THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
Biology Library
BEQUEST OF
Theodore S. Palmer
SILAS R. MORSE, Curator.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
NEW JERSEY STATE
MUSEUM
INCLUDING A REPORT OF
'
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY
THEIR NESTS AND EGGS
And Notes on New Jersey Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles
1908
TRENTON, N. J. :
THE JOHN L. MURPHY PUBLISHING COMPANY, PRINTERS.
1909.
PART I.
(3)
COMMISSIONERS OF THE NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
STATE SUPT. OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, CHARLES J. BAXTER, President.
STATE GEOLOGIST, HENRI B. KUMMEL, Secretary.
PRESIDENT STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, E. B. VOORHEES.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THOMAS T. H1LLERY.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, FRANK B. JESS.
SILAS R. MORSE, Curator.
Heads of the Several Departments of the New Jersey
State Museum.
C. J. BAXTER, STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,
Educational.
E. B. VOORHEES, RUTGERS COLLEGE,
Agriculture.
HENRY B. KUMMEL, STATE GEOLOGIST,
Geology.
JOHN C. SMOCK, EX-STATE GEOLOGIST,
Forestry.
JOHN B. SMITH, STATE ENTOMOLOGIST,
Entomology.
JAMES T. MORGAN, DEPUTY OF BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS,
Manufactures.
WILLIAM H. WERNER, Taxidermist of Museum.
HERBERT M. LLOYD, SECRETARY OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,
Archaeology.
(5)
Curator's Report.
In presenting our annual report for 1908 we are carrying out the
plan laid out by the Commission and the Curator, to make the Museum
reports on the same plan as the Museum was established purely edu-
cational.
This report treats of the "Birds of New Jersey, their Nests and
Eggs." We feel that no subject could be taken for the report that
would be more interesting and beneficial in the cause of education
than this. It will educate the children to love and protect their winged
friends, not destroy them.
The subject-matter of "The Birds, their Nests and Eggs," has been
prepared by Mr. Witmer Stone, Curator of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, a gentleman having a national reputation as
a naturalist. His authority on this subject is surpassed by none. The
subject-matter has been presented in such a manner that it will be
interesting as well as instructive.
The part in our last Museum report of 1907, "The Mammals of
New Jersey," was contributed by Mr. Stone. The report has proven
a great success.
To the Bird Report are added some notes of the New Jersey Fishes,
Amphibians and Reptiles by Henry W. Fowler.
WHERE THE REPORTS ARE DISTRIBUTED.
The Museum reports have been sent to all of the New Jersey public
libraries, school libraries, colleges, museums, historical societies, the
State officials and those interested in natural history. Besides copies
have been sent to all of the United States libraries and departments
interested at Washington, and to a large number of the museums,
colleges and scientific institutions in the United States, and some in
(7)
8 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
foreign countries, from which we have received many valuable works
in exchange. We have a large number of letters from prominent per-
sons commending our reports.
VISITORS.
The number of visitors to the Museum has increased during the
past year. Had we room to display our exhibits in the proper manner,
many more would visit it. Many students from the State Schools and
the public schools have improved the chance to come and study the
different exhibits. It is the desire of the Commission and the Curator
to make the Museum an educational one, so that students from all
parts of the State can have a place to study the natural history as
well as the best work done in the public schools of the State. The
number of students who have improved this opportunity has greatly
increased in the past year.
NEW CABINETS AND EXHIBITS.
The new cabinets have given the geological department room to
better display the many New Jersey specimens it has had in storage
for many years.
The collection of marine shells and shell fish has had many addi-
tions to it during the past year, and has become an interesting part
of the Museum. Professor John B. Smith, the State Entomologist,
is still adding to our valuable insect collection. To him is due the
credit for this fine exhibit of insects.
THE NEEDS OF THE MUSEUM.
The State Museum needs more room. The large display hall is
crowded, so that many of the specimens in it are not properly dis-
played, and many more cannot be unpacked. Our Educational and
Social Economy Exhibits have only a small part displayed, and one
small room in which the largest part is contained has to be kept locked
to keep the exhibits from being stolen.
CURATOR'S REPORT. 9
Much more of these exhibits are stored where they cannot be seen.
These exhibits are very interesting and instructive, containing, as
they do, a large part of the School Exhibits that were seen at seven
expositions, namely: Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876;
Xew Orleans in 1885; Columbian Exposition at Chicago, 1893; Pan-
American Exposition at Buffalo in 1901 ; Inter-State and West Indian
at Charleetown in 1901-2; Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St.
Louis, 1904, and the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition at James-
town, 1907.
The educational value of these exhibits would be very great in show-
ing the advancement the State has made in her schools for the past
thirty-one years, if it could be properly displayed.
At Jamestown the Educational Exhibit was pronounced one of
the most valuable ever shown at any of the expositions. It should be
so displayed in the State Museum that the State could get the full
benefit of it.
The Museum Commission is anxious to have a historical depart-
ment. With that received from Jamestown, and what has been
promised to be presented to that department, a good commencement
could be made, and in a short time it would have a collection the State
would be proud of, besides saving many valuable relics from going
into other museums outside of the State.
10 REPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
ADDITION TO THE MUSEUM'S SPECIMENS BY PURCHASE.
BIRDS.
Mounted Rough-Legged Hawk.
Mounted Loon.
Mounted Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Mounted Merganser.
Mounted Marsh Hawk.
Mounted Harlequin Duck.
Mounted King Duck.
Mounted Tern.
Four mounted Snipe.
Mounted Coot.
Mounted Short-Eared Owl.
Mounted Downy Woodpecker.
Mounted Crossbill.
Mounted Pied-Billed Grebe.
Mounted Whistler Duck.
Two mounted Whooping Cranes, nest and eggs.
Three Canadian Grouse.
Plack mounted Dusky Duck.
Mounted Ruddy Duck.
Mounted Old Squaw Duck.
Two Plack mounted American Eider Ducks.
Two mounted Blue-Winged Teal.
Three mounted Green-Winged Teal.
Group mounted Cooper's Hawks, nest, eggs and young.
Group mounted Laughing Gulls, nest, eggs and young.
Group mounted Wilson's Terns and young.
Group mounted Meadow Larks, nest and eggs.
Group mounted White-Throated Sparrows.
Mounted Golden Eagle.
Mounted Blue Grosbeak.
Mounted White-Crowned Sparrow.
FISH.
Plack of two mounted Brook Trout.
Mounted Sun Fish.
Mounted Lake Trout.
Mounted Ten-and-one-half-pounds Land-Locked Salmon.
Mounted Black Fish.
Mounted Sun Fish.
Mounted Cod Fish.
ANIMALS.
Mounted Black Bear and Cub.
Mounted Moose head.
Mounted Caribou head.
Mounted Hedge-hog or Porcupine.
PART II.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY
By WITMER STONE,
Curator Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia.
Fellow American Ornithologists' Union.
(11)
PREFACE.
The birds of any State are of more importance to its citizens than
are any of the other vertebrates. It is not their value as food, since
the game birds are few in number and are shot mainly for sport, but
their value as destroyers of insects, that demands our attention.
In nature's scheme birds are one of the greatest checks on the in-
crease of insect life, and were they to be removed and the balance
upset, noxious insects would increase at such a rate that all crops and
all vegetation would be threatened with extermination. Anyone fa-
miliar with the ravages of the Gypsy Moth, the Migratory Grasshop-
per, and other similar pests, can realize what insects can accomplish
when they get beyond control, and when we realize that one Chickadee
eats in one day 30 female canker worms, which would have laid 5,550
eggs, and that one Meadow Lark devours at least 1,500 grasshoppers
a month,* we begin to realize what disaster we should face were our
birds destroyed.
Our birds, moreover, need protection, since nearly every activity of
man tends to their destruction. Aside from the actual killing of birds,
which is governed by law; the destruction of forests; the alteration
of rural districts into villages and towns; the draining of swamps;
clearing away of underbrush, etc., etc., all indirectly affect bird life,
driving many species away, and decreasing the numbers of others by
reducing the area available to them.
The best method of protecting the birds is to increase the interest
in birds and bird study among the citizens of the State, especially in
schools, for the more school children who are made familiar with the
value of bird protection, the easier will it be to ensure good legislation
in the future, and to enforce this legislation when enacted.
For this purpose the present report has been prepared. The aim
has been to present keys and descriptions that will enable anyone to
* Actual results of investigation of birds' stomachs by the United States
Department of Agriculture.
(13)
14 REPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
identify birds that he may see, to give a brief sketch of the more
characteristic habits of the common species, and at the same time to
include such facts and records on the distribution of all species as will
make the report a thoroughly up-to-date list of the birds of the State.
The measurements have been taken from Ridgway's "Manual of
North American Birds," and in the keys some points have been taken
from this work and from Chapman's "Hand Book," though they are
mainly original. The measurements of eggs are from Reed's "North
American Birds' Eggs." The facts upon which the statements on
food habits are based are from the publications of the United States
Department of Agriculture, while the descriptions are drawn up from
specimens in my own collection or that of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, to which institution I am also indebted for
the use of the volumes of Wilson and Audubon, from which most of
the plates have been reproduced. To the National Association of
Audubon Societies, through the president, Mr. William Butcher, I am
indebted for the use of a number of excellent half-tones prepared for
the Association's Educational Leaflets.
All the published lists and papers relating to the New Jersey birds
have been consulted, as well as manuscript data received from W.
BeWitt Miller, Samuel N. Rhoads, R. C. Caskey, C. J. Hunt, Henry
W. Fowler, H. Walker Hand, W. B. Evans, George S. Morris, A. P.
Willets, C. J. Pennock, William L. Baily, J. A. G. Rehn, H. H. Hann,
J. P. Callender, J. H. Patterson, P. B. Philipp, F. M. Chapman, Dr.
Jonathan Dwight, Jr., Henry Hales, W. A. Babson, Dr. William C.
Braislin, B. S. Bowdish, W. H. Werner, W. W. Justice, Jr., R. C.
Harlow, A. H. Phillips, Dr. Wm. E. Hughes, Stewardson Brown, and
D. E. Harrower, to all of whom the writer expresses his obligation.
To Mr. S. R. Morse, Curator of the New Jersey State Museum, I am
also under obligations for many courtesies and suggestions.
WITMER STONE,
Academy of Natural Sciences,
October 31st, 1908.* Philadelphia, Pa.
* Additional records have been added up to June 15th, 1909, as the work was
passing through the press.
The Destruction and Protection
. of Our Birds.
As an introduction to our chapter on "Bird Protection" we cannot
do better than to quote from Mr. H. W. Henshaw, of the United States
Department of Agriculture. He says : "As objects of human care and
interest birds occupy a place filled by no other living things, and the
various movements to protect and foster them would be fully justified
were there no returns other than aesthetic. Only the thoughtless and
the ignorant still hold that the graceful forms and beautiful plumage
of these masterpieces of nature serve their highest purpose when
worn on a hat for a brief season, to be then cast aside and forgotten,
the plumage dimmed and faded, the beautiful songs quenched forever."
Many of man's activities as practiced in this country tend toward
the extermination of bird-life and for this reason it is of the utmost
importance for us to encourage and foster every move for their pro-
tection in order to counterbalance, as far as possible, the destructive
tendencies. The causes most potent in destroying birds and the
results that they have produced may be grouped as follows:
(1) Direct slaughter of birds (a) for the millinery trade. The
absurd and barbarous habit of wearing dead birds or parts of them
for "ornament" is something in which all true women should be
ashamed to participate. Every bird, every aigrette plume, every Owl,
Pelican or Eagle feather, every Grebe's breast, etc., means the slaughter
of a beautiful bird and usually the starving of a family of young, as
most millinery collecting is done at the breeding season, when the
plumage is at its best.
In New Jersey the women who encourage this slaughter by wearing
bird plumage have been responsible for the extermination of the
American Egret, Snowy Heron, Little Blue Heron and Least Tern,
all of which used to breed regularly along our coast, but to-day are but
the rarest stragglers from the south. In addition the Common Tern
and Laughing Gull have been so reduced in numbers that but a couple
(15)
16 REPOHT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
of colonies of each are now known on our coasts. Details of this
extermination will be found under these several species.
(b) Slaughter for sport. The shooting of Ducks, Geese, Shore-
birds, Quail and Grouse has always been regarded as legitimate sport.
Unfortunately with the increase of population numbers of gunners
take the field who are utterly lacking in the appreciation of true
sport. First come the Italians who, educated f<5r generations in the
belief that everything that flies is legitimate game, shoot clown War-
blers, Sparrows and Chickadees with as much satisfaction as a true
sportsman would kill a Pheasant. But little better are the American
citizens boasting of their superiority but who do not hesitate to shoot
out of season or to slaughter Clapper Rails on the fall tides when the
birds cannot escape, just to 'see how many they can kill. This sort of
thing is bound to tell and is now telling upon the numbers of our wild
birds.
We must recognize two facts in dealing with game legislation first,
that the number of gunners is vastly increased; second, that the num-
ber of many game birds is vastly decreased. This is due to the fact
that the breeding grounds of many of the Ducks in Iowa and the
Dakotas have been entirely drained and cultivated and the birds de-
prived of a place to nest, and now, in opening up the Saskatchewan
country to railroads and settlers, the same thing is being done there.
All the Ducks that bred in these areas are decreasing rapidly, and only
those that breed in the far north, like Brant, etc., are holding their
own. Among the shore birds the same thing is seen, but here it is
the unlimited shooting all along the line of migration that is doing
the damage. The Golden Plover and Eskimo Curlew, for instance,
breed in the far north and winter in the Argentine Republic. They
are shot by the South American sportsmen all winter and are targets
for the gunners of North America during both the spring and autumn
flights.
The changed conditions and increase in gunners demand radical
legislation, as the birds simply cannot exist for many years under
present conditions. Spring shooting must stop, and shooting must
be everywhere restricted to those who are willing to shoot in moder-
ation for their own use. The marketing of wild game must eventually
stop or the supply will be exhausted.
Opposition to legislation toward these ends is simply due to selfish-
ness on the part of those who refuse to look to the future and are only
interested in their personal gain.
DESTRUCTION AND PROTECTION OF OUR BIRDS. 17
The shooting of small insectivorous birds is, of course, wholly
illegal, and should be suppressed everywhere as it usually is. The
recognition of the Flicker as a game bird is utterly unwarranted. It is
one of our most important insectivorous birds and should be rigidly
protected, as also the Dove and Killdeer. Careless and unlimited
gunning has exterminated the Wild Pigeon and Heath Hen, also
apparently the Eskimo Curlew, while the Killdeer, Woodcock and
Wood Duck are rapidly going the same route, and Quail are only
perpetuated by importing them from elsewhere! Unless the people
wake up to the fact that changed conditions demand less gunning and
more restricted gunning our descendants will have nothing to shoot.
(2) Indirect influences. Man is so busy making all the money he
can from natural resources and unclaimed land that he never stops
to consider what effect he is producing on nature. The spread of
towns and cities, the establishment of resorts along the whole sea-
board, the destruction of forests and draining of swamps all tend to
decrease bird-life. Some few species like the Robin take naturally
to civilization, but many others are driven away forever. From our
shore the Willet, Piping and Wilson's Plovers, Oyster-catcher, Skim-
mer, Avocet, Stilt, and other species are gone forever as breeding
birds, and are indeed for the most part rare even as stragglers. All
crowded out by the summer population of our coast strip and doubtless
by the careless gunning of these summer visitors.
Birds that have disappeared inland are notably the Mockingbird
and the Summer Tanager.
(3) Introduced birds. The English Sparrow has played an im-
portant part in driving various familiar birds away from our towns,
such as the House Wren, Bluebird, etc. While the Sparrows are often
openly hostile to our native birds, the result is no doubt mainly due
to the fact that the Sparrows are resident and retain continual pos-
session of all available nesting sites in bird boxes, buildings, etc. They
have, so to speak, taken the place of our native birds, for as there is
probably only support for a certain number of individual birds in a
given area the Sparrows have ousted the native species in the struggle
for existence so far as towns are concerned. Not content with the
lesson learned from the Sparrow we now have the European Starling
increasing rapidly and spreading all over the State. He bids fair to
be almost as big a nuisance. So too the English Pheasant is being
introduced, carrying with it a disease that is said to be fatal to our
native Ruffed Grouse.
18 REPORT OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
Experience has shown that it is never desirable to introduce foreign
birds or animals as they always have an injurious effect upon the
native fauna.
(4) Egg collecting. The State should at all times permit properly
accredited persons to collect specimens of birds or nests for scientific
purposes. All our knowledge of birds, their value, etc., has been
derived from ornithologists who have, of course, been compelled to
collect specimens. Unfortunately, however, there has arisen a class
of so-called "oologists" who imagine that by amassing a large series
of birds' eggs they are advancing science. Science does not counte-
nance this sort of collecting and no good conies of it. The continual
collecting of eggs has an ultimate effect upon the abundance of a bird
and this alone has exterminated the Fish-hawks on Seven Mile
Beach where they formerly nested by scores. The leading ornithol-
ogists of the country some years ago tried to discourage this practice
of excessive egg collecting by issuing a circular, which we cannot do
better than reprint. Fortunately the use of the camera in securing
a collection of photographs of nests and young is largely supplanting
this fad of egg collecting.
HINTS TO YOUNG BIRD STUDENTS.
It has always been our experience that young bird students who
have just crossed the threshold of ornithology are glad to turn for a
word of advice and assistance to their older brethren, who have alread}^
made some progress in the science ; and it has always been a pleasure
for us to give such aid.
In view of these facts we take this opportunity of offering a few
words of counsel for the benefit of those who are beginning the study
of birds.
Doubtless every beginner looks upon the formation of a collection
as necessarily the first step on the ornithological ladder ; and probably
a collection of eggs is preferred to a collection of birds, because the
specimens can be prepared much more readily.
Soon you meet complaints from well meaning persons who object
to robbing birds' nests, and you reply that you are collecting for
scientific purposes. Very good; science has need of you all, but do
you know what scientific ornithology real ornithology is?
Are you not influenced to some extent at least by "Oological" maga-
zines and dealers'"' price-lists of eggs, from which you learn that it is
DESTRUCTION AND PROTECTION OF OUR BIRDS. 19
important to secure series of sets which means hundreds and thou-
sands of eggs and wherein you also learn the market price of this
or that egg, and value your specimens accordingly just as you do
your posta^v si a nips. This is not science, and the men who advocate
this sort of collecting and who have the largest collections of eggs
rarely coin rilmte anything to our knowledge of birds and are not
advanrino- the science of ornithology.
It' you must have a collection, a few sets of eggs (often a single
set ) of each species of bird will answer all your purposes. There is
nothing to be gained by the collecting of a series, except the extermina-
tion of the birds, which is surely not your object.
On the other hand, there is a vast amount of bird work that you can
do to help the science of ornithology and gain a reputation for yourself.
Tiie iv a iv hundreds of facts regarding the distribution of birds,
their habits, etc., which are still unknown, and you should make it
your aim to become an authority on the birds of your region, and keep
records of all your observations as to migration, habits, abundance,
etc. You will find ample opportunity for work, as every year will
bring to light new facts, and the more you contribute to our knowledge
of the birds the more you will see what an insignificant matter the
formation of an egg collection is in comparison with real ornithology.
In the case of birds, it is justifiable to shoot specimens which are
new to you for purposes of identification, but you should make the
best use of the bird before you kill it, so that it will not be necessary
to shoot more of the same kind in order to tell what they are. Your
aim should be to learn to recognize birds at sight and by their notes,
and you will find you will learn more of value by a study of the living
bird than, by collecting skins.
The exact knowledge that we now possess of the coloration, etc., of
.North American birds and the large collections available for study
in the museums render it entirely unnecessary for every bird student
to fon n a collection. Those who undertake any special line of study
will soon learn what specimens are required and collect accordingly,
instead of amassing a large number of specimens with no particular
object in view.
These suggestions are not made with a fault finding or sentimental
feeling, but in a friendly spirit for the purpose of counteracting the
effect of the advice of egg dealers and traders, who seem bent upon
developing our budding students into "eggers" instead of ornithol-
ogists.
20 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
We have all killed birds and collected eggs, but not to a useless
excess, and have always, we believe, made real use of our collections
in adding to the knowledge of birds and advancing the science of
ornithology.
As active members of the American Ornithologists' Union we are
only too glad to encourage the study* of birds and aid the beginner,
but unless some steps be taken against this useless egg collecting the
extermination of some of our birds at least will soon be effected.
We ask your earnest consideration of these points and trust you
will aid us by your influence and example in advancing true ornithol-
ogy and in discouraging the waste of bird-life occasioned by this
"fad" of egg collecting.
WITMER STONE,
Conservator Ornithological Section Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia.
J. A. ALLEN,
Curator Dept. Vertebrate Zool. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City.
FRANK M. CHAPMAN,
Ass't Curator Dept. Vertebrate Zool. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York.
ROBERT RIDGWAY,
Curator Dept. of Birds, U. S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C.
CHARLES W. RICHMOND,
Ass't Curator Dept. of Birds, U. S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C.
C. HART MERRIAM,
Chief U. S. Biol. Survey, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
T. S. PALMER,
Ass't Biol. Survey, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
A. K. FISHER,
Ass't Biol. Survey, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
WILLIAM BREWSTER,
Curator Dept. of Birds, Museum Comp. Zool., Cambridge, Mass.
WILLIAM DUTCHER,
President National Asso. of Audubon Societies, New York City.
JOHN H. SAGE,
Secretary American Ornithologists' Union, Portland, Conn.
DESTRUCTION AND PROTECTION OF OUR BIRDS. 21
Movements for Bird Protection. The State Legislature has from
time to time passed laws protecting the insectivorous birds and regu-
lating gunning. Scarcely a session passes but that some measure,
frequently a retrograde one, is introduced, and it behooves all who
are interested in birds to pay careful attention to the action of the
Legislature and use their influence for or against the bills according
to their merit.
The Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agri-
culture has distributed a vast number of publications by experts of
its staff on the food habits and value of birds. It also maintains a
department of game preservation, under Dr. T. S. Palmer, who keeps
track of all state legislation and co-operates with local bodies by fur-
nishing advice and assistance in securing good laws.
Some twenty years ago there began to be organized State Audubon
societies for the protection of birds, their activities being chiefly in
the discouragement of the wearing of birds in millinery, the encour-
agement of bird study in the schools, and in advocating protective
legislation. Later there was established in New York City the
National Association of Audubon Societies, under the presidency of
Mr. William Dutcher, which establishes active bird protection, dis-
tributes literature and information, etc., in all parts of the country.
The remaining gull colonies on the New Jersey coast are under the
care of the wardens of this association.
The main hope for adequate bird protection lies in educating the
public, especially the children, up to a proper realization of the
importance of birds to humanity.
New Jersey may well be proud of her record in the early days of
bird and game protection, as in 1850 her Legislature passed the first
State law protecting insectivorous birds, while in 1873, in incorpo-
rating the West Jersey Game Protective Association, she made the
first provision for non-resident licenses. Let us hope that our State
may be among the first to awaken to the need of still more exacting
laws which the rapid decrease of game demands.
The Value of Birds. The food habits and value of most of our
birds are given under the various species or families in the following
pages, but we shall summarize the more important facts here for
easy reference, taking our data from the publications of the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Hawks and Owls. With the exception of a few species, such as the
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Goshawk and Great Horned
22 REPOBT OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Owl, these birds feed almost exclusively on mice and grasshoppers
and are of great economic importance.
Cuckoos. Entirely beneficial, especially noteworthy as destroyers of
caterpillars.
Woodpeckers. Almost entirely beneficial, food consisting of insects
of various kinds, mainly wood-borers, but in the case of the Flicker
largely ground insects, including the notorious Chinch Bug. The
Red-headed Woodpecker very rarely takes fruit and berries' and the
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker sometimes injures trees by girdling them
with holes, but such damage is easily overbalanced by the good they do.
Nighthawks, Swifts, Flycatchers, Swallows, Vireos, Warblers,
Wrens, Titmice, Nuthatches and Kinglets are almost or entirely in-
sectivorous, and never do damage of any kind. The benefit to the
farmer that these birds render in the destruction of noxious insects is
incalculable.
Native Sparrows and Finches., Orioles, Thrashers, Thrushes, Blue-
birds and Meadow Larks, while not wholly insectivorous, limit their
vegetable diet to wild berries and fruits and seeds of weeds and grass,
so that they are wholly beneficial.
Crows, Blackbirds, Robins and 'Catbirds are the species usually
denounced by farmers, and often with just cause, but we must not
forget the fact that the damage these birds do to grain or fruit is
limited to a very small part of the year, while during the other
months they are beneficial for the most part. Devices for driving
them away from crops or planting wild fruit trees for their use, as
explained under the several species in the following pages, is far
wiser than extermination.
Kingfishers, Herons and Fish-hawks are often condemned by owners
of fish ponds but the damage they do is very slight, and, as Mr. F. M.
Chapman' says, "The value of birds to man cannot be expressed in
dollars and cents. The Kingfisher is far too interesting and char-
acteristic a feature of our ponds, lakes and waterways to be extermin-
ated. Admitting that certain individuals of the species are injurious,
it does not follow that the whole race should be condemned."
The following pamphlets should be consulted by all interested in
the preservation of our birds:
Educational Leaflets. Issued by the National Association of Au-
dubon Societies, 141 Broadway, N. Y.
How Birds Affect the Orchard. F. E. L. Beal, U. S. Dept. Agricul-
ture Year-book, 1900.
INSTRUCTION AND PROTECTION OF OUR BIRDS. 23
Ihnvks and Owls as I Mated to the Farmer. U. S. Dept. of Agri-
culture fear-book, 1894.
The Common Crow of the U. S. Bull. No. 6, U. S. Dept. Agr., Div.
Orintli. Miid Mam., 1895.
Also numerous other pamphlets issued by the Department of Agri-
culture on food of various common birds.
ll'u-d Day in the Schools. The cultivation of an interest in bird
protection in our schools cannot be too strongly encouraged. Therein
probably lies our hope of success in our efforts at bird protection in
thi i IV, lure.
Some States have regularly established bird days, some suggest the
combination of bird-day and arbor-day exercises. Whether any spe-
cial day has been set aside or not teachers can easily provide for some
observance of the kind during spring, when the attention of the
scholars can be concentrated upon birds and their value. Essays on
common birds may be read, drawings of birds copied, songs about
birds sung, and possibly an illustrated lecture may be delivered before
the school.
The Audubon societies have literature to distribute and sometimes
have traveling libraries, lantern slides or specimens that may be
obtained. Detailed suggestions may be had from Miss Julia S. Scrib-
ner, Secretary New Jersey Audubon Society, 510 E. Front street,
Plainfielcl, or Mr. William Dutcher, President National Association
of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City.
Teachers will find F. M. Chapman's "Bird Life," teachers' edition,
a helpful book, while "Bird Lore," a bi-monthly magazine, the official
organ of the Audubon societies, is indispensable. 1 Those more seriously
interested in the ornithology of the State should obtain "Cassinia,"
an annual devoted to the Ornithology of Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and Delaware, which gives a yearly summary of the results of bird
study in these States. 2 As further aids to local bird study may be
mentioned the collection of the State Museum at Trenton, so admir-
ably arranged by Prof. S. R. Morse, and the local collection at the
Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, both of which are open
to the public.
Specimens of birds sent to Mr. Witmer Stone, care of the Academy
of Natural Sciences, Logan Square, Philadelphia, will be identified
and queries answered so far as possible.
1 MacMillan Co., Harrisburg, Penna. One dollar per year.
2 Published by the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, care Academy of
Natural Sciences, Logan Square, Pbila. Fifty cents per copy.
Distribution and Migration.
All birds are at home during the breeding season, which usually
covers the latter part of spring and early summer. At other times of
year they wander more or less from this breeding area. In some
species this wandering or migration is irregular, varying in extent in
different seasons according to the scarcity or abundance of the food-
supply. In others it has become a definite movement southward in
autumn and northward in spring, the apparent result of an hereditary
tendency, which may have been acquired at the time when our present
seasonal climatic changes originated. Some of these migrations
extend over thousands of miles, so that certain of our summer birds
of the Northern United States pass the winter in the tropics -of South
America, while some of the Plover and Sandpipers which breed within
the Arctic circle winter in the Argentine Republic or Chili.
The movements of the migrating birds are often very regular from
year to year, so that it is possible to predict within a few days when a
given species of bird will arrive at least, when the bulk or normal
flight will arrive. There are, of course, occasional stragglers which
come exceptionally early.
The way in which birds perform their extended migrations is a
matter of great interest, and one concerning which we have still much
to learn. We know that there are two classes of migrants, (1) those
that fly by day, and (2) those that fly by night. The former comprise
most of the birds which habitually associate in compact flocks, such as
Doves, Horned Larks, Crows, Jays, Crackles, Blackbirds, Cedarbirds,
Titlarks, Robins and Bluebirds ; also, Hawks, Swallows, Swifts, Night
Hawks and Hummingbirds. The night migrants comprise all our
more delicate woodland birds, Thrushes, Warblers, Vireos, Tanagers,
Wrens, etc., as well as Rail, Woodcock, Bittern and some Snipe.
It is probable that all birds have a remarkably developed sense of
direction, such as we see in the Carrier Pigeon, which enables them to
retrace a route over which they have once passed. Then, too, the
prominent features of the landscape may serve as a guide to the
(25)
26 REPORT OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
migrants in shaping their course, for it is well known that mountains
and river valleys stand out distinctly on moonlit nights, and it is on
clear nights only that birds migrate.
Xight migrants flock together during the flight, forming- an im-
mense scattering host of various species, which keep within hearing
of one another, if not within sight.
It is possible to hear the chirping of the passing birds on a quiet
night, and they may be seen by the aid of a telescope directed toward
the full moon.
Professor Cooke has recently shown that many birds have as definite
winter homes as they have summer ranges, and furthermore, that
species which are closely associated during the breeding season may
betake themselves to very different regions in winter. For example,
the Black-throated Blue Warbler winters in some of the West Indies,
passing southeastward through Florida and the Bahamas, while the
Black- throated Green Warbler, which has nearly the same breeding
range, travels southwestward to Central America for the winter, being
practically an unknown species in Florida and the West Indies.
From the standpoint of any single locality, we may divide our birds
into several classes, according to their habits of migration, viz. :
(1) Residents. Birds that are with us throughout the year.
(2) Summer Residents. Birds that nest with us, arriving from
the South in the spring and returning in the autumn.
(3) Winter Visitants. Birds which nest to the north of us, but
come to our neighborhood to pass the winter, returning in the spring.
(4) Transients. Birds which nest to the north of us and winter
to the south, passing through our territory in the spring and fall.
(5) Accidental or Irregular Stragglers, which do not normally
occur in our district.
It is obvious that some birds may belong to two classes, as, for
instance, such species as breed with us, but winter just a little farther
to the south. Some individuals of these may occasionally remain with
us for the winter, and thus become Residents, while the bulk of the
species are Summer Residents. The Robin is a good example.
It is also obvious that in a State with such a long extent north and
south as New Jersey possesses, some birds may breed in the northern
counties, but not in the south, and vice versa.
The birds of Xew Jersey may be grouped as follows :
DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION. 27
RESIDENTS.
Bob White. Blue Jay.
Ruffed Grouse. Crow.
Turkey Vulture.$ Fish Crow.
Marsh Hawk. Raven.
Sharp-shinned Hawk. Starling.
Cooper's Hawk. Meadow Lark.
Red-tailed Hawk. House Sparrow.
Red-shouldered Hawk. Purple Finch.t
Broad-winged Hawk. Goldfinch.
Duck Hawk.f Song Sparrow.
Bald Eagle. Swamp Sparrow.
Sparrow Hawk. Cardinal.
Barn Owl4 Cedar Waxwing.
Long-eared Owl. Carolina Wren.
Short-eared -Owl. White-breasted Nuthatch.
Barred Owl. Tufted Titmouse.
Screech Owl. Black-capped Chickadee.f
Great Horned Owl. Carolina Chickadee. |
Hairy Woodpecker. Robin.
Downy Woodpecker. Bluebird.
Flicker.
SUMMER RESIDENTS.
Pied-billed Grebe. t Killdeer.*
Laughing Gull.f Dove.*
Common Tern.$ Osprey.
Black Duck. Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Wood Duck. Black-billed Cuckoo.
Bittern. Kingfisher!*
Least Bittern. Red-headed Woodpecker."
Great Blue Heron. $ Whip-poor-will.
Green Heron. Xighthawk.
Black-crowned Night Heron.* Chimney Swift.
King Rail.* Hummingbird.
Clapper Rail. Kingbird.
Virginia Rail.* Great-crested Flycatcher.
Sora.f Phoebe.*
Black Rail. Wood Pewee.
Florida Gallinule. Acadian Flycatcher.
Coot.f Least Flycatcher.f
Woodcock.* Alder Flycatcher.f
Wilson's Snipe.*t Bobolink.f
Upland Plover. Cowbird.*
Spotted Sandpiper. Red-winged Blackbird.*
* Winter occasionally in the southern counties.
t Breed only (or chiefly) in the northern counties,
t Breed only in the southern counties.
28 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Orchard Oriole. Black and White Warbler.
Baltimore Oriole. Worm-eating Warbler.
Purple Grackle.* Blue-winged Warbler.
Vesper Sparrow.* Golden-winged Warbler.f
Savanna Sparrow*f Nashville Warbler.f
Grasshopper Sparrow. Parula Warbler.
Henslow's Sparrow. Yellow Warbler.
Sharp-tailed Sparrow.* Chestnut-sided Warbler.f
Seaside Sparrow. Black-throated Green Warbler.t
Chipping Sparrow.* Pine Warbler.*
Field Sparrow.* Prairie Warbler.t
Towhee.* Ovenbird.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak.f Louisiana Water Thrush.
Indigo Bunting. Kentucky Warbler.
Dickcissel. Maryland Yellow-throat.
Scarlet Tanager. Yellow-breasted Chat.
Purple Martin. Hooded Warbler.
Cliff Swallow. Redstart.
Barn Swallow. Catbird.*
Tree Swallow.* Brown Thrasher.*
Bank Swallow. Mockingbird.*
Rough-winged Swallow. House Wren.*
Red-eyed Vireo. Short-billed Marsh Wren.*f
Warbling Vireo. Long-billed Marsh Wren.*
Yellow-throated Vireo. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.J
Solitary Vireo.f Wood Thrush.
White-eyed Vireo. Veery.f
WINTER VISITANTS.
Holboell's Grebe. King Eider.
Horned Grebe. Scoter.
Loon. White-winged Scoter.
Red-throated Loon. Surf Scoter.
Razor-billed Auk. Purple Sandpiper.
Brunnich's Murre. Rough-legged Hawk.
Dovekie. Saw-whet Owl.
Kittiwake Gull. Horned Lark.
Glaucous Gull. Prairie Horned Lark.
Black-backed Gull. Red Crossbill.
Herring Gull. Redpoll.
Ring-billed Gull. Pine Siskin.
Merganser. Snow Bunting.
Green-winged Teal. Lapland Longspur.
Golden-eye Duck. Ipswich Sparrow.
Bufflehead. White-throated Sparrow.
Old Squaw. Tree Sparrow.
* Winter occasionally in the southern counties.
t Breed only (or chiefly) in the northern counties.
J Breed only in the southern counties.
DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION.
Junco.
Northern Shrike.
Myrtle Warbler.
Winter Wren.
Brown Creeper.
Red-bellied Nuthatch.
Golden-crowned Kinglet.
TRANSIENT VISITANTS.
Pied-bill Grebe.
Pomarine Jaeger.
Parasitic Jaeger.
Long-tailed Jaeger.
Bonaparte's Gull.
Cory's Shearwater.
Leach's Petrel.
Gannet.
Double-crested Cormorant.
Red-breasted Merganser.f
Hooded Merganser.
Mallard.
Widgeon.
Blue-winged Teal.
Pintail.
Redhead.
Scaup Duck.
Lesser Scaup Duck.
Ruddy Duck.
Snow Goose.
Canada Goose.
Brant.
Red Phalarope.
Northern Phalarope.
Dowitcher.
Long-billed Dowitcher.
Stilt Sandpiper.
Knot.
Pectoral Sandpiper.
White-rumped Sandpiper.
Least Sandpiper.
Red-backed Sandpiper.*
Semipalmated Sandpiper.
Western Sandpiper.
Sanderling.
Greater Yellowlegs.
Lesser Yellowlegs.
t'olitary Sandpiper.
Willet.
Hudsonian Curlew.
Black-bellied Plover.
Golden Plover.
Semipalmated Plover.
Turnstone.
Pigeon Hawk.*
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker.*
Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Rusty Blackbird.*
Bronzed Grackle.
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
White-crowned Sparrow.
Lincoln's Sparrow.
Fox Sparrow.*
Philadelphia Vireo.
Tennessee Warbler.
Cape May Warbler.
Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Bay-breasted Warbler.
Black-poll Warbler.
Blackburnian Warbler.
Palm Warbler.
Yellow Palm Warbler.*
Water Thrush.
Connecticut Warbler.
Mourning Warbler.
Wilson's Warbler.
Canada Warbler.
Titlark.*
Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Gray-cheeked Thrush.
Bicknell's Thrush.
Olive-backed Thrush.
Hermit Thrush.*
* Occasionally remain all winter in the southern counties.
t Ducks vary according to whether the waters of bays and ponds freeze over.
Many of them may be winter residents in some seasons.
REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
IRREGULAR OR ACCIDENTAL VISITANTS.
(a) From the south in summer.
Gull-billed Tern.f
Royal Tern.
Caspian Tern.
Roseate Tern/j
Forster's Tern.f
Sooty Tern.
Least Tern.f
Black Skimmer, t
Greater Shearwater.
Audubon's Shearwater.
Sooty Shearwater.
Wilson's Petrel.*
Brown Pelican.
White Ibis.
Glossy Ibis.
American Egret, f
Little Blue Heron. f
Snowy Egret. |
Yellow-crowned Night Heron.
Purple Gallinule.
Wilson's Plover.f
Piping Plover.f
Oystercatcher.f
Black-necked Stilt.j
Ground Dove.
Black Vulture.
Swallow-tailed Kite.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker.
Red-bellied Woodpecker.f
Pileated Woodpecker.f
Blue Grosbeak.t
Summer Tanager.f
Prothonotary Warbler.
Cerulean Warbler.
Yellow-throated Warbler.
Brown-headed Nuthatch.
(6) From the north in winter.
Puffin.
Black Guillemot.
Fulmar.
Cormorant.
Harlequin Duck.
Eider Duck.
Goshawk.
Hawk Owl.
Snowy Owl.
Evening Grosbeak.
Pine Grosbeak. ,
White-winged Crossbill.
Greater Redpoll.
Bohemian Waxwiug.
(c) Transients of irregular occurrence.
Black Tern.
Gadwall.
Shoveler.
Canvasback.
Ring-necked Duck.
Blue Goose.
White-fronted Goose.
Black Brant.
Whistling Swan.
Wilson's Phalarope.
American Avocet.t
Marbled Godwit.
Hudsonian Godwit.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper.
Baird's Sandpiper.
Long-billed Curlew. $
Golden Eagle.
Migrant Shrike.
Orange-crowned Warbler.
Grinnell's Water Thrush.
* Petrels and Shearwaters are regular summer visitors but do not nest here.
f Formerly bred in southern New Jersey.
$ Formerly nested in New Jersey, although in the case of the Curlew the
record may be open to question.
DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION. 31
(d) Accidental stragglers.
From Europe. From the West.
European Widgeon. White Pelican.
European Green-winged Teal. Arkansas Kingbird.
Corn Crake. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
European Woodcock. Lark Sparrow.
Curlew Sandpiper. Varied Thrush.
Ruff.
(c) Species apparently extinct in the State.
Eskimo Curlew. Pinnated Grouse.*
Whooping Crane.* Wild Turkey.*
Passenger Pigeon.*
Birds are limited in their distribution during the breeding season
by the various isotherms which divide the country into several dis-
tinct life zones. These do not run like the parallels of latitude, but
are bent and irregular according to the elevation of the country. A
mountain chain brings a cool climate with boreal birds and plants
far southward, while a low open river valley carries southern species
and a mild climate northward.
In Xew Jersey the southern half of the State from Trenton to the
Raman and lower Hudson valley belongs to the Carolinian Zone
a belt characterized by the presence of such birds as the Cardinal,
Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler,
Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren and Acadian
Flycatcher.
Xorth of this we have the Alleghanian Zone in which we find as
breeding birds the Veery, Least Flycatcher, Redstart, Chestnut-sided
Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Bobolink. The boundary is
not sharply drawn and some of the Carolinian species here and there
press a Tittle farther north and the Alleghanian species a little south-
ward. In the immediate vicinity of the Delaware river indeed some
Carolinian species extend as far as the northern boundary of Xew
Jersey.
The Canadian Zone which covers much of the northern United
States extending southward to the summits of the Adirondacks,
Catskills and the Alleghanies to North Carolina, is probably not
* Formerly nested in New Jersey, although in the case of the Crane the
record may be open to question.
32 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
represented in New Jersey bird life or at least very slightly. The
presence of the Brown Creeper and Solitary Vireo as breeding birds in
Sussex county is the only evidence, but our knowledge of the birds of
northwestern New Jersey is so very meagre that there may be other
Canadian species breeding there such would be the Junco, Hermit
Thrush, various Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Winter Wren. 1
The species mentioned in these groups are only the more char-
acteristic ones. The detailed distribution of all will be found in the
systematic portion of the report.
Other conditions affect the distribution of birds besides temperature.
Many species are strictly pelagic never seen away from the ocean
unless driven in by storms ; others are birds of the sea beach ; others
notably the Seaside and Sharp-tailed Sparrows and the Clapper Rail
are birds of the salt meadows.
The great pine-barren wilderness, with its peculiar conditions of
soil and its strikingly different vegetation^ furnishes favorable condi-
tions for .certain species which are rare elsewhere, as the Pine, Prairk
Hooded and Parula Warblers, while many other species and southern
ones, too are entirely absent, notably the Worm-eating, Kentucky
and Blue-winged Warblers.
The dates of arrival and departure are given under each species, but
from the fact that some species are partly resident and the migratory
movement is somewhat straggling, it is difficult to select one date that
may be said to represent the "date of arrival." The first individual
may be a straggler which wintered far north of the bulk of his kind,
and to take his date of arrival would be misleading. Where we have
a large number of observers as about Philadelphia, I have adopted
the plan of selecting the date when a species had arrived at a majority
of the observation stations. 2 This eliminates early stragglers, and
might be said to be the date of the first bulk movement.
1 A trip taken June 4th-llth, 1909, by Messrs. S. N. Rhoads, Wm. L. Baily
and Dr. Wm. E. Hughes to northern Passaic and Sussex counties showed none
of these species present. The Canada, Black-throated Green and Black-throated
Blue Warblers were the only birds of Canadian tendencies noted even in most
favorable spots, while several Carolinian species occurred, notably in the Wall-
kill Valley, but also at Greenwood Lake. It therefore seems that the Canadian
element in the New Jersey bird fauna must be regarded as slight and sporadic.
2 See for details Cassinia, 1904-1908, and especially Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.,
Phila., 1908, pp. 128-156.
DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION.
33
An average of the dates thus obtained during the past six years
gives us the following spring migration schedule of the commoner
species for the vicinity of Philadelphia, and it is not probable that
Xew Jersey dates vary from these more than a day or two, even in the
extreme northern and southern sections of the State.
March 2. Bluebird.
3. Purple Grackle.
4. Robin.
8. Fox Sparrow.
Meadow Lark.
10. Red-winged Blackbird.
13. Flicker.
14. Killdeer.
19. Field Sparrow.
21. Phoebe.
25. Cowbird.
29. Chipping Sparrow.
30. Vesper Sparrow.
April 10. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
12. Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
13. Hermit Thrush.
17. Yellow Palm Warbler.
19. Towhee.
Bank Swallow.
Rough-winged Swallow.
22. Tree Swallow.
Chimney Swift.
23. Barn Swallow.
24. Myrtle Warbler.
Brown Thrasher.
25. Spotted Sandpiper.
26. Black ana White War-
bler.
27. House Wren.
28. Grasshopper Sparrow.
Maryland Yellow-throat.
29. Solitary Vireo.
Catbird.
30. Yellow Warbler.
Ovenbird.
Wood Thrush.
May 2. Veery.
3. Yellow-throated Vireo.
White-eyed Vireo.
Water Thrush,
liedstart.
Black-throated Green
Warbler.
4. Kingbird.
Great-crested Flycatcher.
Parula Warbler.
Black-throated Blue
Warbler.
5. Baltimore Oriole.
Orchard Oriole.
Yellow-breasted Chat.
6. Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Scarlet Tanager.
Red-eyed Vireo.
Warbling Vireo.
Blue-winged Warbler.
Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Kentucky Warbler.
7. Indigo Bunting.
Magnolia Warbler.
Olive-backed Thrush.
8. Bobolink.
9. Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Hummingbird.
Wood Pewee.
Worm-eating Warbler.
10. Blackburnian Warbler.
11. Black-billed Cuckoo.
Nighthawk.
Black-poll Warbler.
12. Canada Warbler.
Gray-cheeked Thrush.
The Birds of New Jersey.
Birds constitute a distinct class of vertebrate or back-boned animals,
but are more closely related to the reptiles than they are to the mam-
mals.
They are distinguished from all other animals by their covering of
feathers. Birds, furthermore, are especially adapted for flight, the
forelimbs being modified into wings, which are composed mainly of
the long, stiff "quill feathers" known as remiges, those attached to
the "hand" portion of the wing being the primaries and those attached
to the forearm being the secondaries, while the several innermost ones,
often differently colored from the others, are the tertials.
The bird's foot is also curiously modified. The heel is elevated, and
is usually held up near the body, while the long section between it and
the toes, which is covered with horny plates or scales (rarely feathers),
is known as the tarsus, and corresponds to the "instep" of a man's
foot. The feet are webbed, elongated, etc., according to the various
methods of progression. The bird's jaws are encased in horny sheaths
forming the bill, which exhibits great diversity of shape and structure
according to the varying food habits of the different species.
Birds are hatched from eggs which are laid in nests especially pre-
pared for their reception, and are incubated by the parents, the female
performing the greater part of this labor.
Existing birds comprise two main groups the Ostriches and their
allies on the one hand, and all other birds on the other.
The latter are variously subdivided, the groups represented in New
Jersey being distinguished in the following key, which is to be used
as the first step in identifying an unknown bird, the page references
taking one on to the various family keys contained in the main text.
(35)
36 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
KEY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF NEW JERSEY BIRDS.
All terms are explained in the Glossary at the end of the volume. All measure-
ments are given in inches and hundredths expressed in decimal form. In the descrip-
tions of species only such plumages are given as are worn during the period of the
year at which the bird occurs in New Jersey. Nests and eggs are only described
when the bird breeds or formerly bred in the State.
a. Hind toe connected with the inner toe by a web. STEGANOPODES, p. 70
aa. Hind toe not connected by a web (sometimes entirely absent).
6. Nostrils tubular. TUBINARES, Petrels, p. 66
66. Nostrils not tubular.
c. Edges of the bill with a series of teeth or lamellae.
ANSERES, Ducks, etc., p. 74
cc. Edges of bill not fringed with lamellae.
d. Forward toes conspicuously flat and lobed
on the side ; claws also flat. COLYMBID.E, Grebes, p. 38
dd. Toes and Claws not flat.
e. Three forward toes webbed to the tips.
/. No hind toe. ALCIDJE, Auks, etc , p. 43
ff. Hind toe present.
g. Bill with upper mandible rounded or curved at tip.
LARIN.JS, Gulls, and STERCORARIID^E, Skuas,
pp. 49 and 47
gg. Bill sharp pointed.
h. Tarsus conspicuously compressed.
GAVIID^E, Loons, p. 41
hh. Tarsus not flat. STERNIN^E, Terns, p. 50
ggg. Bill compressed, knife like ; upper mandible
shorter than lower. RYNCHOPID^E, Skimmer, p. 65
ee. Forward toes not fully webbed.
f. Lower part of thigh naked.
g. Hind toe well developed and on a level with the others.
h. Lores or eye region naked.
ARDEIDJS, Herons, etc., p. 98
hh. Lores and eye region feathered.
RALLIED, Eails, etc , p. 109
gg. Hind toe small and elevated above the others.
h. Lores and eye region naked. GRUS, Cranes, p. 108
hh. Lores and eye region feathered.
/'. Middle toe and claw nearly equal to tarsus.
RALLIED, Rails, etc., p. 109
ii. Middle toe and claw distinctly shorter than tarsus.
j. Tarsus over 3.50.
RECCRVIROSTRIDJS, Stilts and Avocets, p. 120
jj. Tarsus under 3.50.
k. Sides of toes with lobes.
PHALAROPID^E, Phalaropes, p. 117
kk. Sides of toes without lobes.
SCOLOPACID^E, Snipe, p. 122
ggg. No hind toe.
h. Bill under 2.
CHARADIID^E, Plovers (also ARENARIA,P. 147), p. 142
hh. Bill ov r 2. H^EM ATOPODID^E, Oyster-catchers, p. 148
THE BIRDS OF XEW JERSEY. 37
ff. Lower part of thigh fully feathered.
g. Bill strongly hooked. RAPTORES, Hawks, Owls, etc., p. 156
(jy. Bill not strongly hooked.
h. Hind toe small and elevated. GALTJN^E, Grouse and Quail, p. 149
M. Hind toe well developed and on a level with the others.
i. A soft cere at base of bill. COLUMB^E, Pigeons, p. 153
ii. ^'o cere.
k. Length not over 3. 75 ; bill .60-. 70.
ARCHILOCHUS, Hummingbird, p. 188
k. Size much larger or bill relatively much shorter.
/. Tail feathers with projecting spines ;
bill very short; mouth wide. CH^ETURA, Swift, p. 187
//. Tail feathers without spines.
m. Middle toe nail serrate on side.
CAPRIMULGID^E, Whip-poor-will, etc., p. 185
mm. Toe nails not serrate.
n. Middle and outer toes joined for over
half their length. CERYLE, Kingfisher, p. 177
nn. Toes not joined for half their length.
o. Toes arranged two in front and two behind.
p. Tail feathers very stiff and pointed.
PICID^E, Woodpeckers p. 178
pp. Tail feathers not pointed.
COCCYZUS, Cuckoos, p. 176
oo. Toes arranged three in front and one behind.
PASSERES, Perching Birds, p. 189
EXPLANATIONS.
The nomenclature is that of the forthcoming third edition of the American
Ornithologists' Union Check List. Although the species are not to be num-
bered in this work, I have added the numbers of the previous edition of the
Check List at Mr. Morse's request.
Where two dates of arrival appear, the first is the average date of first ar-
rival, that in parentheses the bulk arrival (see p. 32). Quotations from the
works of Wilson and Audubon, Abbott's List (1868), Turnbull's (1869) and
Thurber's (1887) are usually not accompanied by page reference, but all other
published records are accompanied by footnote references. Full titles of all
publications on New Jersey birds will be found in the Bibliography on p. 317.
W. S.
38 EEPOET OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
Order PYGOPODES.
Diving Birds.
Family OOLYMBID-ffl.
THE GREBES.
The Grebes are notable as divers, and owe their popular name of
Hell-divers to their propensities in this line. Their feet are set well
back, the toes broadly lobed (not connected by a web), and both toes
and tarsus are exceedingly flat ; the plumage is dense, soft and silky ;
wings short and rounded; tail absent merely a few downy feathers
like the rest of the plumage. Three species occur in the State :
a. Bill slender, more than twice as long as deep, sharp pointed.
6. Length, *18-20. HOLBOELL'S GREBE, p. 38
6ft. Length, 12-15. HORNED GREBE, p. 39
aa. Bill stout, length less than twice the depth, upper mandible curved at tip.
PIED-BILLED GREBE, p. 40
2 Colymbus holboelli (Reinhart).
Holboell's Grebe.
Adults in spring. Length, 1&-20. Wing, 7.30-8.10. Above, black; below,
silky white ; top of head, dull black ; rest of head and back of neck, ash gray ;
neck rufous in front and on sides ; secondaries, white.
Adults in winter. Similar, but lacking the gray and rufous.
Bare winter visitant along the coast and bay shore, November to
March; more frequent in migrations.
The first record that I find of the occurrence of this species in the
State is a specimen in the Philadelphia Academy collection, shot at
Pemberton, N. J. ? in 1857, and procured in market by Dr. J. C. Cole-
man. Beesley, Abbott and Turnbull each give it as rare, without any
definite record.
The following more recent captures have come to my notice :
Delaware Bay; winter of 1877 or 1878. C. A. Voelker.
Atlantic City; found dead February 1st, 1883. Geo. S. Morris. 1
Delaware Eiver, .opposite Chester; October, 1891. Colla. W. Stone. 1
Lower Delaware Eiver; February, 1894. C. A. Voelker. 1
1 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 38.
THE BIEDS OF NEW JERSEY. 39
Kiverton : February 21st, 1894. John Reese. 1
Delaware River, opposite Tinicum ; April 7th, 1902. L. I. Smith. 2
Wildwood; April 1st, 1904. Win. L. Baily.
In addition to the inland record at Pemberton, there was one bird
obtained at Marlton, April 4th, 1904, J. D. Carter. 3 Mr. Scott took
one at Princeton in 1879, 4 and the species is reported to have occurred
rarely in Morris county by Mr. R. C. Casky.
At Englewood, N. J., Mr. Geo. E. Hix, 5 has recorded the occurrence
of a single bird on a pond on June 10th, where it was seen twice after-
ward, disappearing between the 24th and 27th. Mr. H. H. Hann
records a few shot on the Passaic river, near Summit. 6
3 Colymbus auritus Linnaeus.
Horned Grebe, Hell-Diver.
PLATE 1.
Adults in spring. Length, 12.50-15. Wing, 5.75. Above, blackish ; below,
silky white, lower neck, breast and sides rufous; a dense tuft of ochraceous
feathers on each side of the head, throat and sides of upper neck, black ; sec-
ondary wing feathers, white.
Adults and young in winter. Similar, but duller, and lacking the rufous
breast and ochraceous plumes.
A tolerably common winter resident on the coast and bay, rather
plentiful in migrations, which seem to occur in late October and early
November, and during March and April. We have numerous records
in the vicinity of Philadelphia, April 7th to 29th. The latest New
Jersey record that I have seen was May 3d. It occurs also regularly
on the Delaware and other streams, and on ponds in the interior.
This and the following are the birds popularly known among gun-
ners as "Hell-divers," and are to be seen swimming about, generally
singly, with the body low in the water and the neck erect. They are
good swimmers and still better divers, disappearing instantly at the
discharge of a gun or other cause of alarm.
1 Abst Proc. D. V. O. C., II., p. 12.
2 Cassinia, 1902, p. 43.
8 Cassinia, 1904, p. 54.
* Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 34.
5 Auk, 1905, p. 407.
" Wilson Bull., 1905, p. 119.
40 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
6 Tachybaptus podiceps (Linnaeus).
Pied-billed Grebe.
PLATE 2.
Adults in spring and summer. Length, 12-15. Wing, 4.50-5. Above, brown-
ish black ; silvery white below ; indistinctly spotted with dusky and overlaid
with buff tips ; throat, black ; bill, white, crossed by a black band. In winter.
Feathers tipped witu buff.
Young in autumn and winter. Similar, but without the black on the throat
and bill, or the dusky spots below ; breast, buff.
Downy young. Head and neck striped black and white, a rufous spot on
the crown, another on the nape and one on each side of the head ; back, black-
ish, with four grayish-white stripes.
Nest in shallow water, a heap of decaying leaves ; eggs, four to eight, soiled
white. 1.70 x 1.18.
Chiefly a migrant, occurring most abundantly from March 15th to
April 20th, and in November; said to winter occasionally.
This species is common on the ponds of the interior, and on the
creeks and rivers, but seems to be rare on the sea coast. Beesley 1 does
not mention it as occurring on the Cape May coast, nor did Scott 2
observe it at Long Beach, while Laurent 3 has met with it but twice
on Five Mile Beach.
It was reported to Mr. Rhoads as a regular breeder on Lake Hopat-
cong, 4 and Thurber 5 gives it as a rather rare summer resident in
Morris county, but states that he had never found a nest, nor had any
nest been recorded from the State up to 1906.
On May 30th of that year the Grebe was found nesting in the New-
ark marshes, and during the season five nests were discovered by
Messrs. Hann, Callender, H. F. Merriam, W. D. Miller and C. G.
Abbott. 6 Eggs were found as early as May 30th and as late as Au-
gust 5th. On June 6th, 1908, Mr. R. C. Harlow found two nests in
the same marshes, one with fresh eggs, the other with downy young.
1 Geol. Cape May county, p. 145.
2 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 228.
8 O. and O., 1892, p. 43.
4 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 38.
5 Birds of Morris county. True Dem. Banner, November 10th, 1887.
6 C. G. Abbott, Auk, 1907, pp. 1-11.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 41
Family GAVIIDJE.
THE LOONS.
Diving and swimming birds allied to the Grebes, with flat com-
pressed tarsuSj but with toes connected by webs, as in the ducks.
Wings relatively small and narrow, making it difficult for the bird to
get started in flight; tail present, but short; bill powerful, sharp-
pointed. We have but two species.
a. Length, 28-36. LOON, p. 41
aa. Length, 24-27. RED-THBOATED LOON, p. 42
7 Gavia immer (Briinnich).
Loon.
PLATE 3.
Adults in spring. Length, 28-36. Wing, 13-15. Above, black, with pur-
plish gloss, speckled with square white spots ; head and neck, black ; fore neck,
with a nearly complete collar and short jugular band, composed of white
streaks ; below, silvery white.
Adults and young in winter. Dull blackish above, unspotted, but edged with
gray ; throat and fore neck, white, like the rest of the under parts.
Common transient along the coast and less frequent winter resident.
On Long Beach, Scott 1 states that they are most abundant during
April and early May, and October to November, and at Cape May
Mr. Hand tells me that they are always more plentiful in spring,
when they occur in flocks during late April and early May. In
autumn he finds them more scattered and less concentrated in their
migration, so that they seem less abundant. Probably the majority
of the flocks stay well off shore during the migrations, as Mr. Chap-
man 2 states that he observed a flock of fifty from a steamer while
passing north off the coast of Delaware, May 9th, 1897. Mr. Hand's
latest date for Cape May is May 9th. Mr. Fowler 3 states that they
occur frequently on the Delaware, between Philadelphia and Trenton,
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 228.
2 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., X., p. 2.
8 Cassinia, 1903, p. 45.
42 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
mostly in November. The report furnished to Mr. Rhoads that they
bred on Lake Hopatcong 1 has not been confirmed, though they occur
rarely both there and on Budd's Lake in migrations. 2
Like the Grebes, the Loon is an expert diver, and will swim for long-
distances under water, or with only his head protruding. With us
they are birds of the ocean and large bays, and only now and then a
straggler, on his way to or from the northern lakes which form his
home, is driven by storms to alight on some small pond or even on
the ground. In the latter case he is in a sad predicament, as a Loon
on land can only flounder along in a most ungainly fashion, falling
forward upon his breast after every effort at progression, and darting
his snake-like neck here and there with vicious lunges.
11 Gavla stellata (Pontoppidan).
Red-throated Loon.
Adults in spring. Length, 24-27. Wing, 10-11.50. Above, brownish-black,
more or less speckled with white ; head and neck, black above, streaked with
white, a patch of rich chestnut on the fore neck ending in a point on the throat ;
under parts, white.
Adults and young in winter. Above, dull slate color speckled with white ;
below, white.
This species occurs in practically the same way as the preceding,
being most plentiful in migrations. It is apparently less common on
the coast, but Mr. Fowler 3 states that on the upper Delaware it
seems rather more plentiful than the larger species. Mr. Scott 4 states
that he saw and took a number during April, 1877, while at Long
Beach. Mr. I. N. DeHaven secured one at Atlantic City, November 5th,
1894, 5 which is the earliest coast record I have found, while one taken
by Mr. Stanart on Grassy Sound, 6 June 1.5th, 1904, is the latest, and
is, of course, unusual. In the Delaware, opposite League Island, Mr.
1 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 39.
2 Thurber, Birds of Morris county.
3 Cassinia, 1903, p. 45.
4 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 228.
5 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., II., p. 14.
6 Burns, Wilson Bull., 1906, p. 25.
THE BIKDS OF NEW JERSEY. 43
Ernest Schluter saw a flock of fifteen, October 20th, 1897, one of
which he secured.
The mention of Colynibus arcticus in Beesley's Catalogue of Birds
of Cape May County 1 undoubtedly refers to this species. (
Family ALOIDJE.
THE AUKS AND GUILLEMOTS.
These birds are swimmers allied to the Gulls, and with similar
webbed feet, although the small hind toe is entirely absent. They are
pelagic, breeding in the far north, and coming southward, more or
less casually, to New Jersey in winter.
a. Inner claw much larger and more curved than the others; bill very much
compressed, as high as long. PUFFIN, p. 43
era. Inner claw not larger than the others ; bill longer than high.
6. Length, 9 inches or less. DOVEKIE, p. 46
66. Length, 12 inches or more.
c. Nostrils not covered by feathers ; length, 12-13.50 inches.
BLACK GUILLEMOT, p. 44
cc. Nostrils covered by velvety feathers; length, 15-18 inches.
d. Tail rounded, feathers not pointed. BRUNNICH'S MURRE, p. 44
dd. Tail pointed, feathers pointed. RAZOR-BILLED AUK, p. 45
13 Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus).
Puffin.
Adults. Length, 11.50-13. Wing, 6. Upper parts and fore neck, black;
sides of head, gray or white; lower parts, white; bill, one inch high at base
and about the same length, deeply grooved.
Turnbull says, "An extremely rare winter visitant along the coast/'
while Warren 2 states that a specimen in the possession of Mr. Joseph
Krider was killed about 1876 on the Delaware Eiver, near Chester.
There is nothing more definite about its occurrence so far south, and
there is but one recent record for Long Island.
1 Geology of Cape May county, 1857, p. 145.
2 Birds of Pennsylvania, p. 9.
4A REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
27 Cepphus grylle (Linnaeus).
Black Guillemot.
Adults in spring. Length, 12-13.50. Wing, 6.25-7. Entirely sooty black,
except the wing-coverts, which are, for the most part, white (the greater ones
with their basal half black) ; feet, bright red; bill, black.
Adults in winter. Body plumage, white, except the back, which is black,
broadly veiled with white ; wings and tail as in summer.
Young in first winter. Similar, but plumage above with much more black;
wing-coverts and sides tipped with black.
Very rare winter straggler from the north. Krider 1 records the
capture of two specimens at Egg Harbor, and Cassin 2 includes New
Jersey within the winter range of the species, while Turnbull says,
"Occasionally migrates as far south as Cape May in winter." These
remarks are doubtless all based upon the same specimens.
The only other record that we have is a single bird shot from a flock
of Bufflehead Ducks on the Delaware, near Chester, December, 1898,
and presented to the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club by Mr.
Chas. A. Voelker. 3
31 Uria lomvia (Linnaeus).
Brunnich's Murre.
Adults in spring. Length, 15-18. Wing, 7.50-8.50. Upper parts uniform,
sooty black ; secondary wing feathers tipped with white ; neck in front rather
browner than the back ; rest of lower parts, white.
Adults in winter. Throat, fore neck and sides of head, white.
Young in first winter. Similar, but sides of head dusky, and breast slightly
mottled with dusky.
Apparently a few occur every year off the coast in winter, and in
some seasons they are rather plentiful.
The earliest record that I can find is a specimen probably shot in
New Jersey, procured in market at Philadelphia in 1840, and pre-
served in the Academy of Natural Sciences. Other coast records are :
1 Field Notes, p. 84.
2 Baird, Cassin & Lawrence, Birds of N. A., p. 912.
8 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 10.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 45
Abundant off Sandy Hook, December, 1863 (C. C. Abbott) ; several
shot at Perth Amboy, January, 1890 ;* one shot on Great Bay, seven
miles from Absecon, early in 1884 (W. J. Sherratt 2 ), and another
Atlantic City, January, 1899 (Dr. J. F. Prendergast 3 ) . I have also
heard of a number of other captures which must have related to this
species.
On the Delaware River it was reported by Mr. C. A. Voelker, in
1894, 4 to be of occasional occurrence, while on December 15th and
16th, 1897, several flocks of fifteen to twenty birds were seen near
Beverly, N. J., by Mr. J. Harris Reed, 5 and several secured, while
January llth, 1901, another was killed opposite Byberry.
In the interior Mr. Babson 6 records one taken at Princeton Novem-
ber 25th, 1899, by C. F. Silvester, and another at Cranbury, in the
same vicinity, December 16th, 1897. He also tells me of another on
the reservoir at Orange, December 24th, 1899.
It was formerly supposed that U. troile also occurred off our coast,
and Mr. H. Bryant 7 states, with some surprise, that Cassin considered
the present species to be the only one found off the New Jersey coast.
Subsequent experience seems to have confirmed his view.
32 Alca torda Linnaeus.
Razor-billed Auk.
Adults in spring Length, 15-18. Wing, 8-8.50. Plumage like that of Uria
lomvia, but with a white line from the eye to the bill ; bill, black, crossed by a
white bar.
Adults in winter. Like winter plumage of Uria lomvia, but more white on
the sides of the head.
Young in first winter. Similar, but bill smaller without the grooves, and
white bar.
Irregular winter visitant. Some are probably to be found off the
coast every winter. Young birds so closely resemble the preceding
species that they are constantly confused.
1 J. K. L., Forest and Stream, January 15th, 1890, p. 511.
2 O. and O., 1884, p. 48.
3 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 10.
4 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 40.
5 Auk, 1897, p. 202.
6 Birds of Princeton, p. 34.
7 Proc. Bost. Soc., N. H., VIII., p. 142.
46 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
A specimen in the Academy of Natural Sciences, obtained in the
Philadelphia market in 1856, was probably taken in New Jersey, and
is the earliest record with which I am acquainted. Cassin, in 18 58, 1
perhaps on the strength of this capture, includes New Jersey in its
winter range. There is only one record for the Delaware, a specimen
shot at Pennsgrove, November, 18 9 1. 2
The other records that I have found are as follows :
Long Beach; February 7th, 1878; one shot. W. E. D. Scott. 3
Cape May county (probably Five Mile Beach) ; January 20th.
1880. Dr. W. L. Abbott. 4
Grassy Sound; February, 1891; three seen several times. P. Lau-
rent. 5
Ocean City; January 10th, 1901; one shot. Mr. Schermerhorn. 6
Sea Isle City; January 23d, 1909; several seen; one shot by Thos.
Mitchell ; obtained by W. J. Fox. 7
34 Alle alle (Linnaeus).
Dovekie, Little Auk.
Adults in spring. Length, 7.25-9. Wing, 4.50. Above, black; head, neck
and chest, sooty brown; rest of under parts and tips of secondaries, white;
scapulars streaked with white.
Adults in winter. Similar, but throat and sides of neck white.
Young in first winter. Similar, but duller, with smaller bill.
An irregular winter visitant along the coast, and occasionally up
the bay. Breeds on the rocky Arctic coasts. The earliest New Jersey
record is the one referred to by Ord in the ninth volume of the Ameri-
can Ornithology, which "was killed at Great Egg Harbor in the month
of December, 1811, and was sent to Wilson as a great curiosity."
Turnbull says it is shot occasionally at Egg Harbor and on the
coast, and Krider (Field Notes) took two on the inlet at Atlantic
City November, 1874, but there is no other definite record until 1879,
1 Birds of North America, p. 901.
2 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., I., p. 12.
3 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 228.
* Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.
5 O. and O., 1892, p. 43.
6 Cassinia, 1901, p. 46.
7 Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 47
when Scott states that he had procured many specimens during the
past four winters at Long Beach. 1 The winter of 1878-9 seems to
have been a great season for these birds. Mr. C. A. Voelker took one
at the mouth of the Schuylkill and four others in the Delaware, oppo-
site Tinicum. Dr. W. L. Abbott shot one in Cape May county De-
cember 17th, 2 another was taken at Atlantic City about the end of
November, 3 and another was found in the woods near Camden in an
exhausted condition early in December. 4
Since then there are but few records. One was shot at Pennsgrove,
on the Delaware, in November, 1891 ; 5 another at Cape May,- Novem-
ber, 1904 (H. W. Hand), 6 while one was seen with other sea birds
ten to twenty miles off Long Branch December 31st, 1904. 7 A single
bird was taken near West Creek, Ocean county, January 19th, 1909,
bv Joshua Parker. 2
Order LONGIPENNES.
Long- winged Swimmers.
Family STERCORARIID-ffi.
THE JAEGERS.
The Jaegers differ from the Gulls mainly in their hooked upper
mandible and in the presence of a sheath, which covers it at the base,
overhanging the nostrils. These birds are parasitic in their habits,
pursuing the smaller Gulls and compelling them to disgorge for their
benefit the fish that they have swallowed. They are pelagic, and occur
on the fishing banks off shore, breeding in the far north.
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 228.
2 Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia.
3 Collins Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 236.
4 Trotter Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 236.
8 Voelker Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., I., p. 12.
6 Cassinia, 1905, p. 59.
7 Stackpole & Wiegman, Bird Lore, 1905, pp. 27, 28.
48 KEPOBT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
a. Length of bill, 1.45-1.75. POMARINE JAEGER, p. 48
oo. Length of bill, 1.10-1.30.
6. Length of nasal shield greater than distance from its end to the tip of
the upper mandible. PARASITIC JAEGER, p. 48
66. Length of nasal shield less than distance from its end to the tip of the
upper mandible. LONG-TAILED JAEGER, p. 49
36 Stercorarius pomarinus (Temminck).
Pomarine Jaeger.
Adults. Length, 20-23. Wing, 13.50-14. Above, dark slaty ; wing feathers
and tail, black ; head, black ; collar round the hind neck and whole side of neck
white, tinged with buff or yellow ; under parts, white, except abdomen and
under tail-coverts, which are slaty gray ; sometimes the whole breast is mot-
tled with dusky, and the under tail-coverts with white. There is also a dusky
phase in which the whole plumage is sooty gray.
Young in first autumn are dark gray banded with buff.
Apparently occurs well off shore, with more or less regularity, in
spring and fall, very rarely coming in to the coast.
Mr. Scott secured two on the bay at Long Beach, December, 1876, 1
and another was shot on the Delaware, at Andalusia, October, 1898,
by- Mr. Chas. Vansciver. 2
Mr. W. L. Baily describes three birds seen at Ocean City, Novem-
ber 9th, 1895, which were probably of this species.
37 Stercorarius parasiticus (Linnaeus).
Parasitic Jaeger.
. Length, 16-21. Wing, 12-13.50. Similar in all plumages to the
Pomarine Jaeger, but smaller and rather lighter colored; breast, dull gray,
never mottled.
Regular migrant off shore with the preceding. Mentioned by Turn-
bull as of rare occurrence, but there is no definite New Jersey record
until March, 1892, when Mr. J. F. Brown 3 examined one killed by
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 227.
2 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 8. Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.
3 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., II., p. 3.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 49
fishermen at Atlantic City. Subsequently Mr. C. A. Voelker 1 reported
one seen at Stone Harbor May 27th, 1901.
Audubon, under date of "May, 1829, at Great Egg Harbour," men-
tions a Lestris [i. e., Jaeger] pursuing the Black-backed Gull, but it
is not clear whether the incident occurred there or not, but from the
date it seems impossible.
38 Stercorarius longicaudus Vieillot.
Long-tailed Jaeger.
Adults. Length, 20-23. Wing, 11.50-12.75. Similar to the light phase of
the preceding, but with central tail feathers much more elongated (10-14) and
proportions of bill different. (See key.)
Apparently occurs with the other species off shore. Not yet re-
ported on the coast.
The only record of this species consists of two individuals seen by
Mr. Chapman from a vessel, 80 miles off Barnegat, 2 May 6th, 1894.
Family LARID-ffi.
THE GULLS AND TERNS.
Sea birds with webbed feet and strong wings. The differences be-
tween the Gulls and Terns are not very pronounced, but in the New
Jersey species the Gulls have the upper mandible curved or rounded
at the tip, while in the Terns the bill is sharp pointed. Our Gulls,
moreover, have a square tail, while the Terns have it more or less
forked. Gulls average larger in size than the Terns, but the Caspian
Tern exceeds many of the smaller Gulls.
1 Cassinia, 1901, p. 50.
2 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., No. VII., p. 3.
50 REPORT OF XEW. JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
a. Upper mandible curved at tip, tail square. ( GULLS)
6. Size, large; wing, 16.50-19.50.
c. Head and under parts white.
d. Primaries without dark subterrninal areas ; mantle very pale.
GLAUCOUS GULL, p. 51
dd. Primaries with dark subterminal spots and white tips.
e. Mantle dark slaty, almost black.
BLACK-BACKED GULL, p. 52
ce. Mantle pearl gray. HERRING GULL, p. 53
cc. Head and under parts dusky.
YOUNG HERRING AND BLACK-BACKED GULLS, pp. 52-53
&&. Size, medium ; wing, 13.50-15.50.
c. Hind toe absent, or only a rudiment. KITTIWAKE, p. 51
cc. Hind toe present.
d. Bill with a transverse black band. RING-BILLED GULL, p. 54
dd. Bill entirely red. LAUGHING GULL, p. 55
ddd. Bill dusky.
e. Back uniform slate. LAUGHING GULL, p. 55
ce. Back brown or mottled.
/. Base of tail feathers white.
YOUNG RING-BILLED GULL, p. 54
if. Base of tail feathers gray.
YOUNG LAUGHING GULL, p. 55
&66. Size, small ; wing, 10.25. BONAPARTE'S GULL, p. 56
aa. Upper mandible shaup pointed like the lower; tail forked. (TERNS)
1). Wing, 12.50-17.50.
c. Tail less than half as long as the wing. CASPIAN TERN. p. 57
cc. Tail more than half as long as the wing.
d. Bill red or orange. ROYAL TERN, p. 57
dd. Bill black, tipped with yellow. CABOT'S TERN, p. 58
66. Wing, 9.25-12.
c. Upper parts black, lower parts white. SOOTY TERN, p. 63
cc. Upper parts pearl, sometimes mottled with dusky, crown often
glossy black.
d. Both webs of outer tail feathers white.
e. Under parts white.
f. Outer web of outermost primary black.
ROSEATE TERN, p. 60
//. Outer web of outermost primary silvery gray.
GULL-BILLED TERN, p. 56
ee. Under parts pearl, head white. TRUDEAU'S TERN, p. 58
dd. Only one web of outer tail feathers white.
e. Outer web white. FORSTER'S TERN, p. 59
ee. Inner web white.
f. Dark band on inner web of outer primary deep black
and .20 in. wide. COMMON TERN, p. 61
ff. Dark band on inner web of outer primary duller and
only .12 in. wide. ARCTIC TERN, p. 59
Ibb. Wing, 6-8.25.
c. Tail white. LEAST TERN, p. 62
cc. Tail slaty gray. BLACK TERN, p. 64
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 51
40 Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus).
Kittiwake.
Adults. Length, 16-17.50. Wing, 12.25. Back and wings, pearl gray ; head,
neck, under parts and tail, white; outer web of outer primary and terminal
part of first five primaries, black ; third to fifth sometimes with white tips.
Head in winter washed with gray, and a dusky spot around the eye.
This gull probably occurs regularly well off shore in winter, espe-
cially about the fishing banks. Turnbull says it is "rather rare along
the coast/' and Mr. S. N. Rhoads told me in 1890 that it had been
seen off the coast at Atlantic City. Mr. W. H. Werner informed me
that in midwinter, 1894-5, he obtained a number of specimens from
fishermen who went out to the banks. Subsequently, he tells me, they
have been seen every fall in varying numbers, most numerous in 1898.
Mr. Rehn reported one obtained at the same place January, 1896. 1
Messrs. Stackpole and Wiegman report seventy-four adults and thirty-
seven immature observed December 31st, 1904, from ten to twenty-five
miles off Long Branch, 2 and Messrs. Stackpole and Rogers fifteen in
the same vicinity December 27th, 1908. 3 One specimen, mounted by
Mr. C. A. Voelker in November, 1893, was said to have been shot in
the interior of New Jersey. 4
42 Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus.
Glaucous Gull.
Adults. Length, 26-32. Wing, 17-18.50. Above, pale pearl gray on the back
and wings, rest of plumage pure white ; head and neck faintly streaked with
gray.
Young in different stages are pale brownish-gray with buffy edgings, becom-
ing more or less pearl and white ; wing feathers varying from pale gray to white.
A rare winter visitant along the northern part of the coast.
There is no mention of this species in any of the New Jersey lists,
but in the collection of the late Dr. S. W. Woodhouse there was a
1 Cassinia, 1901, p. 46.
2 Bird Lore, 1905, pp. 27, 28.
3 Bird Lore, 1909, p. 23.
4 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 42.
52 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
specimen taken many years ago labeled New Jersey. Mr. Chapman 1
states that several have been killed on the lower Hudson River, and
Mr. J. Richardson 2 reports one at Sing Sing, while Messrs. Stackpole
and Wiegman 3 saw two, from ten to twenty-five miles off Long Branch,
December 31st, 1904.
47 Larus marinus Linnaeus.
Great Black-backed Gull.
Adults. Length, 28-31. Wing, 18-19.50. Back and wings, blackish slate;
rest of plumage, white ; wing feathers with white tips.
Young in first winter. Similar to the young Herring Gull, but darker.
A rather rare, but regular, winter visitant along the coast, appar-
ently more plentiful off New York Harbor than farther south. It is
mentioned by Turnbull as not uncommon, and Scott found it quite
common in the winter of 1876-7 at Long Beach. I have the follow-
ing records, although many other specimens have been shot :
Cape May county (probably Five Mile Beach) ; three seen, one
shot: January 29th, 1879. Dr. W. L. Abbott. 4
Atlantic City; two seen during blizzard, March 13th, 1888. S. N.
Rhoads. 5
Tuckerton; March, 1894; one shot by Mr. Jillson. 4
Tuckerton; February 1st, 1896 ; several seen. Mr. Jillson. 6
Stone Harbor; January llth, 1901; one shot. 7
Anglesea; February 5th, 1904. 8
Krider states that he shot one at Barnegat, and has seen specimens
shot on the Delaware, 9 and Mr. C. G. Abbott saw one on Overpeck
Creek, Leonia, 10 February 26th, 1905.
1 Birds of the Vicinity N. Y. City, p. 135.
2 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1890, p. 2.
3 Bird Lore, 1905, pp. 27, 28.
* Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 43.
5 Auk, 1888, p. 318.
6 Rhoads Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., II., p. 20.
7 Stone, Cassinia, 1901, p. 45.
8 Cassinia, 1904, p. 54.
9 Field Notes, p. 79.
10 Abst. Linn. Soc., N. Y., XVII., p. 7.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 53
51 Larus argentatus Pontoppidan.
Herring Gull.
PLATE 4, FIG. 2.
Adults. Length, 23-26. Wing, 16.50-17.50. Above, back and wings deep
pearl gray ; rest of plumage white, except the six outer primaries, which are
more or less black terminally, all but the outer two tipped with white. Younger
birds have the head and neck streaked with dusky.
Young in first winter, sooty gray ; throat and under tail-coverts streaked
with white ; back edged with buff ; wing feathers and tail, blackish.
Abundant winter visitant along the coast and up the rivers ; arrives
September 25th, departs April 15th. Some remain at Philadelphia
until April 30th, and at Cape May until May 15th.
The Herring Gull is our most abundant Gull all winter long. It
may be seen on the Delaware as far north as Philadelphia, and less
abundantly farther up, and also on the Hudson and Passaic, flying
about over the water searching for any scraps of food that may bo
floating past. Old and young in various stages of white and dusky
plumage are mingled together. On the coast, where clams are washed
up along the beach, the Gulls gather by thousands to feed upon them.
Seizing a clam in its bill, one of the birds will ascend about twenty
feet, and then let it drop on the hard beach, where it breaks, so that
the contents are exposed. As it breaks there is often a rush of more
lazy individuals, who not infrequently make off with the prize, amid
a general chorus of harsh guttural cries. Frequently we see the Gulls
sitting in numbers on the ocean, floating peacefully just beyond the
breakers, or at dusk they may be seen gathering to roost back on the
sandy patches of the salt meadows, their white breasts conspicuous in
the rays of the setting sun.
During migration or after storms they may sometimes be seen
inland, flying high over head. One was taken at Whippany, Morris
county (Thurber), May 2d, 1886, and one was seen at Budd's Lake,
September, 1903 (Caskey). Mr. Babson 1 records one taken at Prince-
ton, March 17th, 1900.
These beautiful birds deserve every measure of protection. They
are desirable scavengers in our harbors, and do no harm whatever,
while they are of absolutely no use to the thoughtless gunner who
kills them. Their use for millinery purposes is happily forbidden
by law.
1 Birds of Princeton, p. 35.
54 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
54 Larus delawarensis Ord.
Ring-billed Gull.
Adults. Length, 18-20. Wing, 14-15.50. Back and wings, pearl gray;
outer primary mainly black, this color decreasing in successive feathers to the
sixth ; two outer ones with subterminal white patches, the others tipped with
white ; rest of the plumage, white ; bill, greenish-yellow crossed by a black
band ; head streaked with dusky in winter.
Young in first winter sooty, edged above with white ; white below more or
less mottled with sooty ; wings, dull black ; tail, white, with a dusky terminal
band.
First breeding plumage. Mantle gray, otherwise like the preceding.
There seems to be considerable difference of opinion on the abun-
dance of this Gull. Turnbull regarded it as abundant: Scott says it
is the most plentiful species after the Herring Gull, and Laurent says
it is equally abundant at Five Mile Beach.
Krider calls it rare, and Dutcher rather uncommon (on Long
Island) ; Braislin calls it plentiful (on Long Island) in October, but
says it does not remain after November 17th. Personally, I have not
been on the beach during the migration, and have seen the species in
midwinter but once, at Cape May, January, 1892.
The type specimen was obtained on the Delaware, below Philadel-
phia, about 1815. The only other records of capture that I find are
as follows:
Delaware River; November 1st, 1890; W. L. Baily. Stone Har-
bor; October 3d, 1900; Dr. J. F. Prendergast. 1 Atlantic City; June
20th, 1900; Colin. W. Stone. 1 Two seen at Princeton, November,
1899 ; W. A. Babson. 2
Mr. S. N. Rhoads saw several on the Delaware, at Camden, Febru-
ary 17th to 27th, 1895, 8 and Mr. R. F. Miller 4 reports them opposite
Bridesburg, Pa., January 22d and March 9th and 30th.
Mr. W. L. Baily saw five on June 30th, 1900, at Stone Harbor, and
another at the same place May 21st, 1898. At Wildwood he shot one
in immature plumage September 7th, 1895, and saw two March 20th,
1904, and two at Holly Beach December 27th, 1903.
1 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., IV., p. 5.
2 Birds of Princeton, p. 35.
8 Fowler, Cassinia, 1903, p. 46.
* Cassinia, 1906, p. 47.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 55
58 Larus atricilla Linnaeus.
Laughing Gull, Black-headed Gull.
Adults. Length, 15-17. Wing, 13. Lower back and wings, plumbeous slate;
primaries, black, inner ones tipped with white ; head, sooty slate color ; rest
of plumage, including upper back and neck, white, with more or less of a rosy
tint or flush ; bill and feet, dark red.
Winter adults. Head, white, mottled with dusky on nape and ear-coverts,
and a gray wash on the breast.
Young in first winter. Dusky grayish-brown above edged with buff ; tail,
gray, broadly tipped with black ; rump, white ; under parts, white, except the
breast, which is sooty.
Nest on the salt marshes in grass ; made of grass, sea weed, etc. ; eggs, three
to five, olive brown or olive gray spotted with brown and lilac, 2.25 x 1.60.
The Laughing Gulls select islands in the salt meadows or grass} 7
patches where the water is never very deep, and here, just above high-
water mark, their bulky nests of grass, sea weed, etc., are placed. As
we approach a colony, the few birds that are always flying about are
joined by others that have been sitting on the nests, until, as we land,
the whole air is full of flapping wings and the harsh, unearthly laugh-
ing cries of the birds as they circle about us, driven to desperation at
the danger of their eggs or young.
We have no handsomer bird on our coasts than this beautiful gray
and white Gull, with its slaty hood and faint flush of pink on its
breast, which seems to leave the feathers soon after the bird has been
killed.
Formerly an abundant summer resident on the salt meadows along
the coast; it is now restricted to two colonies, one at Brigantine and
the other on Gull Island, Hereford Inlet, both under the protection of
the National Association of Audubon Societies. The birds arrive
April 4th to 20th, and have mostly departed by October 1st. The first
sets of eggs are laid in May.
In late summer they are often found in immense flocks on lower
Delaware Bay, and in spring and fall occasional individuals come up
to Philadelphia or further. Two were taken opposite Bristol October
23d, 1895 ; one at Fish House, autumn, 1901, and another on Timber
Creek, November 7th, 1896.
In the colony at Brigantine, Mr. I. N. DeHaven and I found a few
birds (apparently barren) in immature plumage with the breeding
56 KEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
adults, June 7th, 1896, and one was secured. Wilson states that at
Great Egg Harbor the Gulls used to frequent the ploughed ground
about the farmers' houses when feeding.
60 Larus Philadelphia (Ord).
Bonaparte's Gull.
PLATE 4, FIG. 1.
Adults. Length, 12-14. Wing, 10.25. Back and wings, pearl gray ; entire
head and throat, plumbeous; hind neck, white; three outer primary feathers
mostly white with black tips, the next three with subterminal black areas, and
all but the first two with small white tips ; rest of plumage, white ; bill, black.
In winter Similar, but head and throat white with a little gray on the back
of the head and ear-coverts.
Younger birds have a terminal black band on the tail, and dusky mottlings on
the ear-coverts.
Regular spring and fall migrant and winter resident, in some sea-
sons at least.
The original specimen was procured on the Delaware about 1815.
Turnbull (1869) regarded the species as "not uncommon/' and Krider
says, "Found on the Delaware in April and October; not common."
Messrs. Stackpole and Wiegman reported 67, ten miles off Long
Branch, 1 December 31st, 1904, and 115 were observed in the same
vicinity December 25th, 1908. 2 Apparently, like the Kittiwakes, they
keep well off shore, as I find very few records of capture.
Mr. DeHaven secured one at Atlantic City as early as August 21st,
1892, 3 and Dr. W. L. Abbott shot one in Cape May county November
28th, 1879.
63 Gelochelidon nilotica Linnaeus.
Gull-billed Tern.
Adults. Length, 13-15. Wing, 11.75-12.25. Similar in color to the Com-
mon Tern, but tail entirely pale gray, almost white, and only slightly forked,
and bill and feet black. Irregular summer visitant from the south. Formerly
summer resident on the South Jersey coasts.
Nest on beaches or islands in the salt marshes ; eggs, three, buffy white with
chocolate brown and lilac markings, 1.80 x 1.30.
1 Bird Lore, 1905, pp. 27, 28.
2 Bird Lore, 1909, p. 23.
3 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 44.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 57
A rare straggler from the South, if indeed it still comes this far up
the coast. Formerly it bred rather commonly on the marshes of Cape
May county, where it was discovered by Wilson about 1813. In 1869
Turnbull regarded it as rare. In 1886 Mr. H. G. Parker 1 reported it
still nesting at the lower end of Seven Mile Beach, and Mr. C. S.
Shick 2 spoke of it as still present in 1890, associating with the Laugh-
ing Gulls. We have no subsequent record for the State.
64 Sterna caspia Pallas.
Caspian Tern.
Adults. Length, 19-22. Wing, 15-17. Top of head, black, the feathers
elongated and hanging over the neck in a sort of crest ; back of neck, white ;
rest of upper parts, pale pearl-gray ; primaries, dark slate washed with gray
on outer webs ; tail and under parts, white ; bill large, red, slightly tipped
with black.
In icinter Similar, but top of head gray, streaked with black.
A very rare straggler on the coast.
Mr. G. N. Lawrence 3 in 1850 reported a specimen in the collection
of Nicholas Pike, of Brooklyn, which was taken in New Jersey. This
was probably the basis for TurnbulPs statement (1869) that "speci-
mens have been procured from the coast of New Jersey at rare
intervals," and so far as I know, there is no further evidence of its
occurrence. The records given under the Royal Tern may, however,
apply in part to this.
65 Sterna maxima Boddaert.
Royal Tern.
Adults. Length, 18-21. Wing, 14-15. Similar to the Caspian Tern, but
rather smaller, and with the inner webs of the primaries largely white.
A very rare straggler on the coast.
Turnbull introduced this species into the New Jersey fauna in 1869
as "very rare." Mr. Scott 4 observed two large Terns at Long Beach,
1 0. and O., 1886,, p. 138.
2 Auk, 1890, p. 327.
8 Ann. N. Y. Lye. Nat. Hist., V., p. 37.
4 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 227.
58 KEPOKT OF iSTEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
August 23d, 1879, an old and young bird, which he took to be this
species, although he did not secure them. Dr. Allen suggests that
they may be Caspian Terns, a species which had just been found
breeding at Cobb's Island, Va. As, however, the Royal Tern was later
found to be very much more abundant at this point, it seems probable
that Mr. Scott's surmise was correct. Mr. W. L. Baily saw one at
Avalon August 26th and 27th, 1896, under similar conditions, and
was unable to decide positively to which of these two species it be-
longed. The bird remained about the pier for hours.
67 Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida (Cabot).
Cabot' s Tern.
Adults. Length, 14-16. Wing, 12.50. Plumage similar to that of the Royal
Tern, but bill black, tipped with yellowish.
A rare or accidental straggler from the South.
Turnbull mentions "one shot on Grassy Bay in August, 1861,"
which constitutes the only New Jersey record.
68 Sterna trudeaui Audubon.
Trudeau's Tern.
Adults. Length, 15-16. Wing, 9.70-10.60. Above, head white, with a dusky
stripe on the side involving the eye and running back over the ear-coverts ;
mantle, bluish-gray; tail-coverts and tail, white ; below, pearl-gray, as well
as the wings ; bill, black in the middle ; base and tip, yellowish. Lower parts
white in winter.
A purely accidental straggler from South America.
Audubon (1839) says: "This beautiful Tern was procured at
Great Egg Harbor, in New Jersey, by J. Trudeau, Esq." This is the
only record. Curiously enough, the species was unknown at this time,
so that this specimen became the type.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 59
69 Sterna forsteri Nuttall.
Forster's Tern.
Adults. Length, 14-15. Wing, 9.50-10.25. Similar to the Common Tern,
but rump and under parts pure white, and tail pale gray, with the outer web of
the outer tail feathers white.
Eggs, three to four ; buff or brownish spotted with dark brown and lilac,
1.80 x 1.30.
A very rare straggler, if it still occurs at all on the coast.
Turnbull seems to have been the first to record this species in New
Jersey. He says: "Rare; I have found it breeding on Brigantine
Beach." Krider (1879) says: "Found on the shore of New Jersey
with the Common Tern." Mr. Scott (1877) regarded it as rare on
Long Beach, where he took a pair May 14th, 1877. Dr. W. L. Abbott
secured specimens on Five Mile Beach May 15th, 1877; April 26th-
May 17th, 1878; June 3d, 1879; May 6th, 1880; May 20th, 1881,
and May 22d, 1882, along with the Common Tern, with which it must
have been breeding. Mr. C. S. Shick (1890) records it as associated
with the Common Tern on Seven Mile Beach, but not very common,
where formerly it was abundant. This is apparently the last word we
have of it as a New Jersey bird.
71 Sterna paradisaea Brunnich.
Arctic Tern.
Adults. Length, 14-17. Wing, 10-10.50. Similar to the Common Tern, but
much grayer below in summer, and with more white on the inner web of the
primaries ; tail longer and bill usually entirely red.
The evidence upon which this species is entered upon the New Jer-
sey list is very unsatisfactory. At best, it was never more than the
rarest straggler.
Bonaparte says (1826) that it is not rare in autumn on the New
Jersey coast. 1 Audubon (1834) states that it is found in winter,
"sometimes as far south as New Jersey," while Turnbull says, "Most
/Ann. N. Y. Lye. Nat. Hist., II., p. 355.
60 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
numerous in autumn, an occasional straggler only being observed in
winter." This is all, except two specimens said by Dr. Warren 1 to
have been taken by Mr. C. D. Wood in September on the Delaware,
below Philadelphia. In view of the fact that immature Terns were
very poorly understood in the old days, and that there is only one
valid record for this species as far south as Long Island, I feel grave
doubts about its having occurred either on the Delaware or the New
Jersey coast. There are no specimens extant from the State.
72 Sterna dougalli Montague.
Roseate Tern.
Adults. Length, 14-17. Wing, 9.50. Similar to the Common Tern, but
under surface tinted with pink ; outer web of primaries, dark slate ; tail, pure
white ; bill, black, red at the base.
Eggs, three, indistinguishable from those of the Common Tern.
Rare straggler, if it occurs at all in the State.
Turnbull (1869) is the first to mention this species as a New Jersey
bird, the older ornithologists apparently confusing both this and
Forster's Tern with the Common Tern, with which they associated.
He regarded it (1869) as not uncommon. "H. A. R." (=Mr. Harry
G. Parker) 2 (1888), speaking of Seven Mile Beach, says, "Now gone,
formerly plentiful,"" and C. S. Shick (1890), while he thinks some
still remain, says, "Much scarcer than five years ago, when it was an
easy task to gather several bushels of eggs in a few hours." 3 Dr. W. L.
Abbott, on his trips to Five Mile Beach (1877-1882) got no specimens
of this species, and I have heard of none observed of late years. Mr.
Chapman seems to have considered that they still occurred in southern
New Jersey in 1906, 4 but I know of no evidence to support such a view.
1 Birds of Pennsylvania, p. 21.
2 O. and O., XIV., p. 4.
3 Auk, 1890, p. 327.
4 Birds of vicinity New York, p. 136.*
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 61
70 Sterna hirundo Linnaeus.
Common Tern.
PLATE 5.
Adults. Length, 13-16. Wing, 9.75-11.75. Above, pearl gray ; top of head,
black ; tail slightly forked, white, with outer web of outer feathers gray ; under
parts, grayish-white ; bill, red, tipped with black ; feet, light red.
In winter fore part of head white, under parts whiter, and bill blackish.
Young in first summer like winter adults, but feathers on the back edged and
mottled with brownish, and lesser wing-coverts dusky.
Nest simply a hollow in the sand, or on trash thrown up on the meadows ;
eggs, three to four, olive-brownish, or olive-gray blotched with brown, 1.80 x 1.30.
These beautiful birds, when undisturbed, nested in communities of
hundreds or thousands. When one visited one of the colonies they
rose in the air and circled about until the intruder had taken his de-
parture. Their graceful flight, their immaculate plumage, and their
weird chorus of protesting cries, all combined to add a charm to the
seashore that nothing can ever replace. And they have been practi-
cally wiped out of existence for what? To be stuffed into grotesque
shapes and stuck on a woman's hat a purpose for which they were
surely never created. They were not murdered and perched upon the
milliner's creations because they look well there, for they are by
this time mere caricatures of the graceful inhabitants of the shore,
but because fashion demanded them and women were too weak to say
no. Now we hear that they do not wear them. No ! There are none
to wear. And the Egret, too, has been all but exterminated from our
coasts.
Formerly an abundant summer resident, breeding both on the
"trash" thrown up by high tide on the meadows and on the sandy
beach above high-water mark. Now reduced to a few small colonies
or scattered pairs. Occurs from April to October. In 1881 they bred
abundantly on the meadows back of Beach Haven (Morris), but by
1893 were so rare that Mr. G. S. Morris and I were astonished to find
two pairs nesting July 23d, just above Atlantic City. 1 About Stone
Harbor they still nest in small numbers, and I was informed of one
colony of about 100 pairs that bred successfully in 1908. Several
Terns of this species were seen on the upper Delaware September 5th,
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 227.
62 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
1907, by Mr. E. C. Harlow, 1 who considers it not uncommon on the
river at this season. Two appeared at Cranbury Pond, near
Princeton, October, 1898, and five were observed at Plainsboro by Mr.
W. A. Babson, September, 1899. 2
74 Sterna antillarum (Lesson).
Least Tern.
Adults. Length, 8.50-9.75. Wing, 6. In color similar to the Common Tern,
but forehead white and lores black ; outer web of outer primaries dark slate,
and bill j'ellow, tipped with black.
Nest merely a hollow in the sand ; eggs, three, buffy white, with chocolate-
brown markings, 1.25 x .95.
Xow a very rare straggler, if it be not forever gone from New
Jersey. Formerly a plentiful breeder along the sandy beaches above
high water, arriving May 12th and departing August 25th, though
some lingered until September 6th. Eggs from May 28th to July
5th. 3
Wilson says: "During my whole stay [at their nesting site on the
Cape May beaches] the birds flew in clouds around me, and often
within a few yards of my head, squeaking like so man} 7 ' young pigs."
Scott (1879) : "Abundant [at Long Beach], breeding exclusively
on the ocean beach." Mr. G. S. Morris, writing of the same
spot in 1881, says: "The Least Terns bred in considerable
numbers, and were equally vociferous in their protests against
intruders. It is difficult, at this late date (1909), to give an
estimate of numbers, but I can remember standing in one spot
and seeing five or six nests within a radius of fifteen or
twenty feet, but my recollections are that these conditions only per-
tained to an acre or so of the beach. In the summer of 1884, in July,
I could find no Least Terns' eggs, and natives told me they no longer
found eggs on the beach. 4 During the period 1881-1886 I saw a good
deal of the slaughter of the birds in this region. I remember coming
1 Cassinia, 1907, p. 85.
2 Birds of Princeton, p. 35.
8 Scott, Long Beach, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 227.
* One set is in the collection of Mrs. Drown, of Weldon, Pa., taken June 20th,
1883, at Beach Haven.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 63
upon two professional millinery gunners, I think in the summer of
1885, who had two piles about knee high of Least and Common Terns,
which they said they were sending to New York, my recollection being
that they got twelve cents apiece for the birds."
Dr. Warren describes the same thing on Brigantine in the summer
of 1883; he says, "The Least Terns were breeding in considerable
numbers, laying their eggs in slight depressions in the dry sand and
among the shells on the sand hills along the beach. I obtained the
bodies of over 75 of these Terns from two taxidermists, who were col-
lecting the skins for New York and Philadelphia dealers, to be used
for ladies' hats. These birds were all killed in one day."
On Seven Mile Beach Mr. C. S. Shick writes in 1890 that the Least
Tern is a very common breeder. "I must state, however, that all of
the Terns are gradually forsaking their former breeding grounds on
account of the new seaside resorts that are being started on all the
islands. Formerly many hundred pairs occupied a small sand flat
near Sea Isle City, but they are now all gone, not one pair breeding
where a few years ago hundreds raised their young." Mr. H. G-. Parker
in 1888 estimated that there were only 30 pairs left on Seven Mile
Beach, and Mr. Philip Laurent (1892) says that some still bred there.
Since then we have no definite breeding record, but Mr. W. L. Baily
saw two birds together at Stone Harbor, July 15th, 1899, which he felt
sure were nesting. He saw single birds also on the following dates:
Holly Beach, June 1st, 1893; Stone Harbor, August 28th, 1896, and
Cape May, August 22d, 1897.
75 Sterna fuscata Linnaeus.
Sqoty Tern.
Adults. Length, 15-17. Wing, 12. Above, brownish-black ; forehead and
line to the eye, white ; outer pair of tail feathers, mainly white ; under parts,
white ; bill and feet, black.
Very rare straggler; probably does not now occur.
Dr. C. C. Abbott gives this species as "rare in summer," with no
definite data*. One specimen was, however, shot by Mr. A. P. Brown
on Long Beach in the "seventies," which I have frequently examined.
64 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
77 Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis (Gmelin).
Black Tern.
Adults, Length, 9-10. Wing, 8.25. Back, wings and tail, slate color ; rest
of plumage, black ; bill and feet, black ; shafts of primaries, white.
In autumn. Forehead, white ; top of head and neck dusky, edged with
white ; black in front and behind the eye ; rest of upper parts, dark gray ;
under parts, white ; gray on sides of breast.
Young in first autumn. Similar, but edged with brownish above.
An irregular migrant on the coast during late summer and autumn,
sometimes very abundant. Occasional on the large rivers.
Wilson received his first specimen of this supposedly new species of
Tern from Mr. Beesley, of Great Egg Harbor. Soon after, on the 6th of
September, 1812, he tells us "after a violent northeast storm, numerous
flocks of this Tern appeared on the Schuylkill meadows. Some hun-
dreds of them might be seen at the same time." Mr. Scott observed
them at Long Beach in 1877, the first one arriving on June llth. In
a few days they became very common, and remained all summer in
large numbers, being still present September 1st. Many were im-
mature, and only one in ten was in the black plumage. All were
moulting. 1
Mr. Rhoads found them plentiful at Beach Haven September 8th
to 12th, 1881, 2 and Mr. D. N". McCadden 3 reported them at Stone
Harbor in flocks of fifty August 4th to 18th, 1899, feeding like swal-
lows over the meadows. Dr. Braislin observed them 4 commonly
opposite Forked River August 22d to 25th, 1908.
Mr. W. D. Miller 5 reports the unusual abundance of the Black Tern
from early August to the end of September, 1906, about the Newark
marshes, etc., where they were last seen October 6th. One was seen on
the Delaware, opposite Philadelphia, on October 20th of the same
year by Mr. R. F. Miller, and on September 5th, 1907, a flock was
observed above the city and several secured by Mr. R. C. Harlow. 6
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 227.
2 Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.
3 Abst. Proc. Del. Valley Orn. Club, IV., p. 5.
4 Cassinia, 1908, p. 42.
5 Bird Lore, 1906, p. 211.
6 Cassinia, 1907, p. 85.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 65
Family RYNCHOPIDJE.
THE SKIMMERS.
These curious birds, allied to the Terns in general structure, are
peculiar in their compressed bill, the two mandibles almost like vertical
knife blades and the lower much longer than the upper. When feeding,
the bird skims the surface with its mouth open and the lower mandible
in the water, scooping up such small animals as come in its way. We
have but one species in America.
80 Rynchops nigra Linnaeus.
Black Skimmer.
Adults. Length, 17-20. Wing, 14.75-15.75. Above, black ; most of the
tail feathers and tips of secondaries, white, as well as the forehead, sides of
the head and entire under parts ; bill, orange for basal half, tip black.
Young in first autumn more dusky, with white edgings to feathers.
jS/est a mere hollow in the sand ; eggs, three to four, white or pale buff, with
heavy chocolate and lilac markings, 1.75 x 1.30.
A rare straggler from. the South. Formerly a common summer
resident on the southern New Jersey coast.
Wilson says: "Its favorite haunts are low sand bars raised above
the reach of the summer tides, and also dry flat sands on the beach in
front of the ocean. It lays early in June. Half a bushel and more
of eggs has sometimes been collected from one sand bar within the
compass of half an acre." Krider (1879) x states that they breed on
all the beaches of Cape May county, and Scott 2 (1877) reports them
rather rare on Long Beach, which he regards as their northern limit.
A set of eggs was taken there July 29th, 1882, which is now in Mrs.
E. Drown's collection. On Brigantine Beach and at Little Egg Harbor
Scott states they breed in numbers. Dr. W. L. Abbott collected a num-
ber of specimens September 13th-14th, 1880, at Five Mile Beach, but
Mr. Laurent 3 saw none there in 1892. On Seven Mile Beach they bred
1 Field Notes, p. 82.
2 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 227.
3 O. and O., 1892, p. 43.
5
66 REPOKT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
in 1886, according to Mr. H. G. Parker/ and Mr. C. S. Shick 2 states
that he found seventy-five nests in 1885 and 1886, and in 1890
reported them still present, but very rare. 3 I saw a few late that sum-
mer off Cape May; Mr. I. N". DeHaven saw two at Atlantic City
August 1st, 1887, 4 and a specimen was shot at Tuckerton in August,
1893, by Mr. A. H. Jillson.
Order TUBINARES.
Tube-Nosed Swimmers.
Family PROCELLARIID^.
THE PETRELS AND SHEARWATERS.
The Petrels are more strictly pelagic than any of our other water
birds, and are only seen near the shore when driven in by storms.
They are web-footed, with a very small or rudimentary hind toe,
and are very strong on the wing, scouring the ocean for long periods
without coming to rest, the smaller species recalling the swallows
among land birds. The upper mandible is strongly hooked at the tip,
but the most peculiar characteristic of the Petrels and their allies is
the curious tubular nostrils which lie horizontally on top of the hHl.
a. Length, 16-22.
6. Lower parts white.
c. Head white. FULMAR, p. 67
cc. Upper parts entirely smoky gray.
d. White of throat, etc., sharply separated from dusky of upper
parts of head. GREATER SHEARWATER, p. 67
dd. White of throat, etc., not sharply separated from dusky.
CORY'S SHEARWATER, p. 67
66. Entire plumage gray or sooty.
c. Length, 18-20. FULMAR (dark phase), p. 67
cc. Length, 16. SOOTY SHEARWATER, p. 68
oo. Length, 11 ; blackish above, white beneath. AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER, p. 68
ooo. Length, 5.50-8.50.
6. Tarsus, 1.30. WILSON'S PETREL, p. 70
66. Tarsus, .90.
c. Length, 5.50. STORMY PETREL, p. 69
cc. Length, 7.50-8. LEACH'S PETREL, p. 69
1 O. and O., 1886, p. 138.
2 O. and O., 1887, p. 102.
8 Auk, 1890.
* Forest and Stream, September 1st, 1887, p. 105.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 67
86 Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus).
Fulmar.
Adults. Length, 18-20. Wing, 12.50-13.50. Back, wings and tail, pale gray ;
a dusky spot before the eye; rest of plumage, white; sometimes the entire
plumage is dull brownish-gray.
Accidental straggler from the North. There is only one record, a
bird picked up in an exhausted condition in Bergen county (near
Ridgewood), December, 1891, by Mr. Henry Hales. 1
88 Puffinus borealis Cory.
Cory's Shearwater.
Adults. Length, 20-22. Wing, 13.75-14.50. Above, brownish-black ; below,
white ; no sharp line of demarcation on the side of the throat.
A pelagic species rarely straggling in to the coast. Dr. William C.
Braislin obtained two specimens of this species off Fire Island Inlet
October 4th, 1902, 2 and in August, 1908, saw several Shearwaters,
which he considered were the same species, on the ocean off Forked
River. 3
89 Puffinus gravis (O'Reilly).
Greater Shearwater.
Adults. Length, 19-20. Wing, 11.50-13. Above, brownish-black; below,
white; ashy on the abdomen and under tail-coverts. Differs from the preced-
ing in having the white of the throat, etc., abruptly separated from the dusky
of the upper part of the head and neck.
1 O. and O., 1892, p. 39.
2 Auk, 1904, p. 287.
3 Cassinia, 1908, p. 42.
68 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Pelagic, rarely straggling in to the coast.
Turnbull says very rare; a few seen every year on the Atlantic off
the coast. Chapman says it is irregularly common, from early June
to October, off the coast. 1 We have no record of capture on the New
Jersey coast.
92 Puffinus I'herminieri Lesson.
Audubon's Shearwater.
Adults. Length, 11. Wing, 7.60-8.40. Above, black; below, white; run-
ning well up on the lores and nearly to the eye.
Very rare straggler from the South.
Audubon's Shearwater has been taken on Long Island, and is proba-
bly the bird mentioned by Turnbull, under the name Manx Shear-
water, as an accidental visitor to the coast in autumn. Mr. Ridgway
includes New Jersey in its range in his manual.
94 Puffinus griseus (Gmelin).
Sooty Shearwater.
Adults. Length, 16. Wing, 11.50-12. Entire plumage, sooty black ; slightly
lighter below.
Occasional off the coast, June to November.
A pelagic species, occasionally straggling in to the coast, Turnbull
says, "Occasional along the sea shore, from the South/' and Chapman
regards it as much less common than the Greater Shearwater.
Curiously enough, all the Shearwaters captured on the New Jersey
coast belong to this species. The records are as follows :
Delaware Bay; 1858. Thos. Beesley. 2
Below Atlantic City; June 3d, 1893. Prof. J. Remington. 2
Fishing banks off Five Mile Beach. Capt. John Taylor 3 (two speci-
mens) .
Sea Isle City; May 25th, 1898. Theo. L. DeBow. 2
1 Birds Vicin. of N. Y., 1906, p. 138.
2 Coll. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.
8 Laurent, O. and O., 1892, p. 43.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 69
104 Thalassidroma pelagica (Linnaeus).
Storm Petrel.
Adults. Length, 5.50-5.75. Wing, 4.50-4.90. Plumage similar to that of
Wilson's Petrel, from which it is easily distinguished by its smaller size and
much shorter feet tarsus, .90-.95.
There seems to be no record of this species from New Jersey, nor is
it certain that it occurs even off our coasts. The only evidence of the
latter is a statement of Lawrence's for New York, and one of Krider's
referring to a specimen secured at Philadelphia after a storm. 1 The
little Petrels were so much confused in the old days, however, that
these statements might easily have referred to either of the other
species.
106 Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot).
Leach's Petrel.
/
PLATE 6.
Adults. Length, 7.50-8.50. Wing, 6-6.25. Entire plumage, sooty brownish-
black, except the upper tail-coverts, which are white, somewhat mottled with
blackish ; tail, distinctly forked ; feet, entirely black.
Pelagic, occurring off our coast during the autumn and winter,
retiring to the coasts and islands from Maine northward to breed.
Turnbull states that a number were driven inland in August, 1842,
during a 'gale.
December 18th, 1890, one was taken by Mr. W. V. Wilbank, 2 on the
Delaware River at Tinicum, and Mr. I. N. DeHaven secured another
on the thoroughfare at Atlantic City August 24th, 1893. 2 Both of
these 1 have examined.
1 Field Notes, p. 79.
2 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 50.
70 KEPORT OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
109 Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl).
Wilson's Petrel.
Adults. Length, 7-7.25. Wing, 5.75-6.20. Similar to Leach's Petrel, but
under tail-coverts mottled with white ; wing-coverts with whitish edges, and
webs of feet mainly yellow ; tail, square ; feet much longer tarsus, 1.30-1.35.
A common bird on the ocean off our coast from May to September,
occasionally coming in shore or up the rivers during storms. Retires
to Kerguelen Island, in the Southern Ocean, to breed in January and
February. Krider took one in Delaware Bay/ and Scott secured sev-
eral from a large flock off Barnegat Light August 10th, 1877. 2 Lau-
rent 3 reports it as common on the fishing banks off Five Mile Beach,
and Chapman 4 observed numbers of Petrels [presumably this species]
off the Delaware coast May 9th, 1897.
A dead bird was found on the beach at Point Pleasant, N". J., by
Dr. A. P. Brown. 5
Order STEGANOPODES.
Totipalmate Swimmers.
The birds comprising this order are distinguished from all other
swimming birds by the fact that the hind toe is connected with the
inner toe by a web, making three webs instead of two, as in the ducks
and gulls. The several families are distinguished as follows :
a. Tip of upper mandible with a distinct hook or "nail" at the tip.
6. Bill 10-15 long, with large pouch. PELICANS, p. 73
66. Bill 2-3 long, scarcely any pouch. CORMORANTS, p. 72
a. Tip of upper mandible without a distinct hook. GANNETS, p. 71
1 Field Notes, p. 79.
a Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 228.
O. and O., 1892, p. 43.
4 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., X., p. 2.
Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., I., p. 11.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 71
Family SULID-flE.
4
THE GANNETS.
The Gannets and Boobies, which comprise this family, are large
birds with a powerful, heavy bill, somewhat serrate on its edges near
the tip. They secure the fish upon which they live by diving for them
from some distance up in the air. Our only species, the Gannet,
nests on Bird Rock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and occurs in New
Jersey only as a transient.
117 Sula bassana (Linnaeus).
Gannet.
Adults. Length, 3O-40. Wing, 19.50. Plumage, white; head and neck
washed with straw color ; primaries, brownish-black.
Young in first autumn and winter. Above, and whole head, neck and throat,
grayish-brown, thickly marked with triangular white spots ; tail, white * at
base ; breast and abdomen, white ; all feathers bordered with grayish-brown.
A spring and fall migrant, usually keeping well off shore, but occa-
sionally coming in to the coast or up the rivers.
Mr. H. W. Hand tells me that they remain in varying numbers off
the capes of Delaware Bay all winter, and May 25th, 1890, one was
captured on the Delaware, at Salem, 1 by Messrs. S. B. Irwin and J. H.
Cullen.
One was taken the same year at Atlantic City, 1 and one on April
26th, on the fishing banks off Five Mile Beach, by Capt. John Taylor. 2
A young bird in the brown plumage was shot at Holly Beach November
22d, 1897. 3 Mr. Hand reports them seen off Cape May March 14th,
1903; March 18th, 1907; February 25th, 1906.
Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 50.
Laurent, O. and O., 1892, p. 43.
Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.
72 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Family PHALACROCORACIDJE.
THE CORMORANTS.
The Cormorants are fish-eating birds, and secure their prey by
diving duck fashion from the surface of the sea, and then pursuing
it under the water. They resemble large-sized ducks also when flying.
In structure their slight throat pouch recalls the much larger struc-
ture of the Pelicans. They do not nest between the Bay of Funday,
the southern breeding limit of the Double-crested Cormorant, and
North Carolina, the northern limit of the Florida Cormorant.
119 Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus).
Cormorant.
A dults Length, 34-40. Wing, 12.90-14. Differs from the Double-crested
Cormorant, which is the common New Jersey species, in the presence of a white
patch at the base of the throat pouch and of slender white hair-like feathers on
the head in the nuptial plumage. There are, moreover, fourteen tail feathers
instead of twelve.
A very rare straggler from the Xorth in winter.
Lawrence reports it as occurring as far south as New Jersey, 1 and
Turnbull calls it rather rare. A specimen is recorded by Mr. C. E.
Bellows as taken at Bridgeton, N". J., apparently in 1883. 2
This species is so frequently confused with the Double-crested Cor-
morant that I am very skeptical about the accuracy of any of the
above statements. The species does, however, occur rarely on Long
Island.
120 Phalacrocorax auritus (Lesson).
Double-crested Cormorant.
Adults. Length, 29-33. Wing, 12-13. General color, glossy black ; feathers
of back, scapulars and wing-coverts with grayish centers ; a tuft of black
feathers on each side of the head. In winter the tufts are lacking.
Young in first autumn duller and browner above, brown below, paler on the
neck and breast.
1 Birds of N. A., p. 876.
2 O. and O., 1883, p. 16.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 73
A common spring and fall migrant, and occasional winter resident.
Mr. H. W. Hand tells me that they arrive in the spring, from March
23d to April 21st, and sometimes linger until June 1st, and Mr. W. L.
iiaily saw a flock of one hundred off Sea Isle City May 23d, 1887, and
one August 30th, 1896, at Wildwood. At Atlantic City I saw one bird
as late as June 19th, 1892, and Mr. R. C. Harlow saw three at Beach
Haven June llth, 1907. They return in September and October, and
Mr. 1. X. DeHaven took several at Atlantic City February, 1895.
They usually migrate just off shore, but occasionally come in over the
bays and even up the rivers. Mr. S. N. Rhoads reports some seen on
the Delaware at Camden, and Mr. H. W. Fowler records two killed at
Burlington Island. Mr. Thurber states that one was shot at Littleton,
Morris county, October, 1880, but they are very rare inland.
Family PELECANID^.
THE PELICANS.
Like the other allied families, the Pelicans are fishing birds, and
are provided with a curious distensible sack hanging from the lower
mandible. The White Pelican scoops up its fish while swimming, but
the Brown Pelican secures his food by diving.
125 Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmelin.
White Pelican.
Adults. Length, 55-70. Wing, 20-25. White with black primaries.
A rare straggler in former years.
Turnbull says that it has been seen at rare intervals on the Dela-
ware and on the sea coast near Cape May, and T. R. Peale 1 records a
pair captured a few miles below Philadelphia on the Delaware. Dr.
(.'. ('. Abbott refers to a mounted specimen said to have been killed
near Tuckerton, and says that he saw three of these birds flying off
Sandy Hook in February, 1864.
1 Water Birds of N. A., II., p. 137.
74 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
126 Pelecanus occidentalis (Linnaeus).
Brown Pelican.
PLATE 7.
Adults. Length, 50-54. Wing, 19-21. Chocolate-brown below with long
silvery-gray feathers covering the upper parts, with a chestnut patch on the
fore part of the back and a chestnut stripe on the occiput ; head, straw-yellow,
with a white stripe down the side of the neck and a straw-yellow patch on the
breast. After the breeding season the whole head is white, tinged with yellow.
Young in first year. Similar, but duller, and head tinged with gray.
Rare straggler from the South.
Turnbull records one specimen shot off Sandy Hook in 1837 in
summer, and Mr. W. H. Werner tells me that one was shot at Vent-
nor and brought to him in May, 1902. 1 Another was wounded and
captured by Mr. Walter Lay ton, at Townsend's Inlet, May 5th. 1909.
Order ANSERES.
Lamellirostral Swimmers.
Family ANATID^E.
THE DUCKS AND GEESE.
The striking peculiarity of the birds of this family is the curious flat
bill with rows of fine narrow plates on either side, like the teeth of a
comb, which act as strainers, holding the food while the water drains
off.
The Mergansers (Mergince) have a much narrower bill, recalling
that of the Cormorant, and like it, they feed upon fish which they
catch while under the water. (P. 78.)
The River Ducks (Anatince) feed usually in shallow water, where
they can reach bottom by simply "tilting up." Small aquatic animals
and plants constitute their food. (P. 79.)
The Sea Ducks (Fuligulince) feed on the same materials, but dive
for them. They may be distinguished from the former group by
1 Referred to by S. R. Morse, N. J. State Mus. Rept, 1903, p. 56.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 75
having a flap or lobe on the small hind toe, which is lacking in the
Anatince. (P. 86.)
The Geese (Anserince) have a blunt, heavy bill, the result of feed-
ing on land upon grass, etc., though they also pluck various aquatic
plants from the shallow water. (P. 93.)
The Swans (Cygnince) are distinguished by their very long necks
and bare lores. (P. 96.)
o. Neck longer than the body. WHISTLING SWAN, p. 96
aa. Neck shorter than the body.
6. Tarsus longer than the middle toe without the claw. (Geese)
c. Forehead white, head brown. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, p. 94
cc. Entire head brown.
d. Back brown. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (young), p. 94
dd. Back dark gray. BLUE GOOSE (young), p. 94
ccc. Entire head white (often stained rusty).
d. Body dark gray. BLUE GOOSE, p. 94
dd. Body white.
e. Wing under 17. LESSER SNOW GOOSE, p. 93
ee. Wing over 17.25. GREATER SNOW GOOSE, p. 93
cccc. Entire head pale gray. Immature SNOW GEESE, p. 93
ccccc. Entire head black.
d. Throat white. CANADA GOOSE, p. 95
dd. Throat black, neck speckled with white.
e. Belly white. BRANT, p. 95
ee. Belly dark gray. BLACK BRANT, p. 96
66. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe without the claw. (Ducks)
c. Bill very slender and narrow, nearly round in cross-section.
d. Bill not over 1.50. HOODED MERGANSER, p. 79
dd. Bill not under 1.80.
e. Head black.
/. Breast streaked with black.
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (male), p. 78
ff. Breast not streaked.
MERGANSER (male), p. 78
ee. Head rusty red or gray.
/. Bill from nostril to tip 1.25 or less.
MERGANSER (female), p. 78
ff. Bill from nostril to tip 1.50 or more.
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (female), p. 78
cc. Bill broader, flat and duck-like.
d. Head and neck rusty or reddish-brown.
e. Crown white. EUROPEAN WIDGEON, p. 81
ee. Sides of face white. RUDDY DUCK, p. 93
eee. Sides of head black. GREEN-WINGED TEAL, p. 83
eeee. Crown and face uniform with rest of head.
f. Flanks barred like the back, bill 2 or less.
REDHEAD, p. 86
ff. Flanks with scarcely a trace of bars, bill
over 2. CANVASBACK, p. 86
76 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
dd. Head more or less metallic, green or blue.
e. Entirely green.
f. "Shoulder" of wing blue, speculum green.
SHOVELLER, p. 84
if. Shoulder brown, speculum purplish-blue.
MALLARD, p. 79
ee. Green, marked with white and purple, and crested.
WOOD DUCK, p. 85
eee. Green back of eye and down the neck, rest of head
speckled. BALDPATE, p. 82
ddd. Head black with green or purplish reflections.
e. A large white patch behind the eye.
BUFFLEHEAD, p. 89
ee. A white spot at the base of the bill.
GOLDEN-EYED DUCK, p. 88
eee. No white marks on head.
/. A chestnut collar at base of neck, speculum
gray. RING-NECK DUCK, p. 88
//. No chestnut collar, speculum white.
y. Flanks white. SCAUP DUCK, p. 87
gg. Flanks mottled w r ith dusky.
LESSER SCAUP DUCK, p. 87
dddd. Head jet black without reflections, under parts black.
e. A white spot on crown or cheeks, tail long.
OLD-SQUAW, p. 89
ee. A white patch on the nape and sometimes on the
forehead. * SURF SCOTER, p. 92
eee. A white spot before the eye and white speculum.
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, p. 92
eeee. No white markings. AMERICAN SCOTER, p. 92
ddddd. Head plain brown or brownish, with or without white
markings.
e. Speculum gray.
f. Wing, 8.75-9.
g. Bill 2 or less.
REDHEAD (female), p. 86
gg. Bill over 2.
CANVASBACK (female), p. 86
ff. Wing, 7.50. RINGNECK (female), p. 88
ee. Speculum white.
f. Breast entirely white.
g. A white patch below and behind the
eye. BUFFLEHEAD ( female ) , p. 89
gg. A white spot at the base of the bill.
GOLDEN-EYE DUCK (female), p. 88
//. Breast dusky brown or rusty.
g. No white spot behind the eye.
h. Bill, 2.
SCAUP DUCK (female), p. 87
lili. Bill, 1.75.
LESSER SCAUP DUCK (female),
p. 87
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 77
gg. A white spot behind the eye.
h. Wing, 11.
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (female),
p. 92
/i/i. Wing, 7.80.
HARLEQUIN DUCK (female), p. 90
hhh. Wing, 5.90.
RUDDY DUCK (female), p. 93
d 6 . Head brown, with a white stripe down the side of the
neck and a long tail. PINTAIL (female), p. 84
f head
blackish, edged with white.
Rare and irregular winter visitant.
The Snow Bunting conies down from the north in flocks regularly as
far as Long Island, but in New Jersey its occurrence seems to be
irregular; more frequent along the coast and up the Delaware shore
as far as Philadelphia. Several large flocks were observed about
Princeton in the winter of 1895-96 (Babson), and it has been seen in
winter at Summit (Hann), Plainfield (Miller), Morristown (Thur-
ber). the Hudson Valley (Chapman), and Orange Mountains (Van
Rensellaer). 1
The great amount of white on the wings distinguishes it from any
other species.
536 Calcarius lapponicus (Linnaeus).
Lapland Longspur.
Adult male in winter. Length, 6-7. Wing, 3.50-3.75. Above, grayish-brown,
broadly streaked with black ; broad collar around the hind neck, chestnut, more
or less obscured by buffy tips to the feathers ; sides of face, buff, bordered by a
black line ; below, white, tinged with buff ; whole throat, black, the feathers
heavily tipped with buff, sides streaked with blackish ; two outer tail feathers,
largely white.
Adult female in winter. Similar, but black areas less extensive and hind neck
streaked with black.
The Longspur occurs in New Jersey as a wanderer from the far
north, generally single individuals which have accompanied flocks of
Snow Buntings or Horned Larks. There are the following records of
its occurrence :
Princeton; February 13th, 1895. A. H. Phillips (Coll. A. H. P.).
^ologist, 1895, p. 79.
228 REPORT OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
Washington Park, on the Delaware; February 14th, 1895. Isaac
S. Reiff (Coll. W. Stone).
Salem; December 28th, 1898. Henry Warrington (Coll. W.
Stone).
Thurber reports it as very rare at Morristown, and Chapman as rare
near New York City.
540 Pooecetes gramineus (Gmelin).
Vesper Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 5.50-6.50. Wing, 3.20. Above, grayish-brown, strongly
streaked with black ; wings and tail, dusky, edged with grayish-brown ; outer-
most tail feather, mainly white, next one white, white on both webs toward
the end, the shaft remaining dusky; under parts, white, slightly tinged with
buff ; streaked with dusky across the breast and down the sides and flanks.
Buff and brown tints and wing edgings more conspicuous in autumn.
Young in first summer. Similar, but paler.
Nest of grass lined with rootlets, hair, etc., placed on the ground ; eggs, four
to five, bluish-white, spotted and scrawled with brown, .80 x .60.
Common summer resident. Arrives March 16th (March 30th), de-
parts November 1st. Winters sparingly in the southern counties;
Haddonfield, December 29th, 1880 (S. N. Rhoads) ; Princeton, Janu-
ary 21st, 1879 (W. E. D. Scott) ; Crosswicks, winter of 1904-5 (C.
C. Abbott), and more regularly in Cape May and Cumberland.
The Vesper is the characteristic Sparrow of the dry old fields with
Indian grass and low briers scattered here and there, and of the open
country roadside. He is dusty colored, like the ground upon which
he runs, but may be told at once from all our other Sparrows by the
white lateral tail feathers which he displays as he flits along ahead
of us.
The song of the Vesper is a loud chant, uttered as he perches on
the top of some small tree or on the telegraph wire along the roadside.
It resembles the song of the Song Sparrow, but the melody is different.
541 Passerculus princeps Maynard.
Ipswich Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 6.50. Wing, 3. Above, pale grayish ; top of head and back
streaked with pale brown and blackish ; a whitish stripe over the eye and a short
one down the crown ; wings edged with pale cinnamon, tertials with whitish ;
under parts, white, streaked with brown across the breast and down the sides.
Spring males have a spot of yellow in front of the eye.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 229
Tolerably common winter resident on the sand hills of the coast.
November 3d to April 16th.
This bird, which is essentially a large, pale Savanah Sparrow, is
restricted to the immediate vicinity of the seabeach, where it easily
escapes notice, so closely does its coloration match that of the sand.
It was first detected on the New Jersey coast by Alexander Wilson, 1
who described and figured it as the male Savanah Sparrow. It was
not noticed here again until December 30th, 1879, when Dr. W. L.
Abbott 2 obtained a specimen in Cape May county. Since then a num-
ber of specimens have been secured all the way from Squan Beach to
Cape May, and it has be6n found on nearly every occasion when it was
sought for in winter. 3
Dr. William E. Hughes found it most abundant during March and
November, evidently the times of migration.*
542a Passerculus sandwichensis savanna (Wilson).
Savannah Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 5-5.50. Wing, 2.75. Above, grayish-brown, heavily streaked
with black, and feathers more or or less edged with grayish; wing feathers
strongly edged with brown ; a yellow line over the eye ; under parts, white
(tinged with buff in the autumn) ; streaked with black on the breast and sides.
Young in first summer. Similar, but more buffy above and strongly tinged
with buff below ; the breast streaks less conspicuous.
Nest of grass on the ground ; eggs, four to five, bluish-white, thickly spotted
with brown, .75 x .55.
Common transient visitant. Spring, March 16th to May 15th; au-
tumn, September 1st to October 20th. Regular winter resident in
Cape May county, and rare breeder in the northern counties and on
the coast. Mr. Thurber (1887) says it nests at Morristown, and Mr.
J. H. Clark makes the same statement for Paterson. Mr. W. B.
Crispin states that he found one nest near Salem, and Mr. W. D. Miller
1 Cf. Stone, Osprey, II., p. 117.
2 Forest and Stream, XIV., p. 44.
8 Cf. Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., I., p. 7 ; II., p. 3 ; Auk, 1892, p. 204 ; Bull.
Nutt. Orn. Club, 1881, p. 116.
* Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., pp. 5, 8.
230 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
found one July 8th, 1903, on Seven Mile Beach.. 1 A single bird was
shot at Cape May, July 6th, 1891, by Mr. F. D. Stone, Jr. 2
This is a rather inconspicuous migrant, occurring in old fields where
it runs in the manner of the Grasshopper Sparrow, but in coloration
resembles more nearly the Song Sparrow. The shorter, more pointed
tail and yellow spot before the eye, however, serve to distinguish it.
Its song is somewhat like that of the Grasshopper Sparrow, and has
been well given by Dr. Dwight, "tsip, tsip, tsip, se-e-e-sr-r-r."
In winter I have found the Savannah Sparrow literally swarming on
the low swamp land about Cape May, and doubtless it winters at other
points along the coast.
546 Ammodramus savannarum australis Maynard.
Grasshopper Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 5. Wing, 2.50. Upper parts, mingled blackish and rusty
brown, with gray and buff edgings to the feathers ; head, dusky, with a median
buff stripe ; a spot of yellow in front of the eye ; under parts, white, with the
breast and sides buff ; a few of the feathers with brown shaft lines.
Young in first summer. Similar, but buff tints more prominent above ; under
surface with whole breast and sides streaked with dusky.
Nest of grass placed on the ground ; eggs, four to five, pearly-white, spotted
rather sparingly with brown, .72 x .55.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 21st (April 28th), de-
parts October 20th.
The Grasshopper Sparrow is a bird of the dry upland field, easily
overlooked as it is conspicuous neither in dress nor in song. Xear the
nest the male will perch on a weed stalk, like the Henslow's Sparrow,
and utter his insignificant song, "tick, tick z-z-z-z-z-z-zz," resembling,
more than anything else, the noise made by one of our large green grass-
hoppers. At other times they remain on the ground searching for food
among the grass, occasionally mounting a fence post to sing. Once
heard this song is readily recognized as it has penetrating qualities
that carry it for long distances.
1 Auk, 1906, p. 340.
2 Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 113.
THE BIEDS OF NEW JERSEY. 231
547 Passerherbulus henslowi (Audubon).
Henslow's Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 5. Wing, 2.15. Above, head and neck, light olive; back
and rump, chestnut, many feathers with black centers and gray edgings; wings
largely edged with chestnut ; below, buffy-white, deepest on chest ; breast and
sides finely streaked with black.
Young in first summer. Dull brownish-buff above, spotted with black ; yel-
lowish-white below, with a few dusky streaks on the sides.
ycst of grass well concealed in a tussock ; eggs, four to five, dull white,
speckled with reddish-brown, .75 x .55.
Local summer resident, especially in the southern half of the State.
This obscure little Sparrow is found in the cranberry bogs of the
pine barrens, in open swamps along the coast and similar localities in
some of the northern counties. Eecent investigations on the part of
the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club seem to show that this bird
is not so scarce as was formerly supposed, or else has increased in num-
bers of late years.
The former seems to me the more likely, as the bird is very easily
overlooked, although once our attention has been called to it's note we
are not likely again to pass it by.
Audubon had exactly the same experience as our modern observers
since he says : "This species is abundant in the State of New Jersey
and breeds there, but of this I was not aware until * * * the
spring of 1838, when my friend, Dr. James Trudeau, sent me a speci-
men procured by himself while in company with our mutual friend,
Edward Harris, Esq." And in another place, apparently adopting the
view of a change in its abundance, he says : "It has become a common
bird in the State of New Jersey."
Wilson was entirely unacquainted with it as was Nuttall, so far as
personal experience goes. Turnbull regarded it as rather rare in the
State.
Mr. John Mcllvain obtained a number of specimens on Seven Mile
Beach in June, 1875, 1 and Mr. H. G. Parker found a nest there on
May 2?th, 1885. 2 The next year Dr. A. P. Brown found that it was
present in boggy tracts near Point Pleasant, 3 and on August 8th, 1889,
1 A. R. Justice, Atlantic Slope Nat, I., p. 79.
2 O. and O., XI., p. 140.
8 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 114.
232 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Dr. S. D. Judd secured a young bird at Boonton, Morris county, 1 and
at Morristown Thurber (1887) states that it is a locally common
summer resident. Mr. Babson 2 states that Mr. Scott took several dur-
ing the summer in the neighborhood of Princeton.
On May 22d, 1894, Mr. F. L. Bums found a nest on Peck's Beach. 3
On May 30th, 1895, Mr. Stewardson Brown found Henslow's Spar-
rows at Forked River, New Jersey, 4 and at about the same time Mr.
W. D. W. Miller found them on the mountains north of Plainfield.
In 1900-1902 Mr. Miller found them at various points in the Passaic
Valley, Great Swamp, etc., in the vicinity of Plainfield; 7 while in
April and May, 1902, Mr. S. N". Rhoads discovered them near Green-
wich, Cumberland county. 4 Since then, with our attention especially
directed toward this species, the Philadelphia ornithologists have lo-
cated the bird in fresh-water bogs all along the coast and at various
points in the pine barrens, even in a bog near Lindenwold, within five
miles of Haddonfield. 5
In swamps occupied by Henslow's Sparrows the male may be seen
perched upon an old weed stalk, every now and then throwing back his
head and uttering an explosive "chee-slick." When disturbed he will
drop to the ground, and it is with difficulty that he is flushed, as he
prefers to run like a mouse here and there under the tufted grass.
Mr. John D. Carter 6 found a nest and eggs of Henslow's Sparrow
near Marlton, in May, 1905, and another was found by C. J. Hunt,
below Millville, July, 19 08, 7 but they are exceedingly hard to locate.
549 Passerherbulus caudacutus (Gmelin).
Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.25. Above, olivaceous brown, mingled
with gray, and with light grayish-white streaks on the scapulars ; a broad, deep
buff stripe over the eye and another from the base of the bill, which curves up
around the auriculars and joins the first one ; wings edged with light brown ;
under parts, white, strongly suffused with buff on the breast, sides and under
Auk, 1897, p. 326.
Birds of Princeton, p. 63.
Auk, 1895, p. 189.
Rhoads, Cassinia, 1902, pp. 6-14, a full history of the bird in N. J.
Stone, Cassinia, 1903, p. 76.
Cassinia, 1906, p. 62,
Cassinia, 1908, p. 16.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 233
tail-coverts, and conspicuously streaked with black, except on the throat and
middle of the abdomen.
Young in first summer. Above and below, buff; top of head and broad stripes
on the back, black ; lower parts streaked on breast and sides with dusky.
Nest of grass on the ground ; eggs, greenish-white, speckled with reddish-
brown, .75 x .55.
Abundant summer resident on the salt meadows of the coast and
Delaware Bay, and in the vicinity of New York City; occasional in
winter, at least from Atlantic City southward. Has also been taken
on the Passaic below Chatham (Thurber).
This is the "most abundant bird on the broad salt meadows which
line our coast, It may be seen running about over the muddy flats
where a scant growth of grass serves as shelter, and now and then
fluttering up a few feet in the air, uttering a curious spluttering song
as it sinks back on outstretched wings to the cover of the "thatch."
The plumage of these birds is subjected to great wear by the coarse
grass in which they live, and, unlike most Sparrows, they have two
complete moults a year, so that May and October specimens are in
beautiful fresh plumage, while in March and August they are worn to
a dull grayish tint, with the markings very indistinct.
549.1 Passerherbulus nelson! (Allen).
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
Similar to the Sharp-tailed Sparrow, but smaller, especially the bill ; colors
above, brighter and very sharply contrasted, the white streaks very prominent;
buff on breast much deeper and brighter, and streaks almost absent or very pale.
Rather scarce transient visitant, associating with the preceding on
the salt meadows of the coast; also in the Hudson Valley. 1 Speci-
mens nave been taken May 9th and October 10th, 1892, by Mr. I. N.
DeHaven. 2
1 Chapman, Birds Vicinity of N. Y., p. 171.
2 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 115.
234 REPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
549.1a Passerherbulus nelsoni subvirgatus (Dwight).
Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
Similar to the preceding in size but paler than true caudacutus; upper parts
more uniform olive-gray, white streaks dull ; below, pale buff on breast, with
streaks of pale gray.
Rather common transient visitant, associating with the preceding
on the salt meadows of the coast ;* rather rare in the Hudson Valley. 2
550 Passerherbulus maritimus (Wilson).
Seaside Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 5.25-6. Wing, 2.50. Above, olive-gray, more strongly olive
on the back and on the sides of the crown ; wings edged with brown and olive ;
a yellow streak in front of the eye ; under parts, dull white, streaked with gray.
Young in first summer. Above, brownish, streaked with black on head and
back ; below, white, breast and sides tinged with buff and narrowly streaked
with black.
Nest of grass situated on the ground ; eggs, four to five, white, thickly
spotted with brown, .80 x .60.
Common summer resident of the salt marshes of the coast and Dela-
ware Bay. Mr. W. L. Baily found a few at Seaville, Cape May county,
February 22d, 1892. 3
Similar to the Sharp-tailed Sparrow in habits, song, etc.; easily
distinguished by its uniform gray plumage and lack of stripes below.
It has always seemed to me to prefer the wetter parts of the mead-
ows, while the Sharp-tail is a bird of drier, sandy spots, at least
during the nesting season.
1 Of. Stone, Auk, 1893, p. 85.
2 Chapman, Birds Vicinity of N. Y., p. 171.
8 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 115.
THE BIEDS OF NEW JERSEY. 235
552 Chondestes grammacus (Say).
Lark Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 6.25. Wing, 3.50. Above, grayish-brown, streaked on the
back with black; head with a chestnut stripe down each side of the crown,
becoming black at the base of the bill; ear-coverts, chestnut, connected with
the bill by a black line and another black line down the side of the throat;
wing-coverts tipped with buff and a buff spot on the base of the outer pri-
maries ; tail, black, all but the middle pair of feathers tipped with white, the
outer ones nearly half white.
Very rare straggler from the west.
One was taken at Schraalenburg, November 26th, 1885, by F. M.
Chapman, 1 which is the only New Jersey record.
554 Zonotrichia leucophrys (Fbrster).
White-crowned Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 3.25. Above, grayish-brown, broadly
striped on the back with rich brown, the feathers edged with gray ; head, black,
with a broad snowy white band down the middle, extending onto the hind neck,
and a narrow white line over the eye; two narrow white wing bars; under
parts, pale gray, rather lighter on the throat and abdomen ; under tail-coverts,
buff.
Young in first autumn. Buffy-brown above, streaked on the back with dark
brown; head, chestnut-brown, instead of black; light stripes dull buff instead
of white; under surface tinged with buff.
Eather rare transient visitant. Spring, May 3d to 13th; autumn,
October.
This bird is often confused with the White-throated Sparrow, from
the fact that the young and old of the latter differ so much in the
coloration of the head. The old White-throats have such a brilliant
white and black crown, contrasted with the dull-colored head of the
young bird, that they are at once set down as White-crowns. As a
matter of fact, the White-crown in my experience does not mingle
with the other species, being more solitary in habits. Its crown stripe
is broader than the most highly-colored White-throat, and the area in
front of the eye is black instead of yellow. There is, moreover, no
1 Auk, 1886, p. 136.
236 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
trace of a white throat patch, and the crown feathers are usually
partly elevated.
Mr. Babson states that they were unusually plentiful in the fall of
1876, when Mr. W. E. D. Scott secured upwards of fifty near Prince-
ton.
558 Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmelin).
White-throated Sparrow.
PLATE 56.
Adults. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 3. Above, bright rusty brown ; duller
on the rump, broadly striped with black and some of the feathers edged with
buff; crown, black, with a narrow white median stripe becoming buff pos-
teriorly ; a buffy-white line over the eye, becoming yellow in front, two narrow
white wing bars ; throat and abdomen, white ; breast, sides of face and sides
of body, slaty-gray ; flanks, brownish. Female often rather duller.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adults above, except that the crown is
mainly brown and the yellow spot before the eye is much less distinct; below
the white throat is but poorly denned and the gray is mottled with dusky spots.
Common transient visitant, wintering locally in the southern part
of the State and less frequently in the northern half. Arrives Sep-
tember 20th, departs May 15th.
The White-throats arrive from the north in small flocks and take
up their residence in some thicket of briers in the woods, or even in
the evergreens in the garden. They sing throughout the winter, their
clear whistle never failing to attract attention. The first note is low,
the others all much higher, and it is frequently interpreted as
"Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody," which has given the bird in
its summer home to the northward the name of Peabodv bird.
559 Spizella monticola (Gmelin).
Tree Sparrow.
Adults. Length, 6-6.50. Wing, 3. Above, grayish-buff, feathers on back
streaked with black and chestnut ; hind neck, pure gray ; top of head, chestnut ;
wings edged with cinnamon rufous ; two conspicuous white wing bars ; tail
edged with pale buff ; under parts, pale gray, whiter on the abdomen ; a chest-
nut patch on each side of the breast and a dusky spot in the middle of the
chest ; sides shaded with brownish ; upper mandible dusky ; lower yellow.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 237
Common winter visitant. Arrives October 25th, departs April 15th.
This species, in many ways a large edition of the Field Sparrow,
frequents the alder thickets and brier patches, and even when the
ground is white with snow they remain in their chosen shelter, indulg-
ing in a chorus of half-formed songs as the sun begins to warm them
up a suggestion of what they can do in their summer home to the
northward. The plain breast with a single black spot will distinguish
the Tree Sparrow from all other species.
560 Spizella passerina (Bechstein).
Chipping Sparrow.
PLATE 57.
Adults. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.75. Back, light brown, broadly streaked
with black ; hind neck and rump, gray ; crown, chestnut ; forehead, black, with
a median gray streak ; a white line over the eye and a black one through it ;
wings edged with pale brown ; two narrow buffy bars ; under parts, white,
shaded with gray on the sides. In winter the chestnut-brown is veiled with
buff and streaked with black, and the white areas are tinged with buff.
Young in first summer. Above, buffy-brown, heavily streaked with black,
with sometimes a faint tinge of chestnut on the crown ; below, white, streaked
with dusky, except on the middle of the abdomen.
Nest of fine rootlets and twigs, lined abundantly with horsehair ; eggs, four
to five, greenish-blue, marked with black about the larger end, .70 x .52.
Abundant summer resident. Arrives March 22d (March 29th),
departs October 25th. Rarely occurs in the winter in the southern
counties.
The Chippy is the most familiar of our Sparrows, preferring the
gardens and orchards to the swamps and woodlands. IJe picks up his
food from the lawn or gravel walk, and if unmolested rears his brood
in the vines about the porch, and trills his song from the top of the
evergreen bush in the yard. This effort is not of a high order as a
musical production, consisting of a monotonous insect-like trill,
"chippy, chippy, chippy, chippy."
In autumn, old and young flock out into the fields along with the
other Sparrows, and occasionally one or two may remain in the winter
Sparrow flocks. Mr. W. L. Baily noted one at Seaville, Cape May
count}', late in November. 1
1 Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 11?.
REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
563 Spizella pusilla (Wilson).
Field Sparrow.
PLATE 57.
Adults. Length, 5.25-6. Wing, 2.50. Above, grayish-brown, tinged with
rusty ; back streaked with chestnut and black, head rusty with a median gray
stripe ; wings edged with rusty brown, tail with gray ; two buff y wing bars ;
lower parts, pale grayish, tinged with buff on breast and sides ; more rusty
above in winter and lower surface much more buff ; bill, cinnamon rufous.
Young in first summer. Duller than the adults, with breast and sides streaked
with dusky.
Nest of grass in a low bush or on the ground ; eggs, four to five, bluish-
white, thickly speckled with rusty markings, .65 x .50.
Common summer resident. Arrives March 4th (March 19th), de-
parts November 1st. In southern counties it is a tolerably common
winter resident, often mingling with the Tree Sparrows, and a rare
winter resident in the north Englewood 1 and Plainfield. 2
The Field Sparrow is the representative of the Chippy in the old
fields and borders of woods and thickets. Of the same size and slender
build, it is distinguished by its more rusty coloration, the absence of
a distinct crown patch and the reddish instead of black bill.
The song of the Field Sparrow is a plaintive strain, beginning slowly
and becoming more rapid until it dies away in a trill fee-o, fee-o,
fee-o, few-few-few tr-r-r-r-r; while subject to some variation the same
general character is maintained.
In the swamps of the southern half of the State a certain number
of Field Sparrows winter regularly, sometimes in little bands by them-
selves, sometimes mingled with Tree Sparrows, Juncos, etc.
567 Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus).
Slate-colored Junco. Snowbird.
PLATE 58.
Adult male. Length, 5.50-6.25. Wing, 3. Upper parts, slate color, darkest
on the head, wings and tail, which are blackish-slate; outer tail feathers,
white ; next one, white, with terminal streaks of slate, the third, slate, with a
1 Chapman, Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., V., p. 3, and Bird Lore, Christmas
List, February, 1901.
2 Chapman, Birds Vicinity N/Y., p. 65.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 239
white streak; tertials edged with brownish; under surface as far down as
middle of breast, slate, continuous with that of the upper parts, remainder
white; bill, pinkish.
Adult female. Similar, but paler, and tinged with brown above.
Young in first icinter. Similar, the females still browner.
Young in first summer. Grayish-brown, streaked with black above; below,
white, heavily streaked with dusky, except on the middle of the abdomen.
Abundant winter visitant. Arrives October 1st, departs April 25th.
The Junco is probably our best known winter bird. Its slate-colored
plumage and conspicuous white tail feathers easily distinguish it from
other small birds.
The Juncos remain in considerable flocks throughout the winter,
frequenting the fence rows and edges of the woods, except >when severe
weather drives them into the, gar den and up to the doorstep in search
of food. In early spring we hear them trilling their low, Chippy-like
song, though for the most part they have only a Sparrow-like chirp
while they are with us.
The Junco may possibly nest in the extreme northwestern corner of
the State, as it is a summer bird in Pike county, Pennsylvania, just
across the river, but as yet we have no record of the fact.
581 Melospiza melodia (Wilson).
Song Sparrow.
PLATE 59.
Adults. Length, 6.50. Wing, 2.50. Above, wood brown, grayer on the
rump and hind neck ; back broadly streaked with black ; head narrowly
streaked with black and with a gray median stripe; wing-coverts and tertials
with black centers ; under parts, white, tinged with buff across the breast ;
streaked on breast and sides with black and rusty brown, streaks merged on
the center of the breast forming a spot ; a pale gray line over the eye ; a buff
stripe from the base of the bill, bordered above and below with black.
Young in first summer. Similar, but more buffy above and below, streaks on
the breast narrower.
Nest of grass, leaves and rootlets, either on the ground or in a low bush;
eggs, four to five, bluish-white, thickly blotched with brown, .80 x .60.
Abundant resident; more generally distributed in summer.
The Song Sparrow is found throughout the State in swamps, and
thickets along the borders of streams, and about our gardens, though
less common in the last locality than it was prior to the arrival of the
English Sparrow.
240 REPOKT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
In the early spring we hear him tuning up, and many people think
he has just arrived from the south. His song is among the best of
our spring bird music, and sometimes I think familiarity produces
in us a lack of appreciation of what a fine song it really is.
In winter the Song Sparrow is found abundantly all over the broad
river meadows, and along the borders of streams and ditches, flitting
along below the banks or among the tufts of grass.
583 Melospiza lincolni (Audubon).
Lincoln's Finch.
/
Adults. Length, 5.50. Wing, 2.50. Upper parts, brownish-olive, sharply
streaked with black from head to rump ; crown with a gray median stripe and
a gray stripe over the eye ; under parts, white, with a broad buff band across
the breast and down the sides ; chest, sides, flanks and under tail-coverts
streaked with black.
Rare transient visitant. Spring, May 8th; autumn, September
21st to October 25th.
Similar in habits to the Song Sparrow, but much wilder and shyer.
Thurber mentions it as of rare occurrence in Morris county, but on
September 21st, 1885, he saw ten, 1 and Babson records four specimens
obtained near Princeton, as follows :
October 25th, 1875. W. E. D. Scott.
September 21st, 1878. W. E. D. Scott.
October 7th, 1879. W. E. D. Scott.
May 8th, 1894. H. A. Phillips.
Mr. Chapman saw one at Englewood, September 10th, 1898. 2
584 Melospiza georgiana (Latham).
Swamp Sparrow.
PLATE 58.
Adults. Length, 5.50. Wing, 2.35. Above, brown, broadly streaked with
black ; gray on the back of the neck ; crown, uniform chestnut ; forehead,
black, with a short gray median streak ; sides of head and neck and entire
1 O. and O., XL, p. 92.
2 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., XL, p. 5.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 241
breast, gray ; flanks, brown ; throat and middle of abdomen, dull white ; wing-
coverts and tertials edged with chestnut. In winter the chestnut crown is more
or less obscured by black.
Young in first autumn. Similar, but crown mainly blackish, with a trace
of chestnut here and there ; sides of face, yellowish ; under parts tinged with
buff.
Young in first summer. Cinnamon brown above, streaked with dusky ; below,
buffy-white, narrowly streaked with black on throat, breast and sides.
Nest of grass in a tussock ; eggs, four to five, pale bluish-green, thickly
blotched with brown, .75 x .55.
Common summer resident in suitable localities. Resident in the
southern counties,, especially Cape May. Migrants arrive March 29th,
depart November 1st.
The Swamp Sparrow is an inhabitant of low swamps, especially
along the Delaware and near the coast. It is a shy bird, rather diffi-
cult to flush, and runs along dodging in and out under the tussocks of
grass like a mouse.
Its song is a repetition of one note, "sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet,"
with a sort of liquid quality like that of the Long-billed Marsh Wren,
with which it associates.
In midwinter I have found these birds plentiful in the neighbor-
hood of Cape May, and they occur occasionally farther north at this
season.
585 Passerella iliaca (Merrem).
Fox Sparrow.
PLATE 56.
Adults. Length, 6.25-7.50. Wing, 3.50. Above, rusty, the gray bases of the
feathers showing through and producing a somewhat mottled appearance ; tail
and wing edgings, bright rusty ; two narrow white wing bars ; under parts,
white, heavily spotted on throat and breast with bright rusty triangular spots ;
sides and lower breast with small dark brown spots ; flanks with long streaks
of brown and rusty.
Common transient visitant. Spring, March 1st (March 8th) to
April 10th; autumn, October 15th to December 1st. A few winter.
This is the largest and rustiest of our Sparrows. While he is with
us he frequents the edges of swampy thickets, usually in flocks of vary-
ing sizes, scratching about among the leaves and flying to the trees or
bushes when disturbed.
16
242 REPORT OF FEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
In spring the Fox Sparrow may often be heard in full song, and a
splendid song it is, finer in quality than that of any of our other Spar-
rows.
Though common every year during their passage, they seem, some
years, to reach us all together, as it were, and for a short time the
thickets simply swarm with them. I noticed such a flight in March,
1906, near Tuckerton, when all the woods and fence rows seemed alive
with Fox Sparrows.
Mr. W. E. D. Scott secured one on January 14th, 1879, at Prince-
ton, 1 and Mr. S. N". Rhoads and I found several at Cape May, January
2Gth-29th, 1891. Mr. Baily 2 saw twenty-five at Wildwood, December
25th, 1902, and Mr. W. B. Evans one at Moorestown the same day. 2
587 Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus).
Towhee, Chewink.
PLATE 60.
Adult male. Length, 7-8.25. Wing, 3.10. Above, including whole head,
neck and breast, black ; sides of body, chestnut ; middle of body, white ; outer
web of primaries white at base, making a distinct bar ; tips of primaries and
tertials also white ; three outer tail feathers with large white terminal areas,
fourth feather often with a small white spot.
Adult female. Similar, but black replaced by brown (cinnamon or raw umber).
Young in first summer. Above, fulvous brown, streaked and mottled with
black ; under parts, buffy, thickly streaked with blackish, except on the throat
and middle of the abdomen ; wings and tail as in adults.
Nest of dead leaves lined with grass, placed on the ground, or rarely in a low
bush ; eggs, four to five, white, spotted with brown, .90 x .70.
Common summer resident. Arrives March 21st (April 19th), de-
parts October 20th. Mr. W. L. Baily has recorded one at Wildwood,
Cape May county, December 27th, 1903, 3 and W. B. Evans one at
Moorestown, December 25th, 1907. 4
The Towhee is a bird of clearings or low bushy woodlands, and
spends most of his time scratching among the dead leaves. When
alarmed he utters the familiar metallic "che wink" and flits about from
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1879, p. 82.
2 Bird Lore, February, 1903.
3 Cassinia, 1904, p. 62.
4 Bird Lore, February, 1908, Christmas Lists.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 243
bush to bush, and back to the ground, exhibiting his black, white and
brown colors to perfection.
When singing he perches motionless on the top of some bush or low
tree and at intervals utters the notes which Thompson Seton so clearly
represents with the syllables "chuck-burr, pill-a-will-a-will-a."
The Towhee is pretty generally distributed, but is particularly
plentiful in the pine barrens of which section it is one of the char-
acteristic species.
593 Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus).
Cardinal.
PLATE 61.
Adult male. Length, 8-9. Wing, 3.75. Whole plumage, vermilion red, ex-
cept the throat, forehead and area at base of bill, which are black ; back
feathers edged with grayish ; a conspicuous crest on the head ; bill, red.
Adult female. Above, grayish-olive ; below, pale fulvous or buff ; wings and
tail, dull red, as in male ; throat, etc., dull grayish.
Young in first summer. Similar to adult female, but males show more or
less red in the plumage.
Nest of grapevine bark and dead leaves, lined with rootlets an^ grass, in
bushes, three to four feet up ; eggs, three to four, white, spotted with brown,
1.00 x .70.
Common resident in the southern half of State and along the eastern
border to the vicinity of New York City.
This is one of our really brilliant birds, but, in spite of his red coat,
he is not nearly so conspicuous as one might suppose, and those who
are familiar with him note his presence by his call more frequently
than by his color. He has a loud clear whistle, somewhat resembling
the syllables "woit, woit, woit, woit," repeated rapidly and at other
times a more deliberate "cheer, cheer, cheer." The Cardinal is a bird
of low thickets, and is active and inquisitive, flitting about from place
to place with crest erect, and showing a great display of rivalry when
one imitates his call.
It seems strange to see such an apparently tropical bird in, the
depth of winter, and yet all through southern New Jersey, especially
along the tide-water creeks, he is just as plentiful when the ground is
covered with snow as in midsummer.
In the northern counties he does not occur, but breeds at least as far
244 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
north as Plainfield (common, Miller), Summit (rare, Holmes) ; at
South Orange Mr. Babson writes me that he has found two nests, ana
Mr. H. B. Bailey 1 records another. At Morristown Thurber calls it
rare, and Mr. Caskey has never seen it.
595 Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linnaeus).
Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
PLATE 62.
Adult male. Length, 8.20. Wing, 4. Head, throat and back, black ; rump,
white, tipped with black ; wings and tail, black, tipped or marked with white ;
breast and under wing-coverts, bright pink; rest of under parts, white.
Female. Above, brown, streaked with gray and buff; a buff line down the
center of the crown and white line over the eye; below, buff, streaked with
brown ; under wing-coverts, orange-yellow ; wings and tail, brown.
Young in first autumn. Similar to female, but under wing-coverts pink.
Nest in bushes or low trees ; eggs, three to four, greenish-blue, spotted with
reddish-brown, 1.00 x .75.
Common summer resident in the northern counties ; transient visit-
ant in the south; breeds at Princeton (Babson), near Trenton (Ab-
bott), Plainfield (Miller), Summit (Hann and Callender), Paterson
(Clark), Hopatcong (D wight), Ridge wood (Hales), Hudson Valley
(Chapman) ; also one nest at Haddonfield, July, 1897, 2 and one at
Beverly, June 1st, 1896. 3 William B. Evans also heard the bird in
full song at Bridgeboro, Burlington county, June 24th, 1901, and at
Mount Holly, July 20th, 1901. 4 Mr. Clarence Brown found a single
bird at Rutherford from January 26th to February 13th, 1908, a re-
markable occurrence. The bird was photographed when it came for
food, making identification certain. 5
1 Auk, 1886, p. 410.
2 Moore, Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 10.
3 Reed, Auk, 1897, p. 323.
4 Cassinia, 1901, pp. 32-34.
8 Bird Lore, 1908, p. 82.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JEESEY. 245
597 Guiraca caerulea (Linnaeus).
Blue Grosbeak.
Adult male. Length, 7. Wing, 3.50. General color, bright blue, shaded
with dusky on the middle of the back ; wings and tail, black, edged with blue ;
shoulder of wing, chestnut, as are also the tips of the tertials and greater-
coverts.
Female. Pale brown, drab on the lower back, still paler below ; two obscure
wing bars.
Nest in bushes ; eggs, three to four, plain bluish-white, .85 x .65.
Audubon describes in detail a nest with young which he found near
Camden in the summer of 1829, and which appears in the plate of
this species in his Birds of America.
Turnbull calls it a rare straggler in New Jersey, possibly entirely
on Audubon's authority.
Thurber (1887) says that it has been seen at Morristown by Mr.
Fairchild, and Mr. E. P. Bicknell records several individuals noticed
by Mr. Akhurst, a taxidermist, near Snake Hill, N. J., in the vicinity
of New York City.
These meagre records constitute all that we know of the bird in
New Jersey.
598 Passe rina cyanea (Linnaeus).
Indigo Bunting, Indigo-bird.
PLATE 63.
Adult male. Length, 4.75-5.75. Wing, 2.60-2.80. Above and below, bright
cerulean blue, more purplish on the head ; wings and tail, black, edged with
blue. In autumn. Rich brown, paler on the breast and abdomen; feathers
everywhere with blue bases, which are more or less apparent ; wings and tail
edged with blue.
Adult female. Above, dull brown, with an olive tinge ; below, whitish, some-
what tinged with buff and obscurely streaked with dusky on the breast and
sides.
Young in first summer and autumn. Similar to adult female.
Male in first breeding season. Blue, more or less mottled with worn brown
feathers above and white ones below.
Nest of grass and dead leaves in a crotch of a bush, three or four feet up ;
eggs, three to four, bluish-white, .75 x .52.
Common summer resident. Arrives May 1st (May 7th), departs
October 1st.
246 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
The Indigo-bird is one of our most persistent songsters. No sum-
mer day seems too hot for his performance, and while other species
await the cool of the approaching evening, he pours forth his energetic
song full in the boiling sun, perched on some tree or telegraph wire.
His brilliant plumage is not perceptible against the sky, and it is
only when we find him near the ground that we get a background that
shows us his true colors. The Sparrow-like female may be recog-
nized by the plain brown coloration and the faint trace of blue on the
shoulders and tail. The Indigo is a bird of the fields, clearings, and
edges of woodland, though he comes now and then into the garden.
601 Passerina ciris (Linnaeus).
Painted Bunting, Nonpareil.
Adult male. Length, 5.25. Wing, 2.70. Head and neck, blue ; back, green,
tinged with golden yellow ; rump and under parts, red ; wings and tail washed
with red ; greater wing-coverts, green.
Female. Olive-green above; white, tinged with yellow, below; wings and
tail washed with green.
Accidental straggler from the south.
One is recorded by Mr. E. P. Bicknell in the Elliot collection in
the American Museum, labeled "New Jersey," 1 and Professor A. H.
Phillips took one at Princeton, July 6th, 1897. 2 It is probable that
these may have been escaped cage birds.
604 Spiza americana (Gmelin).
Dickcissel, Black-throated Bunting.
Adult male. Length, 5.75-6.50. Wing, 2.80-3.25. Above, grayish-brown,
streaked with black on the back ; rump and crown, gray ; a pale yellow line
over the eye; lesser wing-coverts, bright cinnamon rufous; under parts, yel-
low, fading into white on the abdomen and chin ; a black patch on the lower
throat.
Adult female. Similar, but paler ; whole throat, white ; no black patch.
Young in first summer. Clay colored, coarsely striped with black above;
below, pale buff.
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, III., 1878, p. 132.
8 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 66.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 247
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female, but buffy-white below,
brownish on the sides.
Nest of grass on the ground or in low bushes ; eggs, four to five, pale blue,
unspotted, .80 x .60.
Formerly a local summer resident, but now rare and of irregular
occurrence.
Up to I860, and locally later, this bird was of regular occurrence on
the Atlantic coastal plain, but during the next twenty years it prac-
tically disappeared from this region and is now restricted to the Missis-
sippi Valley, except in the case of occasional stragglers.
The late Dr. S. W. Woodhouse wrote to Mr. Rhoads (Cassinia, 1904,
p. 23) that from 1840 to 1850 it was common in Camden county, and
Mr. C. S. Galbraith informed Mr. Chapman 1 that in 1851 it was a
common summer resident at Hoboken. Audubon mentions that it was
plentiful at Salem in his time, but that it did not occur in the more
sandy parts of the State. So common was it that most early authors
did not take the trouble to mention, in detail, the localities in which
they had found it, and so the above constitute practically all that we
have of the original distribution of the bird in New Jersey.
In 1868 Dr. C. C. Abbott 2 reported it as a rare migrant, and we
have, then, no record of its occurrence until the capture of a male
June 4th, 1880, at Princeton, by J. F. Cowan, and two at Stoutsburg,
June 14th, of the same year, by W. E. D. Scott, all in Princeton Col-
lege Collection (Babson). One young bird, shot at Maurice River,
September 18th, 1890, was obtained by Mr. W. L. Baily from a Reed-
bird gunner, and this closes the record of the bird in New Jersey until
1904, when we have the startling fact of its breeding again in the
State.
Mr. W. D. W. Miller, of the American Museum of Natural History,
New York, found a pair of birds evidently at home in a grass field
near Plainileld, July 3d, 1904, and the next day discovered two young,
one of which was secured. The bird apparently did not return to the
vicinity in the following years, so the hope that this might be the be-
ginning of the bird's return to its former home has not been realized.
Mr. S. N. Rhoads has discussed the disappearance of this bird quite
fully in his paper "Exit the Dickcissel" (Cassinia, 1903, pp. 17-28).
1 Auk, 1891, p. 395.
2 Birds of N. J. in Cook's Geol. of N. J.
248 REPOKT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Family TANGARID^E.
THE TANAGERS.
A family of tropical birds of which only two species find their way
to Eastern North America. Allied to the Finches, but upper mandible
slightly toothed near the middle. Habits arboreal.
a. More or less red in the plumage (males).
6. Wings and tail black. SCARLET TANAGER, p. 248
66. Wings and tail at least partly red. SUMMER TANAGER, p. 249
6. No red in plumage (females).
6. General tone of upper parts buffy-olive. SUMMER TANAGER, p. 249
66. General tone of upper parts olive-green. SCARLET TANAGER, p. 248
608 Piranga erythromelas Vieillot.
Scarlet Tanager.
PLATE 64.
Adult male. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 3.75. Entire plumage, brilliant
scarlet, except wings and tail, which are jet black. In autumn the scarlet is
replaced by olive-green above and citron-yellow below, wings and tail remain
the same. The seasonal change from red to green, and vice versa, continues
throughout the bird's life.
Adult female. Pale olive-green above, greenish-yellow below; wing-coverts
uniform with the back ; wings and tail, dusky, edged with olive.
Young in first summer. Above, yellow-olive ; below, dull white, becoming
yellow on the abdomen, streaked with olive-brown on the breast and sides.
Young male in first autumn. Similar to adult female, but wing-coverts
black ; the rest of the wing and tail is dusky with olive edgings in contrast to
the uniform black wing of the adult male.
Male in first breeding season. Similar to last, but scarlet instead of green ;
wings usually remain the same, but some jet black feathers often appear in
the tail.
Nest on the branch of a tree, frail, composed of rootlets, etc. ; eggs, three to
four, greenish-blue, spotted with brown, .95 x .65.
Tolerably common summer resident. Arrives April 28th (May
6th), departs October 10th. More abundant in the northern counties.
In early May the Tanagers are conspicuous in the woods, shining
out like coals of fire among the white dogwood blossoms and gray-
green of the opening leaf buds. Later, when the transients have
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 249
passed on, the summer resident Tanagers take to the tree-tops, and in
the thick foliage we see them less frequently, but their powerful song
comes down to us from the topmost bow or floats out across the fields
from the distant woodland. It resembles very much the chant of the
Robin, but has a peculiar harsh quality that renders it easily recog-
nized. In autumn we find the Tanagers, then all in dull green, asso-
ciating with the mixed flocks of birds that feed on the sour gum and
dogwood berries.
610 Piranga rubra (Linnseus)
Summer Tanager.
Adult male. Length, 7-8. Wing, 3.75. Above, dull poppy red, brighter,
more vermilion on the under parts.
Adult female. Above, yellowish olive-green ; below, dull yellow.
Young in first summer. Above, yellowish-brown ; below, dull white, tinged
with yellow and streaked with olive-brown.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female, but brighter and more
tinged with orange.
Male in first nesting season. Sometimes similar to adult, but with wings
edged with olive instead of red ; other birds have only a scattering of red
feathers over the body, and there are all sorts of intermediates; the full red
plumage is always assumed at the end of the first nesting season and is not
afterwards changed to olive.
Nest and eggs similar to those of the preceding.
A very rare straggler from farther south.
Formerly this bird was of regular occurrence in summer in south-
ern New Jersey. Wilson says: "In Pennsylvania they are a rare
species, while in New Jersey, even within half a mile of the shore
opposite the city of Philadelphia, they may generally be found during
the season" [May to August]. This was in 1807. In 1857 Beesley
gives it as a rare breeder in Cape May county, and in 1869 Turnbull
lists it as rather rare. Mr. G. N. Lawrence (1866) says he saw it in
magnolia swamps near Atlantic City, but no farther north. 1 Dr. C.
C. Abbott in '1868 says that up to 1850 it was as abundant as the
Scarlet Tanager, but that he had seen no nest since 1855, and no bird
since 1862. Writing in 1870, 2 he extends its period of abundance to
1857, and in 1886 3 records a pair nesting near Trenton in June, 1884.
While Dr. Abbott's statement about the bird's abundance prior to 1850
1 Ann. N. Y. Lye., VIII., p. 286.
2 Am. Nat, IV., p. 536.
8 Upland and Meadow, p. 118.
250 BEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
can hardly be based upon personal observation, his statements, never-
theless, constitute the bulk of our knowledge of its decrease in the
State. Later we have only John Krider's statement that he had taken
the nest in former years in New Jersey; Thurber's (1887) mention of
it as an accidental visitant to Morristown, and the record of a young
bird taken by Mr. W. E. D. Scott at Princeton, August 5th, 1880. 1
In spite of the fact that I pointed out the true status of this species
in southern New Jersey in 1894-, 2 it is recorded as a breeding species
in this section in numerous general works published since that date,
even as recently as 1906 in Chapman's Birds of the Vicinity of New
York City.
Family HIRUNDINID^E.
THE SWALLOWS.
Swallows are wonderfully adapted to the life they lead ; long, nar-
row wings, suitable for rapid flight; a large mouth, with very short
bill, suitable for gulping down such insects as come in its way, and
small feet, which are only needed when alighting on the nest or on
some ridge pole, branch or telegraph wire.
While the form of the various species is very similar, their nesting
habits vary a great deal.
a. Wing over 5.50. PURPLE MARTIN, p. 251
aa. Wing under 5.
6. Back glossy blue or green.
c. Throat white. TREE SWALLOW, p. 253
cc. Throat rusty.
d. Tail forked. BARN SWALLOW, p. 252
dd. Tail square. CLIFF SWALLOW, p. 251
66. Back dull brown ; little, if any, gloss.
o. Rump rusty. CLIFF SWALLOW (young), p. 251
cc. Rump uniform with the back.
d. Entire under parts white. TREE SWALLOW (young), p. 253
dd. Throat and breast ashy, abdomen white.
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, p. 255
ddd. Throat and abdomen white, with a dusky breast band.
BANK SWALLOW, p. 254
1 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 67.
2 Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 122.
THE BIRDS OF XEW JERSEY. 251
611 Progne subis (Linnaeus).
Purple Martin.
PLATE 65.
Adult male. Length, 8. ' Wing, 5.75. Above and below, uniform glossy viola-
ceous steel-blue; flight feathers, dull black.
Adult female. Above, duller and mixed with gray ; under parts, sooty gray ;
breast, abdomen and crissum, white, more or less narrowly streaked with black.
Young in first summer. Sooty brown above, head and back slightly glossed
with steel-blue ; below, mouse-gray on throat, breast and sides ; on abdomen,
white, narrowly streaked with black.
Young male in first summer. Similar, but darker. In first breeding season.
Like adult female, but with some glossy steel-blue feathers scattered here and
there.
Nest mainly in boxes erected fpr its use, to which it carries twigs, straw, etc. ;
eggs, four to five, white, .95 x .65.
Common summer resident in the southern counties, but locally dis-
tributed ; rare northward. Arrives March 29th, departs September 1st.
The Martins are not governed in their distribution by the presence of
Martin boxes, for many an attractive box has been erected in vain,
while in other places any sort of cover, even the hood of an electric
light, has proved satisfactory.
Colonies occur all along the seaboard and throughout the pine bar-
ren wilderness, in which districts some curious make-shift of boxes
are to be seen, but in the other parts of the State they are rare or
only stragglers.
The Martins make a great disturbance while the young are being
raised, and later the whole colony may be seen scouring the meadows
for food.
612 Petrochelidon lunifrons (Say).
Cliff Swallow, Eave Swallow.
Adults. Length, 5-6. Wing, 4.25. Above, head and back, glossy steel-blue,
the back streaked with whitish ; rump, cinnamon rufous ; wings and tail, dull
black ; forehead, pinkish or rusty ; sides of face and throat, chestnut ; center
of throat, glossy steel-blue ; breast and sides, grayish-brown, tinged with chest-
nut ; middle of abdomen, white ; under tail-coverts, dusky, edged with white.
Young in first summer. Above, dull brownish-black, slightly glossed with
blue on the back and head ; rump, cinnamon rufous, and tertials tipped with
the same ; sides of face, dull black, throat largely the same, but mottled with
252 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
cinnamon and white feathers ; sides of breast, body, flanks and crissum, cinna-
mon, somewhat streaked with black ; center of abdomen, white.
Nest of mud shaped like a retort or with a hole in the side, lined with
feathers ; eggs, four to five, white, spotted with reddish-brown, .80 x .55.
Tolerably common transient and local summer resident, especially
in the pine barrens. Arrives April 29th, departs September 1st.
The Cliff Swallow nests in colonies usually under the eaves of a barn.
It is decidedly local and is generally reported to be less abundant
than it was thirty or forty years ago.
It nests at several localities in Cape May, Cumberland and Bur-
lington counties, and nested near Princeton up until 1896 1 (Babson).
At Plainfield Mr. Miller reports a few nesting every year, while Mr.
Hales 2 reports it at Ridgewood, and Mr. Thurber at Morristown. Mr.
S. N. Rhoads found it plentiful at Greenwood Lake and the Wallkill
Valley, June, 1909. Mr. Crispin says it formerly bred at Salem.
613 Hirundo erythrogaster Boddaert.
Barn Swallow.
PLATE 66.
Adults. Length, 6-7.50. Wing, 4.75. Above, glossy steel-blue; forehead,
chestnut ; outermost tail feathers elongated, all but middle pair, with a con-
spicuous white subterminal spot on the inner web ; under parts, light cinnamon
rufous, deeper and more chestnut on the throat and breast, the steel-blue coming
around on the sides of the breast forming a half collar.
Young in first summer. Similar, but much duller ; forehead, gray ; sides of
head and collar, blackish; outer tail feathers only a little elongated; subter-
minal spots more or less chestnut ; under side much paler.
Nest of mud lined with grass and feathers plastered against a rafter in a
barn or stable ; eggs, four to six, white, spotted with brown or rusty, .80 x .55.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 10th (April 23d), de-
parts September 10th.
This is our most familiar Swallow, and there is scarcely a barn that
has not one or more pairs, flying in and out twittering as they go.
Later we see whole families sailing low over the ponds or meadows,
feeding on the wing as is the custom of their kind.
The rusty color of the under parts distinguishes them from all but
the Cliff Swallow, while the forked tail is in strong contrast to the
nearly square tail of that species.
1 Birds of Princeton, p. 67.
2 Bird Lore, 1906, p. 173.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 253
614 Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot).
Tree Swallow, White-bellied Swallow.
PLATE 67.
Adults. Length, 5-6. Wing, 4.75. Above, bright glossy greenish steel-blue ;
lores, black ; under surface, pure white. In autumn the tertials are broadly
tipped with white.
Young in first summer. Above, mouse-gray, tertials tipped with brownish-
white ; below, white, often with a shade of gray across the breast.
"Nest in holes in trees, often 'old Woodpeckers' holes, made of grass and
feathers ; eggs, four to six, white, .75 x .50.
Common transient visitant, and summer resident in the pine bar-
rens, and of occasional occurrence in winter. Arrives April 8th
(April 22d), departs October 15th.
The Tree Swallows are seen at their best along the seacoast during
August and September, 1 when they collect by thousands, circling
about over the marshes, and now and then resting on the telegraph
wires, where they sit close together, lining the wires as far as the eye
can reach, or settling down on bayberry bushes to feed on the waxy-
covered fruit. This, as far as I am aware, is the only departure from
an insectivorous diet on the part of our Swallows. Mr. Chapman 2
says that they occur on the Hackensack marshes, July 20th to October
20th, roosting in the cat-tails. At Cape May Mr. Hand tells me they
often roost in shade trees, and on September 16th, 1903, were nearly
drowned out, some six thousand drenched birds being down on the
ground, temporarily unable to fly.
Through the pine barrens, along the larger rivers and about swampy
ponds the Tree Swallow nests regularly, preferring the half-rotten
trees that grow in the water, but there seems to be no breeding record
for the northern half of the State, the most northern record being Mr.
Bab son's 3 mention of three pairs nesting on Millstone Creek, near
Princeton, June 16th, 1900, and again the following year.
In Cape May county Mr. H. Walker Hand informs me he has seen
them some years all winter, especially about Lilly Lake, Cape May
Point. 4
1 Cf. Childs, Auk, 1900, p. 67.
2 Birds Vicinity of N. Y., p. 175.
3 Birds of Princeton, p. 68.
4 Cf. also Cassinia, 1904, p. 68.
254 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Mr. F. M. Chapman 1 records a flock at Englewood, December 31st,
1882, and W. E. D. Scott 2 saw them at Squan Beach, November 16th,
1880.
616 Riparia riparia (Linnaeus).
Bank Swallow.
PLATE 65.
Adults. Length, 4.75-5.50. Wing, 4. Above, plain grayish-brown, darker
on the head ; under surface, white, with a grayish-brown band across the breast.
Young in first summer. Similar, but lower back, rump and breast band, and
inner wing feathers edged with whitish.
Nest of grass and feathers at the end of a tunnel-like hole dug by the bird
in the face of a sand bank ; eggs, four to six, white, .70 x .50.
Common local summer resident where suitable nesting sites are
available. Arrives April 14th (April 19th), departs September 1st.
The Bank Swallow is a sociable bird, nesting in large communities,
the entrances to their nests forming row upon row of holes on the face
of some large sand bank, in front of which the birds fly back and forth
uttering their characteristic weak cries.
From the fact that available nesting sites are not very plentiful, the
birds are rather local in distribution, and usually occur more fre-
quently along creeks and rivers which have steep perpendicular banks
suitable to their needs. In south Jersey they occur mainly along the
Delaware Valley.
In late summer the Bank Swallow associates to some extent with
the other species that gather in great flocks prior to their migration
southward.
They are dull brown, like the Rough-wing, but the dusky breast
band, contrasting with the white throat and belly, easily distinguishes
them.
1 Auk, 1889, p. 303.
2 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1881, p. 115.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 255
617 Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon).
Rough-winged Swallow.
Adults. Length, 5.50. Wing, 4.50. Above, uniform plain brown ; under
surface, white, pale gray on the throat, breast and sides; outer edge of outer-
most wing feathers rough to the touch, owing to the stiffened reflexed barbs.
Young in first summer. Similar, but strongly suffused with cinnamon above
and below; wing-coverts and tertials broadly tipped with cinnamon.
Nest of grass and feathers in a hole in a bank or in bridge abutments or a
stone wall ; eggs, four to seven, white, .75 x .52.
Tolerably common summer resident as far north at least as Plain-
field. Arrives April 13th (April 19th), departs September 1st.
This is a bird of Carolinian fauna; rare or local in the northern
counties of the State. They are usually seen in pairs about bridges or
quarries,, and are distinguished by their dull brown color and plain
breasts.
They nest at Princeton (Babson), Plain field (Miller), the lower
Hudson Valley (Chapman), and Paterson ( J. H. Clark) ; also occa-
sionally at Morristown (Thurber) and Summit (Holmes). Mr. Chap-
man also found them breeding on the upper Delaware at High Knob,
June 10th, 1890.
Family BOMBYCILLID^E.
THE WAXWINGS.
618 Bombycilla garrula (Linnaeus).
Bohemian Waxwing.
Adults. Length, 7.50-8.50. Wing, 4.50. Similar to B. cedrorum in gen-
eral appearance but grayer, with a conspicuous black throat ; chestnut patches
on the forehead and crissum and with yellow and white tips to the wing
feathers, in addition to the wax-like appendages of the secondaries.
Exceedingly rare winter visitant. Dr. C. C. Abbott (1868) 1 records
having seen two specimens shot in New Jersey, one in Cape May
county the other in Morris county. In 1884 2 he records two specimens
1 Birds of N. J.
2 Naturalist's Rambles about Home.
256 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
shot many years ago, both "in Mercer county." Mr. T. M. Trippe re-
cords a pair "observed" in the vicinity of Orange, April 28th, 1867. x
So rare is this bird in New Jersey that its only claim to a place in
the avifauna of the State rests entirely upon the above statements.
None have been seen for at least forty years, and even the specimens
mentioned above cannot be verified, as they were not taken by their
recorders. It is not clear that Mr. Trippe was the one who "observed"
the birds he records, while the date given seems hardly possible, and
we are in doubt whether Dr. Abbott's two statements refer to the same
birds or not.
619 Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot.
Cedar Waxwing, Cedar-bird.
PLATE 68.
Adults. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 3.75. Above, soft grayish olive-brown,
more pinkish on the head, which has an erectile crest ; rump, gray ; wings and
tail, blackish, shaded and edged with gray ; tail with a broad terminal band of
bright yellow on all the feathers ; secondary wing feathers with curious bright
red elongations of the shafts resembling tips of sealing wax ; tail feathers and
primaries occasionally bearing similar appendages ; breast and throat, pinkish-
brown, like the crown ; abdomen, pale olive-yellow ; crissum, white ; a jet
black band across the forehead and through the eye, narrowly bordered with
white across the forehead and below from the base of the bill ; chin, black.
Young in first summer. Similar, but grayer, and broadly streaked with olive-
brown on the sides, breast and flanks.
The development of the wax-like tips is independent of age or sex, though
they are less frequently found in the young and females.
Nest of grass, shreds of bark, etc., and usually with some mud in its com-
position, placed in a tree ten to thirty feet from the ground ; eggs, three to five,
light drab or blue-gray, spotted with black, .85 x .60.
Common summer resident and of irregular occurrence in winter.
Apparently breeds more abundantly in the northern counties.
The Cedarbird is most familiar to us in the great flocks which sweep
down into the cherry trees in June, with faint wheezy notes that are
hard to describe and have more the quality of an insect note than of
bird music. At this season, when most birds are busy raising families,
they are intent on feeding with apparently no thought of nest or young.
Before the month is over the flocks drift away again, leaving only a
1 Amer. Nat., II., p. 380.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 257
few nesting pairs uliidi are not very conspicuous in our summer bird
life.
In autumn, winter and early spring we again see the vagrant flocks
of (Vdarbirds alighting on the tree tops, sitting upright with crests
cii-ct fn a moment or two and then whirling away with a few sighing
notes.
Mr. Chapman records a nest, with eggs, as late as September 13th. 1
Family LANIID^E.
THE SHRIKES.
A family peculiar, among Passerine birds, for their raptorial habits
of its species. The strong hooked and notched bill recalls that of a
Hawk.
Our two species belong to the typical Shrikes, and are distinctly
beneficial birds, feeding on mice and grasshoppers for the most part.
a. Wing, 4.35-4.60. NORTHERN SHRIKE, p. 257
aa. Wing. 3.75-4. MIGRANT SHRIKE, p. 258
621 Lanius borealis Vieillot.
Northern Shrike, Butcher-bird.
PLATE 69.
Adult male. Length, 9.50-10.50. Wing, 4.50. Above, plain blue-gray, white
on the rump, forehead and some of the scapulars ; wing and tail, black ; sec-
ondaries tipped with white : outer tail feathers, white, others tipped with
white in decreasing amount, sometimes lacking on the central pair ; under sur-
face, white : chest and sides of body more or less mottled with narrow dusky
vermiculations ; ear region and spot in front of the eye, black.
Adult female. Duller in color.
Yoiuiff in first autumn. Brownish-gray above, head markings, wings and
tail dusky instead of black; dusky vermiculations much more extensive, cover-
ing the rump and all the lower surface, except the chin and lower abdomen.
Ii;itli<'r srarc-e, but apparently regular, winter visitant. December
M lo March 1st.
Wliile with us the Shrike is a solitary bird. We see him perched on
tin- top of some thorn bush on the meadow, or on a tall tree in the
1 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., 1890, p. 2.
17
258 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
pasture, his gray and black colors showing clearly in the sunlight.
Then he flies, and the white patches on the rapidly moving wings at
once catch the eye. As he nears his new perch he flies low and turns
sharply upwards as he comes to rest.
The feeding habits of the Shrikes are peculiar, they being the only
raptorial birds among our passerine species. They not only catch
and kill various mice and sometimes small birds in addition to the
usual beetles and grasshoppers, but impale them on sharp thorns or
wedge them into the fork of a branch, where the}^ are said to frequently
leave them and return to the hunt, though they often devour them on
the spot.
622e Lanius ludovicianus migrans Palmer.
Northern Loggerhead Shrike.
Adults. Length, 8.50-9.50. Wing, 3.80. Above, plumbeous gray, paler on
the rump, some of the scapulars white ; wing and tail feathers, black ; white
tips to the secondaries and to all but the two middle pairs of tail feathers ;
under parts, white, slightly shaded with gray on the sides ; a black patch on
the side of the head, involving the region about the eye and ear.
Young in first winter have wing and tail duller, not jet black, and some-
times show traces of dusky vermiculations on the breast.
Rather irregular migrant, especially in the southward flight; Au-
gust to December.
This bird occurs singly, as a rule, during August and September,
though occasional in winter (December and January).
The following have been recorded :
A number taken at Princeton, New Brunswick and Barnegat, Au-
gust, 1878; January, 1879; W. E. D. Scott. 1
Mt. Ephraim, near Haddonfield ; October 20th, 1884. S. N.
Rhoads. 2
Tappan; August 24th ? 1888. F. M. Chapman. 3
Cape May; August, 1890 and 1891. W. Stone. 2
Cape May Point ; May, 1892. W. Stone. 4
Leonia; September 27th, 1S98- 5
Ocean View; April 30th, 1901. W. L. Baily. 6
1 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, IV., p. 82.
2 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 125.
3 Auk, 1889, p. 304.
4 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., II., p. 4.
5 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., XI., p. 5.
6 Cassinia, 1901, p. 48.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 259
Family VIREONID^E.
THE VIREOS.
A group of small, dull-colored birds resembling the wood warblers
in habits, and often associating with them. They are, however, more
deliberate in action, and in structure differ in their hooked bill, which
resembles that of the Shrike, though of course it is much smaller.
The Yireos are entirely insectivorous and worthy of careful protec-
tion. The nests are readily recognized, being basket-like pensile
structures swung from a forked branch.
a. Eye ring more or less bright yellow.
6. Breast and throat bright yellow, abdomen white.
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, p. 261
6&. Breast and abdomen white, flanks pale yellow. WHITE-EYED VIREO, p. 262
aa. No yellow about the eye.
&. White line from the bill to the eye and a white eye ring.
SOLITARY VIREO, p. 261
&6. A white line from the bill over the eye and along the side of the crown,
c. White line bordered above with black. RED-EYED VIREO, p. 259
cc. White line not bordered with black.
d. Lower parts grayish-white. WARBLING VIREO, p. 260
dd. Lower parts pale yellow. PHILADELPHIA VIREO, p. 260
624 Vireosylva olivacea (Linnaeus).
Red-eyed Yireo.
PLATE 70.
Adults. Length, 5.50-6.50. Wing, 3.25. Above, grayish olive-green; top
of head, mouse-gray, a white line from the bill over the eye, bordered with black
where it joins the crown, ami a dusky streak through the eye ; under parts,
white.
Young in first summer. Above, pale drab ; below, white ; wings and tail,
olive, as in the adult.
Nest a pensile structure of fine pieces of bark, paper and rotten wood, and
almost always with pieces of thick white spider web on the outside; hung
from a fork at the end of a branch usually ten to twenty feet up ; eggs, three
to four, white, with a few brown or black spots on the larger end, .85 x .55.
Abundant summer resident. Arrives April 30th (May 6th), de-
parts October 10th.
260 KEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
The Eed-eye is our commonest Vireo, one or more pairs occurring
in every piece of woodland, except in the dry pine barrens. He is a
most persistent singer, keeping up his deliberate warble throughout
the day. Wilson Flagg admirably describes the song as "You see it
you know it do you hear me do you believe it ?" There is a pause
between each sentence as if the bird were conducting a sort of argu-
ment; a peculiarity that has earned him the name "Preacher-bird"
in some places. The actions of the Vireo are quite as deliberate as
his song ; he goes along the twigs in a matter-of-fact fashion, turning
his head first on one side then on the other, stopping to pick up a
bug or a caterpillar and then, wiping his bill on the limb, continues
on his search.
626 Vireosylva philadelphica Cassin.
Philadelphia Vireo.
Adults. Length, 4.75. Wing, 2.50. Above, grayish olive-green, gray on the
head ; a dull whitish streak over the eye and a dusky streak through it ; under
parts, dull sulphur yellow.
In autumn the gray crown is less distinct.
Very rare transient visitant.
The following are the only records of its capture :
Princeton; September 21st, 1876. W. E. D. Scott (Princeton
Coll.). 1
Princeton; September 28th, 1876. W. E. D. Scott (Princeton
Coll.). 1
Anglesea; September 21st, 1889. H. Wenzel (P. Laurent Coll.). 2
627 Vireosylva gilva (Vieillot).
Warbling Vireo.
Adults. Length, 5-5.50. Wing, 2.75. Above, light mouse-gray, faintly
tinged with olive on the back and rump ; a whitish line from the bill over the
eye ; under parts, white, tinged with olive on the sides. In autumn, greener
on the back and yellower on the sides ; sides of breast, buffy-olive.
Young in first summer. Above, wood brown ; white below, tinged with yellow
on the crissum.
Xest pensile, resembling that of the Red-eye ; eggs, three to four, white, with
a few black specks at the larger end, .72 x .52.
1 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 70.
2 O. and O., 1892, p. 89.
THE BIRDS OP NEW JERSEY. 261
Common, but local summer resident. Arrives May 2d (May 6th),
depr-rts September 25th.
The \\'arbling Vireo is a bird of the shade trees of the village streets
and lawns, with the habits of other Vireos, but an entirely different
song ; a fine continuous warble, recalling somewhat the song of the
Orchard Oriole, a bird of similar surroundings. It is more or less
local and apparently more plentiful in the northern half of the State.
Mr. F. M. Chapman found it at High Knob, Sussex county, and it is
abundant in the Wallkill Valley (Rhoads).
628 Lanivireo flavifrons (Vieillot).
Yellow-throated Vireo.
Adults. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 3. Above, yellowish-olive; scapulars, rump
and upper tail-coverts, gray ; wings and tail, black, most of the feathers nar-
rowly edged with white ; two conspicuous wing bars ; under parts, bright
canary-yellow, tinged with olive on the sides ; abdomen and crissum, pure
white ; lores and eye ring, yellow.
Youny in first summer. Smoky gray above, white below ; chin and throat,
pale yellow.
Nest pensile from a high branch similar to that of the Red-eye, but covered
externally with lichens ; eggs, three to four, white, spotted sparingly at the
larger end with black and brown, .80 x .60.
Tolerably common summer resident. Arrives April 29th (May 3d),
departs September 15th.
The Yellow-throated Vireo is a bird of the tree-tops, and hence is
not so well known as the Red-eye, and may be more plentiful than we
suppose. His notes are stronger and sweeter than those of the Red-
eye, with a longer pause between, and there seems to be three slightly
varying phrases repeated in the same order again and again, the first
decidedly harsh : "See saw I'm up here You're down there."
629 Lanivireo solitarius (Wilson).
Blue-headed Vireo, Solitary Vireo.
Adults. Length, 5-G. Wing, 3. Above, olive-green, mixed with slate-gray on
the back ; head, plain slate-gray ; wings and tail, black, the feathers mostly edged
with white or yellowish ; two prominent wing bars ; under parts, silky white,
yellow-olive on the sides ; eye ring and lores, white, with a dusky spot just
before the eye, extending onto the eye ring.
Nest and eggs similar to those of the Red-eyed Vireo, .80 x .60.
262 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Tolerably common transient visitant, no doubt breeding at High
Knob, Sussex county, where Mr. Chapman found it in June, 1890. 1
Spring, April 20th to May 5th; autumn, September 20th to October
15th.
A tree Vireo of much the same habits and appearance as the Red-
eye, but with some harsher notes in its warble. It is our earliest
Vireo in springtime, and can always be identified by the blue-gray
head and white eye ring.
631 Vireo griseus (Boddaert).
White-eyed Vireo.
PLATE 70.
Adults. Length, 4.50-5. Wing, 2.40. Above, dull olive-green, grayish on
the neck ; wings and tail, dusky, edged with olive or yellowish-white ; two yel-
lowish-white wing bars ; under parts, white ; sides of neck, grayish ; sides of
body and crissum, sulphur yellow ; a tinge of the same color on the breast ;
lores and eye ring, pale yellow, interrupted by a dusky spot in front.
Young in first summer. Dull brownish-olive above ; below, white, tinged
with buff on the breast and sulphur yellow on the flanks and crissum.
Nest pensile, swung from the fork of a low bush, and usually with much
grass in its construction ; eggs, three to four, white, with very small black
spots on the larger end, .75 x .55.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 27th (May 3d), departs
October 1st.
This is a characteristic bird of low swampy woods throughout the
State, especially along the streams of south Jersey, in and out of the
pine barrens. The habits of the White-eye are similar to those of
other Vireos, with the exception that he confines himself to low bushes
and never gets up into the trees.
His call is a loud warble resembling the syllables "wit-see-a-willie."
1 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., 1890-91, p. 4.
THE BIRDS OF Xi<;\V JERSEY. 263
Family MNIOTILTIDJE.
THE WOOD WARBLERS.
A large family of small,, generally brightly colored birds, mostly
arboreal, some terrestrial or living among the bushes. Almost entirely
insectivorous,, with slender sharp pointed bills. The songs of most of
the species are weak and lisping, though some are much stronger and
melodious.
These little birds form the bulk of the great night nights of the
spring and fall migrations. A few are familiar summer residents, but
the majority spend the breeding season in the depths of the northern
woodland and forests. On their migration in May and September,
however, they are always conspicuous, thronging the tree-tops as they
search for food.
o. No yellow in the plumage.
6. Colors orange, black and white.
c. Throat black. REDSTART, p. 291
cc. Throat orange. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, p. 279
66. Colors blue, black and white.
c. Throat black. BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, p. 274
cc. Throat white. CERULEAN WARBLER, p. 277
666. Under parts chestnut and white.
c. Throat chestnut. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, p. 278
cc. Throat white. CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, p. 277
6666. No orange, blue or chestnut in the plumage.
c. Streaked below, at least on the sides.
d. Streaked on the back.
e. Back black and white.
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER, p. 266
ee. Back black and gray. BLACK-POLL WARBLER, p. 279
eee. Back olive with fine black streaks.
BLACK-POLL WARBLER (female), p. 279
f. Wing, 2.50.
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER (young), p. 279
//. Wing, 2.75.
BLACK-POLL WARBLER (young), p. 279
dd. Not streaked on the back.
e. Middle of crown dull buff, bordered by black.
OVENBIRD, p. 283
ee. Crown like the back, a light stripe over eye.
f. Throat speckled to the chin.
WATER THRUSH, p. 284
ff. Chin and upper throat not speckled.
LOUISIANA WATER THRUSH, p. 285
264 REPORT OF XE\V JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
cc. Not streaked below.
d. Slightly streaked on back or rump ; general color above
yellow-olive.
e. Wing, 2.40-2.60!
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER (young), p. 277
ee. Wing, 2.80-2.90.
BAY-BREASTED or BLACK-POLL WARBLER ( young ), p. 278
dd. Strongly streaked black and gray on back : cap. throat
and flanks chestnut. BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, p. 278
ddd. Plain above.
e. Crown striped buff and black, back olive.
WORM-EATING WARBLER, p. 267
ee. Head uniform with the back.
/. Two rather dull wing bars.
g. Brown above.
PINE WARBLER (young), p. 280
gg. Blue-green above.
CERULEAN WARBLER (young), p. 277
//. No wing bars.
fj. A white spot at the base of the primaries.
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
(female), p. 274
gg. No white spot on the wings.
TENNESSEE WARBLER, p. 272
aa. Some yellow in the plumage.
&. Streaked below, at least on the sides.
c. General color of under parts black and white or brown and
white.
d. Yellow restricted to the sides of the breast, rump and
crown. MYRTLE WARBLER, p. 275
dd. Yellow restricted to sides of face and neck ; throat black,
back olive. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, p. 280
cc. General color below buff and dull brown, yellow restricted to
under tail-coverts and rump. PALM WARBLER, p. 281
ccc. Throat bright orange, breast white tinged with yellow.
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, p. 279
cccc. General color below yellow.
d. Streaks chestnut or rusty.
e. Crown yellow. YELLOW WARBLER, p. 274
ee. Crown chestnut. YELLOW PALM WARBLER, p. 282
dd. Streaks black or dusky and obscure.
e. Back not streaked or spotted.
f. Back black. MAGNOLIA WARBLER, p. 276
ff. Back blue gray. CANADA WARBLER, p. 2J1
iff. Back brown.
YELLOW PALM WARBLER (young), p. 282
ffff. Back olive.
ff. Wing under 2.20.
PRAIRIE WARBLER (young), p. 282
fjg. Wing over 2.75. PINE WARBLER, p. 280
ee. Back streaked or spotted.
f. Back olive, spotted with chestnut.
PRAIRIE WARBLER, p. 282
THE BIRDS OP NEW JERSEY. 265
ff. Back olive, spotted with black.
g. Ear-coverts chestnut.
CAPE MAY WARBLER, p. 273
gg. Head olive, streaked with black.
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER (young), p. 279
ggg. Head plain gray.
MAGNOLIA WARBLER (young), p. 276
66. Not streaked below.
c. A chestnut and black spot on the breast.
PARULA WARBLER, p. 272
cc. Throat black.
d. Belly gray, yellow restricted to crown and wing-coverts.
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, p. 269
dd. Belly yellow. HOODED WARBLER, p. 290
ccc. Throat gray or ashy, abdomen yellow.
d. A black patch on breast. MOURNING WARBLER, p. 287
dd. No black patch on breast.
r. A white eye ring. CONNECTICUT WARBLER, p. 287
ce. No eye ring. MOURNING WARBLER (female), p. 287
cccc. Throat white or gray, abdomen not yellow.
d. Yellow on crown and wing-coverts and rump only.
e. Sides of body chestnut.
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, p. 277
ee. Sides not chestnut. GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, p. 269
dd. Yellow on sides of chest, wings and tail only.
REDSTART (female), p. 291
ccccc. Throat yellow or olive-yellow.
d. Tail feathers partly yellow.
YELLOW WARBLER (young), p. 274
dd. Tail feathers partly white.
e. Back olive or slaty, head more or less yellow.
f. Whole head deep yellow.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, p. 267
ff. Fore part of crown yellow.
g. A black spot in front of the eye.
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, p. 268
f/f/. No spot in front of the eye.
HOODED WARBLER, p. 290
ee. No yellow on crown.
f. Wings bluish-gray.
PARULA WARBLER (female and young), p. 272
//. Wings olive.
TENNESSEE WARBLER (young and fern.), p. 272
fff. Wings dull brownish.
PINE WARBLER (female), p. 280
ddd. Tail with no white markings.
<. Wing, 3. CHAT, p. 289
ee. Wing, 2.60 or less.
f. Entire cheeks and frontlet black, or merely a
dusky area below the eye (young).
g. Wing, 2.60. KENTUCKY WARBLER, p. 286
gg. Wing, 2.20.
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT, p. 288
266 KEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
ff. No black on cheeks or frontlet.
g. Crown more or less black, frontlet yellow.
WILSON'S WARBLER, p. 291
gg. Crown with a central chestnut or orange
spot.
h. Spot chestnut.
NASHVILLE WARBLER, p. 270
hh. Spot orange.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, p. 271
ggg. Crown uniform with the back.
h. Lower abdomen white, much paler
than the breast or under tail-coverts.
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT
(female), p. 288
hh. Abdomen yellow, uniform with breast
and under tail-coverts.
MOURNING WARBLER, p. 287
636 Mniotilta varia (Linnaeus).
Black-and-White Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.60-5.50. Wing, 2.75. Above, striped everywhere with
black and white ; sides and top of head, black, with a white stripe over each
eye and down the middle of the crown ; wings, black, edged with grayish-white ;
inner feathers broadly edged with pure white and coverts tipped with the same,
forming two wing bars; tail, grayish-black ; middle feathers, gray, with black
along the shaft, two outer pairs with a terminal white spot on the inner vane ;
body below everywhere striped with black and white, except the center of the
breast, which is white. In autumn the throat is nearly pure white.
Adult female. Similar, but the white above tinged with buff ; stripes on the
under side restricted to the sides of the body and more or less indistinct ; sides
washed with buff.
Young in first summer. Dark brown above, streaked with a lighter shade ;
head streaks, dull white ; below, dull white, washed with brown on throat and
sides and obscurely streaked.
Young in first autumn. Similar to autumnal adult, but streaks below much
narrower and restricted to the sides of the body.
Nest of grass, bark, etc., on the ground under the shelter of a log ; eggs, four
to five, white, spotted with brown about the larger end, .65 x .50.
Common summer resident in the northern counties; less abundant
breeder in the southern part of the State. Arrives April 18th (April
26th), departs October 5th.
The Black-and-White Warbler is a "tree-creeper" of no mean ability,
and in the migrations we see him constantly circling the trunks in a
way that would do credit to a Creeper or Nuthatch. His song is a
THE BIKDS OF NEW JEKSEY. 267
squeaking see-saw, "ki-tsee, ki-tsee, ki-tsee, see, see," accented on the
last syllable of each couplet.
This species nests rather sparingly both within and without the pine
barrens in south Jersey and rather more plentifully northward.
637 Protonotaria citrea (Boddaert).
Prothonotary Warbler.
Adults. Length, 5.25. Wing, 2.90-3. Back of head to middle of back, yel-
low-olive ; lower back, rump, wings and tail, blue-gray ; head, crown and under
parts to flanks, bright canary-yellow ; under tail-coverts, white, and white
marks on inner webs of all but the central tail feathers.
The Prothonotary Warbler's claim to a place in the New Jersey list
rests upon a specimen obtained at Princeton by Professor A. H.
Phillips, May 8th, 1894, * and an individual seen at Haddonfield,
early in the eighties, by Mr. S. N. Ehoads. 2
639 Helm-itheros vermivorus (Gmelin).
Worm-eating Warbler.
Adults. Length, 5.50. Wing, 2.75. Above, grayish olive-green ; crown and
sides of head, buff ; a broad black stripe down each side of the crown and a
narrow one behind the eye ; under parts, buff, becoming whitish on the abdo-
men ; crissum mottled with olive.
Young in first summer. Everywhere cinnamon, darker above; wing and tail,
olive, head markings indistinctly indicated.
Rest on the ground of leaves and grass, lined with moss stems ; eggs, four
to five, white, speckled with reddish-brown, .70 x .52.
Local and rather uncommon summer resident in the middle counties
and Hudson Valley. 3 Not found in the pine barrens, and very rare
on the Delaware, south of Trenton. Arrives April 29th (May 9th), de-
parts September 1st.
This is a rather common bird in wooded ravines in southeastern
Pennsylvania, but is rarer in New Jersey and unknown as a breeder
in the southern half of the State.
1 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 71.
- Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 129.
a Chapman. Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y., V., p. 8, and Birds vicinity N. Y.,
p. 177, also Rhoads, Cassinia, 1901, p. 50.
268 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Mr. Miller finds it locally common at Plainfield. Mr. Babson thinks
it breeds rarely at Princeton, 1 and Mr. Hann found one nest at Chat-
ham, and Mr. Holmes 2 regards it as rare at Summit. Mr. Thurber
found it rare at Morristown. Mr. S. N". Rhoads found it breeding at
Greenwood and Echo Lakes, Passaic county, June, 1909.
The only record of its nesting in west Jersey, south of Trenton, is
a female, apparently with young, observed by Mr. S. N. Rhoads, near
Camden, in July, 1880. 3
641 Vermivora pinus (Linnaeus).
Blue-winged \Yarbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.80. Wing, 2.40. Above, yellowish olive-green.
brighter on rump and bright yellow on the crown ; wings and tail, bluish-gray ;
two white wing bars and three outer tail feathers largely white on the inner
webs ; under surface, bright yellow ; a jet black line through the eye.
Adult female. Similar, but duller, and yellow not so pure.
Young in first summer. Similar to adult female.
Nest on the ground in low woods, composed of leaves and shreds of bark ;
eggs, four to six, white, with small scattered spots of reddish-brown, .65 x .50.
Common summer resident in the middle and northeastern counties,
rare on the northern edge of the pine barrens and absent in the north-
western counties and in the pine barrens and apparently also in south-
west Jersey. Mr. J. Fletcher Street has found it along the Rancocas
in the breeding season, and Mr. R. C. Harlow found it at Clementon,
June 9th, 1906, and June 6th, 1907, also at Bennett, in lower Cape
May county, May 24th, 1907, and June 3d, 1908. Mr. S. N. Rhoads,
in a long experience, never saw it at Haddonfield. Arrives May 1st
(May 6th), departs September 1st.
Common breeder in the lower Hudson Valley (Chapman), Demarest
(Bowdish), Montclair, Summit and Chatham (Hann and Callender),
Plainfield (Miller) ; rare breeder at Paterson ( J. H. Clark) and Mor-
ristown (Thurber) and on Mt. Lucas only, in the Princeton region
(Babson) . Mr. Rhoads saw four at Greenwood Lake, June, 1909.
This species is found near the ground in low woods and on the edge
of swampy thickets. Its note is 'an insect-like "s-e-e-e, z-e-e-e-e."
1 Birds of Princeton.
2 Wilson, Bull., 1905, p. 11.
3 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1882, p. 55.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 269
642 Vermivora chrysoptera (Linnaeus).
Golden-winged Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5.10. Wing, 2.45. Above, bluish-gray; crown, yellow ;
wing-coverts tipped with yellow forming two bands; three outer tail feathers
with large white spots on the inner web, the outermost more than half white;
throat, black'; rest of under parts, white, washed with gray on the sides ; sides
of face, black, with a broad white stripe separating this from the black on the
throat, and a short white line over the eye. In autumn the black throat is
usually veiled with short white tips to the feathers.
Adult female. Tinged with green above, and black areas replaced by dark
gray.
Young in first summer. Above, olive-gray ; below, pale olive-yellow ; throat,
dusky.
Nest on the ground, built of leaves and grass ; eggs, four to six, white,
speckled on the larger end with reddish-brown, .62 x .50.
Rather rare transient visitant, spring, May 12th to 16th; autumn,
August 15th to September 5th, and rare summer resident in the
northern counties.
The Golden-wing is a close ally of the Blue-winged Warbler which
it resembles in habits. Mr. Thurber calls it a rare summer resident
at Morristown, and Mr. P. B. Philipp has found it nesting at Newton,
Sussex county. Dr. Dwight and Mr. Rhoads found it at Lake Hopat-
cong in summer and regard it as a breeder there, and in June, 1909,
Mr. Rhoads found it at various points in northern Passaic and Sussex
counties.
This spiv K> and the Blue-winged Warbler are supposed to hybridize,
as only in this way can we account for the curious birds known as
Bicwsters and Lawrence's Warblers which are intei mediate between
them.
Vermivora leucobronchialis (Brewster).
Brewster's Warbler.
Vermivora leucobronchialis (Brewster).
Lawrence's Warbler.
Those birds are now generally recognized as hybrids, between the fiiue-
winsed and Golden-winged Warblers. firewater's Warbler is essentially a
(iolden-wing without the black throat, while Lawrence's Warbler is a Blue-
wing with a black throat, but various intermediate forms have also been ob-
tained.
270 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
The following have been secured in Xew Jersey:
Morristown; Aug. Blanchet; May 1859 ; J leucobronchialis.
Chatham; Aug. Blanchet; May, 1874 ; 2 lawrencei (type).
Maplewood; C. B. Riker; May llth, 1883 ; 3 leucobronchialis JL
pinus.
Hoboken; D. B. Dickinson; September, 1876;* lawrencei.
Morristown; Frank Blanchet; May 15th, 1884 ; 5 lawrencei x pinus.
Englewood; F. M. Chapman; May 15th, 1886 ; 6 leucobronchialis.
Englewood; F. M. Chapman; June 26th, 1887 ; 6 leucobronchialis.
Englewood; F. M. Chapman; July 31st, 1887 ; 6 leucobronchialis.
M.orristown ; E. C. Thurber; May 15th, 1887 ; T leucobronchialis.
Geo. E. Hix 8 saw a typical leucobronchialis at Englewood, May
13th, 1905, while Mr. Chapman heard a male leucobronchialis in full
song at Englewood, May llth, 1890, 9 and in 1892 found a pair of
birds breeding, one leucobronchialis, the other pinus.
645 Vermivora rubricapilla (Wilson).
Nashville Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.75. Wing, 2.30. Above, gray on head and neck ;
center of crown, chestnut ; rest of the upper parts, olive-green, no wing bands
or tail marks ; under parts, plain yellow, tinged with olive on the sides. In
autumn the chestnut patch is more or less obscured.
Adult female. Similar, but chestnut patch obscure or lacking.
Young in first summer. Brownish above, olive on the rump ; below, yellow-
ish-brown, brighter yellow on the abdomen.
Nest on the ground, composed of moss, grass and fine rootlets ; eggs, four to
five, white, speckled with brown at the larger end, .60 x .45.
Tolerably common transient visitant. Spring, May 6th to 14th;
autumn, September 1st to October 1st. Rare summer resident in the
northern part of the State.
1 Thurber, Auk, 1886, p. 411.
2 Herrick, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1874, p. 320.
8 Auk, 1885, p. 378.
4 Herrick, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1877, p. 19.
5 Brewster, Auk, 1886, p. 411.
6 Auk, 1887, p. 348.
* Auk, 1887, p. 349.
8 Auk, 1905, p. 417.
9 Auk, 1890, p. 291.
10 Auk, 1892, p. 302.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 271
The Nashville is a rather inconspicuous Warbler, difficult to identify
in the tops of the } r oung trees, where it is usually found, along the edge
of old clearings. Its song, however, is peculiar, and is represented by
Mr. Langille as "ke-tsee, ke-tsee, ke-tsee; chip-ee-chip-ee-chip-ee-
chip," the latter half being much like the trill of the Chipping Spar-
row.
Mr. Chapman took a breeding female at Englewood, June 16th,
188?, 1 which is our only evidence of its nesting in the State.
646 Vermivora celata (Say),
Orange-crowned Warbler.
Adults. Length, 4.75-5.25. Wing, 2.40. Above, olive, brightest on the rump,
crown with a patch of tawny ochraceous often obscured by grayish tips ; under
parts, pale olive-yellowish, very faintly streaked on the sides with dusky, a
faint pale line over the eye.
Young in first autumn has the crown patch less distinct.
Very rare transient visitant. February, March and October, pos-
sibly winter resident in the southernmost counties.
The only New Jersey records appear to be as follows :
Rancocas Creek; early in February, 1860. Turnbull.
Hoboken; May, 1865. C. S. Gallraith (Coll. Amer. Mus. Natural
History). 2
Haddonfield; March 22d, 1883. S. N. Rhoads (Coll. W. Stone). 3
Anglesea; October 6th, 1889. P. Laurent (Coll. P. L.). 4
Haddonfield; February 25th, 1909. R. T. Moore (Coll. R. T. M.).
Thurber also mentions it as a very rare transient at Morristown, and
John Kricler states that he got one in New Jersey in December, when
the ground was covered with snow.
1 Auk, 1889, p. 304.
2 Howell, Auk, 1893, p. 90.
8 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1883, p. 179.
4 O. and O., 1892.
272 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
647 Vermivora peregrina (Wilson).
Tennessee Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5. Wing, 2.60. Above, plain olive-green, with top of
head gray ; a whitish line over the eye and a dusky streak through it ; lower
parts, white, tinged with buff on the sides ; no wing bars or tail markings.
Adult female. Similar, but with the gray cap obscured by olive.
Young in first autumn. Similar, but more buffy below and gray cap scarcely
distinguishable.
Eare transient visitant, more common in autumn. Spring, May
15th to 35th; autumn, August 25th to October 1st (I3abson).
One of the least distinctive of our migrant Warblers, closely re-
sembling the Xashville in habits. Very rare in spring.
648a Compsothlypls americana usneae Brewster.
Northern Parula Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.25^.75. Wing, 2.30. Above, grayish-blue, with a
yellow-olive triangular patch on the back ; coverts broadly tipped with white
forming two bars ; three outer tail feathers with subterminal white spots on
the inner webs, the outermost the largest ; under side of body, yellow on throat
and chest, a pectoral band of chestnut with a darker spot in the center ; abdo-
men and sides, white, the latter streaked with chestnut; a white spot on the
lower eyelid and a blackish spot in front of the eye. In autumn the colors are
veiled with olive above and yellow below, so that the markings are somewhat
obscured.
Adult female. Always duller than the male, with chestnut breast markings
often lacking.
Young in first summer. Gray, lighter beneath, and tinged with olive above ;
throat, yellowish.
Nest in tufts of Usnea moss, made wholly of the moss itself ; eggs, four to
five, white, with fine rufous spots at the larger end, .64 x .44.
Common summer resident in the pine barrens and casually so else-
wheic, though mainty a transient in other parts of the State.
Anive? April 28th (May ith), departs October 1st.
The pine barren swamps, where all the bushes and dead trees are
festooned with the long, gray ''old man's beard" or Usnea moss, are
the home of the Parula, and from every side one can hear the fine
Hoping song, "pe-tsee, pe-tsee, pe-tsee-see," as Professor Jones writes
it.
The birds aie governed, in their distribution, by the abundance of
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 273
the moss, and as it is rare and local outside of the pine barrens, they
are seldom found breeding out of this district.
Mr. P. B. Philipp found them nesting regularly, but not commonly,
at Newton, Sussex county, in June, 1906 and 1908, and Mr. F. M.
Chapman saw one at High Knob, in the same county, June 10th, 1890.
In migration the Parula associates with the mixed Warbler throng
and exhibits no peculiarities of habit. 1
650 Dendroica tigrina (Gmelin).
Cape May Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.75-5.50. Wing, 2.85. Above, olive-green, shaded
with gray ; top of head, black ; lower rump, yellowish ; back obscurely spotted
with black ; wings and tail, dusky ; a broad white wing bar and white sub-
terminal spots on the three outer pairs of tail feathers ; sides of face, bright
chestnut ; line over the eye, yellow, largely suffused with chestnut, and a yellow
patch on the side of the neck below the chestnut ; under parts, pale yellow, be-
coming white on the middle of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; throat,
breast and sides heavily streaked with black, the first sometimes washed with
chestnut. In autumn, much veiled with grayish edgings to the feathers.
Adult female. Much paler; head, olive, spotted with dusky; a faint yellow
streak over the eye, a pale yellow one on each side of the neck ; under surface,
white, in older birds more or less tinged with yellow and streaked with gray
on the throat, breast and sides ; sides of face, gray.
Young in first autumn.- Similar to adult female.
Very rare transient visitant.
Mr. Babson, in his Birds of Princeton, states that W. E. D. Scott
secured several specimens in the autumn. Thurber records one taken
at Chatham, Morris county, by Maj. Blanchet. Mr. Chapman ob-
tained one at Englewood, and Krider states that he has taken it in
New Jersey, but so far as I. am aware no others have been recorded
from the State since the male described by Alex. Wilson, which was
obtained by George Ord, in 1809, near Cape May, to which capture the
bird owes its name, and a female obtained by Chas. L. Bonaparte, at
Bordentown, May 14th, about 1825. Recently Mr. Robt. T. Moore
obtained two at Haddonfield, September 22d, 1897, and October 2d,
1906; while Mr. S. N". Rhoads saw a male in full song at the same
place, May 15th, 1909.
The chestnut ear patch is an excellent "ear mark" for identification.
1 Cf. Wilde, Auk, 1897, p. 289, and Wilson, Bull., XVII., p. 4, for good ac-
counts of its nesting in New Jersey.
18
274 KEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
652 Dendroica aestiva (Gmelin).
Yellow Warbler.
PLATE 71.
Adult male. Length, 4.50-5.25. Wing, 2.50. Above, yellow-olive ; bright
yellow on the crown ; wings and tail, dusky, edged with yellow ; tips of the
coverts forming two fairly distinct bands ; inner webs of all but the central
pair of tail feathers more or less yellow ; sides of face and whole lower surface,
rich golden yellow, the breast and sides streaked with chestnut. In autumn
greener above, and streaks somewhat veiled by yellow tips.
Adult female. Similar, but duller and greener, with streaks fewer and nar-
rower.
Young in first autumn. Male similar to adult female ; female still duller,
with no streaks below and throat whitish.
Young in first summer. Above, pale olive-brown ; below, sulphur yellow,
without streaks.
Nest of soft vegetable fibers and vegetable down in a bush near water ; eggs,
four to five, bluish-white, with a wreath of brown spots at the larger end,
.65 x .50.
Common summer resident though somewhat local. Arrives April
24th (April 30th), departs September 25th.
This is our best-known breeding warbler. In southern Jersey it
is always found near the water, nesting plentiful in the swampy
thickets along the Delaware and its tributaries, but in the pine barren
swamps I have never detected it.
In the northern counties it is said to be more a bird of the garden
and orchard, breeding in the shrubbery near houses.
Its nest is a favorite repository for the Cowbird, and the Warbler
has been known to raise the sides in order to bury the intruder's egg
in the bottom, depositing its own eggs on the upper floor.
The song of the Yellow Warbler is a liquid "sweet-sweet-sweet-
sweeter-sweeter."
654 Dendroica cserulescens (Gmelin).
Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.75-5.50. Wing, 2.00. Above, uniform grayish-blue,
a square white patch covering the bases of the primary wing feathers, con-
spicuous even when the wings are closed ; two outer tail feathers with white
subterminal areas, the third often edged with white near the tip ; under parts,
white, with the throat, sides of head and sides of breast black. In autumn the
throat feathers are frosted with white and there is often an olive tinge to the
upper parts.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 275
Adult female. Uniform olive above, pale olive-yellow below ; wing edgings
tinged with gray ; the white wing spot is less conspicuous than in the male ;
there is a white spot on the lower eyelid and a short streak above the eye ; the
outermost tail feather has a lighter subterminal area often scarcely distinguish-
able. In autumn, deeper olive.
Young in first summer. Olive-brown above, brownish-white below, yellowish
on the throat.
Common transient visitant- Spring, April 27th (May 4th) to
May 20th; autumn, August 25th to October 10th. Probably rare
breeder in Sussex county where Mr. S. N". Rhoads saw one June 5th,
1909, at Wawayanda Lake.
This is one of the species composing the regular Warbler waves of
May, which mark the height of spring migration. These assemblages,
which seem to contain all the known varieties of Warblers, so thickly
do they swarm in the tree-tops now one kind, now another coming
within the range of our glass, are characteristic of most of the State,
but they seem to avoid the dry pine barrens, the lower trees and
drier soil, and prevalence of pines being apparently not to their liking.
The Black-throated Blue Warbler, both the male and female, may
be easily recognized by the white spot on the middle of the wing at
the base of the primaries, a mark not common to any other species.
The song of this species has a peculiar harsh or buzzing quality,
"wee, zwee, zwe-e-e-."
655 Dendroica coronata (Linnaeus).
Myrtle Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler.
PLATE 72.
Adult male. Length, 5-6. Wing, 2.80. Above, bluish-gray, with black
streaks broadest on the back ; a yellow patch on the crown and rump ; wings
and tail, blackish, edged with gray ; wing-coverts broadly tipped with white,
forming two conspicuous bars ; three outer tail feathers with subterminal white
patches on the inner webs ; under surface, white, with a large black breast patch
extending down the sides of the chest, where it is bordered just under the edge
of the wings with yellow ; flanks streaked with black ; sides of face, black, with
a short white streak over the eye and a white spot on the lower lid. In winter,
veiled above and below with olive and gray.
Adult female. Rather smaller. More or less brown above ; sides of face,
brown ; black on breast not so extensive and broken by white edgings to the
feathers, yellow much paler.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female, but browner, with streaking
of upper parts obscured ; breast and sides tinged with brown and thickly
streaked with black, streaks more or less obscured by the light edges to the
feathers.
276 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Common transient visitant and common winter visitant especially
near the coast. Spring, March 29th (April 24th) to May 20th;
autumn, September 25th to November 1st.
In the bayberry thickets and cedars along the coast of New Jersey
and northward as far as Englewood, the Myrtle Warblers may be seen
in flocks all winter long, the wax-covered berries of the bayberry (Wax
Myrtle) affording them their principal food at this season.
In the interior of the State they also occur casually in winter
Summit (Hann), Plainfield (Miller), Crosswicks (C. -C. Abbott),
Burlington (Miss Minnie V. Mynn), Haddonfield (S. N. Rhoads).
In the early spring they start northward, and are usually among the
earlier Warblers of the spring migration.
The Myrtle Warbler is rather deliberate in its actions, hopping from
limb to limb, with wings drooping so that the yellow rump-patch is
conspicuously displayed. Its winter note is a characteristic chipp ; its
song a trill or twitter.
This is the only member of the Warbler family to winter regularly
in the State.
657 Dendroica magnolia (Wilson).
Magnolia Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.50-5. Wing, 2.35. Above, black ; top of head, except
the forehead, gray ; rump, yellow ; wing-coverts largely white, forming a large
conspicuous patch, the usual double bars running together ; the middle portion
of all but the central pair of tail feathers white on the inner web for the same
distance on each feather, making a conspicuous broad band across the tail when
expanded ; sides of face, black, with a white line over the eye ; under parts,
bright yellow, heavily streaked with black on the chest and sides, streaks often
confluent on the middle of the chest ; under tail-coverts, white. In autumn,
top and sides of head and hind neck uniform gray ; back, olive-green, with
black centers to the feathers ; rump, yellow ; upper tail-coverts, black ; two
narrow white bars on the wings; under parts with black streaks obscured by
yellow tips and largely restricted to the sides.
Adult female. Similar to male, but gray extending back over the hind neck
and back streaked with olive; stripes below narrower.
Young in first autumn. Like autumnal male, but duller, with streaks above
and below obscure, and throat washed with ashy.
Common transient visitant. Spring, May 7th to 12th; autumn,
August 20th to October 5th.
The Magnolia Warbler is always recognized by the white band
across the middle of the tail.
Its note, as described by Mr. J. H. Langille, is "chee-to, chee-to,
chee-tee-ee," a clear rapid whistle ending in a falling inflection.
THE BIRDS OF -NEW JERSEY. 277
658 Dendroica cserulea (Wilson).
Cerulean Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4-5. Wing, 2.50. Above, grayish cerulean blue, back
streaked with black and rump feathers with black bases, wings with two white
bars, tail with white subterminal spots on all but the center pair of feathers ;
ear-coverts, grayish ; under parts, white, streaked on the sides with black,
strongly tinged with grayish-blue ; a band of the same color across the chest.
Adult female. Grayish olive-green above, brighter, often bluish, on the head,
no streaks ; under parts, white, tinged with pale yellow, and a superciliary
stripe of the same.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female, but more streaked on the
sides.
Very rare straggler during migration.
The only New Jersey records of the Cerulean Warbler are one
killed by Dr. C. C. Abbott, near Trenton, 1 and one secured at Boon-
ton, Morris county, September 1st, 1887, by S. D. Judd. 2
659 Dendroica pensylvanica (Linnaeus).
Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.75-5.25. Wing, 2.50. Above, heavily streaked with
black on a whitish or olive ground ; whole top of head, yellow ; two pale yel-
lowish bands on the wings, three outer tail feathers largely white on the inner
webs ; sides of face, black ; ear-coverts and sides of neck, white ; under parts,
pure white, a rich chestnut stripe running from the black at the base of the
bill to the flanks. In autumn entirely different, bright yellow-olive above with
concealed black centers to the feathers of the back ; below, pure white, except
a wash of chestnut on the flanks.
Adult female. Similar to male, but duller ; crown, greenish and chestnut,
stripes not so extensive.
Young in first autumn. Duller than the adult male in autumn, no stripes
above and no chestnut on the flanks.
Nest in low bushes, similar to that of the Yellow Warbler ; eggs, four to five,
white, speckled with brown or gray, .65 x .50.
Common transient visitant in the southern half of the State, and
summer resident in the northern counties. Spring, May 5th to 15th;
autumn, August 15th to September 25th.
1 Birds of New Jersey, 1868.
2 Auk, 1897, p. 326.
278 EEPOET OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
Nests from Plainfield (Miller) to Demarest (Bowdish), and Al-
pine (Ehoads), and at Summit (Hann), Lake Hopatcong (Dwight)
and High Knob, Sussex county (Chapman), Sussex and Passaic
counties generally (Ehoads).
It has also been seen in June on Mt. Lucas, near Princeton, where
it no doubt breeds sparingly, but this is the most southern station
(Babson).
The Chestnut-sided Warbler in migration associates with the
various other species that make up the great warbler waves, and ex-
hibits no peculiarities in habits or haunts.
In its summer home it is a bird of open clearings covered with low
second growth.
Its song closely resembles that of the Yellow Warbler and may be
represented by the syllables "tsee, tsee, tsee, tsee, wee tsee."
660 Dendroica castanea (Wilson).
Bay-breasted Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5-6. Wing, 2.80. Above, gray, somewhat tinged with
buff and broadly streaked with black, except on the rump ; top of head, chest-
nut ; forehead and sides of head, black ; sides of neck, buff ; two broad wing
bars, two outer tail feathers with white subterminal spots ; under surface of
body, chestnut, except the center of the abdomen and under tail-coverts, which
are buffy-white. In autumn yellowish-olive above streaked with black on the
head and back ; below, pale buff, white in the middle of abdomen and a strong
wash of chestnut on the flanks ; upper and lower eyelids, white.
Adult female. Similar to the male, but much smaller, with chestnut area
much reduced.
Young in first autumn. Similar to autumnal adult, but chestnut on the
flanks a mere trace.
Usually a rather rare transient visitant, but common in some
seasons, and always more plentiful in autumn. Spring, May 10th to
20th: autumn, August 20th to October 1st.
The Bay-breast is always more abundant in autumn, at which time
it is very hard to distinguish it from the Black-poll.
Like most migrant warblers it is rare in the pine barrens.
THE BIRDS OF X K\V .JERSEY. 279
661 Dendroica striata (Forster).
Black-poll Warbler.
Adult male. 'Length, 5.50. Wing, 2.80. Above, gray, streaked with black;
gray replaced by white on the hind neck ; whole top of head, black ; wing-
coverts broadly tipped with white, forming two bars ; sides of face, white ;
under parts, white, streaked with black from the chin down the sides of the
throat to the flanks ; two outer tail feathers with subterminal white spots. In
autumn olive-green above, streaked with black on the back ; below, pale yellow-
ish, with dusky stripes on the sides and flanks ; upper and lower eyelids, white.
Adult female. Above, olive-green ; head, neck and back distinctly streaked
with black ; below, white, tinged with yellow and finely streaked with black on
the sides of the throat and body. Resembles the male in autumn, but more
streaked above.
Young in first autumn. Similar to autumnal adult, but less streaked, nearly
uniform below.
Abundant transient visitant. Spring, May 10th to June 1st;
autumn, September 10th to October 15th. In the exceptionally
late season of 1907 it was seen at Moorestown until June 17th.
The Black-poll is a late migrant,, bringing up the rear of the spring
procession., and appears to outnumber any of the other species.
His note is a delicate insect-like "tsee, tsee, tsee, tsee, tsee, tsee,"
all in one pitch.
662 Dendroica fusca (Miiller).
Blackburnian Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.50-5.50. Wing, 2.75. Above, black, streaked with
white on the back and neck ; crown with a median stripe of orange ; wings
with the lesser-coverts broadly tipped with white and the greater-coverts largely
white, forming together a large white area ; three outer tail feathers largely
white on the inner web, the fourth with a white spot; under parts brilliant
orange from the chin to the chest, including the sides of the head, except the
ear-coverts, which are black ; abdomen, white ; a row of black streaks from
the neck to the flanks on each side. In autumn quite different, olive-gray above
streaked with black, streaks coarse on the back ; two distinct white bars on the
wings ; under surface, pale yellow, tinged with orange on the throat and breast ;
abdomen, yellowish-white ; sides streaked with black.
Adult female. Similar to male, but much duller, gray above instead of
black in spring, and head streaked with black, browner above in autumn.
Young in first autumn. Like autumnal adult female, young females still
duller, obscurely streaked above and with only a wash of yellow on the breast
below.
Tolerably common transient visitant. Spring, May 4th to 15th;
autumn, August 25th to October 15th.
280 REPORT OF JX T EW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
667 Dendroica virens (Gmelin).
Black-throated Green Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 4.50-5.25. Wing, 2.50. Above, yellowish olive-green,
some of the feathers of the back centered with black ; wing-coverts broadly
tipped with white, forming two bands ; three outer tail feathers with large
white areas on the inner webs ; forehead, cheeks and sides of neck, and broad
line over the eye, bright yellow ; throat, breast and sides of body, black ; middle
of abdomen and under tail-coverts, white, slightly tinged with pale yellow. In
autumn the black is veiled with yellow tips to the feathers.
Adult female. Similar, but duller, and with less black; chin and upper
throat usually yellowish-white.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adults, but with much less black and
with long yellowish tips to the feathers. In the female there is no black on
the breast and only black streaks on the sides.
Nest in trees or sometimes near the ground ; , eggs, three to four, white, with
a wreath of brown and lilac spots, .60 x .50.
Common transient visitant. Spring, April 28th (May 3d) to May
15th; autumn, September 1st to October 10th.
Only one nest of this species has been found in the State. It was
discovered by Mr. B. S. Bowdish, at Demarest, June 5th, 1904. 1 That
it may prove a regular summer resident, in the same region, is sug-
gested by the fact that Messrs. S. N. Rhoads and Wm. B. Evans found
it at Alpine, on the palisades, in June, 1901, 2 and in June, 1909, Mr.
Rhoads found them evidently breeding at Greenwood, Wawayanda and
Echo Lakes.
An easily recognized member of the spring Warbler host, with a
most distinctive song, "pee, tee, chee-o, tee," as given by Professor
Jones, the third and fourth notes joined together and representing a
drop from the former pitch, to which it returns on the last note ; the
first, second and fifth are short or staccato.
671 Dendroica vigors! (Audubon).
Pine Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5-5.50. Wing, 2.75-3. Above, olive-green; wings and
tail, dusky, the former with two whitish wing bars, the latter with large white
areas on the inner webs of the two outer pairs of feathers ; below, yellow, with
indistinct dusky streaks on the sides of the breast; middle of abdomen and
under tail-coverts, white; a faint line of yellow just above and below the eye.
In autumn the colors are softer and more blended.
1 Auk, 1906, p. 17.
2 Cassinia, 1901, p. 50.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 281
Adult female. Much browner above and paler beneath, often without a trace
of yellow.
Young in first summer. Brown above, drab beneath, somewhat mottled with
dark gray ; center of abdomen, whitish ; wing and tail feathers as in the adult.
Nest of strips of bark, leaves, etc., in a pine tree, twenty or thirty feet up;
eggs, four to five, grayish-white, with a ring of brown spots at the larger end,
.68x.52.
Common summer resident in the pine barrens; elsewhere a rare
transient. Arrives March 30th, departs October 5th.
The Pine Warbler is one of the most characteristic birds of the
pine barrens of the southern part of the State. It is deliberate in its
movements, slowly exploring the thick bunches of pine needles or oc-
casionally clinging to the trunk of the tree in pursuit of insects.
In plumage it is one of the plainest of our Warblers. Its song is
a clear trill, closely resembling that of the Chipping Sparrow.
While undoubtedly nesting abundantly all through the pines, the
nest is exceedingly hard to find, and, so far as I am aware, the only
ones found recently were one discovered by Mr. R. T. Moore, near
Tuckahoe, 1 May 13th, 1908, and two found by Mr. H. H. Hann, at
Chatsworth, May 28th and June 1st, 1904. 1
At High Knob, Sussex county, Mr. F. M. Chapman found a colony
of these birds, June 10th, 1890, and secured a young one, which is
the only evidence of their nesting outside of the barrens. At Engle-
wood he had seen it but twice. 2
Mr. S. N. Rhoads saw one at Haddonfield, on January 30th, 1898,
and possibly a few may winter regularly among the pines. 3
672 Dendroica palmarum (Gmelin).
Palm Warbler.
Similar to the next in general appearance but much paler, with yellow
largely replaced by white and size smaller. Length, 4.50-5.50. Wing, 2.50.
Rare transient visitant ; the bulk of the migration taking place west
of the Alleghanies.
One was taken at Princeton, October, 1877, by Mr. W. E. D. Scott : 4
1 Cassinia, 1908, p. 29.
2 Auk, 1889.
8 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 2.
*Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 74.
2S2 REPORT OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
another was obtained by Mr. H. C. Oberholser, 1 at Red Bank, Mon-
mouth county, September 28th, 1889 ; still another I secured at Cape
May, September llth, 1893, while Mr. W. D. W. Miller 2 found them
rather common near Plainfield, September 23d to October 4th, 1903.
672a Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea Ridgway.
Yellow Palm Warbler, Yellow Red-poll Warbler.
Adults in spring. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.75. Above, olive-brown, passing
into olive-yellow on the rump ; back and nape distinctly streaked with dusky ;
wing and tail, dusky, the latter with white areas at the tips of the inner webs
of the two outer pairs of feathers ; top of head, bright chestnut, with a yellow
line over the eye ; under parts, canary-yellow ; ear-coverts, sides of throat and
chest streaked with chestnut.
Adults in autumn. Much duller, more olive below ; chestnut crown much
more veiled with olive or only present in a few spots ; streaks everywhere in-
distinct and veiled.
Common transient visitant. Spring, April 10th (April 17th) to
April 25th; autumn, October 10th to 20th. Mr. S. N. Rhoads took
a specimen at Mays Landing, December 2d, 1892. 3
This warbler has many peculiarities; it arrives early in the spring
before the great warbler flights, and is a bird of the ground or low
bushes; its most characteristic habit, however, is the regular wagging
of the tail after the manner of the Titlark or Water Thrush.
673 Dendroica discolor (Vieillot).
Prairie Warbler.
PLATE 71.
Adult male. Length, 4.25-5. Wing, 2.25. Above, olive-green, mottled with
bright chestnut across the back ; wings and tail, dusky ; lesser wing-coverts
broadly tipped with yellow, forming a prominent band ; greater-coverts slightly
edged with white; four outer tail feathers more or less white, the outermost
mainly white even on the base of the outer web, decreasing to an oval spot on
the fourth feather ; below, bright yellow, heavily streaked with black on the
sides of the breast and abdomen ; a yellow line from the bill over the eye, a
1 Auk, 1895, p. 185.
2 Bird Lore, 1903, p. 199.
3 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 137.
THE BIRDS OF XKW .JERSEY. 283
black line through the eye, a yellow streak below it and a black line separating
this from the throat, also a triangle of black on each side of the neck. In*
autumn similar, but with the black streaks veiled with yellow and in first-year
birds the markings less extensive.
Adult female. Similar, but much duller, with narrower black streaks and
less chestnut on the back, sometimes scarcely a trace.
Young in first summer. Above, brownish-olive ; below, brownish on the
breast and throat, whitish on the abdomen ; wings and tail similar to adult.
A r.vf of fine fibers and downy substances, placed in a low bush ; eggs, four
to five, white, with a circle of brown spots at the larger end, .64 x .48.
Common summer resident in the pine barrens; rather scarce
migrant elsewhere. Arrives May 1st, departs September 15th. Mr.
Chapman never saw it at Englewood 1 and Mr. Holmes had but one
record at Summit.
The Prairie Warbler is another of the birds that make the pine
barrens interesting territory for the ornithologist. In and out among
the scrubby oak and pine bushes he is continually alert and even in
the boiling sun of midday the air is filled with the drowsy mo-
notonous "zee, zee, zee, zee, zee-zee," hardly louder than the shrilling
of a cricket.
The nest in this region is often placed in a holly bush, well con-
cealed by the prickly leaves.
674 Seiurus aurocapillus (Linnaeus).
Ovenbird, Golden-crowned Thrush.
PLATE 73.
Adults. Length, 5.50-6.50. Wing, 2.80. Above, dull olive-green, two black
stripes from the base of the bill to the hind neck, inclosing a patch of tawny
buff; below, white, streaked heavily with black across the breast and down the
sides, with a black line from the bill down the side of the throat.
Young in first summer. Above, cinnamon-brown, streaked with blackish ' on
the back and two faint black stripes on the head ; wings and tail, olive, wing-
coverts tipped with cinnamon ; below, pale cinnamon on the throat and breast,
mottled with dusky spots ; rest of under surface, white.
Nest on the ground, arched over above, built of leaves, grass and slender
rootlets ; eggs, four to five, white, speckled with reddish-brown, .80 x .60.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 26th (April 30th),
departs October 9th.
1 Auk, 1889, p. 198.
284: EEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
t The Ovenbird is one of the most characteristic birds of our wood-
lands, and in spring and early summer they fairly ring with its music.
The usual song is the familiar "cher, tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher,
tea-cher," beginning rather low and becoming louder with repetition.
The bird has, however, a much more elaborate flight song at the
height of the breeding season.
The Ovenbird is distinctly a ground warbler and walks deliberately
about over the dead leaves, ftying up to some low branch when dis-
turbed or when about to sing.
This is one of the birds that habitually tries to lure you from its
nest by feigning lameness or a broken wing, and flutters along ahead
of the intruder as if scarcely able to get out of the way. Full
activity, however, is soon regained when it has led you safely away
from the nest.
675 Seiurus noveboracensis (Gmelin).
Water-Thrush.
PLATE 73.
Adults. Length, 5-6. Wing, 2.90. Above, uniform olive-brown, a yellowish-
white line over the eye; below, yellowish-white, thickly spotted or streaked
with black or very dark olive, except on the middle of the abdomen and under
tail-coverts.
Common transient visitant. Spring, April 25th (May 3d) to May
20th; autumn, August 3d to October 1st.
This bird is, essentially, a dark brown Ovenbird in build and gen-
eral habits, but it is more active and always a bird of the water
courses; walking along the hard sand and over some fallen log, or
hopping from stone to stone with tail always bobbing up and down
like a Sandpiper.
The song of the Water Thrush is one of the treats of spring time,
and it is hard to realize that such a powerful song comes from so
small a bird. Professor Jones has well represented it, "sweet, sweet,
sweet, chu, chu, chu, chu, wee, chu."
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 285
675a Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis (Grinnell).
GrinnelPs Water-Thrush.
Differs from the last in larger size and darker, sootier color above. Length,
5.50-6.50. Wing, 3.15.
One specimen was taken at Raritan, May 30th, 1889, 1 and another
by Mr. W. E. D. Scott, at Princeton, September 10th, 1879. 2
676 Seiurus motacilla (Vieillot).
Louisiana Water-Thrush.
Adults. Length, 5.75-6.25. Wing, 3.15. Above, olive-brown, darker on the
head and grayer on the back ; a white line over the eye ; below, white, streaked
on the breast and sides with brownish-black. In autumn the sides are washed
with buff.
Differs from the preceding species in the absence of spots on the throat and
in the white color of the under parts as contrasted with the pale lemon tint of
8. noveboracensis.
l^oung in first summer. Similar, but throat as well as breast and sides
streaked, and under tail-coverts and sides cinnamon.
Nest under an overhanging bank of leaves and rootlets; eggs, four to six,
white, speckled with reddish-brown, .76 x .62.
Common summer resident in the lower Hudson Valley and along
the upper Delaware; very rare migrant in south Jersey. Arrives
April 15th, departs September 1st.
While common along the Delaware from Black's Eddy to Port Jer-
vis, on the lakes of Sussex and Passaic counties (Rhoads) and on
the lower Hudson, this Water-Thrush seems to be rare elsewhere in the
State. Mr. Miller has found it, in summer, occasionally in notches of
the trap ridge, north of Plainfield, and Mr. Babson secured a fledge-
ling, near Princeton, June 12th, 1900. Dr. Dwight found it, in sum-
mer, at Lake Hopatcong, and Mr. P. B. Philipp at Newton, Sussex
county.
In southern New Jersey it seems to be unrecorded.
In habit, song and appearance it resembles the other Water-Thrush,
but may be distinguished by the white instead of yellow underparts
and the lack of spots on the throat.
1 Southwick, Auk, 1892, p. 303.
2 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 75.
286 EEPOET OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
677 Oporornis formosa (Wilson).
Kentucky Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5-5.85. Wing, 2.60. Above, plain olive-green, with a
black mask covering the sides of the face and top of head, the feathers of the
crown tipped with gray ; below, bright yellow, with a stripe of the same color
over the eye and covering the posterior part of the orbital ring.
Adult female. Similar, but black mask much duller and not so extensive.
Young in first summer. Above, light sepia-brown ; wings and tail, yellow ;
below, pale brown, becoming buffy-yellow on the abdomen and under tail-
coverts.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female, with black mask only partly
developed and veiled with gray.
Nest of leaves and small twigs and rootlets on the ground ; eggs, four to five,
white, speckled with brown, .70 x .55.
Summer resident in the lower Hudson Valley and rarely in the
middle Delaware Valley; almost unknown in the other parts of the
State. Arrives April 30th (May 6th), departs September 1st.
The distribution of this bird is peculiar; a common breeder in the
deep, rich woodlands of southeastern Pennsylvania; it seems to be
entirely absent from the greater part of southern New Jersey, even
as a migrant. Mr. Ehoads never saw it at Haddonfield, nor has it
been found at Princeton by Mr. Babson, though Dr. C. C. Abbott
states that it occurred there in 1864-7.
On the Pensauken Creek, nine miles east of Camden, Mr. C. J. Hunt
found it breeding sparingly, and Mr. R. C. Harlow found a pair ap-
parently breeding at Manahawkin, on the coast. This is in line with
the distribution of many plants and animals which occur through
northern New Jersey and sporadically on either side of the pine
barrens, southward.
In the northern part of the State, however, the Kentucky Warbler
does not seem to be generally distributed. Mr. Chapman reports it
common at Englewood, in the Hudson Valley, and Mr. Holmes states
that it occurs at Summit, but it is never found at Plainfield where
Mr. Miller has searched for it.
The Kentucky Warbler is found on the ground or in the low
bushes, now and then flying up on the branches of a tree to sing. Its
loud, clear whistle fairly rings through the quiet wood; the syllables,
"too-dle, too-dle, too-dle, too-dle," fairly represent its measures, while
in quality it recalls the notes of the Carolina Wren or Cardinal, or at
a distance reminds one of the song of the Ovenbird, given all in the
same pitch.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 287
678 Oporornis agilis (Wilson).
Connecticut Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5.20-15. Wing, 2.75. Above, plain olive-green; fore-
head, sides of head, throat and breast, slate-gray ; rest of lower parts, pale
yellow ; a white ring around the eye. In autumn the top of the head is washed
with brown.
Adult female. Similar, but gray areas tinged with brown.
Young in first autumn. Similar to the adult female, but throat and breast
distinctly brown ; eye ring, buff.
Common transient visitant in autumn; very rare in spring.
Spring, May 20th; autumn, September 1st to October 2d.
In autumn we find these birds in old fields along the edges of
woods and thickets, especially in thick growths of rag weed; when ap-
proached they fly up into trees and bushes and remain until the in-
truder has passed by when they return to their feast. They are ex-
traordinarily fat at this season.
In spring the Connecticut Warbler is almost unknown east of the
Alleghanies ; one of the very few specimens taken at this season,
however, was obtained in New Jersey, by Mr. S. N. Rhoads, at Had-
donfield, May 20th, 1882 (Collection W. Stone). 1
679 Oporornis Philadelphia (Wilson).
Mourning Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.40. Head, neck and breast, slate-
gray ; center of breast and bases of throat feathers, black ; rest of upper sur-
face, olive-green ; lower surface, bright yellow, olive on the sides.
Adult female. Lacks the black on the breast and throat, while the gray is
paler below and more olive above.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female, but duller.
Very rare transient visitant. Spring, May 15th to 30th; autumn,
September 22d.
Mr. Chapman had taken but one, at Englewood, up to 1889, 2 but
saw another May 22d, 1898. 3 At Morristown Messrs. Thurber and
1 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., I., p. 6.
2 Auk, 1889, p. 198.
3 Abst. Proc. Linn. Soc., N. Y.. XL, p. 4.
288 REPORT OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Green record two taken September 24th, 1885, 1 and Mr. Holmes, one
seen at Summit, May 29th, 1904.
Dr. C. C. Abbott saw one, May 20th, 1906, at Trenton. Mr. Scott
took one, September 22d, 1880, at Princeton, 2 and Mr. G. S. Morris
obtained one on the Pensauken Creek near its mouth, May 30th,
1897. 3
681 Geothlypis trichas (Linnaeus).
Maryland Yellow-throat.
PLATE 74.
Adult male. Length, 4.50-5.50. Wing, 2. Above, grayish olive-green, brown-
ish on the back of the head ; below, bright yellow from the chin to the middle
of the breast ; rest of under parts, pale buff to dull white ; under tail-coverts,
yellow ; a jet black mask covering the sides of the face and forehead, bordered
behind with grayish. In autumn, browner above and on the flanks, the black
mask veiled with grayish edgings.
Adult female. Similar, but lacks at all seasons the black mask.
Young in first summer. Olive-brown above, olive-green on tail ; tawny wood
brown on the throat, chest and flanks ; pale yellowish on the abdomen.
Young in first autumn. Male similar to autumnal adult, but with only a
trace of the black mask on the sides of the face below the eye ; female similar
to adult, but buff instead of yellow below.
Nest on the ground or in a tussock in low ground, quite large and made of
leaves, bark, grass, etc. ; eggs, three to five, white, speckled with brown and
rusty brown, .70 x .50.
Abundant summer resident; arrives April 21st (April 28th), de-
parts October 12th.
The Maryland Yellow-throat is universally distributed from one
end of the State to the other, as much at home in the pine barrens
as in the mountains, and from every swamp and low thicket comes
his familiar song, "wichity, wichity, wichity, wichity."
The bird is Wren-like in its actions and in its inquisitiveness,
bobbing in and out among the bushes, intent upon investigating any
intruder who approaches its domain.
A single Yellow- throat was seen by Mr. Rhoads, at Haddonfield, on
February 5th, 1890, 4 but its occurrence in winter is purely accidental.
1 O. and O., 1886, p. 92.
2 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 76.
3 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 4.
4 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 140.
THE B1UDS OF NEW JEKSEY. 289
683 Icteria virens (Linnasus).
Yellow-breasted Chat.
PLATE 74.
Adults. Length, 6.75-7.50. Wing, 3. Above, uniform grayish olive-green ;
below, from the chin to the upper part of the abdomen, brilliant yellow ; rest
of under surface, white ; a white line over the eye and another from the base
of the bill, with a black spot between them in front of the eye.
Youny in first summer. Above, olive-brown; wings and tail tinged with
green ; below, ashy-gray.
Rest of leaves, strips of bark and grass in a bush about three feet from the
ground ; eggs, three to five, white, spotted with reddish-brown, .90 x .70.
Common summer resident throughout the southern, middle and
northeastern parts of the State, excepting the pine barrens. Arrives
April 29th (May 5th), departs September 15th.
The Chat is a bird of low thickets or clearings and is far more
frequently heard than seen. At any time of day we may hear his
queer jumble of notes pouring out of some brier thicket, a deliberate
"kuk, kuk, kv.k, kuk, kuk," in a high key and then on a much lower
note and still more deliberate "caw, caw, caw," then several whistles
and a high-pitched, rapid "kek, kek, kek, kek," a pause, and we ap-
proach to get a view of the performer, when we hear from another
bunch of briers, farther on, a harsh derisive "tsheet, tsheet, tsheet,
tsheet," in a guttural tone, if such a thing is possible in a bird. So
the performance goes, apparently without any regularity or system.
The action of the Chat is quite as peculiar as his song; he manages to
conceal himself effectually and frequently to fly from one thicket
to another without being seen, but on other occasions he mounts
into the air and descends slowly with legs extended and wings flap-
ping, all the while pouring out his varied notes in a most ludicrous
flight song. One would hardly take the Chat for a Warbler, though
it would be equally difficult to classify him elsewhere, and we are,
therefore, willing to accept the evidence of less conspicuous struc-
tural characters and include him as an aberrant member of this large
family.
The Chat breeds north to the New York line and farther along the
Hudr-on, also at Summit (Hann and Holmes), Morristown (Thur-
IHT), Lake Hopatcong (Dwight), and Walrkill Valley, Greenwood
and Beaver Lakes, Passaic county (Rhoade) ; also up the Delaware
to High Knob and Port Jervis (Chapman).
19
290 REPORT OF ^ T EW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
684 Wilsonia citrina (Boddaert).
Hooded Warbler.
r '
PLATE 72.
Adults. Length, 5-5.70. Wing, 2.60. Forehead and sides of face, bright
yellow ; rest of head, throat and breast, jet black ; remainder of upper surface,
olive-green ; lower surface, bright yellow, paler on the under tail-coverts ; two
outer pairs of tail feathers mainly white on the inner web, next pair with a ter-
minal white spot. Female usually with less black than male, with no black
whatever in the first breeding season.
Young in first autumn. Male similar to adult, but black everywhere veiled
with yellow tips to the feathers ; female with no black at all.
Nest of fine strips of bark, leaves and grass, situated in the crotch of a bush ;
eggs, four to five, white, with reddish-brown spots around the larger end,
.70 x .50.
Common summer resident in the pine barren swamps in the lower
Hudson Valley, and about Greenwood and Wawayanda Lakes
(Rhoads) ; a rare transient elsewhere. Arrives April 30th, departs
September 15th.
In the cedar swamps of the pine barrens, near Dennisville and
Seaville, Cape May county, and Mays Landing, Atlantic county, I
have found this Warbler quite plentiful, and Mr. Harlow has found it
at Clementon. Its clear warble is easily recognized after it has once
been heard, and has been represented by Mr. Langille, by the syllables
"che-ree. che-ree, che-ree, chi-di-ee."
The Hooded Warbler is a beautiful bird, and in the cedar swamps
the rich black and yellow of his plumage stand out with great dis-
tinctness.
In the lower Delaware Valley the bird is very rare, and Mr. Babson
reports it as only a casual migrant at Princeton, and Mr. Miller as
rare at Plainfield.
At Englewood, Bergen county, Mr. Chapman 1 states that it is an
abundant -summer resident, and according to Mr. Bowdish it is locally
common at Demarest. Mr. Rhoads also found it at Alpine. 2
1 Birds Vicinity of N. Y., p. 7.1.
2 Cassinia, 1901, p. 50.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 291
685 Wilsonia pusilla (Wilson).
Wilson's Warbler.
Adults. Length, 5. Wing, 2.25. Above, olive-green, with a square, glossy,
black crown patch ; forehead, sides of face and entire under surface, yellow.
You ni/ in first autumn. Similar, but black cap veiled with olive in the male
and usually lacking entirely in the female.
A regular but not common transient visitant. Spring, May 12th
to 20th; autumn, August 20th to September 15th.
One of the later Warblers of the spring flight. Its song bears some
resemblance, to that of the Yellow Warbler.
686 Wilsonia canadensis (Linnaeus).
Canada Warbler.
Adult male. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.60. Above, including sides of head,
plain gray ; feathers of the forehead and crown more or less centered with
black ; below, canary-yellow, with a necklace of black spots ; a yellow line
over the eye ; spot in front and below the eye, black ; under tail-coverts, white.
Adult female. Similar, but duller ; the spots of the "necklace" are dull gray.
young in first autumn. Similar to adult female.
Nest in a hollow on a bank among leaves and moss ; eggs, four to five, white,
with fine rufous spots, .65 x .50.
Common transient visitant. Spring, May 5th (May 12th) to May
30th: autumn, August 20th to October 1st. Also found by Mr. S.
N. Rhoads to be a summer resident about the lakes of northern Sussex
and Passaic counties, June 4th to 8th, 1909.
This is one of the later group of migrant Warblers, resembling
somewhat the Magnolia on the under side but with the necklace spots
smaller and no white on the tail.
The song is represented by Professor Jones as "tu tu tswee tu tu,"
the long middle note being pitched higher than the others.
687 Setophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus).
Redstart.
PLATE 75.
Adult male. Length, 4.75-5.75. Wing, 2.50. Upper surface, as well as
entire head, neck and chest, glossy black ; a broad band across the middle of
the wing involving all but the tertials, bright orange or salmon, with faint
292 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
edgings of the same on the primaries ; tail, with basal half of all but the two
middle pairs of feathers, salmon ; side of breast and under wing-coverts, bright
salmon ; center of breast and abdomen, white, with a few black streaks where
the white and salmon join ; under tail-coverts mixed with blackish. In autumn
the black feathers of the breast are slightly tipped with buffy-white, especially
posteriorly.
Adult female. Head and back of neck, mouse-gray ; back, olive ; wings and
tail, dusky ; throat and breast, white, like the abdomen ; salmon markings on
wings, tail and sides replaced by pale yellow, those on the wings usually re-
stricted to the secondaries.
Young in first summer. Browner above and dull brown on the throat and
breast.
Young in first autumn. Similar to adult female.
Young in first breeding season. Similar to adult female, but with some black
feathers scattered irregularly on the head and throat.
Nest of fine shreds of bark and other vegetable fibers mixed with downy
material, in the upright fork of a small tree ; eggs, four to five, bluish-white,
spotted around the larger end with dark brown and rusty, .65 x .50.
Common transient visitant and occasional summer resident in
southern New Jersey. Common summer breeder in the northern
counties. Arrives April 25th (May 3d), departs October 5th.
The Redstart is one of the most conspicuous of the migrant War-
blers; the brilliant salmon red across the wings and tail is made more
conspicuous by the nervous activity of the bird, which is constantly
spreading its tail and fluttering out in the air, clear of the branches,
in pursuit of some choice insect.
Its song Professor Jones compares with that of the Yellow Warbler,
with the difference that it is retarded while that of the latter is ac-
celerated toward the end. "Chee chee che^ chee-pa."
In summer the Redstart is rather rare in southern New Jersey, but
has been found nesting or observed in the nesting season in swampy
locations in Cape May and Cumberland counties by Messrs. Reed and
Wilde, at Haddonfield by Mr. Rhoads, at Manahawkin, Clementon,
Bennett and Dennisville by Mr. Harlow, and by Professor A. H. Phil-
lips, near Princeton. In northern New Jersey it is a common
summer resident; Lake Hopatcong (Rhoads), Plainneld (Miller),
near New York City (Chapman), High Knob (Chapman), Paterson
(J. H. Clark), and rare at Summit (Holmes) and Morristown
(Thurber).
THK BIRDS OF X K\V .1 HUSKY. 293
Family MOTACILLIDJE.
E WAGTAILS.
697 Anthus rubescens (Tunstall).
Titlark. Pipit.
Adults. Length, 6-7. Wing, 3.30. Above, grayish olive-brown ; tips of
wing-coverts, buff, forming two bars; innermost wing feathers edged with the
same ; tail, blackish, outermost pair of feathers largely white, the next pair
white tipped ; under surface of body, buff to pale cinnamon, usually thickly
spotted with brown on the breast and sides of throat and body ; plumage much
paler and under surface much faded in spring.
Common transient visitant along the seacoast, but more irregular
inland; winter visitant in the most southern counties; March-May,
October-Xovember.
Titlarks are delicate, active little birds always found in flocks while
with us; sometimes very large ones. They are further characterized
as birds of bare open tracts, especially of sandy or burnt fields. They
are, moreover, walkers, not hoppers, and are continually wagging their
tails. On burnt ground it is difficult to distinguish them until one is
nearly upon them, when they suddenly take flight, displaying for a
moment their white outer tail feathers, and with a faint "dee-dee" are
whirling up and up, until they drift away like wind-blown leaves.
1 have found them in very large flocks at Cape May, January 2d,
1892.
Family MIMIDJE.
THE MOCKERS.
Thp birds of this family are allied to both the Wrens and the
Thrushes. They comprise three of our best-known species famous
both for their song and their value as insect destroyers.
a. Slaty-gray above and below. CATBIRD, p. 295
aa. Gray above, white below. MOCKINGBIRD, p. 294
uaa. Rusty brown above, streaked below. BROWN THRASHER, p. 296
294 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
703 Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus).
Mockingbird.
Adults. Length, 9-11. Wing, 4.60. Upper parts, ashy-gray, wings and tail
more brownish ; basal portion of primaries, white ; three outer tail feathers
largely white; under parts, white, tinged with gray.
Young in first summer. Similar, but speckled below with dusky.
Nest of twigs, grass, rootlets, etc., in a bush ; eggs, four to six, pale bluish,
spotted and blotched with reddish-brown, .95 x .72.
Very rare summer resident.
The Mockingbird at the beginning of the last century seems to have
been of regular occurrence in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and, ac-
cording to Dr. B. S. Barton, was a resident bird, though Wilson says
they arrived about April 20th from the south. A significant state-
ment which is also made by the latter (writing about 1810) is that
"the eagerness with which the nest of the Mockingbird is sought after
in the neighborhood of Philadelphia has rendered this bird extremely
scarce for an area of several miles around the city. The continued
popularity of the species as a cage bird down to the present time has
almost effected its extermination north of southern Delaware." Turn-
bull in 1869 says, "It is now rare."
Its decrease in New Jersey was doubtless coincident with its reduc-
tion in Pennsylvania. Jacob Green 1 mentions it as apparently a
familiar bird at Princeton in 1817, and in 1868 Dr. C. C. Abbott
says : "Have seen but few specimens during the past seven years, and
found but one nest." Mr. G. N". Lawrence states that they bred on
Barnegat Beach in 1866. 2
Mr. F. M. Chapman, 3 on authority of Mr. Martin, reports a nest at
Tenafly, three miles north of Englewood, about 1876. The female
was killed, however, and nothing more was seen of the species until
1884, when a pair nested in the same garden; the young were taken
and reared in confinement, and although the male bird returned in
the spring of 1885, nothing was seen of them after that date.
Rev. Samuel Lockwood 4 states that Mockingbirds were plentiful
about Keyport in 1832, but had entirely disappeared by 1880, though
1 Doughty's Cab. Nat. Hist., II., pp. 7-10.
2 Ann. Lye., N. Y., VIII., p., 279.
3 Auk, 1889, p. 304.
*Amer. Nat., 1892, p. 635.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 295
one pair were present in 1882. A colony still existed on Sandy Hook
at least to 1892, though it suffered severely in the blizzard of 1888.
Mr. Henry Hales states that a pair bred near Ridge wood in 1884,
and one bird was seen in November, 1902. 1
On August 27th, 1891, I secured a single bird at Cape May Point,
and Mr. W. L. Baily got a young one in Juvenal plumage in 1895 at
Holly Beach. In August, 1897, Mr. Baily saw an adult at Cape May,
one at Ocean View, March 30th, 1901, and another at Wildwood, De-
cember 27th, 1903. Mr. D. N. McCadden saw two at Stone Harbor,
September 4th, 1903, and Miss C. Murphy reported one at Point
Pleasant throughout the winter of 1902-3.
At Beach Haven Mr. I. N. DeHaven saw one during the summer of
1906, and Mr. John Lewis Childs records a pair at Barnegat all sum-
mer in 1900. 2
Professor A. H. Philipps secured a young one near Princeton some
years ago. 3
704 Dumetella carolinensis (Linnaeus). , ,
Catbird.
PLATE 76.
Adults. Length, 8-9.25. Wing, 3.60. Above and below, slate-gray, paler
beneath ; entire top of head as well as tail, black ; under tail-coverts, chestnut.
Female sometimes with the black a little duller.
Young in first summer. Dull gray, indistinctly mottled with brown edgings
below, and lacking the black cap ; under tail-coverts, brownish.
Nest of leaves, twigs and grass and occasionally pieces of paper, in thickets;
eggs, three to five, deep greenish-blue, .95 x .70.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 21st (April 29th), de-
parts October 18th.
Equally at home in the swampy thickets or in the shrubbery of the
garden, the Catbird is familiar to all. The gray dress and the irri-
tating, complaining cry serve to identify him.
His song is a medley of notes similar to that of the Thrasher, but
more subdued, and usually given from the very middle of some dense
clump of bushes.
1 Bird Lore, 1904, p. 134.
- Auk, 1900, p. 390.
: Birds of Princeton, p. 77.
296 REPORT OF XEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
The Catbird is a trustful bird, nesting about our houses just as
long as we leave him some dense shrubbery and some fallen leaves
among which to scratch for food. Half of the Catbird's food con-
sists of insects ants, grasshoppers and caterpillars for the most part.
Of his vegetable diet part is garden fruit, but the bulk consists of
wild berries. Where the Catbird proves destructive, a simple ex-
pedient is the planting of wild cherry trees or other wild fruit, which
is always preferred to cultivated kinds.
In the southern counties, especially along the coast, and casually fur-
ther north, the Catbird occurs as a straggler in winter. Dr. C. C.
Abbott has found them at Trenton, Mr. Rhoads 1 secured one at At-
lantic City, December 26th, 1892, Mr. D. N". McCadden 1 another at
Avalon, February llth, 1894, and Dr. W. E. Hughes 2 one at Stone
Harbor, December 31st, 1905, while Mr. W. L. Baily 3 saw several at
Holly Beach in the winter of 1897-8, Mr. W. D. W. Miller 4 saw one
at Plainfield, December 30th, 1897, and W. B. Evans saw one at
Moorestown, December 25th, 1903. 5
705 Toxostoma rufum (Linnaeus).
Brown Thrasher.
PLATE 77.
Adults. Length, 11-12. Wing, 4.30. Above, bright cinnamon rufous ; below,
white, faintly tinged with buff on the sides and strongly streaked with black
across the lower neck and breast and down the sides of the body, some of the
streaks passing to cinnamon on the sides of the breast ; under tail-coverts, buff ;
wing-coverts dusky towards the end and tipped with buffy-white, forming two
wing bars. In autumn the buff wash below is stronger.
Young in first summer Similar, but streaked above with dull brown.
Nest a bulky structure of twigs lined with rootlets in low bushes or on the
ground : eggs, three to five, grayish-white, minutely speckled all over with cin-
namon-brown, 1.05 x .80.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 1st (April 24th), de-
parts October 22d. Casual in winter.
The Thrasher is a conspicuous bird in thickets and along fence rows
1 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J.
2 Cassinia, 1906, p. 58.
8 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 3.
4 Osprey, II., p. 91.
5 Bird Lore, February, 1904.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 297
and edges of woodlands. We see him more frequently running along
ahead or skulking through the bushes, easily recognized by his long
tail and bright rufous coloration. Again, he is a familiar sight at
riirly morning or evening, on the top of some tree with tail drooping
and head thrown back, pouring out a song of which any bird might
well be proud and which alone would confirm his relation to the Mock-
ingbird. A grand medley of notes and whistles, each one exactly
duplicated or sung in pairs.
The Thrasher, from his rusty color and spotted breast, is frequently
confused with the Thrushes and not infrequently called Brown
Thrush. His relationship, while partly with the Thrushes, is also
quite as much with the Wrens, so that he is to some extent a con-
necting link.
In a few .instances Thrashers have been seen in winter. One was
seen at Englewood, January 31st, 1885, by Mr. Chapman 1 and an-
other upon another occasion, 2 while Mr. W. L. Baily saw several at
Holly Beach in the winter of 1897-8, 3 one February 22d, 1S94, 4 and
two December 27th, 1903. 5
Family TROGLODYTID^E.
THE WRENS.
These little birds are among our most famous insect destroyers and
deserve the most careful protection. They are also songsters of the
highest ability.
a. Longitudinal white streaks on the back.
6. Bill, .40. SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN, p. 300
66. Bill. .50-60. LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN, p. 301
aa. No longitudinal white streaks on the back.
6. A conspicuous stripe over the eye and along the side of the crown.
c. Wing, 2.05-2.20, dark brown above. BEWICK'S WREX. p. 298
cc. Wing, 2.20-2.60, bright rusty above. CAROLINA WREN. p. 298
66. No stripe over the eye.
c. Tail less than 1.50. WINTER WREN, p. 300
oc. Tail over 1.75. HOUSE WREN, p. 299
'Auk, 1889, p. 305.
2 Foster, Abst. Linn. Soc., N. Y., V., p. 3.
8 Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., III., p. 3.
*Abst. Proc. D. V. O. C., II., p. 12.
8 Bird Lore, February, 1904.
298 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
718 Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham).
Carolina Wren.
PLATE 78.
Adults. Length, 5.25-6. Wing, 2.35. Above, uniform russet or rufous
chestnut, darker on the head ; wings and tail barred with dusky and small
white terminal spots on the wing-coverts ; large concealed white spots on the
base of the upper tail-coverts ; under surface, white, washed with cinnamon,
especially on the sides and flanks ; under tail-coverts with narrow brown bars ;
a conspicuous white line over the eye narrowly bordered with black ; plumage
duller in summer.
Young in first summer. Similar, but somewhat mottled with dusky beneath.
Nest large, made of grass, moss, leaves, feathers, etc., placed in holes in
walls and buildings, or in hollow trees, etc. ; eggs, four to six, white, spotted
with rusty and pale purple at the larger end, .74 x .60
Common resident in southern New Jersey and the lower Hudson
Valley ; rare elsewhere.
The Carolina Wren is the largest of our Wrens, a bird of the woods
and thickets, always in song, winter as well as summer. The song is
a loud clear whistle resembling those of the Tufted Titmouse and
Cardinal, birds which have almost the same distribution. The most
common variations have been excellently given by Mr. Chapman as
"whee-udle, whee-udle, whee-udle" and "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-
kettle." The bird has also a fluttering note like the "bleat" of a tree-
toad, which is uttered with numerous bobbings of the body as he hops
about, disturbed by some intruder.
The Carolina Wren is common throughout southern New Jersey,
especially in the western part. It is rare at Princeton (Babson), rare
and irregular at Plainfield (Miller), but more common in the lower
Hudson Valley (Chapman) from Fort Lee to Piermont.
719 Thryomanes bewicki (Audubon).
Bewick's Wren.
Adults. Length, 5.25. Wing, 2.15. A miniature Carolina Wren in shape
and proportions, but duller in color, being exactly the same shade as the House
Wren. Distinguished from the latter by the white line over the eye and white
tips and bars to the three outer pairs of tail feathers.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 299
Rare straggler from the south.
Mentioned in Beesley's Cape May list (1857), and given by Turn-
bull as rare. Dr. C. C. Abbott, in his list of New Jersey birds (1868),
says: "Rare; more abundant some seasons than others." In 1876 1
he emphasizes this statement, saying: "I have not failed to find a
considerable number of them for several years past; they return year
after year." But in 1884 2 he says a few pairs occurred some years
ago, and in 1895 3 refers to it only as "a western species."
The only other record that I know of is one bird seen at Haddon-
field bv Mr. S. N. Rhoads in 1890.
721 Troglodytes aedon (Vieillot).
House Wren.
PLATE 78.
Adults. Length, 4. Wing, 2. Above, brown, becoming rufescent on the
rump ; tail and wings and sometimes the back, barred with black ; below, dull
white, washed with russet on the flanks and slightly buffy on the breast ; flanks
and under tail-coverts barred with black ; a pale line over the eye and large,
round, white concealed spots on the base of the upper tail-coverts.
Young in first summer. Similar, but darker below and mottled from chin to
abdomen with dusky edgings to the feathers.
Nest in bird boxes, old Woodpeckers' holes, etc., made of twigs, lined with
feathers, grass, etc. ; eggs, six to eight, vinaceous, minutely speckled with
darker, .65 x .52.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 21st (April 27th), de-
parts October 5th.
The House Wren is one of our familiar home birds, but one which
seems to have become less common of late years, in some sections at
least.
Its cheerful warble used to be heard from every garden, but now,
from the persecution of English Sparrows or from some other cause,
it is only a migrant in certain localities. In autumn the House Wren
takes to the fence rows and edges of woodland. Mr. S. N. Rhoads
saw one bird, at Haddonfield, close at hand, early in February, 1909,
which had evidently wintered in a lumber yard.
1 Amer. Nat., 1S76, p. 237.
' Naturalists' Rambles about Home.
3 Birds about Us.
300 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
The Wrens are wholly beneficial, ninety-eight per cent, of their food
consisting of insects; grasshoppers, bugs, caterpillars and spiders
being the most important articles of diet.
722 Nannus hiemalis (Vieillot).
Winter Wren.
PLATE 78.
Adults. Length, 3.50-4. Wing, 1.85. Above, russet brown, brighter on the
rump and tail ; wings, tail, and posterior half of back more or less distinctly
barred with black, light areas on the outer wing feathers paler ; under surface
pale cinnamon ; flanks, abdomen and under tail-coverts barred or mottled with
black and dull white ; a pale line over the eye ; some concealed white spots on
the basal parts of the upper tail-coverts.
Tolerably common winter resident. Arrives September 25th, de-
parts April 20th.
This little short-tailed edition of the House, Wren takes its place
with us during the winter, inhabiting brush piles, and bobbing in and
out under the banks of streams. His note while with us is an inquisi-
tive little "pip-pip" as he bobs up and down on his short legs, with
no suspicion of the wonderful tinkling melody that pours from his
throat in his northern forest home.
724 Cistothorus stellaris (Lichteirstein).
Short-billed Marsh Wren,
Adults. Length, 3.75-4.50. Wing, 1.75. Above, head and back, black;
streaked with brownish white ; forehead and nape, nearly uniform brown ;
rump and upper tail-coverts, rusty, the latter barred with black and dull white ;
wings and tail, blackish brown, barred with light brown and dull white ; lower
surface, dull white ; sides of body, breast and under tail-coverts, cinnamon.
Young in first summer. Duller and paler below.
Nest a globular structure of woven grass on or near the ground ; eggs, six to
eight, pure white, .64 x .48.
Summer resident in the northern part of the State; common lo-
cally; rare winter visitant or transient in southern New Jersey.
This bird is known to me only as a rare transient or winter visitor
in the swamps of southern New Jersey, where it is usually flushed
THK r.lh'DS OF XU\Y JERSEY. 301
from the dead grass only to drop back again into the welcome shelter
after a short bobbing flight.
Specimens have been taken at
Beach Haven; October 3d, 1882. S. N. Rhoads.
Haddonfield; September 17th, 1890. S. 1ST. Rhoads (Coll. W. S.).
Cape May; January 28th, 1892. W. Stone (Coll. W. S.).
Cape May; January 29th, 1892. S. X. Rhoads (Coll. W. S.).
May's Landing; October 25th, 1892. S. N. Rhoads (Coll. W. S.).
Princeton; September 25th, 1897. W. E. D. Scott (Coll. Prince-
ton).
Princeton; October 9th, 1898. W. A. Babson.
In the Great Swamp, Morris county, Mr. Larue K. Holmes and Mr.
H. H. Hann found this Wren breeding commonly; Mr. Harold Her-
rick found them on the Passaic meadows, near Chatham, 1 and Mr. S.
N". Rhoads found them nesting abundantly in the Wallkill Valley,
northern Sussex county, June llth, 1909. Mr. Dallas Lore Sharp
found a pair on the Delaware Bay meadows in late June (see Holmes,
Cassinia, 1901, page 17, where an excellent account of the species in
Xew Jersey is given), and Mr. W. B. Crispin found a nest near
Salem, June 5th, 1909.
725 Telmatodytes palustris (Wilson).
Long-billed Marsh Wren.
A dults. Length. 4.25-5.50. Wing, 1.95. Above, head and middle back,
blackish-brown, the latter streaked with white and a white line over the eye :
sides of back, shoulders and rump, lighter brown, becoming rusty ; wings, brown,
the innermost feathers edged with black and brown spotted ; central tail
feathers, brown, narrowly barred with black, others blackish, more coarsely
barred with brown on both webs : under surface, white, tinged with cinnamon
pn sides and flanks. Plumage exceedingly worn and faded in summer.
Young in first summer. Duller, with the white streaks above almost obsolete.
Nest globular, woven of grass and cat-tail leaves, supported on cat-tails,
calamus or small bushes ; eggs, five to nine, uniform chocolate-brown or very
finely speckled, .64 x .45.
Common summer resident mainly in coast and tidewater swamps.
Arrives May 10th, departs October 15th.
In the breeding season the cat-tail swamps are fairly full of the
bubbling songs of the Marsh Wrens, which always seem to contain
1 Forest and Stream, XII., p. KM.
302 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
something of the moist quality of the bird's surroundings. The birds',
with tails turned up over their backs, sway up and down on the reed-
stalks or bob in and out of the nests, which surround one on every
side. 1
They occur abundantly at Cape May and other coastal swamps all
the way to New York, and also up the Delaware to Trenton. I have
found them breeding above tidewater at May's Landing; Professor
Phillips has found nests at Duck Pond, near Princeton, 2 and Mr.
Miller reports them in Great Swamp, near Plainfield, and on the
Raritan ; Mr. P. B. Philipp found them abundant at Newton, Sussex
county. As an illustration of the abundance of the nests of this bird
in marshes where colonies are established, and also as an example of
the extent to which the egg-collectmg mania may be carried, we may
quote Mr. B. B. Haines, who states that he has known a collector, near
Elizabeth, to obtain from 400 to 500 eggs in a day. 3
At Cape May Mr. Rhoads and I found them wintering in small
numbers, January 28th, 1892. 4
Family CERTHIIDJE.
THE CREEPERS.
726 Certhia familiaris americana (Bonaparte).
Brown Creeper.
PLATE 79.
Adults. Length, 5-5.75. Wing, 2.50. Above, brown, each feather with a
central grayish-white streak ; rump, rusty ; tail, grayish-brown ; w r ings, brown,
spotted on both webs of the feathers with white or gray ; below, grayish-white.
Nest behind loose pieces of bark hanging to tree trunks, made of chips, moss,
cobwebs, etc. ; eggs, four to six, white, spotted with reddish-brown, .58 x .48.
Tolerably common winter resident, more abundant in migrations.
Arrives September 20th, departs April 15th. Summer resident in the
mountains of Sussex county.
1 Cf. C. J. Hunt, Cassinia, 1904, pp. 17-25, for account of habits in N. J.
2 Birds of Princeton, p. 79.
3 O. and O., 1883, p. 0.
* Auk, 1892, p. 204.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 303
Tin- Creeper appears to be more like a mouse than a bird, as he
goes slowly up the tree trunks by short jumps, clinging close to the
bark and examining every crack for insects that may be lurking there.
Upon reaching the upper part of the tree, he dives down to the root
of the next one, and starting often only a few inches from the ground,
again begins the ascent.
II is only note, while with us, consists of several thin wiry "seeps."
His food is wholly insectivorous. Mr. P. B. Philipp has taken
nests in the Tamarack Swamp, at Newton, Sussex county, in May and
June, 1906, 1907 and 1908, and regards the species as a rare but regu-
lar breeder in that locality.
Family SITTID.35.
THE NUTHATCHES.
Small birds allied to the Titmice, but peculiar in their climbing
habits, usually progressing downwards along the trunks of trees in-
stead of upwards like the Woodpeckers.
o. Top of head black or gray.
6. Wing. 3.50 or over. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, p. 303
66. Wing less than 3. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, p. 304
aa. Top of head brownish. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, p. 305
727 Sitta carol inensis Latham.
White-breasted Nuthatch.
PLATE 79.
Adult male. Length, 5.25-6. Wing, 3.60. Above, bluish-gray.; whole top
of head and nape, glossy black ; below, including sides of face and neck, grayish-
white ; thighs and part of under tail-coverts, chestnut ; wing feathers blackish,
edged and tipped with blue-gray or white, innermost ones blue-gray with oval
black spots and white tips ; greater-coverts with white tips forming a bar ;
middle pair of tail feathers, blue-gray ; others, black, varied with white, form-
ing a diagonal band across each half of the tail when spread.
Adult female. Similar, but black of head veiled with blue-gray, seldom show-
ing distinctly except on the nape.
Young in first summer. Duller, with feathers of tne upper surface edged
with dusky.
Rest in a hole in a tree, composed of leaves, feathers, etc. ; eggs, five to eight,
white, speckled with rusty and pale purple, .80 x .60.
304 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Common resident, most abundant in winter.
While equally a bird of the tree trunks, the Nuthatch takes exactly
the opposite view of life from the Brown Creeper ; hanging head down,
with his short stubby tail pointed up, he explores the tree from top to
bottom, ending where the Creeper begins. He often runs around the
trunk or out on horizontal limbs, and occasionally upwards, but his
preference is to travel upside down.
His note, uttered now and then at intervals in his search for food,
is a peculiar nasal, "ank, ank, ank," sounding much farther away than
it really is.
In winter we frequently find a number of insectivorous birds hunt-
ing together in a mixed band Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers,
Creepers, Chickadees and Kinglets making up the company.
728 Sitta canadensis Linnaeus.
Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Adult male. Length, 4.25-4.75. Wing, 2.75. Above, uniform bluish-gray,
including wings and middle pair of tail feathers ; others, black, with diagonal
subterminal white bars on the two outer pairs ; top of head, nape and sides of
head to below the eye, glossy black ; cheeks, chin and a line over the eye, pure
white; lower surface of body, rusty chestnut (much paler in spring).
Adult female. Similar, but with head mainly dark gray above and lower
parts paler.
Irregular transient visitant, sometimes abundant in autumn and re-
maining, in small numbers, throughout the winter ; very rare in other
years, always scarce in spring. Arrives September 10th, departs May
15th. In the spring of 1900, after being abundant all winter, two
pairs were noticed at Princeton beginning to make excavations in old
trees, but they did not remain to breed. 1
Habits similar to those of the White-breasted Nuthatch. Distin-
guished by its small size, the black band through the eye and rusty
under parts.
Note higher and thinner, not so emphatic.
Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 79.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 305
729 Sitta pusilla Latham.
Brown-headed Nuthatch.
Adults. Length, 4^.40. Wing, 2.60. Upper parts, blue-gray, except the
head and nape, which are brown ; wings, dusky ; tail, dusky, two outer feathers
with subterminal white spots, central pair gray ; under parts of body, white,
tinged with buff.
Very rare straggler from the south. Beesley gives it in his list of
Cape May birds (1857), and Turnbull states that it is a rare visitant
to the southern counties, but does not specify whether he referred to
Pennsylvania or New Jersey. The only definite occurrence is a single
bird observed by Mr. S. N. Rhoads, at Haddonfield, in winter, about
1876. It came to feed on suet fastened to a tree near the window.
Family
THE TITMICE.
Small arboreal birds, our species all of gray plumage ; especially con-
spicuous in winter as they search the tree-tops for food, frequently
hanging, head down, from the slender twigs.
a. Head crested gray. TUFTED TITMOUSE, p. 305
aa. Head not crested, black. ,
6. Wing, .20, longer than tail. CAROLINA CHICKADEE, p. 307
56. Wing equal to or shorter than the tail. BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, p. 306
731 Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus).
Tufted Titmouse.
PLATE 80.
Adults. Length, 5.75-6.50. Wing, 3.25. Head, crested; color above, plain
slate-gray, including wings and tail ; below, grayish-white, flanks strongly
washed with cinnamon ; forehead, black ; eye region, whitish, with a small
black spot just above the orbit.
young in first summer. Browner above, with the crest and black forehead
much less developed.
~Nest in a hole in a tree, made of feathers, leaves, grass, etc. ; eggs, five to
eight, white, spotted with reddish-brown, .74 x .54.
20
306 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Common resident in the southern half of the State, north to Orange
(Riker) and Plainfield (Miller) ; north of this it occurs only as a
straggler.
The Tufted Tit has much the same habits as the Chickadee ; search-
ing the tree-tops for insects, and on crisp winter mornings we can hear
his loud, clear whistle for considerable distances through the woods,
"tu-lee, tu-lee, tu-lee, tu-lee," reminding one somewhat of certain
notes of the Carolina Wren. At other times we surprise him, low down
in some bushy thicket, and he then indulges in a rapid "dee-dee-dee-
dee," which takes the place of the Black-cap's "chick-a-dee" in his
repertoire.
Mr. Chapman has observed the Tufted Tit at Englewood in April,
but it does not nest there. It was heard by Dr. Dwight at Lake Ho-
patcong, and Mr. P. B. Philipp found one pair breeding at Newton,
Sussex county, June, 1908. At Summit (Holmes and Callender),
Chatham (H. B. Bailey) 1 and at Morristown (Thurber) it breeds
regularly.
735 Penthestes atricapillus (Linnaeus).
Black-capped Chickadee.
PLATE 80.
Adults. Length, 4.75-5.75. Wing, 2.60. Above, olive-gray, tinged with buff
on the rump ; below, white, washed with buff on the sides ; entire top of the
head 'and nape, black ; sides of the face and neck, pure white ; throat and fore
neck, black, the posterior feathers frosted with white, most marked in winter;
wings and tail, blackish, edged with grayish-white; nearly pure white on the
innermost wing feathers and outermost tail feathers.
Young in first summer. Duller in color.
Nest in a hole in a tree, made of feathers, grass, hair and bark fiber ; eggs,
five to eight, white, spotted with reddish-brown mainly on the larger end,
.55 x .45.
Common resident in the northern half of the State, probably not
breeding south of the Raritan (Miller) ; rather rare winter visitant
in southern New Jersey.
The Chickadee is one of our most familiar and fearless birds, full of
curiosity and activity, going through the trees in little bands, from
branch to branch, hanging upside down to explore the under side of a
Auk, 1886, p. 410.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 307
twig and occasionally coming down to the tall weed stalks. The usual
call is the familiar "chick-a-dee, chick-a-dee-dee-dee," while in the
nesting and breeding season there is the clear whistle "tee dee," the
first a high note, the second much lower.
In the vicinity of Princeton and Haddonfield, and probably else-
where in south Jersey, the Chickadee occurs in winter along with the
resident Carolina Chickadee.
736 Penthestes carolinensis (Audubon).
Carolina Chickadee.
Adults. Length, 4.25-4.50. Wing, 2.45. Coloration like the preceding
species, but the wing and tail edgings narrower and grayer, never pure white.
Nest and eggs similar to those of the Black-cap ; size, .53 x .43.
Common resident throughout southern New Jersey, north to
Princeton, but more plentiful in the pine barrens than elsewhere.
This is the Chickadee of the southern half of the State and a char-
acteristic bird of the pine barrens. In habit, as in coloration, it re-
sembles the Black-cap : the notes are similar but the "chick-a-dee" is
said to be higher pitched, while the whistle is lower.
Family SYLVIID^E.
THE KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS.
A small group of little birds representing the Warblers of the old
world.
a. Plumage olive or olive-gray above.
6. A black stripe on each side of the crown.
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, p. 308
Ib. No black stripes on the crown. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, p. 308
aa. Plumage bluish-slate above. BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, p. 309
308 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
748 Regulus satrapa ( Liechtenstein) .
Golden-crowned Kinglet.
PLATE 81.
Adult male. Length, 3.25-4.50. Wing, 2.20. Above, grayish-olive, brighter
on the rump ; wing and tail feathers, blackish, edged with olive ; wing-coverts
tipped with white, forming two bars on each wing ; below, grayish-white,
crown with two broad black bands bordered on the inside with yellow and in-
cluding a brilliant orange central patch ; a grayish-white band across the fore-
head and back over the eyes immediately below the black.
Female. Similar, but lacks the orange center to the crown patch, the entire
area between the black stripes being lemon-yellow.
Eather common winter resident. Arrives September 30th, departs
April 20th.
This diminutive little bird is a familiar winter species, especially
among evergreens, where he finds insects enough to satisfy his need
throughout the cold months.
749 Regulus calendula (Linnaeus).
Euby-crowned Kinglet.
PLATE 81.
Adult male. Length, 3.75-4.50. Wing, 2.25. Above, grayish-olive, brighter
on the rump ; wing and tail feathers, blackish,, edged with olive ; tips of the
wing-coverts, whitish, forming two bars across each wing ; below, grayish-
white ; a patch of bright vermilion-red on the crown and a nearly complete
white ring around the eye.
Female. Similar, but lacks the red crown patch.
Common transient visitant. Spring, April 2d (April 12th) to May
1st; autumn, September loth to November 1st.
Krider 1 says it winters in the New Jersey cedars, and C. J. Hunt
records one at Lakewood, December 9th, 1901. 2
The two Kinglets occur together during migrations, but this one
seems the most abundant. He comes earlier in the fall and lingers
longer in the spring, at which season he occasionally favors us with a
splendid bit of song, a fine, clear, varied warble that is hard to believe
can be produced by so small a bird.
1 Field Notes, p. 26.
2 Bird Lore, 1902, p. 28.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 309
751 Polioptila caerulea (Linnaeus).
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Adult male. Length, 4.25-5.50. Wing, 2.10. Above, bluish-gray, brightest
on the head ; a narrow black band across the forehead and back over the eyes ;
wings, dull black, edged with gray, the innermost feathers with white ; tail, jet
black, the outermost pair of feathers largely white, the next two pairs with
white tips, diminishing in extent ; below, white, with a slight grayish-tint.
Female and young during the first summer and autumn. Similar, but with-
out the black frontlet.
Nest not unlike a large Hummingbird's nest, made of grasses and vegetable
fibers and covered with lichens ; usually placed on a horizontal limb of a tree ;
eggs, bluish-white, thickly spotted with brown and rufous, .58 x .45.
Rare and local summer resident in southern New Jersey. Arrives
April 10th to May 1st, departs September 3d.
The Gnatcatcher is a very rare bird in this State, but two nests have
been found, so far as I am aware; one at Bridgeton, by W. L. Baily,
the other at Cape May Point, by S. N. Rhoads, May 17th, 1903, 3
though Beesley (1857) gives it as a breeder in Cape May county. 1
The following species have been obtained :
Princeton; April 28th, 1875. W. E. D. Scott (Princeton Coll.). 2
Cape May county; April 15th, 1879. Dr. W. L. Abbott (Acad. Nat.
Sciences, Phila.).
Woodbury; May 1st, 1880. Dr. W. L. Abbott, three specimens
(Acad. Nat. Sciences, Phila.).
Haddonfield; April 10th, 1882. S. N. Rhoads (Collection W.
Stone). 4
Dennisville; May, 1891. C. A. Voelker. 4
Atlantic City; April 16th, 1893. I. N. DeHaven, four specimens 4
(Coll. Academy of Natural Sciences and I. N. D.).
Cape May Point; April llth, 1903. C. J. Pennock. 3
According to Mr. Babson, Mr. Scott has taken other specimens at
Princeton, but no nest was ever found there, and although regarded as
regular in 1878, by Scott, 5 it is not so now. Mr. Chapman mentions a
1 Geology of Cape May.
2 Babson, Birds of Princeton, p. 81.
3 Cassinia, 1903, p. 75.
4 Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 148.
5 The Country, 1878, p. 354.
310 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
number of specimens taken near New York City, but only stragglers
and not from New Jersey.
The Gnatcatcher is as small as the Kinglets, with some of their
habits and some of those of the Chickadee. His song is very low
pitched.
Family TURDID^I.
THE THRUSHES, ROBINS AND BLUEBIRDS.
The members of this family are generally regarded as our finest
songsters, their notes being peculiarly sweet and musical.
Their most conspicuous structural characteristic is the so-called
"booted" tarsus, the plates on the front of the tarsus being welded to-
gether into one long piece.
The typical Thrushes are very similar to one another, being brown
above and white beneath, with the breast more or less speckled. The
familiar Robin and Bluebird differ widely in color, and have plain
breasts, but their young show the characteristic spotted breast of the
Thrush family.
a. General color above blue, breast rusty red. BLUEBIRD, p. 315
aa. General color above dusky, head and tail black, breast rusty red.
ROBIN, p. 314
aaa. General color above brown or olive-brown, breast white or buffy, more or
less speckled or streaked.
6. Head and back brighter brown than the tail, which inclines to olive ;
spots below large, round and black. WOOD THRUSH, p. 311
66. Upper parts uniform reddish-brown, markings below faint and
brownish, confined to the throat and upper breast. VEERY, p. 311
666. Tail more rusty brown than the back. HERMIT THRUSH, p. 313
6666. Upper parts uniform olive-brown.
c. Throat, upper breast and sides of face deep buff.
OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH, p. 313
cc. Throat, breast and sides of face grayish-white.
GRAY-CHECKED THRUSH, p. 312
BICKNELL'S THRUSH, p. 313
THE BIRDS OF XEW JERSEY. 311
755 Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin).
Wood Thrush, Wood Robin.
PLATE 82.
Adults. Length, 7.5O-8.25. Wing, 4.10-4.50. Tawny-brown above, brightest
on the head, duller and more olive on the tail ; below, white, slightly tinged
with buff on the breast; sides of neck, entire breast and sides of abdomen
marked with large blackish spots.
Young in first summer with more or less pale streaks and spots on the back
and wing-coverts.
Nest of leaves, fine twigs, plant stems and mud, placed in a small tree eight
to ten feet up ; eggs, three to four, greenish-blue, 1.05 x .70.
Common summer resident. Arrives April 24th (April 30th), de-
parts October 1st.
No low, rich woodland is without at least a pair of Wood Thrushes,
and as soon as one enters the cool shade he hears either the clear, flute-
like modulated song, or the metallic "put-put-put" of their alarm note.
The Wood Thrush is the largest and most heavily spotted of any of
our Thrushes, the only one in which the spots run down below the
breast.
His food is seventy-five per cent, insects and the rest wild berries.
The Wood Thrush is not a shy bird ; he will frequent shady village
streets as well as the more remote woodland, but he must have shade
and prefers nearness to water. In the pine barrens he is restricted to
the cedar swamps.
756 Hylocichla fuscesens (Stephens).
Veery, Wilson's Thrush.
Adults. Length, 6.50-7.75. Wing, 3.90. Above, uniform tawny-brown;
below, white, strongly tinged with buff across the breast, and a slight brown
tint on the sides of the body ; breast and sides of throat with numerous small
tawny-brown spots.
Young in first summer with pale spots above.
Nest of leaves, fine roots and strips of bark on the ground or in the base of
a bush ; eggs, three to five, greenish-blue, .90 x .65.
Common summer resident in the northern counties ; transient visit-
ant in the southern half of the State. Arrives April 26th (May 2d),
312 EEPOET OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
departs September 20th. Absent from the southern part of New Jer-
sey May 30th to August 20th.
As a migrant the Veery is simply one of the several smaller
Thrushes that pass silently through our woods twice a year, differing
from each other only in shade of color.
As a summer resident, however, it is one of the leaders among our
famous songsters; The song is hard to describe; "weird" and "un-
earthly" gives some notion of its character, while the syllables, "twee-
le-ah, twee-le-ah, twee-la, twee-la, v represent the notes, but the quality
is peculiar among bird music. At a distance it has something of the
tinkling of bells, or it has been likened to whistling down a gun barrel,
or to a series of chords instead of single notes.
Occasionally, in south Jersey, I have heard late migrants indulge
in a low song, 1 but usually it is reserved for the summer home, where
the Veery is constantly heard but seldom seen, since he frequents
thick woods and has a faculty for concealing himself.
Mr. Bab son 2 has seen Veeries in June a short distance north of
Princeton and thinks they nest there; about Plainfield they breed
regularly (Miller), also at Summit (Callender and Holmes) and Lake
Hopatcong (Rhoads), Sputh Orange (H. B. Bailey), 3 Ridgewood
(Fowler), Paterson (Clark), Alpine (Rhoads), &c.
757 Hylocichla alicise (Baird).
Gray-cheeked Thrush.
Adults. Length, 7-7.75. Wing, 4- . Above, olive-brown, very slightly
browner on the tail ; below, white, tinged with buff on the breast and brown
on the sides of the body ; breast and sides of the throat spotted with blackish,
spots becoming paler towards the abdojnen ; sides of face and cheeks, grayish-
brown. Very similar to the Olive-backed Thrush, but always distinguished by
the differently colored cheeks.
Common transient visitant. Spring, May 3d (May 12th) to May
30th; autumn, September 20th to October 10th.
Distinguished from the Olive-backed Thrush by the gray instead of
buff cheeks. Similar in habits.
1 Cf. Cassinia, 1905, p. 93 ; 1901, p. 49.
2 Birds of Princeton, p. 81.
3 Auk, 1886, p. 489.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 313
757a Hylocichla aliciae bicknelli Ridgway.
Bicknell's Thrush.
Adults. Length, 6.25-7.25. Wing, 3.65. Coloration exactly like the Gray-
cheeked Thrush or a trifle browner above ; size smaller.
Rare transient visitant. Spring, May; autumn, September 10th
to October 5th (Babson).
A small edition of the Gray-cheek. Mr. Babson records it from
Princeton, but we have no record from southern New Jersey, though
it doubtless occurs.
758a Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Cabanis).
Olive-backed Thrush.
Adults. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 4. Above, uniform olive-brown ; below,
white, strongly tinged with buff across the breast and with paler brown on the
sides of the body ; breast and sides of throat thickly spotted with blackish,
spots becoming paler towards the abdomen ; cheeks and sides of face strongly
tinged with buff like the breast.
Common transient visitant. Spring, April 30th (May 7th) to May
25th; autumn, September 15th to October 15th.
A silent member of the spring migratory host, and frequent ii)
autumn about the poke berry bushes and dogwood.
759b Hylocichla guttata pallasi (Cabanis).
Hermit Thrush.
Adults. Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 3.50. Above, olive-brown; tail, bright
tawny; below, white, tinged with buff on the breast and pale brown on the
sides of the body ; breast with numerous large blackish spots, becoming paler
towards the abdomen.
Young in first summer with light spots above.
Common transient visitant and occasional winter resident, espe-
cially in the southern counties. Morristown, January 30th, 1886
(Thurber and Green), Plamfield, winter of 1901-2 (Miller), and
314 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
every year in the pine barrens and along the coast islands of Cape
May county. Spring, April 1st (April 13th) to May 4th; autumn,
October 10th to November 5th.
The Hermit passes through earlier in the spring and later in the
fall than the other migrant Thrushes, and is particularly welcome in
winter, when we not infrequently find one or two about some woodland
spring or in some dense thicket.
In parts of Sussex county it may possibly be found to breed.
761 Pianesticus migratorius (Linnaeus).
Robin.
PLATE 83.
Adult male. Length, 9-10. Wing, 4.90-5.40. Above, dark slate-gray ; head,
sides of face, tail and long wing feathers, black ; a white spot over and under
the eye and on tip of outer pair of tail feathers ; next pair slightly margined
with white at tip ; below, bright cinnamon rufous, except the throat, which is
white streaked with black, and center of abdomen and under tail-coverts which
are white, the latter mixed with black. In late fall and winter the upper parts
are tinged with olive and the feathers of the under surface are edged with
whitish.
Adult female often rather duller than the male.
Young in first summer mottled with black and white spots above and with
white tips to many of the wing feathers ; below, nearly white, in the middle of
the breast, strongly tinged with cinnamon rufous on the sides and thickly spotted
with black.
Nest of mud and grass lined with fine grass ; placed on the limb of a tree, or
sometimes on old buildings ; eggs, three to five, greenish-blue, 1.15 x .80.
Abundant summer resident and occasional resident; regularly so
along the southern coast. Arrives February 14th (March 4th), de-
parts November 10th.
The Robin is, perhaps, our best known bird ; the frequenter of gar-
dens, orchards and lawns, one cannot help knowing him. In the
southern counties he winters regularly, especially just back of the
seacoast, where large flocks may always be found.
After the nesting season the Robins frequent regular roosts during
the night, and in autumn course about the country in flocks, descend-
ing on the dogwood and other berry-bearing trees.
The Robin gets many a bad name on account of his raid on the
cherry trees, but his case is not so bad as some would have us think.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 315
The Department of Agriculture has shown that nearly half of his
food is animal, fully one-third being noxious insects and seven per
cent, earth worms. Of the fruit and berries eaten only one-tenth is
cultivated. The cherries, ripening before any wild fruit is available,
are the main source of his early summer food. As a protection the
planting of Russian mulberries is suggested, as they ripen at the same
time as the cherries and are much preferred by the birds.
The shooting of the Robins is ineffective, as it is impossible to ex-
terminate them or for the gunner to stay on guard all the time;
furthermore, it destroys a bird which is a valuable insect destroyer at
all other seasons, and a songster we could ill afford to lose.
763 Ixoreus naevius (Gmelin).
Varied Thrush.
Adults. Length, 9-10. Wing, 4.90-5.20. Slate above, outer tail feathers
with white spots at tip ; wings, dusky, with four transverse bands of rusty ;
below, rusty, with a black breast band ; ear-coverts, black ; line over the eye,
rusty.
Very rare and accidental straggler from the west.
Dr. Samuel Cabot procured a specimen in Boston, March, 1848,
that had been shot in New Jersey, 1 while another, taken at Hoboken,
December, 1851, is recorded by Mr. G. N". Lawrence. 2
766 Sialia sialis (Linnaeus).
Bluebird.
PLATE 84.
Adult male. Length, 5.75-7. Wing, 4. Above, uniform bright blue; sides
of the face rather duller ; throat, breast and flanks, cinnamon-chestnut ; abdo-
men and under tail-coverts, white. In autumn and winter the feathers of the
upper surface are veiled with chestnut and those of the lower parts with
whitish.
Adult female. Above, bluish-gray, becoming bright blue on the rump, tail
and outer edges of wings ; below, pale cinnamon rufous on the breast and sides
1 Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., May, 1848, p. 17.
2 Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., N. Y., V., p. 221.
316 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM,
of body ; throat paler and abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; winter
plumage browner above.
Young in first summer. Above, brownish-gray, back streaked with white ;
tail and outer edge of wings, blue ; below, white, feathers of the breast, throat
and sides of body edged with brown, producing a mottled or scaled appearance.
Nest in a hollow tree or box, made almost wholly of grass ; eggs, four to
five, bluish-white, .80x.60.
Common summer resident and occasional resident. Arrives Feb-
ruary 17th (March 2d), departs November 10th.
The soft warble of the Bluebird has come to be recognized as the
announcement of spring's arrival, and we look eagerly for the bird on
every warm day of February.
In southern New Jersey, and elsewhere locally, the Bluebird's
presence has less significance, as small flocks find shelter in the
thickets all winter long, and even on days that are anything but
spring-like, we can hear their low "tur-lur, tur-lur."
The Bluebird seems to have been one of the chief sufferers from
the introduction of the English Sparrow, and many a bird box for-
merly inhabited by these beautiful Americans is now the domicile of
the ever present foreigner, recalling the deserted old homesteads that
one sees now and then converted into shelters for gangs of Italian
laborers.
Bibliography of
New Jersey Ornithology.
Apart from the casual allusions to birds made in the journals of
some of the early voyagers who entered the mouth of Delaware Bay,
the first work to contain notes on New Jersey birds is Peter Kalm's
Travels, in which are comments on various species observed by him
during his stay at the Swedish settlement of Raccoon, on the Dela-
ware, in 1749. The great classics of American ornithological litera-
ture, the works of Wilson, Audubon and Nuttall, contain many refer-
ences to the birds of the State, while in later years the ornithologists
of Philadelphia and New York, as well as resident naturalists, have
published many lists and notes dealing with New Jersey birds. The
following list contains all the more important books and papers re-
lating to the ornithology of the State and shorter notes or papers
dealing with special species :
1753-61. KALM. PETER. En Resa Til Noira America, &c. Stock-
holm, Vols. L-III.
First English Edition, 1770-71, for bird matter, cf. Trotter, Auk, 1903,
p. 249.
1799. BARTON, B. S. Fragments of the Natural History of Pennsyl-
vania. Philadelphia, folio pp. i.-xviii. and 1-24.
As Philadelphia naturalists have never been able to stay on their own
side of the Delaware River, it is probable that Barton's observations relate
in part to New Jersey.
1808-1814. WILSON, ALEXANDER. American Ornithology. Phila-
delphia, Vols. I.-IX.
The text of the last volume is by George Ord. Wilson's excursions into
New Jersey seem to have been in the immediate vicinity of Camden, and
along the coast from Beesley's Point and Ocean City to Cape May City.
(317)
318 EEPOET OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
1815. ORD, GEORGE. Zoology in the Second American Edition of
Guthrie's Zoology.
The Bonaparte's and Ring-billed Gulls are here described from the
Delaware River.
1817. ORD, GEORGE. An account of an American Species of the
genus Tantalus or Ibis. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sri., Phila., L, p. 53
Plegadis autumnalis from Egg Harbor.
1834-5. ORD, GEORGE. Additional matter in Wilson's American
Ornithology (second edition).
The new matter is mainly in Vols. VII.-IX., which were much amplified.
1825-33. BONAPARTE, CHAS. L. American Ornithology, Vols. I.-IV.
Philadelphia.
Virtually a continuation of Wilson, containing a few references to New
Jersey birds.
1826-28. BONAPARTE, CHAS. L. The Genera of North American
Birds and a synopsis of the species found within the territory of
the United States. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., New York, ii., pp.
7-128, 293-451.
A few mentions of New Jersey.
1828. BONAPARTE, CHAS. L. Further Additions to the Ornithology
of the United States. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., New York, ii., pp.
154-161.
Tringa himantopus discovered in New Jersey.
1828-9. ORD, GEORGE. Additional matter in Wilson's American Or-
nithology (Hall Edition, Vols. L-IIL, and Vol. of Plates).
1830. ANONYMOUS. Woodcock Shooting. Doughty's Cabinet of
Natural History, L, pp. 97-99.
In New Jersey.
1831-39. AUDUBON, J. J. Ornithological Biography, Vols. I.-V..
Edinburgh.
Audubon's references to New Jersey birds are based upon a residence
of several months (middle of May to middle of September, 1829) at Cam-
den, a visit to Egg Harbor [Beesley's Point] in June, 1829, and a few ex-
cursions with his friend, Edward Harris, who resided at Moorestown. He
also quotes observations of Mr. Harris and of Dr. James Trudeau.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 319
1832. GREEN, JACOB. Notes of a Naturalist. Doughty 's Cabinet of
Nat. Hist., Vol. II., pp. 7-10 and 53-56.
Chronological notes at Princeton, N. J., following the plan of Barton's
Fragments of Nat. History.
1832. I. The Variety of Game in New Jersey. Doughty' s Cabinet of
Nat. Hist., II., pp. 15-18.
Pinnated Grouse almost exterminated on the "plains."
1832. RUSTICUS. My Favorite Walks. Doughty's Cabinet of Nat.
Hist., Vol. II., pp, 95-96.
In New Jersey.
1832. EDITOR. Hudsonian Godwit. Doughty' s Cabinet of Nat. Hist.,
Vol. II., p. 158.
Discovery of this species in New Jersey at Cape May by T. R. Peale, in
May, 1828.
1832-1834. NUTTALL, THOMAS. A manual of the ornithology of
the United States and of Canada. Vols. I. and II. Cambridge
and Boston.
Nearly all references to New Jersey are quotations from Wilson or
Audubon, which is remarkable when we consider how much time Nuttall
had spent in the State pursuing his botanical investigation.
1836. ORD, GEORGE. Observations on the Cowbunting. London's
Magazine, IX., p. 55.
Mentions nest of Dendroica vigorsii ["Sylvia pinus"] found by Wilson
near the coast of New Jersey, May, 1813.
1837. WARD, J. F. Notice of the Pine Grosbeak (Pyrrhula enu-
cleator) in the environs of New York. Ann. Lye. N. Y. f IV.,
p. 51.
1844. CASSIN, JOHN. On the abundance of Strix nyctea about Phila-
delphia. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., II., p. 19.
One hundred shot in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, winter 1843-4.
1844. GIRAUD. J. P. Birds of Long Island.
Refers to the Heath Hen and some other birds in New Jersey.
320 EEPOET OF NEW JEESEY STATE MUSEUM.
1846. LAWRENCE, GEO. N. Description of a New Species of Anser.
Ann. Lye. N. Y. f IV., p. 171.
Branta nigrlcans from New Jersey coast.
1848. SAMUEL CABOT. European Widgeon taken in New Jersey.
Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., III. p. 21.
Cf. also do. VI., p. 376.
1848. HERBERT, HENRY WM. Frank Forester's Field Sports of the
United States and British Provinces of North America.
(Numerous subsequent editions).
Includes accounts of wild fowl of the New Jersey coast.
1851. CASSIN, JOHN. Notice of an American species of Duck hith-
erto regarded as identical with the Oidemia fusca L. Proc. Acad.
Nat. Sci., Phila., V., p. 126.
O. velvetina [O. deglandi Bp.] described from Egg Harbor.
1852. LAWRENCE, GEO. N. Ornithological Notes. Ann. Lye. N. Y.,
V., p. 220.
Varied Thrush and Pine Grosbeak from New Jersey.
1853. HERBERT, HENRY WM. (FRANK FORESTER). American Game
in Its Seasons. N. Y. 1853.
1853. KRIDER, JOHN. Sporting Anecdotes Illustrative of the Habits
of Certain Varieties of American Game. Phila., 1853.
Refers to New Jersey birds.
1855. CASSIN, JOHN. Kemarks on the appearance of Loxia leucop-
tera in great numbers in the vicinity of Philadelphia. Proc.
Acad. Nat. Sci,, Phila., VII., p. 203.
1855. CASSIN, JOH:N. Remarks on Crex pratensis., a specimen of
which was obtained from Salem, New Jersey. Proc. Acad. Nat.
Jci., Phila., VII., p. 265.
.857. BEESLEY, THOS. Catalogue of the birds of the County of Cape
May, in Geology of the County of Cape May, N. J., by Win.
Kitchell.
Briefly annotated list of 196 species at pp. 138-145. The following are
among the species starred to indicate that they breed in the county. That
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 321
none of them do breed in the county is certain, and it may be that the plac-
ing of stars opposite them was purely a printer's error. With the excep-
tion of the last two they do not even breed in the State : White-throated
Sparrow, Tree Sparrow. Myrtle Warbler, Black-poll Warbler, Yellow-
palm Warbler, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Golden-winged Warbler
and Black-throated Green Warbler. There are interesting references to
birds in the historic chapter by Dr. Maurice Beesley. .
1857. LEWIS, ELISHA J. The American Sportsman. Containing
hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, the habits of the game
birds and wild fowl of North America. Phila.
Refers to birds of New Jersey coast.
1858. BAIRD, SPENCER F.; CASSIN, JOHN, and LAWRENCE, GEO. X.
Explorations and surveys for a railroad route from the Missis-
sippi River to the Pacific coast. Vol. IX., Birds. Washington,
pp. i.-lvi. and 1-1005.
In the catalogue of specimens a number of New Jersey specimens are
listed.
1866. LAWRENCE, GEO. X. Catalogue of birds observed in New York,
Long and Staten Islands and adjacent parts of New Jersey.
Ann. Lye., New York, VIII., pp. 279-300.
Several important New Jersey records: Dri/obates borealis, Mini us
polyglottos, Piranf/a rubra and Scolopax rusticola.
1868. TRIPPE, T. M. The Dwarf Thrush. Amer. Nat., II., p. 380.
Records of Hermit (?) Thrush and Bohemian Waxwing at Orange
N. J.
1868. ABBOTT, C. C. Catalogue of vertebrate .animals of New Jersey.
Cook's Geology of New Jersey, App. E., pp. 751-830.
This publication is noteworthy as being the first general list of New
Jersey birds. No less than 301 species are given, but unfortunately the
data accompanying the records of rare species are very incomplete and
unsatisfactory, while many statements about the time of occurrence of
species in the State, especially as regards the breeding season, are wholly
at variance with the experience of all other ornithologists who have since
studied the birds of New Jersey.
The following species are mentioned as breeding or as occurring through-
out the summer in New Jersey, although no one else has been able to
verify Dr. Abbott's statements, and unfortunately the latter are not sup-
ported by any exact dates or localities or by any specimens : Pigeon
Hawk, Hermit Thrush. Olive-backed Thrush. Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, Red-bellied Nuthatch, Brown
Creeper, Blackburnian Warbler, Northern Shrike, Fox Sparrow, Rusty
21
322 EEPOKT OF NEW JEHSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Blackbird, Saw-whet Owl, Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sand-
piper, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead Duck.
In Dr. Abbott's "Birds About Us," published in 1895, he omits New
Jersey from the breeding range of many of these species, notably the
Olive-backed Thrush, Kinglets, Winter Wren, Red-bellied Nuthatch, Rusty
Blackbird and Fox Sparrow. In his publications of 1870 and 1884 (see
below ) , however, he endorsed most of the above statements and even added
other "breeders" of the same class.
1869. TURXBULL, W. P. The Birds of East Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Philadelphia, 8vo., pp. i.-viii., 1-50. Also an identical
Glasgow edition and a larger quarto with vignettes.
This is our first reliable list of the birds of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey.
1870. ABBOTT, C. C. The Marsh Harrier. Arner. Nat., IV., p. 377.
Comment on scarcity of males in New Jersey.
1870. ABBOTT, C. C. Night Herons. Amer. Nat., IV., p. 377.
In the city of Trenton.
1870. ABBOTT, C. C. Notes on certain inland birds of New Jersey.
Amer. Nat., IV., pp. 536-550.
1871. THORPE,, T. B. Bird Shooting on the Coast of New Jersey.
Appleton's Journal, VI., Sept. 1871, p. 379.
1872. LOCKWOOD, SAMUEL. The Great Nothern Shrike and the Eng-
lish Sparrow. Amer. Nat., VI., p. 236.
Shrikes and birds of prey as enemies of the Sparrows.
1872. ABBOTT, C. C. Occurrence of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in
New Jersey. Amer. Nat., VI., p. 367-8.
Shot on Crosswick's Meadows, five miles below Trenton, April 15th.
1873. TRIPPE, T. M. The Irregular Migrations of Birds. Amer.
Nat., VII., pp. 389-394.
Sudden appearance of Great-crested Flycatcher at Orange, N. J., and
absence of Red-headed and Hairy Woodpeckers.
1873. TRIPPE, T. M. The Golden-winged Woodpecker. Notice of
Colaptes auratm x mesricanus at Orange, New Jersey. Amer.
Nat., VII., 1873, p. 498.
THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 323
l seen about thirty inches long on April 19th, 1908.
362 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Transparent young found in Sluice Creek, a tributary of Dennis
Creek, above the "beaver dam," Cape May county, on May 10th, 1908.
Fishermen reported that quite large ones are taken at times.
Several small or half -grown ones were found about the more muddy
places and under stones on Newbold's Island, Burlington county, on
August 13th, 1908.
Dr. Phillips found it at Corson's Inlet, reaching about two and one-
half feet.
Found on Burlington Island in June of 1902.
Family LEPTOCEPHALID^E.
Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus).
Conger Eel.
According to Dr. Phillips, the fishermen report it as occurring off
Corson's Inlet.
Family CYPRINIDJE.
Hybognathus nuchal is regius (Girard).
Silvery Minnow.
Abundant in the Delaware River, near Florence, Burlington county,
on July llth, 1908. They were mostly small, and not associated with
other fishes, swimming in rather large schools just a little off shore.
This was abundant in the Delaware River, at Newbold's Island,
Burlington county, on August 13th, 1908. They occurred in some
places in small schools, appearing not to associate very much with the
other fishes, and usually were found about the clearer, clean, sandy
shallows or shores. One very large or adult example was secured, and
all exhibited the usual silvery-white coloration, none being brassy.
I have found this species several times in the Delaware, about Bur-
lington Island.
XOTKS ON NKAV JERSEY FISHES. 363
Semotilus bullaris Rafinesque.
Chub.
Color when fresh with back and upper surface of head, deep steel-
blue, greenish reflections seen in certain lights. Edges of scales at
pockets, with deep neutral-black tints forming continuous reticulated
pattern till well down middle of sides. Under surface of body opaque
silvery- white. Sides of head with a brilliant deep rosy-red or ver-
milion tinge., fading paler and whitish below. Entire side of body
with deep rosy-red tinge, intense in life. Snout olivaceous-brown.
Cheeks intense scarlet. Iris bright orange, with narrow ring around
slaty pupil lighter and apparently better defined. A dark neutral
streak around origin of squamous area on post-occipital and nuchal
region. Dorsal olivaceous, with warm orange tints, and becoming
bright vermilion at base of fin. Caudal ochraceous-olive, radii around
outer portions more neutral tint. Shoulder girdle with bright orange-
vermilion tinge. Pectoral brilliant orange-vermilion, deepest inside,
and upper margin narrowly dusky. Ventral paler, orange-vermilion
medianly, without dusky. Anal pale orange medianly, with whitish
around margins. Length eleven and one-half inches. This example
was taken in the Delaware, at Trenton, April 4th, 1908, and for-
warded to me by Mr. J. B. Vanderveer and Dr. C. C. Abbott. I
was very glad to have this opportunity of examining this fish in high
coloration. Though no tubercles w^ere present on the upper surface of
the head, I have seen adult breeding-males which were so furnished.
These large chubs are taken with the suckers, and as they will all
live some time in captivity, find a ready sale among the Jewish popu-
lation. Dr. Abbott first described this species from our limits many
years ago. 1 Very shortly after his elucidation, and the application of
the name Cyprinus corporalis Mitchill to it, a step which has since, to
a great extent, been thought justified by later writers, Cope set aside
and renamed the fish Leucosomus rhotheus, 2 besides rejecting
Rafinesque's generic name Semotilus. Cope is also credited with
having stated that there were apparent inaccuracies in Dr. Abbott's
description of color, and without living specimens a correction could
not be made, but its general appearance when drawn from the water,
1 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.', 1861, p. 154.
2 L. C., p. 523.
364 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
as far as recollected, was silvery, without spots or bands. These
remarks are hardly justified at all by my own observations, as Dr.
Abbott's fish was a fully-developed breeding-male. These are most
certainly as gorgeously attired as described by himself long ago and
in my notes above. At other times of the year the chub, it is true, is
silvery, but more especially when young. The spots and bands
referred to are to some extent evanescent, diffuse or variable, and
sometimes appear more intense than at others, though never much
more than obsolete tints at best. Mr. Vanderveer says that the
chub often feeds on the little bits of vegetation which sometimes
float to the surface, after a school of suckers have been browsing
about and dragging the plants from the bottom. At such times it
would be comparatively easy to locate them by the disturbance at the
surface of the water, when they were readily captured.
Occasionally taken in the tidewater of Raccoon Creek, near Bridge-
port, Gloucester county, during warm weather. They are said to reach
but a moderate size and are not especially valued.
Mr. Vanderveer says that in the Delaware near Trenton in winter
and spring, sometimes browsing suckers will disturb the channel
grass by pushing about among it and thus little decayed ends will
float to the surface. These ends will then form a tempting lure to the
chub, and the little disturbance at the water's surface indicating to
the fishermen the condition below so that a profitable haul may be
made. Sometimes both chubs and suckers were taken in this way.
The tail of the chub produces but a little wake as he swims near the
surface. Chubs are cannibals, eating their own kind, fish-spawn, and
insects. The latter they always take with a break at the surface.
They grow rapidly in warm weather, or till the water cools. In
winter they lurk about deep holes with hard bottoms. They readily
take dough-bait. In size they reach a weight of about two and one-
half to three pounds and a maximum length of about twenty inches.
Abramis crysoleucas (Mitchill).
Roach.
Young very abundant in large schools associated with Notropis
chalybceus in Still Run, near Porchtown, this one of the head-waters
of the Maurice River in Gloucester county. They were not so darkly-
NOTKS OX XK\V JKRSEY FISHES. 365
colored as usual in cedar-stained streams, and were only found in
sheltered quiet places along shore April 17th, 1908.
Reported to be frequently taken in Sluice Creek, tributary of Den-
nis Creek, in' Cape May Bounty.
About Trenton Mr. J. B. Vandervecr finds the roach more of a
creek or pond fish, and, when found in the rivar, usually about chan-
nel grass. He found it reached a length of about seven inches.
Abundant in the lower tidal of the Assiscunk Creek, near Burling-
ton, on September loth, 1908. An adult about five inches long had
very pale yellow lower fins. The young very abundant in all the still
muddy shallows, swimming rather slowly about in scattered schools.
Disturbing or making the water muddy did not appear to especially
inconvenience them.
Small examples taken on Burlington Island in June of 1902, and
larger ones seen later.
Notropis bifrenatus (Cope).
Bridled Minnow.
An unusually yellowish example was seined in the Delaware River
near Florence, Burlington county, on July llth, 1908.
Found on Burlington Island by me.
Notropis hudsonius a mar us (Girard).
Spot Tailed Minnow.
In the Delaware River at Xewbold's Island, Burlington county,
this was the least abundant cyprinoid on August 13th, 1908. It
associated with and frequented to some extent the same places as the
silver fin. The fry and small examples were most numerous, but
few adults having been secured. The caudal spot, though evident,
was not very vivid.
I have taken this fish in the Delaware at Burlington Island.
366 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Notropis whipplii analostanus (Girard).
Silver Fin.
This was the most abundant cyprinoid in the Delaware along the
shores of Xewbold's Island, Burlington county, on August 13th, 1908.
Many young were found in some places, as along the clear, sandy
banks, in veritable hosts. The beautiful adults, some of which were
males, were interesting, as they had entirely lost the breeding-tubercles
and satin-white fin-pigment. Their scales, however, exhibited the
beautiful reticulated diamonds in the usual pattern, and the posterior
dorsal membranes were marked distinctly with the characteristic black
dorsal blotch.
Abundant in the lower tidal of the Assiscunk Creek, near Burling-
ton, on September 15th, 1908. They frequented the shallows, but all
seen were young or small in size. They preferred the muddy shoals
with the retreating tide, and were seldom found associated with the
other small fishes. When disturbed in these places they had a curious
habit of skipping or jumping out of the water in their efforts to get
away quickly. They would frequently jump several inches in the air
and skip a distance of from a few inches to a foot, in this greatly sug-
gesting mullets (Mugil) as they jump a cork-line of a seine. They
would all then be enabled to reach deep water and so escape. We did
not notice the killies do this.
Found by me in the Delaware at Burlington Island.
Notropis chalybaeus (Cope).
Blue Green Minnow.
Very abundant in Still Run, near Porchtown, upper basin of the
Maurice River, in Gloucester county, April 17th, 1908. They were
without breeding-dress, lacking tubercles or orange pigment. Both
this and Abrcunis crysoleucas, with which they were associated, were
preyed on by the pike which were constantly darting into the schools,
seizing a victim and as quickly returning to their original point of
vantage. None of the minnows were of the dark cedar-stained type
found in other lowland streams. Small or young examples were
numerous.
NOTES OX XKW JERSEY FISHES. 367
Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus.
Carp.
Abundant about Bridgeport in Raccoon Creek, Gloucester county.
Raised in carp ponds for market.
Family CATOSTOMID^E.
Erimyzon sucetta oblongus (Mitchill).
Chub Sucker.
One small example taken in a school of minnows in Still Run, one
of the headwaters of the Maurice River near Porchtown, Gloucester
county, on April 17th, 1908.
Reported common, and usually found in summer by the fishermen
at Bridgeport, in Raccoon Creek, Gloucester county.
Reported in the ditches or runs on Burlington Island.
Catostomus commersonnii (Lacep&de).
White Sucker.
Taken in the Delaware River at Trenton early in April of 1901
with the chub and smelt. They are sold to the Jews, according to
Mr. J. B. Vanderveer. The river fishermen distinguish several kind?.
The sand sucker is described as mostly dull yellowish, and this
color encircling most all the body except a narrow whitish median
ventral or abdominal stripe. It is said to be rather shorter, more
plump and not much in meadows. They travel alone, all moving
up about one time and on one moon. Other suckers, called creek
sucker, black sucker and gravel sucker, may possibly refer to some
other species. Some are said to have the dorsal scale pockets blackish,
tho belly white, and the body more slender. They weigh up to four
and om-half pounds, with about fifty individuals to 200 pounds.
Reported to be common in Raccoon Creek at Bridgeport, Gloucester
county, in the spring.
Reported to occur on Burlington Island.
368 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM.
Family SILURID^E.
Felichthys marinus (Mitchill).
Sea Cat Fish.
Color, when fresh, beautiful steel blue-black on back or upper sur-
face, fading brilliant mercury-white on sides and lower surface. A
bluish sheen extending down whole length of sides. Under surface
of body shining milky-white. Dorsal and caudal dusk} 7 , latter darker
towards edges. Pectoral dusky above, below and inner edges dull
whitish. Ventral ano? anal dull whitish, latter antero-medianly pale
dusky. Maxillary barbel silver-gray, otherwise distally whitish.
Lower mental barbels whitish. Edge of upper jaw gray-white. Man-
dible whitish. Iris silvery. Adipose fin dusky. Length thirteen
inches. Sea Isle City. W. J. Fox. August 20th, 1908.
Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus).
White Cat Fish.
In Raccoon Creek,, at Bridgeport, Gloucester county, the white cat
is reported to appear early in June, when but few are taken.
Mr. Emlen Martin secured two examples in the Rancocas Creek, at
Centerton, Burlington county, in August, on live minnow bait. He
also says that a number were taken during the spring, but that they
are less abundant than the yellow cat. Some attained five or six
pounds in weight.
Said to run in Sluice Creek, tributary of Dennis Creek, in Cape
May county, to the beaver dam, but not taken above, according to the
fishermen.
A young example was taken in the Delaware River, at Newbokl's
Island, Burlington county, on August 13th, 1908. It was a pale livid
slaty-gray in color.
Mr. J. B. Vanderveer says two forms of forked tail cat fish occur in
the Delaware, and differ chiefly in the eye and coloration. The large
white cat fish is said to deposit only when a foot or more in length,
while the "bullhead," or the smaller form, is said to deposit when
NOTES ON NEW JERSEY FISHES. 369
but four inches. Formerly the large white cat was very abundant,
jittpcaring in late May or early June, according to the weather, and on
either 392
Anguilla chrisypa . 361
Anguillidae 361
Apeltes quadracus 376
Aphredoderidae 379
Aphredoderus sayanus 379
Archosargus probatocephalus 383
Argentinidse 361
Atherinidse 374
auritus, Lepomis 380
back, Black 357
backs. Fat 375
Bairdiella chrysura 384
bait, White 374
Balistes carolinensis 386
Balistidaj 386
Barn-door skate 353
Barred killifish 373
bass, Calico 378
Black sea 383
Small mouthed black 381
Bastard turtle 406
turtles 406
Batrachoididse 391
beak, Half 374
belly, Black 358
Belonidae 373
Bergall 386
bifrenatus, Notropis 365
bilinearis, Merluccius 392
bislineatus, Spelerpes 394
Bitter heads 360
Black back 357
black bass, Small mouthed 381
Black bellied herring : 357
belly 358
drum 385
sea bass 383
snake 4 3
sucker 367
Blaney's snake 40-
Blotched salamander %
Blue fish 378
green minnow 3
spotted sun fish 38
QQ"1
Boleosoma nigrum olmstedi d81
INDEX. 421
PAGE.
Box tortoise 408
brachyptera, Globiocephala 376
Bridled minnow 365
brevirostrum, Acipenser 354
Brevoortia tyrannus 360
Broad banded anchovy 361
brownii, Anchovia 361
brown snake, De Kay's 402
Bufo ainericanus 395
Bufinidffi 395
Bulger 357
bullaris, Semotilus 363
Bull fish 387
frog 400
Bullhead 369, 372
Burr fish 388
Butter fish 379
Calico bass 378
Cape May goody 385
Carangida3 377
Carcharias littoralis --. 352
Carchariidae 352
Carolina, Terrapene 408
carolinensis, Balistes 386
carolinus, Prionotus 389
Trachinotus 378
Carp 367
carpio, Cyprinus 367
catesbeiana, Rana 400
cat fish. Sea 368
White 368
cat. Nigger 370
Yellow 369
Catostomidse 367
Catostomus commersonnii 367
catus, Ameiurus : 368
Centrarchida? 370
centrata concentrica, Malaclemys 407
Centropristes striatus 383
centroura, Dasyatis 353
cepredianum, Dorosoma 360
Chain snake 404
chalybaeus, Notropis 364, 366
Chelonida* 406
Chelydra serpentina 406
Chelydridae 406
Chilomycterus schoepfi 388
chrisypa Anguilla 361
Chrysemys picta 407
chrysops, Stenotomus 383
chrysura, Bairdiella 384
Chub . . 363
422 INDEX.
PAGE.
Chub sucker 367
clamata, Rana 400
Clemmys guttata 408
insculpta 408
muhlenbergii 407
clericus 404
Cluck-cluck 399
Clupeidse 355
cod, Tom 391
Colpochelys 406
kempi 406
Coluber constrictor 403
Colubridae 401
commersonnii, Catostomus 367
Common pampano 378
speckled skate 352
sun fish 380
tree toad 398
concentrica, Malaclemys centrata 407
Conger eel 362
conger, Leptocephalus 362
constrictor, Coluber 403
contortrix, Agkistrodon 405
Copper head snake 405
corporalis, Cyprinus 363
Cottidse 389
Crago septemspinosus 376
Creek sucker 367
crepitans, Acris gryllus 396
Cricket toad 396
cromis, Pogonias 385
Crotalidse 405
Crotalus horridus 405
crysoleucas, Abramis 364, 366
curema, Mugil 375
cusk, Sand 390
Cutlass fish ." 377
Cynoscion nebulosus 384
regalis 384
Cyprinidse 362
Cyprinus carpio 367
corporalis 363
darter, Tessellated 381
Dasyatidse 353
Dasyatis centroura 353
dekayi, Storeria 402
De Kay's brown snake 402
Delaware salmon 355
Desmognathus fusca 39;>
Diadophis punctatus 403
Diamond back terrapin 407
diaphanus, Fundulus 372, 373
INDEX. 423
PAGE.
Diodontidffl 388
Diemictylus viridescens 395
Ditch pike 370
doliatus triangulus, Lampropeltis 404
dolomieu, Micropterus 381
Dorosoma cepedianum 360
Dorosomatidse 360
drum, Black 385
Red 384
Dusky salamander 395
Eel 361
eel, Conger 362
Lamper 351
Silver 377
eglanteria, Raja 352
Emydida? 407
Engraulididse 361
Enneacanthus gloriosus 380
Erimyzon sucetta oblongus 367
erythronotus, Plethodon 394
Esocida? 370
Esox americanus 370
reticulatus 370
Eupomotis gibbosus 380
eye, Moon 355
fasciatus, Achirus 390
Fat backs 375
Felichthys marinus 368
fin, Silver 366
fish, Amber 377
Blue 378
Bull 387
Burr 388
Butter 379
Cutlass 377
Gizzard 361
King 385
May 372
Moon 378
Mud sun 379
Oyster 391
Pilot 377
Pipe 377
Rabbit 388
Trigger 386
Trumpet 377
Trunk 387
Weak 384
Fistularia tabacaria 377
Fistulariidse , 377
flavescens, Perca 381
424 INDEX.
PAGE.
Flipper 358
flounder, Summer 389
Four spined stickleback 376
toed salamander 393
frog, Bull 400
Green 400
Leopard 399
Pickerel 400
Sphagnum 399
Wood 400
Fundulus diaphanus 372, 373
heteroclitus macrolepidotus 372
majalis 372
f usca, Desmognathus , 395
fuscus, Syngnathus 377
Gadidse 391
gar, Green 373
Garter snake 403
GasterosteidaB 375
Gasterosteus aculeatus 375
Getulus, Lampropeltis 404
gibbosus, Eupomotis 380
Gizzard fish 361
shad 360, 361
Globiocephala brachyptera 376
gloriosus Enneacanthus 380
glutinosus, Plethodon 394
goody, Cape May 385
Gravel sucker 367
Green frog 400
gar 373
gryllus crepitans, Acris 396
guttata, Clemmys 408
Hake 392
Half beak 374
Hammer head shark 352
Hawksbill turtle 406
heads, Bitter 360
Hemidactylium scutatum 393
Hemiramphidae 374
herring, Black bellied 357
herrin. Rail 358
heteroclitus macrolepidotus, Fundulus 372
Heterodon platyrinos 404
Hickory shad 355
Hog nose snake 404
horridus, Crotalus 405
House snake 404
hudsonius amarus, Notropis 365
Hybognathus nuchalis regius 362
INDEX. 425
PAGE.
Hyla andersonii 397
pickeringii 396
versicolor 398
Hylidte 396
Hyporhamphus unifasciatus 374
Iguanidse 405
insculpta, Clemmys 408
kempi, Colpochelys 406
killifish, Barred 373
King fish 385
Kinosternidse 406
Kinosternon pensylvanicum 406
Labridse 386
Lactophrys triqueter 387
laevigatus, Lagocephalus 388
Isevis, Raja 353
Lagocephalus laevigatus 388
Lagodon rhomboides 383
Lamper 351
eel 351
Lamprey 351
Lampropeltis doliatus triangulus 404
getulus 404
lance, Sand 390
Leather snake 401
leberis, Regina 401
Leiostomus 352
xanthurus 385
Leopard frog 399
Lepomis auritus 380
Leptocephalidae 362
Leptocephalus conger 362
lepturus, Trichiurus 377
Leucosomus rhotheus 363
light, Window 389
lineatus, Roccus 382
littoralis, Carcharias 352
lizard, Pine tree -. 405
Long eared sun fish ". 380
tailed salamander 394
longicauda, Sperlerpes 394
Dophiidaa 392
Lophius piscatorius 392
Lophopsetta maculata 389
macrolepidotus, Fundulus heteroclitus 372
maculata, Tophopsetta 389
maculatus, Spheroides 388
majalis, Fundulus . . 372
426 INDEX.
PAGE.
Malaclemys centrata concentrica 407
marginata, Rissola 390
marinus, Felichthys 368
Petr.omyzon 351
Tylosurus 373
May fish 372
mediocris, Pomolobus 355
Menidia menidia notata 374
menidia notata, Menidia 374
Menticirrhus saxatilis 385
Merlucciidse 392
Merluccius bilinearis 392
Microgadus tomcod 391
Micropterus dolomieu 381
minnow, Blue green 366
Bridled 365
Mud 371
Silvery 362
Spot tailed 365
Moon eye 355
fish 378
mordax, Osmerus 361
Morone americana 382
Mossbunker 360
Mouche 354
Mud minnow 371
shad 360, 361
sun fish 379
turtle 406
Mugil 366
curema 375
Mugilidse 375
muhlenbergii, Clemmys 407
Muhlenberg's terrapin 407
Mullet 375
Mummichog , 372
Musk turtle 407
Myoxocephalus ameus 389
Natrix sipedon 401
nebulosus, Ameiurus 369
Cynoscion 384
Newt 395
Nigger cat 370
nigrum olmstedi, Boleosoma 381
notata, Menidia menidia 374
Notropis bifrenatus 365
chalybseus 364, 366
hudsonius amarus 365
whipplii analostanus 366
nuchalis regius, Hybognathus 362
INDEX. 427
PAGE.
oblongus, Erirayzon sucetta 367
occipito-maculata, Storeria 401
odoratus, Stern-othoerus 407
olmstedi, Boleosoma nigrum ... * 381
onitis, Tautoga 386
opacum, Ambystoma 393
Ophidiidse 390
Opsanus tau 391
ornatus 372
Osmerus mordax 361
Ostraciidae 387
Oyster fish 391
Painted terrapin 407
palustris, Rana 400
pampano, Common 378
Paralichthys dentatus 389
pensylvanicum, Kinosternon 406
Perca flavescens 381
Perch 382
Pirate 379
Silver 384
White 382
Yellow 381
Percidse 381
Petromyzonidse 351
Petromyzon marinus 351
Phycis regius 392
Pickerel 370
frog 400
Pickering's tree toad 396
picta, Chrysemys 407
pike, Ditch 370
Pilot fish 377
Pine tree lizard 405
Pink white bait 361
Pipe fish 377
pipiens, Rana 399
Pirate perch 379
piscatorius, Lophius 392
platyrinos, Heterodon 404
Plethodon erythronotus 394
glutinosus 394
Plethodontidse 393
Pleurodelidse 395
Pleuronectida? 389
Poeciliidse -. 372
Pogonias cromis 385
Pomatomidae 378
Pomatomus saltatrix 378
Pomolobus sestivalis 357
mediocris 355
pseudoharengus 355
428 INDEX.
PAGE.
Bomoxis sparoides 379
pomotis, Acantharchus 379
Poor soles 360
Porgy 383
Poronotus triacanthus 379
Prionotus 352
carolinus 389
probatocephalus, Archosargus 383
Pseudacris triseriatus 396
Pseudemys rubriventris 407
pseudoharengus, Pomolobus 355
Puffer 388
punctatus, Diadophis 403
pygmsea, Umbra 371
quadracus, Apeltes 376
Rabbit fish 388
Rail herrin 358
Raja eglanteria 352
Isevis 353
Rajida? 352
Rana catesbeiana 400
clamata 400
palustris 400
pipiens 399
sylvatica 400
virgatipes 399
Ramidse 399
Rattler 356, 357
Rattle snake 405
ray, Sting .. 353
Red backed salamander . 394
bellied snake 401
terrapin , 407
drum 384
salamander 395
regalis, Cynoscion 384
Regina leberis 401
regius, Hybognathus nuchalis 362
Phycis 392
reticulatus, Esox 370
rhomboides, Lagodon 383
rhotheus, Leucosomus 363
Ribbon snake 403
Ring necked snake 403
Rissola marginata. 390
Roach 364
robin, Sea 389
Roccus lineatus 382
Rock 382
ruber, Spelerpes 395
rubriventris, Pseudemys 407
INDEX. 429
PAGE.
Sailor's choice 383
salamander, Blotched 393
Dusky 395
Four toed 393
Long tailed 394
Red 395
Red backed 394
Spotted 393
Sticky 394
Two lined 394
salmon, Delaware 355
saltatrix, Pomatomus 378
Sand cusk 390
lance 390
shark 352
sucker 367
sapidissima, Alosa 358
sauritus, Thamnophis 403
saxatilis, Menticirrhus 385
sayanus, Aphredoderus -. 379
Sceloporus undulatus 405
schoepfi, Chilomycterus 388
Scifenidse '. . 384
Sciamops 352
ocellatus 384
Sculpin 389
scutatum, Hemidactylium 393
sea bass, Black 383
Sea cat. fish , 368
robin 389
Selene vomer 378
Semotilus 363
bullaris 363
septemspinosus, Crago 371
Seriola zonata 377
serpentina, Chelydra 406
Serranidffi 382
Shad 358
shad, Gizzard 360, 361
Hickory 355
Mud 360, 361
shark, Hammer head 352
Sand 352
Sheepshead 383
Siluridae 368
Silver eel 377
fin 366
perch 384
tail ,. 369
Silversides 374
Silvery minnow 362
sipedon, Natrix 401
430 v INDEX.
PAGE.
sirtalis, Thamnophis 403
skate, Barn door 352
Common speckled 352
Small mouthed black bass 381
Smelt 361
snake, Black 403
Blaney's 402
Chain 404
Copper head 405
De Kay's brown 402
Garter 403
Hog nose 404
House 404
Leather 401
Rattle 405
Red bellied 401
Ribbon 403
Ring necked 403
Water 401
snakes, Virginia 402
Snapping turtle 406
Sole 390
Soleidae 390
soles, Poor 360
Sparidse 383
sparoides, Pomoxis 379
speckled skate, Common 352
Spelerpes bislineatus 394
longicauda 394
ruber 395
Sphagnum frog 399
Spheroides maculatus 388
Sphyrna zygsena 352
Sphyrnidse 352
Spot tailed minnow 365
Spotted salamander 393
terrapin 408
weak fish .' 384
spotted sun fish, Blue -^ 380
Stenotomus chrysops 383
Sternothoarus odoratus 407
stickleback, Four spined 376
Two spined 375
Sticky salamander 394
Sting ray 353
Storeria dekayi 402
occipito-maculata 401
striatus, Centropristes * 383
Stromateidse 379
Sturgeon 353
sturio, Acipenser 353
sucetta oblongus, Erimyzon 367
INDEX. 431
PAGE.
sucker, Black 367
Chub 367
Creek 367
Gravel 367
Sand 367
White : 367
Summer flounder 389
sun fish, Blue spotted 380
Common 380
Long eared 380
Mud 379
Swamp tree toad 396
sylvatica, Rana . 400
Syngnathidae 377
Syngnathus f uscus 377
tabacaria, Fistularia 377
tail, Silver 369
tan, Opsanus 391
Tautog 386
Tautoga onitis 386
Tautogolabrus adspersus 386
Terrapene Carolina 408
terrapin, Diamond back 407
Muhlenberg's 407
Painted 407
Red bellied 407
Spotted 408
Tessellated darter 381
Tetrodontidse 388
Thamnophis sauritus 403
sirtalis 403
Toad 395
toad, Anderson tree 397
Common tree 398
Cricket 396
Pickering's tree 396
Swamp tree 396
Tom cod 391
tomcod, Microgadus 391
Trachinotus carolinus 378
tree toad, Anderson 397
Common 398
Pickering's 396
Swamp 396
triacanthus, Poronotus 379
triangulus 404
Lampropeltis doliatus 404
Trichiuridse 377
Trichuirus lepturus 377
Trigger fish 386
Triglidffi 389
triqueter, Lactophrys 387
32 INDEX.
triseriatus, Pseudacris 396
Trumpet fish 377
Trunk fish 387
turtle, Bastard 406
Hawksbill 406
Mud 406
Musk 407
Snapping 406
turtles, Bastard 406
Two lined salamander 394
spined stickleback 375
Tylosurus marinus 373
tyrannus, Brevoortia 360
Umbra pygmaBa 371
Umbridse 371
undulatus, Sceloporus 405
unifasciatus, Hyporhamphus 374
valeriae, Virginia 402
versicolor, Hyla 398
virgatipes, Rana 399
Virginia < 402
snakes 402
valeriae 402
vomer, Selene 378
Water snake 401
Weak fish 384
weak fish, Spotted 384
whipplii, analostanus, Notropis 366
White bait 374
cat fish 368
perch 382
sucker 367
white bait, Pink 361
Whiting 392
Window light 389
Wood frog 40(
tortoise 408
xanthurus, Leiostomus 385
Yellow cat 369
perch 381
zonata, Seriol-a 3T7
zygeena, Sphyrna 352
PLATES
Q.
_l CQ
- o
> CQ
T- CM
PLATE 22.
From drawing by Fuertes, Nat. Asso. And. Soc.
UPLAND PLOVER. Eartramia longicauda (Bechst.),
PLATE 24.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
KILLDEER. Oxyechus vociferus (Linn.).
PLATE 31.
From Wilson.
RED-TAILED HAWK. Buteo borealis (Gmel.).
PLATE 33.
From Wilson.
SPARROW HAWK. Falco sparverius Linn.
PLATE 34.
From drawing by Fuertes. Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
SCREECH OWL. Otus asio (Linn.).
PLATE 35.
From Wilson.
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. Coccyzus americanus (Linn.).
PLATE 36.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
BELTED KINGFISHER. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.),
PLATE 37.
From Wilson.
DOWNY WOODPECKER. Dryobates pubescens medianus (Sw.).
PLATE! 38.
From Wilson.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.).
PLATE 39.
From Wilson.
FLICKER. Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs.
PLATE 40.
From Wilson.
WHIP-POOR-WILL. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.).
PLATE 41.
From Wilson.
NIGHT-HAWK. Chordeiles virginianus (Gmel.).
PLATE 42.
m
From Wilson.
CHIMNEY SWIFT. Chaetura pelagica (Linn.).
PLATE 44.
From Wilson.
1. WOOD PEWEE. Myiochanes virens (Linn.).
2. KINGBIRD. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linn.).
PLATE 45.
From Wilson.
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. Myiarchus crinitus (Linn.).
PLATE 47.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
BLUE JAY. Cyanocitta cristata (Linn.)
pq
PLATE 49.
From ^Yilson.
BOB-O-LINK. Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linn.).
PLATE 50.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. Agelaius phoeniceus (Linn.)
PLATE 51.
From drawing by Fuertes, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
MEADOW-LARK. Sturnella magna (Linn.).
PLATE 52.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. And. Soc.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE. Icterus galbula (Linn.)
PLATE 54.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aucl. Soc.
CROSSBILL. .Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm)
PLATE 55.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
GOLDFINCH. Astragalinus tristis (Linn.).
PLATE 56.
From Wilson.
1. FOX SPARROW. Passerella iliaca (Merr.).
2. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmel.).
PLATE 57.
From Wilson.
1. FIELD SPARROW. Spizella pusilla (Wils.).
2. CHIPPING SPARROW. Spizella passerina (Bechst).
PLATE 59.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
SONG SPARROW. Melospiza melodia (Wils.).
a.
Q.
UJ
UJ
I
O
PLATE 61.
From Wilson.
CARDINAL. Cardinalis cardinalis (Linn.).
PLATE 62.
From Wilson.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linn.).
PLATE 63.
From Wilson.
INDIGO-BIRD. Passerina cyanea (Linn.).
PLATE 64.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
SCARLET TANAGER. Piranga erythromelas Vieill.
PLATE 65.
From Wilson.
1. BANK SWALLOW. Riparia riparia (Linn.)
2. PURPLE MARTIN. Progne subis (Linn.).
PLATE 66.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. And. Soc.
BARN SWALLOW. Hirundo erythrogastra Bodd.
PLATE 67.
f %
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. Aud. Soc.
TREE SWALLOW. Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieill.).
PLATE 70.
From Wilson.
1. WHITE-EYED VIREO. Vireo griseus (Bodd.).
2. RED-EYED VIREO. Vireosylva olivacea (Linn.).
.2
a >
> o
' o
V) <0
ft '-5
ni ns
o o
2 2
O -D
E C
0.
PLATE 72.
- . ^pS**^
From Wilson.
1. HOODED WARBLER.
2. MYRTLE WARBLER.
Wilsonia citrina (Bodd.).
Dendroica coronata (Linn.)
PLATE 73.
From Wilson.
1. WATER THRUSH. Seiurus noveboracensis (Gmel.).
2. OVEN-BIRD. Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn.).
re O
IH
. o
< I
I H
O ^
o o
UJ j
CO UJ
LU
CC Q
CD Z
UJ
PLATE 75.
From Audubon.
REDSTART. Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.).
PLATE 77.
From Wilson.
BROWN THRASHER. Toxostoma rutum (Linn.).
PLATE 78.
From Wilson.
1. CAROLINA WREN. Thryothorus ludovicianus (Lath.).
2. WINTER WREN. Nannus hiemalis (Vieill.).
3. HOUSE WREN. Troglodytes aedon Vieill.
5 a
P
Q DC
LU UJ
I- Q.
CO UJ
< UJ
UJ DC
UJ Z
I- ^
PLATE 80.
From Wilson.
1. TUFTED TITMOUSE. Baeolophus bicolor (Linn.)
2. CHICKADEE. Penthestes atricapilius (Linn.).
PLATE 81.
From drawing by Ilorsfall, Nnt. Asso. And. Sue.
1. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. Regulus satrapa Licht.
2. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. Regulus calendula (Linn.).
PLATE 84.
From drawing by Horsfall, Nat. Asso. And. Soc.
BLUEBIRD. Sialia sialis (Linn.).
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