intervals his warbling song. This consists some- times of a few syllables like 'w^e chewio turrulUt chewSeo, given in a singularly sweet tone. This is only a part of its song ; and the whole is so difficult of description that I can- not put it on paper. Says Nuttall, — I 272 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOQY. "The whole 5» delivered almost without any lengible interval, with earnest animation, in a pathetic, tender, and pleasing strain, well calculated to produce calm and thoughtful reflection m the •eniitive mind. Yet, while this heavenly reverie strikes on the human ear with such peculiar effect, the humble musician himself seemn but little concerned: for all the while, perhaps, that this flowing chorus enchante the hearer, he is casually hopping from spray to spmy in quest of his active or crawling prey ; ami, if a cessation occurs in his almost untiring lay, it is occasioned by the caterpillar or fly he has fortunately just captured. So unaf- fected are these delightful efforts of instinct, and so unconscious is the performer, apparently, of this pleasing faculty bestowed upon him by nature, that he may truly be considered as a messenger of harmony to man a/c«<,. appointed by the flat of the Creative power. Wantonly to destroy these delightful, aids to sentimental happiness ought therefore to be viewed, not only as an act of bar- barity, but almost as a sacrilege." The Red-eyed Vireo commences building about the first week in June, frequenting the woods rather more commonly than the pastures and orchards, although it often breeds m these places. The nest is pensile, and is hung from the fork of a small limb of a tree, seldom more than fifteen or twenty feet from the ground : it is constructed of thin strips of cedar bark, pieces of wasps' nests, spiders' nests, pieces of caterpillars' silk, and other pliable materials. These are woven together neatly and compactly, and agglutmated together by the bird's saliva. It is suspended in the form of a basket from the forked twig to which it is attached, or rather sewed firmly. It is lined with narrow strips of grape-vine bark, pine leaves, and sometimes fine grass. On the outside are often visible bit» of rotten wood, fragments of newspapers, and hornet's nests. One specimen m my col- lection, obtained in Maine, is constructed almost entirely of pieces of the bark of the white birch: it is a very neat fabric. The eggs are four in number, pure-white m color, and thinly spotted, chiefly at the great end, with dots of it Iff TUB WARBLINO VIREO. 278 ale Interval, uing strain, iction in the itrikes on lie musician )erhap8, that illy hopping g prey ; and, ccasioned by d. So unaf- nconsciou* is stowed upon messenger of the Creative ) sentimental 1 act of bar- »ut the first •e commonly m broods in ig from the n fifteen or )f thin strips its, pieces of These are agglutinated I in the form attached, or 3W strips of e grass. On >d, fragments len in my col- st entirely of I a very neat [lite in color, with dots of brownish-black. The moaiuroraent of four oggs in a nost colloctod in Milton, Muhh., aro .84 by .60 inoli, .80 by .r>0 inch, .80 by .69 inch, .78 by .59 inch. Otiior spocimoas vary but little from tijOHO dimensions. Two broods are often roared in the season. The period of incubation is twelve days. ▼IB20 OIVTVS.— Bunapartt. Th( Wwrblinf Vlrto. Muteicapa ffilva, VielUot. Oli., I. (1807) 88. Vireo gilvut, NutUU. I. (1882) 800. Aud. Orn. Dlog., 11. (1884) 114{ V. (18S9i 438. Muicieapa mdocKa, Wilson. Am. Om., V. (1812) 85. Dkscription. • Third, fourth, and fifth quilla nearly equal j second and sixth usually about eqtiai, and about twenty-flv« one-hundredlhi of an inch shorter than third ; the exposed portion of spurious quill about one-fourth tho third; above greenish-olive; the head and hind neck ashy, the back slightly tinged with tho sanie; lores dusky; a white streak fi-om the base of the upper mandible above and a little behind the eye; beneath the eye whitish; sidos of the head pale yellowish-brown; beneath white, tinged with very pale yellow on the breast and sides; no light margins whatever on the outer webs of the wings or tail. Length, about five and a half inchea; wings nearly three. Spurious primaiy, one-fourth the length of second. This species is a not very common summer inhabitant of New England, arriving and departing at about the same time as the preceding species. It is seldom seen in the deep forest ; and, while usually found about farm-houses and villages, is most commonly seen in localities where there are numbers of the trees of the poplar and ash. In these trees, it inhabits the higher branches ; and is, with the Red- ejed Vireo, equally industrious in its search for insects. Its song is difficult of description : it is, unlike that of our other Vireos, a long-continued, cheerful warble ; and is perhaps best described by saying that it almost exactly resembles the love-song of the Purph Finch. In fact, I have some- times mistaken the song pf this bird for that of the other, and only discovered my error after carefully watching the bird in his movements in the tree-tops. 18 imtm wmmmm 274 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. ! if'^ The Warbling Vireo seema to arrive here in pairs ; for they seem to be mated when we first discover them. Whether their attachment continues through several seasons, I am ignorant. About the first of June, the pair commence buildiag. The nest is pensile, and usually built in tall trees (usually poplars), often fifty feet from the ground. It is constructed of strips of grape-vine bark, grass, leaves, or bass-wood bark; and sometimes bunches of caterpillars' silk are left on the outside, as if for ornament. The following very inter- esting account of the breeding habits of this bird is given by Audubon, who watched a pair building in a Lombardy poplar : — "One morning, I observed both of them at work: they had already attached some slender blades of grass to the knots of the branch and the bark of the trunk, and had given them a cu'cular dibposition. They continued working downwards and outwards until the structure exhibited the form of their delicate tenement. Before the end of the second day, bits of hornets' nests and particles of corn husks had been attached to it by pushing them between the rows of grass, and fixing them with silky substances. On the third day, the birds were absent, nor could I hear them anywhere m the neighborhood ; and, thinking that a cat might have caught them from the edge of the roof, I despaired of seeing them again. On the fourth morning, however, their notes attracted my attention before I arose; and I had the pleasure of finding them at their labors. The materials which they now used consisted chiefly of extremely slender grasses, which the birds worked in a circular form within the frame which they had previously made. The little creatures were absent nearly an hour at a time, and returned together, bring- ing the grass, which, I concluded, they found at a considerable distance. Going into the street to see in what direction they went, I watched them for some time, and followed them as they flew from tree to tree towards the river. There they stopped, and looked as if carefully watching me, when they resumed their journey, and led me quite out of the village to a large meadow, where stood an old hay-stack. They alighted on it, and, in a few minutes, each had THE WHITE-EYED VIHEO. 275 1 ; for they Whether ons, I am I buildiag. IS (usually oustructcd bass-wood are left on very inter- d is given Lombardy c: they had knots of the n a circular id outwards te tenement, and particles between the On the third svhere in the ;ht them from lin. On the ention before their labors, of extremely • form within :tle creatures gether, bring- , considerable on they went, ;hey flew from md looked as journey, and here stood an utes, each had selected a blade of grass. Eeturning by the same route, they moved so slowly from one tree to another, that my patience was severely tried. Two other days were consumed in travelling for the same kind of grass. On the seventh, I saw only the female at work, using wood and horsehair: the eighth was almost entirely spent by both in smoothing the inside. They would enter the nest, §it in it, turn round, and press the lining. In the course of five days, an equal number of eggs were laid : they were small, of a rather narrow oval form, white, thinly spotted with reddish-black at the larger end. The birds sat alternately, though not with regu- larity as to time ; and, on the twelfth day of incubation, the young came out. I observed that the male would bring insects to the female, and that, after chopping and macerating them with her beak, she placed them in the mouth of her young with a care and delicacy which were not less curious than pleasing to me," This account is so full and complete that I can add noth- ing to the history of the breeding habits of this bird. But one brood is reared in the season in this latitude. The dimensions of four eggs in my collection from different localities are .83 by .56 inch, .80 by .56 inch, .78 by .54 inch, .78 by .53 inch. These will be found to be the aver- age size of this species. The nest is about three inches in exterior diameter, and about two and a half in depth. VIBEO NOVEBOSACENSIS. — Bonaparte. ^ The White-eyed Vireo. — Mittcicapa Noveioracermt, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 947. Vireo Novcboracensi$, Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1825), No. 122. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1831) 328; V. 431, 433; Birds Am., IV. (1842) 146; Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 306. Mttscicapa cantatrix, Wilson. Am. Om., II. (1810) 266. Description. Spurious primary about half the second, which is about equal to the eighth quill ; entire upper parts bright olivaceous-green; space around the eyes and extending Jo the bill greenish-yellow, interrupted by a dusky spot from the anterior canthus to the base of the gape; beneath white; the sides of the breast and body well defined, almost gamboge-yellow ; edges of greater and middle wing coverto (forming two bands) and of inner tertiaries greenish-yellow white; iris white. Length, five inches; wing, two and flfty one-hundredths. -ft i tMTiiriitiiitiitwfrirwimrai'iP'y'-^^"^'^'^^^^^^^^ 276 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. This species is very irregularly distributed in New Bug- land as a summer Inhabitant. In Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont it is rare ; and, while it is quite abundant m the eastern parts of Massachusetts, it is rare in the western. Says J. A. Allen of it, at Springfield,— « I have never known the White-eyed Vireo taken here ; and if, occurring, as it very probably does, being not very uncommon in the eastern parts of the State, it must be excessively rare. In about a thousand specimens of the smaller land birds taken at Springfield durmg the last three years by different collector., not a single White-eyed Vireo has been found." This species arrives from the South, usually in pairs, from . about the 25th of April to the 1st of May. It generally frequents low thickets and swamps. I do not remember ol ever meeting with one in deep, high woods ; but have often found a pair in a brier-patch in the middle of an old field or pasture. In such localities, its peculiar note 'cUp cheweeo, ^chip 'chip cheweSo, is often heard; together with ^"otjer rattling, scolding note, difficult of description. When the bird is approached, it meets the intruder with this scolding rattle ; and, if the nest is approached, the Vireo becomes almost outrageous in its remonstrances. The nest is usually placed in a thicket of briers or vines, often in the gardens and fields. It is constructed of fibres of the mner bark cf trees, fine twigs, grasses, pieces of hornets.' nests, and frag- ments of paper. These are built in a pensile form, sus- pended by the upper edge, and lined with slender strips of grape-vine bark and roots. The eggs are usually four m number, and can hardly be- distinguished from those of the Bed-eyed Vireo in shape or color; the average dimensions being a trifle smaller. Several eggs collected ^ different localities exhibit, as an average measurement, .82 by .59 Inch A nest complement of four eggs, collected in Milton, Mrss vary but a trifle from this size ; their measurement frg'.83 by .59 inch, .82 by .59 inch, .82 by .58 inch, .80 ill ifew Eng- impshire, indant in I western. re ; and if^ x)mmon in rare. In s taken at lectors, not )airs, from . generally nember of have often )ld field or ip cheweSo, th another When the is scolding !0 becomes t is usually he gardens ler bark of }, and frag- form, 8U8- ir strips of ally four in hose of the dimensions in diflFerent .82 by .59 d in Milton, leasurement ,58 inch, .80 HOBi THE SOLITARY VIBEO. £77 by .58 inch. But one brood is usually reared in New Eng- land in the season, and the period of incubation is twelve TIBEO SOLITABTOS.— FtetODt. The Solitary Tireo; Blue-headed Vireo. Mutcieapa toUtaria, Wilson. Am. Orn., II. (1810) 148. Vireo tolitariiu, Vieil.'ot. Nouv. Diet. (1817). Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1881), 147 ; V. (1889) 482. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 806. Descriptioh. Spurious primary very email, not one-fourth the second, which is longer than the sixth ; top and sides of the head and upper part of the neck dark bhiish-a<>h ; rest of upper parts clear olive-green ; a white ring round the eye, interrupted in the anterior canthus by a dusky lore, but the white color extending above this spot to the base of the bill; under parts white; the sides under the wings greenish-yellow; two bands on the wing coverts, with the edges of the secondaries, greenish-white j outer tail feather with its edge all round, including the whole outer web, whitish. Length, about five and a half inches; wing, two and forty one-hundredths. This bird occurs as a summer resident in New England. It has been taken in all these States, but not in any numbers. It makes its appearance about the first or second week in May, usually in pairs, and commences building its nest about the last week in that month. I have never met with its nest ; and Audubon's description, though meagre, is the best available. It is as fohows : — " The nest is prettily constructed, and fixed, in a partially pensile manner, between two twigs of a low bush on a branch running horizontally from the main stem. It is formed externally of gray lichens slightly put together, and lined with hair, chiefly from the deer and raccoon. The female lays four or five eggs, which are white, with a strong tinge of flesh-color, and sprinkled with brown- ish-red dots at the larger end." A number of eggs in my collection correspond in color and markings to the above description, and measure on the average .81 by .59 inch. But one brood is reared in the season, although there have been specimens taken as late as '^mm iHili 278 OHNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. October. But little is known of the habits of this bird as it prefers the deep woods and swamps to the more open dis- tricts. VIBEO FLAVIPEOHS.— WfWot- The Tellow-throated Vireo. VJreo rtar./m«. VieiUot. Oi«. Am, I. (1807) 86. Aud. Cm. Biog., II. (1884) 119, V. 428. V, Syn. lb., Birds Am, IV. (1842) 141. MuKicapa»ylvUola,mUon. Am. Cm., 11. (1810) 117. Descmption. No spurious quill, the first and fourth equal, from bill to middle of back Bide, of held rck, and fore part of breast olive-green, beneath, from b.U to m.ddle of bllW ti°"a i round' the eyes, sulphur-yellow, lores dusky, rest of under parU Ste upi«,r, ashy-blue, tinged with g.een, two white " »" 'he wmg, tr- 11; edged wth white, other quills with greenish, outer ta. feathers edged wUh yeZish white, the outer web of first feather enUrely of th>s color, except near '"^Length, nearly six inches, wing, three and twerty oneimidredths. This beautiful Vireo is not very common in New England, although it is found in all these States as a summer visitor. It arrives from the South about the tenth of May, sometimes not earlier than the fifteenth, and commences building about the first or second week in June. The nest is placed in a small fork of a tree, usually the apple-tree, at a height of about fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. It is the most beautiful nest made by birds of this genus : it is built of nearly the same materials as the others, but i»i covered m the most tasty manner with pieces of lichens and caterpil- lars' silk and spiders' webs, which are plastered or aggluti- nated on over the entire aurface, giving the nest the appearance of a large bunch of moss hanging from a forked twig Several of these nests, collected in different locali- ties, are in my collection. They are invariably of this description, and are aU lined with pieces of paper, wasps nest, and fine grasses. With the exception of the nest of the Humming-bird, and perhaps two or three of the Warblers, the aest of this species is the most beautiful specimen of THE YELLOW-THROATED VIBEO. 279 I bird, as open dia- ;., U. (1884) at back, aides to middle of f under parts lie wing; ter- ra edged with , except near ' England, ler visitor, sometimes i building t is placed it a heigh u It is the it is built covered in id caterpil- or aggluti- ) nest the im a forked rent locali- oly of this iper, wasps' J nest of the e Warblers, pecimen oi bird architecture that I am acquainted with. The eggs are usually four in number. Tliey are of a pure-white color, with thinly scattered spots of two shades of reddish-brown and black. The dimensions of four eggs collected in Con- necticut are .83 by .61 inch, .82 by .60 inch, .82 by .GO inch, and .80 by .59 inch. But one brood is reared in the season in New England. Wilson, in describing the habits of this bird, says,— . " This summer species is found chiefly in the woods, hunting among the liigh branches ; and has an indolent and plaintive note, which it repeats, with some little variation, every ten or twelve seconds, like preeb, preea, &c. It is often heard in company with the Red-eyed Flycatcher {Muscicapa olivacea) ; the loud, energetic notes of the latter, mingling with the soft, languid warble of the former, producing an agreeable effect, particularly during the burn- ing heat of noon, when almost every other songster' but these two is silent. Those who loiter through the shades of our magnificent forests at that hour will easily recognize both species. It arrives from the south early in May, and returns again with its young about the middle of September. Its nest, which is sometimes fixed on the upper side of a limb, sometimes on a horizontal branch among the twigs, generally on a tree, is composed outwardly of thin strips of the bark of grape-vines, moss, lichens, &c., and lined with fine fibres of such like substances : the eggs, usually four, are white, thinly dotted with black, chiefly near the great end. Wmged insects are its principal food." In dismissing this beautiful and favorite family of our birds, I feel that it is impossible to say too much in their favor : their neat and delicate plumage and sweet song, their engaging and interesting habits, and their well-known insect- destroying proclivities, have justly rendered tJiem great favorites ; and the farmer, in protecting them, and encour- ing them to take up homes near his orchards and gardens, but extends a care and wfelcome for his best friends. ir-* 280 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Familt ALAUDID-J;. The Skylarks. Fir.t nrimarv very short or wanting; tarsi scutcllate anteriorly and posteriony, with t"e pZr. .T"f corresponding position and number; hind daw ve^ long rdrearly straight; bill short, conical, ftontal feather, extending along the s.de of the billT ^e nos'rii; usually concealed by a tuft of bristly feathers directed forwards ; tertials greatly elongated beyond the secondaries. EREMOPHILA, BoiK. £remop«fa.BoiE,Isis (1828), 822. iTyv^ Alavda alpcHru.) SufficienUy distinct «W>m FremODhiltu, Humboldt (Fishes, 1805). FiSpIa^ wanting; bill scarcely higher than broad, -'trils c.rcular con- cealed b/a del tuft of feathers; the nasal foss« oblique; a pectoral crescent and cheek patches of black. EREMOPHILA COBHirrA. — JSow. The Skylark; Shore-lark, Eattem and NorOiem vari^y. Alauda comuta, Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 85. Eremcphilacomuta,ho\e. Isis (1828), 822. „„ „„ t /ismmB5 AlaJ^ alpotris, Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 86. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 466. And. Om. Biog., II. (1884) 670 ; V. 448. Desckiptios. \bove pinkish-brown, the feathers of the back streaked with dusky; a broad band alross the crown, ^xtendinl backwards along the lateral tufts; a cresceuuo S> Z he bill belo; the eye and along the side of the head ; a juguUr crescent ^dthrtTil feathers, black; the innermost of the latter like the back ; a fi^nal band "tiding backwards over' the eye, and under parts, with outer edge of wmgs and tail white: chin and throat yellow. lI^ of Pennsylvania specimens, seven and seventy-five one-hundreda« inches" Ving, four and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, three and twenQr-five oue- bundredths inches; bill, above, fifty-two one-hundredths of an inch. THIS bird is found in New England only as a winter visitor. It makes its appearance by the latter part of November, in flocks of thirty or forty, which repair to the salt-marshes, and low pastures and fields, where they remain during their stay with us. Here they feed on the seeds of various grasses and weeds, and such insects as they may be nd posterloii/i ;law very long ng the side of icted forwards; [ciently distinct 8 circular, con- al crescent and ,, I. (1882) 46S. dusky; a broad ifts; a cre8ceiit.iiS jugular crescent, k ; a frontal band Ige of wings and I one-hundredtha , twenty-five one- OS a winter atter part of repair to the I they remain the seeds of they may be THE SKYLARK. 281 able to obtain at that inclement season. They often associate with the Snow Buntings, and sometimes make sliort excur- sions inland. I have seen them on tlie beach busily search- ing among the seaweed for small shell-fish and animalcules ; and, in country roads, have observed that they visit the drop- pings of horses and cattle for the seeds contained in them. By the middle of March, the Shore-larks leave New Eng- land for the North, where they breed, and spend the summer. Audubon says, of their breeding habits, — - "The Shore-lark breeds on the high and desolate tracts of Labrador, in the vicinity of the sea. The face of the country appears as if formed of one undulated expanse of dark granite, covered with mosses and lichens, varying in size and color ; some green, Otjers as white as snow, and others again of every tint, and disposed in large patciie$ or tufts. It is on the latter that the Lark places her nest, whicJj is disposed with so much care, while the moss 80 resembles the bird in hue, that, unless you almost tread upon her as she sits, she seems to feel secure, and remains unmoved. Should you, however, approach so near, she flutters away, feigning lameness so cunningly that none but one accustomed to tfie sight can refrain from pursuing her. The male immediately joins her in mimic wretchedness, uttering a note so soft and plaintive that it requires a strong stimulation to force the naturalist to rob the poor birds of their treasure. « The nest, which is embedded in the moss to its edges, is com- posed of fine grasses, circularly disposed, and forming a bed about two inches thick, with a lining of grouse-feathers and those of other birds. In the beginning of July, the eggs are deposited. They are four or five in number, large, grayish, and covered with numer- ous pale-blue and brown spots. The young leave the nest be- fore they are able to fly, and follow their parents over the moss, where they are fed about a week. They run nimbly, emit a soft prep, and squat closely at the first appearance of danger. If ob- served and pursued, they open their wings to aid them in their escape, and, separating, make off with great celerity. On such occasions, it is difficult to secure more than one of them, unless several persons be present, when each can pursue a bird. The j g |.,^Mi HHI 282 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. pa-ents, all this time, are following the enemy overhead lamentmg the danger to which their young are exposed. In several instances, the old bii-d followed us almost to our boat, alighting occasionally on a projecting crag before us, and entreating us, as it were, to restore ite offspring. By the first of August, many of the young are fully fledged, and the different broods are seen associating together to the number of forty, fifty, or more. They now gradu- ally remove to the islands of the coast, where they remain until their departure, which takes place in the beginning of September. They start at the dawn of day, proceed on their way south at a small elevation above the water, and fly in so straggling a manner that they can scarcely be said to move in flocks." A number of eggs in my collection, from Wisconsin and Illinois, where these birds treed in considerable numbers, are of a faint grayish-brown color, and marked with numer- ous dots and spots of umber, of different shades, over the entire surface of the egg. On one or two specimens these markings are confluent into coarser blotches of the two shades of umber and lilac. The greatest dimensions of my specimens are .93 by .65 inch ; the least dimensions, .85 by .63 inch. lamenting instane«s, casionally , were, to the young issociating ow gradu- nain until ieptember. south aJ^. a ; a manner Ml sin and numbers, th numer- , over the 3n3, these r the two ans of my sions, .85 niiMiiiii THE PINE GROSBEAK. Family FRINGILLID^. The Seed-eaters. Primariea nine ; bill very short, abruptly conical and robust ; commimuro strongly •ngulated at base of bill; tarsi scutellate anteriorly, but the sides with two undivided platea meeting behind along the median line, as a sharp posterior ridge. Sub-Family Coccothraustin^. — The Finches. Wings very long and much pointed, generally one-third longer than the more or less forked tail; first quill usually nearly as long or longer than the second; ter- t.aries but little longer, or equal to the secondaries, and always much exceeded by the primarifs; bill very variable in shape and size, the upper mandible, however, as broad as the lower; nostrils rather more lateral than usual, and alwava more or less concealed by a series of small bristly feathers applied along the base of the upper mandible; no bristles at the base of the bill; feet short and riitlier weak; hind claw usually longer than the middle anterior one, sometimes nearly the same size. PINICOLA, VlEILLOT. Pinicola, Vieilm)t, Ois. Am. Sept., I. (1807). Bill short, nearly as high as long, upper outline much curved from the base; the margins of the mandibles rounded; the commissure gently concave, and abruptly deflexed at the tip; base of the upper mandible much concealed by the bristly feath- ers covering the basal third; tarsus rather shorter than the middle toe; lateral toe short, but their long claws reach the base of the middle one, which is longer than the hind claw; wings moderate, the first quill rather shorter than the second, third, and fourth ; tail rather shorter than the wings, nearly even. But one species of this genus belongs to the American fauna, and is closely allied to, if not identical with, that belonging to the northern portions of the Old World. PINICOLA CANADEHSIS — Cabanis. The Pine Grosbeak. Pinicola Canadensis, Cabanis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 167. . Loxia euuckntor, Wilson. Am. Om., I. (1808) 80. Ptfirhuia enucleatcr, Audubon. Om. Biog., IV. (1838) 414. Description. Bill and legs black; general color carmine-red, not continuous above, however, except on the head; the feathers shoving brownish centres on the back, where too the red is darker; loral region, base of lower jaw all round, sides and posterior' part' of body, with under tail coverts, ashy, whitest behind; wing with two white bands 284 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. acroM the tip* of the greater and middle covert* ; the outer edgea of the qulHa alao while, broadeit on the tcrtiariea. Female, ashy ; browninh above, tingud with grccninh-ycllow beneath ; top of head, rnmp, and upper fail coverts brownii.h gamboKe-yellow, wings as in the male. Length, about eight and fifty oue-hundredtlu Indies i wing, four and fifty ou«- hundredths; tail, four inches. ALTHOUGH we find in Vorrill's list of birds found at Norway, l^o., that this species is there a very conamon winter visitor, my experience has been, that it is an ex- tremely rare one in Massachusetts, and is only found with us in very severe seasons. This winter (186G-67), they have been very abundant, and good opportunities have been obtained for studying their habits. Like other northern species, the Pine Grosbeak is very tame and familiar while here in winter. Mr. Maynard, of Newtonville, Mass., informs me, that he has repeatedly, during this season, captured specimens in his hands, and has had no difficulty in slipping a noose over their heads, as the birds were employed in opening the pine seeds, or eating the berries of the cedar; and he has now in captivity a number of specimens that are exceedingly tame and inter- esting, feeding readily on various seeds and fruits. A pair that I have in my possession, which he captured, are so tame that they take food from my hand, and even perch upon my finger. Their song is a soft, pleasing warble, not unlike that of the canary. Both sexes have a number of call-notes, and they keep up a continuous twitter through the day : they are always lively and good-tempered, and are really entertaining pets, Mr. Wheelwright, in his valuable and exceedingly inter- esting book,. " A Spring and Summer in Lapland," gives the following account of the habits of the European Pine Grosbeak, a bird nearly allied to, if not identical with, our own : " By the first week in May, they had paired ; and we took our first nest on June 4, with three eggs, in a small fir, about ten feet from the ground, on the side of a small fell, "MVHI — I THE PURPLE FINCH. 285 la quint alio top of beadi male, nd fifty one- found at ' coiuinon is an ox- uud with ibundant, studying ik is very lynard, of epeatedly, ands, and ' heads, as ,, or eating laptivity a and intor- 8. A pair ed, are so ven perch irarble, not ay keep up yays lively ngly inter- nd," gives »pean Fine [ with, our d ; and we a small fir, small fell, in by no means a large wood : and I may observe, that all the nests we took were built in small firs, never high from the ground, or in deep woods, and generally in conspicuous situa- tions. The nest is neitlior large nor deep, but vi vy com- pactly and cleanly built, like basket-work, the outside wallihg of very fine fir branches and thin cranberry fibres tightly interlaced, and lincJd with fine stiff grass and a little hair. The eggs vary much, both in size and coloring; but are usually of a pale blue-green ground-color, blotched and lined with light-purple and dark burut-uraber spots and pricks, always thickest towards the large end. Average size, 1 inch • by .76 inch." Tlie food of the Grosbeak is not, as in the Crossbills, from the seed of the fir cones, but the small buds or embryo of the young branches which slioot out from the lateral branches of the fir ; but thcy can pick out the seeds from the cones, both of the pine and fir, quite as cleverly as the Crossbills. For a very full and interesting description of the habits of this species, I will refer the reader to vol. IV. Audubon's Am. Orn. Biog., p. 414. CARPODACUS, Kaup. Carpodactu, Kaup, « Entw. Europ. Thierw ., 1829." (Type Loxia erythrim, Pall.) Bill jhort, Btout, vaulted; the culmen decurved towards the endj the commia- Bure nearly straight to the slighUy decurved end; a slight development of bristly feathers along the sides of the bill, concealing the nostrils; tarsus shorter than the middle toe; .lateral claws reaching to the baie of the middle one; claw of hind too much curved, smaller than the middle one, and rather less than the digital portion; wings long and pointed, reaching to the middle of the tail, which is considerably •horter than the wing, and moderately forked; colors red, or red and brown. CABPODACUS PUEPTOEUS.— Oroy. / The Pnrpla Finoli.^ Frifigina purpurea, Wilion. Am. Om., I. (1808) 119. And. Om. Bioir..I. (183li 24; V. 200. *' ^ PE8CRIFT109. Second quill longest ; first shorter than third, considerably longer than the fourth ; body crimson, palest on the rump and breast, darkest across the middle of back and Wing coverts, where the feathers have dusky centres; th- rod extends below continu- siBi ■Hiil i^ 286 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. ou.ly to the lower part of the hre«»t, and In »pot. to the tibl. ; the belly iind und.f tnH rnvrt. white, .treaked fuinlly with brown, except in the very mi.ldle i ed^es of wintjn ar.d tail feather, hrownl.htredi leo.er eoverti. like the hn.k i two red.li-h tmn.U acroM the winw (over the end. of the middle and greater covert.); loren dull-Kruyi»h. iM.inale ollvaceou«-brown, brJKhter on the riunpi l)«ne«th while; all the feolhert everywhere ntreaked with brown, except, on the n.id.llo of the belly and nnder coverti, a Kuperciliarv lifiht iitri|)e. ,.,,_,, lAM.Kth Hixandtwenty-nvoone-hundredtlwincheni wing, three and thirty-four ono-hundredtloi; tail, two and lUly onc-hundrcdths ; bill, above, forty-»ix one-hun- dredthi of an inch. Tliis specioB, although quite common in many localitios of New England, is very irregularly diHtrihuted. For in- Blanco, it breeds abundantly in and near Cambridge, Mass., but is not found in any otlicr part of tho State in any thing * like tlio abundance that it is tliero. In that locality, it is one of the most common birds breeding ; in otlier localities, it is occasionally found in only detached pairs. So, in Maine, it is common in the neighborhood of tlio Umbagog lakes ; but elsewhere it is not often seen. There seems to be, as Mr. Allen justly remarks, a great increase of this species within tho last few years ; and it is beginning to be one of our most common species. The birds separate into pairs soon after their arrival, about the middle of April, but do not com- mence building before tho middle of May. Tliey are occa- sionally resident here through the mild winter ; but, as a general thing, they arrive in New England in flocks of ten or a dozen about the last of March. The nest is ustiuUy built in a pine or cedar tree, and is sometimes thirty or oven forty feet from the ground,— often er about fifteen or twenty. It is constructed of fine roots and grasses, and is lined with horsehair and hogs' bristles. One specimen in my collection has the cast-off skin of a snake woven in the rest of the fabric ; and I have seen nests lined with mosses. Generally, hairs of different animals form the lining, and roots and grass tlio main structure. The eggs are of a beautiful bluish-green color, and marked with spots and streaks of black : their form is a sharply pointed oval, and their uimensions vary from .94 by .64 inch "TSfiflS^ralBWBSBSBfflrBE^ 4k, -Xr and iiniitr tM i'(l((i's (if wing* li Irnnd* scroM l-({ruyiith. ill llio feallxTi iiiulcr covcrtf, inJ fhirty-four y-Bix onc-hun- Y localities I. For in- Ipe, Mass., I any tinng •■ cality, it is iocalitios, it I, in Maine, lakes; but bo, aa Mr. seics within of onr moat soon after not com- jy are occa- ; but, as a ocks of ten t is usimlly irty or even i\ or twenty. s lined with ly collection rest of the Generally, i roots and and marked is a sharply : by .64 inch THE PURPLE FINCH. 287 to .88 by .GO incli. Two broods are often roared in the season. This species is one of the few injurious birds tiiat wo have ; and, although it has a beautiful warbling song, and is ulto- gotiior a fine-looking bird, it is much disliked in tlio country in consequence of its bad habit of cutting off and eating t';3 buds and blossoms of fruit-trees. Wilson says of tiiis habit, — " This is ft winter bird of passage, coming to us in large flocks from tho North, in SepUmiber and October ; great numbers remain- ing with lis in Pennsylvania during tlie whole winter, feeding on the seeds of the poplar, button-wood, juniper, cedar, and on those of many rank wcods that flourish in rich bottoms and along the margin of creeks. When the season is very severe, they proceed to the South, as far at least as Georgia, returning North early in April. They now frequent the elm-trees, feeding on tlie slender but sweet covering of the flowers ; and, as soon m the cherries put out their blossoms, feed almost exclusively on the stamina of the flowers : afterwards, the apple-blossoms are attacked in the same manner ; and their depredations on these continue till they disap- pear, which is usually about the 10th or middle of May. I have been told that they sometimes breed in the northern parts of New York, but have never met with their nests. About the middle of September, I found these birds numerous on Long Island, and around Newark in New Jersey. They fly at a considerable height in tlie air ; and their note is a single chink, like that of the Rice- bird. They possess great boldness nnd spirit, and, when caught, bite violently, and hang by the bill from your hand, striking with great fury ; but they are soon reconciled to confinement, and in a day or two are quite at home. I have kept a pair of these birds upwards of nine months to observe their manners. One wag caught in a trap, the other was winged with the gun : both are now as familiar as if brought up from the nest by the hand, and seem to prefer hemp-seed and cherry-blossoms to all other kinds of food. Both male and female, though not crested, are almost constantly in the habit of erecting the feathers of the crown. They appear to be of a tyrannical and domineering disposition : for they nearly IB IP ■ ■■■ ii^-^ 288 ORNITHOLOOT AND OOLOGY. killed an Indigo-bird, and two or three others, that v/ere occasion- ally placed with them, driving them into a corner of the cage, standing on them, and tearing oat their feathers, striking them on the head, munching their wings, &c., till I was obliged to interfere; and, even if called to, the aggressor would only turn up a malicious eye to me for a moment, and renew his outrage as before. They are a hardy, vigorous bird. In the month of October, about the time of their first arrival. I shot a male, rich in plumage, and plump in flesh, but which wanted one leg, that had been taken off a little above the knee : the wound had healed so completely, and /was covered with so thick a skin, that it seemed as though it had been so for years. Whether this mutilation was occasioned by a shot, or in party quarrels of its own, I could not determine : but our invalid seemed to have used his stump either in hopping or resting ; for it had all the appearance of having been brought in frequent contact with bodies harder than itself." CHRYSOMITRIS, Boib. Chrytomilris, BolE, Isis (1828), 822. (Type FringiUa ^nu», Linnseus.) Bill rather acutely conic, the tip not very sharp; the culmen slightly convex at the tip; the commissure gently curved; nostrils concealed; obsolete ridges on the upper mandible; tarsi shorter than the middle toe; outer toe rather the longer, reaching to the base of the middle one; claw of hind too shorter than the digital portion; wings and tail as in Atgiothus. The colors are generally yellow, with black on the crown, throat, back, wings, and tail, varied sometimes with white. CHBTSOMITEIS TEI8TIS. — Bonapartt. /. The Tellow-bird; Thi»Ue-blrd.— FringUla iriitis, Linnsens. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 820. Wils. Am. Om., I. (1808) 20. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1881) 172; V. 610. ' DESCBipnoir. Bright gam'ooge-yellow, crown, wings, and tail, black; lesser wing covert*, band acrow the end of greater ones, ends of secondaries and tertiaries, inner mar- gins of tail feathers, upper and under tail coverts, and tibia, white. Female re- placing the yellow of the male by a greenish-olive color. Length, five and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three inches. This well-known bird is a very common summer inhab- itant of all New England, and in the southern districts re occasion- f the cage, ng them on interfere ; a malicious . They are ut the time id plump in 1 off a little ly, and -was it had been 3j a shot, or t our invalid isting ; for it uent contact neeos.) ;htly convex at :e ridges on tho ther the longer, than the digital lat, back, vrings. )m., I. (1808) 20. er wing covert*, iaries, inner mar- lite. Female re- B inches. mmer inhab- ern districts THE YELLOW-BIRD. 289 remains through the year. NotwithHtanding its being here tlirough the early spring, it does not begin to build before the middle of June. The earliest nest that I ever heard of was found June the 10th, and very few are found as early as the middle of that month. The nest is usually placed in a forked branch in an apple-tree in the orchard, sometimes in a maple or birch tree near the roadside. It is constructed of soft strips of the cedar and grape-vine bark : these "are very neatly woven together into a compact structure, which is deeply hollowed, and lined with soft down from the thistle, and sometimes a few feathers. The eggs are usually four in number: their form is generally oval, and thei* color a bluish-white. Dimensions vary from .68 by .53 inch to .62 by .50 inch. Bui ue brood is reared in the summer. The habits of this bird are so well known that I will not give them an extended notice here. It seems to be a per- sistently gregarious species: for, even in the breeding season, several families are usually found in one neighbor- hood; and the males often assemble together, and pass the time in collecting food, trimming their feathers, and bath- ing. In fact, this bird seems to be more of a dandy, and consequently less of a family man, than most of our other Epecies ; and I have noticed that he leaves the greater part of the burden of the family cares upon the shoulders of his attentive mate. When the season of incubation has passed, the birds assemble in flocks of from ten to twenty or thirty in num- ber, and frequent the gardens and stubble-fields, where they subsist upon the seeds of various weeds and grasses. They have a short note like che tvSee, which is uttered often, sometimes in a drawling, plaintive key, and at other times in a brisk, cheerful tone. . Their flight is undulating and irregular, and resembles very much that of the Wood- peckers. When on the wing, they have a short, simple chatter, like 'che 'cJj 'che 'che, uttered rapidly, and with 19 290 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY, emphasis on the second syllable. Occasionally, the male emits a continued warbling sohg, very similar to that of the Canary-bird ; and I have heard one of this species sing in confinement almost as sweetly and often ls its more familiar and domesticated relative. CHKTSOMITBIS VVSJJS.— Sonaparte. » The Pine Finoh. Fnngittapimu, Wilson. Am. Cm., 11. (1810) 188. Aud. Cm. Biog., H. (1884) 466; V. 509. CArjwmitrwinntM, Bonaparte. Consp. (1860), 616. Description. Tail deeply forked; above brownish-olive; beneath whitish, every feather streaked distinctly with dusky; concealed bases of tail feathers and quills, together with their inner edges, sulptiur-yellow; outer edges of quills and tail feathers >el- lowish-green; two brownish-white bands on the wing. Length, four and seventy-five on6-hundredths inches; wing, three inches; tail, two and twenty one-hundredths inches. This bird is found in New England, usually as a winter visitor. While here, it has all the habits of the preceding species, and might, at a little distance, be mistaken for that bird. The Pine Finch, as its name implies, prefers the groves and forests of pines to other trees ; and it is found in all our pine woods in flocks of twenty or thirty, where it feeds on the seeds contained in the cones on these trees. It has been known to breed in Cambridge, in this State ; and breeds regularly in the northern sections of New England. CURVIROSTRA, Scopou. Loxia, LiNN^us, Syst Nat, 1768, (Type Loxia curmrostra, L. Not of 1785, which has for tvpe Loxia coccolhrmuta, L.) Ci«mro««ro,"ScopoLi, 1777. (Type L. cartirottra.) Mandibles much elongated, compressed, and attenuated; greatly curved or fclcate, the po'r.U crossing or overlapping to a greater or less degree; tarsi verj' short; claws all very long, the lateral extending beyond the middle of the central; hind claw longer than its digit; wings very long and pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the narrow, forked tail. Colors reddish in the male. , the male that of the :ii3S sing ia ore familiar Biog., n. (1884) 1, every feather 1 quills, together tail feathers yel- iree inches; tail. ■ as a winter le preceding iken for that prefers the t is found in •ty, where it these trees, s State ; and w England. L. Not of 1785, ^atly carved or Jegree; tarsi very jle of the central ; ching beyond the THE BED CROSSBILL. 291 The elongated, compressed, ihlcate-curved, and overlapping mandibles readily characterize this genus among birds. The United-States species of CSirvirottra are readily distinguished by the pr«»- •nee of white bands on ths wing in Leucoptera and their absence in Americana. CnaVIBOSTEA AHERICAKA. — JFtbon. The Bed Croubill. CuTvirotlra Americana, Wilson. Am. Om., FV. (1811) 44. Loxia atrvirostra. And. Biog., 11. (1884) 659; V. 511. Descriftiom. Male dull-red ; darkest across the back ; wings and tail dark blackish-brown. Female dull greenish-olive above, each feather with a dusky centre; rump and crown bright greenish-yellow; beneath grayish ; tinged, especially on the sides of the body, with greenish-yellow; young entirely brown; paler beneath. The immature and young birds exhibit all imaginable combinations of the coloia of the male and female. They all agree in the entire absence of white bands on the wings. Male about six inches; wing, three and thirty one-hondredths inches; tail, two and t\v..aty-five one-hundredths mches. This hird is very irregularly distributed in New Eng- land, usually as a winter visitor. Sometimes it is quite rare at that season in all sections ; and occasionally it is very alnndant. It also occurs here during the sum- mer, breeding regularly in the pine and hemlock forests of the northern sections. Wilson says of the habits of this bird, — " X)n first glancing at the bill of this extraordinary bird, one is apt to pronounce it ''.eformed and monstrous : but on attentively observing the use to which it is applied by the owner, and the dex- terity with which he detaches the seeds of the pine-tree from the cone, and from the husks that enclose them, we are obhged to con- fess, 6n this, as on many other occasions where we have judged too hastily of the operations of nature, that no other conformation could have been so excellently adapted to the purpose ; and that its deviation from the common form, instead of being a defect or monstrosity, as the celebrated Frerch naturalist insinuates, is a striking proof of the wisdom and kind superintending care of the great Creator. Jj 292 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. "This species is a regular inhabitant, of almost all our pine forests situated north of 40°, from th.> beginning of September to the middle of April. It is not improbable that some of them re- main during the summer within the territory of the United States to breed. Their numbers must, however, be comparatively few, as I have never yet met with any of them in summer, though lately I took a journey to the Great Pine Swamp beyond Pocano Moun- tain, in Northampton County, Pa., in the month of May, expressly for that purpose; and ransacked, for six or seven days, the gloomy recesses of that extensive and desolate morass, without being able to discover a single Crossbill. In fall, however, as well as in winter and spring, this tract appears to be their favorite rendezvous ; particularly about the head waters of the Lehigh, the banks of the Tobyhanna, Tunkhannock, and Bear Creek, where I have myself killed them at these seasons. They then appear in large flocks, feeding on the seeds of the hemlock and white-pine ; have a loud, sharp, and not unmusical note ; chatter as they fly , alight, during the prevalence of deep snows, before the door of tho hunter, and around the house, picking off the clay with which the logs are plastered, and searching in corners where urine, or any substance of a saline quality, had been thrown. At such times, they are so tame as only to settle on the roof of the cabin when disturbed, and, a moment after, descend to feed as before. They are then easily caught in traps, and will frequently permit one to approach so near as to knock them down with a stick. Those killed and opened at such times are generally found to have the stomach filled with a soft, greasy kind of earth or clay. When kept in a cage, they have many of the habits of the Parrot ; often climbing along the wires, and using their feet to grasp the cones in, while taking out the seeds." Nuttall says of its breeding habits, — " They often breed in winter in more template countries, as in January and February ; and the young fly in March. The nest is said to be fixed in the forks of fir-trees ; and the eggs, four or five, are of a greenish-gray, with a circle of reddish-brown spots, points, and lines, disposed chiefly at the larger end : the lines also often extend over the whole surface of the egg." THE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 298 ill our pine jptember to of them re- nited States ively few, as lough lately cano Moun- y, expressly 1 days, the ass, without however, as heir favorite Lehigh, the !ek, where I in appear in 1 white-pine ; as they fly , ) door of tho with whicli urine, or any , such times, 3 cabin when efore. They ermit one to itick. Those to have the clay. When Parrot ; often the cones in, mntries, as m h. The nest eggs, four or -brown spots, bhe lines also CDBYIBOSTRA LEUCOPTEBA.— Wilion. Tht White-winged Crogsbill. Loxia leucoptera, Audubon. Orn. Biog., IV. (1838) 467. Curvirostra Uucoptera, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 48. DEBCniPTION. Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point ; male cannine-red, tinged with dusky across the back; the sides of body under the wings streaked with brown; from the middle of belly to the Uil coverts whitish, the latter streaked with brown; scapulars, wings, and tail, black; the broad bands on the v/ing» ■cross the ends of greater and median coverts; white spots on the end of the inner tertiaries. Female brownish, tinged with olive-green in places; feathers of the back and crown with dusky centres; rump bright brownish-yellow. Length, about six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and fifty one-hundredths inches; tail, two and sixty one-hundrcdths inches. This beautiful bird seems to be much less frequent in its winter visits to New England than tho preceding. It has all the general characteristics of that bird. In May, in the Hud- son's Bay country, according to Mr. Hutchins, it builds its nest in a pine-tree. This is constructed of grass, mud, and feathers, and is lined with moss and other soft materials. The female lays five white eggs, marked with yellowish spots. • iEGIOTHDS, Cabakis. ^giothui, CADANia, Mus. Hein., 1861, 161. (Type Fringilla Unaria, Linn.) Bill very short, conical, and acutely pointed, the outlines oven concave; the commissure straight; the base of the upper mandible and the nostrils concealed by Btitr, appressed bristly feathers; middle of the mandible having several ridges parallel with the culmen; inner lateral toe rather the longer, iu claw reaching the middle of the middle claw; the'hind toe rather longer, its claw longer than the digi- tal portion; wings very long, reaching the middle of the tail; second qfiill a little longer than the first and third; tail deeply forked. i 294 ORNITHOLOGY AND CtOLOQY. JEQIOTHDS LIHABIA. — CabanU. The Lesier BedpoU. FHngilla lifutria, LinnaiUB. Sy.t. Nat.. I. (1766) 822. Aud. Cm. Biog., IV. 1888) 533. ^giothuiUnaria, Cabaaia. Mu«. Hein. (1861), 161. Descwption. Above light-yellowish, each feather atreaked with dark-brown; crown daik- crimson; upper part of breast and sides of the body tinged with a lighter tint of the Mime; the rump and mider tail coverts also similar, but still less viv.d, and with dusky streaks; rest of under parts white, streaked on the sides with brown; Joral recion and chin dusky; cheeks (brightest over the eye), and a narrow front, whitish; wing feathers edged externally, and fail feathers all round with white; two vellowish-white bands across the wing coverts; secondaries and tertiaries edged broadly with the same; bill yellowish, tinged with brown on the culmen and Konvs; the basal bristles brown, reaching over half the bill. The specimen described above is a male in winter dress. The spring plumage bas much more of the red. The female winter specimens lack the rose o« the under parU and rump; the breast is streaked across wiUi dusky. T.ength, Ave and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and ten one-hundredth* ii-jiias; tail, two and seventy one-hundredths inches. This species is a pretty common winter visitor in all parts of New England. It congregates in large flocks, which frequent old fields and pastures and stubble-fields, and feed on the seeds of weeds and grasses. It has, while with us, the note and general habits of the Goldfinch and Pine Finch, and might easily, at a little distance, be mistaken for those birds. They seem fond of the seeds of the white birch ; and they cluster so thick on a branch of this tree, while securing the seeds, that I have killed as many as a dozen at a shot. Mr.' Selby's account of the nest and eggs is as follows : — " It is only known m the southern parts of Britain as a winter visitant ; and is at that period gregacious, and frequently taken, in company with the other species, by the bird-catchers, by whom it is called the Stone Redpoll. In the northern counties of England, and in Scotland and its isles, it is resident through the year. It retires, during the summer, to the underwood that covers the bases of many of our mountains and hills, and that often fringes the ■^^kfr '>^»li('»<)^ Biog., IV. crown daik- er tint of the vid, and with brown; Joral narrow front, th white i two rtiaries edged a culmen and pring plumage le rose ot the ne-hundredtha n all parts 3k8, which 3, and feed ie with us, and Pine istaken for the white F this tree, many as a t and eggs as a winter d\y taken, in ly whom it is of England, he year. It ers the bases I fringes the -iprai THE MEALY BEDPOLL. 295 banks of their precipitous streams; in which sequestered situa- tions it breeds. The nest is bnilt in a bush or low tree (such as willow, alder, or hazel), of moss and the stalks of dry grass, inter- mixed with down from the catkin of the willow, which also forms the lining, and renders it a particularly soft and warm receptacle for the eggs and young. From this substance being a constant material of the nest, it follows that the young are produced late in the season, and are seldom able to fly before the end of June or the beginning of July. The eggs are four or five in number : their color pale bluish-green, spotted with orange-brown, principally towards the larger end. In winter, the Lesser Redpoll descends to the lower grounds in considerable flocks ; frequenting woods and plantations, more especially such as abound in birch or alder trees, the catkins of which yield it a plentiful supply of food. When feeding, its motion aflfords both interest and amusement ; since, in order to reach the catkins, which generally grow near the extremi- ties of the smaller branches, it is obliged, like the Titmouse, to hang with ita back downwards, and assume a variety of constrained attitudes : aud, when thus engaged, it is so intent upon its work, as frequently to allow itself to be taken by a long stick smeared with bird-lime ; in which way I have occasionally captured it when in want of specimens for examination. It also eats the buds of trees, and (when in flocks) proves in this way seriously injurious to young plantations. Its call-note is very frequently repeated when on wing, and by this it may be always distinguished from the other species. The notes it produces .during the pairing season, although few, and not delivered in continuous song, are sweet and pleasing." JEGI0THII3 CAHESCKNS.— Ctiianu. The Vealy Redpoll. ^giothvs caneteeriM, Cabanis. Mug. Hein. (1861), 161. tFringiaabortaU$,A\iA\ihon. Om. Biog., V. (1889) 87. Descriptmn. Size large; bill short; claws elongated; rump white (in the spring, male tinged with rose), never streaked ; the quills broadly margined with white. Length, six inches; tail, three and seventeen one-handredtha. This bird occurs only as an exceedingly rare winter visi- tor in New England. I have never met with it myself, but im gp»-* I 296 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGV. Mr. Verrill says that it is found rarely in Maine. It is con- sidered by some ornithologists as identical with the pre- ceding. PLECTROPHANES, Meykr. K«tn5,»ntly femalea, (fenerally, are g, three and re winter )me local- i880ciating ed by Dr. W8 ou tlio n a small externally nsiderable vith deer's ire-yellow, THB SAVANNAH HPARROW. 801 Sub-Family Spizkllin*.. — The Sparrowi. Dill variable, uiDally a1nio«t«tnilf;ht; iometiroea curved ; commlnaure generally nearly itraigbt, or niiKl'tly concavei upper mandible widnr than lower; nontriis expodwlj wingD moderate j the outer primaries not much roundudi tail variable; feet Inrgo; tarsi mostly longer than the middle toe. The species are usually small, and of dull .^ulor. Nearly all are streaked on the back and crown; often on the belly. None of the Uniled-8tntes species have any red, blue, or orange ; and the yellow, when present, is as a superciliary atretk, or on upper stripe conUnued around the ear coverts, which are darker than the brown color elsewhere; wings with the shoulder light chestnut-brown, and with two dull-whitish bands along the ends of the coverts; the outer edge of the secondaries also is white; outer Uil feather, and edge and tip of the second, white. MM mfiamit^mMm 304 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Length, about six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and ten one-hundredths inches. : » .u. i,i„i, Hab.-Vnited States from Atlantic to the Pacific; or el»e one apecies to the high central plains, and another fifom this to the Pacific. This Sparrow is abundantly distributed throughout New- England in the breeding season. It arrives about tlie first week in April, and commences building about the last of that month in Massachusetts ; in Maine, about the first of June. The nest, like that of the preceding species,' is built in open, dry pastures and fields, at the foot of a tuft of grass, and is composed of the same materials and con- structed in the same form as the others ; and I would here remark, that, of our New-England sparrows, it is impossible to disting lish most species, either in manner and material of nest, and form and color of eggs, in the great variations which exist in them. The descriptions already given, and those which follow, are made from the average specimens, or in the forms in which they are most often met. The eggs of the Grass I inch are usually about four \a number : they are of a grayish, livid-white color, and marked irregu- larly with spots of obscure brown, over which are blotches of black. Dimensions of specimens from various localities vary frcm .88 by .60 to .76 by .58 inch. Two broods, and sometimes three, are reared in the season. The habits of this and the succeeding species so much resemble those of the preceding, that it is difficult to describe either so that they may be readily recognized. The present bird is more civilized in its habits, and usually resides much nearer the habitations of man than the others ; but in other respects it resembles them in all their charac- teristics. C0TURNICULU3, Bokapartk. Cotemiculm, Bonaparte, Geog. List (1838). (Tj-pe Fringilla pamrina Wils.) Bill very large and stout; the under mandible broader, but lower than the upper, which is considerably convex at the basal portion of ito upper outline ; legs mod- erate, apparently not reaching to the end of the Uil; the tarsiis appreciably longer ;;~-a ree and ten to the high out New tlie first 3 last of the first pecies,' is of a tuft and con- )uld here npossible material variations iven, and pecimens, let. The number : id irregu- 5 blotches localities oods, and so much ifficult to 3C0gnized. id usually lie others ; sir charac- tertfMi, Wil*.) Iian the upper, ne; legs mod- reciably longer THE YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW. 305 than the middle toe ; the lateral toes equal, and with their claws falling decidedly sliort of the middle claw; the hind toe intermediate between the two; the wings are short and rounded, reaching to the base of the tail; the tertiarics almost as long as the primaries; not much difference in tlie lengths of the primaries, although the outer three or four are slightly graduated; tho f>!I is «hort and narrow, decidedly shorter than the wing, graduated laterally, but si '.'htly emarginate; the feathers all lanceolate and acute, but not stiffened, as in Ammodromxu. The upper parts generally are streaked; the blotches on the interscapular region very wide; tlie breast and sides are generally streaked more or less distinctly; the edge of the wing is yellow. COTUBNICnLUS FASSEBINnS. — £onapar(e. XThe Tellcjr-Tinged Sparrow.— Fringtlla poiserina, Wilson. Am. Om III. (1811) 76. Aud. Om. Biog., U (1834) 180; V. 497. Catumkuius passerina, Bonaparte. List (1838). FringiUa Savanarum (Gmelin), Kuttall. Man., I. (1832) 494. lb. (2d ed., 1840), 570. Description. Feathers of the upper parts brownish-rufous, margined narrowly and abruptly with ash-color; reddest on the lower part of the back and rump; the feathers all abruptly black in the central portion ; this color visible on the interscapular region, where the rufous is more restricted; crown blackish, with a central and superciliary stripe of yellowish tinged with brown, brigLtest in front of tho eye ; bend of the wing bright-yellow; lesser coverts tinged with greenish-yellow; quills and tail feathers edged with whitish; tertiarics much variegated; lower parts brownish- yellow, nearly white on the middle of tlie belly; the feathers o*" the upper breast and sides of the body with obsoletely darker centres. Length, about five inches; wing, two and forty one-hundredths inches; tail, two inches. The young of this species has the upper part of the breast streaked with black, much more distinct than in the adult, and exhibiting a close resemblance to C. Hens- lowi. Specimens from the Far West have the reddish of the back conside .'ably paler; the light stripe on the head, with scarcely iny yellow; a decided tpot in front of the eye quite yellow. This bird is irregularly distributed. In Massachusetts it is rare nei'-r the seacoast, but in the western part is an " abundant summer visitant ; arrives about the first week in May, and leaves in autumn the earliest of the Sparrows." — Allen. It is not included in Mr. Verrill's list of Maine birds ; and I have never met with it in that State or the other two northern ones, although it probably occurs there, 20 \ ■ 306 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. but not abundantly. The nest is buUt, like the two preced ing species, on the ground, in the same localities, and of the same materials ; but the eggs are different, being pure-white in color, with thinly scattered spots of reddish-brown : they are usually five in number, and their dimensions vary from .78 by .60 to .74 by .58 inch. Two broods are often reared in the same season. Its habits are similar to those of the Savannah Sparrow. COTUBNICULUS SESSLOVTl.— Bonaparte. Henslow's Bunting. Emberiza Henshwi, Audubon. Ore. Biog., I. (1831) 860. Nutt Man., L (1882) ^%iumictdw, Hemhwi, Bonaparte. List (1888). lb., Consp. (1850), 481. FringiUa Benslowi, 'Satta.W. Man., L (2d ed., 1840) 671. DESCRlFnON. Upper parts yellowish-brown; the head, neck, and upper parts of back tinged with greenish-yellow; interscapular feathers dark-brown, suffused externaUy with bright brownish-red; each feather with grayish borders; tertiaries, rurap, and tail feathers abruptly dark-brown centrally, the color obscurely margined with dark-red; crown with a broad black spotted stripe on each side, these spots continued down to the back; two narrow black maxillary stripes on each side the head, and an obscure black crescent behind the auriculars; under parts light brownish-yellow, paler on the throat and abdomen; the upper part of the breast, and the sides of the body, conspicuously streaked with black; edge of wing yellow; a strong tinge of pale-chestnut on the wings and tail. Length, five and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, two and fifteen one- hundredths inches; taU, two and fifteen one-hundredths inches. This bird is a rare summer resident in New England as far north as Massachusetts, in which state it probably breeds regularly i« certain localities. A nest found in Berlin, Mass., by Mr. B. S. Wheeler, contained four eg;?''. Mr. Allen says that " this species must still be considered a rare summer visitor, though it proves more common than was supposed a few years since." Individuals are occasionally found in the eastern part of the state, and their nests discovered. Mr. Maynard con- jectures that it may have been confounded with the yellow- winged sparrow by some collectors. -^^j^^^MM;^., preced nd of tho ure-whito wn: they i^ary from en reared lae of the [an., I. (1882) ,481. if back tinged sternaUy with ump, and tail with dark-red ; intinued down head, and an )wnish-yellow, he sides of the trong tinge of Dd fifteen one- ilngland as ibly breeds in Berlin, ■igft"^. Mr. 3re(i a rare I than was rn part of ynard con- the yellow- ^ - i i i i Pf M n n i inni i ii i inii THE SHARP-TAILED MNCH. 807 AMMODROMUS, Swainsok. Ammodromus, Swainson, Zool. Jour., III. 1827. (Typ« Oridus caudacutut, Gmelin.) Bill very long, slender, and attenuated, considerably curved towards the tip above; the gonys straight; the legs and toes are very long, and reach considerably beyond the tip of the short tail; the tarsus is about equal to the elongated middle toe; the lateral toes equal, their claws falling considerably short of the base of the middle one; the hind claw equal to the lateral one; wings short, - ':hing only to the base of the tail ; much rounded ; the secondaries and tertials equal, and not mueh shorter than the primaries; the tail is short, and graduated laterally, each feather stiffened, lanceolate, and acute. Color. — Streaked above and across the breast; very faintly on the sides. AHMODBOMUS CAUSACUTUS. — Swainion. The' Sharp-tailed Fiaeh. Oriolus caudacutut. Gm., I. (1788) 394. Frinr/illa caudacuta, Wilson. Am. Orn., FV. (1811) 70. And. Om. Blog., 11. (1834) 281; V. 499. Ammodromut caudacuttu, Swainson. Birds, II. (1837) 289. FringiUa littoralit, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 504 (2d ed., 1840, 690). Description. Upper parts brownish-olivaceous; head brownish, streaked with black on the sides, and a broad central strijie of ashy; back blotched with dHrkep; .i broad superciliary and maxillar)' stripe, and a band across the upper breasi buff-yellow; the sides of the throat with a brown stripe ; the upper part of the breast and the sides of the body streaked with black; ii^t of under parts white; edge of wing yellowiah-while. The young is of a more yellowish tinge above and below; the streaks on the back more conspicuous; the scapular feathers without the whitish edging. Length, five inches ; wing, two and thirty one-hundredths inches. Em the bill, and a narrow line through Hnd behind the eye to the occiput, black ; a longitudinal patch in the middle of the orown, and a short line from above the anterior comer of the eye, the two confluent on the occiput, white; sides of the head, fora part of breaat, and lower neck all "ound, pale-ash, lightest beneat;h and shading insensibly into the whitisli of the belly and chin; sides of belly and under tail coverts tinged with yellowish-brown; inter- scapular region streakeu broadly with dark chestnut-brownish ; edges of the tertiariei brownish-chestnut; two white bands on the wing. f« v m M 810 OHNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Female similar, but smaller-, immatiire male with the black of the head replaced by dark chestnut-brown, the white tmged with brownish-yellow. The white of the crown separates two black lines on either sides, rather narrower than itself; the black line behind the eye is continued anterior to it into the black •t the base of the bill; the lower eyelid is white; there are some obscure cloudings of darker on the neck above; the rump is immaculate; no white on the tail, except very obscure tips; the white crosses the ends of the middle and greater coverU. Length, seven and ten one-hundredths inches; wing, three and twenty-flve one- hundredths. This beautiful bird is a rare spring and autumn visitor in Now England. It arrives about the first week in May, sometimes as late as tlio 20th of that month, and returns from the North about the 10th of October. While with us, it has all the habits of the succeeding species, with which it usually associates. The following description of its breeding habits, nest, and eggs, is given by Audubon : — " One day, while near American Harbor, in Labrador, I observed a pair of these birds resorting to a small 'hummock' of firs, where I concluded they must have had a nest After searching in vain, I intimated my suspicion to my young friends, when we all crept through the tangled branches, and examined the place without suc- cess. . . . Our disappointment was the greater, that we saw the male bird frequently flying about with food in his bill, no doubt intended for his mate. In a short while, the pair came near us, and both were shot. In the female we found an egg, which was pure-white, but with the shell yet soft and thin. On the 6th of July, while my son was creeping among some low bushes to get a shot at some Red-throated Divers, he accidentally started a female from her nest It made much complaint. The nest was placed in the moss, near the foot of a low fir, and was formed externally of beautiful dry green moss, matted in bunches, like the coarse hair of some quadruped; internally of very fine dry grass, arranged with great neatness to the thickness of nearly half an inch, with a full lining of delicate fibrous roots of a rich transparent yellow. It was five inches in diameter externally, two in depth ; two and a quarter in diamet«r within, although rather oblong, and one and three-quarters deep. In one nest, we found a single feather of the WUbw Grouie. The eggb, five in number, average seven-eighths '^i^^^iefi^iS^^^ i".' «i. w ± •^mmrffff^ THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 811 id replaced or narrower to the black '6 cloudings tail, except ;o.vert8. ty-flve one- n visitor in May, I returns lile with les, with nest, and of an inch in length, are proportionally broad, of a light sea-green color, mottled toward the largor end with brownish spots and blotches ; a few sjjots of a lighter tint being dispersed over the y\ 'lolt .... We found many nests, which were all placed on the ground or among the moss, and were all constructed alike. This species deposit their eggs from the beginning to the end of Juno. In the beginning of August, I saw many young that were able to fly ; and, by the twelfth of that month, the birds had already com- menced their southward migration. The young follow their parents until ne. rly full grown. " The food of this species, while in Labrador, consists of small coleopterous insects, grass seeds, and a variety of berries, as well as some minute shell-fish, for which they frequently search the mar- gins of ponds or the seashore. At the approach of autumn, they pursue insects on the wing to a short distance, and doubtless secure some in that manner." [ observed Srs, where in vain, I > all crept ithout suc- e saw the , no doubt e near us, which was the 6th of es to get a id a female I placed in ternally of coarsa hair , arranged nch, with a jnt yellow. two and a id one and ither of the ven-eighths The song of the White-crowned Sparrow consists of six or seven notes, the first of which is loud, clear, and musi- cal, although of a plaintive nature ; the next broader, less firm, and seeming merely a second to the first; the rest form a cadence, diminisliing in power to the last note, which sounds as if the final effort of the musician. These notes are repeated at short intervals during the whole day, — even on those dismal days produced by the thick fogs of the country where it breeds, and where this species is, of all, the most abundant. ZONOTBICHIA ALBlCOtUS. — Bonaparte. The White-throated Sparrow ; Peabody Bird. Fringilla aOicoUu, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788). 826. Wils. Am. Om., III. (1811) 61. Zorwtrichia aOncollit, Bonap. Consp. (1860), 478. FrinyiUa Pennsylvanica, Audubon. Om. Biog., I. (1831) 42; V. 49T. > Descbiption. Two black stripes on the crown separated by a median one of white ; a broad superciliary stripe from the base of the mandible to the occiput, yellow as far as the middle of the eye and white behind this ; a broad black streak on the side of the r ji*i 812 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOQT. head from bcl-lnd the eyo; chin white, abruptly defined agalnrt the dark-aah of the sides of the htad and upper part of the breast, fading into white on ihe belly, and margined by a narrow bW* maxillary line; edge of wing and nx.llaries yellow} back and cdg.-H ..f secondaries rufoua-brown, ihe former streaked with dark-brown) two nar-ow wliiti' bands across the wing coTerta. FenifJe smaller, and the colors rather diillor. Immat.iro and winter specimens have the white chin-patch less abruptly defined; the white markings on tli- top and sides of the head tiii«ed with brown. Some specimens, apparently mature, show quite distinct streaks on Uie breast, and sides of throat and body. Length, seven inches; wing, three and ten ono-hundredthsi tail, three and twenty one 4iundredth3 inchea. This beautiful Sparrow arrives in Massachusetts by the last week in April. It does not tarry long, but passes north, and breeds abundantly in the northern districts of New England. I have found the nests as early as the last week iu May ; but generally they aro not built before the 10th of June. They are placed under a low bush 01 i the ground, some- times in swamps and pastures, Rometimes in liigh woods and ledges. /*~i,Cr" U^l^'*^ ^ ^IH^ They are constructed of f i^-\ %s^^ ^ l^H^k. fjne grasses, twigs, and mosses, and lined with finer grasses, and sometimes a few hair-like roots. Some specimens that I have collected in Northern Maine were placed in a hollow in a mossy knoll, which was scratched by the birds to the depth of the whole nest. The eggs are usually four in number : their color is a grayish-white, and marked with spots and confluent blotches of brown and obscure lilac. A number of specimens, collected in ditfer- ent localities in Maine, exhibit the following variations in size: .92 by .64 inch, .92 by .GO inch, .90 by .62 inch, .86 by .62 inch. But one brood is reared in the season. This iWii ngmgi JUNCO. 818 lark-Mh of 1 liiB belly, ries yellow; lark -brown i ir 8pecimond 111.' top and ature, sbow and twenty ts by the it passes itricts of I have 1 as early : iu May ; tliey are the 10th hoy are low bush d, some- naps and itimes in ,d ledges, ructed of wigs, and iued with 8. Some line were scratched eggs are rhite, and rown and in ditfer- iations m 1 inch, .86 on. This bird 18 a groat fav.rito iu tho North, and justly so. It is ono of tho sweetest sonqjsters of the localities wlioro it is found ; and, havirg no bad precedents with tlio farmer, and being of a si^ciablo, lively disposithwi, it is no wonder that it mcuts with great favor. Tho song of this species is very beautiful. It is difficult of doHrription, but resembles nearly the syllables 'ch^a dee de; d^-d-d(.,-dS-d-de, de-d-de, dS-d-de, uttered at first loud and clear, and rapidly falling in tone and decreasing in volume. Tliis is ciianteil during tho morning and the latter part of tho day, and, in cloudy " oather, throu;-v.aAga,->^pyff^^||^-^ 814 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. llightly cmarglnato and rounded ; feathers rather narrow, oval at the end ; ho ntreakl on the licad or body ; color atxivo unilbrin on the heod, back, or rump, »cpttratcly or on all together i belly white; outer tail feathem white. The ea«ential charactem of thia ifenxu are, Uio m' ''I! • toe rather ihorter than the ■hort tureus; the lateral toes slightly unequal, the outer reaching the base of the niiiliUfl cliiw; the tail a little shorter than the win({«, slightly emarginate. In Junco cinereut ihe claws are longer; the lower mandible a little lower than th« upper; the species have the upper parts ashy or plumbeous, the belly and lateral tail feathen white. JDKOO HTEMAIilS. — £[cb ma i& c??- w., ^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques yMMMan THE SNOWBIRD. 816 middle of July ; therefore two broods are probably reared. The nests are constructed of fine grasses and leaves, and are placed sometimes in a slight hole scratched in a mossy knoll, sometimes in an old stump of a tree or in a txift of grass in a thicket of bushes. The eggs are usually four in number: they vary in color from nearly pure-white with reddish spots, to grayish-white with reddish-brown spots, and bluish-white with a roseate tint and spots of umber, reddish- brown, and lilac. Dimensions vary from .76 by .60 inch to .70 by .56 inch. The description by Wilson of the habits of this species is so full and accurate that I can do no better than give it here : — "This well-known species, small and insignificant as it may appear, is by far the most numerous, as well as the most extensively disseminated, of all the feathered tribes that visit us from the frozen regions of the North, — their migrations extending from the arctic circle, and probably beyond it, to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, spreading over the whole breadth of the United States, from the Atlantic Ocean to Louisiana ; how much farther westward, I am unable to say. About the 20th of October, they make their first appearance in those parts of Pennsylvania east of tha Alleghany Mountains. At first they are most generally seen on the borders of woods among the falling and decayed leaves, in loose flocks of thirty or forty together, always taking to the trees when disturbed. As the weather sets in colder, they approach nearer the farm-house and villages ; and, on the appearance of what is usually called fall- ing weather, assemble in larger flocks, and seem doubly diligent in searching for food. This increased activity is generally a sure prog- nostic of a storm. When deep snows cover the ground, thoy become almost half domesticated. They collect about the barn, stables, and other out-houses, spread over the yard, and even round the steps of the door, not only in the country and villages, but in the heart of our large cities ; crowding around the threshold early in tiie morning, gleaning up the crumbs ; appearing very lively and familiar. They have also recourse, at this severe season, when the face of the earth is shut up from them, to the seeds of many y i iw i t 316 ORNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. kinds of weeds that still rise above the snow in corners of fields, and low, sheltered situations, along the borders of creeks and fences, where they associate with several other species of Sparrows. They are, at this time, easily caught with almost any kind of trap ; are generally fat, and, it is said, are excellent eating. " I cannot but consider this bird as the most numerous of its tribe of any within the United States. From the northern parts of the District' of Maine to the Ogeechee River in Georgia, — a distance, by the circuitous route in which I travelled, of more than eighteen hundred miles, — I never passed a day, and scarcely a mile, without seeing numbers of these birds, and frequently large flocks of several thousands. Other travellers with whom I con- versed, who hud come from Lexington, in Kentucky, through Vir- ginia, also declared that they found these birds numerous along the whole road. It should be observed, that the roadsides are their favorite haunts, where many rank weeds that grow along the fences furnish them with food, and the road with gravel. In the vicinity of places where they were most numerous, I observed a Small Hawk, and several others of his tribe, watching their opportunity, or hovering cautiously around, making an occasional sweep among them, and retiring to the bare branches of an old cypress to feed on their victims. In the month of April, when the weather begins to be warm, they are observed to ■ otreat to the woods, and to prefer the shaded sides of hills and thickets ; at which time, the males warble out a few very low, sweet notes, and are almost perpetually pursuing and fighting with each other. About the 20th of April, they take their leave of our humble regions, and retire to the North and to the high ranges of the Alle- ghany to build their nests and rear their young. In some of those ranges, in the interior of Virginia, and northward, about the wa- ters of the west branch of the Susquehanna, they breed in great numbers. The nest is fixed in the ground, or among the grass ; sometimes several being within a small distance of each other. According to the observations of the gentlemen residing at Hudson- Bay Factory, they arrive there about the beginning of June, stay a week or two, and proceed farther north to breed. They return to that settlement in the autumn, on their way to the South. 1 Kow State. 4i THE TREE SPARROW. 317 "In some parts of New England, I found 'lie opinion pretty general, that the Snowbird, in summer, is trai tformed into the Small Chipping Sparrow, which we find so common in that season. I had convinced a gentleman of New York of his mistake in this matter, by taking him to the house of a Mr. Gautier there, who amuses himself by keeping a great number of native as well as foreign birds. This was in the month of July; and the Snow- bird appeared then in the same colored plumage he usually has. Several individuals of the Chipping Sparrow were also in the same apartment. The evidence was, therefore, irresistible; but, as I had not the same proofs to offer to the eye in New England, I had not the same success. " There must be something in the temperature of the blood or constitution of this bird, which unfits it for residing, during sum- mer, in the lower parts of the United States, as the country here ' abounds with a great variety of food, of which, during its stay, it appears to be remarkably fond. Or perhaps its habit of associating in such numbers to breed, and building its nest with so little pre- caution, may, to insure its safety, require a solitary region, far from the intruding footsteps of man." SPIZELLA, Bonaparte. Spizella, Bonaparte, Geog. and Comp. List (1838). (Type Fringitta Cancu'en- ti$, Lath.) Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved; the lower mandible decidedl3'' lower than the upper; the commissure gently sinuated; the rnof of the mouth not knobbed; feet slender; tarsus ratlier longer than the middle toe; the binder toe a little longer than the outer lateral, which slightly exceeds the inner; the outer claw reaching the base of the middle one, and half as long as its toe; claws moderately curved; tertiaries and secondaries nearly equal; wing somewhat pointed, reaching not quite to the middle of the tail ; first quill a little shorter than the second and equal to the fifth, third longest; tail rather long, moderately forked, and divaricated at the tip; the feathers rather narrow; back streaked; rump and beneath immacu- late ; hood generally uniform. The genus differs from Zottotrichia in the smaller size, and longer and forked instead of rounded tail. SPIZELLA UONTICOLA. — Baird. The Tree Sparrow. FringiUa monticola, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 912. FringiUa Canadentu, Audubon. Om. Biog., IL (1834) 611; V. 604. FringiUa arborea, Wilson. Am. Om., IL (1810) 13. i 818 ORNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. Descriptioh. Middle of back with the feathers dark-brown centrally, then rufoua, and edge The Field Sparrow. - FringiUa putitta, Wilson. Am. Orn., 11. (1810) 121; Aud. Orn. Biog , 11. (1884) Spizella ptuiUa, Bonaparte. List (1888). FringiUa juncorum, Nuttall. Man., I. (1832) 499. lb. (Sd ed., 1840), 677. Debcription. Bill red; crown continuous rufous-red; back somewhat similar, streaked with blackish; sides of head and neck (including a superciliary stripe) ashy; ear coverts rufous; beneath white, tinged with yellowish anteriorly; tail feathers and quills faintly edged with white; two white bands acroSs the wing coverts. Tliis species is about the size of 8. $ocialis, but is more rufous above; lacks the black forehead and eye-stripe; has chestnut ears instead of ash; has the bill red instead of black; locks the clear ash of the rump; has a longer tail, &c. It is more like MonticoUi, but is much smaller; lacks the spot on the breast and the predominance of white on the wings, &c. The young have the breast and sides streaked. Length, about five and seventy-five one hundredths inches ; wing, two and thirty- four one hundredths inches. Hab. — Eastern North America to the Missouri River. This bird makes its appearance about the first week in April, in Massachusetts, and soon scatters throughout New England. It prefers dry bushy pastures and low open woods, and is seldom found in the near vicinage of human habitations. The male sings during the season of incubation, and, indeed, through nearly all the summer : mounted on a low tree or fence-rail, he utters his pleasing yet plaintive ditty at early morning and evening, and, in dark and cloudy weather, through the whole day. The song is a peculiar warble, something like the syllables. He 'de 'de 'de 'de 'de 'de *d 'c? '(? dr, uttered at first low, and rapidly increasing, and then decreasing in tone to a faint chatter, something like the twitter of the Chipping Sparrow. About the middle of May, the first nest is built. It is con structed of stalks of dried grass and fine twigs, is loosely put together, and placed usually on the ground beneath a i I iiiiiiliHii* 820 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. I if bush, soniotimca in a bush : it is Ihied with fmo grass and horsolmirs. Tho eggs are usually four in number : they are of a grayish-white color, with thinly scattered spots and blotches of reddish-brown and lavender ; and their dinion- sionn vary from .72 by .52 to .70 by .50 inch. Two broods are reared in the season. Early ui September, these birds collect in loose flocks, when thoy have all the habits and notes of tho Tree Sj)ar- row. In October, they all leave New England for the South. SFIZELLA SOCIkLlS. — BonaparU. "f The Chipping Sparrow ; Hair-bird. - Fringilla tocialii, Wilson. Am. Cm., IL (IJ^IO) 127 ; Aud. Om. Biog., IL (1834) 21; V. 617. • Spinites sociaiis, Cabonis. Mus. Hein. (1851), 188. Description. Rump, back of neck, and sides of neck and head, ashy ; Interscapular region with black streaks, margined with f ale-rufous; crown continuous and uniform chestnut; forehead black, separated in the middle by white ; a white streak over the eye, and a black one from the base of the bill through and behind the eye ; under parta un- spotted whitish, tinged with ashy, especially across the upper breast; tail feathers and primaries edged with paler, not white; two narrow white bands across the wing coverts; bill black. Length, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wmg, nearly three inches. Hab. — North America, from Atlantic to Paciflc. This very common and well-known little species makes its appearance in Massachusetts sometimes as early as the 25th of March ,^ usually about the 5th of April, and spreads throughout New England. The habits are so well known that any description here is superfluous. About the fifteenth of May ,^ the nest is built. It is placed in an apple-tree in the orchard, or in a lilac-bush under the windows of a dwelling-house ; and I found nests in low juniper bushes in the deep woods in Maine. It is 1 I am indebted for the thne of the arrival of this and of many other birds to Mr. H. A. Purdie, of Boston, who has kindly fUrnished me with fiiU and copious notes and memoranda on the arrival of species, which are of value, having been con- ducted for several years. ••|'h»1ii'*ii"IMiM * THE BONO SPAHBOW. 821 constructed of fine twigs and roots and grasses, and is almost invariably lined with horsoliairs ; lienco its name, in some localities, of "Hair-bird," " Hair Sparrow." The eggs are usually five in number. Their color is a bluish-green ; and they are marked with spots and lines of black and obscure- brown, which are thickest at the groat end : some specimens have these spots confluent into a sort of ring. The dimen- sions vary from .74 by .50 to .70 by .48 inch. This species is the most often chosen by the parasitic Cow-l)ird as a parent for its young ; and many ornithologists account by this fact for its persistent familiarity with man. About the middle of October, the old and young birds gather into small flocks, and proceed leisurely ou the south- ern migration. MELOSPIZA, Baibd. Body stout i bill conical, very obsoletely notched or emooth, somewhat com- pressed; lower mandible not so deep as the upper; commissure nearly straight; gonys a little curved; feet stout, not stretching beyond the tail; tarsus a little longer than the middle toe; outer toe a little longer than the inner, its claw not quite reaching to the base of the middle one; hind toe appreciably longer than the middle one; wings quite short and rounded, scarcely reaching beyond the base of tlie tail; the tertials considerably longer than the secondaries; the quills considerably gradu- ated; the fourth longest; the first not longer than the tertials, and almost the short- est of the primaries; tail moderately long, and considerably graduated; the feather* oval at the tips; crown and back similar in color and streaked; beneath thickir streaked; tail immaculate. This genus diflers from Zonolrichia in shorter, more graduated tail, rather longer hind toe, much more rounded wing, which is shorter; the tertiaries longer; the first quill almost the shortest, and not longer than the tertials. The under parts aro spotted; the crcvni streaked and like the back. MELOSPIZA MEIODIA.— iJaiW. ydhe Song Sparrow.^ FringiUa melodia, Wilson. Am. Om., H. (1810) 125 ; Aud. Om. BioK., I. (1882) 128; V. 607. Dkscbittioh. General tint of upper p..ft8 rufous-brown, streaked with dark-brown and ashy- gray; the crown is rufous, with a superciliary and median stripe of dull-gray, the former lighter; nearly white anteriorly, where it has a fiiint shade of yellow; each feather of the crown with a narrow streak of 'dark-brown; interscapulars dark- brown in the centre, then rufous, then grayish on the margin; rump grayer than 21 »W»WW?aaaa»BBSaM=5(ag5i5gi/.;«c!^.ji I 822 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. M M Ml upper fall covtrti, both with obsolete dark itrcaki; there Ig a whitish maxillarr •tripe, bordered above and below by one of dark rufous-brown, with a similar ona from behind the eye; the under parts are whites the breast and sides of body and throat streaked with dark-rufous, with a still darker central line; on the middle of the breast, these marks are ratJier aggregated so as to form a spot; no distinct wliita on tail or winga. Specimens vary somewhat in having the streaks across the breast more or less sparse; the spot more or less distinct. In autumn, the colors are more blended, the light maxillnry stripe tinged with yellowish, the edges of the dusky streaks sutTused with brownish-rufous. The young bird has the upper parts paler, the streaks more distinct, the lines on the head scarcely appreciable. The under parts are yellowish ; the streaks narrower and more sharply defined dark-brown. LengUi of male, six and fifty one-hundrodths inches j wing, two and fifty-eight one-hundrcdths; tail, three inches. ffab. —Eastern United States to the high central plains. This beautiful songster is one of the most common and well-known of our summer visitors. It arrives from about the first week in March to tlie middle of that mouth. On its first appearance, it prefers the low thickets and bushy woods, where, at all hours of the day, it chants its beautiful song. It is somewhat gregarious at this time, and is usually found in flocks of half a dozen individuals. It soon commences mating ; and, after a short season of courtship, both birds begin building their first nest. This is about the middle of April, sometimes earlier ; and I have found the nest with eggs when there was an inch or two of snow on the ground. The nest is usually built on the ground, some- times in a low bush, and occasionally in low trees : it is constructed of stalks and leaves, of grasses and weeds, and is lined with softer grasses and fine weeds. The eggs are four or five in number, and they are subject to great varia- tions in form and markings : they exhibit all the changes from grayish to bluish-white, with spots, thinly scattered, of reddish-brown, to confluent blotches of umber-brown, thickest at the greater end. Their dimensions vary from .94 by .64 to .78 by .62 inch. Pour eggs in one nest measure .94 by .64, .84 by .66, .80 by .58, .78 by .62. inch. Two broods, and sometimes three, are reared in the season. f f ( J. aaa THE SWAMP RPAUnOW. I 828 Thoro has boon considorablo discussion among omitliolo- gistg regarding this bird ; and many are of tlio boliof, that, from its irregular habits, there are two species found in Now England. I have examined with groat caro many Bpecimens, and have attentively obHorvod tlioir habits, and think that it yet remains to be proved that wo have more than one species. Late in Octobot , tliis species assembles in small detached flocks, and leaves New England for its souihorn home. t MELOSPIZA PALITSTBIS. -^aird X The Swamp Sparrow.-* (188^) m?rS^*' '^"'°''' ^'^' °'"' "^- ^""' "• '^"''- °"'- ^'"K- ^ FringiUa (Ammodromm) Gtorgiana, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 688. Dkschiption. Middle of the crown uniform cliestnut) forehead black; iuperclliary ttretk iides of heaatn«on. /The Bose-breasted Grosbeak. — Lnxia Ludoviciana, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., L (1766) 806. Wils. Am. Om., XL (1810) 135. Guiraea Ludovictatia, Swainson. FringiUa Ludoviciana, Audubon. Phil. Mag., L (1827) 4I»8. Om. Biog., XL (1834) 166; V. 618. Description. Upper parts generally, with head and neck all round, glossy black; a broau crescent across the upper part of the breast, extending narrowly down to the belly, axillaries, and under wing coverts, carmine ; rest of under parts, rump, and upper tail coverts, middle wing coverts, spots on the tertiaries and inner great wing coverta, . iilM mely rare apparently or three isible that d, usually ath a tuft d of grass ler lining, dal shape, r from .82 a delicate habits of elation to a eandea, L.) rather sharp the posterior itj lower jaw width gi eater a prominent e outer toe a nd toe rather the seconda- in the fourth; m. Om., II. ck; a broau to the belly, nd upper tail ring coverts, ijftinfiiin'wiri. Uo8K-BKKAsri:i> lliJosBKAK, Gitiriicn Inrforiritiim. Swuinson iWfWWatL—U ' Miwtia. • THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 829 basal half of primaries and secondaries, and a large patch on the ends of the inner vrcbs of the outer three tail feathers, pure-white. Female, without the white of quills, tail, and rump, and without any black or red; above yellowish-brown streaked with darker; head with a central stripe above, and a superciliary on each side, white; beneath dirty-white, streaked with brown on the breast and sides; under wing coverts and axillaries satfron-yellow. In the male, the block feathers of the back and sides of the neck have a subter- minal white bar: there are a few black spots on the sides of the breast just below the red. The young male of the year is like the female, except in having the axillaries, under wing coverts, and a trace of a patch on the breast, light rose-red. The tint of carmine on the under part* varies a good deal in different specimens. Length, eight and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, four and fifteen one-hun- dredths inches. //a4.— Eastern United States to the Missouri plains, south to Guatemala. This beautiful bird is a not very common summer inhabi- tant of New England. It seems to be pretty generally dis- tributed, but is in no locality plenty. It arrives about the first week in May in the southern districts of these States, and a fortnight later in the northern sections. It prefers the neighborhood of a swamp, and is most often found in low growths of birches and alders. The nest is placed in low shrubs and trees, often in the barberry-bush and alder, usually in the deep woods, sometimes in a pasture. It is loosely constructed of twigs and roots, and lined with grass and hair-like roots, and sometimes a few leaves. The eggs are usually four in number, more often less than more. Their ground-color is a greenish-blue : this is irregu- larly covered with fine spots and dashes of umber-brown, thickest at the greater end of the egg. Dimensions vary from 1 by .74 to .90 by .70 inch. One brood only is reared in the season in New England. I am aware that this description differs from those which have been written of the nest and eggs of this bird ; ^ but it is coi-rect. I have had a number of the eggs, and have seen several of the nests : these were invariably of the above description, and differed in no essential particular, though from various localities. 1 According to Bonaparte, its nest is concealed amidst the thick foliage of the ihady forest; externally, it is composed of twigs, and lined with slender grass; and the eggs are four or five, white, spotted with brown. — Nuttaix. SSfrntUUHtiiiim ^^Mli 880 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Tho habits of this bird are pretty well known. It is a very fine songster, and is hardly excelled by any of our other species ; its notes being uttered, not only through tho day, but also during the night, as I have hoard on several occasions. The song is difficult of description : it is a sweet warble, with various emphatic passages, and some- times a plaintive strain, exceedingly tender and affecting. The Grosbeak feeds upon the seeds of the birches and alders, which it obtains very expertly. It also is very fond of various berries and buds, and it occasionallj searches among the fallen leaves for insects and worms. After tho young birds have become capable of providing for themselves, the whole family sometimes visit the orchards and gardens, where they eat a, few berries and currants. By the middle of September, they proceed leisurely on their southern migration. CYANOSPIZA, Baird. Patierina, Vieiixot, Analyse (1816V Not of Linneeiu; used in Botany. Cyanoipiza, TiAiKV. (Type Tanagra cyanea, L.) Bill deep at the base, compressed ; the upper outline considerably curved ; tha commissure rather concave, with an obtuse, shallow lobe in the ntiddla; gonys •lightly curved ; feet moderate; tarsus about equal to middle toe; the outer lateral toe barely longer than the inner, its claw falling short of the base of the middle ; hind toe about equal to the middle without claw; claws all much curved, acute; wings long and pointed, reaching nearly to the middle of the tail ; the second and third quills longest; tail appreciably shorter than the wings, rather narrow, very cearly even. The species of this genus are all of very small size and of showy plumage, usually blue, red, or green, in well-defined areas. CTAHOSPIZA CYASZA.— Baird. y- Th« Indigo-bird. - Tanagra cyanea, Linnseus. Syst. Nat., L (1766) 816. Fringitta cyanea. WUs., L (1810) 100; Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1883) 877; T. 603. Descriptiom. Male. — Blue, tinged with ultramarine on the head, throat, and middle of breast ; elsewhere with verdigris-green ; lores and anterior angle of chin velvet-black; wing feathers brown, edged externally with dull bluish-brown. ^F. I \ \ THE INDIOO-UIRD. 881 F*nud«. — Brown above; irhitiRh, obscurely ntreaked or blotched with brownish- yellow beneath; iminuturo males similar, variously blotched with blue. Length, about five and seventy-tlve one-hundrodtha inches; wing, nearly three inches. , Hab. — Eastern United States to the Missouri, south to Guatemala. This beautiful apocios is pretty generally distributed throughout Now England as a summer visitor, and is ratlior common in thickly settled districts, it arrives from the Houth about the 10th of May, and soon mates and selects its home for the ensuing summer. Says Nuttall, — " Though naturally shy, active, and suspicious, they still, at this interesting period of procreation, resort chiefly to the precincts of habitations, around which they are far more common than in* the solitary woods, seeking their borders, or the thickets by the sides of the road ; but their favorite 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 length of time. Nor is this song confined to the cool and animating dawn of morning; but it is renewed and still more vigorous during the noonday heat of sum- mer. This lively strain seems composed of a repetition of short notes, commencing loud and rapid, and then, slowly falling, they descend almost to a whisper, 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 tshe — tshe tshee tshee — tshe tshe tshe. The middle syllables are uttered lispingly in a very peculiar manner, and the three last gradually fall: sometimes it is varied and shortened into tshea tshea tshea tshreh, the last sound being sometimes doubled. This shorter song is usually uttered at the time that the female is engaged 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." The Indigo-bird commences building about the last of May. The nest is usually placed in low br.shes, often bramble and brier biishes, usually near houses and gar- dens : it is constructed of coarse sedge grass, some withered : : 1 JM— f t \ 882 ORIHTHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. loaves, and lined with fine stalks of the same and the slon- dor hair-liico tops of the bent grass (agro»ti»), with a very few cow-hairs, though somotimos they make a substantial lining of hair. The eggs are four or five in number ; and their color is a nearly pure white, somotimos with a bluish tint. In a large number in my collection from L. E. Rick- Bocker, of Pennsylvania, a few have scattered blotches of reddish-brown. Their size varies from .80 by .GO to .70 by .52 inch. But one brood is reared in the season in New England. About the middle of September, the whole family loaves New England, and winters in tropical America. PIPILO, ViKILLOT. Pipilo, VlEiLLOT, Analyse (1816) Agaagiz. (Typo Fringilta erythrophthalma, Linn.) Bill rather «tout; the culmen gently curved, the Ronys nearly straight; the com- missure gently concave with a decided notch near the end ; the lower jaw not so deep as the upper, not as wide as the gonys is long, but wider than the base of the upper mandible! feet large, the tarsus as long or a little longer than the middle toe; the outer lateral toe a little the longer, and reaching a little beyond the base of the middle claw; the hind claw about equal to its too; the two together about equal to the outer toe; claws all stout, compressed, and moderately curved; wings reaching about to the end of the upper tail coverts; short and rounded, though the primaries are considerably longer than the nearly equal secondaries and tcrtials; the outer four quills are graduated ; the first considerably shorter than the second, and about as long as the secondaries; tail considerably longer than the wings; moderatelr oraduated externally; the feathers rather broa^ most rounded off on the inner webs at the end. The colors vary; the upper parts are generally uniform black or brown; the under white or brown; no central streaks on the feathers. The hood sometime* differently colored. The essential characters of the genus are in the curved culmen and commissure ; the strong feit; the outer toe rather longer than the inner; the wings rounded, but the primaries decidedly longer than the others; the outer four quills considerably graduated, but the first usually not shorter than the socondaries. The graduated tail longer than the wings. '; PIPILO ERTTHEOPHTHALMTJS.— meillot. >'-Tbe Groiud Bobin; Tovhee; Chewink. - Fringilh erytiniphthalma, Linnieua. Syst. Nat., I. (1T66) 318 ; Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1832) 161 ; V. 611. ^!Pi tAis?'^T(:;a.T:;^Fr^^s=i.»r'^:B3!55S— ?■ J^j^ftSia4i^»j.»ijj ! ~'.lW*^ ' ■i' ' *>■"» ' ■" THE OROUND ROBIN. 888 EiiibtrUa tnjlhrophthnlma, Gmolin. Syst. Nat, I. (1768; 874; Wilt. Am. Om., VI. (1612)80. PipUto eiythrophthalmut, Vieillot. Qal. Oia., I. (1824) 100. DEBcnimoN. Upper partd generally, head and neck all round, and npper part of the brcant, glosRy black, abruptly defined against the pure white which extends t* the anus, but is bounded on the Hides and under the wings by light-chestnut ; under coverts similar to sides, but paler; edges of outer six primaries with white at the base and on the middle of the outer web; inner two tcrtiurics also edged externally with white; tail feathers block; outer web of the flrst, with the ends of the first to the third white, decreasing from the exterior one. Female with the black rcplaccil by brown ; iris red. Length, eight and seventy-five one-hundredths Inches; wing, throe and seventy- five one-huudredths; tail, four and ten one-hundredths inches. This beautiful and well-known species, although common in Massachusetts and the other southern New-England States, is rare in the three northern. It begins to grow scarce in the northern districts of Massachusetts ; and, before we have passed fifty miles beyond its northern limits, it is very rarely seen. It makes its appearance about the 20th of April, the males preceding the females by a week or ten days. As soon aa the females arrive, the pairing season commences. The male, perched on a low limb of a tree or high bush, chants his pleasing song, sometimes for half an hour at a time: this song resembles the syllables, fow-hSe 'che 'ie 'c?e 'rfe 'de, uttered at first slowly and plaintively, and quickly increased in volume and rapidity of utterance. He has also a sort of quavering warble difficult of description. If he is approached, he watches the intruder, and, after ascertaining his business, utters his note tow-hie, and pro- ceeds his search among the fallen leaves for his favorite food of worms, insects, and seeds, which he is almost continually scratching for among the dead vegetation. About the second week in May, the birds commence build- ing. The locality usually chosen is in low, thick woods, or in thickets of briers and bushes near streams of water, in which places this species is most often found. The nest is placed on the ground, usually beneath a bunch of grass, i Mi#^9inwM i 884 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOQY. or in a pile of old brugh and fagots : it is constructed of fine twigH, loavoB, und grassos, and is lined with fine leaves of grasHOH, and soinetinios a few hair-liko roots. The eggs are usually four in number. Thoir ground color varies from grayish to reddish-wiiito: this is covered, over the entire surface, with fine dots and jwints of reddish- brown: in some specimenB tiioso dots run into each other, and from small blotouos. The iverago dimensions of a groat number of spuj.raens in my collection is about .94 by •76 inch. Whon placed n a tray beside an equal number of the eggs of iue Brown Thrush, the eggs of this species appear muca pulor, and with a more roseate tint; otherwise, except with regard to size, the two species resemble each other much. In New England, but one brood is usually roared in the season. I have found nests with young in June and August, but generally the first brood leaves the nest too lata for another to be brought out before the early frosts. About the middle of October, the old birds and their young, in small detached flocks, leave Now England on their southern migration. i r 'C ; i ,1 1 i t}i ii im<0 M00&m!i0iHiiiMimmtM* '**?>'SSS(Bir*' - :i I Btcd of I leaves d color d, over oddiHh- othor, 8 of a .94 by lumber Bpocios orwise, e each in the le and too lato i their ind on ). ^) \ Tn« BonoLiNK. 886 Family TCTERIDJE. Prim.rle, nln.j UrsI 3cu(ell«(« .nterinrlyi pI»Jed behind, bill lon(r, Kencrally i«iual to 11.6 lu.ad or lonRcr, Mraight or K-iMly curvd, conical, without any notch, the comn.iMur« bonding .l,.wnwH„l, at an oblu^o anRle at tb« baw; gony. m-neraily nioro than half tho cuhncn ; ba„,l j..,„t of the middle |.,o free on th« inner .id^ united half-way on tho outer) Uil rather long, rounded; Icgi •tout Sub-Family Aoelakin*. — The Stnrlinff$. Bill .tout conlcdl, and acutely pointed, not lonRer than tho he^; the outlinei nearly MraiKht, tho tip not decurv^d; 1,.,, adapted for walking, longer than th« head) claw, not much curved; tail moderate, shorter than Uio wingi; nearly even DOLIC II >NVX, SwAwgoK. Dolichonyc, Swainso*, Zool. Jour., III. (1827) 861. (Typo EmbtrUa oryt.V« J""*^" •?«<-•'« » black, varied with whiUih patcbe. on the upper parts. DOHOHOHTX OBTZIVOEirS. - SirniVwon. / The Bobolink; Beed-bird; Sice-bird. - (wi^Ms'^ "^■•^^o. Llnn«u.. Sy.t. Nat, I. (1766) 811. Wlhi. Am. On.., n. DMchonyx orytivora, Swainson. Zool. Jour., III. (1837) 361. /c<«nM enni., Bonaparte. Obs. Wils. (1824), No. 87. Aud. Om. Bioir I (1881) 283; V. (1880) 486. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 188. *«<>• Um. Biog., I. DEscniPTiou. General color of male in spring black; the nape brownish-cream color; a patch on the s.de o(^ the breast, the scapulars and rump white, shading into light ash on the upper fad cover, and the back below the interscapular region; the outer prima- ries sharply margined with yellowish-white, the tertials less abruptiv; the tail feather, margined at the Up, with pale brownish-ash. In autumn similar to thi lenuue* ^ppB-"i..<«il.i1liri ii> i,^,w Miwiiiyy^ing,four and forty-two one-hundredths inches; tail, three and forty one-hundredths inches. Hab. — United States from the Atlantic to Califonua; not found immediately on the coast of the Pacific. . J ■«***^w ^ 840 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Tills common and well-known bird is abundantly dis- tributed througbout Now England as a summer visi- tor. It makes its first appearance about tbo middle of March in Massachusetts, and, instead of mating and sep- arating into pairs, remains in small flocks through tbo summer. At all times, the males and females congregate together and visit the fields and pastures, (where they destroy num- bers of insects, principally Orthoptera), and are usually in greatest numbers where droves of cattle are assembled. The male, in spring and early summer, has a guttural song, which he utters from a tall tree, sometimes an hour at a time. This song resembles the syllables 'cluk 'seee. When he emits this note, ho bristles out the feathers of his neck, and spreads his tail, and seems to swell out his body with the effort to produce an agreeable tone. When the desire for laying is awakened in the female, instead of building a nest of her own, she seeks the tene- ment of some other bird, usually a smaller species than herself; and, watching an opportunity when the other bird has left it, she drops an egg in it, and leaves it to the tender mercies of the owner of the nest. The birds most often chosen for this purpose are the Vireos, Warblers, and Spar rows : sometimes the Small Thrushes are thus imposed upon, and rarely the Wrens. Some birds build over the stranger egg a new nest. I have in my collection a nest of the Yellow Warbler thus doubled, and another of the Goldfinch. Sometimes the nest is abandoned, particularly if the owner lias no eggs of her own ; but usually the intruding egg is hatched, and the yoang bird attended with all the care given to the legitimate young. The eggs of this species are of a grayish-white, with fine spots of brown over the entire surface. Their dimensions vary from .96 by .70 to .80 by .62 inch: some specimens are marked with very minute reddish dots, which we scattered over the entire surface; others have bold ■ I III tj -■.--;i,,-.^.i.-j,a^. mtly dis- ner visi- liddlo of and seph ough tho > together ;roy num- isually in ssemblcd. iiral song, liour at a f. When his neck, body with 10 female, } the tene- icies tlian other bird the tender nost often and Spar }sed upon, y^ nest. I rbler thus times the 10 eggs of d, and the legitimate jrish-white, 5e. Their iich: some lots, which have bold Uei>-win(jku Blackuibd, Ayelaius phoeniceus. Vitillot. I pflii. irmv mH'm-L'-Msai- ■ ' THE SWAMP BLACKBIRD. 841 dashes and confluent blotches of brown, thickest at the greater end.* liy the loflt week in October, the young and old birds assemble in large flocks, and leave for the South. AQELAirs, ViKiLi-or. AgtUiiui, ViBiux)T, " Analyne, 1816." (Tj-p* OrMiu Phaniceut, L.) Firat quill (liorter than aeconil; claws ihort; the outer lateral ncarcoly rcirhinf; the baae of the middle; culiiien deproMed at baae, purtini; the fVontal feathers; length equal to that of the head, shorter tlian tarauii; both mandibleii of equal thick- ncM and acute at tip, the edgc» much curved, the cuhncn, gonys, and corimiuuri nearly straight or ilightly linuated; the length of bill about twice ita height; tail moderately rounded, or very ulightly graduated; wings pointed, reaching to end of lower tail coverta; colonj black, with red ahoulden in North-American apecius. The nottril* aro Mimll, ublung, overhung by a membranous acalo; the bill ia higher than broad at tlio baae; there is no diviaion between tJie anterior tartal icutells and the single plate on the outside of the tarsua. AOELAinS PRCENICEUS.- V(6i7&>(. X Tba Swamp Blaokblrd ; Bed-win; BUekbird. - Oriolut Phaeniceut, Linnicua. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 161. Agetaiui Phaniceut, Vieillot Anal. (1816). Icterut Phaniceut, Audubon. Om. Bicg., I. (1831) 348; V. (1889) 48T. Icterut {Xanlhomut Phmnictut), Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 63. Nutt. Han., L (1882) 167. Stumut pradaloriut, Wilson. Am. Om., IV. (1811) 80. DESCUUTfON. Tail much rounded; the lateral feathnm almut half an inch shorter; fourth quill longest; first about as long as the flftli ; hill large, itout; half as high, or more than half as high as long. Mate. — General color uniform lustroiu velvet-black, with a greenish reflection; shoulders and lesser wing coverts of a bright -crimson or vermilion-red; middle coverts brownish-yellow, and usually paler intarda the tips. 1 By an amusing yet incomprehensible mistake of the printer, the subjoined description of eggs, &c., was annexed to this species, in an article published ii the " Report of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1864," p. 426. It belongs to the Chewink or Ground Kobin, page 425 of that volume: "Their form varies firom elongated oral to nearly spherical. The dimensions of a nest complement of four eggs, collected in Qaincy, Mass., are 1 by .74 inch, .96 by .72 inch, .90 by .70 inch, 90 by .68 inch: other rpecimen» do not vary materially from these measurements. 3ut one brood ia usually- reared in the season. This bird, although subsisting prin- cipally on various seeds and small fruits, destroys great numbers of insects, particu- larly in the breeding sea»on: in fact, its young are fed entirely on insecta and their lawr«, and the weU-kao\rn wire-worma.*' i IJMHJIIIIiWmU I 842 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. ! Jf«rw7e.— Brown above, the feuthere edged or gtreatsd -jritli rufons-brown and yellowish; beneath white, streaked with brown; forepart of throat, superciliary, and median stripe strongly tinged with brownish-yellow. The female differs greatly in appearance; the prevailing color above is brownish- black, all the feathers margined with reddish-brown; some of those on the back with brownish-yellow, which, on the median and greater wing coverts, forms two bands; the under parts are dull-whitish, each feather broadly streaked centrally with dark-brown; the chin and throat yellowish, and but little streaked; there is a dis- tinct whitish superciliary streak alongside the head, tinged anteriorly with browtish- yellow, and another less distinct in the median line of the crown; there is usually BO indication of any red on the wing; the immature males exhibit every possible condition of coloration between that of the old male and of the female. Length of male, nine and fifty one-hundredtha inches; wing, five inches; tail, four and fifteen one-hundredths inches. This common and well-known species makes its appear- ance about the middle of March. It arrives in small flocks, the males preceding the females a week or ten days. On its arrival, it frequents tlie meadows and swamps, where, from early dawn to twilight, its song of quonk a rie is heard, sometimes uttered by a half-dozen birds at a time. As soon as the females arrive, the birds mate, and disperse through these States, but not so abundantly in the northern as in the southern districts. It commences building about the first week in May. The nest is usually placed in a tussock of grass or low bush in a meadow and swamp : it is constructed of coarse grasses, which are woven and intwJned into a strong fabric, into which are incorporated the grass to which it is suspended, or the twigs of the bush in which it is built. It is deeply hollowed, and lined with fine grasses, and sometimes a few hair-like roots. The eggs are four or five in number ; and they vary, in color, two or three shades of light-blue : they are marked with spots and streaks of vandyke-brown and black, generally distributed thickest at the greater end. Their dimensions vary from 1.05 by .75 inch to .90 by .66 inch. Average size about .97 by .70 inch. Sometimes several pairs breed in the same swamp or meadow: they always fly to meet an intruder in their haunts, and hover over him, uttering their cries of anger 1 r ■P! >i - "W ^niMii ww^ w rt'^ * * -■* ■ ;'> THE MEADO..-LABK. 343 and complaint; and, as the alarm passes along the country, sometimes as many as a dozen or twenty birds are hovering over him, scolding vociferously. Two broods are usually reared in the season : as soon as the last brood leaves the nest, the whole family joins with its neighbors into a flock of sometimes a hundred or hun- dred and fifty or more. They then visit the grain-fields, and inflict considerable damage by eating and destroying the grain. In many localities, they are so numerous at this season, that they are a serious nuisance ; and the farmers destroy great numbers of them with poison and with the gun. Localities in the neighborhood of the seaboard are thus afflicted more than others; and I have seen flocks of these birds in Plymouth County, Mass., containing as many as a thousand individuals. About the last of October, they depart on their southern migration. STURNELLA, Viwllot StvmeUa, Vreii.iiOT, Anal^'se (1816). (Type Alauda magna, L.) Pody thick, stout; legs largi, toes reaching heyond the Uil; tail ahort, even, vith narrow acuminate feathers; bill slender, elongated; length about three timw the height; commissure straight from the basal angle; culmen flattened basally, extending backwards, and parting the frontal feathers; longer than the head, but shorter than tarsus; nostrils linear, covered by an incurabfnt membranous scale; inner lateral toe longer than th- outer, but not reaching to basal joint of middle; hind toe a little shorter than the middle, which is equal to the tarsus; hind claw nearly twice as long as the middle; feathers of head stiffened and bristly; the shafts of those above extended into a black seta; tertiaries nearly equal to the primaries; feathers above all transversely banded; beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent. STUBKELLA HAGNA. — Stoatruon. /.The Meadow-lapk; Old Pleld-lark.- AUruda magna, Linneus. Sj-st Nat, I. (1T68) 167, 10th ed. (based on Alauito wigna, Catesby, tab. 83).^ WiU. Am. Om., III. (1811) 20. StumtUa magna, Swainson. Phil. Mag., I. (1827) 486. Stnmm Ludwdamu, Audubon. Om. Biog., II. (1884) 216; V. (1889) 481 StumMi Ludoviciana, KutUU. Man., I. (1832) 147. ♦ , mmwriiin - 844 ORNITHOLOGY AJJD OOLOGY. yi DascBimoN. The feathers above dark-brown, margined with brownish-white, and with a ter- minal blotch of pale reddish-brown; exposed portions of wings and tail with trans- verse dark-brown bars, which on the middle tail feathers are confluent along the ■haft; beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent, the yellow not extending on the side of the maxilla; sides, crissum, and tibia, pale reddish-brown, streaked with blackish; a light median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow anterior to the eye; a black line behind. Length, ten and sixty one-hundredths inches; wing, five; tail, three and seventy one-hundredths inches; bill above, one and thirty-five one-hundredths inches. Tliis beautiful and well-known bird is a common summer inhabitant of tlie three southern New-England States, but is more rare in the others. If a mild winter, it remains through the year ; but generally leaves for the South late in the fall, and returns about the "second or third week in March." It commences building about the second week in May, sometimes earlier : the locality is generally in a meadow or low field. The nest is usually built in a tussock of grass : it " is pretty compact, made of dry, wiry grass, to which a hidden and almost winding path is made, and generally so well concealed that the nest is only to be found when the bird is flushed." — Nottall. A number of nests that I have examined agree with this description: all were beneath bunches of grass ; and, though !^ ■>.'' 1»-- K- THE MBADOW-LABK. 845 with a ter- with trans- t along the ctending on reaked with erior to the and seventy nches. summer 38, but 18 1 through ite in the week in lond week rally in a a tussock ciry grass, made, and be fcund e with this ad, though % some were only partly covered, still there was a decided roof to all. The eggs are usually four in number: their color is generally nearly pure-white, sometimes reddish- white, with fine spots of reddish-brown diffused over the entire surface of some specimens ; on others, thinly scat- tered spots, blotches of two or three shades of brown and lilac. Their dimensions vary from 1.10 by .85 to 1 by .78 inch. Their form is usually a rounded oval. A rather peculiar specimen, kindly presented me by Mr. J. P. Norris, of Philadelphia, is nearly spherical in form, rosy-white in color, with exceedingly minute dots of reddish. Size, 1.05 by .90 inch. Nuttall says of the food of this species, — « Their food consists of the larvae of various insects, as well as worms, beetles, and grass seeds, to assist the digestion of which they swallow a considerable portion of gravel. It does not appear that this species ever adds berries or fruiU 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." But one brood is reared in the season. In the autumn, the Larks collect in small flocks of ten or a dozen, which visit the marshes and stubble-fields in their neighborhood. Their note at this season, as in other periods of the year, is nothing but a shrill, prolonged, plaintive whistle. Usually one bird of a flock is perched on a tree or fence-post as a sentinel; and, the moment a gunner approaches, the bird gives his alarm, and the flock is on the qui Vive. They are so shy that it is extremely difficult to approach them; and, when shot at, they are secured only by guns of long range. Their flight is a peculiar novering one, — the wings moving in short, almost impercoptible, vibrations. > ^mHmsmtm 846 OHNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. Sub-Family Iotebikjb. — The OrioUt. Bin slender, elongated, m long as the head, generally a little decurved, and rerf acute; tanii not longer tiian the middle toe, nor than the head; claws short, much curved; outer lateral toe a little longer than the inner, reaching a little beyond base of middle toe; feet adapted for perching; UU rounded or graduated; prevailing colors yellovr or orange, and bhtck. lOTEBUS SPUBIUS.— BwMiporte. The Orchard Oriole. OrvUm ^wriui, Linnasus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 162. IcUrvt npmmt, Bonaparte. Obs. on Norn. Wils. (1885), No. 44. And. Om. Biog., I. (1831) 221; V. 485. Oriolui mUatu», Wilson. Am. Cm., I. (1808) 64. Descbiftion. Bill slender, attenuated, considerably decurved ; tail moderately graduated. Mtde. — Head and neck all round, wings, and interscapular region of back, with tail feathers, black; rest of under parts, lower part of back to tail, and lesser upper wing coverts, with the lower one, brownish-chestnut ; a narrow line across the wing, •nd the extreme outer edges of quills, white. Femafe. — Uniform greenish-yellow beneath, olivaceous above; and browner in the middle of the back ; two white bands on the wings. Young male like the female, with « broad black patch from the bill to the upper part of the breast; this color extending along the base of the bill so as to involve the eye and all anterior to it to the base of the bill. , ^ , , ^ . .v In this species the bill is slender, attenuated, and a good deal decurved to the tip. The second and third quBls are longest; the first intermediate between the fourth and fifth. The tidl is rather long ; the feathers moderately graduated, the greatest diflTerence in length amounting to half an inch. The black of the throat extends backwards as far as the bead of the wing, and ends as an obtuse angle. The taU feathers are entirely black, with duU whitish tips when not fully mature. Specimens are found in all stages between the chamctet* given above. When nearly mature, some yeUowish feathers are found mixed in with the chestnut ones. Length of specimens, seven and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. Tlus bird is rather rare in New England, and is confined to the southern districts as a summer visitor. It arrives about the second week in May, and commences building about the first week in June. The nest is usually placed in a forked branch of a tree in the orchard, seldoiu more than twenty feet from the ground. It is constructed of diflfereat h. ! i lijBW^ ' A ' uiill ' i i' - iii» ' i « ii' i *i *" ' "- tf 'i,i»r4m>*»^ipmmmmiKf^ \ -# S' ~ ^^ I Orchard Orjole, Icterus spurita. Bonaparte. |I J ^jjj|j)Wljt l JliBBagL : 1 i ^ t i ' ! i i f u I ir KT' THE ORCHARD ORIOLE. 847 grasses, which are woven together very neatly and com- pactly : the whole is lined with fine grass, and sometimes a few horsehairs. It is not pensile, but is built on the branch. The eggs are four or five in number : their color varies from a light-blue to a fleshy tint, which is marked with irregu- lar spots and lines of obscure lavender, over which are bold spots and blotches of black and brown. The dimensions vary from .86 to .56 by .54 inch. But one brood is reared in the season. Nuttall, in describing the habits of this species, says,— "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 brilliant and gay Baltimore." After a description of the nest and eggs, he continues : — "The female sits about fourteen days, and the young continue in the nect ten (?) days before they become qualified to flit along with their parents ; but they are generally seen abroad about the middle of June. Previously to their departure, the young, leaving the care of their parents, become gregarious, and assemble some- times in flocks of separate sexes, from thirty to forty upwards ; in the South, frequenting the savannahs, feeding much on crickets, grasshoppers, and spiders. According to Audubon, they sing with great liveliness in cages, being fed on rice and dry fruits, when fresh cannot be procured. Their ordinary diet, it appears, is cater- pillars 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 ; but their depredations on the fruits of the orchard are very unimportant." lajgsjggjgjgj^; Ml ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOY. In a largo number of nests received from Wisconsin, sinco the foregoing was in typo, a proportion were pensile, being composed of fine grasses, neatly interwoven. V I0TSBD9 BALTIMOBl. — iJnuA""- /Th« BaltimoM Oriole; Oolden Bobin; HwiB-Mit. " Oridu* BaUima,e, Linn«u.. 8y.t. N.t, L (1766) 163. WiU. Am. Orn., L ^'*^'ic?'n» BaUi^e, D.udin." Aud. Cm. Diog, I. (1831) 66, V. (1889) 278. Dkbcriptior. Tail nearly even; head all round and to middle of back, .capuIarB, wingi. and noDor surface of tail, bloclc; re.t of under part*, rump, upper tail coverta, and le.wr 7Zo^l -th t;rmi,.al portion of tail feathers (except two innermoBt), oran^ ^d; edge, of wing quiiU, with a band acroM. tl>e Up. of the greater covcrU. "'"Jhe female is much lea. brilliant in color; the black of the head and back gen^ rally replaced by browui-h-j-aiow. purer on the throat; each feather with a black '^^Length, seven and fifty one-hundredth, inche.; wing, three and Mventy-flv. one-hundredth, inches. This well-known species is abundantly distributed through- out New England as a summer visitor. It ni; kcs its appear- ance about the 8th of May in Massachusetts, =.nd about the middle > f that month or later, in the north- ern districts. It com- mences building about the 20th of May. The nest is usually fixed in an elm-tree near houses, or in an apple or pear tree in the or- chard. Nuttall's de- scription of the nest is the best that 1 have ever seen, and much better than any I could make: altliough somewhat lengthy, I give it entire : — • ■f (■ * --^■sm ■ r' V THE BALTIMUnB ORIOLE. 849 ** There is nothing more remarkable in the whole instinct of our Golden Koljin than the ingenuity displayed in the fabrication of ita nest, which is, in fact, a pendulous, cylindric pouch of five to seven inches in depth, usually suspended from near the extremities of the high drooping branches of trees (such as the elm, the pear, or apple tree, wild cherry, weeping willow, tulip-tree, or buttonwood). It is begun by firmly fastening natural strings of the flax of the silk- weed, or swamp hollyhock, or stout artificial threads, around two or more forked twigs, corresponding to the intended width and depth of the nest. With the same materials, willow-down, or any acci- dental ravellings, strings, thread, sewing-silk, tow, or wool, iliat may be lying near the neighboring houses, or around grafts of trecF, they interweave and fabricate a sort of coarse cloth into the form in- tended, towards the bottom of which they place the real nest, made chiefly of lint, wiry grass, horse and cow hair : soi .otimes, 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 considerable thickness, and more or less attached to the exter- nal 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 considerable 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 thia sort of labor ; and I have seen the female alone perform the whole without any assistance, and the male also complete this laborious task nearly without the aid of his consort, who, however, in general, is the principal worker." The eggs ai^ four or five in number. Tliey are of a flesh- color, with sometimes a bluish tint : they are marked with obscure lines of lavender, over which are irregular Gcratches and lines, as if done with a pen, of vandyke-brown and black. Their dimensions vary from 1 by .72 to .88 by .66 inch. The food of this bird, and also of the preceding species, consists of (jaterpillars and other injurious insects : great numbers of the. hairy caterpillars are destroyed ; and sometimes a large nest of the apple-tree caterpillars is do- populated in a few days. The Orioles are certainly, there- mmmimmiimr~- 860 ORNITUOLOQT AND OOLOOT. fore, worthy the highest coriRideration and protection from the farniur. The familiarity of this bird with man, and its aociablo and gonial disposition, are so well known that any doacription of its habits here is unnocosBury. Abont the middle of September, after forming into small detached flocks, this species leaves New England on its southern migration. - X- Sub-Family Qdisoalin^. — The GraMet. Bill rather attenuated, as long or longer than the head; the culmen curved, the tip much bent down ; tlic cutting edges inflected, so as to impart a somewhat tubular appearance to each mandible; the commissure sinuated; tail longer than the wings, usunlly much graduated ; legs longer than the head, fitted for walking. The bill of the Q,uwcaUna is very difleront from that of the other Icttrida, and la readily recognized by the tendency to a rounding inward along the cutting edges, rendering the width in a crofs section of the bill considerably less along the commia* aure than above or below. The culmen is more curved than in the Agelaina. The only genera in the United States are as follows: — Scoi^GoniAous. — Tail shorter than the wings, nearly even ; bill shorter than the head. QuiscALVB. — Tail longer than the wings, much graduated; bill aa long aa or longer than the head. SCOLECOPFIAOUS, SwAixsoir. Scdtcophagiu, SwAiNaoN, F. Bor. Am., 11. (1881). (Type Oriolut ftrrugineut, Gmelin. ) Bill shorter than the head, rather slender, the edges inflexed aa in Qm$ealu$, which it otherwise greatly resembles; the commissure sinuated; culmen rounded, but not flattened; tarsi longer than the middle toe; tail even, or slightly rounded. SCOLECOPRAODS FEBBUOISEUS. — .Sieatnson. Th« Bnaty Graekle. Graeuia ferruginea, Wilson. Am. Om., III. (1811) 41. Qfd$calus ferrugineut, Nuttall. Han., I. (1832) 190. Aud. Om. Biog., II. (1884) 816; V. (1839) 483. SeoUeqahagvt ferrugintiu, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1881) 286. DESCRIFTIOIf. Bill slender, shorter than the head, about equal to the hind toe; its height not quite two-fifths the total length ; wing nearly an inch longer than the tail ; second quill longest ; first a little shorter than the fourth ; tail slightly graduated ; the latenl "1 THE BU8TY BLACKBIRD. 861 ftafhm about . qaarUr of .n Inch .J,orte»t, gen.™! color l.l.ok. with purpl, nd^ tkm.i .h« w.ng, u„a«r .all cover... anU hl„.l«r part of the belly, ^M with gmn. bcmalB, (liill-lm)wn. Iri», palo-ittraw color. Length, nine ami (illy one-hundr«., Nouv. Diet., XXVIII. J1819) 488. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 194. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1881) 85; V. (1888) 481. J^ r tree, and k, — some- 118 note is song pos- , not only and in the ler. Both the nest is • the head Blackbird. ) nests de- most until cture was iry, almost disturbed collect in ilities that [y visit old asshoppers uch grains il early in mucala, L.) Imost straight; >ngly sinuated; than the tail, ecidedly gradi'- Am. On., III. oict., xxyiii. ; V. (1888) 481. a Cuow Rlaokbikd, Quiscalm versicolor. VieiUot. Ti y I i fr'.-Ji THE CROW BLACKBIRD. Dkbckiption. 353 Bill above, about as long as the head, more than twice as long as high ; the com- missure moderately sinuated and considerably decurved at tip; tail a little shorter than the wing, much graduated, the lateral feathers one and ten one-hundredths inchfis shorter; third quill longest, first between fourth and fifth; head and neck all well defined steel-blue; the rest of the body with varied reflections of bronze, golden, green, copper, and purple, the latter most conspicuous on the tail, the tail coverts, and wings; the edges of primaries and of tail greenish. Female similar, but smaller and duller, with perhaps more green on the head. Iris, yellow. Length, thirteen inches ; wings, six ; tail, five and eighty one-hundredths ; bill above, one and twenty-five one-hundredths inches. This very common and well-known bird is distributed throughout New England in the summer season ; arriving about the first week in April. It is a social species ; and, instead of breaking up into scattered pairs, the birds remain in flocks, and breed in communities, sometimes several pairs on one tree. The nest is composed of mud, in which grass, seaweed, fine roots, and other like mate- rials, are mixed and woven into a large, compact structure, which is lined with fine grass, seaweeds, and sometimes a few horsehairs. The eggs are four or five in number. They vary in color from light-blue to light-brown, and are marked with obscure spots of light-brown, over which are laid blotches and lines of black and umber-brown. They vary in dimensions from 1.30 by .88 to 1.18 by .84 inch. Usually, but one brood is reared in the season; and in September the birds collect into immense flocks, and do considerable mischief in the cornfields : in other seasons, their food consists of " larvae, caterpillars, moths, and beetles, of which they devour such numbers, that, but for this providential economy, the whole crop of grain in many places would probably be destroyed by the time it began to germinate." Wilson, in describing the habits of this species, says, — " The trees where these birds build are often at no great distance from the farm-house, and overlook the plantations. From thence they issue in all directions, and with as much confidence, to make their daily depredations among the surrounding fields, as if the whole were mteuded fer their use alone. Then: chief attrition, 23 — 1 854 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. : f however, is directed, to the Indian com in all its progressive stages. As soon as the infant blade of this grain begins to make its appear- ance above ground, the Grakles hail the welcome signal with screams of peculiar satisfaction ; and, without waiting for a formal invitation from the proprietor, descend on the fields, and begin to pull up and regale themselves on the seed, scattering the green blades around. While thus eagerly employer'., the vengeance of the gun sometimes overtakes them ; but these msasters are soon forgot- ten, and those — ' Who live to get away, Beturn to steal, another day.' About the beginning of August, when the young ears are in their milky state, they are attacked with redoubled eagerness by the Grakles and Redwings, in formidable and combined oodies. They descend like a blackening, sweeping tempest on the corn, di^ '.fi the external covering of twelve or fifteen coats of leaves as dex- terously as if done by the hand of man, and, having laid bare the ear, leave little behind to the farmer but the cobs and shrivelled skins that contained their favorite fare. I have seen fields of corn of many acres, where more than one-half was thus ruined." About the last week in September, these birds, in im- mense flocks, depart on their southern migration : so abun- dant are they at that time, and so closely do they fly together in a flock, that I have killed, at one discharge of my gun, over a dozen birds. They visit the beech woods, and also the oak groves, and feed upon the nuts found on and beneath those trees. They also eat the seeds of weeds and various wild plants, as I have proved by examin- ing the stomachs of different specimens. In the evidence before the Committee on Agriculture, in the session of Massachusetts Legislature, for 1869 and '70, it appeared, from the testimony of numerous observers, that the Crow Blackbird, or Grakle, destroys, in the breeding season of the smaller birds, great numbers of eggs and young birds, eating them after the manner of the jays and crows. 1 have not observed this fact myself, but on inquiry find from difierent observers that such' is often the habit of tliis species. r "^tta -i ' • THB AMEBICAN BAVEN. 86A ve stages. ts appear- pal with r a formal begin to the green nee of the on forgot- FxMn.T COEVID-^. Primaries ten; the flret short, prenerally about half aa long as the second (or a little more), the outer four sinuated on the inner cdRc; the nasal fossio and nostrils usually more or less concealed by narrow stifflined bristles (or bristly feathers), with short appressed lateral branches extending to the very tip, all directed forwards; tarsi scutellate anteriorly, the sides undivided (except sometimes below) and separa- ted from the anterior plates by a narrow, naked strip, sometimes tilled up with small scales; basal joint of middle toe united about equally to the lateral, generally for about half the length; bill generally notched. B in their ss by the es. Thfty :n, digi'.ir !8 aa ic%- [ bare the shrivelled is of corn is, in im- 80 abun- they fly charge of ih woods, its found seeds of jT examin- iulture, in 9 and 70, 'vers, that breeding eggs and ! jays and )n inquiry } habit of Sub-Family Cokvin^. — The Orows. Wings long and pointed ; longer than the tail, and, when closed, reaching nearly to its tip, extending far beyond the under tail coverts; the third, fourth, and fifth quilla forming the < y of the wing. COBVUS, L1NN.BU8. Cormt, LlNN^BUS, Syst. Kat. (1736). (Type Oorvui eorax, L.) The nasal feathers lengthened, reaching to or beyond the middle of the bill; nostrils large, circular, overhung behind by membrane, the edges rounded else- where; rictus without bristles; bill nearly as long as the tarsus, very stout ; much higher than broad at the base; culmen much arched; wings reaching to or nearly to the tip of the tail; tarsi longer than the middle toe, with a series of small scales on the middle of each side separating the anterior scutellate portion from the posterior continuous plates; side of the head occasionally with nearly naked patches; tail graduated or rounded ; the outer four primaries sinuated internally. COEVUS CABNIVOEUS Bar&am. The American Baven. Corvtu earnivonu, Bartram. Travels in E. Florida (1798), 290. Corvui corax, Wilson. Am. Om., IX. (1826) 186. Nutt. Man., I. (1882) 203. Aud. Birds Am., IV. (1842) 78. Descriftiom. Fourth quill longest ; third and fifth about equal ; second between fifth and sixth ; first nearly equal to the eighth; entu-ely glossy black, with violet reflections. In this species, the feathers of the head above and body are compact and blended ; those of the back of the nepk are very smooth and even, but do not show the out! lines of each separately as elsewhere; on the chin and throat, the featliers aJ'e elongated and lanceolate, each one more or less pendent or iVee, with the outlines distinct to near the base; the biU is very long (three inches), and considerably curved, the upper mandible extending considerably over the upper at tne end. ■'lii^mmmmimmimmimmmm mmmm -. Ili i JLI I ilJIII I P Mi 866 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. The feet appear rer,- fihort and Btout; the ta«: with but .even Mu ell», rafter longer than the middle t«e and claw, the lateral claw, about eq«. , and extend.ng •to a little beyond tl.e b«.e of the middle claw; the fourth q.ull « lonS- - the third about equal the fifth, the «icond considerably longer tlian the sixth, the fln.t ''^tZ:Z:':::^^oi7Z:.y..r. inches, exte. «ay to fifty-one, wing abot^— en, tail. t'n. Tail moderately graduaUjd, the o"'- 'J-; -; ';;^, sixty one-hundredth, to one and niaety one-hundredth, of an mch less thun th. middle. THIS bird is an extremely rare resident in New England. I have never heard of its breeding here ; but it occa- sionally rears its young on the island of Grand Monan, off the north-east coast of Maine. There, on the steep and almost inaccessible cliffs, its nest is built. This is com- posed of twigs, sticks, seaweed, and pieces of turf, and is lined with the finer seaweeds and algJB found on the seacoast. A nest that I found in Ohio was built on a jutting rock in a large cave. On ascending to it, I found that it was built of coarse sticks and twigs, and was lined with leaves, strips of bark, and pieces of moss. This nest had been occupied — so a settler told me — for a number of years, by the same pair of birds, who made the cave and its surrounding forest their permanent home through the year. From its protected situation, it required but few alterar tions and additions each year ; and many of the sticks of which it was composed were quite rotten and decayed. It contained five young, aliout half-grown. As this was on the 18th of March, I judged the eggs must have been laid by the 20th of February. , The eggs of this species are generally four or five in I I w '■ nxm ik mmm '- ii ji icutelln, rather and extending is longest, the sixth, the first ifty-one; wing, about one and t less thun the w England, but it occa- ,nd Menan, t coast of 1 the steep ssible cliffs, riiis is com- is, seaweed, and is lined aweeds and seacoast. iind in Ohio ing rock in 1 ascending , it was built d twigs, and javcB, strips ;es of moss. . me — for a 10 made the lanent home it few alterar the sticks of ecayed. As this was ist have been av or five in THE COMMON CROW. 857 number: they almost exactly reaemblq those of the Com- mon Crow; but are considerably larger, averaging about two inches in length by 1.65 inch in breadth. A specimen in my collection, of undoubted authenticity, collected on Grand Menan, is much smaller than the usual size, being but 1.70 by 1.24 inch in dimensions. The habits of this bird have been described so many times, and are so familiar to all, that I will not give them an extended notice here. COBVUS AMEBICANUS.— ^u " " hemlock : lid stiuka, omotimes rk of the usually of green, it browns, to 1.50 by has been jirds. In itific men Uion they annot, of analogies, )8t of our This igno- ding such f birds in ;h is abso- il to most y the con- eut locali- have had Dntroversy J here this rguments, how their ivocate of ley render ict; but I th in their icimeus m I I. rr M, Common C'kovv, Corrtis Amerimvus. Audubon. ■' -5*SgBI^ ■HRMMMMe II -erefore, during this time, beneficial about thirty units, and is not injurious, otherwise than by eating garden fruits or grains, — items that I do not consider in tlie present discussion. From the middle of September until November, its food loses much of its fruit character, because of the failure of supply, and it feeds at least two- thirds on insects and other noxious animals : it is therefore beneficial thirty units, and is not injurious; and, during November and December, it is beneficial to about the same extent that it is in February and March, or about forty units. We have now but to condense the foregoing results, and •we have, in the aggregate, the sum total of the Crow's merits and demerits. We find, that, during the whole year, it is beneficial to the amount of 229 units, and that it is injurious to the extent of 4,918 units. If, for the sake of the greatest indulgence, we take but one-fourth of this enormous disproportion as the actual fact, we still have an exhibit that proves at once that these birds are pot only wortliless, but are ruinously destructive. In presenting this extended sketch, I will say that I am not moved in the least by prejudice or ill feeling for a much- disliked bird, but that I state the facts as they are, and simply to throw a little light on a subject that has given rise to much discussion and controversy. In conclusion, I virill say that the Jays are equally injurious with the Crows, and that they are not deserving of a moment's indulgence or protection at the hands of the ruralist. B of neutral im- igh August and ts of about half irries and small beneficial about a than by eating not consider in le of September fruit character, )d3 at least two- 5 : it is therefore as ; and, during about the same I, or about forty )ing results, and il of the Crow's 3 beneficial to the lus to the extent latest indulgence, disproportion as it proves at once ut are ruinously rill say that I am seling for a much- as they are, and it that has given , In conclusion, IS with the Crows, lent's indulgence .jjigjl);- "<~«««i«ij(K,i \ y ^' ■fj^Ps\\\N^Nv . ■ » Fish Citow, Corvus ossiftar/tcs. Wilson, m i» ..^.JBa i s 7* THE FISH CROW, 363 4 4 COBVUS OSSIFRAanS.-FFt^ion. The Fiah Crow. CorwLi o$tifragiu, Wilson. Am. Orn., V. (1812) 27. Nutt. Man., I. (1832) 218. Aud. Orn. Biog., II. (18.')4) 268; Y. 479. Description. Fourth quill longest; second rather longer than seventh; first shorter than the ninth; glossy-black, wi>' green and violet reflections; the gloss of the belly greenish. In this species the bill is shaped much as in the Common Crow, the upper outline perhaps a little more convex; the bristly feathers at the base of the bill reach nearly half-way to the tip; I find no bare space at the base of the lower mandible, although tlie feathers are not quite so thick there as in tho Common Crow; the tarsus has eight transverse scutelloe, and is decidedly shorter than the middle toe with its claw; the lateral claws do not reach Mrithin one-tenth of an inch of the base of the middle claw. The wings are long and acute; the fourth is longest; next the third, fifth, second, and sixth ; the first is about as long as the secondaries. Length, about fifteen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, ten and fifty one- hundredths inches; tail less than seven inches; tarsus shorter than the middle toe and claw. Hab. — Bouih Atlantic (and Gulf?) coast. This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that it can be regarded only as an occasional straggler. I under- stand that it has been taken on Long Island, and, on one or two occasions, in Connecticut, in company with the Com- mon Crow. Audubon says of the habits of this species, — " While on the St. John's River in Florida, during the month of February, I saw flocks of Fish Crows, consisting of several hun- dred individuals, sailing high in the air, somewhat in the manner of the Raven. These aerial excursions would last for hours, during the calm of a fine morning, after yrhich the whole would descend toward the water to pursue their more usual avocations in all the sociability of their nature. When tiieir fishing, which lasted about half an hour, was over, they would alight in flocks on the live oaks and other trefes near the shore, and there keep up the|r gabble, pluming themselves for hours. " The nest of this species is smaller than that of the Common Crow, and is composed of sticks, moss, and grasses, neatly finished WljyJMMKijqMI jwi i iHiiiiimiaMiriffiiM mm 864 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGT. or lined with ftbrouB roots. The eggs are from four to^six, and resemble those of the American Crow, but are Bmuller. Two eggs in my collection, from Florida, are of tho above description, and are almost exactly like the othors, measuring a little smaller: their dimensions bonig 1.00 by 1.10 inch and 1.52 by 1.04 inch. Sub-Family Gakbdlin/e. ■— The Jays. Win« Aort. rounded: not longer or much shorter than the tail, which is grad- .J^^J^o.^^'^^y'o; ^ng. reaching not much beyond the 'o-r t«. Lv«rt. bri t^v leather, at ha«e of bill, variable, bill nearly aa long a. th« head, or rrte"; utlLS than Uk bill or than the middle toe, outer lateral cUw. rather ihorter than the inner. CYANURA, SwAiNsoM. Cyanuru», Swa.sb<,«, F. Bor. Am., T. (1831) 495, App. (Type Corn- crutalu*, ^'°Head created, wings and tail blu«, with transverse black bars, head and back of the samTco or; bill rather slender, som 'u.t broader .l.an high at tlje base, cul- men aCtequal to the head, nostriU largo, nearly circular, concealed by bnstles , Tabtt asTng a. the wings, lengti.ened, graduated, hind claw Urge, longer than **" Th^culmen is straight to near the tip, where it Is gently decurved, the gony. is convex at the base, then straight and ascending, the bill has a very shght not^h at rr the nostrils are large, neariy circular, or slightly elliptical, the commissure s strli^l t at t^^^^ base, then bending down slightly near the tip, the •««« presen^;" s^Ial peculiarities; thee, ,ton the head consists of a number of eIongated„..irrow. lanceolate occipital feathers. (JYAHUSCS CHISTATUS. — Swniiwn. , "^Tlis Blue Jay. " CorfmcrUtalus, UnnmuB. Syst Nat, I. (10th ed., 1758) 106. I. (1808) 2. Aud. Om. Biog., 11. (1884) 11 ; V. (mn) «6. Cyanurui crittatus, Swainson. F. B r- itlPTIOH. ' Crest about one-third longer th. the bill; tail much ^ '^"f^'* ' K^""™;;;'"' abovriight purplish-blue; wing, and tail feathers ultramarine-bb-o , «>« -econd""^ and t^r^, Jgreater wing coverts, and the exposed ■ rfcce of the t«l, sharply Wils. Am. Om., Am.,II. (1881) App. 406. i 1 four to six, and smivller." da, are of the like the others, 18 being 1.60 by Jays. , the tall, which is grad- 1 beyond the lower tail an long as the head, or iter lateral claws rather (Type Corvu* cridtOut, ck ban; head and back an high at the base ; cul- ar, concealed by bristles; d claw large, longer than r decurved ; the gonys is as a very slight notch at lliptical; the commisBura > tip; the legs present no iber of elongated, ,'jmow, 58) 106. Wils. Am. Om., I App. 495. graduated; general color arine-btiie; the secondaries ( rface of the tail, sharply y. ^AUMg" iiiiiliwilfiiiii •ii'miiKi'fit' •" •■w i aiwwn ■ i i>iail>Hi » iMl^w«iWMB»T»i i niwiTHTin t BiXK Jay, Cynnurn criMntn. Swiiinson. ■ ••-^iaB MMlf IM WMiWW W'iW^M * 'ft ' 'M» r»nw(i l >^ i \ i i f m ' (\ i THE BLUE JAT. 365 banded with black, and broadly tipped with white, except on the cenl.al tail feathers ; beneath white; tinged with purplish-blue on the throat, and ,vith bluish-brown on the sides; a black crescent on the forepart of the breast, the horns passing for- ward and connecting with a half-collar on the back of the neck ; a narrow frontal line and loral region black; feathers on the base of the bill blue, like the crown. Female rather duller in color, and a little smaller. Length, twelve and tweaty-five one-himdredths inches; wing, five and sixty-five one-hundredths inches; tail, five and seventy-five one-hundiedtha inches. This beautiful and well-known bird is abundantly dis- tributed throughout New England. It is less common in the northern than in the southern districts, but is often seen there, not in company with the Canada Jay, however. Its food is more varied than that of almost any other bird that we have. In winter, the berries of the cedar, bar berry or black-thorn, with the few eggs or cocoons of in- sects that it is able to find, constitute its chief sustenance. In early spring, the opening buds of shrubs, caterpillars, and other insects, aflford it a meagre diet. Later in the spring, and through, the greater part of summer, the eggs and young of the smaller birds constitute iia chief food, varieJ by a few insects and early berries. Later in the summer, and in early autumn, berries, small fruits, grains, and a few insects, afford it a bountiful provender ; and later in the autumn, when the frosts have burst open the burrs of chestnuts and beechnuts, and exposed the brown, ripe fruit to view, these form a palatable and acceptable food : and a large share of these delicious nuts fall to the portion of these busy and garrulous birds. The notes 'of the Blue Jay consist of a shrill cry, like jay-jay-jay repeated often, and in a high key; a slirill whistle like the syllables wheeo-wheeo-wheeo ; a hoarse rattle, something like a Kingfisher's well-known alarum; and an exceedingly sweet bell-like note, that possesses a mom-nful tone, like that of a far-ofif hamlet bell tolling a funeral dii'ge. I have often heard this tone in the autumn, when the leaves were falling from the trees, and all nature wore its K''%^ T ggg ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. funeral livery ; and it seemed to me, when tlie clear notes of the bird were echoed from hill-side to hill-side an the forest, that it was wandering like a forest elf through the trees, mourning the decay of all the charms that had made them so beautiful through the spring and summer. About the first or second week in May, the Blue Jay com- mences building. The nest is usually placed in a fork of a low pine or cedar, in a retired locality : it is loosely con- structed of twigs and coarse roots, and lined with the same materials, but of a finer quality, and sometimes a few pieces of moss or a few leaves. The eggs are four or five m number. Their color is generally light-green, with spots of light-brown ; sometimes a dirty brownisli-gray, spotted with different shades of brown and black. The dimensions vary from 1.20 by .85 to 1 by .80 inch. But one brood is reared in the season. VERISOREUS, Bonaparte. (Type Corvut Cana- Perhorefu, Bonapakte, Saggio di una dist. met. (1831). respects, to some of the Titmice. HJaiSOEEtJS CAHADBNSIS.— Bomipflrte. Tha Canada Jay. ^ J • T • r,™,. eiviit Nat I. (1766) 158. Wils. Am. Om., IIL (1811) 88. Aud. Orn. Biog, IL (1884) 58; V. (1889) 208 Pemore«.C«n<«fe««., Bonaparte. List (1888). i6., Consp. (1850) 875. Descriptios. n- -I ^A..t^H- lateral feathers about one inch shortest; Tnngs a little shorter r THE CANADA JAY. 867 \x notes of the forest, the trees, lade them B Jay com- i fork of a oosely con- h the same few pieces or five in th spots of potted with tisions vary )d is reared « Corous Cana- [ colore, without in high; culsneu slightly curved; (und, covered by ■ short, but little ir Jays. It has, Diblnnce, in many s. Am. Orn., ni. L850) 876. igs a little shorter plumbeous brown crown to the back, upper parts ashy- plurabeons; the outer primaries margined: the secondaries, tertiaia, and tail featliera obscurely tipped with white; beneath smoky-gray; crisdum whitish; bill and feet black. The young of this species are ever)'where of a dull sooty-brown, lighter on the middle of the belly, and more plumbeous on the wings and tail ; witli incrcasinj; age, the region about the base of the bill whitens, and this color gradually extends backwards until the whole head, excepting tha occiput and nape, is white; thf under parts are sometimes whiter than in the typical specimens. Length, ten and seventy one-hundredths inches; wing, five and seventy-five ont hundredths inches; tail, six inches; tarsus, one and forty one-hundredths inches. This species is confined to the northern districts in Ne^v England, where it is resident through the year. I have not been so fortunate as to find the nest, and will have to borrow Audubon's description of that and the eggs: — " The Canada Jay breeds in Maine, in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador. It begins as early as Feb- ruary or March to form its nest, which is placed in the thickest part of a fir-tree, near the trunk, and at a height of from five to ten feet. The exterior is composed of dry twigs, with moss and grass ; and the interior, which is iJat, is formed of fibrous root.^. The eggs, which are from four to six, are of a light-gray color, faintly marked with brown." This bird is not generally so well known as the preceding. I have had numerous opportunities for observing its habits, and I can positively affirm that it is equally rapacious anl destructive with the Blue Jay, which it resembles in motioiia and cry. I once knew of a single pair of these birds destroying the young in four nests of the Common Snowbird (J. hyemalis) in a single day, I found these nests in an old abandoned lumber-road on the morning of June 20 : in the afternoon, when I returned through the same path, every nest was depopulated ; and a pair of these Jays were lurking in the trees, shouting defiance at us, while surrounded by the afflicted Snowbirds; that were uttering their cries of com- plaint and sorrow. I emptied both barrels of my gun in the direction of the Jays, and I am inclined to think that ..^.^.......^....^....^^ 868 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. they have killed no young bird, since. The familiarity with which this species fraternizes with man in the woods is interesting and amusing. I was once " snowed in, as the expression is, in a large tract of forest, and, with my com- panions, was obliged to wait until the storm had ceased before we could resume our march. We remained m camp two days. A pair of these birds, probably with young in the neighborhood, visited our camp, and even penetrated intx) our tent for crumbs and pieces of bread. They always flew off with their mouths full, and soon returned for more : their visits soon get to be any thing but a joke, particulariy when they flew off" with the last piece of our soap. We couldn't kill them, however; for any thing with life was company, and we felt that we had none of that to spare. NOTES. I present a continuation of Mr. Couper's valuable notes, taken at Quebec, Lower Canada, on the species described m the present Order. TMCHILDS COIitJBElS. -Common in this neighborhood and in the mouJl wi^' and savannas north of the city. I have had t^e p ea.ur^ of finding its nest on more than one occasion. It generally arrives here about the middle of May. CMTUEA PELASGIA.-Very abundant. It buUds its nest m unused CHaiTUEA JibAS ^^^kej that no more than a single pair will '=*"'""^y^^„l'\"7-,,iough here are many instances here of chimneys occupy a flue and al&ougn J ^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^ .^ .^ having ~J^f l^iiThTve noticeJ this species flying over the woods 'Z;Z:Z'oX^^ ; and I tun. that it breeds within large forest- *" ASTBOSTOMUS V0CIFEIMJS.-Thi8 bird is occasionally heard in the n.oSs noTof Quebec. It is, however, very rare m this latitude, which may be considered its northern hmit. nononrTT FS POPETTJE - Very common. It deposits its eggs in a small f „ r™d In^^; midst of a woodland clearing, or wherever there rX^Z^^r; Its principal food in spring consist, of ants. I can- not say how far north it goe». HI ■ tWiJW^i i ii wwnmHwy.-Jf i iw iit I N0TE8. 369 arity with woods ia ft," as the , my com- ad ceased d in camp young in penetrated ley always for more : articularly Boap. We h life was ) spare. table notes, iescribed in )d and in the id the pleasure [y arrives hero nest in nnused single pair will re of chimneys while one is in over the woods ;hin large forest- y he»rd in the in this latitude, 8 eggs in a small r wherever there 1 of ante. I can- CEBTLE ALCYOH. — The Kingfisher occurs about all our northern lakes and rivers, and breeds plentifully. It probably extends three degrees north of Quebec. 'i'YKAHHUS CABOLINEHSIS. — Common. It builds ito nest invariably near farm-houses. CONTOPUS VIRENS. — I detected this species here this spring for the fjst dme. I do not think it breeds commonly in high latitudes. EMFinONAX TBAIIiLII. — This species occurs during summer in the woodlands near Quebec. It rarely builds ite nest high from the ground. It is extremely cunning, and invariably seleote the most hidden portion of a clump of bushes. TDBDUS PALIiASn. — This thrush breeds in the neighborhood of Quebec ; but it is not common. It builds its nest much higher than Wilson's Thrush ; that is to say, the latter is generally found concealed at the lower portion of a bush, while the former is often found on a heafily branched pine-tree The eggs of T. paUasii are blue and spotted. 1 TUBDUS FUSCliSCENS. — This is one of our most common thrushes. It breeds plentifully in this neighborhood. Its nest is generally placed near the ground, at the lower portions of bushes growing near a swamp or river. The eggs are generally four or five, of a clear greenish-blue color. SIALIA SIALIS. — The Redbreasted Bluebird is only seen here early in spring, while on ite passage to the West. It does not breed in Lower Canada. BEOULUS CALENDULA. — This species, in company with R. satrapa, visit this locality, from the North, in the autumn. AHTHTJS LUDOVICUHUS. — Common in the autumn. They frequent fields and barnyards, and are generally in flocks. I think they breed in Labrador. HNIOTILTA VABIA. —This species is not common in our Northern woods. It, however, breeds in the neighborhood of Quebec. GEOTHLYPia TEICHAS. — Very common. Breeds. SEIDBDS AUBOCAPILLUS. — Common. Breeds. DEHDEOICA VIEENS. — Only noticed in spring, on ite way North. It was rather common in the spring of 1866. DENDBOICA CANADESSIS. — Common. Breeds. DEHSBOICA COBOHATA. — Very common in the autumn. I think they breed far north. DENDBOICA BLACKSUBNLB. — This beautiftil Warbler was very abun- dant here last spring. None of the young returned this way. There appears I Mr. Couper undoubtedly refers to T. (SicairMionn. — E. A. S. 24 fSfitMH''^ ^»<^i^,ii^ M-!m M mimim*i' »i *''' ' ■' 370 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. to be gome mygtery connected with the breeding localities of many of our Warblers. Some of them are found breeding over the whole of temperate America, while others, who evidently eat the same kinds of food, pass to' the inaccessible parts of the northern forests, where the foot of man never trod. DEHOBOICA OASTAHEA. — This is another of tlie mysterious Warblers that shows itself in spring, and afterwards slowly departs to its nortliera hermitage. DEHDSOIOA PINUS. — Spring. Not common. Follows its kindred. North. DEHOSOIOA FESNSTLVANICA. — Not common. Breeds. DEHDSOICA CfSULEA, — This species was very common in thio neigh- borhood in the spring of 1866. I have never seen its nest or eggs. OENDBOICA STBIATA. — Not common. Breeds. SENDBOICA fSTrVA. — Common. Breeds. SEITOBOICA MACULOSA. — Common. Breeds. MTIODIOCTES CAHADENSIS.— Common. Breeds. SETOPHAOA BUnCILLA. — Common. Breeds. FTBANOA BtlBEA. — Rarely seen in the woods north of Quebec. They breed in the maple woods ; and this latitude may be consiJcied itti northern limit of migration. HIBUHSO HOBBEOBUH. — Uncommon. It builds, its nest on the beams of out-houses and bams in this neighborhood. H. IttTRIFBONS. — Very common. It builds mud or clay nests under the thatched bams and country-houses near Quebec. They are protected by farmers, who will not allow them to be disturbed during their stay here. They return annually to the old nests, which they repair. H. BICOLOB. — Common. It builds its nest in any hole it may find in the houses in the city. In the woodland districts, it generally selects an abandoned Woodpecker's nest in trees. COTTIiE BIPABIA. — Common. Breeds in every sand-bank in the country. PBOONE PUBPDBEA. — The breeding-place of this Swallow is confined to a building called the Jesuit Barracks, of this city, where they raise theur young every season. I have repeatedly tried to induce them to occupy boxes, but the White-bellied Swallow always took poseession first. In this locality, the Purple Martin loves its own community, and will not be induced to occupy the most tempting abode unless made sufiiciently large to accom^ modate several pairs. AMPELIS OABBTTLTJS. — Duriug severp winters, this species arrives here from the north to fjed on the berries of the mountain-ash, which grows i of many of our lie of temperate }f food, paaa to' >t of man never rioui Warblers to its northern kindred, North. 1 in thio neigh* eggs. Quebec. They i-ed itu northern It on the beams nests under the ire protected by their stay here. B it may find in >rally selects an ik in the country. )w is confined to they raise their them to occupy in first. In this U not be induced large to accom- siee arrives here Bh, which grows I NOTES. 871 abundantly in the neighborhood of the city. They go in flocks. They must breed late in the aew n, as I had the young with the downy feathers attached to their heads during the depth of winter. AHPELIS CESBOSUU. — Common. Breeds. COLLTBIO BOREALIS. — Arrives early in Spring. I think they go to high latitudes to breed. The specimens which I procure are either in spring or fall plumage. TDtEO OLIVAOEUS. — Not common. Breeds. HIMITS 0AB0LIHENSI3.— Not common. Breeds. TBOQLODTTES HTEMAUS. — Common. Breeds. CEBTHIA AUEBICANA. — Common. Breeds. SITTA CAN AOEHSIS. — Common in summer and winter. Breeds. PABUS ATBIOAPILtUS. — Common. Breeds. P. HDDSONICnS. — Arrives about the middle of September fi:om the North, and remains until the snow falls. It has not t)een found breeding in this locality. They go in flocks, like the former species. EBEltOPHILA COBNUTA. — This Lark arrives here in the month of Sep- tember. It gathers in flocks, which remain until the snow falls. It breeds in Labrador. ,' PINICOLA OAVAOENSIS. — Arrives from the North, sometimes in com- pany with the Bohemian Waxwing, and feeds on the same berries. They firequently remain during winter. OABFODACTTS PUBPUBEUS. — Common. Breeds. OHBTSOMITBIS TBISTIS. — Common. Breeds. 0. PIHUS. — Sometimes common in winter. CDBVIBOSTBA AUEBICAHA. — 'Sometimes very abunWt in winter. I am told it breeds in Nova Scotia. 0. LEUCOPTEBA. — Very numerous during winter. Breeds in Labrador. XGIOTHnS LINARIA. — Common in the iall. Breeds in Labrador and Northern Newfoundland. PIiEOTBOPHAITES UTTAUS. — Common in winter. Breeds in Labrador. POOCJfGTES GBAMINEUS. — Common. Breeds. ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHBTS.— Common. Breeds. Z. AIiBICOLLIS. — Qommon. Breeds. JUKCO HTEMALIS. — Common. Breeds. SPIZELLA MONTIOOLA. — This species goes far north to breed, probably Labrador. It returns in the fall. 1 .0mm agaRB 872 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. i s S. 800IA11S. — Common. Breed*. MZLOSPIZA MELODIA. — Common. Breeds. M. PALUSTWS. — Not common here ; but it breeds In some of the south- ern towns of Lower Canada. PASSEWILLA ILIACA. -Not common. Breeds. I tUnk that this specie, is more abundant in Labrador during summer. GDIBACA LUDOYICIAUA. -Not common. Breeds. Quebec may be con- sidered its northern limit. CYAHOSPIZ A CYAHEA. — Not common. Breeds. DOLICHONYX OBYZIVORUS. - Common. Breeds. This is the most northern limit of tiiis species. AOELAIUS PH(EHICBUS.-This specie, is a very rare visitor in thiB neighborhood, and is seen only in the spring, when on ,U passage to the swamps in the West. It breeds abmidanUy at Toronto. Upper Canada. 8C0LEC0PHAQDS FEEEUOINEUS. - Very common in the fall, at which season they visit this locality on their passage south. Great numbers are shot, and sold like game in our markets. This species has been noti^d here as late as the 24th of May, when it disappears. It has not been found breed- ing within the habitable portions of this province. aUISCALDS VEESICOLOB.-Kare in this district. A few pairs have been discovered breeding at Three Rivers, between this city and Montreal. COEVUS AMEEICAHUS.- Common. Breeds in krge numbers. A few oenerally remain here during winter. They feed on the hemes of the mountain ash. The old nests are invariably occupied, and the birds lay Teir eggs very early. I have seen the young ones fully fledged before the 24th of May. COEVTJS CAEHIVOBUS. - Occasionally seen in this district. It breeds on the high, rocky portions of islands in the lower St. Lawrence. CYAHTJEA CEISTAT A.— Abundant in the mountains north of this city, where they breed. PEEISOEEUS CANADEHSI8. - Sometimes very nommon in t.ie fall. 1 have not noticed this bird in the vicinity of Quebec during summer ; but, while on a collecting trip down the St. Lawrence, in the month of July I saw numbers of the old and young in the woods, at a place called Mil e Vaches They were following each other in one direction, and appeared to le to have habits similar to those of the Black-cap Titmouse. From this feet of its occurrence on the north shore of the St. Lawrence at the above season, H is evident that they breed in our wild, unfrequented fores J such as may be found north and east of the river Saguenay. I have offered a lugh price for the nests and eggs of the Canada Jay; but, as yet, nothmg of the kind has appeared. of the aouth- ,t this Bpedea may b© con- is the most 'isitor in this assage to the ler Canada. fall, at which numbers are 1 noticed here 1 found breed- w pairs have nd Montreal. abers. A few berries of the the birds lay ^d before the , It breeds on Ji of this city, in tiie fall. I ■ summer ; but, onth of July, I ce called Mille id appeared to ise. From this e at the above ed forests, such [ have offered a yet, nothing of V r 1 I 1 i ^r^-: WiM) I'KiKON, /']rl(>pistts uii;/inlnriii. SwaiiiMtii. TUB WILD PIGEON. 878 SUB-ORDER COLUMBiE. The b(u«I portion of the bill covered by a wft skin, In which »re situated the noitrlls, overhung by an incuni'>ent fleihy valve, the apical portion hard and con- vex; the hind toe on the eame level with the rest; the anterior toe without mem- brane at the ba«e; Urai more or leas naked; covered laterally and behind with hexagonal aoales. Familt COLUMBIDiE. The Doves. Bill homy at the tip; tail feather* twelve, only occaaionally foortwn; he«d ■mooth. Sub-Family CoLUMBiNiB. * Tarei atont, abort, with transverse acutellse anteriorly; feathered for the baaal third above, but not at all behind; toes lengthened, the lateral decidedly longer than the Uraua; winga lengthened and pointed; aire large; Uil feathera twelve. Thia eeotion of doves embraces the Urgest North-American species, and among them the more arboreal onea. ECT0PI8TES, SwAWBOK. Ectopiita, SwAi»80», Zool. Jour., HI. (1827) 382. (Type Columba nUgratoria, L.) Head very small; bill short, black; culmen one-third the rest of the head; taral very short, half covered anteriorly by leathers; inner lateral claw much larger than outer, reaching to the base of the middle one; tail very long and excesaively cuneate; about as long as the wings; Brst primary longest This genus Is readily distinguished from the other CWumWfUB by the excesaively lengthened and acute middle feathers. It formerly Included the Columba Caroli. nefuu; but this, with more propriety, has been erected Into a different genus, and will ))• found in the next section. ZCnOPISTZS laORATOlUA. — SwaitWfM. Th* Wild PigMit; PMHBger FiKeon. Columba migraioria, I,inn«Eus. Syst. Nat, I. (1760) 286. Wils. Am. Ore., I (1808) 102. Aud. Cm. Biog., I. (1881) 319; V. 661. Ectopitta migraioria, Swainson. Zool. Jour., Ill; (1827) 855. Descwptioh. Tail with twelve feathers; upper parts generally, including sides of body, head, and neok, and the chin, blue; beneath, purple brownish-red, fading behind with a td Ml an ng , L.) ni an aly Dtt- . ; ind 1 I ad, 1 1 • • ■ riS-^^":i1fc!HHP^W"''^Sy»ft'^''='^*A*W!K?*?!*fi''^*-Vi*S«WSS«^^ « IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ;: ij I. 22 20 1.25 1.4 ill 1.6 Photographic Sciences Coiporation 4 fe // <'- f??/ / Va V. ^< ;v ^9) V ^ \\ <^^ C^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. I4S80 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques 374 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. violet tint; anal region and under tail coverts, bluish-white; scapulars, inner tertials, and middle of back, with an olive-brown tinge ; the wing coverts, scapulars, and inner terUals, with large oval spots of blue-black on the outer webs, mostly concealed, except on the latter; primaries blackish, with a border of pale-bluish tinged internally with red; middle tail feathers brown; the rest pale-blue on the outer web, white inter- nally; each with a patch of reddish-brown at the base of the inner wgb, followed by another of black; sides and back of neck richly glossea with metallic golden-violet; tibia bluish-violet; billbL'ck; feet yellow. The female is smaller; much duller in color; more olivaceous above; beneath, pale-blue instead of red, except a tinge on the neck; the jugulum tinged with olive; the throat whitish. ' The blue of the side of the head extends to the throat and chin; the upper part of the back and lesser coverts are of a darker blue than the head and rump; the inner primaries are more broadly margined with light-blue, which tapers off to the end; the axillars and under surface of the wing are light-blue; the longest scapulars have the black on both w-bs; there is no blue on the outer web of tiie first taU feather, which is white, and tiie inferior surikce of the tail generally is white. In some specimens the entire head all round is blue. The immature male varies in having most of the feathers of the head and body margined with whitish. Length of male, seventeen inches; wing, eight and fifty one-hundredths inches ; tail, eight and forty one-hundredths inches. THIS bird has become of late years rather scarce in New England ; so much so, that, in localities where it was formerly abundant, it is now seen only occasionally in small flocks of a dozen or fifteen. It is a resident of these States through a greater part of the year ; only absenting itself in the most severe portion of winter, when its figbd is usually covered with snow. It depends principally upon acorns and beechnuts for subsistence, and ie most abundant in localities where these nuts are found. It also frequents grain-fields, where it gleans among the stubble and weeds ; and, when berries are in season, it feeds plentifully upon them, and it is at that time when the greater number are seen in New England. Early in May, the birds, although associating still in com- munities, as in sections where they are more abundant, separate into pairs, and build their nest. This is placed in a forked branch of a tree, usually in a swamp or thick wood. It is constructed of twigs and leaves, which are loosely arranged into a fraU structure hardly strong enough , inner tertials, liars, and inner icealed, except internally with lb, white inter- jb, followed by golden-violet; i)ove; beneath, m tinged with the upper part and rump; the tapers off to le; the longest web of the first lly is white. bead and body diedths inches; : scarce m 38 where it isionally in nt of these J absenting L its £fbd is pally upon it abundant frequents and weeds ; ;ifully upon lumber are itill in com- 1 abundant, is placed in ap or thick which are ong enough THE CAROLINA DOVE. 875 to support the parent bird : it is but very little hollowed, and has no lining of softer material. The female deposits in this one or two eggs, on which both birds incubate. These eggs are pure-white in color, nearly oval in form, and have the slightest roseate tint before their contents are removed : they average in dimensions about 1.54 by 1.10 inch. Many writers affirm that but one egg is laid at a time. I think that in the greater number of nests two are deposited, as I have inquired of many hunters and woodsmen, and they all agree on that number. Sub-Family ZENAiniKiE. Tarsi stout, lengthened; alwaj's longer than the lateral toes, and entirely with- out feathers; the tibial joint usually denuded; tarsus sometimes with hexagonal Bcales anteriorly; tail feathers sometimes fourteen. ZEISTAIDURA, Bonapartb. Zenaidara, Bonapartb, Consp. Avium, II. (1864) 84. (Type Cohmba Caroli- nentit, L.) Probably named previously in Comptes Rendus. Bill weak, black; culmen from frontal feathers, about one-third the head above; tarsus not quite as long as middle toe and claw, but considerably longer than the lateral mes; covered anteriorly by a single series of scutellse; inner lateral claw considerably longer than outer, and reaching to the base of middle; wings pointed, second quill longest, first and third nearly equal; tail very long, equal to the wings; excessively graduated and cuneate, of fourteen feathers. The fourteen tail feathers render this genus very conspicuous among the North- American doves. It was formerly placed with the Passenger Pigeon in Ectopittet, but has nothing in common with it but the lengthened tail, as it belongs to a differ- ent Bub-family. ZEHAIOUBA CAROUNliBSIS.— £ort(^r<«. ^ The Ctrolina Dove ; Turtle Dore. CWumJfl CaroRneniu, Linnseus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766), 286, No. 8T. Wils. Am. Orn., v. (1812) 01. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1881) 91; V. (1889) 656. Nutt Man., I. (1882) 626. Ztnaiditra CaroUntntu, Bonaparte. Consp. Av., II. (1854) 34. Descriptiom. Tail feathers fourteen; above bluish, although this is overlaid with light brown- nh-olive, leaving the blue pure only on the top of the head, the exterior of the ■ ■r; in the sixth ithoutbar; bill wing, fiTe and iches. distributed ent. It is than in the It arrives the 10th of small, loose old stubble- i grains and les associate ,ve witnessed to pairs, and t is placed in times in the ?amp. It is, structure, in re pure-white tion, from dif- ' .85 to .98 by ut 1.12 by .80 )ung collect in feed upon the THE CABOLINA DOVE. 871 pain, and ^""^'P*';-. jf^^^ Jl^.T-, 1 ra:«S.Turer:;;;»Zth.^n.eco.e.e. i^uiiiig mo => « mplancholv cooing note, wlucn bation, the male has a ^^'^^^X^g the remainder of he utters often through the ^^y-J'^^^fi,,,^ matched indi- ^t = :=:l'/^e. .ea^^^^^^^^^ en.. England on its southern migration. Si' V TJBRKI 878 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. SUB-ORDER GALLINiE. Bill usually rather short and stout, and less than the head; hasal portion hard, generally covered with feathers, and not by a soft naked skin; legs lengthened; the hind toe generally elevated above the level of the rest, and short; when lower down, it is longer; toes connected at the base by a membrane; the feathers of fore- head not extending on the culmen in a point, but more restricted, and parted by the backward extension of the culmen. Family TETRAONID^. The Gbousb. The TetraonidcB are pre-eminently characterized among gallinaceous birds by their densely feathered tarsi, and by the feathers of the nasal fossa or groove, which fill it completely, and conceal the nostrils; the toes are usually naked (feathered to the claws in the ptarmigans), and with pectinations of scales along the edges ; the tail feathers vary from sixteen to eighteen and even twenty in number; the tail is rounded, acute or forked; the orbiul region is generally somewhat bare, with • naked stripe above the upper eyelid, beset by short fringe-like processes. TETRAD, LiNNAHS. Tetrao, Limn^us, Syst. Nat. (1744) Gray. (Type T. urogaUui, L.) Tail lengthened, slightly narrowed to the square or somewhat rounded tip; about two-thirds the wing; the feathers with stiffened shafts; tarsus feathered to and between the bases of the toes; no unusual feathers on the side of throat; culmen between the nasal fossa nearly half the total length; color mostly black. Inhabit wooded regions. T£TBAO CANADENSIS. -JUnnonu. The Canada Orousa ; Spruoe Partridge. Teh-ao Canaderuit, Linnaus. Syst Nat, I. (1768) 274. Nutt., Man. I. (1882) 687. Aud. Cm. Biog., II. (1834) 487; V. (1889) 688. Description. Tail of sixteen feathers; feathers above distinctly banded with plumbeous; beneath uniform black, with a pectoral band of white, and white on the sides of the belly; chin and throat above black; tail with a broad brownish-orange terminal band. Prevailing color in the male black; each feather of the head, neck, and upper parts generally, having its surface waved with plumbeous-gray; this is in the form of two or three well-deflned concentric bars, parallel to each other, one along the exterior edge of the feather, the others behind it; the sides of the body, the If*! ; basal portion hard, in; legs lengthened; 4 short; when lower the feathers of fore- id, and parted by the lOUSB. gallinaceous birds by •ssa or groove, which ally naked (feathered les along the edges ; jnty in number; the rally somewhat bare, e-like processes. lUm, L.) !it rounded tip; about lus feathered to and le of throat; culmea tly black. STutt., Man. I. (1882) M with plumbeous; te on the sides of the nish-orange terminal lead, neck, and upper gray; this is in the iach other, one along ides of the body, the BMIMMMRO*-*-' i^ Itt'. ?,!#•:■ i * )}■ r Hi^ THE CANADA 0H0U8B. 379 ..puUr.. and outer .urf.ce of the w.n«...m2^ fr:.trun"L r. t:. fe.the™ of .h. .ae. of the ..... aua hre«t h.a X .cro.. the «• ' ;-;'^^*; ^*';;i,. ',„j /^^ite lino be«inning on tho choek,, and "^SMixtltd"":!*. one-hundredth, i.che., wing, .ix and .eventy on. hundredth.; Uil, five and forty-four hundredth, inches. TT is only in the most retired and unsettled localities in i northern New England that this very beautiful grouse is found There, in the spruce and pine woods and swaionps, it is not uncommon as a resident through the year. I have shot specimens in the White fountains between what is called Waterville, a hamlet in Thornton, N.H., and Bethl^ hem, in the same State ; but they are more commonly found in the localities above mentioned.. In its native haunts, it is very unsuspicious, permitting a person to walk withm a few feet of it without stirring ; and, when it does take flight, it goes but a few rods, when it alights on a tree, and turns to watch the intruder. , It is a very graceful bird on the ground, moving with a stately step over the long elastic moss so abundant m the woods of Maine. . , It feeds upon tho buds of the evergreens, and their seeds and foliage. This food imparts to the flesh of the bird a TagreeaWe resinous flavor, particularly in fall and wmter, W i i, If 880 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. I I !W : h-i H when it can get no other food. In fact, at all Beasonfl, it is far inferior to all our other game birds in flesh, and is never delicate nor palatable. About the middle of May, the female scratches together a loose nest, beneath the branches of a creeping fir, and lays in it from eight to twelve eggs. Tiieso are of a beau- tiful yellowish-buff color, with spots and blotches of two shades of brown : one a purplish-brown ; the other, a burnt- pieima. They average in dimensions about 1.08 by 1.26 inch : their form as generally ovoidal ; sometimes nearly oval, and occasionally more rounded. It is said, that, " when incubation begins, the males go apart by themselves to different portions of the forest, and remain until lato in autumn, when thoy rejoin the females and young." This species flourishes well in confinement: it tames readily, and soon eats all kinds of grains and seeds, and pieces of potatoes and fruits. It requires a large cage or coop, and is contented if it has, now and then, a spruce or oedar-trea given it to roost and climb upon. CUPIDONIA, Bkioh«baoh. Cupidonia, Beichbsbaoh, Av. Sy»t Nat. (1860). (Type Tetrao Cupido, L.) Tail short, naif the lengthened wings; the feathers stiffened and more or less graduated; bare space of the neck concealed by a tuft of lanceolate feathers; tarsi feathered only to near the base, the lower joint scutellato ; culmen between the nasal fosBiB scarcely one-third the total length. t OUPIDOmA CVVlOO. — Baird. The nnnated Orouae; Prairie Hen; Prairie Chiaken. Tetrao Cupido, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 274. Wils. Am. Cm., IH. (1811) 104. Nutt. Man., L 663. Aud. Cm. Biog., IL (1884) 490; V. (1880) 569. Ci^ndonia Ameiioana, Beichenbach. Av. Syst Nat (18o0). Dkscbiptioii. Tail of eighteen feathers, varied with whitish-brown and biownisk -yellow ; almoet everywhere witli well-defined transverse bars of brown on the feathers. Body stout, compact; a tuft of long, pointed lanceolate feathers on each side of the neck, covering a bare space capable of much inflation; tail short, truncate, much graduated, composed of eighteen feathers, the lateral feathers about two-thirds the •)ii(ii^S»«M»8«!sa36SeK3W.'SP»B. )w»*»»po ■nr THE PINNATED OHOUSE. 881 nlddl«t the ftather. .tiffened, newly linear and truncate; the Ull 1« icarcely longer than the covcrtJ.,and half the length of the wuik; t«r.i covered with fealhoM anteriorly and laterally to ll.» •'<«'■, hut bare, with lioxii«oiml noutell* behind; the middle to* •nd claw longer timn the tariue; the tnei margined by pectinatwl proceMc.; a .paca above the eye provided with a den«e [wclinated procew in thi breednig leanon, tonietnnee wparated from the eye by a .uperciliary .pace covered with foathera. Length, lixtcn and (Itty one-hundrodthn inches; wing, eight and eighty one- hundredths; tail, four and ieventy one-hundrodth* inches. This woU-kiiowii bird is now found in Now England only on Martha's Vineyard and Naushon, and perhaps one or two other islands otf the southern coast of Massachusetts. It was once probably very abundant in all the southern New- England States : but it is now nearly exterminated here ; and very soon, in all probability, it will ceaae to be one of our birds. Having had no opportunities for observing and studying its habits, I give the very full and interesting description presented by Wilson. He quotes a letter de- scribing some of its habits as follows : — "Amours. — The season for pairing is in March, and the breed- ing time is continued through April and May. Then the male Grouse distinguishes himself by a peculiar sound. When he utters it, the parts about the throat are sensibly inflated and swelled. It may be heard on a still morning foV three or more miles ; some say 1 f I ■i^ ! 382 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. they have perceived it as far as five or six. Tliis noise is a sort of ventriloquism. It does not strike the ear of a bystander with much force, but impresses him with the idea, though produced within a few rods of him, of a voice a mile or two distant. This note is highly characteristic. Though very peculiar, it is termed tooting, from its resemblance to the blowing of a conch or horn from a remote quarter. The female makes her nest on the ground, in recesses very varely discovered by men. She usually lays from ten to twelve eggs, which are of a brownish color, much resembling those of a Guinea Hen. When hatched, the brood is protected by her alone. Surrounded by her young, the mother-bird exceedingly resembles a domestic Hen and chickens. She frequently leads them to feed in the roads crossing the woods, on the remains of maize and oats contained in the dung dropped by the travelling horses. In that employment, they are often surprised by th 3 pas- sengers. On such occasions, the dam utters a cry of alarm. The little ones immediately scamper to the brush ; and, while they are skulking into places of safety, their anxious parent beguiles the spectator by drooping and fluttering her wings, limping along the path, rolling over in the dirt, and other pretences of inability to walk or fly. " Food. A favorite article of their diet is the heath-hen plum, or partridge-berrj^ They are fond of whortleberries and cran- berries. Worms and insects of several kinds are occasionally found in their crops. But, in the winter, they subsist chiefly on acorns and the buds of trees which have shed their leaves. In their stomachs have been sometimes observed the leaves of a plant sup- posed to be a wintergreen ; and it is said, when they are much pinched, they betake themselves to the buds of the pine. In con- venient places, they have been known to enter cleared fields, and regale themselves on the leaves of clover ; and old gunners have reported that they have been known to trespass upon patches of buckwheat, and pick up the grains. « Migration. — They are stationary, and never known to quit their abode. There are no facts showing in them any disposition to migration. On frosty mornings, and during snows, they perch on the upper branches of pine-trees. They avoid wet and swampy places, and are remarkably attached to dry ground. The low and L. L is a sort of with much 2d within a 'his note is led tooting, orn from a ground, in .ys from ten resembling irotected by exceedingly lently leads remains of e travelling by th 1 pas- ilarm. The lile they are beguiles the g along the ■ inability to Ih-hen plum, !S and cran- ionally found ly on acorns 3. In their a plant sup- ey are much ne. In con- id fields, and [unners have )n patches of lown to quit ly disposition s, they perch and swampy The low and ■ ., THE PINNATED GROUSE. 383 open brush is preferred to high shrubbery and thickets. Into these latter places they fly for refuge when closely pressed by the hunt- ers ; and here, under a stiff and impenetrable cover, they escape the pursuit of dogs and men. Water is so seldom met with on the true Grouse ground, that it is necessary to carry it along for the pointers to drink. The flights of Grouse are short but sudden, rapid, and whirring. I have not heard of any success in taming them. They seem to resist all attempts at domestication. In this, as well as in many other respects, they resemble the Quail of New York or the Partridge of Pennsylvania. " Manners. — Jianng the period of mating, and while the females are occupied in incubation, the males have a practice of assembling, principally by themselves. To some select and central spot, where there is very little underwood, they repair from the adjoining district. From the exercise performed there, this is called a scratching-place. The time of meeting is the break of day. As soon as the light appears, the company assembles from every side, sometimes to the number of forty or fifty. When the dawn is past, the ceremony begins by a low tooting from one of the cocks. This is answered by another. They then come forth one by one from the bushes, and strut about with all the pride and ostentation they can display. Their necks are incurvated; the feathers on them are erected into a sort of rufT; the plumes of their tails are expanded like fans ; they strut about in a style resembling, as nearly as small may be illustrated by great, the pomp of the Tur- key-cock. They seem to vie with each other in stateliness ; and, as they pass each other, frequently cast looks of insult, and utter notes of defiance. These are the signals for battles. They engage with wonderful spirit and fierceness. During these contests, they leap a foot or two from the ground, and utter a cackling, screaming, and discordant cry. , " They have been found in these places of resort even earlier than the appearance of light in the east. This fact has led Uy the belief that a part of them assemble over night. The rest join them in the morning. This leads to the further belief that they roost on the ground ; and the opinion is confirmed by the discovery of little rings of dung, apparently deposited by a flock which had passed the night together. After the appearance of the sun, they disperse. ■-■«iSW*W5*W!M#n r t i li \ %4 \mn\ I li I UK WI I I !l - I W!" 884 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. "These places of exhibition have been often discovered by the hunters; and a fatal discovery it has been for the poor Grouse. Their destroyers construct for themselves lurking-holes made of pme branches, called bough houses, within a few yards of the parade. Hither they repair with their fowling-pieces, in the latter part of the night, and wait the appearance of the birds. Watching the moment when two are proudly eying each other, or engaged m battle, or when a greater number can be seen in a range, they pour on them a destructive charge of shot. This annoyance has been given in so many places, and to such extent, that the Grouse, after having been repeatedly disturbed, are afraid to assemble. On approaching the spot to which their instinct prompts them, they perch on the neighboring trees, instead of alighting at the scratch- ing-place; and it remains to be observed how far the restless and tormenting spirit of the marksmen may alter the native habits of the Grouse, and oblige them to betake themselves to .ew ways of life. , ^, "They commonly keep together in coveys, or packs, as the phrase is, until the pairing season. A full pack consists, of course, of ten or a dozen. Two packs have been known to associate. I lately heard of one whose number amounted to twenty-two. They are so unapt to be startled, that a hunter, assisted by a dog, has been able to shoot almost a whole pack, without making any of them take wing. In like manner, the men lying in concealment near the scratching-places have been known to discharge several guns before either the report of the explosion, or the sight of their wounded aud dead fellows, would rouse them to flight. It has further been remarked, that, when a company of sportsmen have surrounded a pack of Grouse, the birds seldom or never rise upon their pinions while they are encircled; but each runs along until it parses the person that is nearest, and then flutters off with the utmost expedition. Samuel L. Mitchill." He then continues with his own observations : — "This bird, though an inhabitant of different and very distant districts of North America, is extremely particular in selecting his place of residence; pitching only upon those tracts whose features and production? correspond with his modes of Ufe, and avoiding il THE PINNATED GROUSE. 885 ered by the 3or Grouse, nade of pine the parade, tter part of ''atching the engaged in je, they pour ce has been jrouse, after semble. On 5 them, they the scratch- restless and ve habits of to -ew ways tacks, as the 3ts, of course, associate. I jT-two. They by a dog, has taking any of I concealment harge several sight of their light. It has wrtsmen have ever rise upon as along until rs ofiF with the tflTCHILL." i: — id very distant in selecting his whose features 5, and avoiding immense, intermediate regions that he never visits. Open, dry plains, thinly interspersed with trees, or partially overgrown with shrub oak, are his favorite haunts. Accordingly, we find these birds on the Grouse plains of New Jersey, in Burlington County, as well as on the brushy plains of Long Island; among the pines and shrub oaks of Pocano, in Northampton County, Pennsy van.a ; over the whole extent of the Barrens of Kentucky ; on the luxuri- ant plains and prairies of the Indiana Territory, and Upper Louisi- ana; and, according to the information of the late Govei-nor Lewis, on the vast and remote plains of the Columbia River; m all these places preserving the same singular habits. « Their predilection for such situations will be best accounted for by considering the following facts and circumstances -.First, their mode of flight is generally direct and laborious, and ill calculated for the labyrinth of a high and thick forest, crowded and intersected with trunks and arms of trees, that require continual angular evolu- tion of wing, or sudden turnings, to which they are by no means accustomed. I have always observed them to avoid the high- timbered groves that occur here and there in the Barrens. Con- nected with this fact is a circumstance related to me by a very respectable inhabitant of that country; viz., that, one forenoon, a cock Grouse struck the stone chimney of his house with such force as instantly to fall dead to the ground. "Secondly, their known dislike of ponds, marshes, or watery places, which they avoid on all occasions ; drinking but seldom, and, it is believed, never from such places. Even in confinement, this peculiarity has been taken notice of. While I was m the State of Temiessee, a person living within a few miles of Nashville had caught an old hen Grouse in a trap ; and, being obliged to keep her in a large cage, as she struck and abused the rest of the poultry, he remarked that she never drank, and that she even avoided that quarter of the cage where the cup containing the water was placed. Happening, one day, to let some water fall on the cage, it trickled down in drops along the bars, which the bird no sooner observed than she eagerly picked them off, drop by drop, with a dexterity that showed she had been habituated to this mode of quenchmg her thirst, and probably to this mode only, in those dry and barren tracts, where, except the drops of dew .and drops of rain, water is 25 T h f / 5 I. 1 :' . ^ i m" »* '14 886 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. very rarely to be met with. For the space of a week, he watched her closely, to discover whether she still refused to drmk; but, though she was constantly fed on Indian corn, the cup and water still remained untouched and untasted. Yet no sooner did he again sprinkle water on the bars of the cage, than she eagerly and rapidly picked them off as before. . «The last, and probably the strongest, inducement to their preferring these plains is the small acorn of the «^/«b «ak, the strawberries, huckleberries, and partridge-berries, with which they abound, and which constitute the principal part of the food of these birds. These brushy thickets also afford them excellent shelter, being almost impenetrable to dogs or birds of prey. "In all these places where they inhabit, they are, in the strict est sense of the word, resident; having their particular haunts and places of rendezvous (as described in the preceding account), to which they are strongly attached. Yet they have been known to abandon an entire tract of such country, when from whatever cause it might proceed, it became again covered with forest. A few miles south of the town of York, in Pennsylvania, commences an extent of country, formerly of the character described, now chiefly covered with wood, but still retaining the name of Barrens. In the recollection of an old man born in that part of the country, this tract abounded with Grouse. The timber growing up, m progress of years, these birds totally disappeared; and, for a long period of time, he had seen none of them, until, migrating with his family to Kentucky, on entering the Barrens, he, one morning, recognized the well-known music of his old acquaintance, the Grouse, which, he assures me, are the very same with those he had known in Pennsylvania. , ^, . » „„^ "But what appears to me the most remarkable circumstance relative to this bird is, that not one of all those writers who have attempted its history have taken the least notice ot those two extraordinary bags of yellow skin which mark the neck of the male, and which constitute so striking a peculiarity. These appear to be formed by an expansion of the gullet, as well as of the exte- rior skin of the neck, which, when the bird is at rest, hangs in loose, pendulous, wrinkled folds along the side of the neck ; the Bupplemental wings, at the same time, as well as when the bird » ^^3fi«W«*«i***-' * T THE PINNATED GROUSE. 887 ek, he watched to drink; but, cup and water sooner did he ihe eagerly and ement to their shrub oak, the ?ith which they he food of these scellent shelter, ey. re, in the strict- :ular haunts and ling account), to been known to , from whatever . with forest. A ania, commences ■ described, now lame of Barrens. :t of the country, growing up, in I ; and, for a long ligrating with his he, one morning, icquaintance, the ae with those he ible circumstance writers who have tice of those two the neck of the ty. These appear ell as of the exte- at rest, hangs in of the neck; the 18 when the bird is flying, lying along the neck. But when these bags are inflated with air, in" breeding-time, they are equal in size, and very much resemble in color, a middle-sized, fully ripe orange. By means of this curious apparatus, which is very observable several hundred yards off, he is enabled to produce the extraordinary sound men- tioned above, which, though it may easily be imitated, is yet difii- cult to describe by words. It consists of three notes of the same tone, resembling those produced by the Night Hawks in their rapid descent ; each strongly accented, the last being twice as long as the. others. When several are thus engaged, the ear is unable to dis- tinguish the regularity of these triple notes ; there being, at such times, one continued bumming, which is disagreeable and perplex- ing, from the impossibility of ascertaining from what distance, or even quarter, it proceeds. While uttering this, the bird exhibits all the ostentatious gesticulations of a Turkey-cock ; erecting and fluttering his neck-wings, wheeling and passing before the female, and close before his fellows, as in defiance. Now and then are heard some rapid, cackling notes, not unlike that of a person tickled to excessive laughter ; and, in short, one can scarcely listen to them without feeling disposed to laugh from sympathy. These are uttered by the males while engaged in fight, on which occasion they leap up against each other, exactly in the manner of Turkeys, seemingly with more malice than effect. This bumming continues from a little before daybreak to eight or nine o'clock in the morn- ing, when the parties separate to seek for food. " Fresh-ploughed fields, in the vicinity of their resorts, are sure to be visited by these birds every morning, and frequently also in the evening. On one of these I counted, at one time, seventeen males, making such a continued sound, as, I am persuaded,* might have been heard for more than a mile off. The people of the Barrens informed me, that, when the weather becomes severe with snow, they approach the barn and farm-house, are sometimes seen sitting on the fences in dozens, mix with the poultry, and glean up the scattered grains of Indian corn, seeming almost half domesticated. At such times, great numbers are taken in traps. No pains, how- ever, or regular plan, has ever been persisted in, as far as I was informed, to domesticate these delicious birds. A Mr. Reed, wjio lives between the Pilot Knobs and Bairdstown, told me, that, a few T ■M Jum I V If. ggg ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. years ago, one of his sons found a Grouse's nest with fifteen eggs, wWch he brought home, and immediately placed beneath a hen then ^«^t taking away her own. The nest of. the Grouse was on the glnd, unde'r a tuLock of long grass, formed with very lutle ar, !nd fe; materials: the eggs were brownish-wh.te, and about the Te of a pullet's. In three or four days, the whole were hatched. Cead of following the hen. they compelled her to run after them, d^strlg her with the extent and diversity of their wandenngs ; and wS a day or two before they seemed to understand her ' Lg^age. or consent to be guided by her. They were let out to the^elds where they paid little regard to the.r nurse; and, ma ew day only three'o? them remained. These became extremely Ze ani familiar, were most expert flycatchers; but. soon after, they also disappeared. The eggs of this species are generally ovoidal in form, and are often pretty sharply tapered at their small «"d«- They vary in color from a dirty-drab to a grayish-white and are covered more or less thickly with fine spots or dots of brown : aome specimens have none of these markmgs while others are abundantly spotted. A large number of speci- mens in my collection average about 1.80 by 1.25 mch la dimensions. BONASA. Stkphkns. Bonasa, SXK.H..B, Shaw's Gen. Zool.. XI. (1819). (Type ^''^^ '-^'Z';^ ... . .1,0 ^ryA its feathers very broad, as long as the wings , me head with a soft crest. B0HA3A UMBELLUS.-StepfteM. ^e Enffed Grouse ; Partridge ; Pheaaint. - . « T . ^-«J1MpS*»' =■■ THE BUFFRD OBOUflE. 891 hU wing» against hl« nnlo. and Uu, log -^h conKiae^^^^^^^^ p r Thi* nroducos a i.olh.w .InuumiuK noino, that may force. n>m P'"'^"*^*? drntaiu-o: it commoncos very ':i:I^y,ti TnUto. wi«, a rpHin^ boat v„.y .ar U. a,o dirtanco of Uriy foot, «..d vio, J.».». ^"ThTfemalo, when her family is surpriBed quickly gives a wan ng cluck, when the whole brood adro.tly conceal « e n- Zl I have known a number to disappear, as if by l; : beira b^^ch of loaves or grass ; -d it required TLnJ careful search to discover their whereabouts. I le cle suddenly upon a covey of these young bird , when the mother, taken by surprise, uttering a harsh cry flew a my foot, and commenced pecking it fiercely : the y L scTamblei off, uttering Mnipeets, when the old bird ';rps astonished at this departure from her usi^al mod- estv suddenly retreated, and concealed herself. The young S's associate with the female until scattered ^7 spoHsm or by a scarcity of provender. They are much mo e deli cate as food, when about two-thirds grown, than the old b^ L as theV have less of that peculiar bitter taste, and te 'a -cl flavor, almost similar to that o^i^^J^o^^^ The food of this species consists of various seeds, berries, g.^:, andlsects.'^When nothing else can be ob ained Sey will eat the leaves of the evergreens, and buds ot . _ 392 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. trees ; and, when all other food is covered with snow, they eat dried pieces of apples that are left hanging on the trees, mosses, and leaves of the laurel. It is after feeding on this last plant that their flesh becomes dangerous to be eaten ; and it is always safe not to. eat these birds in winter, if they have been killed for any great length of time, or if their intestines and crops have been left in them. One habit that this species has is, I believe, peculiar to it ; and that is its manner of diving into the deep snow to pass the night in cold weather : this it does very fre- quently, and its snowy covering affords it a warm and effectual protection. But if it rains during the night, and then the weather changes to freezing, the Grouse, imprisoned beneath the crust that forms on the surface of the snow, soon dies ; and it is noticed, that, in seasons after winters when the weather frequently changes from raining to freez- ing, there is a scarcity of these birds. It is a common occurrence to find them, in the spring, dead, having perished in this manner. ._Ji THE VIRGINIA PARTRIDGE. 893 ith snow, they ig on the trees, feeding on this as to be eaten ; winter, if they me, or if their 5ve, peculiar to the deep snow does very fre- t a warm and r the night, and use, imprisoned ce of the snow, tis after winters •aining to freez- t is a common having perished i \i'. . Family PERDICIDJE. The Partridges. NostrilB protected bv a naked scale; the tarsi bare and scutellate. The PerdkuiB di^ " ora the Grouse in the bare legs and naked nasal fossm; they are much sn; .a size and more abundant in species; they are widely dis- tributed over the sur.ace of the globe, a large number belonging to America, where the sub-families have no Old-World representatives whatever; the head seldom, if ever, shows the naked space around and above the eye, so common in the Tetraonidcs ; and the sides of the toes scarcely exhibit the peculiar pectination formed by a suc- cession of small scales or plates. Sub-Family ORTTGiNiB. BiU stout; the lower mandible more or less bidentate on each side near the end. The Ortyginte of Bonaparte, or Odontophorina of other authors, are characterized as a group by the bidentation on either side of the edge of lower mandible, usually concealed in the closed mouth, and sometimes scarcely appreciable; the bill is short, and rather high at base, stouter and shorter thiin what is usually seen in Old- World partridges; the culmen is curved from the base; the tip of Uie bill broad, and overlapping the end of the lower mandible; the nasal groove is short; the taU U rather broad and long. ' ORTYX, STKPiiEHa. Ortyx, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819). (Type Tetrao rtrginiauui, L.) Bill stout; head entirely without any crest; tail short, scarcely more than half the wing, composed of moderately soft feathers; wings normal; legs developed, the toes reaching considerably beyond the tip of the tail; the lateral toes short, equal, their claws falling decidedly short of the base of the middle claw. OaTTZ VIEGIHIANUS. — BonoparJe. The Virginia Partridge; QnaU; Bob-whita. — Syst Nat, I. (1766) 277. Am. Om., VI. (1812) 21. Aud. Om. Biog., I. Tetrao Virginiaaia, Linnseus, Perdue Virginiana, Wilson. (1881) 888; V. (1889) 664. Ortyx Virginiana, Jardine. Nat Lib. Birds, IV. ; Game Birds, 101. Perdix ( Colinia) Virginiana, Nuttall. Man., I. (1882) 646. Dkscbiptioh. Forehead, and line through the eye and along the side of the neck, with chin and throat, white; a band of black across the vertex, and extending backwards on the sides, within the white, and another fi-om the maxilla beneath the eye, and crossing on the lower part of the throat; the under parts are white, tinged with brown anteriorly, each feather with several narrow, obtusely V-shaped bands of it^tKI 894 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. blMk- the forepart of back, the «de of the breast and in front just '^'Jo;^ *e'black Tr nf a Zuinkish-redi the sides of body and wing coverts brown.sh-red; the .cTatoBt uliCr^ ' iSut indication of mottling, scapulars and upper terUas coaterblotched wii black, and edged internally -'* ''^''^'f ^^'J'^' *°P "^ head reddish; the lower part of neck, except anteriorly, streaked with wh,te and ^'"t^^^rt^^i^of ^rLSWlacedbybrow^sh-yeUow; th. "thirsSes is subject to considerable variations both of size and coU.r, the more northtrCg considerably the larger, -^^.r Mhe' b^k i^'risT. o nore black about the head, on the wings, and the middle of the back, there is also :;"re appreciable mottling on the wings, and the feather, of U.e back are streaked "' wtten inches, wing, four and seventy oae-hundredths inches, tail, two and eighty-five one-hundredths inches. THIS beautiful bird, very improperly called the Quail, is not very common in any part of New England north of Massachusetts; and in that State it is rapidly becoming rare, both* in consequence of the destructive pertmactty • with which it is followed by all sportsmen, and the abomi- nable practice of snaring and netting it, that is growing too common. In Massachusetts and the other southern New- England States, it is partially migratory in the fall; repair- ing to the neighborhood of the seacoast, where it remains two or three weeks : it returns to the fields and swamps, by the first fall of snow, where it passes the winter. Its habits are pretty well known in that section ; but, that my readers may know about ifelsewhere, I give the very inters esting description by WUson. He says, — "They are most numerous in the vicmity of weU-cultivated plantations, where grain is in plenty. They, however, occasionally Lk shelter in the'woods, perching on the branches, or secreUng themselves among the brushwood; but are found mostusuaU^^^^ open fields, or along fences sheltered by thickets of bners. Where they are not too much persecuted by the sportsmen, they become alnLt half domesticated ; approach the bam, particular y m winter^ and sometimes, in that severe season, mix with Uie poultry to g^ean up a subsistence. They remain with us the whole year, and often suffer extremely by long, hard winters and deep snows. At such just below the black ■t8 brownish-red; the re and upper tertials fnisfi-yellow; top of iked with whjte and brownish-yellow i th« ;e and color, the more ns are darker, with le back ; there is also the back are streaked 9 inches; tail, two and ed the Quail, is r England north apidly becoming itive pertinacity and the abomi- it is growing too r southern New- the fall; repair- \rhere It remains and swamps, by inter. Its habits but, that my ve the very inter- of well-cultivated iwever, occasionally inches, or secreting ind most usually in } of briers. Where tsmen, they become irticularly in winter, the poultry to glean hole year, and often ep snows. At such THE VIRGINIA PARTRIDGE. 895 times, the arts of man combine with the inclemency of the season for their destruction. To the ravages of the gun are added others of a more insidious kind ; traps are placed on almost every planta- tion, in such places as they are known to frequent. These are formed of lath, or thinly split sticks, somewhat in the shape of an obtuse cone, laced together with cord, having a small hole at top, with a sliding lid, to take out the game by. This is supported by the common figure-four trigger, and grain is scattered below and leading to the place. By this contrivance, ten or fifteen have some- times been taken at a time. " The Partridge begins to build early in May. The nest is made on the ground, usually at the bottom of a thick tuft of grass, that shelters and conceals it. The materials are leaves and fine dry grass in considerable quantity. It is well covered above, and an opening left on r .le side for entrance. The female lays from fifteen to twenty-four eggs, of a pure-white, without any spots. The time of incubation has been stated to me, by various persons, at four weeks, when the eggs were placed under the domestic Hen. The young leave the nest as soon as they are freed from the shell, and are conducted about in search of food by the female ; are guided by her voice, which, at that time, resembles the twittering of young chickens, and sheltered by her wings, in the same manner as those of the domestic fowl, but with all that secrecy and precau- tion tor their safety which their helplessness and greater danger require. In this situation, should the little timid family be unex- pectedly surprised, the utmost (darm and consternation instantly prevail. The mother throws herself in the path, fluttering along, and beating the ground with her wings, as if sorely wounded; using every artifice she is mistress of to entice the passenger in pur- suit of herself; uttering, at the same time, certain peculiar notes of alarm, well understood by the young, who dive separately amongst the grass, and secrete themselves till the danger is over : and the parent, having decoyed the pursuer to a safe distance, returns, by a circuitous route, to collect and lead them off. This well-known manoeuvre, which nine times in ten is successful, is honorable to the feelings and judgment of the bird, but a severe satire on man. The affectionate mother, as if sensible of the avaricious cruelty of his nature, tempts him with a larger prize, to save her 396 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. more helpless offspring ; and pays him, as avarice and cruelty ought always to be paid, with mortification and disappointment." In a great number of eggs in my collection, from many different localities, some specimens are nearly pure-white, while others are smeared with some blotches or confluen dabs of yellowish: whether these are stains caused by moisture or dirt, I am ignorant ; but they are permanent, for I cannot remove them by water or alcohol. I judge they are stains from the earth or decayed vegetation on wliich they were laid Their form is pyriform ; and their average length about 1.20 inch, and greatest width 1 inch. \\ NOTES. I continue Mr. Couper's notes, made at Quebec, Lower Canada : — ECTOWSTES UIOSATORinS. — The Paggenger Pigeon is not so common in this portion of Lower as in Upper Canada, where they breed in large numbers. They are found breeding in the eastern townships of Lower Canada ; but I have not ascertained that they breed in this district or north of it. I remember at one time finding a nest of this pigeon in the woods north of Toronto : it contained a single young one. I believe there are many instances of its breeding in solitary pairs, something like the Wood Pigeon of Europe. ZIiNAIDUBA CAROLINEHSIS. — The Carolina Dove has never been noticed in Lower Canada. It occurs occasionally in the woods north of the city of Toronto, where, I believe, it breeds. TETBAO CANADENSIS. — This species is very common from October to February. They are in prime condition during the last month. It breeds on both sides of the St. Lawrence, but more common on the south. During the above months, there are generally six males to one female exhibited on our markets. The inhabitants inform me that females are very scarce during winter. This is a parodox to me, when I know that both male and female feed on the same tree. What is also astonishing, the nest and eggs of this bird are as hard to discover in spring as the female is in winter. I have offered to purchase every nest of this species brought to me; but, strange to say, I have not been fo^lunate in seeing one yet. BONASA UMBELLnS. — Common. Breeds. I have repeatedly found the nest of this species ,nd crtielty ought tment." on, from many rly pure-white, 38 or confluen ins caused by are permanent, . I judge they ation on wliich d their average I 1 inch. Quebec, Lower 1 is not 80 common :hey breed in largo awnships of Lower lis district or north igeon in the woods I beUeve there are tiing like the Wood a never been noticed north of the city of on from October to it month. It breeds the south. During ne female exhibited lies are very scarce that both male and ig, the nest and eggs nnale is in winter. I rought to me; but, 18 yet. repeatedly found the ORDER V. — QRALLATOREa. 897 ORDER v. — GRALLATORES. Waders. Legs, neck, and usually the bill, much lengthened; tibia bare for a certain distance above the tarsal joint ; nostrils exposed ; tail usually very short ; the species live along or near the water, more rarely in dry plains, wading,* never swimming habitually, except perhaps in the case of the Phalaropes. The bill of the Grallatores is usually in direct proportion to the length of legs and neck. The toes vary, but are usually connected at the base by a membrane, which sometimes extends almost or quite to the claws. The Grallatores, like the Rasores and Natatores, are divisible into two sub-orders, according as the species rear and feed their young in nests, or allow them to shift for themselves. The follow- ing diagnoses express the general character of these subdivisions : Hebodiones. — Face or lores more or less naked, or else covered with' feathers different from those on the rest of the body, except in some Gruida ; bill nearly as thick at the base as the skull ; hind toe generally nearly on same level with the ante- rior ; young reared in nests, and requiring to be fed by the parent. Grall.£. — Lores with feathers similar to those on the rest of the body ; bill contracted at base, where it is usually smaller than the skull ; hind toe generally elevated ; young running about at birth, and able to feed themselves. 898 ORNITHOIiOGY AND OOLOGY. SUB-ORDER HERODIONES. Bill generally thick at the base and much longer than the head ; frontal feathers with a rounded outline; lores, and generally the region round the eye (sometime* most of the head), naked. The primary characteristic of the Uerodicmu, though physiological rather than toological, is of the highest importance; the young are bom weak and imperfect, and are reared in the nest, being fed directly by the parent until able to take care of themselves, when they are generally abandoned. In the GraUa, on the contrary, the young run about freely, directly after being hatched, and are capable of securing food for themselves under the direction of the parent. The chief zoological character (not, however, entirely without exception) is to be found in the bill, which is generally very large, much longer than the head, and thickened at tlie base so as to be nearly or quite as broad and high as the skull; the lores are almost always naked, or, if covered, it is with feathers of a different kind from those on the rest of the body; the hind toe in most genera is lengthened and on a level with the anterior, so as to be capable of grasping; sometimes, however, it is elevated and quite short. — Baibd. Family ARDEID-^. The Herons. Bill conical, acuminate, compressed, and acute; the edges usually nicked at the end; the irontal feathers generally extending beyond the nostrils; tarsi scutellate anteriorly; the middle toe connected to the outer by a basal web; claws acute; the edge of the middle one serrated or pectinated on its inner edge. GARZETTA, Bomapartb. Garzetta, Bosapabtb, Consp., II. (1865) 118. (Tj-pe Ardea gantUa, L., whether of Kaup, 1829?) Bill slender; outlines nearly straight to near the tip, when they are about equally convex; middle toe more than half the tarsus; tarsi broadly scutellate ante- riorly; tibia denuded for about one-half; outer toe longest; head with a full occipital crest of feathers having the webs decomposed, hair-like ; feathers of lower part of throat similar; middle of back with long plumes reaching to the tail, recurving at tip; these plumes and the crest apparently permanent; lower part of neck behind, bare of feathers; colors pure-white in all ages. OABZETTA OAHSIBISSIMA. — £on<^r(«. The Snowy Heron. ~ Ardea eandidimma, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 688. Wils. Am. Om., VH. (1818) 120. Nutt Man., II. (1884) 49. Aud. Om. Biog., IIL (1886) 817; V. (1889) 606. Garzetta caruHdimma, Bonaparte. Consp. (1866), 119. « i ead; frontal feather* 1 the eytj (sometimes iological rather than weak and imperfect, il able to take care of lUa, on the contrary, re capable of securing lut exception) is to be ■ than the head, and > ligh as the skull; the rs of a different kind era is lengtliened and >metimcs, however, it 5N8. usually nicked at the strils; tarsi scutellate reb; claws acute; the idge. Ardea garztUa, L., ifhen they are about roadly scutellate ante- id with a full occipital ;hers of lower part of I the tail, recurving at ' part of neck behind, te. Wils. Am. Om., TH. , m. (1886) 817 i V. ■•■BPWHIP"^"" THE SNOWY HERON. 899 Description. Occiput much crested; dorsal plutnos reaching to the end of the tail; colors pure- white; bill blacl.; the base yellow; legs black; iris, hazel in young, yellow in adult. Length, twenty-four inches; wing, ten and twenty one-hundrodths inches; tar- sus, three and eighty one-hundredths inches ; bill, above, three and fifteen one-hun- dredtbs inches. rilHIS beautiful bird is a very rare summer visitor in X the southern New-England States. I have never had an opportunity for observing its habits, and will give the description by Wilson: — " The Snowy Heron seems particularly fond of the salt marshes during summer, seldom penetrating far inland. Its white plumage renders it a very conspicuous object, either while on wing, or while wading the meadows or marshes. ,_r— .;^-- Its food consists of those small crabs usually called fiddlers, mud- worms, snails, frogs, and lizards. It also feeds on the seeds of some species of nymphae, and of several other aquatic plants. On the i9th of May, I visited an extensive breeding-place of the Snowy Heron, among the red ce- dars of Summer's Beach, on the ast of Cape May. The situation was very sequestered, bounded on the land side by a fresh-water marsh or pond, and sheltered from the Atlantic by ranges of sand-hills. The cedars, though not high, were so closely crowded together as to render it difficult to pene- trate through among them. Some trees contained three, others four nests, built wholly of sticks. Each had in it three eggs of a pale greenis^'-blue color, and measuring an inch and three-quarters in length by an inch and a quarter in thickness. Forty or fifty of these eggs were cooked, and found to be well tasted : the white was of a bluish tint, and almost transparent, though boiled for a considerable time; the yolk very small in quantity. The birds 400 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. rose in vast numbers, but without clamor, alighting on the tops of the trees around, and watching the result in silent anxiety. Among them were numbers of the Night Heron, and two or three Purple- headed Herons. Great quantities of egg-shells lay scattered under the trees, occasioned by the depredations of the Crows, who were continually hovering about the place. On one of the nests I found the dead hotly of the bird itself, half devoured by the Hawks, Crows, or Gulls. She had probably perished in defence of her eggs. " The Snowy Heron is seen at all times during summer among the salt marshes, watching and searching for food, or passing, some- times in flocks, from one part of the bay to tlus other. They often make excursions up the rivers and inlets, but return regularly in the evening to the red cedars on the beach to roost" ARDEA, Lumxaa. Ardea, LwifiKUs, Syrt. Nat., I. (1786). (Type A. eiperea.) Bill very thick; culmcn nearly straight; gonys ascending, ita tip more convex than .that of culmen; middle toe more than half the tarsus; tibia bare for nearly or quite one-half; claws short, much curvpd; outer toe longest; tarsus broadly ■outellate anteriorly; occiput with a few elongated occipital feathers; scapulars elongate lanceolate, ns long as the secondaries ; no dorsal plumes ; tail of twelve broad stiffened feathers; back of neck well feathered; size very large; colors plum- beons, streaked beneath. ASDEA HERODIAS. — //inmnu. The Great Blue Heron, or ( ane. Ardea Eerodia$, Linujens. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 287. Wils. Am. Cm., Vin. (1814)28. Nutt Man., U. (1884) 42. Aud. Cm. Biog., lU. (1886) 87; V. 699. Descriptioh. Lower third of tibia bare; above bluish-ash; edges of wing and the tibia mfons; neck cinnamon-brown ; head black, with a white frontal patch ; body beneath black, broadly streaked on the belly with white; crissum white; middle line of throat white, streaked with black and rufous. AduU. — Bill yellow, dusky at tbg base and greenish above; the forehead and central part of the crown are white, encircled laterally and behind by £lack, of which color is the occipital crest and its two elongated feathers ; the neck is of a light smoky cinnamon-brown, with perhaps a tinge of purple; the chin and throat whitish; the feathers along the central line of the throat to the breast white, streaked with black, and also with reddish-brown, except on the elongated feathers «f the 4 ■ ■ I ■ ■ iii iW WWWWW l'^*^* THE GREAT BLUE HERON. 401 le tops of . Amoug 36 Purple- ered under who were 3t8 I found le Hawks, oce of her aer among 3ing, Bome- rhey often Bgularly in br«Mt; the body may be described as bluiHli-aah above and on the sidex; the under parts, including the tuft of fpHthers on each side the breast and the belly to the white crissum, are sooty black, much varied along the middle line with white; the tibia and the edge of the wing are rufous; the quills are black, becoming more plumbeous internally until the innermost secondaries aro ashy, llki^ the back; the elongated tips of the scapular feathers have a whitish shade; the tail is of a bluish- slate color; according to Mr. Audubon, the bill in life is yellow; dusky-green above; loral and orbital spaces light-green; iris yellow; feet olivaceous, paler above the tibio-tarsal joint; claws black. Young. — The upper mandible is blackish; the lower yellow, except along the commissure; the head above is entirely dusky, without the much elongated occipital feathers; the breast is grayish, streaked with white and light-brown, but without any pure-black patches; the back is without the elongated scapular feathers; in itill younger specimens, the coverts aro all margined with rufous, which becomes lighter at the tip; the rufous of the tibia is much lighter. Length, forty-two inches; wing, eighteen and tifty one-Iiundredths ; tarsus about six and ddy one-hundredthg inches; bill about five and fifty one-hundredths inches. more convex ire for nearly irsus broadly rs; scapulars tail of twelve i colors plum- 1. Om., vm. r;V. 689. e tibia mfona ; >eneath black, line of throat forehead and by l>lack, of I neck is of a in and throat rhite, streaked eatfaen of tha This, the largest of our New-England Herons, is pretty generally distributed throughout these States as a summer resident ; and, although not very abundant in any section, it is of course more often found in localities near large bodies of ■water than elsewhere. It arrives from the South about the second week in April, sometimes a little earlier. During the day, it seems to prefer the solitudes of the forest for its retreat, as it is usually seen in the meadows only at early morning, and in the latter part of the afternoon. It then, by the side of a ditch or pond, is observed patiently watching for its prey. It remains standing motionless until a fish or frog presents itself, when, with an unerring stroke with its beak, as quick as lightning, it seizes, beats to pieces, and swallows it. This act is often repeated ; and, as the Heron varies this diet with meadow-mice, snakes, and insects, it certainly does not lead the life of misery and want that many writers ascribe to it. In fact, it is always plump and in good condition ; and by many is considered as a palatable bird on the table. About the 10th of May, this species commences building : as with the other Herons, it breeds in communities, and several nests may be found in an area of a few rods. Tliese 26 i «•■ 402 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. arc placed in high forks of troos, generally m rot.rod, almost impassable swamps. I once visited a heronry of tins species in ErroU N.H. It was in a deep swamp, winch was inter- sectcd liy a small branch of tlio Androscoggin River. I think tliat I never penetrated a more viUanous tract : every few rods a qnagmiro wonld present itself, which, althongh familiar to the persons who accompanied mo, was generally unrecognizable by me, from any patches of green turf ; and it was only by wading through mud and water, sometimes up to my waist, or by leaping from one fallen tree to another, through briers and brushwood, that I at lasc succeeded m arriving beneath the trees in which the nests were built. These were all dead hemlocks, white and smootn, without a branch for certainly forty feet, and unclimbable. We could see that the nests were nearly flat, and were constructed of twigs of different sizes, put together in a loose and slovenly manner. This was about the 25th of June : «>« y^^fT^^^^' of course, then about two-thirds grown ; and, as I had heard that they were excellent eating, I emptied both the barrels of my gun into one of the nests, when down tumbled two " squab Herons," as they are called. We had them broiled for supper: they tasted something like duck, but had a strong flavor that was not pleasant. » I don't hanker after any more," as one of our company said after supper. Ihe old birds, at the report of my gun, began flying over our heads, uttering their hoarse honks and guttural cries. They were careful to keep out of gunshot ; and, after frying back and forth a few minutes, they disappeared, and all was stiU The eggs of this species are laid about the 15th or 20th ot May: they are usually three or four in number, and their form is ovoidal. They are of a light bluish-green color and average in dimensions about 2.62 by 1.75 uich. But one brood is reared in the season. This is one of the most suspicious of our birds, and the most difficult to be approached. It is constantly on the lookout for danger; and its long neck, keen eyes, and deii- •'Sima i. I •a .■ iipMWH n m THE LBAST BITTERN. 408 itirod, almost f tliia spocios ;h waft iiitcr- in Rivor. I tract: every icli, although ffiifi generally len turf ; and 3r, sometimoB oe to another, succeeded in ts were built. >th, without a le. We could lonstructed of 3 and slovenly le young were, 18 I had heard th the barrels X tumbled two i them broiled ck, but had a t hanker after supper. The ying over our al cries. They 'ter flying back id all was still. 5th or 20th of aber, and their ^reen color, and inch. But one oar birds, and instantly on the eyes, and deli- 1 cato organs of hearing, enable it to detect the approach of a hunter long before he can get within gunshot. About the middle of October, it leaves New England, ia Binall detached groups, for the Soutii. ARDETTA, Grat. Ardttta, GnAT, List r.i Genera, App. (1842), 18. (Type Ardea minuta, L.) Bill alcnder, ..cute; both maiKlibleii about equally curved; le^ very short; tani less than middle tue; inner toe much longest; clawt long, acute; tarsi broadly sculoUate anteriorly. Tail of toil feathers ; neck short ; body much compressed : head smooth ; the occipital feathers somewhat lengthened; the lower neck bare of feathers behind; no plomos; plumage compact, lustrous; uniform above; sexes differently colored. AKDETTA tXlLlS. — Oray. yc The Least Bittern.— Ardea exilU, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 648. Wil«. Am. Om., VIII. (1814) ST. Aud. Om. Biog., III. (1836) 77; V.(1889) 606. Ardea (ardeoln) i-xiti$, NutUll. Man., II. (1634) 66. Ardttta txilit, Gray. Gen. (1842). DESCRimoN. Head above and the back dark glossy green; upper part of neck, shoulders, greater coverts, and outer webs of some tertials, purplish-cinnamon; a brownish- yellow scapular stripe. Female with the green of head and back replaced by purplish-chestnut; iris yellow. Length, thirteen inches; wing, four and seventy-tlvo one-hundredths ; tarsus, one and sixty one-hundredths; bill, above, one and seventy-five one-hundredths inchei. This, the smallest of ovir Ardeidse, is a rare summer inhabitant of New England. It is only seen in pairs or solitary individuals, and, unlike most of our birds in this family, seems persistently solitary in its habits. I ha\e never met with an individual alive, and will give a short extract from the description by Audubon of its habits. He says, " Although the Least Bittern is not unfrequently Started in salt nmrshes, it gives a decided preference to the borders of ponds, lakes, or bayous of fresh water; and it is in secluded situations of this kind that it usually forms its nest. This is sometimes placed on the ground, amid the f 1 wpi WK HP 404 ORNITHOLOOY AKD OOLOOY. rankest grasses, but more froquently it is attached to the Btoms several inches above it. It is flat, and composed of dried or rotten weeds. In two instances, I found the nests of tlie Least Bittern about throe feet above the ground, in a thiclt cluster of smilax and other briery plants. In the first, two nests wore placed in the same bush, within a few yards of each other. In the other instance, there was only one nest of this bird, but several of the Boat-tailed Grakle, and one of the Green Heron, the occupants of all of which seemed to be on friendly terms. When startled from the nest, the old birds omit a few notes resembling the syllable qua, alight a few yards off, and watch all your movements. If you go towards them, you may sometimes take the female with the hand, but rarely the male, who generally flies off, or makes his way through the woods. " The food of this bird consists of snails, slugs, tadpoles or young frogs, and water lizards. In several instances, however, I have found small shrews and field-mice in their stomach. Although more nocturnal than diurnal, it moves a good deal about by day in search of food. The flight of this bird is apparently weak by day ; for then it seldom re- moves to a greater distance than a hundred yards at a time, and this, too, only when frightened in a moderate degree, for, if much alarmed, it falls again among the grass, in the manner of the Rail : but in the dusk of the evening and morning, I have seen it passing steadily along, at the height of fifty yards or more, with the neck retracted, and the legs stretched out behind in the manner of the larger Herons." The eggs of this species are usually four in number: they are nearly oval in form, and are of the size, and almost exactly the form, of eggs of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, ex- cept with regard to color ; the present species being con- siderably paler. It has been found to breed in all the New-England States, but seems to be more of a southern species, and it is -not abundant anywhere north of the southern portions of the Middle States. ^ acliod to the compoBod of lud tho ueHts ground, in a lilts. In tho within a fow loro was only ailod Graltlo, all of wliich ilod from tho ; tho gyllablo ' movements. ,ko the female rally flies off, iugs, tadpoles ■al instances, mice in their nal, it moves The flight of it seldom re- rds at a time, >erate degree, I grass, in the ! evening and , at the height , and the legs ;er Herons." • in number: ^e, and almost i Cuckoo, ex- es being con- sd in all the }f a southern north of the TUB BITTRRN. B0TAURU8, Stbpiibms. 406 ■ Sodiunu, STBriiRNS, Sliaw'i Cien. Zool., XI. (1819) 593. (Typn Ardta titU larit, I,.) Hill modoraU, ictrfely longer than the head! bill outllnei gently convex, gonyt ttuccniliiig; (.iinl very tl-irt, lem than the middle toes broadly ncutellate ; innar lateral toe much loii,{citi clans nil very long, acute, and nearly nlmiifht. Tall of ten featheraj no jieculiiir creatj plumage loose, opafine, streaked ; lexei liiniUw. B0TAUBU8 ttnriQnosvn. - Bitphitu. ^ The Bittern ; Stake-driver. - Botaunu Untiffinonu, Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (181B) 500. Arden {butiiurus) Untiiiinoia, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 60. Ardta minor, Wilson. Am. Orn., VIII. (1814) 85. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 380. Dkbcbiitios. Brownish-yellow, finely m.fttled ond varied with dark-brown and brownish-red; • broad black stripe on each side the neck, starting behind the ear; iris golden yellow. Length, tweuty-six and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, eleven; fumus, tliree and sixty one-hundredths inchea; bill, above, two and seventy-live one hundredthi inchea. JJoft.— Entire continent of North America. Perhaps none of our Herons are more generally known than this species ; for it is common in all New England as a Biuumer resident, and in some localities, particularly the northern, is quite abundant. It arrives from tho South from about the last week in March to the 10th of April, according to latitude, and remains in the meadows, where it makes its home until the middle of October. It seems to be more diurnal in its habits than most of our other Herons, and seems always employed in the pursuit of fishes, frogs, and other reptiles and insects, of which its food consists. It breeds in communities, sometimes as many as a dozen pairs nesting within the area of a few rods. The nests are placed on low bushes, or thick tufts of grass, sometimes in low, thickly wooded trees; and are composed of coarse grasses, twigs, and a few leaves. I Lnow of no other place .n New England where these birds breed in such abun- dance as in the neighborhood of the Richardson Lakes, in Maine. There, in some of the tangled, boggy, almost im- tft. .% I IU I l 'lllll H l | |M l p W, I H |l H.'»MI" fltijWrWWfillwi**" 406 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. penetrable swamps, these birds have several heronries, which they have inhabited for years. When their haunts are approached, the birds rise with a guttural note, like the syllable quah, and alight in some tall tree, from which they silently watch the intruder. The eggs are usually four in number. Their form is generally ovoidal, and their color a rich drab, with some- times an olive tinge. I know of no species that exhibits so little variation in the size of its eggs as this; for in a large number of specimens in my collection from half a dozen different States, east and west, the only variety of dimen- sions is from 1.92 by 1.50 inch to 1.88 by 1.48 inch. In the mating season, and during the first part of the period of incubation, the male has a peculiar love-note, that almost exactly resembles the stroke of a mallet on a stake ; something like the syllables 'chunk-Orlunk-chunk, quank- chunk-a-lunk-chunk. I have often, when in the forests of Northern Maine, been deceived by this note into believing that some woodman or settler was in my neighborhood, and discovered my mistake only after toiling through swamp and morass for perhaps half a mile. But one brood is reared in the season by this bird in New England ; and, by the first week in August, the young are able to shift for themselves. BUTORIDES, Blyth. BuUmdei, Bltth (1849), Horsf. (Type Ardea Javanica.) Bill acute, rather longer than the head, gently curved from the base above, gonys slightly ascending; legs very short; tarsi scarcely longer than the middle toe broadly scutellate anteriorly; lateral toes nearly equal; head with elongated feathers above and behind; these are well defined, lanceolate, as are the wter- ,c«pular9 and scapulars; the latter not exceeding the tertials; neck short; bare behind interiorly; tibia feathered nearly throughout; tail ot twelve feathers. BUTOBISES VIBESCESS. — Bonaparte. /, The Green Heron; Fly-np-the-Creek. -' Ardea viracens, Linn«us. Syst. Nat, L (1766) 288. Wils. Am. Om., VIL 11818) 97. And. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 874. Ardea (hoUiurtu) viretcem. Nutt, 11. (1884) 68. Btttoj-tdM WrMC«fM, Bonaparte. Consp. Av., IL (1866) 138. "~"W" ronries, which p haunts are lote, like the im which they [heir form is b, with some- lat exhibits so for in a large half a dozen iety of dimen- 8 inch. st part of the love-note, that let on a stake ; ■chunk, quank- the forests of into believing neighborhood, through swamp , one brood is gland ; and, by }le to shift for Tom the base aboee; iger than the middle head with elongated ite, 88 are the inter- Js; neck short! bare twelve feathers. (Vils. Am. Om., VII. THE OREEK HERON. 407 Descriptiojj. " The Green Bittern is eighteen inches long, and twenty-five inches in extent ; bill black, lighter below, and yellow at the base; chin, and narrow streak down the throat, yellowish-white; neok dark vinaceous-red ; back covered with very long, tapering, pointed fentherp, of a hoary green, shafted with white, on a dark-green ground; the hind part of the neck is destitate of plumage, that it may be the more conveniently drawn in over the breast, but is covered with the long feathers of the throat and sides of the neck that enclose it behind; wings and tail dark glossy green, tipped and bordered with yellowish-white ; legs and feet yellow, tinged before with green, the skin of these thick and movable; belly ashy-brown; irides bright- orange. " The crested head very dark glossy green. The female, as I have particularly observed in numerous instances, differs in nothing, as to color, from the male; neither of them receive the long feathers on the back during the first season." — Wilson. The above description of this beautiful bird is so compre- hensive and accurate, that I cannot do better than to pre- sent it in this volume ; and the account of this bird's habits, by the same author, is so interesting and full, that, being unable to add to it any thing of value, I give it as below : — " The Green Bittern makes its first appearance in Pennsylvania early in April, soon after the marshes are completely thawed. There, among the stagnant ditches with which they are intersected, and amidst the bogs and quagmires, he hunts with great cunning and dexterity. Frogs and small fish are his principal game, whose caution and facility of escape require nice address and rapidity of attack. When on the lookout for small fish, he stands in the water, by the side of the ditch, silent and motionless as a statute ; his neck drawn in over his breast, ready for action. The instant a fry or minnow comes within the range of his bill, by a stroke, quick and sure as that of the rattlesnake, he seizes his prey, and swallows it in an instant. He searches for small crabs, and for the various worms and larvae, particularly those of the dragon-fly, which lurk in the mud, with equal adroitness. But the capturing of frogs requires much nicer management These wary reptiles shrink into the mire on the least alarm, and do not raise up their heads again to the surface without the most cautious circumspection. The Bit- tern, fixing his penetrating eye on the spot where they disappeared, approaches with slow, stealing step, laying his feet so gently and silently on the ground as not to be heard or felt ; and, when arrived within reach, stands fixed, and bending forwards, until the first i i Tf (ils^ El ; 408 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. glimpse of the frog's bead makes its appearance, when, with a stroke instantaneous as lightning, he seizes it in his bill, beats it to death, and feasts on it at his leisure. " When alarmed, the Green Bittern rises with a hollow, guttural scream ; does not fly far, but usually alights on some old stump, tree, or fence adjoining, and looks about with extended neck; though, sometimes, this is drawn in so that his head seems to rest on his breast. As he walks along the fence, or stands gazing at you with outstretched neck, he has the frequent habit of jetting the tail. He sometimes flies high, with doubled neck, and legs extended behind, flapping the wings smartly, and travelling with great expedition. He is the least shy of all our Herons, and perhaps the most numerous and generally dispersed ; being found fer in the interior, as well as along cur salt marshes, and everywhere about the muddy shores of our mill-ponds, creeks, and large rivers. " The Green Bittern begins to build about the 20 th of April : sometimes in single pairs, in swampy woods ; often in companies ; and not unfrequently in a kind of association with the Qua-birds, or Night Herons. The nest is fixed among the branches of the trees ; is constructed wholly of small sticks, lined with finer twigs ; and is of considerable size, though loosely put together. The female lays four eggs, of the common oblong form, and of a pale light-blue . color. The young do not leave the nest until able to fly ; and, for the first season at least, are destitute of the long-pointed plumage on the back : the lower parts are also lighter, and the white on the throat broader. During the whole summer, and until late in autumn, these birds are seen in our meadows and marshes, but never remain during winter in any part of the United States." A large number of this bird's eggs, lying before me, exhibit a variation of only from 1.66 by 1.20 inch to 1.49 by 1.15 inch in dimensions. But one brood is reared in the season ; and, by the 20th of September, the old and young leave New England for the South. NYCTIARDEA, Swaihbon. NycHardea, Swainson, Class. Birds, IL (1887) 864. (Type Ardea nycHeorcui, lAtm.} NycUcorax, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XI. (1819) 608. Same type. \ «iji5s ; s. . L. when, with a )ill, beats it to 3II0W, guttural ae old stump, Ltended neck ; I seems to rest ^nds gazing at t of jetting the !ck, and legs ravelling with • Herons, and being found far id everywhere id large rivers. 20th of April : in companies ; the Qua-birds, ranches of the th finer twigs ; r. The female pale light-blue to fly ; and, for linted plumage 1 the white on id until late in 1 marshes, but 3d States." g before me, inch to 1.49 is reared in the old and Ardea nyctteoraiB, Same type. THE NIGHT HERON. 409 Bill very rtout; culmen curved from baw; the lower outline straight, or a little concave; end of uppermandible gently deciirved ; Urai short, equal to the middle toe; the scales more than usually hexagonal infericrly; outer laterel toe riither longer; no unujual development of feathers, excepting a long, straight occipital plume of three feathers, rolled together; neck short, moderately feathered behind. The Night Herons, with a certain resemblance to the Bittern, differ in the much stouter and more curved bill, the lower edge of which is straight, instead of rising at the end; the tarsus is equal to the middle toe, not shorter, and is covered anteriorly below by small hexagonal scales, instead of larg9 transverse scutell*; the claws are much shorter and more curved; the tail has twelve feathers instead of ten. BTCTIABOEA OABDEHI. — iBairc^ The Night Heron ; Qna-bird, Ardea nyctkorcui, WUson. Am. Om., VII. (1818) 101. Aud, Om. Biog., IIL (1836)275; V. 600. Ardea {botaurtu) ducors, Nuttall. Man., II. (1884) 54. Description. Head above and middle of back steel-green; wings and tail ashy-blue; under parts, forehead, and long occipital feathers white; sides tinged with lilac. Bill very thick at the base, and tapcrmg all the way to the tip. Cuhmen nearly straight for half ito length, then considerably curved; lower outline of bill nearly straight; gonys proper slightly concave ; legs short, but stout; the tarsus equal to the middle toe; covered throughout with hexagonal scales, the anterior largest, but those on the upper portion much larger, and going entirely acrosb ; tibia bare for about one-fifth; lateral toes nearly equal; the outer rather longest; claws small; considerably curved; tail short, of twelve broad, rather stiff feathers. Head with the occipital feathers elongated, and with two or three very long, straight feathers (as long as the bill and head) springing from the occiput. These are ro)'ed up so as to appear like a single cylindrical feather; back of the neck covered with down, but not provided with long feathers; interscapular festhers and scapulars elongated and lanceolate, the webs scarcely decomposed. The upper part of the head, including the upper eyelids, the occipital crest, and the interscapular region and scapulars, dark lustrous steel-green; tht - ngs and tail are ashy-blue; the under parts, the forehead, and the long occipi others, art white, passing into pale ashy-lilac on the sides and on the neck « >mi' color, in fact, tingeing neariy the whole under parts. The region alp*!,' -^ w of the bill, however, is nearly pure, as are the tibia. The bill is Mark -.-.i ' «ce green; the iris red; the feet yellow; the claws brown. Length, about twenty-five ir 'es; wing, twelve and >. ■ Jredths; lai- sus, three and fifteen one-hnn/lredthsj bill, above, three t w.u one-hundredth* inches. £ai.— United States generally. The Night Heron is pretty generally distributed through- out New England as a summer resident. It seems to pre- fer the neighborhood of the seacoast, but is found Jn many kJ ■^mmm^^mimmiimmsP' 410 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. sections quite abundant in the interior ; as, for instance, Dr. Wood says, " I know of a swamp some fourteen miles from here (East Windsor Hill, Conn.) where thousands breed." — " I have counted eight nests on one maple-tree," &c. This species is most commonly found during the daytime perch- ing in high trees in swamps and thick woods, and seems to feed almost entirely by night. As soon as it begins to grow dark, it begins its flight ; and if we stand in a large meadow, or by a pond or other sheet of water, we may sometimes hear the notes of several, as they are engaged in their search for prey. The call of this bird resembles the sylla- ble quack, which gives the bird the name of Squawk in many localities. The nest of this species is placed in a fork of a tree in a swamp : it is constructed of coarse twigs and leaves, and is very loosely put together. As above remarked, several of these structures may be found on one tree ; and, after the young are hatched, their noise, as they scream for food, is almost deafening. I once visited a heron\y of this species in Dedham, Mass. As many as a hundred pairs were breeding in the area of an acre ; and, as Wilson truly says, " The noise of the old and young would almost induce one to suppose that two or three hundred Indians were choking or throttling each other." Another larger heronry that I visited last season in company with my friends, F. G. Sanborn and H. A. Purdie, occupied an area of several acres. The locality was a swamp, in which were growing cedar-trees. These were rarely over thirty feet in height; but their dense and twin- ing branches were occupied often by the nests of two or three pairs in a single tree. The reader may judge as to the multitude of parent-birds that were flying in wild confusion over our heads, and may fancy the effect of all their guttural We ascended to a number of the nests, and found cnes. them occupied by eggs, both freshly laid and others, far advanced in incubation, and chicks from one day old to Bome half grown. As the work of ascendmg to the filthy f '-■; I THE NIGHT HERON. 411 instance, Dr. n miles from is breed." — ," &c. This ytime perch- nd seems to !gins to grow ,rge meadow, ly sometimes ged in their es the sylla- f Squawk in ced in a fork :8e twigs and ve remarked, le tree ; and, ly scream for iron\y of this andred pairs Wilson truly ilmost induce [ndians were at season in a. A. Purdie, cality was a These were tse and twin- its of two or idge as to the did confusion their guttural ts, and found d others, far le day old to to the filthy ., i nests was not of the pleasantest, we limited our investiga- tions to the securing of a few of the most recently laid eggs. The eggs of the Night Heron are laid about the 20th of May. They are usually four in number, and their general form is an elongated ovoidal. In a great number of speci- mens, the color is generally bluish-green, sometimes a light peorgreen or greenish-yellow. Their dimensions vary from 2.16 by 1.50 inch to 2.05 by 1.40 inch. About the latter part of August, the young birds are foimd in deep woods, and by many are esteemed as excellent eating, as they are plump and fat. They leave for the South early in October. Mr. William Endicott, who visited the same heronry, gives the following description of it : " The first thing which called the attention of the explorer was the whiteness of the ground, owing to the excrements of the birds ; the air hot and close was loaded with its keen, penetrating odor ; the fine particles of it, floating in the air and coming in con- tact with the perspiring body, made one smart all over. There was also a smell of the decaying fish which lay around ; some dropped by accident by the old birds (who, I believe, never stoop to pick them up again), and much more disgorged when their tree was assailed. These fish were mostly such as could not be obtained in the ponds and rivers. I once saw a piece of a pout, and once a fragment Of a pickerel, but most of the remains were those of herrings. The light-green eggs were usually four in number ; but I have seen five and six repeatedly, and once seven, in a nest. The young are downy, poft, helpless things at first, but soon gain strength enough to climb to the upper branches, where they hang on with bill and claws, and are fed by their parents till nearly full-grown." ~-^- 412 OBNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. ^ 11- SUB-ORDER GRALL^. Waders. Featliera of the head and neck extending over the entire rhecks to the bill ; bill, when much longer than head, slender at the base ; Bometimes thick and shorter than the head; young running about and feeding themselves as soon as hatched. The preceding characteristics indicate, in a general way, tlie characteristics of the GraUrn aa distinguished from the Berodionei: they are usually much smaller birds, and more especially inhabitants of the open sandy shore. Few or none of the species nest on trees or bushes, the eggs being generally laid in a cavity scooped out in the sand. The sub-order is divided by Bonaparte into two tribes, Curtorts and AUctoride* (by Burmeister into Limicolm and Paludicola) : the flrst having the hind toe elevated, small, or wanting; the second having it lengthened, and inserted on a level with the rest. Additional characters are as follows: — LiMicoLA — Species living on the shore and generally probing the ground or mud in search of food; bill and legs generally lengthened and slender; bill hard at tip, soiler and more contracted at base ; anterior toes connected at baso more or less by membranes, and with very short claws; hind toe very short, elevated, or wanting; wings long, pointed ; ouier primaries longest, and reaching to or beyond the tip of tail, which is stiff. PaludicoLjB. — Species living in marshy places among the grass, feeding from the surface of the ground; bill bard to its base, where it is not contracted; toes cleft to the base, lengthened, with verj' long claws ; hind toe lengthened, and on same level with the rest; wing short, rounded, not reaching the tip of the 80t\ tail; outer primaries graduated. Tribe Limicolm. Birds living on the ahoro or in open places, usually small species, with rounded or depressed bodies, and slender bills of variable length, having a more or less dis- tinct homy terminal portion, the remainder covered with soft skin, in which are situated the elongated, narrow, open, and distinct nostrils; the feathers of the head are small, and extend compactly to the base of the bill ; they are similar in character to those of the neck and body ; the wings are long, acute, and, when folded, reach- ing to or beyond the tip of the tail; the posterior or inner secondaries are generally as long as the outer primaries; the primaries are ten in number; the three outer longest and about equal; the tail is stiff, short, broad, and rounded or graduated; the feathers usually twelve, sometimes more; the legs are slender nnd delicate, but corresponding with the bill in proportions; a large portion of the tibia below is bare of feathers; the covering of the legs is parchment-like, not homy, generally divided anterioi.y and behind into small half rings, laterally more in hexagons; the (.laws are delicate, sharp, and gently curved; the hind toe is very small, Kcarcely touching the ground; sometimes wanting; there is usually (except in Calidris, Tringa, &c.) a rather broad basal membrane between the outer and middle toes, sometimes between the inner and middle; this web occasionally extends toward the ends of the toes. — BURMEISTEK.l 1 See Introduction. " 'i ERS. !cks to the bill ; bill, lick and shorter than as hatched, lie characteristics of sually much smaller Few or none of the , in a cavity scooped torts and Alectoridet be hind toe elevated, d on a level with the :>bin(!; the ground or lender; bill bard at at baso more or less ilevated, or wiinting; or beyond the tip of e grass, feeding fl-om rontracted ; toes cleft hened, and on same r the soft tail ; outei pecies, with rounded ; a more or less dis- : skin, in which are reathers of the head ) similar in character when folded, reach- daries are generally )er; the three outer :inded or graduated ; ler find delicate, but e tibia below is bare y, generally divided hexagons; the c<«ws .11, scarcely touching '(ilidrit, Tringa, &c.) die toes, sometimes ward the ends of the THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 418 Family CHARADRIDJE. The Plovers. Bill rather cylindrical, as long as the head, or shorter; the culmen much indented opposite the nostrils, the vaulted apex more or less swollen and rising, quite distinct from the membranous portion; logs elevated; hind toe rarely present, and then rudi- mentary; the outer and middle toes more or less united by membrane. CHARADRIUS, Lwn^us. Charadriui, Likn^us, Syst. Nat (1786). Plumage yellowish-gray, spotted ; tail transversely banded ; no collar on neck; tarsi and lower thighs uniformly reticulated. 0HASADRIT7S VISQINICUS. — JSorcfaitwen. The Golden Plover; Bnll-head. CharadriiuplurialU, Wilson. Am. Om., VIL (1818) 71. Nutt. Man., IL (1884) 16. Aud. Om. Diog., IIL (1835) 628. Charadriiu Virffimcut, " Borckausen and Bechstein." Licht. Verz. Doubl. (1823). Charadriut nuirmoratui, Audubon. Orn. Biog., V. (1889) 675. Description. Bill rather short; legs moderate; wings long; no hind toe; tarsus covered before and behind with small circular or hexagonal scales; upper parts brownish-black, with numerous small circular and irregular spots of golden-yellow, most numerous on the back and rump, and on the upper tail coverts, assuming the form of trans- verse bonds generally; also with some spote of ashy-white; entire under parts black, with a brownish or bronzed lustre, under tail coverts mixed or barred with white; forehead, border of the black of the neck, under tail coverts, and tibial, white; axillary feathers cinereous; quills, dark-brown; middle portion of the shafts white, frequently extending slightly to the webs, and forming longitudinal stripes on the shorter quills; tail dark-brown, with numerous irregular bands of ashy-white, and frequently tinged with golden-yellow; bill black; legs dark bluish-brown. rounder. — Under parts dull-ashy, spotted with brownish on the neck and breast, frequently more or less mixed with black; many spots of the upper parta dull ashy-white; other spots, especially on the rump, golden-yellow. Total length, about nine and a half inches; wing, seven inches; tail, two and a half inches. ifa*. — All of North America, South America, Northern Asia, Enrope. THIS beautiful and well-known bird passes through New England in the spring and fall migrations, but does not pause here, in either, longer than two or three days. It arrives from the South about the 25th of April or Ist of May, in small flocks of fifteen or twenty, and frequents the jjiBiiiieiniiiniiwrwmi L 414 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. boach on the seashore and marshes in its neighborhood, where it feels on small shcll-fish and animulculos, and such seeds as it may find at that early season. It is, at this period, thin in flesh, but its plumage is perfect ; and it is more desirable for cabinet preservation then than in the fall. It is irregular in its visits in the spring migrations ; being quite plenty in some seasons, and in others quite rare. It passes to the most northern portions of the continent to breed ; none being found in the season of incubation in tho limits of the United States. The flocks separate into pairs ; but they breed in small communities, two or three pairs being found in the area of an acre. The nest is not^ ig but a hollow in the grass or moss, on the open pi. i, scratched by the female: in this she deposits four eggs, which are oblong-pyriform in shape, of a crearay-buflF color, sometimes with an olive tint ; and are marked irregularly, chiefly at their larger end, with spots and confluent blotches of umber and obscure spots of lilac. In dimensions, they average about 2.10 by 1.40 inch. It is in the fall migra- tions that these birds are most actively pursued by sports- men. The great flight arrives about the 25th of August, sometimes a little earlier or later, if we have a driving north-east storm. The gunners make it a point to be on the plover grounds tho last week in August and first week in September : if they get no plovers then, they usually aban- don the hunt for the season. In the fall of 1865, these birds did not alight in New England in any numbers, but were seen seven or eight miles out at sea, flying at a great height, in immense flocks, towards the South, and not a dozen birds were killed in localities where thousands are usually taken. When the flights are conducted during a storm, the birds fly low ; and the gunners, concealed in pits dug in the earth in the pastures and hills over which the flocks pass, with decoys made to imitate the birds, placed within gunshot of their hiding-places, decoy the passing flocks down within reach of their fowling-pieces, by imitat- m MM iftliP^'^^^^ leii THE KILL-PEER PLOVEH. 416 ing their peculiar whistle, and kill great numbers of them. I have known two sportsmen to bag sixty dozen in two days' shooting ; and instances are on record of still greater num- bers being secured. The flesh of this bird is very delicate and fine-flavored ; and the birds are in groat demand in all our markets, bringing equally high prices with the favorite Woodcock. The Golden Plover feeds on grasshoppers, various insects, and berries, but is seldom found in tlie inte- rior of Now England ; the pastures, fields, sandy hills, and dry islands near the seacoast, being its favorite resorts. iEGIALITIS, BoiE. JEgialitit, BoiE, Isis (1822), 658. (Tj-pe Charadriut hiaticula, L.) Plumage more or less uniform, without spots; neck and head generally with dark bands; front of the legs with plates arranged vertically, of which there are two or three In a transverse series. . ^ ^ , rn. This genua, as far as North America is concerned, is distinguished from Cftaro- drxm by the generally lighter color and greater uniformity of the plumage, by the absence of continuous black on the belly, and by the presence of dusky bands on the neck or head ; the size is smaller ; the tarsi, in most species, have the front plates larger, and conspicuously different in this respect from the posterior ones. JEOIALITIS V0C1FEEU3.— CoMin. The Kill-deer Plover. Charadnu* ^feru,, Linn»us. Syst. Nat., L (1766) 253. Wils. Am. On.., VII (1813) 73. Nutt Man., II. 22. Aud. Om. Biog., III. (1885) 191; V. 577. lb., Syn., 222. Jb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 207. JCgialtu voci/enu, Bonaparte. List (1838). Description. Wings long, reaching to the end of the tail, which is also rather long; head above and upper parts of body light-hrown with a greenish tinge; rump and upper ta.l coverts rufous, lighter on the latter; front and lines over and under the eye white; another band of black in front above the white band; stripe from the base of the bill towards the occiput brownish-black; ring encircling the neck and wide band on the breast black; throat white, which color extends upwards around the neck; other under parts white; quills brownish-black with about half of their inner webs white, shorter primaries with a large spot of white on their outer webs secondaries widely tipped or edged with white; tail feathers pale-rufous at base; the four mid- dle light olive-brown tipped with white, and with a wide subterminal band of black ; Uteral feathers widely tipped with white; entire upper plumage frequently edged 41.:^...^^^ 416 OnNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. •nd iipvA with rufou.; very young have upper p«rf« light-gray, with a longitudinal band nn tho head and l)ack, black ; under partii white. ^ Total length, about nlno and a half inches; wing, «ix and a half Incheai W... three and a half inches. //(i«. — North America to the Arctic regions, Mexico, South America. This species is pretty generally distributed throughout New England as a summer resident. It is not common in any localities, but seems to be found in pairs all along our seacoast ; and, although occasionally breeding in the inte- rior of these States, in the neighborhood of large tracts of water, it is almost exclusively found, during tho greater part of tho year, in moist fields and meadows and sandy pastures, within a few miles of the sea. Wilson describes its habii<* as follows : — «« This restless and noisy bird is known to almost every inhabi- tant of tho United States, being a common and pretty constant resident. During the severity of the winter, when snow covers the ground, it retreats to the seashore, where it is found at all seasons; but no sooner have the rivers opened, than ite shrill note is again heard, either roaming obout high in air, tracing the shore of the river, or rr ining amidst the watery flats and meadows. As spring advances, it n sorts to the newly ploughed fields, or level plains bare of grass, int rspersed with shallow pools ; or, in the vicinity of the sea, dry, bare, sandy fields. In some such situation it generally chooses to breed, about the beginnmg of May. The nest is usually slight, a mere hollow, with such materials drawn in around it as happen to be near, such as bits of sticks, straw, peb- bles, or earth. In one instance, I found the nest of the bird paved with fragments of clam and oyster shells, and very neatly surrounded with a mound, or border, of the same, placed in a very close and curious manner. In some cases, there is no vestige whatever of a nest. The eggs are usually four, of a bright rich cream or yellowish-clay color, thickly marked with blotches of black. They are large for the size of the bird, measuring more than an inch and a half in length, and a full inch in width, taper- ing to a narrow point at the great end. "Nothing can exceed tho alarm and anxiety of these birds during the breeding season. Their cries of kill-deer, MU-deer, as r> THE KILb-DEER PLOVER. 417 they winnow tl.c air overhca.1, dive and course "l--'^ /-^^'J^ inL Hu, ifround counterfeiting lamenew, are Bhrill and .ncc8«ant. T^^lriy see a per ^approach, they fly or run to attack »L with their harassing clamor, continuing it over so wide an LZe dawn it appears probabl- that they see better at such times tW mo t o" eilUe.' They arc known U> fbed -oh on worm. Ind many of these rise to the surfhce during the n.ght The lwUn7of Owls mav also alarm their fears for their young at prowling ot uw . ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^,^^ ^^^^^ ^,, 3^. '''::^'::ii^^^:LL abuLnt m the Southern States in win t.r than in summer. Among the rice-fieldB. and even around the plants' yard^ in South Carolina, I observod them very nuinerous thTmonths Lf February and March There the -gro^a fre- quently practise the barbarous mode of catching them with a line, at te extremity of which is a crooked pin, with a worm on it Thdr fl ght is something like that of the Torn, but more vigorou , and they sometimes rise to a great height m the air They a^e fond of wading in pools of water, and frequently bathe tlem- iv s durLl he fummer. They usually stand erect on their le^ and run or walk with the body in a stiff, hori.onUl position : they run with great swiftness, and are also strong and vigorous -the Tngs. Tlleir flesh is eaten by some, but i. not m g-«- ;;^;-; Lugh others say, that, in the fall, whe. they become very fat, it ^ rSln^g the extrem^droughts of summer, these birds r^ort to the gravelly channel of brooks and shallow streams where they can TJe abouf in search of aquatic insects: at the close of summer ley generally descend to the seashore in small flocks, seldom more tii fen or tw'elve being seen together. They are then more serene and silent, as well as difficult to be approached. The eggs of this species are four in number. They are oblong-pyriform in shape, creatny-buff in color, with nuiner J 418 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOY. 0U8 s»pots and blotchoH of dark-brown, chieHy at thoir greater end. They vary in dimenBions from 1.65 by 1.10 inch to 1.50 by 1.08 inch ; but one brood is reared in tlie aoason. aOlALITW WII.80KlU8.-(Orrf.) Cawin. Wllioa'i PloT«r; Einj-neck. Ckaradriu, Wit^iu,, Ord. Ed. Wil.. Om.. IV. (1825) 77. Nutt Man., II. (1884) 21. Aud. Orn. UioK-. HI- (1886) 78, V. (1889) 677. Jb., Uird. Am., V. <"")"*• D..c».rr,o«. Smaller th«n the preceding! bill rather long .ndrobu.t fr„„, ^uk Jtfo/*.- Front, and .trl,« over the eye, and entire under p«rt«, white i fr°"'* '«> a second band of blank above the white band; Mripe (W,m the ba.c of 'ho bill to h. eye and wide tran.verse band on the breaat, browni.h-biack ; upper part, of head and body light a.hy-brown, with the feather, frequently edged and tipped with p»l«- Lhyi bLk of the neck encircled with a ring of white, edged above w.th t no hght- reddi.h, quill, brown, with white .haft., .horter covert, tipped w,th white; outer feathen, of the tail white, middle feather. dark-br»wn; bill l)iack, leg. y-^ow. SI -Without the band of black in front, and with the pectoral band duU- reddi.h and light a.hy-brown ; iri. reddi.h-brown. Total length, wven and three quarter inche.; wmg, four and a half inche., Uil, **°fl'^!'-Middle and Southern SUt«. on the AUanUc, and the .ame .oaat of South America. This species is found in New England only as a somewhat rare visitor in the autumn, after it has reared its young m a more soutliern locality. 1 think that it seldom passes north of the southern coast of Cape Cod; but it is there occa- sionally seen in the early part of September, gleaning its food of aniraalculffl and small shell-fish and insects on the sandy beach of the ocean. Tiie Wilson's Plover is more southern in its habits than either of the succeeding species; but 'it breeds abundantly on the seacoast of New Jersey. The nest is nothing but a hollow scratched in the sand, above high-water mark, with a few bits of seaweed or grass for its lining. The eggs are laid about the first week in June. They are, like those of the other Waders, pyriform in shape; and, when placed in the nest, their small ends are together in the middle ol the nest. They almost exactly resemble the eggs of tlie €% i« THE HEMII'ALMATEh PLOVEIl. 419 Kill-dcor Plover, but are Boino littlo smaller; varying ia dimcnBioiiB from 1.40 by 1.05 to 1.34 by 1.02 incli. The spots and markings are similar to those of the other, hvi are loss thicitly distributod : some s|)0<:imen8 have obscure spots of purple and lilac, and the brown spots vary from quite blackiah to the color of raw-umber. aOlAUTIS 3EMIPALMATU3, — (Son.) Cabanii. Tba Semipalmated PloTtr; Blng-neek. Ckaradriui $tmipalmatut, Nuttall. Man., II. 34. Aud. Om. Blog., IV. (1888) 888; V. 670. Jb., Birds Am., V. (1843) '218. j£hy, and having irregular transverse bars of brownish-black on the back, scapulars, and wing coverU; the brownish-black frequently predominating on those parts, and the rump also frequently with transverse bars of the same; lower part of the abdomen, tibia, and under tail coverts, white; quills brownish-black, lighter on their inner webs, with a middle portion of their shafts white, and a narrow longi- tudinal stripe of white frequently on the shorter primaries and secondaries; tail white, with transverse imperfect narrow bands of black; bill and legs black; the black'color of the under parU generally with a bronzed or coppery lustre, and pre- V 1 •aped by }f pieces )sited on )tly pyri- in color, id some- nailer in by 1 inch resemble eir small IS of tbis that the rola, Linn.) anteriorly, of aaiy longest; Birds Amer., «; around the black; upper i rump tinged on the back, at.ing on those lower part of ick, lighter on narrow longi- ondaries ; tail !gs black ; the istre, and pre- ^ i THE BLACK-BKLLIED PLOVER. 423 senting a scale-like appearance; the brownish-black of the upper parts with • greenish lustre. Younyer and winter plumage. — Entire upper parts dark-brown, with circular and irregular small spots of white, and frequently of yellow, most numerous on the wing coverts; upper tail coverU white; under parts white, with short longi- tudinal lines and spots dark brownish-cinereous on the neck and breast; quills brown- ish-black, with large longitudinal spots of white on their inner webs, and also on the outer webs of the shorter primaries. Foun^. — Upper parts lighter, and with the white spots more irregular or scarcely assuming a circular shape; narrow lines on the neck and breast more numerous; iris black. Total length, about eleven and a half inches; wings, seven and a half mches; tail, three inches. Hab.— An of North America. The seacoasto of nearly all countnes of the world. This bpi'utiful bird is almost of the same habits and characteristics as the Golden Plover described on a preced- ing page. It arrives and departs at nearly the same time in spring, and, like that species, breeds in the most northern sections of the continent. Wilson, in speaking of its breed- ing in Pennsylvania, says, — " This bird is known in some parts of the country by the name of the Large Whistling Field Plover. It generally makes its first appearance in Pennsylvania late in April ; frequents the countries towards the mountains; seems particularly attached to newly ploughed fields, where it forms its nest of a few slight materials, as slightly put together. The female lays four eggs, large for the size of the bird, of a light-olive color, dashed with black, and has frequently two broods in the same season. It is an extremely shy and watchful bird, though clamorous during breeding-time." About the 10th or 15th of September, or a fortnight later than the Golden Plover, it returns on its southern migra- tion; and the same means are employed for its destruc- tion as for that bird : these birds are called by the gunners by the name of Beetle-heads, and are esteemed as being nearly as palatable and delicate as the other species. h 424 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 5; Familt H^MATOPODIDiE. The Otsteb-catchebs. Bill M long 08 the head, or twice as long, compressed; culmen but litU« indented, and the bill not vaulted beyond the nostrils, which are quite basal. HiEMATOPUS, LI1IN.BU8. HcBmatqput, Linn.«U8, Syst. Nat. (1785). (Type U. Ostralegiu, L.) Bill longer than the leg, twice as long as the head ; mandibles much compressed, sharp-edged, and truncate at end; hind toe wanting; legs reticulated, with five or six elongated plates in a transverse series; meshes larger anteriorly; a basal mem- brane between middle and outer toes; toes enlarged laterally by a thickened membrane; tail even; first primary longest HJEMATOPUS PALLIATUS.— Temm. The Oyster-eatoher. Hcemaioinu patKalm, Temm. Man., II. (1820) 632. Aud. Cm. Biog., III. (1886) 181; V. 680. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 236. H- — •*•" from the middle to near the tip. STBfiPSILAS INTEEPEES. — ilKffer. The Turnstone. T < o„.» Nat I (1766) 248. Wfls- Am. Cm., VII. Tringa inlerprtt, Linnseus. Syst. JNat., i. u"»»; • (1818)82. Prod (1811), 268. Nutt, XL 80. Aud. Cm. Blog., IV. (1888) 81. i6.,Bird8Am.,V.(1842)281. Description. T' tlTt— hT r^^^^^^ and Upped .ith white, greater wing base, with Its te™' "" J . ^ conspicuous oblique bar across the tt.e mtt wfdeMiffused of birds, being found in nearly all parts of the world. It is only on the seacoast, and in very small numbers even, that this bird is found in New England as a spring aud summer visitor. It occasionally is fo""^ - company with some of the Sandpipers and other beach-birds, but Lally appears alone, or in parties of two or three, on the beach, or on the shores of sandy rivers that empty mo the ocean, near their outlets. It is almost always actively employed in turning over the pebbles and small stones with its 'strong, sharp bill, beneath which it finds small marme auimals and eggs, on which it principally feeds. It dso eats greedily, according to Wilson, on the eggs of the Horse'shoe, or King Crab, and small shell-fish, and occa- Bionally wades into the water for a shrimp or other small animal that is left in a shallow pool by the retiring waves It breeds on the most northern sections of the continent, r THE TURNSTONE. 427 building its nest in the Hudson's Bay country, early m June: this nest is nothing but a slight hollow scratched in the earth, and lined with a few pieces of grass or sea- weed. The eggs are four in number : they are of an olive color, sometimes a drab ; Pud are marked with spots and blotches of reddish and black, chiefly at the greater end, where they are confluent, and nearly cover and conceal the ground-color. Their form is abruptly pyriform; and their dimensions average about 1.55 by 1.15 inch. It is rarely that we find two specimens of this bird in the full plumage, or marked alike : they exhibit all the varieties, from almost entirely gray on their upper parts, to the plumage described above. r iiii 428 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family RECURVIROSTRID^. The Avosets. Legs covered with hexagonal plates, becoming smaller behind; anterior toes all connected more or less by membrane; bill much lengthened and attenuated; the groove along the side of the upper mandible not extending beyond the middle; gums denticulated only at the base. In addition to the features above mentioned, these birds are essentially charac- terized by the excessive length of the legs, with a very long, slender neck and slen- der elongated bill. Of the several genera assigned the family, but two belong to the United States, with the following features: — Recurvirostha. — Hind toe present; toes webbed to the claws; bill recurved at tip. Him ANTopus. — Hind toe wanting; a short web between middle and outer to«» At base; bill straight. RECURVIROSTRA, Linn^us. Recurvirottra, Linn^us, Syst. Nat. (1744). Gray. (Type R. avocitla, L.) Hind toe rudimentary; anterior toes united to the claws by a much emarginated membrane; bill depressed, extended into a fine point, which is recurved; taU covered by the wings. SECURVIBOSTBA AH£BICA5A. — Gmelin, The American Avoset. Recurvirottra Amencana, Gmelin. Syst Nat., I. (1788) 693. Wils. Am. Cm., VIL (181.3) 126. Nutt. Man., H. 78. Aud. Cm. Biog., IV. (1838) 168. Jb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 247. Description. Bill rather long, depressed; wings long; legs long; tarsi compressed; tail short. Adult. — Head and neck pale reddish-brown, darker on the head, and fading gradually into white; back, wing coverts, and quills, black; scapulars, tips of greater wing coverts, rump and tail, and entire under parts, white, the last frequently tinged with reddish ; bill brownish-black; legs bluish. Young. — Very similar to the adult, but with the head and neck white, frequently tinged with ashy on the head and neck behind; iris carmine. Total length, about seventeen inches; wing, eight and a half to nine; tail, three And a half; bill to gape, three and three-quarters; tftrsus, three and a half inches. THIS bird is a rare summer visitor in New England I am unacquainted with its habits, having never met with one alive; and I must avail myself of the observations of others. Wilson says, — tTS. rior toes all inuated; the the middle; ially charac- ck and alen- vo belong to bill recurved id outer toes Hta, L.) emarginated icurved; tail 9. Am. Om., 8. Jb., Birds 1; tail short. I, and fading liars, tips of Bst frequently ite, frequently le; tail, three lialf inches. England lever met servationa THE AMERICAN AVOSET. 429 « In describing the Long-legged Avoset, the simihirity between that and the present was taken notice of. This ruNwubhinco extends to every thing but their color. I found both these birds associated together on the salt marshes of New Jersey, on the 20th of May. They were then breeding. Individuals of the present ♦.pecies were few in respect to the other. They flew around the shallow pools exactly in the manner of the Long-legs ; uttering the like sharp note of click, click, click; alighting on the marsh or in the water indiscriminately ; fluttering their loose wings, and shak- ing their half-bent legs, as if ready to tumble over ; keeping up a continual yelping note. They were, however, rather more shy, and kept at a greater distance. One which I wounded attempted repeatedly to dive ; but the water was too shallow tp permit him to do this with facility. The nest was built among the thick tufts of grass, at a small distance from one of these pools. It was com- posed of small twigs of a seaside shrub, dry grass, seaweed, &c., raised to the height of several inches. The eggs were four, of a dull-olive color, marked with large, irregular blotches of black, and with others of a fainter tint A Audubon, who found it breeding in the neighborhood of Vincennes, in the State of Indiana, describes the nest and eggs as follows : — "The nests were placed among the tallest grasses, and were entirely composed of the same materials, but dried, and apparently of a former year's growth. There was not a twig of any kind about them. The inner nest was about five inches in diameter, and lined with fine prairie grass, different from that found on the islets of the pond, and about two inches in depth, over a bed having a ' thickness of an inch and a half. The islets did not seem to be liable to inundation ; and none of the nests exhibited any appearance of having been increased in elevation since the commencement of incubatioli, as was the case with those described by Wilson. Like those of most Waders, the eggs were four in number, and placed with the small ends together. They measured two inches in length, one inch and three-eighths in their greatest breadth, and were exactly, as Wilson tells us, ' of a dull-olive color,' &c. To this I Lave to add that they are pear-shaped aud smooth." 480 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family PHALAROPODIDiE. The PnALAROrF.s. Fe.,her, of bre«i compact. duck-Uke, 1««» with »""'-"« -";:;'» 'l^'^^^^^' extending nearly to the tip. PHALAR0PU3, Dbissos. Membrane of toes ncolloped at the joints. PHALAHOPDS HYPEHBOEEUS. — r«mm. The Northern Pbalarope. TWnoo %erJor«n, Linnsus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 249 PhaLo^ hvperboreus, remm. Man., IL (1830) 709. Aud. Cm. B>og., IIL (1835)118; V. 605, Deschiption. Bill short, straight, pointed ; wings long ; tail short ; legs short. !ift l-Neck encirdedwith a ring of bright-ferruginous, and a "tnpe of the eame tn each side; head above and neck behind sooty-ash, "ack, w.ngs and ,., Lwnish-black, paler on tfc rump, mixed with bright-fcrr«f?mous on the back tips ofZterwTng coverts white, sides and flank, ashy, frequently m.xed w,th red- dish throat, breast, and abdon>en white, bill and legs dark, .r,s ""''-l''^^- i.-Entire"pper parts brownish-black, many feathers edged and tpped witlfZl yellow and ^hy, under parts white; tips of grater wmg coverts wh.te^ Totall length, about se'ven inches, wing, four and half, Uil, two and a quarter, bill, one; tarsus, three-fourths of an inch. THE Northern Phalarope is rarely found on the seacoast of New England m the spring and autumn migratin.is ; appearing in the former about the 10th of May, and m the latter about the 25th of August. The migrations are per- formed by the birds in small flocks out at sea; and it is only when they are driven into shore by heavy winds and storms that they are found here, and then scarcely more than two or three bird» are taken in a season. This species is equally a awimmer and wader. When on the water, it has the appear- ance of a small Gull or Tern, swimming with great elegance LAR0PF.8. iuUlIn before and nUirt kt the jointii, I, the lateral groov* id. Om. Biog., HI. )rt. and a otripe of the ick, wings, and tail, us on the back; tips tly mixed with red- rig dark-brown, ra edged and tipped wing coverts white. , two and a quarter? on the seacoast mn migratimia; lay, and in the rations are per- I, ; and it is only inds and storms lore than two or scies is equally a t has the appear- ;h great elegance Qk^ v &T&>- ' I i t I / THE NORTHERN PHALAROPE. 481 and case, frequently dipping its bill into the water to secure a small marine animal or fly. Its motions are so graceful when thus employed, that the bird has been compared to a swan ; and all writers agree that it is one of the most beauti- ful of our aquatic birds. On the shore, it frequents small pools or ponds of water, near the coast, in which it wades and swims with equal facilitv ; frequently uttering a shrill cry similar to the sylla- bles ereet eree teet. It is said that the same pairs are faith- ful to each other for successive seasons. I know not how true this may be ; but it seems not improbable, from the fact, that, in their winter homes on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, they are most often seen in small parties of three or four, often by pairs. This species breeds m the most northern sections of the continent. It builds its nest about the first week in June, in the Hudson's Bay country : this is constructed of a few pieces of grass and moss, put loosely together, and placed in a tussock of grass or moss. The eggs are usually four in number. They vary in color from a brownish-drab to light-olive, and are thickly covered with large blotches and spots of dark umber : their form is abrupt- ly pyriform, and their dimensions vary from 1.12 by 1.02 to 1.06 by .98 inch. S\\ «c ^ 482 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. FAMILY SCOLOPACID^. TheSnipeb. Sub-Family ScoLOPACiNiE. Bmswonen.t.ee.a, an. covered ..os^^^^^^^^^^ only of tHe rather vaulted t.p horny; t'".;"^ ?' , ' J,; finely porous, and per- Me over the tip of lower; the aw-bone >n J^P-] «-" ^ ^ JJ,,y ,, the bill, forated by vessels and nerves ""P^f "f. "^/^^^ ^^^ end of bill is usually pitted; «„abling it to find food in the m^d; ^^l^'l^'^l^ ^,,,,,i,.ed; the hind toe S '::X;r:;a tents rrt,° t^e toes .ual. Without basal .e.brane (except in Macrorhan^hus, &c.)- PHILOHELA, G. B. Gray. itfiii\ fimelin. (Type Scolopax minm:) PkMela, GHAT, I^t "^ G--J"i\^^ ve" ge, tiWa short, feathered to the Body very full, and head b.ll, and eyes veor g , ^_^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ joint, toes cleft to b««« •• ^g''^^^^"^'' Stqtl and longest; tarsi stout, shorter -^::;:;::J"=e™.racingasing..ec.s^A^^^ like Scolpax, with the European Woodcock «« ^P«' '" ^^ ^j^^rt, rounded, anc. Se most striking ^'-^Z;':^^:^:^^:^.^^^-, while in ScoU,- PHILOHELA MIHOE. -Graj The American Woodcock. 474. Scolopaie minor, Wilson. An.. Orn., VL (1812) 40. And. Om. Biog., lU. (1886) MusticoU n.inor, Nuttall. Man.,n. (18^4^94 Scolopax [mkroptera) m.nor, Nuttall. Man., li P»ela^«inor,Gray. List Genera (1841). Descriptios. .^^j^^^^iiMi^mmimsiMtit THE AMEHICAN WOODCOCK. 433 bill ; occiput with three transverse bands of black, alternating with three others of pale yellowisli-rufoua; upper parts of body variepated with pale-ashy, rufous, or yellowish-red of various shades, and black ; large space in front, and throat, reddish- ashy ; line from the eye to the bill, and another on the neck below the eye, brownish- black; entire under parts pale-rufous, brighter on the sides and under wing coverts: quills ashy-brown ; tail feathers brownish-black, tipped with ashy, darker on the upper surface, paler and frequently white on the under; bill light-brown, paler and yellowish at base ; legs pale-reddish ; iris brown. Total length, about eleven inches; wing, five and a quarter; tail, two and a quarter; bill, two anu c quarter; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. Hob. — Eastern North America. THE Woodcock is a common summer inhabitant of the three southern New-England States, and is not rare in most sections of the others. It is one of the earliest of our spring arrivals ; appearing by the 10th of March, and some- times much earlier, even before the 25th of February. \ ' ' 3u it first arrives, it is partially gregarious ; being found in small companies of four or five, in the area of a few rods. It frequents low swampy woods and thickets at this season, where, during the day, it remains concealed, only moving about, in its search for food, in the night. It begins its nocturnal rambles by early twilight, and only retires to its swamp at daybreak. If we stand, in the even- ing, in the neighborhood of a swamp, or low tract of woods, we sometimes hear two or three individuals moving about in the undergrowth, uttering their note, ehip-per, chip-per chip, sometimes varying it to bleat or bleat ta bleat ta; or see them, against the evening sky, flying rapidly from one swamp to another. About the first week in April, after separating into pairs, the Woodcocks begin their duties ot incubation : the female scratches together a few loaves, on a slight elevation in some meadow or swamp, and this forms the nest. I have noticed that the locality most often selected is in a small bunch of bushes, or small birches or alders, in the midst of a meadow. The eggs are three or four in num- ber : their ground -color is usually a rich creamy-drab, sometimes with a slightly olive tint ; and they are marked, more or less thickly, with coarse and fine spots and blotches 1' -** -i "^"^"^"""^ ifiiii iiiii !^^ i— 434 OBNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. of two shades of brown, and obscure spots of lilac. They are less pyriform than the eggs of any other birds in this group, being often almost exactly ovoidal. They exhibit great variations in size, some specimens from Bristol County, Massachusetts, averaging 1.80 by 1.25 ; and others, from the south and west, averaging only 1.45 by 1.15 ; others from Western Massachusetts average about 1.50 by 1.20, being nearly rounded ; and one from J. P. Norris, found in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is abruptly pyriform, being in dimensions 1.45 by 1.20 inch. Both birds assist in incubation ; and they are so unwilling to leave the nest at this time, that I have known of an ox- team being driven within a foot of a bird, without starting her from the nest. The food of the Woodcock consists of worms and animalculae, which it secures by thrusting its bill into the soft earth, and beneath the dead leaves and grass in swamps and other wet places. The tongue of the bird is coated with a thick saliva ; and the worms sticking to it are drawn out and devoured. The holes where the bill is thus thrust in the earth are called, by gunners, " borings ; " and the presence of the bird is detected by them, as none of our wood-birds make any simi- lar. The old bird, if shot in the summer, when she has young, often has her mouth full of small worms ; and this proves that she feeds her chicks until they are nearly full grown. The flight of the Woodcock is rapid, and always is accompanied by a sharp twitter. When the bird is flushed, it ascends quickly to the height of the trees ; and, after hovering a few seconds, it alights on the ground, within a few rods of the point from which it first flew. In the latter part of July, and during the month of August, while the birds are moulting, they retire to the most secluded localities ; and it is difficult to find them at that season. In September, during the continuance of dry weather, they frequent cornfields and ditches; and I have seen them searching for worms in the mud in a sink t^^atSUatt&iSMIw T 4. Jim KSk WILSON'S SNIPE. lilac. They birds in this They exhibit ristol County, others, from 1.15 ; others 1.50 by 1.20, Norris, found irriform, being e so unwilling wn of an ox- thout starting ick consists of rusting its bill pes and grass jk saliva; and evoured. The rth are called, of the bird is aaake any simi- when she has )rms ; and this are nearly full , and always is bird is flushed, es ; and, after ound, within a the month of y retire to the t to find them continuance of ditches; and I mud in a sink 486 spout, within a few yards of a house. At the latter part of September, and during October, they are in their prime ; and I know of no more p.rciting srport, and one that is so generally satisfactory, than fall Woodcock hunting. By the 10th of November, none of these birds are to be found in New England. GALLINAGO, Leach. Gattinago, "Lkach, Catal. British Birds (1816)." Gray. (Type Scolopax major, L.) Lower portion of the tibia bare of ftathers, scutellate before and behind, reticu- lated laterally like the tarsi; nail of hind toe Blender, extending beyond the toe; bill depressed at the tip; middle toe longer than tarsus; tail with twelve to sixteen feathers. The more slender body, longer legs, partly nnked tibia, and other features, dis- tinguish this genus from Scolopax or Philohela, OALLINAOO WILSOKII. — 5onapnrte. The Snipe; Wilson's Snipe; English Snipe. Scolopax WUsonii, Nuttall. Man., II. 185. Aud. Om. Biog., III. (1836) 822; V. (1839) 683. Jb., Birds Amer., V. (1842) 839. GaUinago Wiltonii, Bonaparte. List (1838). Scolopax gallinayo, Wilson. Am. Om., VI. (1812) 18. Not of Linnwus. Description. Bill long, compressed, flattened, and slightly expanded towards the tip, pustu- lated in its terminal half; wings rather long; legs moderate ; tail short; entire upper parts brownish-black; every feather spotted and widely edged with light-rufous, yellowish-brown, or ashy-white ; back and rump transversely barred and spotted with the same; a line from the base of the bill over the top of the head; throat and neck before, dull reddish-ashy; wing feather marked with dull brownish-black; other under parts white, with transverse bars of brownish-black on the sides, axil- lary feathers and under wing coverts and under tail coverts ; quills brownish-black ; outer edge of first primary white ; tail glossy brownish-black, widely tipped with bright-rufous, paler at the tip, and with a subterminal narrow band of black; outer feathers of tail paler, frequently nearly white, and barred with black throughout their length; bill brown, yellowish at base, and darker towards the end; legs dark- brown; iris hazel. Total length, about ten and a half inches; wing, five; tail, two and a quarter; bill, two and a half; tarsus, one and a quarter inch. Hob, — Entire temperate regions of North Amc.-ica; California (Mr. Szabo). The Snipe is equally well known, and as great a favorite with spor t,men, as the preceding species. It arrives from r 486 ORNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. the South at about the same time, and has many of tlie habits and characteristics of the other bird. It is found in New England only aa a spring and autumn visitor, very rarely breeding here, but passing the season of incuba- tion in higher latitudes. It frequents the fresh-water meadows, where it usually lies concealed during the day, only moving about in dark weather and in the night, in the spring, while with us, it appears to be pairing; and, although associating in small detached flocks, they are most often found in pairs by themselves. It is during this season that the male performs his well-known gyrations in the air ■ he ascends to a considerable height, early in the evening, and, almost in the manner of the Night-hawk, described on a preceding page, dives towards the earth, uttering his bleating cry, and peculiar rumbling sound. This species breeds sometimes in the northern portions ot New England. It forms a loose nest of grass and a few leaves, on the ground, in a bog or wet swampy thicket; and about the first week in May, the female lays three or four eggs. These are more pyrifonu in shape than the pre- ceding, and average about 1.44 by 1.15 inch in dimensions Tbeir color is an olivaceous-drab, marked with spots ot brown, which are, at the greater end, confluent into blotches, which almost entirely hide the ground-color. The Snipe has been known to breed in Massachusetts ; but the occurrence is very rare, and can bo regarded only as accidental. By the 25th of August, it returns to the meadows of New England in small parties of three or four ; but it is not abundant much before the 10th or 15th of Sep- tember, and then is not found in great numbers, un ess we have had two or three sharp frosts. The time when sportsmen most expect to find them in numbers is after a north-easterly storm, when the wind veers around to the south-westward. Then the meadows are hunted diligently, and generally with success. I have bagged twenty-four birds in an afternoon's shooting, within ten miles of Boston, *«-iaiiiS«-'3<"^*«;^ j«.a»*-5- • V i r WILSON'S SNIPE. 437 lany of tlie It is found imu visitor, IX of incuba- fresli-watcr ng the day, 3 night. In liring; and, liey are most during this gyrations in early in the Night-hawk, 8 the earth, bling sound. 1 portions of js and a few mpy thicket ; lays three or than the pre- u dimensions, ivith spots of into blotches, [assachusetts ; regarded only ■eturns to the three or four; )r 15th of Sep- imbers, unless 'he time when bers is after a around to the ited diligently, ed twenty-four niles of Boston, and have known that number to bo exceeded in favorable weather. Tlio Snipe lies close to the ground when a|)- proached ; and, being a bird of »trou'^ scont, as the expres- sion is, is winded to a considerable distance by a good dog. It is easy to imagine the excitement the sportsman experi- ences, when, with a good dog, ho enters a large meadow, and sees him suddenly come to a point ; when, walking up to the Snipe, and flushing it, the report of his gun, as he shoots the bird, startles from their lurking-places perhaps a dozen others, who fly but a short distance, uttering their peciUiar squeak or scaip, and then alight in the grass, prom- ising him an abundance of shooting for the day. The Snipe, when first flushed, rapidly doubles and twists in a quick, zigzag flight, which it continues for several rods, when it takes a more direct course, almost always against the wind. The sportsman, knowing this habit of the bird, reserves his fire until it has stopped twisting, when his aim is generally successful. Sometimes two birds rise at the same time, when it requires considerable coolness and expe- rience to secure both. I once got three double shots in succession, securing all six birds : but such an occurrence and good luck are rare ; and we must be satisfied, in most shooting, to get but single birds. The Snipe, like the Woodcock, probes in the soft earth for worms and animalcules, which it feeds upon : it also eats the larvas of water-insects, and leeches, and occa- sionally captures grasshoppers and other insects in the wet grass in which it almost entirely resides. It is very diffi- cult of approach in cloudy and windy weather; but, in warm, bright days in the fall, it is quiet, and lies until approached quite near. It remains with us until the ground is frozen in the meadow, when it moves to the Southern States, where it passes the winter. 488 OBNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. \ MACRORHAMPIIUS, Lkach. Jf«cmrA«mpAu.,"LEACH,Catal. Brit Birds, 1816." Gmy. [Seolopax gruea.) OmeUn. u ^ k General appearance of Galtimgo. Tarsi longer than middle toe; a short web between the bft»e of outer and middle toe. The membrane at the base of the toes will at once distinguish this genu, from GntUnago, though there Are other characters invohrod. MACBOBHAMPHTJS OHISEUS. — (Cm.) Leach. The Ked-breaated Snipe ; Gray Snipe. Scotopax «n«a, Gmelin. Syst. Nat, I. (1788) 658, No. 27. Scol^'x N,welH,racen,i,, Wilson. Am. Cm., VII. (1813) 46. And. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 285. Ik, Birds Amer., VI. (1848) 10. Dbscription. Bill long compressed, flattened, and expanded towards the end, and, in the same space, punctulated and corrugated; wing rather long; shaft of first primary strong; tail short; legs rather long. . ui i .i i » AduU -Upper parts variegated with dark-ashy, pale-reddish, and black, the lat- ter predominating on the buck; rump and upper tail coverts white, the latter spotted and barred transversely with black; under parts pale ferrug.nous-red, with rn.„rn„« nolnts and circular spots of brownish-black on the neck before, and Transverse bands of the same on the sides and under tail coverts; axillary feathers and under wing coverU while, spotted and transversely barred with black; quills brownish-black; shaft of first primary white; tail brownish-black, with numerous transverse bands of ashy-whiU, and frequently tinged with ferruginous, especially on the two middle feathers : bill greenish-black ; legs dark greenish-brown. rounoer.-EnUre under pans dull-white, strongly marked with dull-ashy on the neck in front, and transverse bands of the same on the sides; axillary feathers and under wing coverts white, spotted with brownish-black; upper parts lighter than in the adult. * i *„„ .„j „ Total length, about ten inches; wing, five and three-quarters; tail, two and a quarter; bill, two and a quarter; tarsus, one and a quarter inch. HcA. —Entire temperate regions of North America. This handsome bird is found in smaU numbers in the marshes along our coast, in the spring and autumn migra- tions. It seldom penetrates into the inland waters of New England, but prefers the salt marshes. I think that it is much more of a beach bird than the Common Snipe ; for it is often found on the beach of the seashore, while the other is never seen there, so far as my experience goes. It \ i Scolopax ffritea.) ne; a short web thiB genu* from Aad. Om. Biog., , and, in the same it primary strong; and black, the lat- white, the latter ruginous-rcd, willi neck before, and i axillary feathers with black; quills ;k, with numerous jginous, especially ish-brown. with dull-a«hy on ; axillary feathers ipper parts lighter irs; tail, two and a mbors in the itumn migra- raters of New ink that it is Snipe ; for it ire, while the 3nce goes. It THE RED-BREASTED SNU'E. 43i) irt never found in such numbers here as Wilson speaks of in the following description, but is seen in small bunches of six or cif^ht : — " Tho Red-breasted Snipe arrives on the seacoost of New Jer- sey early in April, is seldom or never seen inland : early in May, it proceeds to the North to breed, and returns by the latter part of July or beginning of August. During ita stay here, it flies in flocks, sometimes very high, and has then a loud and shrill whistle ; making many evolutions over ihe marshes ; forming, dividing, and re-uniting. They sometimes settle in such numbers, and so close together, that eighty-five have been shot at one discharge of a mus- ket. They spring from the marshes with a loud, twirling whistle, generally rising high, and making several circuitous mamcuvres in the air before they descend. They frequent the sand-bars and mud flats, at low water, in search of fixjd ; and, being less suspicious of a boat than of a person on shore, are easily approached by this medium, and shot down in great numbers. They usually keep by themselves, being very numerous ; are in excellent order for the table in September; and, on the approach of winter, retire to the South. " I have frequently amused myself with the various action of these birds. They fly very rapidly, sometimes wheeling, coursing, and doubUng along the surface of the marshes ; then shooting high in air, there separating and forming in various bodies, uttering a kind of quivering whistle. Among many which I opened in May, were several females that had very little rufous below ; and the backs were also much lighter, and less marbled with ferruginous. The eggs contained in their ovaries were some of them as large as garden peas. Their stomachs contained masses of those small snail shells that lie in millions on the salt marshes. The wrinkles at the base of the bill, and the red breast, are strong characters of this species, as also the membrane which unites the outer and middle toes together." 28 4 sP* L 440 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOUHiY. Sub-Family Trinoin^.. — The Sandpiper$. Bill Khorter than the naked l^R, wi.lone.l or rather npnfin-shnpc.l at the end, with the edge not bent ovor; roof of mouth excavated to the tip; no groove along th« culmen; ear behind the eye; tail without bands? TBINGA, LiBif^us. TVtn^a, LiNiMtus. Syst. Nat, (1785). (Type T*. canuiw, L.) DEsrHipnoN. Size moderate or gmall ; general fomi adapted to dwellinff on the «hon>» of both sal' and frenh water", and nubsistinR on minute or small animalu, in purnult of which they carefully examine and probe with their bill, sandy or muddy deposit, and Krowths of aquatic plants, rooks, or other localities; fiiRht rather rap>d but not very strong nor long continued; bill moderate, or rather long, straight or slightly curved towards the end, which is generally somewhat expanded and flat; longitudinal grooves, in both mandibles, distinct, and nearly -lie whole length of the bill- wir' -s long, pointed: the first primary longest; tertiaries long; secondanee short wiih th.ir tip^ obliquclv incised; tail short; legs moderate, or rather long, slender- the lower portion of the tibia naked, and with the tarsus covered in front and behind with transverse scales; hind toe very small ; fore toes rather slender, with a memU.aimus margin, scaly and flattened underneath, free at base. This genus comprises a large number of species of all parts of the world, lome of which are verv extensively diff-used, especially during the season of thei- Bouthem or autumnal migration. Generally, these birds are met with in flocks, fre- auenting every description of locality near water, and industriously searchmg for the minute animals on which they feed. The species of the United States are ml- Kratorv, rearing their young in the north, and, in autumn and winter, extcndmg to the confines of the Republic and into South America. The co .rs of the spring and autumnal plumage are difl-erent in nearly all species, though that of the two sexea is very similar. TBI50A CANUTUS. — ill 4«i«. The Cray-back ; Bobin Snipe. /Vtnoa wnirfM, Linnirus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 251. Trinya cinerea, Gmelin. Syst Nat, I. (1T88) 678. Wile. Am. Om., VH. Trin,, idandica, Audubon. Om.Blog, IV. (1888) 130. lb., Bird* Am., V. '1848) 2 4. 7Vi»yam/a, Wilson. Am. Om., VH. (1818) 67. i THE GRAY-BACK. 441 ers. Bd at the end, with groove Blong th« i the «hor<>« of both imalu, In pursuit of ' or muddy deposits lit rather rapid, but er long, dtralRht or t expnnded and flat; ! wholi' length of the en long; necondariea rate, or rather long, iu« covered in front toes rather slender, e at hnse. partd of the world, ; the Reason of their ct with in flocks, fre- ri^ualy searching for Jnited States are mi- winter, extending to org of the spring and at of the two sexea ia T\\t. Am. Om., VII. . 76., Birds Am., V. DBHCRimOM. Lvge; bill straight, rather longer than the head, compressed, sHghtly enlarged at the tip; upper nuiiidiblu with the nasal groove extending to near the tip, legs nioilerato; tibm with its lower tliirti purl iiuIibiI; imik rnoderata; wiiig long; tail short; toes fVe« at base, flattened beneath, widely margined; hind toe Mender, iniall; entire upper parts light-gray, with lanreolate, linear, and irregular spoU of black, and others of pale-reddish; rump and upiier tail coverts white, with transverse nar- row bands and crescent-shaped spots of black; under parts light bn)wtii»h-rets and transverse bars of browni«h black; quills browuisli black, with their shatU white; tail light brownish-iincreous (without S|>«t» or bant); all the feathers edged with white, ami frequently with a second sub-edging of dark-brown; bill brownish-black; legs greenish-black. Yuung atul Winter J'liimnge. — XJpfnr parts browninh-ashy, darker on the back, every feather having a sub-terir inul edging of brownish-black, and tipp.id with dull ashy-white; rump white, wit!^ crescents of black; under parts dull ashy-white, nearly pure on the abdomen, but with numerous longitudinal lines, and small spots of dark-brown on the breast and neck; sides with crescent-shaped ami irregular spots of brownish i lack; an obscure line of duU-whito over and behind the eye. Total length ilVom tip of bill to end of tail), about ten Inches; wing, six and a half; tail, two and a half; bill from gapo, one and a half; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. Female larger? This is the largest of the Sandpipers of the United States, and appears to be restricted to the shores of the Atlantic in tliis division of the continent of America. We have never seen it from the Pacific Coast. In the Unileil States, this bird is known as the Red-breasted Snipe, or sometimes OK the Gray-backed Snipe, though we have never heard the name " Knot" applied to it, which appears to be a common apjiellution of the same species in Europe, and is given by American authors. This is one of the few species of birds which appears to be absolutely identical with a species of Europe, and is of very extensive dilTu sion over the world, especially in thi reason of southern migration. The bird has received a variety of nam".s, of which the very first appears to be that adopted at the head of this article. This species appears in New England only in the migra tioiis in spring and autumn. It is only soon on the shore, and with us only in small flocks of eight or ten. I have had no opportunities of observing its habits, and will give the description by Wilson : — " In activity it is superior to the preceding, and traces the flow- bg and recession of the waves along the sandy beach with great nimbleness, wading and searching among the loosened particles for its favorite food, which is a small, thin, oval, bivalve shell-fish, of a white or pearl color, and not larger than the seed of an apple. tffii i iMiiiiiiBW iii T i 442 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOOT. These usually Ho at a short depth b«li)\v the surface ; but, in some places, are seen at low water in heaps, like masses of wet grain, in quantities of more than a bushel together. During the latter part of summer and autumn, these minute shell-flsh constitute the food of almost all those busy flocks that run with such octivity along the Bands, among the flowing and retreating waves. They are univor- ■ally swallowed whole; but the action of the bird's stomach, assisted by the shells themselves, soon reduces them to a pulp. If we may judge from tlieir eflPects, they must be extremely nutritious ; for almost all those tribes that feed on them are at this season mere himps of fat. Digging for these in the hard sand would be a work of considerable labor ; whereas, when the particles are loosened by the flowing of the sea, the birds collect them with great ease and dexteriiy. It is amusing to observe with what adroitness they fol- low and elude the tumbling surf, while, at the same time, they seem wholly intent on collecting their food. " The Ash-colored Sandpiper, the subject of our present account, inhabits both Europe and America. It has been seen in great numbers on the Seal Islands, near Chatteaux Bay ; is said to con- tinue the whole summer in Hudson's Bay, and breeds there. Mr. Pennant suspects that it also breeds in Denmark, and says that they appear in vast flocks on the Flintshire shore during the winter season. With us they are also migratory, being only seen in spring and autumn. They are plump birds ; and, by those accus- tomed to the sedgy taste of this tribe, are esteemed excellent eating." ARQUATELLA, Baird. TRIHQA MABITIHA. — BrunmcA. The Purple Sandpiptr. Tringa maritima, Brunnich. Orn. Bor. (1764), 54. Nutt. Man., 11. 116. And. Om. Biog., III. (1836) 668. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 261. Description. Bill rather longer than the head, straight, compressed; nasal groove long; wings long; tail short, rounded; legs moderate; toes free at base, flattened underneath and •lightly margined; hind toe small; entire head and upper parts darlc smoky-brown, ^ff;)ii!fi;)i'"Vi'»»n*iii'iii'i>w but, ill Hunie wet grain, iu ie luttor purt lite the food ity along tlie f are univer- d'g Rtomacli, 1 a pulp. If ly nutritious ; i senson mere lid be a work 3 loosened by eat ease and less they fol- ne, they seem Bsent account, leen in great is said to con- s there. Mr. md says that ng the winter only seen in y those accus- ned excellent D., n. 116. And. roovelong; wingg id underneath and irk smoky-brown, THE CUBLEW SANDPIPER. 448 with a pur])lc and violet tlnK«, MronKciit on the back and •capulam; under part* from tlio hrt-ant wliitn, jti'nprally with lim({itu(liiml spot of diirk-anliy; wiiin rovorta more or li'M edn'id and lipped with whitu; i|iiillii browniiih-l)lui'k, cdurd with while i niiddlu tail leathorn browiiiith-black, outer tuathem iiKhtar, with tlieir nhart* white; axilluriei and under wing covert* while; bill yellow at bane, dark at tip; lega yellow. Total li>n(;th, about eixht to nine Inches; winit, Hvo; tail, two and a half; bill from Kap«, one and a quarter; tamua, one Inch; Irii orange. y/iiA. — Kantern North America; Kurope. This spocios is not unconiraou on our shoroa during the spring and autunm migrations, whoro thoy are active and busy in their search for small shell-fish, and crustaceans, which constitute their principal food. They have all the characteristics of the Spotted Sandpiper while with us, and, from their preference to rocky beaches and shores, are often tilled Rock Snipes. They proceed to the most northern portions of the continent to breed, where, according to Dr. Richardson, thoy lay four eggs, which are " pyriform, six- teen and a half lines long, and an inch across at their great- est breadth. Their color is yellowish-gray, interspersed with small irregular spots of pale brown, crowded at the obtuse end, and rare at the other." TRINOA SUBABQTTATA — rem„t. The Curlew Sandpiper. Tringa tuba.quaia, Temm. Man., II. (1820) 609. Nutt. Man., II. 104. And. Om. Biog., III. (1836) 444. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 269. Dbsoriftion. Bill rather longer than the head, slender, compressed, slightly curved towards the tip, which is somewhat expanded; both mandibles grooved; wing long, pointed; tail short; legs long, slender; toes moderate, marginated and flattened underneath. Upper parts brownish-black, nearly every feather edged and spotted with bright yellowish-red, rump ashy-brown, upper coverts of the tail white, with transverse bands of brownish- black ; wings ashy-brown, shales of primaries white; under parts fine dark-yellowish rufous; sides, axillaries, and under tail coverts, white ; under surface of wing white; tail pale brownish-ashy, with a greenish gloss; bill and lege greenish-brown. Young. — Upper parts much more ashy, and with little of the red of the preced- ing; under parts entirely dull-white, tinged with yellowish on the breast and sides i an obscure line over the eye ashy-white ; outer feathers of the tail nearly white. i3SJS«s^?*?..^" i— 444 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Total length, about eight and a half to nine inches; wing, five; tail, two and a quarter; bill, from gape, one and a quarter to one and a half; tarsus, one to one and a quarter inches; iris hazel. ^a6. — Atlantic coast of the United States, rare; Europe; Asia; Africa. This is undoubtedly the most rare of all our shore birds. 1 found a single specimen in a bunch of Sandpipers shot on Cape Ann, in the autumn of 1865, for sale in the principal market in Boston. This is the only instance that has come to my own knowledge of its being found here. Audubon speaks of two ; and other writers, of a few more in different years. TBIROA ALPINA var. AMEKICAN A. — Cawm. The Hed-backed Sandpiper ; Grass-bird. Tringa alpim, Linnaius. Syst. Nat., L (1766) 249. Wils. Am.^Orn., VII. (1818) 25. Nutt. Man., II. 106. Aud. Om. Ulog., lii. (1835) 580. Jb., Sirds Am., V. (1842) 266. Description. Bill longer than the head, wide at base, curved, slightly widened and flattened towards the end; nasal groove and another groove in the under mandible long and very distinct; wings long; tail short, with tlie two middle feathers longest and pointed; legs rather long and slender, lower half of the tibia naked; toes moderate, free at base, flattened underneath and slightly mnrginated; claws much compressed, hind toe small; upper parts yellowish-red, mixed with ashy, and every feather hav- ing a lanceolate, ovate, or narrow spot in the centre, most numerous on the back and rump; front, sides of the head, and entire under parts, ashy-white; nearly pure-white on the abdomen and under tail coverts; a wide tranverse band of black across the lower part of the breast; neck before and upper part of the breast with narrow longitudinal spoU of brownish-black; under wing coverts and axUlary feathers white; quiliS '.ight as":y-brown, darker on their outer edges, with their shafts white; tail feathers light asliy-brown; middle feathers darker, outer nearly white; bill and legs brownish-black; sexes nlike; iris dark-hazel. Winter Plumage. — Entire upper parts dark-ashy, nearly black on the nimp, and upper tail coverts; throat, abdomen, axillaries and under wing coverts, white; breast pale-ashy, with longitudinal lines of dark-browu. Total length, eight to eight and a half inches; wing, five; tail, two and a quar- ter, bill, from gape, one and a half; tarsus, one inch. Eab. — Entire temperate regions of North America. This is a rather abundant species on our shores in the ispring and autumn migrations. It appears here about the last week in April or first week in May, and frequents wmi iMiiii mypn mm MH "1 .jik* THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER. 445 :, five; tail, two and a tarsuB, one to one and Asia; Africa. our shore birds, idpipers shot on in the principal le that has come lere. Audubon nore in different Ca$$in. 1. .Am.Orn.,VII.{1818) widened and flattened ) under mandible long le feathers longest and naked ; toes moderate, ilaws much compressed, and every feather hav- nerous on the back and hite ; nearly pure-white ,nd of black across tha the breast with narrow I and axillary feathers with their shafts white ; • nearly white; bill and black on the rump, and r wing coverts, white; 'e; tail, two and a quar- iir shores in the lears here about ly, and frequents the beach, where it n^s all the habits and activity of the other Sandpipers, ri-uning along the edge of the surf, and gleaning in tlie waves and on the sands its food of small marine animals. It mixes with the other species, but is readily distinguished from them by the brightness of its plumage. It is in best condition for cabinet preservation in the vernal migration. It passes leisurely to the most northern sections of the continent, where it passes the breeding season. Maggillivray describes the breeding habits as follows : — " The nest is a slight hollow in a dry place, having a few bits of withered heath and grass irregularly placed in it. The eggs, four in number, are ovato-pyriform, an inch and four-twelfths in length, eleven-twelfths in breadth, oil-green or light greenish-yellow, irregu- larly spotted and blotched with deep-brown ; the spots becoming more numerous toward the larger end, where they are confluent. The young, like those of the Golden Plover and Lapwing, leave the nest immediately after exclusion, run about, and, when alarmed, conceal themselves by sitting close to the ground and remaining motionless." This species, when it returns in the autumn, late in Sep- tember, is very fat, and is considered delicate and palatable as food. ACTODROMAS, KAtn-. TBINOA MACULATA. ~ Vieillot. Tbe Pectoral Sandpiper. Tringa maculata, Vieillot. Nouv. Diet., XXXIV. (1819) 465. Tringa pecUn-alis, Nuttall. Man., 11. 111. Aud. Om. Bio^., HI. (1885)601; V. 58a. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842), 259. Description. Bill rather longer than the head, compressed, slightly depressed and expanded at the tip; nasal groove long; wings long; legs rather long; tibia with nearly its lower half naked ; toes free at base, flattened underneath and slightly margined ; tail rather short; middle feathers pointed ; entire upper parts brownish-black; all the feathers edged and tipped with ashy and brownish-red; rump and upper tail coverts black, aome of the outer feathers of the latter edged with white ; lin« from the bill over f^s^ff^^iiass^ii^^ss^s i^sasB Bssismi^^si^'^^^f^v^^*^^^^!'^^'''^^^?'^^ MK 446 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. the eye a»hy-white; throat, abdomen, under wing oovertg, axillary feathers, and under tail coverts, white; breast and neck before ashy-white; all the feathers darker at base, and with partially concealed lanceolate or pointed spots of brownish-black ; quills brownish-black; shaft of first primary white, of others brown; secondaries tipped and edged with white; tertiaries edged with dull "ddish-yellow; bill and feet dark greenish-black; iris dark-hazel. Total length, about nine inches; wing, five and a quarter; tail, two and a half; bill to gape, one and one-eighth; tarsus, one inch. Bab. — The entire coasts of North America; South America; Europe. This well-known species is pretty abundantly distributed along our coast in the spring and autumn migrations, when it appears in small flocks, in May, in the former seasons, and in August and September in the latter. It has all the habits of the other Sandpipers, but is uore often seen in the marshes and meadows, particularly in the autumn, than the others, where it eagerly pursues the various insects which are found there, particularly the grasshoppers and crickets, that furnish food for so many of our passing birds. This species is best known to our gunners by the name of the Grass-bird. It is a favorite with them because of its fine flavor on the table ; and it is found in considerable abundance in our markets, where it meets a ready sale at a very remunerative price. TEINGA BONAPABTIL — Sc/i?e,9eZ. Bonaparte's Sandpiper. Tringa Schinzii, Nuttall. Man., H. 109. And. Om. Biog., m. (1835) 629. 7J., Birda Amer., V. (1842) 275. Tringa Bompartii, Schlegel. Rev. Crit. Ois. Eur., (1844) 89. Description. Smaller; bill slightly arched towards the tip, which is somewhat enlarged and flattened, about the length of the head; grooves iu both mandibles Long and Lar- row; wings long; secondary quills obliquely incised at the ends; tail rather longer than usual in this group, with the feathers broad; legs rather long and slender; toes free at base; liind toe very small; upper parts light ashy-brown; darker on the rump ; nearly all the feathers with ovate or wide lanceolate central spots of brownish- black, and manj' of them edged with bright yellowish-red; upper tail coverts white; under parts white, with numerous small spots of dark-brown on the neck before, breast, and sides, somewhat disposed to form transverse bands on the last; quills brownish-black, darker at the tips; shaft of outer primary white, of othere light- brown; middle leathers of tail brownish-black; outer fe;tthers lighter, and edged j|^'»W*ffl*i» §> L -JULiUJ THE LEAST SANDPIPER. 447 llarr feathers, and the feathers darker of brownish- black; Mown; secondaries ih-yellow; bill and ail, t\70 and a half; Europe. tly distributed fratioiis, when irmer seasons, It has all the often seen in autnran, than irious insects jshoppers and passing birds. the name of because of its L considerable eady sale at a g., m. (1835) 529. 'what enlarged and ibles long and r.ar- I ; tail rather longer ig and slender; toea )wn; darker on the al spots of brownish- sr tail coverts white; on the neck before, i on the last; quills lite, of othei-s light- lighter, and edged with ashy-white; under wing coverts and axillaries white ; bill and feet groenish- black ; iris hazel. Total length, about seven inches; wing, four and three-quarters; tail, two and a quarter; bill, one; tarsus, rather less than an inch. Jlab. — North America, east of the Kocky Mountains. This bird also is often known to sportsmen by the com- prehensive name " Grass-bird." It is less abundant than the preceding, but has all its habits. It appears in small flocks of eight or ten, and frequents the marshes and marshy shores in preference to the sandy beach. In such localities, it feeds upon various insects and aquatic animals, and lar- vae of aquatic insects; and is often seen in fresh-water meadows, at a considerable distance from the shore, busy in search of this variety of food. Ntittall says it lays four eggs, smaller than those of the T. alpina, of a yellowish- gray color, spotted with olive or chestnut-brown. TRIHOA WILSONII.-JV««aH. yihe Least Sandpiper; Peep.— Trlnga pusilla, Wilson. Am. Om., V. (1812) 32. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1838) 180. ;*., Birds Am., V. (1842)280. Tringa Wilaonii, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 121. Description. The smallest of hll known species of ihis group found in North America; bill about as long as the head, slightly curved towards the end, which is very slightly expanded; grooves in boU, mandibles to near the tip; wing long; tertiarics nearly as long as the primaries; tail short; middle feathers longest; outer feathers fre- quently longer than the intermediate; legs long; lower third of the tibia naked; toes long, slender, margined, and flattened beneath ; hind toe small ; upper parts with nearly every feather having a large central spot of brownish-black, and widely mar- gined with ashy and bright brownish-red; rump and middle of the upper tail coverts black; outer coverts white, spotted with black; stripe over the eye, throat, and breast, pale ashy-white, with numerous small longitudinal spots of achy-brown ; abdomen and under tail coverts white ; quills dark-brown, with the shtfts of the primaries white; tertiaries edged with reddish; middle feathers of the tail brownish- black; outer feathers light ashj'-white; under surface of wing light brownish- ashy, with a large spot of white near the shoulder; axillary feathers white; bill and legs greenish-brown, the latter frequently yeliowish-green. Total length, from tip of bill to end of tail, about five and c half to six inches; wing, three and a half to three and three-quarters; tail, one and tnree-quarters ; bill to gape; three quaiters; tarsus, three-quarters of an inch. JKjA. — Entire temperate North America. "^W .% t r 448 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. The Least Sandpiper or " Peep " is so well known on tur shores that any description is ahnost superfluous. It makes its appearance early in May, in small parties of five or six, and quickly proceeds to the most northern sections of the continent, where it breeds, and then im- mediately returns to our shores, where it remains until early in October, when it passes on to the South. Au- dubon, in describing its breeding habits, says, "That this species is naturally disposed to seek alpine sections of the country for the purpose of reproduction, I obtained abundant proof whilst in Labrador, where I found it plen- tiful, and breeding on the moss-clad crests of the highest rocks, within short distances of the sea." On finding the nest, he says, — , • « Four beautiful eggs, larger than I had expected to see pro- duced by birds of so small a size, lay fairly beneath my eye, as I knelt over them for several minutes in perfect ecstasy. The nest had been formed first, apparently, by the patting of the little creatures' feet on the crisp moss, and in the slight hollow thus produced were laid a few blades of slender, dry grass, bent in a circular manner; the internal diameter of the nest being two mches and a half, and its depth an inch and a quarter. The eggs, which were in shape just like those of tht Spotted Sandpiper, T. macularius, measured seven and a half eighths of an inch in length, and three tburths of an inch in breadth. Their ground-color was a rich creaff'-yellow tint, blotched and dotted with very dark umber, the markings larger and more numerous toward the broad end. They were placed with their broad ends together, and were quite fresh. The nest lay under the Ite of a small rock, exposed to all the heat the sun can afford in that country." It is during the latter part of August and the greater part of September that this species is most abundant in New England, where it generally confines itself to the sea- coast, but sometimes penetrates to the large tracts of water in the interior, gleaning there its food of small shell-fish, crustacean:^, arid insects in the pools of water and on the '''JliMi'M Wf'" ^ '*" ' ^^*'"''''™* ''^ _' miiji^iiiiiiiiiiii* 1^1 L well known on superfluous. It iinall parties of most northern i, and then im- t remains until he South. Au- 8, says, " That alpine sections jtion, I obtained I found it plen- ,s of the highest On finding the pected to see pro- leath my eye, as I ecstasy. The nest tting of the little slight hollow thus ry grass, bent in a le nest being two uarter. The eggs, )tted Sandpiper, T. if an inch in length, ground-color was a X very dark umber, ird the broad end. ler, and were quite rock, exposed to all ; and the greater lost abundant in itself to the sea- ge tracts of water f small shell-fish, water and on the THE SANDERLING. 449 sands and flats. It associates in large flocks at that season, and often with other birds. CALIDRIS, CuviKR. Calidri,, CuviBK, Anat. Comp., V. ir chart (1805). (Type Tringa arenana, L.) General characters of Tringa, but without hind toe; bill straight, rather ' ..ger than the head and tarsus, widened somewhat or apoon-shapcd at the end; tail doubly emarginate; toes short; middle one scarcely two-thirds the tarsus. CALIDBIS ABENAEIA.— i%er. The Sanderling. Tringa armaria, Linnceus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 251. Aud. Om. Biog. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 2S7. Calidris arenaria, lUiger. Prod. (1811), 249. Nutt. Man., H. (1834) 4. aaradriui calidris, Lionajus. Syst. Nat., I. (1760) 256. Wils. Am. Om., VII. (1813) 68. Charadriut rvbidus. Gm., I. (1788) 688. Wils. Am. Om., VII. (1813) 129. Description. No hind toe; front toes moderate or rather long, flattened underneath; distinct- ly margined with a membrane; bill rather longer than the head, straight, rather thick; ridge of upper mandible flattened; nasal groove deep, and nearly as long as the upper mandible, not so distinct in the lower; both mandibles widened and flat- tened at the tip; aperture of the nostril large, and covered with a membrane; wing long; tail short, with the middle feathers longest; under coverts long as the tail; legs moderate; lower third of the tibia naked; upper parts light-ashy, with lanceo- late, hastate, and ovate spots of broMraish-black on the top of the head, on the back, scapulars, and shorter quills; rump and upper tail coverts with fine transverse lines of black; under parts pure-white; shoulders brownish-black, without spots; quills brownish-black, with their shafts white, and much paler on their inner webs ; greater ■is-ing coverts widely tipped with white; middle feathers of the tail ashy-brown, edged with white; outer feathers paler; bill and legs greenish-black; sexes alike; iris brown. In spring plumage, the head, neck, and breast are tinged with pale yellow- ish-red, and spotted with dark-brown; back and s-apulars edged and tipped with yellowish-red; rump and under tail coverts ashy-brown; under parts of the body pure-white. Total length, seven and three-quarters to eight inches; wing, five; tail, two; bill. about one inch ; tarsus, about one inch. Hab. —Entire temperate regions of North America, South America, Europe. An abundant species on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Republic, and extending its range, in winter, into South America. We can find no reliable dis- tinction between the American and the European bird, though specimens differ quite materially in size e.xi length of bill. 29 :-'S*.¥?^t?'^;"^ r L 450 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. I m I I i I The Sanderliug, most often called the " Beach-bird " by gunners, is pretty abundant on our shores in the autumn migrations. It is rarely seen in spring, but seems to move by us in passing to its northern breeding-grounds. Accord- ing to Mr. Hutchins, it breeds on the coast of Hudson's Bay, where it constructs, on the marshes, a rude nest of grass, laying four dusky eggs, spotted with black, on which it begins to sit about the middle of Juno. Early in Septem- ber, sometimes by the 20th of August, it returns to our shores, where it associates with the Sandpipers in small flocks. It has all the habits and characteristics of these birds, busily seeking in the retreating waves, and in the pools on the beach, its food of small shells and crustaceans. It is quite fat in the aiitumn, and is esteemed by many, a fine-flavored bird for the table. m EREUNETES, Illigeb. ITreuneiM, ItUGER. Prod. (1811), 262. The bill of our species of Ereunetes is quite stout, and considerably expanded, by ■which it is readily distinguished from Actodromat Wihonii, independently of the semipalraated feet; the tarsus and middle toe are alout r^ual; the tibit uded anteriorly for about two-thirds the length of tarsus; th j basal membrane of toes is more scolloped out interiorly than exteriorly; the notch externally not quite as deep as to the first joint, although the membrane extends beyond the second. There is a tendency to hexagonal subdivision in the bare portion of tibia anteriorly. The tail is doubly emarginate. EEEUNETES PETEIFICATUS. — 7%er. The Semipaltne.ted Sandpiper ; Peep. Ereuneletpetrifcatus, llMger. Prod. (1811), 262. (Proved identical with Tringn semipalmata, Wils., by Cabanis.) Tringa temipalmata, Wilson. Am. Cm., VII. (1813) 131. And. Dm. Biog., V. (1839) 111. Jb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 277. Tringa (heterqpoda) temipalmata, Nuttall. Man., 11. (1834) 138. * Descbiption. Bill about the length of the head, rather thicker than usual in this group; both mandibles somewhat expanded and flattened at the tip, and minutely punctulated, M in the genera Scolopax and GaSinago; wings long; legs moderate, rather slen- der; toes united at base by a membrane, which is large, between the outer and middle toes, extending to the first joint; hind toe small; tail short, with the middle < & THE SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPEU. 451 'Beach-bird" by 3 in tho autumn it seems to move -ounds. Accord- 3ast of Hudson's , a rude nest of I black, on which Early in Septom- t returns to our dpipers in small teristics of these aves, and in the and crustaceans, emed by many, a iiisidcrably expanded, by ;t>, independently of the 4ua!i the tibii uded basal membrane of toes externally not quite oa ids beyond the second. )rtion of tibia anteriorly. gtr. ?. Bd identical with Tnngn U. Aud. Om. Biog., V. 534) 136. iual in tliis group; both id minutelj' punctulated, ;s moderate, rather slen- , between the outer and lil short, with the middle featherB longest; outer feathers frequently longer than the th.rd, presenfmg a doubly arXe character to the tail; under cover,, nearly a, long an the ad ; up pe nar li«ht browni»h-a,hy, with lanceolate or ovate spot, of brown.sh- black n. tho S 1 ^? the Lher,;r;mp and upper tail cover., black; fr.nt band o .. eye :;d..ntire under part,, a^hy-white. with ™all spots on ''«;;;- .^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ■11. Krnwni.h black liL'hter on their Inner webs, and with thcur slialts wnue, '''\ l^fTthers of the tail brownish-black; outer feathers pale brownisli-ashy; ;irt of2 ...rsus and toes frequently tinged with yellow , upper parts, m summer, mixed with lisht-reddlsh ; iris brown. 'rlT leng'h, about six and a half inches; wing, three and three-quarters; tad one and t'^-q^arters; bill, from gape, three-quarters, tarsus, three-quarters to one '"^ This abundant little species 's singularly variable in t^e length of tb ,„, „ much so, in fact, that a student with two specimens representing c-xtreints , this par uUr would deem it quite impossible that they could be identical specifically. '^ /],1-Entire temperate regions of North America; South .ianerica. The Semipalmated Sandpiper is so similar in its general appearance and habits with the common "Peep," that it is usually confounded with that bird by all our sportsmen. It appears at tho same time, associates with it, and altogether might easily be mistaken for it, were it not for the semi- palmation of this species. It breeds in the most northern localities. -n- • ti ,> Mr. Hutchins says that it arrives at Sever-i River, in the fur countries, in great numbers, about the middle of May where it builds a loose nest of withered grass m a sliglit hollow in the ground, early in June, and lays tour white e t^m portion; the gape of mouth extending behind th« base of culmen toes generally Witfi i 452 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. connected by a basal membrane; the tail always with diHtinct transvene bars in North-American species, except in Heteroscelus. This sub-lamily appears to dirt'er from most Scolupaciiut in the less degree of sen- sitiveness in tlie tip uf the bill, whicli is more horny, and not covered by sol> skin well supplied with nerves. The toes are almost always connected at the base by a membrane ; this being the rule und not the exception, as iu Scohpacina. 'I (^r SYMPHEMIA, RAFiKKsguK. 8t/mpheviia, RAFiNKsquB, Jour, de Phys. (1819). (Type Scohpax lemipalmata, Omelin.) Bill compressed; very thick, the culmen rounded; the lower mandible scarcely grooved; the upper proovcd to about the middle; cuhnen slightly convex; gonys ascending; bill deft but little beyond base of culmen; feathers of sides of both mandibles falling short of tlie nostrils; the lower rather farther forward; chin feath- ers reaching to beginning of nostrils; bill longer thon head, about equal to tarsus, which is more than one and a half times the middle toe; both toes webbed, the emargination of iimer web as far forward as the middle of basal joint of middle loe, the outer reaching nearly to the end ; bare portion of tibia rather less tlian middle toe without claw; tail nearly eren, or little rounded, not half the wings. SYMPHEMIA SEMIPALMAU. — Hartlaub. The Willet. Scohpax temipalmatm, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 659. Wils. Am. Cm., VII. (1813)27. Tolanue semipnlmatus, Audubon. Cm. Biog., III. (1836) 510; V. 585. Birds Am., V. (1842) 324. ToUimu (caU^itrophorm) semipalmatut, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 328. Nutt. Man., 11. (1834) 144. Symphema temipalmata, Hartlaub. Rev. Zool. (1815), 842. Dkscription. Tlie largest American species of this genus; bill longer than the head, straight, rather thick and strong ; groove in the upper mandible extending about half its length, in the lower mandible nearly obsolete; wings long; legs long, strong; toes moderate, united at base by membranes, the larger of which unites the outer and middle toe ; hind toe small ; tail short. Adult. — Entire upper parts dark-ash color (without spots); the shafts of the feathers brownish-black; rump and upper tail coverts white; un'ler parts white, tinged with a.shy on the neck and sides; axillaries and under wing coverts brown- ish-black; primary quills white at base, and tipped with brownish-black; secon- daries white, spotted with brownish-black; tail a-shy-whitc, the two middle feathers strongly tinged with ashy; others spotted with dark a8hy-bro\vn; bill dark bluish- brown, lighter at base; legs light-blue. Younger. — Entire plumage spotted, and transversely banded with b^o^^mish- black; iris brown. Tutal length, about fifteen inches; w^ing, eight and a quarter; tail, three and a quarter; bill, about two and a half; tarsus, about two and a half inches. ■<4. W h c 'ansvene ban in ess degree of Den* ered by noil skin nt tliu base by a nctrus. >pax ittnipalmata, iiondiblo scarcely ly convex; gonys 1 of sides of both ward; chin feath- it c(iual to tar»u8, I toea webbed, the lint of middle toe, r leas than middle vings. Is. Am. Orn., VII. 0; V. 685. Birds 828), 328. Nutt. he head, straight, ng abont half its long, strong; toes es the outer and the shafts of the n'ler parts white, ng coverts brown- lish-black; secon- middle feathers bill dark bluish- d with brownish- ; tail, three and a inches. i ] THE WILLET. 468 This large and handsome sput tbit winm point, but fall ^bort of nostrils; those on chin extv d as far as middle oi /lostril; bill nearly as Ion;; mi the tarsus, which is one and a half times the length of middle toe; outer to.: ».bl...-d to ilrst joint; tlie inner web very Bb..rt; bare portion of the tibia equal to the tooi; tip of Uil about opposite the middle of outstretched tarsi ; legu yellow. GAMBETTA MELANOIiEnCA. — Bonaparte. The Telltale; Stone Snipe; Greater Yellow-legs. Scolopax melanokucua, Ginclin. Syst. Nat., L (1788) 669. Tolnnug meUmoleucui Audubon. Urn. Uiog., IV. (1838) 88. Gnmhelta mdanoleuca, Honaparte. Coinptes Rendus (Sept., 1868). Scolupax vocifenu, Wilson. Am. Orn., VII. (1813) 67. Description. Bill lon^o^ than the head, rather slender, curved towards the tip; wings rather long, first quill longest; tail short; neck and legs long; toes moderate, marKined and flattened underneath, connected at base by membranes, the larger of wbi.h unites the outer and middle tot; hind toe small; claws short, blunt; grooves in botli maudibU-s extending about half their length; entire upper parts cinereous of various shade, dark in miny specimens in full plumage, generally light with white Imes on Uie head and neck, and with spots and edgings of dull-white on the other upper parts; lower back brownish-black; rump and upper tail coverts white, generally with more or less imperfect transverse narrow bands of brownish-black; under parts white, with longitudinal marrow stripes on the neck, and transverse cres- cent lanceolate and sagittate spots and stripes on the breu.t and sides; abdomen pure-white; quills brownish-black with a purplish lustre, shaft of first primary white; secondaries and tertinries tipped and witii transverse bars and spots of ashy- white; tail white, with transverse narrow bands of brownish-black, wider ana darker on the two middle feathers; bill brownish-black, lighter at the base; legs yellow; iris dark-brown. Total length, about fourteen inches; wing, seven and a half to eight; tail, three and a quarter to three and a half; bill, two and a quarter; tarsus, two and a half inches. JEfoi. —Entire temperate regiona of North America; Mexico. ' Zliii i umim Sa^S i THE YELLOW-LEOS. 455 ty. Thoy all e cxcoedingly y>lopax caUdrit, L. Iremctii I -od! middles ir. li ml iddic; thai of lower I to ai ''Ut th(i »am« iddlo 01 /jostril ; liill ;iigth of uii'ldlu toe; portion of the tibia jtretolied tursi ; Icgu s. egs. 1866). he tip; wings rather moderate, margined the larger of wliiih lunt; grooves in both 1 cinereous of various t with white lines on B on the other upper erts white, generally swnish-blaek ; under and transverse cres- and sides; abdomen laft of first primary irs and spots of ashy- ish-black, wider and tor at the base; legs f to eight; tail, three irsus, two and a half Tho Orcttter Yi-How-Io^h is not common in New Englftml ; a few beinjf taken annually. Nuttall, iu 'loscribmg its habits, Ac, Bay», — " The Greator yollow-HhankB, or Tclltulo, so remiirkable for its noise and vigiiiince, arrivoH on the coast of ho MidtHc States oarl in April, and, proceeding principally by an nland route, m seen in abundance as far north as tho plains of the S katchewnn, whort-, no doubt, in those desolate and secluded nmrsh< . fur ironi ihe prying ey^^ and persecuting hand of niii", the principal part t the species pass the period of reproduction, re-appearing in tlio cooler parts of the Union towards the close of August : yt^t so extensive is tho breeding range of the Telltale, that many <-ontinue to occupy the marshes of the Middle States until ih approach of cold weather, in tho month of November, breeding in their favorite resorts, on the borders of bogs ; securing tho nest in a tuft of rank grass or sedge ; and laying four eggs, of a dingy-whilf, irregularly marked with spots of dark-browu or black." The vociferous vigilance of the Telltale has justly stig- matized him with the present name ; for no sooner does tho gunner appear than his loud ind shrill whistle of about four rapidly repeated notes is instantly heard, as he mounts on wing, and proves generally so good a warning to all the rest of his feathered neighbors, and particularly the vigilant ducks, that tho whole, to the frequent Ui appointment of the fowler, vt once accompany their faithful and officious sentinel. The food of the Telltale is similar to that of our other shore birds. This it obtains by wading in the pools and ditches, which it is almost constantly doing ; it being seldom seen in the grass or running on the beach like the Sand- pipers. OAMBETTA FLAVIPES. — JSonaparte. The Tellow-Iegs. Scotcpaa fiavipct, Gmelin. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 659. Wils. Am. Om., VIT. 1813) 65. Totanm flavipes, Audubon. Om. Biog., HI. (1886) 678; V. 686. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 313. Gambttiafiavipet, Bonaparte. Comptes Rendus (Sept., 1866). 46e ORNITHOLO(JY AND OOLOQT. DEsoniPTioit. Bill rather longer than the head, ilralKht, slender, comproii»cd ; wins long pointed! tail uliorti Icgii long, lower half of tlio tibia naked; toon moderato, iil.'n- der, marKined, the outer Hnd middle united at bnnuj rump and upper tail coverts while, the latter trnniiversely barred with ai.liy-browni other upper partJt nsliy, many fcathem havinK largo arrowheada and irregulor upotii of brownihli-bliick, and edged with B«hy-whitO! under partu white, with numerous longitudinal lines on the neek bt'f.irc, and arrowheads on the sides, of dark oshy-browni axillaries and under •wing coverts white, with bands of ashy-brown, very indistinct in many specimens, but generally well defined; quills brownish-black; tail ashy-white with transverse bunds of dark-brown, middle feathers darker i bill greenish-black j legs yellow; iris dark-brown. I'ouiiy.— Entire upper plumage tinged with reddish-brown; neck before with lines much less distinct and pale-ashy. Total length, about ten to ten and a half Inches; wing, six to six and a half; Ull, two and a half; bill, one and a half; tarsus, two Inches. ITrti. — Eastern North America; western? The Common Yellow-logs is well known on our coast as a spring and autumn visitor. It does not pause here in its northern migration, but passes at once to its breeding-homo. This is generally in high latitudes : there, early in Juno, its nest is built and its young are reared. I am unacquainted with its breeding habits and eggs, and can find no descrip- tion of them in any book that I have access to. Early in September, it returns to New England, where it frequents the muddy flats and marshes on the seacoast, and penetrates into the interior. It is also sometimes quite abundant in the fresh-water meadows and on the shores of largo ponds. I have killed numbers while Snipe-shooting : and they are almost equally well-flavored with that bird. They congregate in small flocks, fly rapidly, uttering a loud, shrill whistle, which being imitated by the experienced sportsmen, the whole flock is decoyed within shot ; and, as they fly compactly, quite a number often fall at a single dis- charge of the gun. Like the preceding, this bird is fond of wading about in pools of water, where it secures for its food larvae of insects and small crustaceans. With one or two of our other Waders, it has the peculiarity of keeping its wings open and elevated after alighting, as if it were uncertain of the !iprcs3ci!i wing long ; toon inodiirttto, kIimi- ind uppur tnil covert* pper piirtH nuliy, ninny iilHli-bliick, ami e(l((u(l liiinl linen on tliu neck axillariea and undur ;t In many spccinuMH, -wliito with transvtTue lackj legs yellow) iris wnt neck before with alx to six and a half; ea. on our coast as jatiso liore in its i breodiug-home. arly in June, its m \inacquaiiitod I find no descrip- ;es8 to. ngland, where it the seacoaat, and sometimes quite on the shores of » Snipe-shooting : with that bird. , uttering a loud, the experienced in shot ; and, as II at a single dis- wading about in 1 larvae of insects vo of our other r its wings open uncertain of the IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I .25 1.4 IIM 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 iV ^ Ms'. .<$> % L6> V ^J CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques THE SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 467 firmness of its resting-place. I have sometimes thought that it might be a liabit caused by the bird frequenting flats on which the mud was soft and yielding. This is one of the handsomest of our Waders. In the autumn, it is fat, and in poor plumage ; but in the spring it is in good condi- tion for cabinet preservation. KHYACOPHILUS, Kaup. • Bhycux^hilui, Kaup, Sk. Entw. Europ. Th. (1829). (Type Tringa glareola, L., Grav.) Bill slender, but widening a little towards the end; lateral Rrooves of both man- dibles extending to the middle of bill; nostril short; feathers on side of bill cxtend- ii-g to about the same point and as far as beginning of nostrils; those of chin as fur as their end; both mandibles curved upwards slightly from middle; legs short; b.il about the length of tarsus, which is equal to middle toe; bare portion of tibia about two-thirds the toes; taU about opposite the middle of toes when outstretched. BHTACOPHILUS SOLITAEITJS. — jBonoparte. The Solitary Sandpiper. Triiga tolilaria, Wilson. Am. Cm., VII. (1813) 68. Totanui soUiarius, Audubon. Birds Am., V. (1842) 809. Totanut chUrropygiut. Nutt., II. 159. Aud. Om. Biog., IH. (1835) 576; V. 588. Description. Bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender, compressed; both mandibles with narrow grooves; wing long, pointed; tail medium or rather short, rounded; logs rather long, slender; lower half of the tibia naked; toes long, the outer united to the middle by a small membrane, flattened underneath, marginated; upper parU greenish-brown, with numerous small circular and irregular spots of ashy-white; upper tail coverts darker; under parts white; breast and neck before with numerous longitudinal lines of greenish-brown; sides, axillaries, and under wing coverts white, with numerous transverse narrow bands of dark greenish-brown; under tail coverts white, with a few transverse bands of dark-brown; quills brownish-black, with a slight bronzed or reddish lustre on the primaries; two middle feathers of the tail greenish-brown; other feathers of the tail pure-white, with about five transverse bands of brownish-black; bill and logs dark greenish-brown; iris hazel. Total length, about eight to eight and a half inches; wing, five; tail, two and a luarter; bill, one and a quarter; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. flafi. — Entire temperate regions of North America; Mexico. The Solitary Sandpiper is not very common in any part of New England. It arrives from the South early in May in pairs, and frequents the shores of our fresh-water ponds iMliiii tmmuttmmmmm ■M P II M > WW ! WP « llW !'i l'!ii ' ?gPy " 458 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. and Streams in preference to those of the seacoast, where, running about with great activity, it busies itself in search- ing for the larvae of various aquatic insects, of which its food principally consists. Like the succeeding species, it has the habit of nodding its head, and tipping up its body and tail, which has given it the name of "Wagtail, or "Teetler." Nuttall says that it is seen in Massachusetts only at the commencement of cold weather. I have fre- quently met with it, both on our seashores and m the meadows around our fresh-water ponds, through the whole summer. Several pairs reside through the season on the borders of Punkapoag Pond, in Canton, Mass.; and they undoubtedly breed there, although I have been unable to find their nest. This species remains with us until late in September. When flushed, it rises with a short, sharp whistle, dififerent from that of the Spotted Sandpiper, which it resembles in ahnost every other respect. TRINGOIDES, Bohapartk. (Type Tringa hypo- Tringoides, Bonapabtb, Saggio di una dist., etc. (1881). leuctu, L., Gray.) „ , ,,o.i. ^cW BoiE, I8W (1822), 560. Notof Dliger, ProdromuB (1811). Uppe" manJible grooved to the terminal fourth, the bill tapering and rather ^utefcleft ^f mouth'Tnly moderate, the culmen about five-sixths the comm.sBure, Sers extending rather further on side of lower jaw than upper, the former reach. Sg a^^a^t the beginning of the nostrils, those of the chin to '^^o.i ^-l^^^'H m shorter than the head, straight, equal to the tarsus, which .s of theje--^ "^ middle toe and claw, bare part of tibia half the tarsus, outer toe webbed to first TJitiTnl: cleft abo^t to the base, taU much rounded, more than half the wmg. TMKQOIDES MACULABIUS. — Graj. The Spotted Sandpiper. Tringa macularia, Linna,us. Syst. Nat., L (1766) 240. Wil.. Am. Om., VH. ^" rl'l ^nacularius, Nuttall. Man., H. (1884) 162. And. Om. Biog.. IV. (1888) 81. Jb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 803. Tringoidet maaUaritu, Gray, genera. Dkscriptios. Small, bill rather longer than the head, straight, slender, long grooves fa both J£, Ig rather long, pointed, taU medium, rounded, legs rather long, %iliiidil1^ffli'l1iWfiiift^ifitf'^'^'^"''•^' THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 459 ast, where, in search- f wliich its species, it up its body 'agtail," or .ssachusetts I liave fre- aud in the h the whole ason on the .; and they n unable to untU late in thort, sharp piper, which rpe TVinja hypo- t). ering and rather the commisaure; the former reach- )Out their middle ; of the leu^ of )e webbed to first a. half the wing. 8. Am. Om., Vn. Om. Biog., IV. ig grooves in both legs rather long; lower third of the tibia naked; toes long, margined, and flattened underneath: outer connected with tl.. middle toe by a large membrane; mner very sl.ghtly connected to the middle too, upper parts brownish olive-green, w.th a Bomewhat metallic or bron.ed lustre, and with numerous longituduml hues, and sagittate, lanceolate, and irregular spots of brownish-black, having the same lustre, Ime over the eye, and entire under parts white, with numerous circular and oval spots of brownish-black, smaller on the throat, largest on the abdomen ; qu.lls brown, w.th a green lustre, primaries slightly tipped with white, and havmg a wh.te spot on their inner edges, secondaries white at their bases, and tipped w.th white, mid- dle feathers of the tail same green as other upper parts, outer tipped with white, and with irregular bars of brownish-black, bill yelkiwish-green, tipped w.th brown; feet reddish-vellow, iris hazel. Young less bronzed above, and under parts white, without spots. Total length, seven and a half to eight inches, wing, four and a half, tail, two, bill, one , tarsus, rather less than one inch. IZoA.— Entire temperate North America, Oregon, Europe. Perhaps none of our summer residents are distributed so generally and so abundantly throughout New England as the species now before us. Every pond and stream of water has two or three pairs breeding on its shores ; and it is as abundant in the most thickly settled m i: the more retired and sec/ Med localities. It arrives from the South about the first week in April ; and, separating into pairs, it soon commences the duties of incubation. It manifests no preference for a location near the seacoast to one in the interior; and I have found it breeding as abundantly m the depths of the Maine forests as on the low sandy islands, or in the marshes by our seacoast. The female, about the third week in April, scratches a hollow in the sandy earth by some pond, or sometimes in a grain-field or garden; and, lining it with a few pieces of straw or moss, lays four eggs, which sLe adjusts with their small ends together in the middle of the nest. These eggs are usually abruptly p-riform, sometimes a little more lengthened ; and are of a yoUowish-buff color, marked with blotches and spots of umber and sienna, thickest at their greater end, where they are sometimes confluent. Occasionally, the primary color is of a yellowish-drab tint, when the spots are much darker than on the other shade. A great number of specimens in my collection from many different localities exhibit a varia- liMn»«sMMMM«iawM« I MO MIW I :! 460 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. tion of size from 1.40 by 1 inch to 1.26 by .95 inch. I can BGO no marked peculiarity in any series of specimens, except- ing that those collected in the interior of Maine average a little larger than those from the seacoast. The flight of the Spotted Sandpiper is generally low, its wings being kept bent at an angle beneath its body. It has a peculiar note, like peet-weet, peet-weet, easily recogmzed. ACTITUBUS, BONAPABTK. AcHturvs, BONAPABTB, Saggio, etc., (1831). (Type Tringa Bartramia, Wil- '""upper mandible grooved laterally to within the terminal Iburth, the lower not quite so mr; culmen concave to near the tip, where it '« *!'8"«y f«"'";^^'J"^'^ Btraight; mouth deeply deft, almost as far back as the anterior canthus; *e;"ta " only ab.^ut two-thlrds the commissure, shorter than the head or tarsus, and about equal to middle toe without claw; feathers extending much further forward on he upper jaw than on the lower, although those of chin reach nearly to end of nostril , uTus one and a half times middle toe and claw, the bare part of Ub.a not qu.U equal to the middle toe above; outer toe united at base as far as first joint; web of inner toe very basal ; tail long, graduated, more than half the wmgs. ACTITUBUS BAETEAMIUS. — Bonaparte. The Upland Plover; Bartram'B Sandpiper; Field Plover. rmja Bartramia, Wilson. Am. Cm., VIL (1818) 68. And. Birds Amer., V. (1842) 248. Totamu BaHramus, Audubon. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 24. Tringa (EuUga) Bartramia, Nuttall. Man., II. (1884) 168. Description. Bill about as long as the head, rather wide and flattened at base, curved at the tip- nostril with a lar^e membrane; nasal groove long; wing long; tail long for this ^uj tgs moderate or rather long; lower half of the tibia naked, toes mc^era^e Z outer and middle toe united by a membr«ie, inner and middle ft^e to the b«e^ hind toe small; general color of the upper parts brownish-black, with a greenish lus- tre. and with tke feathers edged with ashy-white and yellowish, the latusr espec.a ly on the wing coverU; lower part of the back, rump, and upper Uil -v«>^'^™^ black; lateral coverU of the tail yellowish-white, with arrow-heads and imgu ar spoU ^f black; wide stripe over the eye, and entire under parts very pale yellow sh- wWte, nearly ^ure-white on the abdomen; neck before with numerous longitudmal lines ;f bro^sh-black; breast and sides with waved and pointed »';;!>«-"« nanow bands of the same; a.xillary feathers and under wing coverts pure-white wij nu.n^ rous nearly regular transverse narrow bands of black; quills bro^vnish-black, ,^th numerous transverse bands of white on their inner webs, very conBp.cuous on tU under surface of the wing; shaft of fin.t primaiy white; middle feathers of the tail ich. I can sns, except- ne average illy low, its dy. It has cognized. Bartramia, Wil- li, the lower not lecurved; gonys hus ; the culmen irsua, and about r forward on the I end of nostrils ; of tibia not quite rst joint; web of over. , Birds Amer., V. ise, curved at the ; tail long for this id; toes moderate, free to the base, 'ith a greenish lus- 16 latter especially coverts, brownish- :ads and irregular jry pale yellowish- erous longitudinal transverse narrow -white, with nuine- awnish-black, with lonspicuous on tne feathers of the tail i I CabaaU Oamida Urousc, Tetrao Canadensis. Liniin>u«. KilUlccr VloveT, Aegialilis rocifirus. Ca«sln. SomipalmatBd I'lOTcr, Aegialitis semipalmatus. AmiTlcan Woodcock, Phiiohela minor. Gray. Wilson's Snipe, Gallinaeo Wilsonii Uonapartc. Upland or Field I'loTcr, Actilurus Burlramius. liouapart«. Virginia Uall, Uallus Virginianus. l/mnoDUS. Carolina Hall, Porzana Carolina. Vicillot. \ immm »itvminmi i m \ m«imi'mimt i H(a«WM9*»«»W* ,) 1: iL THE UPLAND PLOVER. 461 ,.mo greenUh-hrown M the b.ck. with lrr.K"Ur .nd mperfect tr „,ve c bnn U of bU-kfoutor feather, pal« r.ul,U,h-ye.low. e,l«e,l un,l „p,.a wUl. ;"" • ;"'' ''^ .everal irregular tran,ver.« baudn a.ul a l.rR.. .ubten.unal um.w-bead o. back, m grecnilv-llow. with the under ...aixlibb, more clear yellow toward, .t, ba... tip brownmh-blacki leg. llBht-yrUow ; toe» darker; Ins haze . Total length, about twelve Inehea; wing, »ix and a half; tail, three and a half. //»A.-lCtt«t4.rn North America, South America, Kurope. Kver3wher« in the interior of the State, on the Atlantic, thi. . the mo.t abun- dant a,?d be.t-known -pecie, of thi. group. Unlike nearly .11 other, tlu, b.rd pr."er, plain, and cultivated field., and i. one of the .pecie. wh.ch ha» not de.rea.ed n number, on account of the extension of cultivation and the .ctlement o. the oun try. On the contrary, it .p,H.»r. to be quite at home in the tann Ian .and rear. if. young in the tleld. of gra.. and grain in the mo.t populou. rural d.tricU of the country. This bird, commonly known as the « Upland Plover," is not abundant in Now England as a summer resident. It breeds sparingly in all these States, arriving in pairs about tlie 10th of April. It is less aquatic than most of the other species in this order, and frequents old pastures, Btubble-fields, and cornfields, in preference to meadows and flats It begins to nest about the last week in May. It is quite shy at all times, and difficult of approach, and I have spent half a day in one pasture before I could find the nest ; both old birds keeping up their shrill whistle, and flying about me always out of gunshot. The nest is placed in a Blight hollow in the ground, and is constructed of a few loose straws and leaves, arranged in a circular manner. The eggs are four in number, sometimes three. They arc more ovoidal in form than most of our other Waders' eggs, and almost exactly resemble those of tho Woodcock, but average considerably larger ; varying from 1.92 by 1.31 inch (from Wisconsin) to 1.70 by 1.25 (from Massachusetts). The primary color of some specimens is a buff, while others are of a creamy-drab: they are marked with spots of two shades of brown, and obscure spots of lilac. By the middle of August, and from then until late m September, these Plovers assemble in small flocks of eight or ten individuals. They then frequent hilly pastures, both on the seacoast and in the interior, where they feed on rr 46!S onwTnoLoaY and ooLonr. grisshoppors, crickota, grains, and sooda. Tlioy aro then in g(od condition, and of delicato flavor on tlio table, and are naich pursued l)y Hportsnien ; bnt, as thoy aro swiiVHying birds, and very sliy, it requires a ujoro than ordinary sliot to Ifig many of tlieui. TRYNGITES, Cabanu. (Typ« Tringa nifttctnt. TringittB, CABAtiis, Jour. iUr Orn. (1868), «lb. Vieillot.) Upper mandiblo grooved to about, the terminal fourth; tlio lower not quite no far; lulmcn and Ronvd about MraiKht; mouth deeply cleft more than half-way to the eyes the culmcn about two-thirdii tlie comminMirei culmcn much sliortcr than the head, and about equal to middle toe without ciaw; tarnui* at«)ut one and onc-nixth as long ax mid.lle toe and claw; bare part of tibia decidedly shorter than middle too without claw; toes cleft to the bane, with only a very rudimentnrj- web: upper jaw feathered to the noKtriin; the side of the lower and beneath fentlicred much furth.ir, or to the end of the noslriU; the interspace of the rami entirely tilled ; Uil some- what graduated, not half the wing. TRTHQITES HUFESCEN8. — CabanU. The Buff-breait«d Sandpiper. Tringa ru/eictm, Nuttall. Man., II. (1884) 118. Aud. Om. Bioj;., III. (1886) 461. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 264. DKBcniPTtos. Bill about the length of the head, straight, compressed, narrow at the point; nasal groove long; wings verj-long; first quill longest; tertiaries rather shorter; tail moderate or longer than usual in this group; legs rather long; lower third of the tibia nailed; toes fVeo at base, flattened underneath, and slightly margined; hind toe small; upper parts pale and dull ashy-brown with a yellowish tinge; every feather with a large central, lanceolate, crescent-shaped, or oblong spot of black, frequently with a glossy-green tinge, especially on the back and shorter tertiaries; under parts light yellowish-red, or pale-fawn color ; many feathers tipped with white, and paler on the flanks and abdomen, on the breast with partially concealed small spots of black; axillary feathers white; quills with their outer webs light-brown, inner webs ashy-white, marbled with black and narrowly tipped with white; middle tail feathers brownish-black; outer feathers lighter, with transverse waved lines of black, and tipped with white; bill black; legs greenish-yellow; iris hazel. Total length, seven and a half to eight inches; wings, five and a half; tail, three; hill, from gape, one; tarsus, one and a quarter inches. .Hni.— All of North America, South America, Europe. This is a little bird of rather peculiar style of form, and of remarkable and hand- some plumage. Its relationship appears to be to the preceding well-known species. Both this and the preceding bird more habitually frequent plains and other diy localities than any of the true Sandpipers. T" 1 y nro tlion in iblo, and aro Hwiirrflyinji liuary shot to Tringn niftieem, owcr not quite "o B than Imll'-WBy to cli aliorter thiui the one anil oiic-sixtli ler than middle to« rj' web; upper jaw •red iniicli further, y filled i uUiomd- Bioj?., III. (1885) irrow at the point; ries rather shorter; ■; lower third of the tly margined ; hind Dwish tinge; every long spot of black, I shorter tertiariea; '9 tipped with white, illy concealed small r webs light-brown, with white; middle erse waved lines of iris hazel. re and a half; tail. tnarkable and hand- well-known species. lains and other dry THE MARBLED OODWIT. 46S Tho BuflT-broaBted Sandpipor, altliough not abundant on tlio pliorcs of New England, is by no means rare, in tho months of Anj^u«t and September, when it is returning from its nortliern breeding-places. It is seldom boon hero in spring ; but it seems to pass over New England in its northorn flight. Of its breeding habits, nest, eggs, Ac, wo aro ignorant. Audubon was of tho opinion that it broods about the arctic seas, as ho had seen a wing of this bird that came from thoro ; but he know nothing of its breeding habits whatcvor. In the autunm, while with us, it does not frequent the beach as much as it does the marshes and flats in its vicin- ity, where it is known as one of tho " Grass-birds " to our gunners. It feeds upon grasshoppers and other insects, and becomes very fat; so much so, that skinning it for cabinet preservation, at that season, is almor an impos- sibility. Section LiMOSEJE. Bill longer than the tarsus, curving slightly upwards towards the end, where it is thickened; both mandibles grooved for nearly the whole lengUi; gape of mouth very short, not extending beyond the base of culmen. LIMOSA, Bbisson. Limota, Bmsson, Om. (1760). (Type 8cdopnx Kmosa, L.) Bill lengthened, exceeding the tarsus, slender, and curving gently upwards; grooved to near tho tip; the tip not attenuated, but pointed; the lower almost as long as the upper; culmen without any furrow; tarsus with transverse scutella before and behind, reticulated laterally; a short basal membrane between the middle and outer toesi tail short, even. LIMOSA FEDOA. — (iinn.) Ord. The Marbled Oodwit. Seoltpaa fedoa, Wilson. Am. Om., VII. (18 18) 80. lAmosa fedoa, NuttaU. Man., U. (1884) 178. And. Om. Biog., III. (1886) 287} V. 690. I ■^•'•^liMiiiiiiiiiliiiMiiiMi'iitiiiiiiii 464 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Description. i ^ ^ i ,- long; tibia with its lower ha naked; teBrathe^^^^^^^^^^ neath, the outer '"''d "'"l'^ ^h! ckandpale reddTsM^ parts variegated w^thbro^^^^^^^^^^^ lar and confluent bands, and the latter. nsp_ ^ .'^^ i^.^ed on the rump and mens the black color predom.natmg on the ^j!'- «^<^; ^ ,j„^, ,f browni.h-blaek base, brownish-black at the end; legs "'1'^-^"'* ^^^^^ ,„a ^ half; bill, four Total length, about eighteen niches; wmg, nine, tan, to five; tarsus, three inches; iris, bjoj"' ^^^,^ America. f/«i.- Entire t^-^P^^'V'^K/L^^ known to sportsmen as the Godwit, and a A large and handsome ^^^^l^^^^^^^^n^Xe surveying expeditions, it coast of the United States. It is only in the spring and antamn migrations tiiat tlie GrearSled God'it is found in New England ;-«>,; lose times it make, only a short stay, parfeularl, m the ""Ttoy arrive from the sonth early in May, and pass to the mrnoZm eountries, where they pass the season of '" Of «; breeding habits I am ignorant, and I have no .Egs in my eollection to give a description here. In the autumn, even as early as the middle of August, fliks of t^ or a do.eu birds appear in the marshes on the rrt of Massaehusetts; ^^^f^:^:^i:r::!^z rr- "C"™ ::urb;r '^-en --Bough- or «C" Bird and, as they are in good condition and wel flavored they are ii great repute, and are hunted with great raT::di r; .andtuTgTe'at numbers. They meet ^th aTaTy sale n our markets, at very remunera ive :1 ane I have known of two gunners realmng sixty K Tthe proceeds of one day's shooting. Iiiii™*^'"-- X THE HUDSONIAN GODWIT. 466 ;; tail short; legs 1 flattened under- me ; entire upper isposed in irrcgu- 3 J in many speci- on the rump and >f brownifh-black ker rufras; outer jrics Ight-rufousi -yellowish, red at d a half; bill, four nerica. the Godwit, and a ing expedition?, it as on the eastern tions that the rland; and at icularly in the nd pass to the the season of and I have no here. ,dle of August, marshes on the s uniting their birds are found n " Dough " or dition and well mted with great i\ themselves in Golden Plover lers. They meet ■y remunerative 1 realizing sixty ting. At chis season, these birds associate with other species ; and it is a common occurrence to bring to the ground, at one discharge of the gun into one of tl-.ese flocks, two or three different species. By the 20th of September, they have left our shores. They are most abundant about the first week in that month- IIMOSA HUDSONICA. — Sujatnwn. The Hudsonian Godwit, Scolopax Budsmica, Latham. Ind. Orn., II. (1790) 720. „„„„,,,„, LiJ,a nmUonica. Sw. F. B. A., II. (1831) 396. Nutt. Man., II. (1834) irt. And. Om. Biog., III. (1885) 426 ; V. 592. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 335 DKScnimoN. Smaller than the preceding; bill longer than the head; both mandibles grooved, slightly recurved; wings long; legs moderate; membrane uniting the outer and middle too large. ^daJi.- Upper parts brownish-black, with spots and transverse bars of pale- reddish on the back ; rump brownish-black; upper tail coverts white; wing coverU and shorter quills dark-cinereous; primaries brownish-black; under parts yellowish- red with fansverse bars of brownish-biack on the breast and sides and under tail coverts, and frequently with the feathers on the abdnmen widely tipped with white; tail black, with the base white, and narrowly tipped with white; under wing coverts and axillary feathers black; shafts of primaries white; bill pale-yellowish at base; tip brownish-black; legs bluish-brown. - rouBoer.- Head and upper parts cinereous, irregularly marked on the top of the head, and on the back, with brownish-black: stripe before, and over the eye, white; under parts dull yellowish-white; under wing coverts and axillariea b ack; rump black; upper tail coverts white; tail black; base a..d tip white ; bill yellow, tipped witli brownish-black; legs dark-brown; iris brown. Total lengUi, about fifteen inches; wing, eight; tail, three; bill, two and three- quarters to three and a half; tarsus, two and a half inches. This species is less abundant than the preceding, seldom more than a half-dozen specimens being taken in a season on our coast. It associates with the other, and has all its habits and characteristics. It is called, by the gunners, the « Smaller Doe-bird." Like the Greater Godwit, it breeds in the most northern sections of the country. I have no specimen of its egg hy me, and can give no description of its breeding habits here. 80 iigff"^»-^'^"-i 466 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. IfxjMENIUS, hvfVMVB. manes. SDMEHIOS I.OHQIBOSTMS.— WU$on. The Long-biUed Curlew; SieUe-blU Cnrlew. (1884)88. Aud. Cm. Biog.,IU.(1885) ^40, v. <""• . M. Dmobiptiou. The largest A.encan species of ^^^^^^^l^i^X'^r.T^^ "'^^ mandiblelongerthantheundcr somewhat knobbed at^c J, g ^.^^ legs moderate; toes united at ba«e; «"»»« »PP« ^s of brownish-blaclc, most as'by, every feather -l"--«;SJ,nnn^^^^^ numerous aHd predom.naung^*;^^^^''"/^^ wing coverts, and axaiar.es bn6hMuft|«,pr«nar^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ black, and *«- Jnner weH r^^^^^^^^ ^„^ ^.,^^, ^.„ ,„fo^, ^"f"""*;,:! t"rfnst«^^^^^^^^ brownish-biack, bill brownish-biack; ttnged w.^ ■'^y'. r^"*'2.veilow: legs bluish-brown, specimens vary to some to eight; tarsus, two and a quarter mches. . .^. Ja6.-The entire temperate regions of North Amenca. This species is not very abundant on our coast m the Bpring and autumn. Wilson, in descnbmg its habits, says,— . « Like the preceding, this bird is an inhabitant of ^--^^^^'^^ vicinity of the sea. It is also found in the .ntenor, where, from Z long bill, and loud, whistling note, it is generally known. . The Srlews apj^ar in the salt marshes of New Jersey about the Sdl^Jf May,Tn their way to the -rth; and in^P-ber on their return from their breeding-places. Their food consists oWeflv of smaU «^ab.;, which they are very dexterous at probmg feeil t^ose sLu sea-snails so abundant in the marshes, and on j^ THE SHORT-BILLED OB HUDSONUN CURLEW. 467 rquata,!,.) i behind with smaU (red downwards for laterally, and club- lals as long u pri- w. 14. Nutt. Man., II. Ids Am., VI. (1843) much curved; upper ); wing rather long; e-rufous, tinged with brownish-black, most Bcondary quills, under r outer webs brownish- f black; under parts .nd sides; tail rufous, bill brownish-black; ^cimens vary to some sry much iu the length oung; iris hazel, in; tail, ibur; bill, five aur coast in the bing its habits, It of marshes in the iterior, where, from ■ally known. F New Jersey about and in September, Their food consists sxterous at probing jng bills ; they also he marshes, and on various worms and insects. They are likewise fond of bramble- berries, frequentmg the fields and uplands in search of this fruit, on which they get very fat, and are then tender and good eating, altogether free from the sedgy taste with which their flesh is usually tamted while they feed in the salt marshes. " The Curlews fly high, generally in a wedge-like form, somewhat resembling certain Ducks, occasionally uttering their loud, whistling note, by a dexterous imitation of which a whole flock may some- times be enticed within gunshot, while the cries of the wounded are sure to detain them untU the gunner has made repeated shots and great havoo among them." The eggs of the Long-billed Curlew are four in num ber. They are pyriform in shape, and almost exactly resemble the eggs of the Willet, but are considerably larger ; their dimensions being 2.75 inch in length by 1.96 in breadth. Along the shores of the northern side of Cape Cod, this species is most abundant in the autumnal flight, where it appears in flocks of fifteen or twenty. Like many others of our shore-birds, it is taken, with the aid of decoys, by per- sons concealed in pits ; and, being a delicate and well-con- ditioned bir.d,_it is in high esteem, and much sought for in the markets where it is exposed for sale. HUHEBIUS HUDSOHICUS. — ixirtam. ' ■ The Short-billed or Hndsoniu Curlew. Soolopax borecdtB, Wilson. Am. Om., VII. (1818) 23. Numeniiu Hudionicm, Nuttall. Man., II. (1884) 97. Aud. Om. Biog., IIL (1885) 288; V. 589. lb., Birds Am., VL (1848) 42. Descriptioh. Smaller than the preceding; bill about twice the length of the head; wmgslong; tail short; legs moderate; head above brownish-black, with a longitudinal band: other upper parts brox/nish-black, tinged with ashy, spotted with dull yellowish- • white, and lighter on the rump; under parts dull yellowish-white, with longitudmal narrow stripes of blackish^brown on the neck and breast; under wing coverts and axiUaries pale ashy-rufous, transversely barred with black; quills brownish-black, with Uansverse bars of pale-rufous on the inner webs; tail brownish-black, with — ■:— '■in-T""'"™" aumumk' 4P,8 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. frequent in the United States than the precedmg. Total length, about eighteen inches; wmg, nme; toil, four, bill, three "T<;rrt;l:raT;Patm: coast, of ^rth America, California (Mr. C.s- sidy). This species is rare in New England. I have never met with it alive, and will have to depend upon the observations of others. Wilson says,— "Thfe Short-biUed Curlew arrives in large flocks on the seacoast of New Jersey early in May, from the South; frequents the salt xnarshes, muddy shores, and inlets, feeding on --^1 yj- ^^ nxinute shell-fish. They are most commonly seen on mud-flats at low Tater, in company with various other Waders ; and, at h>gh water, Toam along the marshes. They fly highland with great raptd.ty. aTw are seen in June, and as late as the beginning of July, when they generally move off toward the North. Their appearance on theL'occasions is very interesting : they collect together from th^ marshes, as if by premediUted design, nse to a grea height in r air, usually an hour before sunset; and, forming m one vast ne, klep up a constant whistling on their way to the north, as if conversing with one another to render the journey more agree- able." Nuttall says, — "From the middle of August to the beginning of September, they arrive in the vicinity of Massachusetts Bay and other parts of New England, frequenting the pastures as well as marshes, and fatten on grasshoppers and berries till the time of their departure, about the close of September." THE ESQUIMAUX CURLEW. 409 * lower mandible de of the lighter lis bird is repre- lut ia much less lill, three to four; ifomia (Mr. Ca- ve never met observations on the seacoast n|iients the salt lall •worms and mud-flats at low , at high water, great rapidity, g of July, when appearance on wether from the great lieight in ling in one vast to the north, as ney more agree- ig of September, ad other parts of as marshes, and their departure, NUMENinS BOBEALIS. — Za/Aam. The Esquimaux Curlew. Numentut borenlis, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 100. Aud. Om. Biog,, III. (1886) 39; V. 690. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 45. Description. Much smaller than either of the preceding, but rescmblin/; N. Hiuhnnicus in cdlor : bill rather longer than the head, slender; wings long; tail short; legs niodinitc: entire upper parts brownish-black, spotted with dull yellowish-rufous; qiiills brcnvji- ish-black, uniform on both webs, without bars on either; under wing coverts and axillaries light-rufous, with transverse stripes of brownish-black; uiKier jiarts dull white, tinged with rufous, with longitudinal narrow stripes of browni.sli-black (ju the neck and breast, and transverse stripes of the same on the sides and under tail coverts; tail ashy-brown, with frpn.sverse bands of brownish-black ; bill biownish- black; base of under mandible yellow; legs greenish-brown; iris dark-brown. Total length, about thirteen and a half inches; wing, eight and a quarter; tail, three; bill, two and a quarter to two and a half; tarsus, one and three-<(uarters inches. This small and interesting Curlew is merely a bird of passage in the United States, to be met with in the spring and autumn. It ia easily distinguished from either of the preceding by its small size and its comparatively short and weak bill. We have never seen it frond the western countries of the United States. It is only in the migrations that this bird visits New England, and then only in small numbers. They make their appearance by the last week in April, and pass to tlio most northern sections, where they breed, and then return here about the first week in September. Says Nuttall, "On the 13th of June, 1822, Dr. Rich- ardson discovered one of these Curlews sitting on throe eggs, on the shore of Point Lake. When approached, she ran a short distance from the nest, crouching near to tlio ground, and then stopped to watch the motions of her encroaching visitor. The eggs, sometimes as many as four, have a pyriform shape, and a siskin-green color, clouded with a few irregular spots of bright umber-brown." On their return in autumn, this Curlew has all the habits .of the two preceding species : like them, " they are remark- ably gregarious, each company seeming to follow some tem- porary leader ; and, on starting to fly, a sort of watch-cry is heard, resembling the whistling pronunciation of the 470 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. word heaee. On their arrival from the North, they are very fat, plump, and well flavored, ajid. included, like the preceding and the Marbled Godwit, under the general name of Doe-birds : they are sought out by epicures, and enhance the value of a table entertainment." They frequent the marshes and adjoining pastures, where they feed much upon grasshoppers and other insects and earthworms, which they collect principally towards evening, or early in the morning. Tribe PALUDiOOLiE.* Species living in marshes, -.rith elevated bodies, much compressed laterally; usually with longernecks than most Snipe, with moderatfilTlong. strong, and stout bills, also much compressed, and covered at tip by a homy investment, the remammg portion membranous, with elongated nasal furrow, and narrow, more «' '«;; P«rf°'- ate, nostrils; the lores are feathered uniformly as in the i.m,cofa,. the rest of the plumage without the spotting of the Snipes, wings rather short "^o"* ""ff ^il i^ Linted, and when folded do not reach beyond the ''»>«"^' ""«• ""t/"*''' '*''''" fact se dom to iU base, the outer two or three primaries generally abbreviated; the Ss are °™ry long, cleft to the base, thin, and generally with very long claws, rsame isle cL with the hmd toe. which is not only much longer than m the iimtcote, but is generally inserted more nearly on the same level with the antenor ones, touching the ground for most of its extent. .„<> „„fl i- The species pick up their food on the surface, and do not probe the soft mud in "'"The^North-American species of this tribe are few in number, though vory abun- dant in individuals. Their habit of close concealment among the n^eds and grass of ma«hy places renders them very difficult of detection, except when the.r abodes are more or less submerged. Suh-Family 'RkiAAJSM.^ The Rath. BALLUS, LiNS^iuB. RaUm, LiKHiBOS, Syst. Nat „.„JiKi. oii„htIv Bill longer than the head, rather slender, compressed, upper mandible slightly curved, nostrils in a long groove, and with a large membrane, "TTt J!1Z quills long, frequently longer than the primaries, tail very short, legs mode«te, ursns shorter than the middle toe. and covered on all sides with transverse ««d^ Z long and rather slender, inner toe rather shorter than the outer, hind toe short and weak. 1 See Introduction. ;h, they are ed, like the eneral name and enhance "requent the I much upon , which they the morning. pressed laterally; , strong, and stout jnt; the remaining ore or less perfor- to; the rest of the nore rounded than and feeble tail, in f abbreviated ; the very long claws; onger than in the I with the anterior « the soft mud in though vory abun- le reeds and grass t when their abodes r mandible slightly rings short ; tertiary ort; legs moderate; th transverse scales ^ uter; hind toe short -a«L- HlllPl' 'II jip..».^a^^..^,-,.» -.:.,. »a.>^.>^j».v-, ■ .-,»- -./I- ^^- m n tHB ChkVVt,^ BAIL. 471 r D»t.iinTio«. j,^^ni9li-b1»ck, most „j a»y „,Mrf™i»». »■'•■' . s„ Eng- Thi, boautiM bird - '" 7;t;*;.tragg.er from i» laud, that it en >» fj'tu ^Uif of *« fo««."8 -""■"" andt egg. "X— Ue tbo» «t the Capper E:t:t:vt'rge't.utoue-Mtb larger. .„«« or^"^. r^Iui«B'"3 v!^i..B.d.A...v.(^s«)^- (l8^8)^la. Aud.Om.B.og.,IUai«») DEBCBimos. . b„„ai,h-bl.ck, mo.t -"■'""" ■^ , ,„ th. Middle and Southern Thi, bird, «. 7»» '°'7erElg and « - »«»"'-'"'- t 472 OaMTHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. It begins to btiild about the 10th of May. Tho nest ih placed o!i th» grcund in a marHh, flomctimcH in a tusHock <.t ™ or on a pile of «caw«cd : it i« conHtrncted of a la.K« maso of dried granseH and woedH, and iH but btt lo bollowud. Tl»o eggs are from five to seven or eight in nunibor. Umv forn. iH UHually ovoidul, and their primary color dull creamy- drab or dirty-bulV. Tliis is marked more or less thickly with snots and blotches of different shades of brown and obscur." g nots of lilac. The nearest in resemblance to these eggn are those of tho Woodcock ; but, when a number of each arc placed side l)y side, tho eggs of the latter may bo readdy identified by their generally more pyrilbrm shape. The dimensions of tho eggs of tho Clapper Had vary .nji 182 by 1.25 u>ch to IM by 1.14 inch. The greater number of spots are more of a purplish tint; and they are generally rather sparingly distributed over the entire ^^The habits of this species are similar to those of the fol- lowing; but the Clapper Rail seems to prefer for its home the marshes in the neighborhood of salt water. \ HALLUS VIRGIHIANDS. — /.«nn«M- The Virginia Rail.' Ballu* r,rsimanu,, Linno^u.. S.v«t. Nat., I. (1766) 2C3. Y'l'/ggM ^"v IJs (1813) 109. Nutt. Man., H. (1H34) 206. Aud. Cm. B.og., III. (1885) 41, V. 578. lb., Birds Am., V. (1842) 174. Desckiption. Much Bmaller than either of the preceding, but resembling them in form, and White , neck "e ore an ^ ^^^ ^.^^^. ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^,.^^8 "^Z^r^::^:^^^^ -ru b,.eU. with tranter, linea of wh.te; "^Jota^:nth ;u ,mtipofbilltoendoftail),ao. .nd a half inche,, wing, four; tail, one and a half inches. This handsome species is pretty generally distributed throughout New England as a summer resident. Unlike i: ~mm THE VmciINIA lUIL. 473 ncHt iH lock <>r a, largi! UowimI. Tluiir jroaiuy- dy with obscure 3acli aro readily 0. Tl)« ry ;r> -a greater lid thoy lO entire the fol- it9 home a. Om., VII. )41i V. 673. in form, and lon(?itu'linal white; throHt 1 coverts ■with r wing coverts lies of white ; inches wing, iistributed t. UuUke the prooodiiiR, it locates ItHolf in the tVcHh-wator nioad- owfl, whore, in a tuHBoik of ^vann or iu a pilo of drift- wcoti, it forms it^ wmt, ThiH ii nuth'iig Imt a pilo of woods or grass, wliich it arrangos in a compact niaimtn-, ond hollows to tho depth of porliaps an inch or an incli and a half. Tho eggs are from six to ton in niiinbor, usually alumt seven. Thoy aro ovoidal in form, and generally seem to ho like a miniature of those of tho Clapper Rail: some spcci- mons, collected in Cambridge, Mass., aro of a doo|)-l)nrt eolur ; hut none approach tho color of tho Cnroliiia Rail sufTiciently to bo mistaken for tliom. They aro sputtod with small marks of reddish and brown, and with a few obscure 8{)()ts of lilac. Thoy vary in their dimensions from l.oO by .1)0 to 1.23 by .90 inch. This species is undoubtedly more abundant in New England, particularly in its southern portions, than most per- Bons generally believe. It is of very retiring habits ; and as it selects the almost inaccessible meadows and boggy swamps for its summer homo, and, when approached, quickly retreats into tho farthest recesses, I am not surprised that it is in most cases overlooked. I have found it breeding in many localities in Massachusetts, and have no hesitation in call- ing it one of tho commonest of our Qrallatores. It feeds only during the twilight and in early dawn, and remains concealed in tho grass during the greater part of tho day. Its food consists of various insects and worms, such as aro abundant iu the localities which it frequents. It leaves New England for the South by the 10th of September. PORZANA, ViEiLi^T. Pwrnna, Vikillot, Anal., p. 61 (1816), 61. (Type Rallu$ porzana, L.) Bill shorter than the heud, compressed, straight; nostrils in a wide groove, with <» large membrane; wings ra-''™7"V^ „„ ^5=' "j' . behind the eye, sides „,any feathers having narrow str.^sc^whUe on th^red^^^^^^^ ^^^ J^^^^^^ of the neck, and the breast, fi"'^*'^"';^."^^' ^„„ ^^ under tail coverta white, yellow; legs dark-green. ^e™ale.-8J«lax bu^^^^^^^^^^^ bill orontheneck, throat dull-white, inches. This species, like the Virginia Rail, is probably more abundant in our fresh-water meadows than is generally suj^ posed It arrives in April, about the 16th ; and, separa mg C pairs, takes up its residence in the inland marshes where it Leeds, and remains until its departure for the lou h, about the' middle of October. Early in May the sea. L of incubation commences. The nes is constructed of pieces of straw and weed, arranged in a large pile and hoi- Twed to the depth of an inch or more : ^^^^^fYZt in a tussock of grass, or beneath a piece of ^ A speci „.en which I found in Dedham meadows was built beneath some thick cranberry-vines, and I have known of others Tng placed in small brier patches; but genera ly he S is built in rn open meadow, usually on an elevated Tssock in a boggv tract of gromid. The eggs vary from five tl ei^it or te' i in number : their form is almost always an exact ovoidal. Their color is a yellow-drab, with a faint- raTet: tint, different from the c.lor of any of our o^. Rail's eggs. They vary in dimensions from 1.35 by 1 inch (Qumcy, Mass.) to 1.15 by .85 inch (Albion, Wis.). The THE YELLOW BAIL. 476 0. Natt. Man., neck before and I of black, Bnd id the eye, sides 9 and transverse jl coverts white; te; biUgreenish- ;hroat dull-white; (is chestnut, quarter; tail, two obably more enerally sup- d, separating Lnd marshes, rture for the May the sea- uistructed of pile, and hol- isually placed Lirf. A speci- built beneath iwn of others generally the n an elevated ggs vary from almost always b, with a faint- y of our other L.35 by 1 inch I, Wis.). The average size is about 1.26 by 1.92 (Cambridge and Need- ham, Mass.). After leaving New England and other northern breeding- places, this species congregates in great numbers on the shores of some of the southern streams and bays, where they furnish much sport to the gunners of those localities. POBZAHJi HOVEBOBAGEHSIS. The Yellow Rail. Ortyffometra NoveboraceniU, Audubon. Birds Am., V. (1842) 162. Rallta Noveboracemii Audubon. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 261. Dbscbiptiok. Entire upper parts ochre-yeUow, with longitudinal wide stripes of brownish-black »nd transverse narrow stripes of white; neck and breast reddish ochre-yellow; many feathers tipped with brown; middle of abdomen white; flanks and ventral region with wide transverse bands of dark reddish-brown and narrow bands of white; under tail coverto rufous, with smaU spota of white; under wing coverts white; iris hazel. Total length (fVom tip of bill to end of tail), about six inches; wmg, three and a quarter; tail, one and three-quarters inches. This beautiful bird is an exceedingly rare spring and autumn visitor in New England. I have, in a number of years' shooting, been able to procure but two ; and have not heard of more than two or three more being taken here. it has all the characteristics of the other species, but prefers the fresh-water meadows to the salt marshes.^ Dr. Richard- son, in his " Northern Zoology," says, " This elegant bird is an inhabitant of the marshes on the coast of Hudson's Bay, near the mouth of the Severn River, from the middle of May to the end of September. It never flies above sixty yards at a time, but runs with great rapidity among the long grass near the shores. In the morning and evening, it utters a note which resembles the striking of a flint and steel : at other times, it makes a shrieking noise. It builds no nest, but lays from ten to sixteen white eggs among the gras«." 1 The specimens that I procured were found in fresh-water meadows early in September. y pulp 476 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. ♦ I FULICA, LiNN^us. Fuhea L1SN.EII8, Syat. Nat (1735). (Type Fulica i^; ^-k aud rump dark olive-brown; head and neck lighter; iris reddish-hazel. . Total length, about fourteen inches; wing, seven; tail, two inches. This species probably breeds iu all the New-England States, but not abundantly. It prefers the neighborhood of some small muddy pond for its habitation; and its nest is usually built in an almost inaccessible bog. Of the charac- ter of the nest, I am ignorant, but judge that it resembles that of the other members of this family. The eggs are from eight to twelve in number. Iheir form is an elongated ovoid. Their color is a pale yellowish- buff, or dirty-cream tint; and they are marked with fine dots and spots of dark-umber and obscure fine dots of lilac. In all the specimens that I have examined, these dots are pretty thickly distributed or sprinkled, but are in no case confluent into blotches. Their dimensions vary from 2.10 by 1.35 to 2 by 1.28 inch. NOTES. 477 ) advancing into tho somewhat projecting ar tlie middle of the est; tail very short; niisverse scales ; toes lido of the toe; hind Aud. Om. Biog., HI. er tail coverts white; th a tinge of olive on and edge of first pri- requentlj- tinged with Bverse band of brown- Female similar, but > under parts lighter; rown; head and neck inches. le New-England neighborhood of ; and its nest is Of the charac- hat it resembleti number. Their a pale yellowish- :ed with fine dots no dots of lilac, id, these dots are it are in no case IS vary from 2.10 This species is more abundant in the early spruig and autumn than in the rest of the season; and I infer from this that it breeds principally in the northern countries. Wilson describes its general habits in the following lan- guage : — " This species makes its appearance in Pennsylvania about the first of October. Among the muddy flats and islands of the river Delaware, which are periodically overflowed, and which are over- •rrown with the reed, or wild oats and rushes, the Coots are found. They are not numerous, and are seldom seen, except their places of resort be covered with water: in that case, they are generally found sitting on the fallen reed, waiting for the ebb of the tide, which will enable them to feed. Their food consists of various aquatic plants, seeds, insects, and, it is said, small fish. The Coot has an aversion to take wing, and can seldom be sprung in its retreat at low water: for, although it walks rather awkwardly, yet it contrives to skulk through the grass and reeds with great speed ; the compressed form of its body, like that of the Rail genus, being well adapted to the purpose. It swims remarkably well; and, when wounded, will dive like a duck. When closely pursued in the water, it generally takes to the shore, rising with apparent reluctance, like a wounded duck, and fluttering along the surface, with its feet pattering on the water. It is known in Pennsylvama by the name of the Mud-hen." NOTES. I continue Mr. Couper's valuable notes, made at Lower Canada : — ABDEA HEEODIAS. — The adult is never seen in this latitude, in the fall, the young pass this way to the Atlantic States. They Kice Lake, in Upper Canada. BOTAUBUS LBKTIGIHOSUS.— The Bittern breeds here, and be common. It prefers savannas to lakes ; and, as plenty of food the latter, probably this species may visit higher latitudes. STCTIAEDEA QABDESI. — Common. Breeds on the island ea»t of Quebec, and in the woods acyoining the St. Lawrence. Quebec, However, breed near appears to is found on of Orleans, This bird r mMmmiim ^¥awi-w)*w%^ w^™""-" 478 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. •tiits iU own convenience in building in this neighborhood; for the majority of neata on the latter island are the architecture of our Common Crow. CHABADBIUS VIBOINICUS. — Common during the fall. Breeds further north. This species came on board a steamship, on the Atlantic, six hun- dred miles out from Europe. XQIALITIS SEMIPALHATUS. — Uncommon. Occurs in the spring, on its way north to breed. SQUATASOLA HELVETICA. — Uncommon. Occurs in spring only. STREPSIIiAS IHTEBPBES. — Uncommon. Only in f^pring. PHALABOFUS HTPEBBOBEUS. — Occasional. Common in Labrador. PHILOHEIiA HINOB. — Not common. A few breed. OALLINAOO WILSOHII. — Abundant in the spring and ikll. None breed in this district : they go further north.- MACBOBHAMFHITB OBISEDS. — Occasional. None breed. TBINOA CAHIITDS. — Occasional. None breed. T. MABITIHA. — Accidental at Quebec. T. U ACUIiATA. — Common. None breed. T. WILSOHIL — Occurs in spring. None breed. OALIDBIS ABENABIA. — Occurs in spring. Goes &r north to breed. EBEDHETES PETBIFICATDS. — Occurs in spring only. None breed. OAMBETTA XELAKOLEITCA. — Occurs in immature plumage in the faU. OAMBETTA FLAVIPES. — Occurs in the &11. BHTACOPHILirS BOLITABIUS. — Uncommon. Only noticed in the spring, when on their way north to breed. TBINOOIDES MAGUIiABIDS. — Common. Breeds. AOTITUBUS BABTBAUnrS. — Bare. Occun in the spring. UUOSA HUDSOHICA. — Occurs in g^^ng and fall. HUMESnTS HUSSOSICnS. — Ocean in the falL H. BOBEAIiIS. — Visits Quebec in the M. BAUiUS VIBOIHIAHHS. — Unoommon. FOBZANA CABOLnrA.— Unoomnum. P. HOVEBOBACEHSIS. — Thia littie RaU is found here in the fall, at which season it is found in Snipe-grounds. There is no doubt that it breeds ftirther north than Quebec. rULIOA AMEBIOANA. — Uncommon. ^WJ r the m^ority on Crow. Breeds further lantic, aix hun- e spring, on its ng only, Labrador. . Noue breed • h to breed, one breed, kge in the fall. )d in the apring, in the fall, at bt that it breeds J ^, *^ NATATOBES. 479 ORDER VI. — NATATORBS. Swimmeus. Toes connected by membrane to the claws ; the feet fitted for swimming ; lower part of the tibia iisuaily feathered to near the joint, which is bare ; hind toe, however, usually elevated, and rather small, except in Pelecanida ; fitted for an aquatic life, swimmmg and diving freely ; rump with well-developed oil glands. The order Natatores, as characterized above, embraces a large number of species of very varied forms, all more or less aquatic in their habits. A character common to all consists in the presence of a membrane between the toes, usually extending to the claws. This membrane, when found in the GraUatores, is confined more or less to the basal joint, unless Pkcenicopterus be an exception. This genus has been variously placed in both orders, and it is still a question where it really belongs. The internal anatomy resem- bles that of the Naiaiores, as well as the lamellated bill and fully webbed toes ; the external form however, as well as habits, bring it nearer the Grallatoret. The order Natatores of most authors has been divided by Bona- parte into two, — the Gavia and the Anseres: the former em- bracing species which rear their young in nests, and belong to the Bub-class AUrices; while the latter are Pracocer, the young pro- curing food for themselves almost from birth. Gavije. — Bill without lamellae, and more or less entire; feet with the toes all connected by one continuous membrane ; or the hind toe free, with the anterior continuously webbed. Anseres. — Bill with transverse lamellse along the edges ; hind toe free. 480 OENITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. SUB-ORDER ANSERES. Family ANATIDiE. The two iaw« with transverse lamella!, alternating and fitting in each other! upper mandible ending in an obtuse rounded nail; a groove running along both laws to the nail; the feathers of the forehead extend forward on the culmen m a rounded or acute outline; those on the side of lower jaw and on the chm extend Ibrward in a similar manner; commissure Btraight; legs short. Sub-Family CTGNiNiE. — The Swans. CYGNUS, LiKN^us. Cv<7nw,LiNS-«U8,Sy8t. Nat. (1885). (Type -4na. ofor, Gm.) Gray. Neck very long; bill longer than the head (commissure longer than the tarsus), the basal portion covered by a soft skin extending to the anterior half of the eye- the plane of the upper outline from eye to eye horizontal; the lateral outline extending nearly straight to the commissure, or even sometimes widening slightly; not half the width of the bill at tip; nostrils situated in the middle portion of the bill; lower portion of tibia bare; the tarsus mrch shorter than the foot, much compressed, covered with hexagonal scales, which become smaller on the sides and behind; hind toe small, much elevated; the lobe narrow; tail of twenty or more feathers, rounded or wedge-shaped; sexes similarly colored. CYGNUS AMEBICANUS, —Sfta»yfcM. The American Swan. Aud. Om. Cygntu AmericanuB, Sharpies*. Doughty's Cab. N. H., I. (1880) 185. Biog., V. (1839) 133. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1848) 228. Cygtm fervs, Nuttall. Man., U. (1834) 868. Description. Bill as long as the head, broad, high at the base; the feathers ending on the fore- head in a semicircular outline; nostrils far forward, the anterior extremity consider- ably more forward than half the commissure ; tail of twenty feathers. Adult pure-white; bill and legs black; the former with an orange or yellowish spot in front of the eye; less mature specimens with the head above tinged with reddish-brown; iris brown. , ^ »_ - « „„. Length, fif\v-flve inches; wing, twenty-two; tarsus, four and twenty-five one- Uundredths ; bill, above, four and twenty one-hundredths inches. Uab. — Continent of North America. llDIIMW T / THE AMERICAN BWAN. 481 in ench other; ing along both le culmen in a lie chin extend ay. han the tarsus), •ior half of the lateral outline dening slightly ; liddle portion of 1 the foot, much in the sides and twenty or more )185. Aud.Om. iding on the fore- ;tremity considcr- jrs. ,nge or yellowish ,bove tinged with twenty-five one- «.,_ r. „ A m»ri<-»n Swan is equally abumlant on both sides of the continent, « ;e:a?tru:ht:trior; th'e yol, ... is brown instead of wh.e; the Tdu" imrif ever, is without the yellow or orange space at the base of the b.U, which is otherwise black. THIS beautiful bird is so extremely rare in Now England that it cannot properly be considered as belonging to our fauna. Witliin a few years, perhaps three or four speci- mens have been taken in the waters of Lake Champlain ; and I believe a small flock is recorded to have been seen in Lake Memphrema- gog. These are the only instances known to me of its occurrence in these States. It retires to the most northern countnes to .pass th season of reproduction. It nests on the ground on the islands and plains in the Hudson's Bay country The nest constructed of a small collection of weeds and d ed grasses, loosely adjusted by the female. The eggs ar" froL six to eight or ten in number. They are broadly Toidrin shape,'and of a pale olivaceous-green in colo. They vary in dimensions from 4.65 by 3 mches to 3.98 by 2.85 inch. Sub-Family Anserine.— The Geese. ANSEB, LIIW.BU8. Bill a. long a. the head, mosUy red ^^ ^-^^'^^^''iXli^^^^ mandible project below the edge a. ^^-^^X^ J-tV^p^Lf. tip of hind middle of the commissure, the anterior edge only reaching to ims p« middle toe reaching to the ground. 81 '' vn / 482 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. AHSEB HTWM0BEU8.-Pa«a*. Th« Sno» Ooo»e. Q,>in 7nol VL (1767) 26. Nutt Man., 11. M4. Amer hyperboreu*, Pallas. Splc Zool., Vl. ^''°'/ '""' •"; ,„ Mua(i\R(W 76 Bird" Am., VI. (io48) ^u. "^.ri^"- O-!'. i Wi,.. A.. on.., V... ...... :.. Dbscbiptiom. have the head washed w.th rusty. ^^^^ ,^ ^^^ ^„g, yo««,.- Head and upp.r |.art -J -^J;^^^'^ ; »2« ^hy shade, rest of under darV-brown. passing on the s.des of Doay coverto, white ; the entire paru, concealed portion, of *e back ™mp.^d up^ c^.^^ ^..^^ ,,,i,h-brown ««p„lar and -P"'- ^Tof he wK o7a d^r silvery-ash, but passing into dark- rwtLrrnrellT'Sfo covers, aecondaries, Urti.s. and scapulars, edged with white; '™ "KJ'*-^""™- „ . .^jeen and forty one-hundredths; tormu, This is another rare species on our f^-Enf « : in both cases, the van is led by an old gander, who, every now and then, pipes hi? well-known Ao/ii, as if to ask how they come on ; and the honk of * All's well ' is generally returned by some of the party. Their course is in a straight line, with the exception of tiie undulations of their flight. When bewildered in foggy weather, they appear sometimes to be in great distress, flying about in an irregular manner, and for a considerable time over the same quar- ter, making a great clamor. On these occasions, should they approach the earth, and alight, — which they sometimes do, to rest and recollect themselves, — the only hospitality they meet with is death and destruction from a whole neighborhood already in arms for their ruin." BESNICIiA BREHTA. — 5«/)A«w- The Brant. Aim JwTifcfa, LinnsM. 8y«t Nat, I. (1766) 198. Wil». Am. Om., VIII. (1814) 181. AnuT bernicla, Nuttell. Man., II. 859. Aud. Orn. Biog., V. (1881) 24, 610. 76., Birdd Am., VI. (1848) 208. Bernicla brenta, Stephens. Shaw's Zool., XII. (1824) 46. Description. Bill and feet, head, neck, and body anterior to the wingg; primary quilli, and tail, black; the secondary quills nearly black; on each side of the middle of the neck is a small white crescent, streaked with black; the lower eyelids with a very faint trace of white feathers; the black of the jngulum is abruptly defined against the bluish silvery-gray of the remaining under parts, the feathers of which have the basal portions bluish-gray; the axilhirs and insides of the wings showing a darker tint of the same; the gray of the belly passes gradually into white behind, the tail being encircled all round and concealed by this color; the back and wing coverti are grayish-blue, with slightly paler edges; the rump is of a similar, but darker and more uniform blue; the secondaries have some concealed whitish on the inner webs towards the base; iris dark-hazel. I.ength, twenty-three and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, twelve and seventy- five one-hnndredths; tarsus, two and twenty-eix one hundredths; commissure, one and forty one-hundredths inches. mnimiiiiihi'iiiiifi mm \ 48U OUNITHOLOUY AND OOLOllY. 1 Tho Braut is found on onv coast protty abundantly at the same Hoasons as tho Canada a<,0Be, which it rcHcm- bles very much in its general habits. Having had hut few opportunities of ohsorvu.g th.s Bpocies in its wild state, I give tho description, by W. son o itB general habits: "The Braut is expected at Lgg Harbor, ou the coast of New Jersey, about the fi-t o October, and has been sometimes seen as early as the 0th of Se,. tomber. Tho first flocks generally remaui m the bay a lew days, and then pass on to tho South. On rccommencu.g their journey, they collect hi one large body, and, makmg an ex cnsive'^irai course, some miles in diameter, nse to a .roat height in tho air, and then steer lor the sea, over which they uniformly travel, often making wide circuuts o avoid passing over a projecting point of land. In these aerial rotites, they have been met with, many leagues from Bhore, travelling the whole night. Their lino of march very Ich resembles that of the Canada Goose, -th this excep- tion that frequently three or four are crowded together in tliTfront as if striving for precedency. Flocks continue to arrive from the North ; and many romam in the bay till December, or until the weather becomes -^^J^'^'iy^^ those also move off southwardly. During their stay, they feed on the bars at low water, seldom ornever in t^ie marshes; their principal food being a remarkably long and • Lad-leaved marine plant, of a bright^green color, which adheres to stones, and is called by the country people, sea- cabbage: the leaves of this are sometimes eight or ten inches broad, by two or three feet in length They also t Bmall shell-fish. They never dive, but wade about, feeding at low water. During the time of high water, they float m the bay in long lines, particularly in calm weather The r voice is hoarse and honking, and, when some hundreds are screaming together, reminds one of a pack of hounds m full cry They often quarrel among themselves, and with the Ducks, driving the latter off their foeding-gromid. liiiiiriiiiiiriniiir '"• \ TUB MALLABO. 487 lantly at it rcHcm- ving this Vilm)n,of 5 Harbor, October, ;li of Se|>- bay a few iniuoucing d, making r, riBO to a Bca, over circuits to In these ,guc8 from march very tliis oxce{)- ;ogcther in continue to ho bay till ivere, when r stay, they sver in the ly long and olor, which people, sea- light or ten hey also eat lOut, feeding they float in ther. Their lundreds are f hounds in 68, and with ding-ground. Though it never dives in search of food, yot, when wing- broken, the Brant will go one hundred yards at a stretch under water, and is considered, in such clrcumstancos, one of the most difficult birds to kill. About the loth or 20th of May, they ro-apinsar on their way north, but seldom stof) long, unless driven in by tonii)estuou8 weatlior." This bird nests in the most northern portions of the con- tinent. The nest is similar to that of the Canada Goose. Tlie eggs are from five to eight in number : they are ovate in form, sometimes nearly oval ; and of a yollowish-white color, sometimes darkened into a creamy-buff. Their di- mensions vary from 2.90 by 1.92 to 2.78 by 1.84 inch. They are very smooth to Uio touch, and the shell is thin and brittle. Sub-Family Asktism. — The River Duck. The AnaHna,, or River Uuck., are ea.lly known by their having the tani trani- veniely .cutell.te anteriorly, and tho membrane or lobe of the hind toe narrow and much re.tricted. The legs are longer than in Fuligulinm, but shorter than in the ''**A11 the North-American River Ducks agree in having the crissum black. In aU, excepting Querquedula, there is a tendency to waved lines on the feathers of the flanks, most conspicuous in the Mallard, GadwaU, and Qreen-w.nged Teal. ANAS, Lwnjroa. Ana,, LwKJnJB, Syst. Nat. (1786). (Type Anas 6o«»m, L, Gray.) Bill longer than the head or the foot, broad, depressed; the edges parallel to near the end, which is «)mewhat acute; nail less th«n one-third the width of the bill; nostrils reaching to end of the b««l two-fifths of the commissure; feather, of fore- head, chin, and cheeks, reaching about the same point; upper angle of bUl about in line with the lower; tail pointed, about two-fifths the wing. AHAS BOSOBAS.— J^tmwMW. The Mallard; Oretn-head. Ana* bo,cha*, Linn-us. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 205. Wlls. Am. Orn., VIIL ;i8M) na. Aud. Om. Biog., III. (1886) 164. Jh., Bird. Am., VI. (1848) 888. 488 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Dbscmptiom. duller, a white ring round the n..dd e o ^^-^^^^^^^^^..^ ^^er parU forepart and sides of the b'*"* tf;^-;"' '^^^^^.y „„d„,ated with dusky, the and side., with *h« -^i^^P'Jj^^'-'^orpTrt of back reddish-brown, posterior outer scapulars with a brown'*; ^"^^.; '^^^ ^lack, the latter with a blue gloss, mo.« olivaceous, cnssum and upper ^'^ „" the greater coverts Upped first tail externally white, wing =°^«^,j"T"'SS^;^ uL purplish-violet, terml- with white, and then more »-->y^-* ^^'^J thrrump,iriV dark-brown, nated with black, a recurved tuft of '«''';«" °^ ^^^ ^^„ h. plain whitish- Femok-With the wmg ''^^'^^^'^2y-^^>^ «nd neck similar, spotted ochrey, each feather obscui^y ''^f f^f ^"Se unspotted, upper parts d.rk- circumference. . eleven: tawus, one and seventy one- T ^K nf rnnlp twentv-threemches, wmg, eleven, miDUj., V Length of male, twen^ one-hundredths inches, hundredths; commissure of bill, two ana miy uuc The Mallard is found in New England only as a wan- derer and then only in the western sections in the spring Sltn^.asons;arewareseeninthewa..^ casionally a small flock is fonnd in the Connecticut River. This is the original of the Common Do- mestic. Mallard ; and its habits are so well known that I will give no description here. This bird breeds in all sections of the United States, more abundantly, of course, in the northern than xn t^ southern; and less often in the eastern than m the nte- r^r and western. In most of the Western States, it is one of the most abundant of water-fowls ; and xt breeds m aU the meadows and by the ponds and streams ttiroughout Ise sections. The nest is buUt in a tussock of high gras. or in a thick clump of weeds. It is composed of pieces of g^ass and weeds, a^d is lined to the depth of half an inch i^l THE DUSKY DUCK. 489 hetopofthohwid rhich and on the tnut! under parts with du«Wy; the i-brown; posterior with a blue gloss; coverts tipped first plish-violet, tenni- I dark-brown, parts plain whitish- eck similar, spotted upper parts dark- m, parallel with the ae and seventy one- iches. aly as a wan- I in the spring craters of Lake iplain, and oo- nally a small is found in the ecticut Eiver. is the original le Common Do- ic Mallard ; and Eibits are so well ra that I will no description United States, jrn than in the han in the inte- Brn States, it is and it breeds in earns throughout •ck of high grass, osed of pieces of . of half an inch with down and other soft material. The eggs are from ten to fourteen in number: they are usually ovoidal in shape, and vary in color from dirty yellowish-white to an obscure olivaceous-green. Their dimensions vary from 2.42 by 1.75 (Albion, Wis.) to 2.26 by 1.68 (Nova Scotia). ANAS OBSCUBA. — Gmelin. The Dusky Dnok; Black Dvek. Ana,ob,cura,Gme\m. Syst. Nat., I. (1788) 641. Wils. Am. Om., VIH. (1814) 141. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 15. 76., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 244. Ammboichas) obicura, SuttaW. Man., II. (1884) 892. Descbiption. Bill greenish; feet red; body generally blackish-brown; the feather, obscurely margined with reddish-brown; those anteriorly with a cot.cealed V-shaped mark, more or less visible on the sides of the breast; head and neck brown.sh-yellow, spotted with black; the top of head and nape dark-brown, with a green gloss on the jdes behind; wings dull-blackish, with a dull-greenish gloss; speculum violet te.^ minated with black; inner tertials hoary gray towards tip; axillars and ms.de of wingwhite; tail of eighteen feathers; iris dark-brown. Female similar, but rather duller; the light edges to the under feathers more con- spicuous; the sides of head without the greenish-gloss; the speculum bluish, with ^""^^ngtix of male, twenty-two inches; wing nearly twelve; tarsus, one and eighty one-hundredths; commissure, two and fifty-six one-hundredths inches Ja6.- Atlantic region of North America; uot yet detected on the Pacific, nor "* ThiHi the most plainly marked, as well as perhaps the largest, of our river ducks, and excelled by none in the excellence of its flesh. This species, generally but improperly known as the Black Duck, is the most abundant of all our fresh-water ducks. It breeds in all the New-England States, but is found in the greatest abundance in the more northern por- tions of them. The country around Lake Umbagog, Me., seems to be a favorite breeding-ground with this species ; almost every patch of meadow having one or more of its The nest is built about the last week in April or the first in May. It is placed in a secluded locality in a tussock of grass, or beneath a thicket of briers or weeds ; usually in a I ^5 I T ■— t^5«i*T**S'*^ " 490 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. meadow, near a pond or stream, but sometimes in a swamp in which a small brook is the only water for miles around. This species sometimes follows these small brooks up to their sources ; and I once found one with a nest on a low stump that overhung a small sprmg on the side of a lull, a mile from any other water. The nest of this species is con- structed of pieces of grass and weeds, which a, a neatly arranged into a structure eighteen inches in dianeter on the outside, and three or four in depth. This is hollowed for perhaps an inch and a half or two inches, a. d hned with the down and feathers from the breast of the parent- bird The eggs are from seven to ten in number: their form is usually ovoidal; and their color varies irom an olivaceous-yellow to a dirty yellowish-white. la dozen of these, and an equal number of the eggs of the Mai ad are placed side by side, it is almost impossible to identify them, so closely do they resemble each other. The eggs ofThe present species vary from 2.50 by 1.72 inch (Lake Umbagog) to 2.26 by 1.65 (Weston, Mass.). They aver- age about 2.34 by 1.74 (Nova Scotia). Early in Septem- ber, the Dusky Duck gathers in flocks of fifteen or twenty. It is now so difficult of approach, that the experi- enced gunner seldom attempts to secure it by stalking it. The method by which the greater number are killed is as follows: The sportsman, knowing the localities most fre- quented by these flocks, - generally meadows in which streams of water or small ponds are abundant, --builds a bower near the water, about six feet square, and five or six high of the limbs of pines and other dense foliaged trees, in wiiich he secretes himself at daybreak, armed with one or two heavy double-barrelled guns, and provided with three or four tame ducks. One of these ducks he anchors or moors out in the water, half a gunshot from the bower The duck, soon becoming lonesome, begins to call, when, it there are any wild ducks in the neighborhood, they answer the call in an almost exactly similar note, and soon fly to DAFIHiA. 491 a swamp around. ks up to )n a low [ a hill, a es is cou- le neatly meter on hollowed Ell d lined le parent- »er: their I from an dozen of ) Mallard, to identify The eggs nch (Lake rhey aver- in Septem- fifteen or the experi- stAlking it. dlled is as s most fre- j in which — builds a i five or six iaged trees, with one or I with three anchors or the bower, all, when, if they answer d soon fly to meet the caller. The sportsman, watching t^^/PP^^^^^^^ flock, holds one of the other tame ducks ready to throw, and, as soon as the wild ones approach near enough to see the others, he throws towards the anchored duck the one held in his hand, which is secured from flymg off, by a strong li-e fastened to its legs. The bird moored m the wZr seeing her mate flying towards her, immediately "odoubles he? cries, when the Dusky Ducks, after flynig back and forth, alight beside her. As soon as they alight they ;le:to ether in a flock away ft-om the decoy ; and it .s then that the sportsman pours m his first shot he fires wh n the birds^tre rising from the water and is often Inabled to get four shots at the flock before it get. out of Ziot The excitement attending this shootmg is better !;;reciated when known. I have passed many days m bowors of this description, and have had my B^are ^nhe excitement. It is only early in the mormng and late m he aft" noon that these birds can be shot in this manner ; Ind Tthey are much hunted, they will hardly approach one of these bowers without great caution. This duck remanis with us through nearly the whole year, and moves south- rid only in very severe winters. When the fresh ponds are not frozen, it prefers them to the salt water but m winter it is most abundant in our bays and small creek , where it feeds on small shell-fish and other marine animals, r utumn it is one of the best flavored of our water- fowl, but in winter is not so good, having much of t.ie fishy taste of the sea-ducks. 4 DAFILA, Lkach. Dajila, "LlUCH." Stephens. ShaW. Geu. Zool., XII. (1824) 226. (Type An., "^iilong,n.m.w, considerably longer *-;•>; «;°:;rtS^.t::: equal the wings. 492 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. DAFIIiA ACUTA.— Jenytw. The Pintail; SprigtaU. ^n«a«.«.Linn«u,. Syst. Nat.. I. (1766) 203^ 7" vTmmlT' ^'''^^ And. Orn. Biog., III. (1886) 214; V. 815. lb., Burd. Am., VI. (1843) 266. Dafila acuta, Bonoparte. List (1888). Ana, (botdm) acuta, Nuttall. Man., IL (1884) 886. DESCRIFnON. Tail of sixteen feathers; bill black above and laterally at the base; the sides .nd b neath blue; head and upper part of neck uniform f •'"J--' ^'"-f^ .^;it Len and purple behind; inferior part of neck, breast, and under parts wh.te ; the ^ te of neck passes up to the nape, separating the brown and -^elf .s d.v.d d loiy by black, which, below, passes into the gray of the back, the back antenorly i d thi Is are finely Uned transversely with black and white ; the -"^ are P^a'n and bluish-gray; the greater covertewith a terminal bar of purphsh-buff, below which Tsa^enish-pirple speculum, margined behind by black, and tjpped w.U. whUe; ong^ tertiais 7triped with silvery and greenish-black, scapulars black ITged wrsilvery, crissum and elongated taU feathers black; the former edged """Fem'altwithonlyatraceof the markings of thawing; the green of the specn- lum brownish, with a few green spots, the feathers of the back are brown, w th a brTadU or V-shaped brownish-yellow bar on each feather anteriorly; sometimes those bars appear in the shape of broad transverse lines. Length, thirty inches, wing.eleven, tail, eight and sixty one-hundredths , tanms, one and seventy-five one-hundredths, commissure, two and thurty-s« one hmi- dredths inches. Ha6. — Whole of North America, and Europe. This beautiful bird is pretty common on our shores; and it is much pursued, both for the beauty of its plumage and for the excellence of its flesh. It breeds in the most northern portions of the continent, where, Nuttall says, " it lays eight or nine eggs of a greenish-blue color." It is seen in most abundance in the autumn on our coast, where it appears by the 10th of September, and remains until the last week in October. Wilson says it is a shy and cau- tious bird, feeds in the mud flats, and shallow fresh-water marshes; but rarely resides on the seacoast. It seldom dives, is very noisy, and has a kind of chattering note. When wounded, they will sometimes dive, and, coming up, conceal themselves under the bow of the boat, moving round aa it moves ; are vigilant in giving the alarm on the approach mtmm THE GBEEN-WINQED TEAL. 498 \m. Om., Vm. (1814). n. (1843) 286. at the base; the sides irk-brown, glossed with under parts white ; the mi, and itself is divided ack; the back anteriorly lite; the wings are plain • of purplish-buff, below jr black, and tipped with black; scapulars black, )lack; the former edged the green of the specn- back are brown, with a jr anteriorly; sometimes jTone-hundredtlis; tarsns, and thirty-six one hnn- i our shores; and y of its plumage reeds in the most I, Nuttall says, " it color." It is seen lur coast, where it remains until the is a shy and cau.- ihallow fresh-water icoasi. It seldom )f chattering note, e, and, coming up, boat, moving round ,rm on the approach of the gunner, who often curses the watchfulness of the S Jlif Some Ducks, when aroused, disperse m different Sons; but the Sprigtails, when alarmed, cluster con- Sy together as they mount, and thereby afford the sports- fos. nnnortunitv of raking them with advantage. They ;:i:Sr3rS.-re aLt *= mid«e or March. o„ Lwa" to thoir nativa rogions, tho Nortl., where U.oy are most numerous. NETTION, Kaup. about one-fifth as wide as the bill. HETTIOH CAROIiINENSlS. — Baird. The Green-winged Teal. ,. • n i:„ <5«t Nat. I. (1788) 633. Aud. Birds Am., VI. Anas CardinenM, GmeUn. Syst. «at., i. ^k" ; (1843) 281. ^„^ onj. Biog., III. (1863) Ana* crecca, Wilson. Am. Om., Vlli. C^"'-*) i"* 219; V. 616. c • „ Tf Bor Am n. (1881) 400. Nutt. Man., II. Anai [boichas) crecca, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., ii. i"o I (188*) *00- DE8CBIPTI0K. on ih, j.g.l«n. .nd !..» n«k, .b.v. d.rk-bre.n, '""''" "J.'tf"'*'"^ Ji.. ,..«... .n.b„, *., ""-lX"S-t^2 "" fourteen one-hundredths; commissure, one and sixty-eigni fiii«.— Whole of North America; accidental in Europe. This beautiful little fowl is quite abundant in the spring and autumn migrations in New England; arriving m the ¥" ii'' i wi jafe .^.-;i'yw^ law u ii iii 'uri i'ii 'r i f"'" ^. ,..i..i)iiiililiiiOTiiTiiiiiwnin> 494 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOQT. former about the 10th of May, and iu the latter about the second week in September, and remaining until the middle of October. It frequents fresh-water ponds and streams in small flocks, where it feeds on various wafer insects, their larv«, the seeds of aquatic plants, and the tadpoles of the different frogs. Its flesh is well flavored, and, with the next species, is one of the most popular in all our markets. I have often seen individuals of this species associate with the ducks in a farmer's yard or duck-pond, and have known them to come to the barn-yard with the tame fowls, and eat with them the corn thrown out for their food. In the water, it is a graceful bird, moving about with great activity. Its flight is rapid ; and accompanied with a whistling murmur different from that of most of our other ducks. This bird probably breeds in the secluded lake districts of the northern portions of New England, as it is found in considerable abundance in localities in Nova Scotia and Canada in the same latitude. It nests early in June, some- times by the 20th of May. The nest is placed on the ground, in a thick patch or tussock of grass, usually in meadows within a few feet of a small pond or stream. It is constructed of, first, a thick layer of soft pieces of grass and weeds, on which is placed a thin covering of the down and feathers from the breast of the bird. The eggs are from five to eight in number: they are usually ovoidal in form, sometimes nearly oval, and vary in dimensions from 1.90 by 1.82 inch (Nova Scotia) to 1.73 by 1.22 inch. Their color is a dirty-white, with a slight greenish tint. QUERQUEDULA, Stephens. QuertpteAda, Stkphems, Shaw's Gen. Zool, XII. (1824). (Type Ana$ querqu*. duh,L.) Bill narrow, lengthened, a little longer than the foot, widening a little to the end, which is obtusely rounded; the tail occupying about one-third the width; the lamella) visible in the lateral profile; the upper lateral angle at the base of bill extending rather furtjier back than the lower edge. T i w latter about ig until the ponds and ariouB wafer nts, and the rell flavored, jopular in all ' this species r duck-pond, ard with the out for their loving about accompanied f most of our lake districts it is found in a, Scotia and L June, some- lick patch or few feet of a first, a thick ch is placed a the breast of number: they oval, and vary Icotia) to 1.78 with a slight tyft Ana$ querqu*- ning a little to the le-third the width; igle at the base of THE BLUB-WINGED TEAL. 495 ftUEEQUEDULA mSCORB. — Stephent. The Blue-winged Teal. Ana,di,c,>r.,m\Bon. Am. On>., VIII. (1814) 74. Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 111. 74., BirdB Am., VI. (1843) 287. vii nM4M4fl Q„en^Wufarf«oor., Stephens. Shaw's Gen. Zool , XII. 1824) 14(.. AmZ Boschas) di^i, Swainson. F. Bor. Am., II. (1881) 444. Nutt. Man.. II. (1»8*' ''»^- DESCKirrioK. J./«i«.-Head and neck above plumboous-gray ; top of head black; a ^f^ocr^^- cenf in front of the eye; under parts fVom middle of t a -•; P;^ ^'^^^^^^ each feather with spots of black, which become more obsolete behind , forepart of b"k wUh tie feath^ brown, with two undulating narrow bands of V-f^JlH feathers on the tlanks banded with dark-brown and purplish-gray , back behmd and S gr"enish-bn>wn, crissum black; wing coverts and some of the outer web. of e puaTblue; oth^r scapulars velvet-black or green, streaked w.th Pale redd^h- buff; speculum glossy-green; the outer greater wing coverts -»..., as are t^e ^^- lars thVmiddle of under surface of the wing, and a patch on each side of the base of the tail; bill black; feet flesh-colored; iris dark-hazel. /We!- With the top of head brown, and.the wing coverts blue and wh.te,^ in the male; base of bill, except above, chin, and upper part of »>»; j^™**' ^'/J^ yellowish-white; back brown, the feathers margined w.th paler, under parts whit- ish, with rounded obscure brown spots ; the jugulum darker. Length of male, sixteen inches; wing, seven and ten one-hundred&s; ta«us one anftwenty one-hundredths; con^missure, one and eighty-flve one-hundredths '"'tfl-Eastem Korth America to Rocky Mountains. Not yet found on the Pacific coast nor in Europe. This species is more often found in small creeks near the seashore than the Green-winged Teal; but it prefers the small fresh-water ponds and streams to the salt water, and is most abundant in mill-ponds, where the water varies in depth in different days ; there it searches in the litile nooks aud pools, among the half-submerged rocks and bushes, for its favorite food of aquatic insects and the seeds of aquatic plants. It arrives from the South in spring, by the latter part of April, sometimes earlier, and remains lingering in its favorite haunts until the first week in May. It proceeds slowly to the North, where it breeds ; and it then returns through New England, by the middle of September, to the Southern States, where it passes the winter. It sometimes breeds in New England. George A. Boardman, Esq., has 496 ORNITUOLOOY AND OOLOGY. It f i: found it with young at MiUtown, Mo. ; and Giraud ux 1 18 "Birds of Long Island," says that it breeds in that locahty. The greater number, however, pass to the more northern countries, where they begin to lay early in June. The nests are similar to those of the Green-wmged Teal, and are placed in similar localities. The epgs are from six to ten in number. They vary in form from ovate to ovoidal, and are sometimes nearly oval in shape : they are of a dirty yellowish-white color, paler than that of the eggs of the Green-winged Teal. They vary in dimensions from 1.J5 by 1 35 inch (Wisconsin) to 1.74 by 1.30 mch (Labrador). The surface of both these eggs, and those of the preceding species, is covered with stains of a darker tint than the primar; color; probably caused by the feet of the bird, or by the decaying vegetation which forms the nests of both species. SPATULA, BoiE. Bill «°"='\'°"Se'^ ,^^^„^ j^the upper maiidibla ::;To :e;deH::t:; raShi, pfojectmg ^. ..^o. ^. ^o.. ..,., tan acut. Ubs than half the wing. SPATULA OLTPEATA.— 5oie. Th« Shoveller; Spoonbill. »■ a.,.* Wilt T rn861200. Wilg. Am. Orn., Vm. (1814). Anas clspeoto, Llnnmus. Syst. Nat, I. (liee) -su«- Aud. Cm. Biog, IV. (1888) 241. lb., Birds Am., VL (1848) 298. SpaUdaclypwta, Boie. Isis ' ' 322), 664. „„,,„,, Za, (SpMea) dsp^, NuttaU. Man., IL (1884) 876. Dksckiptioh. «4 .5a^gt;^i-v^^;->-^>^;.'^v-s'.fty;.£fiKB; f^Ntawmitfagf* THE OADWALL. 497 Jiraud, iu his I that locality, aore nortliorn 1 June. The ged Teal, and re from six to ate to ovoidal, ' are of a dirty le eggs of the sns from 1.95 ih (Labrador), the preceding tint than the of the bird, or ) nests of both to the end, where it U rf the upper mandible jweredge; tail acute, Lra.0m.,Vm.(18U). 298. rith greater portion of r under parts dull pur- the latter glossed with concealed portion, and with white; others vel- jreen, edged very nar- rerts and scapulars less distinct, head and neck browni.h-ycllow, .potted with d«.ky, the belly with a decided chestnut tinge, '''» ^'^f'^'-JJ^'flft „„e-hundredth.; tarsus, one and ..^SbtrhLrrbir::!^^^^^^^^^ The Shoveller is a rare species on the- coast of New Eng- land; but two or three are taken in a season, and it is rarely that one is found here in the mature plumage. It 18 as often found in fresh-water ponds a.id streams as in the creeks and bays near the shore. It breeds in the most northern portions of the eastern coast; but, according to Mr Audubon, it passes the season of incubation "from Texas westward to the Columbia River, thence to the fur countries." Says Nuttall, " Soon after March, according to Baillou, they disperse through the fens in France o breed, and select the sau places with the Summer Teal , choosing with them large t.ats of rushes, makmg a nest of withered grass in the most boggy and difficult places of access, near waters. The eggs are twelve to fourteen, of a very pale greenish-yellow: the female sits twenty- four or twenty-five days." . J i„ «„ The Spoonbill feeds, like the other fresh-water ducks, on various aquatic insects and tadpoles ; but, unlike the Teals eats but few seeds of aquatic plants. A specimen that 1 examined, killed in Plymouth County, Mass., had its stom- ach filled with small pieces of some aquatic roots and one or two tadpoles : there were also fragments of small crusta- ceans, but so small that it was impossible to identify them. CHAULELASMUS, Ghat. ChauUlamu*, G. B. Qrat (1888). (Type Ana. tr'P""h^-l ^^ Bill as lonK as the head; the lower edge about as long as the on»'^ofl, ana IcnSr tl tSf tTrsus, the lamelhe distinctly visible below the edge of the bUl. CHAULELASMUS STREPMUS. - Groj. The Qadwall; Gray Duck. Jnaa Orepera, Linnwis, Wilson, and others. 32 498 ORNITHOLOOT AND OOLOGY. ■I DEiCRimow. MaU.-n^*A »nd neck brownish-white, e«ch feather i-potted with duAy; th. top of head tinged with reddi.hi lower part of neck, with forepart of brca»t and back. blackLh, rith concentric narrow bar. of white, giving a .cui.d appearance o the feather.; Interwapular region, outermost papular., and »idc. of the body, fine y waved transversely with black and white; middle wing coverta che«tnut, the greater vclvet-black, succeeded by a pure-white speculum, bordered externally by hoary-gray, succeeded by black-, crissum and upper Uil covert, black; longest ter- tlris Imaiy plumbcous-gray; innermost scapular, with . reddish Unge; inside of wing and axillar. pure-white; bill black; iri. haiel. hmaU. - With the bill dusky, edged with reddi.h ; wing wmewhat like that of the male, but with the che.tiiut-rcd more re.tricted. Length, twenty-two inches; wing, ten and fifty one-hundredth. ; tamus, one and sixty-four one-hundredth.; commissure, two and four one-hundredth, inchea. The Gadwall is a rare autumnal visitor in New England, and is seldom seen in the spring as it is passing to its northern breeding-places. Audubon, in describing its habits, says, — . " This species dives well on occasion, especially on being wounded. • At the appearance of danger, it rises on wing — whether from the ground or from the water — at a single spring, in the manner of the Mallard ; and, like it also, ascends almost perpendicularly for several yards, after which it moves off in a direct course with great celerity. I have never seen it dive on the flash of the gun ; but, when approached, it always swims to the opposite part of the pond, and, when the danger increases, flies off. On being wounded, it sometimes, by diving, makes its escape among the grass, where it squats, and remains concealed. It walks with ease, and prettily, often making incursions upon the land, when the ponds are not surrounded by trees, for the purpose of searching for food. It nibbles the tender shoots and blades of grasses with apparent pleasure ; and will feed on beech-nuts, acorns, and seeds of all kinds of graminese, as well as on tadpoles, small fishes, and leeches. After rain, it alights in cornfields, like the Mallard, and picks up the scattered grains of maize." The eggs of this species are from eight to twelve in num- ber. Their color is a pale-drab, with a slight olivaceous tint : li MH '£^'i^if^'&:-ii'7i-siVfi-«'l.'iS ''ltiir!MfitTii^tiili:ii»iiWi"^itftf^"^ 1 1 THE AMERICAN WIDOEON. 499 I with dusky; the )art of breast and tiod appearance to of the body, finely erta chcetnut, the !red externally by l))ack; longest tcr- h tinge ; Inside of lewhat like that of hs; tarsus, one and cdths inches- New England, passing to its bing its habits, sially on being rises on wing r — at a single i, like it also, I yards, after mt celerity. I un ; but, when te part of the off. On being escape among ialed. It walks jions upon the I by trees, for jles the tender , pleasure ; and of all kinds of es, and leeches, e Mallard, and twelve in num- ; olivaceous tint: their form is a long ovoid; and their dimensions average about 2.15 inch in length by 1.50 inch in breadth. MARECA, Stephkhs. Mnrfca, SfKPH.KS, Shaw's Gen. Zool.. XII. (1824) 180. (Type Ana* P^ '^ Bill Lrter than the head, and equal to the Inner toe claw, the .Ides parallel to near the end which is rather obtusely pointed, the nail occupying the fp, and about „" t id as bl d a, the bill; bill rather high; the uoper lateral nn.le at the bu»e nol prominent, nor extending as far buckNu. the lower euge; tad po.n.ed, not half "'^The'^orth-American and European ,pecies of Marec<, have the uppor part, finely waved tran.ver.ely with black and gray or reddi,h-brow„ , the under ,«,rts with the usual exceptions, snowy-white. The top of the head is u„it..m. wh.tc or :ln coEtlle Ik more or'.ess spotted; U.a middle and .-ater co.er s are wWte the latter tipped with black; the speculum is green, encircled b.v bl«ottom of the J appears at buck much behind iiveloped by mera- je; nail very largo, preBsed, broad, and d equal to the tar- tail, about half the nearly as long a» ,. Om., VIII. (1814) n. (1848) 871. I)B8cnirrtoi». Head and cre.t metallic-green to below .he eye., the cb.ck,, and •"''[- J™™ behind tl.e eye, purpli»b; a na ruw -hort li>... fmn, ti.e up,H.r anKl. of tl. bill u r^ S:rl of tL'^J.. and tbrou^ .e ^^^^'---^^^-^ ^Z u^towa 1 be\.y..,a.ul another towards the nup.., -nnwy-wh.te, lnw«r rn'ok and 11™ a d . .U of the ba«, of tail, rich-purpl., the Ju«ulu,n with triangular rr white and a chestnut .hade, remaining under narU wh.le. a. i» a cre.een rfrol of tl!e wing bordered behind by black, .ide, yelluwiBh-grHy, finely lined with black, the long fea.h.r, of tl.e llauka hroadly black at the end, w.th a ,«> with oiacu, I ; . ,i „f ^,,ito, back and n-ck above nearl/ uniform El^C- . " "Via- .nd innermost tertiaU velvet black, globed on Snl?wb. with violet, the latter wiU. a white bur at the end, K->- -J^ violet .ucceeded by a greeni.h speculum, tip,»,d with white, prnnur>e. ..Ive y-white i^ally oward, the end, the tips internally violet and purple, m. »«•-«"-'• Kenmfe with the winga quite .hnilar, the ba,k more purpb-h, the ,ide. of the head a"d n^k a hy , thfreglun round the bane of the bill, a patch through the eye. H'dthechin -bitT, the purple of the jugulum replaced bybrownuh, the waved '^C:;:lif::"i::h:;: wing, nine and bay one-hundredth., tar.., one and forty o.thundredth., commi..ure, one and flfty-four one-hundredth, mche.. //uA. — Continent of North America. This the most beautiful of all our Ducks, is pretty abun- dantly distributed through New England in the breeding season. Wilson's description of its habits is so much bettor than I can give, that I make a liberal extract from it. Ho says, — « The Summer Duck is equally well known in Mexico and many of the West India — Islands. During the whole of our winters, they are occasionally seen in the States south of the Potomac. On the 10th of Janua- ry, I met with two on i creek near Peters- ourg, in Virginia. In the more northern dis- . . , trictB, however, they are migratory In Pennsylvania the f^a^ usually begins to lay late in April, or early m May. Instances - .liiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitMii*'- / T 302 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 'I :1 have been known where the nest was constructed of a few sticks laid in a fork of the branches: usually, however, the mside of a hollow tree is selected for this purpose. On the 18th of May, I visited a tree conUining the nest of a Summer Duck, on the banks of Tuckahoe River, New Jersey. It was an old, gro- tesque white oak, whose top had been torn off by a storm. It stood on the declivity of the bank, about twenty yards from the water In this hollow and broken top, and about six feet down, on the soft, decayed wood, lay thirteen eggs, snugly covered with down, doubtless taken from the breast of the bird. These eggs were of an exact oval shape, less than those of a Hen ; the surface exceedingly fine-grained, and of the highest polish, and siightly yellowish, greatly resembling old, polished ivory. The egg meas- ured two inches and -an eighth by one inch and a half. On breaking one of them, the young bird was found to be nearly hatched, but dead, as neither of the parents had been observed about the tree during the three or four days preceding, and were conjectured to have been shot. "This tree had been occupied, probably by the same pair, for four successive years, in breeding-time: the person who gave me the information, and whose house was within twenty or thirty yards of the tree, said that he )iad seen the female, the spring preceding, carry down thirteen young, one by one, in less than ten minutes. She caught them in her bill by the wing or back of the neck, and landed them safely at the foot of the tree, whence she atterwards led them to the water. Under this same tree, at the time I visited it a large sloop lay on the stocks, nearly finished : the deck was not more than twelve feet distant from the nest; yet, notwithstanding the presence and noise of the workmen, the Ducks would not aban- don their old breeding-place, but continued to pass out and m, as it no person had been near. The male usually perched on an adjoin- ing H-nb, and kept watch while the female was laying, and also often while she was sitting. A tame Goose had chosen a hollow space, at the root of the same tree, to lay and hatch her young m. " The Summer Duck seldom flies in flocks of more than three or four individuals together, and most commonly in pairs or singly. The common note of the Drake is peet,peet,' but when, standmg sentinel, he sees danger, he makes a noise not unlike the crowing li THE SEA DUCKS. 508 )f a few sticks the inside of 5 18th of May, Duck, on the I an old, gro- ' a storm. It yards from the X feet down, on J covered with I. These eggs en ; the surface ih, and slightly The egg meas- Qd a half. On id to be nearly been observed eding, and were B same pair, for n who gave me y or thirty yards pring preceding, lan ten minutes, of the neck, and •e she afterwards he time I visited the deck was not , notwithstanding J would not aban- i out and in, as if hed on an adjoin- laying, and also I chosen a hollow ch her young in. nore than three or a pairs or singly, ut when, standing mlike the crowing the markets of Philadelphia." The eggs of the Summer Duck are of a dirty yellowish- white color. Their form varies from ovate to nearly oval, :rtleir dimensions vary from 2.20 by 1.55 (W.sconsxn , tr 2 loTy 1.55 (Maine), and 1.98 by 1.45 (Massachusetts). Tids species Is easily domesticated, and soon becomes verv tame It breeds in confinement, and soon acquires all rhtwts of the domestic Mallard, but prefers a hollow tree or stump for its resting-place. To Brewer, edte of the "Boston Cutoalor," h=« at U, residence in West Eoxbnry, Mass., a large flock of Lse Mrds, which he has raised himself; and th^^e »^ tahdy the most beantifnl and intercstmg pets that I have seen. S»i.fhm.7y FoLloui.ni.1. — Thi Sea Duch. FOLIX, Sdhdbvalu Fuli., 8UK.BVAO., Kong. Vet. Ak. Hand (1835) (As restricted^) ^^ Bill longer Oian the tarsus, and about ''^'''''^'^'l'^;^^Jg^,t slightly, and without the nail, feathers of cheeks chm, and forehead "^^a^c mg g ,^ ^^^ to about the same distance; °-*"'«,T"'f"Se edges of b^^^^ about parallel, basal two-flfths of the bill, not reaching the "'"IJ^^' 7;;°;\ Recurved; nail or widening to the tip, Vro^^ f^f^ l^Z^'^X ^^'^^^^^^^^0,. of its tip, aot one-third the width of the bill, and f™« jf ^J^J'^^ ^hV feet, tail short, tarsus about half the middle toe and claw, bil as long as « rounded, of fourteen feathers, head and neck black. jk^Lx-. r i 504 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. u TULIX MARILA.— Batrd, The Soaup Dnek; Big Blaet Head) Blue Bill. Atuu marila, Linnaeus. Syst Nat, I. (1766) 196. Wiis. Am. Cm., VIH. (1814) 84. FtiliffiJa marila, Audubon. Birds Am., VIL (1843) 866. Gir. Birds L. Island, (1844) 321. Descriftion. Head and neck all round, jugulum and shoulders, lower part of back, tail, and coverts, black ; the head with a gloss of dark-green on the sides ; rest of under parts white; feathers on the lower parts of b»Jly and on the sides, the long feathers of the flankB,.the interscapulum, and the scapulars, white, waved in lipzag transversely with black; greater and middle wing coverts similarly marked, but more finely and obscurely; greatei coverts towards the tip and the tertials greenish -black; the speculum is white, bordered behind by greerish-black ; the white extending across the whole central portion of the secondaries; outer primaries and tips of all, brown- ish-black; inner ones pale-gray; the central line dusky; nxillars and middle of the inferior surfkca of the wing white; bUl blue; the nail black; legs plumbeous i iris yellow. Female with the head brown; the region all round the base of the bill white; the undulations of black and white on the feathers wanting, or but faintly indicated above. Length, twenty inches; ^ng, nine; tarsus, one and fifty-eight one-hundredths inches; commissure, two and sixteen one-hundredths inches. J?aA.— Whole of North America and Europe. This species is, although not abundant, generally met with on our coast in spring and fall. It seldom penetrates far inland, but prefers the bays and mouths of creeks on the shore, where it has all the habits of the sea Ducks. I have known of its being taken in small numbers on Pr.nkapoag Pond, Massachusetts, where it associated with the common Dusky Duck. Giraud, in his " Birds of Long Island," speaks of it as being very abundant on our coasts ; arriving from the North from the 10th to the 20th of October in large flocks. My experience has been, that it is far from being an abundant species ; and that it is more often seen in flocks of not more than eight or ten birds than in larger parties. Its habits, however, may vary in different localities ; and it may be abundant, like many other species, in some sections, when it is comparatively scarce in others. It passes to the most northern countries to spend the i MfliMT i l i 1r i B i 1 ii »iWtW'"1 li inff-f"'''i '■"''■'■"■* THE LITTLE BLACK-HEAD. 505 Sill. Lm. Om., Vin. (1814) Qir. Birds L. Island, part of back, tail, and leg; rest of under parts he long feathers of the in zigzag transversely d, but more finely and I greenish - black ; the rhite extending across and tips of all, bi-own- ars and middle of the ; legs plumbeous; iris e of the bill white ; the ir but faintly indicated ^'-eight one-hundredths t, generally met jldom penetrates I of creeks on the ]. Ducks. I have rs on Punkapoag (rith the common if Long Island," • coasts ; arriving ;h of October in lat it is far from more often seen ds than in larger ifferent localities ; • species, in some in others. ies to spend the season of incubation on our coast ; but, in the intenor, it is an abundant breeder, -in the lake country, m Wisconsin, and other localities in similar latitudes. It nests on the ground ; forming, as I am told, a nest of ^ass and weeds i„ I marshy swamp, very similar to the nest of the Mallard that breeds in the same localities. The eggs are from six to ten in number: they are of an ovate form, sometimes nearly oval ; and are of a dirty pale- drab color, with a slight tint of olivaceous. They vary in dimensions from 2.32 by 1.60 to 2.26 by 1.62 inch (both sizes from Wisconsin). lb., PULIX AFFIBIS.— BoirA The Little Blaok-head; Blue Bill. FuKgvIa manfa, Audubon. Om. Biog.. IH. (1835) 226; V. (1889) 6U. Birds Am., yL (1848) 816. ^ „«**» 828 FuKgula minor, Giraud. Birds L. Island (1844), 828. Description. Bill blue- the nail black, head, neck, forepart of breast, and back anterior to behind br giMntt-Kmk, "■• ""l" "I" «' "» ''"'*''• "" «" "" 1" This species resembles the former in its general habits, but is nTore abundant on our coast, where it ^^^-^^^l known to our gumiers by the name of " Blue-bdl Coot It appears in our creeks and bays early in October and remains with us until late in November, and even later, if the season is mild and open. T .-JWl OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. 606 uThe food of the Scaup Duck I have found to conBist of u fV .vav fishes and a mixture of such grasses as here small fry, craj-hsiies, auu u "_audubon. .„d there gro» *..g the be^s "^^^^^^ .,„,,„ «^e " t "TrmeTwrll uTL divo», and, oUuging under water. Wl.en woui , ^^_^^._^^ irc-'trrrrtre^r:::^ rC:r^reora:aJ2^r::in.en.th,and 1.60 at its greatest breadth. AYTHYA, Bout. Aythya, BoiK, I»i8 (1822). '^ype ^«« /«^^^^^ the bill elongated, longer than the head, and about equal to the m.ddle to j ^.^ ^.^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ .lender in one «?«"«»•*'= "''V^l'^^rndthe^nd <,f th« no.trih, which do luid neck red; toil of fourteen feathers. ATTHIA AMEBICAHA.-B3naj)ar«e. The Bed Head. Afmferina, Wilson. Am. Orn., VWjSf^JI; Aud. Om. Biog., IV. (1886) FnUgula fenr>a,SMM. Man, II. (1884) «*• 198. /*., Birds Am., VI. (1848) 311. Description. ♦ «i,n Bniaslongasthehe.d,bro^M.;.^^^^^^^^^^ • nostrils dusky , head, and neck for ^^''-^y^klnA My anterior to the shoul- above and behind with -"^-^r-^^^' "ll?tn"rwhiu, sprinkled with gray ders, lower part of back and Udcoye^, buck bn^^^^^^^^ ^^^p^,^^^ g„^,y Std^Srrirrr wSr'n'early e.l pro^rUons. imparUng a .-ii>i to consist of ■asses as here ' — Audubon. iderable time and, clinging ater, remains )t rise to the ts body, when le bird to float ce at all, when I, stone on the 3 waves, or by ;ig habits and I single egg in al in form, of n length, and s bill elongated, longer 1 claw; the bill mora le bill higher at base, th« nostrils, which do oi Fvligtdai the head Om. Biog., IV. (1886) region anterior to the h, brownish-red, glossed ,y anterior to the shoul- ite, sprinkled with gray rs, and scapulars finely iroportions, imparting a THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 507 Bpeculum. consisting of the ends °V','d externa ly with black; basal portion "stL, .... . .« — rr;"J"™;.r.i, -'.rf predominance ot DiacK m '"Teirwt trhead. neck, and forepart of body, brownish; the region round the base of the bill whitish. „e-hundredth9 inches ; wing, nine and filly Length of male, '--' V" ^sSy oneTlredths , commissure, two and thirty one-hundredths; tarsus, one and sixty one n one-hundredths inches. ^aj._ Whole of North America. , ^ o h\vc\ is Dretty abundant on our shores, This handsome bird ^s P^^^^^y ^ estuaries of ^here it usually prefers the ^-^^^^^JlJ^^^,,, of fresh creeks : it is also found in many ur larg t^ ^^ ^^^^ water, where it feeds on the te'^der kav s a various aquatic plants, and small fish and ar 4 ^^_ i-cts. I found --Ijn^^^^^ ,,,, ,f bagog Lakes m Jmie ; ^' ^ I "^k ^ ^^^^^ .^ ,,^, ^f are barren. , , resemble those of the The habits of this JP-- f ^^^:\:;rks will apply to Bucceeding species, that the same both. The Canvas-baok Duck. ^„. .««nen«, Wilson. Am^Om..VIIMlSU) 108. f^i^J<.««iii«.e'-ia,NutUll. ^^'^l^'' ^«(*!,araH«neria, Bonaparte. 1^"^^""' '• jy (iggg) i. lb., Birds Xm, FMligula vMUneriam, Audubou. Orn. Biog., IV. I VI. (1848>299. \ 508 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Desoriftior. Bill long, slender, and tapering; head all round and neck chestnut; the top of the head and region around the base of the hill dusky-brown; rest of neck, body anterior to the shoulders, back behind, rump and tail coverts, black; under parts white; the region anterior to the anus, the sides, the interscapulars and scapulars, White finely dotted, in transverse line, with black, the white greatly predominating; speculum bluish-gray, lighter externally; the innermost secondaries of the specu- lum edged externally with black; iris carmine. Female with the black and chestnut replaced by brown, the cheeks and chin lighter, and some tinged with dull-rufous. Length, twenty and ten one-hundrcdths ; wing, nine and tliirty one-hundredthsj tarsus, one and seventy one-hundredths; commissure, two and sixty-five inches. The Canvas-back is rarely taken in New England. I have seen a few that were killed in Punkapoag Poud, Can- ton, Mass. J. A. Allen speaks of its being occasionally found at the western part of tho State ; and I once killed one in Lake Urabagog, Me. It generally passes to its northern breeding-grounds, and back to its winter home, through the interior of the country, seldom by the seaboard, at least north of Pennsylvania ; and, when found in New England, is only a wanderer from the great flight. "Wilson, in describing its habits, says,— " The Canvas-back Duck arrives in the United States from the north about the middle of October: a few descend to the Hudson and Delaware; but the great body of these birds resort to the numerous rivers 'belonging to and in the neighborhood of the Chesapeake Bay, particularly the Susquehanna, the Patapsco, Potomac, and James Rivers, which appear to be their general winter rendezvous. Beyond this, to the south, I can find no cer- tain accounts of them. At the Susquehanna, they are called Canvas-backs; on the Potomac, White-backs; and on James River, Sheldrakes. They are seldom found at a great distance up any of these rivers, or even in the salt-water bay, but in that par- ticular part of tide-water where a certain grass-like plant grows, on the roots of which they feed. This plant, which is said to be a species -of vaUisneria, grows on freah-water shoals of froin seven to nine feet (but never where these are occasionally dry), m long, narrow, grass-like blades, of four or five feet in length: the root is white, and has some resemblance to small celery. This grass is m .^ THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 609 Mtnut; the top of rest of neck, body )lack ; under parts in and scapulars, :\y predominating; iries of the specu- 3 cheeks and chin :y one-hundredthsj ity-flve inches. England. I g Poiid, Can- ; occasionally I once killed passes to its winter home, the seaboard, bund in New ght. States from the to the Hudson s resort to the borhood of the the Patapsco, e their general an fina no cer- they are called aiid on James •eat distance up but in that par- plant grows, on is said to be a i of from seven ly dry), in long, igth : the root is This grass is in n>any places so thick that a boat can with d.fficnUy be rowed through it. it so impedes the oars. The shores are l.ned w.th large ouantitieB of it, torn up by the Ducks, and drifted up by the wmds. lying, like hay, in windrows. Wherever this plant grows in abun- dance, the Canvas-backs may be expected, either to pay occasiona visits, or to make it their regular residence during the winter. It occurs in some parts of the Hudson; in the Delaware, near Glou- cester, a few miles below Philadelphia, and in most of the rivers that fall into the Chesapeake, - to each of which particular places these Ducks resort; while, in waters unprovided with this nutri- tive plant, they are altogether unknown. "On the first arrival of these birds in the Susquehanna, near Havre-de-Grace, they are generally lean ; but such is the abundance of their favorite food, that, towards the beginning of November they are in pretty good order. They are excellent divers and swim with great speed and agility. They sometimes assemble in such multitrd.8 as to cover several acres of the river and, when they rise suddenly, produce a noise resembling thunder. They float about these shoals, diving, and tearing up the grass by the roots, which is the only part they eat. They are extremely shy, and can rarely be approached, unless by stratagem. When wound- ed in the wing, they dive to such prodigious distanceo, and with sucii rapidity, continuing it so perseveringly, and with such cun- ning and active vigor, as almost always to render the pursuit hope- less From the great demand for these Ducks, and the high price they uniformly bring in market, various modes are practised to get within gunshot of them. The most successful way is said to be decoying them to the shore by means of a dog, while the gunner lies closely concealed in a proper situation. The dog, if properly trained, plays backwards and forwards along the margin of the water; and the Ducks, observing his manoeuvres, enticed perhaps by curiosity, gradually approach the shore, until they are sometimes within twenty or thirty yards of the spot where the gunner lies concealed, and from which he rakes them, first on the water and then as they rise. This method is called tollinff them tn. If the Ducks seem difiicult to decoy, any glaring object, such as a red handkerchief, is fixed round the dog's middle or to his tail ; and this rarely fails to attract them. Sometimes, by moonlight, the sports- • » 510 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. man directs his skiff towards a flock whose position he had p.evH ously ascertained, keeping within the projecting shadow of some wood, hank, or headland, and paddles along so silently and unper- ceplibly as often to approach within fifteen or twenty yards of a flock of many thousands, among whom he generally makes great slaughter. . , , i "Many other stratagems are practised, and, indeed, every plan that the ingenuity of the experienced sportsman can suggest, to approach within gunshot of these birds: but, of all the modes pur- sued, none intimidate them so much as shooting them by night; and they soon abandon the place where they have been thus repeatedly shot at. During the day, they are dispersed about, but, towards evening, collect in large flocks, and come into the mouths of creeks, where they often ride as at anchor, with their head under their wing, asleep ; there being always sentinels awake, ready to raise an alarm on the least appearance of danger. Even when- feeding and diving in small parties, the whole never go down at ono time, but some are still left above on the lookout. "When the winter sets in severely, and the river is frozen, the Canvas-backs retreat to its confluence with the bay; occasionally frequenting air-holes in the ice, which are sometimes made for the purpose, immediately above their favorite grass, to entice them within gunshot of the hut or bush, which is usually fixed at a proper distance, and where the gunner lies concealed, ready to take advantage of their distress. A Mr. Hill, who lives near James River, at a place called Herring Creek, informs me, that, one severe winter, he and another person broke a hole in the ice, about twenty by forty feet, immediately over a shoal of grass, and took their stand on the shore in a hut of brush, each having three guns well loaded with large shot. The Ducks, which were flying up and down the river, in great extremity, soon crowded to this place, so that the whole open space was not only covered with them, but vast numbers stood on the ice around it. They had three rounds, firing both at once, and picked up eighty-eight Canvas-backs, and might have collected more, had they been able to get to the extremity of the ice after the wounded ones. In the severe winter of 1779-80, the grass, on the roots of which these birds feed, was almost wholly destroyed in James River. In the month of January, the wmd r iii >|iii i , ii liiiHttHtol ii Mi i Wuiii N ' i * iii fc^^ ||m l |. I H l ,»JM ! L.' l ''M*'l"«MW"" Wi '"'* '*'***' m^ barrow's aOLDEN EYE. 611 he liad ptevi- ladow of some itly and iiinmr- enty yards of a ly makes great lecd, every plnn can suggest, to the modes pur- them by night ; lave been thus jrsed about, but, into the mouths [vith their head els awake, ready er. Even when r go down at ono er is frozen, the »ay ; occasionally es made for the to entice them ually fixed at a led, ready to take ives near James 18 me, that, one I in the ice, about f grass, and took aving three guns rere flying up and d to this place, so ith them, but vast iree rounds, firing •backs, and might the extremity of inter of 1779-80, was almost wholly January, the wind continued to blow from W.N.V^ for twenty-one days, which caused such low tides in the river, that the grass froze to the ice every- where: and, a thaw coming on suddenly, the whole was raised by the roots, and carried off" by the fresh. The next winter, a few of these Ducks were seen ; but they soon went away again : and, for many years after, they continued to bo scarce ; and, even to the present day, in the opinion of my informant, have never been so plenty as before." Tho delicacy of tlio flesh of this bird for food is so well known that any remarks here seem superfluous ; but 1 will say that it does not greatly excel that of the Red Head, and in my own opinion is not at all superior to that of the Teals or Widgeon. The Canvas-back breeds in the most northern portions of tho continent. I am ignorant of its habits in the season of incubation, and have but one egg in my collection to describe from. This is of an ovate form, nearly oval, of a pale-blue color with an olivaceous tinge, quite smooth to the touch, and quite thin and brittle. Its dimensions are 2.54 by 1.78 inch. BUCEPHALA, Baird. aanguh, Fleming, Philoa. Zool. (1828). (Type Anai clanguUi, L.) Not of 1822 wliich has Anas glacialit for type, according to G. R. Gray. Bill, from feathers of forehead, about equal to tho tarsus, and shorter than the head- high at the base; lateral outlines tapering to the tip, where the nail forms onlvthe central portion, though .ather large ; nostrils situated near tho muldle of the'biU; feathers of chin and forehead extending only moderately forward, a l.ttlo ftirther than those of the cheeks; tarsus rather more than half the foot; tail raoder- ately long, about half the wiag, and somewhat pointed; of sixteen feathers. BU(3EPHALA ISLANDICA. — Beirrf. Barrow's Golden £ye. Fuligula ( Clangula) Barrmoii, Nuttall. Man., II. 444. FuKgula clangula, Audubon. Om. Biog., V. (1839) 106. (1843). 76., Birds Am., VI. T M 512 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. VMCuirtwv. flection, a largo white patc«.a„.eno^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^„,^, p.^ ,,y and running up in a pon, »" ^'>;f''~ '^g eovert., the greater coveH. bla..k white, a narrow white patch on '^e m'^dl' *^»8 .econd.rie., but separated tipped with white, which U ^^^^^^^ZTJ^^^^r. white. ed«ed externally with ft„„.that on the '-^'''\^^'1\ZXZ\m .ire.^-, re,t of upper i^rt. black, tipped and edged above *"'' j;"'=^„^.^„„dredth, inche., wing, nine and fifty one- Length, twenty-two and JJy;- •^;"j;,„„j„j,hs Inches, com.ni..ure. one and hundredths; tortus, one and fifty-eigw one ''«';r:tr d!«d "nInLrn parU of A«eri«. In winter, not rar, on the St. Lawrence. • • <-^„n^ in considerablo numbers on our This species is found in co"»^"« , . ^^ j.^ tl,e of the succeeding species. BUCEPHALA AMBBICAIA. - S«»>A The Golden Eye ; WhUtle VTing. Ancuclanguh,yfi^^on- A^-O"^' J"^;^^'"syn?(1828) 398. Nutt. Man, II. Fuligula iClansula) clanguU, Bonaparte, ay , 441. ■n- IV MRflg't 318. /6., Birds Atn.. VI. W.>/a cJan,«Z«, Audubon. Om. B.og., IV. (1888) (1848)362. ^ r>„™« Tint (1838). Eyt. Mon. An«t. (1888) cL^fa Americana, Bonaparte. Comp. L.st (1838) l^'^' DE8CRIPT1C-.. Bill blacU, head an. «pper part Of n^cK^^y^- velvety parplinh-black, ^I'^^'^^^'^l^fX^''^'^^^ ^ ^^ ""''' ""l nor to the eye, lower part o^ "-l^' ^ '„^„*^^^,. (/„, tertials, except the innennost greater wing coverts, the '"~"\ ""^ i„ , continuous patch, although there toee or four), white, the ^^'"' ""'f J"/^ '' coverts, the inner scapulars are is a concealed black bar on '>! \-"j' ^i.^^y, however, they an. black, streaked «hite,marginedexternaUyw.thWack Jter ^^ ^,„ ^,„„ back, rump, centrally with white; the mn r «<=«?» ""^J.^^ ^^^ t^j, black, with a hoary gloss, and lesser wing coverU, are W»ck , ^he pnmane^ p,„„beous.gray , the rest of the under side of .uil -nd -r «-«;« --^„, ^ ,„,, .hite feathers of the ,Ststtrdrri^^r^ omy — withw^te, there .s a ten- THE GOLDEN EYE. 618 re«n or purplish re- intiro »ido of the l>ill, nder p«rw generally jester coverts hlat^k, larieg, but separated Ijjed externally with of upper i>rtrt8 black, 1 of the flank white, {, nine and fifty one- 1 commiasure, one and r, not r»re on the St. lumbers on our It breeds in the the other habits i) 898. Nutt. Man., 11. 18. lb.. Birds Am., VI- Eyt. Mon. An«t. (1838J the under surface opaque of upper mandible ante- y, and sides, middle and als. except the innermost ,ou8 patch, although there ts; the inner scapulars are er, they arc black, streaked id the whole back, rump, black, with a hoary gloss; imbeous-gray; the rest of long white feathers of the rithout white patch; white ffithwWte; there is a ten- dency to . black bar across the tip. of th. gr-ter covert.; the white of tb. wing "TlTh^igh!:;:! seventy-nve one-hundredth, inches; wing, eight and flfty- onct"Sr;£; lus. one .n.I .Ifty one-hundredth.; .ommis.ure. two .nch... i/oA.— Whole of North America. This handsome species is a common spung and autumn resident in New England ; and in mild winters \. often seen botli in tiie bays and rivers on the coast, and in the lakes and ponds in the interior, when they arc open. It breeds in tl^ northern portions of New England, particu arly ui the lake country of Northern Maine. I have fonnd it, in the breeding season, in Lake Umbagog, and in t'.e Magalloway River; but, although I searched carefully for its ..est, I could not find it. This might have ' oon, and probably was owing to the nature of the nesting-place ; for I saw several pairs, and the localities were those which this bird selects for the purpose of incubation. . „ . j The nest of this species is built in a hole, ma tall dead tree, or in the top of a tall stub, which is hollowed sufficiently for its reception. The pines and hemlocks often die ; and standing for years, the bark drops off, then the hmbs, until the body is at last left, a single straight, smooth, wlnte «haft often from forty to fifty feet high, and two or three feet thick at its base. At last, in a fierce storm or gale, the shaft either breaks off close to the ground, or at sometimes the height of twenty or more feet; leaving, in the top that remains standing, a huge rent, sometimes a foot or even more m depth In this the Golden Eye nests; building of grass, leaves, moss, and down from its own breast, a warm 8tru(> ture, in which she lays from six to ten eggs These are generally very rounded in form, of a greemsh-bluo color and average from 2.40 by 1.75 inch to 2 36 by 1.78 inch in dimensLs. The loud whistling of the wings of this Bpecies, as it passes through the air, has given it the name of the "Whistler." The bird feeds on small fish and various aquatic plants, and, when living in the interior, is 33 ! ;i I I ORNITHOLOQY AND OOLOGY. a fine-flavored fowl for tho tablo ; but, when killed on the ooast, itH flc,«h i8 n«hy und nti-ong. It is a bird of very rapid flight, and is rather shy and dilTicult of approacii. BDCEPHALA ALBBOLA. — Baird. The Buffle-head ; Dipper; ButUr-ball. Ana. nlbeola, Llnn.u.. Sy.t N.t. I. (1766) 190. WiU. Am. Orn., VIH *"Vi?l. ( Ctangula) nlb^ola, HonapaHe. Syn. (1828) 894. N.at. Man 11. 445^ ZC^ olbd, Audubon. Orn. Biog.. IV. (1838) 217. lb., UW. Am., VI. Afate.- Bill blue, he.d .nd neck .ntoriorly, dark-colored ; the region In front of Z eye and on the .Ide. of the collar behind, rich-green, th.. color .hading no purpulon the upper and under .urf.ce. of the head; a broad patch on each .ide ^f th ead fromTe po.terior border of the eye. an.l meeting it. fellow on the nape Ifowe ne k all ro^nd. under part, generally, wing covert, (except the le..er) and m"t o the .econdarie., and the .capul.r,, white, the lalter narrowly edged external with black, re.t of upper part., except a. de.cr.b..d black , pa.,mg ^;Zllv on the upper Uil covert, into pale-gray, axillar. and under w.ng coverU K,otv-brown. more or le.. tipped with white, in. hazel. Feml.- With the entire head, neck, and upper part, almo,t black, an elongated patch behind and below the eye (not reaching it), the outer webs of some .econd- £. and the under part., white, the jugulum, side., and anal n.g.on, plumbeou- ■""Lngth, fifteen inche,, wing, .ix and .ixty-fl^ one-hundredth., ««»"«- o"««"'i twenty-flve one-hundredth., commi«ure, one and forty-four one-h.ndredth. mch. This very common and woll-known bird is abundant on our coast in the spring and autumn. It associates with most of the other Sea Ducks in our bays and creeks, but, in the interior, is seen only in pairs, or in small flocks of three or four individuals. It is an expert diver; and one finds difficulty in shooting it when there are two or three individuals together, from its habit of diving at the flash of the gun. I have seen \t at times, particularly after a severe storm, in small fresh-water ponds, in the interior; and, at such times, it is quite tame and unsuspicious, or possibly fatigued from its efforts in the storm. It feeds on small fish and crustaceans, which it is very expert at catching. When several birds are together, one always remains on the igiiiiwrmrn-" TUB HARLEQUIN DUCK. (08 killed on tho bird of vory )f approach. I. Am. Orn., VIII utt. Man., II. 4«. Jb., UirdB Am., VI. tho region In front I color aliading into patch on each «lde 8 fellow on tho nape, (except the le«»or) itfor narrowly edged bed, black; passing , undsr wing coverta t black; an elongated •ebs of »on\e second- d region, plumbeoiu- dths ; tarnus, one and le-handredtha inch. ,8 abundant on associates with I creeks, but, in small flocks of diver ; and one re two or three 5 at the flash of •ly after a severe nterior ; and, at 0U8, or possibly feeds on small ert at catching. i remains on the ■urfaco while tho others are ImjIow in search of food, and, if alarmed, it utters a short ipiack, when tho others rise to the Burlace ; and, on asctjrtaiiiing tho cause of tho alarm, all divo and swim off rapidly to tho distanco of several hundrod feet. The Bunio-head breeds in tho northern portions of tho continent. It nests in tho holes of dead trees, like the preceding. Tho eggs are from five to eight in number. HI8TRI0NICUS, LEiaow. nUtrionicui, Litaaos, MaA. d'Omilh., II. (1H2R) 418. (Typo Ann, hittrionica, L.) Hill very nmnll; the culinen ithorter than tar»u«, tapering rapidly to the rounded tip, which iH entirely occupied by the nail; nostriln Mnall, in tho anterior portion of pnMerior half of bill; tho centre about opponito tho mid.lle of commissure; a well- marked angl.i at tho p<.»tero-superior comer of tho bill; the lateral outline con- cave behind, tho fedthers on forehead extending a little beyond it; those of chin not reaching further than thoie of the nidefi, and much posterior to tho no»lril»; lateral outline of edge of bill nearly straight; a membranous lobe at tho base of tho bill; tcrtials bent outward, so a» to cross the edge of the wing; Uil more than half tho wing, considerably pointed, of fourteen feathers. HISTBI0SICTI3 TOKQOATUS. — ^onnparrt. The Harlequin Dunk. Anai hiUrimiea, Linnasus. Syst. Nat., I. (1768) 127. Wils. Am. Orn., VIH. nS14) 139. ,, „ „ ^,„ ■ Fulmida ( Clangula) hitlrionica, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 894. S utt. Man., II. 448. Futi'nuh hiXrionica, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) GVi : V. (1839) 017. lb., Birds Am., VI. (1843)874. Descbiption. Male —Head and neck all round dark-blue; JHgulum, sides of breast, and upper parts, lighter blue, becoming blui.sh-black a^ain on the tail coverts; the bh.o of breast passes insensibly into dark bluish-brown behind; a broad stripe along the top of head from the bill to the nape, and the tail feathers, black; a white patch along the entire side of the base of bill anterior to the eye, an.l passing upwards and backwards so as to border the black of the crown, but replaced from above the eve to tho nape by chestnut; a round spot on tho Me of the occiput; an elongated one on the side of the neck; a collar round the lower part of tho neck, interruptc.l before and behind, and margined behind, by dark-blue; a transversely elongated patch on each side tho breast, and similarly margined; a round spot on the m.ddlo wing coverts, ii transverse patch on tho end of the greater coverts, the scapulars in part, a broad streak on tho outer web of tortials. and a spot on each side tho rest of the tail, white; sides of body behind chestnut-brown; secondaries with a metallic speculum of purplish or violet-blue j Inside of wing, and axillars, dark-bro^vn; ins reddish-brown. '&16 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Female. —With the head and body above, dark-brown ; the chin pore plumbcon*; the lower part of neck, breast, and under parts generally, except the central region (which is white), duller and lighter brown; a whiUsh patch in front of the eye, and a rounded spot just behind the ear. Length, seventeen and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, seven and seventy one-hundredths; tarsus, one and forty-eight one-hundredths ; commissure, one and fifty-four one-hundredths inches. Hab. — Northern seocoast of jjorthem hemisphere. The Harlequin Duck is very rare in Southern New Eng- land, and is seldom met with here south of the most north- ern portions on its coast. There it is pretty abundantly seen as a winter visitor. It greatly resembles the following in its general characteristics. Its nest and eggs are thus described : "The nest is composed of dry plants of various kinds, arranged in a circular manner to the height of three or four inches, and lined with finer grasses. The eggs are five or six, rarely more, measure two inches and one-sixteenth by one inch and four and a half eighths, and are of a plain greenish-yellow color. After the eggs are laid, the female plucks the down from the lower parts of her body, and places it beneath and around them." HABELDA, Lkach. "JJareWa, Leach (1816)," Gray. {Ty^e Atuu glacialis, h.) ^ . ., Bill shorter than the head and tarsus, tapering laterally to the end; the nail ver^- broad, occupying the entire tip; lateral profile of lower edge of upper mandi- ble'straight to near the end, then rising saddenly to the prominent decunred na. ; nostrils large, in the posterior half of the bill, their centre about opposite the middle of the commissure; tertials long, lanceolate, and straight; tail pointed, of fourteen feathers, the central feathers very long, equal to the wings; bill with almost no pos- terior lateral upper angle; the feathers of the sides advancing ooliquely forwards; feathers of chin reaching beyond the middle of the commissure, or almost to the anterior extremity of nostrils; taU of fourteen feathers. HABELDA OLACIALIS.— £«acA. The South Southerly, Old Vife; Long-taU. Anas gladali$, Wilson. Am. Om., VIIL (1814) 98, 96. ^ Fvliqtda (Harelda) gladalit, NuttaU. Man., IL (1834) 458. FJgrJa gladalit, Audubou. Om. Biog., IV. (1888) 103. /6., Birds Am., VL (1M8) 879 irnw»lwiailTfiii>Mmi XMUS&^blMmi THE SOUTH SOUTHERLY. 617 inoTe ptumbeons; le central region t of the eye, and fen and seventy nissure, one and n New Eng- most north- ■ abundantly ;he following ;g8 are thus inds, arranged jhes, and lined more, measure ir and a half After the eggs er parts of her the end; the nail ;e of upper mandi- jnt decurved nail; ippoBite the middle ointed, of fourteen nth alrnost no pos- )bliquely forwards ; I, or almost to the [b., Birds Am., VI. Descriptioh. Male in ,«mmer.-Bill black, orange-yellow towards the tip; he^d.neck, and breast very dark blackish-brown; the head above, back, rump, and middle ta.l Se^, bLk; the whole side of the head from the bill and to behmd the eyes and toe de of th body, pale bluish-gray; the portion of the cheek patch .mmed.ateb' Irund and b hind ihe eye with a longitudinal streak each side theocc.put; he under mrts generally, and the more external tail feathers, white, feathers on the :r part of The back, with the scapulars, broadly edged with light reddish-brown , mider wing coverts and axiUars brownish-chocolate, no white whatever on the "'"Ifa/e in wi.-Uer. -Differs from summer dress in having.the head and neck white to the jugulum and interscapular region; the gray of the cheeks persistent, and a broad patTh of black on the sides of the neck behind this; the scapulars are pale ''"'JSI.^Lrckrthe long points to the tail and scapulars; the head and neck dusky, with a whitish patch around the eye and on the sides of the neck behmd. Lencth twenty and seventy-flve one-hundredths inches; wing, eight and ninety one-hundredths; tail, eight; tarsus, one and thirty^ight one-hundredths, comma- suie, one and sixty-two one-hundredths inches. The Long-tailed Duel so common in Massachusetts Bay in the fall and spring migrations, breeds in the most north- ern portions of the continent. Audubon, in describing the nest and eggs, says,— " The nest was placed under an alder-bush, among rank weeds, not more than eight or nine feet from the edge of the water, and was formed of rather coarse grass, with an upper layer of finer weeds, which were neatly arranged, while the down filled the bot- tom of the cavity. [This was on the 28th of July, 1833. The young birds had left this nest.] The number of young broods m Bight induced me to search for more nests; and in about an hour I discovered six more, in one of which I was delighted to find two unhatched eggs. They measured two inches and one-eighth long, by one and four and a half eighths broad ; were of a uniform pale yellowish-green, and quite smooth." In the months of September and October, this bird is most abundant in New England. It gathers in immense flocks, and frequents the bays and inlets on the shore, where, keeping up its peculiar cry or chatter, the noise 3f the flock is sometimes to be heard at the distance of a mUe. It is in this season, that the gunner, with his gjg ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOfiY. Bail-boat or float, pursues these birds with great activity On approaching one of these large flocks, it ^s customary to ?teer the boat to the windward of it; for they, hke most other fowls always rise to the windward. When, therefore telZe arri/es within gunshot, he fires -to the flock wl ilf it is in the water ; and when it rises and flies to the wbdward, often directly over his boat, he pours into Zelime three or four other charges before it gets ou of'hot It is a difficult bird to kill ; and, when wounded, i aLays dives and clings to the bottom, where it dies I once ;!:rght down seven birds out of a flock at ^^^ when they dove, and I did not secure one. Its flesh is oily and strong, and is in no repute for the table. MELANETTA, Bow. truncate. MELAHETTA VELVETIHA. — £a«»^ The Velvet Duck; White-winged Coot. Anatfu,ca,VriUon. ^m. Cm., VIH. (181*) 187- * uutt. Man., H. FuUgiUa (OWemta) fu,ea, Bonaparte. 8yn. (1828), 390. ^'%*2«/-, Audubon. Om.Biog.. 111.(1885)854. /*.. Birds An... VI. (1843) 332. *• ' Description. «f I, Bill very broad, wider towards the tip than at the base; feathers extend- • f l" ~. tSoSbm, and on th« forehead, for nearly half the comm.ssure ing far along the side ot tne oui, au ^^ ^^^ ^^^j^^^ ^^ running in - /''^ b^h retun^nelrj^^^^^ border of the large, open, feathers on the side, both reaching T"f , . ,i,,,rLvond the frontal feathers, then nearly --ded nostrils, cutaenhon.^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ abruptly bent downwards, ";f';y f [^ J^ng Ae b«,e of culmen, ending in « horizontal portion; « «bajT indented ridge along w^^^^^ ^^^^ r'^'^rndtiir? :m r^^^^^^^^^ °^ -^^ — ™' l:f;^f greateJ'c:;'^ bm bUek at base and lateral edges, redeUewhere, in. bright^yellow. ^^^^^^ . ^ ,^^g^ ,^.ti,h patch on the .,^miiitt'r''ntk'-'- THE VELVET DUCK. 519 1 great activity. , is customary to they, like most When, therefore, 38 into the flock I, and flies to the he pours into it efore it gets out when wounded, it re it dies. I once it one discharge. Its flesh is oily le. )f the bill as the nostril, idi nail broad and almost ird. jOOt. ), 390. Nutt. Man., II. (64, lb., Birds Am., VI. the base; feathers extend- learly half the commissure, wer comer of the outline of r border of the large, open, id the frontal feathers, then ;he much-depressed, nearly use of culmen, ending in a around and a little behind iposed of white secondaries d edges; red elsewhere; irU I large whitish patch on the wings with white speculum, illen and elevated at base. u . . ^n« «nd Iftv one-hundredthfl inches; wing, eleven and thirty oiSLrrrsurtwrand .ght one.h„ndredth.; commissure two and The Velvet Duck, or " White-winged Coot," as it is com- monly called on our coast, is a very abundant species, m the Tutumn and through the greater part of the wmte^^ m th bays and inlets along our whole shores. It is one of the Sea Ducks ; and, although occasionally found m small nam- bers in the large bodies of water in the interior, it is sel- dom seen in large flocks in any other localities than the' salt waters of the seacoast. There it is taken m abm- dance from the first week in October until the middle of December. The sportsmen, with decoys made o wood, minted to resemble these fowls, anchor their small boats in localities where the Coots are known to pass ; and, from early dawn until late in the forenoon, and from late in the afternoon until night, keep up a constant fusillade on the swiftly moving flocks. I have known two gunners to secure, in one day's shooting, thirty pairs of these birds, and this large number is often exceeded. The "Coots" are hunted more for the excitement of the thing than for the sake of their flesh ; for, living as they do, entirely on fish and a few moUusks, their flesh is strong and oily, and far from pleasant. This species breeds m Labrador and other northern localities. "The nests are placed within a few feet of the borders of small lakes, a mile or two distant from the sea, under the low boughs of the bushes of the twigs of which, with mosses and various plants matted together, they are forjned They are large, and almost flat, several inches thick, with some feathers of the female, but no down, under the eggs, which are usually six in number, 2f inches m length by 1| in breadth, and of a uniform pale-<}ream color tinged with green." ^^^^^^i^lij^i^g^llggllllgll I 520 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. PELIONETTA, Kaup. Nutt Man., Feather, not extending on .ides of the biUi nail pointed anteriorly; color, black, with a triangular white patch on the top of head and another on nape ; bill red, with a rounded black lateral spot at baw. PELIOHETTA PERSPICILLATA. — ^au». The Surf Duck; Sea Coot; Butter-bill Coot. Anas per^liata, Wi\«yn. Am. Cm., VIIL (1814) 49. FuUgula {Oidemia) perspicUlala, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 889. "■ Fuiiguh perspiciUata, Audubon. Cm. Biog., IV. (1888) 161. lb., Bird. Am., VL (1843) 887. Description. Male. -Tail of fourteen feathers; bUl but little longer than the head, the feathers extending forward half-way from ti.e base to the tip, and opposite the postenor border of The nostril, the bill abruptly decurved or gibbous anterior to the end of the fea h rs; nostrils open, nearly semicircular or stirrup-shaped, the f «>ght port.on of he outl ne antero-infferior, sides of bill swollen at the base so as to be urther apart above than below; color, entirely black throughout, with a green.sh lustre above, dS Teath, a Iriang^lar white pa-xh on the top of head, the base extend^^^^^ between the posterior outline of the eye and reaching forward to a pomt a httle birond the posterior line of the bill, the outlines rounded lateralb^ and anter.orbr I ^e patch is^eparated from the eye by a narrow superciliary '''trZ widTof second triangular white patch beginning on the nape as a straight Ime the w.dth of Iheoirr patch, and running backwards for more than two inches, these tnangular unaces are thus base to base; iris yellowish-whita. •^ F LTfe -Bill as long as that of the male, but not swollen at the base where the .ides approach each other above, the feathers of forehead do not extend one-th.rd rdis'tance from base to tip of bill, the middle of nostril not qu.te as fer ^^ middle of the bill, nostrils linear, acutely pointed anteriorly, color brown, l^hter Tn the neck, sides and beneath the under surface of the body wh.t.sh , an obscure whltUh S^h at the base of the bUl, and another on the side of the head behind ^"uZh of male, nineteen inches; wing, nine and forty one-hundredths, taraus, " one anlsixty-three one-hundredths, commissure, two and thirty-seven one-hun- *"*Fl-On'«»d near ««coast of North America, quite far south in winter, acci- dental in Europe. The Surf Duck, or "ButteibUl Coot," as it is usually called on the coast, is equally abundant with the preceding. Like all the Sea Ddcks, this bird is an expert diver. I have followed a flock of Sea Coc- for hours in a small yacht, witli a»good breeze, and have been unable to get withm ~-.--r.-j^:i'^:^s:-L.'eii'.t MtimtJim ^ THE SCOTER. 521 orly; colore black, ■ on nape j bill red, 889. Nutt Man., 1. lb., Birds Am., le head, the feathere I the posterior border ' to the end of the B straight portion of ! to be further apart eenish lustre above, the base extending ■d to a point a Utile rally and anteriorly, ack space; there is a fht line the width of besi these triangular ,t the base, where the not extend one-third jt quite as far as the color brown i lighter r whitish; an obscure le of the head behind e-hundredths; tarsus, ;hirty-seven one-hun- gouthin winter; acci- as it is usually 1 the preceding, •t diver. I have I a small yacht, e to get within g^mshot of them, and without their takmg wing even a that. A soon as I arrived within two or three gunshots' distance, the whole flock sank beneath the surface like so many stones; and, swimming under water for almost a quarter of Im le, appeared at the surface in a locality where I east expecT d to see them: sometimes immediately astern of my boat ; at others, in a direction at right angles to the course which I supposed they had taken. Audubon, in describing a nest that he found m a boggy marsh near the Gulf of St. Lawrence, says,— "The nest was snugly placed amid the tall leaves of a bunch of grass, and raised fully four inches above ite roots. It was entfrely composed of withered and rotten weeds, the former betng circularly arranged over the latter; producing a wel-rounded cavity, the borders of which were lined with the ^own of t e b.d in the same manner as the Eider Duck's nest; and m it lay five eggs, which were two inches and two and a half eighths m length. IfoLlinch and five-eighths in their greatest breadth. They were more equally rounded at both ends than usual, the shell perfectly smooth, and of a uniform pale-yellowish or cream color. OIDEMIA, Flekiko. nail broad, occupying the ''^-f^^P^I^'^^^^^^.'i^'l^^^^^^^ the middle of the commissure; feathers of tne cnm ruiiu g nostrils; color black with or without small patches of white. OIDEMIA AMEBICAHA.-Swai'woB. The Scoter. ^„«,„i,ra, Wilson. ,^- O™-^"^- <|«*V«;;33«) i,,. ,6., Birds Am., VI. Fuligula Americana, XuAvbon. Om. Biog., V. lieoxM"- > '.18*8)848. Descbiftiok. MaU.-1.n of sixteen feathers, bill much swollen on the ^'^^ ^'^}.^'^'^, feathers at the base of bill to the tip, the swelling ai o» , , ^^^,^^ row along the median Une; the frontal feathers extend slightly forward in an oDiuse 522 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. point; bill of female not very dissimilar, lacking the .welling at the base; color ^tirely black all over, without any white, bill black along the edges and t.p; the BWoUen basal portion red to beyond the nostrils. ^ ^ . „, v„hv /'mate.- Brown; lighter on sides of head, throat, and under surface of body, where the feathers have each an obscure dusky spot. Length, twenty-three and eighty one-hundredths inches; wing, nine and twenty one-hundrJdths; tarsus, one and seventy-eight one-hundredths; commissure, two and fourteen one-hundredths inches. This species is also known on the coast by the name of Coot. It is far less abundant than the other, but has all the habits of that bird. It also associates with it, and is a very expert diver ; sinking beneath the surface of the water, at the flash of a gun, before the shot reaches it. I know nothing of its breeding habits, and have no eggs by me for description. SOMATERIA, Lbach. Hamauria, Leach, in Fleming's Philos. Zool. (1822). (Tj-pe ^"« '""'"ff"' i^;] Bill much compressed, tapering to the tip; the nail enormously large, ""^ f«™>"8 the terminal porUon of the bill, and much decurved, the feathers of fo^head advancing forward in an acute long point, separating on each side a fronUl ex en- Bion or linear process, or the feathers of the cheek may be said to ex end a onsid rable dis'tance ;iong the commissural edge of the bill; '-'" « "^ anterior to the middle of the commissure; tail rather pointed, but short, of fourteen feathers. 80MATEMA MOLIISSIMA. — £««*• The Eider Duok. ^n«s«u,ttis«W, Wilson. Am. Om., VIIMlSU) 122 Fidigvla (Somateria) mofJfsrinw, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 888. Nntt Man., ii. ^'''fU^ n^Umma, Audubon. Cm. Biog., HL (1885) 844, V. 611. Ih., Binl. Am., VL (1848) 849. Description. Tail of fourteen feathers; prevailing color white; the under surface and sides of body hinder part of back, rump, and tail, black; wings white on both surfaces, ScL he quills, which a; black; narrow margin inferiorly of the «1 process of b nand tie fo^head violet-black, this color bifurcating opposite the middle of the of bill ana tne I ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^,^^ ^^jend- n^ent emerald-green; the interspace white; ins brown. „u.. .„ Ungth, twenty-six inches, wing, eleven and twenty-four one-hundredths; t^- .n,, one and eighfy-two one-hundredths, commissure, two and fifty-three one-hun- dredtbs inches. 'L_ L.>iii»>iii;i*ii'i'nii>«*i'" THE KING EIDEB. 628 ing at the base; color the edges and tip ; the under surface of body, ■wing, nine and twenty dths; commissure, two t by the name of ithcr, but has all with it, and is a face of the water, ches it. I know ) eggs by me for Pj-pe Anas mollUsima, L.) lously large, and forming the feathers of forehead ;ch side a frontal exten- ay be said to extend a le bill; nostrils situated 5d, but short, of fourteen ich. 28), 888. Nutt Man., II. )844;V. 611. 7*., Birds This is another of our Sea Ducks that is very abundant in the bays and inlets of our coast during the fall and wai- ter months, and until April in the sprmg. The history of its habits and distri- bution is so well known, that any ac- count here is hard- ly needed. It breeds in abun- "s dance in Labrador "g and other northern portions of the con- tinent, and a few pass the season of incubation on the islands in the Bay of Fundy ; this being the nearest point to our coast that it breeds in at present, although it is said to have formerly reared its young on the islands off Cape Ann in Mossachusetts, and off the coast of Maine The nest is placed on the ground beneath the shelter ol a low bush or thick bunch of weeds or grass. It is con- structed, first, of a thin layer of grasses and weeds, on which the female deposits a thick layer of down, which she pulls from her breast. This is deeply hollowed ; and in this warm receptacle, the eggs, from six to eight or ten m num- ber, are deposited. These are of a dirty pale-green color and their form is varied from ovate to a sharply pointed ovoidal. Their dimensions vary from 3.22 by 2.10 inches to 2.82 by 1.98 inch. under surface and sides of 8 white on both surfaces, orly of the frontal process opposite the middle of the le nape, the color extend- e black glossed with trans- -four one-hundredths; tar- o and fifty-three one-hun- SOMATEEIA 8PECTABIUS.— XeacA. The King Eider. FuUgvia (Somotena) ipectaW/i*, Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), 889. Nutt Man., "fitSla^ec«a«/«, Audubon. Om. Biog.. HI- (1836) 623. ii.. Birds Am.. VI. ,'1843) 847. 524 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. DMCRimON. H„^v ,nd Wins, black; tho portion anterior to the .houlder joint, interscapular Body and win«« ^[^'"''\J y^^^ the jugiilum with a creamy tinge; a region in part, mon "^ "" ^Vnrlcercr^f tl WU aid their interspace, ^mall «pac6 narrow borderto to fro^uproce.^0^^^^^ black, top of head and nape u^ h Xht y llted w'^^h black, middle wing cover... tips of .econdarie., bh..«h-aHh, '•«''' y 77'; r^ f ^f ^i ^ith a patch on each »ide of tho run.p, Sri 7tl ;"old"S tn.p^ent emeWeen, the .eapular. have ''\'en:!:h'S.ytne anTfi«y one-hundredth, inche., wing, ten and .eventy ono. hunShirt-u: one and'eighty-aix one-hundredth., con>mi«ure, two and fifty-three one-hundredths inches. The King Eider is a rare species on our coast in the winter months. It is a more northern species than the pr^ ceding, and Boldom reaches as far south as the coast of Massachusetts. It is of similar habits with the other Sea Ducks, and breeds in tlie most northern sections of the country. The eggs found by Captain James Clarlc Ross R.N., measure 2f inches by If, have a smooth shell, and aie of a uniform dull-greenish color. Sub-Family Erismatukin^. The most prominent character of the Erumatnrin^ h found in be veiy rigid tail not found in the other sub-famihes. ERISMATURA, Bonapartk. j^b^rvrttrhirit'r^^^^^^^^ , » „X of WU running back on the forehead some distance, farther than the til of nail In from above very narrow and linear; bent abruptly downwards and taon of na.l »^en drom ^ ^^^ ^^^^^^. ^^^. ^^^ ^^^^^ 'J:S; Ir tan -id t^e long feet, tail very stiff, of eighteen feathers; Tetv^el above and ^^>o-ery much abb.vlat^^^^^^^^ rr:r^rr;eb^T;ire^^^^^^^^^^ SmMMmUasmm-'ir i n ninwmji M n.v..i-*»-«-" '-— - THE RUDDY DUCK. 525 joint, intertcapiilar I a creamy tinga; a rupace; nmall npaee of head and najie tips of (tccondariex, h side of tli« rump, the scapulars have en and seventy one- mmissure, two and p coast in the 8 than the pre- s the coast of the other Sea sections of the 68 Clark Ross, h shell, and are a In he very rigid tail 1 greater portion of the the bill in Eritmatura EBISMATUBA EUBIDA. - BmaparU. The Ruddy Duck; Dippw Duck. Ann» r,J,ida, Wilson. Am. Om., VIU. (^"*j;;;- "%«,. AnaXFuWjula) rubi,la, Bonaparte Obs. W 1 . «25,, 268. ,V.>M«V--) r^^' ^;'J A^U S r-Aud. om. Bio... IV. Fuluiut'i rubuln, Swainson. F. Uor. Am., u. ^looi; (1838)320. /ft-»-'«A'"-V'-ast in the autumn :o be gregarious to 36 or four individu- ■t diver, swimming it the least alarm, ally only thrusting it swimming, with ,bove water, in the wakp of a boat from which it had boon wounded : and it actually followed for a considcrablo distance before it was discovered. I have noticed, in other Sea Ducks, this trait of following behind a boat, and conclude that it is done for concealment. , . xt w 1 am not aware that this fipocios breeds m New Lug- land. It breeds in localities in the same latitude with tlio most northern sections of these States; but I am inclined to think that it is less of a southern species than the succeeding. It is described as selecting for its nesting-place a small island, usually in the neighborhood of the sea, sometimes in the interior. " The nest is very large ; at times raised seven or eight inches on the top of a bed of all the dead weeds which the bird can gather in the neighborhood. Properly speaking, the real nest, however, is not larger than that of the Dusky Duck, and is rather neatly formed externally of fibrous roots, and lined round the edges with the down of the bird." There are usually about eleven eggs. These are generally nearly oval in shape, sometimes ovoidal. They are of a pale yellowish-drab color, much darker than those of the Sheldrake. They vary in dimen- sions from 2.63 by 1.82 inch to 2.48 by 1.75 inch. MEBOtlS AMEH1CAND3. — Custin. The Qoosander; Sheldrake; Fish Duck. i^,r,««.en,.«.er. Wilson. ^- O-' ^f'/""' ««. as'Si SsT" "" ^""' 460. And. Orn. Biog . IV. (183. 261. /A., Birds Am., VI. (1843) 387. Merytu Amiricanut, Cassin. IT. A. N. So. (1853), 187. Description. Feathors of the forehead extending on the "-ill in an acute angle for half the d* ,an<-e between tho,e on the sides and the nostra ; outline of those on the s.des nearly vertical, and reaching only a little beyond the ^eginnrng of lower edge of Ml, but as far as those on the side of lower jaw; nostrU hrge, far forward, its middle opposite Uie middle of tlic ( ..mmissure. , ^ „p k.^It 3Me._ Head ^^•ithout conspicuous crest: head and neck green; ff^P^^ of back black; beneath salmon^olorj wings mostly -bite, crossed by one band of black: udea scarcely barred transversely; iris carmine. TiWWraajgtssSEWS' mmm • 628 OBNITUOLOOY AND OOLOGY. f«»wfa. — Head with a compromie.l occipital cro»tj head and neck che«tnut, above «.l.yi beiu-atl. .alnmn. olormli wl.ite nf Kreat«r coverU with a terminal bar ot u.hy (.ometlme. wa..ti«K)i tha black of ba.e of Mcond»rl~ entirely concealedl outer tcrtlalu ash. ,. ■ j . « Head without connpiruoua crc.t. thouRh one U vUible In life. Head and most of neck all round very dark Kreen; re.t of n.'ck and the body ^onfrnlly, exc-pt the upper part, creamy-white, deepening to .a!in..n-red beneath. Lower part ol back, rump, and tall feather., plurabeou.i forepart of b»ck, Interscapular region, and inner icapular*, black. , ^ LnKtb, twenty-six and fifty one-hundredtha Inchea; wlnff, eleven; tarsn«, ont and eighty-four onc-hundredtha ; commUaiire, two and ninety tenniiinl Imr » nnlirely coiicimluJ ; I. lload and moFit of (:ciiernlly, cxcvpt tlia l,ow«r port of back, ular region, and innur U, eleven i tar«u«, one :ie-hundredtlu inches. list through the ill tho habits of orhood of fresh- ir. It is OHO of the lake region Lakes aiid Rich- in a high forked I many localities inundations or ,cres of gigantic ), in consequence and difficult of ) height of thirty ;ed top, no better only secures the lous animals, but from any inunda- leaves, moss, and jp layer, on which he bird is placed. :ee inches, and it even to twelve in ictly oval. Their I a little darker, dimensions from I by 1.70 inch. L0PH0DYTE8, Umohart. Lophodytti, lUiciUBT, Syit. At. (1882). Mill •horter than the head, black; aerratlona compreaied, low, abort, Iniorted obliquely on the 8, blBckisb-brown; the lines of rhite. The female resembles the . head, neck, and upper plumage s;ular white spot; under plumage ti grayish-brown. m ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Family GRACULlDiE. The Cormorants. Bill rather moderate, culmen coneave, tip much hooked and acute; nostriU not perceptibte; wings moderate and pointed; tail rather short and rounded; tar^^ rrtTtoes long and all joined by full webs, gular sac capable of cous.derablo expansion. GRACULUS, LiNNiKUS. Graculu., Um^vs, Syst. Nat. (1786). (Type Pehcanus <""•»"' L.) Bill rather slender, of moderate length, with the culmen concave hooked at the ♦in thesTdes compres ed and grooved; nostrils not visible in the adult; wmgs mod- X fngnd potted, .ecZ and third primaries longest, tail -d-te-d graduated at the end; tarsi short and much compressed; toes ^-K -Y!! -S a leathery pouch at the base of the lower mandible, which can be much distended. ThesTwrds exist abundantly in all parts of the globe. They are mostly found on the Icoast, breeding on rocky ledges difficult of access, and also on trees. C arre™ingly expert in catching flsh, being very active m the water, and capable of remaining under its surface for a great length of Ume. GRACDIitrS CAEBO.— Gray. The Common Cormorant. Phalacroccax carbo, Nuttall. Man., IL (1834) 4T9. Aud. Cm. Biog., IH. (1835)458. /i.. Birds Am., VL (1843) 412. GraculuB carbc, Gray. Gen. of Birds (1845). Description. Bluish-black, feathers on middle of occiput and hind neck elongated, gular sac Blmsh blacK, ^^^^ ^^ ^j^.^^. j.^^^_. ^^^^^^^ „„ ^^e head 2l;?wh"a path of white on the sides, third primaiy longest, tail of four- '""^S'!lHumage in general black, glossed with greenish-blue , the feathei. of the tt ,nd sides of the back and wing coverU are dark-ash, with bronzed reflec- "'''''''^thnlerwHrieenish-black, primaries and tail feathers grayish-black. 'Z:::^^^^-^^ «P- around the eye dull-olive, under the eye .d, he g^ sL yellow, encircling ti.e lower part of which .s a ''--"''f "^/•"'^l numerTs linear filamentous white feathers are distril-ied over the head and neck, numerous unear um of elongated linear white feathers, upper man- on the s,de, over he t^^. ^J^f It^Lhite, lower dusky yellowish-white at rrrtit bSs:t-,1y:uIs with dusky margins, tarsi, feet, and claws ""ttbllltstrong and powerful, the ridge is smooth, but the sides of both mandi- '^TenXthiny-seven inches, wing,fourteen, biU,th^^^ Uil, six and fifty one-hundredths mches. THE DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. 635 0RANT8. id acute; nostrils not t and rounded; tarsi pable of considerable carbo, L.) oncave, hooked at the the adult; wings mod- ;st; tail moderate and I long and full-webbed ; in be much distended. They are mostly found iss, and also on trees, ctive in the water, and ime. Aud. Om. Biog., III. !ck elongated; gular sac lear feathers on the head ary longest; tail of four- i-blue; the feathers of the -ash, with bronzed reflec- 1 feathers grayish-black, -olive, under the eye red ; is a broad band of white ; over the head and neck; lite feathers ; upper man- dusky yellowish- white at is; tarsi, feet, and claws it the sides of both mandi- and fifty one-hundredths; The female resembles the male, but is smaller. ,„„,„.„ iZ -Labrador, and along the coast as far south as New Jersey in wmter. ?^;e btds labundant on the coast of Labrador, whore large numbers assem- ble I'Curp^ of reproduction, forming their nests upon the inaccessible ledges "' tSS; of flight is swift and strong. Their food is obtained by divmg and pursuing it beneath the surface, where they make rapid progress by the aid of their wings. THIS species is pretty common on our coast in the latter part of autumn and durii , the winter. It is not gre- garious, but is seen singly or, at most, in pairs. It is shy, and difficult of approach, and seems ever on the alert lor danger The Grand Menan is the most southern breeding- place of this bird in our neighborhood. There it builds a large nest of seaweeds on shelves of steep cliffs or in crev ices of the rocks. The eggs are usually three ux number. They are of a bluish-green color which is covered, over nearly their whole surface, with a calcareous deposit. 1 aey are of an elongated ovate form, and average in dimensions about 2.90 by 1.75 inch. They are, in their various sizes, impossible of identification from the succeeding species. GEACTJltJS DILOPHUS. — C'af. The Double-crested Cormorant. pnalacrccara^ dihphu,, Nutfall. Man., IL (1834) 483. Aud. Om.Blog.,in. (1885) 420; V. (X839) 628. lb., Birds Am., VL (1843) 423. Graculus dilophtu, Gray. Gen. of Birds (1845). Descmption. Greenish-black; behind each eye a recurved crest of loose feather,, gular sac surftfi's greenis'h-black, the feathers of the upper pa^ of Jlie^«f • ^^^Z cZ^ Lscapularies and tertiaries, grayish-brown or dark-a«h, he ">«?">« ^^ wh7cr;*greenish-black; primaries blackish-brown, ligMer on the mner webs; the Vlfrtark eravish-brown; tail black, as are also the shafts; runmng from ZuZJ^^efelt^^ot:^.^^ filamentous feathers, -there are also a few of fhe sle character sparsely distributed over the neck ; behind each eye is a tuft of mth!none slender feathers, erect and curving forwards, bare space m the region ^the3e!Xular sac, orange; upper mandible blackish-brown w.th the edges yeUoX lower yellow,' marked irregularly with du.ky, iris bnght-green: legs, foet, and claws black, claw of the nuddle toe pectmated. li B f ri ^i h'iWIfaTrtli^T^I-^-"'" '-' "™ * '^ ggQ OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. Length, thlrty-three Inche., wtag. thirteen, tail. «x and .eventy-flve one-hun- '"'^J- Atlantic coast from Labrador to Carolina, ft« countrie., Pacific coast Beacoast. They passea m grtai „'i^.i„ --tended front, the ndividuals being :SnT^^:-.h!S:ntthe effect of /hich waa ^uliar and stHWng. - Gbokok W. Lawbehoe. I think that this Bpecies is more northern in its habits than the preceding, as it is seldom seen on the coast of New Eland except fn the winter months, and then mdy n smfll numbers. Unlike vhe preceding, it does not breed south of the coast of Labrador ; and, in nestmg, does not frequent high precipices, but prefers low rocky '«1«^^«; Jhe nest is similar to that of the other : and the eggs, rt^ough averaging smaller, are hardly recogmzable from those of the Common Cormorant; an ordinary large one of the present being of similar form and size with the other. THE 8KUA-GULL8. 687 nd Beventy-flve on&-hun- r countrie»i Pacific coast I off the court of Labrador, aesU on the surface of the B to the Sooth, along our ch other frequently during ant, the individuals being ling of the wings, and their ir and striking. — Geobob them in its habits an the coast of New , and then only in , it does not breed a. nesting, does not rocky islands. The 1 the eggs, although ;able from those of y large one of the ffith the other. Familt LARID^. The Gulls. Bill generally Shorter than thehead^str^Jhta^^^^^^^^^^ at the end; nostril, linear, ''«»« ^»';«^ ^^~ h America. They are piratical in s^L:^;;::rr;:si.^nc^^^^ rofr;i%^=ey7ri^^^^^^^ STERCORARiUS, Bbissoh. StercoraWw, Brisfon. Omithologie (1760). ^ ^^^ Bin rather strong, •J-^-^^^'StotornTnltl; wings pointed, first cere, the end curved; nostnhlmear.aja mo P« ^^^^^ elongated, Urd quill longest; tail of moderate ^•'"f'' V*" '^^"Jgh.rp and much curved; feet strong, and covered with promment soaks; c awB sMrp a S webbed, hind toe short, and but litUe elevated. #^ b88 OBNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 186 8TESC0EAEIUS POMASIHUS. — Ttmminck. The Pomarine Skna. L«(r«iK«»arin«,Nuttall. Man., II. (1884) 816. Aud. Birds Am.. VII. (1844) DK8CBIPTIOK. Adult -Front, crown of the head, back, wings, and tall, blacki.h-hrown ; ^des /, tnart of he neck bright-yellow; throat and entire under plumage wh.te, S.atanTofrown pots extending aero, the upper part of the breast, side. with a bana oi orow i ^^^ ^^.j f^^^y^^„ ^,,„e. and •«''«! ♦»'\.'^°^"'^j7i;te7an'l feet black; the middle tail feather, SC;:^^ rhtt a;o:rt::Ues, they .re rounded at the end. and of ^ trgS"lXa«e of the upper parts blaekish^ of the lower graSSown wUh the fLhers'of the abdomen and lower tail covert, margmed quarters; tarsus, two inches. THIS species is not uncommon on our north-east coast in the autumn and winter months. " It subsists on putrid and other animal substances thrown up by the sea, and also on fish and other mattexs which tlie Gu Is disgorge wlien pursued by it. It also devours the eggs of sea-birds. It breeds in the Hudson's Bay country and other northern localities; nesting "in elevated spots in the marshes or upon rocks; making a coarsely interlaced nest of the sur- rounding moss and herbage ; laying two or three very pointed eggs, of a grayish-olive, marked with a small num- ber of blackish spots." — Nuttall. STEBCOHAEIUS PAEASITinjS. — rmmtiK*. Tbe Arotio Skua. Lar^pcrasiHcu,, Linn«us. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 228 Seercorarii«paro«o second qu.ll there m a round white spot on the inner web near the end; sc ondaries and tertiar.es- broadly endmg with white; bill brirht-yellow, with an ofang«-fed sp-jt near the end of the lower mandible; legs and .:et flesh-colored; iris white. . , . . k roun<,.- Mottled with light grayish-brown and dull-white; primaries blackish- brown; bill brownish-black, yellowish at the base. Length of male, twenty-three inches; wing, eighteen ; tail, seven and a h.^lf ; bill, along ridge, two and a half; depth at angle, thirteen-sixteenths; tarsus, two and a half. Female a litUo smaller than the male, but similar in plumage. ^04. -Atlantic coast from Texas to Newfoundland; Western States; Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. This species is abundant on our coast in tho autnmn, winter, and until late in spring, and luany in' .duius are seen through the whole summer. I foui^l several appar- ently breeding about the Umbagog Lakes, Maine ; and have no doubt that it incubates in various loca Ides in Now England, both on the coast and in the interior. It breeds in the greatest abundance in Labrador and other northern countries, where it nests like the preceding, and sometimes in trees. The birds which I saw about Lake Umbagog prob- ably had nests in trees, as they frequented a tract of dead pines aud hemlocks inaccessible to me on account of inun- dation, and they frequently alighted in their tops. The eggs of the Herring Gull are so diflferent in form, color, and markings, that hardly any description can be intelligible. A great number of specimens in my collection vary in form from abruptly ovate to a lengthened ovoidal. Their color varies from a pale-cinereous to an olivaceous-drab; and their markings from thickly spattered blotches of % 642 OBNITHOLOOY AND OOLOOt. black to different, browns and obscure - purples. Their dimensions vary from 2.85 by 2.05 inch to 2.G5 by 1.85 inch. Largo spocimens of tliis species cannot bo distm- guislied from small ones of tlio preceding. ■ CIIROICOCEPHALUS, Ettok. Chroicocephaltu, Kyton, Cat. Brit. Birdi (1886). ' , ^. . . Bill moderate, rather .lender, much compre..cd ; upper mandible .traight at baie, more or lew curved at the end; no.tril. lateral and longitudinal; wings long nar- row, and pointed; fail moderate, u.ually even; tarti rather .lender; feet webbed; hind toe .mail and elevated. These Gull, are of medium or .mall .i/.e: In their .prmg attiro, the head ii clotlied with a dark»a, Leach, Steph. Gen. Zool,, XHI. (1826) 180. (Type Laras iiidact^w, L.) BiU rather long, strong, and much compressed; culmen straight at base, curved from the nostrils to the tip ; nostrils lateral and longitudinal ; wings long and pointed; Uil even; tarsi rather short; toea slender and united by a full web; him' toe rudimentary or very small. piiH»"Ly?>l 1. 1. llJflUWWfWW^' 544 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. BIS8A TBIDACTYLA.— JSonajxirfe. The KittiwBka OuU. Lartu tridaetyltu, Linnoitu. Sygt. Nat., I. (1768) 324. Nutt. Han., II. (1834) 288. Aud. Birds Am., VII. (1844) 146. Descbiftiox. Adult. — Keai, neck, entire under plumage, rump, and tail, white; back and wings light bluish-gray; the ends of the five outer primaries, and the outer web of the first, black; the fourth and fifth have small white tips; bill greenish yellow; iria reddish-brown; legs and feet brownish-black, with a green tinge. Toung. — The head is white, marked on the hind head and neck with bluish- gray; a spot of the same color over the ears; a narroir crescent of black in front of the eye; wings and shoulders marked with black; primaries black; tail white, with a snbterminal black band; bill black; rest of the plumage same as in the adult. Length, about seventeen inches; wing, twelve ; tail, five and three-quarters, bill, one and a half; tarsus, one and three-eighths inches. Bab. — Fur countries; Labrador; southern coast in winter. This species is not common on our coasts through the summer months. Audubon says it breeds as far south m the island of Gra»d Menan, oflf the entrance of the Bay of Fundy ; and it probably also incubates on other islands oflf the coast of Maine. The nest is composed of sea- weeds, which are arranged in a large pile, and placed on a ledge of rock in a crevice, or on a jutting shelf. This nest is occupied for successive years ; and it receives additions in every season. The eggs are three in number. Their form is usually ovoidal : their color varies from a creamy-drab, with a very slight olivaceous tint, to a delicate gray. On this are scattered blotches of different shades of brown, and obscure spots and blotches of lilac. Of these eggs-— as of all the eggs of Gulls and Terns— it is difficult to give descriptions by which specimens could be identified. The above description, however, answers for all the eggs of this species in my collection. The dimensions vary from 2.20 by 1.60 inch to 2.04 by 1.66. u Han., U. (1834) white; back and I the outer web of 'eenish yellow; iria neck with bluish- f black in front of k ; tail white, with is in the adult, nd three-quarten, through the far south ts > of the Bay other islands wsed of sea- nd placed on If. This nest ■I additions in Their form creamy-drab, te gray. On !s of brown, these eggs — 3 difficult to )e identified, all the eggs ns vary jfrom THE MARSH TERN. 545 Sub-Family Sterninjs.— The Terns. Bill rather long, usually slender, straight, sometimes with the upper mandible curved at the tip, which is acutely pointed; nostrils linear and pervious; wings elongated; primaries long and pointed, secondaries of moderate length; tail rather long and in most species forked; tarsi slender; anterior toes have their websemar- ginate, hind toe small ; claws moderate, curved and acute. These birds are mostly found on the <(eftco«il «nd neighboring bays, occasionally on rivers and lakes: they assemble in large numbers .n the sand bars and points at the mouth of inlets, are much on the wing, and are remarkable for their buoyant and easy flight. Their food consists of small fishes and Crustacea, which they obtain by hovering over and suddenly darting down upon: although they thus seize their prey while in the water, they only occasionally swim or rest upon its surface. STERNA, Lvmaxua. Sterna, LvusMva, Syst. Nat. (1746). Bill more or less strong, about the length of the head ; the upper mandible slightly curved to the tip, which is narrow and acute, the lower straight, with the junction of the crura about the middle ; the noii ■-. iateral and linear, with the frontal feath- ers extending to the opening; wings loag, primaries narrow and tapering, the outer quill longest; tail rather long and more or less forked; tarsi short; toes small and slender with the webs emargmate; hind toe short; claws slightly arched and acute. STERNA AEAHEA. — TFi&on. The Marsh Tern. Sterna aranea, Wilson. Am. Om., VIII. (1814) 148. SUma Angliea, Nuttall. Man., II. (1884) 269. Aud. Om. Biog., V. (1889) 127. lb., Birds Am., VU. (1844) 81. Description. Adult —Upper part of the head, occiput, and sides of the head upon a line with the lower eyelid, black; back and wings light bluish-gray; primaries hoary on the outer webs and tshy-gray on the inner, becoming lighter towards the base ; tail same color as the back, but paler, and with the outer feather nearly white; a line at the base of the uppor mandible, neck in front and enUre under plumage, pure-white; bill deep-black; ins brown; legs and feet black. Length, thirteen and three-quarters inches; wings in extent thirty-four, from flexure ten and a half; tail, four; bill, one and three-eighths; tarsus, one inch. Hab. — Coast of the United States as far north as Connecticut I include this species in our New-England Terns on the above authority. I have not met with it myself, and know nothing of its habits. Wilson says,— 36 646 OBNITpOLOGY AND OOLOGY. U " This species I first met on the shores of Cape May, particularly over the salt marshes, where it was darting down after a kind of large black spider, plenty in such places. This spider can travel under water, as well as above, and, during summer at least, seems to constitute the principal food of the present Tern. In several which I opened, the stomach was crammed with a mass of these spiders alone : these they frequently pick up from the pools, as well as from the grass, dashing down on them in the manner of their tribe. Their voice is sharper and stronger than that of the Com- mon Tern; the bill is differently formed, being shorter, more rounded above, and thicker ; the tail is also much shorter, and less forked. They do not associate with others, but keep in small parties by themselves. «' This species breeds in the salt marshes. The female drops her eggs, generally three or four in number, on the dry drift grass, without the slightest appearance of a nest: they are of a greenish- olive, spotted with brown." STEBHA CASPIA. — Paifcw. The Caspiaa Tern. fiffema Cojpio, Pallas. Nov. Com. Petr., XIV. 682. Lawr. Ann. Lye. N.Y., V. (1851) 37. DESCBimoN. ildfuft.— Forehead, crown, sides of the head, and occiput, black, glossed with green; this color extends below the eye, under which is a narrow white line; back and wings light bluish-ash; the six outer primaries dark slate-gray on their inner webs; quill sh-fts strong and white; tail and its upper coverts grayish-white; nect and entire under plumage pure white; bill and inside of mouth bright vermilion; legs and feet black; bill very stout; tail not deeply forked. In the young, the back, wing coverts, and tail, are mottled and barred with black- ish-brown. Length, twenty-one and a half inches; extent of wings, fifty-one; from flexure, sixteen and three-quarters; bill, ftom base, two and seven-eighths; tail, six inches. Hab. — Coast of New Jersey northward. I include this species on the above authority, are unknown to me. Its habits ;. t STSSHA WlliSOSn. — Bonaparte. Wilson's Tern.— SJmwWrufKfo, Wilson. Am. Cm., VIL (1818) 76. Nutt. Man., H. (1884) 271. Aud. Cm. Biog., IV. (1838) 74. lb., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 97. ; i r, particularly fter a kind of IV can travel t least, seems . In several mass of these pools, as well inner of their of the C!om- shorter, more )rter, and less teep in small nale drops her ry drift grass, of a greenish- Ann. Lye. N.T., lack, glossed with r white line ; back [ray on their inner ayish-white; neclr. I bright vermilion ; barred with black- one; from flexure, i; tail, six inches. Y- Its habits [an., n. (1884) 271. Wilson's tern. 647 Descriptioh. ^rfuft. — Upper part of the head and hind neck deep-black, tinged with brown on the front part of the head; back and wings light grayi5h-blu.>; first primary with the outer web black, on the inner web grayish-black next thu shaft, this color increasing in extent towards the end, where it covers the entire we!) for about one inch, rest of inner web white; the next five primaries are hoary on their outer webs, and blackish-gray on the inner next the shaft, occupying th. entire web at the end; margin of the inner webs white ; central tail feathers very pale bluish-gray, the others white on the inner webs and dusky-gray on the outer webs, deepening in color from the central feathers until it becomes blackish-gray on the lateral ones; sides of the head, thront, rump, and under tail coverts, white; breast and abdomen clear pearl- gray; bill coral-red, black near the end with the tip yellow; iris hazel; legs and feet coral-red, not so dark as the bill ; claws brownish-black. Length, fourteen and three-quarters inches; wing, ten and three-quarters; tail, five and three-quarters; bill, one and three-eighths; tarsus, three-quarters of an inch. Hob. — Texas to Labrador. This is by far the most common species we have in. New England. It breeds in great abundance all along our coast, both on the beach, on the mainland, and on the rocky and sandy islands ofT our shores. In some localities, it is so abundant that I have collected in the space of two hours, in the area of about thirty acres, a half-bushel of eggs. In most localities, it forms no nest, but drops its eggs on the sand or on the bare rock. On the island of Muskegeet, I found that it invariably scooped, out a hollow of two or three inches in the sand, in which it laid three or four eggs, arranged them with their small ends together in the middle, and built around them a loose nest of seaweeds and grass. These eggs are so varied in color and markings, that no description of them can be given by which they may be recog- nized. In a great number in my collection, the predominat- ing color is a reddish-drab, which is marked with numerous spots and confluent blotches of different shades of brown, and obscure blotches of cinereous. Many specimens are an olivaceous-gray, with the same markings ; and others are a creamy-buff. Their form is usually exactly ovoidal, and their dimensions average about 1.55 by 1.25 inch. This species is very irregular in its period of depositing its eggs. I have found them as early as the last week in ^'if?S5SW'ie'"^-9*^IS^5K5J^*?*''^^^^"^'''^'^" 648 ORNITHOLOOY AND OOLOGY. May, and as late as the 12th of July. I have seen, in the Bpaco of a square rod, eggs, in which the chicks were about ready to break the shell, and others that were apparently but just laid; and, close beside them both, were squatting young birds almost fully grown and feathered. About the 16th of June is the period when the eggs of this species are in the best condition in New England for cabinet preservation; the young then being, as a general thing, scarcely formed. Early in October, these birds begin to be scarce m our latitude, and they spend the winter on the shores of the southern gulf. STERHA MAOROURA.— JVaumann. Tbe Arotio Tern. DEsCRnrrioN. Adult -Upper part of the head and hind neck black; back and wings light «ravf Slue ; firlt primary deep-black on the outer web, dusky-gray on the mner Text e haft, and over the erMrc web at the end, inner „,argm ot n-ner web wh.te 1 n xt five primaries are bluisb-gray on the outer web and on the mner web next T. «hSthU color extending over the entire web at the end, where it >i adjoining it, and outer lower tail coverts, white ; bill black ; iris dark-brown ; tarsi and U^t black. The female iliffers only In being rather smaller. This is larger than Wilsons Petrel, and has a much stronger bill: It maybe readily known from it by its forked tail, and the interdigital webs being entirely black. Length, eight Inches; wing, six and » half; tail, three; bill, two-tbirda of an inch ; tarsus, one inch. THIS Hpccics is tho most abundant of o\ir Petrols. It is, ill fact, tho only one that brocds hero ; and all others may bo regarded as wanderers. About the first week in June, in tho latitude of tho islands on tho north-eastern coast of Maine, it pairs. Breeding in communities, it soon begins its nest. This is composed of weeds, short grasses, ard small pebbles, which are arranged in a flai structure, at liie end of a burrow constructed by tho birds, or in the fissures and crevices of rocks on the islands off our northern coast. In this a single egg is deposited, which is of a pure-white color, with an obscure lilac ring around one end, consisting of fine confluent dots. It is nearly oval in form, and averages in dimensions about 1.30 inch in length and .98 inch in breadth. A large number of specimens in my col- lection exhibit a variation of from 1.35 to 1.24 inch in length, and from 1 inch to .80 inch in breadth. These oggs soon become discolored and dirty, from the nature of the nest and the habits of the bird ; but originally they are pure- white. Their shell is exceedingly fragile, and a little rough to the touch, like that of the eggs of all birds of this class. THALASSIDROHA WJLSOmi. — SonapaHe. Wilson's Stormy PetreL Proetttanapelagica, Wilsoil. Am. Om., VIL (1808) 90. Thalamdroma WiUoniiy Bonaparte. Syn. (1828), No. 808. Nntt. Man., 11. <1884) 824. Aud. Om. Biog., IIL (1836) 486; V. (1839) 646. lb., Birda Am., VIL (1844) 228. Oceanitu WiUomi, Bonaparte. Cons. Av. II. (1865) 199. IP' 654 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Description. The general color of the plumage is dark Booty-browni primaries and tail black- !5h-brown, the latter Tvhite at the base; some of the outer secondanes and the secondary coverts grayish-ash, ending with grayish-white; rump, sides of the abdo- men and exterior lower tail covert., white; bill black; iris dark-brown; tars, and feet black, with the webs yellow except at the margin. This species is somewhat smaller than T. Leachii, and more delicate in form; Jie bill is much weaker: it may readily be distinguished by the greater proportion of white on the under tail coverts and on the sides ac the base i' the tail, together with its much longer tarsi and yellow webs ; tail nearly even. Length, seven and one-fourth inches; wing, six; tail, three-quarters; bill, seven- twelfths inch; tarsus, one and three-eighths inch. ffai. — Off the Atlantic coast from t' Gulf of Mexico to Baffin's Bay. This species is rare on our coast, and, to my knowledge, does not breed within the limits of New-England shores. Audubon says, — " Wilson's Petrel breeds on some small islands situated off the southern extremity of Nova Scotia, called ' Mud Islands,' but which are formed of sand and light earth, scantily covered with grass. Thither the birds re- sort in great numbers about the beginning of June, and form bur- rows of the depth of two or two and a half feet, in the bottom of which is laid a single white egg ; a few bits of dry grass, scarcely deserving the name of a nest, having been placed for its reception. The egg measures an inch and a half in length by seven-eighths of an inch in breadth ; is almost equally rounded at both ends. ... On wing, this species is more lively than the Forked-tailed, but less so than the common Stormy Petrel. Its notes are different from that of tha Forked-tailed Petrel, and resemble the syllables kee-re-kee-kee. They are more frequently emitted at night than by day." ; I THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 656 laries and tail black- secondaries and the p, sides of the abdo- irlt-brown; tarsi and delicate in form; ',ne [reatcr proportion of Jie tail, together with quarters ; bill, seven- (affln'B Bay. my knowledge, lugland shores. 1 situated off the slands/ but which vered with grass, her the birds re- in great numbers it the beginning of 3, and form bur- i of the depth of or two and a half , in the bottom of jh is laid a single te egg ; a few bits Iry grass, scarcely srving the name of a egg measures an inch in breadth ; . On wing, this lut less so than the t from that of the bles hee-re-kee-kee. in by day." Familt COLYMBID-S:. The Diveks. Bill more or less long and compressed ; the nostrils are linear or rounded, and situated in a latiiral groove; tail rudimentary or short; tarsi much compressed; an- terior toes long, with the interdigital membrane more or less full, the outer longest; hind toe short, free, with a hanging lobe; daws broad, depressed, buried in tha body. The species are remarkable for their powers of swimming and diving: their eas« and gracefulness on the water is in strong contrast with their awkwardness on land, The following are the characters of the two sub-families, Colymbbta and Po, liters as far south as Maryland; inhabits as far north as the arctic seas; found also on the Pacific coast. This bird, although pretty common on our coast during the winter, is much more northern in its breeding habits tlian the Loon; seldom passing the season of incubation south of Labrador, where it begins to lay early in June. The nests are placed on small islands in fresh-water ponds, a short distance from the sea. " These nests consist merely of a few blades of rank grasses loosely put together, and are quite flat, without any down to warm or conceal the eggs at any period of incubation." They are placed \.'ithin a few feet of the water, and are approaclied by well-beaten paths, like those of the preceding. The eggs are usually three in number. They exactly resemble those of the Loon in form, color, and markings, but are much smaller ; varying from 3 to 2.65 inches in length, and from 1.90 to 1.76 inch in breadth. Sul-Family PodicipiNjE. — The Grebes. Bill generally long, compressed on the sides, and pointed; lores usually naked; /lostrils placed in a groove, oblong and narrow. Wings short, the second qnill longest, shorter than the scapulars; the tail is represented by a tuft of downy feath- ers; tarsi much compressed and rather short; toes long, the outer longest, broadly and evenly lobed, most so on the inner side; claws short, broad, and obtuse; tarsi with plates on the sides, in front with a single, behind with a double, longitudinal series of projecting scales; toes and their lobes plated above. The plumage is very soft, and on the under surface silky: they are remarkably active on the water, and when alarmed remain below the surface, exposing only the bill. THE RED-NECKED GREBE. 659 iked with grayish- >val-shapcd white t of the back and the latter edged y \ under plumage band ; bill bluish- o and a half; bill, as far north as the coast during eeding habits )f incubation irly in June, -water ponds, onsist naerely together, and : conceal the placed \.ithin )y well-beaten 8 are usually those of the auch smaller ; id from 1.90 jres usually naked; t, the second quill uft of downy feath- ter longest, broadly J, and obtuse ; tarsi iouble, longitudinal ley are remarkably -face, exposing only PODICEPS, Latham. Podicrps, Latham, Ind. Omith. (1790), 780. (Type Cohjmhus criitatut, I,.) Bill long, slender, tapering, and pointed ; nostrils situated in a groov", email, linear, and pervious; wings short and narrow, second primary a little the longest, emarginatc near the ends; tail a tuft of loose feathers ; tarsi short, much compressed, the edges covered with small scutellw, and the sides with broad transverse scutelln;; toes long, the outer longest, flattened, with the sides lobcd, the most on the inner side, and at the base united by webs; hind toe short and broadly lobcd, claws small, depressed, and obtuse. These birds mostly frequent the fresh-water rivers and interior lakes ; but they are also found near the seacoast. They are very expert swimmers, but make progress with great difficulty on land ; their flight is rapid and direct. In the breeding season, the head is ornamented with rufl"8 and elongated tufts, which disappear when they assume their winter garb. PODICEPS GBISEIGEHA. — Gray. The Bed-necked Grebe. Podiceja rubrieottis, Nuttall. Man., II. (1834) 253. Aud. Om. Biog., IIL (1835) 617; V. (1839) 620. lb., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 312. Description. .4rfuft. — Upper plumage blackish-brown, with the upper part of the head and hind-neck black ; primaries ashy-brown, secondaries mostly white, a few of the inner ones dark-ash; cheeks and throat ash-gray; a white line extends from the lower mandible under and beyond the eye; forepart and sides of the neck rich brownish- red; lower parts silvery- white, with the sides dusky; bill black, paler at the end, and bright-yellow at the base ; iris carmine ; tarsi and feet externally greenidi black, internally yellow. Young. — The upper plumage is blackish-brown, darker on the head ; throat and abdomen white; sides of the head and forepart of neck brownish-ash; abdomen wlky-white; sides dark brownish-ash ; bill bright-yellow. Length about eighteen inches; wing, seven; bill, one and three-quarters; tarsi, two inches. Hob. —Fur countries and in the Atlantic States, as far south as Pennsylvania, in winter. The Red-necked Grebe is common on our coast in winter, where it is commonly called " The Diver," from its habit of diving at the flash of a gun. It feeds, like all other birds of this family, on small fishes and marine animals, which it obtains by diving ; and such is its expertiiess and powers of endurance in this respect, that I have known it to remain certainly a miri^^.e beneath the surface, if not longer. It is n^tm W^^ m 660 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Bhy, and difficult of approach ; and, when apprehending danger, it immerses its body, and swims with nothing but its head above the surface. This trick I have noticed in other allied species ; and it is, I think, common in all birds of this class. It breeds in the most northern portions of the continent, where it forms the same kind of nest " as that of the Crested Grebe, and lays three or four eggs." Audubon describes an egg in his possession as being two inches in length by one and a quarter inch in breadth, and of a uniform pale greenish-white. FOBICEFS CBIS'IA.IVS.— Latham. The Crested Grebe. Podkep, crUtatm, Nuttall. Man, IL (1834) 250. Aud. Om. Biog, IIL (1836) 696. lb.. Birds Am, VIL (1844) 308. Desckiption. ^dttJt.- Front, upper part of the head, and long occipital tufts dark umber- brown, the base of the tufts brownish-red; the ruff is bright brownish-red on the upper portion immediately under the tufts and anteriorly, on the hind-part brownish- black; upper plumage dark umber-brown; humeral feathers white; pnmanes umber- brown; secondaries mostly white; throat and sides of the head white; forepart and sides of the neck adjoining the ruff brownish-red ; under plumage sil very-white; sides dusky, tinged with reddish-brown; bill blackish-brown, tinged with carmine; bare loral space dusky-green; iris bright^armine ; tarsi and feet greenish-black externally, greenish-yellow internally; webs grayish-blue. ^. . Young -Upper part of head dark-brown; hind-neck brownish-gray; back and wings brownish-black; humeral feathers white; primaries dark umber-brown on the outer webs, paler on the inner; lower parts silvery-white, sides brown; upper man- dible brownish-black, pale at the end, and yellow on the sides at the base; lower mandible yellow, with the sides dusky. Length, twenty-three and one-half inches; wing, seven and three-quarters, bUl, two and one-sixteenth; tarsus, two and a half inches. This is not uncommon as a summer resident in northern New England; and, according to Mr. George A. Boardman, it breeds about the lakes in the neighborhood of Calais, Me. The nest is placed in a retired spot, in a swamp or marsh, near the water; and is constructed, according to Dr. Richardson, of " a large quantity of grass, placed among the reeds and carices." The eggs »re generally four in ^prehending nothing but 3 noticed in in all birds portions of of nest " as four eggs." 18 being two Dreadth, and Biog., in. (1836) ufts dark umber- wnish-red on the nd-part brownish- ; primaries umber- id white; forepart age silvery-white; ged with cormine; Jet greenish-black ih-gray; back and nber-brown on the rown; upper man- at the base ; lower liree-quarters ; bill, t in northern i. Boardman, lod of Calais, n a swamp or lording to Dr. placed among erally four in THE HORNED GREBE. 561 number. They are, when first laid, of a white color ; but they quickly become dirty and stained by the habits of the bird and the nature of the nest. They are of an ovoidal form, and average about 2.16 by 1.48 inch in dimensions. PODICEPS COENTJTDS. — iaMnm. The Horned Orebe. Pod'iceps eomutui, Nuttall. Man., 11. (1834) 254. Aud. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 429; V. (1839) 623. lb., Birds Am., VII. (1844) 818. Debcription. Adult. — Upper part of the head, chepks, throat, and ruff, glossy-black ; a broad band running from the bill over the eyes, and the elongated occipital tufts behind them, yellowish-red, deepest in color adjoining the bill ; upper surface brownish-black ; the feathers margined with gray; primaries brownish-ash; secondaries mostly white, some of the outer one dark-ash; the fore -neck and upper part of the breast bright chestnut-red, sides of the same color, intermixed with dusky; abdomen silky-white; bill bluish-black, yellow at the tip; loral space bright-carmine; iris carmine, with an inner circle of white; tarsi and feet dusky-gray externally, dull-yellow internally, and on both edges of the tarsus. Young. — The whole upper plumage grayish-black, darkest on the head, feather* of the back with gray margins; throat, sides of the head, a broad space on the sides of the neck, nearly meeting behind, breast, and abdomen, silvery- white; sides and lower part of abdomen dusky. Length, about fourteen inches; wing, five and three-quarters; bill, one; tar«i, one and three-quarters inch. Hab. — Generally distributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. The Horned Grebe is not uncommon in our lakes end rivers, and in the waters on our coast, in the spring and autumn. It breeds in more northern localities than New England, but is not invariably an arctic breeder. Audubon says, — " Although the greater number of these birds go far northward to breed, some remain within the limits of the United States during the whole year; rearing their young on the borders of ponds, particularly in the northern parts of the State of Ohio, in the vicinity of Lake Erie. Two nests which I found were placed at a distance of about four yards from the water's edge, on the top of broken-down tussocks 86 i 562 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. of rank weeds; the materials of which they were com- posed of the same nature, and rudely interwoven to a height of upwards of seven inches. They were rather more than a foot in diameter at the base ; the cavity only four inches across, shallow, but more finished with finer plants, of. which a quantity lay on the borders, and was probably used by the bird to cover the eggs when about to leave them. There were five eggs in one nest, seven m the other. They measured one inch and three-quarters in length by one inch and two and a half eighths. Their shell was smooth, and of a uniform yellowish-cream color, without spots or marks of arty kind." A single egg in my collection, from Wisconsin, is of an ovoidal form; measures 1.85 by 1.20 inch in dimensions. It is of a dirty-white color, the shell being covered by a calcareous deposit. On scraping this, the shell is of a bluish-white tint. PODILYMBUS, Lesson. (Type Colymbui podi- Podilffmbui, Lesson, Traite d'Omith. (1881), 696. *^BiU Lrter than the head, snout much compressed; the culmen much curved to the tin which is acute; nostrils situated in the anterior part of a broad groove, oval ^d^is , wings s'hort, second quill longest, the outer quills e-argmate at «>e end- tail a tuft of downy feathers, tarsi short, and very much compressed; anterior rs' long, flattened, the outer longest, and broadly margined, the inner sides the most, Und toe short and moderately lobed; claws smaU, depressed, oblong, and obtuse PODUiTMBUS PODICEPS.— iai«-«nc«. The Pied-bill Onbe. ColymbMpodictp$, Linnasus. 8. N. (1766), 228. ^, „ m naM\ pXp* Mnewi., Nuttall. Man., IL (1884) 269. Aud. Om. Biog, HI. (1888) 869; V. (1889) 624. lb., Birds Am., VIL (1844) 824. Dbbcbiption. >ld«Zt.-Upperplumag*. very dark brown; primaries dark-ash; secondaries ash on the outer weVs, and whi.'^ on the inner ; hUl pale-blue, dusky on *e "dge of tt.e ^pper mandible, both mandibles crossed with a broad black band, mcluing the nos- S cto and throat marked with a conspicuous black patch nearly two mches m «teLf cheeks and sides of the neck brownish-gray; lower part of the neck, upper ' were com- •wovou to a were rather e cavity only id with finer Brs, and was rhen about to lest, seven in hree-quarters jhths. Their i-cream color, nsin, is of an 1 dimensions. covered by a shell is of a -pe CMymbui podi- nen much curved to I broad groove, oval Is emarginate at the lompressed; anterior the inner sides the iresBed, oblong, and THE PIED-BILL OHEBE. 563 part of the breast, and the sides, dull rusty-bruwn, spotted and rather indis- tinctly burred with brownisli-black; lower part of breast and abdomen grayish- white, mottled with dusliy spots; iris brown; tarsi and feet grayidh-blaelt. Yoimg. — The throat is white and the bill without the transverse Mack band, the under plumage more silvery-white; in other respects the same as the adult; some specimens, probably the birds of the year, have whitish lines on the sides of the head. Length, fourteen inches; wing, five and a quarter; bill, seven-eighths; tarsus, one and a half inch. /7(i&. — Atlantic States generally; Texas and New Mexico; California and Oregon. This is the most common Grebe in New England, where it is a summer resident. It undoubtedly breeds in all these States, as it is frequently taken in the breeding season ; but its nest, owing to the secluded habits of the bird, is very rarely found. It is described as being similar to that of the preceding species. The eggs, five in number, are covered with a calcareous deposit, which gives them a dirty yellow- ish-white color : on scraping this off, the shell beneath has a bluish-white tint. The form of the egg is exactly ovoidal. Specimens in my collection, from Illinois, measure about 2.17 inches in length by 1.45 inch in their greatest breadth. Another, from Wisconsin, is only 1.95 inch in length, and 1.18 inch at its greatest breadth. I# 3ni.Biog.,in.(1886) -ash; secondaries ash ty on the ridge of the nd, including the no»- nearly two inches in irt of the neck, upper s:»s0 ssTji •istu , .'' 564 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. Fajult ALCIDiE. BPl without lamoUa, along the edges, «ua«y .horter than th. '7/';;";J:;^"'^f; Ur0.rn" I. .W, boml ™.ld.nc., U.., »• liul. kn-n^ .»d »..,.! .[«.« doubtless yet remain to be discovered. Sub-Family Aj^cisx.— The AuJc$. ALGA, Lms^us. o'n^'/.:;: s\!;r bro*;d;"„Tstrong, wing, short, Uil short, bill about « longrthe heTd. feathered at base, much flattened laterally, wider, and somewhat Ti ^ «t th« end- upper mandible with oblique transverse grooves; wmgs short ''^^:::i:t^:tr:!^!^^^-, leg. and feet short and strong, t.es fully webbed. ALOA TOBDA. — I»nn«M. The Busor-bllled Auk. Aka U>rda, Llnn«us. Syst. Nat, L (1758) 180. Aud. Cm. Biog, HI. (1836) 112, V. 428. Dkbcbiption. .» u II., rt«n the nrecedinK, general form short and heavy, bill rather ,onrdtsXtathtd\* aL 2^^^^^^^ long, densely leauiereu , .^ ^ fy^j transverse grooves, curved transverse grooves, ""^J ""/^^^^^^^^^^^ ^e middle of the commissun,, and feathers on side "^ "PP%J«':^f;''';"f J"^ L°lde«^^ pointed, tail short, gradu- rd'Jh'e^^dlirrS^^^ le'^ short, strong, a narrow ated, «'"> " .«J" " . . ^^^^ gide from the base of the upper mandible to but very f ^"•^i^'^^jlj^^*'^ °^ '^^^ brownish-black, more clearly brown on the fhlTanS nick in ^U Z!ZL on the back , secondary quills narrowly tippo.d SwhUe, entire under' parts white, biU black, with a single transverse band of ^ZSX:^^::^^^. wing, eight to eight ahdahalf, tail, tbree winter to New Jersey, also, arctic regions of Old World, hcn.c . in a burrow m the earth, dug by the birds. " In al^ !bo btirr-ws that c m-nti- nicate with each other, a roun( p.uco Is f.,. oped out on one Bide of the avenue in the form of an oven ; while, in those which are single, this ovenlike place is found at the end. All the passages are flattish above and rounded beneath, as t cannot be /ion. diving with great :, much flattened IHcly rugo sanio liolo. Hotli birds work in digging tlio holo, uwing tlioir bills and foot: tlioy also Hit altornatoly on their ogg, altliough llio fomalo engages more industriously in this occupation, while tho mule labors liardtir at tho burrow. But one egg is laid : this is at first pure-whito ; but it soon bocomcs soiled and stained, and appears to bo a dirty yoUowish-whito. Its form is a puro ovoidal. A number of sjjecimons in my collection aro from 2.48 to 2.30 inches in length, and from 1.70 to 1.65 inch in thoir greatest breadth. Somo specimens are marked with spots and blotches of brownish-rod, — tho proportion of marked ones being about two in fivo. 105. the two laat ipeclei narrow tranivorne idiblo composed of nts or granulations, wo or Uireo curved n»e, and with about hort; legs and feet parti of the body; n the throat, white, and throat) brown- id above frequently le other upper parts; ; iris light-blue, uid a half; tail, two ■ northern New on the islands 1 burrow in the ys that m^n- iped out on one while, in those md at the end. ded beneath, as Sub-Family URiNiB. — The GuiUemot$. URIA, MoBiiniso. Urin, MoKRHiNO, At. Gen. (1752). (Typo Colymhut ffryUt, L.) General form short and robust; head moderate; bill rather long, straight, some- what compressed, pointed, angle of the under mandible distinct ; nostrils in a groove at base of upper mandible, the membrane of which is covered with short velvet-like feathers; wings short, pointed ; tail short; legs short and robust; tarsus shorter than the middle toe, compressed ; toes rather long, fully webbed; claws rather strong, curved. USIA QiVZU,'&. — Latham, The OuUlemot. Aka gryUe, Llnnasus. Syst. Nat., I. (1768) ISO. Uria grj^e, Audubon. Orn. Biog., III. (1835) 148; V. 627. DEBCRH'nON. # Bill straight, pointed; wing rather short, weak; first quill longest; tail short; a large oval transverse space on the wing white, which is also the color of the under wing coverts and axillary feathers, outer edge of the wing and shoulder brownish- black; all other parts of the plumage brownish-black, with a greenish tinge, and darker on the back; bill black ; feet red. rounder. — Under parts, neck, and rump, white ; head above and back dark- Drown; large space of white on the wing. Total length, about thirteen inches; wing, six and half; tail, two inches. liiiiiiliiiii 668 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. This species id pretty abundant on our coasts ; and it is said to breed on rocky islands, from Mount Desert eastward. It can therefore be considered as a resident of north-eastern New England through the year. It is found all along our shores in the winter, but not in any great abundance ; and it is less common on the shores of Massachusetts, than on those of Maine. Like the other Auks and Guillemots, it is an expert diver ; and it obtains its food by diving and swimming beneath the surface of the water : this food, as with the others, consists principally of fish, which it Seizes in its bill, and swallows whole. It also eats various small marine animals and their eggs ; and, like the others, picks up such floating garbage as may come in its way. The eggs, three in number, are placed on the bare rock or earth, usually in fissures of cliffs or almost inaccessible ledges. These are exactly ovoidal in form, and vary in color from a pale greenish-white to a pure pearl-white. This is covered irregularly with spots and blotches of dif- ferent shades of brown and black, thickest at the great end, where they are usually almost confluent into a ring around the whole egg. Besides these spots, there are others of an obscure-purple scattered over the egg, that appear as if they were beneath the outside of the shell. The dimensions of the eggs of this species vary from 2.40 by 1.60 inch to 2.25 by 1.50 inch. DWA LOMVIA. — firflnnicA. The Foolish Qoillemot; the Morre. Una lomvia, Brilnnich. Om. Bor. (1784), 27. Colymbm troile, Linneus. Syst. Nat, I. (1766) 220. Descuiption. Bill rather long, pointed, compregsed; from the lateral feathem longer than the tarsus, or than the inner toe and claw; a narrow line under and behind the eye dark-brown; head above, and entire other upper parts, brownish-blaclc ; sides of the head, and entire under parts, white; sides of the body under the wing with trans- verse stripes of ashy-brown; under wing coverts white, secondary quills tipped with white; bill blackish-brown, paler at base; tarsi and feet dark greenish-brown; »um- L.^ THE FOOLISH GUILLEMOT. 569 ts ; and it is ;rt eastward, lorth-eaatern id all along abundance ; imsetta, than [ Guillemots, y diving and this food, as licli it Seizes arious small others, picks he bare rock , inaccessii)le and vary in pearl-white. otches of dif- he great end, , ring around others of an ear as if they iraensions of ) inch to 2.25 in longer than tbe nd behind the eye -black ; sides of tbe le wing with trans- y quills tipped with ienish-brown ; sum- mer plumage, with the entire hind and upper parts of body, dark sooty-brown; under parts white; head and orbital region dusky, without white stripes. Total length, about fifteen inches; wing, seven and a half; tail, two inche*. IToft. — Northern coasU of America; Northern Europe and Asia. This bird is rather common on our coast in the winter months, and is said to breed in small numbers about the Bay of Fundy. As a general thing, however, it passes the season of incubation in more northern localities, and is very abundant on the coast of Labrador, where, on the low islands, it breeds, laying a single egg, like the Razor-billed Auk, on the bare rock or gravel. It is impossible to de- scribe the egg of this species in a manner that will lead to its being distinguished from that of the Murre or Razor- billed Auk. Audubon makes the following observations, which are, of course, of more value to the collector than to the student, who has no opportunities of visiting the breeding-grounds of these birds. He says : — " The Foolish Guillemot lays only a single egg, which is the case with the Thick-billed Guillemot also. The Razor-billed Auk lays two, and the Black Guillemot usually three. This is confirmed by the fact, that the Foolish Guillemot, which lays only one egg, plucks the feathers from its abdomen, which is thus left bare over a roundish space, just large enough to cover its single egg. The Thick-billed Guillemot does the same. The Auk, on the contrary, forms two bare spots, separated by a ridge of feathers. The Black Guillemot, to cover her three eggs, and to warm them all at once, plucks a space bare quite across her belly." One peculiarity which I notice in the eggs of this species and those of the Murre is, that they are generally some- what pyriform in shape : but this is not persistent ; and the same rock may contein a deep-green egg with brown spots and blotches, a light-blue one with hardly any marks, and cream-colored OneS; drab," reddish-white, and bluish-white, some with only a few spots and blotches, and others thickly marked. It may also have pyriform eggs, ovoidal, ovate, 570 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOQT. and almost oval ones. The only moans of perfect identi- fication of either of these species is to visit their breeding- places, «ind secure the parent birds on their nests. The dimensions vary from 3.50 by 2.15 inches to 2.95 by by 1.78 inch. UEIA EIHQVIA. — BrSnnich. The Mnrre. Una ringvia, Brilnnich. Orn. Bor. (1764) 28. Uria troUe, Audubon. Om. Bor., III. (1886) 142. DESCRIPTIOir. About the size of, or rather larger than, the preceding; bill rather long, pointed, compressed ; from the lateral feathers, longer than the tarsus, or than the inner toe and claw; wings rather short; tail very short; a narrow line of white encircling and run- ning backwards behind the eye and over the ear; head and entire upper parte dark- brown, with a tinge of ashy; under parte white; sides with transverse stripes of ashy-brown; under wing coverte white; bill black; feet greenish-black; winter plumage, with the throat and aU other under parts, white; the white line behind the eye frequently wanting, and different in length in specimens. Total length, about seventeen inches; wing, seven and a half to eight inches; tail, two inches. Hab. — Northern America, Northern Europe, and Asia. The same remarks are applicable to this as to the Foolish Guillemot. It is northern in its habits, and i» more abun- dant on the coast of Maine than farther south. MER6ULUS, Kat. Mergulus, Bat, Syn. Av. (1718), 126. Small; general form short and heavy; head rafter largo; bill short, ftick; upper mandible curved, slightly lobed on ite edge; membrane of the rounded nostril large; wings moderate or rather short, pointed; first quill longest; tail short; feet rathet short. HEBOULUS ALLE. — Xinructu. The Little Auk; the Sea Dove ; DoveUe. ^fea oCe, Linnasus. Syst. Kat, I. (1766) 211. Uria aile, Audubon. Om. Bor., IV. (1888) 804. Dkscmptios. Small; head, breast, and entire upper parte, brownish-black, inclining to fuligi- nous on the head and breast; under parte from the breast white; a narrow line of white over the eye;. secondaries tipped with white; ecapulars edged with white; THE LITTLE AUK. 571 erfect identi- eir breeding- its. 3S to 2.95 by ithcr long, pointed, n the inner toe and encircling and run- 3 upper parts dark- insverse stripes of nisb-black; winter lite line behind the If to eight inches; to the Foolish 9 more abun- under wing coverts dark-ashy; flanks with longitudinal stripes of browmsh-black bill black; feet pale-reddish; webs of toes dark; winter plumage "n-l y.«"ng- ;-« the throat and other under parts, white, extendmg somewhat on the sides of the °*\"otal length, about seven and a half inches; wing, four and a half; tail, one and ""onTortte most abundant of the sea-birds of northern America and Europe, straying south in the winter occasionaUy to the coasts of the Middle States. This curious little bird is not uncommon on our coast in winter. In severe storms, it is occasionally blown far inland ; and it has been killed in the Umbagog Lakes, m the north-western part of Maine. I know but little of its habits. Wilson says : — « The Little Auk is said to be but a rare visitant of the British Isles. It is met with in various parts of the North, even as far as Spitzbergen; is common in Greenland, m company with the Black-billed Auk, and feeds upon the same kind of food. The Greenlanders call it the Ice-bird, from the circumstance of its being the harbinger of ice. It lays two bluish-white eggs, larger than those of the Pigeon. It flies quick, and dives well, and is always dipping its biU into the water while swimming or at rest on that element; walks better on the land than others of the genus. It grows fat in the stormy season, from the waves bringing plenty of crabs and small fish within its reach. It is not a very crafty bird, and may be easily taken." short, thick; upper mded nostril large ; short; feet rathet inclining to fuligi- e; a narrow line of edged with white; NOTES. I conclude herewith Mr. Couper's notes on the foregoing species, made at Quebec, Lower Canada: — ANSES HTPERBOBEDS. —Common on the St. Lawrence in the faU. BEBHICLA CAHADEHSI8.-Thi8 is our most common species. It goes north and west to breed. They breed abundanUy in the swamps of Ilbnois. A few breed in Anticosti; and I beUeve they are to be found breeding m LAbrador. '-»-- 572 ORNITHOLOOT AND OOLOGT. AHAS BOSCHAS. — Uncommon. A. OBSCUBA. -This duck is very common here. It is truly a northern species. It breeds in the swamps adjacent to this city. DAFILA ACUTA. - Common in spring : a few visit us in the fall. HETTIOH CAB0LINEHSI3.— Common. Breeds. QUEBQUEDULA DISC0B8. — Uncoaimon. SPATOLA CLTPEATA. — Uncommon. MABECA AMEBICAHA.-The adult bird is seldom seen in this latitude. AIX SPONSA. — Sometimes common. Breeds. FUMX MABILA. -The young are abundant on the St. Lawrence during autumn. They breed north-west of Quebec. F. APFraiS. — Occasional specimens are shot at Sorel and Three Rivers. It is more abundant in Western Canada, r. COLLABIS. — Occasional. ATTHYA AKEBICAHA. — Occasional. BUCEPHAIA AJIEEICAHA.-Very common in spring and feU. Breeds in Canada. B ISLAUMCA —Adult birds are occasionally shot on the lakes. The young are abundant on the St. Lawrence during the early part of winter. I have seen the adult on Lac k la Philip in July. B. ALBEOLA. — Common in spring and fWl. HISTBIOHICDS TOBftUATUS.- Common on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. A beautiM adult male was shot in the spring, on the Montmo- renci Kiver, near Quebec. . HABELDA GIACIALIS. - Occasional near Quebec. Common on the ipper lakes in spring and fUl. PELIOKETTA PEBSPICILtATA. - Very common in the fiiU at MilW Vaches, lower St. Lawrence. SOMATEEIA MOLUSSIMA. - Common on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. Breeds on isknds in the river below the Saguenay. MBBGUS AMBBICAHUS. — Common. Breeds. M. SEBBATOB. — Common in spring and fall. LOPHODTTBS CDCULLATU8. — Adult is occasionally seen. Young visit ' the St. Lawrence in the fkU. Breeds on the margins of northern lakes. LABU8 ABQEHTATOS. — Common on the St. Lawrence in spring and fall. Breeds on our mountain lakes. ^ NOTES. 678 truly a northern the fall. in this latitude. Lawrence during nd Three Rivers. lAEUS DELAWASENSIS. — The young arc occasionally seen hovering over the river, opposite the city, in autumn. Breeds in Labrador. CHEOICOCEPHALUS PHILADELPHIA. — The young of this Gull are com- raon in the St. Lawrence during autumn. Adult rare. Tliey are supposed to breed on the islands of the St. Lawrence. STEENA WILSOHII- — The young are common in the autumn. Adult birds are occasionally seen on their way to the upper lakes. COLTMBUS TOEftUATCS, — Common on all our northern lakes. Breeds. UEIA LOMVIA.— Tins species makes an occasional foolish visit to the fresh waters of the St. Lawrence. In the fall of 1866, hundreds were destroyed by the inhabitants, who sold them to hucksters to exhibit on the market a> •n article of food. and fall. Breeds 1 the lakes. The part of winter. I li shore of the St. ig, on the Montmo- Common on the the &11 at Milld 1 shore of the St. aguenay. seen. Young visit aorthem lakes. 'ence in spring and I'l! mamammim»mlllStHliKU liMlrlTMiiiiriliMr^^^ % L_ mmm APPENDIX. I HERE append the following list of additional species, which occur or have occurred within the limits of New England. As will be perceived, the greater number can be regarded only as occasional or accidental visitors ; and, indeed, some of the species are deemed by ornithologists as of doubtful existence, — as, for instance. Small- headed Flycatcher, Wood Wren, &c. I am under special obligations to Mr. Henry A. Purdie for many valuable suggestions and facts in relation to the times of arrival, distribution, breeding habits, «&c., of many of the species described in the body of the work, and mentioned in the Appendix. Reference has been made to the following works : — BiBDs OF Massachusetts. By W. B. O. Peabody. 1839. Birds of Long Island. By J. P. Giraud. 1844, Birds of Vermont. By Zadock Thompson. 1863. Catalogue of Birds of E88f.x County, Mass. By F. W. Putnam. Published in Proceedings of Essex Institute. Vol. I. 1856. Catalogue of Birds found at Norway, Me. By A. E. Verrill. Published in Proceedings of Essex Institute. Vol. III. 1862. Catalogue of Birds found at Calais, Me., and about the Islands in the Bay of Fundy. By George A. Boardman. Published in Pro- ceedings of Boston Society of Natural History. Vol. IX. 1862. Catalogue of Birds found at Springfield, Mass. By J. A. Allen. Published in Proceedings of Essex Institute. Vol. IV. 1864. Catalogue of Birds of Massachusetts. By E. A. Samuels. 1864. Catalogue of the Birds found in the vicinity of Watervillb, Me. By Professor C. E. Hamlin, m Report of Maine Board of Agri- culture. 1865. Catalogue of Birds of New England. By Elliott Coues, M.D. Published in Proceedings of Essex Institute. Vol. V. 1867. Notes on some of the Rarer Birds of Massachusetts. By J. A. Allen. Published in American Naturalist Vol. III. 1869. Article by John Burroughs in Atlantic Monthly. June, 1869. f ■ o Wrattii S ^ H a l M^ 1. 576 APPENDIX. CATHABTES AURA. Turkey Buward. — Accidental. Ono taken at Calais, Me.,— George A. Uoardman; two in Massachusetts, 1863. CATHABTES ATBATOS. Black Vulture. — Accidental. One taken at Swampscott, Mass.. in November, 18r>0, by S. Jillson; one at Glou- cester. Mass., on Sept. 28, 1863, by William Iluntsford; one in Hudson Mass. ; others seen, — S. JUUon ; one new Calais, Me., — G. A. Board- man. FALOO 8ACEB. Jer Falcon. Iceland Falcon. — Rare winter visitor, al- most accidental in southera portions. One killed at Seckonk Plams, Mass., about 1840, by Jillson; ono taken in the winter of 1864-5, near Providence, R.I., by Mr. Newton Dexter. The two species heretolore considered distinct — viz., Falco Candieuns and F. Iilandicm - are now considered as belonging to the present; species. ABCHIBUTEO SABCTIJ0HAIHI8, Black lawk; and ABCHIBUTEO LA- aOPUS, Bough-legged Hawk. -J. A. Allen gives, in his article on the "Rarer Birds of Massachusetts," the following extract, from a letter written by Dr. William Wood, in relation t.j these species, to prove that they are identical : — .,.,.1.11. " I have," he says. " aU shades of color, from the light to the black, and I am unable to find the dividing line; both have the same measure- ments. the same claws and biU, the same habits, come and leave at the same time, and hunt together. I have them almost black, with the faint markings of the lighter bird, showing, to my mind, that the lighter mark- ings become extinct as the black increases, or as the bird increases in age. Those who claim that they are distinct say, that in some locabties the Bough-legs are common, and no Black Hawks are to be seen. This proves nothing. The young of the Red-throated Diver are very common in Long-Island Sound, yet the adult is n. er seen there. So it is with the Crested Grebe: the young are found here in winter, never the adult " In another letter. Dr. Wood says: " The Rough-legged Falcon and Black Hawk art the same. I have taken and examined, I presume, forty specimens. They are the tame bird, but not of the same age. The black is the adult So gradually do they become more black till jet-black is reached, that I wUl defy any one to draw the separating Ime." STBIX PBATIHCOLA. Barn Owl— Given by Thompson, on authority of Dr. Brewer, as being not only found in Vermont, but also breeding there This is. of course, incorrect. Accidental visitor from the South. One taken in Lynn. Mass.. about 1863. by Mr. James Teal; one taken at " Sachem's Head." Conn., Oct 28, 1866. - Dr. William Wood; one at Springfield, Mass., May, 1868, —J. A. AUen. APPENDIX. 677 Ono taken at setts, 1863. I. Ono taken at )n; ono at Glou- ; one in Hudson, , — G. A. Board- winter visitor, al- Seekonk Plains, r of 1864-6, near jpecies heretofore Islandicu» — are AECBIBUTEO LA- lis article on the act, from a letter cies, to prove that light to the black, the same measure- le and leave at the lack, with the faint ,t the lighter mark- rd increases in age. some localities the to be seen. This ;r are very common lere. So it is with winter, never the legged Falcon and id, I presume, forty me age. The black ack till jet-black is ng line." ipson, on authority t, but also breeding itor from the South, les Teal ; one taken iVilliam "Wood ; one RTOTALE AOAOIOA. 8«w-Wli«t Owl, — The following account of the breeding habita of this little owl is kindly furnished me by Richard Christ, of Nazareth, Pa. : — " This, the smallest of all our owls, is also the most rare, but a single specimen being seen in a period of several years. It is very tame when found, permitting one to approach very close to it before flying away. I am inclined to think that it sees less in the daytime than any other species of our owls, for one can touch it without being noticed, the bird taking flight more from alarm to its sense of hearing than any other cause. It generally frequents stone quarries or piles of rocks, beneath which it takes shelter; and it is from this habit that the bird hero is known by the name of " stone owl." On the 26th of Aprils 1867, 1 was so fortunate as to find the nest of one of thcs'' birds. It was placed or located in the hollow of a tree, about twenty feet lioin the ground; the entrance to the hole was very small, scarcely two inches in diameter. On climbing the tree and looking into the hollow, I discovered sitting on the bottom what I supposed might be a small owl. Uncertain as to the truth, I introduced a small stick into the hole, and turned the bird over upon her side, she making no struggle whatever, but remaining perfectly still as if dead. I discovered that she was sitting upon a single egg. Supposing that she had but just commenced laying, I left her, and did not molest her again for several days ; on the fifth day after, I again examined the nest, and found the bird on her I'gg, none other having been laid. I enlarged the hole, and took the egg, leaving the owl quietly sitting on the rotten chips which formed the bottom of the nest. The egg was white, with a bluish tint, like many of the other owls' eggs, nearly globular in form, and considerably smaller than the egg of the Red or Mottled owl." OlF.lISnS CAROUHUS. Bad-lMlliad Woodpeeker.— Given in Allen's list as accidental. He •" saw one, May 13, 1868 ; and it has been taken sev- eral times in Connecticut, but occurs in New England only as a straggler." Accidental summer visitor, and only in more southern portions. . ASOTTBIA MACULATA.— A South American Humming Bird, a single individual of which was captured in Cambridge, Mass., August, 1866, by Mr. William Brewster. Entirely accidental. TnAHirUB DOHIHICEISXB. Gray XiuK Bird. —Entirely accidental ; from the South. One shot in Lynn, Mass., October, 1869, by Charles I. Goodale. CMPISOBAZ FLAVIYSITBIS. Tellow-bellitd Flyoateher. — A not com- mon spring and autumn migrant in southern, and summer resident in # 678 APPENDIX. northern section.. I. generally found in thick undergrowth .n .wampy bcS. t i. .aid i! have a more musical note than other specu. of L ™- and according to WilUam Urew.tcr. of Cambndgo. it« nong :o:fZ;e;elc;that or the Wood rewee. but it i. not .o prolonged. and much more .ubdued. TOMDS laVIUS. Varied Thra.h.-But one inrtance o" record of iU ca^u * ?n New England ; at Ipswich. Ma«... December. 18b4. Ace.- dentol ; from the West. 8AX1C0LA MAHTia. Ston. Chat.-Not a. yet. I believe, actually ob- tained wUhIn the limiU of New England; but a. it haj. ac.ordu.g to Tuet b en found in Nova Scotia. Labrador, and on Long I« and t ^ay occu^ The .peci.. i. a straggler from Europe, and enUrcly acc- *'!^WWn.A OJEBOLIA. Bl«-Oray 0«.t.ateh.r. - An accidental .um- .c^vSo .outhern portion, of New England. No recent m.tance of its occurrence on record. LOraOPHAHBS BIOOLOB. Cr..t«d Itt«on...-An accidental .pecie., game a. the preceding. TBOOLODinS AMBBIOAHUS. WoodWr.«.--I ^ave "ever jne* with th . ni!; but was induced to include it in my li.t of Maa.achu.ett. bird.. TblUhld in Z^^^use .everal collector, and others had informed me Jhtf 1 oclionally found here. Thompson and oth-Jcl«de .^- edge of an authentic specimen in any coUection. OBOTHLTPISPHILADBLPHIA. l'-""'"*^"""--^,*''"'*'/ V^'^.r^f and autumn migrant , but it breed, in northern and e'^^ed portK.ns of New England. A neat said to belong to th.. spec.e.. found by Mr. John Sough, about the head-waters of Delawai. River m the Cat.k.U MouS. N.y.. is thus described by him in the "Atlantic" for June. ^*"\t^a. placed in a bunch of fern., and about six >"<=!'«« f™™*^' ^und It wa. quite a ma..ive nest, composed entirely of the sUlks S^ Tea^e. of driedV-B. with an inner Uning of fine, dark brown rooU^ ?he egg., ihree in number.were of light flesh-color, umformly .pecked with fine brown .pecks. The cavity of the nest was so deep that the back of the sitting bird sank below the edge." According to this writer, the song of this bird re.emble. that of the MaryUnd YeUow Throat. Like that .pedes, it gives a preference to damp places. wth in iwampjr )thcr B[H3cit!a of )riilgo, iU Bong 1 10 prolonged, I on record of r, 1804. Acci- vo, actually ob- Ls, according to Long Island, it id entirely acci- accidental sum- rocent instance :idental species, ?cr mot with this gachusctts birds, had informed me hers include it in en found by Dr. id have no knowl- efly a rare spring vated portions of jund by Mr. John r, in the Catskill tlantic" for June, X inches from the irely of the stalks dark brown roots, uniformly specked so deep that the embles that of the es a preference to APPENDIX. 679 PBOTOHOTABIA OITBEA. Prbthonotary Varbltf . — But one occurrence In New En(;land, — male bird, obtained in October, at Calais, Me., by G. A. lioardman. Accidental. A southern species. BXLiniTHOPHAOA CHBTSOPTERA. OoMen-winKed Warbltr. — As stated by Mr. H. A. Purdio, in the "American Naturalist," Vol. III. p. 497, Massachuaetts is probably about the northern limit of this Mpeeies, and it is a not uncommon summer visitor in that State, instead of a spring and autumn migrant. Ho also mentions the discovery of the nest in West Newton, by Mr. C. J. Maynard, thus confirming his belief that this warbler nidified with us. ^ In the same volume of the above magazine, pp. 575-6, Mr. J. A. Allen thus describes the nest found by Mr. Maynard : — The nest was placed " on the ground, in a tract of coarse weeds and ferns, near a swampy thicket, and but a few rods from a public highway. It was placed entirely above the surface of the ground, and the birds •eem to have made no special effort to conceal it. It was composed ex- ternally of dried oak-leaves and the bark of the grape-vino, and rather roughly lined with fine grass and a few horse-hairs. He says it is large for the size of the bird, and somewhat reminds one of the nest of the Maryland Yellow Throat. It is a little smaller at the top, where the internal diameter is less than two inches, while in the middle it is two and a quarter. The eggs were five in number, including a Cow Bunting's egg that these watchful parasites had introduced." These eggs are described as varying from 66. 100th inch in length bv 66.100th inch in breadth to 66.100th inch by 63.100th inch, and being more or less spotted and blotched with brown, over a white ground color. HlLMiHTHOPBAOA OXLATA. Oraoga Crowned Warbler. — Accidental. One obtained at Springfield, Mass. ; others seen. May, 1863, by J. A. Allen. A western species. • SEIUBUS LUDOVIOIAHUS. Iiarge-billed Water Ihruih. — Very rare, if not accidental, summer visitor. One taken at Norway, Me., May, 1866, by Irving Frost; one at Waterville,. Me., 1866, — Professor C. E. Hamlin; one on Mount Tom, Mass., April 28, 1869, by J. A, Allen. DISDBOICA CJEBULSA. Bine Warbler, — Perhaps an accidental summer visitor to extreme southern portions of New England. No recent in- stances on record of its occurrence. BZ:n)BOICA MACUIiOSA. Blaek and Tellow Warbler. — The following description of a nest and eggs of this species is kindly furnished me by I'liiililtti Mi^' 680 APPENDIX. I. ■ V Mr. R. Dnane. of Cambridge, Mmi. The gpecimcm wore foimil ai Upton, Maine, .luno 10, 1870 : — "The neit wan placed in a forked branch of a low spruro about three feet from tJic ground, on a rising pioco of land leading from a wood path. The nest, which contained four egg«. wai construcU-'d of dry graii, npruce twig«, rooU, &c., and was line;h fnany naturalists deny. Some one of the species of Empidonax, as Dr. Couea remarks, was probably mistaken for it. imODIOCTES CAHADMSIS. Canada Flycateher.—TUs species probably more often nests on tho ground and in damp situations than elsewhere. A nest found in Lynn, Mass.. some years since, by George Wells, is thus described. Vol. VI. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat, Hist.: "The nest was found in low swampy ground, and was built at the foot of a tussock of thick grass, on the ground. It was constructed almost entirely of leaves of the white pine, so loosely arranged that it was found necessary to sew them together, in order to preserve it. The eggs, five in number, m shape are an oblong ovoid, 8.4ths of an inch in length by 9.16ths m breadth; their ground color is a bluish-white, irreguUrly marked with dote and small blotches, of reddish-brown." PTBAHOA ESTIVA. Smnissr »«d Bird. — Accidental summer visitor to southern portions. Two taken in Lynn, Mass., April 21, 1862, by S. JiUson ; one taken in Framingham, Mass., May ; one in Amherst. Masa., August, 1867. COLtTWO KCtlBlTOBOIDBS. Whlte-rumped Bhrik.. — Said by NuttaU to have been seen in MassachusctU in winter. Doubtful, VIBEO PHILADEIPHICOS, PhUadsIphla Vlreo. — Very rare summer visi- tor; only one instance of ite occurrence on record. WaterviUe, Me., — Profesaor C. E, Hamlin. i*5. maSm wore foiix'i at ce about thro« in a wood path, ■y gr&M, ipruoe lio whole being have Been, the vor with large I by .62 inch; Although Dr. Ipswich, Mass., I the step of his I Now England iita, whioh many [, as Dr. Coues rpecies probably than elsewhere, je Wells, is thus "The nest was of a tussock of sntirely of leaves necessary to sew in number, in h by 9.16th8 in irly marked with ummer visitor to 21, 1862, by 8. Amherst, Mass., -Said by Nuttall d. rare summer visi- Waterville, Me., Ld^ APPENDIX. 681 OROmSTM OlAim AOA Lark rineh. — Entirely accidental ; but one instance of its occurrence recorded, — S. Jillson, Gloucester, Mass., 1846. A western species. OEITSOITZ BAIBDII. Baird's Sparrow. — Accidental. One «p«>cimen obtained at Ipswich, Mass., by C. J. Maynard, Dec. 4, 1868. A nurth- wcslcrn species. IIXLOSnZA LIIOOUIII. Llnoola's Sparrow. — ' Accidental ; but five in- stances of its capture on record. Three at Springfield, Mass., by Mr. J. A. Allen, May, 1860, 1863, 1864; two at Hudson, Mass., by S. Jill- son, May. 1867, 1868. PASSIB DOMESTIGA. Europtaa Houss Sparrow Introduced from Europe, and will probably become generally distributed, at least in the more southern portions of New England. OUIBAOA OfBDLEA. Bias Orosbsak. — Accidental visitor fVom the South; but one instance of its occurrence on record, — George A. Boardman, Calais, Me., 1861, when several were seen. OABDIIALIS VIROIHIARUS. Cardinal Orosbsak. Bsd Bird. — Accidental visitor from the South; but three recent instances of its occurrence. Four specimens taken near Springfield, Mass., in October, 1866. Seen by Mr. W. II. Niles, at Bclchertown, Mass., October, 1868; and at Southampton, Mass., May 6, 1869. XABTHOOEPHALUS lOTEBOOEFHALnS. TsUow-hsaded Blaekbird— Acci- dental visitor from the West. One taken in Watcrtown, Mass., in October, 1869. LAQ0PU8 AIiBUS. Whits Ptarmifan. — Rare winter visitor in northern New England. HEBODIAS XOBXTTA. Ortat Whits Rsron. — Accidental visitor from the South. Several instances of its captui-e in southern portions of New England. FLOBIOA C£BDLEA. Littls Bias Hsron. — Of rare occurrence. Specimen taken in Barnstable, Mass., in spring of 1861. Accidental; from the South. BTCTHXKOIDIDS VIOtACBITS. Tsllow-erownsd Bight Hsron AccidcnlAl visitor from the South. One taken in Lynn, Mass., by Mr. N. Vickary, October, 1862. IBIS OBOII. Olossy Ibis. — Accidental visitor from the South. Two recent instances of it^ occurrence recorded, — Nantucket, September, 1869, one specimen ; New Hampsliire, in October, 1858, by I)r Palmer. L^ 682 APPENDIX. 4 HIMAHTOPUS H10E1COLU8. Bla.k-ne.k.d Stilt-But one or two occur- rences, in our Umits, on record. A southern species. PHALAEOPUS WILSOHII. Wilson's Phriorop.— Given in Dr. Coues' list as^VeTncre. perhaps only accidental, and chiefly dunng .ts m.gra- *'raALAEOPOSFDUCAliniB. Eed Phalarops— Occurs rarely, along the coast, during its migrations. ^ MICROPALAMA HIMAH^'OPUS. Btilt J"<»'J'- -^^^jS'^^^^ ^ summer visitor. Two specimens obtained at Rye Beach. N.H., by Mr. William Brewster, late in Augusts of 1868-69. PHILOMACHUS POQHAX. EuIT, -One or two instances given by Board- man. Accidental visitor from Europe. OALLIHULA OALEATA, Common OallinuU; «.dO. MAETIHICA, P-rplo d- linule. — Are both rare visitors from the South. AHSEE GAMBELLIl. American White-fronted Goose. -Given in Dr. Coues' Ust as " Very rare, and perhaps accidental, m wmter. BBEHICLA HUTCHIHSII. Hutohinson-. Goose. - Given in Dr. Coues' list as " Chiefly spring and autumn migrant. Not abundant. HETXIOH CBECCA. English Teal. - A wanderer from Europe. But one or two instances of its occurrence on record. FULIXCOLLAEIB. Bing-necked Duck. - Spring and autumn. Not com- mon. , . . CAMPTOLJEMOS LABEADOEIUS. Ubrador Duck.-Rare winter visitor. MEEGELLUS ALBELLUS. Smew. -Very rare H'*-<'/««7^f " that was killed in Massachusetts Bay, as I was informed ; and Mr. Chas W ILtt, Jr.. of Boston, assures me that he once -t w. h one at Point Shirley, Mass. A straggler from the northern parts of the Old World. . ^ ... 8ULAP1BEB. Booby.-Entirely accidental; but two mstance, of us occurrence, and those not recent. A Southern species. PELECAiniS FU3CDS. Brown Pelic«.. - Accidental ; from th. South. On?y oneTpecimen obtained. Brant Point. Nantucket; others seen.- J. A. Allen. ' „ ^ ,u PEIECAHTJS EEYTHBOBTKCHUS. A»eri.«. '""•"V M C X in New England. "One or two instances." Calais, Me.. - U. A. Boardman. Accidental. STEECOBAEIIIS CEPPHU8. Buffon's Skua, LongHaUed Jager. - A not unconunon fall and winter visitor. J APPENDIX. 588 »nc or two occur- n Dr. Coues' list uring its migra- arely, along the Ixceedmgly rare h, N.H., by Mr. I given by Board- IHICA, Purple Gal- — Given in Dr. rinter." in Dr. Coues' list It." Europe. But one [itunm. Not com- ire wint«r visitor, e seen a specimen ed i and Mr. Chas. B met with one at 1 parts of the Old TO instances of its 9. ; from thp. South, et; others seen, — Has been taken lais, Me., — 6. A. led Jager. — A not LABUS GLAUOnS. Glaneoiu GoU. BnrKomaitsr Gnll. — A very rare winter visitor. LABUS UUOOFTEBnS. White-winged Gull.— A rare winter visitor. LABUS DELAWABENSIS. Bing-billed Gull. — Not uncommon in winter. Breeds on the coast of Maine raioly. STEBNA AOUTLAVIDA. Cabot'i Tern. — Accidental ; from the South. One obtained at Chatham, Mass., August, 1866, by Mr, Nathaniel Vickary. STUBHA FULIGINOSA. Sooty Tern. — Has been met with on Muskogee* Island, Mass., in the breeding season. A southern species. . STEBNA PABADISEA. Boieate Tern. — Summer visitor to southern por- tions of New England. PBOCELLABIUS GLACIALIS. Fntaar Petrel. — Given by Coues as "A rare winter visitant along the coast." THALASIDBOMA PELAGIC A. Stormy Petrel. — Rare in winter off the coast. PUFFIHUS HAJOB. Greater Shearwater. — Not uncommon in winter off the coast. PUFFUfUS AHGLOBUM, Hank's Shearwater; and P. FULIGIXOSUS, Sooty Shearwater. — Are occasionally met with in wiuter off the coast. HOBMOI CIBBHATA. Tufted Puffin. — Very rare, and probably acci- dental ; in winter, on south-eastern coast of Maine. A north Pacific species. COLTHBUS AfiCTICUS. Blaek-throated Diver. — Is given in several lists as occurring in winter. Given in Putnam's list as " common in young plumage in winter, rare in adult plumage." I have never met with an undoubted specimen. Its occurrence in New England must be con- sidered rare. UBIA ABBA. Thiok-billed GuiUemot. — Not uncommon in winter. 1 xi -fiS;. vyi^fts^uKix'rt^iir"^ .M^ INDEX OF COMMON NAMES. Americ*n Avotet, 438. Bittern, 406. Creeper, 190. ^ Goldfinch, 288. Osprey, 66. Raven, 866. Swan, 480. Widgeon, 499. Wo<»dcock, 483. Ank, Little, 670. Razor-billed, 664. Avoiet, American, 438- B. Bald Eagle, 61. Baldpate Duck. 499. — Baltimore Oriole, 848. Barrow's Golden-eye Duck, 611. Belted lUngflsber, 136. —Bittern, American, 406. _ Least, 408. — Blackbird, Cow, 889. Crow, 863. Red-winged, 841. Rusty, 860. ,. Bluebird, 176. , Blue Jar, 864. Snowbird, 814. Bobolink, 886. Brant, 486. Bull-head Plover, 418. Bunting, Black-throated, 837. ^.^untinir. Cow, 889. Henslow's, 806. Snow, 396. Butcher-bird, 366. Buszard Hawks, 34. c. Oanada Flycatcher, 347. Goose, 488. Grouse, 378. Jay, 866, 873. Canvns-back Duck, 607. Carolina Dove, 876. ^at-bird, 172. ' .-Cedar-bird, 266. Chat, Yellow-breasted, 209. Chatterer, Bohemian, 264. ^hewink, 332. -<;hick-a-dee, 183. ,.€himney Swallow, 116. Coot, American, 476. Butter-billed, 620. White-winged, 618. Cormorant, Common, 684. Double-crested, 68A. -Cow Blackbird, 330. Creeper, American, 190. Black and White, 301. Crossbill, Red, 291. White-winged, 298. Crow Blackbird, 362. Crow, Common, 867. Fish, 868. - "Cuckoo, Black-billed, 86. YeUow-billed, 68. Cuckoos, 83. Curlew, Esquimaux, 469. Hudsonian, 467. Long-billed, 466. Short-billed, 467. Curlew Sandpiper, 448. D. Dipper, 636. Diver, Great Northern, 665. Red-throated, 667. Dove, Carolina, 876. Dovekie,670. Ducks, River, 487. Sea, 608. Duck, Baldpate, 499. Barrow's GoWen-eye, 611. Big Black-head, 604. Black, 28, 489. Buffle-head, 614. Butter^ball, 614. CuiTM-back, 6(i7. [685] ~: i i .ill INDEX OF COMMON NAMES. American Avoeet, 428. Bittern, 405. Creeper, 190. _ Goldfinch, 288. Osprey, 65. Raven, 865. Swan, 480. Widgeon, 499. Woodcock, 483. Auk, Litae, 570. Razor-billed, 664. Avoset, American, 428- B. Bald Eagle, 61. Baldpata Duck. 499. — Baltimore Oriole, 848. Barrow's Golden-eye Dack, 611. Belted Kingfisher, 126. "^^Bittem, American, 406. _^ Least, 408. — Blackbird, Cow, 889. Crow, 852. ^ Bed-winged, 841. Busty, 8B0. ^ Bluebird, 176. , Blue Jay, 864. Snowbird, 814. BoboUnk, 886. Brant, 486. Bull-bead Plover, 418. Banting, Black-throated, 827. —^Bunting, Cow, 889. Henslow's, 806. Snow, 296. Bntcher-bird, 268. Buuard Hawki, 34. c. Canada Flycatcher, 247. Goose, 488. Grouse, 878. Jay, 866, 872. Canvns-back Duck, 607. Carolina Dove, 376. _X!at-binl, 172. "^^edar-bird, 266. Chat, Yellow-breasted, 209. Chatterer, Bohemian, 264. U^hewink, 832. ■^hick-a-dee, 182. -Chimney Swallow, 116. Coot, American, 476. Butter-billed, 520. White-winged, 618. Cormorant, Common, 634. Double-crested, 68ft. -Cow Blackbird, 330. Creeper, American, 190. Black and White, 201. Crossbill, Red, 291. White-winged, 298. Crow Blackbird, 852. Crow, Common, 857. Fish, 868. - -Cuckoo, Black-billed, 86. Yellow-billed, 88. Cuckoos, 82. Curlew, Esquimaux, 469. Hudsonian, 467. Long-billed, 466. Short-billed, 467. Curlew Sandpiper, 448. D. Dipper, 626. Diver, Great Northern, 666. Red-throated, 567. Dove. Carolina, 876. Dovekie, 670. Ducks, River, 487. Sea, 608. Dock, Baldpate, 499. Barrow's GoWen-eye, 611. Big Black-head, 604. Black, 28, 489. Buffle-head, 614. Butter-ball, 514. Canvaa-back, 507. [685] -^1-- 586 INDEX OF COMMON NAME8. Duck, Dipper, B14, 535. Dusky, 28, 489. Eider, 622. Gadwall, 487. Golden-«ye, BU. Harlequin, 516. King Eider, 528. LitUe Ulackiead, 506. Long-tailed, 516. Mallard, 487. Old Wife, 516. Pintail, 492. . Red Head, 606. Ruddy, 626. Scaup, 604. Scoter, 621. South Southerly, 616. Spoonbill, 496. Sprigtail, 492. Summer, 500. • Surf, 520. Velvet, 618. Whistle-wing, 512. Wood, 600. E. Eagles, 49. Eagle, Bald, 61. ^^ ' Golden, «, 81. . Gray, 61. Wmte-headad, 61. Falcons, 7. Finches, 288. Finch, Bay-winged, 808. Grass, 808. Pine, 290. .^ Purple, 285. Sea-side, 808. Sharp-tailed, 807. Flicker, 105. Flycatcher, Acadian, 148. Canada, 247. Great-created, 181. Green-crested^, 143. .^ Least, 141. OliTe-aided, 185. _ Pewee, 188. '^ TraUl's, 140. Wilson's Black-cap, 246. •«. Wood Pewee, 137. G. Gannet, Common, 583. Godwit, Hudsomon, 466. Marbled, 468. ^^oldfinch, American, 288. Goosander, 627, Goose, Canada, 488. ^ Goose, Snow, 482. Solan, 582. Goshawk, 22. Grebe, Carolina, 502. Crested, 560. Horned, 661. Pied-billed, 562. Bed-necked, 569. Greenlets, 270. Grosbeak, Pine, 288. B Rose-breasted, 828. Ground Robin, 882. GrouM, Canada, 878. ' Pinnated, 880. Ruffed, 888. Spruce, 378. Gnillemot, Common, 667. Foolish, 668. Gull, Bonaparte's, 648. Great Black-backed, 640. Herring, 541. Kittiwake, 544. Laughing, 642. H. Harrier, 46, 81. Hawk, Black, 45. Broad-wmged, 40, 81. Cooper's, 27. Duck, 7, 16. Fish, 66, 81. Gos, 22, 81. Great-footed, 7, 18. Marsh, 46, 81. Night, 122. Pigeon, 16, 80. Bcil-flhonldcred, 87, * Bed-tailed, 85. Bough-legged, 48, 81. Sharp-ehinned. 81, eU Sparrow, 19, 80. Heron, Great Blue, 401. Green, 406. Night, 409. Snowy, 898. Hooded Merganser, 629. Hununii>g-b&d, Ruby-throated, ill. Indigo-bird, 880. J. Jay, Blue, 864. Canada, 866. , King-bird, 128. ~ Kingfisher, Belted, 126. Kites, 46. INDKX OF COMMON NAMES. 587 1,828. IT. ed, 640. 40, 81. ,16. d^sr, ' 48, 81. 1, 81, 81. ii). )1. 28. ^-tiiKated, lit. m. Lapland Lon^pur, 800. 'Lark, Meadow, 343. Tit, 200. Lesser Kcdpoll, 294. Loon, Great Northern, 656. Ked-tbroated, 667. M. Mallard Dock, 487. Marsh Heii, 471. ^•Martin, Purple, 280. - -Maryland Yellow-throat, 206. -Jklcadow Lark, 343. Mealy Redpoll, 296. Merganser, Ked-breasted, 526. Mocking-bird, 167. Murre, 668, 670. N. .,ight Hawk, 122. Notes, by William Couper, 80, 868, 477, 671. Nuthatch, Red-bellied, 188. White-beUied, 187. o. 'Oriole, Baltimore, 848. Orchard, 346. 08prey,^65. -Oven-bird, 218. Owls, 60. Owl, Acadian, 75, 81. ■~ Barred, 73, 81. Great Gray, 72, 81. /^ Groat Homed, 60, 81. Hawk, 79, «. iiong-cared, 68, 81. Mottled, 64. Ked, 64. Saw-whet, 75, 81, ■-";, Screech, 64. ShorVeared, 70, 81. Snowy, 77, 8L Oyster-catcher, American, 424. P. -^-Partridges, 393. Passenger Pigeon, 378. ^'eep, 447, 460. Petrel, Leach's, 552. Wilson's, 568. ,^ewee, 183. "^ewee. Wood, 187. Phalarope. Northern, 430. Pigwn, Wild, 373. Pine Finch, 290. Grosbeak, 283. Plover, Bartram's, 460. Black-bellied, 422. Field, 460. Golden, 418. Kill-deer, 416. Piping, 421. Semipalmated, 419. Wilson's, 418. Upland, 460. Puffin, Arctic, 666. LFurple Finch, 286. Q. Qua-bird, 409. jLjuail, Virginia, 898. R. Bail, Carolina, 474. Clapper, 471. Marsh, 471. Virginia, 472. Yellow, 475. Raven, American, 366. Red Start, 249. Redpoll, Lesser, 294. Mea'.'r, 296. Rin^-neck, 419. L.4iobm, 164. s. Sanderling, 449. Sandpiper, Bartram's, 460. Bonaparte's, 446. BuflT-breasted, 462. Curlew, 443. Gray-back, 440. Least, 447, 478. Pectoral, 446, Purple, 442. Red-backed, 444. Semipalmated, 460i Solitary, 457. Spotted, 468. ■Scarlet Tannger, 251. Sea Dove, 570. Seed-caters, 283. Sheldrake, American, 627. Shore Lark, 280. Shoveller Duck, 496. Shrike, Great Northern, 2ea. Skua-gulls, 537. Skua, Arctic, 588. Pomarine, 538. Skylarks, 280. Snipe, English, 485. Red-breasted, 488. Robin, 440. Wilson's, 436. Snowbird, 814. ii iii .a'%'ctea nivea, 77, 81. yctiardea gardeni, 409, 477. o. Oidemia Americana, 621. Oporomis agilis, 208. Ortyx Virgmianus, 898. Oscmes, 6, 145. Otus Wilsouianug, 68, 81. P. Pandion Carolinensig, 56, 81. Panda Americana, 208. Parus atricapillus, 182, 371. » Hudsonieus, 186, 371. Passerculus Savanna, 801. I Pasgerella Uiaca, 823, 872. INDEX OP SCIENTIFIC NAMES. C91 Pellonetta perspicillata, 620, BM. PeriiKireus L'lmnciuiiHis, 360 371. PhiilarnpuB liyiwrboreus, *30, 478. Philohcla minor, 483, 478. Picuides arcticiin, 94. hirnutug, 96. Picui pubescens, 89. villoKUA, 87. Pinicola Canailvnsin, 288, 871. Pipilo ervtIiroplithalmuR, 3.32. Plectroplianea lapponicun, 800. nivalis, 290, 871. Podicepa cornutun, 561. criatatus, 660. grigei^cna, 669. Podilymbus podiceps, 663. PooctBtcs p-ainincuB, 303, 371. Purzana Carolina, 474, 478. Noveboraccnsia, 476, 478. Progne purpurea, 260, 370. Pyranga rubra, 261, 870. anerquedula discora, 495. uiscalus versicolor, 362, 873. Ballos crepitans, 471. elegann, 471. Virginianui, 472, 478. Raptores, 4, 6. Rasores, 6, 878. Kecurvirostra Americ»»ia, 428. Regulus calendula, 178, 869. satrapa, 179^ 369. Bhyacophiluji Bolitanug, 467, 478. Bisga tridactyla, 644. s. Sayomis ftiRcna, 188. Scansores, 4, 82. Scolecophagus fermginens, 860, 873. Scopg agio, 64. Seiurus aurocapillus, 218, 869. Noveboraccnsis, 220. Setophaga ruticilla, 249, 870. Sialia siulii), 176, 369. Bitta Canadensis, 188, 871. Carolinensis, 187. Somateria mollissima, 622, 672. spectabilis, 623. Spatula c'.;, (leala, 496, 672. Sphyrapicus varius, 96. Spizella monticola, 317, 871. pusilla, 319, 371. socialis, 320, 371. SquaUrola Helvetica, 422, 478. Sten-orgrius par«iiiti''up, 68». pomarinus, 688, Sterna aranea, 646. Caopia, 549. fVcnata, 649. macrnura, 648. WiLwnii, 646, 673. Strepsilag interprcs, 426, 478. StflKores, 4, 110. Sturnvlla magna, 343. Sula basfinna, 632. Surnia ulula, 70, 81. Symphemla semipalmata, 462. Symium cinereum, 72, 81. nebulosum, 73, 81. T. Tetrao Canadensis, 878, 896. Thali' Iroma Leachii, 652. Wilsonii, 568. Tinnui us sparvcrius. 19, 80. Tringa |iina, var. Americana, 444. iiunapartii, 446. canutug, 440, 478. maculata, 478. maritima, 442, 478. gubarquata, 443. Wilsonii, 447, 478. Tringoideg macularius, 468, 478. Trocliilus colubris, 111, 308. Troglodyteg sedon, 196. hyemalis, 197, 871. Tryngites rufeacens, 462. Tunlug fuscescens, 150, 369. niigratorius, 154. mustclinus, 146. Pallasii, 148, 369. Swainsonii, 152. Tyrannua Carolinensig, 128, 869. u. Una (Cylle, 667. lomvia, 668, 678. ringvia, 670. Vireo flavlfrons, 278. gilvus, 273. Noveboracensis, 276. olivaceus, 270, 871. solitarius, 277. z. Zenaidura Carolinensis, 375, 896. Zonotrichia albicollig, 311, 371. leucophryg, 809, 871. iis iiS^ ^Mwf i 'iV t ^\i' 'i i^ i itt ^'- ' i' ^ i Mi?^i^^ - '1 1^ ft "-€:h -4