i BABN SWALLOW. r SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. ; ^ A BRIEF ACCOUNT \ '■ i ' . ' '»*'■■''■■ ■ - , ' ■ . . , '■ ■■ . ,, -Of' : SOME OF THE COMMON BIRDS OF EASTERN CANADA. '■,•'■'■"■'-'. ',■.■'. BY :,'■'"■'.■ • MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAIN. F//?ST SERIES-^ BIRDS OF FIELD AND GROVE. TORONTO : THE COPP, CLARK COMPANY, LIMITED. 1895- Entered aooordinsr to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, by Thb Copp, Clark Company, Limitbd, Toronto, Ontario, in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture. no? l^oung Jfrten&0» ARTHUR SCOTT OILMAN, RICHARD HENRY DANA, THOMAS DICKERSON BERGEN. GEORGE ABBOT MORISON, « , PREFACE. So many good and useful books about birds have been wriUan and published, that the author of a new book should present an explanation for its api)earance. My explanation is that no book has been issued that entirely suits the purpose for which the present volume is hitended — a book that can be sold at a low price, and that will give accurate informa- tion about the habits and distri])ution of Canadian birds, as well as descrii)tion8 of their plumage, and give this information in untechnical terms. In other words, there is a demand for a small, cheap book, treating of our birds in a popular style. This demand comes from the general public, but comes especially from Teachers who ask for a book that can be used as a supplementary Reailer, to assist them in interesting their pupils in birds and familiarizing them with the species most frequently met with in country rand^les. I have attempted to meet this demand, but feel constrained to warn readers against expectmg too much from a work that is cramped by such limitations. The space is too small to contain even a short history of all the birds found in the Dominion, for there are too many, over 550 species. The birds of one Province ahme are too numerous for a book oi this size. Mr. Mcllwraith, in his "Birds of Ontario," enumerates 317 species, and about 300 species have been found in New Brunswick. These figures include, of course, the very rare birds, and those that are merely " accidental stragglers," but with these left out the number is still too large for a small book. VI PREFACE. Tlio limitution and the fiumber of Rpocios compelled mo to solect n few from the many, and while the selection has been mndo some- what at random, the species mentioned will fairly represent the various phases of the bird-life of the localities to which the present volume is limited — the fields and groves of the Eastern Provinces. Among the species that have been omitted are many that are well known in all the provinces, such as the chipping sparrow, goldfinch, purple finch, cedar waxwing, cuckoo, phcjubo, gracklo, kingfisher and the woodjieckors. I should have preferred to have added these and others, and was deterred solely by the desire to ninko u small book that could be sold at a small price, and thus be available to a large number of readers who might be prevented from j)ur- chasing a more expensive work. I have consoled myself for the omissioi' by the promise that if the present volume commends itself to the public and is accorded an appreciative welcome another volume shall be prepared at once, for the omitted species will fill a book about the size of the present volume. Some species mentioned here are not equally common in all the provinces, but I have intended these books to represent the avian fauna of the provinces as a whole ; and while it may be said in a general way that the same species of birds occur in all suitable localities throughout the settled portion of this eastern division of the Dominion, from the Atlantic shore 'o the eastern border of the prairies— that the birds found in Nova Scotia occur also in Ontario — the statement requires some expiianation. The difference in the conditions of climate tnd of environment in the southern peninsula of Ontario to those which obtain in the more northern districts of the country — the diflference between latitude 43° and latitude 48°, or thereabouts, is so great that many of the birds find a suitable breeding place in portions only of the Iffea lying between thei-e parallels, For this reason some species PREFACE. Vll that spend the Bummor in the more southern groveH are found nowhere else, while others Hpend tlie suninior at the north, and are seen in Southern Ontario during the migrations only ; otIiurH again are distributed over the entire area, and a few — the fox sparrow, for example — occur in numbers in the Maritime Provinces, but are very rare in Ontario, even during the migrations. No attemi)t has been made to arrange in systematic order the species menticmed, and those who desire to study classihcation and other technical branches of ornithology must be referred to the numerous good books already published. The illustrations, with a few exceptions, are from drawings made by my friend, Ernest E. Thompson, of Toronto. M. C. CONTENTS. .» Paor. Baltimore Ooiolk 43 Bla«;k-tiiiu)Atki) Ohkkn Waublki 63 Bluebird 40 Blue Jay 30 Bobolink 28 Brown Thrasher 23 Catbird 26 Chickadees 49 Chimney Swift 5 COWBIRD 31 Fox Sparrow 80 Golden-crowned Kinglet 68 Hermit Thrush 17 Horned Lark 94 JuNco 86 Kingbird 54 Maryland Yellow-throat 71 Meadow Lark 20 Night Hawk 7 Olive-backed Thrush • • • • • ^^ Ovenbird 75 Parula Warbler, . 61 Pine Grosbeak 90 Red-eyed Vireo 77 Red-winged Blackbird 34 [9] X • CONTENTS. Paom. Redstart 73 Robin 87 ruby-throatbd humminobird , ■ • • • 37 Scarlet Tanager 46 Snowflake 96 Song Sparrow 84 Swallows 1 Vesper Sparrow 82 White -breasted Nuthatch 47 White-throated Sparrow 81 White-winged Cross-bill 92 Wilson's Thrush 14 Winter Wren 51 Wood Thrush 9 Wood Pewee , 66 Yellow Warbler 66 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. THE SWALLOWS. Swallows are not frequenters of either the fields or the groves, though strangers to neither, but they are typical birds — birds of the air. " It is little more than a drift of the air brought into form by plumes," writes John Ruskin of a typical bird. And again, "The air is in all its quills, it breathes through its whole frame and flesh, and glows with air in flying like a blown flame ; it rests upon the air, subdues it, surpasses it ; is the air, conscious of itself, conquer- ing itself, ruling itself." We find that vivid bit of description in *' Athena." Surely Mr-. Ruskin must have bad a swallow in mind when he wrote it. In almost every country swallows of some species help, in their own bountiful way, to make the summer's gladness, and thus these birds have become familiar friends to widely separated races. For whether a man be Frank or Persian, Norseman or Turk, he under- stands the language of the birds and is moved by the glad thoughts they put into their songs. Six representatives of this family visit Eastern Canada every summer, but of the six, four only can be correctly classed among the "common" birds, for the purple martin, though widely distri- buted, is nowhere abundant, and the rough-winged swallow has not been found elsewhere than at London, where that keen observer, Mr. William E. Saunders, was fortunate enough to discover a few examples. The other four occur in numbers in all the Provinces, though restricted somewhat to localities. They are gregarious, and build their nests in colonies or "republics," as these have been termed ; and while the birds may be seen at some distance from head-quarters, there is a limit to these wanderings — swift and strong [1] 2 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. as a swallow's flight is — and over many a garden and grove lying between two colonies swallows may rarely appear. The names of our four species were suggested by the places they select for nesting sites. The bank swallow bores a gallery in a sand bank, and at the end of the excavation makes a chamber where it places the few sprigs of dry grass which form a cushion for eggs and young. The tree swallow hunts for a cavity in a tree in which to deposit its eggs. The cliff or eave swallow fastens its gourd-shaped home under the eave of a house, or where no such hospitable shelter is to be found, selects a high cliff ; while the barn swallow chooses a beam oi- rafter under the roof for its nesting site — when a barn is within reach. There was a time — and at a comparatively recent date la swallow chronology — when barns were not to be found in this country, and these birds were forced to accept such nesting sites as the wilderness afforded. Some barn swallows have not yet dis- covered the barns, and are even now putting their nests in caverns and in any nooks or crevices they may happen upon. In the prairie country nests of this species have been found on the ground under some slight shelter, and at least one observer has discovered their nests on the face of a stream's bank. (Birds are conservative as a rule, and follow precedents rather closely, but when occasion demands they can be "progressive," and show themselves quite apt at taking up new notions and meet- ing new conditions.) These barn swallows use mud — common-place, street-puddle mud — to construct their nests, and in the spring-time may be seen clustering around the mud-puddles in the road- ways gathering their material. They usually bind the pellets of mud with dried grass. In this use of grass as a binding the barn swallow differs from the eave swallow, for the mud walls of the nests under the eaves con- tain no grass or other fibrous material, the pellets being held together by adhesion or by saliva. The eggs of the barn swallow are white, spotted with several shades of brown and purple, while the eggs laid by the tree swallow and the bank swallow are unspotted, and are of a dull chalk-like white, differing in this particular from the clear white eggs of the THE SWALLOWS. 8 purple martin, which are smooth and glossy, resembling highly polished ivory. The barn swallow is the most beautiful of our four. The back is covered with soft smooth plumes of deep lustrous steel blue, glowing with irridescent hues, and wings and tail are black with a greenish gloss. The breast bears a rich warm chestnut shield, and a band of this same warm tint crosses the forehead. The neck is partially encircled with steel blue. A distinguishing characteristic of this species is the elongated tail feathers, and while these are not so long in the young birds as in the adults, they are long enough at all ages to make the tail appear deeply "forked." The young vary also from the adult in wearing much duller colors, the upper parts of very young birds being brownish black, and the under parts brownish white. The eave swallow in general coloration resembles the bam swallow, though the latter's forked tail makes that species easily distinguish- able. The colors of the tree swallow are metallic green on the upper parts, and pure white beneath. It was called the white-bellied swallow formerly. The upper parts of the bank swallow are of a grayish brown color, and a collar of the same hue encircles the neck ; the under parts are white. The purple martin is the largest of the swallow tribe that is seen in this country, and is further distinguished by the lustrous blue- black color of its entire plumage, the females and young being somewhat streaked on the underparts. On the wing our swallows appear so similar that they cannot be distinguished readily, though the large size of the purple martin enables us to select him from the others, and the forked tail of the barn swallow and the white breast of the tree swallow help us in picking out these species. Swallows rarely alight excepting at their nests. One exception to this rule occurs when they gather on the telegraph wires. At the time the young birds are taking their lessons in flying, numbers of the birds may be seen resting on the wires, and again when the clans are gathering for the journey southward. Owing to the little use they make of their legs and feet these parts are not developed. The legs are extremely short and the feet are weak. The bill is 4 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. short, broad and flat, and narrows rapidly to the tip. The gape is wide and long, the mouth extending to beneath the eyes. The flight of the swallows combines great speed with rare grace and skill. Few, if any, of the winged host can surpass them, and few can even rival them. I have tested their speed with my homing pigeons, and have been chagrined by the failure of my pets to win the contest. Nor is the swallows' speed more remarkable than is the skill by which they secure their insect prey. At full flight they follow the dartings of the mites, turning and doubling with graceful ease. The whole family are fond of bathing, and plunge into the water while on the wing, rising immediately into the air and shaking the drops from their plumes as they speed on. Do swallows hibernate ? is a question that has been asked so frequently and has provoked so much controversy, that no bio- graphical sketch of these birds would be complete without some reference to the matter. Swallows may hibernate. There is nothing in their physiology which renders a torpid state impossible. But though several of the old observers stated explicitly that they had seen swallows in a torpid state from which they revived — some asserting that the swallows were dug out of the mud at tht bottom of a pond — no modern observer has happened upon such a phe- nomenon. And not only have no hibernated swallows been dis- covered, but investigators have failed to find any reason for their hibernating, while many reasons have been advanced to warrant the assumption that a state of torpidity is not necessary for these birds. They can get on very well without it, and such a condition would be unnatural and inconsistent with their observed habits. True, their food supply is cut off by the chilling air of early autumn that drives the swarms of winged insects to their winter burrows ; but the swallows are strong of wing, and with little fatigue are enabled to journey southward far 6nough to get free from the cold wind and into a land of plenty. With equal ease they return to their northern homes when the summer's warmth revives the summer's life. Their going and coming is somewhat mysterious. What prompts them to go is a question we can answer, for no one now doubts but that the scarcity of food is the prime cause for the fall migration —the temperature having but little influence upon such hot-blooded CHIMNEY SWIFT. 5 and warmly clad creatures. But other questions are not so satisfac- torily answered. What induces the swallows to return to tho north in the spring ? How do they know the direction of their path through the trackless air ? and how are tliey guided on their long journeys ?' These are unsolved problems yet, and it is little wonder that a more superstitious age magnified the mystery, and found these winged sprites fit subjects for augury. But as students have observed bird life more closely, they have learned that there is no more of mystery in the movements of the swallows than of other migrating species. The unsolved problems of bird migration are admitted, but the mystery of the thing has been specially attached to the swallows, because these birds being constantly in the air are more frequently seen than are the birds of the bush, and their coming and going more evident. In the autumn the swallows gather in large flocks — flocks num- bered by thousands — preparatory to migrating. They generally rendezvous at some favorite roosting place — a grove or barn. I saw a flock several thousand strong enter a deserted house by means of the chimney, and settle themselves for the night on the floor of the rooms. After several days of restless activity, and much excite- ment during their mid-air meetings, the throng vanished, no one knew whither. Their return is usually unannounced, especially in the more northern districts of their distribution. Sometimes an advanced detachment heralds the approach of the main column, but more often we awake some clear fresh morning in the spring-time, to find the swallows at their old haunts, and moving about in the same familiar, much-at-home fashion, as if the winter storm had lasted but a night. CHIMNEY SWIFT. This bird so closely resembles a swallow in general form and in habits that it is called *' chimney swallow " the whole country over, but the systematists tell us that it difiers from a swallow very majberially in anatomical structure, and they have classified it in a much lower order, placing it in the same group with the night hawk and hummingbird — a motley group. 6 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. Though a familiar object in the summer twilight, few of our people have handled the bird or know the color of its plumage. In the hand the dull, indefinite hue becomes a sooty brown tinged with green. The wings are long and extremely acute ; the tail is short and is armed at the extremity with strong sharp points which assist the bird in clinging to the sides of the chimney or cavern or hollow tree in which it has placed its nest, for these birds are not invariably chimney dwellers. The origin of this species dates back to a time when chimneys were not available, and in many localities the birds still retain the primitive notion regarding a proper nesting site. Wherever placed the nest does not vary much from the general plan. An almost flat shelf of strong twigs is fastened to the side of the chimney or cave by the adhesive saliva which the builders eject upon the twigs, and on this shelf, without any cushion, the hen lays four or five eggs of unspotted white. When the young are ready for their first flight they are taken to the chimney top and encouraged to test their pinions, and an interesting scene this is to witness. The solicitude of the parents and their coaxing ways ; the timid hesitation of the young birds, and their evident desire to emulate their seniors ; the final plunge into mid air, and the first few awkward efforts to master the wing stroke, make this one of the episodes of bird-life which bring these children of the air very close to the heart of their human brethren. I know of no greater test of faith than that first trial of the wings. A babe's first steps prove his courage ; but it is a small matter to take those few steps between mother and nurse when strong hands are near — a small matter in comparison with that leap into the care of untried pinions when the ground lies hard and cruel some fifty feet below. (I borrow the thought though at the moment I forget the author). I do not agree with Nuttall in his description of the flight of these birds. It differs from the flight of the swallow in being more continuously rapid, and in the almost incessant vibrations of the wing. The birds are not seen at the mid-day period, excepting on the dullest of gray days, but during the early hours of the morning and in the evening twilight they are very active in pur- suit of their insect prey. They rarely alight excepting at their |i99ts and while gathering material for nest-building. NIGHT HAWK. 7 The voice of the chimney swift is not as musical as the swallows', and their twittering song, though cheerful, displays little variation, is nothing more indeed than rapidly repeated titips. The species ie generally distributed in summer throughout this eastern country north to the fiftieth parallel, but they leave us in September foi their winter resorts in the tropics. NIGHT HAWK. This is one of those unfortunate birds that have been misnamed by the popular voice, because the average man is a superficial observer and bases his decisions upon too slight evidence. The night hawk is in no way a bird of the night. It is as strictly diurnal as the robin, for example ; indeed of the two I think the robin makes quite as much use of the sunless hours, for while the so-called hawk may extend his period of activity further into the evening, the robin is on the wing earlier in the morning. The night hawk preys upon small winged insects, and as these remain under cover during mid-day the birds are inclined to follow the example, though it is not an uncommon sight to see night hawks in the air amid tlie glare of the brighest noontime. Yet they do not fly in the sunlight as frequently as do their fellow fly- hunters — the swallows . Both species take to their wings at times out of pure sport — for the exhiliraticni of flying — but the swallows have the larger supply of nervous energy and fly with less exhaustion, 3o indulge in sportive flight with greater frequency than do the night hawks. When the sun declines westward and the winged mites come out for an airing, then the night hawks are most active ; but when the twilight deepens and the shadows of night fall upon the land the night hawks fold their wings and take their rest like other decent folk. And so it turns out after all that our night hawk is no lover of the dark hours like those prowling ruttians, the owls, or the ghowlish bats or those cadaverous students — the '''grinds" — and other questionable characters who work at night and sleep in the da^, but is a well behaved, sensible bird, living up to the good 8 SOME CANADIAN BIttDa old-fashioned Hontime'nt that night is the time for rest. Exceptions there are to most good mien, and de.siroiw as I am of clearing a r.ialigned bird from cliarges of bad habits, candor compels me to admit that I have hoard the cry of tliis bird horn mid-air at mid- night. But the moon was full, the sky was clear, and the air balmy ; the night was much too fine to waste it all in slumber. I could not blame the bird ; I envied hhn. The semi-nocturnal or crepuscular habit is common to a large number of American birds. They are not about during the middle of the day, as is the habit with the majority of the European species. This is one of the reasons why English people think that there are but few birds in Canada ; for English birds are always active, always to bo seen and heard. Driving through the country districts of Canada you hear no continuous chorus of bird voices such as greets the ear from the fields and hedgerows of merry England. " Have we not fewer song-birds than are found in England ?" is frequently asked. Quite the contrary, nmst be replied. Canada can fairly boast of more species of song-birds and of more beautiful bird songs than can be heard in England. But our grandest carillon, the chief chorus of our sylvan voices is heard in the morning only — the very early morning— at dawn, though a few of our songsters reserve their sweetest strains for that quiet hour when daylight dies. The night hawk is much inclined to fly high in the air, so high at times as to be almost out of sight, yet we can follow the bird's flight by the harsh grating note it continually utters, a note which has the power of penetrating a remarkable distance through the air. The effect, is sometimes ventriloquial, the sound appearing near at hand when the bird is far away in the sky. The bird mounts upward by spiral evolutions, and at intervals closes its wings and plunges head first toward the earth. After descending some sixty feet or more it wheels upward, and the ascent to the upper air is again made. Just as the bird makes this aerial curve or wheel, a hollow booming sound is heard — a phenomenon that has formed the topic for much speculation. How the sound is made, by the mouth or the wings or in some other way, has not yet been determined. On the ground, at a little distance, the night hawk looks like a bit of brownish granite, though in the hand the color which predominate? WOOD THRUSH. 9 is black — a dull, greenish tinted black — and this is mottled with gray and ])r()wn. A marked diagncmtic character of the species is the patchen of white on the wings and on the tail which are displayed in flight. The legs are extieinely short, and the bill is little more than a tiny knob. The gape is wide, the mouth reaching back beyond the eyes. In general appearance this species resembles the whip-poor-will, but the latter lacks the white wing patches and its coloration is much lighter, more grey than brownish black. The night hawk does not build a nest nor seek any shelter for its eggs, laying them in the open and trusting to their inconspicuousness for protection. Nor is the bird at all particular as to the location of its nestless nest. On one occasicm, when crossing the ridge of a hill that raised its wind-swept crest far above the surrounding land, I was stopped by a flutter at my feet. The grand view which the situation commanded had so absorbed my attention that I had failed to notice that directly in my pathway a devoted mother was sheltering her best loved. The parent had not stirred until my foot was almost upon her, not a full yard away. Even then she made no efTort for her own safety, but strove to entice me away from her eggs by simulating a broken wing, and the ruse was so skilfully executed that for a moment I was baffled. There sure enough on the bare rock, lay the elliptical beauties for which the mother's heart in her bird-breast was beating painfully. It was not easy detecting the eggs, they were so much like the granite upon which they lay — like two weather worn pebbles. The ground color on inspection proved a slaty gray, or dull whitish, and the irregular markings which covered the surface were of varying tints of brown and lilac. I have seen these eggs also on the gravel roof of a city warehouse, in the centre of bustling activity. Night hawks are abundant throughout the country during the summer months, but leave us in September for the tropical zone. WOOD THRUSH. If a bird's home is the country in which it was bom, and where it builds its nest and rears its young, — and surely that is the place best entitled to be called the home of a bird, — these Eastern Pro- 10 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. vinooH can fairly claim to ho thu home of five Rpecien of that fiproup of the thrtiHh family to which HyHtumatistH have given the nub* generic title of hylocirlda, but which are bettor known by their English names— wo(j(l thruHh, Wilson's thrush or voery, gray-cheeked thruHh, olivo-lwckod thruHh, and hermit thruHh. Four of these build their nestH in some of the settled portions of the country, but the fifth — the gray-cheeked — is made of sttirdior stuff, and revels in the bracing air and deep forests that lie northward of the Laurontian hills. We catch a glimpse of these northern breeding birds as the flocks go scurrying across the country on the way to and from their winter resorts in the far away south ; and it is but a glimpse we get, for as a mattar of fact they are rarely seen at all, and only a few Canadian observers have had the good fortune to loam how these birds look in the field. I cannot therefore place the gray-choeked thrush among those species which for the present purpose I have decided to class as "common," though the other four can fairly claim recognition. These thrushes are not equally distributed over all the Provinces, thouyh with one exception they are more or less abundant almost everywhere. The wood thru&h is the exception, for it occurs regularly in Ontario only, and Mr. Mcllwraith, who is good author- ity, tells us that the biril is rarely found far from the southern border. We learn from other observers that it has been taken in Bruce county and near Peterborough, and it is said to be fairly common in parts of the Ottawa valley. A few examples have been seen and heard in the Eastern townships of Quebec, but the song has not been heard in the Maritime Provinces nor in Maine, though in Massachusetts the wood thrush is quite common. Our four thrushes appear so much alike in form and color, and their habits and songs are so similar, that the average native thinks them one species, which he dubs "swamp robin." Robin, from their robinish ways and mellow notes, and of the swamp because their songs often come from bushes that flank the damp meadows, or from some cool dingle through which a stream purls its way. The native aforesaid should not be harshly judged for his mistake, as the birds at a distance are not easily distinguished, though a close inspecticn reveals marked differences. Xhp tl^rush^s ar^ ranked amon^ the most noble of the avian W(X)D TirUITSIL 11 ariatooracy — tho family is pfivon precodonoo over all others in mwleni clHHHJHciition — niid thin oxaltud poHition nouiuh Hin^ularly appro- priatu, for in a[)puaranco nn wull an in manner they are uniniHtakahly patriciauB. Thuir forms are iiuuluU of uluganco ; their coHtumuH are rich but inconspicuous, and their bearing under trying ordeaU is calm, dignified, and courageous. While modest and retiring they are not shy, and though brave are never (jUHrrelHome. They have no vulgar ways, and under all conditions display a well bred air and graceful manner. A mistjikon idea prevails that those birds are peculiarly solitary in their habits, and that they have a stronger preference for seclusion than other species. On the contrary their recluse habits are not peculiarly marked ; their isolation and seclusion is not more pronounced than that of numerous other woodlnnd birds. It is true that these thrushes are not gregarious, but comi)aratively few birds are. It is true also that during the nesting season — the season in which our birds are most conspicuous — the thrushes are not found in flocks as a rule ; but it is equally true that they are not especially addicted to hermit-like habits. They have an inmiense expanse of country to wander over, and nowhere are they so abundant as to force their presence upon the notice of a superficial observer. The thrushes, like many other birds, lack demonstrative sociability, but I have on more than one occasion met with a dozen of them in as many minutes, during a stroll in their haunts. They enjoy the privacy and the shelter of the quiet groves, and share that feeling with many of the feathered throng. Not that they penetrate into the deeper forests — few of our songsters go there — but they find food in plenty, a grateful shade, and agreeable surroundings amid the dells and timber patches adjacent to the settlements, so they select these places for a nesting site, and spend in such secluded spots most of the summer days. To sum up the matter : — When it is said that our thrushes prefer the retirement of the groves and dingles to the glare of the open field or the bustle of the roadside, the entire story of their recluse habits ha>s been told. Of our four species the wood thrush is the most frequently encountered in a semi-open country, and is not a stranger to the parks and orchards. Many a time it builds its nest on a dry hill side, while it rarely haunts the alder swamps or the damp glens 12 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. In which tho voery lovos to hido. Tlio prenent bird in more confid- ing, aIho, thim (ithurH of tho group, iiiul coiiiuh rloHtT to tho hoiiHOH. A pair of wood thrutihuH huvu buun kuuwu tu build thuir nest in the centre of a viUago. All our thrunhes hnvo voicon of rich Hwoet tones, and liquid, iluto-Iiku (luiility, and three of the group Ring melodies that have made them famous. No one of tho three Iion the compass of voice nor the volume that is ho conspicuous in the performances of the cat- bird and tlie thrasher ; but the songs the thrushes sing are of a higher grade as musical compositions tlwiii are the songs of their stronger- voiced rivals. Of tho throe the veory has the most metallio tone — suggestive of a silver horn rather than a flute — and its song is the most brilliant. The hermit's voice excels in richness, and the song of the hermit surpasses his cousins' in spiritual quality. The voice of the wood thrush partakes of tho quality of l)oth, though it is not quite so silvery as tho veery'a nor so mellow as the hermit's. But the song tho wood thrush sings has a beauty that is all its own, and it never fails to delight a lover of sweet bird music. Wo do not always hear tho bird at his best, for he frequently sings a part only of his full song — sings in a broken faltering way as if trying his voice — ''tuning up," as some one has written. His full song is an exquisite melody, and though not so spiritual as the hermit's it is sweet and placid, and when it comes to the ear during the early spring days, the days when nature is awakening, it carries in its tones a sense of refreshment, of buoyant hopefulness and of serene content. But like other birds' songs this sweet psalm of the wood thrush must be heard to be appreciated — it cannot be described. The thrushes are seen on the ground quite as often as on a perch, for their food during most of the year consists of grubs, beetles, ground worms, and other insects that gather under the fallen leaves ; but when wild fruits are ripe the thrush changes his diet to more dainty fare. When at a distance these birds appear to be much alike — brown backed birds with spotted breasts — but in the hand they prove to differ considerably in coloration. The wood thrush bears on his upper parts the tribal hue, a dull russet brown, but his crown wears a rich rufous tint, and the neck and WOOD THRUSH. IS back are tawny, whilo tho wings and tail have a decided tinge of olive. The uiidur partH are of ii dull nilvur white, Hhading into cream color on the brutvat, which in thickly marked with clearly defined round N))ot8 of olive brown. These breant HpotH are more conHpicuous on the wood thruHh than on the others of the group, and make the bird diHtinguiNhablu at conHiderable disUnce. Ita size, too, helps to separate it from itn congenerH, for it in the largest of the thrushen, moasuring about eight inchcH from tip of tail to end of beak. When purched, it looks almost as large as a robin, but on examination proves somewhat smaller. Early in May these birds make their appearance in Sr)uthem Ontario, and soon after commence house building, The nest is placed on a low branch of a small tree, sometimes on a low bush, and is of tho type built by the family, a rough structure of dried grass, leaved and twigs, cemented with nmd and lir.od with grass and fine roots. Tho eggs, three or four in number, are of a beauti- ful greenish-blue color, "robin's egg blue." Before the September days are finished, the wood thrushes have silently stolen away from their summer homes and begun their long journey southward, to their winter quarters in the tropical regions of Cuba and Guatemala. 14 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. WILSON'S THRUSH. This bird is also known as ** tawny thrush " and *' veery." It was named "Wilson's thrush" in honor of that illustrious Scotchman who is called the Father of American Ornithology, and the bird gained the sobriquet of " tawny " through wearing a rufous-tinted jacket, while the name of "veery " was suggested by the bird's song, which bears a resemblance to the words veery veery veery. Nuttall heard in this song vehu 'v'rehu 'v'rehu ^v'rehu and again ve vUlilld vUlUl viUUl. I take sides with Nuttall against the "veery" version, though I do not think that the song is well represented by any of these phrases. I doubt if either of them will convey a correct idea WILS0N*S THRUSI^ 15 of the melody to any person who has not heard the bird sing it. As a rule the attempts that have been made to represent the wood- land songs by words have been failures, though in a few efforts we have been somewhat successful. In the whistle of the titmouse we get a slight — a very slight — resemblance to chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the singer of "old Tom Peabody" has been recognized by his song. It is true also that many an observer by using these artifices has assisted his memory to recall an unfamiliar melody, but he cannot con- vey it to another through these mediums. It is as conveyances that these phrases and syllables are failures, and the nature of the things to be conveyed makes success impossible. These melodies are too subtle and elusive to be wrapped in a phrase and passed on to one's neighbor. You can no more put a bird's song into words than you can put the wild whistle of the wind, or the whispered reveries of a purling stream. Another question of common debate is the comparative merits of bird songs, and these must remain in dispute until some genius arranges a standard by which the excellence of these songs shall be judged. In the meantime people will diflfer in their judgments of our songsters, each man being influenced probably in favor of the birds with whose performance he is most familiar, or with which he has had most favorable associations. It is not surprising, therefore, to find many writers praising the wood thrush as the best singer of our thrushes, while others give precedence to the hermit, and I know one ardent bird lover who thinks the veery sings much the finest song. The voice of the veery is exceeding clear and sweet. It is of liquid quality yet with a metallic timbre, a tiny silver horn of high pitch, resembling nothing else so much as it does the sound produced by whistling into an empty gun barrel. You may hear the voice during the warmer parts of the day more frequently than you hear that of other thrushes, for the singer haunts the most thickly shaded ravines, or damp dells into which the sunshine rarely enters. In these retreats there is little difference between mid-day and morning, so when hidden there the veery sings on while the birds who have spent the morning in the sunshine take their mid- day rest. It is probable that the veery's fondness for this retire- ment is largely responsible for the current notion that all these 16 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. thrushes are given to recluse ways ; for of our four the veery is the most hermit-like, and to him the name of "swamp robin" is the most truly applicable. Yet even his love for the deep shades and dark valleys has been exaggerated. These birds are not always found in such places, indeed, I think their presence there is largely a matter of individual inclination or is determined by other con- ditions of environment. I have found several nests in open pastures and on hill-sides, in just such places as the robins build. Of our four brown thrushes, Wilson's has the widest distribution. It is almost abundant in summer throughout Ontario and Quebec, and is fairly common in the Maritime Provinces, though in the more northern sections of its habitat it occurs in favored localities only. It has been found on Anticosti and Newfoundland and is abundant in Manitoba. The present species is usually described as the smallest of our thrushes, but when measvired, the hermit, the olive-backed and Wilson's prove to be much the same size, about seven inches long. Still the veery does seem rather smaller than the others, though this may arise from a slimness of figure, caused by the contour feathers lying close to the body, not loose and flufiy. The plumage of this bird differs in shades only from that of its congeners. On the upper parts the russet, which is the general ground color, has a decided tinge of rufous. On the belly the color is silver white, but the breast is cream-colored with a slight tinge of pink, and upon this are pale russet spots of arrow-head shape, arranged in geometric lines, the points upward. The chin is unspotted, but is bordered by a line of small arrow-head markings. The immaculate chin is a characteristic feature of this group of birds, though it is less pronounced in the other species than in the veery. The nest is a typical thrush nest — a roughly constructed affair o* leaves and grass. It is usually placed on the ground or upon a cushion of leaves, though nests have been found upon the branches of a low bush. Sometimes it is hidden in a clump of grass, or near the base of a tree, but often it has little protection, the bird apparently depending upon its own neutral tints for escr^pe from observation. The eggs, three or four in number, are of the typical thrush color, greenish blue, but are of a rather paler tint than the eggs of other species and are unspotted. HERMIT THRUSH. l7 The veery spends the summer only in this country, arriving in Southern Ontario early in May and reaching the more northern sections somewhat later. In the autumn it has started on its journey southward before the end of September. HERMIT THRUSH. This species does not summer so far to the southward as does the veery, but goes somewiiat farther north. It is a niigrart only in the vicinity of London and Hamilton and thereabouts, but elsewhere all over the country, up to the region of the fiftieth parallel, the bird is more or less common, and examples have been taken even farther northward. It is a lover of the woodlands and its favorite home is a grove on the flank of a moist meadow, but it never haunts the shaded dells that are the delight of the veery. The hermit, however, has many habits that are veery-like. It places its nest on the ground, hidden among the grass or the underbrush, and builds it of the same coarse material — leaves, strips of bark, bits of weed stalks and coarse grass, and puts these together with the same patrician-like disregard to outward display. The eggs also are of the same pale greenish blue tint and are unspotted. But the song of the hermit is all its own ; there is no other song like it. True, this bird shares with others of its kin that quality of voice which separate these singers from all others of the woodland choir, a voice that combines in its rich clear tones the mellow flute and the silver horn. But the theme of the hermit's song is like none other, and is to my ear the finest bit of bird-music heard in this country. It is indeed **a serene hymn-like melody," as John Burroughs writes. It bears no trace of passion nor of mere exultant joy, but is child-like in its purity and simplicity, and hymn-like in its placid rhythm — just such a strain as the Holy Innocents might sing. But few writers have done justice to this songster because, I think, few have heard the complete song. Many of them tell us that the song is short and ends abruptly with its highest loudest note, while the few know that the song is not so short as has been stated, " four 2 18 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. or five bars of triplets," but is quite long for a bird's song, ten to twelve bars ; and instead of ending with loud notes the final a rendered in the merest whisper. The song begins with low soft notes and gradually increases in volume and pitch, and then rather abruptly changes to the softer tones again, and grr dually fades into silence. It is little wonder that the entire song has been seldom heard, for the listener must be very close to catch all its notes, and as the singer resents intrusion while at his devotions, detection in the effort to steal upon him often ends in failure to hear his song. To 'tear the hermit at his best you must creep unseen into the grove which is at once his home and his sanctuary, where you will find him hidden amid the foliage, and close to where his mate is sitting upon the nest, for he sings for her ear and not for yours. It may be mere fancy, but I have a preference for his evening song. I think the morning song is rendered with a trifle more brilliancy of expression, but the twilight hour brings to the hermit his deepest inspiration, and it is then he sings his tenderest, sweetest notes. I kept a male in captivity for nearly two years, and though he refused to be thoroughly tamed, he grew somewhat friendly and seemed pleased when I entered the room, providing I kept at a proper distance. He sang all through the winter months — would sing to me when I whistled — but the song was a sad parody on that which he sang to his mate when he was free. Just why such terms as *' hermit," " anchorite," and " recluse " have been applied to this thrush is not clear, for the bird is no recluse, not more so than any woodland species, nor indeed so much as many others. He prefers the grovoa to the gardens, but I have counted some thirty within an area of about a hundred yards square, and I remember being awakened early one morning by a chorus that must have numbered a hundred voices. The colors of the hermit are of the typical hylocichla hues. The head, back and wings are an olive-tinted russet, and the tail is of rufous tint. The breast is silver- white, spotted with arrow-head marks of an olive tint. The autumn plumage is slightly different ; after the moult the olive tints are wanting, and the upper parts become a dull russet brown. The breast at that season is of cream color, though the markings are not changed. I have compared OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. ' 19 autumnal specimens of hermits and veerys that were very much alike in general plumage. The young birds of the first plumage are striped with pale russet, and their breasts are heavily marked with olivaceous spots, the same tint occurring in broken bars on their bellies and sides. The length of the hermit is about seven inches. OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. A superficial observer might consider that the biography of any of this group of thrushes — the hylocichlce — could be made to serve for all, and in a general way this opinion would be correct ; but a more careful study discloses in each species characteristics of habits, and plumage, which are peculiar. The present bird is as fond of shade as is the veery, but prefers a drier location, and has a stronger preference than either of its congeners for the deeper forests ; it appears less often near the settlements during the breeding season. Again, the olive-backed shows a greater tendency to remain on the branches of the trees and shrubbery. In the nesting season these birds are seldom observed on the ground, but Mr. Mcllwraith says that while migrating through Southern Ontario they are more fre- quently seen on the ground than on the trees. It is probable that at that season. May 10th to 25th, the supply of insects on the trees is less abundant, so they are forced to hunt on the ground. Also the olive- backed is rather more shy than the others, and more disturbed by intrusion. I have known a pair to abandon a nest in which two eggs had been laid, because the nesting site had been discovered. The nest is placed on the low branch of a tree, and is more com- pactly built than the hermit's or veery's, which are placed on the ground. The three or four eggs usually forming a set are greenish blue, spotted with brown, similar to those of the gray-cheeked. The voices of all the group have much the same sweet tone and liquid quality, and the melodies the birds sing are somewhat simi- lar ; but when tho hermit, vcery and clive-backed are heard singing side by side, as 1 have heard them in New Brunswick, the differences in the quality of their voices and the themes of their 20 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. songs can bo determined very readily. Of the three the olive- backed 1ki8 the best voice — the richest and most flute-like — but his song is inferior. It is shorter and lacks variety, and is of more limited com})a8s than that of either of his congeners, and while lacking the spirit of the veery's, is less hymn-like than the hermit's. Besides their songs most birds have distinctive call notes and cries of alarm, which vary so much that an expert can distinguish the species to which a bird belongs by any note it may utter. The alarm note of the olive-backed thrush, which is heard most frequently when the nest is in danger, sounds something like quit, spoken abruptly though in liquid tone. The bird also utters at times a feeble cheep and a metallic chick. The colors of this thrush are olive-tinted russet on the upper parts, silver- white on the belly, and a creamy tint, spotted with olive on the breast. In the autumn the olive-tint of the upper parts is less distinct and the under parts are tinged with buff. These birds are not common in Ontario and Quebec, appearing only in small companies, and occurring in Ontario during the migra- tions only. In the Maritime Provinces they are fairly common as summer residents. The area of their distribution extends from Great Slave Lake to the tropics. MEADOW LARK. The simple though sweet and plaintive lay of this songster is familiar to the dwellers in the southern peninsula of Ontario, but nowhere else in Canada is the bird plentiful excepting in the ' vicinity of Montreal. In the Maritime Provinces the meadow lark is a stranger. The song is one of the simplest of bird efforts and thus appears in strong contrast with the song of a near relative that is found on the Manitoba plains — a bird that is credited with one of the grandest and most inspiring songs of which America can boast. The western bird mounts in the air and sings while on the wing in true lark habit, but our bird seems to have lost the habit of singing in the air, or never to have gained the MEADOW LARK. 21 habit, for it is seldom seen at more than a few yards above the turf and is most generally upon it. Occusionally an enterprising fellow, seeking an extended view, mounts to a tree top, but the eastern meadow lark ia strictly a bird of the meadow and rarely perches elsewhere than on a low rock or on a hummock in the swell and dip of the field. Even when flushed from its hiding place in the grass our bird does not rise high in the air, but skims the surface with an a[)parently laborious eflfort, and quickly drops again amid the green blades. American naturalists, following the system of nomenclature and classification prepared by the committee of the American Ornithologists' Union, use stuniella magna as the name for our eastern bird and distinguish the western form by stnrnella magna neylecta. The "American school" of ornithologists are believers in a trinomial system of nomenclature and use the third name to sepa- rate the forms they consider to be sub-species or " varieties," slight variations from the original species, the bird that chanced to be first described and named. They do not pretend to determine whether true sturnella magna or the variety neglecta was the original stock, but magna being named first retains precedence. What the naturalists intend to emphasize by these trinomials may be stated thus : Species, they say, originated, were evolved, through the influence of environment, — of climate, food, and sur- roundings, — the difiering conditions in diflferent geographical areas producing diflferentiations of form and color and habit. Sub-species are the intermediate forms, or geographical varieties which have not yet become suflBciently diflferentiated to warrant their being ranked as species. Under this rule the rank of each bird or other animal, in any system of classification, is largely a matter of judgment on the part of the author of the system. Difierences of opinion occur among naturalists as among other people, and so we find in the books various systems, some of them representing the individual opinion of the writer, while others have been approved by the majority of an organized association. There are naturalists who consider that it is a mistake to distinguish mere varieties by a distinctive name, and these writers hold to the opinion that when a bird differs from SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. the original form to such a degree as to demand a distinctive name, it should be given rank an a Hpecies, that geographical varieties should not be thus separated. And thus it has come about that while the American Ornithologists' Union have adopted one system, the British society has sot its seal of approval upon an entirely different one, in which a binomial nomenclature is strictly followed. But to return to our meadow lark. Those birda are summer visitors in Canada, reaching the country in the very early spring- time, while the meadows are yet brown and patches of snow are hidden amid the dells and dingles, and staying through the days when astors bloom and golden rod is queen, and till later days, when the hillsides are aglov/ with color and the odor of falling leaves is in the air. Not until the October moon has driven away the summer's softness and the summer's beauty do these songsters of the meadow retreat from this northern land and fly off to their winter resorts amid the rice fields of Alabama. Mr. Mcllwraith, in his valuable work on the birds of Ontario, tells us that he finds a meadow lark occasionally wintering near his Hamilton home, but these occasions are rare, though a little further to the southward the occurrence of these birds during the winter months is quite frequent. The nest of our bird is not easily found, it is hidden so skilfully under a tuft of long grass, and is so covered above as to be entirely concealed. The structure is neatly and compactly built of grass and lined with fine blades of the same material. In this is laid the four (sometimes six) almost round eggs, which have a ground of bluish white, marked by many spots of reddish brown and lilac. These lilac tints on the eggs of birds are not made by a different pigment from that which supplies the brown spots. The pigment is the same, but that which produces the lilac tint was deposited on the shell before completion, and the pigment was covered by a layer of the calcareous matter of which the shell is formed. Scratch the brown spots with your penknife and they will disappear, indeed some of these spots may be washed off", but if you scratch the lilac spots you will find that color becomes darker as you remove the surface. The size of a meadow lark is almost that of the robin, though the latter is of more slender and more graceful form. The general BROWN THRASHER. , 23 coloration of tho lark's back and wings is grayish brown with a yellow tinge, and barred with black, while the breast and belly are of bright yellow. The mature bird bears on its breast a crescent of rich deep black, wliich is lacking in the young. Some of the tail feathers are white and these are cuuspicuous when a flushed bird flies from the observer. The song of this species is simple as a curve, but the tone is sweet and the melody carries a strain that is so wild and plaintive it arrests attention when a more elaborate theme would escape notice. The birds sing at all hours of the day dtiring the niating and breeding season, and later in the year, even in the winter, Nuttall tells us, the song may be heard at intervals. BROWN THRASHER. This bird was given its uncouth name on account of its uncouth habit of jerking its tail about in most ungraceful mode. As a singer it has been classed among the best performers, though in voice only can it be considered as superior to many species that are given a lower rank. The voice is full and rich, and of wide com- pass ; but the theme of the song, if such a jumble of sounds is entitled to that designation, is as wildly vagrant as the whistle of the wind. Indeed the wind often produces more rhythmic melody. I enjoy hearing the fellow sing, his voicj is so fine and he has such love for it, and is so fond of hearing the tones roll out. At almost any time of day, whenever the desire to be heard happens to attack him, he mounts to a prominent perch, the topmost tip of a tall tree suits him well, and settled there, he throws back his head, droops his tail and thus posed flings to the air a torrent of loud and sweet though incoherent notes. He sings as if fascinated by the beauty and power of the tones, and acts as if he was in a trance, as if under the spell of a magician's conjuration. After a lengthy repetition the bird abruptly stops, and then as if ashamed of his presumption, his vanity surfeited, he hides amid the underbrush. And thus it comes about that the bird is not well known, for when singing he is usually too far off to be distinguished, 24 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. and when nofc singing spundH most of his time in tho thickota, often on the ground Hcrntching nnioiig tho dond Iuhvuh. Tho love of parado which this bird disphiys at times is char- actoristic of tho oiitiro family to which it belongs — a family which embraces tho catbird and mockingbird. By voice as well as by habits tho thrasher proves his affinity to this group, though he lacks the power of mimicry which distinguishes his more artistic cousins. The body of the thrasher is of much tho same size as a robin's, but the thrasher's bill being the longer and its tail much longer, the bird, though measuring only eleven inches from tip to tip, appears somewhat larger than a robin. It is readily distinguished from other species by its curved bill, long tail and rich rufous color. The under parts are whitish, tinged with rufous, and n)arked on the sides with spots of brown. On the wings are two bars of white, edged with brown. The nest has been found in various situations. Generally it is on the branch of a low shrub in a dense copse ; often it is placed on the ground, while an occasional pair select for a nesting site a branch that swings many feet above the heads of men. The nest itself is a loosely constructed affair of much bulk. It is formed exteriorly of dried grass, twigs, roots, weeds and such like material, and is lined with fine grass ; sometimes the lining is made of horse- hair or feathers. The female usually lays four eggs, but sets of three have satisfied some few mothers, while as many as six eggs have been discovered in other nests.. The ground color of the eggs is whitish with a tinge of green or of buflf, and they are profusely marked with minute spots of reddish brown. The nest is built about tho middle of May, and by the time the young are hatched their home is securely hidden by the foliage, but the parents do not trust to this protection alone and are ever watchful for the safety of the brood. One or the other is sure to be on guard, and the approach of any intruder — man, cat, or snake — is marked at con- siderable distance. If the enemy be a cat, it is attacked with such fury that puss usually retreats, while curious youths of the nest- hunting persuasion are enticed away by divers artifices. These birds are not plentiful in any part of Canada, and are only met with in parts of Ontario and near Montreal, being most CATBIRD. 25 abundant in Southom Ontftrio. Mr. McTlwmith reports that they roach HHiniltou about the 10th of May, and that during Soptenibor thoy Htart f»)r tlicir winter quarters in the Southern States. They migrate early because the cold nights cut off thuir food which conHists largely of grubs anroci()Us nest. 8uch a rating as that boy rocoivea ; such downright, oHrnost scolding, is not often matched. There is no other such termagant among the whole feathered race as an enraged catbird. The male has a fashion of singing to himself, soft and low, but very sweetly, when down amid the shrubbery, as if rehearsing for a public performance. When the desire to display his vocal power comes upon him, and it comes quite often between early morning and late evening, he mounts to a high position. At such times he dearly loves an audience, and if you will whistle to him and show by your attention an appreciation of his music, he will give you of his very best, and give it in almost unlimited quantities. He is a bit too proud of his talent for mimicry, and is apt to tire a listener by his efforts to produce quaint and humorous effects. For while these display the wide compass and rich quality of his voice, and at the same time give him a grand opportunity to show his wonderful talent for technical execution, they are not so pleasing for frequent repetition as is his own natural song. No one will dispute his right to high rank in our sylvan choir, though it is probable that few will yield to him the first place. To my ear he sings a better song than the thrasher, though the latter's voice is the finer of the two. The catbirds are not among the first arrivals in the spring, yet they are not loiterers, for they reach this country before May-day, and the most enterprising couples have built their nests and deposited the sets of eggs, four or five in each, before May has ended. The nest is a bulky affair, ill-made and inartistic — a huge hand- ful of twigs, leaves and bark-strips, with such stray bits of string as may happen in the way of the builders, loosely arranged in a saucer- like form. It is usually placed on a bush or small tree, a few feet from the ground. The eggs are of a rich bluish-green color and unspotted, measuring about an inch in length and nearly three-quarters of an inch in breadth. CATDIRD. IT Tho plumngo of tho catbinl is oxcoodingly plnin, — dtill ilnrk slate, pnlor hulow, a luvtcli of black on tho crown liku a hkull-cap and a patch of chestnut on tho undurtail covortn comploto tho costuniu. Tho food of thiH npocioH ia insects in ^unoral and buetloH in par- ticular, thou{;h in the autumn the Buiall fruits auuui to Huit thuir palates wull, churrios buing efli)ocialIy sought after. When the uhorriuH aru gathunul thu catbirdH Bta''t soutiiward, many wandering aa far as Panama before settling down for the winter. 28 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. : ^ BOBOLINK. Robert of Lincoln is not a stranger in any of the more settled districts of Canada. His motley dress, his rollicking ways and his fantastic song make him peculiarly conspicuous, so that wherever he appears he becomes well known and as well loved. He is the jester of the field, a wildly hilarious jester, and quite as much given to antics and to merriment as are his fellows of the stage and the ring. During the nuptial season the bird rarely appears quite sober but full to the very brim with irrepressible joy. Full to the brim ? His joy does not stop at the brim but flows over, filling the air and making the very sunshine more cheerful. How infectious it is too, BOBOLINK. id this wild thing's gay humor. How it sets one's heart in tune with the bird's unbridled glee to watch his antics and listen to his song, that quaint tinkling carol, that roundelay of rippling laughter, that chanted mirth, the merriest music of the field. But if Robert does dress in motley array and acts (sometimes) like a fool, he is not always quite so much of a fool as he looks ; not always so flippant and silly as his frolic and his garb suggest. His treatment of his mate and their young preclude censure and deserve praise, for it is of the best, and proves Robert to be possessed of a fine character, as bird character goes. I admit that his courtship is a very funny performance, as funny in its way as many of the grotesque extravagances of the comic stage. But you cannot watch the bird closely without discovering that Robert knows what he is about ; that there is nmch method in his buflFoonery, and while merry because he cannot help being merry, much of his hilarity is produced for the diversion of that little bird in quiet brown, with simple, unobtrusive manners, that Robert of Lincoln is doing his level best to win for a mate. Perhaps the use I have made of the word courtship may not be approved by all my readers. It is a fact, none the less, that as a rule the feathered belles are wooed and won very much as maidens are, and of the two the coquettes of the field, if less artful, are even more tantalizing than their sisters of the ballroom. The female bobolink is extremely coy, and meets the advances of her wooer with such cold indifference and appearance of irritation as to suggest positive scorn. But Robert of Lincoln is as cour- ageous and persistent as the most exacting coquette could desire, and he patiently submits to the snubbing and continues to press his suit with a brave determination that is worthy of more ai)preciative recognition. Indeed he affects such playful disregard for her scorn that a witness of this odd wooing is apt to charge Robert with a lack of spirit, a charge to which the bird's usual flippancy lends credence. But Robert is very much in earnest, and he knows all about these coy damsels, and having made up his mind to win for a mate that particular brown belle, win her he will. She turns her back upon him — ^he hops to the front ; she flies off — he follows ; she pecks at 80 SOME CANADIAN BIBDS. him — he dodges the blow with a fantastic gesture ; she continues on her way without noticing his effort to interest her — he at once hovers above her head and sings his merriest song. Sometimes another wooer seeks to attract her, but woe unto such intruder if he lacks valor or strength, for Bob can fight upon occasion as well as sing. The victim of this persistent wooing tries in vain to get rid of the fellow, but he will be neither snubbed ofi" nor driven off, and declines obstinately to accept a refusal. Just how he manages to win her consent at last none but the bobolinks know — but win her he surely does. These preliminaries arranged, the pair go off together in search of a nesting site, and they seem very happy as they fly about amid the buttercups and daisies. The place they usually select for their nest is in the midst of a moist meadow, sometimes on a marsh, and often near a running stream. A tuft of long grass hides the cosy home from prying eyes. The nest itself is a simple affair, made (^ntirely of dried grass and rather loosely built. In this the hen lays four or five eggs — sometimes six are found — of very irregular color, marking and form. The ground color is white, with green or buff tint, and the markings are lilac and brown. Some eggs are so profusely covered with surface spots that the ground color is quite hidden. Housekeeping started, the female takes the burden of sitting upon the eggs — that protracted confinement which must be an excessively trying ordeal for such a restless creature as a bird, and especially for one with the nervous organization of the sing- ing bird. But her hilarious lord proves himself the best of help- mates. He is very attentive to the plain, brown belle he wooed and won, whose maternal instinct leads her to cover her precious beauties with such rare devotion. He never neglects her. He ^ keeps watchful guard upon the home, and no enemy approaches it unchallenged ; he brings her food ; all day long he sings to cheer her, and when she goes for an airing takes her place on the nest. I once saw a male bobolink protecting his sitting mate from the rain. The grass around the nest had been beaten down, exposing the hen to a fierce storm, and on the side of the nest, placid and unperturbed, taking the stress of the storm in chivalrous fashion, stood rollicking Robert of Lincoln, his wing tencorly spread over the COWBIRD. • 81 devoted mother. Both birds might have found comfortable shelter in a spruce grove not twenty yards away. After the young are hatched Robert's manners become changed. Gradually he lays aside his antics and his hilarity and busies him- self with procuring food for the young, and later, in teaching them to fly. Possibly the weighty care of a family may be the cause of this gay fellow becoming so quiet in his manner, but it is more probable that the exhausting moult which comes at that season is responsible for the change. By the time the young are well on the wing Robert of Lincoln has dropped the jester's capers and the jester's motley, and appears in a suit of huffish brown, more or less streaked with black, both parents and young at this season wearing similar costumes. About the middle of August the bobolinks gather in large flocks, and early in September they move southward to the southern rice fields, where they obtain their southern name of rice birds. At that season they become very fat and large numbers are killed for the market. As midwinter approaches the flocks move farther south- ward. In the spring the males, having assumed their nuptial plumage of rich black, marked with buff and ashy white, journey northward together, several days in advance of the flocks of females, and the sexes do not mingle until they have settled in their summer homes. I have seen separated flocks of males in New Brunswick as late as the Queen's birthday. May 24th. COWBIRD. This species is peculiar in doing what no other American bird does — it throws upon others the labor of hatching and rearing its young. With most of our birds the rule obtains for the male to select a female whom he induces to mate with him, and the pair keep together during the year and are uniformly constant. Some few species of more sedentary habits mate for a lifetime. In most instances both the male and the female share in all the domestic duties — in nest building, hatching the eggs, and caring for 32 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. the young — the male often exhibiting a tender care of his mate and brood. It is true of a few species that the male does not keep to a single mate, but divides his attention equally among a flock of females, leaving to them the entire care of nest and young. The cowbird alone possesses nothing like conjugal affection. The male neither selects a mate nor undertakes the organization of a harem, but males and females live in small flocks in the loosest kind of communism. Also they have little parental instinct, and therefore build no nest ; for a bird's nest is built for its young. Tliey diffev from most luadrupeds in this. The beaver rears its home for its own sheltox ; the bear and the fox make dens for their own conjfort ; the squirrel stocks his moss-lined snuggery for his own tooth ; a bird builds solely for its brood. Eliot Coues writes : — " It is interesting to observe the female cow- bird ready to lay. fehe becomes disquieted ; she betrays unwonted excitement, and ceases her busy search for food with her companions. At length she separates from the flock and sallies fortli to reconnoitre, anxiously indeed, for her case is urgent, and she has no home. How obtrusive is the sad analogy ! She flies to some thicket, or hedgerow, or other common resort for birds, where, something teaches her — perhaps experience — nests will be found. Stealthily and in perfect silence she flits along, peering furtively, alternately elated or dejected, into the depths of the foliage. She espie.s a nest, but the owner's head peeps over the brim, and she must pass on. Now, however, comes her chance ; there is the very nest she wishes, and no one at home. She disappears for a few minutes and it is almost another bird that comes out of the bush. Her business done, and trouble over, she chuckles herself gratulations, rustles her plumage to adjust it trimly, and flies back to her associates. They know what has happened, but are discreet enough to say nothing — charity is no less often wise than kind." The nest selected by the cowbird for the depository of her egg is usually that of a smaller bird — the redstart, summer warbler, and red-eyed warbler, all smaller birds, being most frequently imposed upon. The owners of the nest are much disturbed when the ominous egg is discovered and will often abandon their home in preference to accepting the task thus thrust upon them. Sometimes, COWBIRD. however, especially if the two or three eggs have heen laid, the parents accept the task and the young parasite, when hatched, is carefully tended. Not infrequently the birds thus imposed upon will get rid of the obnoxious egg by building a second story to their nest, leaving the jowbird's egg to addle in the basement. I saw a summer warbler's nest on which two of such storeys had been built with a cowbird's egg in each of the lower apartments. It is not known how many eggs the cowbird lays for a " set," but it is probable that four or five is the complement. In size the egg is about that of the bobolink's — much larger than those of many of the foster parents. The ground color is dull white, sometimes tinged with green or buff, and decorated with irregular markings, in considerable profusion, of various shades of brown. These eggs are hatched more quickly as a rule than the species they are imposed upon, so that the young cowbirds usually appear before their nest mates. The latter are not infrequently pushed out of the nest by the parasite, who thus obtains more room as well as more attention from the parents, and more food. The plumage of the male cowbird is iridescent black ; the head and neck purplish brown. The female wears a costume of nearly uniform dusky brown of a grayish hue, the under parts being slightly paler than the back and wings. The wing-shafts being of a slightly darker tint, the plumage appears somewhat streaky. The bill and feet are black. The male measures about eight inches from tip to tip, and the female is smaller. The cowbird occurs throughout the settled portions of Eastern Canada, though it is not common in the Maritime Provinces, and is seen in Southern Ontario during the spring and fall migrations only. In classification this species is closely allied to the bobolink and the redwinged blackbird, all these being members of the marsh black- bird group of the icteridce, under which family name is gathered the blackbirds, orioles, meadowlarks, and grackles. But though so nearly related to some of our songsters the present species cannot be credited with adding to the music of the fields, for its guttural Muck Hsee, which it drawls in most aflfected fashion, does not deserve to be dignified by the term song. 3 34 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. RED- WINGED BLACKBIRD. This species is exceedingly abundant, and breeds throughout the country north to about the fiftieth parallel. Yet while so abundant and so widely distributed the bird is not as well known as these facts might suggest, because of itfi habit of gathering in numbers at some favorite nesting ground to the exclusion of adjacent places apparently as suitable. So while locally abundant it may be seen never or seldom in many districts. The favored haunts of the red-wings during the summer months are the marshes and swampy meadows where the herbage is rank and cat-tails flourish. Here the birds gather when nesting time arrives. In the more southern localities the nests are begun early in May, though the birds usually enter the country much earlier — the males preceding the females. After the broods become independent of parental care, tho red-wings gather in immense flocks and scour the country. I have seen such flocks on the Grand Lake meadows, in New Brunswick, when they appeared like clouds and must have numbered thousands. Soon after these flocks are formed — in September or October, according to latitude — the birds move southward and gradually migrate to their winter resorts, which extend from tha Southern States to Costa Rica. A few examples have been found in New England during the winter months — notably in the marshes near Cambridge. The nests of this species that I have seen have been tied between several stalks of rushes or fastened to a low alder, but nests have been placed amid a tussock of rank grass, and on a branch as high as twenty feet from the ground. The exterior of the nest is formed of long leaves of sedge-grass and other similar coarse but flexibie ma- terial, clumsily interlaced with roots and twigs. The whole is cemented with fibrous peat and when dry the structure is firm, and strong, but bulky and inartistic. The inside of this roughly formed cup is lined with fine grass rather neatly arranged, and upon this the female deposits her beautiful eggs — three to five in number. The ground color of the eggs varies from bluish white to greenish blue, and is fantastically marked with dark brown and a few spots or lines of dull lilac. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 36 Tlie plumage of the male is uniform lustrous black, relieved with a shoulder patch of rich scarlet or vermilion, bordered by a narrow line of buff. The female is blackish brown above, and of a pjJe dusky tint beneath, the whole streaked with brown of several shades. The young birds resemble the female. The song of the red-wing— or what the bird furnishes for its quota of song — is a variety of harsh grating notes, though when heard at a distance the combined chatter of a flock is rather effective. The principal notes of the male, which he delivers most frequently in the mating season, has been written cotJc-a-ree and kmig-fpier-ree sometimes they sound more like hob-a-tee. They have numerous other notes and calls, a prolonged 'tshdy being the most melodious, and an alarm note like kioe-ah. The birds are at all times restless and noisy. 36 SOME CANADIAN HIKDS. ■-"M .f >/ BLUE JAY. This conspicuous and noisy fellow has been seen too often to require a lengthy story ; but the fact may not be well known that these birds are found throughout this eastern country — among the orchards of balmy South Ontario as well as in the spruce and pine forests north of the Laurentian hills. They spend the entire year with us, though during the cold weather they seek the shelter of the denser woodlands. Wherever he goes, the jay makes for himself an unsavory reputation — pilfering and general bad manners being his dominant characteristics. He will steal anything from corn to birds' eggs, — or even young birds — and will rob the orchard and berry patch in spite of all care. His noise and bad temper are proverbial, but it's his way, poor thing, and he would not be our blue jay if he did not indulge to excess in both diversions. Ha has been called HUMMINOniRD. 37 cownrd, fincak, and niffian, Init I think these tcrmn fiomowhat severe. The jay does not know how wicked ho is, ho wo sliould bear with him and indulge him in his foi1)Ies, even if he does take a few berries and is a bit cantankerous now and then. 1 fear we will excuiie him for even worse faults, for somehow wo like the fellow. His pronounced individuality and liohemian ways make him interesting, and wo would not change him if we could. The nest of this species is usually placed in a coniferous tree, some twenty feet from the ground, and is made of loosely arranged twigs and roots. The eggs, four or five in number, are of a pale olive or huffish tint, and spotted with yellowish brown. The plumage of tho blue jay is very beautiful. The general color is bright purplish blue, which is paler beneath and shades to whito on the throat. The wings and tail are of brighter blue, and are barred with black and trimmed with white. Tho head is adorned with a conspicuous crest. HUMMINGBIRD. i^merica is the home of the hummingbirds, for nowhere else do we find these beautiful creatures — tho most beautiful and the daintiest of the a\'ian race. There are over four hundred species in all, and the centre of their abundance is in tho tropical portions of the southern half of the continent, fourteen species only occurring within the border of the United States. Of this northern detach- ment, but one — the ruby-throated — penetrates as far as Canada. Our one representative of this unique family is, however, well-known throughout this eastern country, for its breeding area extends from Florida and the Rio Grande to the Laurentian hills and the country bordering on the Saskatchewan. * Mr. McHwraith tells us that the ruby-throats enter Ontario about the middle of May, and I have met the van of their scouting parties away up in Northern New Brunswick before the end of that same month. These tiny mites are happy only amid the summer sunshine and the flowers, so when the summer leaves us, oflf go the ruby-throats 38 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. to A warmer clime. . Sometimes a stray follow, separated from the flock, and tempted, perhapH, by the brij^ht tints the lirst frosts have painted, lingers on into September days, but he does not stay long ; the north wind's chilling breath disturbs him, and the flowers are dead. It is not the colors only of the flowers or their perfume that wins for them the attention of these winged beauties. The nectas which the birds draw from the flower's breast, and the minute in- sects which gather within the flower's dainty cup, form the stiiple food of the hummingbirds. Wo are indebted to the h»t'> Frank Bolles for an addition to our knowledge of tliese birds' feeding habits. Bolles discovered that they drink the sap which runs from the holes bored by the yellow-billed woodpecker — "the sapsucker." The hummers draw such food into their mouths by moans of their tubular tongues, which servo as a suction pipe. Generally, when in quest of food, our Dird darts from flower to flower with such swift motion that the eye follows his progress with great difficulty ; the wings vibrating so mpidly as to bo indistinct and to produce tlie humming sound from which tho family derive their name. If the flower is very large, the bird may perch on tho brim, and thrust his head deep into its glowing corolla, but generally he hovers above a blossom or poises at its side, and assuming a vertical position, keeps his body steadily in place by moving the wings backwards and forwards, his tail being thrust forward at the same time. When he invades the garden, this diminutive but plucky fellow seems indifferent to the presence of mankind, and does not hesitate to gather tribute from the very bush tho gardener is pruning, or to sip the sweets from the bouquet my lady is cutting for her table. I remember well the astonishment and delight with which a party of young ladies watched such a performance one bright September morning amid the New Hampshire hills. One of the party had been picking nasturtiums, and came on the veranda holding in her hand a large bunch of the brilliant blossoms. While she stood chatting with her friends a hummingbird darted among them, and without displaying any signs of timidity or embarrassment, hovered over the flowers in the young lady's hand, and calmly probed them with his long bill. Each time he thrust hia head at a flower he uttered a short ejaculatory squeak, but whether it expressed satis- HUMMIN(iBIRI>. 39 faction or difuippointmeut wo could not determine. After tenting several flowors the bird flow to others that grew near hy, and then back again to the niaidun'H boii((uot, repeating thoao excurHions , Reveral tiinoH. T did not wonder that the huiuiuingbird had no fear of the maiden, for with hor lioautiful face and Hweot Huiilo fihe looked the bright blosHoiu that sho wuh, but that ho bore undiHtiirbod the prosonco of ho many persona Hpoko well for Iuh courage, or the young lady's influence. The ruby-throat probably knew what he was about, for those birds have keen eyes and a good sense of the proprieties. If you think them iiidiflbrent, butterflj' nonentities, . just try to steal upon a nosb some day. You will find that che parents permit of no intrusion, but are kcoidy alert, and fiercely attack all comers, bo the intruder man, snake, sparrow, or sphinx moth. The hummingbirds have a doa by the Hparrows, and many warblers have been driven from garden hedges that they once enlivened. Our bluebirds are a hardy lot and seem (jnito inditroront to tho weather, for though some of them wander as fur as the Mexican table lands for winter quarters, many remain much further north, and a few H[)end the colder months in the Middle Status. They begin their northward migration in tho very early spring, and enter Ontario and MaHSHchusetts in March — sometimes during February. Coming to us while the air yet holds tho chill of winter's frost, when patches of snow lie in tho hollows, and brown gr««s and withered stalks add their suggestions of dosoliition to tho dreary landscape, these early bluebirds become at once a jjromise and a fulfilment. Their presence tells us that the dreary days are nearly past, while in their songs, so tender and so sweet, we catch the very essence of the spring. Bluebirds spend tho entire summer with us, and not until Indian summer has given place to the dull, dark, lonely days of November do they cease to cheer us. The male bluebird, like the male of most species of birds, wears the brightest plumage. His back and wings are of a rich azure blue, somewhat paler on the cheeks ; the throat, breast and sides are of a reddish brown or chestnut tint, while the remainder of the under parts are bluish white. Both bill end feet are black, and the tips of the wing-quills are blackish. The female wears a blue- tinged mantle, but the color is not so rich and bright as her mate's, and is more or less mixed with grayish-brown. The white tint of her under parts extends farther towards the chestnut on the throat, which is of a paler hue than that worn by the male. Many examples of both sexes are seen in dull and imperfect plumage, and these vary from the above description. The bluebirds seek a substantial covering for their nests because they do not care to spend much time in building. The female has 42 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. little of the artistic spirit noticeable in many birds, and her mate is so much occupied in making himself agreeable to his handsome spouse — in caressing her and singing to her, and keeping off sus- pected rivals, for he is extremely jealous, with all his serene, self- sustained and self-satisfied manner — that ho counts elaborate nest building a bore ; so between them they are quite satisfied when they have gathered together some bits of dried grass and feathers — sufticient to make a cushion for the eggs. This cushion is laid in a deserted woodpecker's nest or other excavation, or in a bird box ; bluebirds never excavate for themselves, and will accept any crevice that is well sheltered if a deep hole cannot be secured. The eggs are of a pale blue tint, sometimes so pale as to appear almost white. In size they are somewhat smaller than a robin's. BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 43 BALTIMORE ORIOLE. This bird was named in honor of Lord Baltimore, whose racing colors — orange and black — the male oriole wears. The black color is worn on the head, back, wings, and middle tail feathei*s ; the remainder of the plumage is orange, with a thin stripe of white on the end of the tail, and a bar of the same color on the wing. The female is of smaller siz^ and much paler tints. The orange in her plumage is dull, and the black is sometimes replaced by a grayish tint or dark olive. The young birds resemble the female. 44 " SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. All the orioles are noted for their architectural ability, and my lord of Baltimore adds to this distinguished characteristic his bril- liant costume and rich, rolling song. Little wonder, then, that the bird is the pride of the whole country-side wherein he hangs his famous nest. And a remarkable structure tliat nest is — remarkable when wo consider that these little creatures construct it with no other implements than claws and bill. It is formed like a pouch, some six to eight inches deep and slightly narrowed at the top, and is fastened to the slender twigs near the end of a bough, where it swings with every movement of the air. The materials used are such fibrous substances as blades of dried grass, roots, strips of bark and stray bits of yarn or twine ; anything in short that is sufficiently pliable to weave, for the oriole's nest is a woven fabric. That these birds have an appreciation of color and a color sense was demonstrated by a lady residing in Brookline, one of Boston's beautiful suburbs. My friend noticed an oriole carrying off a piece of blue yarn which had fallen beneath her window, so she threw out other pieces of the yarn, and these Avere taken also. The blue yarn giving out, the lady added pieces of red and yellow, and within a few days had the satisfaction of knowing that she had sup- plied the birds with a large quantity of nest-building material, every bit of the yarn having been carried away. Interested in learning just how this had been used, she hunted through the adjoining grove, guided by the orioles, who were constantly moving about and as constantly singing, and was soon rewarded by finding a nest in which the blue yarn was very conspicuous. But no other color was to be seen. What had become of the red and the yellow ? A further search led to the discovery of a bunch of red far up on a neigliboring tree, which on examination proved to be the home of another pair of orioles. The yellow escaped detection, but when the leaves had fallen it was seen dangling from the bough of a stately elm by the roadside. The orioles are able to make their weaving so firm and to fasten the nest so securely to its supporting twigs that it stands well the storm and stress of the weather. Even after the parents and young desert it, when the rude winds toss the branch on which it hangs and the autumn gales beat away the sheltering leaves, still the nest swings and often survives the entire winter. Balttmore oriole. 45 After the hammock part of the nest has been completed, my lady of Baltimore arranges at tlio bottom a soft cushion of plant down or hair, and on this deposits hur eggs, tlie number varying from four to six. These eggs are long and narrow, measuring about an inch in length and something over a half inch in breadth, and are of a dull white tint, irregularly blotched and streaked, and dotted with several shades of brown. The Baltimore oriole usually selects for a nesting site a grove near a farm house, though a tree in a vill.age street or in a city appears to suit him equally well. For several years I have seen orioles' nests in the yard of Harvai-d University, at Cambridge, and one pair built in an isolated tree that stood no more than fifty feet from the dormitory in which I lodged. In the hottest weather the old and young retire from the open districts and are not seen in the parks or gardens until late in August, when they return and again make the groves resound with their rich, rolling notes. The scmg of the " goldeu robin," as the bird is called by the people, is attractive in its way, but the attraction centres cliiefly on its clear, strong, rolling tones, for the melody lacks variation ; is, in fact, a rather monotonous though cheery whistle, much too simple to entitle it to high rank among our woodland melodies. The food of these birds is almost entirely insectivorous — soft caterpillars, small beetles and flies — though they are said to vary their diet with small fruit in season, and the market gardeners accuse them of being much too fond of young peas. The first oriole I saw was tending its young in a nest that swung above a throng of brave men and maidens fair in that famous resort for such folk — the beautiful public garden of Halifax. But these birds are not common in Nova Scotia, nor in any of the Maritime Provinces, though a few pairs breed every year in the Annapolis Valley and amid the settled districts of the Upper St. John, between Fredericton and Grand Falls. We must go to Montreal or to Ottawa, or through Southern Ontario, before we can be cer- tain of hearing the song. With the chilling nights of late September the orioles move southward to find a more congenial winter resort. 46 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. SCARLET TANAGER. This is another of the beautiful birds of the world that Cana- dians may claim as compatriots, for the brilliant tanager, whose ancestors in some far distant time escaped from the thraldom of the tropics, where such gorgecjus creatures naturally belong, is now found in numbers in Southern Ontario, and occurs regularly, though sparingly, as far north as the forty-seventh parallel. The male tanager is a gleaming beauty. His body is covered with plumes of bright, rich scarlet, while wings and tail are deep black. The female wears plainer tints — the scarlet being replaced by dull olive and the black by a dusky hue. The young are very like the female, and in the autumn the male appears in a costume of the same colors. I kept one in a cage for a couple of years, and at his first moult he lost the scarlet plumes he wore when captured, and never re- gained them. In place of scarlet, he dressed in plain, dusky olive, and his mam ers were as dull and uninteresting as his costume. This waif from the tropics is tropic-like in having an inferior song. Tropical birds, as a rule, attractive as they are in brilliant colored plumage, are not singers, just as tropical plants, with all their wealth of color, have no perfume. The nest of this tanager is a loosely arranged affair, made of such coarse stuff as twigs, shreds of bark and roots. It is placed on a horizontal branch, often in an orchard, and some twenty feet or so from the gn ,und. The eggs, usually four, are of a dull bluish, ground color, and thickly marked, chiefly round the larger end, with brown and lilac. The bird is about the same size as an oriole, somewhat smaller than a robin, and like both oriole and robin in- dulges in a mixed diet, though of the three the tanager is the most inclined to the early fruits. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. 47 r WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Two of these odd characters are more or less common in Canada — the present species and its red-breasted congener. Something Hke a sparrow in form — a sparrow with a square cut tail and lanceolate bill — the nuthatch unites some of the habits of a wood-pecker with tricks he must have learned from the chickadees. The nuthatches do not bore into a tree, but hunt for insects and larvae in the crannies of the bark — chipping off a piece when needed — and when on these hunting excursions are indifferent whether their heads or their tails are uppermost. Tliey are not quite so playful nor so merry as the chickadees, but they are equally active and agile, and when hungry — and who ever saw a wild bird when he was not hungry — they are ready for any gymnastic feat that a search for a dinner may demand. The little fellow pictured here has been 48 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. " ■ ■ climbing down a tree head first, and lias stopped on the way to see who is coming. When nesting time arrives these birds search for a hole in a decayed tree — a deserted wood-pecker's nest or any similar cavity suits them well— wherein to esbiblish a home. To this apartment the pair carry dry loaves, grass, feathers and hair, whicii they neatly arrange on the bottom of the excavation, and in this cosy and com- fortable chamber madam deposits her set of eggs, and then patiently warms them into life. The eggs — usually live, but eight and ten have been found — are about the size of a chipping sparrow's, and are of a delicate roseate tint, spotted all over the surface with several shades of brown and lilac. While the female is sitting her mate attends her with devoted zeal, carrying her food and guarding her from d.ingerous intrusion. After the young are on the wing the family roam through the adjacent woodlands and into the village streets. They do not always limit their wanderings to the villages, for one November day I saw several of these feathered gymnasts in the yard at Harvard, while not a hundred paces from them a thousand men, in their noisy, college way, were doing honor to a team of football heroes. ' The white-breasted nuthatch occurs throughout the Eastern Pro- vinces, but while it is found ia the more southern portions of Ontario during the winter months as well as in summer, it is seen elsewhere in summer only. The plumage of the bird is decidedly attractive. The back is a bluish ash tint ; the head and neck black ; the wings black, blue, and white, and the tail black and white. The female differs from the male in wearing on her head and neck feathers of a dull ash or bluish tint, instead of deep black. ' The bird has no song, but the call note is repeated with such frequency, especially in the breeding season, that it may pass in lieu of song. It is certain that the male uses this call often to cheer his sitting mate as well as to apprise her of his approach. It cannot be called a musical cry — it is something like a gutteral hank — yet it is striking and not easily confused with other woodland sounds. THE CHICKADEES. 49 THE CHICKADEES. The chickadees cannot be classed among the typical birds of the groves, if the use of that term is limited to the trees of the parks and the pastures, for they are at liome in the trees at largo, and care but little where the trees grow. I have heard their chick-a-dee-dee-dee. in the quiet park at Toronto, amid the hubbub of the Place D'Arm^, in Montreal, and in the wilderness forests of New Brunswick, and everywhere it was the same cheery carol, and everywhere the singers were the same busy, active, merry Bohemians of the wing. The deep woodland is the original home of these feathered vagabonds, but their Bohemian spirit leads them to "wander with the wandering wind," and makes them content wherever grows a clump of trees that will yield them food and shelter. The black-capped chickadee, which is the most common in Canada, is usually put down among the ' ' resident " species, because it is found in the settled districts of these Eastern Provinces during the entire year ; but his cousin, the Hudsonian chickadee, occurs in the more southern portions in winter only. I have found the nest of the Hudsonian in New Brunswick, — near St. John, and on the Madawaska, — but the birds are much more numerous there in winter than during the warm weather. To the casual observer the two species appear to have similar habits, and to sing similar songs, but a little experience will enable one to distinguish them with ready accuracy. Both feed on the insect mites and insect eggs to be found in the crannies of the ba rk, and both search for this food with the same careless, go-as-you- please indifference to decorous movement, and with a fine display of gymnastic skill. The Hudsonian, as well as his cousin, makes a nest of felted fur or vegetable wool, and places the nest at the bottom of an excavat- ion in a decayed stump. Both sing the same chick-a-dee-dee-dee and vary it to t'se-dee-dee and chick-a-pu-pu-pu, and add to their repertoire several abbreviations of these as well as single notes introduced, like exclamation points, into their merry babbling. (The black-capped alone sings the j9/ice-6e note, I think). Yet just as the plumage of the Hudsonian is a little less fluffy — more stiff 4 60 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. and prim — tliaii are the plumes of its black-capped c usin, so ^ the Hudsonian's nest built with more careful workiaanship and fashioned with more grace, and the Hudsonian's voice sounds somewhat sharper and clearer, the notes being uttered with greater precision. The color worn by our two species differs considerably. The black -capped is ashy gray above, with a crown of black and a patch of the same hue on the throat ; the cheeks are patched with white. The under parts are of a dull, grayish white, the flanks being washed with a huffish tint. The upper parts of the Hudsonian are dull brown, which grows darker on the head. The throat bears a patch of brownish black, and the cheeks are white. The under parts are grayish white. Both species are about five and a half inches long from tip to tip. The nest of the Hudsonian chickadee is a fine example of bird architecture. The birds make their own excavations, selecting a stump that is sufficiently decayed to make drilling possible with their tiny and weak bills. They usually enter from the top of the stump, — though I have seen a nest the entrance to which was on the side of the stump, as is the rule with the black-capped. The excavation, at the entrance, is about two inches in diameter, and this size is maintained for about six inches, when it is gradually widened to about three inches in diameter, and this width is con- tinued to the bottom — about twelve or fifteen inches from the top of the stump. At the bottom of the cavity the birds place a cushion of dried moss, an inch or so in thickness, and upon this place a second cushion made of the inner fur of the common hare. Upon this latter is placed the cup-shaped nest, made also of the same fur compactly felted — so strongly put together that the nest will stand handling without losing its form. The walls of one nest I examined were two and a half inches high, and half an inch thick, and were formed on such graceful lines as to make the nest an object of real beauty. There was no other material used as a lining, but the interior had a soft, woolly surface not observable on the ovtside. The female lays five to eight eggs, and as many as ten have been found in a nest of the Hudsonian, though just how so many are .HNTEK WREN. 61 covered by the tiny body \n n mystery. The eggs of both species ftre creamy white, with a circle of reddish brown spots around the larger end. With all his rollicking, Bohemian ways, the chickadee makes a model mate and a devoted i)arent ; and though generally in a merry mood, inclined to be sociable with a sympathizing spirit, and friendly with all his neighbours, he can be fierce when the occasion demands, and displays considerable boldness and courage in defending his nest against intrusion. These birds are never shy, and appear quite indifferent to the presence of mankind, pausing sometimes in their scramble on a tree to gaze at an inquisitive intruder with a comical " who-are-you-looking-at?" air. A visitor to the woods on a bright day in winter is apt to meet a troop of these restless fellows in company with brown creepers, nuthatches, and kinglets, a downy woodpecker often acting as rear guard — all gadding through the forest, with short flights from tree to tree, and chattering merrily as they fly. WINTER WREN. This bird derived its name ifrom its habit of wintering in the Middle States, and thus received an appellation which sounds strangely to Canadian observers, who know this species as a summer visitor only. In Southern Ontario it is known chiefly as a spring and summer migrant, but north of the forty-fifth parallel it occurs as a sunuuer resident throughout these Eastern Provinces. The wrens cannot be called abundant, yet I think that they are more common than is generally supposed. Tlieir habit of hiding amid the brush and shrubbery, when in the more open pasture lands, and their more general habit of retreating to the deeper shades of the forest) keep them out of the way of the casual woodland wanderer, but even the bird-lovers, who know the haunts of these tiny songsters, rarely catch a glimpse of one, though a trained ear will often detect the bird's voice in the general chorus. The retiring habits of the bird accounts for the little that is known of its nesting habits, comparatively few nests having 52 SOME CANADIAN niRDS. beon discovorod by naturaliHts. It is usually i)laced in the moss at tho foot of a decayod Htuiup or tho side of a fallen tree, sometimes amid a pile of brush, or under tho tangled dchris of a swamp. Extenially it is a ball of dry moss, compactly laid, the entrance being at the side. Within is a soft bed of feathers, or roots, or hair. Four to six eggs are laid, in size somewhat hirgor than a chickadee's, and of white color, marked near tho largo end with minute spots of reddish brown and purple. The whiter wren is among the smallest of Canadian birds, measur- ing barely four inches in its extreme length. The plumage of the bird is an unattractive reddish l)r()wn, though when in the hand it proves to be prettily marked with waved lines of a darker tint. The wings are dusky, with dark bars and pale spots. The tail is short and is usually carried in the air, at a right angle to the body. These birds feed on small insects, which they hunt with ceaseless activity, and this activity keeps them always hungry, and so always on the go ; and such a going, such scampering about, such flitting, hither and yon, no other bird quite equals. I discovered one of these agile fellows running along a wind-fall and exulted over the opportunity to study him. He was not shy, and, indeed, seemed almost indifferent to my presence, but before I could cover him vvith my glass he had hidden amid the tangle of a brush heap. Out again in a moment, he paused to pick up a stray grub, but before I could wink twice he had whisked off to the boughs that swung in the air far overhead. While hunting for him there I heard his voice from another tree some thirty yards away, whither I followed. I was almost certain it was the same bird, for two are rarely met with in one grove — they are not sociable — so I was not surprised when, after following the voice from tree to tree, I found myself back to the wind-fall from which I had started, and on the prostrate trunk, as before, was the wren. He was busily searching for food as usual, but he stopped suddenly, threw back his head and without preface flung to the air his brilliant song — one of the very best of our sylvan melodies. It is a typical wild-bird's song that comes from the wren's throstle, the song of a creature wild and free, and happy with the delight of living ; yet it is not suggestive of hilarious mirth, like the bobolink's merry lay, nor is there in its theme anything of the WINTER WREN. 58 seuBuous joy that clomiiiates the song of the fox Bparrow. The wren's trilled roundelay tells of a deeper joy, an ecstacy that fills the heart so full it niUHt free itself in song — the pent heart's safety^ valve. The charm of the song lies partly in its spontaneity — its sudden outburst — but there is an added delight in its clear tones, which are strong and sweet, in its varied and rapid trills, and in the strain of wild plaintiveness that runs through the entire nieU)dy. You are fascinated by it, you never tiro of its repetition, and each time you hear the bird sing your wonder increases how that tiny heart can hold so much of joy, and how that tiny throstle can express the j(jy with such beauty and such power. The wren's stmg is more nearly like that of the canary than like any other song that I have heard, but the canary sufl'ers by the comparison. Yet how few of our people have listened to this native songster or even heard of its brilliant melody. 64 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. KINGBIRD. This bird has been dubbed " tyrant flycatcher " by the book- men — it is something of a bully at times — and in many localities is known as "bee martin, " from its fondness for the busy honey-makers and its twittering martin-like cry. Kingbird became its name because of its flaming crown of reddish orange plumes, which are partly concealed. Apart from this crown, or crest, the bird's plumage rivals a quaker's garb in quiet color, though like the quakers the KIN(iniRD. 66 kingbirds aro made coiiHpicuoiiH by tho very plaititiosH of their coMtumes. Above they are a blaukiHh ash, which Ih)c<>iiiuh darker on the head and tail, the latter ending in a bar of white. Their color below in white, tinged on tho breast with gray. Tho bill is depressed and wide at the base. Their favorite nesting place is an orchard, or park, or open pasture, and the nest is saddled on a horizontal limb or in a fork made by two branches. It is a rather tlimsy structure of loosely laid twigs and roots, though the interior is neatly lined with horse hair and feathers. The eggs, four or five in number, are rich creamy white, boldly streaked and spotted with bntwn and lilac. The kingbird occurs in numbers all over these Eastern Provinces, reaching the southern border before the middle of May, and leaving the northern limit of its distribution about tho first of September. It is a true flycatcher — tho typo species of the whole flycatcher family — and its food consists largely of winged insects which are captured in the air. A familiar sight on a summer's day is a king, bird on a garden fence or wayside branch watching for the passing fly, upon which the bird darts with skilful flight, catching its prey upon the wing after tho manner of a swallow, though with less grace. The fly secured, the bird wheels back to its perch to repeat the watching and the darting, each capture being tallied by a sharp snap of the bill. The kingbird is changed with fierce pugnacity and with churlishly tyrannizing over weaker birds, but tho charge is not well founded. He is brave and daring above all other birds, and is a fighter, through and through. But he fights only when there is something to fight for — a mate to be won, an insult to be avenged, or a home to be defended — and what brave fellow would not fight upon such occasions. He claims as his kingdom the grove wherein his queen- mate and he rear their fighting brood, and he takes under his protec- tion all the smaller birds who dwell therein — the redstarts and the vireos in the next tree, the yellow warblers in the hedge-row, and the juncos who have hid their nest in the grass yonder. Tliose are his friends and he elects himself their champion, making tlieir quarrels his own, and shielding them with his valor. But he brooks Dio iivals ; permits no interference in his domestic affairs ; and 56 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. zealously guards his kingdom from all such malevolent intruders as egg-stealing jays and blood-thirsty hawks. Be the intruder ever so large or tierce the kingbird will attack him with a persistent courage that yields to no opposition, and with a skill that baffles all defence. These battles in mid-air are interesting as exhibitions of the art of flight, and often are quite ludicrous. The kingbird is not so large as a robin, and his attack on a goshawk — that terror of the barn -yard — has in it all the elements of at. ard audacity ; while the futile efforts of the larger bird to defend himself from attack or to reach his exasp. rating assailant with either talon, beak, or wing, complete an amusing spectacle. A few instances are recorded of the king bird attacking others than his natural enemies, but I doubt if these occur with frequency. After the brood have gone from the parental care even old enemies seem to be forgiven, for the war-cry of the kingbird is heard no more during that season. This harsh, shrill cry is the kingbird's song — he has none other. His call note is less harsh. WOOD PEWEE. Nine species of the flycatcher family are regular summer visitors in all of these Eastern Provinces, though some of them are most abundant near our southern border, while others find more favorable conditions in the northern districts. In habits they are quite similar, but the kingbird is the only one of our nine that is aggressively pugnacious, and that utters a harsh, twittering cry. The other species are more or less irritable, though they rarely make a serious attack upon other birds, and all have calls — songs we may term many of them — of two or three notes, varying in quality from the sharp-toned and abrupt kil-lic of the yellow- breasted flycatcher to the soft, sweet strain of the present species. These birds are not classed with the oscines, the singing birds, the anatomy of their throats forbids that ; but if the scientists put them elsewhere the people number them with the sylvan song- sters, and with good cause, for their voices would be much missed from the woodland chorus. The song of the wood pewee — for WOOD PEWEE. 67 song it certainly is, and not simply a call — bears more genuine pathos in ite three sweet notes than any other bird's song I know. Heard in the ([uiet of the groves — the pewee's favorite haunts — or heard in the orchard during the twilight hour, these notes fall on the ear like a wail of despair, telling of a sorrow that cannot be healed. Yet the bird seems happy, is an active, bustling little body, and quite as unconscious of the sad strain in its monody as a babe is of the niirth in its laughter, or the whid of its sigh. This song has been represented in the books by pe-ice-e and pe-oy-tve and other words, but it is too subtle a thing to be crys- talized in a word, and its strain has a wild plaintiveness that neither human voice nor instrument can counterfeit. You are more likely to find the nest of the pewee in the grove be- yond the village, or ne.ir the farmer's house, than in the orchard, yet an apple tree is often selected, and I have watched a pair saddle their trim home on the branch of a maple not fifty yards from my window. The nest itself is peculiarly constructed, for while the walls are thick and firmly laid, the bottom is thin. The materials used are twigs and roots, and shreds of bark, and the walls are covered on the outside with lichens, like a hummingbird's. The inside is furnished with a cushion of dry moss, and upon this the female lays her three or four pretty eggs. The ground color of these is creamy white, and near the larger end is a wreath of brown and lilac spots. The plumage of the wood pewee is olive brown above, some- what darker on the head, wings and tail, and the under parts are whitish with a yellow tinge. The sides are washed with a pale olive tint and this extends across the breast ; the wings bear two bars of yellowish white. The extreme length of the bird is about six inches. Our bird feeds almost entirely upon winged insects which it captures in true flycatcher fashion — darting upon its prey while on the wing and closing the bill upon the mite with a sharp, audible snap. 68 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. Small as this bird is — about the size of your thumb — and deli- cately as it is formed, it has sufficient sturdiness and vitality to withstand the rigor of a Canadian winter. My acquaintance with the kinglet dates from a certain February day when I met a dozen of them in a New Brunswick forest, and ever since I have had respect for the tiny creature's courage and endurance. A storm was raging — high winds and snow — and the temperature was too near zero for human comfort. After a hard tramp through the storm I had retreated to a thickly-wooded valley for rest and repairs when a coterie of chickadees and nuthatches came trooping by, merry as usual, their sweet and cheery strains in striking contrast with the fierce wind's dirge. While watch- ing their antics, as they flitted from tree to tree and scampered over the trunks and branches, I became conscious of a strange note in the medley— a note that was new to me — a thin, wiry note, of piercing quality and high-pitclied tone ; more like an insect's note than a bird's, yet sweet as the tinkle of a silver bell. It was not loud, but it was penetrating, and was readily traced amid the chorus, BO I had little difficulty in placing its authorship— a bevy of daintily-costumed mites with plumes as neatly laid and forms as trim and graceful as any warbler's, who were following, in an unob- trusive way, the example of their hilarious companions in hunting for eatables among the bark crannies. They were quite as cheerful as the others and as sprightly, but had less suggestion of antics in their demeanor. They looked out of place — too exquisite and frail for a winter storm, too much like a dude in a squall. I thought they GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. 59 must be cold — I was myself — though they did not act as if they wanted either pity or help. They kept on chattering and hunting in an absorbed way, quite undisturbed by the nipping air, or the whirling snow, or the howling wind that shook the tree tops a few yards above them. As the kinglets remained almost constantly on the upper branches, or amid the thick foliage of the small trees, I was obliged to bring one down for inspection, and in my hand it proved more beautiful than the distant view had suggested. The plumes of the back are rich olive green, brighest on the rump ; the wings and tail are of a dusky tint, the feathers edged with dull buft', and the wings bear two narrow bars of white. The imder parts are dull white, tinged with buff, and a band of this buffisli white crosses the forehead, spreads around the eyes, and across the cheeks. On the head the male wears a crown patch of orange red, bordered by rich yellow — a flaming crown — hence the name kinglet, and framing this patch of color are two bars of black. The female and immature male lack the red color on the crown. The extreme length of this bird is four inches. Another kinglet— the ruby-crowned — occurs in these Eastern Provinces as a summer resident, migrating southward in the autumn. It is a trifle larger than its congener, but in plumage differs chiefly in having a crown patch of rich scarlet, which is concealed by the contour feathers. The gold-crest builds an artistic nest and usually suspt ids it from small twigs near the end of a branch —sometimes the nest is saddled upon the twigs instead of being pendant. The material used for the exterior and the lining is of roots, shreds of bark, and feathers. Some nests are spherical in form — a ball of moss ornamented with lichens, and wich the entrance at the side ; and an occasional pair of these builders will arrange feathers on the inside of the nest so that the tips droop toward the centre and conceal the eggs. The site chosen for the nest is usually in damp, coniferous woods. About six eggs generally complete the set, but as many as ten have been seen in a nest. The ground color is of a rich, creamy tint — sometimes rather buflish, sometimes pure white, and the surface marks are dots of pale reddish brown and 60 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS, lavender. These dots are gathered in a wreath near the larger end, or are spread over the entire gurface. Besides its high-pitched, twittering note — a wiry 'tsee Hsee' tsee — which is heard through the entire year, our bird gives utter- ance to several other calls and warbloH, and has one song that is reserved for the nesting season — a love song. It is a dainty bit of melody, fitting a dainty lover, and is rendered in low, soft tones. The golden-crowned kinglet is quite a common bird throughout this eastern section of the country, breeding from about latitude 45° to the lower fur countries. It is a winter resident only in Southern Ontario. -. V PARULA WARBLER. 61 ^ PARULA WARBLER. Some thirty species of the warbler family build their nests in these Eastern Provinces, and most of them come in such abundance that the family rival the sparrow tribe in numbers. One or the other, and sometimes many, of these warblers may be found in any city park or suburban garden, in country lane or grove or woodland — almost anywhere that trees grow or the shrubbery is dense. I have met them in quite deep forests, though they are more numer- ous near the settlements ; but they are birds of the trees and not of the fields or moorlands. Sylvia is the genetic name of a group of old world forms, and wood wai "ers is the book name for the American species. Their partiality for the trees will explain why they are not more generally known. As a rule they place their nests on the branches and amid the denser foliage — a few species only build on the ground, — and as their food is the small insects and larvaj that are found on the bark and leaves, the birds are almost con- tinually hidden from observation. Their size also helps them to escape notice, for they are small birds, smaller, most of them, than the average sparrow. , In appearance the warblers are among the most attractive of our birds. None of them are plainly costumed, while all have graceful forms, and some of the clan can be fairly classed among the great beauties of ths avian race. The present species, the parula, will serve as a type of the group. The adult male is a daintily dressed fellow. His back and winga are of a light shade of blue which, 02 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. tliough appearing bright in tint when seen against the green leaves, proves on close inspection to have a rather dull hue. The blue of tlie back is relieved by a i»atch of yellow-tinged olive, and on the wings are two bars of white. White appears also in spots on the tail feathers, and the belly is white. The throat and breast are briglit yellow, and upon the breast is a sln'eld of orange brown. The female is similar in general appearance, but tlie blue of lier plumes is not quite so bright, and the patch on the l)ack and tlie shield on the breast are either obscure or entirely lacking in her costume. The young birds are more nearly like the fenuiles, but the bhie of their up})er parts is washed with gi'een, and the yellow of their breasts is of a duller tint. The rule obtains in most species of this group tliat the male, female and young are imlike in their plumage, each displaying seasonal changes, and the student finds himself puzzled when attempting to identify them. Most of the warblers build neat and compact nests, but few of them rival the parula in architectural skill. This nest is globular in form, with the entrance at the side, and is suspended from the end of a bough and generally about thirty feet from the ground. It is composed of threads of *' beard moss" (usiiea) interwoven with hair, and the wonder is how the tiny builders, with such material and the simple tools they can command, succeed in retain- ing the globular form and making the structure so firm and com- pact. Some nests have been found hidden amid a large bunch of the usiiea growing on the trunk of an old tree. The female usually lay>s four eggs, though as many as seven have been found in one nest, while a few nests have held but three. These eggs have a ground color of white, tinged with creamy buff, and are spotted with lilac and several shades of brown. I have usually found the parula in open groves of deciduous trees — birch and poplar, and the like — on dry hill-sides bordering a stream, and the birds have been invariably amid the higher branches. But other observers have noted their appearance in orchards and gardens, and have watched them flit through the shrubbery. As a family the warblers are not songsters of high degree, and their performances suggest anything in the way of singing but "warbling." The majority of their songs might be described as short and jerky — cheery whistles rather than songs — though most PARULA WARHLER. 63 of their voices are of sweet tone, and some few warblers, the water thrush and the ovonbird for example, sing beautiful melodies. Most of the clan sing sprightly ditties, that make up by their quaintness what they lack in thouie. Many of these songs are BO nearly similar and so delusive that no t)ne but an expert can distinguish them. The parula's song is not one of the delusive sort, for it is unlike any other. It is a chromatic run of some twenty sibilant notes, trilled rapidly with a rising inflection, and ending with an abrupt staccato. The opinion seems to be quite general that this species is rare in Canada, but I aux inclined to differ from the majority in this instance. I think the unobtrusive habits of the l)ird, and its almost constant retirement amid the thick foliage of tall trees will account for part of its apparent scarcity, and the lack of familiarity with the bird's song further prevents its being noted by the average observer. That the species is common in some locali- ties there is abundant testimony. In New Brunswick it is not rare. I have met with it in several districts, and Mr. Board- man writes me that it is common near the Maine border. Downes thought the bird rare in Nova Scotia, but Mr. J. Matthew J(mes writes me he thinks it not uncommon in the interior of the province. Francis Bain thought it common on Prince Edward Island. Mr. John Neilson put it down as rare in his Quebec list, while Dunlop and Wintle reported it counnon near Montreal. From Ontario come divers reports. The field naturalists of the Ottawa Club think the bird rare in their districts, and the ornitholo- gists of the Canadian Institute consider it a rare spring migrant near Toronto ; Mr. Mcllwraith reports that it is common in Ontario during the spring migration, but adds that there is no evidence of the bird's breeding in Ontario, while Mr. W. E. Saunders, of London, has expressed the opinion that it does breed in Western Ontario, and it is very probable that Mr. Sauuder's opinion is correct. There is no good reason for doubting that the breeding area of this species extends from the region of the forty-fifth parallel north- ward. I have put in these details to display at once our knowledge and our ignorance, and to emphasize this fact — there is a great deal still to be learned about the common birds of our country. 04 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. There is a deal to bo learuud about ahuost all our birds — not about their distribution only, but their habits as well — (juite enough to keep a small army of observers employed for many years to come. And this work — this iield-work — while of great value to science, and interesting to every one wlio has a l«jve for nature, can be successfully accomplished by any intelligent person. He must, of course, be interested in the work, and have some powers of observation, but he need not possess exceptional ability nor be an expert ornithologist. To illustrate this, I will cite an instance that comes to my mind as I write. The Cape May warbler was discovered in 1811 and figured by Wilson in his famous work on the birds of America. Wilson did not find another specimen, and neither Audubon nor Nuttall ever saw one in the flesh. Most American observers considered it very rare, down as late as 1883, though Mr. Boardman reported the bird comnum on the New Brunswick border of Maine. Almost nothing was known of its habits and no authentic account of its nest and eggs was published until 1885. In 1882 I met with a number of these warblers near Edmundston, in northern New Brunswick, and found them invariably in the top brandies of tall evergreens growing on high land. As all the birds wo saw were males we concluded tliat the females wore sitting, and of course sitting in that neighbourhood, so we spent several hours, much energy, and all of our good temper in searching among the evergreens, l)ut failed to discover a Cape May's nest. In June of 1884, my friend, James Banks, discovered a nest of this species on the edge of a much used road in one of St. John's suburban parks, and furnished the material for the first authentic account of the nest and eggs ever published. My friend and I had been hunting in the wrong place for the Cape May's nest. Banks learned that the male deserts the female after mating, and while he goes off" on a spree with his comrades, the patient and loving mother builds the nest unaided, and alone cares for her brood. And Banks learned, further, that while the recreant males seek the high trees on the hill tops the females prefer the low trees and shrubbery of the valleys. This is not the only good thing Banks has done for ornithology. He probably knows more about the nesting habits of birds, and has discovered more new facts regarding that phase of bird-life, than YELLOW WAllHLEH. 65 any other Canndiaii. Yet lie is not specially gifted, nor hjis he had special advantages. lie is a blaukHinith, and tlie only time he can devote to field-work is in the early nujrningH, in the evenings, and on the few holidays his employment permits. He had little early training, but nature provided him with a keen eye, a good ear, plenty of patience, and untiring energy. His one crowning advantage has been his love of nature ; but a love of nature can bo cultivated, and what Banks has done, any pei'son with average intelligence may accomplish. YELLOW WARBLER. Of all the warblers that spend the suunner in Canada the j'ellow warbler is the most numerous and should be the best known, for it is distributed over the entire country and frequents all sorts of places. Amid the shrubbery of the garden, in the hedgerows of the park, or among the low bushes in the coppice ; along the dingle side or on the willow branches that fringe the creek ; in open pasture or in woodland, our bird is equally at homo and equally happy. In the books until lately this bird hjis been known as ** summer warbler" and "summer yellow-bird," and in some districts the country people add to its synonymy the title of "wild canary." It resembles the canary in color only, and even the yellow of its plumes lack the canary's tint. The yellow warbler wears upon its breast plumes of a rich golden hue — nearer to crome than to canary yellow. The back is tinged with yellowish olive, and the sides are marked with orange stripes. The bird is confiding and not shy, and being busy with its own affairs gives little heed to passers-by, thus affording fine opportunities for inspection and study. With an opera glass you can note all its movements, and be enabled to keep a detail journal of its doings. During May the flocks begin to arrive, and before the first of June the pairs have finished their quaint and tender courtship, and are settling down to the most serious affair in bird life — the building of a home for the expected brood. There is much chattering and twit- tering, much cooing and demonstration of affection, and then oflFthey go — he and she together — to select a site. Follow them, and if they do ()C) SOME CANAI)[A\ IUIU)S. not find in your gurden a place that suits — thoy arc quite fastidious — they will leiul you to some retired barberry busli or, perbaps, across the field and down to the stream that winds its zig-z;i(4 way through thy marsh. The marsh ! Why the blackl)irds are there, with harsh cry and fierce military look, and on the hillside, among the daisies the bobolinks keep up their incessant clink. Why choose such a lutisy place ? And there is danger here as well as noise, for a band of grackles have possession of that grove yonder, and their partiality for eggs is too well known to make them [doasant neighbors to such dainty, delicate, btitterfly birds as yellow warlilors. But, my friend, our birds are neither timid nor foolish, and they know a good site for a nest when they see it. They have chosen that low bunch of willows standing (piite ahme just at the bend of the stream, and if you examine the situation you will find it strong in strategetical features. The marsh on every side is free from bushes for full thirty yards, and if any piratical puss-cat attempted an attack mider cover of the grass the sharp eyes of the warbler would detect the dip of the blades at every step. Then what an opening for safe retreat, and what opportunity for carrying in building material and food without being seen. The bank rises several feet above the water, and the birds can drop below the brink before leaving the screening branches and steal away under the protection of the escar|)ment. You may think this too clever— too shrewd — for a warbler's concep- tion ; but I spent the whole of one June morning, with a friend, on the marsh below Hampton, in an effort to identify a yellow warbler's nest fixed in precisely that position. We discovered the nest accidentally by opening the branches, but though the eggs were very warm no sign of a parent was in sight. We were eager to make certain of the parents' identity, for we had evil thoughts concerning that nest and its five dainty gems, but the birds eluded us time after time. We knew that they returned during our absences, because the eggs were kept warm, but how did the birds get back without our seeing or hearing them, for not one note came from that direction while we watched. At last a happy thought came to us. We crossed the stream, and from the opposite shore, with our glasses, traced one of these skilled tacticians as it skim- med the surface of the water close to the bank and disappeared under the branches of their chosen willow. YKI.LOW WAIIHLER. 67 The nest of this specius \n in.ido of vogotablo fibres — weed HtotnH, aliriMls of biirk, drind j^nisH ami such - firmly wovon or folttxl with softor Hulistiincus liko plfiiit at and compact inannur, and the ciip-liku shape is given graceful form. The neat Is tlien lined with Hoft plant down and liair. I am under the impression that the female does the most of tliis work. VVitli many spt'cie.s — almo.st all the song-hirds and numerous others— the female is the architect and builder, while the male helps to gather the material, and makes himself generally useful ; but I am afraid that the head of this household is a delin(iuent — he shirks his duty. If the female works alone she must work industriously and well, for a nest has been known to be completed in two days. Three to five eggs form a set. The ground color of these is a dull white, tinged with green, and over this is si)rinkled dots of brown and lilac, gathered chiefly about the larger end. The s(mg of this warbler is rather better than that of the majority of its congeners. The melody is short and simple — some half a dozen notes of about the same tone, but very sweet and tender, and delivered with considerable variation of its simple theme. The alarm note is a loud, plaintive chirp. ... , ; '- "^ 68 SOME CANADIAN BIRDa . Sti BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. I always think of this bird as an old friend, for it was the first one of the warblers I saw in the flesh and the first I learned to re- cognize by its song. It was also the subject of my first lesson in field-work — the systematic study of the bird-life about my home. I had supposed that I knew a great aeai about the birds, almost all there was to be learned, until one day I chanced upon what proved to be a black-throated green warbler. It was a revelation to me. Such colors, I thought, were seen only on tropical birds, and this feathered gem seemed quite at home, though its nest was built within sight of the Bay of Fundy. I had determined to make an exact list of the birds nesting in the suburbs of St. John, and l)egan my inspection in the early dawn of a June morning. As I approached the wooded hills that overlook BLACK THROATED (lUKEN WAUHLEK. 60 Lily Lfiko it Hoemud to mo that huiulrodH of birds woro singing— I hnd novor hoard so nmny buforu, my eurH had boon so deaf, so untrainod~and I could dutoot, unpracticod an I was, couHiditrablo variety in thoir songs. When T onterod tho woods I did n»>t hoo any birds, but piloted by their voices soon discovered tlieni flitting among the thick foliage. Some woro on thu upper branches, whilo others were in the underbrush. They witre snudl in si/^e, so I at once settled in my mind that they were little gray birds — a term invented by tho cjvsual observer to cover tho unknown species that flit about him in his rambles. But the problem T had assigned myself was tho determination of just what species they were, and to loam tlio notes of each one. I was confused by tho variety of these notes, but selected for my first subject a little bird that kept going from branch to branch of a spruce tree directly in front of mo, and was singing very constantly. I listened for some time to become familiar with the notes of its song and was srjon interested in tho singing, it was so (juaint and odd — so diflerent from the familar songs of my friends the " swamp robin " and " old Tom Peabody," whoso fino voices I could hear coming from tho hill- side beyond. Tho now song was short, simple, and rather jerky, yet sweet and sprightly. The bird was so happy and was adding so much to the moming'ii gladness that I shrank from killing it. Several times my gun was lowered to let the hapi)y creature sing just one more song. But what else could I do but shoot, if I was to loarn anything about these birds? There was not any collection of bird skins in St. John at that time, though tho present generation of students cannot make that complaint, nor had I a friend who could teach mo. Had I been studying for myself I might have managed very well with an opera glass — my glass has saved many a bird's life since then — but I needed the skins to help mo in teaching others. Tho birds must be shot ! The crack of my gun was followed by the tumble of tho dainty form, and there it lay motionless a few yards from my feet. I stooped to pick it up, but was so startled I held my breath, and paused to examine the beautiful thing. It did not seem possible that such a brilliantly plumaged bird could be common in the country and escape detection so long. It lay on its back, 70 80ME CANADIAN BIllDS. displaying a jet l)lack shield of velvet richness, covering throat and breast, and sot in a frame of deep yellow — a perfect gem. On taking tlie bird in iny liand I saw that the yellow extended to the sides of the liead, and tliat towards the belly it faded to yellowish white. The upper parts were of bright olive, and the feathers lay smooth and firm over a graceful form. On the wings were two bars of white, and the same color was conspicucnis on the outer tail feathers. The bird was of slender buikl, and less than five inches in extreme length. It was a male of the present species, and I afterwards learned that in autinnn his tliroat loses the bhick shield, and bears plumes of ricli yellow and black, and that the female and young wear similar costumes to uhat worn by the male in autiunn. These birds are very common, aye, abundant all over the Eastern Provinces, though Mr. Mcllwraith has seen them near Hamilt(jn in the spring and autumn only. Their favorite haunts are the pine trees that grow near the settlements— not in the dee[)er forests, but in the copse back of the buckwheat patch or in the pasture. They enter our southern border late in April or in early May, and gradually spread northward — small detachments being left by the way. During August and September they move southward and wander as far as the West Indies and Central America before finally settling down for the winter months. When pines are not at hand these warblers will build in the branch of any coniferous tree, though I have usually found the nest in a spruce or pine. It is often about thirty feet from the ground, and lodged in the crotch between two branches. The workmanship of the structure is good, resulting in a pretty nest, graceful in form, compact and firm. The materials used are bits of twigs, dried grass and shreds of bark for the exterior walls, and hair, feathers and plant down for lining. The eggs — three or four in number — are white, with a creamy buff tinge, and wreathed near the larger end with spots of brown and lilac. You rarely see these birds on the ground — never, in fact, unless you chance to catch one bathing or foraging for nest-building stuff — for their food is the small insects that are found on the trees, and being domestic in their tastes, fond of their homes, and fond also of the shelter and privacy which the leaf-covered branches afibrd, they seldom roam. If you find one in a grove to-day you are almost MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 71 certain to find it in the same grove to morrow, and very likely on the same tree. They sing with frequency, even through mid-day, when most birds are silent. Besides their Hong, they utter many other notes — a loud, clucking call, and many softer twitterings. MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. The typical warbler is a bird of the high tree-tops, but grouped with this family are several species who do not frequent the trees, but prefer the dense thickets of the undergrowth. One group of this latter division are called ground warblers, from their habit of building their nests on the ground, or in the low shrubbery. Also, they are seen foraging amid the dead leaves quite as often as amid the branches. Of this group the most abundant and most widely distributed is bhe Maryland yellow-throat. Mr. Mcllwraith thinks the bird is somewhat local in its selection of breeding places in Ontario, but while it may pass by many suitable nesting sites near Hamilton, the yellow-throat must be counted among the common birds of Ontario, when considering the Province as a whole. The bird is equally common over all this eastern country, building wherever a patch of brier or tangle, by swamp or brookside, gives it the coveted shelter. While a retiring bird, it is not timid, and being extremely curious is attracted by a stranger near its haunts, and usually comes to the front to inspect the visitor. This habit and the bird's showy dress have combined to make the yellow-throat better known than are most of its congeners. As the bird faces an observer, in its customary staring fashion, its yellow-throat is very conspicuous. The yellow is of a rich tint, and covers the throat and breast, and extends, in a paler shade, over the whole under parts. On its face the bird wears a mask of deep black — crossing the forehead and covering the cheeks. The upper parts are of an olive-green tint, brightest on the rump. Most birds' nests that are placed on the ground are constructed with less care — are less compact and firm — than those that liave to bear exposure to the wind. The nest of the present species is no 72 ' SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. exception, though it is not always placed upon the ground, but is sometimes placed in a low fork of a shrub. The general construction does not vary much, though in the detail there is some variation. When on the ground the neat is usually hidden in a tussock of grass or under cover of a dense bunch of slirubbery . The walls of the nest are composed exteriorly of strips of bark, bits of fern, dried grass, twigs and dead leaves, loosely and rather clumsily laid. Inside of this is a lining that appears like a second nest, made of fine grass — sometimes hair is added — neatly and compactly woven. Occasionally a nest is found that is partially roofed, and others are set upon a cushion of dried leaves. The eggs, four to six in number, are white or pale cream colored, marked round the larger end with spots of brown and lilac. Sometimes a few black spots and lines are seen. Few birds are more aflfectionate than the yellow-throat. The female is modest and retiring, and as she lacks the curiosity so conspicuous in the male she seldom leaves the shelter of her favorite thicket, and is less frequently seen than her more brightly-plumed spouse. (The female wears much the same costume as the male, but the tints in her coloration are of a duller hue). But if you chance to discover a pair during the mating or nesting season, you will cease to wonder why the male is so tenderly devoted to his mate, for she herself is so tender and loving, and displays such winning manners. When the female is on the nest her mate is peculiarly attentive — carrying food to her, caressing her, singing for her diversion, and guarding her from disturbance. Serene and peaceful as he appears, under ordinary conditions, be becomes aroused if the nest is approached, and alternately scolds, and pleads with marked emphasis of displeasure and anxiety. The Maryland yellow-throat does not rank high as a singer, though he does make a better attempt than most of the warbler fraternity, and it can be said of his song that it can be readily distinguished — most warbler songs being so similar they confuse any but the most expert observer. Mrs. Kate Tryon says this bird calls to her, *' Which is it? Which is iti Which is it? Which V with a strongly marked accent on each " which,^' and I thmk these words represent the song very well. One may often hear several variations REDSTART. 73 of this theme, and disconnected parts of it. Besides this song, the bird utters several calls and notes of alarm. These yellow-throats are only summer residents in Canada. They arrive from the south during the early part of May, and before August has closed most of them have crossed our border, and are winging their way toward the Gulf States and the West Indies, where they winter. REDSTART. This active and brilliantly-plumaged bird might be described as a flj'-catching warbler. Many of the family have the habit of catch- ing flies in the air, and several species have the depressed bill, widened at the base, together with conspicuous rictal bristles, which are diagnostic characters of the true fly-catcher. But in no other warbler that occurs in Canada are fly-catcher habits and form so marked as in the redstart. The bird d(jes not, however, depend wholly upon its winged prey for food, and may be seen foraging for insects among the branches of the shrubbery and small trees, or even on the ground. The redstarts enter Canada about the middle of May, and are away again before the end of August ; but in this time they spread all over these Eastern Provinces, building their nests in the parks and pastures, or in open groves of mixed woods near the settle- ments, some pairs even penetrating into the deeper forests. They show a preference for the smaller trees and shrubbery, and are never found on the top branches of high trees, as are so many of their congeners. The nest is usually placed in the fork of a sapling, or saddled on a branch of a low bush, and is a gracefully-formed and compact structure. It is composed chiefly of vegetable fibres of various sorts, dried grass being conspicuous in most examples, and fine grass and hair is generally used in the lining. The four or five eggs that the hen lays are of a dull white ground color, marked with spots of brown and lilac, which are gathered most thickly round the larger end. This is the usual pattern of warbler eggs, 74 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. from which there is little variation, and this fact makes the correct identification of these eggs an impossibility, even to an expert. But every species of warbler builds a peculiar and distinct nest that is so different from an^' other nest that an observer requires but little experience to distinguish them. The song of the redstart ia a typical warbler's song — a short and jerky whistle of rather sweet tone, delivered with such spriglitliness that it becomes attractive. Tlie bird is fond of using its voice, and its cheery notes may be heard at all hours of the day. The plumage of our bird is its main attraction, except to the few wlio take delight in watching the restless fellow's active move- ments as he darts through the shru})bery, his bright plumes flashing like a blown flame. The male's colors are lustrous black and orange red of a bright, rich tint. The black predominates, and the red appears in patches on the breast, wings and tail. The belly is white. In the plumage of the female the black is replaced by dull olive brown, and the patches in her plumage are of a dull yellowish tinge — a bronzy yellow. The young birds resemble the female. OVEN BIRD. 75 OVEN BIRD. The "golden -crowned thrush" of the older writers was named oven bird by the people because it shaped its nest like that old fashioned structure in which their mothers baked the Christmas pies. So the modern systematists, to relieve the bird of a name to which it was not entitled, have followed the example of the people, and have besides transferred the bird, in classification, from the thrush family to the warblers. If you place a specimen of this warbler beside any of the small thrushes you will forgive the early natural- ists for their mistake — the two birds look so much alike. The oven bird is smaller — shorter and slimmer — than any of the thrushes, but in a general way it has the same form, and the same color and markint-s. The plumes of the upper parts are of olive-tinted russet, the crown bearing a patch of orange-brown (not golden) bordered by stripes of black. The under parts are silvery white, and marked with spots of olive. These birds are very common all over the Eastern Provinces, arriving here early in May and remaining until September, when they journey southward, wintering in Southern Florida and the West Indies. Soon after their arrival in this countiy in the spring they commence nest building, and an extremely cosy home they manage to construct. It is made of vegetable fibres of various sorts — shreds of bark, weed stems, grass, and leaves — which are rather loosely interwoven. The typical nest is domed or roofed over, with 76 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. an entrance at the side, but sometimes the dome is replaced by a mere arch, and even the arch is not always complete. The lining is made of fine grass and hair neatly arranged, and on this the female lays four or five eggs — six sometimes — of a creamy white ground color and marked with spelts of brown and lilac. Some writers have stated that the favorite haunts of the oven birds are in moist woods, but I have found them most frequently on rather dry hill-sides. The birds are often on the ground and are seldom seen very far above it. They place their nests on the turf usually under cover of a bush, though sometimes it is hidden among the fragments of moss at the foot of a decayed stump, or at the side of a prostrate tree. It is always well screened, and its domed roof, which is made of materials from the surrounding delris, helps to protect it from the swarm of egg hunters of all sorts and conditions who infest the woods and carry terror to the hearts of bird-mothers. When surprised on the nest the parents slip off with utmost quietness and steal away amid the rank grass and underbrush. If they find that their nest has been discovered or is in danger, they endeavor to draw the intruder's attention by feinging lameness or inability to fly. Their skill at this dissemblance, and the good judgment they use in enticing the enemy to follow them until the nest's safety is assured, when they suddenly disappear, are among the interesting incidents of bird-life which may be observed almost any June day. ^ ' -' Both parents are extremely solicitous for the welfare of their brood, and the male displays great fondness for and devotion to his mate. It is evidently for her ear alone and for her diversion that he sings his soft, sweet song — a song heard only in the twilight when the singer is hovering in the air above the nest. He is not silent at other times — quite the reverse, — but his everyday melody has a much more commonplace theme— is quite ordinary in fact. Several writers have put this song of the oven bird into syllables, but he who invented teacher teacher teacher teacher teacher to express these sounds seems to have caught the popular fancy, th(mgh to my ear the syllables we-chee or che-tee are quite as fit, and neither will convey a definite idea of the strain to a person who has not heard it. The bird's voice is strong and of sweet tone, and he saves his chant from being monotonous by delivering it in RED-EYED VIREO. ' 77 varying intensity of volume — each couplet of notes being louder than the preceding couplet — and to vary it still further he lays an einpliatic accent on the first note of each couplet, thus : tve'-chee WE'-CHEB WE'-CHEE. RED-EYED VTREO. "The Preacher," this bird is called by the country folk. There are preachers and preachers, and many of thom do miss the end of their sermons, and the red-eyed vireo seldom knows when his song is finished. He keeps on hour after liour, through the entire day, even through the mid-day gliire when other birds are silent ; though he makes a short day of it, I think, as I have never detected his voice in that joyous carillon with which the sylvan choir greets the day-break ; nor is he heard in the grand chorus at their vesper service. But pass his way at any other time — pass near where his mate is patiently sitting and swinging in her hammock home — and you will be almost sure to hear his sweet voice in the tender, dreamy strain. Nor does he stop, as many birds do, when the days of waiting and watching are over, and the young brood demands his care. He gives them that care without stint, for he is a devoted parent, as he is also a devoted mate, but he keeps on singing just the same as before. If he gathers a dainty fly or blushing berry he hurries oflF to the nest, and his beak free from the burden, out pours the song — the dream in song, it might be termed, its theme is so incoherent and fragmentary, and the singer appears so unconscious of his singing. He is not always deep in wool- gathering, however, for let an intruder approach the nest and he will find " the preacher" very much awake. At such time another side of this unique fellow's character is turned to view, for as a fighter he is second only to the king bird. But the battle over, he takes up the strain again just where he dropped it and delivers it in precisely the same key without the least sign of either anger or exultation. Always it is the same calm, pensive, wool-gathering lay. As a melody the song cannot be given high rank, for it lacks theme and consists of broken and disconnected phrases of two or three, sometimes of four, and at rare intervals of five notes. A few f% SOME CANADIAN BlUDS. of these plirases arc similar to some that the robin gives UR, but most of thom are htJard <»iily from a viroo'a throstle. N(jr is the song attractivo to tho casual wcjodland stroller, and indeed few of these over notice the song, it is so unobtrusive as well as simple. T(» many bird-lovers the song is tiresome because of its incessant reiteration ; but others never tire of it, and after listening to it again and again .ask for more -and T confess I am one of these. The hiil)it of these birds of keeping almost constantly amid the dense foliage of the upper branches, where they Hnd their insect food, has prevented the red-eye and all the vireo clan from l)eing well known, while the (piiet colors of their plumage has had a share in secreting thuir identity. The up[)er parts of the red-eye are olive green with a tinge of gray, which dee[)ens to an ashy tint on the crown and to a dusky hue on w^ings and tail. The under parts are dull white, tinged with olive on the sides. The bill is compressed, and is curved and notched at the point like a shrike's. This description, with some sliglit variations, will serve for all of the six species of vireo that are fcmnd in this country. I can do little more here than name them. Two of these, the warbling and the solitary or blue-headed vireo, are rather counuon and of wide distribution, while the range of the rarer yellow-throated is restricted to Southern Ontario and the groves near Montreal. Of the distribution in Canada of the Philadelphia vireo and the white- eyed, there is much to be learned. Very few examples of either have been seen here, but the Philadelphia has been taken in Northern New Brunswick and in Ontario, and the white-eyed, though taken in New Brunswick, is not mentioned in Mcllwraith's Birds of Ontario. In habits, as in plumage, our vireos diflfer but little and their songs are much the same, though it must be said of the warbling and the solitary that they add to their typical vireo chant a melody peculiar to themselves. The warbling vireo sings an exquisite song, a little after the style of the purple finch, but much sweeter and more tender. The nests also of these birds are quite similar. That of the red-eye will serve as a model of all. It is purse-shaped and pensile, suspended from the crotch of two small twigs to which it is \ BED-EYED VIIIEO. 79 fastened by the entire upper rim, and it is so securely fastened and so firmly made that the winter storins make little imi)ressi()n upon it, one nost often serving a pair of hirds for two seasons -tlio same pair of birds, for they return to the nesting site year after year. The materials used are vegetable fibres of any sort — anything woavable that happens in the way of the builders. The exterior is rather roughly finished, but the lining, which is usually of fine grass, is neatly laid. The nost is generally, though not invariably, placed in an tipper or middle branch of a deciduous tree standing near the margin of a grove or in a viUage street. The eggs, three to five in number, are white, with a faint roseate blush and sparingly marked with spots of brown. The vireos spend the summer with us, reaching our southern border early in May, and retiring southward as soon as their insect food is driven to close cover by frosty nights. They are slim and delicately formed birds, but little larger and no more robust than the average warbler, so do not appear fitted to stand a low tem- perature, though I once met with one in New Brunswick in mid- winter. I have told elsewhere the story of this meeting, but I will venture to repeat it : — / One frosty morning, so frosty that I had to rub ears and nose to keep from freezing, I happened on a robin apparently overcome with the misery of his condition — cold, hungry and alone. I tried to whistle up his courage, but my efforts were in vain ; he was utterly wretched and past all recuperation. He could not bo aroused, and was perched too high on a tree to be caught. While I was calculating on his chances of living down his woe — or living through it — I heard the voice of another bird, the unmistakable whistle of a red -eyed vireo. Robin heard it also, and at once all appearance of wretchedness left him. The vireo was none of his clan, nor even an old pal of his — the robins have no dealings with the vireos on summer days. They were mereiy com- panions in misery, but that sufficed to make them friends. Call after call rang out on the crisp air, and then they flew toward each other and finally settled upon the same branch, side by side as close as two birds can sit. The sun was just appearing from behind an eastern hill, and the birds turned their heads toward him as ho rose, and burst into song. _ , . ^^^, . , , ., ^. ._ ._ ^^ .„_.,. 80 SOME CANADIAN BIUDa FOX SPARROW. This bird derives its name frona the ricli, rusty-red tint that is the prevailing color of its pluiuuge. On the back there are streaks of an ashy tint, and the under parts are mostly white, though heavily streaked with the red, while on the wings are two bars of white, but the red is so conspicuous that, at a short distance, the bird appears to be entirely covered with that color. Large tiocks of these sparrows pass through the country during the migrations, yet few persons have seen them. The times of the year in which they migrate, and the quiet, and rather retiring habits of the birds, will account for this. They make the journeys just on the edges of the winter, entering our southern borders in March, passing northward to their breeding grounds in Labrador, and the Hudson Bay district, and visiting us again in October, on their way southward. In the autumn they keep within the deeper woo-is, and as they utter, at this time, no other sound than a metallic cheep, they escape notice. WHITE-THUOATED SPAUROW. 81 Sometimes in the Hpriiig they come north too rapidly, and find the country so covered witli niiow tlmt they ure obliged to Heek food about the settlemeiitH. Severa; timeH I have seen throngs of them in the parks and gardens of St. John, though they UHually retired to tlie Huburbu when the day's bustle began. If they are detained with uh by storaiH, or by continued cold weather until the approach of their nuiting seaHon, they favor uh with a series oi the most delightful bird concerts of the entire year. It is not too much to say of the fox sparrow that he is the best singer of all the sparrows that \ isit this country. His voice is strong, rich, and sweet, and the melody he sings is decidedly beautiful. It is somethiiig like the song of the piirple finch, though mucii siiperior, and the voice of the fox sparrow is of finer (juality. Of the two, the fox sparrow is the more finished artist. But both birds sing j(»you8 carols, with strong suggestions of exultant vigor in their strains. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. This bird is almost universally known as the "Peabody bird," or *' old-Tom-Peabody.'' Its song has been interpreted old-Tom Peahody, Feahody, Feahody, and pea-pea-peabody-peabody-peabody ; hence the name — though I have heard it called the "Kennedy bird " in Massachusetts, and elsewhere. Among our sparrows, this species ranks second to the fox sparrow in size and beauty of plunmge — the adult male being handsomely marked. His general plumage is made up of stripes of reddish brown, bl'ick, and dull buff, but the sides of the head, and the breast are an ashy hue, while the head is made conspicuous by a central stripe of white, bordered by stripes of black, and below these, stripes of yellow. The throat is white, bordered by black stripes, and the wings have two white bars. The female is marked like the male, but her colors are of a duller tint. These familiar and much-loved birds are abundant all over the country, breeding regularly everywhere, excepting in the more southern portions of Ontario. The flocks reach our borders about the middle of April, and gradually spread northward, some going 6 82 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. as fax as the lower fur countries. During September and October they return southwai I, but do not wander far, as numbers are found near Philadelphia, where they sing all winter. Their favorite haimts, while with us, are the open woodlands, pastures, and old meadows, though they may be found in gioves that border cultivated fields, and in suburban hedges. The birds spend most of the time on the ground, searching amid the leaves and the dead grass for the seeds and the insects upon which they feed. The young are fed exclusively on insects. The nest is placed on the ground, and like mcnc ground-built nests is a rather loosely constructed affair. Ic is hidden in a tuft of tall grass, or amid a bunch of moss, and is made of grass and weed-stems. The lining is usually of fine grass and roots, though occasionally hair and feathers are used. The four or five eggs that are found in these nests are of a pale robin's-egg blue ground color, thickly marked with several shades of reddish brown. The male shares with his mate the weariness of incubation and the care of the young, and though not so deuionstrative in his affection as some other birds, is not less devoted in his attentions. He is a fine songster, and is not chary of his music, for during the breeding season his voice may be heard at all hours of the day, and occasionally during the night. The voice is sweet and strong, and the melody, though simple, is cheery and effective. It is peculiarly effective when heard in the quiet hours of the night. Though by no means one of the great songs of our woodland, nor entitling the bird to high rank, even among our minor songsters, yet the summer would lose much of its charm if "old Tom Peabody" failed to return to us. His sweet, cheery notes are too dearly cherished to be missed without regret. VESPER SPARROW. This quiet-mannered, plainly -costumed and altogether unobtrusive bird is anotlner of the minor songsters that is very dear to the heart of all bird-lovers. And who are not bird-lovers ? The older authors named the bird "grass finch," but a later generation dropped that for " bay- winged bunting. " The people, however, chose to call the bird " ground sparrow," because it built VESPER SPARROW. So its nest in the ground as well as upon it, while others, of more poetic taste, knew it as the " vesper bird," because its song was most freijuently heard in the evening. It was Wilson Flagg who changed this latter to " vesper sparrow," and by that name the bird is likely to be known hereafter. The song of this bird is one of the simplest of oiir sylvan melodies, yet it does not suffer by comparison with more ambitious efforts. It is soft and sweet in tone, and exceedingly tender, and through the strain there runs a wild plaintiveness that chords well with its placid, hynin-lik' ({uality. It is to be heard in the evening chiefly, just after the grander chorus has ceased, but it harmonizes so perfectly with the beauty of the twilight hour and its restfulness that you may fail to notice that a bird's voice is in the air, adding its quota to the joy that stirs your heart. The vesper sparrow is one of the " little gray birds " of the village school-boy, and in size and costume bears a close resemblance to the better known song sparrow. The feathers covering the bird's upper parts are streaked — dusky-brown centres, edged with Oj paler and somewhat huffish tint. The under parts are white, tinged with buff and heavily streaked with dusky brown. There are two white bars on the wings, and the outer tail-feathers are partly white. The white patches on the tail are very conspicuous as the bird flies from you. These birds are found generally in the open pasture, or old meadows, for they are birds of the field rather than of the grove or the garden. When the farmer is ploughing they may be seen following the plough and gleaning the grubs turned up in the furrows. The nest is built in the open field, often without so much as a tuft of long grass to hide it, though usually fitted into an inden- tion in the soil. Like all ground nests, it is loosely laid and roughly modelled. It is made of grass and other vegetable fibres, strips of weed stalks, roots and such, and lined with fine grass and sometimes with hair, carelessly arranged. The eggs are grayish white, often with a green or pink tint, and thickly marked with several shades of brown. This sparrow is one of the most abundant in Ontario and is quite common in the other provinces, arriving at our southern border just before May opens, and leaving us again in October. 84 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. SONG SPARROW. These plainly dressed "little gray birds," wearing coats of mottled black, bay, and ash, and showing white fronts, spotted with brown, occur abundantly all over the Eastern Provinces as summer residents, while a few hardy fellows linger through the winter months. Their song is familiar to every lover of the beautiful things of nature, and though not one of the great songs of our fields is so sweet in tone and so tender that one must stop to listen to the singer even if the simple melody is repeated at every few steps of a country ramble, and at every hour of the day. Simple as this melody is, it is subject to many changes, and some of the best singers — for there are individual differences — have command of as many as seven different themes, or variations of the same theme. SONG SPARROW. 85 They are social birds, and almost as much given to haimting the door-yard as are their kindred, the chipping sparrows. They are never found far from the houses when settlements are near, though I have heard their song while canoeing on wilderness waters ; and how delightful it was to ears that had heard no song for many days ! As a rule, the nest of this sparrow is hidden amid a tuft of gniss or under a low bush in a field or open pasture. It is of the usual ground nest pattern — a loose arrangement of grass, twigs, and weed- stems, without any distinctive features. The hen lays a variable number of eggs, ranging from three to neven, though most fre- quently four or five complete the set. Their ground color is dull white, tinged with green, blue, or pink, and thickly marked with several shades of brown. Occasionally eggs are found without any markings. The song sparrows are am.ong the earliest of our spring migrants, usually arriving in New Brunswick in large flocks, and generally accompanied by similar flocks of robins and j uncos. They appear there about the tenth of April, sometimes as early as the seventh, and occasionally delaying until the fifteenth, but more often arriving during the eighth, the ninth, tenth or eleventh. On several occa- sions I have searched through the suburbs of St. John for birds on the tenth of April and found not one in many miles of tramping, and nex fc morning have heard at dawn a great chorus of cheery voices, proclaiming the arrival of robins, juncos, and song sparrows. I mention this here because I have noticed that these birds do not arrive in the vicinity of Boston in the same manner — not in such large bodies. Stragglers and small squads give due notice of the approach there of the main body, which comes along in detached parts. Mr. Philip Cox had the good fortune to witness the arrival of one of these vast flocks — "bird wave," he appropriately named it — which arrived at Newcastle, on the Mirimichi, in April, 1885. He wrote of it thus : — "I saw hundreds of robins, song sparrows and juncos mingled together in an unbroken column and passing noiselessly on. Some of the birds were only a few feet above the tops of the trees, while others were higher up, the column extending so far skyward that the topmost line could with difficulty be outlined amid the 86 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. falling snowflakoB. The width of the column, from flank to flank, appeared to average about twenty-five yards. Outside of these flanks few birds wore to be seen. . . . The bulk were massed in this narrow column and kept directly over the margin of the shore, apparently guided by the line of contrast between the whitened meadow and the dark waters of the river. They moved on in per- fect silence, save for the flutter of the myriad wings — not a note was heard from them. Their flight was slow and suggested weari- nesjs. . . . For more than two hours I watched this l»ird-wave as it rolled along. ... In about half an hour from the time when they were first observed some individuals showed a disposition to halt. ... As the time passed the smaller birds displayed evidence of growing more and more weary. Increased numbers alighted, and these took longer rests, and made more energetic demands for a general halt. . . . Previous to this morning only an occasional early bird of these spring migrants had been observed, but now as I returned homeward I found every bush and fence swarming with birds." JUNCO This companion of the song sparrow — companion during the northward migration- -is one of the sparrow's kindred, and displays little variation in habits from the general sparrow prtjgramme. He is quite as much at home in the barnyard or the garden as are any of the gray-coated clan, and is as contented as the bravest of them with a home in the forest. He is not one bit shy, though in no way bold, and will come for crumbs with all the friendly graciousness of the chipping sparrow. Like all the rest of the finch tribe, junco prefers seeds for a general diet, and small fruits in their season, varying his menu on occasions with any tasty insect that may fall to his lot. The young are fed exclusively on flies and creeping things. For a nesting site junco is satisfied with any bit of ground where he can find convenient shelter — for he does not like to have his domestic afEairs laid bare to the public, and knows too well, alas. ROBIN. 87 how many prowlers are on the look out for Btich tempting tid-bits as unfledged sparrows. So y(m must look for his nest in some old meadow or grassy pasture land, possibly you may find it in an orchard amid the long grass, or in the city park, or even by the country roadside. You will find it well hidden in a tuft of grass or under cover of a mossy stump, and when found it will be but another edition of an old story, the same loosely constructed cup of vegetable fibres that all the sparrows build. Junco is somewhat more particular than others of his clan about the lining of his home, and generally supplies feathers for that purpose, though I have found hair and fur made use of when they were more convenient. His song is so much like the trilled whistle of the chipping sparrow that you may not be able to distinguish them without some effort, but you will soon learn that they do differ. In costume our bird is not at all sparrow-like. His upper parts and neck and breast are dark slate or blackish ash in color, and his belly is white. His bill and outer tail-feathers are white also. In winter the ash color becomes grayish, and sometimes bears a brownish tinge, and in this plumage the male is very like the female and young. You will recognize the bird by this description, and understand that an old friend is hidden under this new name. The bird that the modern authorities have re-named slate- colored junco is none other than the snowbird — the " black snow- bird," or ** white-billed snowbird," as the bird is often called. ROBIN. ** American robin " this species has been named, to distinguish it from robin of England. These two birds belong to different families, for while the old country robin is a warbler its American namesake is a member of the thrush family. *' Migratory thrush " our friend has been named by some writers, and for scientific use he has been labelled turdtis migratorivA and mervla migratoria. Just why our robin was singled out as the migratory thrush is not clear, for of all the American thrushes the robin is the least inclined to excess in that particular habit. As a matter of fact the bird is 88 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. sedentary in many parts of the country — by which is meant that robins may be seen there at nil times of the year. Every season a number of those birds spend the colder months in the Dominion, not in the more southern sections only, but as far north as central New Brunswick, where I have seen large flocks in mid- winter. These winter visitors were not the same robins who helped to make our June days merry, but other robins who had a relish for more bracing air and journeyed to higher latitude before settling down to their task of nest building. The frosty nights of the late axitumn drove the insects into winter quarters and a flurry of snow covered up the small fruits, suggesting to the red-breasted fraternity that there might be a famine in that far north land, and forthwith they winged their way toward a more genial clime. By the time they reached our neighborhood they determined to rest and refresh themselves with mountain ash berries. It was thus they chanced to cross my path. The robins have a decided partiality to small fruits in general, and these winter visitors sometimes continue to feed on the mountain ash berries until the warm sun of a soft March day sets them thinking once more of their Arctic home. During their visit they are seen about the open country and the gardens only when the air is balmy, for when Jack Frost is in evidence they keep under cover of the thick woods. They have more white color in their plumage — especially on the under parts — than the birds we see in summer, but otherwise seem little diflerent from the robins of June. They are just as active and as merry, singing lusti'y and long, though they are less timid and suspicious, and therefore less watch- ful than the summer visitors. Of course every Canadian knows the robin,, for it is an abundant bird everywhere, and everywhere the same familiar friend. The bird requires no description therefore, the black crown, dull olive gray back and red breast have been seen in every field and in every garden, but perhaps only the boys who have found the pretty blue eggs, and watched the young chicks open their yellow mouths for the welcome bug, and later watched those same chicks while they learned to fly, know that the youngsters are thickly marked on their breasts with stripes of dull blackish color. noBiN. 89 One habit of the robin is not well known — that of the males spending the nights during the breeding season in a grove, some distance, often, from the nesting site. Innnense numbers of robins gather at these "roosts" — as many as ten thousand have been known to asHemble in one grove near Boston — though tlnough the entire day they are devoted to their mates and assist in the process of hatching the eggs and feeding the unfledged young. In the more southern districts the spring migrants arrive in small, straggling parties, but in the Maritime Provinces the robins from the south come in large flocks — thousands strong, accompanied by song sparrows and j uncos. 90 SOME CANADIAN nTIlDS. PINE GROSBEAK. Eveiy few winters, at intervals of four or five years, our news- papers contrfiin inquiries regarding "strange-looking birds" that visit the gardens and parks in small flocks and feed on the berries of the mountain ash and seeds of various trees. Just why the people have not learned to recognize the pine grosbeaks seems strange, for they are large and handsome birds, somewhat stouter than a robin and as showily costumed, and as they visit us in winter only are peculiarly conspicuous. The adult male in full plumage is an exceptionally attractive fellow. At a little distance his entire plumage appears to be of a briglit red tint, but a closer inspection reveals dusky streaks on hii back and a dull grayish tint on his belly. The wings bear two whit } bars. Many of the males do not wear so much of the brighter tint, which varies in indi- viduals from rich carmine to deep rosy-red, and their plumes are more or less washed with the gray and yellowish bronze which predominate in the costume of the females and younger males. The females wear no roseate hues, but are very handsomely PINE (iUOSHKAK. 91 ami richly jittirod. Tho tint of thoir bronzy piumofl vftHofl from deep croiiio niid ruHty oruiijio to tiiwiiy olivo, iind tho griiy iippoars in Huvenil 8hH(h)H, wliilo houio individiwvlH hour crowns nnd runipH of a ducidudly tawny tint. Tho iniuiaturo nialuH amnot ho distin- gninhod from tho females. All thuso viiriutioH of pluinngo Hro usiiivUy found iu h Houk, though Boldom are many of the highly- colored maloH Huun together, luid in a huihU company not one may appear. Those hirds come to U8 every year — como with tho snow flakes, tor they aro winter viHitors «)nly — hut very often they keep under cover of tho deeper forests and only the woodsmen see them. If the storms to the nortliwjird luvve been especially severe, or food is scarce, then tho pine grosbeaks come with increased nu'nbers, and roaming from place to place in ft tonuH it muHb l)o intvndod for one oar alono, for it ciinnot be huurd a dozun yards liway. Tlie bird does not sing tlum l)«caiiHu hu lacks Htrongth of voice, for hiH winter Hong in loud and vigorouH jimt such a breezy enrol as you might expect from a stalwart fellow who loves the north wind and revels amid the snow. WHITE-WTNCED CHOaSIUT^L Besides the song-birds that are resident in this country — chick- Adeus, nuthatches, kinglets, and in the more southern dibtricts, other specieH — there are yet others that are seen here in the winter only. They Hpend the summer beyond the northern limit of the settled districts and come to our neigh]>orhood as a winter resort, just as many of our summer birds resort to the West Indies. Large flocks of tree sparrows and red-poll linnets are seen when the ground is covered with snow, but at no other season. Dainty little things they are, seeming too frail to stand the wintry blasts, yet they are extremely lively and merry while with us. In the same winter months the shrike comes also, with his ghastly, butcher- like method of impaling his prey upon thorn spikes and branches. You may not know that for all his coarse ways and fierce character, this fighting fellow is an expert musician — fit to be classed with our great songsters. His voice is sweet and of considerable compass and his execution compares favorably with the best. Besides his own song, which is an exquisite melody, he is a mimic of such ability that in some parts of the country he is called mocking bird. Other birds come to us in the winter — but of them again, for I am wandering. Of all our winter birds none are more interesting than the cross- bills. There are two species — the common or American crossbill, a dull red bird, and the white-winged. The adult male of the latter is handsomely costumed. His general plumage is a roseate hue, clouded on the back with dull brown. The wings and tail are blackish, the wings bearing two bars of white. The under parts are dull white, streaked with brown. The female is dull olive, somewhat WIIITE-WTNOET) CROSSBILL. dd |ialor bonoath and Hliudud lo hiiiiiMh yuUow on tho nimp. The iiiiiimture iitulu in liku the fuiiiulu, hut [mlur uliovu uiul with h yellow tint on bruHst and bully. In habita our two HpuciuH are similar, though the white-wingud ia more northerly in diHtribution, and while the American iH more abundant in Ontario its congener in in the majority in the more EaHtern ProvinceH. Their crosHed billH — both mandibles are curved at the points and cross or overlap — Hcpurate those birds from their fellow Hnches, but they have still another distinguishing cliaracteristic, that of hatching their young during tho winter — in February usually. The nesting site is a coniferous tree in the midst of a thick grove, generally in a deep forest. The nest is placed amid the thickest foilage and is made as warm ca twigs, shreds of bark, moss, hair and feathers can make it. The walls are high and thick, and are made firm and compact, so that the frost is well excluded. The birds evidently realize that care is required to protect the eggs, for as soon as one leaves the nest the mate at once steps on. Three or four eggs are laid, of a pale blue ground color, marked near the larger end with streaks and spots of reddish brown and lilac. These birds are gregarious and a number of nests are generally found in a grove, with several on the same tree. As soon as the broods are able to fly the parents and young join in large flocks and proceed northward, where they spend the warmer months. The song of the crossbill is a sweet, cheerily whistled strain, very similar in tone and theme to that of the thistle-bird — American goldfincn — and like the latter's song is delivered on the wing, the voices sinking and swelling in rhythm with tho undulations of their flight. When heard from mid-air, on a clear winter's day, as a flock goes sailing by, the eflect is delightful. d4 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. HORNED LARK. Another hardy bird that winters in our climate and goes to Arctic regions for the summer is the handsomely dressed lark that is so partial to the seaside it was once known as the "shore lark." In recent years several varieties of this species have been discovered, many of them having no love whatever for the sea-air, — remaining inland the entire year, — hence the change of name. In size the horned lark resembles the snow bunting, though some- what larger, measuring over seven inches from tip to tip. The plumage is of several tints, the feathers on the back and wings being dull grayish-brown, with streaks of a darker hue. The middle tail- feathers are like the back, but the remainder are black, and the outer pair are patched with white. The nape, shoulders and rump appear as if washed with a pink-tinted cinnamon-brown. A black bar crosses the forehead and passing above the eyes terminates in the erectile horn-like tufts that give the bird its name. Another black bar passes from the base of the bill below the eyes. A yellow line runs through the eyes and the entire throat is yellow. The breast is of yellowish white with a central patch of black, and the remaining under parts are of dull white, shaded on the side with a brownish tinge. A smaller form with somewhat paler colors — the SNOWFLAKE. 95 prairie homed lark — is found in Ontario in summer and the eastern form is found there also, but in sinull numbers. The horned larks arrive in New Brunswick early in October, when large flocks may be seen in the fields near the sea-shore and on the beaches. The flocks disappear toward mid- winter, but a few birds brave the snow and the cold winds. They are generally seen on the ground along which tliey run with ease and rapidity. They are rather shy and wary and endeavor to elude observation by hiding behind rocks and drift stuff. SNOWFLAKE. "Snow bunting " we called this bird when I was a boy, and I think that name better suited to a fellow of such sturdy character than this newly invented label. True, the snow in mass is suggestive of strength and vigor, but an individual crystal, separated from the mass, is so frail a thing a breath dissolves it. Now these winged snowflakes are far from frail. They are a hardy, vigorous lot, upon whom the biting breath of the north wind makes little impression. Yet a flock of buntings, as they dart and whirl through a storm, do appear like a cloud of crystal flakes driven before the wind. They know — these birds — what many men and women have not learned, that all the good things of nature — all that is grand and beautiful of the out-of-door world — is not displayed under a clear sky ; that you can find in the storm a glory all its own — can find it if your eyes be true and your heart in tune. But you must have been bred in the north to enjoy a snow-storm as the buntings do, to find with them exhilaration in the biting air, and delight in the swish and swirl of the drifting flakes. These birds seem to be at their happiest in a storm, and wlienever one comes their way they join in its whirl and scurry just for the fun of its fierce revelry, birds and flakes mingling in the same wild dance. When the spring-time comes with its soft, warm days, then off go the buntings to the far north — so far that the snow is always in sight, and there, tucked away in some cranny on a barren hill-side, they place the nest in which to rear their sturdy young. This nest is 96 60ME CANADIAN BIRDS. made warm with nioss and dry grass, and feathers, and the mother- bird sits close above her darlings till the young blood grows rich and strong, and feathers come to protect their midget bodies from the frosty air. Four or five young are usually in a brood, sometimes six, and they emerge bare and helpless from eggs that are exquisitely beautiful. A soft bluish white is the ground color, and on this, gathered about the larger end, are spots of reddish brown and lavender. In size the bird is about half way between a house sparrow — the ** tramp " I mean, that "ruffian in feathers" — and a robin. When on the wing the plumage appears to be white, chiefly, with some few splashes of a dark tint ; but when in the hand the dark color, which proves to be black, bordered by tawny brown, is found to cover a great part of the back, wings and tail. In summer much of the black is replaced by white. The snow buntings visit all parts of Canada, though they do not, as a rule, enter the large towns. Tou may find them on the out- skirts of the villages and about the barn-yards, but they seldom stray far from the woodlands. During their stay here they do not sing, and we hear little from them but a metallic cheep, which sounds rather merrily when uttered by a flock of the birds as they feed and chatter ; but Mr. Hagerup has written me that during the nesting season, in Greenland, they sing a sweet and beautiful song which he describes as " delivered in short stanzas."